Saucy Asian Grilled Wings

I just love cooking on the grill. There's just something so summery about heating up that grill and roasting food to that perfect, crispy texture. The smells that waft through the backyard, the sun beating down on the ice cold brew that's inevitably been set within arms reach, the flames reaching up to lick the grub of choice...  Life doesn't get much better!

The hubby and I look forward to summer grilling every year. We pretty much grill year round, but it's infinitely more enjoyable in the warm summer months. During the summer we can drag lawn chairs and Corona's outside, and gather round the barbecue whilst it does its thang'. One of our favorite items to throw on the grill is marinated meat. Marinated meat really holds its moisture during the cooking process. It's as if the marinade invades all those little tiny crevices that make up a piece of meat, and it stays there. The result is a super moist and flavorful piece of meat. So yummy!

When it comes to marinating, there is a time limit on how long you are supposed to leave the item marinating. I've read with chicken you can marinate it for as little as 2 hours to as long as 24 hours. There is a point where the meat texture gets weird if you leave it marinating for too long. It can also result in unwanted toughness, which is the completely opposite effect of why we marinate in the first place. Why am I bringing all this up? Well, I threw these wings in this marinade and then forgot about them for 2 days. Definitely way longer than anticipated. Or recommended.

Luckily, the meat didn't turn out tough! Whew.

I reserved the additional marinade, and ended up boiling it on the stove for 5 minutes before adding a pinch of cornstarch to it to thicken it up. We then used it to baste the wings, keeping them moist while grilling.

Holy moly, did these turn out amazing! The marinade was spot-on perfect. Perfectly savory, a touch spicy, and totally lip-smackin' good! I ended up searing some baby bok choy on the stove to serve with the wings, and those deliciously exotic vegetables were the perfect pairing. The cashiers at the grocery store always (seriously, every time!) ask me what the heck baby bok choy are when I buy them, but people- don't let this scare you at the store! I highly recommend bagging some up and taking them home. They are deliciously crunchy, and full of antioxidants and vitamins. Bok choy is also an excellent source of calcium. It's the perfect side dish for an Asian themed meal.

So, funny story. Those of you who follow the blog know I usually like to wrap up my posts with some anecdote about what's going in my life outside the kitchen before I share my recipes. So here's today's- the story of how Jessica got her car stuck in a ditch out in the country. We've got a family friend that lives not far from us. Far enough we drive, but seriously the friend is almost within seeing distance of our house. I've been checking on her dog at lunchtime this week, as my friend usually comes home at lunch to let the dog out, but can't this week. It's a long story. Anyhoo, the road she lives on is uber narrow. I was almost to the end of it when the UPS guy turns on to it. I inched my car over, trying to make room. Before I knew it, my tire slid off the road and must have sunk about a foot. I tried reverse. No luck. I tried drive. No luck. I was officially stuck. Unbelievably, I was about a  quarter of a mile from a body shop. The UPS guy felt so bad he gave me a ride up there. The body shop guys felt so bad they pulled my poor wedged-in car out for free. No damage to the car.  All turned out well. However, I've definitely learned not to get too close to the side of that road!

Happy Thursday friends! One more day till the weekend! :)

Ingredients (serves 3-4):

1 cup Coca Cola

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp sesame oil

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp black pepper

2 1/2 lbs chicken wings

3 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

1. Combine Coca Cola through black pepper in a large Ziploc bag. Shake to combine. Add chicken wings. Seal and place in the fridge for 24 hours, turning occasionally. 

2. Remove wings from fridge. Remove from marinade, reserving marinade. Pat wings dry, set aside.

3. Place marinade in large skillet. Bring to a boil over high heat, allow to boil for 3-5 minutes. Mix cornstarch in a small bowl with 3 tsp of water. Whisk cornstarch mix into marinade. Continue whisking over medium heat until sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

3. Preheat (gas) grill to high heat.

4. When grill is hot, put wings on grill. Grill for 2 minutes, then turn wings. Grill for another 2 minutes. 

5. Turn top and bottom burners off. Turn middle burner to low.  Continue to grill wings over indirect heat for another 20 minutes, basting with prepared sauce and turning occasionally. 

6. Remove from heat. Allow wings to rest for 5-8 minutes before serving.

Printable Recipe

Recipe adapted from The Cozy Apron.

Helpful links:

Marinating Meat Safely

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday

Kansas City Style BBQ Ribs

Well, of course I'm going to talk to you about ribs, but first...

I got an interesting phone call yesterday as I was cleaning my house. I had a whole schedule worked out, with the little brother winging in from Portland on Thursday. I was cleaning the house (spring cleaning, ugh) Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday would be grocery shopping. Thursday I was going to make pesto, salsa, cookies, muffins, and Danish. Ha! The call I received yesterday was from my brother to let me know that him and his wife were on their way to the airport!

My emotions ranged from thinking he was joking to full-fledged panic when I realized he was serious. Maybe a true blonde at heart, I must have wrote down the wrong dates for his trip. I kicked my butt into high gear and managed to accomplish everything on my list except the making of the treats. Treats can wait, I've got a whole week to cook. The hubby and I left our house for Cincinnati at 9 pm last night, and we timed our arrival perfectly. If the little bro's plane didn't fly over us as we were pulling up to the airport, we were pretty close to that being the case. The Cincinnati airport has planes flying over the highway at a pretty low clip before landing. It was really cool (and really creepy) being that close to a moving plane. I'll admit, my stomach did a flip-flop at the sight of that plane seemingly right above our windshield. No bother, we were able to collect the brother, the sister-in-law, and hit the road. We all arrived back here at our house at 3 am, and everyone was in bed ASAP.

So today will be our first full day with everyone, and I think it's going to be a good day. I was up early (why? I must be crazy) and was greeted to a clear blue sky with the sun rising in the distance. There's something so magical about waking up to the sun. But back to the topic at hand...

Ribs. We don't eat ribs often, but when we do, we do it right. I think we have ribs twice a year, at most. We had a lovely sunny day last weekend however, and I knew it would be a perfect day to put a rack of ribs on the barbie and let them slow cook for a couple of hours. And then sit outside by the grill with a margarita and smell those delicious ribs cooking all afternoon. Heaven, I tell you. The secret to these ribs is in the dry rub, and that spicy-sweet Kansas City Style Barbecue Sauce.

That sauce! I could eat it with a spoon. I love it so much. We like to baste the ribs with the sauce in the last 30 minutes of cooking. It never fails to char itself to the ribs, creating a lovely crust around the meat. The meat that's so tender it falls of the bone, by the way. Is it bad that it's 8:45 am and I'm wanting BBQ now? Hehe.

Happy Hump Day everyone!

Ingredients (for 1 rack):

1- rack of pork ribs

Dry rub-

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp kosher salt

1 tbsp celery salt

3 tsp onion powder

3 tsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried mustard

1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Barbecue sauce-

1 cup ketchup

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp onion powder

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Prepare ribs 2 hours ahead of time. Trim ribs and dry them. Place on a cookie sheet.

2. Prepare dry rub- in a small bowl, combine sugar through cayenne pepper. Stir to mix. Completely coat ribs in mixture, rubbing mixture into the meat. Cover ribs closely with plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 2 hours. 

3. Prepare the grill. We have a gas grill, so the hubby places some soaked wood chips in a container on the grill along with a pot of water to steam. We set the temperature very, very low. At about 200º. Put the ribs on the grill, and slow cook for 2 1/2- 3 hours. The ribs are done when the meat seems to have shrunk back from the bone.

4. While the ribs are cooking, make the barbecue sauce. Place ketchup through soy sauce in a small sauce pan, and cook over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from heat.  

5. When the ribs have 30 minutes left to cook, completely coat the ribs in a good coating of the sauce. Cook for another 30 minutes, then remove from heat. Place a piece of tented foil over the ribs, and allow them to rest 10-15 minutes. 

6. Dig in, serving with any extra sauce you may have.

Dry rub adapted from Fabulous Foods. Sauce recipe adapted from Simply Recipes. 

Linked to: Weekend Potluck, Foodie Friday, Cunning Ladies' Friday Party.

Ancho Chile Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri

When prepared properly, there are few things as delicious as flank steak. Of course, it must be medium rare. Over-cook this cut of meat, and you'll find yourself chewing on something akin to boot leather. It must be sliced against the grain, or else you will find yourself with some ugly-looking and chewy meat. I personally believe this cut of meat also begs for a marinade, or a sauce of some sorts. Chimichurri really fits the bill on that one :)

The hubby and I picked up a couple of flank steaks on our last Costco trip, and this was the first meal from those flanks. I've found it pretty hard to find different cuts of meat in this area of Kentucky, so it's honestly been a couple of years since I've had flank steak. It used to be a staple for us in Oregon, where it's readily available. I shall not complain though, and I will take what I can get. Oh yes, and I'll be thankful I have a couple of filets in the freezer.

This was my first time making chimichurri, and now I wonder why? I preferred it on my meat more than on my potatoes (I had to see what that tasted like!), but the parsley-olive oil-garlic combination pares perfectly with the delectable juiciness of the beef. There are a million ways to make chimichurri, and this girl will be checking out more recipes. ASAP. I will add that my chimichurri would not be considered "authentic" because the Argentinean version uses strictly parsley, and no cilantro or mint. I wasn't as concerned with authenticity. The only thing that made this meal even better? A crisp glass of Sauvignon Blanc, that's what!

Happy Friday!

Ingredients:

1 (1 lb) filet of flank steak
1 tsp olive oil
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chile powder, and smoked paprika
2 cups flat-leaf parsley
1 cup cilantro leaves
1 cup mint leaves
12 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tbsp shallot, minced
1/2 cup-3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

1. Rub steak filet with olive oil. Season steak with 1/2 tsp each of salt through the paprika. Preheat a gas grill to high-heat. Once heated, turn heat down to medium. Cook steak 4 minutes on each side. Remove from heat, allow to rest 10 minutes while preparing chimichurri.
2. In a food processor, combine parsley through black pepper. Pulse until smooth. Add more salt to taste.
3. Slice steak against the grain. Serve sliced steak immediately with chimichurri sauce.

BBQ Pulled Pork Pizza

There are times I wish I had a stand mixer. Making homemade pizza dough is one of those times. If you've ever made pizza dough from scratch, you know that it has to be properly kneaded. Many a pizza dough of mine has not risen due to poor working of the dough.

Sometimes I buy the Pillsbury pizza dough (you know, the one in a can?), but other times I just flat-out refuse to pay $4 a can of pizza dough. Why pay that much when I can make one for pennies? Plus, homemade dough lacks the sodium and preservatives you find in the Pillsbury variety. Yes, please!

Thankfully, the dough released its magic glutens last night. I'm always relieved when I check the dough after an hour to see it has risen. Throw in some barbecue sauce,  leftover pulled pork, mozzarella cheese, and a sprinkle of cilantro, and you have a happy hubby when he walks through the door.

Sure, you buy a pre-made pizza crust or have a pizza delivered.  But I truly believe working with yeast is a good skill to have under your belt. You never know when you are gonna need to make bread. Or in this case, pizza dough.

Ingredients:

Basic Pizza Crust (From Cooking Light)
2 tbsp barbecue sauce
2 cups Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Prepare pizza crust according to directions.
2. Preheat oven to 500º (I use a pizza stone, so I let the pizza stone heat for 30 minutes before use).
3. Roll the pizza dough into a 12" circle. Spread barbecue sauce onto dough. Spread pulled pork on top of the barbecue sauce. Top the pulled pork with the mozzarella.
4. Bake pizza in the oven 5-7 minutes, or until cheese is melted and brown.
5. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cilantro, and let sit 5 minutes before slicing. Slice into 8 pieces, and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker BBQ Pulled Pork

Look back over my blog, I can't believe I'd never posted this recipe. This is one of my go-to recipes, I make it often. Pulled pork is delicious, and so easy on the budget. I usually pick up a 4-lb roast at the store, and freeze half of it. A 2-lb roast will make 2 good-size sandwiches for the hubby and 1 for me (that's 1 dinner). That leaves enough leftover for pulled pork hash or pulled pork pizza the next night. 4 meals out of 1-$8 roast. You can't knock that! The hubby hates leftovers, but doesn't seem to mind when I turn them into something completely different. I, in turn, get the feeling that I beat the system.

I've made this for numerous people in our family, including very picky eaters. Everybody scarfs it right up. There's something very universal about barbecue. Or maybe just very American. Whatever the case, this is being turned into pulled pork pizza tonight. Yummy! Bonus: a 20 minute arm workout kneading the homemade pizza dough :)

Ingredients:

1- 2lb pork shoulder
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup beer (you can substitute chicken broth or water)
1 cup BBQ sauce (we like Sweet Baby Ray's)
1 tbsp mustard
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tbsp soy sauce

Directions:

1. Combine pork shoulder, onion, and beer in a slow cooker. Cover, and cook on low 6-7 hours (or until very tender).
2. Remove pork from slow cooker. Using a strainer, drain excess liquid from meat. Place pork back in slow cooker. Shred meat using 2 forks.
3. Combine BBQ sauce through soy sauce in a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Add to pork mixture in the slow cooker. Stir to coat meat. Place lid back on meat, turn heat to "Warm", and let sit 30 minutes.
4. Serve on hamburger buns, garnish with cilantro.

*Recipe adapted from All You*

Tomato Cucumber Mozzarella Salad

This salad just screams summer to me. It's also the perfect side kick to anything on the grill. Chicken, steak, salmon, shrimp skewers, etc. We enjoyed it last night with grilled BBQ pork chops. Yummy! We only have this salad every now again, mostly due to the expense of using fresh mozzarella. Oh, but there's hardly anything out there that beats fresh mozzarella!

I found this recipe years and years ago via Cooking Light. It's actually a Sunset recipe that was listed under African cuisine. I was intrigued. The original recipe calls for panela cheese, which I've never been able to find, even in Portland. No, I didn't hoof it downtown to any of the crazy, unique stores to look for it, but I did look for it at the grocery stores, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, New Seasons, etc. Granted that was years ago, so maybe someone in Portland carries it now. This is a mute point however, because I've been making this salad for too long with mozzarella. The hubby and I are in love with it, as is.

I only make this salad in the summer, because with only a few ingredients, the flavors really stand out. You want tomatoes and cucumbers at their peak for this salad.

I'm one of those weirdos that likes cucumber skin and doesn't mind the seeds. I quarter the cucumber, slice it, and use it. If you aren't a rebel like me, feel free to peel and deseed your cucumber.

A nice, big hunk of fresh mozzarella. See the lovely moisture on this? It screams freshness :)

It's time to dice up the cheese, trying very hard not to eat it all while you are dicing it.

Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, and fresh mozzarella in a large salad bowl.

The dressing is simple, lime juice and olive oil. More lime juice than olive oil. Whisked, not stirred.

Drizzle the dressing over the salad, season to taste with salt and pepper, toss, then serve.

I've got leftovers in the fridge right now, and writing this is making me want to eat them. I'm trying to practice some restraint, but... it's not looking good :)

Ingredients:
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 english cucumber, quartered and sliced
3/4 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, diced
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Combine tomatoes, cucumbers, and cheese in a large bowl.
2. Whisk lime juice and olive oil together.
3. Drizzle dressing over salad, season to taste with salt and pepper, and toss gently to combine.
4. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Sunset

4th of July- 2011

This year was my first 4th of July in Kentucky. It was a gorgeous day! We spent the day in Grayson at Jerame's sister's house with the family. Due to Jerame's sister having to work at 4, we started our festivities early in the day. We had great food, great fireworks, and great company for the day!

Jerame was put in charge of hamburgers and all that is hamburger related i.e. making the patties and grilling duty

Me and Jerame in our 4th of July best

Our 4th of July feast! After our elaborate Memorial Day Weekend, everyone decided that we didn't even need half as much food! We ended up going old-school cookout with juicy hamburgers and charred hot dogs. Martha made a delicious homemade potato salad that was thick and creamy and full of fresh hard boiled eggs. Throw in some potato chips and mini 4th of July cupcakes and we had a truly Americana meal

Jessica, Joyce, Martha, and me. Joyce bought all of our 4th of July shirts for us. All the T-Shirts were $2.99, except for Martha's which was $2.49. Gotta love Old Navy! Where else can you look so cute for so cheap?

Jerame and and his brother-in-law Wayne. Had no idea they would be matching until we arrived at the Sexton's.  I guess a red shirt and camo pants was the official men's uniform lol

Setting off fireworks in the front yard

I just had to include this pic because I think it is hilarious. And yes, that is Jerame's mom in the background!

Good Eats- Pulled Pork Hash

Earlier this week I made BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. Inevitably whenever I make pulled pork there are tons of leftovers. For some reason, a 2 lb pork butt always seems to turn into a mountain of food. I usually will eat pulled pork sandwiches throughout the week but I still usually don't make it through all the pork. Jerame hates leftovers so I usually don't make pulled pork sandwiches again for dinner. I decided this time however I was going to use that pulled pork for something. I did some research via Google and I was able to come up with an idea. Hash! Even though my pulled pork was BBQ pulled pork, I decided to try it anyway. I cut up 2 large baking potatoes into wedges, tossed them with some garlic olive oil, salt, and pepper and roasted them in the oven for 35 minutes at 450 degrees. They came out crisp and browned but still moist inside. I fried the pulled pork on the stove (just in a frying pan) until the pork was warm. I put Jerame in charge of frying the eggs. To serve, I plated the potatoes as the base, covered the potatoes in pulled pork, placed a fried egg on top of the pulled pork and dusted the plate with some italian parsley. I am happy to report that this was delicious! The potatoes and pork compliment each other perfectly and the richness of the egg and the pork together is quite appetizing. I highly recommend if you also have leftover pulled pork you aren't sure what to do with!

Yum!