Crockpot BBQ Pulled Chicken (with root beer!)

Hey all,

It’s been a crazy, but great week: I finally started my second job for summer, which has made my life more busy but also fun! I also found out I am going to a national conference for my other job (I’m working with students from other colleges this summer, remember?). At this national conference, I am helping host a breakfast and moderate a panel for undergraduates’ research. I also get to see the students I’ve been working with present their work, which will be so rewarding. And btw, why do I strangely feel more “adult”-ish just being invited to do all this? Am I really becoming that much more older than college-age students?! Bah!

On the homefront, Ron and I are halfway moved in, which is much better than living in boxes (like last week)! I am also still experiencing hives. I’ve had them now for almost two months, which means I have a chronic outbreak. My skin literally turns red with welts if I touch anything. No biggie, though. I am going to go to the doctor and get some allergy testing done to see what’s going on!

Ok ok, onto the recipe! This week I made a fabulous dinner using a secret homestyle ingredient and my favorite summer cooking method: BBQ Pulled Chicken in the crockpot (with root beer)

American art archives/ Hires root beer ad, 1933

My little red crockpot!

I LOVE using my slow cooker in the summer. It doesn’t generate too much heat, which means it’s the perfect cooking tool for a hot summer kitchen. I also love that I can just throw ingredients in a pot and be done with my meal! And this week, we made a BBQ chicken flavored with root beer that we used in three different ways: tacos, stuffed bell peppers, and sandwiches. Are you ready? Behold, my BBQ Pulled Chicken!

Honestly, this was the best BBQ Pulled meat I’ve ever made. I couldn’t show you the entire roasting chicken on a plate because the meat fell off all the bones! The moist chicken was literally breaking apart as I tried to lift it out! I was inspired to use root beer in my recipe after I spotted a Pulled Pork with root beer recipe on Allrecipes (that again, had 2,000 reviews and almost 5 stars!). I changed the recipe quite a bit, though, because I wanted a bit more complexity to my meat! I made a BBQ cooking sauce for my meat using BBQ sauce, root beer, soy sauce, honey, stock, and spices. I also added onions and bell peppers to the top of the meat to get some different flavors. The root beer gives the pulled meat sweetness, but also spicy notes as well. Such a strange ingredient, right? But so delicious! Ron absolutely loved it and claims this is his favorite chicken dish we’ve ever made. I personally love this recipe because we used it in three different ways for dinner during the week. We especially liked using the meat to make stuffed green bell peppers with brown rice, broccoli slaw, corn, meat, and cheese. MMMM! Get your crockpot on and start cooking, ladies and gents, because this is a crowd-pleaser! Enjoy!

Our stuffed bell peppers made from the Pulled Chicken! Yum!

Happy Mother’s Day! Citrus Southwest Roasted Chicken

New England, you’re killin’ me.

I was going to make Boeuf Bourguignon (a french beef stew made with red wine) for a memorable Mother’s Day dinner (in honor of my mom because I live on the East coast and couldn’t see her on Mother’s Day).

From Eli’s Lids.blogspot

But little did I know that most New England liquor stores don’t sell liquor on Sundays, and I didn’t have red wine on hand. Bah! I’m not even going to be drinking the Red Burgundy! I’m just going to be cooking with it! Unfortunately, I didn’t really have the time to drive and figure out if any liquor stores are open. Sigh.

From UrlyBits

However, all of this non wine upset led me straight to my $3 roasting chicken I bought on sale at Target. What a steal! An entire roasting chicken for my lunches for the week! Ugh, I was sp excited! But I was also hungry. I literally threw together this Citrus Southwest Chicken in 15 minutes. But hot d*mn, it was worth it! I just bought a Smokey Mesquite Rub for $2 at a kitchen outlet store (during our outlet shopping craze), and I decided to make an oven-roasted Southwest-style BBQ chicken. I also had an orange on hand–how about a citrusy southwest chicken? Yes please!

 

Close-ups of just the breasts. So juicy!

I basted the chicken with a peppery spiced sauce (oil, hot sauce, BBQ!) and roasted it on top of vegetables and a few orange slices. It turned out beautifully! I loved tasting the orange–it really came through and gave the chicken a nice, delicate sweetness. Happy Mother’s Day!

 

Pioneer Woman Meets the West: California Lasagna

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with two lovely ladies: Smitten Kitchen (who is coming out with a cook book in October 2012) and the Pioneer Woman. I love Smitten Kitchen’s easy and sometimes fancier fare, while Pioneer Woman produces more hearty, homestyle eats for her family and fans. Both ladies bring something to the (kitchen) table, so to speak.

A vintage Dining Set advertisement, from “American Vintage Home”

Now, considering I’ve worked all day long, I was ready to play….in the kitchen, of course! During Ron’s cleanup (like I talked about earlier today with the Chocolate Banana Bites), he found a box of wheat lasagna noodles that we had neglected. He was thinking of throwing them away (what is UP with that, Ron?? Drives me crazy!), but I said, “Heck, no, we’re having Lasagana night!!!” Which we’ve actually never done before.

I decided to try one of Pioneer Woman’s lasagna recipes, but it had alot of ingredients that I didn’t have on hand and it wasn’t exactly healthful. I decided to adapt her recipe and make it lighter—no white noodles, beef, or whole milk ricotta in this recipe. We made a lighter lasagna that still had some veggies and meat, but without the heavy hulk of all the fattening ingredients. This recipe actually reminds me of California—green bell pepper (fresh produce), ground turkey (lighter fare), spices, fire-roasted tomatoes (Transamerican influences), red pepper flakes, and white wine (Wine Country!). This is my California Lasagana, a subtle smoky and spicy lasagna that is both healthy and comforting! Hurray, enjoy!

Ron and Ribs! (Sweet and Smoky Oven Pork Spareribs)

Hello! It’s been a long time coming and I am finally writing a guest blog entry for BB! My name is Ron and if you have been following BB’s blog, you’ll find a mention of my adventures with her every now and then. And since this is my first post, I figure I should follow protocol and say a little about myself.

I grew up in Southern California, mainly in and around Los Angeles County. My family owned a restaurant for a few years, then focused on catering, and eventually left the food industry for good. However, the cooking continued at home where I spent almost every weeknight and most weekends hovering over my mom’s and auntie’s shoulders to get a peek at what they were cooking and how they did it. Eventually, my interest with food  (and my family’s experience in the restaurant business) merged with my academic research. And that’s how I ended up in New England in a graduate program where I met BB.

(Sidenote from BB: Ron studies food history and restauranteuring…cool, right?! And yes, I moved all the way from California to the East Coast just to date another Californian. You can take the girl out of California, but you can’t take the California out of the girl!!)

Now, on to business. BB and I threw around the idea of making ribs this past week, and upon shopping for some bread and sparkling water at the local market, we came across a two and a half pound slab of pork spareribs for a little over eight dollars. Sold! Back at my place, I searched for “oven baked pork spareribs” and among the usual recipe websites that Google generates, Smitten Kitchen’s Sweet and Smoky Oven Spareribs caught my attention. I tried the recipe (with a few of my own additions) and wow! That’s a great oven sparerib!

These easy Oven Spareribs are sweet, smoky, and spicy. The sweetness comes from the brown sugar, while the smoky and spicy flavors come from the ginger, cumin, paprika, and chili powder. The cooking is a cinch, too: wrap them in tin-foil, stick them in the oven on a low heat for some hours, and you’re done! And they came out wonderfully tender. I used SK’s recipe with a few additions and changes as follows:

(Quick and Easy) Thai Coconut Curry Stew

As I mentioned before, I’m in reading-writing mode right now, and I have a Monday deadline. This means I’m either spending hours loafing at home (at my desk) or am out at a coffee shop. (Yes, I am one of those people who can–strangely enough–get alot done at a cafe while listening to music. In fact, I could argue that I wrote my entire Master’s thesis in Peet’s Coffee and Tea (after I got off work) while listening to albums by A Tribe Called Quest and Jurassic 5!!)

Photo from Florida's Educational Technology Clearinghouse

Because I was at home yesterday, I wanted to treat myself to homemade meals that didn’t bust my writing schedule (didn’t take too much time). I also wanted something that was wholesome and healthy. I’ve recently been trying to lead a more healthy lifestyle, and one way I’m going to do that is by simply eating more wholesome foods. Less processed food, less fast food, less sweets, and more whole foods. With wholesome (whole) foods, you don’t have to worry as much about portion size or being hedonistic, right? Overdoing it on broccoli is not exactly the worst offense. Plus, on an unrelated note, who doesn’t love the smell of home-cooked food wafting throughout the house while you work? I love the anticipation of eating something that smells delicious!

I looked in my pantry and saw that I had coconut milk, broth, fresh basil, and fresh ginger. I also knew I had frozen meat, tofu, and vegetables. How about Thai Coconut Curry Stew (with lots of beef, vegetables, tofu)?

My hearty Thai Coconut Curry Stew! This was definitely satisfying and rich.

Weekly Meal Plan

Happy Sunday, Burlesquers!!

I may be celebrating my birthday soon….

My mom sent me my kindergarten graduation picture. Hilarious!

And my parents sent me a birthday card that included my Kindergarten graduation picture. They are too funny. (You can actually see the beginning of my Vitiligo, look at my white eyelashes! Ha!). I also invited a bunch of my friends to go out to dinner at a local Ethiopian restaurant! 13 people RSVPed yes!! Bah! This will be so fun.

Pin Up with Schnauzer, from Art.com

The Luck of the Irish: Light and Creamy Broccoli-Potato Bake (garlic, broccoli, potato)

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!

While I am making Corned Beef and Cabbage tonite (yes, I’m Irish), I thought including a fun, non-traditional green side dish for today would be a nice addition to any St. Patty’s celebration. Lo and behold, we have the Creamy Broccoli-Potato Bake!

Creamy Broccoli-Potato Bake

Ingredients:

1/2 cleaned, chopped up head of broccoli

1 large Idaho potato

2 cloves garlic

2 tbsp lowfat or nonfat cream cheese

2 tbsp chicken broth

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1-2 tbsp milk (add to thin mash)

1/3 cup lowfat grated Cheddar cheese

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 strips pre-cooked, chopped turkey bacon (optional, if you’d like to keep this vegetarian)

2 shakes of onion powder and Chili flakes (optional)

Directions:

In a saucepan, combine water, potatoes, and garlic over high heat; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cover; simmer until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli to the sauce pan, and cook 5 minutes more.  Take off the heat, and drain cooked potatoes, broccoli, and garlic.

In a large bowl, mash all ingredients (except cheese) until smooth (or keep it somewhat lumpy, depending on your tastes). Place into a non-stick pan or pie tin, top with the cheddar cheese and bacon, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes, til cheese is melted. Serve hot!