3.06.2013

crockpot happiness


there is a very high likelihood that i have lost my mind within the last few days. not only did i sleep through my alarm for over an hour this morning (and i vaguely remember trying to turn off npr with my iphone at one point), but yesterday evening (tuesday) when i came home hungry for dinner, i realized the the huge pot of soup i made on sunday afternoon was still sitting in the pot on my stove. i guess i should be thankful the stove wasn't still on, which wouldn't have actually shocked me. apparently i need to slow down a little bit. thankfully, there are really easy and fool-proof crockpot recipes for helpless people like me who seem to be a bit scatterbrained. tonight i came home after an almost twelve hour day to the most delicious crockpot meal i've made yet. and probably the easiest prep-wise too. also, if you know me at all you know i generally am not great when it comes to following recipe directions and this one is very open for modifications (aka whatever vegetables i happen to have in the fridge at the moment). i was so happy with it, i had to share:

balsamic chicken and vegetables
you can read the original recipe here, but i changed/modified it quite a bit, to be honest:

2 - 3 large chicken breasts
1 whole head of garlic
2 sliced zucchini
1 red onion, sliced
2 cups of sliced mushrooms
2 cups small grape tomatoes
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
salt and pepper

1. place frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of a crock pot. season with salt and pepper.
2. peel garlic, but keep cloves whole
3. slice zucchini and onion, toss with tomatoes, mushrooms and garlic
4. place vegetables on top of chicken
5. mix balsamic vinegar and worcestershire sauce, pour over vegetables
6. cover and cook on low for eight hours (if you want to cook on high, you're on your own. i have no idea how to cook on high.)

i actually cooked this on low for about ten hours, and it was still completely moist and delicious. i doubled the initial liquid suggestions since i knew i'd be cooking for quite a while. additionally, i thought with such a short list of ingredients it might end up tasting bland, but it was quite the opposite. i was floored. i didn't actually measure any of the veggies, but i just filled up the crock pot. i also think summer squash would be really delicious so i'll likely decrease the zucchini and add that to the mix next time. and there will definitely be a next time!