Amazing Smoked Barbecue Chicken

 So... it's finally feeling like fall where we live and that always makes me want to break out the smoker! Especially when any of my kids are home…it's just something fun to do! Since Miller was home studying I decided to try a new way of making barbecue chicken…we did it on the smoker! I used an old faithful recipe for the sauce because it's truly incredible and I even went ahead and made a double batch of it so I could put some in the freezer! 

I know these pictures aren't so wonderful but I promise the chicken was heavenly! 

And the smell of the smoking process only added to the fall ambiance! 

I'm fully aware that some of you won't like the fact that bacon is involved here but let me tell you, it was so yummy and you don't even have to eat the bacon if you don't want to! But if your'e using boneless, skinless chicken breasts you truly need it for the sake of not drying out the meat! I also used a brine to begin with….something else I'd never done before but the results were so worth it!

~And now I know what to get Jim for Christmas! A new smoker that looks a lot better than this!

I was getting tickled when I wrapped the chicken in the bacon thinking they looked like mummy's!

I got untickled very quickly when I realized after all of that I had forgotten to sprinkle the "rub" on the meat! I wanted to just say forget it but I thought, nope….you've come this far! So that meant unwrapping each one and sprinkling on the seasoning and re-wrapping them…please don't make that mistake! It wasn't fun!

You may notice that I started with 6 pieces of chicken and now you are only seeing 5! 
That's because I got nervous about testing for doneness…I only had to smoke the chicken for 1 1/2 hours and then I put them on an oven proof platter to put some of the bbq sauce on them and let them warm in the oven on low for about another 30 minutes. The actual brining process took 2 hours but was so easy! 
I wish I'd taken a picture of that for you but I forgot!

See! Now there are six!

This sauce makes your house smell incredible! It's also really good on a pork loin roast.

And there you have it! My messy platter with mouth watering Smoked Barbecue Chicken! 
Next time I promise better photography! I hope you will try it! I sent Miller back to Auburn with the left overs and he was oh, so happy! I also made that fabulous Caramel Apple Cookie Cobbler that I made last fall and sent him back with that as well! You can see that recipe HERE!
So, now it not only feels like fall but it tastes like fall as well! 
Enjoy!
~this is for my friend, Amy Tankersly!

Smoked Barbecue Chicken
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
18 slices regular bacon
Montreal Chicken Seasoning
Barbecue Sauce

Brine
4 Cups cold water
1/4 Cup Kosher salt
1/4 Cup brown sugar

Mix the kosher salt in the water and stir until dissolved and water returns to clear. Add brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Pour over the chicken and cover and keep refrigerated for 2 hours. When done, rinse the chicken very well to get off all of the salt. Sprinkle each chicken breasts on both sides with the Montreal Chicken Seasoning. Wrap each breasts with 3 pieces of bacon. It's easiest if you will lay out the 3 pieces of bacon side by side and place the chicken breast on top and begin to roll, making sure that most of the chicken is covered. Secure with toothpicks. Place on top rack of smoker and let cook for 1 1/2 hours depending on the thickness of your chicken. When cooked through place in oven proof dish or platter and cover with some of the sauce. Return to oven and let warm in their for approximately 30 minutes on low. Serve with remaining sauce.
Barbecue Sauce
1 1/2 Cups catsup
1/4 Cup vinegar
1 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup worchestershire sauce
3 drops liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon onion salt
6 drops tobasco sauce
1/2 Cup water
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 lemon, juiced and then rind cut in slices
~mix all ingredients well and add lemon slices to sauce. Bring to a slow boil and then let simmer for 20 minutes stirring often. 

Brunswick Stew On This Chilly October Night!

Ok…so here goes…I posted this amazing Brunswick Stew in 2011…I looked it up…how could that be? It seems like just yesterday that Pattie was telling me about this fabulous recipe!

I even put it in the cookbook that I made for my family…time is really flying!

 I have made it numerous times since then because it is a family favorite! 

It's not often that I make the same recipe over and over…this is one of them though and so is the next recipe that I will hopefully post tomorrow.

Both are from Pattie and trust me... they are both incredible!

 The recipe for this stew remains the same…amazing! My pictures however, have definitely improved! Not to where I want them to be…but to the point that I don't have to be SO embarrassed! See for yourself in this original Brunswick Stew blog post!

 I got a BIG kick out of it! You can see the original post HERE!

Of course you have to have your favorite corn muffin or corn bread recipe with this yummy stew. I like to use the Krusteaz brand and just simply kick it up a notch as they say! 

Add a can of chopped green chilies and some cheddar cheese and it's amazing!

A friend from high school comes by my shop every now and then and she was telling me about her vegetable soup that she loves to make…I remember her saying, "Anything in one pot is the way to go!" She is so right! And this is one of those one pot meals that will please everyone! Even the pickiest eater! My sweet granddaughter loves this recipe!

So easy, so delicious and clean up is easy as well.

 On top of that, it freezes well or I can send it right to the Plains of Auburn and Miller and his friends will certainly devour it!

Enjoy!

Brunswick Stew

1/4 Cup melted butter

1 3/4 Cup Catsup

1/4 Cup yellow mustard

1/4 Cup white vinegar

blend these 4 ingredients together in a saucepan over low heat. Add:

1/2 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/2 oz liquid smoke

1 oz worchestershire sauce

1 oz crystal hot sauce or tobasco sauce

1/2 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 Cup dark brown sugar

simmer all together but don't let boil. Stir well.

For the stew:

1 stick melted butter

3 Cups potatoes, peeled and diced small

1 medium onion, diced

32 ounces chicken broth

3/4 lb. pulled, smoked chicken or 1 rotisserie chicken

8-10 ounces barbecue meat, shredded

Bring all to a rolling boil and simmer until potatoes are softened. Add:

2 ( 14oz) cans stewed tomatoes, cut up and juice saved

1 can baby lima beans, drained and rinsed

1 can creamed corn

1/4 Cup liquid smoke

And all of the sauce you made earlier ( this is the key ingredient in my opinion! )

Simmer all together for about 2 hours stirring occasionally. This is so yummy! 

Can't wait for you to try it! 

This Is A Serious Fall Dessert!

So, tonight I made the best dinner...well, that is strictly my opinion and I will share it all with you soon! But the best part of tonights dinner with my sweet Mitch, Britney and Layton...was Layton!

 Ok, that is a given...but the other best part....this luscious Caramel Apple Cookie Cobbler!

 Yes, you heard me! It is all that and then some!

The hardest part of this dessert is simply peeling the apples! I used a mix of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith simply because that is what I had on hand. It was fabulous! 

 Nothing says 'Fall' to me quite like apple or pumpkin desserts. 

I started to ask Mitch and Britney what they wanted but after seeing this yummy dessert on Pinterest last night I knew what I wanted to make! I'm so glad I did! You can see the original recipe HERE!

No lie, I think I might go out and stock up on this limited edition cookie mix just so I can keep making this wonderful concoction! And I'm not really a dessert kind of gal!

After you've sautéed the apples and they cook down you simply pour them into your prepared dish and sprinkle the dry cookie mix over the apple mixture.

 And then....get ready to hear Paula Dean in your ear! BUTTER! One cup of melted, unsalted butter goes on the top! Wow! It really was very hard for me to finish this part...but I did..because I didn't think I would really love it! In fact, I pictured myself sending the rest home with Mitch and Britney! Oh no...it's still here! I think I may have to freeze it! 

When it comes out of the oven...it looks amazing!

 And whats even better is that your house smells amazing! Please try this one! 

Let it be your new Fall Dessert! 

You will be so glad you did!

Caramel Apple Cookie Cobbler

5 large apples, peeled and diced

2/3 Cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

15 unwrapped caramels cut in half

2 1/4 Cups Pillsbury Caramel Apple Cookie Mix

1 Cup unsalted butter, melted

Saute apples in a large non stick skillet with the brown sugar and lemon juice. Let cook on medium heat until apples are cooked down and softened. Add the caramels to the apple mixture and pour into the prepared pan. ( 9 x 13 size or close to it.) Sprinkle the dry cookie mix over the apple mixture. Pour the butter all over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until top is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream and warm caramel sauce! Enjoy!

My Mother In Law Makes The Best Oven BBQ Chicken!

I don't know if it was the fact that it was Labor Day or if I was just feeling a bit nostalgic since none of our kids were around for this long weekend. Even though Miller showed up for a bit and we got together for my niece's 16th birthday…it still made for a long weekend! One that I know I was suppose to enjoy…and I tried! I gave it my best effort! I floated for two days on a raft and was taken out to dinner and had nothing to do. Should sound wonderful…I'm fully aware! And parts of it were! But….I will always miss my babies no matter what age they are or where they live! So on Sunday after packing up Miller's cooler and watching him drive away with our ribs and barbecue meat, potato salad and baked beans that we'd bought earlier that day and sacrificed to the Yetti... I was craving more barbecue! I remembered my sweet mother in law's yummy oven barbecue chicken! 

It's truly a meal my kids request for their birthdays at her house! 

I thought I'd give it a try! Hope you will as well!

 It's not hard at all….after running the chicken breasts through the seasoned four and browning it a bit of olive oil all you do is add the sliced onions and sauté them until tender and place them on top of the chicken.

 Pour the sauce over all of this and pop it in the oven…at this point I stuck it in the refrigerator and did not bake it until tonight. It was so nice to have this to come home to after a long day at the shop. Easy….made the house smell yummy and now and I don't have to cook tomorrow night either! 

This makes fabulous leftovers and I might even freeze some for Miller to take back to school next weekend. Might as well! That Yetti is always waiting for any and all leftovers!

 All I served this with was Spicy Yellow Rice by Mahatma but you can do plain yellow or white rice or brown if you prefer it. It's yummy no matter what! Oh…and we had green beans!

Oven Barbecue Chicken

6-7 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cleaned

1 C flour mixed with salt and pepper to taste

1/4 C or a little more Olive Oil divided as needed

1 medium onion sliced

2 T butter

1 1/2 C catsup

1 C water

3 T worchestershire sauce

2 T lemon juice

3 T brown sugar 

2-3 T white vinegar

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon dry mustard

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

dash garlic powder

 Heat 1/8 C olive oil in a large pan. Mix the flour with the salt and pepper….dip chicken in the flour mixture and brown in the olive oil adding more as needed. Place in a greased baking dish. Saute the sliced onions in the same pan…add the 2 T butter as needed. Place onions on top of the chicken. Mix the rest of the ingredients in the same pan and bring to a low boil. Pour the sauce over the chicken and cover tightly with foil. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Serve over rice. This is great made the night before and it makes it so much easier! I will admit that I combined my recipe with my mother in law's just to try it out and I loved it! 

Hope you will too!

Hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Labor Day weekend and have hit the ground running as we have to get ready for Fall! 

I just love Fall and all that it brings with it!

Much love to you all…I sure have missed this blog! Glad for football again!

Sante Fe Soup....or Not!

I have not let myself make Sante Fe Soup for about 8 years....the reason is not important! What IS important is that today when we stepped outside to get in the car to go to church it was really cold! Especially compared to the weather we've been having here in Alabama! I love it!!! I really do!!! Fall and Spring are my favorite seasons....they bring newness to our lives...they re-freshen our spirits....sometimes after a long, very hot summer I feel so bogged down from the heat and the pressures of a slow work environment that it can get a bit depressing!! And  then there's winter! I hate winter! The only good thing about winter is that it means Spring is around the corner!! Oh.....and there is that ONE other thing.... ALL OF MY KIDS WERE BORN IN THE WINTER TIME!!! So....for that reason alone I have to love one teeny weeny part of winter! Oh, and I also like winter clothes, winter p.j's and fires...I love to have a roaring fire in the fireplace! So maybe I do like winter in some ways! I bet if I really let myself think about it I love each season for it's own reason...just as God intended it to be! Funny how things work out that way...the way they are supposed to work out! All according to God's plan!!! The Bible tells us there is a season for everything and I think I'm beginning to understand it! In more ways than one!

Anyway....we stepped outside to go to church and I was still cold and trying to plan ahead as usual...my Sunday routine!  On the way to church I'm thinking about my grocery list, the menus for the week, what I can take to Mitch and Britney to help them out, etc.....We get to church and I was still thinking on all of this but thoroughly enjoying the sermon because it was challenging us to all step out in faith and "increase our faith" so to speak... We are in the process of a building campaign. Truthfully, we've been through so many building campaigns in my lifetime that most of the time I really take them for granted. As I sat there listening...and yes, I was really paying attention...I did begin to think of Sante Fe Soup! I knew it would last a long time and I wouldn't have to cook alot this week so it was a "no brainer" for me! I made my grocery list out....and yes, I took notes on the sermon! I've told y'all before that I listen to the sermon from the early service while getting ready because of my hearing difficulties...and I really do that. Therefore, I was ready for the good parts so to speak! Not that the whole thing isn't wonderful...but my mind was still fixed on why Nehemiah hadn't been persuaded to leave what he was doing and join the others as they called to him numerous times! He was "fixed" on what he was doing and he was determined to not leave his post! This really hit home with me and I can't believe I am in some silly way trying to tie this in to a recipe!      Hey...if it works....!!

I used to make this recipe ALL of the time when Miller was young...lets say 8-10 years old....haven't made it since then for a reason that we won't go into! It's a wonderful recipe...has nothing to do with why I have or haven't made it in a long time! But there is also a wonderful recipe that I need to be reminded of...and that is the "recipe" that God gave me through Briarwood Presbyterian Church so many years ago I can't even believe it! It was the recipe for becoming a child of God...the recipe to help me through my teenage years...the recipe that enabled me as a young...very young mother...to raise my children in the way that God would have me raise them! The recipe that gave instructions for a wonderful marriage for me and Jim that has gone beyond all of our earthly expectations! Why would I EVER give up on this recipe? Why would I EVER come down from the "wall" so to speak just as Nehemiah would not give up what he was doing for the Lord's work and come down to what the people were trying to persuade him to do to get him off track.

I'm not naive and I'm not stupid...I do know, just as Pastor Reeder said today..."Adversity is Inevitable"...and I will admit that it scares me most of the time to write these things and state these things as fact...I don't want adversity....and yet, my family is experiencing ALOT of adversity that most people don't even know about! And the reason that people don't know about it isn't that it's being hidden....it's just being over-ridden by God's grace! Grace that enables us to get through each day....His grace is sufficient for today...just as I know it will be sufficient for tomorrow. And if tomorrow I'm crying and wallowing in self-pity, I am confident that God's grace will see me through it. I'm not pretending to be anything that I'm not...and I know my family has all of the problems and same issues the rest of the world faces each and every day....However...I am not coming down from my "wall of recipes"!!! I am NOT backing down on the fact that Briarwood and the people of my church family had a tried and true recipe for helping to make me, my husband, my children, my parents, my friends....become all that God had intended us to be! He is still re-fining us! We are still "baking" so to speak!! The soup is still simmering and will continue that way until God takes us Home.....and what a glorious day that will be! But until then, we have to pass that recipe down...If you could see my different hand written recipes from both mine and Jim's grandmothers...not to mention our own mother's recipes you just wouldn't believe it! I wouldn't sell those for ANY amount of money! They are priceless to me! And I can't help but compare that to the recipe that Briarwood gave to me and Jim over the years... Now that we ARE in this new building campaign...I want to pass that recipe down! I want to be a part of it even if it's a small part. I'm so very grateful and thankful for all that Briarwood's Youth Ministries gave to me and Jim that there truly aren't words to express it. And then that led into our growth as a young married couple...and then to our children in the nursery, the Sunday Schools, the Jr. High and High School ministries....and yes, we've even gotten to experience our daughter and her husband attending a Young Couples Sunday School Class while they were still in town. Not to mention our grandaughter who is in K-4 at Briarwood School!
So....although this post was intended to be a "Soup" Recipe blog post....it sooooo isn't!!! maybe I will stick it in on the side...because it sure was good!!! And it WILL last us for several days just as I was hoping it would! But all of a sudden...I realized there was a MUCH MORE important recipe to pass on to you!!! One that you will never get tired of...one that you will never lose because it's on a scratch piece of paper...one that you will hold dear to your heart and want to pass on to future generations....

If it weren't for these recipes being passed on to future generations....how would they learn to cook? How would they learn to serve? How would they learn to NEVER come down from that wall that God intended them to stay on?

Nehemiah 6:3-4 " And I sent messengers to them saying, I am doing a great work and I cannot come down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and come down to you?" And they sent to me four times in this way, and I answered them in the same manner.


I am so blessed to get to be a part of this building campaign! It hit me as I was wanting to give you the Sante Fe Soup recipe that I'm in the middle of something so much bigger here! I'm able to be a part of something that can affect children and future generations for no telling how many years! I have no idea whatsoever just how long Briarwood will be around...but I do know the impact it's had on my life and my husband's life and the lives of my precious children! I do know that it is a privilege to be a part of a building campaign that seeks to serve future generations....I know that because I've experienced it and I'm forever grateful for that! I know that God is working in all of our hearts about how much to give and how much to do ....sometimes prying it out of our hands so to speak!

I want to be one of those women that passes the recipe down....I want to be a couple and a family that passes that recipe down to future generations.... Generations that hopefully, because of God's faithfulness will in turn keep passing it down...until it trickles into the very crevices we never thought of  reaching.....


sante fe soup recipe....coming...tomorrow night!!! :)