Peach Cobbler

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Summer time brings barbecues, warm nights, and delicious fruits and veggies in season! One of our family’s favorites are peaches. And nothing says summer like warm peach cobbler topped with creamy vanilla ice cream!

Though cobbler is best with fresh peaches, peeling and simmering them takes a lot of time. We found this delicious recipe that uses canned peaches that is so easy! We brought it as dessert to a family night and everyone loved how buttery it is. Someone in Lexi’s family even scraped the pan before we left to get every last bit.

Peach Cobbler

Dessert, Fruit, Summer

Peach Cobbler

Ingredients

1 cup of flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1- 29oz can of peaches in heavy syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Once combined, add the sugar and mix thoroughly.
Place butter in 9×13 baking pan and place in oven to melt. Be careful not to burn the butter.
Partially open can of peaches and pour syrup into bowl of flour/sugar mixture. Add milk and mix until you get a thin batter.
Carefully remove pan with melted butter from oven. Pour batter over butter. Arrange peaches over the batter.
Bake for 1 hour or until the batter rises around the peaches and the crust is golden brown and thick. Serve warm.

Not in charge of dessert for the barbecue? We’ve got you covered if you need to bring the main dish or the salad!

As fruits and veggies come into season, what is your summer favorite?

Comment below!

May 6, 2019May 6, 2019

Summer Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Its time for us to get on the lighter side of things. We’ve been eating a lot of meat, pasta, and potatoes, and boy are we starting to feel it!

(Not that those things are unhealthy on their own. Moderation in all things!)

Though I am not always a fan of cooked spinach, its one of my favorite veggies when it is raw. I love green fruit smoothies, and my favorite salads are chock full of it.

These are one of those. This salad can seem overly simple – but it has the best qualities of a good salad! Its tangy, has a bite of salt, savory greens and a sweet pop with berries. What ties it all together is the smooth vinaigrette that’s perfect for summer!

It goes together so easily! Especially when you use a good blender like our Ninja to make the vinaigrette.

Summer Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Appetizer, Cheese, Meals for a Crowd, Salad, Sauce, Sides, Summer, Vegetarian

Summer Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Ingredients

Spinach
Feta cheese, crumbled
Fresh blueberries

For the Vinaigrette

1/2 pound of strawberries
2 TBS honey
1 TBS rice wine vinegar
1 TBS lemon juice
2 TBS olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Remove stems from strawberries. Chop to make them easier to blend.
Add strawberries, honey, vinegar, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper to blender. Pulse a few times to get more contact with the blades, then blend until desired consistency.
Remove stems from spinach leaves. Roughly chop if desired.
In a large bowl, combine spinach, feta cheese, and blueberries to taste. Pour over desired amount strawberry vinaigrette or leave vinaigrette on the side. Mix thoroughly and serve.

Notes

Left over vinaigrette can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. Shake if separation occurs.

This would be a great side for our ravioli, or served at your next barbecue with our grilled chicken!

What is your favorite type of salad? Comment below and we may feature you in our next post!!

May 2, 2019May 2, 2019

Grilled Chicken

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Growing up, my dad barbecued rain or shine, winter or summer. Its one of my favorite ways to cook, and since he moved away I haven’t had much of a chance to.

That was until this week when I finally had saved up enough to get my very own grill! (Review of that grill coming soon!) The stars aligned and we got chicken quarters for $0.25 a pound!! So I cooked them up on by new grill and instantly felt closer to my dad.

You can use your favorite BBQ sauce! We personally love Kraft’s sauces, especially Hickory and Mesquite. This time we used Hickory.

Grilled Chicken

Barbecue, Chicken, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Meat, Sauce, Summer

Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

10 lbs chicken leg quarters, seperated
2 TBS garlic powder
2 TBS onion powder
1 TBS black pepper
1 TBS yellow curry
1 tsp sea salt
35 oz BBQ sauce (it takes us 2 bottles of our favorite)

Instructions

Heat up your barbecue grill to 400 – 425 degrees Fahrenheit, or medium power if your grill doesn’t have a temperature gauge.
While the grill is warming up, mix spices in a medium bowl. Liberally sprinkle spice mixture onto each piece of chicken, covering both sides.
Place chicken on grill for 35 minutes for thighs, 30 minutes for drumsticks.
Put barbecue sauce in a medium bowl. Using a grilling brush, coat the top of the chicken with barbecue sauce. Cook for an additional 10 minutes for the thighs and an additional 5 minutes for the drumsticks.
Flip the pieces and coat with sauce a second time. Cook for another 5 minutes, flip and coat one more time. Chicken is done when the largest pieces reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss our upcoming recipes! Its summer time, so we’ll be grilling until we’re sick of it!

April 29, 2019April 29, 2019

Mango Habanero Sauce

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Need something to spice up your next chicken recipe? I personally have a hard time finding things that are spicy enough. My wife will be red in the face and crying while I shrug and say, “Eh…Its good. I just wish it was spicier…”

This sauce, though, brought it all for me. Full of sweet flavor and plenty of heat, I loved smothering our fried chicken strips in this sauce, but its great as a dipping sauce as well!

You’ll need to grab some habanero hot sauce, and we found the one we bought locally on Amazon! Its yummy on its own, and is a must have to add any sort of heat to your favorite sauces! Yellow Bird has a lot of other flavors I would love to try as well!

Mango Habanero Sauce

Sauce, Spicy, Uncategorized

Mango Habanero Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups mango nectar
Habanero hot sauce (to taste)
1 TBS corn syrup
1/4 cup cayenne pepper sauce
1/3 cup melted butter

Instructions

Combine mango nectar, corn syrup, and Habanero hot sauce to taste in a medium sauce pan. Heat through over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Once ingredients are well combined and heated through, add cayenne pepper sauce and melted butter.
Cook through until combined again. Reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness.

Try this on fried chicken (or air fried chicken if you’re looking for a healthier twist) . Need something not so hot? Try our Zesty Asian sauce!

April 25, 2019April 29, 2019

Zesty Asian Sauce

Summer time means warm nights and fun times! One of our go to recipes for big parties is chicken. Every year we have a combined birthday party (all three of our birthdays are within a week) and this last year we had 20 lbs of fried chicken strips with a wide array of sauces. One of those was a copy cat recipe from our favorite wing joint! (The original sauce may or may not rhyme with PAsian Ping…)

Its great hot or cold, coated all over the chicken or used as a dipping sauce.

Need something to put it on? Try out our Fried Chicken Strips or make them air fried for a healthier twist.

Zesty Asian Sauce

Chinese, Dinner, Meat, Sauce

Zesty Asian Sauce

Ingredients

2 tsp corn starch
4 tsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup Sriracha
1 TBS soy sauce
1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

In a medium sauce pan, combine all ingredients except for sesame seeds.
Cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Cook through until thoroughly combined and desired consistency.

To coat chicken in sauce:

Place chicken you want to coat in a large mixing bowl. Pour sauce into bowl.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap – make sure it is tight! Holding the bowl in both hands, toss chicken and sauce using a circular motion. If chicken and sauce are hot the plastic wrap may expand due to steam.

We also suggest adding sesame seeds to give it that final touch.

Not spicy enough for you? Try our Mango Habanero sauce for a sweet and spicy kick!

April 25, 2019April 29, 2019

Deep Fried Chicken Strips

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

My wife worked for a chicken fast food joint for the first 2 years of our marriage. They let her take home leftovers, so for a long time we had free chicken – old, dry chicken, but everything free is good, right?

Since she quit we’ve been craving fried chicken, and we’ve found a recipe that is nice on the wallet and great with a wide array of dipping sauces! (Including our Zesty Asian and Mango Habanero sauces)

If you want that extra crispy crust we definitely recommend deep frying! If you are looking for a healthier twist check out our Air Fried Chicken Strips recipe.

Deep Fried Chicken Strips

Chicken, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Fried, Meals for a Crowd, Meat

Deep Fried Chicken Strips

Ingredients

2.5 lbs dark meat chicken strips (cut strips from thighs – you should get about 4 from each thigh)
Hot sauce
5 cups flour
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup cayenne pepper or to taste
10 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Instructions

Marinade chicken strips in hot sauce for up to 24 hours.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Add cayenne pepper to make spicy tenders, or leave it out for a milder breading.
In a shallow bowl combine eggs and milk.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry.
Dredge strips in flour mixture first – shaking off excess flour. Then dip the strip into the egg mixture, and again into the flour mixture. Lightly shake off excess flour.
Place strips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Place all breaded strips into the freezer for at least two hours for flour to stick to chicken.
Heat deep fryer to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry chicken strips in hot oil until golden brown – about 8 minutes.

Notes

It makes it easier to bread the chicken if you use one hand for removing the chicken from the flour mixture and one hand for removing it from the wet mixture. If you don’t then you will coat your fingers in breading. After freezing chicken can be placed in freezer safe bags and kept for up to three months.

April 25, 2019December 5, 2019

Air Fried Chicken Strips

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

We got an Air Fryer from my in-laws for Christmas and we have been cooking up a storm. One thing we’ve made plenty of is our freeze ahead chicken strips! When we are feeling naughty we deep fry them (see that recipe here), but we’re both trying to eat healthier.

With the air fryer you get all the crisp with a lot less oil!

Pair these with our Zesty Asian sauce or Mango Habanero Sauce for a spicy kick!

Air Fried Chicken Strips

Air Fryer, Chicken, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Fried, Meals for a Crowd, Meat

Air Fried Chicken Strips

Ingredients

2.5 lbs dark meat chicken strips (cut strips from thighs – you should get about 4 from each thigh)
Hot sauce
5 cups flour
1/4 cup onion powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup cayenne pepper or to taste
10 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Instructions

Marinade chicken strips in hot sauce for up to 24 hours.
In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, onion powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Add cayenne pepper to make spicy tenders, or leave it out for a milder breading.
In a shallow bowl combine eggs and milk.
Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Remove chicken from marinade and pat dry.
Dredge strips in flour mixture first – shaking off excess flour. Then dip the strip into the egg mixture, and again into the flour mixture. Lightly shake off excess flour.
Place strips in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Place all breaded strips into the freezer for at least two hours for flour to stick to chicken.
Preheat air fryer. Just before placing in fryer basket, lightly coat tenders in oil using a oil mister or brush. Cook in single layer at 380 degrees Fahrenheit for 6 minutes. Open fryer and flip strips. Cook for an additional 6 minutes.

Notes

April 22, 2019April 22, 2019

Pork & Veggie Stir Fry

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

The few times we get carry out, we have a favorite Chinese place we go to. Their family combos are to die for, and we always add on an extra order of their crispy cream cheese wontons.

Since we can’t get out as often as we would like, we’ve found its cheaper to make our favorite Asian inspired dishes ourselves. This pork stir fry gives you all the umami you’d expect from your favorite place with the ease of staying in home while you whip it up hot in your own wok!

We cook up our rice in our pressure cooker to make it fast and fluffy! No need to get a single function rice cooker!

We used a bag of frozen veggies from Costco to make ours. You can always substitute fresh produce in, but we find it is often cheaper to grab these veggies frozen – especially when they aren’t in season.

Pork & Veggie Stir Fry

Chinese, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meat, Pork, Splurge

Pork & Veggie Stir Fry

Ingredients

3 TBS olive oil, divided
3 lbs pork, cut into bite sized pieces
2 1/2 lbs frozen stir fry vegetables**
1 TBS garlic powder
2 tsp powdered ginger

For the Sauce

3 TBS corn starch
6 TBS cold water
1 tsp chicken base
3/4 cup water
6 TBS soy sauce
3/4 cup honey
3 TBS toasted sesame oil
2 tsp or to taste crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

Make the Sauce:

In a medium bowl, whisk corn starch and cold water. Add remaining sauce ingredients, mixing as you go. Set aside

Start the Stir fry:

Add 1 1/2 TBS olive oil to deep skillet or wok and heat over medium high heat. Add pork, cook in batches if necessary, and add salt and pepper to taste as cooking. Cook for 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from pan.
Add remaining oil and reduce heat to medium. Add frozen vegetables to pan, stirring occasionally until heated through but not soggy.
Add garlic powder and powdered ginger and cook for a minute. Add pork back into pan, stirring to combine.
Mix sauce again in case of separation. Our over meat and vegetables, stirring gently to coat.
Increase heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Let boil for a minute.
Remove from heat. Serve hot over rice.

Notes

**The frozen bag of vegetables we use includes: broccoli, sugar snap peas, green beans, carrots, mushrooms, red bell peppers, water chestnuts and yellow onions. You can use 2 1/2 lbs of whatever fresh vegetables you like. When cooking, cook vegetables until cooked through but still a little crisp.

April 18, 2019April 15, 2019

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

We are potato lovers in this house! When my wife was pregnant that is all she craved (then she ironically developed gestational diabetes, so no more for her!)

Nothing is better on a cool almost spring day than a hearty bowl of potato soup! This classic recipe brings everything you love about a baked potato into a bowl with creamy texture you will love to scarf down!

To make this the ultimate soup, you could really use an immersion blender. It makes is so easy, and saves you the hassle of having to blend it in batches in your standard stand blender. (Though if you love a classic blender, might we recommend Ninja?)

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Cheese, Comfort, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Potatoes, Soup

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Ingredients

8 cups of water
4 TBS chicken base
4 lbs red potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb bacon, chopped, cooked, divided – reserve grease
1 1/2 cups of sour cream, plus more for garnish
1 lb cheddar cheese, shredded for garnish
1 bunch of green onion, chopped for garnish

Instructions

Mix water, chicken base, potatoes, onion, 1/2 of cooked bacon, and reserved bacon grease in a 6 QT slow cooker.
Cook for 3 hours on high, then 3 hours on low for a total cook time of 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until slightly chunkier than desired texture (we like it a little chunky).
Add in 1 1/2 cups of sour cream and blend to desired texture.
Garnish with remaining bacon, green onion, cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

Want to elevate this soup? We love this “Deluxe” version filled with Parmesan!

April 18, 2019April 15, 2019

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links, meaning that at no additional cost to you I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

As spring gets closer, some of those blustery in between days can get pretty chilly. We’ve had such whiplash between sunny weather and rain/snow that we aren’t ever sure what to prepare.

A good fall back is some soup to warm the soul in the slow cooker so you don’t warm up the house! The ultimate comfort food is the potato, and this soup celebrates it in an elevated way!

We have loved our immersion blender, and jump at any opportunity to use it! I couldn’t find ours available anymore, but this one on Amazon is a great price!

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Cheese, Comfort, Comfort Foods, Dinner, Meals for a Crowd, Potatoes, Soup

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup

Ingredients

8 cups of water
4 TBS chicken base
4 lbs red potatoes, chopped into 1″ pieces
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 lb bacon, chopped, cooked, divided – reserve grease
1 lb Parmesan cheese, shredded, divided
1 bunch of green onion, chopped

Instructions

Mix water, chicken base, potatoes, onion, 1/2 of cooked bacon, and reserved bacon grease in a 6 QT slow cooker.
Cook for 3 hours on high, then 3 hours on low for a total cook time of 6 hours, stirring occasionally.
Using an immersion blender, blend soup until slightly chunkier than desired texture (we like it a little chunky).
Add in 1 1/2 cups of shredded Parmesan and blend to desired texture.
Garnish with remaining bacon, green onion, and more Parmesan.

Notes

Make this Vegetarian friendly by not adding bacon and using Vegetable Bouillon instead of chicken base.

A little to indulgent? Check out our classic Loaded Baked Potato Soup for a simpler take!

Cason Cooks

Posts

Peach Cobbler

Summer Spinach Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

Grilled Chicken

Mango Habanero Sauce

Zesty Asian Sauce

Deep Fried Chicken Strips

Air Fried Chicken Strips

Pork & Veggie Stir Fry

Slow Cooker Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Slow Cooker Deluxe Potato Soup