Oven Baked Barbecue Chicken & the Secret to Real Grill Taste

 

I’ve had this recipe pinned for awhile and finally tried it a couple weeks ago.  The recipe is from Cooking with K and promises “real grill taste” in oven baked chicken.  Her secret is simply baking the chicken in a cast iron pan and it is by far the best oven barbecued chicken we’ve ever made!

K has a wonderful post with beautiful photos and I will refer you to her for the original recipe.  I only made a 1/2 recipe, as 10 chicken breasts were more than we needed.  Also.  I had to make a couple substitutions… I couldn’t find the Montreal seasoning and substituted Paula Deen’s house seasoning.  And we already had KC Masterpiece barbecue sauce, so I used that instead of Sweet Baby Ray’s.  My changes are below:

Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (rinsed and patted dry)
1 teaspoon Paula Deen House Seasoning 
1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce

Directions:
~Preheat oven to 375 degrees  
~Spray a 12-inch cast iron skillet with non stick cooking spray; set aside.
~Season chicken with house seasoning.
~Place the chicken in the cast iron skillet and bake for 45 minutes.
~Remove from the oven and generously spoon barbecue sauce over each piece of chicken.
~Turn the oven up to 425 degrees and return the chicken to the oven. 
~Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until chicken is done and barbecue sauce has thickened and slightly browned.

Hope you enjoy this BBQ chicken as much as we did!

Favorite 4th of July Recipes

Here are some of our favorite Fourth of July recipes. We are having a very small celebration this year.  After having company last weekend, in addition to work schedules and Matthew’s ball games, a slightly less grand celebration will be lovely!

 

 

 

   Freezer hamburgers

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

   Creamy ranch corn salad

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

   Amazing potato salad

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Monterey Jack salsa

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

   Watermelon “cake”

 

 

 

 

 

Besides making me hungry, these recipes are all quick to prepare last minute! ;)

xo

Lemon Poppy Seed Cake

The recipe calls this poppy seed “bread” but it’s really more “cake” than bread.  Sweet, but not too sweet.  You could probably put some icing on it, but we prefer it without.
It’s really easy and is one of the few recipes I use a mix for.  It makes enough for company or you can freeze one of the loaves for later!

LEMON POPPY SEED BREAD
1 yellow cake mix
1 package (3 oz) instant lemon pudding mix
3 tablespoons flour {high altitude use 4 tablespoons}
2 tablespoons poppy seeds 
4 eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil 
Place dry ingredients into a mixer bowl.  Mix to combine.  Add wet ingredients and beat with a mixer for 2 minutes.  Bake @ 350 in 2 loaf pans or 1 Bundt pan 40-50 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out cleanly.
Variations: 
Chocolate Poppy Seed Cake: Substitute chocolate cake mix and chocolate instant pudding. 
Almond Vanilla Poppy Seed Cake: Substitute white cake mix, vanilla instant pudding and add 1 teaspoon almond extract. 
**This bread freezes very well.  We like to freeze it already sliced, but you can freeze it by the loaf too! Wrap in saran wrap and freeze in a freezer container or Ziploc bag.
 
Blessings to you!

Italian Quesadillas

A lot more filling than cheese quesadillas, but still really quick to make.  Pair it with a salad and you have a nice summer meal when it’s hot in the kitchen… but we like them all year round!


ITALIAN BEEF QUESADILLAS
Flour tortillas
Thinly sliced deli roast beef
Shredded Colby Jack cheese… or use your favorite
Bottled Italian dressing
Place a frying pan or griddle on medium heat. Spread a thin layer of Italian dressing on a tortilla and put the plain side down on the pan. (Dressing facing up).  Layer with roast beef and shredded cheese on top of the dressing. Put a thin layer of Italian dressing on a second tortilla and place it dressing side down onto the beef and cheese layer. Continue cooking over medium heat until the bottom is browned. Flip to brown the top side.

When both sides are browned to your liking, remove the quesadilla. Slice into 4 wedges with a pizza cutter and enjoy!
Until next time :)
xo

Powder Laundry Detergent Tutorial

 

If you like saving money and being crafty…. it’s your happy day!!

This soap is a compilation of several different powdered laundry detergent recipes.  I tried a bunch of them and ended up combining what worked best for us into my own secret formula. 

Except now I’m telling you all and it’s not really a secret anyway ;)

I have also made the liquid version of homemade laundry soap.  And I loved it.  I really did.  But it seemed a little bit more of a process to make.  We tended to go through it pretty fast and sometimes there just wasn’t the time or energy to make more.  So I went back to {gasp} store bought for awhile.

I find this powdered laundry soap comes together more quickly, lasts much longer and it’s much easier to keep it made up!

POWDERED LAUNDRY DETERGENT

2-4 bars Fels Naptha or Zote laundry soap (I use 3 if using Zote and 4 if using Fels Naptha)
1 box Borax
1 box Washing Soda
1-2 containers of Sun Oxygen cleaner (I use 2)
2-3 cups baking soda
1-2 containers of Purex fabric softener crystals (I use 2 - we have hard water and also I love lots of scent!)

I use my food processor to grate the bars of soap.  It sounds loud, but grates the soap just fine.

I cut the Zote bars into chunks and process 1 bar at a time.  I also add about 1/2 cup of washing soda into the food processor with each bar.  The soda powder seems to help the blades granulate the soap better.

The ingredients take up a LOT of room and you’ll need a BIG bowl or pot for mixing - I use a canning pot and stir until everything is evenly distributed.  I would suggest doing the mixing outdoors.  The borax and soda can kick up some dust while you’re stirring! 

Use a cup or scoop to portion your soap into containers.  I got 2 gallon jars + an ice cream bucket from this batch!

You only need 1-2 tablespoons.  If your clothes are dirtier than normal or you have hard water, you can use more.  We use 2 tablespoons for a normal load and 1/4 cup for really large or dirty loads.  Because of the Purex crystals, put the soap right in the drum before the clothes, if you have an HE washer.

Some notes:

Don’t be surprised if the ingredients don’t look completely mixed in the jar. Just grab your scoop of soap out and you’ll be fine.

Depending on how much soap you use in each load, this batch will last 6-12 months.  We find it lasts about 8 months for us… score!

This laundry soap produces very little suds, but don’t worry! Your clothes will smell amazing and be clean!  Because of the lack of suds, it is safe for use in HE washers.

We find the soap is gentle enough for our dry/eczema prone skin and it has caused no reactions.

The Purex crystals smell wonderful and soften the clothes without any additional fabric softener liquid or dryer sheets!

It should be easy to find all these ingredients.  They will be in your local supermarket or supercenter in the laundry/cleaning products aisle.  They even have the ingredients grouped together on the shelves now – making your own laundry soap must be getting popular! 

The Zote soap, borax, Purex crystals, washing & baking sodas cost just over $26 total…. I think that’s pretty good for 8 months worth of laundry!

Until next time,
  xo

Pear Salad

Has anyone else noticed that gelatin and pudding mix packages are just slightly smaller now?
They used to contain 3 ounces each and now are 2.6.  At least here in our area…
You wouldn’t think 0.4 ounces would make that much difference, but I’m finding they no longer “set up” very well - unless you decrease the liquid in the recipe slightly.
Or maybe it’s just me :)
Anyway, this recipe is from a 30 year old Amish cookbook and we’ve been making it a long time. I don’t make it often, but it’s always a hit when I do!

PEAR SALAD
1 (28 ounce) can of pears
2 small packages of lime Jell-O
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 carton Cool Whip
2 cups boiling water
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups cold water/pear juice
Drain pears and reserve the juice for making the Jell-0.  Place pears and cream cheese in a blender or food processor. Process until creamy and well blended.
Pour 2 cups boiling water over the gelatin in a separate bowl and stir gently until dissolved.  Measure the reserved pear juice and add enough water to equal 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups** Stir the cold water/pear juice into the Jell-O.
While the Jell-O is still warm, pour a small amount into the food processor with the pears and cream cheese.  Process until smooth, then stir this mixture into the remaining Jell-O.
Refrigerate.  When it has partially set, use a whisk or hand mixer to whip in the Cool Whip.  Refrigerate 2-3 hours more, or until completely set.
**Original recipe calls for 2 cups of cold water, but this results in the salad being too soft set... I find 1-1/4 cups to be just right :)

Hope you enjoy this light and refreshing treat!

Nacho Cheese Soup

This recipe is really simple and comes together so quickly that it almost doesn’t even qualify as a respectable recipe! It’s great to have in your rotation for those nights when time is short and the drive thru is beckoning.

It’s also the only time I use “boxed” potatoes :)  Also… The original recipe doesn’t call for it, but we like to add a can or freezer container of pinto or black beans to make it a bit more hearty.
NACHO CHEESE SOUP
1 package au gratin potato mix
1 can corn or about 2 cups frozen
2 cups water
1 cup salsa OR 1 can Rotel tomatoes
1 15 ounce can or freezer container pinto or black beans (optional)
1.5 cups shredded cheese
2 cups milk
1/2 – 1 cup sliced olives (optional, but really good:)
Combine potatoes, sauce mix, corn, water, salsa (or Rotel tomatoes) and beans.  Bring to a boil, then simmer slowly for 25-30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add milk, olives and cheese.  Cook and stir over low heat until the cheese is melted and the soup is heated thru. 

   Enjoy!

Raisin Spice Bars

These make a LOT of bars… perfect for a hungry crew!
RAISIN SPICE BARS
1 cup raisins
1.5 cups hot water
1/2 cup butter
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
GLAZE:
1.5 cups powdered sugar
1 tbs. melted butter
1-2 tbs. milk
Cookies:  Soak raisins in hot water to plump and soften them.  Add butter, egg and baking soda to the raisins and water.  Stir in flower, sugar and spices.  Spread batter in a greased 15 x 10 x 1 inch jelly roll pan.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.  Cool. 
Glaze:  Combine powdered sugar and butter.  Add enough milk to make a thin glaze.  Spread over cooled bars and let set before cutting. 
Makes about 4 dozen. 

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

As always, I started with a container of precooked ground beef from the freezer, thus eliminating step 1. 
I also added slightly more than 1/4 cup steak sauce, to help it hold together a little better. 
I usually use red sweet peppers instead of green. 
And I didn’t have any mushrooms this time.
But other than that, I followed the recipe exactly!  Ha!
So… they are probably not of the true Philly Cheesesteak tradition, but they tasted delicious :)
PHILLY CHEESESTEAK SLOPPY JOES
1 pound ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/4-1/2  cup steak sauce
1 cup beef stock
1 green pepper, chopped or julienned
1 package sliced mushrooms
1/2-1 teaspoon salt - to taste
1/4/ teaspoon pepper
Provolone cheese slices 
Hamburger Buns

1.  Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  
2.  Add the onion, green pepper and mushrooms,  Cook and stir for another 3-4 minutes.  The vegetables will start to get tender.
3.  Stir in the steak sauce, beef stock, salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer and cook about 2 minutes more.  Add additional steak sauce if it seems too “soupy.”

4.  Scoop hot sloppy Joe mixture onto hamburger buns and top with a slice of provolone cheese.

Enjoy!

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

This is a combination of 3-4 different tortilla soup recipes… All of them sounded super delicious, but had ingredients I didn’t have on hand.
Or something a person (or persons) in my house wouldn’t eat care for :)
The other thing is, I always have a few cooked and cubed chicken breasts in the freezer and these recipes all required cooking the chicken at the time of making the soup.  It cuts down on prep time SO much to have the chicken already prepared in their little containers or zipper bags!
This soup is mildly spicy… if you like more heat be sure to add in chopped jalapenos and/or hot sauce.
CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP
2 cups cooked and cubed chicken breast
3 cups chicken stock
1 can of corn (no need to drain)
1 can pinto or black beans (I use freezer beans)
1 jar/can of meatless spaghetti sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1-2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
16 ounces grated Colby-Jack cheese
Combine all ingredients except the cheese in a slow cooker. Cook on low 4-6 hours. Near the end of cooking time, add the grated cheese and stir until melted. 
***If you don’t have 4-6 hours before mealtime, it can also be made more quickly on the stovetop:  Combine ingredients in a Dutch oven.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.  Add cheese and stir until melted.
Serve in bowls with any (or all) of these toppings: Tortilla strips or chips, additional cheese, sour cream, salsa, avocado, green onion, cilantro, etc.
Enjoy!

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

There were several mint cookie recipes on Pinterest over the holidays and I really wanted to try one of them out.  And I’m sure they are all delicious.
The problem was, these recipes called for either Andes Mints, mint chocolate chips or mint M&M’s… none of which I had on hand at the time.
So… I altered our favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe by adding green food color to the dough and replacing the vanilla extract with peppermint extract.  The results were so yummy and required no extra trip to the grocery store!

I made the dough up to the point of adding the chocolate chips and then added green paste food coloring a little at a time, until it reached a minty green shade.  Then I replaced the 1 teaspoon of vanilla called for in the recipe with 3/4 teaspoon of peppermint extract.  I would recommend starting with slightly less peppermint and then adding more if it isn’t minty enough.

Here’s our recipe, but you certainly can use your family’s favorite:
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES: 
2/3 cup Crisco shortening
2/3 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla or 3/4 –1 teaspoon peppermint extract**
Mix together in a large bowl until light and well blended.
**To make Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies, at this point mix green paste food coloring into the dough until it reaches a minty green shade.  Replace vanilla extract with peppermint extract, starting with less and adding more if it isn’t minty enough :)
Stir in 12 ounces of chocolate chips (about 2 cups).  Add dry ingredients:
3-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Drop on ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 375 for 10 minutes.
Enjoy!

Homemade Hand Cream

Wanted to share our time-tested recipe for hand cream.  I started making it when my 20-year-old daughter, Lacey, was 2 and had eczema.  Not only was it was a miracle for her skin, but we all loved it and have been using it ever since!

Here us our recipe, so you can make some too.  The original recipe calls for baby lotion.  We have found it works well with any lotion and not just the baby kind.  Just make sure to use the same number of ounces :)

Homemade Hand Cream:

2 (15-16 oz.) baby lotion
8 oz. Vaseline
2 jars (8 oz.) Vitamin E Cream

First, whip the petroleum jelly with a mixer, then add in the remaining ingredients:

Whip until fluffy.

It will look something like this:

I wash and reuse the jars from the vitamin E cream and petroleum jelly (and any other empty jars from creams, butters or lotions that I can find).  Any plastic container with a lid will work just fine.  No need to purchase fancy new jars…. unless you really want to :)

Use a rubber spatula to get every last bit of cream into the jars:

Don’t forget to fill a couple travel size jars to keep with you in your purse. 

It seriously looks like a LOT of hand cream, but we use it so quickly!  There is now only 1 jar left and it will be time to make more soon.  I am going to try using coconut oil instead of petroleum jelly in my next batch… I’ll let you know how it turns out!

Pumpkin Spice + Vanilla + Amaretto + Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer

I get a lot of questions on the pumpkin spice coffee creamer, but not too many of you find the post of these other creamer recipes… so I decided to combine them all in one post!

That, and answer some of the questions I get related to these recipes.  Which reminds me – please, please, please make sure you have enabled your email so that I can respond to you!!  If not, I have no way to contact you to answer your questions, which is very frustrating!

So anyway.  In no particular order, here are the answers to frequently asked coffee creamer questions:

1.  These recipes use powder coffee creamer. One national brand is called “Coffeemate,” but there are also generic and store brands of powdered coffee creamer.
2.  Any brand of powder coffee creamer can be used.  It is not necessary to use the Coffeemate brand.  Just make sure it is plain, unflavored powder creamer.
3.  Pumpkin pie spice is a blend of spices that is sold in the same section where you find cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.  There are also DIY recipes for making your own… a quick search on Google or Pinterest will find you a recipe for pumpkin pie spice. 
4.  These creamers are added into a cup of already brewed coffee, to add flavor.  It is not the kind of mix that is used with hot water alone. 
5.  It keeps well and does not need to be refrigerated. 
6.  It is fine to use more (or less!) sugar, extracts, spices, etc.  Adjust to your personal tastes :)
7.  Splenda may be used in place of sugar. 

AND here are the recipes:

(Directions are the same for all flavors and are at the end of the post).

VANILLA
3/4 cup powdered coffee creamer
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract

AMARETTO
3/4 cup powdered coffee creamer
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar

PEPPERMINT MOCHA
3/4 cup powdered coffee creamer
1/2 cup cocoa
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract

PUMPKIN SPICE
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup powdered coffee creamer
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla

DIRECTIONS:  Place all of the ingredients for the flavor you are making into a food processor.  Process for about a minute, or until it is powdery smooth and the texture is even.  Store in a glass jar or other airtight container that has a lid.

Add 1-2 tablespoons of flavored creamer to each 6-8 ounce cup of coffee. 

**Don’t forget that flavored creamers make great gifts!!

**Double, triple or quadruple the ingredients, so you don’t have to make it as often. Just sayin’.

 Also.  A little whipped cream on top makes it even better!

Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Time again for candy corn cookies!  The weather has been plenty cold enough around here for cookie baking and these are so fun for fall.  No mad frosting/decorating skills required…

Start by making a batch of your favorite roll-out sugar cookie dough recipe. I always use my Grammy’s Danish sugar cookie recipe. 

Divide dough into 3 parts… slightly over half for orange, about one-third for yellow and the smallest amount is left plain. Using gel food coloring for the orange and yellow portions, knead it into the dough.
Form into three long rectangles.  Stack the orange rectangle onto the yellow.  Then shape the white (plain) dough and perch it on top.  Shape and pinch the dough until it resembles a triangle.  It doesn’t have to be perfect –
Cover completely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30-60 minutes.  Slice thinly and bake, following your recipe’s baking instructions.

That’s it… an easy + fun treat!

Blessings to you! Thanks for stopping by!

Scarecrow Crunch

Stirred up a batch of our favorite fall snack mix… Scarecrow Crunch!
It’s really easy.  No baking.  Just mix it together and voila :)

SCARECROW CRUNCH
4 cups Honey Nut Cheerios 
4 cups tiny twist pretzels
1 bag candy corn 
2 cups Reese’s pieces
2 boxes caramel popcorn (Crunch ‘n Munch)
1 box chocolate Teddy Grahams or chocolate animal crackers
Mix gently in a large bowl. Store in airtight container.

For being so simple, it sure is a pretty fall treat :)