Beer Butt Chicken: Fun and Tasty

Whole fryer chickens were on sale three weeks ago, so I decided to pick one up to make into beer butt chicken. Unfortunately I forgot to take into account that it's monsoon season. By the time I got the chicken thawed out enough to cook, it had poured; call me crazy, but cooking on a gas grill in the middle of a thunderstorm sounds like a really bad idea. I wound up making this in the oven instead.
First, you preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put the rack for your oven on the bottommost position. Meanwhile, empty half a can of beer into a glass; consider it a treat for yourself. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with salt, pepper, and herbs of your choice; rosemary, thyme, oregano, and sage go really well on chicken. Set the half full beer can in the center of a roasting pan and carefully set the chicken's cavity onto the beer can. You should be able to form a tripod with the legs so the chicken doesn't fall over. By now your oven should be ready, so carefully put the chicken in the oven. Cook this for about an hour and fifteen for a four pound bird. Once the chicken is done completely, take it out of the oven and let it sit for about five minutes. Then carefully set the chicken on its side and remove the can while wearing an oven mitt. Remember the oven mitt part specifically; that beer is very likely boiling and the metal can probably doesn't feel too pleasant either. Carve up your chicken and serve with sides of your choice. I personally chose to make baked potatoes and broccoli, but any sides will do, and the pan drippings would have made an awesome gravy, so I froze the drippings for a later date.
My entire family enjoyed it to say the least. Will said this is something I will have to do again. Between the price of fryer chickens and the fact that I can make stock with the bones, I will be happy to do this again.

Cream of Tomato Soup: A Quick, Easy Summer Recipe

This is the single easiest recipe I know how to make. All you need are a couple small ingredients that are easy to keep in and around the home and a little know-how.
All you need is 8 ounces of cream cheese; if you want to slim down, don't go for the low fat. To make it low fat, they have to add all kinds of chemicals to get the texture and consistency right. Try using neufchatel instead; it's lower fat and has no funny stuff in it, plus it's often cheaper than cream cheese. You also need a can of diced tomatoes, fresh basil, salt, pepper, and milk. I used ones that are roasted with Italian herbs, but really, any canned diced tomatoes will do well. This time, my basil plant is really small (when I lived in my apartment, my basil plant was nearly four feet tall, but due to planting the plant at my house late, it's less than half the height it was at the apartment), so I wound up using dried mixed in with some of the fresh. For those of you who ask me why grow basil, let me tell you that fresh basil is really expensive and generally the first thing to go bad in the fridge. You save a lot of money simply by going outside and getting what you need off your plant; plus it helps your yard to smell fresher.
If you're like me, you hate doing large amounts of dishes. What I do is stick my ingredients in my pan and blend it using my immersion blender. This way, all that needs to be washed is the pan I cooked in and the bottom portion of the immersion blender. Finally, taste it, and alter the seasoning as necessary. Once it tastes right, heat it on medium until it's thick and heated through.
I usually serve this with Caprese sandwiches, but like I said, I didn't have enough basil to get away with that. However, we had oyster crackers, so Will went to town with that.

Sesame Crusted Pork Chops: Added a Twist, Learned a Lesson

I made the sesame crusted chops I made last month. This time, I added a touch of wasabi paste for an extra kick. That was a nice touch, but I think that next time I make this, I won't marinate this as long. It really only needs to marinate for a couple minutes.
This time I served it with mashed potatoes, broccoli, and fresh tomatoes. All in all, it turned out pretty well.

Hawaiian Pulled Pork Sandwiches: Quick, Easy Use of Leftovers

I made this before we went on vacation and decided to post it now because I forgot to due to packing.
As I've mentioned before, Will and I cannot eat an entire pork chop by ourselves. I've taken to trying to find a solution for the leftovers, and this one is by far the best. What I do is, I take my leftover chops, put them in a bowl, and pull the meat apart with two forks. If the meat is too tough to pull, I let it sit in my marinade, which will be below, and then pull it after a day in the marinade.
I mix together a bit of oil, preferably not olive; molasses, soy sauce, ginger, and a small can of unsweetened pineapple juice. I let my meat sit in this mixture in my refrigerator for at least a day, depending on how tough my meat is.
Once I deem it tender enough, I make sandwiches with it. I get my griddle good and hot, assemble my sandwiches, and get to grilling them. I like to use Swiss cheese and sourdough bread, but any combination will do. I use a panini press that is similar to the George Foreman grill in that it removes a lot of excess fat, although these don't tend to be really fatty unless Will makes them.
I  have done this for nearly two years and not only does it help us to get every penny out of our meat purchases, it also is a quick meal for when we're on the go.

Splurge Night: Rigatoni with Gorgonzola Sauce

I really wanted to save this recipe for another night since we just came back from a week long vacation, but the meat I set out decided not to defrost, so I had to make this. It's pretty simple and quite tasty.
First, get some salted water boiling and cook your rigatoni. While you wait for the water to boil, melt a little bit of butter and add some sage; the recipe I used called for fresh, but the fresh I had was moldy, so I ended up using dried. If you used fresh, remove them and discard from the butter; if you used dried, just leave it in because there is no way to remove it. Add seven ounces of crumbled Gorgonzola cheese and stir til melted. Once it's melted, add about 2/3 cup of cream and a couple tablespoons of dry vermouth; cook til it's thickened. Once the sauce is thick and the pasta cooked and drained, put the pasta in a bowl and pour the sauce over the pasta, tossing to coat. Definitely serve this with vegetables; I used broccoli, but any vegetable will really do.
Will really liked it. It wasn't a "I want more, but I'm full" kind of like, but he did like it and eat it. I think I may have to play around with it a bit to see if I can improve upon it.

Splurge Night: Gnocchi With Sage Butter

Had I known gnocchi were this easy to make, I would have made them a long time ago. The worst part about the whole process is straining the potatoes, and that's because it can be tiring.
First, you peel and quarter a pound of potatoes, put them into a pan, cover them with water, bring it to a boil, and let it simmer until the potatoes are cooked through. Then you drain your potatoes and return them to the pan on very low heat. Move the potatoes around until they are completely dry. Run them through a strainer or ricer. I personally put mine in a chinois and then rotate a wooden pounder to push the potatoes through it. Make a well in the middle of the potatoes and sprinkle two thirds of a cup of flour all over, including the well. Then mix together one egg, salt, and a bit of nutmeg and put it in the well. Mix everything together and then gently knead it all together. Divide the dough into quarters and roll each portion out onto a floured surface to about a half inch thickness. Cut each rope into several three quarter inch pieces and flatten each piece with a fork. Finally, put some water on to boil. While you wait for it to come up, melt two tablespoons of butter on medium heat; any hotter and you'll burn your butter. Then add two thinly sliced shallots and a bit of fresh sliced sage; it's okay for everything to brown and is encouraged. Once your water is boiling, add the gnocchi in batches. Once they float to the surface, they're done.
This was surprisingly easy. I will have to experiment. Even better, they were quite tasty. Will went for three or four helpings! He never does that. The only thing I really have to work on is the size; I wound up making them too big.

Pasta Salad: Great For Potlucks and Hot Summer Nights

This recipe is one of my summer standbys. I live in the desert, so anything cool tastes wonderful this time of year.
This is super simple. All you do is get a pan of salted water to boil. Add chicken breasts or tenders, half an onion, some Italian seasoning, and a bay leaf; lower the heat to medium-high. Once it comes back up to a boil, remove the chicken breasts and discard the onion and bay leaf. Bring that water back up to a boil and add half a package of fusilli; cook according to the package directions. Meanwhile, mix together some chopped basil and a half pint of grape tomatoes. Chop up your poached chicken and add it to this mixture. Once the pasta is ready, drain it and rinse it with cool water. Add it to the chicken mixture along with some pistachios or pine nuts, whichever you prefer, olive oil, and seasoned salt to taste. If it's still warm, chill it. If it's cool, add some crumbled feta cheese and chill.
The reason I poach the chicken is, if you boil it, it gets way too rubbery. When you poach it, the breasts tend to come out way more tender. The reason I add onions and herbs is because poaching can result in a slightly bland meat. By adding seasoning during the process, we add flavor via infusion.
I prefer to use pine nuts with this, but Will is not fond of them, so I use pistachios instead. Either way is very tasty.
Because this takes all of about a half hour, it is great to take to potlucks, and quickly becomes the hit of the party. It also is great if your kids are picky or if you have a spouse who comes home late or just a crazy existence in general because there is no worries with reheating it.
Will is practically bottomless with this recipe. This time I was lucky that he had a late lunch, because usually there are no leftovers.

Huevos con Chorizo y Papas: Not as Bad For You as it Sounds

I know what you're thinking: chorizo is really fatty, so how could it be anything but bad for you? The trick is, if you want a leaner meat, go with chorizo made from really lean pork butt, chicken, or really lean beef. The place I get my chorizo from makes theirs super lean. This time, the chorizo had very little grease in it at all.
This recipe is really easy. For those of you who are vegetarians or vegans, substitute the chorizo for spiced tofu and replace the eggs for either synthetic egg substitute or more tofu. All you do is lightly brown a pound of chorizo. Once it's browned, add four peeled and diced potatoes and one small diced onion. Cook this on medium heat until everything is cooked through. Then, using a spoon, make four gaps in the potato mixture. In each of those four spaces, crack one egg. Cook until set, about five minutes. If you like your eggs cooked well, go closer to ten minutes. Serve this with avocado.
I loved it. The eggs were wonderful. This was my first time doing sunnyside up, and I think it may be my new favorite way of cooking eggs. Will, on the other hand, had to hold back the urge to get sick when he tried the eggs. As it turns out, I thought I gave him the more well done of the eggs, but I didn't, and he doesn't like the texture of runny yolks. Next time, I will turn over the eggs for him so I know the yolks are super well cooked.

Rosemary-Thyme Pork Chops: Pretty Good For an on the Fly Recipe

I had bone-in pork chops and cherries. I knew I wanted to serve cold cherry soup, and I know pork goes well with cherries, so I tried to figure out a recipe I could use that would compliment both the pork and the soup.
I had some really sweet wine that we got when one of my friends visited me. We're talking really sweet, like one step above Arbor Mist. Pretty much all I do with this wine is use it to make Italian sausage. I figured, I want to go with something sweet, yet rich, so I used it as a base. Then I added some rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper. While I let that marinate, I got to work pitting my cherries for the soup. Let me tell you, if you ever need to pit more that half a pound of cherries, get someone to help you. Pitting two pounds of the stuff took forever.
Once I was nearly finished pitting my cherries, I asked Will to go fire up the grill for me, and to wash and put out some potatoes so we could bake them and they would be fully cooked by the time the meat is done.
For the cherry soup, I added four cups of water to the pitted cherries, as well as a quarter cup of New Mexico alfalfa honey I got from a little honey producer outside of Socorro called Bee Chama and a little bit of amaretto. I brought this mixture to a boil and left it simmer for fifteen minutes. While that simmered, I put my chops on the grill. By the time the soup had finished simmering, the chops and potatoes were ready. I used my immersion blender to blend my soup, added a bit of lemon juice, and stuck it in the fridge to chill. Since obviously it wasn't ready to serve with dinner, I served it for dessert instead.
Will and I liked it, but no where near as well as we liked the sesame crusted soy ginger pork chops I made last time. I will be making Hawaiian pulled pork sandwiches in the next night or so as a result.

Mushroom Avocado Burgers: Easy and Quick

We went to my in-laws' house for the fourth of July, but I figured Will and I would have a private cookout making an all-American favorite: hamburgers.
I know what you're thinking now; how can a burger be healthy? First off, a burger is only as unhealthy as the items (or lack thereof) within it. We forgot to add lettuce, but if we did, we would have used Romaine lettuce. We also had tomatoes, swiss cheese, avocados, sauteed mushrooms, our buns were made of cracked wheat, and we made our burgers out of lean grass fed beef. Even better about our beef? It's one hundred percent local.
As for what you use to spice your burger, if you make your patties yourself? Salt, pepper and some Worcestershire sauce are pretty much all you need to make a decent burgers. One thing I spaced about was, if you have super lean meat (grass fed beef always is really lean), you have to add some fat to help hold it together or else it dries out and falls apart.
It's easy to throw together and, if you have enough vegetables, anyone can choose to make a vegetarian or vegan sandwich.
While the grill was hot and while corn on the cob was twenty-five cents each, I grilled some corn. It's fairly easy to do. All it takes is a little skill. First, you remove the outer part of the husk until you can peel back the inner husk. Then you remove all the silk from the corn and discard. Pull the inner husk back over the cob and set them on the grill. Once you start to smell the husk burning, it's time to turn it over. Your corn should be starting to turn golden brown, but not be burnt by the time it comes off the grill.
Will isn't all that fond of burgers, but seemed to enjoy it. It was messy goodness because of all the filler we added to it. This time, our corn came out perfectly; the last time I tried to make it, I failed miserably and drastically undercooked it.

Splurge Day: Mushroom Ravioli in Mushroom Alfredo

Will forgot to eat most of Sunday, so at four, he asked me to cook dinner. I decided on one of our oldest stand-bys: mushroom ravioli in mushroom Alfredo sauce. I can't take credit for making the ravioli, but I can tell you that Trader Joe's has the best ravioli. It's a drive for us to go out there, but when we do, that's one of the things we get.
The sauce is not exactly quick, but it's pretty easy. All you do is brown your mushrooms in some olive oil. If they're crimini or baby bellas, you will definitely need to brown them. Once they're browned and aromatic, add some cream. Once it starts to bubble, stir in some grated cheese and a splash of dry white wine; usually we use sauvingon blanc, but this time we used a chardonnay. Once it's thickened and bubbly, taste it. If it tastes too cheesy, add more cream; if it's not cheesy enough, add more cheese. Once the ravioli are cooked according to the package directions, drain them and pour the sauce over. Be careful not to spill the sauce on yourself because it will stick and burn you worse than water will.
Will loved it. For once he said I got it perfect, which is a major compliment from him, considering he's Italian and was spoiled with some amazing home cooking.

Cottage Pie: Surprisingly Delicious

I normally don't like cottage pie or shepherd's pie, but I figured I'd give this recipe a shot. I wasn't disappointed.
First off, because I'm American and most Americans refer to a meat pie consisting of ground meat mixed with peas under a mashed potato crust a shepherd's pie, I need to make a clarification for my small American audience. A cottage pie is when the ground meat is beef; a shepherd's pie is when the meat is lamb. We just kind of got mixed up since we as Americans don't tend to eat a whole lot of lamb. In fact it only recently became readily available to most Americans.
The directions are pretty simple. While you boil your cubed potatoes, brown your ground beef. Then add sliced mushrooms, garlic, carrots, and onions and cook until tender. Then add Heinz baked beans, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, tobasco sauce as well as some water and let everything come up; season to taste with salt and pepper. Meanwhile, drain your potatoes and stick them in a bowl. Add butter and blend together, and add milk and blend. Pour the bean and beef mixture into a baking dish, top with mashed potatoes and then top the potatoes with grated cheddar cheese. Bake in a four hundred degree oven for thirty-five to forty minutes or until everything is hot and bubbly.
The reason you add the butter to the potatoes before adding the milk is to keep the potatoes from getting lumpy. If you add the milk while the potatoes are too hot, you won't get the whipped texture that you want. By adding the butter beforehand and blending it into the potatoes, you are also adding in air, thus aiding in the cooling process.
Will and I enjoyed it, although I forgot to add salt to it, so it was a little bland for my taste at first. I will say, though, that it gets better when it sits in the refrigerator.