BBQ Chicken

Barbecue Season is here!

Even though I am a vegetarian a lot of my friends and family are not. A girlfriend asked me to make this for her and I was happy to oblige. Its a grill recipe but I use it in the crockpot more often than not and it comes out melt in your mouth fabulous. I dont have to watch it and the kids and it doesnt heat up my kitchen on hot days.
This is the time of year to stock up on chicken for your freezer too  for all your summer cookouts when you see those barbecue weekend specials. Depending on where you live, pork and beef can be inexpensive now as well.

A quick word about barbecue sauces and rubs.......
Do you really know what goes in those sauces? High fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors? Yikes, no thank you. Barbecue sauce is insanely easy to make and very forgiving. My next post will be some of my favorites.

Barbecue Chicken

4 pounds chicken thighs, drumsticks, and breast halves (Whatevers on sale or in the freezer)
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1(15 oz) can tomato paste
6 garlic cloves minced
1 cup finely chopped onion
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon salt
pinch black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper


To make sauce, in a saucepan combine tomato puree, garlic, onion, honey, maple syrup, salt and peppers. Stir in apple cider vinegar and bring to boiling. Simmer uncovered about 30 minutes. It should be nice and thick.

GRILL: Brush sauce generously on chicken on a medium hot grill. Grill about 50 minutes until chicken is no longer pink adding more sauce the last 10 minutes.

CROCKPOT: Remove skin and extra fat from chicken. Layer sauce and chicken in crockpot. Cook on low for 7 hours.

Serve extra heated up sauce with the chicken for those who like to dip.

Quesadillas

Farm Stand Favorites 2: Quesadillas

Another  versatile, inexpensive , and fast meal in my house is simple quesadillas. I buy the whole wheat variety at my local grocer when they are on sale and put in my freezer.

There are 2 ways to make these depending on how many you need and whether you want to heat up the oven. In the summer I have used the grill to make these and once at a friends house I used her foreman grill for almost instant quesadillas.

To feed a crowd, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Place a tortilla on the sheet. On one half of the tortilla, place very thinly sliced peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms, whatever you like and have on hand.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese ( I use cheddar the most but I'll grate whatever's on hand in a pinch) and fold over the tortilla, lightly pressing it down. Continue to fill as many tortillas as will fit on your sheet, how many depends on which size tortillas you are using.  Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese has melted and quesadillas are golden brown. The oil from the sheet will make these crispy and golden brown outside.
Serve with sour cream and salsa.

To feed a couple, I do the same procedure but on a flat skillet over medium high heat. Perfect fast lunch for one or two people! They only take a couple minutes on each side to cook up nicely. To flip hold the open side together and turn or use pancake spatula.

This is one of my go-to summer meals as well as a low budget favorite in my house.
Enjoy!

Farm Stand Favorites: Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

Farm Stand Favorites: Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

We go to the farm stand twice a week. I let the boys pick out their favorites that day and plan the next few meals around whatever is on sale.


One of my favorite ( and cheapest) veggie meals is grilled veggie sandwiches. I cheat and roast the veggies more often than not.  I put whatever veggies I have on hand, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, asparagus etc., cut them into chunks and put in a bowl. A generous drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper goes on top. Stir to coat veggies with the oil. Dump onto a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Which veggies you roast can change the time a bit but I start checking at 30 minutes and they are usually perfect at 40 minutes.

Unless it bread baking day and I have made rolls, I put the roasted veggies into a whole wheat tortilla.( which I buy on sale and keep in my freezer) Depending on the eater the protein is a sprinkle of cheese or some canned white beans rinsed.

Variations could included a drizzle of balsamic vinegar if you have some, roasted garlic spread, or some chevre bits.

Hearty, inexpensive and good for you. It's amazing what vegetables kids will eat if they get to pick them out too!

Easy Toffee

Heavenly Toffee for a Hostess Gift

I was having a nostalgia moment the other day and found this recipe I hadn't made in forever. It's incredibly easy and delicious and would be a perfect treat to take to someone's house for an indulgent treat.

Ingredients

2 cups butter

2 cups white sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1 cup finely chopped almonds

Directions

In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature has reached 285 degrees F (137 degrees C). Stir occasionally.

While the toffee is cooking, cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.

As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. Spread the chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate, and press in slightly. Putting a plastic bag over your hand will minimize the mess.

Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.