The Beach and Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Favorites Cookbook

I just got back from a week at the beach and honestly, I missed working on my blog and cooking.  Before I get to the cooking, I have to tell you about the beach experience.  Here's a little back story.  Food Police married Kyle who will now go by the name of Son-in-Law.  Before he was Son-in-Law, he told us about St. George Island, FL.  Now I have always been a Destin Girl, so I was definitely a little resistant to trying a new place.  About 4 or 5 years ago, we decide to give SGI a try.  It is a little barrier island about 8 miles long right below Apalachicola, FL.  We absolutely fell in love with the place.  It is quiet, no high rises, and it makes me think of what Old Florida must have been like before Disney, waterparks, and condominiums.  This year, Husband Fred, Food Police, Son-in-Law, and I rented a house right on the beach.  It was paradise UNTIL 2 waterspouts took out the main line of electricity to the island.  OH YES!!!  We had no power for 48 hours.  I thought to myself  "Didn't we just go through this Survivor experience in April with the tornadoes?"  Well, we jumped into action.  Food Police and Son-in-Law got us ice, batteries, flashlights and candles for the Survivor experience.  We were fine the first night without air conditioning.  Son-in-Law is a master griller, and he made some awesome food on the grill from hamburgers to pork chops to mahi mahi sandwiches.  We ate well!!  We spent the day on the beach so all was well until the 2nd night.  By now, the house is a little warm -- no -- how about stifling..how about I am going to have a heat stroke..how about we need to get a hotel room hot!!!  The power company was telling us the power would be on by midnight.  I thought to myself  "I can tough this out.  I am not a wimp".  I am a wimp though when it comes to sleeping in the heat.  There were no screens on the doors and windows of the house so we could not open up the house for ventilation.  Son-in-Law and I decide we are going to try to sleep on the picnic table benches on the deck.  Somewhere in that experience, I became delirious and thought there was a ghost in the upstairs room of the house next door.  I could see a chair illuminated in the room, and I swear it was rocking back and forth.  Then I heard some of the palms rustling and thought it was a "LIGER".  I had read a story about a tiger and a lion that mated and made a LIGER.  I was losing it.  I asked Son-in-Law about the ghost and the LIGER, and he promptly got up and went into the medically unsafe Hyperthermia House.  I guess I was getting on his nerves.  You think???  I did not sleep the whole night and neither did anyone else because they said I was talking the whole night.  REALLY???  There were ghosts and ligers to discuss oh my!!  Finally, the power came back on, and the thermostat registered 88 degrees.  AGH!!  We finished up our vacation on a high note and cannot wait to go back next year. 

Now on to the new cookbook.  I chose my Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Favorites.  I love Taste of Home and their magazine.  They also have an awesome website where you can get great recipes as well.  I love my Crock Pot too.  It is so nice to come home to a cooked meal after a LONG day in the classroom.  The Game chose Sweet and Tangy Chicken.  So let's get started....

Here is the lovely picture of the new cookbook we will be using.  I think I may be getting a little better on the food photography???

 These are the items you will need - obviously a crock pot but I wanted you to see the newest and greatest invention since electricity - the Slow Cooker Liner made by Reynolds.  It really is the best thing EVER.  You don't have to scrub the old crock pot anymore.  You will also need chicken breasts, BBQ sauce, pineapple tidbits, a green pepper and onion, and 2 cloves of fresh garlic.

Place the chicken breasts in the LINED crock pot.  So far so good...The recipe calls for 8 chicken breasts, but since I am an Empty-Nester ( I am waiting on the grand-children..Hint Hint...), I just did the 4.

In a bowl, combine the bottle of BBQ sauce and the undrained can of pineapple.  Chop up the green pepper, onion, and garlic.  I chopped it up into bigger pieces so it would not vanish in the crock pot.  Notice the knife skills.  HAHA!  I finally sharpened my knives (Thank you Kim Goins!!!!)

Mix it all together and pour that glorious mixture over the chicken breasts.  Then cook it on low for about 6 hours.

Here is the finished product.  I served the chicken with rice and poured the yummy sauce over the rice.  I made a side salad and we were good to go.  The picture of the chicken does not look so eye-appealing but believe me, it tasted better than it looks.  Husband Fred had a fit over the pineapple in it.  It is definitely a recipe that I will do again. 

Here is the recipe.....

Taste of Home's Slow Cooker Favorites

Sweet and Tangy Chicken

8 boneless skinless chicken breasts ( I used 4)

2 bottles (18 ounces) BBQ sauce ( I used 1)

1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, undrained

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Place 4 chicken breasts in a slow cooker.  Combine BBQ sauce, pineapple, green pepper, onion and garlic.  Pour half over chicken.  Top with remaining chicken and sauce.

Cook on low for 8-9 hours.  (I cooked mine for 6 hours).  Serve the chicken and sauce over rice. 

Go have a great day.