Firecracker Chicken

I love a good chicken recipe. This one's not too complicated and has a nice kick to it. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• ¼ cup canola oil
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• Salt
• pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• Sauce:
• ⅓ cup buffalo sauce (if you like more heat use hot sauce, like Frank's brand)
• 1¼ cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon water
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and season with salt and pepper.
2. In separate bowls, place cornstarch and slightly beaten eggs. Dip chicken into cornstarch then coat in egg mixture. I have also found that you can put the cornstarch in a gallon sized bag and shake the chicken to coat.
3. Heat canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken until browned. Place the chicken in a 9 x 13 greased baking dish.
4. In a medium sized mixing bowl, buffalo sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, water, salt and red pepper flakes. Pour over chicken and bake for 1 hour.
5. I stirred the chicken every 15 minutes so that it coated them in the sauce.

I love the flavor of this because while it has buffalo sauce in it, (and that's what gives it the kick) the buffalo flavor isn't overpowering like it often can be. It's a good mixture of sweet and spicy. I was surprised at the long cooking time but it wasn't a problem. I definitely recommend it!

Muffin Tin Cheeseburgers

This meal is sort of strange, but a really fun way to mix things up. My family loved them! The creator of the recipe says they sort of taste like McDonalds, and then when I tasted it I actually knew exactly what she meant. Ha! Don't let that scare you too much though - they're pretty good! Here's the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter, melted
• 6 regular-size burger buns, split
• 3 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ cup diced yellow onion
• ½ teaspoon seasoned salt
• 4 tablespoons ketchup
• 6 slices American cheese, each cut in four pieces
• Optional toppings: dill pickle relish, yellow mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Brush 12 regular-size muffin cups with melted butter. Press half of a bun, cut side up, into each muffin cup.
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat and transfer to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Discard drippings in pan. Add beef and onion to the skillet; heat to medium-high heat. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring frequently, until beef is brown. Drain.
3. Divide beef mixture evenly among muffin cups and top each with 1 teaspoon ketchup. Top each one with cheese.
4. Bake 5-7 minutes or until cheese is melted. Immediately top with cooked bacon, followed by whatever toppings you want (relish, mustard, pickles, lettuce, tomato).

These were pretty easy to make and my husband and kids loved them. I added tomatoes, bacon, and a pickle to mine. I'll definitely make them again!

Turkey Arugula Wraps

I loooove a good wrap. The recipes for them are normally easy, so I've been trying to get more of them lately. This is one I tried a long long time ago and just never got around to posting. I've made it a few times since then and I love it every time. My husband doesn't love the pears in it, but I do! (Sometimes I'll sub in tomatoes for him instead.) Here's the recipe: (this recipe is for 1 so you'll probably want to double/triple/whatever it)

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup arugula
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 8-inch whole-wheat tortilla
1/4 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
1 tablespoon feta cheese
3 slices roast turkey
1/4 pear, sliced
1 teaspoon dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS

1. Place the arugula in a bowl and toss with the lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
2. Spread one whole-wheat tortilla with the mustard, then top with the crumbled feta cheese.
3. Lay roast turkey on top of cheese- and mustard-topped tortilla; top with slices of pear.
4. Cover pear with arugula, sprinkle with dried cranberries, and roll tightly. Secure wrap with a toothpick and slice into two.

Super healthy and delicious! Plus it's easy to make extra for lunch the next day. And I love that you can sub out ingredients to fit your preference.

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

I am always looking for a good broccoli cheese soup recipe. This is one of my favorites. Partially because it involves using the crock pot, but I promise it tastes good too. ;-) Here's the recipe:

Slow Cooker Broccoli Cheese Soup

January 17, 2016 0

PREP TIME:

5 Minutes

DIFFICULTY:

Easy

COOK TIME:

4 Hours

SERVINGS:

12 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound Frozen Broccoli Florets
• 1 whole Medium Onion, Diced
• 2 whole Carrots, Finely Diced
• 5 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
• 2 cans Cream Of Celery Soup
• 1/4 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt, More To Taste
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1-1/2 pound Velveeta
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

Add the broccoli, onion, carrots, chicken broth, cream of celery soup, seasoned salt, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to the slow cooker. Stir, place on the lids, and set the slow cooker on high for 4 hours.

After 4 hours use an immersion blender or masher to puree 3/4 of the soup. (If you use a regular blender, blend only 1 cup at a time and use extreme caution.) Add the cheese, turn the slow cooker to low, and place on the lid for 15 minutes.

Stir to melt the cheese and mix it in. Taste the soup and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Serve warm! Soup keeps great in the fridge for a couple of days.

This is not the healthiest version of this soup, but it IS my husband's favorite, and I agree that it's really good. And easy! I will definitely use it again.

Spinach and Artichoke Ravioli Bake

I love anything spinach/artichoke related, so this sounded really yummy. Then I saw that there was also pesto in it and I got nervous. I also love pesto, but combining it with spinach/artichoke definitely seemed weird. Turns out that there was no reason be worried - it was delicious! Here's the recipe:

PREP TIME

10 mins

COOK TIME

35 mins

TOTAL TIME

45 mins

Author: The Cooking Jar

Serves: 6

INGREDIENTS

• 5 oz. fresh baby spinach, chopped
• 1 can (16 oz.) artichoke hearts, diced
• 2 tablespoons pesto
• 2 cups Alfredo sauce
• ¼ cup vegetable/chicken broth
• 25 oz. frozen ravioli
• 1 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine spinach, artichoke and pesto and mix well
2. In a separate bowl, combine Alfredo sauce and broth
3. Spread ⅓ of the Alfredo sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish
4. Top with half the spinach mixture
5. Lay half the ravioli in a single layer over the spinach
6. Repeat layers once more
7. Finish up with the remaining ⅓ Alfredo sauce
8. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes
9. Sprinkle with cheeses and broil at 450 degrees for 3-5 minutes
10. Dish and serve hot

NOTES

Alfredo sauce (2 cups):
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

Instructions:
Over medium low heat, melt the butter and pour in the heavy cream. Stir to combine
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Add the Parmesan cheese in portions and stir to mix

I just used store bought Alfredo sauce to save time. I can't remember for the life of me what kind of ravioli I used! I think maybe a beef kind? Or maybe just cheese. Sheesh. I don't think it matters too much though.

And like I said, this is good! It also makes great leftovers!