Crock Pot Italian Sausage with Potatoes, Onions, and Peppers

I love my Crock Pot. But really, who doesn't? I'm a big fan of it for a lot of different reasons but the stand-out is giving me good food with little effort. And on a busy work day when there is soccer practice after school, nothing sounds better.

Cherry Chipotle BBQ Sauce

I recently bought a big bag of frozen cherries at Costco because I was going through this massive smoothie phase. I wasn't that crazy about these cherries in smoothie form though so I've been trying to find other ways to use them up. It was warm outside and I was thinking about grilling and the idea of a cherry BBQ sauce popped in my head. I like using fruit in interesting ways and I've done a mango BBQ sauce before so cherry was a good next step. (I plan on doing even more though - especially peach. Yum!) I took an inventory of what I had in the pantry and after writing up a recipe and getting everything cooking, I had a really good sauce that went perfect on our chicken. It had a great balance of tangy and sweet along with a tiny bit of heat and smokiness. I used about a third of what I made on three chicken breasts so there is plenty with this recipe. The rest can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about a month.

I think I'll give this sauce a try on some chops or ribs next time!

Crock Pot Chicken Cacciatore - the Healthier Way!

Here's a little secret: I have never made chicken cacciatore before. My dad used to make the dish quite often when I was younger, but it just wasn't one of those things that I'd go running for. It was good, but just not my thing.

Ever since I started whipping up my crock pot meals though, I've found myself trying new things and reinventing some old classics. One of them happens to be this chicken cacciatore. There were a couple tests and versions before I was finally happy with the results, but the last one turned out so well that my quest for an amazing chicken cacciatore is over. I wouldn't change a thing with this one! I don't think I've ever said that before. Scary.

Tropical Ham Roll-Ups

I have a problem. If I don't make up something new each day, I feel weird. It's to the point where I'll just come up with something on the fly sometimes just so I can blog about it. I know, I know...it's just that I'm a creative person and that creativity has to come out in so many ways! The kitchen is my studio and food is a canvas. Does that even make sense or am I just full of it? Either way, I wanted a snack and I got to thinking...

Crock Pot Mexican Black Bean Chili

There's just something about chili in the fall. It's not quite winter, but the cold air is definitely on it's way so sometimes you just need that comforting warm up to remind you of the previous months. And when that warm up is in chili form, well, it just makes it that much better. And when it's a healthy chili it's like a double bonus!

How To Caramelize Onions

The next time you have a little time, grab a couple onions, slice those suckers up, and throw them in a pan to caramelize. When they're done cooking, stick them in the fridge (they'll keep for a few days to a week) and they'll be on hand for virtually anything!

Polenta Cakes Topped with Spinach and Tomato Sauté and Fresh Mozzarella

I had polenta for the first time a few weeks ago and it was pretty awesome. It wasn't regular polenta though, it was some pretty nifty polenta cakes! I've seen them on the Food Network a couple times and I always wondered what they tasted like. It had to be somewhere along the lines of a creamy cornbread, right? Well, my expectations were correct and it was darn tasty.

Crock Pot Lemon Chicken Breasts

I tried out my first non-saucy crock pot meal and I'm happy to say that it turned out pretty darn well. I used to be under the impression that cooking in the crock pot meant you had to smother the meat you were cooking in order for it to cook properly, but let me tell you - that is not the case. I have discovered, however, that you do need to have a little bit of moisture in there if you don't want dried out food. But you only need a tiny bit in order to have yummy meat that doesn't taste like you're eating cardboard.

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

You may not know, but when I write recipes, I tend to write in phases. My phase of the moment is creating crock pot meals that can be made fresh or from the frozen state. Crock pots are wonderful things and I have to admit that I haven't used mine nearly enough. Well, that's all about to change for the purpose of this blog. I currently have about seven or eight recipes written (I haven't tested them all yet) and I just can't wait to try them out and share them with you all!

Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken in Cornbread Cups

The idea for this dish just literally popped into my head one day. I was just sitting there and I thought of pulled chicken and cornbread. And what's better than combining the two into one?