Don't Toss That! Freeze It! ~ Coffee Cubes

Meet my newest obsession...

This is a little something that I like to call Coffee Cubes. ;)

You know that little bit of coffee that you almost always have leftover in your pot every morning and usually just dump down the kitchen drain?

Yeah, don't do that anymore.  Just pour whatever is leftover into an ice cube tray.  After a few days of doing this, you should have a full tray of them. :) 

Crack out the coffee cubes and store them in a labeled and dated quart sized freezer bag. 

Okay, you say- now what?

Well, the simplest thing that you can do with these coffee cubes is plop a few of them into a cold glass of milk (or almond or coconut milk) in the afternoon, letting them melt slightly.  Voila!  An iced latte!

But there is so much more that you can do with them... 

Like, make a copycat Starbucks Chocolate Banana Vivanno smoothie!  This recipe I concocted is beyond amazing, and tastes so much like the original you may never order one from that coffee shop again. ;)

What you will need:

1 whole banana, frozen & chopped

3 coffee cubes, crushed

1 tbsp cocoa powder

2 tbsp of vanilla yogurt

1 cup of milk (can be coconut, almond, or soy too)

* I keep a few bananas in my freezer at all times.  Just unpeel your banana, wrap it in aluminum foil, and put it in your freezer!

Throw everything into your blender, and blend away.

That's it!  Enjoy your knock-off Vivanno! :)

Of course, I had to do something a little more adult with my coffee cubes as well. ;)

This is my own version of a truly decadent Mudslide Milkshake...

In a blender, combine:

2 scoops of chocolate ice-cream

1 shot of whipped cream vodka

1 shot of coffee flavored liqueur 

2-3 coffee cubes, crushed

Milk to your desired consistency- I like my milkshakes a little thick, so I use a small amount of milk.

Just blend this all together, and then top with whip cream and a drizzle of chocolate sauce. :)

I can't even tell you how amazing this drink is.  Really. You have to try it for yourself. 

A Little Sunday Potluck- 9~2~12

Good Sunday morning, all!  And welcome to this week's A Little Sunday Potluck spread... :)

Who doesn't love a good potluck, right?  A little of this, a little of that, and a whole lot of awesomeness!  And that is exactly what you will find in my weekly A Little Sunday Potluck posts.  
Each Sunday I will post my top 5 blog finds for the week.  These could be a recipe, a great DIY project, a piece or two on natural parenting, some great blogging advice, a terrific money saving tip... whatever pops out at me during the week before.

So, grab your compartmentalized plate & your plastic spork and enjoy a little Sunday Potluck from me to you... ;)

As I Sit Rocking My Son from Adventures with Captain Destructo
A thoughtful and beautiful reminder to each of us with little ones to cherish each precious moment before they pass us by...

Taking Yourself Seriously from Sweet Green Tangerine

Awesome post on why you should be taking yourself as a blogger a little more seriously...

How I Save Money On Groceries from Purposefully Simple

Are you striving to cut down on your grocery budget?  Start here with these doable frugal minded tips...

Here We Go: Blog Sponsors from Show & Tell

Great post with easy tips for deciding if you should accept sponsors, how to find them, and how to maintain them. (Plus she gives you a free Adobe Illustrator media kit that you can download and customize!)

Movie Candy Cookies from Cookies & Cups

I am totally making these before we go to the movie theater next time.  These will be so much more fun to smuggle in than just boxes of movie candy. ;)

What blog posts stood out to you this week?  What would YOU bring to my Sunday Potluck? ;)

A Few Frugally Fabulous Tips...

I asked some of my lovely July/August sponsors to share some of their favorite frugal tips with my readers.  Here are their #1 money saving tips:

Tips for a Frugal Kitchen-

Sara from You.And.Me. Are.We:  The most enjoyable way I am frugal is by making our own bread. The loaves of bread we used to buy in the store set us back at least $3.50 so we'd freeze them and just pull out the slices as we needed them. This worked for awhile and we ended up just putting up with freezer-burnt bread all of the time. When I got a bread maker, things really changed! It was so easy for me to load a few ingredients into it and start baking. Now, we make smaller loaves and use it up within a week.

For my favorite bread recipes, check out this post! Stop over at You.And.Me.Are.We and find more posts about our budget living. Looking forward to seeing you there!

A little tip from your's truly: One of my favorite money saving tips for the kitchen is to USE YOUR FREEZER!  It is no secret around here that I just hate throwing anything out.  This is where your freezer can become your grocery budget's best friend.  Some of you may remember my chiles in adobo cubes from my Don't Toss That! Freeze It! post.  Have fruits and veggies that about to become overripe?  Get them in the freezer.  I will do a quick boil then an ice bath with tomatoes, peel and chop them, and freeze them flat in a freezer bag.  Then I can defrost them later to use in homemade pasta sauce or in chili.  I peel bananas, roll them in aluminum foil, and freeze them to use in smoothies later.  I even freeze coffee leftover from the morning! (<<<Be looking for a post on this one VERY soon. ;) )

Tips for a Budget Friendly Closet-
Janelle from Domestically Seasoned:  Save money by going to thrift stores, consignments, and end-of-season sales for your family's clothing.  To me, it is more fun finding a bargain than just choosing what's in front of me.  Bargain shopping encourages contentment in children and helps them to become a better steward of their money.  Resale/consignment shopping is not only cost effective, it's environmentally friendly.  Thrift stores are almost always run by a charity.  So whether it's at the Salvation Army, or a local church or school, your shopping is actually a donation to a good cause.  So go shopping for used clothing!

Christa from Crisduh:  One in, one out rule. I am guilty of buying more clothes than I'll ever be able to wear.  So when I see a shirt that I really want, I ask myself if there is a shirt, or another article of clothing, in my closet at home that I can part with.  The answer is usually yes, and often times I end up finding more than one item that I decide I really don't need anymore.  Then, I keep these discarded items in a big bag and go to a consignment store about once a month to sell the items I don't wear.  I usually make $40-$60 on what I sell back, which I put in savings or use for groceries.  This rule helps me live more simplistically, which I think is the root of frugal living.

A Tip for Saving Money With Baby-
Nicole from Me & the Moon:  Make sure you know what stores will accept competitors' coupons/sales/prices.  That's a biggie for us- especially with baby stuff.  We were really amazed at how helpful some of the baby stores' staff has been in letting us know different ways we can get deals.  My best example is a Buy Buy Baby associate letting me know that they would in fact honor a sale on food pouches at Babies 'R Us, and that they will often accept a lower price you find on a QR reader app on your smart phone.  Handy to know for moms!

What is your favorite money saving tip?  I would love to know, so please comment below and share! :)

Foodie on a Budget: "Homemade" Creamy Tomato Tarragon Soup

I took a little shortcut with this recipe and used a jar of pasta sauce for it.  But I did go a little fancy and used a jar of the Delallo Pomodoro Fresco Creamy Vodka sauce.  (Oh yes... I am shamelessly plugging my giveaway sponsor right now. ;) )  Making creamy tomato soup at home is beyond simple and easy on a budget.  One spoonful of this "homemade" tomato soup and I doubt that you will ever pop open one of those red and white cans again.

What you will need:

2 tbsp of butter

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 jar of Delallo Creamy Vodka pasta sauce

1 cup of water

1/2 cup of half & half

Yep.  That is it!  Pretty simple, right?

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the tarragon and saute for just one minute.  Pour in the jar of sauce, the water, and the half & half.  Mix well.  Cook over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes.  And you are done! :)

*This recipe makes about 4 generous servings of soup.

So easy you really have no excuse not to try this recipe.  I served our bowls of creamy tomato soup topped with a little parmesan cheese and a sprinkle of tarragon.  And of course, there was a grilled cheese on the side.  I mean, you really can't do tomato soup without the grilled cheese.

Jarred pasta sauces are not just for serving over pasta anymore. ;)

Want to win your very own jar of Delallo Pomodoro Fresco Creamy Vodka sauce?  (Along with the four other jars of sauce in the Delallo Pomodoro Fresco line?)  Then, you need to CLICK HERE and go get yourself entered!  Yes, that is right.  Delallo Italian Marketplace is going to give one of my readers (Ummmm... maybe you!) all five of the sauces in their Pomodoro Fresco line.

Foodie on a Budget- A Homemade Croutons Recipe From Domestically Seasoned

I would like to introduce to you all to my friend, Janelle from Domestically Seasoned.  Not only is she one of my Amazing Supporters this month, but she has a fabulous blog about her new life as a stay-at-home mama and all the blessings and adventures (and pitfalls) that come with that job title.  She has graciously decided to share one of her frugal friendly recipes with you all on here today (while I toil and sweat to finally clear out a storage unit that has been long overdue for a move-out).  Thank you, Janelle! :)  Please be sure to stop on over at her corner of the blogosphere and say hello. 

Hi! I am Janelle from Domestically Seasoned. I am an Art teacher, turned stay at home mom to a red headed dino boy. Enjoying my life as I become Domestically Seasoned. I’m always looking for a stolen moment to immerse myself in my own hobbies, which are numerous… Like baking, cooking, sewing, crafting, face painting, gardening, painting, writing, cooking, and thrifting. My house is less clean than it should be, and if it’s noon, there’s a good chance I haven’t had a chance to shower or brush my teeth yet today. But I can promise you, that by 5pm there is a healthy, frugal dinner on the table for my family. 

I love writing about my frugal ways. Check out a post I recently wrote about my family's frugal ways.

____________________

Today I am here to tell you, for the very first time , I made Croutons.

You know the ones you toss on a salad to add a crunch.

Well here goes my recipe.
 What you'll need:
  
Old bread

• old bread (not moldy)- this includes bread crusts, bagels, homemade bread you left out so it got stale.
• Baking pan and tin foil
• Olive oil to brush on
• Knife to cut up bread
• Seasonings- I used garlic, salt, pepper, and seasoning salt, and parsley

What you need to do:

• Heat oven at 275 degrees
• Cut up breads into cubes (the size depends on your preference)
• Spread onto baking sheet 
• Brush on olive oil- coat well
• Toss on your seasonings(see above)- no real measurements here- just toss to taste

Add to the oven for 20 minutes. Eat and Enjoy!  You can freeze the leftovers. They last up to 6 months in a freezer bag.
All finished

Happy Crouton Crunching.

Foodie On a Budget- Chile con Pollo (& the $5 Grocery Budget Conclusion!)

As those of you who have been following along know, my husband and I wrapped up our successful $5 Grocery Budget Challenge last Friday.  (Click here for my initial post on our grocery budget challenge, including my meal plan for the week.)  The only two things that we bought at the grocery store last week were a loaf of bread and shredded mozzarella cheese.

I had planned to make something like a white chicken chili for dinner Wednesday evening, but it evolved into something more like a Mexican chicken stew.  A Chile con Pollo! ;) 

What you will need:
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped (I used the half that I had leftover from my Summer Pomodoro Sauce from Sunday.)
2 tbsp of canola oil
2 tsp of Penzeys Arizona Dreaming spice blend (You could also use a combination of chili powder and cumin in lieu of this spice blend.)
2 tbsp of flour
1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken (I had some roasted chicken frozen in my freezer from when I made my Slow Cooker "Roast" Chicken a couple of weeks ago.)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup of frozen or fresh corn kernels
4 cups of chicken broth
1 tbsp of brown sugar
salt, to taste

Go ahead and chop and mince up all of those veggies.  I put the onion and garlic in one bowl and the peppers together in another bowl.  Set those aside.  In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat about 2 tbsp of canola oil over medium heat.  When oil is heated, add the onions and garlic and saute for about 1 minute.

 Next add the jalapeno pepper and red bell pepper, and saute with the onion and garlic for another 2-3 minutes.  In a small bowl, mix together the Arizona Dreaming (or your chili powder and cumin) with the flour.  Add the flour mixture to the veggies in your pot and cook for another minute.  

Now add your cooked chicken to the pot and stir with the pepper mixture for another minute or so.  

Pour in the chicken broth and then season with the black pepper.  Add the corn kernels.  Cook over medium heat for another 10-12 minutes.  Towards the end of the cooking time, add the brown sugar.  I like to add brown sugar for the slight smoky sweetness it lends to the stew.  Taste your broth.  Add salt if needed.

I served our Chili con Pollo garnished with a little shredded Mexican cheese on top and a wedge of homemade cornbread on the side.  (Click here for the recipe for the best homemade cornbread I have ever made, and the only that I will make from now on.)
For Nutritional Info on this recipe, please CLICK HERE.

Thursday evening was homemade pizza night.  We have been kind of obsessed with homemade pizza in this house since I found THIS RECIPE for making pizza dough in my bread machine.  This dough makes THE perfect pizza crust.  I topped our pizza with homemade pizza sauce I had leftover from our pizza I had made the week before and had froze, pepperoni (also leftover from the week before), jarred banana peppers, fresh basil from my garden, and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Friday evening we had planned to have pancakes for dinner, but that day was also payday. And my husband had a friend in town from out of state.  So we all went out to dinner. ;) 

So you may be wondering what did we do for breakfasts and lunches?  We had plenty of cereal and frozen waffles already in the house.  Lunches were usually leftovers from dinner the night before if there were enough.  If we didn't have any leftovers, then we made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or grilled cheeses.

Eating well and eating healthy are doable on almost any budget.  You just have to be resourceful, freeze-freeze-freeze (hardly nothing is thrown out in this house!), find ways to use what you have on hand, and be creative with your substitutions. 

Chile Con Pollo

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

6045042

Ingredients (Serves 6)

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 large onion, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tbsp of canola oil
• 2 tsp of Penzeys Arizona Dreaming spice blend (You could also use a combination of chili powder and cumin in lieu of this spice blend.)
• 2 tbsp of flour
• 1 1/2 cups of cooked chicken
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 cup of frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 4 cups of chicken broth
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar
• salt, to taste

Instructions

Go ahead and chop and mince up all of those veggies. I put the onion and garlic in one bowl and the peppers together in another bowl. Set those aside. In a large stock pot or dutch oven, heat about 2 tbsp of canola oil over medium heat. When oil is heated, add the onions and garlic and saute for about 1 minute.

Next add the jalapeno pepper and red bell pepper, and saute with the onion and garlic for another 2-3 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together the Arizona Dreaming (or your chili powder and cumin) with the flour. Add the flour mixture to the veggies in your pot and cook for another minute.

Now add your cooked chicken to the pot and stir with the pepper mixture for another minute or so.

Pour in the chicken broth and then season with the black pepper. Add the corn kernels. Cook over medium heat for another 10-12 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, add the brown sugar. I like to add brown sugar for the slight smoky sweetness it lends to the stew. Taste your broth. Add salt if needed.

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Foodie on a Budget- Easy Cheesy Stove Top Mac 'n Cheese

Monday night was barbecued chicken thighs with roasted new potatoes.  Nothing too fancy.  The husband doctored up some bottled BBQ sauce.  I tossed the potatoes in olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper.  Near the end of the cooking time, I tossed in some fresh parsley from my herb garden.

And Tuesday evening was creamy, cheesy mac 'n cheese.  From scratch.  Not to toot my own horn, but this was actually THE BEST mac 'n cheese I have ever made from scratch.  I have tried a couple of those one pot mac 'n cheese recipes.  You know, where you boil the macaroni in milk instead of pre-boiling it?  Have you ever tried that?  It takes FOREVER to cook the pasta that way.  Forever.  
I still kept this one pot.  I boiled and cooked the macaroni first, drained it in a colander, and used the same pot to make the cheese sauce.
I have to say I think the difference in my mac 'n cheese recipe versus others that I have tried is that I did not use regular milk in my cheese sauce.  I used evaporated milk instead.  I had it leftover from making a batch of My Secret Ingredient Brownies, and thought why not?

What you will need:

2 cups of dry macaroni (or shells, or another small pasta shape)

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp nutmeg (or paprika if you are not a fan of nutmeg)

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 tbsp butter

1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese (You could use a different cheese instead. Use what you have on hand.)

1 cup of pasta water, reserved

Salt, to taste

First things, first.  Boil the pasta and cook it until tender.  Drain the macaroni in a colander, but be sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.  Set the drained macaroni aside.

While the macaroni is cooking, whisk together the flour, dry mustard, nutmeg (or paprika), and black pepper in a small bowl.

Using the same pot you used to boil the macaroni, melt the butter over medium heat.

Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour mixture.  Keep whisking for a few minutes to form a roux.  This is what will make your cheese sauce thicker, and will season it.  Next pour in the evaporated milk, whisking as you pour.  Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking often.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the sauce is thickened.  

Remove the sauce from the heat, and stir in the shredded cheese.  Whisk until melted and smooth.  At this point, if your sauce is overly thick whisk in some of the pasta water you saved to loosen it up a bit.  Taste your sauce, and add salt if needed.

Now mix in your cooked pasta and voila! Easy, cheesy stove top mac 'n cheese. :)

This recipe makes enough for about 4-5 servings.  Since there were only the two of us this week, this meant leftovers for lunch the next day! ;)  I have to be honest.  This was the first time I have ever heated up leftover mac 'n cheese and it was almost better the next day.  Usually reheated mac 'n cheese is thick, glumpy.  Not this mac 'n cheese.  It reheated nice and creamy.  I am going to have to attribute that to the use of evaporated milk in lieu of regular milk.

Foodie on a Budget: Summer Pomodoro Sauce

Summertime is often synonymous to me with a bounty of homegrown tomatoes and veggies. Whether I am pulling fresh zucchinis and peppers from my own garden or a family member's garden or picking up some locally grown beauties at the farmers market, it inspires me to want to create something beautiful and fresh to put on my dinner table.

This past Sunday was the start of another grocery budget challenge for me.  This time it was $5 for 6 days for 2 people.  After doing an inventory of my pantry, garden, and freezer, I concluded that I would only need to buy a loaf of bread and a package of shredded mozzarella cheese.  If you would like to read my initial post about this week's grocery budget challenge, click here.

I had a decent haul of fresh vegetables on hand so I decided that a nice pomodoro sauce was in order for Sunday dinner.  

What you will need:

1-2 tbsp of olive oil

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 a medium onion, chopped

7-8 smaller tomatoes or 3-4 larger tomatoes, roughly chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 small to medium zucchini, chopped (Yeah, I know. The zucchini pictured above is massive.  I only used a small portion of it. ;) )

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

7-8 basil leaves, chopped

3 sprigs of parsley, leaves removed and chopped

1 tbsp sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

Heat your frying pan over medium heat.  Once hot, add the olive oil.  Then add the garlic and onion, and saute for about 1 minute.  Add in the chopped zucchini and red bell pepper.  Saute until the zucchini and pepper are tender, about 3-4 minutes.  Meanwhile, slightly process the chopped tomatoes in a blender or food processor.  Only blend for a few seconds.  You want the tomatoes to still have some body to them.  

Add the blended tomatoes to the veggies and mix.  Next pour in the balsamic vinegar.  Let the sauce simmer for about 5 minutes. Mix in the sugar. Then add the fresh basil and parsley and cook for another minute.  At this point, taste your sauce.  If it is not sweet enough for your taste, you can add a little more sugar.  Salt and pepper the sauce to taste.  

Serve immediately over pasta.  

If you prefer a smoother sauce (like my husband does ;) ), you can let the pomodoro cool slightly and then blend in a blender or food processor for a few seconds.  

What is really great about this sauce recipe is that it is versatile.  Don't have a red pepper, but you have a green one?  Then use it instead.  You can throw in summer squash instead of the zucchini.  Don't have fresh tomatoes on hand?  Then use canned tomatoes.  Of course, fresh will taste better. ;) But being a foodie on a budget means using what you have on hand the best you can.  

I will be posting more updates (and recipes!) from my grocery budget challenge this week soon.  Be on the lookout for them! ;)

Foodie on a Budget- A New Grocery Budget Challenge

Well, I am at it again.  But this time I am challenging myself just a bit more.  Can I do just $5 of groceries for 2 people for 6 days??  Some of you who have been following me for a little while may remember my My $15 Seven Day Grocery Budget Challenge I did in May.  Now that I have had a couple of months to replenish my pantry and freezer, I am ready to go at it again.  

This time it is just my husband and I for the week.  My son is at the beach with my parents for the week (lucky bum!).  

I have taken inventory of what I have on hand.  I was also fortunate in that my mother gave me some of her perishables before leaving for the beach- some tomatoes, celery, romaine lettuce, zucchini from her garden.

Here is the dinner menu plan for the week:

Sunday- Fresh Summer Pomodoro Sauce with Angel Hair Pasta (and this was made last night)

Monday- Barbecue Chicken Thighs with Roasted Herb Potatoes

Tuesday- Homemade Mac 'N Cheese

Wednesday- White Chicken Chili

Thursday- Homemade Pizza

Friday- Pancakes for Dinner (This is kind of becoming a weekly thing in our house now. ;) )

If I have calculated all things correctly, I *should* only need to buy a loaf of bread for sandwiches and shredded mozzarella cheese for the pizza.  Everything else is either in my fridge, freezer, pantry, or garden! :)

Be watching for updates (and recipes!!) throughout the week! 

Foodie on a Budget: Five Spiced Adobo Crock Pot Chicken Thighs

My husband and I discovered how amazing the combination of Chinese Five Spice powder and chiles in adobo sauce is at a tapas bar we used to frequent when we lived in Pennsylvania.  From the first time their Chinese Five Spice pork tenderloin with a Chipotle Buerre Blanc sauce was ordered, we were hooked.  And my husband ordered it every single time we visited that restaurant.  Seeing as how I had some chiles in adobo frozen and just waiting to be used (click here for my post on how to freeze leftover chiles in adobo sauce), I decided to come up with a tasty Crock Pot recipe combining chicken thighs and my husband's favorite flavor combination. Chicken thighs are one of my favorite meats to cook in the Crock Pot.  They just seem suited to slow roasting, not to mention it is one of the cheapest cuts of chicken you can buy. ;)

*Please note, I did have some awesome step-by-step photos for this recipe, but I somehow managed to erase almost all of them from my memory card before I had downloaded them to my laptop.  Yeah, BIG fail. :P *

What you will need:

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 15oz can of tomato sauce

1 cube of chiles in adobo sauce, thawed (or 1 chile & 2 tbsp of sauce from the can, blended)

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1 1/2 tsp of Chinese Five Spice Powder

2 tbsp of brown sugar

4 chicken thighs

salt & pepper, to taste

This recipe is ridiculously easy.  First, remove the thick skins from the chicken thighs.  This is easiest to do if they are just still slightly frozen.  Just grab up underneath the skin and pull.  It should come off in one large piece.  Place the thighs (even if they are slightly frozen still) into the slow cooker.

Next?  Just dump everything else in- the onion, garlic, tomato sauce, chiles in adobo, cider vinegar, Chinese Five Spice, and brown sugar.  Mix well, making sure the chicken thighs are well coated.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours.  During the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, taste the sauce and season accordingly with salt and pepper. 

The result is a spicy, sweet, & smoky chicken thigh with meat that just falls off the bone.  I simply served the chicken and sauce over rice with a dollop of sour cream on the side to tame some of the heat.  You could also serve it with some yummy slices of avocado.  
This recipe serves 4.

Five Spiced Adobo Crock Pot Chicken Thighs

by Frugal Foodie Mama

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5-6 hours

6045037

Ingredients (Serves 4)

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 15oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 cube of chiles in adobo sauce, thawed (or 1 chile & 2 tbsp of sauce from the can, blended)
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp of Chinese Five Spice Powder
• 2 tbsp of brown sugar
• 4 chicken thighs
• salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions

First, remove the thick skins from the chicken thighs. This is easiest to do if they are just still slightly frozen. Just grab up underneath the skin and pull. It should come off in one large piece. Place the thighs (even if they are slightly frozen still) into the slow cooker.

Next? Just dump everything else in- the onion, garlic, tomato sauce, chiles in adobo, cider vinegar, Chinese Five Spice, and brown sugar. Mix well, making sure the chicken thighs are well coated.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours. During the last 30 minutes or so of cooking, taste the sauce and season accordingly with salt and pepper.

I simply served the chicken and sauce over rice with a dollop of sour cream on the side to tame some of the heat. You could also serve it with some yummy slices of avocado.

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For Nutritional Info on this recipe, please CLICK HERE.

Red, White, & Berry Cupcakes

Just in time for any Independence festivities you may have planned for this weekend (and if you are quick, even this evening!)- Red, White, & Berry Cupcakes!  These cupcakes are super easy and come together quickly. Well, mainly because I cheated and used a boxed cake mix.  ;)
So what will you need to make these?

1 box of white cake mix
1 cup of raspberries
1 cup of blueberries (or blackberries)
2-3 tbsp of sugar
Your favorite white frosting recipe (or you can make it even easier & used canned frosting)

Mix the cake mix according to the directions on the box.  I reduced the water by 1/4 cup since I knew the berries would be adding moisture to the batter.  
Next, mix your berries together in a small bowl with 2-3 tbsp of sugar.  You can use either fresh or frozen berries.  I actually used frozen raspberries and fresh blueberries since it is what I had on hand. 

Mix the berries into the cake batter and then using a small measuring cup, fill your cupcake liners in a muffin tin about 2/3 full each with batter.  Bake according to the directions on the box for cupcakes.

Once baked, let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting.  Whip up your favorite vanilla or buttercream frosting (just make sure it is white!). I figured that since I used the cake mix shortcut for the cupcakes that I would at least make a frosting from scratch. ;)  I used a cupcake frosting recipe from the blog, Natasha's Kitchen.  Click here for the recipe.  I divided the frosting into 3 bowls, using food coloring to dye one bowl blue, one red, and left the third one white.  

I admit it- I don't use fancy pastry bags for my icing.  I use a plain old gallon sized food storage bag with a bottom corner snipped off and then just slip my icing tip into the snipped off corner.  I literally just spooned each color icing into the bag side by side, but if you would like to the colors to stay more separate you could put each color into quart sized storage bags with snipped corners, and then set those bags down inside the larger gallon sized bag.  I kind of like the tie-dyed effect I got by just letting the colors mix and mingle. ;)

Just frost your cupcakes and then decorate however you see fit (Or not all, if you prefer. The frosting is pretty enough!).  I used some red, white, & blue star-shaped marshmallows and some red and white pinwheel party picks I found in the dollar section at Target.  

Red, White, & Berry Cupcakes!

Happy 4th of July!