Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

So I first ran into this recipe while making one of the Once A Month Mom menus.  I was hesitant to eat it but once I tried it we were hooked so I decided to make it again as it was an easy crockpot meal and it had been a while since we had eaten it.

It definitely has some kick to it but it is oh so yummy!!  I put a little cheese on it on a bun and inhale!  Plus there were a few too many leftovers for us so I just tossed them in a freezer bag and froze the rest.  It reheats great as well!!

So here is the linky back to the original recipe.  I didn't really change anything except for the fact that I used all chicken breasts and didn't use molasses (I'm not a fan of it!).

Slow-Cooker Spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 T extra virgin olive oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, , cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 medium yellow onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced small
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes (diced tomatoes would work as well)
1/4 - 1/3 c hot pepper sauce, or more to taste (I used 1/4 c and it was not too hot)
3 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T yellow mustard
1 T unsulfured molasses
8 hamburger buns

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Add chicken thighs, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring once, until meat is golden brown, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a slow cooker, leaving as much oil behind as possible. Repeat with chicken breasts.
2. To skillet, add onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until onion is translucent, 6 minutes. Add ¼ cup water and cook, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to slow cooker.
3. To slow cooker, add crushed tomatoes, hot pepper sauce, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and molasses. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on high until chicken is very tender, 4 hours. Shred chicken and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve on buns.

Jambalaya!!

OHHHHH Jambalaya how we love you!  This is hands down one of our favorite meals for me to make.  Now don't get me wrong this is probably North Dakota Jambalaya but we like it!  So I got the original idea here but have kind of revamped it to our liking. So here is my recipe as I make it.

Slow Cooker Jambalaya

• 1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut into chunks
• 1 lb andouille sausage, cut into slices
• 1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 0.5 onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 8 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth (or chicken bouillon cube made as chicken broth)
• 1 Tbsp homemade Creole seasoning
• 1 lb cooked, frozen shrimp, thawed and tails removed
• 4 cups cooked rice

1. Mix together chicken, sausage, tomatoes, onion, pepper, celery, broth and seasoning in a large crockpot (4-6 quart).
2. Cook on High for 1 hour.  Turn down to Low and cook approx 4-5 hours or until meat is cooked and tender and vegetables are cooked through.  Put shrimp in and cook for 30 minutes.
3. Add cooked rice and mix well.  Serve and enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday

So I have always wanted to be one of those wives that creates the "perfect" meal plan for the next two weeks and it'll all be great!  Hahahaha well I don't know about the rest of you but having a baby, a job, a husband, a house, and pets makes this seem like an impossible task!!  BUT I am determined to do this, why?  Well for one because I feel like it will save us money and be a little healthier for us as we have this bad habit of eating out, a lot!  Plus I do love to cook and want to be one of those moms/wives who everyone is like wow she makes the best food!!!  LOL so on that note I spent most of the morning planning out our days for the next two weeks and then going through our cabinets/fridge/freezer to see what we already have and then making a master grocery list.  The baby just went down for a nap so we will have to wait to head to the grocery store but I feel good....this'll get easier the more I do it right??!

So here's the plan:

•  Today - Meatloaf and scalloped potatoes (I've actually never made meatloaf and the potatoes are from a box LOL)
•  Tuesday - Nothing....I work a 10-11 hour day most Tuesdays so these are free days :)
• Wednesday - Slow Cooker Jambalaya (This is one of our favorite things for me to make!)
• Thursday - Left overs cause it makes a ton!
• Friday - Taco Pockets (New recipe)
• Saturday - Potato Pizza Casserole

• Sunday - Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
• Monday - Honey Chicken Kabobs and Corn on the cob on the grill (Hopefully the weather is nice!!)
• Tuesday - Nothing
• Wednesday - Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff (another of our favorites)
• Thursday - Chicken Broccoli Tater Tot Hotdish (See my previous blog!)
• Friday - Lasagna
• Saturday - Nothing (we have a wedding that night)

Plus I'm planning on freezing a bunch of items to start re-stocking our freezer.  All of the casseroles are usually in 9x13 pans but that just makes way too much for us to eat so I will split all of them into two 8x8 pans and make one and freeze one! And then the Taco Pockets I will freeze anything we don't eat as well as the Buffalo Chicken sandwiches.

Well here goes nothing!!  The plan is to blog every recipe as well so check back everyday to see the recipe and how it all turns out!!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Yummy yummy yummy!!  This is my go to dish for potlucks and social events.  We are huge buffalo chicken fans and I'm a sucker for dips.  So this is perfect.  I don't know how many times I've made it, we sometimes just eat it for supper! 

Well we had friends over Sunday night and we were ordering pizza but I insisted on making something so I chose this dip.  It was a bunch of guys so I figured they'd love the buffalo chicken part of it and I made it in the crockpot so I loved it!!

I got my original recipe from Allrecipes.com here:

Buffalo Chicken Dip

• 2 (10 ounce) cans chunk chicken, drained
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup Ranch dressing
• 3/4 cup pepper sauce (such as Frank's Red Hot®)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
• 1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers

Directions

1. Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and ranch dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.               

Now the only difference I make is I literally just throw everything (but the celery and crackers of course) into the crockpot and put it on either high or low depending on how fast I need it made.  I have also halved the recipe before as this recipe as is makes a TON! 

Of course I was in a hurry so I only got a picture of it after it was cooked and ready to eat in the crockpot.  It was oh so yummy and the boys gobbled it up!!  This photo makes it look less than appetizing but I swear if you like buffalo chicken you will LOVE this! LOL