This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Success® Rice.  They knew a busy mama like me can always use a few shortcuts in the kitchen.  As always, my opinions are 100% my own, and yours may differ.

This Firecracker Chicken might possibly be my favorite dinner ever.

I tend to feel that way each time I make a new Asian-inspired chicken and rice dish, but this one might really be it.

Sticky, sweet and spicy, this dish has the perfect blend of flavors.  We love spicy foods at my house, and this recipe completely fit the bill.  You can certainly adjust the spiciness-level based on your own preferences by adding a bit more brown sugar.

Or by serving it with a huge pile of white rice.

Typically we prefer brown rice at my house, but in this particular dish, I didn’t want the nutty flavor of brown rice competing with the flavors in my sauce.  The pairing of white rice with the sweet and spicy sauce was perfect.

Like most of you, I’m usually in a rush to get dinner on the table, and once of my favorite shortcuts is using boil-in-a-bag rice.  It’s so simple and easy – and Success Rice cooks perfectly every time and is ready in less than 10 minutes.  It’s foolproof, is what I’m saying.

I don’t know about you, but foolproof is kind of a necessity in my kitchen.

While my chicken was in the oven, I boiled some water and cooked my rice…then left it covered on the stovetop for nearly half an hour while waiting for the chicken to finish baking.  Even after that half hour, the rice was still fluffy and perfect.

Seriously guys, better than take-out.

Success® Rice is the ORIGINAL no mess, no measure boil-in-bag rice that cooks perfectly every time and is ready in less than 10 minutes. The white and brown rice can sit for up to 30 minutes before being served, making it foolproof. You can visit www.successrice.com and Like the Success® Rice Facebook page for recipes and tips on how to make meal times easier & more fun!

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XO, Ashley

The thing about food blogging, I’ve realized, is that it may give people the wrong impression about how we live our lives in my house.

Our meals aren’t plated up fancy when we sit down to eat dinners during weeknights.  Or on the weekends, if you want the real truth.

We’re eating on mismatched plates, with the dinner table covered in kindergarten worksheets, newsletters, crayons, and board games.

And while I love making meals entirely from scratch, our lives just don’t allow it most days.  Instead, our dinners look more like this chicken cheesy Doritos casserole more nights than not.  Quite frankly, this kind of easy meal is what I can entice my kiddo to eat – and I’m all for that.

I got this recipe from a coworker years ago, and while I’ve modified it some to suit the tastes of my family, I’m sure you’ve seen versions of it all over the internet.  That’s because it’s basically the bomb.

If I didn’t live with a 5-year old, I’d totally add a small can of diced jalapeños in.  Or maybe some chipotle peppers in adobo, since the Tall Boy and I really like our foods spicy.  And, if you’re opposed to canned cream of chicken soup, you can always make your own.

Just a side-note: if you’ve never tried substituting greek yogurt for sour cream, you should give it a go in this recipe!  I used Chobani 2% plain Greek yogurt, and my sour cream eating fiend of a husband couldn’t tell the difference.

I know this isn’t that pretty to look at, but it sure tasted good.

XO, Ashley

So, remember the other day when I made slow cooker pork tacos?  Yeah, we still have pork left.  Which is not a bad thing, but I needed to find a way to use up some of the meat pronto.  We don’t like to waste food at my house.

One of my favorite ways to use up leftovers is in casseroles.  I know many people are not big casserole fans, but I’m not one of those people.  We eat casseroles for dinner (and breakfast) all of the time, and the Tall Boy never complains.  He likes to eat and doesn’t like to cook, so he knows what’s good for him.

This.

This is good for him.  And you.  You should totally make this.

It has a cornbread base, is soaked with enchilada sauce like a savory poke cake, and then layered with shredded pork (chicken would work just fine here, too).  I added some chopped chipotles in adobo because I’m wild and crazy like that.

And cheese.  I added cheese, too, because a casserole just isn’t a casserole without cheese.  AmIright?

Also some cilantro, because I add cilantro to every Mexican-themed dish I make.  It’s the Kitchen Meets Girl Law or something.

Oh, and are you interested in winning $5,000 and a trip for two to New York City?  Yeah, I’ve got my hand raised.  Here’s what you do:  click here to enter the Country Crock Stars contest.  Share a photo of your favorite casserole, and share in 100 words how you demonstrate creativity and resourcefulness in the kitchen.  3 finalists will win $5,000 and a trip to New York City, and 12 semi-finalists will win cookware.

XO, Ashley

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I’m back with another slow cooker meal.  Are you surprised?

And since Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, I thought I’d Mexican it up a bit.  Pork taco style.

You know I love my Mexican foods, so anytime I end up with shredded meat, it turns into tacos at some point.  Quite frankly, I could eat tacos every.single.day. and never get tired of ‘em, but maybe I’m just weird.

I could also eat an entire bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa every day, but that’s another story.

This pork was so tender that I had a difficult time getting it out of the crock pot – it just fell apart on its own!  It was flavorful enough to stand on its own, and we certainly had enough meat to make multiple meals out of it.  Fortunately, my husband doesn’t mind eating leftovers, so I got out of cooking for a few days.  Bonus!

I loved the cilantro-lime salsa on these, and while I think adding some diced onion, green pepper, and/or jalapeños would be fabulous, I left them off simply because Doodle won’t eat something if it’s been in the approximate vicinity of even one of those things.  If you don’t live with a picky eater, add ‘em!

The recipe for these pork tacos  came from my eMeals Slow Cooker meal plan, which I’ve been using a lot lately.

If you think your family would love the Slow Cooker Plan, use the code SLOW for 15% off!

XO, Ashley

*I was not compensated for this post. I am an eMeals affiliate and this post does contain my affiliate link. However, all opinions are straight-up my own, and I used eMeals even prior to my affiliate relationship. I really do love it! You can read my disclosure policy here.

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Let’s talk kid-friendly meals for a minute, okay?

I have only a very small rotation of meals that Doodle will eat without turning up his nose, deeming it “gross,” or deciding that he is “not hungry.”  These meals basically include: spaghetti, tacos, grilled (plain) chicken, Tilapia, and…Sloppy Joes.

To be honest, I’ve never been a huge Sloppy Joe fan.  However, since I live with a picky 5-year old and a husband who likes to eat meat, I’ve had no choice but to convert.  But I’m not caving in to the traditional, boring old Joe.  Nope, if I’m making something that’s basically ground beef and tomato sauce…well, I’ve got to up the ante.

Tex-Mex style it is!

If you like bacon and jalapeño, and the smoky flavors of chili powder, cumin and coriander, then this is the sandwich for you!  Give this version a try the next time you want to jazz up your usual weeknight rotation.

And…if you have any (picky) kid-friendly meals, please link ‘em up below!

XO, Ashley

There are three things I want to tell you about this Szechuan Orange Chicken:

1: It tastes even better than take-out;

2: It’s super quick and easy – I’m talking less than 30 minutes from start to finish; and

3: It has less than 300 calories per serving – including the rice!

This Szechuan Orange Chicken turned out amazing – just mix up a quick sauce using fresh ginger, garlic, orange juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and you’ll never be tempted to spend those extra calories on take-out again.  Load up your dish with some broccoli and carrots, and you can feel good about eating it, too.

I love healthy meals that don’t taste healthy, don’t you?

Let’s talk about the rice for a minute, okay?  I’m like most of you – I have a super busy weeknight schedule, and very little time to get healthy dinners on the table.  That’s why I love using Minute Rice.  Seriously, I use Minute brown rice at least once a week.  It has the same nutritional values as regular long cooking brown rice, but it is ready in just 10 minutes – just one-quarter of the time of regular brown rice.  It’s my go-to side dish for weeknight meals, and I always keep a box on hand in my pantry.

Did you know both Minute Brown and Minute White are also gluten free?

While my chicken and veggies were sautéing,  I quickly boiled up some water and cooked my rice.  In less than half an hour, I had a tasty, healthy dinner on the table for my family.   Who needs take-out when you can eat like this?

XO, Ashley

Minute® Rice is so quick and easy to prepare and is great pantry staple. When meal time seems like a hassle, Minute® Rice is a go-to ingredient your whole family will love and allows you to have more quality time doing what your want with your loved ones.

Leftover rotisserie chicken or veggies from a meal earlier in the week? Minute® Rice can easily be paired with some of your leftover ingredients to make a quick, easy and wholesome meal your whole family will love in just a matter of minutes.

Visit http://www.minuterice.com/ to create a great main meal or side dish for your next family get-together or potluck.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Rice.  All opinions are my own.

This is the easiest manicotti you’ll ever make.

Unless, of course, your Pyrex baking dish explodes in the oven during the last five minutes of baking.

And when I say “explode,” that’s really what I mean. Biggest.Mess.Ever.  Not only that, but a ton of ingredients down the drain and no dinner to boot.

As the Tall Boy was scraping the mess out of the bottom of the oven (he’s a keeper!), he said, “This still looks good, even like this.”

Anyway, new weekend, new baking dish…another attempt at the manicotti.  When I pulled the dish out of the oven, Doodle yelled downstairs, “Dad!  The manicotti dish didn’t explode this time!  We can eat it!”

And we did.  We ate the heck out of it.

I have to be honest, I’m not the most patient person in the kitchen.  And even though the Tall Boy loves manicotti, I rarely make it, because I’d rather gouge my eye with a hot poker than stuff an entire pan of delicate pasta shells.  But with this method, there is no stuffing involved.  Simply soften some no-boil noodles, dollop on some filling, and roll.

Easy-peasy!

I made my own sauce here, but for an even easier/quicker version, you could certainly use your favorite jarred sauce.  I also added sausage to my sauce, because the guys I live with insist on eating meat with their meals.  However, this filling was rich enough on its own that I think the dish would stand well enough on its own without meat.

XO, Ashley

So here’s the real deal.

I don’t usually prepare chicken with skin-on. Or with bone-in.

I have this thing about raw meat as it is, but when you add in the fact that I have to deal with skin and bones, there’s sort of a double (triple?) ewww factor involved.  If I’m being totally honest, my husband often handles the raw meat since it ooogs me out.

This recipe is one of my all-time favorite ways to prepare chicken.  Every time I make it, the Tall Boy says it’s “restaurant-quality;” although now that I type that out, I’m not sure he means that as a compliment or not.  I’m going with the former.

The best thing about this chicken is that it is packed full of flavor.  Even better?  The actual prep time is nearly non-existent–you’ll spend the most time in prepping this recipe mincing your garlic.  Quickly infuse some olive oil with the garlic; add in some white wine, lemon juice and zest, and a few spices.  Pour the mixture into a pan, top with chicken, and bake.

Easy, right?

Now, I have to admit that the first dozen or so times I’ve made this dish, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  And the recipe worked just fine.  However, I decided to give it a go with the bone-in, skin-on kind…and yeah.  Definitely do that.

What’s your favorite easy chicken recipe?

XO, Ashley