Cooked | Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken

It's official, going forward, every Sunday in my house will be considered Slow Cooker Sunday! I borrowed my sister's crock pot last weekend to make this sesame honey chicken and let me tell you, this recipe is seriously delicious and almost as easy as picking up the phone and ordering take out. Sweet, savory and a little spicy, this simple Asian inspired dish tastes great over a bowl of rice or served over bibb lettuce.  I'm absolutely obsessed with just how easy this was to make...so I guess it's time to invest in a crock pot.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp water
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce, or more to taste
1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup water
1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 medium scallions, chopped for garnish

DIRECTIONS:
Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, 1 tbsp water, sesame oil, onion powder and sriracha hot chili sauce. Pour over chicken and cook on LOW 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks; set aside.

In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice or bibb lettuce and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish.

photography and styling by kristin kerr luber

Cooked | Potato Leek Soup

There's nothing quite like a big pot of hearty soup to beat these cold January nights! I invited my friend Liz over for dinner on Monday and I think we both agreed that the creamy texture of this soup is just heavenly and crunchy homemade croutons on top are a must.  Hope you enjoy this soup as much as I did!

INGREDIENTS:
5 Leeks, chopped, white and light green parts only
9 Red Potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 Onion, diced
1 Tbsp Butter
8 cups Chicken Stock
Salt + Pepper to taste
Baguette

DIRECTIONS:
In a large pot melt butter then add onion, leeks, and potatoes and saute for 5 minutes.  Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 40 minutes.  Remove from heat and let stand for around 10 minutes.  Strain vegetables and reserve the chicken stock (I set up a colander over a separate stock pot).  Put strained vegetables and 2 to 3 cups of chicken stock back into the original pot.  Puree the contents with an immersion hand blender.  Stir in reserved broth till you reach desired consistency.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  I cup up a baguette, tossed the pieces in olive oil, salt and pepper then toasted them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.  Transfer soup to a bowl and top with large croutons.  Sprinkle some black pepper and sea salt on top and serve! So good!

Photography by Kristin Kerr Luber