Rosemary Lemon Crock Pot Chicken

So it was just Easter weekend, my mother-in-law was visiting and my oven decided to go caput.  Can you even imagine?  I mean, a blogger with no oven?  I am going through serious withdrawal (it's still not fixed as of right now).  But that wasn't even the worst part.  How was I suppose to cook Easter dinner??

We thought about grilling something, anything, but our Easter dinner typically consists of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, veggies (very similar to Thanksgiving because I don't eat ham).  Then, it hit me...my Crock Pot!  And thank goodness for Pinterest because I had already pinned a couple of roast chicken Crock Pot recipes.  After glancing over them to check times and heat temperatures, I came up with this rosemary lemon chicken.  

Lemons, inside and out, plus a rosemary, garlic and zesty salt blend rub make this chicken absolutely incredible.  Not only does the chicken become so tender that it just falls apart, but there is enough juice leftover to make gravy.  The breast completely separated from the legs and wings as I was lifting it out of the Crock Pot, which was perfect because it was less carving we had to do.  I am hooked on roasting chicken in the Crock Pot!

 Serves 6

Rosemary Lemon Crock Pot Chicken

1 (4-5 pound) roasting chicken

3 lemons

2 tablespoons dried chopped rosemary

1 tablespoon salt-free zesty seasoning blend (like Mrs. Dash)

2 teaspoons minced garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil 

For the gravy

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 cup flour

chicken drippings from bottom of Crock Pot

1 cup reduced sodium chicken broth, or more as needed

In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, garlic, salt blend, then add olive oil to make a paste (start with 1 tablespoon and add more as needed).  Set aside.  Spray the inside of the Crock Pot with non-stick cooking spray and turn heat to high.  Cut a tiny bit off of the end of 2 lemons (so you have a flatter surface - you'll be setting the chicken on top of these so they need to be sturdy and not rolling around) and slice in half.  Set the 4 pieces on the bottom of the Crock Pot, with the insides of the lemons facing up.  

Remove the chicken giblets.  Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry.  Rub the rosemary garlic paste all of the chicken, including the inside.  Cut the remaining lemon into quarters and stuff inside chicken.  

Set the chicken on top of the lemon halves and cover with Crock Pot lid.  Cook on high for 3 1/2 - 4 hours or until the pop up timer pops up.  Remove chicken, set on cutting board and cover with foil for about 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, make the gravy.      

To make the gravy:  in a medium saucepan, heat butter over medium heat until melted.  Whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute to make a roux.  Place a mesh strainer over the saucepan and start ladling the chicken drippings from the bottom of the Crock Pot through the strainer.  Whisk occasionally to combine the flour mixture with the drippings.  It will start to thicken, then slowly add in the chicken broth, whisking the whole time.  Cook until thickened and bubbly, add more chicken broth to thin out if needed.  Check for seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste.

Slice and serve the chicken warm with gravy.

You may also like:

Crock Pot Garlic Chicken

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Chicken Pot Pie

Crock Pot Tortilla Soup

Crock Pot Chicken Chili

Chicken and Egg Noodle Casserole

Comfort food at it's best!  Warm and inviting and perfect for feeding a crowd.  Veggies, egg noodles and cheese - what's not to love?  

Packed with flavor from chicken broth, white wine, carrots, onions and celery, then combined with half & half makes this dish so creamy and delicious.  You can make it easier on yourself by purchasing a rotisserie chicken, rather than cooking and shredding the meat yourself.  I used a very simple pan steam method to cook my chicken - about an inch of water in a deep skillet, bring to a boil, add 2 chicken breasts and cover for about 20 minutes (depending on how thick the chicken is).  Shred and add to recipe.   

As if the noodle, veggie and white wine mixture wasn't enough, the casserole then gets topped with shredded mozzarella.  Baked until bubbly and the edges get a crispy cheesy crust - remember what I was saying about comfort food?!  This is sure to be a hit with your whole family.

Serves 8

Chicken and Egg Noodle Casserole

4 tablespoons butter
12 ounces egg noodles
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup diced onion
1 medium carrot, diced
1 large stalk of celery, diced
1/2 cup dry white wine
4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup half & half
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a 3-quart casserole dish (or a 9 x 13-inch baking pan) with non-stick cooking spray.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the egg noodles until al dente, about 4 minutes.  Strain.

While the noodles are cooking, heat the butter in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour to form a paste.  Stir in the onions, carrots and celery and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  Cook 5 minutes to soften, then add the wine.  Whisk for 30 seconds, then add the chicken broth and heavy cream.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Fold in the noodles and chicken and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Transfer to the greased casserole dish and top with the shredded mozzarella.  Bake until bubbly and brown on top, 40-45 minutes.

(Source:  Adapted from Food Network)

Double Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwiches

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I've done a couple of posts with my Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and since I had some mint frosting leftover from the Mint Oreo Brownies I made last week, I thought I could make these cookies a bit more festive and turn them into a little St. Patty's day dessert.  And who doesn't love a frosting filled cookie sandwich?  

   

The cookies themselves are delightful...you can absolutely omit the frosting in the middle and eat them as is.  Double chocolate!  Cocoa powder and chocolate chips mixed in.  Very buttery and when left really underdone (as I always do with my cookies), they are super gooey in the middle even after cooling.  

This dough is a bit thicker and doesn't really spread out all that much while cooking.  I used a cookie scoop to place the dough on the baking sheet, then pressed it down slightly with my fingers.  That way I got a thinner, flatter cookie for my sandwiches.  

Makes 3 dozen cookies or 18 sandwiches

Double Chocolate Chip Sandwich Cookies

2 cups flour

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks butter, room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the mint buttercream filling

2 cups Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, or store bought

1 - 1 1/2 teaspoons peppermint extract

5-6 drops green food coloring

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Combine flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together; set aside.

Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugars together until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg, then add the vanilla.  Add the flour mixture and beat until well blended.  Stir in the chocolate chips by hand.  

Using a cookie scoop, drop the dough onto a cookie sheet (or if using a spoon, it's about 2 tablespoons).

Bake for 8-10 minutes and allow to cool for about 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

While the cookies are cooling, add the peppermint extract to the buttercream frosting, starting with 1 teaspoon.  Add more if desired depending on the strength of your extract.  Add drops of food coloring until a light green color is reached.  Spread frosting on the bottom of one of the cookies, then top with another cookie.  Repeat until there are no more cookies remaining. 

Sugar Cookies with Super Easy Glaze

This is an amazing sugar cookie recipe - you can roll them thin and they still turn out soft (just the way I like them!) or use a cookie scoop and make regular cookies.  I made these for Valentine's Day, so I used my heart shape cookie cutters and lots of pink, red and white sprinkles.  Too, too cute!  

The glaze is the easiest icing you will ever make in your life.  I found the best thing to do was to just dip the cookies into the bowl of the glaze.  Then, add sprinkles!  You can even add a couple of drops of food coloring to the glaze to make different colors.    

Makes 4 dozen

Sugar Cookies with Super Easy Glaze

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
sprinkles

For the glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2-4 teaspoons milk

In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine butter and sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add vanilla.  Then, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.

Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a disc.  Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Generously flour your work surface, remove dough from plastic wrap and place on flour.  Flour rolling pin and roll dough to about 1/4-inch thick.*  Cut to desired shape with cookie cutters and place them on a cookie sheet.  Re-roll leftover scrapes and refrigerate any unused dough until ready to bake again.

Bake for 9-11 minutes until pale golden, let cool for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire cooling rack (place a piece of foil under the rack for easy clean up later).  Let cool completely before frosting.  Repeat steps with the rest of the remaining dough.

To make the glaze, combine the confectioner's sugar and milk (start with 2 teaspoons).  Add more milk or sugar to make the glaze as thick or thin as desired.  Dip one side of the cooled cookies in the glaze and place back on rack (where the foil comes in handy!).  Immediately top with sprinkles.  Allow the glaze and sprinkles to set - the glaze will harden enough to stack the cookies when storing.

*Notes:  the original recipe called for the dough to be rolled out between two sheets of wax paper.  While this worked, after cutting out the shapes with the cookie cutters, the dough was sticking to the wax paper.  I found that working on a floured surface was much easier.

(Source:  Adapted from Just a Taste)

Chocolate Dipped Loaded Rice Krispie Treats

These are certainly "loaded", don't you think?  I made these as a special Valentine's Day treat, so obviously chose lots of pinks and reds for the sprinkles and candy.  So easy to make all year round and use other colors for different Holidays! 

I started out by having a plate of sprinkles, which I dipped the first bar I coated in chocolate in.  It just seemed too messy...the sprinkles got all chocolaty and it really didn't even look pretty!  So, for the rest, I just dipped in chocolate, then sprinkled the sprinkles on top - I also tried to get on the sides a little.  Then, I stuck the M&M's on, making sure they wouldn't fall off.  

I made just half the pan coated in chocolate, and left the other half with just the sprinkles mixed in.  I wrote the recipe so you'll have enough to dip all the bars in chocolate if you like! 

Makes 15 bars

Chocolate Dipped Loaded Rice Krispie Treats

1/4 cup butter
1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 cups Rice Krispie cereal
1/2 cup sprinkles, plus more for sprinkling
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
M&M's or other candy pieces

In a large saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows on low, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Add cereal and sprinkles and stir until both are coated in marshmallow mixture.

Spread in a greased 9 x 13- inch pan and cool completely.  Cut into bars.

In a microwave safe bowl, heat chocolate chips at 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until melted.  Line a baking sheet with wax paper and place next to bowl of chocolate.  Take one Rice Krispie treat and dip it halfway into the melted chocolate, shaking off the excess.  Place dipped bar on the baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Immediately top with more sprinkles and M&M's.  Let cool until chocolate sets.

M&M Valentine's Day Treats

I adapted these for Valentine's Day from my Pretzel and M&M Holiday Treats.  And how precious?!  Such a pretty treat to give away to friends and family for Valentine's Day.   

Pretzels, topped with Hershey's Hugs and Valentine's Day pink, red and white M&M's.  You can use round pretzels or waffle pretzels - I'm not partial.  I use whatever is on sale!  In this case, the store brand mini twists suited me just fine.    

These are so fun if you have little helpers - and I have the best one!  My 4 year old loves to help in the kitchen and these are one of her favorite treats to make.  She practically does it all herself, my big girl.  So easy, fun and adorable!       

Serves 4

M&M Valentine's Day Treats

Mini pretzels (about 1/2 of a 15 oz bag)
1 (12 oz) bag Hershey's Hugs
Valentine's Day M&M's

Preheat oven to 225 degrees.  Pour the pretzels onto a 11 x 18-inch baking sheet and start unwrapping the Hugs.  Place one Hug on each pretzel and place pan in the oven.  Let the Hugs melt for 4-5 minutes.  Pull the pan out of the oven and top each Hug with an M&M (it should be melty enough that the M&M pushes the Hug all the way down and spreads it on the pretzel).  Let harden a little bit and store in the fridge for a couple of days.

Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut

Pork and sauerkraut is a tradition in our family for New Year's Day.  We grew up in smack dab in the middle of Pennsylvania Dutch country and it is believed by them that eating pork and sauerkraut will bring you good luck all year long.  So, really, it's necessary...

I make mine in the Crock Pot and it's the easiest recipe you'll ever make.  One pork loin, a bag of sauerkraut, salt and pepper...done.  Serve shredded pork and the sauerkraut over creamy mashed potatoes.  I could eat that all day! 

I like to use sauerkraut from a bag because I think it tastes fresher.  You can typically find this at or near your deli counter - Boars Head brand is great.

Serves 6

Crock Pot Pork and Sauerkraut

1 boneless pork loin (about 2 pounds)

1 (32 oz) bag of sauerkraut

salt and pepper

Place the pork loin in the bottom of the Crock Pot, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Cover the pork with sauerkraut.  Cook on high for about 4 hours.  Shred or cut meat and serve over mashed potatoes, topped with sauerkraut and some of the juices.  Salt and pepper again as needed.  

Happy New Year - Welcoming in 2014!

Happy New Year y'all!!  I am so excited for what 2014 will bring.  We will be welcoming our baby girl in March and are looking to make a pretty big move back up North to be closer to family.  Lots of changes for our growing family!! 

We had a very low key New Year's Eve - some sparklers outside with festive hats, then we all just snuggled and ate dinner on the couch!  After the kids crashed, my husband and I watched an It's Always Sunny marathon and were asleep by 10.  Perfect!  

Bubby couldn't hang...he crashed right at his bedtime.  

Miss Bean lasted a little while longer, snuggled up with daddy and our Yorkie, Beans.  Literally minutes after taking this picture she was snoozing away! 

For dinner, I kept it simple and fun.  We snacked on this amazing Parmesan Ranch Snack Mix that I will posting next (so addicting!) and I made Barbecue Chicken Quesadillas served with my Summertime Salsa (click for the recipe).

Then, I made my Brownie Bottom Pecan Pie Bars for dessert - amazing when they are still warm topped with vanilla ice cream!

So, what's on your menu for New Year's Day?  I am throwing a pork loin into a Crock Pot smothered with sauerkraut...incredibly easy and tasty!  

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram - @bsgriffin - Happy New Year everyone!  

Peppermint Fudge

My mom makes the best mint fudge.  But, when I asked her for the recipe, she told me she actually uses one bag of mint chocolate chips (not the green ones!) and one bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  And I could not find mint chocolate chips anywhere!  So, I made do with peppermint extract.  Still yummy!  I've made it twice this month... 

The crushed candy canes are optional - I just wanted to make it look festive for the Holidays.  Red and Green sprinkles would be cute, too.

The first time I made it, I only used one bag of chocolate chips and the fudge was too thin for my liking.  The next time, I doubled everything and got these monster bites of fudge (which is exactly what I wanted!).  The recipe can very easily be cut in half.  

Serves 18

 Peppermint Fudge

5 cups chocolate chips
2 (14 oz) cans sweetened condensed milk
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup milk
4 teaspoons peppermint extract
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 or 2 candy canes, crushed (optional)

Line a 9 x 9-inch square baking dish with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Combine chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk in a saucepan over medium heat.  Cook stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted.  Remove from heat and immediately stir milk and butter into the chocolate mixture.  Stir in peppermint and vanilla extract.

Pour into the prepared baking dish and refrigerate until set, about 2+ hours. Gently pull up on the sides of the foil to release it from the pan.  Cut the fudge into small squares.  Store covered in the fridge.

*Tip - if yours doesn't really "set" you can store this in the freezer.  When I did the double batch, it never really firmed up and was not so easy to cut straight out of the fridge.  So, I've been keeping it in the freezer and it's prefect!

(Source:  Adapted from Allrecipes.com)

Holiday Sand Tarts

I know that classic sand tarts are typically sprinkled with a cinnamon-sugar mixture, but I thought it would be so fun to decorate these for Christmas.  After all, I typically only make these around this time anyway!



I had the best helper...my daughter, who turns 4 on Christmas Eve, practically did everything herself.  I rolled the dough, she cut the shapes, brushed them with egg wash and did all the sprinkling! 

I'd say my little helper did an excellent job!  I love getting my kids involved.  Especially Jules - she always wants to help when I bake.  There's so much that they can do at this age and sometimes I feel like I'm just the supervisor!  She's learning so much.

These are supposed to be super thin, like 1/8-inch.  Most of mine ended up about 1/4-inch, which I actually like better.  They don't get as crispy when they are baked if they are a little thicker.  So, whatever your preference.   

So into it!!  

Our cookie cutters were rather large also so you may end up with more or less cookies depending on yours.  The dough should be chilled in between each batch, other wise the cookies won't cut very well.  They'll break and start to stick.  

Makes about 2 1/2 dozen 

Holiday Sand Tarts

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten (but in separate bowls)

1 3/4 cups flour, plus more for dusting work surface

2 teaspoons baking powder

Holiday sprinkles

Using a mixer, cream butter and sugar together.  Mix in 1 of the beaten eggs.  Stir the flour and baking soda together and add to the creamed mixture to make a soft dough.  Wrap in plastic wrap and set in the fridge to chill.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees, lightly grease your cookie sheet and remove chilled dough from fridge.  Generously flour your work surface, and roll the dough about 1/8-inch thick.  Cut into shapes with cookie cutters.  Brush with the remaining beaten egg and top with Holiday sprinkles.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Double Layer Chocolate Cream Pie

One of the easiest dessert recipes you'll ever make.  My grandma used to always have chocolate cream pie at Holiday dinners for dessert...since we will all be thinking about Thanksgiving dinner soon enough, I thought I'd share!  

It's a no-bake dessert, including the crust.  Just use an already made graham cracker crust (directions will say to chill the crust first if you're not baking it).  Chocolate pudding, milk, cool whip - done! 

Serves 8

Double Layer Chocolate Cream Pie

1 graham cracker pie crust

1 1/4 cups cold milk

2 (3.5 oz) packages instant chocolate pudding

1 (8 oz) container of Cool Whip, thawed

In a medium bowl, whisk the milk, pudding and 1/2 of the Cool Whip for 1 minute.  Spread into crust (mixture will be thick).  Spread the remaining Cool Whip over the pudding mixture.  Serve chilled. 

(Source: recipe from Food.com)

Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

I love baking with apples in the fall!  I'm on Pinterest (obviously!) and there is just so much inspiration out there.  This recipe comes from the blog, Sugar 'n Spice Gals and it is delicious!  I have a smaller Bundt pan, just a bit skinnier than a normal one, so I ended up with extra batter and an adorable mini version of this cake.

Cute right?  This would be such a nice treat to bring to a Holiday dinner.  Just bring the caramel sauce separate and drizzle on right before serving.  I think you're family would be pretty impressed!

The caramel sauce, as the cake sits, seeps into it and keeps it so moist.  My thought was that I was going to walk the mini one over to my neighbors house, but by the time I allowed my family to cut into one (you know, after the pictures were taken) it was gone in a minute!  Baked goods do not last long in our house... 

Makes 1 large bundt cake (or a couple smaller cakes)

Caramel Apple Bundt Cake

1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract 

3 cups flour

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 apples, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

For the glaze 

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup half & half

1/4 cup butter

dash of salt

1 cup confectioner's sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Spray and flour bundt pan(s).  In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the oil, sugars, eggs and vanilla extract.  Mix until everything is incorporated.  In a smaller bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and give it a stir.  Fold in the apples and pecans (if using).

Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours.  If using 2 smaller pans, you will need to adjust the time - the mini one took about 45 minutes and my thinner bundt pan took 1 hour and 15 minutes.  When your toothpick comes out clean, it's done.  

Let cool for 10 minutes, then gently slide a butter knife down the sides of the pan to loosen the cake.  Flip upside down onto plate or cake stand.  

Make the caramel glaze by combining the brown sugar, half & half, butter and salt in a medium saucepan; heat over medium heat until everything is melted and combined.  Let cool to room temperature then whisk in confectioner's sugar.  Drizzle over the top of the cake.  Cut into slices and serve room temperature.  

(Source:  adapted from Sugar 'n Spice Gals)