Easy Orange BBQ Chicken

This recipe was so good and my whole family loved it, even my picky eater. I've done this recipe a couple of different ways. First I did it according to the recipe which you can find the original one HERE from Crafty Morning. 

Second I barbequed the chicken and put the sauce on that way. Both are very tasty so I guess it just depends on your preference. We put the chicken on some rice and mixed California veggies. 

Super easy and so very good!

Ingredients

Sauce Ingredients: 

1 Cup BBQ sauce - Sweet Baby Ray's is the best!

1 Cup Sweet orange marmalade - like Smucker's

2 Tbsp soy sauce

Crispy chicken Ingredients: 

3-4 chicken breasts or you can use the smaller fillets you just need a few more depending on how many you are feeding. 

1 Cup Flour

2 Eggs

Oil

Instructions

1. In a saucepan, add the BBQ sauce, marmalade, and soy sauce. Turn the heat on low and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring a few times. 

2. Meanwhile, cut up your chicken breasts into cubes In one bowl beat 2 eggs, in another bowl combined dry ingredients. 

3. Add a thin layer of oil to a frying pan and turn your stove on medium/high heat. 

4. Dip pieces of chicken in the egg and then cover in flour. When the oil is ready, add chicken pieces to it carefully a few at a time. Let cook for about 3-5 mins on each side until it's nice and brown and cooked on the inside. 

5. Set the chicken pieces on a paper towel and let drain. Put in a serving bowl. 

6. Take the sauce off the stove and carefully stir sauce over chicken and mix until all the chicken is well coated. 

7. Serve with rice and steamed veggies. 

Strawberries and Cream Cake

I made this cake for another monthly birthday cake at work. I asked one of the co-workers who was having a birthday what kind of cake she wanted and she said anything but chocolate. Fair enough! I knew the other co-worker who was also having a birthday loved strawberries so the decision was made - it will be a strawberry cake. 

On my hunt for what I wanted to do, I came across two recipes that I sort of took from to create what I made. It turned out pretty good and I had lots of comments on how yummy it was. One said it was even better the next day - so I guess there's an idea to make it the day before -if you have a cool place to put it as the frosting is cream based. 

Hope you enjoy!

 Picture from Chelsea's Messy Apron. 

Ingredients for Cake

1 box of white cake mix

3 eggs

3/4 cup oil

1/3 cup flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup greek yogurt

1 cup + 2 Tbsp fresh or frozen but thawed strawberries pureed (keep the 2 Tbsp for the frosting)

1-3oz box strawberry jello (reserve 1 tsp for frosting)

Warm up the oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together and pour in a prepared 9x13 pan by spraying with a non-stick spray or coating with butter. 

Cook for 30-35 mins or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely. 

Frosting

1 1/2 cups of cream

3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1 cup icing sugar, divided

1 -8oz package of cream cheese, softened to room temp

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 Tbsp strawberry puree

1 tsp strawberry jello

fresh strawberries

In a bowl beat the whipped cream, lemon, and 1/2 cup icing sugar in a bowl until peaks form. You can transfer the whipped cream to another bowl if using a stand mixer or in another bowl add the softened cream cheese and beat until nice and smooth. Add icing sugar, vanilla, strawberry jello, and strawberry puree and mix until well blended. 

Fold in half the whipped cream and blend well then fold in the last half of whipped cream and blend well again. 

Frost the cake

cut up fresh strawberries and put on top of the cake. 

Enjoy!

Vegetable Ham Soup

I had some leftover ham that I wanted to use and it was a cold rainy day so what better than to have soup. This was so good and of course, goes well with fresh rolls. 

You could do this in an instant pot like the original recipe from Simply Happy Foodie, you can find the link HERE but I made mine on the stove. 

Try it, you'll LOVE it!

Ingredients

4-5 medium potatoes, cubed

3 carrots, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp thyme, or more to taste

1 tsp salt, or more to taste

1 tsp pepper, or more to taste

2 cups ham, diced 

1/3 cup flour

1-1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup tex-mex shredded cheese. (or cheese of choice)

In a large pot add carrots, celery, onion, and chicken broth in a pot and simmer for 5 mins. Add potatoes, coriander, thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for about 10 mins or until veggies are tender. Add ham. Whisk milk, cream, and flour together in a small bowl and add to soup. Stir simmering until thickened. Add cheese and stir to incorporate. 

Blackberry Lemon Cake Roll

I made this cake for one of the monthly birthday cakes I do at work. It was so light and yummy and enjoyed by all. I will definitely make this one again and again. You could also do raspberries or strawberries. This recipe comes from Natasha's Kitchen and you can get the original recipe HERE.

Pictures also from Natasha's Kitchen. I love her recipes. 

INGREDIENTS:

Sponge Cake

5 large eggs -room temp

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

For the Lemon Syrup

1/4 cup warm water

1 Tbsp sugar

4 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon-about 1 large lemon (don't use concentrate, it's gross)

For the Blackberry Frosting

8oz cream cheese softened

8 Tbsp (113 g) which is approx 1/2 cup, unsalted butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

6 oz blackberries chopped (reserving 6 whole berries to garnish)

Optional Garnish

3/4 heavy whipped cream chilled

1 Tbsp powdered sugar

2 lemon slices cut into triangles

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line the bottom of an 18x13 baking sheet (this is a large cookie sheet) with parchment paper (do not grease).

2. Add 5 eggs to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment and beat on high speed 1 min, or until foamy, Gradually add sugar and beat on high 7 mins (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT - so don't skimp on the time). it will be thick, fluffy and tripled in volume. 

3. Whisk together flour and baking powder and sift into egg batter one third at a time, folding to incorporate between each addition and scraping from the bottom to catch hidden flour pockets. Stop mixing when you no longer see streaks of flour. 

4. Transfer to lined baking sheet and bake right away at 350 for 13-15 min (mine took about 16 mins) or until top is golden. Remove from oven and right away run a thin-edged spatula or knife around edges of your cake to loosen from the pan. While cake is hot, invert cake face down onto a clean linen towel that has been dusted with icing sugar. Remove parchment paper, dust with powdered sugar on top and then roll up into the towel. Let the cake cool to room temp (30min-1hr) in a draft-free room. 

5. Meanwhile, combine all ingredients for lemon syrup (water, sugar, lemon juice) stir to dissolve sugar and set aside. 

6. In a large mixing bowl, combine 8 oz softened cream cheese, 8 Tbsp softened butter and 1 cup powdered sugar. Beat together starting on low speed to incorporate sugar, then turn the mixer up to high speed for 2-3 mins or until whipped, white and fluffy, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add coarsely chopped blackberries and stir into the cream with mixer on low or by hand, just until incorporated. 

7. Carefully unroll cake and loosen from the towel. Brush the top evenly with your lemon syrup (you might not need all of it but use a good portion). Put dollops of blackberry frosting over the surface and spread evenly. Roll the cake tightly in the same direction you rolled it before. Slice off the crusty ends if desired and dust generously with powdered sugar. 

8. Whip the whipped cream and sugar and transfer into a piping bag with a star tip. Make 6 flowers over the top and garnish with blackberries and lemon triangles. 

Enjoy!

Rhubarb Custard Bars

I always get excited about rhubarb season so I can pull out my rhubarb recipes and try new ones. One of my coworkers is nice enough to give me some of the rhubarb she grows since I don't have a plant - thanks Debbie! This yummy recipe I found comes from dulcedough.com. You can click HERE to find the original recipe. I took these to work to share them so I doubled the recipe. Mmmmm. I love rhubarb season!!

picture from dulcedough.com 

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup butter, cold

Filling:

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp nutmeg

7 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 cup heavy whipping cream

3 eggs, beaten

5 cups fresh rhubarb, finely chopped or frozen, thawed and drained

Topping:

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped. 

Instructions 

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 9x13 baking pan.

2. Prepare crust by combining the flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I do this in a food processor) Lightly press into prepared pan and bake for 10 mins in the preheated oven. 

3. While crust is baking, prepare filling. Combine sugar, nutmeg, and flour in a large bowl. Whisk in the cream and eggs, then gently fold in the rhubarb. Pour over the crust and bake for 40-45 mins or until the custard is set. Cool completely. 

4. Prepare topping by beating cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until smooth then fold in the whipped cream. Spread the topping over the top and cover and chill. Cut into bars before serving. Store bars in the refrigerator. 

Chicken Mexican Haystacks

This is one of my favorite recipes, it's just so good! I've made this in a slow cooker and also my instant pot. In the Instant Pot, I've cooked the chicken breasts from frozen with a couple of cups of chicken broth for about 40 mins and then shredded the chicken, I remove some of the broth and add the rest of the ingredients and put the setting on saute for a while to warm everything up adding some broth if needed. It makes it pretty saucy, but that makes it good when you serve it over rice. 

You can go HERE for the original recipe. The recipe and photo come from togetherasfamily.com. 

Ingredients

• 3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (115 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained (I used spicy Rotel)
• 1 -1/2 cups frozen corn or 1 can

Cream Tex-Mex Sauce

• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 can chopped green chilies
• 4 oz cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 small sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
• 1 packet taco seasoning

Mexican Haystacks

• Corn chips
• white or brown rice
• taco toppings of your choice (shredded cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, onion, olives, jalapenos, etc)

Instructions

Put chicken breasts into the slow cooker. Add the beans, tomatoes, and corn. 

In a blender combine all ingredients for the creamy sauce and blend until smooth and combined. 

Pour into the slow cooker and mix everything together. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender and can easily shred. 

Shred chicken and add back into the slow cooker Serve with rice, corn chips, and toppings fo your choice. You can also keep this on the warm setting until ready to serve. 

Slow Cooker Creamy Mashed Potatoes

I made these potatoes for a Christmas party, they are good alone or with gravy. So rich and creamy for that special occasion or just because you want to treat your family to some extra special potatoes. This recipe comes from Six Sisters Stuff you can click HERE for the original recipe. 

picture from Six Sisters Stuff

Ingredients

5 pounds red potatoes, cut into chunks

1 tbsp minced garlic, or to taste

3 cubes chicken bouillon

1 (8oz) container sour cream (light or fat-free is fine also)

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, softened (light is fine also)

1/4 cup butter

salt and pepper to taste. 

Instructions

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the potatoes, garlic, and bouillon until potatoes are tender but firm (about 15 mins). Drain, reserving water. In a bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency. 

Transfer the potato mixture to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.