Mock Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

While surfing the web one night, I came across this recipe from Six Sisters Stuff.  I’m all about finding recipes that can be put together in a blink of an eye, and this one definitely fits the bill.

This is what their recipe called for

• 1 20oz. can pineapple chunks, drained
• 1 bottle Archer Farms Hawaiian Style BBQ Sauce (from Target)
• 4-6 boneless chicken breast

This is what I used

2 20 oz. cans pineapple chunks, drained (I love pineapple)
1 bottle Hunt’s Honey Hickory BBQ sauce (I grocery shop at the Shop-Rite, and they don’t sell Archer Farms products.  I went with what I *thought* would be a sweet sauce)
Pkg of frozen Perdue chicken breast

If you have one, use a crock pot liner before placing your ingredients in the crock.  It makes clean up a breeze.  Dump everything in the pot, put the lid on top, set the temperature up to high, and go about your business.  If you cook this on high, which I did, allow 2-3 hours to cook.  If you cook it on low, allow 4-6 hours to cook.  

When the time is right, you can shred the chicken while it is still in the pot, or you can remove it like I did.  I found it easier to remove the chicken, shred it on a plate, and then return it to the pot.  

Serve over rice (which is how I ate it), or serve it on its own (which is how my husband ate it). 

I found the sauce to be a little runny, and I think it was because I added the extra can of pineapple.  To fix this, I sprinkled in some cornstarch.  This thickened the sauce up so it was almost like a gravy, which I prefer.  The meal also had a “bite” to it, which I attribute to the BBQ sauce I used.  If I used the sweeter sauce, which is what the original recipe called for, I’m sure the “bite” would be missing.

If you get the chance, check out Six Sisters Stuff.  It’s got a ton of recipes and craft ideas, and the sisters are too sweet.

Until next time…. 

Just Like Starbucks? Caramel Apple Spice Love

This time of year is a Starbuck lover's dream.  The big mama coffee house brings back it's pumpkin spice, and coffee drinkers everywhere go crazy.  Hot, cold, iced, whipped, frappe'ed -- you name it, they put that pumpkin in it.

Not me.

I love Starbuck's right now because they bring back their Caramel Apple Spice drink.  Truth me told, they never take it away.  They simply do not advertise it, because not many people wants to be reminded of fall in July.

I LOOOOVE this drink.  If it's made correctly (sorry Barista's...sometimes you guys miss the mark), it's like drinking a caramel apple.  Delish.  But it's a bit expensive.  It seems crazy to pay $3.50 for a warm cup of juice, especially when you can buy a bottle of juice for less than $2 at your grocery store.  Just pour it in a mug, add some mulling spices, and microwave for 45 seconds, right?  Well, you can do that, but it's just not the same.  I took my search to Pinterest (HELLO!!! I obsessed with it right now) to find the Starbucks knock-off, and my search took me to this recipe from Crockpot 365. 

We gathered the ingredients, and took this pretty picture (please ignore the empty iced tea gallon and gourds in the background.  Her recipe called for caramel syrup, but didn't specify which specific brand.  Even though her picture shows Smucker's, we used Hershey's (it was on sale).

Following the directions, we put everything in our handy dandy crock pot (another obsession), and we got this mess.  I do believe that food doesn't have to look good -- it just has to taste good.

The waiting was torture, as the house smelled like fall.  It was finally time, and we took the taste test, and......it was good, but not exactly like Starbucks.  My husband thinks it might have something do with with the syrup we used, as he thought it might too thin.  I was sort of turned off by the little chunks of spices that didn't dissolve.  The next time I make this, I think I will put the spices in cheesecloth or a tea strainer.

So, Starbucks, thanks for the idea to search for a knock off.  I'm sure I'll be in your stores soon to give you some of my money, but for the most part, I will stick with this!