Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken Breast

I love easy crock pot recipes!  I love them even more in the summertime!  I ran across a recipe for barbecue chicken breast and thought I'd give it a try!  And guess what?!  It was DEE-LISH!   The chicken was unbelievable tender and the BBQ sauce that it was cooked in was the best ever.  So good that I've begun to use it for other recipes as well (ribs, porkchops etc.)

All you need is 4-6 chicken breasts.  I bought a package of chicken breast and they were very large so I used four and cut each of them in half for a total of 8 pieces.  Put your chicken in the bottom of your crock pot.  In a separate bowl combine a twelve ounce jar of barbecue sauce, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of vinegar, 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper and 1 tsp. of garlic powder.  Mix all the ingredients together and pour over your chicken.  Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.  I stirred mine about half way through the cook time, but if you are not planning on being home while it is cooking it will be just fine without stirring!  Enjoy with your favorite sides!!!

Best Barbecue Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
l-12 oz. jar bbq sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. garlic powder

I almost forgot to mention that this would also be a great freezer meal!  Just combine raw chicken and all sauce ingredients in a zip-loc bag and freeze until you are ready to make it.

The Outcast - A Book Review

The Outcast by Jolina Petersheim is a modern retelling of The Scarlet Letter.  I have never read The Scarlet Letter, but I know enough about the story that I knew what this story would be about.  With that and the beautiful cover I was anxious to read the book.

Rachel is the mother of an illegitimate baby and the talk of her old order Mennonite community.   She is unmarried and refuses to repent and she refuses to name the father of her child, instead she bears the sin of both her and her partner.  Eventually she is driven out of the community by the bishop who is also her twin sister's husband.

Secrets always have a way of coming out and when Rachel's baby gets a life threatening illness, there are choices that must be made that will bring light to the darkness and will forever change the lives of everyone involved.

I really didn't like this book at all.  I really don't like when an author writes from the first person perspective, but what bothered me the most is that it switches from Rachel telling the story to Amos telling it.  That in itself can be confusing, but that was not even the worst part of it.  The story starts at Amos' funeral.  So a good deal of the story is being told by a dead guy.  He apparently is overseeing the goings on of his family from heaven.  This was just too much for me.  I could of gotten into the story more if it was not for this detail.  I wish that it all would have been told from Rachel's point of view.  The only bright part of the story for me was Judah, Rachel's childhood friend who loves her and is willing to look past her "sin" and marry her if only she will have him.  There are several twists and turns to the story so if first person narrative does not bother you (and the dead guy thing) then maybe you would enjoy it!

***This book was given to me by Tyndale Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

A Hopeful Heart - A Book Review

A Hopeful Heart by Amy Clipston is the first novel of the Heart of Lancaster Grand Hotel Series.

Hannah Glick is an Amish women with a 10 year old boy and two 16 year old girls that are twins.  Her husband suddenly died of a heart attach 4 years ago and even though her community offers Hannah love and support, she finds herself still struggling with grief.  She works at the Grand Hotel as a maid to help make ends meet.  It is there that she meets wealthy businessman Trey Peterson.  It has been a year since Trey lost his wife and daughter and him and Hannah feel an instant connection and become instant friends as they offer each other support as they journey through their grief.

Joshua Glick is Hannah's brother in law and he has always loved Hannah.  He helps Hannah out by running the business that her late husband ran and he finally declares his love for Hannah and asks for her hand in marriage.

Before long Hannah finds herself with two proposals and some tough decisions to make.  Should she follow her heart or stay with what is safe and familiar?

I definitely have mixed emotions about this book.  It is a fast and easy read which I really like.  I like the author's style of writing, but I just didn't care much for the story line.  I found Hannah to be very selfish.  To give up one of her daughters for an Englisher was a pretty low thing to do. I also found it a little hard to believe that she fell for him to begin with.  I would of loved to have seen her end up with Joshua.   I will give the series one more chance with the second book and I just hope I'm not disappointed.

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Rainbows for Rainy Days - A Book Review

As long as we are living on this earth we are bound to face rainy days. There is no escaping it.  This journey that we are on sometimes includes cloudy days.  Sometimes it rains, sometimes it pours and occasionally we find our self in the middle of a full blown storm.  It doesn't matter how close you are to God, there is no miraculous, spiritual umbrella that is going to shield you from the rain.  It's during those storms that even the best christian can find themselves discouraged.  I've been there.  You've been there.

Rainbows for Rainy Days by Catherine Campbell is a 40 day devotional designed for just such times.  I know, for me, that when I am feeling discouraged and in the midst of a storm, a small word of encouragement is just the thing I need to give me the strength to face the day, to face tomorrow, to remember that even though it is raining, there is a rainbow, a promise, that God will never leave me, that He will not put more on me than I can bear, and that He loves me more than my mind can possible comprehend.

This beautifully written book is full of God's promises.  Each of the 40 day devotions  include a scripture, a short little story, words of encouragement and beautiful pictures.  I am sure this book will be a blessing to those who read it.  It would make a great gift too!!

***This book was provided to me by Kregel Publishing in exchange for my honest review.

A Walk in the Garden

The Circle Of Life

~ WARNING ~

GROSS PICTURES AHEAD!!!

If I had to name one fear and only one fear it would be my fear of snakes.  So make no mistake when you see the pictures below....I am not a reptile lover, but I still think this is pretty neat!

When we went camping over Memorial weekend we went on a hike and no sooner than we started I seen something move.  It was a snake that appeared to be striking.  When my son investigated this is what he seen!  A black snake eating a lizard.  A FAT lizard.  We watched the whole thing which was a pretty neat experience.  The snake had it's mouth full so I knew we were safe, but I still kept a safe distance.  Dakota on the other hand got crazy close to get a good shot and shoot a video.  While he took pictures of the snake I took pictures of him. :)

Lavender Love

My Spanish Lavender is loaded with flowers this years so I decided to harvest some to make some crafts!  I'm searching through pinterest and hopefully will have a blog post of some of my creations soon!! 

These Are the Days of Elijah - A Book Review

God used Elijah to accomplish great things.  He wants to use you too!

Elijah is marked as one of the greatest prophets of the Bible.  More than a gifted seer, he spoke directly for God, and with His authority.  Elijah is the only prophet to have called down fire from heaven, and one of only two individuals in Scripture taken to heaven before tasting death.  Yet this remarkable agent of the Lord was also very human, afflicted with the very same failings and fears you have.

This book is an excellent resource and asset to your personal library.  I've always loved Elijah's story, but never quite fully grasped the powerful message until I read this book.  The words of the author, R.T. Kendall spoke right to my heart and soul.  He explains the scriptures on Elijah in a way that is easy to understand and at times made me wonder why I hadn't seen that before.

It took me quite a while to read the book because there were so many excellent thoughts and truths within it's pages that I would read a sentence/paragraph and then reread it and close my eyes and meditate on it.  So many things within the Scriptures that I had never even thought of before and for me, this book made me see Elijah in a whole new light and I believe God used this book to stir my soul in only a way that only He can do.  I highly recommend this book and believe it will help you in your walk with Him!

***This book was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Though my Heart is Torn - A Book Review

When I read the first book in The Cadence of Grace Series I instantly became a huge fan of Author Joanne Bischof's writing style.  Not only that, but I fell in love with the character's Lonnie and Gideon.  (See my review for Be Still My Soul HERE).

In Though my Heart is Torn, Lonnie and Gideon's story takes a turn that I never expected and I have to admit that I was very upset with the direction it went.  I don't say that in a negative way towards the book or the author because it is  beautifully written and captivates your interest from beginning to end.  I say it because I am so attached to the character's in this series.  I really wanted things to go well for Lonnie and Gideon (especially Lonnie)  In book one they overcame so many obstacles and Gideon had finally started growing in his faith and being the kind of man and husband that he should be and then book two comes along and the life they had built together comes crashing down when it is revealed that Gideon was already married to another woman when he married Lonnie.  The pain that all the character's go through is heart wrenching and if one message comes through loud and clear through this book is that even though you give your heart to the Lord sometimes you still pay for your mistakes that you made while in sin.  The old phrase "you reap what you sow" comes to mind.

Towards the end of the book I found myself "rooting" for Lonnie and Gideon in a different way.   I know that even though they are both hurting, their healing has begun and that they can both have happiness in their new lives apart.    I cannot wait to read the third book and see how their story turns
out!

**This ebook was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for my review.

Simply Delicious Amish Cooking - A Cookbook Review

When it comes to delicious cooking Amish have a high reputation of greatness so I was super excited to get the chance to review Simply Delicious Amish Cooking by Sherry Gore.

The recipes are from an Amish Mennonite Community  in Florida.  The book has beautiful pictures of the Amish that I absolutely loved and it also includes lots of colorful pictures of the recipes which is always helpful for me.  I like to know what a finished recipe is supposed to look like and a delicious looking photo helps me to want to create a dish just like it!

Another thing I love about the recipe's in this cookbook is that they are down to earth home cooking recipes.  I hate to flip through a cookbook, find a recipe, look at the ingredients and find that I don't have any of the ingredients because it is supplies that I would never buy.  NOT the case with these recipes!  They seem to be tailor made for me and my pantry!

The cookbook is also spiral bound which makes it perfect for laying flat on the counter while you are cooking/baking.  Throughout the book you find short little stories of what life is like for this particular community which is a really nice touch and makes the book seem more personal.

This is definitely a cookbook that I will be referring to time and time again!

***This book was provided to me by the publisher through booksneeze.com in exchange for my honest review.