Pulled BBQ chicken stuffed potatoes

When funds are low we all do one thing, lower our grocery budget. Chicken is the cheapest meat you can buy. Leg quarters get a bad rep for being bland and boring, outside of being fried that is, but it doesn't have to be that way. I recently ran accross a great deal at my local meat market and purchased a 40 pound case of chicken at 45 cents a pound. Finding new ways to create delicious meals from all this chicken has been a challenge, but there have been a few clear winners in my household. This baked potato stuffed with shredded chicken is one of my family's favorite and coming in at less than $1.50 per serving, it is budget friendly as well. I got the idea for this recipe from sticky fingers bbq restaurant. Their potato skins have shredded pork, cheese, and are served with a dallop of sour cream. This dinner version is of course made with chicken, because its cheaper, and is also a larger size and more filling.


You will need
5-7 large russet potatoes depending on how many your family will eat (I buy the 10 lb bag from walmart and pick out the biggest ones and use the rest in another recipe)
4 leg quarters
Butter
Salt
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Bbq sauce( I prefer sweeter varieties)

You can start your meal in the morning if you have a busy day planned. Place your chicken in a crockpot and set it on low. You can cook your chicken up to 8 hours. This can also be done in about 4 hours by setting your crockpot on high. An hour before you plan to serve dinner begin to prepare your potatoes. Preheat your oven to 425. Wash the potatoes in water and stab them with a fork. Give your potatoes a minute to dry and then rub them with butter and salt them liberally. Set them on a baking sheet and place in the oven unwrapped and uncovered for 50 minutes. 10 minutes before the potatoes are done begin shredding your chicken.  You will know your chicken is done when it begins to fall apart. The bone should pull right out and you can gently toss your chicken with a fork to shred it. Add a little bbq sauce as you toss it.  When the potatoes are done pull them out of the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes. Use a knife to cut a slit in the top of the potatos and squeeze the end of the potato inward to open it up. Put a little butter in each potato. Next add about 3-4 tablespoons of your shredded chicken to each potato, pushing it down into the potato if needed. Top with cheese and place back in oven until cheese is melted.  Once the cheese is melted you can add sour cream and drizzle bbq sauce over the top before serving. If your budget allows, bacon bits and chives can also be added, or any other toppings you like.  ENJOY!!!

The 5 languages of love

         Ok, It's time for me to make a confession. Those who know me really well already know this, but my husband and I have had a little bit of a rough patch in our marriage over the last year.

         This summer we will be celebrating our 10th year of marriage, but we almost didn't make it. I won't go in to details as to why, those who know us best already know, but I will share why I believe our marriage is now stronger than it ever was, and why it will only get stronger.

         You have heard it said that communication is vital to any healthy relationship, and yet most people completely ignore this fact, I know I did. Basic communication is nessesary for any relationship, and when that fails, a breakdown in the structure of your relationship is inevitable. It usually starts as one person being upset with the other, but instead of voicing their feelings they bottle it up inside to avoid a fight. This might not seem like a big deal at first, but this creates a habit and performing this action again and again leads to bitterness and anger.  The problem is you may not even recognize your resentment for your spouse, you just know that you love them, but sometimes the smallest things they do aggravate you. Sometimes this resentment will grow into a monster that cannot be controlled. If you recognize it, you can stop it and make healthier changes to your relationship. It is equally important that you make your relationship a safe zone for communication. If one spouse or the other feels as though they cannot safely share their emotions without ridicule or retaliation then the dynamic will not be equal and the relationship  will fail. It takes two, in everything you do.

     Making your feelings known to your spouse will help keep your own anger at bay, but how do you help your spouse relieve their stress from the day and encourage relational growth at the same time? After my husband and I began our healing process to get our marriage back on the right track we did a lot of researching, spoke to a councelor, tried just being nice to each other, etc. The one thing that made an enormous impact on our relationship was the 5 love languages theory. You may or may not have heard of this so let me give you the rundown.

    Author Gary Chapman wrote about the 5 love languages in His 1995 book of the same name. There has been no research done, but common sense and personal testimonies show that Mr. Chapman is really on to something.  In the book he details the methods of love that people are predispositioned to. Some people may have more than 1 of these love languages.  You can discover your love language by how you express love to others, and how you enjoy love being expressed to you. The love languages are as follows.

GIFTS- People whose love language is gifts tend to enjoy recieving and giving physical items. This is not to say they only care about getting things from people, but rather they view a gift given in love as a loving gesture. Items can hold special meaning to that person for a lifetime.  These people tend to be more sentimental to their things as they will hold  memories for them. Handmade gifts will be especially valued.

QUALITY TIME - People whose love languange is quality time enjoy spending uninterrupted one on one time with their loved ones. Deep conversation rules the heart so turn off the cell phones,laptops, and tv's if you want to show these people you love them. Giving your uninterrupted time to your spouse should be a must for every couple, but for the love language people, this is when they feel most loved and this time is what they will treasure most.

WORDS OF AFFIRMATION- Who doesn't like being told how amazing they are??? Well most people do enjoy a good compliment, but for some people, affirmation equals love. Letting your spouse know how thankful you are for all that they do regularly is a surefire way to let them know how much you care. Telling them how much you like the way they smell, or how they always laugh at your jokes will make them euphoric.

ACTS OF SERVICE- The acts of service crowd sees love in the things people do for them. They tend to get more emotional when people do things for them. Seemingly insignificant acts, such as doing your spouses chores for them without being asked, or rubbing their feet after a long day, will mean so much more to some people because they view this as love being expressed through action. It may not seem like much to you at the time, but for them, the act is a gesture of pure love.

PHYSICAL TOUCH- This one is pretty self explanatory. Holding hands, hugging, kissing, and being close physically is not everyones cup of tea. Some people just don't like being touched. The people whose love language is touch will melt in your arms as you hold them close.  The act of physical touch leaves them feeling on top of the world in a way that nothing else does.

     It is important to realize that you can't make a person feel loved by doing what you like unless their love language is the same as yours. If your spouse has a different love language it is important to communicate your love to them in a way they understand, which means learning what makes them melt. It is important to communicate regularly as well. Mr. Chapman refers to this as "filling the love tank".  Love is a reciprocating cycle. The more you love on your spouse the more they will love on you, but it has to start somewhere so why not start with you? It took my husband and I a while to figure this out, but we have it down pat now. I discovered that I enjoy physical touch the most. A year ago we would sit on opposit ends of the couch, playing on our phones, watching tv, rarely touching other than a hug goodbye before work. He wanted me to tell him how much I appreciated him, but I assumed that by cooking his dinner, cleaning and taking care of the kids and household,  and getting things for him, and rubbing his feet was enough. It wasn't.

      After discovering the 5 love languages we start putting it into action. I now sit next to my husband on the couch when we play on our phones. We hold hands when watching tv. I offer him praise when he does something and tell him everyday how much I love him. We have both never been happier.  Of course we try some of the other love languages out too. My husband writes me love notes, I buy him small gifts when I go out. Whats amazing is that this change in our behavior has trickled down to our children. We see our love reflected in them every day now in a way we've not seen before. We still have a ways to go in building up our marriage, it is a lifetime commitment, not a one and done sort of thing, but thanks to the 5 love languages, I believe we have repaired those basic building blocks and have created an environment in which love will thrive.

Thanksgiving leftover soup

So Thanksgiving was a few days ago , and if you are like me you are tired of turkey sandwiches and turkey tetrazini . This is my trusty old recipe for a delicious chicken gnocchi soup and I have found it highly adaptable for Turkey day leftovers.

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi soup

2 cups of diced chicken  (more if you prefer)

1 quart of half n half +

2 cups of milk

1 can of cream of mushroom

3 stalks of celery

1 yellow onion

3 cloves of garlic

Poultry seasoning

Garlic powder

Rosemary

Salt n pepper

1 cup of thin carrot sticks

Cornstarch

Potato gnocchi, found in pasta section

1 cup pan drippings or 1 can of chicken broth

Mix celery, garlic cloves, and onion in food processor, or chop really small. Sauté in pan with butter until it starts to bubble. In a small bowl, mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with ¼ cup of COLD water until dissolved. Add to celery mix and stir continuously until it thickens…keep stirring because it will burn. Slowly add the half n half and then milk. Add pan drippings or broth. Add carrots and then add the cream of mushroom and then the dry seasonings. Toss in the diced chicken. Allow the soup to simmer and in a separate dish bring a pot of water to boil. Add potato gnocchi and cook for 2-3 minutes. As soon as the gnocchi begins to float to the top move it to the soup pot. Allow to simmer for 20 minutes. Taste test and add salt if needed. Just before serving add 1 package of spinach.

To adapt this for Thanksgiving leftovers you can use turkey instead of chicken, obviously. You can also toss in any green bean casserole leftovers, fried onions and all. If you do this omit the can of mushroom soup. If you have corn casserole this can go in too..unless it has cornbread in it. mashed potatoes can be used also, it will make a thicker soup and change the taste to a more potatoey flavor but will still be delicious. pretty much anything with vegetables can be used, peas, carrots, etc. If you find your soup is getting to thick, simply add more half n half or milk until it is the desired consistency. If it is too liquidy then let it cook a little longer, as it will thicken as it cools. This recipe is very forgiving and can be experimented with.

Finally, top it all of with some Parmesan cheese. yum yum!!

crock pot Beer braised beef taco's

 

These are not your every day plain taco's. These are delicious homemade gourmet tacos  that will BLOW your mind.

Start with a 4-5 lb tough cut of beef like a brisket, or chuck. 

Place your beef in a crock pot fat side down. Make a few deep cuts into the meat. add a clove of garlic, a quarter of onion, and a pinch of cilantro into the cuts. Sprinkle the top with salt, pepper, and cumin. turn the meat over so that the fatty side is facing up. This will keep the beef moist. Generously Sprinkle the fat side with salt, pepper, a little chili powder, and cumin. Top with fresh chopped garlic, cilantro, and slices of onion. Now for the important part. Empty one bottle of  Dos Equis AMBER Lager into the crock pot.Even if you don't drink beer, or like this brand, use it anyways. The flavor will transfer onto the beef creating an amazingly unique taste! If you have never cooked with alcohol before, don't worry, the alcohol burns off, leaving only the flavor!

Allow the beef to roast in the crock pot on low for 7-8 hours or on high 4-5 hours. You will know it is ready when you stick a fork in it and it falls apart. If you can't easily pull it apart with a fork then it is not finished cooking.

Once you are ready to serve your tacos make sure you have the right toppings. Dice some onions, chop some fresh cilantro, dice some tomatoes and cut some limes into small wedges. Don't forget a dallop of daisy, sour cream that is! Ranchera sauce is good too if you can find or make some. The second most important part of THIS taco, besides the Dos Equis Beef, is the cheese. Cotija cheese is a Mexican crumbly cheese that has a texture very similar to Parmesan. You can find it in the Mexican cheese section at Wal-mart. The combination of the beer braised beef and the cotija cheese are what make this taco experience complete. once you have your meat and cheese add your favorite toppings. Squeeze a lime wedge over the taco

Serve with your favorite Mexican side dishes, I highly recommend  Mexican street corn (recipe found on pinterest)

Enjoy!!!

shampoo + young kids = big mess

My nearly 5 year old has been learning to take care of herself a lot over the last year, and one of the tasks she request to do "all by myself" is shampoo her own hair. After letting her do it and watching to make sure she was doing it right, I decided to allow her to take a shower alone. So of course she does what all 4 year olds do when left alone in the shower, she dumped her shampoo all over the place, wasting a brand new bottle.  After learning her lesson she still has a little trouble figuring out exactly how much shampoo is the right amount, not to mention the shampoo comes out of the bottle way to fast, sometimes even pouring more out than needed when I do it. I decided to find a way to save shampoo from the drain and teach my daughter the appropriate amount to use and the answer came to me when I was washing my hands. As I emptied out the last of my bath and body works sweet cinnamon pumpkin hand soap (leftover from last year) I couldn't help but notice that one squirt is the perfect amount of shampoo. I rinsed the dispenser and filled it with my daughters kid shampoo and told her to use one squirt only. Since integrating this system I have noticed a significant drop in shampoo waste and since pumping the shampoo takes so much time I know that she would not intentionally try to dump it all out. win for everyone.  =)

Chocolate Cupcakes with caramel filling and salted caramel frosting

Made some delicious cupcakes today for a family reunion. These cupcakes are very rich so I made mini cupcakes instead of normal size so no one would go into sugar overload.Here is the recipe I used, it's a mixture of several recipes from around the internet with a few of my own touches.

Ingredients

Cupcakes
1 box of chocolate cake mix
1 package of chocolate pudding mix
ingredients cake mix calls for, usually eggs,oil, etc

Filling
18-20 oz of caramel soft candies, I used 2 bags of Kraft caramel bits found n the bakery aisle near choc. chips.
6-7 table spoons of heavy cream or milk

Caramel butter-cream frosting
2 sticks of room temp butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
4-5 table spoons of heavy cream or milk
half of the caramel filling
 zip lock bag
 course sea salt
Directions

make the cupcakes first, they will need to cool. make as many cupcakes as your box mix will make, I got 4 dozen mini's out of it. Let the cupcakes cool. While the cupcakes are baking and cooling mix 1 bag of caramels with 3-4 table spoons of milk or cream. Microwave in 30 second increments and stir until the mixture is smooth. Set in refrigerator to cool. Beat the 2 sticks of room temp butter in a bowl for a minute or 2 until it is fluffy. slowly add the powdered sugar a little at a time. Add vanilla extract and liquid and mix until smooth.  Slowly add the caramel, be careful not to add too much if it is still warm as it will melt the icing. The mixture should be smooth, if it is still a little grainy add a little more liquid, a tablespoon at a time until it is right. refrigerate frosting until ready to use.

Mix up the other bag of candy and cream or milk. Use a butter knife to cut a hole in the top of each cupcake cutting in a cone shape. save tops in a bowl and set aside for later. Once the filling has cooled a little use a table spoon to drip filling into the open cupcakes. if the filling is too warm the cupcake will absorb it so be sure that it has cooled enough, but not so much they you can't work with it. After filling the cupcakes replace tops back on the cupcakes, covering the caramel filling.

Spoon the frosting into your zip lock bag and snip the corner, about 1/4 to 1/2 inch is good. Use the bag to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. they might not be the prettiest but they will be delicious. Sprinkle course sea salt over the top of cupcakes. Refrigerate for at least an hour, then enjoy!

Birthday Freebies

Yesterday was my birthday and I spent the day going around town getting free food from my favorite places. Most of these places require that you sign up for their email and they send you a coupon to print out and bring in for a free item. Others only require that you show your ID to prove it is your birthday. I have had some inquiries about birthday freebies so I will share a few of the local places to get free stuff. most of these are good for the week, or the month but a few are good only on your birthday.

Firehouse Subs- Just bring in your ID for a free medium sub, no purchase required
 arby's  - sign up here and get a free milk shake, they also send random offers throughout the year
Auntie Ann's - bogo pretzels
Bruster's - Bogo icecream
Captain D's- free dinner
Chili's- Show your ID for a free dessert
Denny's- Click denny's rewards at the bottom right and sign up for a free grand slam breakfast - 1 day only
Hooter's  - 10 free wings
IHOP-  free breakfast -good for one week
Moe"s - free entree
ruby tuesday - free hamburger
smoothie king -bogo smoothies
Sonic - your choice of slush, tots, or drink
Starbucks - register a GIFT CARD and receive a free drink
steak n shake -  free steakburger and cheese fries
Zaxby's - free meal deal


Local Deal
Sweet by holly - 2 free mini cupcakes

Miss holly has 2 locations, the coupon says waterford lakes locations but the St. Johns location will honor the coupon


This is not a complete list, many mainstream restaurants offer a free dessert or appetizer with coupon on your birthday, just register for their email on the website