Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore. Tricky to spell. Easy to make!

I'm totally crushing on my slow cooker at the moment. It's just too handy to use when I'm out all afternoon for basketball or footy, or like today feeling like crap and able to put stuff in the slowcooker, set and forget!

After a cold and windy training on Thursday it was great to come home to dinner already cooked!

Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore

8 chicken thighs, chopped into bite sized bits
1 medium onion, sliced
3 garlic cloves, sliced
1 400g tin crushed tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/4 sliced of halved black or kalamata olives
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp mixed herbs
salt & pepper to taste
fresh parsley to garnish


The "easy ain't nobody got time for that" method
1. Throw it all in the slow cooker, stir, set, forget. 4 hours on high. 6-8 hours on low. It may need thickening before serving.


The "I have a little bit more time to waste on cooking" method

Add this to the ingredient list
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp oil

1. Coat chicken in flour seasoned with extra salt, pepper & mixed herbs
2. Heat half the oil in saucepan and cook onion and garlic until soft. Add to slowcooker
3. Heat remaining oil and cook chicken in batches until brown. Add to slowcooker.
4. Use the red wine to deglaze the saucepan and add to slowcooker
5. Add stock, paste, tin tomatoes, olives and mixed herb to slow cooker.
6. Cook for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

You could serve this on its own or with whatever you wanted to really. Mash potato. Pasta. Rice. Polenta. Cous Cous. Quinoa. Whatever.

Ready to be cooked. Didn't get a photo before we gobbled it all up!

Do you crush on your slow cooker during the cooler months too???

You can also follow me on

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Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

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If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



Easy Peasy Green Thai Chicken Curry

There comes a magical time when your normally fussy "meat and potato only" eater daughter gets a taste for something different and totally blows you away with what she asks you to cook for dinner.

Swap the cat for PrincessBF and you get the idea. Credit image here

That time came for me a few months back when PrincessBF tried some Green Thai Chicken Curry at school , loved it, and asked me to cook it for her.

I've been cooking this recipe for years but only for Mr Hausfrau and I for date night but now it's a regular for the kids too - even Random Boy loves it and goes back for seconds.

Stuff that's in it
600g chicken breast cut into small pieces
1-2 cups of your choice of chopped veg (green beans, broccoli or zucchini works well)
1 tbsp peanut oil
1 medium onion, diced
2-3 tbsp green thai curry paste
1 tin coconut milk
1 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp fish sauce
2 tsp brown sugar or coconut sugar (NOT palm sugar!)
1cup coriander
Jasmine rice to serve
Lime wedge to garnish


The Easy Peasy Method

1. Heat oil in wok. Fry onions and paste for a minute or two.
2. Add coconut milk and then fill tin with water and add that too
3. Add chicken and veg and bring the boil. Reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes.
4. Add the lime juice, fish sauce and sugar.
5. Serve with rice and top with coriander and a wedge of lime

Notes
*You could substitute the chicken with prawns.
*I omit the onions and veg when cooking this for the kids as my daughter won't eat it otherwise
*Add less paste if doing it for kids (I just use 1 tbsp)
*You can mix half the coriander into the curry before serving and use the other half as garnish.
*I also add kaffir lime leaves when making it just for Mr Hausfrau and myself

Is there something that you didn't expect your kids to eat but they totally amazed you by eating???

You can also follow me on

facebook | www.facebook.com/TheAussieHausfrau

Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

Instagram | @aussie_hausfrau

If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



{Meal Plan Monday}

Well Meal Plan Mondays are back. Fortnightly, 'cause that's how I roll. For how long they'll be back I don't know, but on Friday I sat on my arse all day I had some spare time on my hands so put together this fortnights meals in advance. Oh I have been doing meal plans but nothing concrete and definitley not in advance like I once did. More like half weekly.

So with footy training in full swing and now basketball taking up my Monday evenings I need to be more prepared. Mondays need to be quick foods and preferrably meatless and Tuesdays and Thursdays are perfect slow cooker nights after footy training! This fortnight most of my recipes are from my trusty Taste iPhone app. Some are old favourites and some are new, yet to be tried recipes.

Oh and I still have that "no working oven" thing going on.

Week 1

Monday - {Meat Free Monday} Potato & Roasted Garlic Soup

Tuesday - {Slow Cooker} Mediterranean Style Lamb Shanks

Wednesday - Green Thai Chicken Curry

Thursday - {Slow Cooker} Chicken Cacciatore

Friday - {Family Fun Night} Clean Home Made Pizzas

Saturday - Rigatoni with Italian Sausage & Broccoli Last minute BBQ at Mum's house ;)

Sunday - {Slow Cooker} Beef & Red Wine Casserole with Cheesy Dumplings

Week 2

Monday - {Meat Free Monday} Gnocchi with Spicy Tomato & Feta Sauce

Tuesday - {Slow Cooker} Beef Curry with Rice and Pappadums

Wednesday - Kangaroo Fillet with Salad and Baked Potatoes

Thursday - {Slow Cooker} Whole Spiced Chicken with  Sweet Potato Chips & Salad

Friday - Fish coated in Dukkah with Avocado Salsa {unless we head out for Date Night!!}

Saturday - Thai Beef Salad with Nam Jim

Sunday - Spaghetti Bol


I'll post some of these recipes and link them back to here in the next few days so check back if you're interested in any of them. If there's one you'd like but I don't link it please let me know and I'll put it up.

Do you use a slow cooker during the cooler months?

You can also follow me on

facebook | www.facebook.com/TheAussieHausfrau

Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

Instagram | @aussie_hausfrau

If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti Do Pho Bo - A Soup That Sings To Me!

Two nights a fortnight Mr Hausfrau and I find ourselves kid free for dinner. Tonight our kids are with their other parents and tomorrow night they don't get back here until after dinner.

On these nights, date nights if you will, if we don't head out for dinner or call for take out, we like to have something that we wouldn't normally have when the kids are here. Usually spicy things. I think we've put the local Thai place owners kids through school!

Tonight a yummy soup is on the menu. A Vietnamese recipe that I've tweeked 'cause we like it hot spicy. It's a Vietnamese beef noodle soup called Phở bò tái nạm - or Pho bo for short. This one is a raw beef soup but don't worry. The beef cooks once the hot broth is added. Stick with me until the end won't you.

What I use

120grms lean rump steak, thinly sliced*
4 cups of beef stock (I use the salt reduced one as the fish sauce will add salt)
2 cups water
1 tbsp fish sauce
1.5 tbsp soy sauce or tamari if you can find it
3cm piece of ginger, thinly sliced, no need to peel
2 pods of star anise
1 medium cinnamon stick
2 cloves
1 large red chilli, thinly sliced, seeds in or out depending on your heat threshold. In for us!
80grms dried vermicelli noodles
120g bean sprouts
1/3 cup coriander sprigs
1/3 cup Thai basil leaves
1/3 fresh mint leaves
1 large lime, juiced

How I do it

1. In a pot add the stock, water, fish sauce, tamari, ginger, star anise cinnamon stick, cloves, and half the chilli. Bring to the boil for 5 minutes.
2. While that's happening prepare the vermicelli as per packet instructions, drain and set aside.
3. Using a slotted spoon remove the ginger, star anise, cinnamon, cloves and chilli from the broth.
4. In a bowl place some vermicelli, basil, mint, coriander, chilli and raw beef.
5. Bring the broth back to the boil and add the lime juice.
6. Ladel broth into bowl. The boiling hot broth will cook the finely sliced beef within seconds!

It's full of flavour and sooooo delicious!

* I like to cut the beef while it's still frozen on my bread cutting machine. It comes out perfectly thin. Paper like even! Tonight I cut my ginger on it too.

Do you Pho Bo too??

You can also follow me on

facebook | www.facebook.com/TheAussieHausfrau

Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

Instagram | @aussie_hausfrau

If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



{Wordless Wednesday} Mr Hausfrau went to Germany

In March Mr Hausfrau went to Germany. The first half of his trip was business. He toured the Volkswagen factories.

How awesome is this for car storage!?! Four photos up is the seats you sit in and get lowered out above this! Wow!

The second half of his trip was fun fun fun. He visited family and ate and drank and drank and ate.

It's been a while since I linked up with Bree from Twinkle in the Eye for a Wordless Wednesday!

You can also follow me on

facebook | www.facebook.com/TheAussieHausfrau

Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

Instagram | @aussie_hausfrau

If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!



Gulaschsuppe - A soup to warm your soul

Yesterday Mr Hausfrau announced that he would cook dinner.

After I finished my happy dance I told him that I was planning on making  beef and veg soup so he pulled out one of his old chef cook books and suggested this little beauty

Green Turtle Soup?? Eeeeewwwww!!

No not the turtle soup. The Gulyás leves. It's Gulaschsuppe, or Goulash Soup. A Hungarian soup. It's a delicious hearty soup that is perfect for crappy cooler weather.

The recipe translated for you. (and tweaked a little by the chef)

1kg beef, diced small
4 large potatoes, diced small
1 large onion, diced small
1 rep capsium, diced small (we used half a red and half a green 'cause that's all we had)
2lt beef stock (Veg stock would work too)
200ml red wine
A little extra wine (to deglaze, not to drink!)
2tbsp oil (veg, canola, whatever)
1 tin diced tomatoes
1 clove garlic, crushed
2tbsp paprika (you can mix this up with sweet paprika or a spicy one)
1tsp marjoram
2tsp salt
2tsp cumin

What the chef did while I sat with a glass of wine and watched

1. Cook off the onions until they're "translucent" (His word not mine) - add the garlic just before the onions are ready. Remove and set aside.
2. Brown the meat.
3. Keeping the meat in the pot deglaze with that extra wine (if you haven't drunk it yet)
4. Return the onions to the pot and add all other ingredients.
5. Bring the soup to the boil then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour. Keep the lid on but with a slight gap.

Serve with nice crusty bread slathered with butter! (Note to self, an extra hour in the gym is needed this week) You could probably serve with sour cream too. We didn't, just a sprinkle of fresh chives and cracked pepper.

Not the best photo. Taken by my iPhone in bad light. I was too eager to eat it!

That's it! It serves 8! (Well it served 4 last night and again for lunch today with a little still left over that I'll be gobbling up again tomorrow!)

Mr Hausfrau said that if he was to do anything different next time he would add some tomato paste to make it more "tomato'y"

If you make it let me know.

You can also follow me on

facebook | www.facebook.com/TheAussieHausfrau

Twitter | @AussieHausfrau

Instagram | @aussie_hausfrau

If you've been following me on facebook you may or may not know that I have registered for a 220km bike ride  for the Perth Ride to Conquer Cancer in 2013. This is a cause close to my heart as I have lost some very special people to this horrible disease. As part of my entry I need to fund raise a minimum of $2500 to take part in the actual ride. I really hate asking for donations but I've been told that it's the only way! Do you have a spare $2? Every little bit helps. All money raised will go directly to support cancer patients and their families and all donations $2 and over are tax deductible. Thank you!!