crock pot brown sugar chicken

I tried this recipe today and it is a keeper!

Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken

This is the link to the site where I found the recipe for Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken. Below is the recipe with the changes I made.

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts and six boneless, skinless thighs
3/4 c. white sugar
1 T. unsulphered molasses
2/3 c. white vinegar
1/4 c. Sprite [Next time I will leave this out and add 1 tsp. lemon juice.]
4 minced garlic cloves [Could have used more.]
2 T. soy sauce
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Place the chicken in a greased crock pot. Pour the other ingredients over the chicken. No need to stir. Cook on high for four hours. It could be cooked on low for 8 hours. Serve over rice. The chicken would be delicious served on sandwiches.

If your family likes sweet peppers, I think those would be great in this.

To make the rice, I put the liquid from the crock pot (liquid measured 4 cups) in a saucepan. Added two cups of rice, covered it with a tight lid and brought it to a boil. I immediately turned it down to a bare simmer and let it simmer for 25 minutes without lifting the lid. So good with the chicken!

A green salad and some crusty bread would round out a great meal. The recipe is so easy to make and very good. DH commented several times on how much he liked it. He also mentioned it would be great to take to a church dinner, so maybe some of you will get to try it soon. 🙂 Definitely a keeper.

By the way, I don’t buy brown sugar anymore. I just add some molasses to white sugar. Same thing. Maybe I should change the name of the recipe…

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ april 9, 2012

Easter Sunday was not the best day I’ve had. I woke up feeling fine, but around 9:30 was hit with aches and nausea. It turned out to be another leg infection. I’m dosed with meds and feeling better today. But I had to ask my DDIL to come over early to fix dinner. She took care of everything with the help of my family after they returned from church. I spent most of the day sleeping in the recliner. Thankfully, I felt well enough to sit on the porch Sunday afternoon and watch the girls hunt for eggs. That cheered me up a lot. Don’t they look cute in their Easter dresses?

Easter

The menu for this week takes into account some requests. It is as follows…

Monday (I requested not to cook!)
Fridge Food / Easter Leftovers

Tuesday (DD requested pizza.)
Homemade Pizza with mushrooms

Wednesday
Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken
Rice

Thursday (DH hasn’t had salmon for while, so I requested this for him.)
Pecan-Crusted Salmon
Garden Salad
Oven Fried Potato Wedges
Broccoli

Friday
No Boil Baked Penne ~ I’ll be using cooked, diced chicken instead of sausage. And homemade sauce.
Garlic Bread
Garden Salad

Saturday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Veggies / Ranch Dip

Sunday (DD the youngest requested this.)
Greek Chicken Pasta
Garden Salad
Rosemary Bread

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

And that’s the end of the story.

lovebugs

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ april 2, 2012

The week has gone by quickly. Not sure why. I didn’t get around to making the menu earlier, but here it is in case anyone is interested. Easter dinner isn’t set in stone yet. I’ll confer with our daughter-in-law and see what their family would like to include.

The twins stayed overnight with us. Yesterday we enjoyed bubbles on the porch. Lots of laughter and lots of fun.

bubbles

New dresses and they can’t wait for Sunday to wear them!

new dresses

And now the menu.

Monday
Taco Salad

Tuesday
Carry Out

Wednesday
BBQ Chicken
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas
Baked Potatoes

Thursday
Chicken and Noodles

Friday
Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry
Rice

Saturday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Green Salad

Sunday
Fig Glazed Pork Tenderloin
Butter Rolls
Mashed Potatoes
Deviled Egg Chicks
Sauteed Cabbage
Roasted Carrots
Green Salad

Pear Crisp
Vanilla Ice Cream

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

decorah eagles

I am enjoying watching the Decorah eagles. The first eaglet hatched yesterday and the second one today. One to go.

eaglets

The parents are very attentive, feeding bits of fish to the babies today.

2 eaglets hatched, one to go

This is a wonderful opportunity to watch an amazing process up close and personal. You can view the eagle cam here.

~~Rhonda

menu plan monday ~ march 26, 2012

When the twins put their heads together, they always remind me of the fairy tale about Snow White and Rose Red.

Snow-White and Rose-Red

Today we took straw bales out to the farm for the potato patch. The girls were fascinated. Though Snow White said, “This is itchy,” and hopped up right away.

"This is itchy."

Quick and easy menu this week. Seems there’s too much going on to stop to eat. Or at least to cook.

Monday
Fridge Food

Tuesday
Carry Out

Wednesday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Veggies and Ranch Dip
Coleslaw

Thursday
Stir Fry Shrimp and Sugar Snap Peas
Rice

Friday
Homemade Pizza

Saturday
Ham / Turkey Sandwiches

Sunday
Chicken in the Crock Pot
Rice
Corn
Peas
Green Salad

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

Sunday bouquet

The lilacs are perfuming the yard. Our yard has shrubs from my mom’s yard, my grandmother’s yard, and my mother-in-law’s yard. All went into the bouquet.

Sunday bouquet

~~Rhonda

“baby” ants

While enjoying the east porch Saturday afternoon, the girls discovered a line of small ants moving across the railing.

ants on the railing

“Look at the baby ants!”

ants on the railing

Fascinating!

ants on the railing

Having the ant crawl over her fingers and hand didn’t bother her at all. Different story for her sister.

didn't bother her at all for the ant to crawl over her hand

Had to show it to Pa.

showing Pa the ant

showing Pa the ant

Putting the ant back “so he can go home and find his Mommy and his Daddy.”

putting the ant back

Long after her sister lost interest, she kept watching and playing with the ants. Her ability to focus on one thing over a long period of time always surprises me.

~~Rhonda

grooming Zak

We spent some time on the east porch Saturday afternoon. The twins found the cat brush and they had a great time grooming Zak.

The first few strokes were a little hesitant.

grooming Zak

grooming Zak

Zak is so compliant and easy-going that it didn’t take the twins long to relax and enjoy brushing the kitty.

grooming Zak

grooming Zak

grooming Zak

grooming Zak

The girls also enjoyed playing with the collection of rocks we keep on the east porch.

they love the rocks on the east porch

And Saturday afternoon DQ treats were much appreciated.

DQ treat

Just another day at Pa and Ma’s house.

~~Ma

menu plan monday ~ march 19, 2012

We are enjoying beautiful weather and the garden is full of bloom. Quince and daffodils with hints of coral made up the Sunday bouquet. Hard to choose what to use when there is so much available.

bouquet for church

This week’s menu will be fairly easy as we have a lot going on. DH has several meetings and our son and DDIL are visting from Seattle.

Monday
Homemade Pizza

Tuesday
Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry
Rice

Wednesday
Hamburgers
Homemade Buns
Green Salad
Sweet Pickles

Thursday
Soft Tacos

Friday
Taco Salad

Saturday
Grilled Chicken Wings
Grilled Pork Steaks
Coleslaw
Baby Baked Potatoes
Green Beans

Sunday
Pork Chop and Potato Casserole
Green Salad
Crock Pot Apples
Steamed Sugar Snap Peas

You’ll find more menu and recipe ideas at Menu Plan Monday.

~~Rhonda

spring time in the garden

My favorite time of year is when spring finally arrives. This year it’s a few weeks early. No complaints from me! Yellows, pinks and blues…refreshing after the browns and grays of winter.

by the mailbox

Magnolia ‘Jane’

Magnolia 'Jane'

Hyacinth

wonderful scent

This small spirea has tiny sweet blossoms on it. I don’t remember the variety.

spirea

Daffodils…such happy flowers.

daffodils

daffodils

The blossoms of the mini daffodil ‘Minnow’ are about an inch wide.

daffodil 'Minnow'

The Star Magnolia has a wonderful scent.

Star Magnolia

Sure sign of spring…the Spring Beauties.

Spring Beauty

The peonies are stretching upward!

peonies are popping up!

The apricot trees are blooming about as early as we’ve ever seen them.

apricot blossoms

In the woods, the bloodroot is blooming. One of the purest white flowers I know.

Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis)

Even the veggie garden is getting a good start on spring. The lettuce is up and we’ll soon have spinach and radishes sprouting.

lettuce in the raised beds

The refreshing beauty of spring always reminds me of God’s generous goodness and provision.

You can visit other gardens at Tootsie’s blog party.

~~Rhonda