Living in the United States, it can be easy to forget what seasonality is. Fresh tomatoes in the middle of winter? Of course! What isn’t easy to forget however, is how much better things taste when they are eaten during their season. They are bursting with flavor. It used to be that we didn’t have the luxury of our produce being shipped from all over the world so that we could have things out of season. It used to be that the only way to appreciate the fruits and vegetables of other seasons was to preserve them through methods like canning and pickling. I hope we’re going back in that direction, especially since there are so many great options for canned fruits and vegetables available, even if you don’t have your own garden. Del Monte®, a company in business here in the US for over 100 years, is one of those sources. This month I’m participating in a BlogHer campaign with Del Monte® to talk about stocking your pantry, to “plant a garden” in your pantry if you will. The great thing about canned goods is that the fruits and vegetables used are picked at their peak of ripeness, with the majority being canned the same day they are picked to lock in nutrients and flavor. 90% of Del Monte® fruits and vegetables are grown right here in the United States and 95% of their products are preservative free. With winter fast approaching and the holidays at our doorsteps, it’s a great time to rethink what is in our pantries and prepare for the months when fresh fruits and vegetables in season are lacking. To help inspire you to plant your own garden pantry, I used some Del Monte® Apricot Halves in Light Syrup to whip up a great fall holiday dish—Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken. 
All you do is mix a few ingredients in a slow cooker, along with a can of the Del Monte® apricots, and some chicken breasts, turn on the heat and walk away. When it’s time to serve, you remove the chicken and stir some toasted pecans and dried cranberries into the sauce remaining in the slow cooker and let the sauce cook for a few minutes longer so that all the flavors can come together and the sauce can thicken slightly. 
Then all that’s left to do is serve the chicken over some steamed rice with the sauce spooned over it. This dish incorporates some of the flavors I love most this time of year, and making it in the slow cooker frees you up to take care of so many of the other things there are to do during this busy holiday season! To help you celebrate this holiday season I’ve got a giveaway (details after the recipe below) sponsored by Del Monte Foods for a $100 Crate & Barrel gift card! 
Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken
Makes approximately 6 to 8 servings
3/4 cup orange juice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1 (15 ounce) can Del Monte® Apricot Halves in extra light syrup
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or chicken thighs)
3/4 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1. Whisk the orange juice and cornstarch together in a small bowl until smooth. Then add the orange juice mixture, soy sauce, chicken broth brown sugar, garlic, and ginger to a 6 quart slower cooker and whisk to combine. Then add the canned apricot halves, including the syrup.
2. Add the chicken breasts and stir to coat. Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 6 hours.
3. After cooking on low for 6 hours, remove the chicken breasts, leaving the cooking liquid in the slow cooker. Add the toasted pecans and dried cranberries to the slow cooker and stir to coat. Increase the heat to high heat, cover the cooker, and allow the mixture to cook for 10 to 15 minutes, to create the sauce.
4. Serve the chicken breasts on a bed of rice with the sauce ladled over the top.
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$100 Crate & Barrel Gift Card Giveaway
There will be one (1) lucky winner who will receive a $100 Crate & Barrel gift card. To enter, leave a comment answering the question: What are your favorite fruits or vegetables to stock in your pantry?
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Sweepstakes Rules: No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a: Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b: Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c: Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d: For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 11/18/2013-12/18/2013
Be sure to visit the Del Monte® brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers reviews and find more chances to win!
* Disclosure: I was compensated for recipe development and writing this post as part of my participation in a campaign with BlogHer and Del Monte Foods. All opinions are my own.
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