Tuesday

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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25 comments:

  1. It's lovely to see you again..

    And your tribute is very touching..what a beautiful portrait.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi Monique ~ Thank you for your kind words. :) It's good to get back into the 'groove' of blogging again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so glad you are back putting your tweak on recipes. You do the hard work for us. Sorry about your pet, I am sure you will miss him. I am also sorry about your site. Do you remember Gilda Radner? She said, "It's always something." I always think of that when I have problems.

    Glad your bad.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Madonna. Oh yes I remember Gilda, one of my favorites! And isn't that the truth? Thank you for coming by. xoxo

      Delete
  4. Mary, I'm so sorry for the loss of your boy. Beautiful portrait.
    Happy to see you are posting again.

    ~Ann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you Ann, I know you understand... your loss of the companionship of your beautiful pup comes to mind so often as we are trying to heal here. Thanks for all of the wonderful recipes you share. ((hugs))

      Delete
  5. I am so happy you are back....you were missed. So sorry about your beautiful boy...he was really beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda, I've missed you too and hope you are doing well. So nice to see you here. Blessings to you and your family! ((hugs))

      Delete
  6. So sorry to hear about your dog, Mari. I was beginning to worry, not seeing any blog entries for so long. I was beginning to think you guys got snowed and iced in. Hope all is getting better. It's tough losing such a good friend and companion.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks bro, just have been in a funk giving my time to him lately-- black cloud overhead until we could help him make that (hopefully) smooth transition. I remember your 'Chico', such a character, they looked like twins -- this boy was much more laid back though... except if he spotted a skunk (silly boy! 3 times, and he never learned.) Big empty hole, but it's getting better. Hope everything is going well for you all. TTYS! & Love you!

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  7. I am so sorry for the loss of your beloved companion and loyal friend. Glad to see you blogging again, and the chicken recipe sounds wonderful. xo

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh, Mari. So sorry about the loss of your little pal. :-( I know you gave him a great life, though.

    Your chicken dish looks amazing! As always, your photos make me want to lick the screen. *sigh* (The good thing about that... no calories! ha!) ;-)

    Lori
    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lori, thank you so much for your kind words. ((hugs)) and love to you my friend.

      Delete
  9. Oh Mari, I just saw this :( I'm so sorry to hear your sad news, it makes me teary eyed. Hope your happy and fond memories help you heal... ♥

    Your chicken looks delicious!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Mary, thank you so much for your comforting words, they mean so much to me. I've missed visiting your wonderful blog, but I'll be around. Please give your fluffy girls some love for me! ((Hugs))

      Delete
  10. There is nothing harder than saying goodbye to a beloved pet, my heart hurts for you~
    Thank you for sharing this deliciously yummy sounding recipe, I just discovered cooking chicken thighs in the slow cooker recently and agree, there is no better way to go! Can't wait to try this, thank you!
    Jenna

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jenna, thank you for your kind words, they mean so much to me.
      I agree the chicken thighs don't get stringy and dry like the white meat of chicken when slow cooked. I hope if you try it this way that you'll like it too. ((Hugs))

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  11. Mari-I'm so sorry to hear your sad news. I know exactly how you feel, having made heartbreaking decisions in the past.

    I am so glad to see that you are back! I miss you when you're gone. xoxoxoxo <3

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey Marygirl~ Thank you, sweet girl. ((hugs)) It gets better over time, but each time it does not become any easier, yes? Ugh.
      I've missed you, too. xoxoxoxoxo and more. Hope you and your handsome son are doing well.

      Delete
  12. Missed you Mari. I am sorry for your loss, he will be in your heart. Love your recipes. Tks for sharing with us! Pa.T.

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  13. Thank you for your kind sentiments Patricia. ((hugs)) ~m.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh Mari - I had to say good-bye to my beautiful Sheba last Tuesday (the 2nd) as well. It was heart wrenching but at 14 and 1/2 and in poor health it was the best thing to do. As sad as it is at least we know they are at peace and pain free. Welcome back.

    ReplyDelete
  15. thanks u so much for sharing that kind of recipee.

    Gold HNI Calls

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments, friends ~ they make my day!

A Sampling of my food . . .

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