Buffalo Chicken in the Crockpot

I found this recipe HERE, originally intended for lettuce wraps. It is pretty versatile, and could be used for wraps, salads, tacos, etc.

Ingredients:

• 24 oz boneless skinless chicken breast
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic
• 16 oz chicken broth
• 1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce (I used Frank's)

Directions:

In a crock pot, combine chicken, onions, celery stalk, garlic and broth (enough to cover your chicken, use water if the can of broth isn't enough). Cover and cook on high 4 hours.

Remove the chicken from pot, reserve 1/2 cup broth and discard the rest. Shred the chicken with two forks, return to the slow cooker with the 1/2 cup broth and the hot sauce and set to on high for an additional 30 minutes. Makes 3 cups chicken.

***Super delicious! We had this as lettuce wraps one night, tacos another night, and hubby ate some with rice to finish it off.  And a little secret I learned...if you are lucky enough to own a kitchenaid mixer, put those chicken breasts in with the paddle attachment for about 30 seconds and Voila! Shredded for you!!!***

BBQ Pineapple Chicken

I found this recipe here, and tweaked it just a little.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 can pineapple rings

Marinate chicken in BBQ sauce and pineapple juice overnight.

When you're ready, grill chicken on BBQ until no longer Pink. Grill the pineapple rings too, at the same time. They're delicious this way!

Don't toss the sauce!  Boil it in a saucepan over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.  Allow to cool slightly before serving.

Serve chicken and pineapple over rice, with a couple spoonfuls of sauce over the top. Or make it into a sandwich with cheese, like the original recipe :-)

***Great flavor, incredibly easy!  This will go into the regular rotation!!!***

Cinnamon Sugar Muffins

Recipe found here, and of course I modified it slightly...

Yields 10-12 muffins

1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup milk (I used Soy!)

For topping:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a muffin pan or line with baking cups.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon. Stir in the milk and mix until well blended.

Mix 1/4 c sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon together.

Fill baking cup 2/3 full with muffin batter and sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow muffins to cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing.

***Yummy! Another great breakfast I can make and freeze...easy to pull out as needed! I also tried another batch with 1 cup diced cherries (frozen ok) added. Yummy as well!***

Crockpot Chili

1lb ground turkey
2 small onions, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14.5oz) kidney beans, drained
1 can (14.5oz) white beans, drained
1 can (14.5oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce
3 Tbs chili powder (add more if you like it spicy)
1 1/2 Tbs cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Brown turkey, onion, and garlic together. Drain and add to crockpot with remaining ingredients. Cook on low 5-6 hours.

***Yummy!!! I threw in a few fresh, chopped roma tomatoes...I think it made a difference! But of course it will taste great without! You could also add another can of diced tomatoes, drained. Perfect amount of spice, great flavor!***

Brown Sugar Oatmeal Scones

I found this recipe at Bakingdom! Love her site! Of course I modified it slightly (when don't I???)

FOR THE SCONES
1 1/2 cups quick oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (I used GF)
2 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup (10 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks
1/2 cup milk (Ok to use Soy)
1 egg

2 tablespoons agave

FOR THE GLAZE
1 tablespoon reserved milk mixture
2 tablespoons agave
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread oats on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 8-9 minutes. Allow to cool completely before continuing.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Line another baking sheet with parchment.

Place all of the dry ingredients, except for the oatmeal, in the bowl of a food processor and pulse six or eight times to combine. Scatter the cold butter evenly over the top of the flour mixture in the food processor. Pulse 12 to 15 times to mix. The mixture should resemble corn meal or wet sand. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the cooled oats.

In a small bowl, combine the milk, egg, and agave syrup. Whisk the ingredients together until combined. Measure out 1 tablespoon of the mixture and set aside for the glaze.

Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and use a rubber spatula to bring the dough together slightly. Once the mixture starts to form a loose dough, knead it about six times to form a mostly cohesive dough. Turn the dough onto a floured work surface and gently knead a few more times, until the dough comes together. Shape the dough into a disk about 7-inches in diameter. Cut into 8 wedges and arrange on prepared baking sheet.

Combine the reserved tablespoon of milk with the additional 2 tablespoons of agave. Brush the mixture over the scones with a pastry brush. Sprinkle the sugar over the tops of the scones.

Bake for 12-14 minutes until deep golden brown. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Add in ideas, just before shaping into a disk:

3/4 cup cinnamon chips (and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top before baking)

1 cup dried cranberries (can add 6 Tbs orange juice concentrate to to liquid/milk mixture)

***Super Yummy! These freeze really well also!***

Cinnamon Cookie Crunch Popcorn

I came across this recipe on Our Best Bites. They always have great recipes!

Slightly modified:

12 cups air-popped popcorn
16 oz white chocolate (chips are fine)
1/2 cup red hot candies
10 Oreo cookies (Glutino GF work great)
optional: 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon flavored oil (I left out)
3 tablespoons semisweet or dark chocolate chips
kosher or sea salt (I left out)

Instructions
Pulse red hots in a food processor until they are just roughly chopped.

Break cookies up into rough chunks, by smashign in a baggie. Do not crush into crumbs!

In a medium sized microwave safe bowl, melt white chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring until smooth. Gently stir in red hots and chocolate cookies and then add cinnamon oil to taste (if desired).

Pour mixture over popcorn and stir well to coat. Pour popcorn mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment and set aside. Melt chocolate chips and drizzle over popcorn mixture. Sprinkle kosher or sea salt lightly over mixture to taste (if desired). Let popcorn mixture harden. When completely dry, break into chunks and store in airtight container.

***Super yummy! Great flavor combination. It is super sweet, so I didn't find it hard to control myself, but really great to pop a few chunks here and there throughout the day! What a fun holiday treat!***

GF Pancakes

I came up with this after reading several recipes and staring at the Bisquick box for a long time! GF Bisquick is way too expensive to use regularly, in my opinion! The good new is, this is just as easy!

1 cup flour (your choice...I use my favorite GF flour blend, which I always have on hand!)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1-1 1/2 cup milk (I used soy milk)
1 egg

Blend dry ingredients together, add egg, add milk until desired consistency.

Pour 1/4 cup onto hot greased griddle. Cook until edges are crisp, flip and cook until golden.

Enjoy!

***I like to put fruit in mine, but these are great plain. Hubby liked them too!***

Homemade (GF) Bagels

Oh my, these are amazing! The recipe comes from Annie's Eats, and she sure is right when she says you'll never be able to go back to store bought! I wasn't sure how these would work modifying them to be GF, but they turned out wonderfully!!! Just like I remember bagel shop bagels tasting! Of course I also made some regular for my hubby :-)


This recipe makes about 12 large, 16 medium, or 20 small. I made a couple of different sizes, and all worked well. I do need to work on my shaping, but hey, they taste fantastic and that's what matters!

Ingredients

For the sponge:
1 tsp instant yeast
4 cups unbleached bread flour (or your favorite GF flour, like mine)
2 ½ cup water, at room temperature

For the dough:
½ tsp instant yeast
3 ¾ cups unbleached bread flour
2 ¾ tsp salt
2 teaspoons brown sugar

To finish:
1 Tbs baking soda
Cornmeal, for dusting
Desired toppings (Cinnamon Sugar=1 tsp cinnamon & 2 tsp white sugar, Everything=1 Tbs each sesame seeds/dried minced onion & 1 tsp each garlic powder/sea salt, Shredded Cheese, etc)

***I highly recommend looking at the original recipe for lots of pictures and tips all the way through. I made a few modifications, but it is the same basic recipe***

To make the sponge, stir the yeast into the flour in a medium mixing bowl. Add the water, stirring only until it forms a smooth, sticky batter.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for approximately 2 hours, or until the mixture becomes very foamy and bubbly. It should swell to nearly double in size and collapse when the bowl is tapped on the counter.

To make the dough, in the same mixing bowl, add the additional yeast to the sponge and stir. Then add 3 cups of the flour and all of the salt and brown sugar. Stir (or mix on low speed with the dough hook of an electric mixer) until the ingredients form a ball, slowly working in the remaining ¾ cup flour to stiffen the dough. I can't always get all the remaining flour in. That's ok!

Transfer the dough to the counter and knead for at least 10 minutes (or for 6 minutes with the mixer). The dough should be firm, stiffer than French bread dough, but still pliable and smooth. There should be no raw flour – all the ingredients should be hydrated. If the dough seems dry and rips, add a few drops of water and continue kneading. If the dough seems tacky or sticky, add more flour to achieve the stiffness required. The kneaded dough should feel satiny and pliable but not be tacky.

Immediately divide the dough into 4 ½ ounce pieces for standard bagels, or smaller if desired. Form the pieces into rolls. Cover the rolls with a damp towel and allow them to rest for about 20 minutes.

Line two sheet pans with baking parchment and mist lightly with spray oil. Proceed with shaping the bagels by pushing a hole through the center and stretching out the hole. Place each of the shaped pieces 2 inches apart on the pan (or not!). Mist the bagels very lightly with the spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let the pans sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes.

Check to see if the bagels are ready to be retarded in the refrigerator by using the “float test”. Fill a small bowl with cool or room-temperature water. The bagels are ready to be retarded when they float within 10 seconds of being dropped into the water. If it works with one bagel, you are good to go. Return it to the pan, pat it dry, and cover. If not, cover and wait another 10 minutes to try a different bagel. Now put them in the fridge over night, or up to 2 days.

The following day, preheat the oven to 500° F with the two racks set in the middle of the oven. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the baking soda. Have a slotted spoon or skimmer nearby. Have your toppings ready.

Remove the bagels from the refrigerator and gently drop them into the water, boiling only as many comfortably fit (they should float within 10 seconds).

After 1 minute flip them over and boil another minute. If you like very chewy bagels, you can extend the boiling to 2 minutes per side.

While the bagels are boiling, sprinkle the same parchment-lined sheet pans with cornmeal. If you want to top the bagels, do so as soon as they come out of the water.

When all the bagels have been boiled, place the pans on the 2 middle shelves in the oven. Bake for approximately 5 minutes, then rotate the pans, switching shelves and giving the pans a 180˚ rotation. After the rotation, lower the oven setting to 450° F and continue baking for about 5 minutes, or until the bagels turn light golden brown.

Remove the pans from the oven and let the bagels cool on a rack for 15 minutes or longer before serving.

***Oh my! Can't wait to make more and experiment with toppings and maybe even mix-ins!***

Mashed Cauliflower

I have always wanted to try this, but never got around to it...

Cauliflower was on sale recently, so I went for it, and I am soooo glad I did!

Simple:
Steam your cauliflower however you like. I use our steamer/rice cooker. You could also roast it for a deeper flavor.

Once it is done, mash it and season like you would mashed potatoes-butter, salt, pepper, garlic, etc.

It smells kinda funky, because cauliflower does. But tastes amazing! You will know it is not potato, but wouldn't necessarily guess it is cauliflower!

Another great side dish to help reduce the carbs/grains we usually eat!

Steel Cut Oats in the Crockpot

Super Easy recipe!

1 1/2 cups Steel Cut Oats
5 cups water
3 granny smith apples-peeled, cored, diced

Place all in your crockpot, stir, and cook on low 8-10 hours or overnight!

***Delicious, easy, nutritious! I added a sprinkle of cinnamon and a spoon of brown supar to mine in the bowl, but you could definitely add the cinnamon before cooking...it would smell even more delicious! Awesome way to wake up in the morning!***

Sesame Crusted Chicken

Slightly adapted from HERE!

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips


• salt and pepper to taste


• 2 tsp sesame oil


• 2 tsp low sodium soy sauce(LaChoy is GF)
  


• 6 tbsp toasted sesame seeds


• 1/2 tsp coarse salt


• 4 tbsp Crushed Corn chex (rice chex work too!)
  


• olive oil spray
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick oil spray or cover with parchment paper.

Combine the sesame oil and soy sauce in a bowl, and the sesame seeds, salt and chex in another.

Place chicken in the bowl with the oil and soy sauce, then into the sesame seed mixture to coat well. Place on the baking sheet; lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray and bake 8 - 10 minutes. Turn over and cook another 4 - 5 minutes longer or until cooked through.


***Sooooo good! This will be making a regular appearance on our menu! I thought it would be really salty, but definitely not the case! We made fried rice, and it was perfect! ***

Black Bean and Mango Rice Salad

(horrible phone picture!)

Found this recipe on Kraft Foods:

1 env. GOOD SEASONS Italian Dressing Mix

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained, rinsed

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen corn, thawed

1-1/2 cups cooked brown rice

1 cup chopped ripe mangos

1/2 cup chopped red peppers

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 cup chopped red onions

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 tsp. ground cumin

COMBINE all ingredients; cover.

REFRIGERATE at least 2 hours before serving.

***Great flavor. I of course left out the cilantro, because I can't stand it. But if you like cilantro, I'm sure it would be great! Awesome side to take to a BBQ***

Strawberry Lemonade

1/2 cup Lemon Juice
3 cups water
3/4 cup strawberry puree/jam

Mix together and store in the fridge!

***Hubs drinks this so quickly, I can't keep it in the fridge! Need a bigger pitcher I think!***

Berry Jam-Pectin Free!!!

A little softer set than jam with pectin in it...but soooo good!

(excuse the mess on the counter!)

Recipe Adapted from Real Simple, July 2011

20 cups (12 pints) Strawberries, washed, stems removed, chopped
5-8 cups sugar (depending on sweetness of strawberries and your taste)
4 Tbs Lemon Juice
1 tsp salt

Combine all together in a large pot, mash lightly with a potato masher.

Cook over medium-high heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mixture should thicken slightly.

Transfer to containers and refrigerate up to 1 month, or freeze up to 1 year.

~Can also do with Raspberries: 15 cups (6 pints) raspberries, 6 cups sugar, 3 Tbs Lemon Juice, 3/4 tsp salt.~

***Delicious!!! We have used all the strawberry already! I have made strawberry lemonade, smoothies, strawberry cheesecake frozen yogurt, PB & J sandwiches...and of course, hubs is eating it by the spoonful!***

Olive Garden Breadsticks-Sort of...

1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 - 120 degrees F)
1 package active dry yeast
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I used GF)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt

In a large bowl, dissolve sugar and yeast in warm water and allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Mixture should be frothy.

In separate bowl, combine flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture. Add melted butter. Mix with paddle attachment of stand mixer or wooden spoon until fully combined. Knead dough for a few minutes just until dough is smooth. Do not overknead!

Grease a cookie sheet. Pull off pieces of dough and roll out into strips.

Cover the dough and let sit in a warm place for 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and once heated, pop in the bread sticks. In microwave, combine the following:

1 stick unsalted butter (or 1/2 cup margarine)
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons salt

After 6 or 7 minutes, brush the bread sticks with half the butter mixture. Then continue to bake another 6-8 minutes. Immediately upon removal from the oven brush the other half of the butter on the sticks.

Allow them to cool for a minute or two, and enjoy!


Found HERE!

Originally posted HERE!

***It may be my inexperience with yeast, or the fact that I used GF flour, but these did not come out fluffy and light like Olive Garden Breadsticks! That being said, they were still delicious, and I will definitely be making them again. They ended up more dense, actually tasting like soft pretzels, which I love!! Hubs even gave his approval, so they must be good!***

Quinoa Pilaf

1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup quinoa
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 Tbs plus 1 tsp olive oil, divided
1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup red onion, finely chopped
2 tsp rice vinegar
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oven to 350.

Toast quinoa in pan, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes over medium-high heat.
In a medium sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Add toasted quinoa. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 22 minutes (just like rice!).

Meanwhile, toast almond slices for 3-4 minutes in oven, until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn them!!!

Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add pepper and onion and saute until soft, about 4-5 minutes.

When quinoa is finished cooking, combine with remaining ingredients. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!

***I adapted this from a recipe given to me by a friend. Excellent flavor. Simple. Great source of protein!***

Cinnamon Sugar Flatbread Crackers

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour (I used GF)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons sugar + 3/4 tablespoon cinnamon for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a bowl and mix well. Add water and olive oil and mix until a dough forms, using your hands at the end. Form it into a ball.

Dust a baking sheet with flour (or use parchment paper) and roll the dough as thin as you can with a rolling pin. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar mixture all over top and cut with a pizza slicer into small or large crackers. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Let cool completely.

Adapted from How Sweet Eats, found HERE!

***Great Flavor! I did not get mine thin enough, so they were not super crispy, but still good. Would make excellent plain crackers without the cinnamon and sugar. And since it was the afternoon, and I have been craving Smores...oh yeah, I went there!***

Peperoncini Beef

2 pounds beef chuck roast (frozen is okay)

1 (16-ounce) jar peperoncini peppers

optional:

6 ounces sliced mozzarella or Swiss cheese

6 hamburger buns or French rolls or bread

The Directions.

Place the meat in the crockpot. pour the peperoncini's over the meat. Cover, cook on low 6-8 hours. Shred with a fork when done! Serve on toasted bread, rolls, or buns with a slice of cheese.

Found HERE!

***Good flavor. I made a sandwich on Udi's White Bread, toasted. So super easy! I also ate it over rice the next night for something different, and it was equally as good!***

Peanut Butter Chicken

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut in chunks *

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (creamy or chunky, your choice)

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 lime, juiced

1/4 cup soy sauce (use gluten free--La Choy or Tamari wheat-free)

1/2 cup chicken broth

* If you are going to use quarters, or meat with bones, be aware that the meat will probably fall off the bone, and you'll need to fish out the bone pieces before serving. I've used this sauce with a whole chicken (I doubled the sauce ingredients for a 4.5-pound bird) and it was fantastic, but the bones were a bit of an issue.

The Directions.

Use a 4-quart slow cooker. Put the chicken into the bottom of your pot and add the peanut butter. Toss in the vegetables and cumin. Squeeze in lime, and add soy sauce and chicken broth. Stir as well as you can to combine (the peanut butter will be clumpy, and that's just fine). Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4 hours. Serve over rice or quinoa.

Found HERE!

***Good. Didn't taste too much like Peanut Butter! I think I will add more next time! And maybe a little less cumin. I also used slightly frozen chicken breast and just cut them in half, which helped the chicken stay moist.***

Chicken and Artichoke Pasta

Ingredients

• 4 cups uncooked bow tie pasta (I used GF)
  
• 1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 pound sliced fresh mushrooms (I omitted...not my fav)
  
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 tablespoons white wine or chicken broth
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes with roasted garlic, undrained
• 1 can (14 ounces) water-packed quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons cold water
• 1 tablespoon thinly sliced fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Directions

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute chicken in 1 tablespoon oil until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
• In the same skillet, saute mushrooms and onions in remaining oil until tender; add wine, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the tomatoes, artichokes, salt and chicken. Cook and stir for 4-5 minutes or until heated through.
• Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute or until thickened. Stir in basil. Drain pasta; serve with chicken mixture and cheese. Yield: 5 servings.

Found at Taste of Home!

***So good! Pretty healthy, really easy, great week night meal!!!***