Do you like barbeque?  How about pulled chicken sandwiches? How about easy slow cooker recipes?

Oh you do?

Well then, pull up a chair, get comfy, and be prepared to drool - because amazing barbeque is about to happen.

Barbeque and pulled chicken are two of my favorite things, and when you put them together you get one awesomely delicious meal. In my humble opinion at least.

I found this recipe for Slow Cooker Peach BBQ Chicken Sandwiches on Tasty Kitchen and knew it was going on my menu plan - STAT. The chicken is slow simmered in a spicy sweet barbecue sauce that has a great kick from peach preserves. I loved the peach flavor and ate copious amounts of the chicken by itself while I was shredding it. I also used my Amazing Barbeque Sauce - I like to call it Awesome Sauce, but you can use any kind that floats your boat.

So we've established the chicken is good. Now add a heaping of your favorite coleslaw, and a few healthy slices of fresh avocado, and you have yourself one really delicious sandwich.


For the recipe head on over the the Tasty Kitchen blog where you can check out my full step-by-step post and grab the printable recipe too!

Are you tired of peach recipes yet? I told you I had a ton of peaches to get through, and I just can't seem to get the motivation to make jam.

Mainly because I don't have any canning jars. So that means a trip to the store.

That would mean I have to actually get myself "fixed", chase my child through the house while clutching a pair of almost-too-small spiderman underwear, yelling, "Yes, you have to wear underpants!" Then body slam him to the ground, while I wrestle a shirt over his head.

What? Your kid dresses himself?

Awesome.

Mine looks like he's about to run away and join the circus whenever he does it himself. Of course, some days the process of getting him dressed makes me feel like I'VE joined the circus.

So you see why I haven't made jam yet? I decided to go with a grilled sandwich instead. These sandwiches are so easy and sooo tasty. Nice toasty bread, slathered with cream cheese and strawberry preserves, topped with fresh sliced peaches and crispy bacon.

Mmmm. Definitely a nice change from the usual.

Grilled Strawberry Peach & Bacon Sandwiches
Yield: 1           Printable Recipe

1 tbsp butter
2 slices of good quality bread
1-2 tbsp cream cheese
1 tbsp strawberry preserves
1/2 cup fresh slices peaches, skins removed
2 strips of cooked bacon

Directions:
1. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook your bacon until crispy. Place on paper towel to drain and set aside.
2. Toast buttered bread on a hot griddle until brown.
3. Remove bread to a plate, and spread each piece with cream cheese, then a small amount of strawberry preserves.
3. Top with sliced peaches, cooked bacon, and other side of bread.
4. Drool, eat, and drool some more.

I’ve been on a sugar cleanse lately, trying to cut back on the baked goodies for a while. So the recipe today is a savory dish that will be sure to please anybody.  I’ve had some fresh herbs growing on my windowsill for a while now, and I’ve been so proud of myself for not killing them – yet.  

If you don’t know by now, I was not blessed with a green thumb, and most of my potted endeavors end in failure. 

However, my dainty green herbs are still going strong, so I wanted to incorporate them into something. I had a bright idea – or what I thought was one – until I discovered it had already been done. Lemon Basil Chicken salad. A quick Google search led me to numerous recipes, and I decided to try one from Paula Deen. I adapted the original recipe a tad to suit my tastes, by adding chopped apple and substituting walnuts for the almonds. The key here is definitely using fresh basil, which adds a lot of flavor.  You could even use plain yogurt in place of the sour cream and mayo if you wanted to.

Lemon Basil Chicken Salad 
(adapted from Paula Deen)

Ingredients

• 4 cups diced cooked chicken
• 1 rib minced celery
• 1 cup chopped apple (I used gala)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds (or walnuts)
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used light sc)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used olive oil mayo)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, celery, apple, basil and nuts. In a small bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add to chicken mixture, tossing gently to coat. Cover and chill. Serve on a bed of baby spinach for a light salad, or spread on some delicious homemade bread for a yummy sandwich.

3 ounces cream cheese
1 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/8 tsp salt
1/8 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Eggs
4 slices of good quality bread
lettuce
6 cherry tomatoes, sliced

Place the cream cheese in a small microwavable bowl, and heat in the microwave until soft.  Add the mayonnaise, salt, onion powder, rosemary, and fresh ground pepper to taste.  Stir until well combined.  Add the shredded cheese.  Microwave in 10 second intervals, until the cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Since I had leftover chicken from the mammoth size split chicken breasts I grilled last night, I wanted to be thrifty and use them for my lunch today. I opened the fridge door and perused the shelves to see what I could put together. There was a pint of blueberries that were nearing their shelf life, and an almost empty tub of sour cream. 

I decided to do some experimenting and came up with this blueberry chicken salad.  I was pleasantly surprised that all of the flavors went well together, and other than almost choking on a piece of bone that got mixed in with the chicken...it was a yummy lunch.  Some of the measurements are approximations, since I did a lot of throwing in a little of this and that, but it's pretty close.  You can adjust things to suit your own tastes.  Next time I'll add some toasted pecans or walnuts and a little celery for added crunch, but I was short on ingredients today so I had to work with what I had.

Blueberry Chicken Salad

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken breast
1/3 cup fresh blueberries
1/4 cup chopped apples (I used about 1/4 - 1/3 cup; gala or braeburn are my favorite)
1/4 cup sour cream
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used about 1/4 - 1/2 tsp)
1/8 tsp dill
salt & pepper to taste

Place chicken, blueberries, and apples in a medium sized bowl.  In a separate bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, rosemary, dill, salt and pepper.  Add some of the sour cream mixture to your chicken, until you reach your desired consistency. Gently toss together.  I don't like too much mayonnaise in my chicken salad, so I only used about half of the sour cream/mayonnaise mixture.  Alternately, you could use another cup of chicken to use up the rest of the sauce.  Serve on a bed of spinach or make into a tasty sandwich.  Enjoy!

I've been waiting for today to make these yummy looking fried mozzarella sandwiches.  Again, I found a great recipe in my Apples For Jam cookbook.  It is warm, crunchy, chewy and cheesy...what more can you ask for in a lunch?  I just served it with some fresh apples slices - I love apples with cheese, especially melted cheese.  But it would also go great with a leafy green salad with a drizzle of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. If you have some great bread and fresh mozzarella lying around, you've got the makings of this satisfying sandwich.

Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches

2 Eggs
Salt
4 to 5 Tbsp all-purpose flour (whole wheat flour would work too)
5 Tbsp Italian bread crumbs
3oz Mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced
4 Slices good, crusty bread
Olive oil, for frying

Whisk the eggs with some salt in a shallow bowl. Sprinkle the flour over one plate and the breadcrumbs over another. Place the thinly sliced mozzarella cheese on two slices of the bread, top with the other two slices to make two sandwiches. Cut each sandwich in half. Heat enough oil to come about 1/4 inch up the side of your frying pan. Holding each sandwich firmly together, dip them first in the flour, making sure all sides are covered. Then dip them in the egg, then in the bread crumbs until well coated. Fry them over medium heat until they become golden brown on each side. Place them on a plate covered in paper towels, to allow the excess oil to drain off. Serve immediately.



(adapted from Apples for Jam)