Crock Pot Honey Barbecue Chicken

Great taste, minimal effort. What's not to love?

Crock Pot Honey Barbecue Chicken

2 pounds chicken (I use either boneless skinless thighs or breast tenderloins)

1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 tbsp spicy brown mustard
2 cloves garlic

Mix spices and sauces thoroughly. Cover bottom of crock pot with chicken, layering if necessary. Cover with sauce and cook on low for approximately 6 hours.

Menu Plan Monday, August 25-30

Okay, Kiy warned me, and it's true. I really liked actually writing out the menu plan for last week. Skeeter liked it too because he knew what to expect each night, so I think I'll continue with it. I will add some of the recipes as well; that actually didn't occur to me until Angela left a comment about the Honey Barbecue Chicken.

About last week: I didn't make the salmon on Wednesday because I had such a horrible headache that I honestly couldn't. It got moved to this week.

There are a few repeats from last week just because we like them. And on to this week's menu.

Sunday: Stir-fry sausage with onions and peppers, rice pilaf, spinach salad

Monday: Tacos, Mexican rice, spinach salad, crudite platter

Tuesday: Eating out

Wednesday: Chicken with artichokes and garlic, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Thursday: Salmon, sweet potato fries, stir fry veggies, baked squash

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Meatballs in burgundy sauce, pasta, green beans

Check out this week's Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie for more great recipes!

Menu Plan Monday, August 17-23

My friend Julie participates in Menu Plan Monday every week. I've gotten several good recipes from her that way, and (I can barely believe it myself) I decided to play along. So here goes, with my first Menu Plan Monday.

Sunday: Meatloaf, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, corn

Monday: Crock pot honey barbecue chicken, garlic pasta, baked squash, crudite platter

Tuesday: Eating out

Wednesday: Salmon, rice pilaf, stir-fry veggies, olive rolls

Thursday: Tamale pie, spinach salad, Mexican rice, fried corn

Friday: Pizza

Saturday: Quiche, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, fruit

Check out this week's Menu Plan Monday at Organizing Junkie for more great recipes!

Recipe Box Swap: Baked Squash

I've been trying to duplicate a recipe from a local restaurant, and this is my latest try. It's not exactly there yet, but it's close!

Baked Squash

1 box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1/2 cup chicken broth (give or take, whether you prefer it moist or somewhat dry)
1 cup sour cream
1 onion (can use frozen, but you may need to adjust the broth)
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
3 cups yellow squash, sliced

Heat oven to 350. Grease bottom of pan with butter and set in oven to warm a bit. I don't recommend oil for greasing, as it will give a different flavor.

Mix everything except the squash, making sure that it's thoroughly blended. Mix in squash gently. Place in warmed pan and bake for about an hour.

As I said, it's a work in progress! I've also thought of adding sharp cheddar cheese for a little extra oomph. If you think of something different to do or use, let me know!

Go check out all of the great garden fresh recipes at I Have To Say, and if you just came from there, thanks for visiting!

Recipe Box Swap: Neiman Marcus Brownies

This is the recipe that my mom uses for her Neiman Marcus Brownies, although I've no idea how "authentic" it is. They are absolutely fabulous though. Our local police department now requests them at Christmas!

Neiman Marcus Brownies

Mix:

1 box butter pecan cake mix
1 stick butter melted
1 egg

Combine cake mix, melted butter and egg. Mix well. Press into pan 9x13.

Topping:

1 lb box confectioners sugar
1 stick butter melted
8 oz cream cheese
2 eggs
chopped pecans

Combine confectioners sugar, melted butter, cream cheese and eggs for topping. Pour over cake mix. Cover with chopped pecans. Bake @ 300 for 55 minutes. Cool and cut into squares.

Recipe Box Swap: Buffalo Wing Dip

Buffalo Wing Dip

16 oz softened cream cheese
1 lb grilled chicken (I use pulled rotisserie chicken)
1 cup ranch dressing
1 cup Red Hot Sauce
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped green onions (optional)

Stir the softened cream cheese with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add ranch dressing, Red Hot sauce, and chicken. Mix thoroughly.

Pour into baking pan. Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted thoroughly. Add chopped green onions to the top for garnish. Serve with tortilla chips.

Check out more good stuff at this week's Recipe Box Swap at I Have to Say!

Souptacular Recipe: Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

Here is one of the old standards for our annual Christmas Eve Mexican Fiesta!

Cheesy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
2 tsp oil

4 cups chicken stock
15 oz can of Rotel (or diced tomatoes with onions and peppers if you can't get Rotel where you live)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Mexican or Southwestern spice mix (I use either Emeril's or Pampered Chef.)
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

4 tsp flour
1/2 cup water

1 lb cooked chicken, cubed or pulled
1 cup cream
1/2 cup shredded cheese

Saute oil, garlic, and oinions in a large pan or dutch oven until soft.

Add chicken stock, spices, tomatoes, and Worcestershire sauce.

Thoroughly mix flour and water to make a pseudo-roux, then whisk into soup to thicken.

Bring to a low boil, then simmer for about 5 minutes.

Stir in chicken, cream and cheese until thoroughly blended and heated.

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips. Garnish with fresh chopped
cilantro.

Scoot on over to Boomama's place for more good stuff!

Corn and Potato Chowder

I had promised Susan that I would post my Corn and Potato Chowder recipe, but I'm a bit later than I promised. I seldom measure anything when I'm cooking, so I couldn't write out the recipe without making it again. I'm one of those cooks who goes by look and smell and taste. That's not really conducive to writing out the recipe though.

I did measure today (mostly), and here is the result:

Corn and Potato Chowder

3/4 cup bacon
6 russet or Yukon potatoes
3.5 cups chicken broth
2 cups whole kernel corn
2 cups half and half

Cook and drain the bacon. (I snip the bacon strips into small pieces before cooking so that I don't have to wait for it to cool to crumble.)

Peel and dice potatoes. Boil potatoes in chicken broth for about 20 minutes. Do not drain. Add bacon, corn, and half and half.

Cook for about 2 hours on medium heat, long enough for the broth to thicken. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Totally bad for you, but so yummy!

Today wasn't low-anything

Low-carb, low-fat, low-GI. Not here, not today.

It's chilly again, so that means corn and potato chowder for me. It's my favorite "chilly day" meal.

Last week, I taught Sass how to peel potatoes, so she was thrilled to use her newly acquired skill. Spyder has never been interested in learning how, but when he saw Sass today, he had her teach him.


Between the two of them, they peeled about six pounds of potatoes. Yes, that's right. Six pounds. Um, considerably more than I needed for the chowder. I doubled the recipe for the chowder, but I still had quite a few more than I needed. Since I had extra already-peeled potatoes, I decided to make mashed potatoes too. Spyder loves them, and I certainly didn't want his work to go to waste.

I had also already started making Chicken Tetrazzini because Skeeter doesn't like the chowder, so I had the pasta on to boil.

When I looked at the stove, I realized that I had three saucepans full of either potatoes or pasta. Not good. Not good at all. I do put broccoli in my Tetrazzini, and I did have a spinach salad with dinner, but I think tomorrow we'll all need to stay away from the starchy foods.

Olive Rolls

Several weeks ago, the children and I made a recipe related to our study on ancient Rome. Essentially, it's a crusty yeast bread stuffed intermittently with olives. Unlike many of those "ancient recipes," it was pretty good -- good enough for us to make as part of our regular meals. But being me, I had to tweak the recipe.

I made an olive salad with black olives, green olives, garlic, and a bit of olive oil, all chopped together in a food chopper. The olive salad is stuffed into unbaked bits of dough, about the size of the palm of the hand.

If I'm feeling ambitious, I make the dough using this recipe on Allrecipes. If not, I let Pillsbury do the major work for me and use refrigerated dough instead.

It works best to completely cover the olive salad, then place the roll seam-down on the baking sheet. This is a great recipe for little hands though, as it doesn't really matter if the olive salad spills out a bit.

The result:


Sass did three of the four. Can you guess which one I did? :)

Moroccan Chicken

I've had a few emails asking for the Moroccan Chicken recipe I mentioned recently, so I thought I'd share it with everyone.

Originally it came from The New Basics Cookbook (which I highly recommend), but I've made a few changes to it.

Moroccan Chicken

2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp onion powder (optional)
1 tsp lemon peel
4-5 cloves of minced garlic (fresh is best, but garlic powder can be substituted in a pinch)

Coat 4 chicken legs or thighs with the spice mixture and let them stand at least 1 hour. (I coat them when I'm making lunch and leave them in the refrigerator until time to cook.)

In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp of olive oil over medium heat. Place chicken in the skillet. Cover and cook for approximately 20 minutes on each side.

(For those of you in the south, you're essentially making spiced fried chicken in olive oil.) :)

We've also made these on the grill and in the oven, with equally yummy success. I've also used the spice combination with tofu, but Skeeter won't stand for that tofu nonsense, so I haven't done that recently. :)

Enjoy!

Frozen Salad?

When I was about 10 or so, my mom started making a dessert she called "Frozen Salad." What a horrible name for a dessert! It sounds like it should be broccoli and mushrooms and whatnot -- all stirred up and thrown in the freezer. Yuck!

It's actually pretty good, despite the wretched name. Michael Ann, Michael, and I immediately renamed it "Sugar Coated Pink Marshmallow Fluff," a much more descriptive and accurate name.

My mom has abandoned it for several years in lieu of making newer recipes. She made Sugar Coated Pink Marshmallow Fluff for this Thanksgiving though. My children have decided that they like it, so it looks like I'll be making it now too. Ahhh, traditions!

For those who would like to try this oh-so-Southern fare, I've included the recipe.

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Judy's Sugar Coated Pink Marshmallow Fluff

1 can crushed pineapple
1 cup mini marshmallows
3/4 cup chopped nuts
1 can condensed milk
8 oz cool whip
1 can cherry pie filling

Mix everything together, adding the pie filling last. Freeze until set, then allow to thaw slightly before serving.

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It's good stuff, y'all! Be warned though -- don't get a large serving. It's rich!