recipe

Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich

/ Jodi / 43 Comments

copycat chick-fil-a chicken sandwich.1jpg

Are you ready for another AMAZING Chicken Recipe?!?!

(My youngest son recently commented:  “too much painting – not enough cooking on the blog!”)

So… since he and I LOVE chicken for dinner….

and he requested this…

and our oldest son and our daughter-in-law were coming over last evening….

It was time to break down and make this YUMMY recipe!

If you love Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwiches…  I promise – all your dreams have just come true!

I very rarely eat fast food.

But when I do…  a Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich is my go-to FAVE!

And I am super excited to share that I discovered a recipe that totally replicates this best of best chicken sandwich thanks to one of my favorite food bloggers Damn Delicious!

And if you don’t have a Chick-Fil-A near you – or have never tried – this is so easy and perfectly replicates the original, you need look no further.

Are you ready for the most juicy, flavorful, amazing chicken sandwich possible?

Here is the recipe shared by Chungah at Damn Delicious.  (Of course, I doubled the recipe, and have lots of yummy leftovers!)

Copycat Chick-Fil-A Chicken Sandwich

Ingredients:copycat chick-fil-a chicken sandwich.1jpg

  • 4 hamburger buns
  • 1 head green leaf lettuce, leaves separated
  • 1 tomato, sliced
  • 20 dill pickle slices
Chicken:
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup dill pickle juice
  • 1 1/2 cups milk, divided
  • 1 cup peanut oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  • Place a chicken breast on a cutting board. With your hand flat on top of it, carefully slice the chicken in half horizontally. Trim excess fat as needed.
  • In a large shallow baking dish, combine chicken, pickle juice and 1/2 cup milk; marinate for at least 30 minutes. (I marinated for 8 hours in the refrigerator) Drain well.
  • Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
  • In another large shallow baking dish, whisk together remaining 1 cup milk and egg. Stir in chicken to coat and drain excess milk mixture.
  • In a gallon size Ziploc bag or large bowl, combine chicken, flour and confectioners’ sugar; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Working in batches, add chicken to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 4-5 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.
  • Serve chicken immediately on burger buns with green leaf lettuce, tomato and pickle.  (I added a splash of Yum Yum Sauce, which I think closely resembles Chick-Fil-A sauce for the little extra YUM!)

ENJOY!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Fresh Old-Fashioned Blackberry Pie

/ Jodi / 42 Comments

Fresh Blackberry Pie Slice

Last night, I made my favorite old-fashioned homemade pie.

Fresh Blackberry Pie.

Baking this pie brings me joy for so many reasons…

fresh blackberries

It reminds me of hot summer days spent at Grandma’s house where she did her best to tame the wild blackberry bushes that framed the edge of the woods that surrounded her house.

I remember picking them with her (begrudgingly at the time) and eating more than I put in the bucket or bowl I was assigned to filling.

Fresh Blackberry Pie Slice 2

I remember the way the house…

and the porch…

and even the yard smelled when the pies were baking as fans were blowing and windows were wide open in Grandma’s non air-conditioned home.

I can picture her wiping her brow with the tea towel that was on her shoulder…

I can hear the joy in Grandpap’s voice when he came home from work and smelled it too.

Fresh Blackberry Pie 2

Any time I bake a pie, it also brings back warm memories of my mother-in-law and time spent with her and my sister-in-law and the entire family as we made dozens of pies in assembly-line fashion.

I recall the guys sitting on the porch pitting cherries or peeling apples or blanching peaches or cleaning berries while us girls were in the basement mixing filling and rolling out crusts.

My mother-in-law is the one that taught me the secret and magic to the perfect pie crust, and it is one of the things that hubby brags on me about.  It always makes me smile when I think of this simple pleasure.

Fresh Blackberry Pie Slice 3

And then there is the joy my family expresses when eating a perfect pie that makes my heart soar.

I have to admit, I had two bites before asking who would finish my piece (still trying to lose 20 more pounds!), and it was GLORIOUS!  Might have even been worth skipping dinner for!

blackberries

It took me about a week to pick enough berries to make this pie.

You see, you have to try to beat the birds and the deer and the rabbits and all the other critters that also love these sweet and tart bursts of summer sunshine when they ripen.

And then you have to battle the thorns and the poison ivy that seems to love to grow in the same area as the berry bushes.

Fresh Blackberry Pie

I collected them by the handful on walks to the mailbox or around the yard.

I would then lay them on a cookie sheet and flash freeze them, toss in a Ziploc bag after frozen, and wait until I had enough to make this glorious pie.

And it is SO WORTH IT!

Have you ever made a fresh homemade old-fashioned wild blackberry pie?  If not, I so urge you to give it a try.

I’m guessing your family will thank you, and I’m also guessing you may just begin creating some pretty amazing memories for them like I have when I recall some very special family times from my past.

Fresh Old-Fashioned Blackberry Pie

Ingredients:Fresh Blackberry Pie Slice

  • 4 cups fresh wild blackberries (or frozen if not available)
  • 1 1/4 cups sugar
  • 3 1/2 Tbsp Minute Tapioca
  • Dash of salt
  • 1/2 Fresh Lemon (juiced)
  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 Double Crust Recipe (See our “Secret Family Pie Crust Recipe” here)
  • 2 Tbsp milk
  • 1 Tbsp sugar

Directions:

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Prepare Pie Crust. 
  • Line 9 inch pie pan with bottom crust.
  • In large bowl, mix blackberries, sugar, tapioca, salt and lemon juice.
  • Pour berry mixture into pie pan.
  • Dot with butter.
  • Cover with top lattice crust.
  • Brush with milk, and sprinkle sugar over top crust.
  • Cover edge of pie with strips of foil to prevent crust from burning.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes or until berry mixture begins to bubble up in between top lattice crust.  (Remove foil for last 10 minutes of baking to brown edges.

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

 

 

Balsamic Grilled Peaches & Chicken Salad Dinner

/ Jodi / 14 Comments

balsamic grilled peaches and chicken 3

Oh Friends… you know how much I love chicken and discovering new and different ways to prepare it.

Well this week I discovered another Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

It’s simple, it’s fast, it’s healthy, and it’s YUMMY!

balsamic grilled peaches and chicken 2

I have seen and heard about grilling peaches, and I was intrigued.

Having some ripe peaches in the fridge that weren’t getting eaten, now was the time to try it!

grilled peaches

It was so easy, and they were DELISH! 

Balsamic Grilled Peaches and Chicken

If you are looking for another light and simple, but full-flavored summer chicken dinner, look no further!

And remember, like I always say, if you don’t like a particular ingredient, switch it up!  Substitute goat cheese or feta or even shredded cheddar for the blue cheese if you are not a blue cheese fan (but BOO to you because it is DIVINE!).  Change up the greens to ones you prefer.  I used Spring Mix, but it would be awesome with Spinach or Arugula or Kale too!

Be creative.

Have fun!

Make dinner a celebration.

Create art on a plate.

You won’t be sorry about this one!

Balsamic Grilled Peaches & Chicken Salad

Ingredientsbalsamic grilled peaches and chicken 2

  • 4 chicken breast halves
  • 4-6 cups Spring Mix Salad Greens
  • 2 large sweet Vidalia onions, sliced into 1/2 thick slices
  • 4-6 ripe peaches – cut in half and pitted
  • 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  • 1 Bottle Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (I used Ken’s Light version)
  • Olive Oil
  • Balsamic Vinegar
  • Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

  • Marinade chicken breasts in 1/2 bottle balsamic vinagrette for at least 4 hours.
  • Grill chicken when ready to serve.
  • Place Onion Slices in a grill basket (or foil).  Sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Grill until translucent and char-grilled.  Place on one side of grill while chicken is grilling on the other side.  These two take about the same amount of time – approximately 20 minutes.
  • Once chicken is done, remove from grill, and set aside.
  • Sprinkle peach halves with olive oil, salt, and balsamic vinegar.  Place cut side done on grill, and grill for about 5-7 minutes until soft and char-grilled.  When done, remove from grill and slice peach halves into three or four pieces.
  • To plate, place a cup of greens on plate, top with grilled onions, peach slices and crumbled blue cheese.  Add chicken to side or slice and mix in with chicken.
  • ENJOY!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Milk Chocolate Caramel-Filled Chip Cookies

/ Jodi / 28 Comments

Milk Chocolate Caramel Filled Chip Cookies Stacked

If you give a mouse a cookie….

He’s going to ask for a glass of milk.

Milk Chocolate Caramel Filled Chip Cookies and Milk 2

And then he’ll probably want a straw.

Milk Chocolate Caramel Filled Chip Cookies

As I was looking at these shots of my latest twist on chocolate chip cookies, I couldn’t help but be reminded of that fun children’s book.

Milk Chocolate Caramel Filled Chip Cookies Stacked 2

Especially after this stack – I kept thinking… more – More – MORE!

Milk Chocolate Caramel Filled Chip Cookies and Milk

I bake chocolate chip cookies A  LOT.

I’m kinda known for it.

Especially with our sons’ friends.

And I love the joy it brings – the smiles they create – the happy tummies – the grateful hugs.

But I get bored with the same old thing, so I am always looking for a way to change them up a bit – as you may have noticed if you’ve been hanging out here at LifeinBetween.me for any length of time…  (Fresh Raspberry Chocolate Chips, Girl Scout Thin Mint Cookies, Peanut Butter White Chocolate Chip…)

This latest version was a BIG HIT!

Instead of semi-sweet morsels, I used the new Nestle Toll House Delightfulls Caramel Filled Morsels.

Could you just die?!!?

Milk Chocolate Caramel Filled Chips in a cookie!!

I used my tried and true chocolate chip cookie recipe – subbing these DELIGHTFULL morsels for the regular chocolate chips.

Easy Peasy – and guaranteed to be a Big Hit with whoever you decide to share these with!

And PS – I had forgotten how amazing a chocolate chip cookie tastes dunked in milk!     I have not done that in ages, but sampled a bite after this “photo shoot.”

Grab a glass of cold milk – even if it is Skim – and DUNK!

Pure delight!

Kicked Up Milk Chocolate & Caramel Chip Cookies

Ingredients:Milk Chocolate Caramel Filled Chip Cookies Stacked 2

4 sticks butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups white granulated sugar
2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
5 cups all purpose flour
2 9-oz bags Nestle Toll House Delightfulls Milk Chocolate Caramel Filled Morsels

Directions:

With electric mixer, beat butter and sugar together until completely incorporated. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat until light and fluffy. Add baking soda and salt, and mix another minute. Gradually add flour and beat until well incorporated, but do not overbeat.

Fold in chocolate caramel morsels. Refrigerate dough for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days.

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. With your hands, form a cookie dough ball about 1-1/2 inches in diameter.  Place on baking stone. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Do not overbake. Allow to cool on baking stone for 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling rack to cool completely.

Cheers & Chocolatey Caramely Hugs,

Jodi

Chicken Caprese Penne Pasta

/ Jodi / 20 Comments

chicken caprese penne pasta

I had a rotisserie chicken in the refrigerator that I purchased grocery shopping a day or two earlier.  I knew it would be good to have on hand for picking at or making a quick dinner.

foodie dice chicken caprese penne pasta

Looking for some inspiration, I thought I’d bring out the Foodie Dice and see what creativity I could stimulate for dinner.

fresh chopped tomatoes

I have to admit I cheated and made the chicken dice happen.  But when I rolled, tomatoes, garlic, basil, and pasta….

fresh basil

Caprese came to mind and came to dinner plate.

goat cheese

I didn’t have any fresh mozzarella on hand, but I did have some yummy goat cheese that makes a glorious quick and easy creamy pasta sauce.

rotisserie chicken

And the rotisserie chicken became the star of the evening.

chicken caprese penne pasta
This was so quick and easy, but SO SO SO SO SO to die for delicious.  I have to admit I sort of moaned (and bragged!) while eating it….

Though quick and easy, I must say this dish could be served for company – and I just may do that.

If you don’t have a rotisserie chicken on hand or available, you could simply roast a chicken or saute some chicken breasts and/or thighs to use.

Thanks to the roll of the Foodie Dice for this yummy dinner.

Chicken Caprese Penne Pasta

Ingredients:chicken caprese penne pasta

  • 1 rotisserie chicken, skinned and chopped
  • 1 lb penne pasta
  • 5-6 campari tomatoes, diced
  • 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 4 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 8 oz. goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  • Cook penne pasta in salted water for 8-10 minutes.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of water.
  • Saute garlic in olive oil, then stir in chicken.
  • To drained pasta, add crumbled goat cheese and reserved cup of pasta water.  Stir to incorporate and melt cheese.
  • Add chicken and garlic, fresh tomatoes, and basil.  Toss to combine.
  • Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. 

Enjoy!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Hummingbird Cake

/ Jodi / 37 Comments

hummingbird cake 6

Have you ever heard of Hummingbird Cake?

Well – it is one of my Dad’s faves…

So I decided I was going to give it a try for his birthday.

hummingbird cake 2

This sweet, dense, banana, pineapple and pecan smothered cake is not for the faint of heart!  A thin slice goes a long way!

It reminds me of carrot cake with its thick layers of cream cheese frosting between the three layers of decadent delightfulness.

But WHY is it called Hummingbird Cake?

hummingbird cake 5

Considering the key ingredients – bananas and pineapple – this famously southern cake is thought to have been invented in Jamaica in the late 1960s.

It was originally called the “Doctor Bird Cake,” nicknamed after a Jamaican variety of hummingbird called the Red-billed Streamertail. The name came from the way the bird’s long beak probes flowers, like a doctor inspecting a patient.

But what does that have to do with a pineapple and banana cake?  According to Celebrity Chef, Jamie Oliver’s website, some say the cake was named after the bird because it was sweet enough to attract hummingbirds (who eat only nectar), while others say the yellow streaks of banana are reminiscent of the bird’s plumage.

In 1968, the Jamaican tourist board decided to try attracting tourists by sending out press kits to the US. In the packs were a few recipes from the island, including one for the Doctor Bird Cake. Shortly thereafter, similar recipes started to crop up in local papers and community cookbooks across the South.

Most food historians agree the first printed recipe for Hummingbird cake was by Mrs. L. H. Wiggin. She supplied the recipe to Southern Living magazine in February 1978.  Even before then, however, there were countless references to the cake in county fair reports and baking competitions across Southern America.

hummingbird cake 3

This is a really lovely special occasion cake for that someone special in your life.

hummingbird cake 4

And it freezes well to save individual servings for just when you need that something special for a guest or yourself.

hummingbird cake 1

I sure enjoyed sharing a slice with Dad and Mom II and hubby yesterday – and then leaving the rest with them, so I am not tempted to eat more!

I’d love to hear if you are familiar with this cake or if you make it and how it differs from the recipe I found that is the “Most requested recipe in Southern Living Magazine history.”

Hummingbird Cake

Ingredients:hummingbird cake 3

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 2 cups chopped ripe bananas
  • Cream Cheese Frosting
    • 2 (8-ounce) pkgs cream cheese, softened
    • 1 cup butter, softened
    • 1 (32-ounce) bag powdered sugar
    • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl; add eggs and oil, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened. (Do not beat.) Stir in vanilla, pineapple, 1 cup pecans, and bananas.

Pour batter into three greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans. Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

While cake is cooling, prepare cream cheese frosting by combining softened cream cheese and butter with electric mixer until creamy.  Slowly add powdered sugar until incorporated and desired consistency.  Stir in vanilla until combined.

Spread Cream Cheese Frosting between layers and on top and sides of cake; sprinkle 1/2 cup chopped pecans on top. Store in refrigerator.

Enjoy this special cake!

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing

/ Jodi / 25 Comments

Strawberry Spinach Salad 1

Looking for a bright, light, fresh summertime salad?  How about fresh baby spinach leaves, slices of juicy ripe strawberries, chunks of creamy goat cheese, and crunchy candied walnuts all drizzled with a sweet and tangy poppy seed viniagrette?  It just screams summertime!

Strawberry Spinach Salad 2

Since we were talking about strawberries this week, I couldn’t resist making this when asked to bring a salad to Liz’s birthday party last evening.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Candying the walnuts is a cinch and homemade dressing makes it so much fresher.  This salad is super easy and bursting with flavor.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Homemade Poppy Seed Dressing

Ingredients:

  • Large bunch or bag of fresh baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup sliced fresh strawberries
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese, broken into chunks
  • 1/2 cup candied walnuts
    • 1/8 cup powdered sugar
    • pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
    • pinch of salt
  • Poppy seed dressing
    • 1/8 cup white vinegar
    • 1/8 cup sugar
    • 1/4 tsp shallot or onion powder
    • 1/4 tsp salt
    • 1/4 tsp ground mustard
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 1 Tbsp poppy seeds

Directions:

  • Prepare candied walnuts:
    • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
    • Mix dry ingredients in small bowl.  Set aside.
    • Blanch walnuts in a small saucepan of boiling water for 3 minutes, and drain.
    • Mix sugar and walnuts together, and spread onto baking sheet.
    • Bake 10 minutes until golden.
  • Prepare dressing:
    • Whisk together vinegar and sugar until sugar is pretty much dissolved.  Add in shallot powder, salt, ground mustard.
    • Whisk in olive oil.
    • Stir in poppy seeds.
  • When ready to serve, toss spinach leaves with poppy seed dressing thoroughly.
  • Stir in sliced strawberries, goat cheese, and candied walnuts.
  • A protein can be added for a full meal (i.e. chicken breast slices, steak slices, salmon chunks

Happy Friday!  Enjoy the weekend, and have fun doing things at life in between.

Cheers & Hugs,

Jodi

Chewy Butterscotch Toffee Cookies

/ Jodi / 26 Comments

butterscotch toffee cookie

BIG butterscotch flavor ROCKS this new cookie recipe I tried that is based on a suggestion a friend recently shared from Taste of Home.

butterscotch toffee cookies

These SUPER EASY chewy, buttery cookies are LOADED with butterscotch chips that just burst with flavor in every bite!

butterscotch toffee cookies 2

If you are looking for something new and different to take to a picnic, share with friends, dunk in milk, nosh on with a cup of coffee or satisfy your sweet tooth for a late night snack, whip these up in minutes and toss in a Ziploc bag in your freezer to have on hand.  You will NOT regret.

Butterscotch Toffee Cookies

  • Servings: Approx. 3 dozen
  • Print

Ingredients:butterscotch toffee cookie

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl, beat eggs and oil until blended.  Add cake mix and flour and mix well. Fold in chips and toffee bits.  Refrigerate dough for a couple hours or overnight.  Roll into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a baking stone. Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute before removing to wire racks.