Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

May 22, 2012 By Lynsey 9 Comments

I have a mild obsession with Mexican food.

Like… I may or may not have just eaten a Taco Cupcake…. for breakfast.

Anyway, my favorite meal is chicken tacos. I can seriously eat them any time day or night. Nothing tops lean chicken, lettuce, cheese and sour cream all smushed together. It’s heaven in a tortilla.

The bad news: My family isnt quite as obsessed.

Which leaves me wanting chicken tacos and having to suffer through… well anything else.

Until now.

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

First of all, this is so stinkin easy, I can not believe I am 32 years old and this is the first time I have cooked this.

Wait, yes I can. Have you seen me try to boil eggs?

Sorry, where was I?

Ingredients

boneless, skinless chicken breasts
taco seasoning
1 jar mild salsa
1 cup chicken broth
taco shells and toppings of choice

Ready for these instructions… throw everything into the Crockpot. Mix well. Cover and let sit to do its thing for 6 hours on medium. When it is done the meat will be so tender it will just fall apart into shredded chicken goodness.

The HARDEST part of this whole recipe – if you work from home like I do – smelling it cook all day without being able to eat it!

I KNOW.

Rio Bravo is going to miss me….

The Tin Cow Restaurant in Pensacola Florida

March 23, 2012 By Lynsey 9 Comments

A few weeks ago Mike saw an ad for a new restaurant – The Tin Cow – opening in downtown Pensacola via Facebook. Now, we very seldom ever drive that far just for lunch, but we figured “what the heck” – we will give it a shot. The verdict: We will be driving downtown a LOT more often for lunch.

Brought to you by the owner of Hopjacks, The Tin Cow is a “design your own” burger venue with 750,000+ burger combination variations. It is built on 4 core products: fresh Angus steak burgers, craft can beers, fresh cut bacon-infused potato chips, and regular and spiked milkshakes.

The Tin Cow is located right on Palafox directly across from the Post Office. We easily found parking on Romana Street so it wasnt a long walk to check the place out. We walked in – apparently the wrong door, go in the one on the right – found the Hostess Stand, and opted for a hightop seat in the back by the bar. The place was busy – especially for having just opened that week – but several waiters and waitresses came by to make sure we were being taken care of.

The Tin Cow menu is unique in that you can “build your own burger” from the meat to the cheese to the bread to the toppings. Mike really liked having so many options – laughing that everything sounded so good it was hard to decide. Ultimately he just went with a classic Angus burger and loved it.

Since I have been watching my portion control and can not seem to eat full meals anymore, I opted for a “slider” from the appetizers menu. It was absolutely the perfect size for me. It was cooked perfectly (which is hard to do with a little bitty patty) and was just enough to make me feel full without feeling stuffed. I was glad it was a thicker patty too - think meatball over patty – and not just a thin little overcooked shoe sole like so many sliders are.

One of the “signature” items on The Tin Cow Menu is their Bacon Infused Potato Chips – which of course we just had to try. I am not sure exactly how they make these guys taste like bacon – and not sure I even want to know – but they are fantastic. They come with most every meal on the menu, and you can also order a basket of just the chips – which I am sure would be even more amazing around 2am as the night is winding down… justsayin.

We washed it all down with a classic chocolate milkshake – although not a “spiked” milkshake like they also offer… though I do intend on going back one evening to check those out.

Was there anything we didn’t like?

Honestly, no, not really. A few of my potato chips were overcooked I thought, but Mike likes them that crunchy so that’s really a matter of preference more than anything. The price was great for what we had – we both ate our fill for right around $20. The staff was great – the manager was doing a great job with kinda overseeing everything and welcoming everyone in and thanking them for checking the place out and inviting them back.

The place was nice and welcoming, with a mixture of men in suits and ties and others in jeans and Polo shirts. It was upscale without feeling stuffy, which we like. The waiters and waitresses all looked great and were dressed appropriately (one of my pet peeves) and all seemed genuinely happy to be there.

Will we go back?

Absolutely, in fact I am considering going now as I am typing this. I really enjoyed it for lunch, but I think it will be great for evening too like the sister restaurant Hopjack’s just down the street. I can see it being a great place to meet up for a business lunch meeting or happy hour, or even meeting up with friends for a late night of the “Palafox Shuffle.”

Mike and I agreed that we were really glad to see another great restaurant / bar open in Downtown Pensacola. As lifelong Pensacola natives (a dying breed) who are really sick of hearing “there is nothing to DO in Pensacola” we love to see new things to do and places to go right here in our little town. If you haven’t been to The Tin Cow yet, we highly recommend you check it out.

And if you do go – let us know – we will meet you there for a Spiked Milkshake!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated in any way for this post. In fact the manager did not even know I was there until I asked permission to take pictures for the purpose of this post. All opinions are 100% my own. Well, and Mike’s too.

Alexia Foods – Sweet Potato Fries

December 14, 2011 By Lynsey Leave a Comment

I LOVE sweet potato fries. Way more than “normal” fries. They just seem to have more flavor. The fact that they are better for you than normal fries is just an added bonus. But the problem has always been having to go to a restaurant to get sweet potato fries! When our local Times Grill closed I was crushed – it was the only place I knew that served them! Few meals are better than a nice hot cheeseburger with sweet potato fries and ranch dressing to dip in. Mmmm…

I was so excited when I was asked to review Alexia Foods Sweet Potato Fries and Puffs. FINALLY – sweet potatoes at HOME!

Alexia is an all-natural food company best known for their wide range of delicious appetizers, breads, fries, potatoes and sweet potatoes in the freezer section. From classic Oven Crinkle Fries seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper to Alexia’s newest Sweet Potato Puffs made from farm-fresh sweet potatoes, all of Alexia’s gourmet-inspired side dishes pair perfectly with any dish and go from freezer to table in around 20 minutes-great for any family meal!

Of course I had to try the sweet potato fries paired with a cheese burger – just to compare to our usual Football Sunday meal from Times Grill. They were PERFECT! Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside – even from the oven! And they had the great restaurant flavor that I love. The girls gobbled up every last one of them.

Alexia Foods can be purchased at many grocery stores around the country. To find one near you, use their Store Finder on their website. You can even print a coupon to take with you to check them out.

I am so excited to get to make my favorite Sunday Football meal from home from now on

Subway’s New Oven Crisp Chicken Sandwich

September 17, 2011 By Lynsey 2 Comments

I used to eat Subway ALL the time as a kid. It was the only “fast food” style restaurant we had out on Pensacola Beach (I think it still is actually). I loved walking in and smelling the fresh bread, and getting to see all of the fresh ingredients they were piling on my ham & cheese. I got the same thing every time – ham & cheese with only 1 slice of ham (you know me and my issues with processed meat) lettuce, pickles, and lots of mayo. It’s the only thing I have ever ordered from Subway… ever.

So a few weeks ago when I saw I was eligible to try the new Oven Crisp Chicken Sandwich as a Klout Perk, I knew I just had to check it out.

Yesterday after Mike and I picked up The Toddler from school, the three of us headed to our local Subway to try out the new Oven Crisp Chicken Sandwich. Now let me stop here and say that I LOVE crispy friend chicken sandwiches. I am not much for fast food burgers, but I have a weakness for a fried chicken sandwich, so I was really excited to try this healthier alternative. We were hit with that same baked bread smell as we walked inside, and the staff was friendly and welcoming.

I ordered my Oven Crisp Chicken Sandwich on wheat bread with cheese, lettuce, cucumbers, and mayo. The Toddler opted for a flat bread sandwich – which she ate every single bite of! I got the combo of course and for less than $17 I fed my family of four. (took half of my footlong sandwich to the Tween) Can’t beat that!

The Oven Crisp Chicken Sandwich was good – I would not say great because there was some kind of flavor in the breading that I didn’t so much like, but Mike tried it and loved it, and the Tween gobbled it up without a word, so maybe it was just me. Even the Toddler tried it and liked it.

I will try it again to see if maybe it was just my taste buds being off, and because since lunch yesterday both the Tween and the Toddler have been begging to go back for more. I’ll let you know if I change my mind, but one thing is for sure – whether I have the Oven Crisp Chicken Sandwich or go back to my all time fave of Ham & Cheese, we will be going to Subway a lot more often!

Have you tried the Oven Crisp Chicken Sandwich? What did you think?

Disclosure: I was given a free product or sample because I’m a Klout influencer. I was under no obligation to receive the sample or talk about this company. I get no additional benefits for talking about the product or company.