Category: RECIPES

TEXAS RED CHICKEN aka CHICKEN SLOPPY JOES

I just looooooooooooooove slow cooker recipes for the fall, well actually any time, but A LOT in the fall.  This one is great over rice or served on buns like sloppy joes.

TEXAS RED CHICKEN

4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
1/2 cup Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ sauce
  • Whisk together the ketchup, BBQ sauce vinegar, soy sauce, broth and sugar.
  • Place chicken pieces in slow cooker.
  • Add onion pieces.
  • Pour ketchup mixture over top.
  • Cook on low 6-8 hours.
  • Remove chicken and shred – add back to sauce.
  • Serve over Rice or on buns.

RASPBERRY VINEGAR CHICKEN

RASPBERRY VINEGAR CHICKEN
3 chicken breasts, skinned, boned, and cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 pound shallots or small boiling onions
1 cup chicken broth
3 tablespoons raspberry vinegar
3/4 cup quick cooking rice
1/2 cup fresh raspberries

  • Lightly sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. 
  • Heat 6-quart Presto® pressure cooker; add oil and brown chicken breasts. 
  • Add shallots, chicken broth, and vinegar. 
  • Close cover securely. 
  • Place pressure regulator on vent pipe. 
  • Cook for 3 minutes, with pressure regulator rocking slowly
  • Cool cooker at once. 
  • Remove chicken and keep warm. 
  • Return pan to heat and bring liquid to a boil. 
  • Stir in rice; remove pan from heat. 
  • Let stand 5 minutes. 
  • Gently stir in raspberries. 
  • Add back in chicken pieces.

Makes 4 servings

BUTTERFINGER COOKIES

BUTTERFINGER COOKIES
Ritz Crackers
Creamy Peanut Butter
Almond Bark
Sprinkles

  • Spread a thick layer of Peanut Butter on a Ritz Cracker
  • Top with another Ritz Cracker
  • Continue until you have the desired amount of cookie sandwiches
  • Melt Almond Bark in stages as necessary (it will cool fairly quickly)
  • Dip each cookie with a small pair of tongs into almond bark and coat well
  • Gently lay each ‘cookie’ on a wax paper sheet
  • While chocolate is still ‘wet’, top with sprinkles
  • Allow to harden
  • Store in an airtight container
  • Enjoy – they taste just like Butterfinger candy bars

ITALIAN BEEF STROGANOFF ~ SLOW COOKED

ITALIAN BEEF STROGANOFF
28 ounce can Contadina crushed tomatoes
8 ounce can Contadina tomato sauce
1 MAGGI beef seasoning cube
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 pounds chuck roast or chuck eye steak*, cut into stew sized pieces
2 cups cooked wide egg noodles
1 cup sour cream
fresh parsley

  • Layer beef chuck pieces, garlic and onions in bottom of slow cooker.
  • Whisk together tomatoes and sauce.  Microwave for 3 minutes until HOT!  Add beef cube and stir until dissolved.
  • Pour over meat and onions.
  • Cook 8-10 hours on low OR 4-6 hours on high.
  • Pour meat through colander so it is separate from the sauce.
  • Stir sour cream into sauce. 
  • Fold noodles into sauce mixture.
  • Fold beef back in.
  • Sprinkle with parsley.
  • Enjoy.

*these 2 pieces of meat are actually from the same cut, but I base it on which one is currently on sale.  This week I saved 50 cents a pound by using 2 steaks instead on 1 roast.

TOASTED ONION SALISBURY STEAK SLIDERS

TOASTED ONION SALISBURY STEAK SLIDERS
2 small flour tortillas, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 large Vidalia onion, sliced thin
1/2 red pepper, sliced thin
1 1/2 pounds ground round
1 package Laura Scudders toasted onion dip
1 1/2 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons flour

  • Pour milk over tortillas and let sit for an hour.
  • With your hands mix ground round and onion dip mix together and let sit for an hour in fridge.
  • Mix together the tortilla mixture and the beef mixture until uniform in consistency.
  • Hand form 6 small steaks.
  • In a large skillet melt butter.
  • When sizzling, add onions and pepper and saute’ until caramelized.
  • Lower heat slightly. Arrange onions around the outside of the skillet and add steaks. Turn regularly until brown all over and cooked through.
  • In a saute pan, bring broth to a simmer.
  • Sprinkle flour into broth while constantly whisking until slightly thickens.
  • Lower heat, transfer steaks into broth mixture and top with onion mixture.
  • Serve over mashed potatoes.

    GORGONZOLA BACON GREEN BEANS

    GORGONZOLA BACON GREEN BEANS
    1/4 pound thick bacon, chopped
    1 small bunch green onions, sliced
    1 pound fresh green beans, trimmed
    1/4 cup Gorgonzola crumbles

    • In a large skillet cook bacon until crisp.  Remove with a slotted spoon to drain on papertowels.
    • Add onions and green beans to bacon drippings and stir fry until crisp tender.
    • Drain off any remaining bacon drippings.
    • Toss onions, green beans, bacon bits and gorgonzola crumbles.

    QUICK & EASY CHICKEN CHILI

    Hi everyone, Tamy here filling in for Min.  You can normally find me at my home blogs 3 Sides of Crazy, Always Eat On The Good China, on Sundays here at OUR KrAzY kitchen and on Saturdays over at THE Motivation Station, but today Min asked to fill in for her while she goes through the excruciating withdrawal of no computer and she waits for her new one to be delivered.  I made up this recipe a couple of weeks ago when I was home without a car and the pantry was all but bare.  Good thing I did, the guys loved it and it’s perfect for Min’s theme, Try  A New Recipe Day!

    QUICK & EASY CHICKEN CHILI
    3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, frozen
    2 cups homemade chicken broth, frozen
    1 can cream of potato soup
    1 jar dried beef, chopped
    1 Williams chili mix package
    1 can chopped green chilies
    • Place frozen chicken breasts on the bottom.
    • Pour green chilies over chicken pieces.
    • Top with cream of potato soup.
    • Top with frozen broth.
    • Sprinkle chili seasoning mix on top of chicken broth.
    • Top with beef pieces.
    • Slow cook on high for 2 hours. Reduce to low for 6 hours. Or cook on low 10 hours.
    Don’t forget to visit Min at The Bad Girl’s Kitchen for more fabulous recipes!

      3rd ANNUAL NEED TO KNEAD BREAD ROUND-UP HONEY BANANA WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

      Honey Banana Whole Wheat Bread
      1 1/2 pound loaf

      1/2 cup 1% milk, room temperature
      1 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks
      3 tablespoons honey
      1 egg, room temperature
      1/2 teaspoon vanilla
      1/2 teaspoon salt
      1 cups whole wheat flour
      1 1/4 cup bread flour
      1 medium banana sliced
      1 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

      The beauty of bread machines is that they always want the same layering.
      Liquids
      Butter chunks, vanilla, egg &honey
      Flour & Sugar
      Yeast
      The key to any good bread is using quality fresh ingredients.
      Just remember, garbage in is garbage out.
      Let your bread maker do the rest!

      Don’t forget to link up with your recipe!
      Try these too:

      CARAMEL PRETZEL CRISPS ~ MOCK TURTLES

      These are sooooooooooooooooooo simple and sooooooooooooooooooo good too!
      CARAMEL PRETZEL CRISPS ~ MOCK TURTLES
      1 bag pretzel crackers (regular pretzels work too)
      3 rolls ROLOS
      1 bag pecan halfs

      • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
      • Line a cookie sheet with pretzel crackers.
      • Set 2 ROLOs side by side on the crackers.
      • Bake 2-3 minutes, just long enough to soften ROLOs.
      • Press down pecan halves into each ROLO.
      • Cool.
      • Enjoy.




      aprons 3

      Buffalo Chickpea Patties

      I’ve been enjoying a lot of vegetarian meals lately. I LOVE beans, they are healthy and cheap!

      I’ve made bean patties before but so far, these are my favorite. I got the recipe from Veggie by Season and I even attempted to copy her presentation!  It looked so nice! 

      I liked how she pureed some of the oats, I think that led to them sticking together better.  They made a very nice appetizer! 

      We ate these with a delicious Apple and Caramelized Onion Pizza. 
      Buffalo Chickpea Patties
      Adapted from Veggie by Season
      1 – 15 oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
      1/2 cup rolled oats
      1/2 c. buffalo sauce, I used Franks
      1 egg white
      1 small onion
      1 tsp. garlic powder
      Salt and pepper

      For serving:
      Buffalo sauce
      Ranch or blue cheese
      Carrot Sticks
      Celery
      Cucumber

      Add chickpeas to a bowl, use a potato masher or fork to mash, some chunks are okay.  Add the buffalo sauce to the chickpeas. 

      Add half the oats to a food processor, pulse to create a crumb, add to the chickpeas. Then add the rest of the oats. Beat the egg white into the chickpeas.  Grate onion into the chickpeas, finally add the garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Combining ingredients well. 

      Heat a griddle over medium, spray with nonstick spray.  Use a 1/4 measuring cup to portion out chickpea mixture onto griddle.  Cook patties for about 5 – 7 minutes, until crispy and brown, flip gently and cook for another 5 – 7 minutes.  Serve immediately to retain crispness. 

      I served these as an appetizer and got about 7 patties.  You could make larger patties and serve as a burger as well. 

      Total calories = 616 calories
      7 patties = 88 calories per patty

      OREO CHEESECAKE BALLS

      OREO CHEESECAKE BALLS – YUM YUM GOOD!
      1 regular package Oreos
      12 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
      Almond Bark
      Candy Decorations

      • Crush Oreos in food processors
      • With hand mixer, mix together the Oreo crumbs and cream cheese
      • Roll into small balls.
      • Put balls into freezer for 5 minutes.
      • Melt Almond bark in small batches.
      • Coat each ball in almond bark.
      • Immediately decorate.
      • Let harden.

      The plates I made for the neighbors wouldn’t have been complete without them.

      Chicken Alfredo Pizza

      It is Fire Day Friday and one of our favorite things to cook on our grills is pizza. Yes, grilled pizza. That might sound weird but it shouldn’t, coal and wood fired brick oven cooked pizzas are all the rage these days.

      But first I have to thank Jenn of Jenn’s Food Journey for the excellent job she did guest posting for me last week. She has an open invite to post Fire Day Friday anytime she wants.

      Back to the pizza. This is one Alexis made this week on her Big Green Egg. You could do the same thing in your oven but it is just a bit better cooked by live fire.

      Alexis’ Chicken Alfredo Pizza

      1 chicken breast, boneless, skinless
      1 tsp black pepper
      1 tsp kosher salt
      2 slices bacon, cooked to crisp and crumbled
      1 green onion, diced for garnish
      1 recipe Pizza dough (use refrigerated, buy from your local pizza joint or make your own. Alexis used the recipe from Kitchenaid for their Crusty Pizza Dough).

      Alfredo Sauce
      2 Tbsp butter
      2 Tbsp flour
      1 cup half & half
      1 cup pecorino romano cheese, grated

      If you are making your own dough, like Alexis, make it first because it’s going to have to rise and do all that yeast voodoo that you amazing bakers do.

      Then fire up your grill to 400f. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Grill 5-6 minutes per side or until 160f internal temp. After resting the chicken for 10 minutes, thinly slice.


      While chicken is resting, melt butter in a medium sauce pan. Whisk in the flour, stirring until mixing together in a light blond roux. Whisk in the half & half and simmer until reduced in volume by half. Then blend in the cheese.

      Raise your grill or oven temperature to 500f. Spread the dough over a pizza stone and cook for 2-3 minutes.

      Remove and ladle 1/2 cup of the alfredo sauce onto the dough. Top with the chicken, bacon, and mozzarella. Drizzle about 1/4 cup of the alfredo sauce over the top.

      Return to the oven/grill in an indirect heat set up for 9 minutes and top with the green onion. Cook another 2-6 minutes, until the crust reaches your desired crispiness and the toppings are melted.
      Have I mentioned that I am one lucky guy because I married the perfect woman for me.

      So what’s your favorite pizza?