The Ingredient: Peaches

Welcome Back!!

Crock-N-Roll is kicking off its resurrection with delicious peaches! July and August are in the peak season for this sweet and juicy ingredient; which is more than appropriate for the Welcome Back recipe, since both chefs are from the Peach state.

A few changes have taken place during the chefs intermission, including the relocation of Chef Tiffany back to New Smyrna Beach, FL (she could no longer spend time away from her bestie...).  The challenge will stay the same and the chefs will still be cooking separately, each of them creating a masterpiece in their Kitchens by the Beach.

Peaches are normally thought of as a snack or a dessert, but research shows a creative chef will use peaches in poultry, pork and seafood recipes as well.

Peaches may not look delicious (since they oddly resemble someone's butt cheeks), but I have learned a well-defined cleft is a sign of maturity.  Choosing peaches with firm skin and a good crack will deliver sweet savory flavor to any meal!

- Chef Mimi

The Consumption: Jammin' Jumbalaya

This crock recipe was a complete success!  I absolutely loved all of the flavors that melted together in this one.

As I previously posted, shrimp is my favorite type of seafood.  I only used shrimp for this recipe because I wanted that flavor to stand out the most.  I chopped all the veggies so I could simply dump everything in the crock during my lunch break from work. I got home, poured everything in and flipped the switch to LOW for the next 5 hours.

When I came home from work, I peeled and deveined the shrimp myself (something I will never do again)! I added the shrimp to a skillet, with a couple cloves of garlic, and organic peppers from my boyfriend's Grandmother's garden.  I added the rest of the ingredients to my slow cooker and waited as my kitchen filled with spicy, cheesy aromas.

EVERYTHING was covered in cheesy hot sauce!  Words can not express how much I love that combination.  Every bite had a little piece of shrimp in it! I served with "butter-me-not" biscuits.

I would recommend cooking this on a cool Autumn night for friends.  The recipe made plenty of food as I still have a dish or two in my freezer.

Tips & Tricks:

• How to easily peel and devein shrimp

- Chef Mimi

The Recipe: Cheesy Shrimp & Chicken Jambalaya

Prep:  20 mins
Cook:  Low 5 hours, High 3.0 hours
Serving Size:  6
Category:  Seafood/Poultry

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 14.5-ounce can tomatoes, cut up
• 1 14-ounce can chicken broth
• 1/2 of a 6-ounce can (1/3 cup) tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1.5 teaspoons Cajun seasoning or 1 recipe *Homemade Cajun Seasoning (ingredients listed; recipe below)
• white pepper
• garlic powder
• onion powder
• ground red pepper
• paprika
• black pepper
• 1.5 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch chunks
• 1 cup instant rice
• 1 box Rice-a-Roni Creamy Four Cheese Rice
• 8 ounces cooked, peeled, deveined shrimp 
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1 red pepper chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons Texas Pete Hot Sauce
• 3 teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Salt Free Magic Seasoning Blend

Preparation:

*Homemade Cajun Seasoning:  In a small bowl combine 1/4 teaspoon white pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, 1/8 ground red pepper, 1/4 teaspoon paprika and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.  

Combine celery, onion, undrained tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning in the crock. 

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2.5 to 3 hours. 

Stir in instant rice, the entire rice-a-roni box, shrimp and peppers. Cover and cook 10-15 mins or until most of the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

- Chef Tiffany

The Ingredient: Shrimp

Shrimp is one of my favorite crustaceans of the sea!

I chose this ingredient because over and over again the crock is proving to be so versatile.

This of course made me think of the most notorious scene from, Forrest Gump; when Bubba starts listing all the different ways shrimp can be prepared. Watch this clip below:

Tips & Tricks:

• Apparently, Americans love shrimp.
• Bubba Gump Shrimp Company & Market

- Chef Mimi

The Consumption: Saucy Orange Chicken

This dinner was so yummy!  When I was mixing the juice, zest, salt, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper (which I measured super accurately), brown sugar, ketchup and garlic, I was wondering exactly what this mix would taste like.  Was I creating a marinade, where the juice would flavor the chicken?  How does ketchup and brown sugar fit in here?   

I hand-squeezed the oranges, which was challenging.  Since I do not own a juicer,  my boyfriend, Matt and I invented one using a small tool you stick into fruit to literally drink the juice and a sifter.

I mixed all the ingredients, poured over the chicken, and set the crock to LOW and cooked 3.5 hrs.

The juicy marinade turned into a sauce that coated all the pieces of chicken.  I served on white rice with a side salad & ginger dressing.  My man does not like onions so, I substituted sesame seeds.

The flavors reminded me of ordering take-out from my favorite Chinese restaurant.  I will definitely be making this slow cooked meal again!  It was so simple!  We had plenty of leftovers for dinner the next night.  Great recipe!

Tips & Tricks:

• Get a juicer.
• Extraordinary uses for ketchup!  

- Chef Mimi

The Recipe: Asian Orange Chicken

I found the original recipe on:
Stephanie O'Dea's blog, A Year of Slow Cooking, 
but modified the ingredients to use fresh oranges.   

Prep:  25 mins
Cook:  Low 3.5 - 4 hours
Serving Size:  6
Category:  Poultry

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of chicken breast, cut into 2 inch chunks
• 1/2 cup of flour
• Olive oil, for browning the chicken
• Green onions, chopped
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt 
• 1 can mandarin orange slices
• 3 oranges
• 1 teaspoon of zest, from your oranges
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 
• 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper 
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons ketchup 
• 1 tablespoon garlic

Preparation:

Cut chicken and toss in flour.  In a skillet heat the oil and brown chicken piece on all sides and put in the crock. 

I used the side of a cheese shredder to get the zest from the orange peel. Then I squeezed all 3 oranges, which measured out to 8 ounces of juice. 

Mix the juice, zest, salt, balsamic vinegar, crushed red pepper (1 teaspoon), brown sugar, ketchup and garlic and pour on top of the chicken. 

Cover and cook on low for 3.5 - 4 hours.

Serve over white or brown rice, top with chopped green onions and garnish with mandarin orange wedges. 

Tips and Tricks:

• How to make your own orange zest
• How to squeeze out all the juice in an orange

- Chef Tiffany

The Ingredient: Oranges

Florida oranges are great during the summa-time, as they are the easiest snack to bring to the beach.  They don't melt or get soggy; you just peel and eat!

I absolutely love walking into my man's back yard and eating an orange right off the tree. Talk about refreshing!  The hottest months (May, June, & July) are when you can find the juiciest oranges, which is why I picked this ingredient.

From what I understand, oranges are very diverse when it comes to cooking...you can use the rind, zest, juice and flesh. 

I can't wait to see how this yummy fruit cooks in the crock!

Tips and Tricks:

• All about oranges
• Send a gift of Sunshine - FloridaOrange.com
• Check out the link below to watch videos on how oranges are grown & harvested:
• Florida Department of Citrus

- Chef Mimi