BBQ-ish Chicken

My Wednesdays have changed since I first started this segment.  They used to be spent entirely with the boys, although the afternoon did entail rushing Carlitos to pre-school and then rushing home in time to make some dinner.

These days, my early morning is still spent rushing around with the boys at home.  Trying to make breakfast, do some dishes, get them dressed, get myself dressed, chug some coffee.

I never mastered the skill of ‘shotgunning’ beers or using a ‘beer bong.’  Much to my mother’s chagrin, I’m sure.  Errr, I mean, whatever the antonym of ‘chagrin’ is.  But I come pretty darn close with my morning coffee.  That liquid gold is down the hatch in 45 seconds flat.

…which reminds me that my second cup is sitting in the microwave as we speak.  Even after my first cup of coffee, I am not really using 100% of my brain before 8:30 am I guess.

In any event, my mornings are still hectic, and my evenings are, too.

However, I now go to work on Wednesdays.  Which means that I have a few fun hours of teaching little kids French and Spanish and then have a big window of time in the middle of the day between classes.

I still don’t really know what to do with myself during this time.  There is a Whole Foods right across the street, so I tend to come over here and try to write.  But to be honest, the people watching is really too amazing in here to stay focused on my writing.

The adorable middle-aged couple sitting next to me eating their roasted green beans and sauteed kale, smiling at each other with their eyes through their artsy glasses.  The kids decked out in designer plaid pants and funky converse sneakers. The older gentleman with the white faux-hauk, who keeps flashing his ringless ring finger and smiling at everyone.  The 6 foot girl pretending to eat.  The out-of-towners: easy to spot in their non-black attire.  The May-December romance going on in front of me.  That would be Lady=December, Man=May.  Which makes it even more interesting.  As does the diamond and ruby ring on her right hand that would leave a bruise the size of a baseball if she were to punch you.  Which she just may do to me in a second because I can’t stop staring at them.  Seriously, I can’t look away. You should see how perfectly sleeked back his hair is.  Plus, I am pretty sure she is on some Bravo show…

Where was I?

Supper.

Okay, so I wasn’t talking about supper.  But it is what I am supposed to be talking about.

Since my mornings are hectic and I don’t return home until just before dinner time, I am trying out some crock pot recipes. And what I mean by ‘trying out some crock pot recipes’ is that I threw some ingredients in the crock pot this morning and am really  hoping it is edible by the time I get home.

Here is what it looked like before I left.  There is chicken hiding under there.  “Chicken again!?”, you say?  Yes, but not a whole (upside down) chicken this time.

Just breasts.

Aaaaannnnnd, I just got myself some new male readers.  Bravo!

BBQ-ish Chicken

Ingredients:

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts ~ 6 (or however many you need for your family)

BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray’s) ~ about half a bottle

Anna Mae’s Sweet & Smoky Sauce ~ about 1/2 cup

Diced tomatoes ~ 1 can

Red onion ~ 1, sliced

Brown sugar ~ about 1/3 cup

Vinegar ~ several splashes

Water ~ about 3 cups

To make:

First of all, let me apologize for the ‘amounts.’  I was truly throwing things in the crock pot this morning without measuring a thing.  It is pretty hard to mess up BBQ sauce, though.  Depending on how you like yours, add more or less of the sugar, vinegar or tomatoes.  (Many people use ketchup instead of tomatoes, but my husband is like the Princess in ‘The Princess and The Pea’…if there is a 1/2 teaspoon of ketchup in any dish he can taste it…and he isn’t happy about it.)  Just have fun with this one!

So, you put all of the ingredients in the crock pot and turn it on Low so that it can cook slowly all day.

Well, that’s embarrassing!  I’m not usually done so quickly.  Honest.

All joking aside, that is truly all you need to do.  I’m sorry I don’t have a finished product photo, but I did just text the nanny and she said it smells pretty fantastic.  That’s all that matters, really.

We have some frozen ciabatta rolls that I will heat up and I purchased some pre-made (gasp!) coleslaw so that we can throw together sandwiches.  But you can easily do rice and veggies, cornbread, potatoes…anything goes with BBQ, really.

So, have fun!  And please comment on here to let me know how your BBQ-ish Chicken turns out!