Beautiful Evening for a Farmers Market.

After a three year hiatus, the Monticello Farmers Market has come back to this small town.  Bayley Hedglin, Executive Director of the San Juan Chamber of Commerce, organized the event which took place in the rear parking area of the Monticello Welcome Center.   Featured vendors did not consist of only farmers, but craftspeople and food trucks; fruits, vegetables, canned goods, handmade jewelry, crafts and Green River melons.  From the hours of 5pm to 8pm, locals and curious visitors were able to stock up on “Buy Fresh, Buy Local”; and get a free cookbook from San Juan Health.

Los Tacho’s authentic Mexican held center stage, patrons waiting patiently in line for enchiladas, chile rellano, tacos, burritos and more.  Instead I hula’d down to Benyaki’s to take my taste buds on a Hawaiian vacation; Kalua pork (shredded, moist pork with a sweet, savory taste), fried noodles, white rice and a thick, rich teriyaki sauce.   So I went home with a passenger seat full of veggies for slicing and dicing; refreshing melon for dessert, after a delicious Hawaiian inspired dinner.  …and to boot, I was able to order a 25 pound box of tomatoes from one of the farmers (name of Morgan); it’s homemade sauce making time!

The Farmers Market will occur twice more before the end of the fall season.  Go to the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/MonticelloFarmersVendorMarket/), Like and make sure to Follow to get notices on your Newsfeed.  Looking to become a vendor?  Contact Bayley at (435) 459-9700 for more information.   “Buy Fresh, Buy Local” is showing support for our local farmers, it just makes perfect sense! 

Mary Cokenour

Asian, Hawaiian, Mexican...Well it's a Crock Pot Chicken Recipe.

As many recipes I keep seeing on Facebook about Asian Chicken in the Crock Pot, Hawaiian Chicken in the Crock Pot, Chinese Chicken in the Crock Pot, Mexican....well you get the gist of it.  There comes a point where it's simply, I've got these ingredients in the pantry and chicken; what do I do with it all to make a meal?

That's exactly what happened last week after I pulled out chicken and simply stared at it.  I was totally clueless as to what to make with it.  Do I fry it, bake it, make a casserole?  I saw a jar of pineapple chipotle salsa, cans of pineapple and a plan began to take form.  I pulled out green bell peppers and onion from the refrigerator and began dicing.  Then came the crock pot into which I dumped it all, set it on high and said to myself, "Good Luck!".  Four and one half hours later on, the chicken was tenderly cooked; the sauce looked thin, but was quickly fixed with an addition of cornstarch whisked in.  Served over white rice, it was amazingly delicious; score one for the "throw it all in and good luck" technique.

Pineapple Chipotle Chicken

 Ingredients:

6 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup diced green bell pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 (16 oz.) jar pineapple chipotle salsa
1 (15 ¼ oz.) can pineapple slices, drained  (drink the juice, it's tasty!)
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
3 cups cooked rice

Preparation:

Spray interior of 4 quart crock pot with nonstick cooking spray.

Line sides and bottom of pot with chicken; place bell pepper and onion in center.  Pour salsa over all; cover with pineapple slices.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours; until chicken is thoroughly cooked.  Carefully remove pineapple and chicken; mix cornstarch together with remaining ingredients in pot to thicken sauce.  Serve chicken breast and pineapple slice (s) over rice; spoon sauce from pot over all.

Makes 6 servings.

Mary Cokenour