Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken

 

If you need an easy and delicious meal for a long day, this is it. I've made it twice and the whole family agrees it's a keeper.

Ingredients 

• 4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or equivalent)
• 2 14.5oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 medium white onion thinly sliced (not chopped)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, rosemary
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• ground black pepper & salt to taste

Directions
Pour the olive oil on bottom of slow cooker, add chicken, salt and pepper each breast, put sliced onions on top of chicken, then put in all the dried herbs and garlic cloves. Pour in vinegar and tomatoes.

Cook on high 4 hours (or low pretty much however long you want to). Serve over angel hair pasta or just eat it like a delicious stew.

Originally on skinnyms dot com

Toffee Apple Dip

Have I posted this recipe before? I don't think so. It's a perfect dip to take to a fall party. I made it for a tailgate this weekend and got rave reviews. You can't really go wrong with cream cheese and copious amounts of sugar. This is originally from Southern Living.

Ingredients:

1 (8-oz.) package cream cheese, softened

1 (8-oz.) package toffee bits (you can use Heath bits if that's what your grocery store has)

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

 

Blend ingredients together, store in an airtight container. Serve with apples and pretzels. Yum!

Autumnal Apple Cake

Notes
I am so glad that you guys are also interested in reviving our blog! I still think of the four of you whenever I am looking for recipes and refer back to our blog from time-to-time. Let the recipe sharing begin!
This recipe is from Smit.ten Kit.chen and was recommended to me by a friend at Penn State. I have already made this cake three times this fall and it's only the middle of September! It's a great way to use apples (Marcus' parents have a tree full of apples that they've been sharing with us) and it's a cake that works for many different events. It's essentially a coffee cake, but the longer it sits, the more moist and delicious it gets. Ideally, you'd make it a day or two ahead of when you need and let it sit. I made a couple of very minor changes below, but basically it's the same recipe from SK. Enjoy!

Ingredients

6 apples (I used 12-13 small somewhat tart apples)
1 tablespoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons sugar (all granulated or half granulated/half brown sugar)
***
2 3/4 c. flour, sifted
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 c. vegetable oil
2 c. sugar
1/4 c. orange juice (freshly squeezed, about 1 orange)

zest of 1/2 orange
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Procedure
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan. Peel, core and chop apples into chunks. Toss with cinnamon and sugar and set aside.

Stir together flour, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, orange juice, orange zest, sugar and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into the dry ones, then add eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the bowl to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.

Pour half of batter into prepared pan. Spread half of apples over it. Pour the remaining batter over the apples and arrange the remaining apples on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool completely before running knife between cake and pan, and unmolding onto a platter.