Slider night recipes

Last night felt like a sneak peak of the rapidly approaching fall season. College football, beer and burgers, or in this case, sliders! I found some inspiration in one of Rachel Ray's magazines where she featured 12 different sliders. We chose to make the buffalo chicken as one of them and then just a plain meatball slider as the other. Unfortunately, we wolfed them down before I could take pictures...so today you will just have to use your imagination.

For the plain meatball sliders you'll need:
1/2 lb Ground beef
Slider buns
Sliced cheese (I used a really good chipotle cheddar)
Seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
I also added a blend of all my favorite burger seasonings

For the buffalo sliders you'll need:
1/2 lb Ground turkey
Slider buns
2 Tbsp Franks Red Hot
1/4 cup butter
Celery
Blue cheese dressing
Blend of my favorite chicken seasonings
1 egg
Italian breadcrumbs

1. In separate bowls mix together your meats and their respective seasonings. Each bowl should get one egg and about 1 cup of breadcrumbs. Mix the ingredients well and form into small pattys about 2 x 2 inches.
2. Using a grill pan or a skillet cook your slider pattys (cook the different types of meat separately, not in the same pan at the same time. I recommedn cleaning the pan between meats).
3. Melt your butter in the microwave or in a saucepan then add your Frank's Red Hot. This is your buffalo sauce. This can be drizzeled onto slider. Also thinly slice a few celery stalks, I used the mandolin. Top your buffalo slider with these for some crunch.
4. Assemble your sliders with all your favorite toppings. For the plain slider I did ketchup, mustard, crispy jalepenos, cheese, and lettuce. For the buffalo slider I did the blue cheese dressing, a drizzle of buffalo sauce, and the celery.


There was also a brisket slider on that list....maybe that will be next gameday! Go Green!

White chicken lasagna recipe

This recipe was a little bit labor intensive, but ohhh was it worth it! I made my own white sauce, PACKED it with veggies, and added cheese cheese and more cheese. So good. 

What you'll need: 

9 lasagna noodles (make a few more if you tend to break some while they cook)

1 chicken breast

1/2 cup thawed frozen spinach

6-7 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1/2 small onion, chopped

1 cup chicken broth

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1/2 cup milk

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1. Cook lasagna noodles according to package. Also cook chicken by steaming it in a shallow pan with about 1 inch of water, covered, until cooked through. Seasoned with a sprinkle of salt, pepper and garlic salt. When cooked, shred chicken with a fork and set aside.

2. In another skillet, cook your mushrooms and onion until tender and starting to brown with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper. Add spinach and garlic to veggies and cook for another minute. Now add your butter to the veggies, let it melt, then add the flour. Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes. Now you can add the broth and let the sauce simmer and thicken. Turn the heat down to low and add milk and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Sauce should be thickened a little bit but it will still be slightly runny, it is not a thick sauce. It thickens when it is baked. 

3. Finally add your shredded chicken to the sauce and you are ready to start building your lasagna. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and prepare a glass baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray and spreading about 1 tbsp of your white sauce on the bottom of the pan. Now start with layering 3 lasagna noodles on the bottom of the pan followed by 1/3 of the white sauce mixture and then 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of noodles, another 1/3 of the mixture, another 1/2 cup mozzarella. Do one more layer, this will be your top layer. Add the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan to the top of the lasagna and bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese on the top is melted and golden brown. 

Phew! That was a lot of work! Promise you the first bite will make it all worth it though. Oh, and we ate it with a bosco stick, man those things are good!

 

Jalapeno popper chicken recipe

This is another recipe that I made a loooong time ago and haven't made it since. Not for lack of love, because we did love it. I think what has happened was when we made it the recipe called for 2 teaspoons of taco seasoning and this was when Eric was new to his soux chef duties and I had turned my back and oops, he dumped the whole seasoning packet into the breadcrumbs. So the chicken basically tasted like a taco and I think it turned us off to it a little bit. But I am so ready to give it another go, because this is a yummy dinner.

What you'll need:
2 chicken breasts
2 tsp taco seasoning
1/2 cup panko
2 tsp canola oil
1 egg
2 oz cream cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 jalapenos, seeds removed

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and prepare a baking dish by setting a greased bakers rack over a baking sheet.
2. In a skillet over medium heat add panko and oil and stir until panko begins to brown and get crispy. Remove from heat and add taco seasoning, stir to combine.
3. In a shallow bowl beat your egg. In another small bowl combine your cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and jalapenos. Cut a small pocket into the sides of the chicken breasts, almost butterflying the chicken and stuff the cheese mixture into the breasts. Secure opening with toothpick if needed.
4. Dip the stuffed chicken breasts in the egg and the roll through the panko mixture, coating all surfaces. Place breasts on the prepared baking rack and put into oven for 25-30 minutes until chicken is cooked through.

Like I said, this recipe is really a winner and easy to make. Just make sure you don't dump the whole taco seasoning packet in!

Buffalo chicken bites recipe

I am just going to keep on dreaming about all the delicious things I want to make tomorrow since I have a snow day from work, but sadly I know I can't just sit here all day and eat myself silly. Not to mention, I probably won't be able to get my car to the grocery store (yes, we got THAT much snow today). So I guess I will just keep fantasizing about these tasty treats for now. Since I loveeeeee buffalo chicken dip and I have been obsessed with my new found friend wanton wrappers, I thought this recipe was totally appropriate.

What you'll need:

2 cups chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce

1 tbsp butter, melted

1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles or your favorite blue cheese dressing

24 wanton wrappers

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Stir together chicken, hot sauce and butter then spoon about 1 tbsp of the mixture onto the wanton wrapper. Sprinkle a little bit of blue cheese crumbles or dressing in the wanton. Dip your finger in water and run along edges of the wrapper and fold over. Pinch together to seal and then place on to a greased baking sheet.

3. Spray lightly with cooking spray and bake for about 12- 15 minutes until they bites are golden brown and crispy

Sounds like a winner to me! Bring these morsels to a party and you will be a hit I think!

Sweet and sour chicken recipe

I got a good one for you guys tonight! During my house sitting adventure last week I was staying in my bosses house while she was away and she has a big beautiful kitchen so I was just having a field day trying a bunch of new recipes. The first dinner on the menu was a huge Asian feast per Eric's request. I am talking rice kitchen #3 combo meal type of feast. The only thing that would have made it better would be if it was 3am and I was stumbling home from Rick's! All my fellow EL friends will get that one ; )

What you'll need:
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 eggs
1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp vinegar
1-2 cups oil for frying

1. Chop your chicken up into about 1/2 inch chunks. Start heating your oil (about 1 inch deep) on med-high heat until it is rippling on the surface. While your oil is heating set up two separate bowls, put your cornstarch into one and your 2 eggs beaten into the other. Start by dipping your chicken in the eggs and then coat in cornstarch then carefully place into the oil. You will want to do this is batches, making sure your oil comes back up to temp in between batches. You just want the chicken to brown on the outside, it should not cook all the way through.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. As your chicken pieces are browned place them onto a greased baking sheet.
3.To make your sweet and sour sauce combine your ketchup, sugar, soy sauce, and vinegar in a bowl.
4. Now you can drizzle about half of your sweet and sour mix onto the fried chicken pieces and give them a toss around. Put the pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes until the sweet and sour sauce has caramelized and is sticky on the chicken. You will want to give these a stir a few times during the baking.
5. While the chicken is baking take the other half of the sweet and sour mixture and put it into a small pot over med heat and let it get bubbly and sticky, should take about 5 minutes. Use this as a dipping sauce for the chicken.

I really could not believe how AMAZING this was. Eric said it tasted just like Chinese take-out but better because the meat didn't have weird stuff in it haha. As you can see I also whipped up some fried rice and some of my famous potstickers. This time the pot stickers were stuffed with snow peas, broccoli stems, and carrots. The fried rice is really simple; brown rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, carrots, peas, corn, egg.

Honey mustard chicken recipe

I hope everyone had a FABULOUS holiday! I have had quite the break from posting anything due to the ice storm that knocked out my power for a few days. But I am back and have LOTS of things to share.

So I am going to let you in on my strategy for picking recipes to try.

• When I find a recipe online the first thing I do is check the ingredient list. If there are more than like 4 items that I don't have in my kitchen I am usually turned off to it because I don't want to break the bank making a meal every night. That is where things start getting expensive. It is much more cost effective to utilize the ingredients that you have in creative ways so you are not getting bored of the same flavors and still not buying outlandish ingredients that you are only going to use once and then will go bad in your pantry.
• The next thing I look at is the comments. This is where you are going to get a pretty good idea about whether this recipe is going to be successful. If there are a lot of negative comments about how they couldn't get the recipe to work or it didn't turn out chances are there is something wrong with the recipe, not the cooks. This is also where you can find good ideas of ways to alter the recipe. It is a great way to get inspiration for customizing the recipe to your taste as well as what works and what doesn't.

Moral of the story: I really urge, if you find a recipe that looks good, check out the comments and do your research. It can really save you some time and possible kitchen disasters.

Without further rambling, I give you Honey mustard chicken!

What you'll need:
1/4 cup grainy mustard
1/4 cup smooth dijon mustard
1/2 honey
3 tsp olive oil
1 drop 100% pure rosemary essential oil (optional)
1/2 small yellow onion, diced
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 lbs chicken tenderloins
3-4 springs fresh rosemary

1. In a small bowl combine the mustards, honey, 2 tsp olive oil, and rosemary oil.
2. In a saute pan or cast iron skillet add 1 tsp on olive oil. It make it easier if you can use a stove to oven dish for this. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until golden and tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for an additional 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. Place the chicken tenderloins on top of the onion and garlic mixture. sprinkle with salt and pepper. Pour the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken and arrange the rosemary springs around the pan.
4. Bake the chicken covered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce and continue to cook and additional 20-30 minutes uncovered or until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through.

So, as I read this recipe I thought "wow, 50 minutes baking at 400? That is way too long, that can't be right." What do I do? Read the comments! Turns out the recipe creator really crowds her pan and it took an extra long time to cook. Other than that, there were MANY comments of people that actually made the recipe and said it was perfect. So there you have it. Do your research and you will be way more prepared when you walk into the kitchen.

I made the spinach stuffed chicken!

So let me set the scene for this...I was in a terrible mood, it was such a long day at work. Then I call Eric and he says he is fishing and will be home in an hour and a half and that we could order a pizza if I wanted (he could obviously tell I was having a mood) which I thought was just a great idea, until I realized I had no money. So I go up to the kitchen and it was almost like autopilot that I made this dish! It came together so quickly and easily and was actually really fun to make! (Sorry my picture is blurry)

I made all of the changes that I thought I would in the original spinach stuffed chicken recipe, so I guess I do know myself well!




What you'll need:
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, filleted so you have 4 thin pieces of chicken
1 cup thawed spinach or wilted fresh spinach
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg, beaten







1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare a baking dish lined with tin foil and sprayed with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl mix together the spinach, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese and a sprinkle of each salt, pepper, garlic salt, and Italian seasoning (I used Mrs.Dash). Give it a good mix. Also prepare your breading station. All you need is one bowl with the beaten egg and one shallow bowl with the breadcrumbs.
3. Heat a skillet on med-high heat with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Place a heaping spoonful of the spinach mixture onto the chicken breast and spread to cover in a thin layer. Then roll the chicken from end to end so the mixture is wrapped inside. Take the rolled chicken and dip it into the egg and then roll through the breadcrumbs to coat. Set the roll into the hot skillet
seam side down, allow it to sear shut then flip to get a crust on the other side, about 5 minutes per side. Once you flip the rolls over you may need to use a toothpick to ensure the roll stays secured.
4. Place the chicken rolls into the prepared baking dish and put into the oven for about 20-25 minutes until the chicken is crispy on the outside and the inside is reading at least 170 degrees. Top with a sprinkle of shredded cheese about 15 minutes into the baking process if desired.

I served this up with some instant mashed potatoes, because lets be honest, I had already outdone myself for the day.

Bacon and rosemary chicken recipe

Rosemary to me is like the hidden gem of herbs. I don't know if other people feel that way, but I really feel like I can't find enough ways to incorporate it. I really enjoy the deep flavor it gives to a pan of roasted potatoes or a cornish game hen. Now that I have discovered my love for rosemary I really like trying it in new ways, and this recipe from Taste of Home looks like it could be a great one to add to the list!

What you'll need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, halved and pounded to 1/4 inch thickness

1/4 cup flour

5 bacon strips

1 tbsp butter

4 gloves garlic, sliced thin

1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp dried crushed rosemary

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup chicken broth

2 tbsp lemon juice

1. Prepare your chicken breasts so they are even thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and place chicken into a large bag with the flour. Shake to coat.

2. In a large skillet cook bacon over med heat until crisp. Remove and set on paper towel to cool. Reserve 2 tbsp of the bacon drippings in the skillet and add the butter to melt. Place the chicken breasts into skillet and cook on each side for about 4-6 minutes. For my waistlines sake I would add about 1 tbsp of olive oil into a fresh pan and skip the bacon fat and butter. 

3. Remove the chicken from the pan and add in the garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes, cook for 1 minute. Add broth and lemon juice, bring to a boil. Cook until liquid is reduced by half. Return the chicken and bacon to the skillet, heath through. 

Some other things I would change here would be to add mushrooms, cooked in the sauce while it was reducing. I also do not think I would re-add the chicken to the sauce and would instead serve the sauce over the chicken just to try and preserve the crispiness that I would have gotten from man frying it in the oil. 

Chicken in wine sauce recipe

This is another recipe I found in Taste of Home magazine that sounded really simple and like something fairly light and healthy that was still hearty with the mushrooms. It really seems like the perfect weeknight dinner. I feel like everyone is thinking "oh, another chicken recipe" but it is what I always have on hand and what I prefer to eat just because I am honestly a little intimidated by other meat! Ahhhh! Sorry, but I still hope you enjoy this recipe, try it out and let me know how it turns out.

What you'll need:

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves

1 egg

1 tbsp water

3/4 cup flour

1 carton sliced fresh onions

2/3 cup plum wine

1. Flatten the chicken breasts to 1/4 in thickness. In a shallow bowl whisk egg and water. In another shallow bowl, combine the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper. Dip the chicken in egg mixture then coat with flour. 

2. In a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat for 4-5 minutes each side. 

3. In the same skillet saute mushrooms until tender. Add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Bring to a boil and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Serve over chicken.

So changes for this recipe that I foresee: I have no idea where to get plum wine, and even if I did I probably wouldn't buy it and would just try my handy red wine that I use for cooking. Adding a small pat of butter would probably help make a nice silky smooth sauce. Also, I think I would add some more seasoning to the flour mixture, and by that I mean garlic salt...always garlic salt. I have never actually just breaded anything with egg and flour, I always do a bread crumb of some sort too so I am really curious about how this will turn out, although I know I would use olive oil in the pan and not cooking spray. Sounds really simple and quick though, I like that!

Pesto chicken stuffed shells recipe

My cheese bread post got me thinking about the first time I ever made it. I was making a birthday feast for my roomates, it was a tradition throughout college that we would do for eachother. Although I usually got the most into the cooking part haha. Anyway, that night to serve after the cheese bread I made these pesto chicken stuffed shells and they were DEVINE. I have made them many many times since and for many different people and they have always been the perfect dish.




These are a little bit labor intensive compared to my usual meals, but if you grab yourself a nice tall glass of wine before you start I promise it will be a breeze.

What you'll need:
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded off the bones  (or package of already shredded, or cook and shred your own whatever is easiest for you)
3 tablespoons pesto (homemade or store bought, but to you)
1-2 cloves garlic
1 box jumbo shell pasta
1 package mushrooms
1 small onion
1 8oz pkg cream cheese, room temp
1 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1. Start a large pot of water to boil for your pasta, drop it in once the water is boiling and cook according to package. Also start pre-heating your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Chop your mushrooms and onion and sautee them with some olive oil and garlic until they just begin to cook through.
3. In a large bowl combine your cream cheese, chicken (shredded), sauteed veggies, pesto,  about 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. (Can you tell I love cheese?) I also like to add a pinch of pepper into the mix. You can give it a taste before you move on to see if it is seasoned to your liking, it usually does not need additional salt or garlic because of the pesto.
4. Drain the pasta once it is cooked, it can be slightly al dente. Then stuff about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the chicken mixture into each shell and place them into a well greased baking dish. Top the shells with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan (or more if you would like!). Bake for about 15-20 minutes until your cheese is brown and bubbly.

The last time I made this it was as a thank you to my family and Eric and Carly for taking such good care of me while I was in the hospital. Unfortunately, I couldn't move my arms so I had to have my mom cook it all as I instructed her so it wasn't much of a thank you. But they forgot about all that once these tasty treats hit their lips!

My mom also contributed to that meal by making her Pampered Chef inspired garlic rolls. OMG they were good, and SO simple. She just put a couple of tablespoons of melted butter in the bottom of a pie tin and about a teaspoon of minced garlic so it was coating the bottom of the pan. Then she took a roll of some Pillsbury dinner roll dough and tore it off in bite size chunks laying it in a single layer in the tin and then baked according to the package instructions. They were devoured!




Thanks mom, you're the BEST!

Bruschetta chicken recipe

It has been quite some time since I have made this recipe because it is a chore to make Eric eat anything with tomatoes involved. I personally LOVE all things bruschetta though and I LOVED this chicken.

I am sure at this point you are beginning to see a theme...everything I make is with chicken. From about my sophomore year in highshool until about my junior year in college I ate almost no meat. I don't think that this would have changed either except once my "meat and potatoes" man came along our meals were just was not conducive. So I began experimenting with cooking meat (which was disastrous for a while) but chicken was just the best transition for me. It was much less intimidating than a big hunk of steak. Still to this day I tend to stick with chicken and tofu as my main source of protein but I do enjoy some good red meat every once in a while.

Back to the bruschetta chicken!

What you'll need:
1 package boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup crushed seasoned croutons
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tomatoes
3 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and get your baking dish ready by greasing it. Put the flour into a large bag, the beaten eggs in one shallow bowl. Put chicken into flour and shake to coat then dip into eggs and put in the baking dish. In a separate bowl combine croutons, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil then sprinkle the mixture onto the top of the chicken breasts.
2. Loosely cover with foil and bake for 25-30 minutes until the chicken is browned and cooked through.
3. While the chicken is cooking prepare your bruscetta topping. Chop tomatoes and combine with about 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic, and basil. Spoon the mixture over the chicken. You can do this and put it back in the over for 5 minutes to heat the tomato mixture or you can serve it fresh. I prefer fresh!

*Some two for one recipe action here: the tomato mixture is the same recipe I use to make regular bruschetta but I like to add a little bit of garlic salt. Serve that over some toasted baguette slices and you are going to be oneee happy camper!

Crispy onion chicken recipe

Ok guys...this is one for the books. You are never going to look at breaded chicken the same after this. It is time to stop limiting French's crispy onions to a holiday staple and start putting them on your grocery list all year round. They literally cannot make a package of these things that is big enough, I have to buy like 3. This recipe makes the ULTIMATE in crispy crunchy flavorful breaded and baked chicken. There is always something to disappointing to want some crispy breaded chicken, but doing it in the oven to try and cut some calories. Although this may not be the most figure friendly recipe, it is light while still providing that "fried chicken" taste.


What you'll need:
1 package boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 large bag of crispy onions (I found meijer makes these in a zip top bag and you get way more for your $ and they are just as good)
2 eggs
2 tbsp Frank's Red Hot (optional)
1 cup flour
1/2 cup shredded cheese (whatever kind you have on hand)
Kickin' Chicken seasoning, or your favorite chicken seasoning (optional)

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. I pound out my chicken breasts or fillet them so they are about 1/4 in thick, but it is up to you.
2. Begin breading by putting 1 cup of flour into a large bag along with a pinch of salt, pepper and garlic salt. Put in your chicken and shake to coat. Now put your 2 eggs and Franks red hot into a bowl and whisk to blend. The hot sauce is optional, I just think it adds a great zip to the chicken. Also crush up your french's onions so they are in fine crumbles and put those into another shallow bowl. At this point you will also want to get your pan ready. Place a bakers rack on a sheet pan and grease the bakers rack. This will help to get the chicken really crispy all the way around. If you don't have a bakers rack put the chicken directly on a baking sheet that has been greased well.
3. Now bread your chicken by first dredging your floured chicken in the egg and franks mixture and then press it into the crushed onions. Try to press in as much of the onions as you can get to stick. Place them on the bakers rack. This is when I like to give them a sprinkle of kickin chicken!
4. Put your chicken into the oven for about 25- 30 minutes. Top with cheese if desired and serve with ranch or BBQ sauce to dip.

Your taste buds will be begging you for this one at least once a week once you try it!

Spinach stuffed chicken recipe

This recipe comes from Taste of Home magazine. I haven't made it yet but I thought it was a perfect thing to add into the rotation. It seems fairly simple and the ingredients are definitely things I have in my pantry already, I like that!

What you'll need:
3 garlic cloves
1/3 cup butter (I would sub for olive oil)
1 pkg fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 pkg boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 egg
2/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs

1. Saute garlic in 1 tbsp butter in a large skillet until tender. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Remove from heat and stir in ricotta cheese and a pinch of salt.
2. Fillet your chicken so they are about 1/4 in thick. Spread the ricotta cheese and spinach mixture over the center of each chicken breast. Roll up and secure with toothpicks.
3. Place egg in a shallow bowl. Place bread crumbs in a separate shallow bowl. Dip the chicken in egg, then coat it with crumbs. Brown chicken in 2 tbsp butter (this is where I would use olive oil instead of butter) in a large skillet. Place chicken, seam side down, in a greased baking dish.
4. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25-30 mins.

Like said above I think I would 86 the butter and go for olive oil, just as calorie cutting measure. I also don't love having a creamy filling in things so I think I would try this without ricotta cheese and would just make the filling with some shredded mozzarella cheese instead and would top with some cheese too. Lastly, I never have fresh spinach, but I ALWAYS have some frozen on hand. I think that would work just as well so knowing myself that would most likely be all of my personal touches.

This sounds delicious in every way. Try it out and let me know how it goes!

BBQ pulled chicken recipe

This is by far my most visited recipe. It is a crockpot recipe but I have some sort of freak of nature crockpot that must get super hot or something so it is not a drop it and leave for the day kind of situation. This recipe needs to be watched...because I have burned it before.Yes, it is possible to burn something in the crockpot, who knew. Not to get on a rant here but there is an unfortunate story to follow that statement. A few months back Eric's mom had surgery. So me being the nice girlfriend that I am I decided that I would make the whole family a big meal and it was going to be so great (blah blah blah). So I threw the chicken together and then left for work. 8 hours later I get home and I have these crispy burned little chicken bricks. Eric convinced me that it still tasted alright so we dumped some extra BBQ sauce on it and called it good. Eric has been bragging to the family about how good of a cook I am so I was all ready to show of my skills...and I had to present them with this dry nasty chicken. Mortifying...

Anyway, if you are looking for a quick easy recipe that is a serious crowd pleaser, this is going to be your friend. This recipe usually will feed the two of us for about 3 meals...so it makes a lot. Good for family dinner but also a good option as a dish to pass.

What you'll need:
1 package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (~3 pieces of chicken)
1 bottle BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Rays Honey BBQ is the obvious choice)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 medium onion, sliced
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (more or less to taste)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp cornstarch
*many of the ingredients in this list are optional. If you were to just throw in the BBQ sauce and call it good you would be ok...but the little additions make it oh so much tastier.

1. Into the crockpot put about 3/4 the bottle of BBQ sauce, sliced onions, garlic, pepper flakes, vinegar, brown sugar, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Give the mixture a good stir and then put in your chicken breasts and toss it all around so the chicken is coated. Put the lid on and leave it on low for about 6 hours.
2. After your 6 hours is up you will notice that there is a lot of liquid in the pot. To thicken it back to BBQ sauce consistency take out about 1/4 cup of the liquid and place it in a small bowl. Add your tbsp of cornstarch and combine into a slurry. Add this back into the chicken mixture and crank the crockpot to high for about 20-30 mins.
3. Now you should have a nice thick sauce. Go ahead and shred the chicken in the crockpot and let it suck up some of those juices. Add some more BBQ sauce if you would like. Serve on a toasted onion bun or ciabatta bread. YUMMM.

Chicken pot pie casserole recipe

I think this recipe might have been one of my very first Pinterest creations and is still easily in my top ten favorite things to make. It is the ULTIMATE in comfort food.

I try to sneak this recipe into the rotation as much as possible. The only bummer is that Eric had a tragic childhood experience with pot pie (we wont go into details), but needless to say he isn't to keen on having anything pot pie related so I have adopted this as my go-to dish when I am cooking for other people.

What you'll need:
1 rotisserie chicken, shred the meat (or buy the already shredded package if they have it)
2 cups frozen mixed veggies
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup water
1 package of the pillsbury flaky biscuits

1. Put your shredded chicken into a large mixing bowl. Add your frozen veggies. what veggies you use is totally up to you...I LOVE corn and HATE carrots so I always sneak in some extra corn and get a mix that has no carrots (blehhh). Also add your cream of mushroom soup, water, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Give it a good mix.
2. Put the mixture into a greased casserole dish and put it into a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes.
3. Pull out the casserole dish and lay your biscuits out on top of the "pot pie filling" and then pop it back into the oven for about 10-15 minutes until the biscuits are cooked through and golden brown.