Crock-Pot Roasted Chicken

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I love cooking whole chickens. They’re inexpensive and the meat last us for days! One of my favorite ways to cook a whole chicken is in the crock-pot. It makes roasting a chicken super easy, fuss free, and most importantly, extremely delicious!

This recipe for crock-pot roasted chicken is by far one of our favorites. The spice mixture provides so much flavor! The chicken still comes out mild enough though that the chicken can be used in leftovers for all most any meal. We usually eat it on it’s own with sides the first night and then use the leftovers over the next couple of days for everything from soup, to quesadillas, to casserole. You can also freeze the leftovers, which is great for last minute meals or lunches! This recipe is definitely one every chicken loving family should have on hand!

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Crock-Pot Roasted Chicken

Adapted from Food.com

Ingredients 

2 Teaspoons Salt

2 Teaspoons Paprika

1 1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Onion Powder

1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme

3/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

3/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

1 Large Roasting Chicken (Around 6 Pounds)

In a small bowl, combine all spices and set aside. Remove any giblets from chicken. Rub spice mixture onto all parts of the chicken, getting under the skin when possible. Place chicken in crock pot and cook on low 5-6 hours or until meat is fully cooked through. Serve as desired and enjoy!

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Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches in the Slow Cooker with Homemade BBQ Sauce

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Shredded BBQ Chicken in the Slow CookerMy family loves shredded chicken in pretty much any form and shredded bbq chicken is no exception. The hubby and kids are always happy when they see this on the menu and I’m always happy to have such an easy meal to prepare. Between a 2 year old, 4 year old, and being 6 months pregnant, I’m usually pretty exhausted by dinner time, so I’ll take any chance I can get to prepare dinner before lunch time! It helps that it’s super tasty too!!
I’ve always made my shredded bbq chicken with store bought bbq sauce. It was only recently that I discovered how yummy and easy homemade was. I use the bbq sauce recipe for all of our bbq needs now and both the kids and husband love the spicy kick that this recipe has! Of course, since it’s homemade, you can always adjust the ingredients to make it a little more sweet, or a little less spicy to suit your families needs. I love this recipe and I’m sure any bbq lovin’ family will too!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Adapted From SkinnyTaste

Yields About 1 Cup

Ingredients

1 (16 Ounce) Can Tomato Sauce
1 (6 Ounce) Can Tomato Paste
1/2 Red Wine Vinegar + 2 Tablespoons
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Molasses
1 1/2 Teaspoons Liquid Smoke
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Paprika
1/2 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Chili Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

If using this as a condiment for dipping or topping, place all ingredients into a small pot and simmer over low heat form 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool before serving.
If using this to cook with (i.e. grilled bbq chicken or shredded bbq chicken), there is no need to simmer this first. Just combine all ingredients and use as desired.

Shredded BBQ Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Shredded BBQ Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Yields 10-12 Servings

Ingredients

3 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1 Recipe BBQ Sauce (Recipe Above)

In the pot of a slow cooker, add in chicken breast and bbq sauce and cook on high for 5 hours or low for 7. Using tongs, shred the chicken (while still in the crock pot) and stir well to coat in the sauce. Continue cooking on low for one more hour. Serve on your favorite sandwich buns (I use whole wheat) and enjoy!

Notes:
I mix the sauce in the bottom of the crock pot and then throw in the chicken to save on dishes, but it’s up to you how lazy you want to be :)   Shredded BBQ Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Homemade Ketchup

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Homemade Ketchup photo 085-2_zps5f6a24fa.jpg
Yesterday, as I was cooking lunch, my oldest daughter asked the all important question “What’s for dinner?!” (apparently lunch isn’t important). I informed her that I would be making chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, and steamed vegetables. She looked at me for a second and then promptly ran to tell her little sister, “Hey Adalynn, we’re having chicken nuggets for dinner!! That means we get to have ketchup tonight!!”. At first, I smiled at her excitement. What a thing to get excited over! Soon though, I realized her excitement was going to be short lived. I forgot to buy ketchup!!

(Mommy fail!)

Desperate to not break my sweet daughters heart, but not so desperate that I was willing to walk us all to the grocery store, I turned to the always awesome internet for a homemade recipe. I was expecting another failure. So many people buy store bought ketchup, it must be because it’s difficult to make… right?! Wrong! I was shocked to find a healthy, easy, homemade recipe within a minute! Score!

The recipe I found was almost perfect, but I had to adapt it some to suit my families taste. What I ended up with was the most delicious ketchup I have ever tasted! Seriously, I had no idea that ketchup could be so good, and with as easy as it is to make, I am quite certain, I’ll never buy store bought ketchup again! Best of all, besides being easy and delicious, this recipe is also budget friendly and healthy! Homemade ketchup is a must have recipe for everyone! Even if you’ve never liked ketchup before, I think there is a good chance this could change your mind! Bring on the fries!…or umm…chicken nuggets!
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Homemade Ketchup
Adapted from SkinnyTaste
Yields 1 Cup
Ingredients
1 (6 Ounce) Can Tomato Paste
1/3 Cup White Vinegar
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Water
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper

Place all ingredients in a small pot and whisk until thoroughly combined. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool before serving. Enjoy!

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Cream Cheese Cutouts with Buttercream Frosting and a Surprise

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048Happy Valentine’s Day!

Valentine’s Day is just two days away! Have you decided what you’re getting that special someone? Me neither. To be honest, we don’t really celebrate Valentine’s day in my household. I guess I’m just not a very sentimental person. I don’t need flowers, chocolates, or cards. Thankfully, my husband could care less as well (as I’m sure is true for most men). I will however, happily except any excuse to make these cream cheese cutout cookies, so consider this my Valentine’s Day gift to you!

I really struggled with rather or not to share this recipe with you. It is so good, I considered keeping it all to myself. Being the good food blogger that I am though (hehe), I couldn’t NOT share it with you. This is the place after all that I share all my families favorite recipes. This recipe definitely qualifies as a favorite!

Cream cheese cutout’s are without a doubt the best cutout cookies ever! The are soft, moist, and ridiculously tasty. They roll out easy and hold their shape.  Also, you can barely taste the cream cheese, so don’t worry if you or the person you’re making them for isn’t a fan. You can barely taste it and it makes all the difference. I have several family members that don’t like cream cheese (what are they thinking?!), but love these cookies! The frosting is also delicious and takes this already yummy cookie to a whole new level! Seriously, try them! You can thank me later! ;p
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Cream Cheese Cutouts

From Food.com

Yields 14, 4 Inch Cutout Cookies

Ingredients

1 Cup Margarine

3 Ounces Reduced Fat Cream Cheese

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Large Egg Yolk

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

2 1/2 Cups Flour
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In the large bowl of a mixer, cream together margarine, cream cheese, and sugar. Add in egg yolk and vanilla and mix over medium speed until well combined. Add in flour and continue mixing, scraping sides and bottom as you go, until thoroughly combined. Chill dough for 30-45 minutes in the refrigerator. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough out onto a floured surface until it is just a bit less then 1/2 inch thick. Cutout desired shapes and place onto a non sick cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes or until bottom edges are just turning golden. Remove cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 45 minutes before frosting.

Notes:

The cookies may seem a bit underdone when finished baking. I assure you, they are not. As long a the bottom is just turning golden, they are done! Trust me, they’re perfect this way!

Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

3 Cups Confectioners Sugar

1/2 Cup Butter, Softenend

3 Tablespoons Milk

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Combine all ingredients in the large bowl of a mixer, using the whisk attachment, begin beating ingredients slowly, gradually increasing the speed as frosting begins to form. Once frosting is formed, beat over high speed for 1 minute. Frost cookies as desired. Enjoy!

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P.S.

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