Honey Sesame Chicken (Slow Cooker) and two other things . . .

First of all:

 Thank you - for leaving kind messages and emails for 

positive thoughts, prayers and good wishes as we ushered 

our sweet Black Labrador from this life. 

Please accept my deepest thanks.  

Your kindness and understanding has been so appreciated.  

A little more about our pal at the end of this post.

Second of all:

Blog connection problems!!

 With NO thanks to Blogger/Google.  :(

There has been a snafu with my domain name onceuponaplate1.com.

I am attempting to retrieve it, but in the meantime I've reverted

to "www.onceuponaplate.blogspot.com", so if you have had

difficulty getting feeds or connecting with my blog -- that is why.  

If you can change your address book/connection to 'www.onceuponaplate.blogspot.com'

we'll be able to keep in touch.

  

Thank you!! 

And enough of that business.

~*~*~*~*~

Ah, this difficult time and dreary weather seemed to cry out for comfort food, 

so when I happened upon this recipe I knew I wanted to try it.

Originally found at Baby Center (click), it was adapted by a another blogger 

Tessa @ Handle the Heat (click). 

Both versions looked good but

I wanted to pump it up slightly to give it more of an Asian edge, 

which we prefer, so I added a couple of tweaks to suit our taste.

The original recipe called for boneless/skinless chicken breasts... 

but for slow cooking I prefer boneless/skinless chicken thighs ~ 

they are more flavorful and can stand up to slow cooking more successfully 

than breasts. Thighs remain moist and tender during the long cooking period.

I followed Tessa's (Handle the Heat) recipe fairly closely, 

but I did make these changes:

- I tossed a couple of slices of fresh ginger into the slow cooker

- I used the ketchup called for in original recipe, 
(if you are avoiding corn syrup use an organic brand that does not include it.) 

(Or do as Tessa did and substitute tomato sauce.)

- Increased the garlic to 3 cloves, minced

- Increased the cider vinegar to 3 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon)

- Added a couple of splashes of Dry Cocktail Sherry 

(may substitute Mirin instead~ Japanese cooking wine for the sherry)

- Increased the sesame oil to 2 teaspoons

- Along with the scallion garnish I added fresh Cilantro sprigs

As always, I recommend you adjust the seasonings to your own taste, of course. :)

I hope if you try this recipe you'll love it. It reheats and freezes well 
(sans the garnishes), so you can make ahead and have it on hand.

 Simply warm it up and sprinkle with the fresh garnishes.  

Serve over rice, noodles, or your favorite grain.

It's also a fabulous filling for lettuce leaves or small sandwich buns.

You can find both recipes via the links above ... 

I believe you will like this method of preparing chicken.

~*~*~*~*~*~

(© original oil by John Silver, UK)*
Original is available, click the above link to learn more.

My Pal

The good news is the Veterinarian was 'off' in her estimate of 
the amount of time our pup had remaining.

Our boy actually enjoyed an additional several weeks of a good, 
happy life beyond what was predicted, tail wags and all. 

We made every effort to make sure he enjoyed each moment, 
doing things he liked, eating well, going for rides in the car, 
sleeping comfortably, being loved; he was able to remain 
free of pain and discomfort until the very end.

May we all have it so when it's our time.

Here is to 14 splendid years of love and companionship.

Not a mean bone in his body . . . he was a good boy.

The tough decision was made Monday morning February 3rd ~

he was such a wonderful dog, very much loved, 

is sorely missed and will remain forever in our hearts.

~*~*~*~*~*~

* ©The Art of John Silver, 

Fine Artist, U.K.

Please visit Mr. Silver's site, JSFA (The Fine Art of John Silver) 
(http://www.johnsilverfinearts.com/) to see more of his exquisite work.

You may order prints, originals, or contact to

perhaps commission an original painting.

Shipping is available worldwide from the UK.*

For more information:

http://www.johnsilverfinearts.com 

http://john-silver.artistwebsites.com

 http://www.johnsilverfinearts.co.uk

Disclaimer: Mr. Silver has no idea who I am; 

I receive no compensation for recommending his work. 

I'm just a fan, entirely captivated by his incredible talent. 

~*~*~*~*~*~

Thank you for coming by today friends!

I wish you peace and happiness.

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New Peeps ~ The Next Generation!

The chicken population is growing at my house. :)


I've shared about my chickens before, back in 2010 ~ from the very beginning of the construction of the Hen House and the completed project.  


And introduced some of the chickens here and here and here.


Those hens have been good girls and steady layers ~ we've added on to the original chicken coop and pen since then so it's time to rejuvenate things a bit.


This time I chose more Buff Orpingtons, Rhode Island Reds, and Americaunas (the ones that lay blue or green eggs.)




It's always so much fun to watch them grow ~ I hope you enjoy these pictures of the most recent additions to the flock:

A befuddling impostor! 

 These pictures are all Buff Orpinton chicks ~ 

When fully mature the hens look like this:

Photo courtesy of Backyard Chickens

And the hens will weigh about 8 pounds, it is a very good natured breed, excellent laying hens, the hens are good nurturing mothers, and they are surely right up there among my favorites chickens.

I'll post more of the other newbies soon.

Thank you for stopping by ! Have a happy weekend Friends! 

xoxo ~m

Forever in Our Hearts

We adopted Cinnamon from the Humane Society when she was about a year old.  That was a little over 10 years ago.

Such a sweetie.

Relishing a favorite once-in-a-while treat.

As my family and some of you know,  she passed away a week ago today after a rather sudden illness.  

Her Vet suspected it was an auto-immune disease, so we had been treating her for that for a few weeks, that's why I've been away from the blog-world; for family time.

In spite of our best efforts, and her valiant fight, she succumbed at midnight on Monday June 13th. 

We were fortunate to have spent all day on both Sunday and Monday with her while she was resting outdoors with us as we worked in her favorite flower garden.

'Cinnie's Garden'

We're thankful we were with her when she passed, and thankful that she was able to pass in the familiar surroundings and security of home.

She will be greatly missed as she was a family member to us,  my constant companion, a very good dog who fit into our life and lifestyle like a glove.

Gone, but not forgotten.

Rest well Cinnie-girl, my pal.

To visit more of  'Cinnie's Garden'  click here.

~ A Brand New Year --- Happy 2011 to All ~

Nothing special cooking at my house today ~

just taking a little break from the kitchen after the holidays.

Instead I thought I'd share some eggs from one of our chickens, Sugar ~ our Amerucana (or "Easter Egg") hen, lays these beautifully colored eggs. The outside of the shells are light olive green, while the inside are a bright Robin's egg blue. Each Amerucana lays colored eggs ranging from light brown to various shades of blue and green, and each hen will lay the same color of egg her entire laying "career".  :)

Sugar ~  about 2 weeks old 

What a surprise it was when I cracked open her first egg and saw that beautiful blue interior.  (The egg tastes no different than any of the other chicken's eggs.)

Another close up ... I loved her markings as a young chick. :)


All of our hens began laying prolifically in mid-to- late summer, as winter approached and the days grew shorter their egg-laying tapered off a bit (as is to be expected) and will pick up again as the days grow longer, come spring. 

I don't have a picture of her full-grown (it's time to take current pictures of the hens), but here she is with her "sisters" early in summer of 2010.

We thoroughly enjoy our chickens as pets (and the bonus is, that they also provide fresh, organic food for the table.) Each hen has her own distinct personality and they are quite entertaining to observe.

 During the day we allow ours out of their pen to roam the property ~ they do a wonderful job of keeping the insect population under control.

If you have a little space in your yard and an interest in chickens (and fresh eggs~), I would highly recommend you consider raising a couple for yourself. 

    Many communities allow keeping up to 4 to 5 hens ~ (check into local ordinances.)  A hen house and pen does not have to be elaborate, and can be set up in a corner of your yard.  I had a lot of fun searching 'google' images for "chicken coops", and "hen houses" while were were in the planning stage of our hen house and pen.  You might be amazed at the varieties and styles of coops and houses available.

I am often asked if hens need a rooster to lay eggs... no, they do not need a rooster to lay eggs.  However, if you want fertilized eggs to eat, or you want to allow your hens to raise their own chicks ~ a rooster is a must.

To read more about our Chicken Keeping:

  Click HERE to see pictures of the chicks when we first brought them home last spring.

For our Hen House construction click HERE and  HERE 

~*~*~*~

There are plenty of great resources on the internet with information on how to keep your own.

One of my favorites is Backyard Chickens , and you can find many other excellent resources by doing an internet search.

Thank you for stopping by today!

New Peeps at our Place...

While growing up my dad was an advocate of growing and raising some of our own food even though our home was located within the city limits~ albeit on a large-size lot by today's standards. We had a good size vegetable garden ~ which later was replaced by a swimming pool ~ much to the delight of us kids! We had a few fruit trees, and we also raised chickens for eggs. We also had rabbits, but they ended up being pets, not food for the table. That was years and years ago and although I've raised ducks for eggs in the meantime, I haven't had chickens since then. I've been wanting to have our own fresh, organic eggs for a while ~ so here we are!



Please say hello to the first five ~ they are all Buff Orpingtons, a beautiful, usually docile and gentle breed developed in the late 1800's in Orpington, Kent, UK.

Photo: Buff Hooligans
They will look similar to example above when full grown. They are "dual-purpose" hens, producing meat and eggs ~ they will be strictly for eggs at our place.

Tomorrow we'll be adding a few more to our little flock:
Photo: Google Silver Laced Wyandotte
(An American bird, developed in New York in the 1870's) and
Photo: Bing.com And Gold Laced Wyandottes (This American breed was developed in Wisconsin, 1880's)

The Buff Orpington's arrived first, here they are when they came home:

Aren't they darling? :D They must be kept quite warm for the first few weeks until their feathers grow in, so into the warm brooder box they went and will stay until they are a little more mature.

Healthy appetites!



Adorable tiny wings, and fluffy tushes ~ but they are growing so fast!




We've picked names for the five so far, the others will be determined as we meet the new chicks. May I introduce to you ~
"Pumpkin"


"Chloe"



"Chelsea"


"Lolly"
"Sassy Sally" (Here she is, walking off the set. I don't think she liked the terms of the photo shoot.) *grin*
Now for the work ~
Presently we're working on the coop ~ It definitely won't be as elegant as one of Martha Stewart's:
Instead this is what I have in mind:

Photo: Buff Hooligans
We'll allow them free-range while supervised, at other times they will have access to their run.

Photo: Buff Hooligans Again, much like this one completely screened, but larger than this because of our larger flock.
If all goes well, we should be enjoying our first eggs in about 5 months or so ... Updates to follow!










If you've ever considered having your own little flock of chickens there are plenty of resources available on the internet. One of my favorites is Backyard Chickens You know I love your comments. And if you have chickens, I would really appreciate hearing from you, too!