Crockpot: BBQ Cola Chicken

A "Charlie Approved" dinner. Definitely a meal I recommend everyone trying at least once. So juicy, so tender, and so easy it will become one of your go-to dinners during the week!

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 can of coca-cola
32 ounces of barbeque sauce

1. Season chicken with onion powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Make sure to rub it in real good.
2. Let the chicken marinade in the refrigerator over night in a ziplock bag or just place the chicken straight in the crockpot.
3. Place chicken in the crockpot and pour a can of cola and 24 ounces of barbeque sauce all over the chicken. Toss the chicken around to cover every breast with the cola and sauce.
4. Cook for 8 hours on low.
5. Shred chicken and add the rest of the barbeque sauce. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes to absorb all the juice.
6. Enjoy!!

Enjoy this recipe. I love you will love it and your family too!

xoxo

Jessie Anne

Happy 2013

I'm Back! I've had a long break from the blog world, but I'm back! There is always something to share in the everyday life of Jessie. This year I am going to share with you all my creations in the kitchen! It's a New Year, a New Blog, and the New Year is going to be an amazing year with life changing moments (I can just feel it). So Happy 2013 everyone and enjoy :)

To start the year off right, here is a recap from Charlie and I's Charleston Trip this past weekend for my Birthday/New Year...

FRIDAY: Arrived to Charleston. After checking in you would think we would be tired of driving since we have been in the car for the last 5 hours. But we got back in the car and drove around Downtown Charleston, Mount Pleasant, Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms. After our little adventure we went back downtown to eat at Aman's Restaurant and had steak and potatoes (our favorite!). After dinner we went to get a cupcake at my favorite place ever... CUPCAKE! This was the first cupcake of many on our trip :)

SATURDAY: We got up early because this was the Aquarium day! I have been looking forward to going to the Aquarium ever since I planned the trip. The animals were so cute and it was a great experience. Afterwards, we had an early lunch at Poe's Tavern in Sullivan's Island. Charlie could not stop talking about their food all weekend! We stopped at some antique and furniture places on the way back to downtown. We did a little bit of shopping and a whole lot of walking. We got another cupcake at CUPCAKE, and it was so good!!! We ate dinner at Lowcountry Bistro then headed to the Pavilion Rooftop Bar at the Market Pavilion Hotel (Super nice. Super expensive) to watch some games and see the amazing view. We met some people at the bar and we all went to Husk (our second dinner for Charlie and I). We found out that Husk was named the Best Restaurant in America by Southern Living. So Charlie and I were pleased to have been able to try it out. It was good.

The South Carolina Aquarium

Charlie in the Eagle's Nest

Me in the Eagle's Nest

The gorgeous view from the Aquarium. I love this bridge.

Charlie's new favorite restaurant

Our second cupcake of the trip

My dinner at Lowcountry Bistro... yum!

Pavilion Rooftop Bar

SUNDAY: Charlie and I were on our way to Drayton Hall until we made a wrong turn which led us to Folly Beach. We decided to explore and go to the pier. It was a gorgeous and calm Sunday morning. Afterwards, we took the trip to the Ashley area and visited Drayton Hall. It wasn't what we expected but it was still fun! We were going to visit Middelton Place afterwards, but we decided we will save that for our next trip to Charleston. After Drayton Hall, we made the drive to Red's in Sullivan's Island. It was on the water and food was good. We both got shrimp but it wasn't enough. The sun was setting so we went to get back to our hotel so we can see finish watching the sunset from the restaurant on the top floor of the hotel. The views were GORGEOUS! 

Folly Beach Pier

The Happy Couple :)

Drayton Hall

Sunset at Red's

MONDAY: MY BIRTHDAY!!! We started the day out right by going to Battery Park next to the water. We had a relaxing time walking around and taking pictures. We are such goof balls when you put a camera in our hands. For lunch we ate at Hominy Grill then went shopping!!! After a little retail therapy, of course we had to go back to CUPCAKE once again (Hey! It's my birthday!) I might of had more than one cupcake that day... but who's counting! That night we spent New Years at the Pavilion Rooftop Bar. We got to see many fireworks and the food at the bar was actually very delicious. We had their Barbecue Chicken Pizza and Kobe Beef Hamburger. It was a nice, chill New Years (just how we like it.)

Charlie stole my camera!

What a goof ball at Battery Park

Battery Park

Oh no! Charlie took my camera again...

Happy Couple :)

Isn't he so cute!

Birthday lunch at Hominy Grill

Maybe our third and fourth cupcake of the trip :)

I just love CUPCAKE

I guess I'm too much for him... 

Happy New Years Eve!

 TUESDAY: Our last day... We woke up not wanting to leave. We felt like we were in Charleston for a month (which isn't a bad thing). We just knew it was going to be hard getting back to reality. But before heading home, we took a carriage ride around town. It was the perfect ending to the perfect trip.

I am so blessed that Charlie and I were able to have our first vacation just us two (no friends, no family). It was relaxing, fun, and the best way to end 2012. I can't wait till our next trip to the Lowcountry!

xoxo 

Jessie Anne

Spinach Lasagna Rolls

I am obsessed with Pinterest. Over Christmas break I got my mom hooked on it. Many of our conversations on the phone are about what we have currently pinned and what we have made/used from Pinterest. Now that I am home for Spring Break what is the first thing that my mom and I do?? Make dinner from our Pinterest board!

Tonight we are making Spinach Lasagna Rolls! You can find the recipe here.

Here is how I made Spinach Lasagna Rolls:
1. Cook 9 lasagna noodles
2. Preheat oven to 350.
3. Combine 10 oz. of thawed and drained spinach, 1/2 cup of parmesan, 15 oz. ricotta cheese, one egg, salt and pepper.

 4. In a 9X12 pan, pour a thin layer of sauce.

5. After the noodles have cooked, drain and dry them. Lay noodles on wax paper. 

6. With the noodles in a row, scoop out 1/3 of the spinach mix onto each and spread evenly.

7. Roll each one and place the crease side down (in the sauce).

8. Sprinkle as much mozzarella cheese as you want. My family likes our cheese so I put a hefty amount on.

9. Bake for 40 minutes...

10. And ENJOY!!!

Yes, it has spinach in it, but you can barely notice. This is a healthy dinner that is rich in iron. 

And what is for dessert???

My very own Apple Crisp that I have put my own twist on to make it a Jessie Anne original!

XOXO

Jessie Anne

Mini Monkey Bread

Ingredients:                                      Smaller Serving:

1 can of Pillsbury Biscuits               (small can that has 6 mini biscuits)

6 Tablespoons of sugar                   (3 Tablespoons of sugar)

3 Tablespoons of cinnamon             (3 Teaspoons of cinnamon)

1 stick of butter                                1 stick of butter

1/2 cup of brown sugar                    1/2 cup of brown sugar

1.Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cut the biscuits into 4-6 pieces each.

3. Combine cinnamon and sugar.

4. Coat the biscuit pieces in sugar mix.

5. Coat muffin pan with non stick cooking spray

6. Place biscuit pieces in muffin pan (about 6 pieces each).

7. Sprinkle a little more of the sugar mix into each muffin slot. 

8. Melt brown sugar and butter in a saucepan on medium heat until bubbly.

9. Pour a little of the sauce over the biscuits.

10. Bake according to time on biscuit can. (I baked mine for 9 minutes for a small can).

11. When the buiscuits are done baking, let sit for 5 minutes.

12. Pour the remaining sauce over the monkey bread.

13. ENJOY!

They are sooo good! I ate all five... I know I am a Miss Piggy.
Let me know if you like it too!


XOXO

Jessie Anne

Brown Sugar and Balsamic Glaze Pork Loin

I made this delicious dinner for Charlie last night and a lot of you have been asking for the recipe 

so here it is...

Ingredients

a 2 pound boneless pork tenderloin

1 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 clove garlic, crushed

1/2 cup of water

Glaze

1/2 cup pf brown sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 cup water

Combine sage, salt, pepper and garlic. Rub over roast. Place the pork in the slow cooker with 1/2 cup water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours (It took 8 hours for me). About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for glaze in small sauce pan. Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during the last hour of cooking. Serve with remaining glaze on the side (The glaze is so good on top of your serving).

Trust me, this is a recipe to put on your menu. Just put the pork loin in your crock pot in the morning and it is ready for dinner! Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

XOXO

Jessie Anne

Apple Crisp

You can just call me Betty Crocker

I love baking. I like to come home and try new recipes and many times, it is trial and error.  Charlie never has faith in me when I am in the kitchen, but if I stay in the kitchen longer I can get better and become a Betty Crocker myself!

After a busy day of classes, my internship, work at the radio station and doing my DJ shift I decided to come home and bake! I got my Betty Crocker Baking Basics book months ago and have been dying to try one of the recipes since I got it. So I have decided to make an Apple Crisp.

I love me some apples and of course the brown sugar crust on top.

What you will need for this delicious dessert…

The recipe called for 6 medium tart apples, but I just used one Granny Smith apple.

¾ cup packed brown sugar

¾ all-purpose flour

½ cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats ( I don’t like oats so I left this ingredient out)

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup of butter or margarine

1.     Heat the oven to 375°F. Peel the apples if desired. Cut each apple into quarters; remove core. Cut the apple quarters into ¼-inch slices to measure 6 cups. (I took the quarters, cut 4 to 5 more slices out of them, and then cut the slices in half to make them bite size.) Spread the slices in a ungreased 8-inch square pan ( I only one round pans.)

2.     In a medium bowl, mix the brown sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples.

3.     Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender when pierced with a fork.

Serve warm with ice cream!

 OMG IT IS GOOD! YUMMM!!

You should try it. I promise you will like it to!

XOXO

Jessie Anne