Crockpot BBQ shredded chicken-

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup BBQ sauce
• ¼ cup Italian dressing
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• salt to taste

Instructions

1. Season chicken breast lightly ( a small pinch per breast) with some sea salt and place in your crockpot.
2. In a mixing bowl combine BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined.
3. Pour over chicken, cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or 6-7 on low.
4. Once time is up shred with 2 forks, recover and let cook in sauce for about 10-15 more minutes to soak up all that delish flavor.
5. Serve on buns, over rice, in wraps, on a salad or eat a plateful as is or on fresh rolls, topped with coleslaw. (We served it with cornbread casserole found on this blog.)

PERFECT M&M and Chocolate Chip cookies

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose Gold Medal Flour
• 3 tablespoons Instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
• 1 or 1-1/2 cups Mini M and M’s

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and line a large baking sheet with a silpat liner or parchment paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl cream your butter and sugars until well combined. Add your egg and vanilla mixing to combine. Add your flour, pudding mix, baking soda and salt, stirring to combine. Add chips and m and m’s stirring to combine.
3. With a medium cookie scoop, place dough 1 inch apart from each other. Bake for 10-12 minutes until cooked through. Let cool on cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to cooling rack. Enjoy!

Makes 2 dozen cookies

cinnamon bun coffee cake

CINNAMON ROLL CAKE

 

INGREDIENTS

• 3 cups flour
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tsp. baking powder
• 1½ cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• ½ cup butter, melted

TOPPING

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon

GLAZE

• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 5 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9×13 glass baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
2. In an electric or stand mixer add the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Once combined well , slowly stir in the melted butter. Pour into the prepared 9×13 baking pan.

For topping

1. In a large bowl, cream butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon together until well combined and creamy. Drop evenly over the batter by the tablespoonfuls and use a knife to marble/swirl through the cake.
2. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out nearly clean.

FOR GLAZE

1. In a medium bowl, mix the powdered sugar, milk and vanilla together with a whisk. Drizzle evenly over the warm cake. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Thai Spring Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon canola oil or coconut oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1" piece of ginger root, peeled and grated
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 3 pieces (about 5" each) peeled fresh lemongrass, crushed with the back of a knife
• 2 cups boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded or rotissari chicken shredded or we used shrimp 
• 4 baby bok choy or 1 regular boy choy, roughly chopped (approx 1" pieces)
• ¼ cup cilantro leaves
• ¼ cup small basil leaves or Thai basil leaves
• 2 tablespoons lime juiced (1 small lime)
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 ounces dry rice noodles (see Note)
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:

PREP:

1. Mince shallots and garlic. Peel ginger and grate into a small dish. Combine garlic and ginger and set aside. 
2. Use back of knife to smash the lemongrass (don't worry, it is being removed from the soup prior to serving!).  
3. Wash Bok Choy and chop into 1" pieces. Measure ¼ cup cilantro leaves and ¼ cup (small) basil leaves and combine in a bowl with salt and lime juice. Weigh 2-ounces of rice noodles and set aside. 

COOK:

1. Heat a soup pot over medium high heat. Once hot, add oil.
2. Add shallots; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. 
3. Add ginger and garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. 
4. Add chicken broth, stir to loosen any rough bits of garlic, etc. from bottom of pot. Raise heat to bring to a boil. 
5. Once boiling, add smashed lemongrass stalks, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. 
6. Remove lemongrass and discard. 
7. Stir in shredded chicken and Bok Choy; simmer 3 minutes. (If using shrimp add after bok choy has been in for a min. or so.)
8. Add dry rice noodles directly to soup, cook for 2 minutes. 
9. Remove from heat and add cilantro, basil, salt and lime juice. Stir to combine. Serve immediately with crushed red pepper flakes sprinkled on top and Enjoy!