Crockpot Sesame Chicken

It's Recipe Review Thursday again...  I missed last week.  Actually, I CHOSE not to post last week.  I made this recipe with last week in mind but was so heavily disappointed I just could not bring myself to write about it. 

I had such HIGH HOPES for this recipe.  When I first pinned it on Pinterest, it garnered 6877 repins, 804 "likes", and 13 comments from friends and strangers alike.  It is by far, my most popular "pin".  With that many people interested in trying the same recipe I thought for sure this meal would be a huge hit!  I was expecting an "out of the park home run" and what I ended up with was a disappointing foul ball.   (Can you tell I'm ready for baseball play off season??  Go, Tigers!)

Here is the original link - and below are the recipe instructions.

Crockpot Sesame Chicken

2 1bs. skinless, boneless chicken thighs.
1/2 c. low sodium soy sauce
1/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

Place chicken thighs in the slow cooker. Whisk together remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour over chicken.Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 or 4. Serves 4 - 6.

 

Review:
Now that photo is from the orignal post... I am not going to post my photo, but please trust me that it does not look at all similar, except for the rice. In fact, the rice was the best part of this meal. I have recently purchased a rice machine and I will never go back to the typcial rice-in-a-minute box type of rice. The real stuff in the massive bag from Costco is amazing - fluffy, not sticky... tender, but not slimy... delish, delish, delish!! The chicken, sadly, ended up tasting like soy sauce - all salt, and zero flavor.  I saved the leftovers with hopes of slicing the chicken up and revamping for a stir fry mixed with fresh veggies, but sadly could not bring myself to serve that salty chicken again.  There was no saving it once it sat overnight in the fridge.

Kid Review:
O: How many bites do I have to actually eat?
E: May I have only rice please?

Next week will be something new, and hopefully much, MUCH better.  If anyone has a similar recipe that is supposed to turn out like the photo above, I'd be willing to try again.  :-)
 

Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

Okay - back to school means back to blogging.  Hopefully. Probably. At least a little more consistently.  We'll see...

Recipe Review Thursday is back...  and with something seriously decadent and super easy!

Back in July I hosted a BBQ with my ABF (Adult Bible Fellowship) friends and I had signed up to bring a dessert.  However, I'd forgotten that I'd commited to a dessert and was scrambling at the last minute trying to figure out something to make with what I already had on hand.  Google to the rescue!  I typed in a few "staple" ingredients I always had on hand and then scoured the options.  Then came Pinterest... and I searched there.  VOILA!  Discovery revealed the recipe for this Chocolate Cheesecake Pie, and because it was from "Taste of Home" I trusted it would be divine.  I was not disappointed!

Ingredients:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips, melted and cooled
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 graham cracker crust (9 inches)
Chocolate dessert decorations, optional

Directions
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, butter, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Beat in melted chocolate. Fold in whipped topping. Spoon into crust. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish with chocolate decorations if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings.

 

Review:
This recipe is just as simple to make as it reads.  I didn't have a pie crust on hand, so I made my own.  It crumbled a bit, but it didn't distract from the deliciousness of this treat.  It was creamy, chocolaty, and cool - perfect for the hot summer day we devoured it.  I didn't have chocolate garnish, nor did I feel like making any, so I served fresh raspberries instead.  The berries were a beautiful contrast of tartness to the sweetness of the pie.  The flavors blended perfectly.  It also serves more than 6-8; it is so rich it easily serves 10, possibly 12.  (I used a standard 10" pie plate).

I will make this again... after all, I need a reason to perfect that crumbly crust!  

Kid Review:
O: Can I have another piece, please?
E:  I could eat that whole thing up, it's so GOOD!