Addicting like Pinterest.

I added yesterday's menu at the last minute. Possibly because I am addicted to my crock pot and didn't want it to go unused for three. whole. days. (The horror!) This was a popular pin whatever random day of this week I'd searched Pinterest.

"Parmesan Garlic Chicken with Orzo" (6 quart pot) The original is HERE.

~2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
~2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
~4 tablespoons olive oil
~6 tablespoons dry white wine (I used Pomelo's Sauvignon Blanc.)
~1/2 teaspoon salt
~1/2 teaspoon pepper
~4 garlic cloves, minced
~1 teaspoon dried basil
~1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
~1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese + 2 tablespoons
~1 cup uncooked whole wheat orzo
~3/4 cup broccoli, steamed

The night before, season chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Combine 3 tablespoons olive oil, cheese, basil, parsley, garlic and 3 tablespoons of wine in a bowl.
Place chicken in a resealable Tupperware container.
Pour marinade over top and coat chicken.
Shake the heck out of the container for funzies.
Place the container in the fridge overnight.
The next morning, place chicken in your crockpot with 3 tablespoons of wine.
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.
Prepare orzo according to directions.
Once cooked, combine with remaining olive oil and parmesan.
Cut chicken into pieces/chunks, and toss together with orzo.
Add broccoli and mix.
Top with additional parmesan.

6 servings.

The original crocker liked this and she doesn't even like broccoli. Imagine how good it is if you actually like the little green trees! It's yummy. My other half says I need to make this more often. Because I tend to recrock things all of the time, right?

Right.

This was the first crock pot recipe I'd seen pinned that I'd actually seen before. It's from a blog I've mentioned here a few times. (The "crazy" gluten-free chick who crocked for an entire year.) I remember wanting to make this "someday" because I had it on a cruise and it was AWESOME. So...when I decided I was making dessert for friends who joined us for movie night last night, I had to make this. It was the law. Or something. Some of the reviews said that this tasted super alcoholic. I figured that was right up all of our alleys (Hi Brad & Sandra!) and didn't feel the need to cook it off beforehand as suggested.

"Bananas Foster" (6 quart pot) (The original is HERE.

~3 overly ripened bananas or 3 nearly ripened bananas (More on that, later.)
~1/4 c butter
~1 t vanilla extract
~1/3 cup brown sugar
~1/4 cup brandy (I used E&J)

Smush bananas like you would if you were making banana bread. (I use my hands because I like getting messy. Cooking is supposed to be FUN, right?)
Shove bananas into crock pot.
Add butter, vanilla, brown sugar, and brandy.
Cover and cook on low for 3 hours OR on high for 1 hour.
Serve over vanilla ice cream.

6 servings.

I had to make this twice. And NOT because it was so crazy good we wanted seconds. The first time, I used the 3 ripened bananas that were on the counter begging me to make this. After about 2.5 hours on low, I peeked through the lid and noticed that they were looking done. More done than they should've been. Black. In fact, my (back up) crock pot will now have to take the next 3 days off because it's soaking in an attempt to get the charcoal off of it. It was probably sue to the size of my pot. (Having not a lot of stuff to crock in a 6 qt pot makes it crock faster.)

The second time I crocked this, I tried crocking it for 1 hour on high. It. Was. Fantastic. If the bananas had been ripened like the ones I used the first time, I'd have to see if the English language has a word meaning "more than fantastic". Fantastic-er?

Since our fridge is filled with leftovers from this week, I won't be crocking again until Monday. Don't be too sad, though! Next week is "Mexican Week" and it's going to be fantastic-er!