Inspired By eRecipeCards

BEER Pineapple Jambalaya... Sweet-Heat and Savory

2013-05-21T01:30:00.000-05:00

I have an obsession... Grilled Pineapple! The grilling brings out the natural sugars making an already sweet pineapple one of the most simple yet delicious desserts you can make on a grill (if not any type).

I also have another obsession... All things Cajun and more specifically, I think that Jambalaya is among the greatest foods ever created. Wonderfully easy, deliciously complex and adaptable so you can add almost anything and make an acceptable dish...

Or occasionally make that amazing mix of flavors... Salty,sweet, heat (spicy), meaty and beefed up with a strong flavor (Like a rich malt English style Porter Beer)!

As with all cooking, quality of your ingredients matter.

I am lucky enough to have a home town brewer, Boulevard Brewing Company with a full range of annual, seasonal and specialty beers great for drinking and just as fantastic to cook with.

Most often when I want true beer taste to come through the rest of the ingredients I use their BULLY PORTER Beer... "A dark colored, medium-bodied beer with a prominent burnt, roasted malt aroma and flavor and an equally prominent hop aroma, flavor and bitterness."

When choosing a beer to cook with, try to avoid the Lite beers and even the big names and hunt down a specialty that compliments and makes your food shine!

Like this recipe that simmers the spicy Andouille Sausage in the porter before adding to the rice to season and flavor that as well!

Add all that heat and spicy and flavoring to the sweet of grilled pineapple chunks and you have a pretty amazing dish...

OK... Here's what I did...

BEER Pineapple Jambalaya...

Sweet-Heat and Savory

Ingredients

4 TBS Butter
2 Medium Red Onion, Diced
2 Medium Bell peppers, Diced
3 Stalks Celery, Diced
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 Pounds Andouille Sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 (12 Oz) Bottle Beer, divided I used a Boulevard Bully Porter
3-1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
2 Cans (15 Oz) Diced Tomatoes with Juice
4 Cups Long Grain Rice
1/4 Cup Cajun Spice Mix
2 Pounds meat from a Rotisserie Chicken boned, cut into 1 inch cubes I used both Breasts, plenty of meat).
1 Fresh (can use Canned slices), Divided Pineapple, outer shell peeled, sliced, cored and grilled to bring out the natural sugars, reserve half the slices for garnish
1/2 Cup Green Onion for Garnish

Cooking Directions

Optional - For brown Jambalaya, add heaping tablespoon of Brown Sugar to your roux just before adding vegetables (see next step), for red, add Paprika for color
In a large stock pot , make a roux with equal parts 1/4 cup oil and flour. It is VERY important to start with a clean pan. It must be free of food particles to make a successful roux. Add vegetables and later garlic to roux and stir continuously until vegetables reach desired tenderness.
Add the Tomatoes with their juices and allow to simmer
In a large Saute Pan, bring 1/2 a bottle of a stout or Porter strongly flavored beer to a simmer. Add the Sliced Andouille Sausage to the simmering beer and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add Sausage and remaining 1/2 bottle of beer to vegetables.
Add the Chicken... continue to stir for about 5 minutes.
Gradually stir in stock and Cajun seasonings. Bring to boil
For red Jambalaya, add 1/4 cup paprika and you can substitute 1/2 the stock for 1/2 tomato juice or V-8 juice.
Add rice, DO NOT STIR, but push gently on rice to get it under liquid and return to boil
Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes. DO NOT OPEN POT, DO NOT STIR.
While the pot is cooking, fire up the grill and grill the pineapple slices. Reserve several slices to use as a garnish, chop at least half. You can also cook these on a nonstick pan stovetop
After 25 minutes, turn rice from top to bottom, mix meat and rice evenly. There may be some burnt bits on the bottom, but that is FILLED with flavor, and should be mixed in as well.
Add the chopped pineapple and mix
Dish it up, add pineapple slices and green onions as accent.
Have Hot sauce and additional seasonings available for people who want to taste the Cajun experience to their fullest.

So, here it is. One of my all time favorite dishes. FILLED with flavors, and certainly brings back very fond memories of a favorite city to vacation in!

It really does all come together quickly... not a 30 minute meal, but depending on your knife skills it is less than 30 minutes hands on cooking. Especially if you use one of my beloved Store Bought, Pre-cooked, Pre-seasoned Rotisserie Chicken.

About the only unusual method that might need more explanation would be the rice step...

Just be sure to add, tap down so that the rice is seated in liquid (do not mix yet, just tap down. Then cover and DO NOT LOOK FOR 25 MINUTES. the rice cooks and absorbs the liquid and steam. if you lift the lid, the steam escapes, the top cools and the rice does not cook through.

Biggest tip... DO NOT LIFT THE LID FOR 25 MINUTES!!!

A Great meal for the costs!
Stay tuned, come on back tomorrow and see what else I make from the single bird!

And of course the Rotisserie Chicken makes this easy to make. Making this one of my new favorite additions to my "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"! Which now has blossomed well over 75 uses with still more to come!

What could be easier and tastier?

And as always, if you like this recipe and think you might want to give it a try, pin this to your Pinterest Board and be sure to follow me on Pinterest if you want to see the rest of my 52 Ideas!

I think I am also going to make this a controversial addition to me list of "52 Recipes for Soup, Chowder and Chili". (work in progress, but I have a bunch posted already). After all, anything that uses 5 cups of Chicken Stock can't be dismissed so quickly as not a soup... Can it???

And as always, if you like this recipe and think you might want to give it a try, pin this to your Pinterest Board and be sure to follow me on Pinterest if you want to see the rest of my 52 Ideas!

BEER, BACON and Cheese Soup!!!

2013-05-20T01:30:00.000-05:00

When choosing a beer to cook with, try to avoid the Lite beers and even the big names and hunt down a specialty that compliments and makes your food shine!

Especially pick something that will stand up to a complex level of tastes like this recipe with sharp cheddar cheese, garlic, Cajun spices, Mustard and just to make this something really amazing I used some Honey Chipotle Glazed Bacon that I posted about the other day. Heat, Sweet, Salty and that unique bacon flavor.

Roll all this together and you have a beer lover's Soup.... And a Bacon Lover's Soup!

Thick, rich, complex flavors... Complex, but still the flavors of bacon, beer and cheese Shine!

OK... Here's what I did...

BEER, BACON and Cheese Soup!!!

Ingredients

1/2 Pound Bacon, cooked, reserve the bacon fat
4 TBS Butter
1 Medium Red Onion, Chopped
2 Stalks Celery, Chopped
2 Medium Carrots, Chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 TBS Flour
1 Bottle (12 OZ) Beer, I used Boulevard Bully Porter
2 Cups Chicken Stock
8 OZ Sharp Cheddar Cheese, freshly grated
1 tsp Mustard Powder
To Taste, Optional Cajun Spice Mix (I use just 1 tsp)
For Garnish 1 tsp Sour Cream
For Garnish 1/2 tsp Chives

Cooking Directions

This cooks perfectly in a crock pot with a wand blender. First, cook the bacon, reserve the grease, set the bacon aside, divide in half.
In a large saute pan with the bacon grease, add the butter and mix (and melt).
Add the vegetables, onion, carrots and celery and saute for 5 minutes until the onions turn translucent.
Add the garlic and continue to saute for 1 additional minute
Add the flour and stir to combine.
Deglaze the pan with half the bottle of beer. Move all of this to the crock pot slow cooker.
Add the remaining beer, chicken stock. Set the cooker on high, cover and cook allowing all of the flavors to mingle.
After 4 hours, take a hand mixer (or move the "soup" to a stand blender in batches) and blend everything until completely smooth.
Add the cheese and mustard powder. Blend until melted and smooth.
If desired, add the Cajun Spice mix.
Serve HOT, garnish with additional chopped bacon, Sour Cream and Chives and ENJOY!

Pairs FANTASTIC with a Better BACON BACON Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich (Double Bacon and MORE)!

This is such a rich thick complicated flavored soup. Best of the beer soups I have ever tasted. Fantastic!

Of course this makes my growing list of "52 Recipes for Soup, Chili or Chowder"

Great tasting and has the advantage of crock pot set and forget easy!

And if you think you might want to give this soup a try yourself (very easy), please take a minute and "Pin" it to your Pinterest Boards. And if you want to see more of my Soup Recipes, feel free to join the fun and Follow me...

Pizza Party Pizza... Steak and Gorgonzola Cheese

2013-05-19T07:13:00.001-05:00

Pizzeria Pizza at Home...

A goal of mine (and an earlier blog post, double click the blue letters). In that post I go into details about the best way to achieve the goal of a making a seemingly simple flat bread, topped with a sauce and cheese. I have a never fail yeast pizza dough recipe, a deliciously fresh rich pizza sauce (from scratch) and a bit of history.

Once you learn the tricks of the trade, Pizzeria Pizza at home is simple and addictive. My dough recipe makes 4 dough balls, so each time I make pizza I have 4 canvasses to create. Generally I make a pizza Margherita (pictured to the right, sauce, cheese and basil). The Margherita is recognized by many as the first and original version of the modern pizza.

BUT WAIT...

How would you like to be ... THAT GUY (or Gal) That can (and regularly does) do amazing things on a grill...

A Couple of weeks ago I went into detail on GRILLING a pizza on a standard backyard grill. Easy, Fun, Spectacular.

This week I am going back to my adventures of Island Living. During my all too brief time of living on St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands I fell in love with this pizza. Steak, Blue Cheese, Onions and Chunky Tomatoes, grilled to perfection and served up with a bottle of wine ($25 on the island, priceless when made at home).

And once you know the tricks, easy as could be...

Easy like taking a ball of dough, hand form the shape (always rustic on the grill, never a perfect circle, part of the charm), Grill the dough, add toppings and create something unusual and FANTASTIC!

This makes a great appetizer, side dish or main course.... And it is a real crowd pleaser!

Oh... And it is beyond easy...
Anyone can do this... Anyone can be that GUY (or Gal) on the grill!

All you need for this...

1 Ball of Pizza Dough
A couple of TBS of Pizza Sauce
4 OZ Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
Thin slices of ribeye steak
1/4 of a Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
1 Medium Tomato sliced
2 OZ Gorgonzola Cheese, minced

The rest is all technique. Read over the post on Pizzeria Pizza at Home, then try this...

Start with a Ball of Dough. It's the same recipe I almost always use. Cold rise, easy and never fail (does take about 4 hours of sitting around (or overnight) to make the dough, so plan ahead). Or any store bought pizza dough would work as well.

Next is the only real trick... HOT! Get your grill HOT. If using coals, preheat the grill for at least 20-30 minutes or set your gas grill, all burners running on high for at least 10 minutes.

OK, The photo directly above is the dough after I formed a sort of circle. Tossing in the air is not really how it's done, flattening between your two palms and then stretching along the edges all the way around, allowing gravity to pull down. Once you get it evenly thin, slap it on the HOT grate.

It only takes about 3-4 minutes for the dough to start to bubble. use a wide turner or tongs and test the doneness.

The bottom will be starting to crisp up...

And get grill marks.

Since it has started to crisp, the soft dough has started to cook and turn solid. Easy to turn. Since the grill grate was hot, it never sticks.

Time for toppings...

Sauce first... Plop a couple TBS of sauce in the center and spread evenly around the crust

Since this is HOT, don't worry, sauce will heat and the cheese will melt. So, spread the handful of cheese around

Again, no design, stick with the rustic look.

Add the Steak, Tomatoes and Onions

And at the last minute... spread the Gorgonzola over the top

And that's it!

Close the lid and let everything get really HOT for only another couple of minutes... And here you are!

But as with most recipes, the basics can be learned in minutes; mastering the art will take a lifetime (or at least 52 tries). You can achieve success with my Pizzeria 101 Link, a cookie sheet, standard oven and items in most every kitchen. But... eventually you will want to try the toys of the trade So if you want to dig deeper, I recommend these books and items...

Amazon.com Widgets

Enjoy your Pizza making... Let me know what pizzas you are making and be sure to come take a look next Sunday to see what I come up with this week!

This is Pizza #5 in my list of 52 Pizza Party Pizzas...

Week #1 ...

A simple Salami Pizza (break free of the addiction to Pepperoni). A classic example of the Italian belief that less is more... Allow a quality ingredient like the artisanal Dry cured sausage, the sauce and the cheese balance beautifully!

This Sausage pizza is Pizza #2 in my list of 52 Pizza Party Pizzas...

I made a fantastic HOT Sausage Pizza... Made with mini balls of sausage (there is a small trick) that also looks as dramatic as it is tasty!

Week #3

I was on the grill making a dessert or Appetizer FANTASTIC Honey - Goat Cheese - Arugula Pizza... Delicious and PERFECT if you want to WOW your friends with something unique on the GRILL!

Week #4

A Pizza from my youth, the (then) exotic sounding Canadian Bacon and Onion GRILLED pizza! Loaded with color and the unique taste of the sweet juicy back bacon that became a legend back in Pekin, Illinois in the 70's.

OK, be sure to come back next Sunday... I already have plans for next weeks' Za!

Steak and Eggs Breakfast Fritatta or Week 5 of What I had for Dinner Last Night Fritatta

2013-05-19T04:12:00.002-05:00

Last night I grilled a steak...

Nothing special (salt, pepper, a little oil and fire).

So this morning I am indulging. There was a bit of leftovers, but not really enough to do much with. Certainly not enough for another full meal.

But plenty left overs to make a FANTASTIC Steak and Egg LOADED Fritatta!

No better use in the world for the little bit of left over steak than an Italian omelette, loaded with a beef and a few slices of a wonderful flavorful Tomato.

Of course, you remember everything I have said about Fritattas (think Italian Open faced Omelette). In this case, a basic Italian Omelette, the Fritatta! I have done a couple of posts on making a Fritatta... A basic, sort of Fritatta 101, and a Tomato Fritata (see the photo). They are basically the same and I worked hard on the details so that indeed, "Anyone can cook" these if they read over those blog posts. The Fritatta really is the easiest of all the omelette recipes to make. No vigorous shaking (the French), no Folding (This might be an American invention, certainly popularized in American cuisine).

Well, making a Firtatta has become a way of life for me. Aside from the two blog posts mentioned above, I stopped even looking at a recipe *they are simple, eggs, a little cream, butter for the pan and whatever extra you want to use). The technique is important, so do take a look at the Fritatta 101 post to see what I am talking about. I stopped asking permission to change the recipe long ago. Mostly I make fritattas from whatever I had for dinner last night. Fish, beef, pork, vegetables, cheese, salami... Everything but soup.

So, here's my series... Once a week for a year I am going to give you permission to try something yourself... The Whatever I had for dinner last night Fritatta!

So, what I had for dinner last night was a Steak. Steak and Eggs is of course a classic indulgent breakfast...

For the indulgent Steak and Egg fritatta, Here's What I Did...

4 Eggs
1 TBS Heavy Cream
111/2 Cup Leftover Steak
1 Small Kumatu Tomato, chopped

Dice up the Steak.
Preheat the oven to Broil setting
In a Non Stick oven safe saute Pan, over medium high heat melt a TBS of Butter
Whisk together 4 Eggs and a TBS of Heavy Cream (sure,milk will work)
Loosely cover the bottom of a non stick saute pan with the Steak and Tomatoes
Add the eggs gently over the Meat
heat for 4 minutes on the stove top, until the eggs around the edge are set but the center is still jiggly wet.
Move the pan to the oven and broil for 2 minutes. Check to see if the top is set and is just starting to brown.
Repeat if needed, only in 1 minute segments
Flip the fritatta onto a preheated plate. This may take practice, but by the time you do a couple of weeks' worth you will have it down perfect, place a plate upside down over the saute pan, hold the bottom of the plate (now n top) solidly with the palm of your hand and holding the handle of the pan, quickly and smoothly, FLIP
Serve HOT and ENJOY! Serves two.

Now, what's your idea for a
Whatever I had for dinner last night Fritatta!!!

here's my list ... SO FAR!

Fritatta #1...

I had a rare plate of take out food, Sweet and Sour Chicken from my local Asian take out place.

Turned into a FANTASTIC Sweet and Sour Chicken Fritatta!

Fritatta #2...

I Really spiced things up with another grilling gem when I cooked up a GRILLED Curry Chicken Fritatta, balanced heat and sweet with a side of some seasonal Pineapple!

Fritatta #3

This time I actually made a CLASSIC TRUE Italian recipe with leftover potatoes and onions to create a Fried Potato, Onion and Blue Cheese Fritatta. Some grapes and tomato slices really made for a wonderful breakfast!

Fritatta #4

A dinner of Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes turns into yet another delicious loaded up specialty breakfast.... The MEATLOAF FRITATTA is made with an Italian meatloaf recipe, loaded with Sofrito vegetables. I even made up some mahed potato cakes also from the leftovers!

Better BACON BACON LETTUCE AND TOMATO SANDWICH (Double Bacon and more)

2013-05-18T01:30:00.000-05:00

Build a better sandwich. And when I tell ya'll how much effort there was in this you will probably say not me.

BUT, except for the garlic toast, everything was either on the sandwich raw (tomatoes and lettuce) or was made for other dishes. I just made extra cause I knew I wanted this sandwich to pair with the Bacon Beer Cheese Soup (Monday's post, be sure to come back for that).

There are two specialty types of bacon on this bad boy...

My favorite cousin of my wife's (Cousin in law???), Cousin David is also a smoker, griller, fire cooker. He likes to stretch the home cooker even further than I do. He dry roasts his own coffee beans, makes smoked bacon from pork belly and just this month he gifted me with a BIG hunk of Canadian Bacon. He did all the spicing and massaging and aging so I really can't give his formula.

Canadian Bacon is "back Bacon", made from a loin cut. It is very lean with almost no fat. Salting and curing a pork loin into a back bacon is a project that takes several days (no real work, just allowing a salty marinade to penetrate deep into the ham). The meat is then slow smoked and turns out with a unique taste... slightly salty, sweet and juicy... And delicious.

You can easily find slices of Canadian Bacon at the store. Just be sure to serve it cold or at room temperature as the more you cook, the more it dries out. Especially for a sandwich, it is best served juicy!

Of course you can also marry into Cousin David's Family to get your own home made back bacon!

I also had made up a bit of my now world famous Cajun Garlic Aioli (must be famous, nearly 20,000 page views and even more "Pins" on Pinterest and one of my top 10 most viewed recipes).

In simplest terms, an Aioli is flavored mayonnaise. this is seasoned with Cajun spices, garlic, lemon, mustard and savory spices... It is a wonderful condiment to make up once a month just to add a little zip to a sandwich (Like this one)!

And just yesterday I posted some fantastic complex mix of heat, sweet and salty with a Honey Chipotle spiced Glazed Bacon! I wanted to use this in my Bacon Beer Cheese Soup (Monday's Post). It is so easy, I just made extra for this sandwich.

Add all this up and you have my BETTER Double Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Sandwich!

Not much of a recipe for the sandwich.

I did crisp up some fresh made slices of bread (using my usual ENG Bread Recipe (Bread Machine Easy)). Follow the blue lettering link to see a photo instruction if you want to start making your own bread.

I made it garlic bread by slicing a garlic clove and rubbing the exposed side on the bread before toasting. I then spread a little butter and toasted in the broiler. I like to only toast one side for a sandwich. This way I still get the toasty crunch but the inside is still soft and absorbs the mayo and juices from the tomato.

It is off season for raw tomatoes. General rule of thumb for off season, the smaller the better tasting. Ignore the vine ripened and hot house tomatoes. generally speaking they are marketing tricks only.

I have found a brand called Kumato Tomatoes that even off season still has plenty of flavor. Just a tiny sprinkle of salt will help you get the most from a slice.

And Romaine Lettuce

Add everything together and it is the BETTER BLT Sandwich! Even the simple classics can get a make over!

Honey Chipotle Glazed Baked Bacon... EASY EASY EASY

2013-05-17T01:30:00.000-05:00

This is a two part blog post... Of course the basic recipe (simple as it is), but also a technique that will get you professional food stylist looking slices of bacon every time. Of course adding a glaze makes it even more photo worthy.

First, the technique...

BAKED BACON. Perfect, reasonably flat every time. Perfectly crisp and crunchy yet soft and chewy. You may never make bacon the same way again.... Oh, and it is very very easy!!!

All you need is a baking sheet, parchment paper so clean up is easy and an oven preheated to 375 degrees...

line the baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper folded on the edges to prevent grease from spreading.

single layer of bacon

bake for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the bacon and desired crispness.

Drain and allow to cool on a paper towel.

If you glaze (like these), add an additional couple of minutes to the cooking time.

And that's it. Even those directions make it sound more difficult than it really is. PERFECT EVERY TIME!

And Best of all... Baking Bacon gives you a chance to "Flavor" the bacon... Salty, Sweet, Heat, Bacon-y ... PERFECT!

OK, Here's what I did...

Honey Chipotle Glazed Baked Bacon

Ingredients

1 Pound Thick Slice Bacon
1/4 Cup Honey
1 tsp Chipotle Spice

Cooking Directions

In a small sauce pan, over low heat, add the honey and mix in the Chipotle Spice.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, folding the edges to collect the grease
lay out the bacon in a single layer
Brush the honey chipotle mix on the bacon
Bake for 10 minutes
Flip the bacon, glaze the other side, return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes
Drain and cool
Serve in a sandwich, or make some Beer Cheese Bacon Soup or even just eat like candy and ENJOY

Chunky Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies with SECRET INGREDIENT

2013-05-16T01:30:00.000-05:00

There ain't nothing better...

Ice Cold glass of milk and a rich chewy chocolate chip cookie loaded with chunks of chocolate and walnuts. And let's face it, you really can not get too much better than the recipe on a package of Nestle Chocolate Chips...

Not much better, but you can get a little better. First, there is a taste bud trick that I add... A very very tiny pinch of cayenne pepper. You need to know a little bit about how the taste buds work. Taste buds react differently to different tastes. Feed a taste bud only something sweet and they bore (ever tasted anything too sweet?). Same for too salty, too bitter, too hot spicy etc. But load something up with several different tastes, even on a tiny level and they sit up, pay attention, sing Hallelujah and dance a jig... The proverbial party in your mouth. They tell you that something tastes good.

So just a tiny amount of heat (Cayenne Pepper) will help excite your taste buds.

But also I have gotten in the habit of adding a bit of Almond Meal (same stuff that French macaroons are made with). This adds an extra grainy texture plus a strong taste of almonds, nuts.

Like I said, The package recipe is very very good... Mine (to me) is just a little better!

OK, Here's what I did...

Chunky Chocolate Walnut Drop Cookies
with SECRET INGREDIENT

Ingredients

2 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup SECRET INGREDIENT (Almond Meal)
1 tsp Baking Soda
1 Large Pinch of Salt
1/8 tsp (smallest amount you can still measure) Cayenne pepper spice
1 Cup Butter, Room Temperature
3/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla
2 Large Eggs
2 Cups Chopped Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks (Chocolate Chips will work, or a bar of chocolate chopped)
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts

Cooking Directions

Preheat oven to 375 Degrees
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together Flour, Salt and Baking Powder
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together Butter and sugars.
Add the vanilla and mix until creamy.
Add eggs one at a time, then add flour mixture 1/2 cup at a time.
STIR with a spoon or spatula in the chocolate and nuts.
Drop by rounded TBS onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper
Bake for 9 minutes until just starting to crisp
Cool on the sheets for 3 minutes then move to a cooling rack.
Serve while still warm with a COLD Glass of Milk ... and ENJOY!

Inventing a better cookie and mousetrap...

Uniquely Delicious!

And a fantastic one of my "52 Cookie, Bar and Truffle Recipes". Load up the cookie jar, plenty of classics as well as interesting new combinations, sure to please!

And if you think you might want to give this Cookie a try yourself (very easy), please take a minute and "Pin" it to your Pinterest Boards. And if you want to see more of my Cookie Recipes, feel free to join the fun and Follow me...

...

Grilling Time - Grilled Pineapple Jerk Chicken Thighs

2013-05-15T01:30:00.000-05:00

A long time ago (well, three years ago anyway), I was lucky enough to spend six months in St Thomas, one of the US Virgin Islands. That's me kissing my wife on the ass that hangs out at a scenic overlook. I did a blogger thing and posted a photo or story a day while I was there... makes interesting reading (at least to me).

Well, there were lots of things I loved about my island time. This recipe is one of my fondest memories. There is a restaurant called WICKED very close to where the cruise ships let the tourists disembark. It has a great view and for a glorified island bar, a pretty good menu. For me, I always had their chicken wings. First, a great bargain (something VERY rare on the island, especially near the cruise ships). They were 75 cents each. But even better, they are simply addictive how good these are. Little hints of sweet from the pineapple to the island heat of a Jamaican jerk spice. One bite and I am back on the island for just a bit...

My cooking method is a bit unique, especially over a grill. BUT, it practically guarantees moist tender chicken every time. If you have ever been to a backyard BBQ and had the tough, dry as sand over cooked chicken you will appreciate this tip...

Muffin Tin!

Yep, look close, I line the muffin tin with aluminum foil (just to make it easier to clean).

And I use this to aid in indirect grilling. Your grill becomes a convection oven, with the hot air circulating around the muffin tin, heating (and beautifully browning) from the top, while the juices and rendered fat pools in the bottom of each muffin space and then simmers and steams from the bottom. Best cooking method ever for chicken!

And once you start adding the sauce, that flavors the steam, again adding another layer of flavor to the chicken.

This method is easy, cooks fast, makes your chicken come out perfectly cooked every time and versatile. I have already done posts with the chicken seasoned with Curry and a wonderful Orange Ginger Chicken!

OK... Here's What I did...

Grilling Time - Grilled Pineapple Jerk Chicken Thighs

Ingredients

1/4 Cup Jerk Chicken Spice Mix (Commercially available)
1 Cup Pineapple Chunks with juice (I used a fresh pineapple, canned works as well)
8 Chicken Thighs
Salt and Pepper a pinch each

Cooking Directions

Pre-heat the grill
First, make the glaze sauce... In a blender, combine the Pineapple with juice and the Jerk Spice.
Arrange the thigh suspended over a muffin pan.
Brush and pour the half portion of sauce evenly distributed among the 8 thighs.
Season with Salt and Pepper
Move to the grill. You will be using the grill as an oven. Put the muffin tins over a medium hot heat and close the lid. You will cook until the internal temperature at the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees. This should take about 20-25 minutes. The skin will take on a crispy golden caramelized appearance.
Brush with remaining sauce and close the lid for the sauce to heat... just for an additional 2 minutes.
Do not over cook, that dries out the meat.
Remove from the heat and allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving.
Serve HOT and Enjoy!

Makes a beautiful, wonderfully tasty meal when paired with GRILLED Tomatoes and Snow Peas and a bowl of leftover Whipped Potatoes.

Garlic Snow Peas, Cherry Tomatoes, Parmesan AND GARLIC -Grilling Time (Side Dish)

2013-05-14T01:30:00.000-05:00

This is an OMG recipe... OH MY GOD is this FANTASTIC!

And simple, all of the ingredients (except some Olive Oil) is in the title. And such beautiful colors, Green White And Red like the Italian Flag!

To the right you can see the only thing you need out of the ordinary... A frying pan with holes in it (commonly called a grill pan). The holes are small enough that the veggies do not fall through, yet big enough to all ow the char and grill flavors to get into the the flavor of the dish!

There is nothing like heated tomatoes. The term bursting with flavor is literal here as the tomatoes will split and ooze sweet juices to flavor the peas. Tomatoes have a natural sweetness that heating brings out and intensifies.

Unlike anything you can make on a stovetop! And perfect side dish to serve next to some whipped potatoes and delicious PINEAPPLE JERK Grilled Chicken Thighs (Come back tomorrow for that recipe).

OK... Here;s what I did...

Garlic Snow Peas, Cherry Tomatoes, Parmesan AND GARLIC

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
5 Cloves Garlic, crushed and copped
1 Package (8 Oz.) Snow Peas, trim ends
1 Package (10 Oz.) Cherry Tomatoes, check to be sure stems are removed
Shaved Parmesan Cheese For garnish

Cooking Directions

In a small sauce pan, heat the Olive Oil over a low flame.
Add the Garlic to the oil and slow heat for about 20 minutes to break the garlic oil into the olive oil. Be careful to not heat to high. Warm is enough
In a large bowl, add the tomatoes and snow peas and coat with the warm garlic oil. Stir to coat completely.
Move out to the grill, spray the grill pan with non-stick spray and set the grill pan directly over the hottest part of the grill
Add the Tomatoes/snow peas and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Just as the tomatoes start to split open, remove from heat and serve. This only take a few minutes, so watch carefully.
Serve HOT and ENJOY!

New Orleans Cajun Jambalaya

2013-05-13T01:30:00.000-05:00

My Favorite of all the Cajun recipes I took home from one of my too infrequent visits to New Orleans!

This recipe mostly came from a class I took at the New Orleans School of Cooking. If you are ever in the Crescent City, do take a morning and attend a class. Best bargain in town as you cook your lunch while you are there. The instructors are all native to the region, have a life time of experience and stories and is as much fun for cooks as non-cooks. And you will leave with recipes and the know how to do this at home.

here's one of the stories...

Late one evening a traveling gentleman stopped by a New Orleans inn which had little food remaining from the evening meal. The traveler instructed the cook, "Jean, balayez!" or "Jean, sweep something together!" in the local dialect. The guest pronounced the resulting hodge-podge dish as "Jean balayez."

Drink a little (or a lot) Rum, Beer, hurricane or sazerac cocktail and you start slurring your words... Jean balayez becomes JAMBALAYA!

That's probably not true, but makes a great story.

This recipe is one that I adapted from one I learned during my visit to the New Orleans School of Cookin g. By far, it was the most popular of the main course recipes I learned during my trips to New Orleans. Easy Peasy, so lets get to it.

I have posted a slightly different version of a Jambalaya recipe, I just added a couple of cans of diced tomatoes.

OK... Here;s What I did...

Mise en Place (first, assemble your ingredients)

Ingredients

1/2 cup oil (divided)
2 pounds meat from a Rotisserie Chicken boned, cut into 1 inch cubes I used both Breasts, plenty of meat)..
2 pounds Andouille Sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
......Save 1/2 pound to grill and use as accents
4 cups Onion
2 cups Green Pepper (I had a yellow as well)
2 cups Celery
3 Tablespoons Garlic
5 cups Chicken Stock
2 Cans (15 Oz) Diced Tomatoes with juice,
4 cups Long Grained Rice
1/4 cup Cajun Spices
1/2 cup Green onion

Cooking Instructions...

Optional - For brown Jambalaya, add heaping tablespoon of Brown Sugar to your roux just before adding vegetables (see next step), for red, add Paprika for color
In a large stock pot , make a roux with equal parts 1/4 cup oil and flour. It is VERY important to start with a clean pan. It must be free of food particles to make a successful roux. Add vegetables and later garlic to roux and stir continuously until vegetables reach desired tenderness.
Add the Tomatoes with their juices
Add Chicken and sausage to vegetables, continue to stir for about 5 minutes.
Gradually stir in stock and Cajun seasonings. Bring to boil
For red Jambalaya, add 1/4 cup paprika and you can substitute 1/2 the stock for 1/2 tomato juice or V-8 juice.
Add rice, DO NOT STIR, but push gently on rice to get it under liquid and return to boil
Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes. DO NOT OPEN POT, DO NOT STIR.
While the pot is cooking, slice 1/2 pound Andouille Sausage and fry in sauce pan till pretty char marks appear.
After 25 minutes, turn rice from top to bottom, mix meat and rice evenly. There may be some burnt bits on the bottom, but that is FILLED with flavor, and should be mixed in as well/
Dish it up, add sausage and green onions as accent.
Have Hot sauce and additional seasonings available for people who want to taste the Cajun experience to their fullest.

************************************

Yes indeed, one of my new favorite "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now over 75!!!).

I am trying something a bit new this round of recipes... My own little culinary challenge of seeing just what I can do with a single rotisserie bird.

This is week Number FOUR, chicken number FOUR... and the first recipe I made from the blessed bird. If you click HERE, you will see my page devoted to my "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now over 75!!!). Scroll down to the bottom and you will see some of the possibilities of what you can make with a single bird (week one, seven dishes, week 2 a record EIGHT dishes all from the same bird, etc.).

My Goals for the experiment......

Eat Well... Make something that tastes good.
Recipes for 2 people. One of the great things about a rotisserie chicken is the versatility fr a quick meal for small dinners (breakfast and lunch). Save the BIG cooking for another day, let's have something for just my wife and myself (and young couples, empty nest couples and singles)
Versatility... Just how many rotisserie chicken recipes are out there???
Keep Track of the costs... Life on a budget, need I explain more?
Go beyond the basic recipes and add some tips and HOW TO Photos appropriate for less experienced cooks so that indeed...ANYONE CAN COOK THIS!

I hope the tips and extra photos helped...

***********

I did break the rules... I LOVE leftover Jambalaya. It is actually better the next day when all of the flavors and spices have mixed, mingled and congealed! So, instead of a dish for 2 people, I made a full serving that easily serves 8 people... Or just me for a week

So, as to cost for this dish....

The chicken averages out to a dollar per recipe.... $2

The Sausage was on sale, $4
The Vegetables were $4

The Rice was a Dollar $1
The cans of Tomatoes were $2

The Tomato Juice was $1

Total came in at under $14.... less than $2 a serving for a main course meal in itself!!!

A Great meal for the costs!
Stay tuned, come on back tomorrow and see what else I make from the single bird!

And of course the Rotisserie Chicken makes this easy to make. Making this one of my new favorite additions to my "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"! Which now has blossomed well over 75 uses with still more to come!

What could be easier and tastier?

And as always, if you like this recipe and think you might want to give it a try, pin this to your Pinterest Board and be sure to follow me on Pinterest if you want to see the rest of my 52 Ideas!

Pizza Party Pizza... Canadian Bacon and Onion

2013-05-12T02:00:00.000-05:00

Pizzeria Pizza at Home...

A goal of mine (and an earlier blog post, double click the blue letters). In that post I go into details about the best way to achieve the goal of a making a seemingly simple flat bread, topped with a sauce and cheese. I have a never fail yeast pizza dough recipe, a deliciously fresh rich pizza sauce (from scratch) and a bit of history.

Once you learn the tricks of the trade, Pizzeria Pizza at home is simple and addictive. My dough recipe makes 4 dough balls, so each time I make pizza I have 4 canvasses to create. Generally I make a pizza Margherita (pictured to the right, sauce, cheese and basil). The Margherita is recognized by many as the first and original version of the modern pizza.

BUT WAIT...

How would you like to be ... THAT GUY (or Gal) That can (and regularly does) do amazing things on a grill...

Last week I went into detail on GRILLING a pizza on a standard backyard grill. Easy, Fun, Spectacular.

This week I am going back to my youth. In high school, this was my pizza order of choice. I thought it sounded exotic and would help me pick up girls.

Not sure if the order helped or not, but this sure is tasty!

And once you know the tricks, easy as could be...

Easy like taking a ball of dough, hand form the shape (always rustic on the grill, never a perfect circle, part of the charm), Grill the dough, add toppings and create something unusual and FANTASTIC!

This makes a great appetizer, side dish or even a dessert.... And it is a real crowd pleaser!

Oh... And it is beyond easy...
Anyone can do this... Anyone can be that GUY (or Gal) on the grill!

All you need for this...

1 Ball of Pizza Dough
A couple of TBS of Pizza Sauce
4 OZ Mozzarella Cheese, Grated
Thin slices of Canadian Bacon
1/4 of a Red Onion, Thinly Sliced
Slivered sliced Basil as an accent

The rest is all technique. Read over the post on Pizzeria Pizza at Home, then try this...

Add the Bacon and Onions

And at the last minute... spread the basil over the top

And that's it!

Close the lid and let everything get really HOT for only another couple of minutes... And here you are!

Amazon.com Widgets

Enjoy your Pizza making... Let me know what pizzas you are making and be sure to come take a look next Sunday to see what I come up with this week!

This is Pizza #4 in my list of 52 Pizza Party Pizzas...

Week #1 was a simple Salami Pizza (break free of the addiction to Pepperoni). A classic example of the Italian belief that less is more... Allow a quality ingredient like the artisanal Dry cured sausage, the sauce and the cheese balance beautifully!

Week #3 I was on the grill making a dessert or Appetizer FANTASTIC Honey - Goat Cheese - Arugula Pizza... Delicious and PERFECT if you want to WOW your friends

So, be sure to come back next Sunday... I already have plans for next weeks' Za!

Meatloaf Fritatta or Week 4 of What I had for Dinner Last Night Fritatta

2013-05-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

Last night I made a Meatloaf cupcake...

Now I am facing Cold meatloaf for breakfast...

I am guessing we have all been there...

Occasionally a meatloaf sandwich, occasionally warmed up. More often than not, just grab a slab and chow down over the sink.

What sounds better? Cold meatloaf over the sink...

Or a hot Italian omelette, loaded with a sofritto rich (hidden veggies) combination of beef and pork, served with a side of fruit and easy peasy mashed potato cakes (also leftovers).

So, what I had for dinner last night was a Meatloaf (in the shape of a cupcake with whipped potato Frosting) For the easy to follow directions and recipe for the sauce, follow the blue lettered link. Certainly makes a tasty fritatta...

To pretty the plate up I added a few Orange segments and from the potatoes I made some whipped potato cakes (Simple, coat generously in Italian Breadcrumbs and Pecorino Romano Cheese and Fry in a little HOT oil)..

For the fritatta, as simple as this...

4 Eggs
1 TBS Heavy Cream
1=1/2 Cup Leftover Meatloaf
1/2 Small Red Onion, rough chop
Potato Cakes as a side dish
a handful of Orange Wedges to use as garnish

Dice up the Meatloaf.
Preheat the oven to Broil setting
In a Non Stick oven safe saute Pan, over medium high heat melt a TBS of Butter
Whisk together 4 Eggs and a TBS of Heavy Cream (sure,milk will work)
Loosely cover the bottom of a non stick saute pan with the Meatloaf
Add the eggs gently over the Meat
heat for 4 minutes on the stove top, until the eggs around the edge are set but the center is still jiggly wet.
Move the pan to the oven and broil for 2 minutes. Check to see if the top is set and is just starting to brown.
Repeat if needed, only in 1 minute segments
Flip the fritatta onto a preheated plate. This may take practice, but by the time you do a couple of weeks' worth you will have it down perfect, place a plate upside down over the saute pan, hold the bottom of the plate (now n top) solidly with the palm of your hand and holding the handle of the pan, quickly and smoothly, FLIP
Serve HOT and ENJOY! Serves two.

Now, what's your idea for a Whatever I had for dinner last night Fritatta?

here's my list ... SO FAR!

Fritatta #1...

I had a rare plate of take out food, Sweet and Sour Chicken from my local Asian take out place.

Turned into a FANTASTIC Sweet and Sour Chicken Fritatta!

Fritatta #2...

I Really spiced things up with another grilling gem when I cooked up a GRILLED Curry Chicken Fritatta, balanced heat and sweet with a side of some seasonal Pineapple!

Beautiful MEATLOAF CUPCAKE... yep, Meatloaf and Mashed Potatoes Icing

2013-05-11T01:30:00.000-05:00

Well, there's a story to this...

I am cooking enough now that occasionally I get special requests. From a roast Leg of Lamb to recreate someone's childhood Easter to always asking what kind of cake you want for a birthday party...

This request came from my wife with the inconvenient day job. She has a co-working friend who had a birthday coming up. This friend famously is known for her food preferences... Meat, Potatoes and nothing green.

So when Jackie agreed to serve up her Birthday cake for the office...

Well, always serve up what the Birthday Girl would really enjoy!

Here's what I did...

OK... Here's what I did...

First, The Meatloaf...

Italian Stuffed Meatloaf

(polpettona Ripiena)

Ingredients

2 TBS Olive Oil
1 Medium Red Onion, minced (for the Soffritto)
2 Medium Carrots, minced (for the Soffritto)
3 Stalks Celery, minced (for the Soffritto)
1/2 Cup Parsley, Chopped fine (for the Soffritto)
Salt and Pepper Pinch of each (for the Soffritto)
4 Cloves Garlic, minced (for the Soffritto)
2 Pounds Ground Beef
1 Pound Italian Style Pork Sausage
3 Cups Italian style Bread Crumbs
1 Cup grated Pecorino Romano Cheese
2 Eggs
3/4 Cup Whole Milk

Cooking Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
First, make the Soffritto... In a heavy bottomed Saute pan, heat the Olive Oil over medium heat.
Add the minced Carrots, Celery and Red Onion. Saute for about 5 minutes until the Red Onions turn translucent.
Add the Garlic and Parsley and stir for an additional one minute, Add a pinch of salt and pepper and that is the Soffritto!
Meanwhile, In a large bowl, combine the sausage, beef, 3 cups of the breadcrumbs, the Pecorino Romano Cheese, eggs, milk, and salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, the Soffritto should be finished. Add that to the meat mixture, but reserve the oil in the pan. Mix gently but thoroughly with your hands.
Spray a Cupcake tin with nonstick spray. Fill each space with the meat mixture just to the top. Do not over fill or the grease will spill onto the oven floor
Bake for 25 minutes, allow to cool and the meat "cupcakes" will pop right out. Allow to rest on a paper towel to absorb some of the grease. Let cool to room temperature

And now it's time to make the "Frosting"...

Whipped Potato Frosting

3 Pounds Russet Potatoes, Pealed,sliced and diced and boiled to creamy softness

1 Stick (8 TBS) Butter

1 Cup Heavy Cream

Additional Cream as Needed

a pinch of Paprika as a garnish

1 tsp of chives as a garnish

OK, this is actually very simple... Just prepare the potatoes, keeping in mind that the pure white color is what you want. SO no peal, no eyes left... Just the white of the potato.
Drain the water, put the potatoes in a stand mixer, along with the butter and cream and mix
Add additional cream as needed to get the potatoes to icing consistency.
Break out a piping bag and the largest tip you have and decorate the "cupcake" shaped Meatballs as you would a cupcake.
Garnish with a sprinkle of paprika and a sprinkling of chives.
If you want to perpetuate the illusion, wrap in a cupcake wrapper
Heat in a microwave and ENJOY!!!

And indeed... A HUGE success. She loved 'em!

Almost Healthy ORANGE SUPREME CAKE - My Wife COOKS!!!

2013-05-10T01:30:00.000-05:00

A few years back I took over all of the cooking duties in our household. It was a long slow learning curve, but eventually I think I know what I am doing in the kitchen.

My wife has an inconvenient day job, but in her dark, mysterious past she was a right fine cook in her own right (I never starved).

It is all too rare when she goes beyond souz chefing for me, but occasionally she will surprise me with something amazing...

Last weekend I grabbed my visiting son (stationed at Fort Riley, Ks, only a couple hours drive away) and we had father son bonding time over Iron Man 3... While we were off doing male bonding, Jackie stayed home and "Invented" this recipe...

A combination of reading a lot of health, nutrition and food magazines and being taught to bake by her mother using whatever ingredients on hand to substitute. The cake was FANTASTIC, moist and delicious and loaded with extra flavors. Uses a cake mix, but egg-less, has fruit in the mix and while certainly not health food, almost guilt free...

In her own words, Here's what she did...

I used a Duncan Hines orange Supreme cake mix and 2 9 inch round cake pans.

In this recipe, I substituted 1 ½ bananas for the eggs and used the juice of one orange for a portion of the water. I also used the zest of the orange in the mix.

Preheat oven to 350 – or 325 for dark pans.

Grease and flour bottom of pan(s).

Blend cake mix, 1 ½ ripe bananas, 1 1/3 cups of water (Use orange juice, then add water to make 1 1/3 cups) and 1/3 cup of vegetable oil and the orange zest.

This is a very moist cake, so I also added 1 ½ tsp of baking soda to add fluffiness.

Blend all ingredients in a large bowl at low speed until moistened (about 30 seconds). Then beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

Pour into pans and bake immediately.

The baking chart on the box advised to bake for 28-31 minutes, but I baked at least 10 minutes longer because the cakes were very dense.

For the icing, I used the Wilton buttercream frosting recipe, however, I added orange juice instead of the water and ½ tsp of orange flavoring. Then, I decorated the cake with orange zest and orange slices.

It was picture-worthy.

Better than that, it was DELICIOUS!!!

Cheesy Mustard Beer Bread

2013-05-09T01:30:00.000-05:00

Did you catch yesterday's post of Fortune Favors the BOLD BEER CHILI??? My very favorite beer to cook with is my Kansas City's own Boulevard Brewing Company's BULLY PORTER! Dark roasted Malts create a Mid Western American version of a British Porter. The beer is thick and loaded with flavors, enough to Boldly flavor the chili and also enough to create about the best Beer Bread you will ever make.

With the cheesy mixture baked into the inside the bread (sort of like a cinnamon loaf), this is something to remember.

And more than just cheese in the center as the cheese is moistened with a whole grain mustard and more.

Enough to enjoy as a soup and sandwich when paired with the chili...

OK... Here's What I Did...

Cheesy Mustard
Beer Bread

Ingredients

4 TBS Butter
1/4 Cup Plus 1/3 Cup Porter Beer (or a stout), Room Temperature
2-1/2 Cups Flour
1/3 Cup Rye Flour
4 TBS Sugar
2-1/4 tsp (one Envelope) Bread Machine Yeast (Sometimes called Quick or instant Yeast)
Big Pinch Sea Salt
2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
For the Filling...
4 TBS Room Temperature Butter
3 TBS Whole Grain Dijon Mustard (Best available Quality)
3 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 tsp Smoked Paprika
Big Pinch Sea Salt
Several Grinds of a Pepper Grinder
2 Cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Best available quality), freshly grated

Cooking Directions

For the bread dough, in a small sauce pan, heat 1/4 cup Porter or stout Beer over medium low heat to about 140 degrees.
Add the butter and stir until just melted. Add the remaining 1/3 Cup of Beer and remove from the heat. The liquid needs to be warm, about 110 degrees in order to activate the yeast.
In a stand mixer, add the flour, Rye Flour, Sugar, Yeast and Salt and mix.
Add the Beer/Butter mixture and mix until all of the flour is moistened.
Add the Eggs and allow the dough hook to knead the dough for about 6 minutes on low.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap, set in a warm place and allow to rise, doubling in size for 1=1/2 hours.
FOR THE FILLING... In a Medium sauce pan over medium low heat, melt the butter.
Whisk in the Worcestershire Sauce, Paprika, Salt and Mustard until combined.
Remove from heat and mix with the cheese.
To Assemble... After the dough has risen, punch down and hand knead for a couple of minutes. Add additional flour or small small small amounts of water as needed to make a moist tacky dough (but not wet and sticky or dry and smooth.
Roll out flat either by hand (flat as you can) or with a roller to about 1/2 inch thick
Spread the cheese evenly over the dough, except about 1 to 2 inches at the top and bottom and just roll... To make a single roll, just roll up from the bottom and meet at the end. To make a double circle as shown in the photos, roll from the bottom and the top equally until you meet in the middle.
This makes two loafs, divide and put in a prepared loaf pan (spray non-stick). Cover again and allow a second rise for another hour.
Bake at 350 degrees (preheated oven) for 25 minutes.
Serve WARM with a HOT Bowl of Fortune Favors the BOLD Beer Chili and ENJOY

Fortune Favors the BOLD BEER CHILI

2013-05-08T01:30:00.000-05:00

Is nature kidding???

Last summer we spent months in triple digit heat (melting my garden...sigh)...

This year, first week in May and it is snowing. What a world, what a world.

Nothing to do but make a big batch of Chili!

But not a whimpy batch, something bold, spicy and with a few extras that make this special...

Like my choice in Beer... Kansas City's home town (almost national) brewery is Boulevard Brewing Company. I am a sucker for cooking with their BULLY PORTER...

The intense flavors of dark-roasted malt in Boulevard’s rendition of the classic English porter are perfectly balanced by a generous and complex hop character. Bully! Porter’s robust nature makes it the ideal companion to a variety of foods, from seafood to chocolate.

The perfect choice to stand up and boldly flavor the bold extra flavors in this bold Chili. Of course you should support your own local brewery and select something on the full bodied Porter side to a more stout side if you can't find the Boulevard Bully Porter.

Chunky with vegetables, thick sliced Roma tomatoes, Ground Beef and a spicy Ground Sausage stands up to this year's shocking slap in the face of a calendar. You will Love this!

OK... Here's what I did...

Fortune Favors the BOLD BEER CHILI

Ingredients

2 Pounds Ground Beef, crumbled and cooked until fat is rendered out, drained
1 Pound Spicy Italian Ground Pork Sausage, cooked and drained same way as the beef
4 TBS Olive Oil
2 Medium Red Onions, Rough Chop
2 Medium Green Bell Peppers, cored, seeded and rough chop
1 Can (14.5 Oz) Diced Tomatoes with Juice
1 Can (14.5 Oz) Crushed Tomatoes with Juice
2 Cans (15 Oz) Spicy Chili Beans, drained and rinsed
2 TBS Chili Powder
1/2 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 Bottle (12 Oz) Porter Beer (or a stout)
4 Medium Roma Tomatoes, cut into 1 inch slices
For garnish Jalapeno Pepper Slices (If needed), a dollop of Sour Cream and Green onion slices

Cooking Directions

This is a Crock pot slow cooker recipe for the first 4 hours, allowing all of the liquids to mix, blend and season the beef. SO break out the large crock pot and set to Low.
But first, brown the beef and pork, draining the fat. Add that to the crock pot.
Add the Olive Oil to a large saute pan, add the onions and Green Peppers and saute for 5 minutes over medium high heat until the onions become translucent.
Add this to the crock pot
Add the cans of tomatoes, the beans, the Worcestershire sauce, the chili powder and the BEER, stir to mix, put the lid on the crock pot and allow to simmer for at least 4 hours.
After 4 hours, taste. Add additional salt and pepper if needed.
Add the Roma Tomato slices, turn the crock pot on high and cook uncovered for 1 hour.
Serve HOT with suggested garnishes and ENJOY!!!

This is such a rich thick complicated flavored chili. Possibly the best I have ever tasted. Planning to tweek this next time there is a chili cook off somewhere. Fantastic!

Of course this makes my growing list of "52 Recipes for Soup, Chili or Chowder"

Great tasting and has the advantage of crock pot set and forget easy!

And if you think you might want to give this chili a try yourself (very easy), please take a minute and "Pin" it to your Pinterest Boards. And if you want to see more of my Soup Recipes, feel free to join the fun and Follow me...

Grilling Time (Side Dish) - Grilled Romaine Salad with Blue Cheese Vinaigrette

2013-05-07T01:30:00.000-05:00

Now this is a real "That Guy (or Gal)" recipe for a griller who wants to stand out.

Grilling lettuce does a couple of things... The beautiful char marks does make a wonderful presentation with the rest of a grilled meal. The charring adds a unique smoky taste to the salad. By heating the lettuce you also bring out the natural sugars normally well hidden in lettuce. The charring actually caramelizes those sugars, creating another layer of flavor.

Who would have thought a simple head of lettuce could become such a variety of complicated tastes.

Grilling lettuce really is as simple...

Have your grill set for HIGH heat
Slice a head of Romaine Lettuce in half (or quartered if you want 4 servings from the same head of lettuce). Be sure to keep the base of the head intact so the leaves stay together while cooking
Drizzle Olive Oil (about 2 - 3 TBS) over the open side, allowing this to seep between the leaves.
Set open side down on the grill, grill for about 2-3 minutes until the edges begin to wilt.
Drizzle another TBS of oil over the back side and flip, repeating the time, 2-3 minutes on the back side.
Serve cut side up while still warm, drizzle a salad dressing of your choice and ENJOY!

But I do have a simple Blue Cheese Salad Dressing recipe...

Blue Cheese Salad Dressing

Ingredients

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
2 TBS White Wine Vinegar
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1/2 tsp Ground Mustard Powder
2 Ounces Blue Cheese

Cooking Directions

Add all ingredients to a blender (Mini Chopper, Food Processor... or even just a bowl and whisk)
And blend (chop, process or whisk) until well combined!
Serve Chilled or room temperature and ENJOY!!!

Balsamic Fig Marinated Steak, served with a side of Blue Cheese Potato Salad, this salad and for dessert, some Grilled Pineapple! Welcome to spring and GRILLING TIME!

Grilling Time (Marinade) - Balsamic Fig Marinated Steak

2013-05-06T01:30:00.000-05:00

What in the culinary world is prettier than a perfect medium rare steak, surrounded by a superb cheesy potato salad, with a GRILLED half head of romaine lettuce ((tomorrow's post) with a scratch made blue cheese vinaigrette)? The way the light glistens off the moistness of the steak you can practically taste the butter tenderness from the photo!

But the hype and visual of the photo is nothing compared to the taste from this marinade. The balsamic vinegar (I found a vinegar made from figs that was wonderful... Highly recommend popping for the extra cost of a top quality flavored vinegar for this).

The sweetness of the marinade infuses a sweet/tart tang to the meat that is enhanced by the caramelization during grilling.

And since the potato salad is actually left overs (already made), the grilled lettuce takes minutes as does the vinaigrette, this dish takes a little planning (but no real work) as the steak marinates for 8-24 hours... Rachel ray could take a 15 minute break and still finish this as a 30 minute meal.

OK... Here's what I did...

Balsamic Fig Marinated Steak

Ingredients

2 (6 Ounce) Rib Eye Steaks
1/4 Cup Balsamic Fig Vnegar
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
2 tsp Fresh chopped Rosemary (can use dry spice if needed)
Salt and Pepper To Taste

Cooking Directions

Using a blender, mini chopper or food processor, mix all of the ingredients (except the steak of course).
Combine steak and marinade ingredients in a gallon-size, sealable plastic bag. Squeeze as much of the air out as possible
Let marinate 8 hours to overnight in the fridge.
Remove steak from refrigerator around 30 minutes before cooking.
Grill about three minutes per side for medium rare, or longer to your desired temperature.
Take off heat and let stand 8 minutes before slicing
Slice against the grain
Serve WARM and ENJOY!!!

GRILLED PIZZA Goat Cheese Honey Almond Arugula Pizza Party Pizza and Grilling Time

2013-05-05T01:30:00.000-05:00

Pizzeria Pizza at Home...

A goal of mine (and an earlier blog post, double click the blue letters). In that post I go into details about the best way to achieve the goal of a making a seemingly simple flat bread, topped with a sauce and cheese. I have a never fail yeast pizza dough recipe, a deliciously fresh rich pizza sauce (from scratch) and a bit of history.

Once you learn the tricks of the trade, Pizzeria Pizza at home is simple and addictive. My dough recipe makes 4 dough balls, so each time I make pizza I have 4 canvasses to create. Generally I make a pizza Margherita (pictured to the right, sauce, cheese and basil). The Margherita is recognized by many as the first and original version of the modern pizza.

BUT WAIT...

How would you like to be ... THAT GUY (or Gal) That can (and regularly does) do amazing things on a grill...

Things like taking a ball of dough, hand form the shape (always rustic on the grill, never a perfect circle, part of the charm), Grill the dough, add toppings and create something unusual and FANTASTIC!

This makes a great appetizer, side dish or even a dessert.... And it is a real crowd pleaser!

Oh... And it is beyond easy...
Anyone can do this...
Anyone can be that GUY (or Gal) on the grill!

All you need for this...

1 Ball of Pizza Dough
4 OZ Goat Cheese
1/4 Cup Slivered Almonds
a Handful of Arugula
1/4 Cup Honey

The rest is all technique. Read over the post on Pizzeria Pizza at Home, then try this...

Cheese first...

Since this is HOT, don't worry, the cheese will melt.

Just pull off a few chunks at a time, tsp size and spread around.

Again, no design, stick with the rustic look.

Add the almond slivers...

Add some Arugula (the peppery salad... COuld use Basil or even Mint).

Now really show off by drizzling the honey over everything.

And that's it!

Close the lid and let everything get really HOT for only another couple of minutes... And here you are!

Amazon.com Widgets

Enjoy your Pizza making... Let me know what pizzas you are making and be sure to come take a look next Sunday to see what I come up with this week!

This is Pizza #3 in my list of 52 Pizza Party Pizzas...

Week #1 was a simple Salami Pizza (break free of the addiction to Pepperoni). A classic example of the Italian belief that less is more... Allow a quality ingredient like the artisanal Dry cured sausage, the sauce and the cheese balance beautifully!

Potatoes, Onion and Blue Cheese Sauce Fritatta or Week 3 of What I Had for Dinner Last Night Fritatta

2013-05-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

It's week 3 in my series, "What I had for Dinner Last night Fritatta"!

Last night I had a FANTASTIC... Grilled Potato Wedges with a Cheddar Cheese Sauce

Of course, you remember everything I have said about Fritattas (think Italian Open faced Omelette). In this case, a basic Italian Omelette, the Fritatta! I have done a couple of posts on making a Fritatta... A basic, sort of Fritatta 101, and a Tomato Fritata (see the photo). They are basically the same and I worked hard on the details so that indeed, "Anyone can cook" these if they read over the blog post. The Fritatta really is the easiest of all the omelette recipes to make. No vigorous shaking (the French), no Folding (This might be an American invention, certainly popularized in American cuisine).

Well, making a Firtatta has become a way of life for me. Aside from the two blog posts mentioned above, I stopped even looking at a recipe *they are simple, eggs, a little cream, butter for the pan and whatever extra you want to use). The technique is important, so do take a look at the Fritatta 101 post to see what I am talking about. I stopped asking permission to change the recipe long ago. Mostly I make fritattas from whatever I had for dinner last night. Fish, beef, pork, vegetables, cheese, salami... Everything but soup.

So, here's my new series... Once a week for a year I am going to give you permission to try something yourself... The Whatever I had for dinner last night Fritatta!

So, what I had for dinner last night was a grilled burger and some grilled Potato wedges with cheddar cheese sauce. For the easy to follow directions and recipe for the sauce, follow the blue lettered link. A Potato Fritatta is actually a classic dish, simple, easy to make with readily available ingredients. Of course even more readily available when cooking with leftovers.

To pretty the plate up I added a few tomato slices and some grapes.

It really was simple enough...

4 Eggs
1 TBS Heavy Cream
1 Cup Leftover Potato Wedges alredy drizzled with Cheddar Cheese Sauce, rough chop
1/2 Small Red Onion, rough chop
1 small Tomato, sliced for garnish
a handful of Grapes to use as garnish

Dice up the Potatoes and Onions.
Preheat the oven to Broil setting
In a Non Stick oven safe saute Pan, over medium high heat melt a TBS of Butter
Whisk together 4 Eggs and a TBS of Heavy Cream (sure,milk will work)
Loosely cover the bottom of a non stick saute pan with the potatoes and onions
Add the eggs gently over the taters
heat for 4 minutes on the stove top, until the eggs around the edge are set but the center is still jiggly wet.
Move the pan to the oven and broil for 2 minutes. Check to see if the top is set and is just starting to brown.
Repeat if needed
Flip the fritatta onto a preheated plate. This may take practice, but by the time you do a couple of weeks' worth you will have it down perfect, place a plate upside down over the saute pan, hold the bottom of the plate (now n top) solidly with the palm of your hand and holding the handle of the pan, quickly and smoothly, FLIP
Serve HOT and ENJOY! Serves two.

Now, what's your idea for a Whatever I had for dinner last night Fritatta?

Fritatta #1...

I had a rare plate of take out food, Sweet and Sour Chicken from my local Asian take out place.

Turned into a FANTASTIC Sweet and Sour Chicken Fritatta!

Fritatta #2...

I Really spiced things up with another grilling gem when I cooked up a GRILLED Curry Chicken Fritatta, balanced heat and sweet with a side of some seasonal Pineapple!

Grilling Time (Side Dish) - Blue Cheese Potato Salad

2013-05-04T01:30:00.000-05:00

If you are going to have a BBQ, you have to have side dishes...

If you are going to have side dishes at a BBQ, you pretty much have to make some potato salad! The perfect side dish.

It also has the advantage that the dish tastes best when it sits over night, giving plenty of time for all the spices and seasonings to mix together. Grilling can get hectic trying to get all the hot dishes together at the same time, so having side dishes done in advance is a big advantage.

Two tips when making potato salad... Mix the wet ingredients with the potatoes while they are still warm. Warm potatoes have pores that are open that allow the tastes to absorb into the potatoes instead of just coating them.

Also for this recipe, one tub of those blue cheese crumbles (instead of a block that almost always is better) is perfect for this. Just the right amount of flavor. Blue cheese is one of those cheeses that not everyone likes. But this "hint of Blue Cheese" always gets high marks. Even from people who claim to not like Blue Cheese.

I served this as a side salad for my day on the grill which featured Grilled Curry Chicken thighs along with some fantastic Pimiento Cheese Bacon Burgers and another side salad of Ramon Noodle Broccoli Slaw!
A GREAT DAY ON THE GRILL!

OK... Here's what I did...

Blue Cheese Potato Salad

Ingredients

3 Pounds Red Potatoes, Quartered and sliced to bite size pieces
4 Large Hard Cooked Eggs Shelled and chopped
1 (8 OZ) Tub of Blue Cheese Crumbles
1 Medium Vidalia Onion, Minced
4 tsp Chives, chopped
2 TBS Black pepper
2 Cups Matonnaise
3 TBS Yellow Mustard
Large Pinch Salt

Cooking Directions

Cook the potatoes til just done.
Combine all the other ingredients into your kitchenaid mixer and mix on low for about three minutes.
While the potatoes are still warm, mix in about 1/4 of the potatoes. Move this to a serving bowl.
Repeat with another fourth of the potatoes and a fourth of the wet ingredients. add this to the top of the first batch without mixing the two together. This way the potatoes remain their original size and do not turn mushy (like whipped potatoes).
Repeat two more times.
Cool in the refrigerator for at least three hours prior to serving, preferably over night..
Serve Chilled and ENJOY!!!

Grilling Time (Side Dish) - Ramon Noodle Broccoli Cole Slaw

2013-05-03T01:30:00.000-05:00

Ramon Noodle - Broccoli Slaw... The good news/bad news salad...

On Good news days, this reminds me of my youth, growing up in the days of Church Pot Luck Dinners, a pickup baseball game in the field behind the church afterwards and the fun CYO leader bringing a pickup truck with a cooler of Nehi on ice and watermelon.

On bad days, this reminds me of funerals and the dinner following.

Either way, if the church basement ladies made it you know its good!

These days, it's all pretty much good as this is one of my go-to easy, do in advance salads, perfect for a back yard grill/BBQ session. You have to look close, but in the photo to the right you can see that I used this salad as a base to platter the Grilled Curry Chicken Thighs with a Maple Chipotle Glaze. That's the Ramon/Broccoli Slaw under the chicken, surrounded by the Pimiento Bacon Burgers (yesterday's post) and an extra side of Blue Cheese Potato Salad (yesterday's post).

A GREAT Day on the Grill!

It also is a terrific salad to serve with the spicy curry chicken since the dressing on the slaw is sweetened with brown sugar. A little Heat and Sweet Action!

And BTW, this decades old recipe is actually MUCH better the next day. Once the spices and seasonings have a chance to mix, coat and absorb, the salad is at it's best. Perfect to free you up for all the fast action associated with grilling.

OK... Here's what I did...

Ramon Noodle
Broccoli Cole Slaw

Ingredients

1 Package (3 ounces) Ramon Noodles Oriental Flavor (others work well also)
1 Package (12 Ounces) Broccoli Slaw (in the bagged salad section of the store)
1 Stick (8 TBS) Butter
1/3 Cup Slivered Almonds
FOR THE DRESSING
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
4 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar
Seasoning Packet From the Ramon Noodle Mix

Cooking Directions

Crush the Ramen noodles with a rolling pin while melting butter in a large skillet over low/medium heat.
Add the crushed noodles and slivered almonds to the skillet and saute, stirring occasionally (keep temperature at low/medium heat).
Meanwhile, whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Place the shredded broccoli into bowl and toss with the noodles, almonds.
Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.
Serve Chilled and ENJOY!!!

Grilling Time (Appetizers) - Pimiento Cheese Dip and BACON BURGER SPREAD!

2013-05-02T01:30:00.000-05:00

I suppose there are worse addictions.

But you had better make a pound of this only when you are planning a party one person or six people, either way this will disappear fast.

I make this with smoked cheese to add even more BBQ flavor when I am planning to use as a Cheese for hamburgers. This is especially great to use on hamburgers as the mayo in the dip helps the cheese to melt and ooze all over the burger.

The dip worked great as an appetizer the night of this grilling session... Pimiento Cheese Bacon Burgers, Blue Cheese Potato Salad (Tomorrow's Post), a Ramon Noodle Broccoli Slaw (Next Day's post) and served along with those fantastic Grilled Curry Chicken Thighs!

OK, Here's what I did...

Pimiento Cheese Dip and BURGER SPREAD!

Ingredients

1 Large Red Pepper, small dice
Drizzle of Olive Oil
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
1 pinch each Salt and Pepper
8 Ounces Smoked Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, freshly shredded
8 Ounces Smoked Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar Cheese, freshly shredded

Cooking Directions

Spread diced red peppers in a single layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, drizzle Olive Oil and a pinch of salt and pepper over the peppers
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Remove peppers from the oven and allow to cool.
Mix with all remaining ingredients
Serve at room temperature as a dip (or topping for a Pimiento CheeseBacon Burger)
And ENJOY!!!

Poblano Rotisserie Chicken Soup

2013-05-01T01:30:00.000-05:00

A new take on a vegetable soup...

The "Normal" vegetable soup, made with carrots, celery and onions is simmered for 4 hours for all the flavors to mix and flavor the broth. Then cream is added with a roux to thicken. Also the Poblano peppers are added, but only for the last hour of cooking. this way the peppers still have some crunch to them and retain most of their flavor.

Add a little hot sauce and this is wonderfully spicy, full of flavor and DELICIOUS!!!

Plus it's just plain pretty... Full of color and flavors!

OK... Here's What I Did...

Poblano Rotisserie Chicken Soup

Ingredients

2 TBS Olive Oil
2 Large Carrots, sliced
2 Stalks Celery, Sliced Same size as Carrots
1 Large Red Onion, Rough Dice
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
1/2 Cup Cilantro, rough chop
2 Cups Chicken Stock
1 TBS Cumin
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Dried Thyme
Salt and Pepper Pinch of each
1 Cup Heavy Cream
3 Medium Poblano Peppers, sliced thin, Julianne style
3 TBS Butter
3 TBS Flour
3 Cups Chicken from a Rotisserie Chicken (Meat from 1 Breast and 1 Leg made 3 cups), Diced
Extra Hot Sauce to Taste I like to use Tobasco Brand Hot Sauce... 12 drops in the soup and extra at the table when serving

Cooking Directions

In a large Saute Pan, heat the Olive Oil. Add the Carrots, Celery and Onion to make a large size dice Sofrito.
Saute for 5 minutes, until the onion starts to turn translucent.
Add the Cilantro and Garlic and saute for another minute.
Move the Sofrito to a large Crock Pot, set on Low heat.
Add the Chicken Stock, Cumin, Oregano, Thyme...stir and cover and leave for 4 hours.
After 4 hours, Add the Heavy Cream and Poblano Peppers.
Make a Roux to thicken the soup... In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Add the flour and stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Do not allow the flour to burn, keep stirring.
Add the roux to the crock pot.
Add the chicken and the hot sauce to the pot.
Cook on high, covered for 1 more hour, stirring occasionally.
Serve HOT and ENJOY!!!

As I said earlier, this is absolutely DELICIOUS! The thick creamy soup, seasoned with the the bright green peppers and the Hot Sauce is wonderful on their own. But add the sweet Sofrito and my favorite Rotisserie Chicken and it is over the top.

Very pretty color and looks fantastic with the garnish. But of course the taste is what I really like... Little heat from the apples, spiced deliciousness and of course SHRIMP!

Of course this joins my list of "52 Soup Recipes"

***********

And of course, one of my new favorite "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now over 75!!!).

I am trying something a bit new this round of recipes... My own little culinary challenge of seeing just what I can do with a single rotisserie bird. This is a tiny bit of a cheat as I am using the wings from 2 birds, but you could easily do this with just the wings from a single bird

This is week Number three, chicken number THREE... and the Fifth recipe I made from the blessed bird. If you click HERE, you will see my page devoted to my "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now over 75!!!). Scroll down to the bottom and you will see some of the possibilities of what you can make with a single bird (week one, seven dishes, week 2 a record EIGHT dishes all from the same bird).

I already used a leg quarter to make a Rotisserie Reubon Calzone for 2 People. I still have more than half the bird for more to come!

I turned leftover side dish into a filling spicy Buffalo Chicken Risotto for 2 People with the meat from only one of the breasts.

I made a FANTASTIC Chicken Alfredo White sauce Pizza from one thigh

I even made Buffalo Chicken Wings!...

And I finished off the Bird's breast and a leg that I made this soup!

My Goals for the experiment......

Eat Well... Make something that tastes good.
Recipes for 2 people. One of the great things about a rotisserie chicken is the versatility fr a quick meal for small dinners (breakfast and lunch). Save the BIG cooking for another day, let's have something for just my wife and myself (and young couples, empty nest couples and singles)
Versatility... Just how many rotisserie chicken recipes are out there???
Keep Track of the costs... Life on a budget, need I explain more?
Go beyond the basic recipes and add some tips and HOT TO Photos appropriate for less experienced cooks so that indeed...ANYONE CAN COOK THIS!

I hope the tips and extra photos helped...

***********

So, as to cost for this dish....

The chicken averages out to a dollar per recipe.
The Sofrito averages about a Dollar
The peppers cost another Buck
The Cream another Dollar.
All the spices and hot sauce are from my pantry, items I always keep in stock.

Total came in at just $4.... I got 2 Meals from the soup and a lunch

A Great dish for the costs!
Stay tuned, come on back tomorrow and see what else I make from the single bird!

And of course the Rotisserie Chicken makes this easy to make. Making this one of my new favorite additions to my "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"! Which now has blossomed well over 70 uses with still more to come!

What could be easier and tastier?

And as always, if you like this recipe and think you might want to give it a try, pin this to your Pinterest Board and be sure to follow me on Pinterest if you want to see the rest of my 52 Ideas (now at 65 and growing)!

Buffalo Rotisserie Chicken Wings

2013-04-30T01:30:00.000-05:00

It's taken this long...

After more than a year, more than 75 recipes in my collection of "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken", it's taken me this long to do a chicken wing recipe. Hard to believe since I LOVE Chicken Wings!!!

Of course there are only 2 wings for each rotisserie chicken, 4 pieces if you separate the drumette and the middle wing part (ditch the tips, no meat worth eating). If you count the wing pieces in the photo above you will count 8 pieces, certainly enough to make a $5 to $10 restaurant appetizer order. Not from a mutant bird, but they came from two birds. Been planning this recipe so I saved up.

Worked so well, going to be doing this again... often (look for Pineapple Jerk wings next week).

OK... Simple enough, here's what I did...

This really is very easy and the way just about any bar would cook and serve them, precook the chicken (they will fry them, so these are healthier) and toss in sauce...

Buffalo Rotisserie Chicken Wings

Ingredients

4 Wings from a Rotisserie Chicken Separated into 8 pieces, 4 Drumettes, 4 Middle Wings (discarding the tips)
3 TBS Butter
1 TBS Worcestershire Sauce
Several drops (I used 12) from Tabasco Brand Hot Sauce (to taste, less if you like, more if you dare)if

Cooking Directions

In a Saute pan, over medium high heat, melt the butter
Add the Worcestershire Sauce and the Tabasco Sauce
Heat to just starting to sizzle and simmer
Add the wings, saute for 3 minutes until heated through and well coated.
Serve with BEER and ENJOY!!!

OK, as I said, not difficult at all...

First make the sauce... Heat the butter and mix in the Worcestershire sauce and the Tabasco sauce. Be careful with the hot sauce, know your audience. 12 drops is perfect for me, my gentle wife loves these with 6 drops and my Mother in Law would complain about 2 drops... To taste is the term.

Cut up the wings, they separate at the joints easily enough.

And simply toss in the sauce. Do the TV chef thing and toss or use tongs and turn to coat. Just get the wings well coated.

3 minutes is about enough time to coat, allow all that sauce to suck up into the chicken and completely heat the meat!

And Garnish with Sour Cream. If you used a lot of Tabasco, you may want to keep a glass of milk handy to cut the burn.

Enjoy!

***********

Yes indeed, one of my new favorite "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now over 75!!!).

I am trying something a bit new this round of recipes... My own little culinary challenge of seeing just what I can do with a single rotisserie bird. This is a tiny bit of a cheat as I am using the wings from 2 birds, but you could easily do this with just the wings from a single bird

This is week Number three, chicken number THREE... and the Third recipe I made from the blessed bird. If you click HERE, you will see my page devoted to my "52 Uses for a Rotisserie Chicken" (now over 75!!!). Scroll down to the bottom and you will see some of the possibilities of what you can make with a single bird (week one, seven dishes, week 2 a record EIGHT dishes all from the same bird).

I already used a leg quarter to make a Rotisserie Reubon Calzone for 2 People. I still have more than half the bird for more to come!

I turned leftover side dish into a filling spicy Buffalo Chicken Risotto for 2 People with the meat from only one of the breasts.

I made a FANTASTIC Chicken Alfredo White sauce Pizza from one thigh

And now Chicken Wings!... with a breast and a leg that I made soup from (come back tomorrow for a new soup!!

My Goals for the experiment......

Eat Well... Make something that tastes good.
Recipes for 2 people. One of the great things about a rotisserie chicken is the versatility fr a quick meal for small dinners (breakfast and lunch). Save the BIG cooking for another day, let's have something for just my wife and myself (and young couples, empty nest couples and singles)
Versatility... Just how many rotisserie chicken recipes are out there???
Keep Track of the costs... Life on a budget, need I explain more?
Go beyond the basic recipes and add some tips and HOT TO Photos appropriate for less experienced cooks so that indeed...ANYONE CAN COOK THIS!

I hope the tips and extra photos helped...

***********

So, as to cost for this dish....

The chicken averages out to a dollar per recipe.
Butter, a bit of Worcestershire sauce and a dozen drops of hot sauce... Not sure how to price these pantry items as I always keep these around.

Total came in at just $1.... 12-13 Cents a WING!!!

A Great snack for the costs!
Stay tuned, come on back tomorrow and see what else I make from the single bird!

And of course the Rotisserie Chicken makes this easy to make. Making this one of my new favorite additions to my "52 Uses For a Rotisserie Chicken"! Which now has blossomed well over 70 uses with still more to come!

What could be easier and tastier?

And as always, if you like this recipe and think you might want to give it a try, pin this to your Pinterest Board and be sure to follow me on Pinterest if you want to see the rest of my 52 Ideas (now at 65 and growing)!