Thursday, May 23, 2013

Apricot Glazed Chicken Bake

As I have said in the past I am on a tight budget so we eat a lot of chicken. I have cooked it in so many different ways it has become a chore to find other ways to make it. Apricot chicken is one way my kids really enjoy and it is super simple...chicken, apricot preserves and garlic, bake until done. This way is yummy I just wanted to do something a little different. I came across a recipe and the glaze peaked my interest but it needed some tweaking. I wanted more sweet less tangy so I played around with it, added a few things, took away a few things and this is what I came up with. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!





Apricot Glazed Chicken Bake


5-6 chicken thighs (you can use any cut of the chicken, will just have a different cook time)
3/4 cup apricot preserves
2 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. spicy brown mustard
dash of garlic powder
salt to taste
1 tbs. olive oil

Preheat oven to 400.
In a skillet, heat oil to med-high.
Sprinkle the salt on the raw chicken.
Once the oil is hot place chicken skin side down in the oil for about 5 minutes to get a good seer on the skin (golden brown).
Place chicken on a foiled baking sheet skin side up(makes for easy clean up), if you have racks use them.
In a medium bowl combine apricot preserves, soy sauce, brown sugar, mustard and garlic powder and whisk until sugar is dissolved.
Drizzle the 3/4 of the glaze on top of the chicken.
Place in the oven and bake for about 45 minutes, until the juices from the chicken run clear.
Drizzle the remaining glaze on top of the chicken and let sit for about 10 minutes. 
Serve and enjoy!!
We served it with parmesan roasted cauliflower (http://yumm-yumm-foodie.blogspot.com/2013/05/parmesan-roasted-cauliflower.html)






Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

I have always been a fan of cauliflower, but to be honest I never liked it cooked. The way I grew up in the south veggies were always cooked to death and for some veggies that is yummy but for cauliflower not so much. I had tried it many different ways and it was always slimy and mushy so I kinda gave up on it unless it was raw in a salad. I had heard of different recipes such as cauliflower mash so I thought it was time that I try again. I have been roasting veggies a lot lately such as green beans and broccoli so I thought why not. I went on a quest to find a recipe and tried a few different ones but they all were missing something. Through trial and error this is what I came up with. The first time I served this to my kids in the place of fries they thought I was crazy. Then they tasted it and have been loving it ever since. I hope you enjoy!!! As for the picture, lets just say I really need a new camera! 



Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces (I usually cut off the stems)
1/4 cup of olive oil (you really need just enough to cover the cauliflower so the rest of the ingredients stick)
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1 Tbs garlic powder
salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400.
In a large bowl toss all of the ingredients together making sure that each piece is coated well.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for about 15-20 minutes, until golden brown like below.





Enjoy!!



Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Flaming Yawns

I know you are thinking wow what a weird name flaming yawns...especially for a steak. It kinda came out of thin air for a buddy of mine Tony who loves my fillet mignon on the grill so he named it this. This recipe I came up with from trial and error...well more trial less error since it is really hard to mess up the flavor of a steak especially of this cut! Yes the fillet is a little pricey but I promise you it is worth it! Make sure that you get your meat from a meat market/butcher. I find that the grocery store version of the fillet is more like an expensive bacon wrapped burger. The key to this steak is the dry rub. I have tried making it many times without it and it just was not the same. You can find this brand at just about any store or you can get it online @ (http://allseasoning.com/lysander.htm#Meat_Rubs) (pictured below). I hope that you enjoy this as much as we do!!





Flaming Yawns

6 (8 oz.) fillet mignon
1/2 cup Lysanders beef rub, divided in half (if you cant find you can use any beef rub)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sweet bbq sauce (I normally use sonny's sweet bbq sauce)
3 cloves garlic, minced


Take half of your meat rub and rub the steaks liberally until they look kinda like this and set aside in the fridge for about an hour.




Light your charcoal grill making sure that the coals are surrounding the outside leaving the middle bare for indirect heating like below.


While your charcoal is heating, take a medium saucepan and combine the other half of the rub, the bbq sauce, butter and minced garlic and put it on medium heat until melted and garlic is slightly tender or about 5 minutes.
Once your coals are ready (they will be white in color), place steaks on the "indirect zone" on the grill and brush your marinade on the tops making sure to drip some on the coals, this will make them smoke which flavors the meat!
Turn them every 4-5 minutes until desired doneness.
Rule of thumb rare will have some give in the middle and read at 135-140 in the middle, med rare will have a little more bounce in the middle and read at 145, medium should feel springy in the middle and read at 160 and well done will be firm in the middle and read at 170.
Let steaks set on a rack or a wooden cutting board for about 10 minutes after giving the meat a chance to soak back up those yummy juices!!! 

Enjoy!!









Lysander's meat rub will look like this