Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken

So... originally this post was supposed to be Homemade Ginger Ale.

And then when that tasted like crap, it was supposed to be something else (which I won't tell you, because there's hope for that yet).

However, I will tell you it involved an ice cream maker - which originally I couldn't use because I forgot to put the canister in the freezer.  So I put it in overnight... and then our power went out early this morning.

But then it came back on, and I (mistakenly) thought the canister was ready so I got the ice cream maker going - and it ended up just doing a really thorough job of mixing everything, because the canister wasn't actually frozen.

ARGH.

So... Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken it is!

This is a great recipe for when it's really hot out and you don't want to turn on your oven.  (Like yesterday here in NJ... it's never good when you look at the weather forecast and see "High 103").

I believe you could also set it on low in the morning and it will be ready for dinner when you get home from work.

Slow-Cooker Pulled Chicken 

• 1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts 
• 1 1/4 C. ketchup
• 1/4 C. brown sugar 
• 1 T. + 1 t. Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 T. + 1 t. soy sauce
• 2 T. cider vinegar 
• 2 T. chipotle sauce* (see notes below) 
• 1 t. molasses 
• 1 T. Dijon mustard
• 3/4 t. garlic powder

Place all sauce ingredients in slow cooker - stir to combine.  Add chicken breasts, nestling into sauce to coat.  Cook on high about 3 hours, or until chicken is cooked all the way through and beginning to fall apart.  Remove from chicken pieces from crockpot and shred with forks.  Replace in sauce, stir to coat, and cook an additional ten minutes.  Serve on potato hamburger buns, or other roll of your choosing.  Makes 6-8 sandwiches.

*Note: "Chipotle Crushed Sauce" is available in the Spanish foods section of many grocery stores, in a small squeezable bottle - the brand I have is Goya.  You also can substitute pureed canned chipotles in adobo sauce instead.  You may also adjust the amount of any of the above to your taste for spiciness; 2 T. of chipotle sauce gives this a little kick and adds smokiness. (If you can't find chipotle at all, you can also use red pepper flakes to taste).

Recipe Adapted from About.com

Bacon, Lettuce & Granny Smith Apple Sandwiches with Goat Cheese

Besides having a break from cooking, I love going out to eat because I usually end up getting so many new ideas.

Recently I was inspired by an appetizer we had, to make the recipe for Cheesy Bacon Oven Chips.

And now this idea came from another local pub we like, called the Brickwall Tavern.  A while ago, I tried their bacon, avocado, and granny smith apple sandwich, with a lemon aioli.

And fell in love.

Honestly, I would never have thought of adding granny smith apples to a bacon sandwich, but it was soooo good.

However, as much as I love avocados, in this instance I felt like that was a little much.  (Though you might disagree).  The aioli was good too, but I thought the only thing better would be some lemon & garlic-spiked goat cheese!

People, let me tell you.  The result was heaven between two slices of bread.

(I am pretty much obsessed with goat cheese.  If you don't like the addition of lemon and/or garlic, just use plain- it will still be amazing.)

Mr. Vittles prefers a plain ol' "BL" so he did not partake in this concoction.  But I savored every single bite.

And that night I tried a new nitrate-free bacon, which did not have as many slices in the package.  So we only got three sandwiches out of it - two for Mr. V, and one for me.

I was quite sad that there was no bacon left.

:(

I would've liked to have leftovers for another sandwich the next day.

:( :(

Oh well.  Guess I'll just be forced to eat the remainder of my goat cheese on salads and crackers!

By the way - since this is so simple, this is not really a recipe but more of an idea.  The amounts are up to you & your tastes!

Bacon, Lettuce & Granny Smith Apple Sandwiches with Goat Cheese

• whole wheat bread (or whatever kind you prefer)
• bacon slices, cooked
• baby lettuce (or spring mix)
• granny smith apple, sliced into thin rounds
• softened log of goat cheese
• lemon juice and/or zest, if desired
• garlic powder, if desired

Toast bread slices.  (If making flavored goat cheese, mix it with lemon juice/zest and garlic powder in the meantime.)  Spread goat cheese on the toast, and top with bacon, granny smith apple slices, lettuce, and another slice of toast.  Enjoy the fiesta on your taste buds!

Honeyed Bacon BLT

I guess you could say I was feeling the spring fever yesterday.  For one it was beautiful out, and then, while I was doing a little evening workout, I rather belatedly came up with the perfect April Fools joke to play on Mr. Vittles.

Let me start by saying Mr. V takes every opportunity to get people to believe crazy things.  It's happened to me many times.  Stepdad Chris Vittles is also like this, so luckily I've had 22 years of preparation for what is now going to be a lifetime of wondering, "Is he being serious?"

But Mr. V and I had already discussed the fact that it was April Fools... meaning, any jokes coming from me would put him on high alert.

So my idea was to get his sister, Melissa Vittles, to call and tell him she was receiving compensation to carry the child of one of her rich friends - who was afraid he'd be perpetually single & wanted to ensure his "legacy" would carry on.

Sounds a little far-fetched, I know.  But Mel V is known & loved for her free spirit and free thinking... and she has a friend that could potentially fit this description.  So this is an entirely possible scenario.

Ok, well maybe not 'entirely'.  But enough possible-ness (?) to get Mr. Vittles going for a while.

Anyway, since my evil plan depended on the help of both my sister-in-law and mother-in-law (in case Mr. V called his mother to verify), I had to call them and get that all set up before the hubbs got home from the gym.  I also had to fit a shower in there somewhere.

Plus after all that baking of cakes and cupcakes I did the day before, I was not in the mood to cook much of a meal anyway.

So the moral of the story is - the day got away from me, people.  Don't judge.  BLTs are fine for dinner, I swear.

But aside from the laziness factor, I had just seen an inspiring recipe on Food & Wine magazine's 4/1/10 newsletter "The Dish" for Crunchy Asian Pea Salad with Honeyed Bacon.

Honeyed bacon sounded pretty heavenly to me.  So I got to thinking about the tomatoes and nearly-bad lettuce and package of bacon I had in the fridge.

Which means I got to forgetting about the whole "Asian Pea Salad" part.

I'm sorry, pea salad.  Don't be angry, it's nothing personal.  I'm sure you're great.  Just look at you!

© Kana Okada, for Food & Wine

Now the kind of bacon I had wasn't thick slices, and I also don't have Chinese five-spice powder (to be perfectly honest, I have no clue what that even is?).  So I just made a little mixture of honey & soy sauce to brush on the bacon, and then I sprinkled a little garlic powder & ground pepper on top.

 

I personally thought this bacon made a great BLT, and Mr. Vittles agreed.  He said he could tell that something was different about the bacon, but he wasn't sure what it was.  (He is admittedly dreadful at identifying ingredients).  When I told him it was honey, the look on his face told me that was definitely not his first guess.

But that's ok, that's why I do the cooking around here.  And let's be honest - that certainly wasn't the biggest surprise he'd have that night! Heh heh.

So anyway, go make yourself up some honeyed bacon and enjoy a delicious BLT.  I'm pretty sure you guys don't need an ingredient list or instructions on how to make the sandwich part... but I'll pretend you do, just in case :)  This recipe made 3 sandwiches.

Honeyed Bacon BLT

• One 16-oz. package of bacon
• 2 T. honey
• 2 t. soy sauce
• garlic powder & ground pepper to taste
• 1 tomato, cut into thin slices
• a few leaves of lettuce
• 6 slices toasted wheat bread
• mayonnaise for spreading (optional - Mr. V hates mayo!)
• salt & pepper to taste

Preheat your oven's broiler & set top rack about 8 inches from the heat source.  I wouldn't put the broiler on full blast unless you want blackened bacon - but you want it fairly high (heat source should be glowing red).

In a small microwave-safe bowl, mix honey with soy sauce and microwave for 10-15 seconds until honey is runny.  Stir.

Spread bacon slices out on a baking sheet.  They can overlap, but not too much because you want to be able to get the honey mixture onto as much of the bacon as possible. (My sheet fit about 14 slices comfortably, which was plenty for 3 sandwiches.)

Dip a pastry brush in honey mixture, and brush lightly onto each bacon slice. Sprinkle with as much garlic powder and pepper as you like.  (Surprisingly for me, I went with a very light sprinkle of both and I thought it came out perfect).

Put pan in oven under broiler, and leave oven door ajar slightly.  Cook five minutes, then take pan out & flip slices.  Brush other side of bacon with honey mixture and repeat sprinkling of garlic & pepper if desired.  Cook an additional 4-5 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your bacon.  Drain on paper towel-lined plate.

Slice tomato & toast bread slices.  Spread mayonnaise on bread if desired, & assemble bacon, lettuce and tomato however you like.  I usually sprinkle a little salt & pepper on the tomatoes, and use 4 slices bacon per sandwich.

Honeyed Bacon adapted from recipe by chef Ratha Chau for Food & Wine magazine


And just in case you're wondering... Mr. Vittles totally fell for the joke :)  Or should I say Uncle Vittles?  Haha!