Crock Pot Fryers

I found this on Busy-mommy.com. She says it's better then the rotisserie chickens you can buy at Walmart or the grocery store. Roland said it was much better and is only a 1/3 of the cost :) Make sure the use a fryer chicken, since they are fattier and will stay nice and moist. Some people say putting it breast side down will make it moister - but I didn't see a measurable differance.

1 broiler/fryer chicken (3.5-4 lbs)
2 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional!)
1 1/2 tsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder or 3 cloves garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Add enough water to make a paste. Spray crockpot bowl with non-stick spray. Place chicken inside breast side up. Rub chicken inside and out with paste. Pour 1/2 cup of liquid into the bowl - not over the chicken or you will wash the spices off. Cook in low for 6.5 - 7 hours, or high for 3.5 - 4.5 hours. Chicken is done when meat thermometer is at 180F.

Lemon Pepper Chicken: Pour the juice from two lemons and 1/4 cup melted butter of the chicken and then pepper the bird until well covered. Salt lightly.

Perfect Chocolate Cupcakes

I found this recipe on a blog called Glorious Treats ( http://glorioustreats.blogspot.com/ ) through Pinterest. It's not too sweet and very simple to make. Check out this blog for tips on making, and decorating cupcakes and cookies. If you want to make this Gluten-free just substitute the flour for your G/F favorite flour mix. I used Bisquick G/F baking mix and reduced the sugar to 1 3/4 c since the mix has some sugar already in it. I topped the with a cream cheese frosting and used a Wilton 1M tip. Enjoy :)

Perfectly Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
1 cup boiling water
Directions- Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute. Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don't worry, this is right). Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.) Bake cupcakes for aproximately 22-24 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.

Simple burgers

Here's a way to make your own beef patties that don't fall apart on the grill. :)

1 lb 80/20 ground beef
3 Tbs cornstarch
2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce or Dales sauce
1/2 Tsp ea. salt and pepper
1 Tsp Montreal Steak Seasoning
Mix ingredients in a bowl. Form into 4 patties and grill.

Bell Pepper Eggs

I found these on Pinterest. It's a creative low-carb breakfast idea. The author called them "Flower-Power" eggs because of the shape of the bell pepper slices. I only had green on hand, but you can use red, yellow and orange for variety :)

Simply core, rinse out and slice the bell pepper into 1/4 - 1/2" thick slices. Preheat skillet on low heat and coat pan with cooking spray. Put peppers in the pan and break egg into one pepper. Cook until desired doneness :)

Coconut Brownies

I ran out of butter on the day I had promised a pan of brownies, so I used coconut oil. It wasn't awful, but not too great either. So I went looking for a proper coconut brownie and found this recipe. This is the place to find her brownie blog http://www.squidoo.com/brownie-recipe Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10x10 pan. I love to use corning ware to make my brownies. It makes a moist brownie that doesn't get a burnt flavor on the edges.

Ingredients
•1 cup all purpose flour
•2 large eggs
•1/2 tsp. salt
•2/3 cup coconut oil
•1/2 tsp. baking powder
•1 cup sugar
•2 Table spoons cocoa powder
•1 tsp. vanilla
Instructions Cream sugar, eggs, and coconut oil. Combine dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Stir well by hand, adding the vanilla last. Spread the mixture into the greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (in my oven sometimes it takes nearly 30), or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Easy Chicken Marsala

Found this on Pinterest and I have to say it's really good and easy. Took under 30 minutes to make. Make sure the vent-a-hood is on though - while pan frying I set off the smoke alarms :p

Chicken Marsala Recipe

Ingredients
2 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour or corn starch for gluten-free
up to 1/2 cup olive or vegetable oil
8 ounces container of mushroom, sliced and cleaned
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup sweet Marsala wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup sherry or dry white wine
Optional: 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Garnish with chopped parsley or oregano

Directions:
Split each chicken breast through the middle to make 2 pieces. Place plastic wrap over them and pound each one flat using a meat tenderizer/mallet until they are about a quarter inch thick. Season a good amount of salt and pepper on both sides of each piece. Place some flour on a plate and and dredge each piece of chicken in it.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat and when the oil is hot fry each piece of chicken for 3-4 minutes on each side until they are golden brown (this may require you to do this in 2 batches). Remove chicken and place them on your serving platter covering them with foil.

Reduce the heat to medium and add butter and mushrooms. Saute mushrooms for 4-5 minutes making sure to season them with salt and pepper lightly. Add marsala wine, sherry, cream, and chicken stock allowing the liquid to reduce slightly – approx. 3 minutes. Pour mushrooms and sauce over chicken and serve.

Green Smoothie

I've had a cold so I've been making lots of healthy foods and drinking teas and smoothies. This looks like it wouldn't taste good, but it actually does. It's rich in vitamins and fiber :) Milk doesn't agree with me so I substituted almond milk and I've heard freezing the kale makes it smoother :)

1 banana, thickly sliced, frozen
2 cups chopped kale
1 tablespoon flax seed meal (optional)
1 tablespoon coconut oil (optional)
1/4 cup milk
1/3 cup orange juice

Directions
1. Place the banana, kale, flax seed meal, and coconut oil into a blender, pour in the milk and orange juice. Cover, and puree until smooth; serve.