I have a little bit of time in between my old job and my new one so its time to get caught up on blogging and take some time to try some new recipes and restaurants. Last week, I tried two new recipes that were big hits for our family. The first was Beer Crockpot Chicken. This was a great recipe to throw in the crockpot and forget about. I put my frozen chicken breasts in the crockpot and covered them with a bottle of beer. I used Honey Brown because that's what I had on hand, but you can use your favorite beer. Next, I added in my spices and set the crockpot on low for about 8 hours. Right before we ate, I pulled out my bear claws and shredded the chicken. We served ours like wraps/tacos in tortillas that night, but the chicken would be great as a sandwich, salad, or nachos, too. The chicken was tender and delicious. Plus, it made plenty for leftovers. I probably should have froze some for another meal too.

Meanwhile, I also wanted a side dish that was light and healthy. I opted for a Crunchy Asian Broccoli Coleslaw. I have made a similar recipe before, but when I went to get my trusty recipe, the link was gone. I always have luck with Kraft recipes being easy and successful, so I selected this recipe as a copycat. I mixed one season packet from the ramen noodles with the salad dressing. I broke up the ramen noodles an put them in a large bowl along with the broccoli slaw mix, nuts, and sunflower seeds. I added the dressing and stirred everything well. I put the slaw mixture in the fridge to marinate all day so it would have good flavor for dinner. Success again! This was a great recipe, however, it made a huge amount. This is the perfect dish to take to a pot luck meal in the summer time. In the future, when making it for just us, I will likely half the recipe. This night's meal was a huge success and was a perfect summer meal without making our kitchen too hot.

The New Austonian