Celebration BBQ Chicken

This is fusion cooking, neither one thing nor the other. Wherever you live, it's not what they call barbecue around there. But taste it and that won't matter.

Sauce ingredients:
6 oz tomato paste
3/4 c honey
1/2 c ketchup
1/4 c butter
2 T vinegar
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 T brown sugar
3 T soy sauce (tamari for the gluten free; most soy sauces have gluten)

Additionally:
1 entire cut up chicken, skin on

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Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine sauce ingredients in a pan, stir, and bring to boil.

Simmer five minutes while arranging chicken in casserole dish skin side down.

Spoon 1/3 cup sauce over the chicken then bake 1/2 hour.

Take the casserole dish from the oven and turn the chicken skin side up. Spoon 1/3 cup sauce over the chicken and bake the chicken for 15 minutes.

Spoon the remaining sauce over the chicken and bake for 15 minutes.

Brown the chicken under the broiler.

Servings: Roughly four, but this will depend on the size of the chicken.

Note: Cooking times, like number of servings, are approximate and depend on the size of the chicken. The chicken should reach a temperature of 165 degrees for safety’s sake and the sauce should have started to caramelize before you serve it.

Jalapeno Jam Chicken Wings

I was happy with how these turned out-- sweet and spicy, and the wings were perfectly cooked through with crispy skin. Heat level was low-medium (I really like spicy though).

The sauce and broiled wings can be prepared ahead of time (we did the night before), and then grilled later. Sauce will need to be reheated, since the butter will harden over night.  

           

Ingredients:

• 30 chicken wings or about 3 lbs
• 3 Tbs butter
• 1/4 cup of jalapeno or pepper jam 
• 2 Tbs honey or agave nectar
• 2 jalapenos (diced)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Turn oven broiler on high, line baking sheet with aluminum foil 

2. Melt butter in small sauce pan. Add jalapeno jam, honey, diced jalapenos, and spices until warmed

through.

3. Rinse wings, pat try with paper towel, season w/ salt and pepper, place on prepared baking sheet

4. Stick wings in oven for 10-15 minutes, turning once (may need to do a few batches)

5. Grill on medium-high heat for 5 minutes until both sides are browned. 

6. Toss in sauce and eat up!

Jake's Stir Fry

There is no picture of this hearty, filling comfort food.

There are reasons for that.

But please be assured that it tastes much better than it looks.

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10 oz sliced mushrooms
1 green pepper cut in small (1 cm) pieces
1 clove garlic (or to taste), pressed or chopped fine
1 lb hamburger

Pinch smoked paprika
Pinch cayenne
Salt & black pepper to taste (fresh ground black pepper recommended if available)
Dash A1
Dash Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp cream cheese (about a 1/4" thick slice off a typical block)
¾ cup sour cream

1 tsp “Better than Bouillon”, Marmite, or similar to bring back the umami. (Do not add Vegemite. Vegemite is an abomination.)

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Brown mushrooms over med-high heat to bring out flavor. Flip infrequently to allow browning.

Add green pepper. Stir occasionally.

When the pepper starts to turn brighter green, add the hamburger and garlic. Salt immediately; when the salt is added affects the texture.

Brown the hamburger. Add the spices and sauces, stirring them in.

Stir in the cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in your chosen umami enhancer to taste.

Serve over mashed potatoes.

Picadillo

Latin American seasoned ground beef.  You can use this to fill tacos or serve it over rice, or . . . whatever, really.  It's sort of an exotic sloppy joe.

2 pounds ground beef, mostly-browned and drained well
2 potatoes, diced and browned slightly
1 can diced tomatoes, or about 2 cups fresh
1 onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, or more
1/3 cup raisins, rehydrated slightly (pour hot water over them, or microwave with water)
1/4 cup green olives, quartered
2 teaspoons cumin
1/2 teaspoon or more chili powder (this does not need to be spicy)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon or allspice
1/2-ish teaspoon salt

Optional:
Grated carrot, kernel corn, celery, whatever needs to be used up.

Cook the onion and pepper (carrot, celery, corn, etc.) in a small amount of oil or reserved meat drippings until the onions are clear.  Put the meat and par-cooked potatoes back in the pan.  Add the tomatoes, raisins, olives, and seasonings.  Simmer gently, covered, until the potatoes are cooked through.  Better the second day, as stewed things generally are.