Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a great Christmas!  We had such a great time visiting our family.  We laughed and ate too much! 

My family is in full support of me in the kitchen and showed that with their generous gifts.  I received cookbooks, kitchen gadgets, and spices.  I am excited to share them with you in the coming weeks.  I love to read cookbooks.  They offer so much more than recipes.  

I have already dived into Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless in a big way.  He provides the everyday cook such knowledge on how great food fits into our everyday lives.  I have really enjoyed it!

I made his Chicken with Tomatillos, Potatoes, and Jalapeños last night for dinner.  

(yes, we had a VERY quiet New year's Eve!)

It was really good, the pickling juices give it a great snap and everything comes together really well.  The flavors just work perfectly together.  Not to mention that it cooks in the Crockpot making the hands on time around 20 minutes.  Awesome!

Chicken with Tomatillos, Potatoes, and Jalapeños

from Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless

1 medium onion, sliced

1 lb of red potatoes, cut into 1/4" slices

1.5 lb of chicken thigh, bone in with the skin removed

1/5 lb of chicken breast, boneless and skinless

1 cup of loosely packed cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1.25 lb of Tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and cut into 1/4" slices

1/4 cup of pickled jalapeño slices

2 TBS of jalapeño pickling juices

salt

Spread the onions over the bottom of the Crockpot.  Sprinkle with salt.  Continue with layers of potatoes, chicken, cilantro, and then Tomatillos.  Sprinkle with a bit of salt between each layer.  Scatter the jalapeño slices over the top and then drizzle the pickling juices.  Cover and cook for 4-6 hours.  It can stay on the "warm" function for up to 6 hours.  When ready to serve, transfer a portion to each plate including all the ingredients.  At this point, if you wish you can reduce the remaining juices in a saucepan to your desired consistency (I did not do this).  Drizzle your sauce over each plate and garnish with a bit of cilantro.  Enjoy!