Crock Pot BBQ Chicken

Fall is in the air… which means its crock pot time! Talk about easy preparation for lunches and dinners – this has become a new favorite in our home.

Crock Pot BBQ Chicken
Recipe Credit

• Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (I used 5-6 smaller pieces)
• 1 bottle BBQ Sauce (Sweet Baby Ray’s)
• 1/2 cup Zesty Italian Salad Dressing
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

Place chicken in the crock pot and then mix the BBQ sauce, Zesty Italian Salad Dressing, brown sugar, and Worcestershire Sauce. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low. (3.5 hours seems to be the magic number)! The chicken pulls apart easily with a fork. Serve on buns.

Yum!

4th of July Drinks!

These are fun and so easy to make! The best part? Kid friendly – they don’t contain any alcohol! I found the original recipe here.

4th of July Drinks!

4th of July Drinks

• Pina Coloda Sobe Drink
• Fruit Punch Gatorade
• Blueberry-Pomegranate G2 Gatorade
• Ice

Fill glass all the way to the top with ice.
Pour in the Pina Coloda Drink, filling 1/3 full.
Slowly add in the Fruit Punch, filling it 1/3 full.
Finish with the Blueberry-Pomegranate Gatorade.

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July!

A Michigan Gem

This past weekend, the hubby and I were able to escape on a much-needed ‘mental health break.’ I realized we need to do this much more!

We decided to venture not too far  and went to Glen Arbor on the Leelanau Peninsula. We had a wonderful three day stay at the Homestead Resort (right on the shores of Lake Michigan), had fun exploring Sleeping Bear Dunes, visited Historic Fishtown of Leland and fully indulged in a spa treatment (which was fabulous)!

The weather was less-than-perfect, but we still enjoyed exploring this corner of the mitt – a true Michigan gem. If you haven’t gone, go. You won’t regret it!

Frogs were everywhere! These little guys were sunning after a rain storm!

Lake Michigan Sunset, Historic Fishtown and raindrops on dune grass.

Dune climb. Steep, but beautiful at top!

My Summer Bucket List

My good friend and fellow blogger, Lauren from Mrs. Weber’s Neighborhood, sparked a great idea – create a summer bucket list! I did one last fall and completed most of everything listed on there. So, here is my list of summer must-dos!

1. Visit a new beach.

2. Take a 10 minute walk everyday at lunch time.

3. Try a new restaurant.

4. Visit Sleeping Bear Dunes.

5. Shop at a Farmer’s Market.

6. Go kayaking.

7. Take time to stop and smell the roses.

8. Attend a Tiger’s baseball game (the last time I went I was… 8?)

9. Capture one or two sunrises.

10. Disconnect more (this will probably be the hardest)!

11. Learn to master the grill.

12. Start a vegetable garden.

13. Take as many sunset photos as I can.

14. Read books in the hammock.

15. Share more of my photography.

16. Enjoy many coffees and meals on our new deck.

17. Do all of the yard work once a month so my hubby doesn’t have to.

18. Ride my bike along the Little Traverse Wheelway (26 miles long).

19. Master a healthy smoothie recipe.

20. Actually make some of the ‘pins’ I pin on Pinterest!

21. Try a new Michigan made product.

22. Spend more time with family and friends.

23. Check out one new festival this summer.

24. Fly a kite with my nieces.

25. Volunteer.

26. Visit all 5 Great Lakes (this could be challenging)!

27. Sew a summer blanket.

28. Discover all of the hiking/nature trails in my tip of the mitt.

29. Have bonfires, s’mores and hobo pies.

30. Find a way to get my siblings (and our spouses) together.

Do you have a summer bucket list? What’s on your’s?

Root Beer Float Cupcakes!

These cupcakes are delicious and oh-so-cute! They are moist and are true to their flavor. They were MUCH better the 2nd day, after the flavors had sometime to settle.

Here’s the scoop: Root Beer Float Cupcakes

• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon root beer extract
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/4 cups root beer
• Root beer candy
• Colored straws
  

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in root beer extract and vanilla. Add in 1/2 the flour mixture, then root beer and repeat.

2. Fill cupcake liners.

3. Bake for  17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool cupcakes in muffin cups on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from muffin cups. Cool completely on wire racks.

4. Frost, decorate with rootbeer candies or a straw.

*This recipe did have a ‘float’ frosting that came with it. It was VERY good, but did not set well. I used vanilla frosting and it tasted just as yummy!