I am starting to become a big, huge fan of my KitchenAid slow cooker. It took me awhile to appreciate the time saving value it could have in my life, but now that I know, I’m sold.

You can make everything, practically, in a slow cooker! Breakfast, lunch and dinner… and even a snack in between if you had enough slow cookers and cabinet space to keep them all going at the same time.

I’ve made full size chicken legs in the slow cooker before, and they turned out great. Ugly, but great. So, I decided I’d try to make some chicken wings in the slow cooker and with the use of the Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners, the chicken wings were perfection. They didn’t stick to the sides, they weren’t messy to clean up and they were low maintenance and delicious.

So now that I’m a HUGE slow cooker fan, tell me… what’s your favorite thing to cook in the slow cooker? I’d love to know!

Disclosure – I was hired on behalf of Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners to create a recipe using their product. All opinions expressed are my own.

As many of you are aware, the opening ceremonies for the 2012 Summer Olympic Games airs tonight. We are a big Olympic family and always look forward to gathering around the TV each day to watch our favorite Olympians compete for the gold.

The issue with the 2012 Olympics is it falls right, smack dab in the middle of our summer  family vacation. We’ll be either on the road or in the mountains without television access most of the time. We’ve all been wondering how we were going to keep up with the Olympics without television coverage?

Luckily, I did some exploring on my new Nokia Lumina 900 Windows Phone and quickly found several apps that will keep us up to date, even without TV coverage. And thanks to the genius design of the Windows Phone I was able to pin my favorite 2012 Olympic apps right to the front for easy access. (more…)

It’s that time of year again… the Earth Day and Picnic for the Planet 2012! Last year, a group of bloggers partnered with The Nature’s Conservacy to encourage you to celebrate this great earth by heading out for a lunch or dinner picnic.

This year, we’ve gathered together with giveaways at each blog to help you get your picnic started off on the right foot! To tempt your tastebuds, I have a tasty Picnic Chicken recipe for you to pack up and take on your outing.

When was the last time you went on a picnic? There are many opportunities this time of year when heading outside to enjoy what this great earth has to offer is as simple as packing up a lunch, grabbing a blanket and walking outside. Everywhere you turn, the beauty of spring surrounds us. Taking the time to enjoy a picnic outside gives you the chance to breathe in the true beauty of the earth. (more…)

Swanson’s chicken challenged me to create a recipe to solve the 5 o’clock dinner dilemma. My biggest challenge with dinnertime is to remember to set out the meat from the freezer. Nine times out of ten I have a plan, but if that plan requires simply removing the meat from the freezer, my mama brain goes mush and I forget until it’s time to begin making dinner!

When the microwave defrost button is even more than I have time for, I look into my pantry to see what alternatives there might be. A simple can of Swanson’s Premium Chunk Chicken can solve the dinner dilemma in a flash.

I created a Buffalo Chicken and Black Bean Wrap using Swanson’s Premium Chunk Chicken. I am a huge fan of wraps and my family is too. Everything seems to taste good when it is wrapped in a warm tortilla! The bit of heat provided by the wing sauce gives this wrap a grown up flavor, but kids love it too.

How do you solve the 5 O’Clock Dinner Dilemma?

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken and Black Bean Wrap

• 2  12.5 oz cans Swanson’s Premium Chunk Chicken, drained
• 1 16 oz can Bush’s Black Beans, drained
• 1/4 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce, mild
• 1/3 cup Ranch salad dressing
• 1 cup Dole Spring Salad mix
• 1/2 cup shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 8 flour tortilla, warmed

1. Heat chicken and black beans in a medium saucepan. Add Buffalo Wing Sauce and heat through.
2. Spread 1 tablespoon Ranch dressing on each tortilla. Add a small handful of spring salad mix and shredded cheddar cheese.
3. Spoon 1/4 cup of chicken and black bean mixture into tortilla. Wrap up, burrito style, and serve warm.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Swanson’s Premium Chunk Chicken. I was compensated for my time and ingredients. All opinions expressed are my own.

I used to not like chicken on the bone. In fact, was quite grossed out when it came to anything you had to pick up and gnaw off the bone. My world consisted of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and that was it.

A door opened up for me when I eventually tried what are now our favorite chicken legs. Since that discovery, I’ve talked about our favorite oven baked chicken legs a zillion and ten times on Dine & Dish. They are that good and make regular appearance on our dinner table. From chicken legs I graduated to chicken thighs – never ever thought I would say it, but boneless chicken thighs are probably one of my favorite pieces of chicken to cook with and eat now. Full of flavor and really so different than a chicken breast.

So now, I’ve gone all chicken crazy and have fallen in love with chicken wings. Again, something I never thought I would say, but these wings are so good. In fact, I made them on a night when my husband was traveling and ended up making the kids something else for dinner because I ate almost all of them!

I implore you to get off the chicken breasts only train and try some of these other cuts of chicken. You deserve it. Your tastebuds deserve it. You can thank me later.

Recipe: Oven Baked Chicken Wings with Sweet BBQ Sauce

For the sauce:

• 1 cup honey
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon Spanish paprika
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tablespoon mustard
• 1 ½ cups brown sugar
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 2 Family pack chicken wings (we prefer Smart Chicken)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients except the olive oil and chicken wings.
3. Line metal baking sheet with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil.
4. Pour barbecue sauce over chicken wings in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Seal tightly and shake until sauce is well distributed.
5. Arrange chicken wings with sauce on aluminum foil lined baking sheet.
6. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until crisp and cooked through.

I love these Chicken Wings and am linking them up at the I’m Loving It roundup over on TidyMom!

I know… I know… stop talking about the darn homemade pasta, right? I’m sorry! I just can’t help it. When I made homemade pasta for the first time last week, it was kind of a moment for me. I looked back at my Hamburger Helper days many moons ago and marveled at how far I had come. I mean, really… I was making homemade pasta. How cool is that?

So anyway, as much as I enjoyed just sitting around admiring the cute little fresh pasta shapes, I knew my family wouldn’t be thrilled with the pasta just being kitchen home decor. I needed to implement it into something that would feed their hungry bellies. Enter the booklet that came with the KitchenAid Pasta Attachment. I’ve always had a love for appliance booklet recipes. They tend to be some of the best of the best, in my opinion. This Rustic Baked Rigatoni is no exception… it is a simple recipe with a blend of flavors that don’t compete with each other. Instead, they compliment each other in the best way and give the fresh, homemade pasta its moment to shine!

I eliminated the Italian Sausage and made some other changes simply based on what I had on hand. I doubled the chicken to make up for the missing sausage.

Rustic Baked Rigatoni (From the KitchenAid Pasta Attachment Recipe Booklet)

• 1 tbs olive oil
• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, sliced into 1/4″ pieces
• 2 Italian sausage links, sliced diagonally into 1/4″ pieces
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 1 small green pepper, seeded and sliced (I used a yellow bell pepper)
• 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 14.5 ounce can petite diced tomatoes with juice
• 3/4 cup half & half
• 1/2 recipe basic egg noodle pasta, extruded into short cut rigatoni, cooked and drained
• 1/2 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese (we used cheddar)
• 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese (we used Parmesan)

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium  heat. Add chicken and sausage links and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic. Continue cooking and stirring until meat is completely cooked through and vegetables are tender, about 6-7 minutes. Add rosemary, cayenne pepper, and tomatoes. Stir well to combine and bring mixture to a simmer. Stir in half and haf and remove mixture from heat. Add cooked pasta and stir well to combine. Transfer mixture to a greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Romano cheeses. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until heated through. Serve immediately.

Old habits die hard… like my past habit of only eating boneless skinless chicken breasts. I never even considered using any other kind of chicken…EVER. Then, as I explained in a previous post, I made an accidental purchase that changed my chicken loving ways for good. Through one fateful mishap in my shopping cart, I became…a chicken thigh fan.

I know that some of you are repulsed and grossed out. I know this because I was once you…all chicken snobby and selective. Let me tell you something, my friends. Don’t knock the chicken thigh lovers until you give the chicken thigh a try.

The boneless, skinless chicken thigh has rapidly become my favorite choice of chicken meat. In fact, I have a whole bag of boneless skinless chicken breasts in my freezer that I now dread using! The flavor of the chicken thigh is far superior.

From my first experience making Spicy Honey Chicken Thighs to my most recent endeavor with Teriyaki Chicken Thighs, boneless chicken thighs have made a place in our home and on our dinner table. Join the dark side, why don’t you? Give the boneless skinless chicken thigh a little recipe love.. I promise… you’ll have a hard time going back once you do!

Remember to give our sponsor this week, Quaker Oats, a little love. Find out how they are giving back to the American Heart Association in my previous post and enter to win a $250ARV prize pack! Details here.

Recipe: Oven Baked Teriyaki Chicken Thighs (adapted from AllRecipes.com)

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 12 skinless chicken thighs

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the cornstarch, cold water, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, garlic, and ground black pepper. Let simmer, stirring frequently, until sauce thickens and bubbles.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
3. Using scissors, remove any pieces of fat from each chicken thigh. Place chicken pieces in a 9×13 inch baking dish sprayed with Pam cooking spray. Pour 1/2 half of the sauce over the chicken, brushing each piece so it is coated.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn pieces over, pour on remaining sauce, and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear.

One of my very first posts many moons ago on Dine & Dish was about how I don’t “do” snow. I’m not a fan. I think it’s pretty and all, but I’d rather sit in by the fire, snuggled up with a good book, looking out on it falling gently on the trees rather than being outside with the snow falling on me.

That attitude was the old me. After a phone conversation last night with my friend DeAnn as we were discussing our personal Happiness Projects, it kind of hit me that I have one chance at this life I’ve been given. As much as I hope I can be reincarnated someday as a Glee cast member, I have to be mindful that as far as I know, today is my one and only chance to live today. I have one chance to be the best mom I can be to my kids… to make the most of the memories and days we have together.

So today, outside of my normal snow hating character, I got bundled up with the kids and we headed outside into the most beautiful Kansas snowfall I have seen in a very long time. And not just once… twice I did this! For hours at a time! We had a fantastic time, I shoveled our driveway and sidewalk with the help of a good friend, and then we all came inside to warm up with hot chocolate. Picture perfect, memory making kind of day… and had I not stepped out of my old self and into my new self, I would have totally missed out on being present with my kids during such a fun time.

Part of my Happiness Project is to focus on being present, and with that comes me actively being a part of my family’s life. Not just sitting on the sidelines, but jumping in, getting off my butt, and being among their chaos.

This is also part of my Eat. Live. Be. initiative. You all were so fantastic last week with my nakedness and I hated to think of letting you down. Each time I almost flubbed on my Weight Watchers points, your positive comments came into my head and I got myself in control… most of the time. I had some slip ups but I also did a pretty darn good job of keeping on track. I exercised every day, which for me is unheard of. I drank a ton of water, which again… I’m the Diet Dr Pepper queen, so this is a huge improvement. Most importantly, I was present and mindful of what I was putting into my body and attempted to stay clear of mindless eating. Thank YOU for supporting me, watching me and helping me along this journey!  (I’m down 2.8 pounds this week from 180.9 to 178.1!)

Finally, I made the most delicious roast chicken, adapted from a recipe in the January 2011 issue of Martha Stewart Living Magazine. Served over a salad of mixed greens and Honey Mustard Vinaigrette Salad Dressing (still a fave of ours), this chicken made me feel like I was “cheating”, it was truly that delicious. An added bonus it that this one chicken was able to be stretched into multiple meals. Gotta love that! (Oh – and ignore the extra black roasted crispies and potatoes on the cookie sheet…. we kind of like our roasted potatoes well done around here!)

Hope you all had a great week! Can’t wait to read your updates.

Recipe: Crisp-Skinned Chicken with Roasted Potatoes (Adapted from Martha Stewart Living Magazine, Jan 2011)

• 6 redpotatoes, quartered
• Coarse salt
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 whole chicken (about 4 1/2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoon butter, softened
• 3 cloves garlic, minced

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cook potatoes in salted boiling water until tender, 11 to 13 minutes. Drain. Return potatoes to pot, and shake over low heat to dry and fluff. Coat with oil, and season with salt.
2. Mix together 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the cornstarch (this was new to me, and really made a huge difference in the flavor and crispness of the chicken!). Pat chicken dry with paper towels. Combine minced garlic and softened butter. Rub skin with butter, and season with salt mixture. Rub the inside of the cavity as well.
3. Place chicken, breast side up on sprayed baking sheet and tuck wings under. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Scatter potatoes around chicken. Roast for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, and flip potatoes. Return to oven, rotating sheet. Roast until chicken juices run clear and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes more. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before serving.

I’m sharing a very special recipe with you today. I told you about my mom’s recipe for Spaghetti and Meatballs a few weeks ago. Her homemade Chicken and Noodle recipe is the other meal that feels like home. It’s one of those that I don’t remember loving as much growing up, but when I’m having one of those days that I want my “mommy” it is the food that I want for comfort… You know, ladies, what kind of day I’m talking about? When you want to crawl in bed under your favorite blanket, give up your motherhood responsibilities for the day and have your mom take care of you? This meal is the be all and end all of comfort food.

This is not a soup recipe. It is a thick, hearty meal served best over homemade mashed potatoes. Budget friendly and incredibly easy, once you try this delicious meal, you’ll certainly have requests for it to be in your mealtime rotation time and time again.

Recipe: My Mom’s Chicken and Noodles as shared by my mom, Pat Wogan

• 1 Whole Chicken
• Dash of salt
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 48oz box Swanson’s Low Sodium Chicken Broth

Place the chicken in a large stock pot (I use my 7 1/4 Le Creuset Dutch Oven). Add water until it is covering the entire chicken. Add a dash of salt, bay leaves and chicken broth. Boil over medium high heat until the chicken (when tested in the thigh) reaches a temperature of 180 degrees. Remove the bay leaves and the chicken from the broth. Allow the chicken to cool then debone adn remove the skin from the chicken and tear the meat into bite size pieces. (I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs when I made this recently, and they worked well. The broth wasn’t as good as when I’ve used a whole chicken, but for those of you who don’t like to deal with whole chickens (hand raised) chicken thighs were a fine substitute.

For the noodles

• Eggs
• 1 Tsp Salt
• Flour

This is where you can customize the recipe for how large or small of a group you are serving. For every 1/2 cup of flour you will need 1 egg. So, to serve my family of 6, I use 4 eggs and 2 cups of flour.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk your eggs. Add the salt and whisk again. Next, add the flour. Stir the mixture with a fork until flour is completely incorporated and the dough is stiff.

Flour a large bread board / cutting board heavily. Dump your dough mixture out onto the floured board. Knead additional flour into the dough. Unlike pie crust (you don’t want to work pie crust too much) you want to continue to add flour to the dough until it is thick and smooth in texture. Just work with it and use your instincts.

Roll out the dough (again… make sure your board is well floured so your noodles won’t stick) until very thin. Once your dough is rolled out, using a pizza cutter, slice your dough into thin vertical strips. Make a couple of slices horizontally until your noodles are a desired size (in the picture above, I had very long noodles… I probably should have cut them in thirds instead of just halved. I also could have rolled them out to be even thinner).

Return your pot of broth and water to a boil. Once boiling, add your noodles to the pot, one at a time, stirring so they don’t stick together. Once all of your noodles are in the pot, reduce the heat, add your chicken pieces back to the pot and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve over mashed potatoes with the noodles, chicken and broth. Enjoy!

We have started something new at our house that has made a significant difference in mealtime. It has been one very small change that has made a huge impact.

We have started serving our meals family style. See, mealtimes prior, my husband and I would get all of the plates filled and ready before we sat down to dinner. We’d cut up meat, spoon on the veggies, butter the bread…all before we even sat down at the dinner table. It just seemed easier, or so I thought, to get everything all ready for the six of us so that when it was time to eat, that’s what we did.

What I didn’t realize was that by getting the plates ready, I was first of all causing dinner to be rushed. We were missing out on the meandering part of passing the food around the table. I was also taking the control out of the hands of my children. Now, they serve themselves which means they are responsible for taking only the amount that they will eat, knowing that they can usually later get seconds if they are available. They are also learning some very good new table manners…how to pass the food, how to wait until everyone is served before they begin eating and the great lesson of politely asking someone to pass something across the table.

I know it sounds so simple, but this change has truly turned what was once a hectic, rushed, chow fest into a longer, enjoyable, conversational meal. We’ve reached a place where mealtime is finally what I had always hoped for as a mom – a gathering place for my family to laugh, eat, converse and enjoy.

In virtual family style, this past Sunday I joined some  fellow bloggers in “Sunday Supper” where we all cooked something from the wonderful cookbook Perfect One-Dish Dinners by fellow blogging friend, Pam Anderson. If you are thinking Baywatch, switch gears and think Pam Anderson from the Best-Selling cookbook The Perfect Recipe. Pam has been cooking for her family and friends for many years and has created some wonderful recipes perfect to pass around your table. In her newest cookbook, Perfect One-Dish Dinners Pam “serves up dozens of one dish wonders perfect for every occasion and any time of year.”

I made the meal that instantly caught my eye upon first perusal of Pam’s book… Shells and Cheese for Everyone, Pulled Barbecue Chicken Sliders and the PLT Salad (Prosciutto Lettuce Tomato). (The Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats will grace our table on another day.) I’m going to share the Barbecue Chicken Sliders recipe with you, but will only tempt you with a photo of the mac and cheese which has to be one of the best shells and cheese dishes I have ever had. I strongly encourage you to go pick up Pam’s book so you can get this recipe and try it out for yourself. Amazing….

For a list of other bloggers who have participated in the Sunday Supper, please see below the recipe for a list. You’ll get several chances to sneak a peek at the other wonderful recipes in this must have cookbook!

Recipe: Pulled Barbecue Chicken Sliders from Perfect One-Dish Dinners by Pam Anderson

I followed Pam’s recipe except omitted the pickles as we aren’t big pickle eaters. Since I absolutely love King Hawaiian rolls when I use them for the Oven Ham Sammies recipe I love, I used them in this recipe and it was a huge hit! I can imagine passing these out the next time the guys are over watching football.

• 1 package (24) small party rolls
• 2 cups shredded rotisserie or other cooked chicken
• 3/4 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
• 24 dill pickle slices

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Break rolls into individual buns and split in half horizontally. Mix chicken and barbecue sauce in a medium bowl. Top each roll bottom with a heaping tablespoon of pulled chicken and a pickle slice and cap each with  roll top. Place rolls on a baking sheet and bake until warmed through, about 8 minutes. Serve.

Sunday Supper Participants – Check them all out for a glimpse of other great recipes from Pam’s book!
DadCooksDinner.com
RecipeGirl.com
ArtofGlutenFreeBaking.com
KitchenGadgetGirl.com
MyBakingAddiction.com
Wenderly.com
BluebonnetsandBrownies.com
TheSensitivePantry.com
WhatsCookingBlog.com
TwoPeasandTheirPod.com
WhatsGabyCooking.com
Bellalimento.com
SmithBites.com
MyFavoriteEverything.com
FoodForMyFamily.com
SavoringTheThyme.com
Ivoryhut.com
DineAndDish.net
GlutenFreeGirl
Picky-Palate.com
TickledRed
SheWearsManyHats.com
WhatWereEating.com
ThisWeekForDinner.com
SugarCrafter.net
GoodLifeEats.com
LaFujiMama.com

LaPommeDePortland.com

SteamyKitchen.com