Monday, July 14, 2014

BBQ Chicken & Lasagna (Odd Combo?) - Taylor's Crockpot Expirements

I've got TWO treats for y'all today! Both are crockpot recipes. Here's the thing, I don't like cooking during the summer. It heats up the whole house (this is a big one since I no longer have A/C... :/), and there are so many other fun things I'd rather be doing! Or wait. Maybe I just don't like cooking ever... Yup, that's definitely it. Plus, I'm always short on time. (Am I ever not short on time? I feel like a broken record player!) So here are two gems from the Pinterest world!
Let me preface this first one by saying, my husband is not a picky eater. Not at all. But there are three things he just will not eat. They are peas, pineapple, and pickles. Yes, they all start with a "p". Makes it easy to remember! The point of telling you this, is that he LOVES the recipe I'm about to share, despite the pineapple. Win!! This Hawaiian BBQ chicken has become a Boyce household favorite, especially if we have company coming over. (They're always so impressed and in my head I just laugh maniacally and remind myself how easy it was. Muahaha.)
The best thing about this one is how darn easy it is! There are only three ingredients. Yup, you read that right. Three!
Link is here... that Abby knows what's up!
You put the frozen chicken in, the pineapple (drained, I leave mine just a tiny bit wet, I like the pineapple juice), and then cover the chicken with the Sweet Baby Ray's. I'm a big fan of the Sweet Baby Ray's. It's the only kind of barbecue sauce I ever buy anymore. I've apparently also become a barbecue sauce snob. It's so tangy and delicious. Then you turn the crock pot to low for about 4 hours. That's it. It's so easy. It's always a big hit. It does have a little bit of a spicy kick to it. But it is mostly sweet. Like I said, this is my go to meal when I have company and not a lot of time. (Like I said before, umm... is that ever not the case?)

Next! Lasagna! I love lasagna guys. Like a lot. It's been one of my favorite meals since I was teeny tiny. Now, in full disclosure... I did make some small alterations to the recipe. Instead of the meat sauce the website uses, I used the super secret Stucki family recipe. I don't actually know how secret it is. But I can guarantee that it's not like any other lasagna meat sauce you've ever tasted. (In a good way, of course.) Everything else I did exactly the same though. My favorite part about this recipe is that you don't have to cook the lasagna noodles first. Such a time saver! And also, I always seem to break the noodles or rip them when I'm trying to lay them in the pan to bake it. Good thing it tastes the same whether they're ripped or not!
As usual, you can check out the original directions here.
Full disclosure, I was a little nervous about this one. I was going to be so sad if my lasagna wasn't delicious. I thought 4 hours on low was a little too long the first time I tried it. It didn't burn exactly, just made a nice crispy layer on the outside...  (Alright, alright, it was burnt.) I pulled it out after about 3 1/2 hours this time, and it was much better. So internets be warned! 4 hours = crispy lasagna, 3 1/2 hours = perfection. Another Pinterest success! :) TTFN! (That's Ta-ta-for-now for you non-winnie the pooh folk.)