Grilled Shrimp

Source: combination of different recipes on allrecipes.com

Servings: 4 (really 2 adults, 1 kid who eats shrimp like an adult, and 1 toddler who ate 2)
Total time: 45 minutes, including marinating

Ingredients
2 lb frozen shrimp, defrosted under cold water (I used shell off, tail off)
3 cloves minced garlic (who i am kidding, i used 2 tsp of the jarred stuff)
1/3 cup olive oil
1 T tomato paste
2 T red wine vinegar
2 tsp dried basil leaves (or 2 T fresh chopped basil if you have it)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, depending on taste
skewers

Directions
In large bowl mix together garlic, olive oil, tomato past, vinegar, basil, salt and cayenne pepper. Add shrimp to bowl and stir until evenly coated. Refridgerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour to marinate.

Meanwhile, soak skewers in water.

Preheat grill for medium heat. Thread shrim on to skewers. Grill on lightly oil grates 3-5 minutes per side, or until opaque.

Verdict
Allison LOVES shrimp. But when she first saw these, without even tasting she said they were too spicy. She has something against seasoning. We finally got her to try it and then she loved them. She ate probably 10 shrimp. All the while saying next time she didn't want her shrimp to have the seasoning on it. This was really good and fairly easy. A little time consuming having to thread the shrimp on skewers, but it gave me plenty of time to make the other parts of the meal.

I served this with rice pilaf (Far East box stuff) and Roasted Parmesan Green Beans (recipe follows).

Parmesan Green Beans

source: skinnytaste dot com

Prep Time: <5 mins
Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
12 oz trimmed, dry green beans (I buy the bag already washed and trimmed)
2 tsp olive oil
kosher salt & black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 T grated parmesan cheese (I just eye ball this, so it's probably more than 2T. More cheese=better)

Directions
Preheat overn to 425 degrees. Line baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place green beans and cover with olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic powder. Toss to coat.

Spread beans out on sheet so they are all flat. Bake 10 minues, shake the pan to turn; bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Sweet and Sour Baked Chicken

Source: all over blog world

Time: 1 -1.5 hours (this is what those other blogs don't tell you!)
Servings: 4

Ingredients: 

Chicken
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup cornstarch
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup canola oil

Sweet & Sour Sauce
3/4 cup sugar
4 T ketchup
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp garlic salt

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350. Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces and season with salt and pepper.
2. Place cornstarch and eggs in separate bowls.
3. Dip chicken into cornstarch, then coat with egg mixture (I know this seems backwards, just go with it)
4. Heat oil in large skillet over med-high heat and cook chicken until browned on both sides. Chicken doesn't need to be cooked all the way through, you're just browning the outside.
5. Place chicken in greased 9x13 baking dish.
6. In medium mixing bowl, whisk together all ingredients for sauce and pour over chicken.
7. Bake for 30 minutes to 1 hour, stirring during cooking. The longer you cook it the thicker the sauce will get. If you've got the time, go the full hour. Mine only cooked for 25 minutes.

Verdict: 

This was really good, but also very time consuming. I really should have read the recipe thoroughly before putting this on our week night menu. It took me easily an hour to make this and I didn't bake it the full time, instead to speed up cooking, I pan fried it longer. It did turn out really well though. I served this with rice and roasted broccoli.

I'm not sure if I'd make it again because of the time it took, but if I did I'd probably add some veggies to the baking dish like onions, red peppers and pineapples (like a real chinese sweet & sour dish).

And this is what happens when you don't serve dinner until after 7pm. You end up with two cranky kids who won't sit in their own seats.

Crock Pot Chicken Caccitaore

Source: adapted from skinnytaste.com

Time:10 minutes prep + 9 hours cooking
Servings: 8

Ingredients:
8 chicken thighs (I used boneless, skinless)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper to taste
2 T flour

Directions:
1. Season chicken generously with salt and pepper. Place in bottom of crock pot.
2. Pour tomatoes over chicken. Top with onions and peppers.
3. Add oregano, garlic power, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
4. Stir a bit and cook on low for 8 hours.
5. When 8 hours are up, or when you get home if you're like me, remove the lid, add flour, stir to break up chicken and cook on HIGH to thicken sauce for 1 hour or until you're ready to eat. Also during this time taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper to taste. Don't be afraid to season!

Verdict:
I served this over linguine with a little shredded parmesan on top. It was super yummy. I think the key is seasoning. When it first finished cooking on low i tasted it and it was a little bland. I ended up adding a good deal of salt and pepper and it was much more flavorful. Super easy and really yummy!

Slow-Cooker Chicken With Bacon, Mushrooms, and Onions

(wow, that's a horrible picture, this is really good though!)

Source: Real Simple

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 8+ hours

Ingredients:
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 4-6 lb chicken, cut up (I buy the chicken pieces already cut and packaged)
1/2 cup dry white wine
8 oz small white mushrooms
1 cup frozen small white pearl onions
6 garlic cloves, chopped or the jarred stuff is what i use
1 T dried rosemary leaves
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup water
2 T cornstarch

Directions:
1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a 6 quart slow cooker. Pour off all but a light coating of fat from the pan. Add the chicken and brown over med-high heat. Transfer to the crock pot.
2. Pour the wine into the pan and scrape up any brown bits. Add contents of pan to crock pot along with mushrooms, onions, garlic, rosemary and salt.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
4. Pour some of sauce from crock pot into a saucepan. Combine water and cornstarch and stir into the sauce. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Serve as gravy over chicken.

Verdict: 
This was one of the more labor intensive crock pot meals I've made (I may have been late to work this morning due to the prep - although starting out with frozen chicken didn't help the time either). But this was delicious! It was nice to finally have a chicken meal that didn't turn into a soup. I served with mashed potatoes (the pre-made refrigerated kind). We all loved it. It makes a lot, enough for 2 meals at least. And I'm not sure it would freeze well, so be prepared for leftovers. Or use a smaller chicken.

I'll definitely make this again, but next time i'll probably dice the bacon the night before and defrost my chicken beforehand.