Crock Pot Honey Mustard Chicken

Aaron really likes honey mustard, and I decided to make him some in the crock pot, because everything for me is better when it can be made in the slow cooker :).  Anyway, this is a quick, easy dinner, and we all liked it with our cheesy mashed potatoes.  Each serving was about 150 calories, and there were six servings.  This received an 8 from everyone except Noah, who gave it a 9.  Here's what I did:

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
salt and pepper
1/4 c honey
2 T olive oil
2 T whole grain garlic mustard
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 T tapioca

Spray the slow cooker with oil.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper.  Mix together the honey, oil, and mustard.  Stir in the lemon juice, and then stir in the tapioca.  Pour over the chicken, and cook it on low about 4 hours, checking to make sure it doesn't over cook.  Serve.

Noah's Honey Quesadillas

first attempt

second attempt

final product :)

Well, we tried to make this three different times, and the third time was successful :).  Noah wanted honey quesadillas, and so we played around with the recipe until everyone thought it was delicious.  We tried to first make our own corn tortillas, but they were a little thick, so we used flour instead.  Our caramel sauce was too hard at first, and by the third try we got sauce rather than caramel candy :).  Notice how the caramel gets lighter every time.  And our filling became progressively sweeter with each attempt, but by the third try it was honey-ey and delicious.  Aaron and I gave them a 9, Noah gave them a perfect 10, and Owen gave them an 8.  Here's what Noah and I came up with:

4 T cream cheese, softened
4 T honey (more or less depending on desired sweetness)
4 tortillas

3/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
2 T butter
1/2 c cream
2 T honey

Beat together the cream cheese and honey, tasting as you go.  Spread the cream cheese mixture on the tortillas, and toast them on both sides.

Caramelize the sugar and water together, then when the sugar is a light amber, add in the butter and cream and honey, stirring until the sauce comes together.

Honey Garlic Chicken and Garlic-Lemon Green Beans with Toasted Bread Crumbs

This was a really great dinner tonight.  Everyone except for Noah really enoyed it.  We gave the chicken, Honey Garlic Chicken, an 8 (Owen and I), Aaron gave it a 7, and Noah gave it a 5.  We used four thighs, and the calories for one serving, or one fourth, were 303.  This was fast and easy, and tasted really good.  We'll have this again.  I used frozen thighs, and it was done in just over five hours.
Our green beans were from Cook's Illustrated New Best Recipe Cookbook, and just like all their recipes, this turned out great.  I cooked it a little longer than the recipe called for, and I used panko instead of fresh bread crumbs, but other than that I followed the recipe.  Aaron and I gave the beans an 8, and Owen and Noah gave them a 7.  The calories for 1/4 of the recipe, which is quite a big serving, were 195.  Here's the recipe:
Garlic-Lemon Green Beans with Toasted Bread Crumbs
2 slices high-quality sandwich bread, each slice torn into quarters (I used 1/2 c panko because I just didn't want to do more dishes)
3 T unsalted butter
salt and pepper
2 T freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 t flour
1/8 t red pepper flakes
1 t minced fresh thyme leaves
1 1/2 lbs green beans, ends trimmed
1 c chicken broth
1 T lemon juice

1. Process the bread in a food processor to even, fine crumbs.  (I obviously omitted this step.  I just melted the butter and stirred the panko into it.)  Heat 1 T of the butter in a 12 inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat; when melted, add teh bread crumbs and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in 1/4 t salt, 1/8 t pepper, and the cheese; set aside.
2.  Wipe out the skillet.  Add the remaining 2 T butter, the garlic, and 1/4 t salt; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the garlic is golden, 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the flour, red pepper flakes, and thyme, then toss in the green beans.  Add the chicken broth and increase the heat to medium-high; cover and cook until the beans are partly tender but still crisp at the center, about 4 minutes.  Uncover an dcook, stirring occasionally, until the beans are tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 4 minutes.  Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to a serving dish, sprinkle with the bread crumbs, and serve.

Again, I cooked this longer than it said, because we like our beans pretty tender, and this was great!

Tomorrow we're having some lamb and risotto.