Oven Roasted Spatchcock Chicken

Sometimes I end up trying a recipe out of necessity.  In this case, it's a rainy day and I am in the mood for White Chicken Chili.  I headed out to the grocery store for a rotisserie chicken, but could not bring myself to pay $7.99.  Luckily they had their whole chickens on sale so I could buy an uncooked whole bird for less than half the price of the cooked one.  I opted to roast my own and then make my own broth which would also go into the Chili.

I have never spatchcocked a chicken before but plan to try spatchcock and smoke my Thanksgiving turkey so I figured it's always good to practice.  I must admit, the result was the juiciest roasted chicken I have ever had.  Definitely going this route with my turkey next month!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 Whole chicken
Kosher salt
Black Pepper
Olive Oil

Directions
Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the chicken on a cutting board breast side down with the drumsticks facing you. Using kitchen shears, cut on both side of the backbone to remove it. Turn chicken over and press down firmly to flatten.

Rub the chicken liberally with olive oil then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet or in a roasting pan and cook until it registers 165°F on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh and the breast.  Allow to rest a few minutes before carving.

Apple Dumplings

I love this dessert because it is simple and tastes great.  Best of all, you can use fresh peaches instead of apples and get awesome results.  If you have a smaller family to feed, simply make half the recipe.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 cans crescent rolls
2 Granny Smith Apples
2 sticks butter
1 ¼ cup Sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 can Mountain Dew or Sprite
2 Tbsps. Vanilla

Directions
Preheat oven to 350⁰F. Peel apples and cut into 8 slices per apple. Roll one slice of apple in each crescent roll. Place in greased 9x13 baking dish.

In a saucepan, melt butter; add sugar and vanilla and mix well.  Cook mixture just until all sugar has dissolved.   Pour over dumplings. Sprinkle cinnamon over the crescent rolls. Pour Sprite/Mountain Dew around the edges. Bake 35-40 minutes or until golden brown.

Crockpot Smokehouse Beans

I'm always on the lookout for good side dish recipes I can prepare with my BBQ dishes.  This is a recipe I came up with after looking for alternatives to baked beans.  This recipe resembles one for pinto beans with ham hocks, but uses chopped brisket instead of ham and a little different spice combination.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 pound dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed
1 cup chopped brisket
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. salt
½ Tbsp. black pepper
½ Tbsp. onion powder
½ Tbsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. ground cumin

Directions
Soak beans as directed on package. Drain.

When you are ready to cook the bean, add all the ingredients to a crockpot and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours or until the beans are tender.

All Purpose BBQ Sauce

This is a good all-purpose BBQ sauce that brings a hint of smoky and a little taste of sweet. You can easily adapt it to add more of the specific flavor you prefer but it works well as a sauce you can serve with any kind of BBQ.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 ¾ cups ketchup
⅔ cup water
⅓ cup cider vinegar
⅓ cup white vinegar
⅓ cup brown sugar
2 ½ Tbsps. Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1½ tsps. kosher salt
1½ tsps. black pepper

Directions
Combine all of the ingredients in a saucepan and warm over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.  Simmer for about 5 minutes, then remove from heat to cool. After cooling, transfer the sauce to desired storage container and store in the refrigerator.

Texas Smoked Brisket

This is a no-frills, simple brisket recipe that delivers solid results.  There is much debate about things like cooking in a foil pan vs directly on the grate, wrapping in foil at 165⁰, etc. so feel free to research and go with your preferred methods.  I prefer to start my brisket on a rack set inside a pan to catch the drippings and wrap in foil at 165⁰to speed up the cooking process.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 packers cut brisket (10-14 lbs)
¼ cup kosher salt
¼ cup ground pepper
Apple Juice or other liquid for spritzing


Directions
Trim brisket's fat cap to about 1/4" and do any additional trimming that you prefer.  Mix salt and pepper in a small bowl and stir to blend.  Apply the salt/pepper rub to brisket making sure to cover all surfaces.  Allow brisket to come to room temperature while smoker preheats to 225⁰F. 

Place brisket on smoker far side up.  If you prefer you can place the brisket on a rack inside a foil pan or you can place it directly on the smoker grate.

After 3 hours, spritz brisket with apple juice or other liquid (in a spray bottle) about once every 30 minutes, if needed.  When the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 165⁰F, remove it from the smoker and wrap tightly in foil.  Return to the smoker and continue to cook until it reaches between 195⁰-205⁰F.  Remove from the smoker and allow the wrapped brisket to rest for one to two hours before slicing.  I wrapped the foil covered brisket in towels and place in a cooler to rest.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs

I was introduced to this recipe at our church small group (Thanks Amy!) and had to give it a try.  It was a hit with the entire family so I adjusted the ingredients to make more and here it is.  You can serve these as appetizers, as the main dish in a meal, or have spaghetti with cheesy meatballs.    The original recipe can be found here.  That recipe called for these to be cooked in a crockpot so you can find the alternate cooking option at the bottom.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 ½ pound ground beef
1 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
3 mozzarella string cheese sticks
Marinara sauce for dipping

Directions (Oven)
Cut each cheese stick into 6 equal pieces. Place in a small bowl and chill until ready to use.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine ground beef, bread crumbs, eggs, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients with your hands until well blended.

To form meatballs, take 4 tablespoons of  the meat mixture and roll into a ball. Gently push a piece of chilled mozzarella into the middle of each meatball and close the meat around the cheese. Make sure the meat completely covers the cheese. Place on a rimmed baking pan lined with foil or a Silpat.  This should make about 18 meatballs.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until meatballs are browned and cheese is melted.

Alternate cooking directions for Crockpot
Place meatballs in the crockpot, cover and cook on high for 1-2 hours or on low 3-4 hours until meat it cooked through (no longer pink).

Strawberry Ice Cream

This is a simple recipe for strawberry ice cream.  I like to use fresh strawberries but frozen will also work well.  This recipe requires no cooking and just a little mixing.  That means you'll have more time to relax and wait for the sweet results.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1½ cups fresh strawberries
¾ cup whole milk
⅔ cup granulated sugar
pinch salt
1½ cups heavy cream
1½ tsp. vanilla extract

Directions
Place the strawberries into the bowl of a food processor and pulse strawberries until rough chopped. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer on low speed to combine the milk, sugar and salt until the sugar is dissolved. Stir in the heavy cream and vanilla. Add the reserved strawberries with all juices and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

Churn in an ice cream machine according to manufacturer’s directions. Serve immediately, or place in freezer for an hour or two for a firmer texture.

Balsamic Flank Steak

This is a simple recipe that can be cooked indoors in a skillet or grill pan or outside on the grill.  The Balsamic reduction makes a nice sauce and gives it a great flavor boost.  Be aware that the vinegar reduction process can get messy if your skillet is too small.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 ½ lbs. flank steak (cut into 2 pieces, if desired)
1 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions
If cooking indoors in a skillet, heat one tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high. Season steak with salt and pepper and place in the skillet. Cook, turning once, 6 to 8 minutes total for medium-rare. If grilling: Grill the steak for 1 to 2 minutes per side over direct heat, then move to a cooler section of the grill and continue to cook until desired internal temperature is reached.  Check for doneness with an instant-read thermometer (125°F for rare, 130-135°F for medium rare, and 135-140°F for medium). 

Transfer to a plate, cover loosely with foil, and allow to rest 5 to 10 minutes.  Add vinegar to the  skillet and stir to scrap any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  Boil over medium-high until reduced to ½ cup, then stir in any juices from resting steak. Slice steak, and serve with vinegar reduction.

Crockpot Swiss Steak

This is a recipe that quickly reminds me of my childhood.  My grandmother and mom both made this recipe and it is one of my favorites.  This is a dish that I have to pair with mashed potatoes and macaroni and cheese.  For me, it's not an option to have it any other way but feel free to choose your favorite sides ;-)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1½-2 lbs. cube steak
½ cup flour
¼ cup cooking oil
½ onion, chopped
½ green bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt & pepper to taste
1 large can crushed tomatoes

Directions
Coat cube steak pieces in flour and season with salt and pepper.  Heat oil in frying pan over medium-high heat and brown meat on both sides.  Place in crockpot.  Lightly brown onions and peppers in pan and add to crockpot.  Add Worcestershire sauce and tomatoes and cook on low for 5-6 hrs. until tender.

Crockpot Pot Roast

This recipe takes a little longer to get started but the results don't disappoint. The gravy adds a lot of flavor to the dish and it's worth the time and effort.  If you are close to your crockpot while this is cooking you can add the veggies later in the cooking process.  I usually add mine after about 3 hrs. of cooking on low so they can cook the last 5 hrs. with the meat.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
One beef chuck roast
⅓ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for coating
2 Tbsps. olive oil
5-6 white potatoes, cut into ½" wedges
4 medium carrots, cut into 2" pieces
3 stalks celery, peeled and cut into 2" pieces
1 medium onion, cut into ½" wedges
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsps. tomato paste
1 cup red wine
2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. thyme
Salt and pepper

Directions
Season the roast all over with salt and pepper. Coat in flour and shake off any excess. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the roast and cook until golden brown on all sides. Place the roast in the crockpot and add the potatoes, carrots, celery, onions and garlic.

Using the same skillet, add the tomato paste and whisk until the oil begins to turn brick-red, about 1 minute. Add the flour and wine and whisk until thick. Add the beef broth, bay leaves, thyme,  1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and bring to a simmer, whisking, until the gravy is smooth and thickens slightly, about 4 minutes.

Pour the gravy into the crockpot over the meat and vegetables. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Place the meat and vegetables on a platter, moistening them with some of the gravy and serve the remaining gravy on the side.


This recipe was adapted from the Food Network.

Ronnie's Crockpot Pulled Pork

This recipe was sent to me by my friend Ronnie.  He's perfected the recipe over the years and shared it with me as an alternative to firing up the smoker.  This is a great crockpot recipe and could not be easier to make.  The end result was tender and juicy pulled pork which pleased the entire family.  Ronnie can be found on Twitter at @iHeartMalware.

Printable recipe

Ingredients
1 Boston pork butt or shoulder
Memphis Dust Rub 
6 oz Yuengling or other beer (or sub chicken broth)
6 oz apple cider vinegar
BBQ Sauce
Liquid smoke

Directions
In the crockpot, rub the pork with the dry rub, and place fat-side up. Next, add the beer and apple cider vinegar to the crockpot, putting equal parts on each side of the meat.  Sprinkle with liquid smoke. Cook on low for 8 hours.

After 8 hours, remove the pork from the crockpot, remove any bone or fat, and shred remaining meat. Reserve ¼ cup of the juice from cooking, empty the crock pot, then add the meat back in and toss with the reserved juice.

If you want the same sauce on all the meat,  add ¼ cup of bbq sauce and ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar. Replace crockpot lid and warm for 30 minutes. Note:  You can also add bbq sauce as you serve if each person prefers a different sauce.

I chose to add my favorite sauce as I served the meat and made sliders using King's Hawaiian rolls.  Yum!

Thanks Ronnie!!

Shortbread Apple Crisp

When I found a recipe  for Shortbread Apple Crisp in a Southern Living cookbook I knew I had to try it.  I made a few modifications but the result was very good so I decided to share it here.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
5 apples, peeled, cored, and diced
6 Tbsp butter
20 Shortbread cookies, crushed
¼  cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cinnamon, divided
¼  tsp nutmeg
2 Tbsp light brown sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.  Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add cookies and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add ¼ cup brown sugar, ½ tsp cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Stir to blend.  Set aside.

Mix remaining brown sugar and cinnamon and spread over the bottom of a 1 qt casserole dish.  Spoon half of the apples into the dish, then top with half of the cookie mixture. Layer remaining apples and top with remaining cookie mixture.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown and apples are tender. 

Note:  If topping browns too quickly, cover with foil until apples are tender.