Slow-Cooker BBQ Chicken

I've been working behind the fine jewelry counter at Macy's to help make ends meet until I can find something full time. I actually like it. Retail really isn't what I want to be doing, but as far as retail goes, I do like getting to play with diamonds and sapphires and gold and pearls. Especially when it comes to helping men pick out gifts for their ladies. But that's beside the point. Though I've left my availability pretty much open with Macy's, I tend to get scheduled for the closing shifts because that's what they need the most. I don't really mind it, except that it makes spending time with hubby in the evenings hard. I still try to get something together for dinner when I can, even if I can't be there when he gets home.

That's where the appeal of this meal comes in. It's really more of a technique than a recipe, but I do think it's worth blogging about because it is so easy, so versatile, and so yummy.

First, to keep the chicken from getting soggy, put a few balls of aluminum foil on the bottom of your crockpot (I added more after taking this picture). Then, to keep the chicken moist, pour in some chicken broth.

Next, prepare the meat. I'm using a whole chicken. Remove as much of the skin and fat as you can. If you leave it on there, dinner's going to be really greasy, so it really is best to get off as much as possible.

This step attracted some sad, starving critters.

After that, I seasoned the meat with some chicken rub.

Then I put the chicken in the crock pot. I put it in breast down, since the breast is the most vulnerable to drying out.

And I stuffed the cavity with an apple. Here it is.

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I'm not posting a picture of it stuffed in the bird because it was just too hard to get a picture of it, but it's not hard to imagine, is it? I just stuffed as much of the apple in the cavity as I could.

Finally, grab some BBQ sauce. You could make your own, or you could just use what you have.

I went ahead and dumped about 2 cups worth right on the chicken.

Then put a lid on it and walk away!

I have it set to "high" in this picture, but it really should be on low.

I wasn't going to be home when hubby got home and was ready to eat, so I set out some packets of BBQ sauce and wet wipes for him.

When I finally got home after my shift and put my own plate together, I was pleased with the way it turned out.

The chicken was falling off the bone, which made it really messy, but it was very tender and didn't require a knife. As for the apple, I didn't touch it because I thought the texture was kind of icky, but it was nice to boost the flavor of the chicken with it. But the chicken was moist and delicious.

And just wait until you see what I did with the leftovers!

A Better Rice Krispie Treat

Hubby and I are in the midst of some major life changes right now. In the past few weeks, we’ve watched all of our household goods be packed up and taken away, driven across two state lines, unpacked a jumble of clothes and random items at my parents’ house, and then divided our time between job searching, interviews, and trying to do things around the house to make our stay a little less stressful for my parents. And taking our dogs on high-speed laps around the backyard with the help of my parents’ golf cart. They’re bred to run and I don’t think I’ve seen them look quite so happy in a while.

Anyway, after two weeks, we moved our home base 90 miles east to my brother’s house because of job interviews and house searches, and now we’re trying to keep pace with him and his wife as they chase after their adorable baby.

Thus, no blogging for a while. But because we had thrown away our ancient, malfunctioning router just before the move, we’ve purchased one for our new place and have it temporarily set up at my brother’s. Yay wifi! So now I’m back.

While at Mom and Dad’s, I did do a lot of cooking (my self-imposed rent was putting dinner on the table every night). Pretty much everything I made was something I’d already mastered, but I did try one new thing while I was there: Rice Krispie treats.

I’m not talking about the marshmallow-infused ones that you remember from your school cafeteria. I’m talking a peanut-butter chocolate version that is simply better.

It’s worth mentioning that it wasn’t until discussing this treat with my family that I learned the reason that Mom always made these: she doesn’t like marshmallows. I thought I was the only weirdo on the planet that doesn’t like them. I don’t mind them too much if they’re melted, like in s’mores, but solid ones are just icky (luckily, the Easter bunny seemed to know that and rarely brought me Peeps). Turns out, you don’t need marshmallows for Rice Krispie treats if you have something better.

My writing is so disjointed. I suppose my brain is lethargic after a few weeks of not writing anything.

The pictures I’ve taken of the process were taken on my Android phone, since my camera’s battery died and with everything going on, I really had no idea where my spare was (I think I got a few shots with my camera first, but who knows where THAT is at the moment). Luckily Mom was able to finish up with some good shots when we were ready to eat.

First, I combined sugar and light corn syrup in a saucepan and kept it moving just until it boiled. Use your imagination for that part. It never did lose its cloudiness, as I expected it to when the sugar melted, but I guess that’s because of the syrup. Next, I pulled the mixture off the burner and mixed in some creamy peanut butter. It melted quickly and was easy to mix in. Once it was combined, I poured it into a large bowl of Rice Krispies.

Om nom nom. The few pieces of Rice Krispies that escaped to the floor served as a nice surprise treat for the puppy. She sure likes when I make messes.

Once everything’s mixed, smoosh it into a greased pan.

Finally, melt chocolate chips to smear on top. I ended up doubling the amount in Mom’s recipe, as I couldn’t quite stretch the original amount over the whole pan.

And that’s it! I refrigerated it for a while so that it would solidify and stiffen up, but I did remove it from the fridge a few hours before it was served.

Here it is!

In retrospect, I should have tried to pry the whole thing out of the pan so that I could attack it with a big knife on the cutting board, as it was really hard to cut into with a normal knife in the pan. But it turned out okay, as hubby was pretty motivated to try this since he knew it had both chocolate and peanut butter.

The first thing he said after biting into his piece was, “Why haven’t you made this before?”

Good question. I had no answer. I guess it never occurred to me. But seriously, what was I thinking? I must have forgotten how damn good these are.

I’ll have to make some more soon. They really are delicious.