I can think of few things better than the smell of something cooking in the crockpot all day. Crockpot Chicken Tacos are by far the most popular recipe on my blog. Besides the fact that they're delicious, there's something to be said for a recipe that only uses three ingredients yet feeds 12. That goes for most crockpot recipes. They're usually pretty straight-forward and feed a crowd. So, you can imagine how excited I get when I find another great crockpot recipe. This is one of those. I may like it even better than the Crockpot Chicken Tacos because it is THAT good. 

Of course I used North Carolina BBQ sauce (Sticky Fingers). I know there are various regional preferences, but this seemed like a given to me. Disclaimer: this is not the vinegar vs. tomato vs. mustard pork BBQ sauce debate. Obviously vinegar-based is where my heart lies on that one. This BBQ sauce is the thicker red sauce that is made for BBQ chicken. I used Sam Adams Summer Ale for the beer portion since I'm a big Sam Adams fan, and I wanted the rest of the six pack for myself.

The chicken is incredibly flavorful and rich with the sauce. I served it in warm kaiser rolls and popped a piece of cheese on top. I'm not big on slaw, but I imagine that would be good for those slaw lovers out there. I added sweet potato fries as a side because...well they're sweet potato fries. Does that even need an explanation?

I really can't imagine anyone not loving this recipe. It will absolutely be one of my new go-to recipes for summer cookouts. It also makes a giant serving so I was eating BBQ beer chicken sandwiches for my lunch for multiple days in a row. Despite eating this for multiple meals within the course of four days, I was still upset when I ate the last serving.

Enjoy!

BBQ Beer Shredded Chicken

Recipe from The Dainty Chef

Ingredients:

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large)
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp paprika
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup beer (any kind you like)
3-3 1/2 cups of barbecue sauce
Add all the ingredients, other than the chicken into the bowl of a crockpot and stir to combine. Add the chicken and cover with the sauce. Cook on low for about 6 hours.

Directions:

Shred the chicken, and serve on toasted kaiser rolls. Top with cheese or cole slaw.

*Freezer-Friendly Tip* – Freeze extra chicken in ziplock bags to use for pizza, quesadillas and baked potatoes.

It's amazing the number of dip recipes I have bookmarked compared with the number I have on this blog. I would say I bookmark about 75 percent of the dip recipes I come across, yet I probably only make about five percent of those. I have no idea why. I think it's possible I forget about them when my brain is either focused on dinner or desserts. Poor, poor dips. At least they win me over in the beginning.

I think it's about time I change that, though. Dip is so easy to whip up, and who doesn't love a great dip recipe? Even when people don't want dip at a party they always end up going in for at least one scoop..in my case I'm usually hooked after this point. This cheddar beer dip is nothing fancy (though calling it cheddar ale spread does move it up a notch or so), but it's a simple, solid dip recipe. I found that I liked it best when it had been refrigerated a bit, but I'd eat it either way. I also think pita chips or something of the sort would be delicious with this. Enjoy!

Cheddar Ale Spread 

Recipe from Brown Eyed Baker

8 oz. cream cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2½ cups shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup beer (pretty much anything but a light beer)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (I substituted 2 teaspoons dried)

Combine the cream cheese, mustard, cheddar cheese, cream, and salt in a food processor. Process for 30 seconds, add the beer, and continue processing until very smooth. Pulse in the parsley until just dispersed.

This can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You will want to take it out an hour before serving if you do refrigerate.

One of these days I'll take a food photography workshop, for now I just plop the chip in there and act like it does something for the picture!

Every time I see a recipe I like online I bookmark it and it goes into the long long list of online recipes I want to make. I once tried to put all of these recipes onto a word document and print it out, but it was over 125 pages long (way too much ink for my budget!). There's a problem with this method of doing things, however, and that is that I forget about them once they go into that folder.  But, every once in a while I come across a recipe that I bookmark, but then can't get out of my mind. I'll often go back to these recipes on occasion just to look at the ingredient list and make sure I'm stocked for whenever I want to make it. These cupcakes fall into that category.
I turned 20 Sunday, so I decided to make these to help celebrate my birthday. With all the alcohol in these they seem more appropriate for a 21st birthday, but why wait for that?  There are 3 possible additions of alcohol with these cupcakes: Bailey's in the frosting, Guinness in the cupcakes, and Irish whiskey in the ganache. Whoever created these must've been trying to clear out their liquor cabinet. I added all three, just to see how it tasted, but I liked the addition of Guinness to the cupcakes the best. The other two I could've gone without, though I'd recommend making these with at least the Bailey's for the first time around. The Guinness bakes out of the cupcakes but leaves them really rich and moist. My favorite thing was the chocolate filling in the middle of the cupcakes. I've never filled cupcakes before, but after seeing how easy it was and how amazing the results were, I think I'm hooked. I subbed out the buttercream recipe used on  Smitten Kitchen and instead made a few adjustments to the Magnolia Bakery buttercream recipe since I like that one so much. These are definitely a twist on the basic cupcakes and would be fun for any occasion.

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
1 cup stout (such as Guinness)
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process)
2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

Ganache Filling
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 to 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey (optional)

Bailey's Buttercream

Recipe adapted from Magnolia Bakery

2 sticks of butter,  soft

6-8 cups of confectioners sugar

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup Bailey's

2 tsp vanilla extract

Special equipment: 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer and a piping bag (though a plastic bag with the corner snipped off will also work)
Make the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners. Bring 1 cup stout and 1 cup butter to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
Whisk flour, sugar, baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in large bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and sour cream in another large bowl to blend. Add stout-chocolate mixture to egg mixture and beat just to combine. Add flour mixture and beat briefly on slow speed. Using rubber spatula, fold batter until completely combined. Divide batter among cupcake liners, filling them 2/3 to 3/4 of the way. Bake cake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, rotating them once front to back if your oven bakes unevenly, about 17 minutes. Cool cupcakes on a rack completely.
Make the filling: Chop the chocolate and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until simmering and pour it over the chocolate. Let it sit for one minute and then stir until smooth. (If this has not sufficiently melted the chocolate, you can return it to a double-boiler to gently melt what remains. 20 seconds in the microwave, watching carefully, will also work.) Add the butter and whiskey (if you’re using it) and stir until combined.
Fill the cupcakes: Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to be piped (the fridge will speed this along but you must stir it every 10 minutes). Meanwhile, using your 1-inch round cookie cutter or an apple corer, cut the centers out of the cooled cupcakes. You want to go most of the way down the cupcake but not cut through the bottom — aim for 2/3 of the way. A slim spoon or grapefruit knife will help you get the center out. Those are your “tasters”. Put the ganache into a piping bag with a wide tip and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
For the Buttercream : Cream  butter and 4 cups of sugar.

Add in the vanilla, baileys and milk. Beat 3-5 minutes. 

Add 1 cup of remaining confectioners sugar at a time, till you achieve required consistency and sweetness. 

 (I used a little over 6 cups)