Simply Roasted Chickpeas

If you are looking for a crunchy, healthy snack then this is a recipe for you. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first, I'm not particularly fond of... beans, but thought it was worth a try. After all, garbanzo beans are cheap so wouldn't be out much if I didn't like them. I found several recipes for them on allrecipes.com. You can add what you like, there are several ideas and seasoning combinations that can be used.  I didn't really follow a recipe I just added what seasonings I like and was happily surprised when they actually tasted good!
Here's what you need:

• 1 15oz can garbanzo beans
• 2-3 T olive oil or oil of your choice, canola works well too
• cayenne pepper
• Spanish paprika
• dash of salt, optional
• any other seasonings you like, If you prefer sweet instead of salty you can use 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 T honey and 1T sugar

Rinse and blot dry with a paper towel, this will also get some of the extra skins off the chickpeas. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with seasonings of your choice, then mix them around to cover them with oil and seasonings. Bake at 400 degrees for about 35-45 minutes on a cookie sheet, stirring or shaking them around (GENTLY..I had a few roll away) on the pan about every 15 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown and crunchy all the way through. I had to test mine before I took them out of the oven, the outsides were crunchy but they needed about 5 more minutes to get the insides done. So mine took a little over 45 minutes. Watch them the last few minutes so they don't burn.  Let cool and store in an airtight container. These also make great gifts, the recipe can be doubled or tripled. Enjoy your healthy, crunchy snack!

~Simply Angie

Crockpot Barbecue Chicken

I really love using  my crockpot, especially during the week, so when I found this recipe on Pinterest, I grabbed my phone (cuz that's where my pinterest app is).. and ran to my kitchen to throw this together for supper. It only took me about 5 minutes...(most of that time I was wrestling with a pan and a cupboard door, if I hadn't had that little problem it would have taken me hardly any time at all!) Then 6 hours later my family had a delicious supper and my kitchen didn't even look like a disaster.  I love that about crockpot cooking! This recipe came from forkinit.blogspot.com. Her chicken picture looked much yummier than mine, but you get the general idea.

Here's what you need for Crockpot Barbecue Chicken:

• 4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts, I threw them in half frozen...my crockpot manual said I could..so I did... check your manual, or defrost them first
• 1 bottle BBQ sauce, I used Sweet Baby Ray's 18 oz size, use what you like, it doesn't matter if you use more but I had plenty of sauce left and I used 6 breasts
• 1/4 c vinegar ( I used apple cider vinegar, but her recipe didn't say)
• 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp. garlic powder, I used fresh minced

Mix BBQ sauce with all the ingredients. Put chicken in crockpot, pour sauce over it and cook on low 4-6 hours. Super simple!!  Mine was in there a little longer than 6 hours...I got too excited and realized after I threw it in my crockpot that it was only 10:30 in the morning- but it was still super moist and delicious! Served with a side of veggies and a batch of cornbread...that will be posted later  because it was eaten before I got a picture of it! Hope you love it!

~Simply Angie

Apple Syrup

Yes, I have to admit I'm already thinking about the holidays. The weather changed overnight in the Midwest and I think winter is on the way. And I love, love, love getting all of my little gift lists together! Personally, when someone gives me a gift that is homemade, homegrown, or hand-crafted, I am thrilled! It's one of my favorite things! And let's face it, some people just seem to have everything!
Here are a couple of gift ideas for you. If you haven't tried our Simply Homemade Apple Cinnamon Granola, the time is now! This is the best granola ever! So get your jars and ribbons ready for granola, a jar of our Simply Pancake Mix, and top it off with a jar of apple cider syrup. Who wouldn't love that?
In case you don't know this, my sister is a genius! She found an awesome recipe for Apple Cider Syrup at foodinjars.com which I was thrilled with because I didn't have to go shopping for apple syrup, one of my new favorite things!
Ingredients:
1 gallon apple cider
3 cinnamon sticks
2 c white sugar
Pour apple cider and cinnamon sticks in a large kettle or pan. Boil the apple cider until it reduces down to about half, it took mine about an hour or so. Remove the cinnamon sticks and add the sugar. Start the boiling process again until your cider reaches 218F. This took another 35 minutes for mine but it can depend on your stove heat and also the type of kettle you are using.
After it reached the 218F temperature, I ladled it into my prepared half pint canning jars. Put the lids and rings on and gave them a hot water bath for 10 minutes in the canner. This syrup is delicious - it tastes like apples with a hint of cinnamon! My sister said she stirs in a small amount of cornstarch to her jar prior to serving if you like your syrup thicker. I prefer mine on the thin side.
Now I know for some of our very observant followers, the apple cider syrup looks like the apple cider jelly, so make sure you label your jars! I haven't gotten to that part yet - guess I better find some free labels somewhere! Enjoy! Total cost was $5.22 for 2 pint jars and 5 half-pint jars! I love that!

Love and peace,
~ Simply Tammi

How to Distress Paper

I had this old bucket sitting outside for the summer with a plant in it and decided to bring it inside for the winter and do something decorative to it.  So I brought it in, cleaned it up and looked at it for a couple days, it seemed like a milk bucket to me-so I found a label in an old magazine (I'm sure you can get them off a website too). Mine was in color but I printed it black and white..it seemed like it would look older that way. It's hard to see the details in the picture but I glued it to the bucket then distressed it.  I realized later I probably did this in the wrong order but that's usually how I do projects...jump in then think later!  I used some strong coffee, you can also use strong tea, and brushed it on lightly with a small paint brush. While it was still a little damp I rubbed the edges and some of the front....I did it a little too much so there is more print missing than I wanted- what can i say I got carried away! Then let it dry and put a coat of mod podge over just to make sure it stayed on.
There you have it..a new, old bucket!

~Simply Angie