Honey Soy Chicken in the Crock Pot

I love my crock pot.  It is such a great kitchen tool.  I go through phases where I'll use it 3-4 times a week.  Then I forget about it, and when I remember to use it again, it's like reconnecting  with a long-lost friend.  So, I'm in a crock pot phase right now.  This recipe is a yummy teriyaki-style chicken.  It's a little sweet and sour.  It's just yummy.  Oh, it's a shorter cooking time than most crock pot recipes--3 hours at longest.

You need:

4-6 Chicken breasts (or as many as  you need to feed your fam)
1 c. honey
1/2 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
2 T. vegetable oil
1-2 t. minced garlic
1/2 t. red pepper flakes
1 small chopped onion
Salt and Pepper

FOR SERVING:  Hot, cooked rice and some steamed veggies (I like the Asian style with carrots, broccoli, and snap peas).

Mix together the honey, soy sauce, ketchup, vegetable oil,  garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Place chicken breasts in the crock pot, and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle chopped onions over the chicken.

Pour sauce over the top of the chicken.

Cook on high for 1 1/2 hours or low for 3 hours.  Serve with hot cooked rice and steamed vegetables.

Yummy rice-bowl to hit that craving easy peasy!  Plus it's a lot cheaper than take out!

Easy Jambalaya

I love jambalaya.  It's so yummy and a great warm meal for these cool fall nights.  It'll warm you right up and make your family feel loved.  Big bonus:  This will have you eating in about 30 minutes!

You Need:

4 cups rice
1/2 lb. chicken breasts
1 smoked sausage
1/2-1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 onion
1 green pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 12 oz. can tomato sauce
1 can condensed French onion soup
1-3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1/2 cup butter

 Heat about 2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet.  Dice the chicken breasts and sausage into smaller-than-bite-sized pieces.  Cut each shrimp in half.  Begin browning the chicken in the skillet.

Start cooking the rice according to package directions.  I am sure you could use Minute Rice, but I never have, so I don't know quite how that goes. 

Once the chicken is browned, add the sausage.  Let it brown until it gets kind of puffy and carmelized.  While these are browning, dice the onion and the green pepper.

Add the diced green pepper and onion.

Let all of this work together in the pan for a few minutes, until the onion and green pepper start to get soft and you can really start to smell them. 

Now, add the chicken broth, tomato sauce, and French onion soup.  Cut the butter into several pieces, and add that too. Add the Cajun seasoning a teaspoon at a time, tasting it as it is mixed in.  I usually add about 2 teaspoons of the brand pictured above.  Then I let it cook for a few minutes and taste it to see where I am spice-wise.  However, all brands of seasoning are different.  I have another brand that I only use about 1 teaspoon of because it is super spicy.  Taste as you go!

 Stir to combine.  Now, I'm going to let you in on a little secret:  I love this sauce:

Tastefully Simple's Bayou Bourbon Glaze.  It's Bayou.  It's Bourbon.  It screams to be in jambalaya. You can order this sauce from this website:  www.tastefullysimple.com/web/catchley or email me cynthiattchley@gmail.com to find out more about Tastefully Simple.
I add about 1/4 cup to my sauce.  It just takes the sauce to the next level.  SO YUMMY!

After the sauce has simmered for a bit, and the butter has melted, add the shrimp and corn to the sauce.  (Your rice should have about 5 minutes left at this point, if you are using regular white rice.)  Let the corn and the shrimp heat up.  You can thicken the sauce a bit with 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and 2 Tablespoons cold water, if you would like it thicker.  I like it juicier so that it really soaks into the rice. 

Serve a big scoop of rice with lots of jambalaya goodness on top.  We like this with corn bread and honey.  Enjoy!  It's delicious!

At my house, this feeds mom, 3 kids, 2 hungry working men (my hubby and brother), with enough for lunch leftovers for mom, dad, and brother the next day.  If you wanted to make a big batch of the jambalaya, it would freeze very well so that on a busy day, all you'd have to do is cook the rice and re-heat the jambalaya.  Hope you like it!

Perfect Cinnamon Rolls

I love, love, love cinnamon rolls!  I got this recipe from my aunt, and they always turn out perfectly.  I alter this recipe a lot, so it's very versitile.

You Need:

4 t. yeast
1 c. warm water
1 c. warm milk
2/3 c. sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs
2/3 c. shortning or butter
7 c. flour
Dough Enhancer (optional)
brown sugar, sugar, butter and cinnamon

Combine the yeast, water, milk, sugar, and salt in mixer with a dough hook.  Add in 3 cups of flour and the shortning.

Mix a little bit, then add the eggs.

Add the rest of the flour and the dough enhancer.

Knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

I love this part! So beautiful.  Punch down.  Spray a counter top with cooking spray.  Roll dough to 1/2 inch thickness.

Spread about 1/4 to 1/2 cup softened butter over the dough.  Sprinkle liberally with sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon.  (I use about 1/2 c. each sugar and 2 T. cinnamon.)

Roll up starting with one long side. 

To cut, I take a long piece of dental floss and scoot it under the edge of the dough.  I cross it over the top and pull the floss taught.  It slices right through, doesn't squish like a knife and is more even.  I couldn't get a picture, though, because I didn't have anyone else around to take pictures of the process.  Lay the cut rolls on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray.

Cover and let rise til doubled, about 45 minutes.  I forgot to take a picture of that part, but they were all touching at the edges.  Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.  They should be evenly golden brown. 

Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting, and enjoy.  To reheat, place one on a plate and microwave for about 20 seconds.  YUMMY!!!  So good that you won't want to share!

Close ups of the cinnamon-y, frosting-y goodness!

Smore's Bars

I am a smore's fanatic.  I LOVE SMORE'S.  Well, I was at a coffee shop called Rembrandt's, and they had Smore's Bars.  I bought two, one for me and one for my hubby.  Well, after I ate both of them, I felt guilty and decided to create my own.  These things are AmAzInG!!  They are so good.  You should definately make them RIGHT NOW.  Don't hesitate; don't finish the show you're watching; don't do it tomorrow; do it now.  SOOOOOOOOO good!

You need:

1 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 c. oats
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
1/2 t. soda
1 package graham crackers, crushed
1 c. butter, melted
2-3 c. chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, but dark would be good, too.)
2 7-oz. containers marshmallow fluff

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the first six ingredients together. 

Slowly add the melted butter until completely incorporated.  It will be a crumbly mixture.  If it seems too dry, feel free to add an egg. 

Spray a 9 x 13 pan with cooking spray.  Pat half of the mixture into the bottom of the pan.  Spraying your hands with cooking spray before patting the dough into the pan makes it easier and less sticky.

Bake for about 6 minutes.  It will not be cooked through.  It will look doughy and puffy.  You don't want to over bake it.  Sprinkle on the chocolate chips.

I didn't have any more chocolate chips, and this didn't look like enough.  So I threw on some mini-MMs to fill in the bare spots.

Spread the marshmallow fluff over the chocolate.  To make it less messy, spray a spatula with cooking spray.  This will help it slide into the fluff and spread it without sticking. 

Crumble the rest of the dough onto the marshmallow fluff. 

Return the pan to the oven for about 10-15 minutes.  Do not over bake.

(I popped the pan under the broiler for a minute to toast the marshmallow.)  Let cool in the pan to make it easier to cut.

Here's a close up of the gooey goodness!

If you throw a bar in the microwave for about 15 seconds, it returns to the gooey warm deliciousness that reminds you of summer, campfires, and playing outside all day long.

Clam Sauce Spaghetti

This is one of my go-to meals for a weeknight when I'm tired and need something easy.  It's simple, creamy, delicious pasta that fills those hungry bellies and makes people want to know how you're so amazing. 

You Need:

2 T. olive oil
1 bunch green onions
2 c. white wine
1 pint cream
1 can sliced olives
2 cans chopped or whole clams, drained
Spaghetti noodles (I use about 10 ounces for my family.)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet.  Cut the green ends of the green onions into 2-inch pieces.  Heat in the olive oil.

Remove the green onions from the oil when browned.  They'll look like this:

Discard these onions.  These just help to begin the flavor of the sauce to develop.

Pour in the 2 cups of white wine.

Let simmer on medium heat until it is reduced by half and it turns cloudy.

Start your water for the noodles now.  Cook them according to package directions.  By the time they are cooked, the sauce should be ready.  Quickly whisk in the cream.  Simmer on medium until thickened.  The bubbles will start to get bigger as the sauce gets thicker.

 

 Slice the green onions that are left (the white parts).  Add the green onions, olives, and drained clams to the cream sauce. 

Drain the pasta and coat with the sauce.

Serve with salad and garlic bread.

Here's the whole plate of deliciousness.

Here's a close-up of the sauce-y noodles and good stuff.  This is a happy, loving, comfort food that will make you feel warm and fuzzy all over.