The Cooking Blog

Beer Barbecued Chicken Recipe

2009-07-12T18:20:00.001-06:00

To simplify things, we just pour a little beer inside the chicken as it cooks. The beer keeps the meat juicy and a smoky-flavored spice rub both under and over the skin gives it extra flavor. Barbecuing poultry with the skin on helps prevent the meat from drying out.

1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle chile
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 4-pound chicken
1 12-ounce bottle beer, preferably pale ale or American lager, divided

Preheat a gas grill (with all burners lit) to 400°F or build a fire in a charcoal grill and let it burn down to medium heat (about 400°F).
Combine paprika, oregano, salt, brown sugar, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle chile and pepper in a small bowl.
Remove giblets from chicken (if included) and trim any excess skin. Loosen the skin over the breast and thigh meat. Rub the spice mixture under the skin onto the breast meat and leg meat, a little on the skin and inside the cavity. Tuck wings under the body and tie the legs together with kitchen string.
If using a gas grill, turn off one burner (leaving 1 to 2 burners lit, depending on your grill). If using a charcoal grill, move the coals to one side. Wearing an oven mitt, carefully place a drip pan under the grill rack on the unheated side. Place the chicken breast-side down on the rack over the pan. Pour half the beer into the cavity (it’s OK if some drips out into the drip pan).
Close the lid and roast undisturbed for 45 minutes.
Turn the chicken breast-side up. Pour the remaining beer into the cavity. Cover and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165°F, 30 to 45 minutes more. Transfer the chicken to a clean cutting board; let rest for 10 minutes before removing the string and carving.

Traditional Guacamole Recipe

2009-07-12T18:11:00.001-06:00

Serve with corn tortilla chips.

8 servings (makes about 4 cups)

Ingredients:

1/2 small white onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 small serrano chili peppers, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
5 medium Hass avocados
2 medium ripe tomatoes, seeded and chopped (not peeled)

Directions:

Combine half of the chopped onion, the chili peppers, half of the cilantro and the salt in the bowl of a food processor; pulse for a few minutes until a coarse paste has formed.
Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Cut the avocados in half, discard the pits and scoop the flesh into the bowl. Use a wooden spoon to mash the avocado with the paste. Add the tomato and the remaining chopped onion and cilantro; mix well and adjust seasoning to taste. Serve immediately.

Roasted Tomato Salsa Recipe

2009-07-12T18:09:00.001-06:00

2 pounds Roma tomatoes, cut in half lengthwise
1 medium white onion, cut into six wedges
1 large garlic clove, halved
a couple pinches of finely ground sea salt
2-3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium dried chile pepper, soaked in boiling water until softened, and then drained
1 -2 chipotles in adobo sauce (canned)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Heat oven to 400F degrees.

Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and salt with the olive oil in a large bowl. After they are nicely coated arrange in a single layer, tomatoes cut-side facing up, across a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the tomatoes start to collapse and the onions begin to caramelize a bit. Remove from the oven.
Puree the chiles with the roasted garlic and two roasted tomato halves. Chop the remaining tomatoes by hand (once they've cooled a bit). Chop and add the onions as well. Season with salt and stir in the cilantro.
Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Oven Baked Potato Chips Recipe

2009-07-12T18:05:00.001-06:00

1 large potato
2 tbsp olive oil
salt
pepper, rosemary, chili

Slice the potato very thinly with a mandoline.
Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
Put potato on parchment paper, one layer.
Brush with oil, and add whatever seasoning you want. (I used flavored salts - the chili salt was delicious here).
Bake for 10-20 minutes - watch closely.

Grilled Pizza Bread Recipe

2009-07-03T22:18:00.001-06:00

1 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground Mediterranean oregano
1 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon finely ground red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
Flour
3 one-pound balls of pizza dough
Chopped tomatoes, optional
Chopped onions, optional
Chopped fresh basil, optional

In a small saucepan, combine the seasoning ingredients. Whisk over low heat just until the oil becomes fragrant and the mixture is warm. Remove from the heat and let rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
Lightly flour one of the pizza dough balls and the back of a 15 x 10-inch baking sheet. Stretch out the dough to the size of the baking sheet and place it on the back of the floured baking sheet.
Whisk the oil mixture and then generously oil the top side of the dough.
Turn the baking sheet (like a big spatula!) with the dough directly onto the cooking grate. Remove the baking sheet and brush the top side of the dough with the seasoned oil. Grill over direct medium heat (350°F to 450°F), with the lid closed, until the underside of the dough is marked, 2 to 3 minutes. Don't worry if the crust bubbles; it will deflate when turned over. Slide the dough onto the baking sheet and flip the uncooked side onto the cooking grate. Brush the top with more oil and continue to grill, with the lid closed, for 3 to 4 minutes.
Transfer to a cooling rack. Top with chopped tomatoes, chopped onions, and fresh basil, if desired. Cut into individual pieces. Repeat grilling procedure for the 2 remaining balls of dough. Serve warm.

Coffee Rub Recipe for Steak, Burgers, and Chicken

2009-07-01T12:18:00.001-06:00

Freshly ground coffee adds a depth to the spice rub and brings out the flavor of the meat.

Coffee rub:

1 tablespoon freshly ground coffee
2 teaspoons (packed) golden brown sugar
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Rotisserie Garlic Chicken Recipe

2009-07-01T12:13:00.001-06:00

1 chicken (3 lbs average)
1 tsp salt
10 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
2 teaspoons salt

Sprinkle the inside of a 3 lb chicken with 1 teaspoon salt. Peel the cloves of garlic. Place whole garlic cloves inside chicken and truss with skewers, tying legs together with cotton kitchen string. Fold wings under.
Melt butter and stir in fresh lemon juice, paprika and 2 teaspoons salt. Brush chicken with butter mixture.
Place chicken on rotisserie with a pan positioned underneath to catch the drippings. Turn on rotisserie and roast chicken, basting often with butter mixture. Cook for 1 hour or until skin is glazed and crispy and juices run clear.

Deviled Eggs Recipe

2009-07-01T12:11:00.001-06:00

8 eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cream-style horseradish sauce
1 drop hot pepper sauce, or to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes, for garnish
1 teaspoon paprika, for garnish

Directions

Place the eggs into a saucepan in a single layer and fill with water to cover the eggs by 1 inch. Cover the saucepan and bring the water to a boil; remove from the heat and let the eggs stand in the hot water for 15 minutes. Drain the hot water and cool the eggs under cold running water in the sink; peel the cooled eggs.
Cut the chilled eggs in half lengthwise. Place the yolks into a mixing bowl and set the whites aside. Mash the yolks with a fork until smooth; stir in the mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, horseradish sauce, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Spoon the yolk mixture into a heavy plastic bag; snip a corner off the bag to create a 1/2-inch opening. Pipe the yolks into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with parsley and paprika to garnish.

Another version of Deviled Eggs

6 eggs
1/4 tsp prepared mustard
1/8 tsp dill
3 tbsp mayonnaise
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp paprika
1/8 tsp salt
1-2 tsp milk

Place eggs in a pan and cover with water. Boil eggs for about 4 minutes.
Remove from heat and place in ice water. Let cool down to room temperature.
Peel under cold running water. Slice eggs in half. Place egg whites on a plate or serving tray rinsed and dried.
Mash egg yolks with a fork and add all ingredients except for paprika.
If desired, you can add more mayonnaise with a little bit of milk (small amounts at a time, as you can always add but not take out or you'll end up boiling another egg or two.. lol..)
Fill each half about a teaspoon and sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours.
Makes about 6 servings. Be creative, top with bay shrimp, anchovies, or add some of your favorite spices.

Grilled Fajitas Recipe

2009-07-01T12:07:00.001-06:00

1 beef flank steak (about 1 pound)

1 env onion soup mix
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/4 c lime juice
1/4 c water
2 garlic cloves – minced
1 tsp grated lime peel
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper

1 med onion -- thinly sliced green, red, yellow peppers – julienned
1 tbsp cooking oil
8 flour tortillas warmed

Place flank steak in a glass dish.
Combine the next nine ingredients; pour over meat.
Cover and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.
Drain and discard marinade.
Grill meat over hot coals until it reaches desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium, 5 minutes per side for medium-well. Meanwhile, in a skillet, saute onion and peppers in oil for 3-4 minutes or until crisp-tender.
Slice meat into thin strips across the grain; place on tortillas.
Top with vegetables; roll up and serve immediately.

Barbecued Cube Steak Recipe

2009-07-01T12:03:00.001-06:00

4 lb Cubed steak
1/4 c Flour seasoned with Salt and pepper
3 tb Fat
1 md Onion
1/8 ts Pepper
1 tb Vinegar
2 tb Lemon juice
1/2 c Catsup
2 tb Worcestershire sauce
1/2 ts Salt
1/2 c Water
1 tb Brown sugar

Flour and season steak and brown in fat.
Add chopped onion, brown lightly.
Mix ingredients, pour over steak.
Cover slightly.
Cook slowly 35 minutes, or until steak is tender.

Source: From Peggy Matheny: A Taste of West Virginia: A Book of Favorite Recipes.

How to grill the perfect steak

2009-06-08T21:28:00.001-06:00

We do a lot of barbecuing at the cabin and we are always looking for a way to grill the perfect steak. I did some looking around online and found some great suggestions online. Take a look and let me know what you think.

Low-Cost Outdoor Kitchen Alternatives

2009-06-07T17:51:00.001-06:00

Get 11 ideas for putting together your own backyard cooking center without the cost of constructing an outdoor kitchen from This Old House.

Beer Can Chicken Recipe

2009-06-07T17:39:00.001-06:00

1 whole chicken
1 tbs. vegetable oil
1/3 cup spice rub
1 can (12 oz.) beer

Rub oil all over chicken. Sprinkle half the spice rub in cavity, the rest over bird.
Drink half of beer.
Lower chicken cavity onto beer can (if using roaster, empty beer into cone; fit chicken cavity over top of cone).
Heat gas grill to medium, or burn coals till covered with ash.
Place chicken on grill and cover. Cook till thermometer reads 170 degrees F in breast, 180 in thigh.
Remove from heat. Let rest 10 minutes before lifting it off can. Dig in!

If you need a great beer can chicken roaster, you can find them for $30 at Williams Sonoma

Mushrooms Neptune Recipe

2009-05-29T16:51:00.001-06:00

8 ounces softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons sour cream
1/4 cup grated swiss cheese
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 (5 ounce) can shrimp
1 (5 ounce) can crabmeat
1/3 cup green onion, chopped
pepper

36 fresh mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed

Combine all 8 ingredients. Mix well until blended and fill mushroom caps. Bake at 375ºF for 15 minutes or until slightly browned. Epicurious has another version of the classic recipe.

10 Steps to Master Your Grill

2009-05-22T21:19:00.001-06:00

Lifehacker has ten steps to mastering your grill for the Memorial Day long weekend. If you are looking for other picnic, long weekend, or barbecue recipes, take a look over here and you may find out what you are looking for.

Also, Lifehacker links to a Washington Post guide on how to cook 9 different cuts of steak.

Peanut Sauce Recipe

2009-05-18T15:04:00.001-06:00

I went looking for a great peanut sauce today and ended up at Cooking with Amy’s blog and found this excellent recipe. It’s the best I have tried and I can’t recommend it enough. It keeps about a week in the fridge. Enjoy.

Honey Dill Dip Recipe

2009-05-16T15:25:00.001-06:00

Ingredients

2/3 cup real mayonnaise
1/3 cup liquid honey
1 teaspoon minced dill weed

Preparation

Well mix together all ingredients.
Leave to stand for 30 minutes or more to allow flavours to blend, before serving.

Comments:
It is important to use dill weed as dill seeds and dill weed are not good substitutions for each other. Add more or less mayo to control how sweet it tastes.

Servings:
1 cup [250 mL]

Kraft Dinner Sandwich

2009-05-03T18:07:00.001-06:00

This is probably the worst recipe I have ever posted at The Cooking Blog but I couldn’t help it. Here is the link to the recipe for the Kraft Dinner Sandwich. It comes from Jordon and is guaranteed to do some substantial damage to your heart. Prepare and eat it at your own risk.

Carmelized Onions Recipe

2009-05-03T18:00:00.001-06:00

Ingredients:

6 slices bacon, chopped
2 sweet onions, cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons molasses
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Place bacon in a heavy skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove bacon, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon, and set aside.
Cook onions in reserved drippings for 15 minutes, or until onion is soft and caramel colored. Stir in molasses, salt and pepper. Place in a serving dish, and sprinkle with crumbled bacon.

For another way to carmelize onions, check out this step by step guide at All Recipes or check out eHow’s instructions.

Shrimp and Potato Salad Recipe

2009-05-02T13:53:00.001-06:00

1 lb - Baby potatoes, quartered
1/4 cup – Water
1/2 tsp - Montreal steak spice
2 tbsp – Balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp – Olive (or canola) oil
2 tsp - Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp – Salt
1/4 tsp – Pepper
4 cups – Spring mix lettuce, lightly packed
1/2 lb – Cooked medium shrimp that have been peeled and deveined)
1/2 cup - Thinly sliced red pepper

Put potato and water into medium microwave safe bow. Microwave covered, on high for about 10 minutes, stirring every three minutes, until tender. Rinse with cold water. Drain. Add steak spice. Toss.

Meanwhile, combine next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Makes about 1/3 cup of dressing.

Add remaining 3 ingredients and potato. Toss. Makes about 8 cups.

Country Scrambled Eggs Recipe

2009-03-29T15:54:00.001-06:00

8 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cups of cubed 1 inch red potatoes
1 cup of chopped onions
1/2 cup of chopped green pepper
1/4 cup of milk
8 eggs that have been slightly beaten
1/2 tsp of salt
1/4 tsp of pepper
1 cup of shredded Cheddar cheese (but I think Monterey Jack cheese would be excellent as well)

In a 10” skillet cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add potatoes: continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are browned and crisply tender (12 to 15 minutes). Add onions and green pepper. Continue cooking until crisply tender (3-4 minutes). Pour off fat. Meanwhile in a small bowl, stir together remaining ingredients except for the cheese.

Pour egg mixture over vegetables; stir to blend. Cook over med. heat, gently lifting portions with spatula so uncooked portions flow to bottom of pan until the eggs are set (4 to 4 minutes). Sprinkle cheese over the eggs and let stand until the cheese has been melted.

Serves 4.

Eat like Barack Obama

2009-01-13T22:04:00.001-06:00

Even if you weren’t elected President of the United States, you can eat like one. After the president takes the oath of office and delivers his Inaugural address and following the departure ceremony for the outgoing President, he will be escorted to Statuary Hall in the U.S. Capitol for the traditional Inaugural Luncheon. The Senate has posted the menu and also the recipes online.

Technorati Tags: Barack Obama,Senate,Inauguration,menu

The World’s Best Lasagna Recipe

2009-01-11T17:51:00.001-06:00

In case you are wondering what the world’s best lasagna is, All Recipes has it and over 2100 people agree.

Italian Wedding Soup Recipe

2009-01-11T17:44:00.001-06:00

For those of you who have eaten at an East Side Mario’s restaurant, you know how good Italian wedding soup can be. Over at All Recipes, they have an excellent Italian Wedding Soup recipe to try out.

Stuffed Potatoes Recipe

2009-01-11T17:39:00.001-06:00

Ingredients

3 Large baking potatoes
2 Large stalks broccoli
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1-2 tablespoons low fat milk
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

Scrub the potatoes and make shallow cuts around their middles to make it easier to cut them in half after baking. Bake the potatoes at 400 degrees until soft, about 1 hour, depending on the size of the potatoes.
Meanwhile, cut the ends from the stalks of broccoli and peel some of the outer skin off to make the stems more edible. Steam the broccoli until crunchy-tender and bright green. Drain and chop fine.
Cut potatoes in half and scoop out the insides into a bowl. Add the salt, olive oil and just enough milk to allow you to mash the potatoes into a smooth paste. Add the Parmesan cheese and the chopped broccoli and mix well.
Pile the mixture back into the potato shells, arrange on a baking dish and heat them to desired temperature.