Barbecue Chicken Slow Cooking One Pot Meal

Easy One Pot Meal with BBQ Chicken

I forgot to take pictures but must tell you that experiment number two on my slow-cooking beanpot was a success!

However, I think I am learning that I prefer slow cooking and lower temperatures to get-it-done-faster and higher temps. But yesterday, we had errands to run and by the time I was back, with groceries put up and the oven warmed, it was mid-afternoon.

So I cooked it at 350 degrees for two hours. It was great, but not as tender as I would have liked. Today, I added bacon and mild cheddar cheese and warmed it up at 200-250 degrees and it was even better. We had sandwiches that were the absolute yummiest!

Didn't think of taking a picture of them, either, until I was halfway finished with mine.

Cleaning Up

I did have to run the hot water and let the beanpot soak while we ate because the I forgot cooking spray at the store and the butter just didn't work this time :).

However, it came right off and the pot is now resting comfortably in the dishwasher.

Tomorrow's Dinner

Tomorrow is cooking day for homeschooling and we picked mac and cheese. I haven't decided if I'm ready for that again so soon or would rather wait until next Friday. But an even more important question might be, do I have anything else?

I definitely don't feel like trekking back to the store just to make something different. So at this point, tomorrow's dinner is anybody's guess.

See you then!

Jeanine

Guess What's Slow Cooking Right Now?

Today was our first day back to homeschool and as part of the end of our homeschooling day, we not only decided on the easy one pot meal made with chicken barbecued in the beanpot, I let my son do all of the preparation except for pouring in the barbecue sauce.

Our meal is cooking in the oven right now! I'll let you know tomorrow if it was as yummy as I expect it to be.

Our day went well today! But we got a later start than planned so our dinner meal will be about an hour later than it usually is.

We began with tea and meditation, and then ate a quick breakfast before the start to our first homeschooling day of the year! It was fun to start again and I look forward to getting the rhythm of our days established so I don't even have to think about what to do first and what to do next.

What's cooking in your kitchen?

See you tomorrow!

Jeanine

Leftover Mac and Cheese, a Slow Cooking, One Pot Meal

Leftover Meal

After we finished dinner last time, there was still enough left in the beanpot for another meal. So I just put the beanpot in the refrigerator and took it out today for tonight's dinner. It is stoneware, so it's safe for the oven, refrigerator, microwave and dishwasher.

But it is not a good idea to take it from the fridge and put it in the hot oven right away. I let it sit out for a couple of hours so it could return to room temperature.

I warmed it up at about the same temperature (200 degrees), and added some butter to it before I put it in and after I took it out to wake it up a little.

Just As Good

Our meal tonight was almost as yummydelicious as last night's except for missing that elusive fresh-from-the-oven thing that makes it just that much better on the night you cook it.

As I ate, I continued to marvel at how good it was! You know, when I am out at restaurants, I am wary of ordering macaroni and cheese because sometimes, it's not quite right. The cheese is too sharp or too gooey, or there's too much of it, or the texture is just off in some other way.

So it's dawning on me that when you are the one cooking it, if it turns out okay, you can create something that tastes exactly the way you want it! That amazes me!!

Best Slow Cooking Mac & Cheese I Have Ever Tasted!!

Oh...my...god!!

That macaroni and cheese truly was the best I have ever tasted. I cannot believe that I, reluctant cook, ordinary homeschooling mom, basically still a novice when it comes to new meals, made a mac and cheese that tasted that good!!! And I was so worried that something would go wrong.

I expected it to be crusty and dry but it surprised me and was anything but. It was just like I like it, not too cheesy, not too dry, soft and yummy comfort food!


I feel excited, now, about all my other planned one pot meals!! I asked my son if that wasn't the best mac and cheese I have ever made (I've only tried it once or twice before, I think) and he agreed rather enthusiastically that it was, LOL!

Here's what I cooked it in...

And I got the recipe from Three Ingredient Slow Cooker Comfort Foods.

Now this book's recipes are designed for a slow cooker that has "high" and "low" settings. Obviously, with my beanpot, I used oven temperatures. So I altered it a smidge. I cooked it at 250 degrees for 2 1/2 hours and that worked out perfectly!!



See you tomorrow!

Jeanine

Living in Limbo

So on Saturday, the Fed-Ex truck comes to the door with a big box and I am sure it's my beanpot! I get all excited, ready to go to the store to get chicken broth (I don't have enough here at home), chicken breasts, broccoli and broccoli soup. Plus, some other things, but mainly, the makings of tonight's dinner.

False Labor

And, indeed, the big box is from Celebrating Home, so I'm sure my beanpot is in there! I struggle to get the thing upstairs and can't wait to try the meal I'm going to make.

And then, I open it.

That's what was in there. Two of those! My lamps and a Christmas gift I got for my partner.

No beanpot! And obviously, there wasn't enough room in the box, but where is my beanpot?

Sigh. It will probably get here Monday and I didn't really expect it until next week. I guess I'm just disappointed.

The Real Reason I'm So Impatient

Whenever I try something new, I worry about whether or not it's going to work. Then, I have trouble with waiting to try it because I want to get it over with so I'll know one way or the other. Haven't we all ordered stuff in the mail that just grew dusty wherever we laid it to rest in our house?

Back to Excitement

But if it does work, I will get to have a lot more yummy meals, and I can completely get rid of that worry I get around the end of the afternoon about whether or not I will have enough energy for dinner. I love the idea of preparing dinner while the day is still somewhat new. Before the reserves are depleted!

So I am really going to give it several chances to work. I'll just have to build in more time during that part of the day and make the meal prep part of our homeschooling each day.

Stay tuned! :)

Jeanine