SAVORY BRAISED CHICKEN...A Slow Cooker Recipe From Sweet Basil

For a weeknight meal, prepare Steps 1 & 2, cover and refrigerate bacon and sauce separately the night before. Place in the crockpot as you're drinking your morning coffee, and it's ready that evening. Serve over pasta for a fabulous meal!

INGREDIENTS

▪4 slices bacon (turkey bacon works well!)

▪1 large onion, thinly sliced

▪4 cloves garlic, minced

▪2 tsp. fresh or dried sage, crumbled 

▪1 tsp. fresh or dried basil, chopped

▪1 tsp. fresh or dried thyme, chopped

▪1 tsp. fennel seeds

▪1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

▪1 bay leaf, chopped

▪1 cup Holland House white cooking wine

▪about 2 lbs. of fresh tomatoes, or a 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, with juice, coarsely chopped

▪1 teaspoon salt

▪10 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3 3/4 pounds), skin removed, trimmed

▪1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Crumble when cool.
2. Drain off all but 2 tablespoons fat from the pan. Add onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 6 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, fennel seeds, pepper and bay leaf and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine, bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, scraping up any browned bits. Add tomatoes and their juice and salt; stir well.
3. Place chicken thighs in a 4-quart (or larger) slow cooker. Sprinkle the bacon over the chicken. Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken. Cover and cook until the chicken is very tender, about 3 hours on High or 6 hours on Low. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Enjoy!

Follow us, like us, share us. We are Sweet Basil Farm & Gardens on Facebook... Look for us on Pinterest, Youtube, Instagram, Google+ and Twitter. We are a local Middle Georgia producer of farm fresh fruits and vegetables and members of the American Poultry Association, licensed by the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture as Poultry Dealers and Brokers, and a proud member of the Georgia Grown program, a division of the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture. We also breed, sell and ship poultry, pet pigs, bearded irises and much more. We have an 80 acre working farm, with great emphasis on all natural gardening and livestock management practices. An 1840's general store is situated on our property, and serves as our on-site farmer’s market. We have a large vegetable and herb garden, fruit orchards and more. Conveniently located off of Interstate 75 near the Johnstonville Rd exit (#193). We are six miles west, located in Barnesville, Lamar County, Georgia.

Recipe post by Tisha Johnson Matthews, of Sweet Basil Farm & Gardens. Recipe courtesy of Tisha Johnson Matthews, Sweet Basil Farms, with photo courtesy of kitchen daily. Special thanks to J. David Matthews, of Barnesville, Georgia for support and patience with all that I try and test.

Pork Chop Casserole...A Better For You Recipe From Sweet Basil

A healthy, but yummy  version of a  classic comfort food. 

 

Ingredients 

8 pork chops
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. chopped bell peppers

2 tbsp. each of chopped rosemary, Italian basil, parsley and oregano

1 tbsp. thyme

1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 c. water
3 c. brown rice (cooked, almost done) 
1 1/2- 2lbs. frozen or fresh chopped vegetables (such as mixed with corn, peas and carrots)
1 tsp. each of salt and pepper 

 

 

Pour a small amount of oil, such as pecan or olive oil into a large skillet, heat on medium. Place pork chops and in the skillet and brown on both sides. Lift chops out of skillet. Place in onion, green peppers and herbs; cook until tender. Add a small amount of shortening, if needed to cook onions and peppers. Add mushroom soup, water, rice, and peas mixture into a greased 2 quart baking dish. Arrange 1/2 pork chops over the rice and peas. Add the rest of rice and peas and top with the remaining pork chops. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

 

Follow us, like us, share us. We are Sweet Basil Farms and Gardens on Facebook, Google +, Twitter, Pinterest and more. We are a Middle Georgia producer and provider of farm fresh fruits, vegetables, and more. For more information about us, find us in Social media.

 

Recipe provided by Tisha Johnson Matthews, of Sweet Basil, and tested by J. David Matthews, of Barnesville, Georgia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mexican Summer Salad...A Garden Fresh In Season Recipe From Sweet Basil

This recipe makes a great summer salad, with fresh garden ingredients. Add some grilled chicken and/or shredded cheese to make a quick and easy complete meal. 

INGREDIENTS 

• 3 cups mixed greens or iceberg lettuce (cold) 

• 6 large ears of corn, shaved off the cob or 2 cans (8-3/4 oz each) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 can (15 oz each) Whole Black Beans, drained, rinsed
• 1 medium seeded and diced bell pepper
• 2 large diced tomatoes, or 1 can (10 oz each) tomatoes w/ peppers 
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (Tabasco)
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• splash of lime juice 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil  

DIRECTIONS 

1. Shred lettuce in a large bowl.
2. Toss together all vegetables, spices and juice into greens, until combined.
3. Drizzle the oil, toss with tongs. 

Enjoy!  

Follow us, like us, share us. We are Sweet Basil Farm & Gardens on Facebook. We are a local Middle Georgia producer of farm fresh fruits and vegetables and members of the American Poultry Association, licensed by the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture as Poultry Dealers and Brokers, and a proud member of the Georgia Grown program, a division of the Georgia Dept. of Agriculture. We also breed, sell and ship poultry, pet pigs, bearded irises and much more. We have an 80 acre working farm, with great emphasis on all natural gardening and livestock management practices. An 1840's general store is situated on our property, and serves as our on-site farmer’s market. We have a large vegetable and herb garden, fruit orchards and more. Conveniently located off of Interstate 75 near the Johnstonville Rd exit (#193). We are six miles west, located in Barnesville, Lamar County, Georgia. 

Recipe post by Tisha Johnson Matthews, of Sweet Basil Farm & Gardens. Photo courtesy of April McKinney. Special thanks to J. David Matthews, of Barnesville, Georgia for support and patience with all that I try and test.