Lemon Herb Turkey Breast < Slow Cooker > and Caramelized Sugar Snap Peas

We have all heard of Christmas in July celebrations and store gimmicks?  Sure we have.
What about Thanksgiving?  Does it feel left out?  I officially mark June as Thanksgiving in June month.  Well the last 2 days of it at least...can you tell this was in the earlier month plans and got pushed back a bit? 

I found a great sale on a turkey breast and thought it would be perfect, needing to keep it summer fresh I combined this nice summer Thanksgiving in June dinner.  Leave your oven off,  no need to furnace your kitchen on a hot summer day!  This is a slow cooker meal and one pan.  Even the busiest of families can pull this one off in the middle of the week. The light, zesty flavors of the tender turkey is great for summer.  Use your fresh farmers market Sugar Snap Peas to combine a practically-perfect, seasonal-out-of-season dinner. 

Lemon Herb Turkey Breast < Slow Cooker >
Print recipe here
5-8 pound whole turkey breast (make sure it fits in your slow cooker!)
1 whole red onion
2 lemons
4 sprig fresh rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme, divided
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 ½ tsp celtic sea salt, divided
1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper, divided
2 TB water
2 TB corn starch, non gmo is best

1. Peel and quarter a whole onion to place in the bottom of a larger sized slow cooker. Rinse and paper towel, pat dry your turkey breast, set turkey over top of the onions.

2. In a small dish, combine garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper and ½ tsp thyme with a fork to make a paste. Rub inside the turkey cavity. Wash the outside of one lemon and place inside the turkey cavity. (Do not slice or cut this lemon, it will make your meat bitter) Place 2 sprigs of rosemary inside the cavity, one on each side. Place turkey breast side up.

3. Lift each side of the breast skin up enough to place 1 sprig of rosemary under each side, lay skin back down over the breast. Cut remaining lemon in half and juice over the top of the turkey, then zest the lemon over top of breast meat and discard remaining peel.  Sprinkle the top with remaining ½ teaspoon salt, ½ tsp pepper and ½ tsp thyme.

4. Turn slow cooker onto low and cook for 8-10 hours. Do not lift the lid until 8-10 hours is done! It will let out the heat, pressure and steam and result in a longer cooking time. When done cooking, turn off the slow cooker and lift lid to cool slightly before removing. Lift the turkey out carefully as it is very tender. Place onto a large plate or platter to cut or shred.

5. With a slotted spoon, scoop out remaining, turkey 'leave behinds' and onions.  Turn slow cooker to high.  Mix corn starch and water in a cup with a fork until smooth, pour and whisk into the slow cooker where juices remain. Cover and let thicken for 30 minutes, spoon over chicken and veggies when serving if desired, or simply skip the gravy steps to save turkey broth to flavor a later dish. 

Caramelized Sugar Snap Peas
Print recipe here
1 pound sugar snap peas
2 TB unsalted butter
2 TB minced shallots or onion
½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp celtic sea salt

1. Heat butter in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add shallots and thyme, saute for 2 minutes. Pour in the sugar snap peas and toss for 5-7 minutes until golden and slightly caramelized on the outside but still slightly crunchy. Serve hot.



Practically-Perfect, Seasonal-out-of-season dinner...



Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: Real Food, Allergy Free, and Allrecipes.

Linked up at: Real Food Wednesdays

Sesame Roasted Broccoli

Hoping everyone returned back from a safe and wonderful Memorial Day weekend!   A day off?  Spring cleaning?   A trip to the cabin?  What was your weekend filled with?

Next time you are thinking of having bad Chinese take out, make Good Chinese Takeout instead.  As fast as it takes to get up and order food over the phone, you can prepare this healthy and delicious side dish and have it in the oven lickety split.  With this on your dinner plate...no guilt if you want that Banana Split after dinner, it won't cause spilt ends and will surely fight the battle in the splitting of your pants?! 

Broccoli is loaded in vitamin C, yet a much under appreciated vegetable of children.  It sometimes smells funny and looks like a tree.  As a kid I always loved the "leaves" but never liked eating the "trunk".  They both have anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-cancer activity within 5 minutes of biting into it.  Your body will feel so much better after eating this instead of sodium, additive and rancid oil loaded take-out.  Good enough reason for something that taste so good!

Sesame Roasted Broccoli
Print recipe here
1 - 1 ½ lb fresh broccoli florets {leaves} and stems {trunks} (thawed frozen broccoli works too)
1 T peanut oil
1 T tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
½ tsp garlic, minced
1 T sesame seeds, toasted

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F and line a baking tray with parchment paper.

2. Cut your broccoli into bite size pieces and place into a large bowl.  Drizzle broccoli with peanut oil, tamari, sesame oil and garlic.  Toss to coat and layer onto the lined baking tray.

3.  Place in the oven to roast 15-20 minutes until can be poked easily with a fork but not mushy.  It should be slightly browned.  Remove from oven and sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.   Serves well with teriyaki flank steak, pork chops and grilled chicken. 



Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Kalyn's Kitchen

Pulled Pork and Beans with Spanish Rice

Wishing everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day.  In the spirit of giving Mom's a break combining with the Mexican menu of last week, my gift to all the mom's is a terrific slow cooker recipe.  Versatile and simple with many possibilities or serve as shown. 
Are you like some I know and don't care for beans?  Simply leave them out.  No beer?  Use wine or chicken broth, etc.  Save yourself some time and a trip to the store...improvise...always improvise. 

Do you all remember the skit from In Living Color with Jim Carrey?  Pork and Beans!? 
I hope yours turns out better than his! 

Pulled Pork and Beans
Print recipe here

2 pound pork roast

1 can beer
½-1 whole red onion, sliced
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika
½ tsp celtic sea salt
½ tsp fresh cracked pepper
1- 15 oz can pinto beans, drained

1. Place all ingredients except beans into your slow cooker. Cook on low 8-10 hours or high for 4-6 hours.

2. 1 hour before serving, shred pork with forks right in the casserole. Add the drained beans. Cook on low for remaining hour. Serve in tortillas, taco shells, over Spanish Rice, tostada shells, in a taco salad or plop on a bun with pepper jack cheese for a Mexican inspired 'samich.

Spanish Rice
Print recipe here
2 TB butter
1 tsp garlic, minced
2 C basmati rice
½ whole red or yellow onion, diced
1 tsp dried oregano
½ t ground chipotle, ancho or chili powder
1- 15 oz can tomato sauce (or a scant 2 cups)
1- 15 oz can low sodium chicken broth (or a scant 2 cups)
½ cup cilantro, chopped
½ of a lime, juiced

1. In a larger skillet, heat butter and garlic, saute 1 minute over medium heat. Add rice, onion and seasoning. Cook 5 minutes or until grains turn golden.

2. Stir in the tomato sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, over high heat, stirring frequently. Once boiling, turn heat to low. Cover and let simmer 25-30 minutes.

3. Remove from heat and let stand, covered for at least 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro, squeeze your ½ a lime over whole dish and serve.

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  A Good Appetite

Linked up at : 33 Shades of Green and Traditional Tuesday

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes and a blizzard

Thank God for weatherman, or weather people...weather women...all of them!  We had a blizzard last weekend and since I knew we would be locked in our house for a few days I was able to think ahead.  What do you do when you have 3 feet of snow on your front door? Cookie baking marathon and ham dinner.
Have you decided what you are bringing to share at Christmas dinner?  These potatoes are so good.  Perfect cream to cheese ratio.  I must warn you about what it does to your casserole dish....but well worth it! 

Welcome, have a seat. 

Would you like to come join me on the deck!?



Ham and roll recipes to come...

 Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes
Print recipe here

8 large baking potatoes, sliced thin
2 TB unsalted butter
5 C sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (or mix of colby and sharp cheddar)
celtic sea salt and black pepper to taste
onion powder to taste, optional
paprika for sprinkling
1 quart half and half (or 1 pint heavy cream with 1 pint of whole milk)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a large casserole dish with 2 TB butter.

2. Lay 2 potatoes that are sliced thin on the bottom. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and onion powder. Cover with 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Repeat. Repeat again.

3. 4th layer goes on the same, top with 2 cups cheese instead of 1. Always make sure to leave at least 1-2 inches from the top so it will not boil over in your oven.

4. Evenly pour 1 quart half and half over the dish. Sprinkle on a little paprika.

5. Place the casserole dish cover on or cover tightly with heavy duty tin foil.

6. Place in the oven at 375 degrees F for 1 hour. Then turn heat down to 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Don’t fret, it will look too soupy. Remove foil and turn heat down to 325 degrees F for 1 hour. Watch for the top so it does not burn. Remove when browned, bubbly and most liquid has cooked down.

WARNING!!!  Soak overnight and it comes off very easy. 

 
 
Today's recipe is brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  Chris, thank you for passing along this gem of a dish!

Cranberry Pear Chutney

This is a recipe you don't feel bad making ahead of time.  I have a thing where I want everything to be served fresh, but this one does not have to be.  You can serve a little chutney with dinner, but will double as a appetizer when poured over a block of soft cheese to serve with nice crusty bread or crackers.  If your lucky enough to still have some around, spread on a left over turkey ciabatta sandwich on Friday.

Cranberry Pear Chutney
Print recipe here

¾ cup fresh apple cider
¾ cup fresh orange juice
1 TB cider vinegar
zest of 1 orange + the orange, cut small and all white removed
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
¾ cups rapadura (or brown sugar)
12 ounce package fresh cranberries (about 2 cups)
1 firm but ripe pear peeled, halved, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the apple cider, orange juice, cider vinegar, orange zest, cinnamon stick and cloves.

2. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Stirring occasionally, until reduced to 1 cup.
3. Stir in the brown sugar until it dissolves, about 2 minutes.

4. Add the cranberries and pears and return the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the flavors have blended, 20 to 30 minutes. The fruit will be quite soft. (I love the sound when the cranberries pop!)

5. Pour the chutney into a jar or bowl and stir with a fork, crushing some, but not all, of the fruit. Let cool completely before serving. The chutney can be tightly covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

6. Serve with turkey, lamb, pork tenderloin. Pour over soft cheese with crusty bread or crackers. Spread on muffins or leftover turkey sandwich.

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:   Williams-Sonoma

Beans and Beans

Hello again and welcome back to Saved by the Egg Timer!
Well that wasn't so bad now was it? It was just like ripping off a Band-Aid. At first you are nervous and afraid of the pain that is to come. Finally you close your eyes and rip- just to open them up and realize you are not sure what you where afraid of! Either that or you rip it off and realize it wasn’t ready to be exposed yet…but thankfully that was not the case.

My first post went great. I have had a fantastic week filled with a lot of head spinning learning going on and loving every bit of it.  Not to mention just a fantastic week in general!  This is why- I have been scoping, craigslist-ing, garage saling and clearance shopping for this all summer...with no luck...until yesterday!
$4 dollars, yes $4.  My ice cream maker has found it's home.  3 freezer bowls, they don't even sell these with 3 bowls!  I almost ran to the checkout...and yes, I will be accepting my MDJ= Major Deal Junky Award later today.  So, if you have any recipes please send!

I have had such great feedback, encouragement, tips and critique. I want to thank all of you who have been so kind and supportive. Now onto the good stuff.

Well, by special request from my very first follower (yeah!)- I need to keep it coming with the herbs.  Just her luck, I have one today and more to come...this sweet and sassy, savory and spicy dish was a huge hit this week.  One of the kids claimed the leftovers right away.  It was one of those days....where I didn't have enough time to think let alone plan a meal.  I quick looked and had all the ingrediants "on-hand" so whipped this up and was so-very-glad I did. 

Sweet and Sassy Beans
Print recipe here
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C your favorite barbecue sauce
1/2 your favorite salsa (Kitchen Technique #2)
1/4 C molasses
1 T fresh oregano*
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 31- ounce canned pork and beans in tomato sauce
1 16- ounce can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 16- ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
8 pieces bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces
*Fresh/dried herb conversion here

1. In large bowl combine sugar, sauce, salsa, molasses, oregano, mustard and chili.
2. Add undrained pork and beans, drained beans, onion and meat. Stir to combine.

3. Place all in 3 quart casserole dish.

But like I said- it was a busy day and I was speed skimming the recipe.  I just started pouring and mixing and flinging utensils about the kitchen. I put it all together, mixed, poured it in my nice casserole dish.  Timed it out perfectly with a minute to spare.  Got it in the oven and decided to read the article I found this so-easy dish in. Easy? Ha!  Apparently not for me.  Good thing I did, nothing major but I forgot an ingredient. Out it came from the oven and in went the salsa!  Alrighty, back in the oven, again.  (Kitchen Technique #2- Always read the whole recipe before you start making it.)

4.  Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for 2 1/2 – 3 hours.
Note: Beans will thicken as they cool.
Slow Cooker Method: Prepare as above numbers 1-2 then place into a slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours, high for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Results are one casserole of spattery, messy, bubbly, gooey delicious beans!  I also love the fact that I get to use my molasses in any month besides December for Molasses Crinkle Christmas cookies and was nice to put it to good use. As well liked as this dish was- I won't have to dig out the sticky bottle in December just to through it away and buy a fresh one.  So that is always a plus.

We also threw these on the grill and realized they are a summer favorite of mine and should share.  Simple, fresh green beans with a slight grilled flavor. Nothing fancy but very good.

Grilled Green Beans

Print recipe here

1 pound of fresh green beans
1 T water per foil packet
olive oil or butter to taste
salt and pepper

1.  Rinse green beans and snap off tops. 

2.  Tear a few large piece of aluminum foil, place beans in middle and pour water over top.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with oil or butter.

3.  Fold up foil into packets and grill about 10 minutes.  Caution: When you open up the packets steam will pour out.

Thank you for coming back to visit my 2nd post at Saved by the Egg Timer.

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from: MidwestLiving and Me!

Hey we got a first timer out here...and it is all Greek to me!

Hello All and welcome to Saved by the Egg Timer! 

First recipe....ok here we go... I have been reading and following recipe blogs for months.  I like the newness and excitement when I find a really great new blog to read and look through.  Personality is key above all ingredients, when I read them I want to first be uplifted and enjoy the material I read. If your uplifted you are joyful, energized, creative and above all else.......HUNGRY!  By that you will be inspired to create!

It's all Greek to me!  I wasn't sure what to add for my first post, nor do I know at all what I am doing yet. So hang in there with me and any help and suggestions would be welcome and appreciated.

Ok- so I wanted to come out with a bang. A recipe that impressed, delighted and showed off my skill-et....sooooo I decided to go with the seasonal, sensual and summertime seasonings! 

Greek food is great for summertime....a little of these are growing,

and a lot of these.

So utilize the delish, fresh and medicinal packed herbs growing on your deck, farmer's market or grocer's produce section.

Since I have these growing on my deck and have put the effort into watering them daily I better use them, right?  This is actually the first summer and time I have ever grown herbs and have been having pretty good luck and no herb funerals yet...so even those black thumbs may want to try because they can get kind of expensive at the store.  (Kitchen Technique #1-  As a rule of green or black thumbs go- for dried vs. fresh herb conversion is, 1 tsp dried equals 1 T fresh, or 3 times more for fresh). 

Greek Chicken

Print recipe here

2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts

3 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic- minced
1 T fresh rosemary
1 T thyme
1 T oregano
1 lemon- juiced
2 tsp sugar (I used one packet of stevia)

1. Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken for a few hours up to overnight.

2. Grill until juices run clear.  (Cooking Confession #1- My name is Natasha and I am addicted to over-flipping on the grill.)

3.  Serve with my Greek Roasted Potatoes.

NEXT:  Start by going to the farmer's market and pick up some of these

 so you can make this recipe.

Greek Roasted Potatoes

Print recipe here

3 pounds red potatoes- quartered

¼ cup olive oil
2 T lemon juice- freshly squeezed
4 cloves garlic- minced
1 T fresh thyme
1 T fresh rosemary
1 T fresh marjoram
¼ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Through all this in a metal baking sheet and toss to coat.





2. (a) Now this evening I decided to throw the pan on the grill and cook for 40 minutes watching the temp to stay at around 400 degrees while throwing my Greek Chicken on during the last 20 minutes and it turned out to be a great idea!

    (b) Normally preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake for 40 minutes or until tender and browned and you will turn out with these golden medallions every time.

So now it is like at the end of a first date and there is that awkward silence.  Your not sure what to say or do.  Should you shake hands?  Lean in for a hug and a super-chic-European-cheek-kiss?  Or run away screaming to your car and floor it outta there in time to watch reruns?

Well, I hope that my very first post and recipes turned out well.  Thanks for stopping by Saved by the EggTimer and come back to check it out again soon!

Today's recipes where brought to you by, inspired or adapted from:  AllRecipes and MelsKitchenCafe, thank you.