Maple BBQ Pulled Chicken

Last post, I talked about pulled chicken. I haven't shared the recipe yet, so here it is.

Such a sad picture

I don't trust slow cookers. Not that I don't trust them to do their work. I don't trust leaving the house with a slow cooker on all day. Call me cautious. Call me paranoid. I just don't want to have to call the fire dept while I'm at work.

I don't own a slow cooker. Instead, I have this multi-cooker/deep fryer/steamer/electric pot thing. I can pretty much cook whatever I want. I got the brilliant idea of using it as a slow cooker. I can control the temp from 200F-350F (or was it 400F?). I decided one lazy Sunday afternoon, I would throw everything into the pot and cook on 200F. It worked, except instead of taking 6+ hours, it only took 2, so dinner was ready super early.

I've made pulled chicken at least three times now, once for my family who visited and twice for myself. I take the leftovers to work all week. Great on buns, in tortillas, and in spinach salads. I used McCormick's roasted spices and fresh jalapenos from my garden.

As you can see, I didn't take many pictures. I was just too hungry.

Maple BBQ Pulled Chicken

Three bone-in chicken pieces (I used leg and thigh)
1 large yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
3 jalapeno pepppers
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp ginger
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 tsp fish sauce
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Chop onion, garlic, and jalapeno peppers. Add those and everything but the chicken into your cooker. Stir to mix. Turn the heat on.

2. While heating up, remove the skin and fat from the chicken pieces. Put into your cooker and cover with sauce.

3. Let cook for a few hours. Flip the chicken every hour or two and keep them covered in sauce. The chicken is done when it's falling off of the bone.

4. Remove chicken from the sauce and turn off the heat. Take a slotted spoon and go through the sauce, making sure no bones were left behind. Once cool enough to handle (or use forks), shred the chicken and place back into the sauce. It should still be hot at this point, but turn the heat back on if needed. Serve on buns.

Recipe (and a better description) can be found at Choosy Beggars.

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Stuffed French Toast

"For every failure, there's an alternative course of action. You just have to find it. When you come to a roadblock, take a detour." - Mary Kay Ash

Sorry I haven't been responding very well online, both blogging and email. I'm just trying to get through one day at a time, hoping one day I'll wake up and the sun will be shining. Until then, I'm on a very long detour to my destination. I'm also open for any motivational quotes because I can never find any when I need them lol

ANYWAY

Almost two months ago, McCormick sent me a toolkit and recipes to try. Easter morning, I tried their stuffed french toast, which is a great recipe when you want something special for breakfast. Pretty much it's a cross between a grilled cheese and french toast when it comes to making it. You spread the filling on bread, put it together like a sandwich, dip it in egg mixture, and cook in the skillet. The original recipe called for apricot preserves or jam, but I used blackberry jam since that's what we had in the fridge.

Stuffed French Toast



8 oz cream cheese
1 Tbsp brown sugar
3 tsp cinnamon, divided
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, divided
16 slices bread
1/2 cup preserves or jam
5 eggs
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter, divided

1. Mix cream cheese, sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla in small bowl until well-blended. Spread mixture evenly onto half the bread slices. Spread jam on the other slices. Put the halves together and make 8 sandwiches.

2. In another bowl, beat eggs. Stir in milk, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Dip each sandwich into the egg mixture and drip off any excess.

3. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in skillet. Cook each sandwich a few minutes per side or until golden brown. Use remaining Tbsp butter if you need it.

Makes 8 servings.

Source: McCormick

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I Think She Enjoys Cheese TOO Much...

Emer, when I go home and see a block of cheese, I shall think of you. You sure do love cheese. That is why you decided to eat fried cheese for dinner. Silly Irish girl.

Mozzarella in Carrozza




Emer decided to try one of Nigella Lawson's recipes. She found the recipe at About.com. Her final thoughts on it: "It is an easy recipe, good for a quick lunch or even party food with different dips. One for the cheese lovers."

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