Slow Cooker Sweet & Sour Lemonade Chicken

Ingredients

4 chicken breast (frozen are ok)

1 (6oz) frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed

5 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 C. ketchup

2 Tbsp. White vinegar

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

2 Tbsp. cold water

Sesame seeds (optional)

Directions

1) Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place the chicken in the bottom of the slow cooker.

2) Combine lemonade, brown sugar, ketchup and vinegar in a bowl. Mix well and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4 hours.

3) Remove chicken from the slow cooker. Mix cornstarch and cold water together. Simmer the remainder of the sauce over medium heat on your stove top and add cornstarch mixture to the sauce, stirring until combined. Let the sauce cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.

4) Pour sauce over chicken, sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve with your favorite sides.

If you don't wanna cook the sauce on the stove, you can take the chicken out of the slow cooker and add your cornstarch mixture to the sauce that is left in the slow cooker. Stir it in and then let it cook on high for about 30 minutes.

Serves 4

Maple Bacon Beer Burgers

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup beer (any brand will do)

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

6 slices thick-cut bacon

2 tbsp. maple syrup (you wanna use the real stuff but the pancake syrup will do just as well)

3 slices American cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer)

3 Hamburger buns

Directions

1) Combine the ground beef, Worcestershire sauce, beer and pepper. Form into 3 Hamburger patties.

2) Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place a baking rack on a foil lined pan. Place bacon on the rack and bake for 15-20 minutes. Carefully remove pan from oven. Brush bacon with the maple syrup. Bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, until bacon is crispy. Set aside.

3) Grill burgers approximately 5 minutes on one side, flip and cook an additional 3 minutes. Top each burger with cheese and melt.

4) Place burgers on bun and top each burger with 2 slices of bacon. Top with any additional burger toppings of your choice.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 43 minutes

Serves: 3

With this recipe you really can use either syrup. The pure maple syrup can be a lot more expensive and I'm sure just like our family ,you try to save and buy stuff on sale or what you can afford. I used the pancake syrup this time and it still came out so good. Definitely was a big hit in our home.

Baked Ravioli

Ingredients

1 bag (25oz) Frozen Ravioli (Round or Square, whichever you prefer)

1 jar (26oz) Marinara sauce

2 C. Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Parmesan Cheese, for sprinkling

Directions

1) Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 x 13 rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.

2) Spread 3/4 cup of the pasta sauce in baking. Arrange half of the ravioli in a single layer over the sauce; top with half of the remaining pasta sauce & half of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.

3) Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until bubbly and hot in the center. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Instead of using the jar of sauce, I decided just to make my own. This way you have extra for anything else or just to freeze for a later use. Plus it actually tasted better with the homemade sauce. I also used the round cheese ravioli it worked out ok but the square would probably work better but either way it came out really good and the kids loved it.

Chicken with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Ingredients

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces or 4-6 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

For the BBQ Sauce:

1 C. Balsamic Vinegar

8oz. of Tomato Sauce

3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar, Honey or Molasses (I used the Brown sugar)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions

1) Combine all the BBQ sauce ingredients into a small saucepan. Whisk until thoroughly combined, then simmer over medium heat until it's reduced by about a third. If it starts to stick to the bottom, reduce the heat to medium low. It should take between 15-25 minutes for the sauce to thicken and coat the back of a spoon.

2) Meanwhile, preheat a stove-top grill pan or the outdoor grill to medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper.

3) Transfer 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce to a small bowl. Place the chicken on the grill for about 10 minutes per side, brushing with 1/2 cup (or more) of the BBQ sauce for the last 2-3 minutes of cooking.

4) Transfer chicken to a serving plate and serve with the remaining sauce.

* You can also butterfly your chicken or slice it in half horizontally to make thinner pieces. It will cook faster and you will also have more BBQ sauce.

Makes: 4 servings.

This is a very tasty recipe. If you have BBQ sauce left over you can keep it for about a week in the fridge to use on something else.

Honey Glazed Bacon Wrapped Chicken

  Ingredients

1 lb (or more if you need it) Chicken breasts, cut into strips ( you can also use the frozen chicken tenders)

1 lb bacon (about 20 strips, these can be cut in half to make more if needed)

6 tbsp. honey

2 tbsp. Coarse mustard (this is NOT the same thing as yellow mustard)

2 tsp. lemon juice

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2) Combine the mustard, honey, and lemon juice.

3) Wrap the bacon around the chicken and place in the baking dish. You'll want to use a bigger dish to fit it all..

4) Brush the bacon and chicken with the honey mixture. There will be some left over, save this for later.

5) Bake for about 13 minutes, or until bacon is crispy.

6) Take out of the oven , turn the chicken over and brush with the remaining glaze.

7) Bake an additional 13 or more minutes. Until bacon is cooked to what you want.

Because the bacon is greasy it may take a little longer to cook to get it just how you want it. So just keep checking on it until it looks how you want it to. This is definitely a great tasting recipe and the family really enjoyed it..We had no leftovers..

                                                                 

Chicken Nugget Casserole

Ingredients

1 pkg (13.5oz) Frozen Chicken Nuggets

1/3 C. Grated Parm Cheese

1 jar (26.5oz) Spaghetti Sauce (any flavor you want)

1 C. (4oz) Shredded Part Skim Mozzarella Cheese

1 tsp. Italian Seasoning

Directions

1) Place chicken nuggets in a greased 11in x 7in. baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese. Layer with spaghetti sauce, mozzarella cheese and Italian seasoning.

2) Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until chicken is heated through and cheese is melted.

3) Serve with your favorite side dish.

Makes: 4-6 servings

Prep: 5 minutes

Bakes: 30 minutes

This is a super easy recipe and a kid favorite for sure. Its an easier version of a chicken parm. and tastes just a good.

Crock Pot Mongolian Beef

Ingredients

1 1/2 to 2lbs London Broil (cut into strips) or beef tip roast (cut into stew pieces)

1/4 C. Cornstarch

1 medium onion, sliced thinly

3 to 4 large carrots, sliced thinly

1/2 tsp. ginger, minced

2 Cloves garlic, minced

3/4 C. Soy Sauce

1/2 C. Water

1/4 C. Dry Sherry

3/4 C. Brown Sugar

1/4 tsp. Black Pepper

Directions

1) Toss beef strips / pieces in cornstarch & set aside.

2) Mix remaining ingredients in your crock pot & place beef over the top.

3) Cover & cook on low for 6 to 8 hrs.

4) Gently stir the beef into the sauce mixture & serve over rice , if you choose.

This is definitely a very tasty dish...I used the London Broil and it came out great..