Slow cookers help us slow down this summer

#Middlebury

I love to cook, but when it’s 100 degrees outside my desire to turn on the stove melts away like an ice cube on a hot sidewalk. One good thing about summers in Texas, the heat seems to bring out my creativity! I’ve devised several ways to continue to enjoy my favorite meals and desserts without using my oven. My slow cooker is my “go-to” appliance in the wintertime for soups and savory dishes, but I’ve discovered that it’s perfect for the summer months as well.

The slow cooker can be used, with a few adaptations, for many recipes that are traditionally prepared in the oven. Most slow cookers are sold with a recipe booklet. Expanding on the suggested slow cooker recipes to incorporate ones that usually require baking time in the oven is a great way to conserve energy and keep your home cool.

These easy recipes for Summertime Hawaiian Chicken and Slow-Cooked Lemon Curd Cake are the perfect way to avoid using your oven on a hot summer day. So slow down this summer, and enjoy a great meal.

Summertime Hawaiian Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup crushed pineapple, drained
3/4 cup ketchup
1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 medium yellow onion chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
Hot cooked rice
Thinly sliced green onions, optional

1. Coat chicken thighs with olive oil and sprinkle both sides with poultry seasoning and cayenne pepper. Place chicken in a 3-5 quart slow cooker.
2. Using a medium-sized bowl, mix together the pineapple, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, mustard, cinnamon, black pepper, onion and garlic until well-combined. Cover the chicken thighs in the slow cooker with the pineapple mixture.
3. Cook, covered, on low until chicken is tender, 4-5 hours. Serve with rice. If desired, top with green onions. Serves 4.

Slow-Cooked Lemon Curd Cake

The center of this cake is bursting with gooey lemon curd and is soft like a chocolate lava or molten cake. Lining the slow cooker with aluminum foil before adding your ingredients will make removing the cake and clean up much easier. Fresh lemon zest adds lots of flavor to this recipe and you can candy the rest of the lemon (see recipe below) while the cake is cooking. Use the slices as a decoration and the remaining syrup for drinks!

Almonds decorate a Slow-Cooked Lemon Curd Cake. (Depositphotos photo)

2 (10 ounce) jars lemon curd
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
Vegetable cooking spray
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 1/2 cups self-rising flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup half-and-half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Powdered sugar
1/4 cup toasted almond slices
Candied Lemon Slices (recipe follows)

1. Whisk together the lemon curd and evaporated milk. Line the bottom and sides of a 6-quart slow cooker with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides. Lightly grease foil with cooking spray.
2. Using a zester, grater or vegetable peeler, peel the skin off the lemon (try not to get the white part, or pith, which is bitter). Slice the peels into thinner strips.
3. Combine the lemon zest, flour, sugar, butter, half and half, and vanilla extract, and whisk until smooth. Pour flour mixture into slow cooker. Pour lemon curd mixture on top. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 hours.
4. After 2 hours, turn off the slow cooker. Leave cake in and covered for 15 minutes.
5. Remove lid, and cool completely. The center of the cake will be soft. Carefully lift cake from slow cooker, using foil sides as handles. Dust cake with powdered sugar and decorate servings with toasted almonds and candied lemon slices, if desired.

Candied Lemon Slices

Candied lemon slices are a beautiful garnish and make tasty snacks. They’re the perfect way to use lemons that have had the zest removed.

2 small lemons
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup water

1. Cut lemons into 1/8-inch-thick rounds; discard seeds. Stir together sugar, lemon juice and water in a large skillet over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Add lemon slices, and simmer gently, keeping slices in a single layer and turning occasionally, 14-16 minutes or until slightly translucent and rinds are softened.
2. Remove from heat. Using tongs, place slices in a single layer in a wax paper-lined jelly-roll pan.
3. Cool completely (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 2 hours to 2 days. Reserve syrup for adding to ice tea, punch or making lemonade.Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

(c) 2018 King Features Synd., Inc. and Angela Shelf Medearis