Slow Cookers: A love story.

 Do you know what my favorite kitchen gadget is? My crock pot. Absolutely, 100% without a doubt, I could not live without it. Don't get me wrong, I have some pretty handy gadgets. I have a mandolin that lets me slice my fruits and veggies. I even have my own dehydrator! Still, without the crock pot, food just wouldn't taste as good.

If you use a crock pot, and by use I do not mean own one but it sits in the cabinet all the time, I'm sure you understand me completely. But if not, please allow me to explain myself. No other kitchen gadget allows you to dump all of your ingredients, including RAW chicken, into a pot and then forget about it for 4-8 hours. I love that I can prep everything the night before and then wake up just 10 minutes earlier (AKA 4:20am) to put everything in my crock pot and come home to delicious smells awaiting me. It's so nice to know that when I've worked all day and then sweated myself out at the gym that I don't have to do any additional work to eat. Another perk? You can make things that may seem really difficult with no trouble at all. Like pulled pork. Mmm...I love me some BBQ but very few people own their own smoker, I know I don't. Good thing I don't need one! All I have to do is pick out my pork shoulder, season it with a little salt and peppers and toss it in that crock pot with a wee bit of water. 8 hours later I walk in the door and my hardest decision is what sauce to use. Seriously guys, I could go on and on about why slow cookers are so great.

Now take this love and couple with it the fact that I can make recipes that fit into my diet and you have a match made in heaven.  That's what today's recipe is! I don't remember when or how but a while ago I discovered SkinnyMs on Pinterest. So many of her recipes look amazing and she has an entire section of her website dedicated to slow cooker recipes. This is where I found Slow Cooker Polynesian Chicken. It was so easy to make and is quite yummy paired with some brown rice. My secret? Make extra rice so that when you go to store your leftovers you can store them on a bed of rice. This will allow the sauce to soak in to the rice and the next time you eat it, it'll be even better than the first!

Now that you know how crazy I am for loving a kitchen gadget, I'll leave you with the recipe!

What you'll need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 20oz can of pineapple chunks in juice
2 Tbsp lite soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp freshly grated ginger - just buy the root! The flavor is so much better than powder.
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp cornstarch

What you do:

1. Drain pineapple juice into a bowl and add the soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger. Whisk to combine. Add cornstarch and whisk until combined.
2. Put chicken in crock pot, then add pineapple. Pour liquid mixture over everything and cook on low 4-5 hours. Add the bell pepper for the last 15 minutes and cook.

WASN'T THAT EASY?!?!?!
Lauren

Cinnamon Rolls - A labor of love!

Happy Valentines Day/Singles Awareness Day! Hopefully whichever one you were observing was a good day. 

Mine was, even though it was the later of the two. I started the day off by taking some delicious homemade cinnamon rolls and bacon over to the boys for breakfast. Making these rolls was quite the experience. I actually had to spread the process out over the course of a few days because there was no way in hell I was getting up at 4 am this morning so the dough could rise! Instead I made the dough Tuesday night, then rolled it, made the filling and assembled the rolls last night. All I had to do this morning was let them return to room temperature and then bake them! 

After breakfast it was off to the doctor for a follow up appointment which we'll discuss in another blog...later. That was followed by lunch with my Kappa Kappa Psi family where I finally got to give them their Cupid's Crunch! Good thing too, it was getting awfully tempting sitting there on my counter. 

Once I got back to my place, the real fun began! I quickly got some dinner together in the crock pot, once again to be blogged later. Armed with a bottle of Barefoot Red Moscato I went to work watching Magic Mike and the Amazing Spiderman. Somewhere in there my nails ended up painted :) 

All in all, a good day off. Everyone needs those days once in a while where they just don't do anything and today was mine! I guess I'll go ahead and post that cinnamon roll recipe now! I know that's what y'all came here for anyway!

What you'll need:

Dough Ingredients

1 packet active dry yeast

1/2 tsp honey

1/8 cup warm water

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/4 cup honey

1/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

1 egg

3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

Filling Ingredients

1 cup honey

1 tbsp molasses

1/4 cup whole wheat flour

2 tbsp cinnamon

What you do:

1. Pour yeast into a large mixing bowl and mix in the warm water and 1/2 tsp of honey. Allow to sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add milk, honey, salt, oil, egg and whisk until combined.

3. Stir in flour until it becomes to thick to stir. Knead by hand until you have a firm ball of dough. Your dough will be SUPER sticky at first, just keep kneading.

4. Coat dough in thin layer of oil and set in the bowl. Cover with a towel and let stand 1 hour.

5. Punch down dough, re-cover and let sit another hour.

6. Punch down dough, cover and allow it to sit while you mix the filling.

7. Blend all filling ingredients together. 

8. Roll dough out on a floured surface, in to a rectangle. Trim ends of dough, place in the middle and roll them in until dough is desired shape and thickness. 

9. Pour the filling mixture in to the center of the dough and spread, make sure it only touches 3 of the 4 edges. The edge with some space needs to be on a long side. 

10. Roll up the dough, jelly roll style, and seal the dough by rubbing some water on that uncoated edge and then pressing it in to the roll. Cut the roll into individual rolls and place each one in an oiled baking vessel. Leave a little room around the rolls so they can rise. 

11. Cover with a towel and let rise one last hour. 

12. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes. If you want nuts on top, add them now and bake. 

They are delicious! I hope you enjoy!

Lauren

Neapolitan Bars

Hello readers, happy hump day! You've made it to that halfway point in your work week! Not me!!! Tomorrow is my day off! The first one in ten days, might I add. I'm super pumped, I have a pretty full day planned and some plans tonight!

What?! I have a social life? Where did that come from?

Anyway, it's time I shared with you the last of my Valentines Day treats Gooey Neapolitan Bars. These were not my favorite. Don't get me wrong, they were delicious but mine came out way more like cake and not like the bars pictured from the original blogger. I think if I were to make them again I would follow the directions I used to the White Chocolate Cookie Bars. That being said, here's how I made them the first time.

What you'll need:

1 box of your preferred strawberry cake mix

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1 cup mini marshmallows - I ended up using waaaaay more than that...

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 cup valentines candy - I went with M&Ms 

 What you do:

1. Oven = 350. Pan = 9x13, foil-lined and greased.

2. Combine the cake mix, oil and eggs. Spread in the pan and bake for 10 minutes. I wasn't happy with how done mine was so I went 15.

3. Quickly spread the marshmallows on and bake again for 5-6 minutes. I think I did mine for 10...

4. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle on the remaining ingredients. Mine was not done at this point so I popped it back in the oven, toppings and all.

5. Allow to cool completely before cutting. I tried to use a heart shaped cutter on mine. It worked but it's kind of hard to tell they're hearts...

 The perks to using a cookie cutter? All those awkward shaped edges, as pictured below. Yes, that is my fork.

I hope you all have a great day. I'm off to take my little out for drinks and dessert in celebration of her 21st birthday! I'm so        

                                                                excited to give her her present. I'll be sure to post pictures!

Love always,

Lauren

Fat Tuesday and White Chocolate Valentines Day Cookie Bars

Happy Fat Tuesday! Boy oh boy do I have a recipe to make you fat!!! Okay, the point of Fat Tuesday isn't to get fat, it's just one last hurrah before we buckle down for Lent, but let's face it we're going to get fat today.
I want to introduce you to the most delicious thing I've made in a while: White Chocolate Cookie Bars. These are sooooo good. It's a good thing I made them to give to other people because I seriously could've sat with the pan and a fork and eaten the ENTIRE thing with no regrets.

What you're going to need:

1 box of your preferred White Cake mix

1 egg

1 stick of butter - I used 8 Tbsp of I Can't Believe...

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup white chocolate chips

1 bag M&M's

 What you do:

1. Mix the cake mix, egg and butter in your mixer until it forms a delicious looking dough. See left.

2. Spread the dough in to a foil-lined AND greased 9x13. Unless your dough turns SUPER STICKY like mine and you cheat and use a 9x9.

3. Dump the bag of M&M's all over that bad boy. Repeat with the white chocolate chips. Finally, drench the whole thing with the milk.
4. Bake at 350 for 25-35 minutes. Allow to cool completely (hahahahaha) before cutting. 

Since I used a 9x9, I didn't use the entire bag of M&Ms or the entire can of milk. These bars are so good, I couldn't resist sampling a little bit. The picture below is the only piece I kept for myself.
Want to know a secret? I stuck that piece in the fridge and ate it today, and it was EVEN BETTER than the freshly cooled little sample bites I had. Definitely worth it to wait my friends.

So there you have it, White Chocolate Cookie Bars. Just like Cupid's Crunch this recipe is easily customize-able for whatever holiday you're celebrating. Heck, you could even switch the M&Ms out for some other small candy. Reese's Pieces anybody? Maybe with chocolate cake mix instead of white? So many delicious possibilities.


In case you were wondering, I did decide to go with giving up "processed" foods for lent. I went through my pantry earlier this afternoon and put everything I wasn't allowed to have in a box, which is now in my storage closet! I was actually amazed at how many different types of cookies I had hidden in there. Amazed, but not surprised...I'm currently making sure I enjoy the last of my Blue Bell ice cream :)


















Thanks for reading!
Lauren

Cupid's Crunch

Last night was ridiculous. On top of my normal Sunday workout and grocery shopping, I decided to make THREE Valentines Day treat recipes. What got in to me?! Oh wait, I know...wine.

Since I'm lazy and don't want to think up multiple blog topics, I'm doing a blog on each recipe I made! Tonight's is Cupid's Crunch. I want you to imagine puppy chow for a minute. Now picture it as that sweet girl from high school that everyone loved. Cupid's Crunch is her hot older brother! Okay, maybe that's a bit drastic, but you get the point. Cupid's Crunch is everything you love about puppy chow (chocolate, candy of some kind...) but on a salty base of popcorn and pretzels instead of cereal! Genius! Salty and sweet all in one!

Just like his adorable sister, Cupid's Crunch is super easy to make. I got my recipe here but all you need is:


2 cups pretzels - broken into pieces
Popcorn - I used two 100 calorie serving bags
12oz candy melts - any color, I went with pink
Candy of your choice - I did Valentines Day themed M&Ms
Sprinkles - I went with hearts

How to make it:
1. Pop popcorn and mix with pretzel pieces and M&Ms in a large bowl. Set aside.
2. Melt the candy in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between.
3. Stir 1/2-2/3 of the melted candy melts into the popcorn mixture until evenly coated.
4. Spread mixture onto wax or parchment paper.
5. Drizzle remaining melted candy over top and then coat with sprinkles to your heart's desire.
6. Allow the candy to harden completely, at least 20 minutes, before breaking in to chunks and storing in an air-tight container.

Wasn't that simple?! What I love about this recipe is that you can easily change it to fit whatever holiday you're celebrating! Cupid's Crunch, Leprechaun Loot, Easter Bunny Bait, I could go on and on.

Come back tomorrow for more treats!! 

Love always,

Lauren 

Lent

I don't know if you've realized this, but Lent is next week. I knew it was soon, but man! It snuck up on me! According to Google, this year Lent is from February 13th to March 30th. Seems kind of unfair that it is starting the day before Valentines day...especially if you were going to give up chocolate. Rethinking that one now? I know I am...hahaha

But seriously, I actually look forward to Lent each year. Not because I consider myself deeply religious, but because I love a challenge. There is just something so rewarding to me when I make it all the way to the end successfully. That being said, I have to make sure whatever I choose to fast from will actually be a challenge. It's not even worth it if it's not difficult! I actually have a few ideas for this year and while I'm leaning in one direction, I'm still unsure. Maybe telling you about them will help me to decide?

1. Giving up meat.

Yep, you read that right. Being a vegetarian for six whole weeks may sound daunting, but I don't think it's that bad. There are tons of vegetarian recipes out there, and it can be a very healthy lifestyle. This biggest reason I wouldn't do this one is that I've done it before, a few times actually. 

2. Giving up gluten.

I know what you're thinking..."Wait, didn't she write a blog about giving up gluten being silly?". Yes, yes I did, and I still stand by what I said. However, I live a very healthy (most of the time at least) lifestyle and would not be giving gluten up as a diet to lose weight. That is where I have the biggest issue with people who are gluten free. I do think that giving up gluten would be a very challenging task for me though, making it very appealing.

3. Giving up chocolate.

Let's face it, I LOVE DESSERT. I have a major sweet tooth and I seriously crave chocolate all the time. This would be pretty hard for me, but I feel like I would just find some other form of dessert to replace the chocolate. That would kind of defeat the purpose...

4. Giving up processed foods.

First of all, I should specify what I mean by "processed foods" because let's be honest, milk is a processed food and there is no way I'm giving that up! I would be giving up anything that I could make at home. So milk, cheese, yogurt, all don't count but things like protein bars, peanut butter and salad dressing would. I would also give up convenience items like canned or frozen fruits or vegetables. I really think this is the one I want to go with, and honestly the only thing holding me back is that I'll be visiting my dad halfway through Lent and I don't want to inconvenience him as far as what we eat. It would definitely help me try some awesome-looking new recipes though! Like this or these : D

If you have any thoughts/suggestions/concerns/whatever, I'd love to hear them! Anything to help me decide haha!

As always, thanks for reading!

Lauren     

Back in the Saddle Again

Wow...it has been over a week since I've blogged...

Bad Lauren!

Looking back, I'd like to say it's because I've been super busy with my life but honestly, it's because I'm super lazy.

Surprised? Yeah me neither...

I have some ideas for new blogs, like: what I'm giving up for lent, what tasty treats I'll be making for valentines day and one that's about more serious issues, but for now I think I'll just recap what's happened to me recently/whatever pops into my head.

You know how I know I'm getting "old"? I had ONE beer with my pizza tonight and my head is fuzzy...it's sad.

Fun Fact: I learned that my year anniversary with MP3 Farms is in 16 days! I cannot believe it's been that long already...

Ooh! In 18 days I'll be on vacation for 5 WHOLE DAYS! I mean, I'm just going to Cincinnati, to see my dad, nothing too thrilling, but I don't have to deal with pigs for 5 days! I should specify, pigs = coworkers. Haha, I know it's a terrible joke...

Get it? I work with pigs?

I discovered yesterday that Papa Murphy's is now my second favorite pizza place, behind Pizza Hut. I would say new favorite, but one good experience can't replace a life-time of loving Pizza Hut.

Wow...this blog is REALLY random. Maybe I should quit before I embarrass myself...

: D

Lauren