Cooking Fresh ~ Tangy BBQ Chicken

I'm pretty new at Crock-Pot cooking, but I have to say.....I'm getting hooked.  For someone who is always busy, it's the best thing!  If you don't already know, I LOVE cooking and as fresh as possible.  But sometimes the whole ordeal can take half the day if I'm not careful.  And that's why the crock-pot is genius!  I can just throw everything in and walk away.  That's exactly what I did when I made my Tangy BBQ Chicken!  I love BBQ almost anything, but since I cut processed sugar out of my diet three years ago, that also meant that I quit BBQ sauces too.  Have you seen the amount of sugar per serving?  and it's one of the main ingredients....Unbelievable!!  Well I found my solution for my cravings.....just make my own sauce.  We are having better BBQ Chicken for dinner!


*Disclaimer ~ I did not stop and measure everything.... I used the eyeball it and taste method!


Here's what I did:

I started by making my own blend of seasoning salt.  Did you know Lawry's adds sugar?  (Why?)




-garlic powder
-onion powder
-paprika
-ground sage
-ground brown mustard
-coriander
-whole oregano (dried)
-black pepper
-salt










* REMEMBER I rarely use measurements.  I use the tasting method.  [ I feel like I have to keep saying it! :) ]  I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon of each and some common sense.  For example, I happen to LOVE fresh cracked black pepper so I add a whole lot to everything.  You may want to use less....

Generously season both sides of the chicken (I used thighs but go for your favorite part of the chicken.....)










Next, I grabbed a mixing bowl....It's time to make the sauce!  Side note:  I didn't make a whole lot of sauce because I was only making a small amount of chicken with no plans for leftovers.  You can certainly double the ingredients if you need to.  

*****The ingredients that I am listing for the sauce are approximates..TASTE EVERYTHING!! ...and along the way.

3/4 cup  tomato sauce
1/3 cup  apple cider vinegar
2 TBS    honey
1/2 tsp   onion powder
1/2 tsp   garlic powder
1/2 tsp   sweet paprika
1/2 tsp   ground brown mustard
1/4 tsp   nutmeg
1/4 tsp   cinnamon



~From here I might have added a little more honey and a few more sprinkles of seasoning from the above list, oh! and maybe even a little water.... until it was real good to ME!  I recommend doing the same -live a little!  Once the sauce was perfect, I set it aside.  I added it to the chicken later.


APOLOGIES!!! I forgot to take a picture of what the sauce looked like in the bowl...  


After about 2 hours the house was smelling delicious!  Mmmmmmmm.....I removed the chicken thighs from the Crock-Pot and drained the liquids.  It just seemed like a whole lot of oil to me..  I added the chicken back to the pot skin side up and poured in the sauce that I made earlier, making sure everything had a nice coating.  Placed the lid back on and walked away.  I would say that the chicken was ready 1 1/2 hours later, I recall turning the Crock-Pot off before the full 4 hours.  Everything was fully cooked and tender which is exactly what I wanted!  I would think if I were making more chicken I may have needed the full 4 hours, no????  

Well other than a few minutes of prepping, this BBQ chicken took no time! ....well none of mine anyway!  

I paired my yummy Tangy BBQ {Crock-Pot} Chicken with some cheesy rice and green beans.  My family loved it!  Let me know how it goes for you!

Cooking Fresh ~ Lentil Burgers

Last week I posted my Lentil Burgers on my Facebook and Instagram pages and lots of requests for the recipe.  And not to toot my own horn but they were sooooooo good... TOOT TOOT!  I even told my husband that they might have just been the best bean burger I've ever had!  WOW!!!  I am no where close to being or becoming a vegetarian but I am always eager to taste the bean burgers I see on the menu when we go out to eat....so I have had my fair share!

If you follow me on social media, you can see that I absolutely LOVE cooking and strive to cook as fresh and healthy as I possibly can.  A few weeks ago I made a really big pot of lentil soup and I froze half to enjoy on another day.  The soup by itself was delicious!  It was made using dried lentils, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper- I had no idea how much I would enjoy the leftovers this much.  But when you are cooking fresh everything tastes better!  There are so many layers to flavoring and when you cook from scratch you are in control.  Sure you can substitute with prepared items but it's just not the same!

To form the patties I started by using a slotted serving spoon and scooping out a few big spoons of lentils.  Using my fresh baked bread, I made some bread crumbs by toasting a few slices then chopping them up.  To the crumbs I added dried chopped onions, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and about a tablespoon of mayonaise and combined everything.  The mixture needed to be a little wet in order to stay together to form the patties.  Heat your griddle or hot pan and a little bit of olive oil and brown the patties on both sides.  And that's it! (Sorry I don't have pictures for the patties......I didn't know I was going to be sharing!)

Now that the patties are done, the burger assembly can begin.  If you are feeling bold, I would suggest definitely making the pretzel buns.  In my opinion that is one of the best parts of this whole thing!  Click here for the recipe I got off of Pinterest.  I have made it about 5 times and the buns never last at my house! DELICIOUS...... but proceed with caution!!!!  If you are lacking time, you can easily just pick up your favorite hamburger buns at the grocery store and be all set.

I dressed my burger with a spicy mayo spread and LOTS of freshly shredded cabbage.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!  Let me know how yours turns out.




*Disclaimer-  I don't use measurements on purpose when I am cooking and rely strictly on my pallet.  Taste, taste, taste!!!!  If you think it needs more of something.....add it!  Start light and season along the way!

LENTIL SOUP:

-dried lentils
-chicken stock (homemade or low sodium store bought)
-cumin
-salt & pepper
-garlic
-onions
-potatoes
-carrots
*This is a simple dish, just throw everything in the pot bring to a boil and then\ let it simmer on low until the lentils, carrots, and potatoes are cooked through but not mushy.


LENTIL PATTIES:

-lentils (about 2 cups of cooked lentils from your soup or store bought, drained)
-bread crumbs (fresh or store bought)
-dried chopped onions
-garlic powder
-onion powder
-whole oregano
-paprika
-salt & pepper
-1 TBS mayonaise

*Set pan or griddle to medium-high heat and add (or spray) the pan with a TSP of olive oil.  Brown the patties on both sides to create a nice crunch.  If you use a non-stick pan, you don't need a lot of oil at all!  Done!
**As far as the seasonings go, I would start with 1/2 TSP of each and add more accordingly.

SPICY MAYO:

-2 TBS of mayonaise
-hot sauce of your choice (I used Tabasco) and to your heat preference
-garlic powder (a few dashes)


You can also dress your lentil burger with all your hamburger favorites!!  Mmmmm!  I'm definitely making this again!

Cropped Denim Jacket

Sometimes you just have to let the fabric speak yo you. It knows what it wants to be. And that's exactly what ended up happening with this denim jacket project. What I set out for in the beginning grew into a completely different product in the end. I originally imagined a loose fitting cropped jacket with flowing sleeves. But when I searched through my fabric stash, I came across some leftover denim from another project.  I didn't have much so this could work out for my cropped jacket. Well..... now that changes everything because the denim is way more stiff than my original design.  Almost immediately- I felt a structured jacket was the way to go!  A couple of snips and tucks and this jacket started coming to life. My goal: keep things simple to allow the eyes to be drawn to the clean style lines and defined sleeves. Descrete pockets, a crisp top stitch and covered buttons finish the garment.

What I love most about this jacket is its versatility. Initially it feels dressy but I can easily dress it down with some jeans and a tee.  Throw in a cute clutch and some earrings and I am good to go! That's the beauty of being an artist! YOU can bring your vision to life!!  

Bella Clutch ~ "Grey and Stripe"
Available at www.thegreybutton.com

"Fanned Out" Leather Hand-Painted Earrings in Silver
Available at www.thegreybutton.com

2015 is off to a great start! What projects will you be working on this month to start off the new year?  You can follow my journey as I sew my way through my portfolio and into a brand new wardrobe! I've created a Pinterest board just for my looks and you can also see what I'm up to on Instagram. I'd love to hear from you!  Bye for now buttons!!