Oldie but Goodie

The hubbs loves to grill, and this one's a no-brainer.
Homemade BBQ sauce: (better than anything I've ever had from a bottle)

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot sauce
boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Melt butter in saucepan over med-low heat. Add the rest of the ingredients except chicken and bring to a boil, cook until reduced to 2/3 cup (about 10-15 minutes) stirring frequently.

Grill and baste your chicken.

We had this last night with garlic mashed potatoes and oven roasted asparagus...it's a manly meal!

Peanut Butter Fudge Cupcakes

Katie - this one's for you.

1 box devil's food cake mix

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 cups chopped peanut butter cups, plus more to garnish

8 oz. dark chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

Beat cake mix, eggs, buttermilk and oil on low 30 seconds, then med-high 2 minutes. Fold in 2 cups of the chopped peanut butter cups.

Divide batter between lined muffin cups. Bake at 350 (honestly, I don't remember how long I baked it for...probably for however long the box said for muffins). Cool completely.

Place chopped dark chocolate in a medium bowl. Bring cream just to a boil and pour over chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts. Add peanut butter and whisk until smooth. Frost cupcakes and garnish with chopped candy.

I'm not a huge peanut butter lover, but I actually really liked this one. I adapted it from Bakerella

Mushroom Barley Pilaf

Don't knock the barley 'til you try it. Seriously... barley is delicious.

1 cup pearl barley
4 cups chicken stock (I use low sodium)
2 Tbl olive oil
3 cloves garlic (I use the chopped stuff from the jar)
salt and pepper to taste
1 package pre-sliced mushrooms (coarsely chopped)
2 chopped bell pepper (the red looked pretty)
2 green onions chopped
1/8-1/4 shredded parmesan cheese

I used a rice cooker to cook the barley with the chicken stock, but you can do it on the stove if needed (just keep an eye on it). It takes about 45 minutes in the rice cooker.

When the barley is about done, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan. Add the garlic and saute a minute or two. Add the mushrooms. Cook for a couple minutes, then add the bell pepper. Salt and pepper to taste. Saute until the mushrooms cook down a bit and the bell pepper softens up a bit. Add the cooked barley to the pan. Adjust salt as needed. Add green onion and parmesan cheese. (This made about six servings... ate it every day for a week along with the jerky chicken, though I don't actually think the flavors of the chicken go with the barley very well.)

This recipe was adapted from several websites... not sure who to site here. :)

A Jerky Chicken

• 1 teaspoon onion, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 habanero pepper, sliced
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch strips

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine the onion, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, thyme, sesame oil, garlic, allspice and habanero pepper in the container of a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Place the chicken into a large resealable bag, and pour in 3/4 of the sauce. Squeeze out excess air, and seal. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
2. Preheat your oven's broiler.
3. Remove chicken from bag, and discard marinade. Broil chicken for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once to ensure even cooking. Heat remaining sauce in a small pan, and pour over chicken when serving.

***I doubled the marinade because I like things saucy, BUT, I did not double the habanero pepper because I DON'T like things spicey. Also, I removed the seeds from the one habanero I did use. Clearly I used more chicken as well... probably 4 full sized chicken breasts, instead of halves. The cook time seemed a bit long... my chicken ended up a bit overcooked.

(Courtesy of www.allrecipes.com)

Mary's Chicken Penne... Yum!

I tried it. I loved it. I added yellow squash when I added the cream cheese. Delicious. :)