Spicy Pulled Chicken 2.0

Ingredients:

• 5 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 24 ounces orange juice
• 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1/2 tablespoon Mexican Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Kulp's smoked salt
• 1 teaspoon Redmond's® Real Salt
• 1 teaspoon McCormick® Chipotle Chili Pepper 
• 1 teaspoon McCormick@ Ancho Chili Pepper
• 1 teaspoon McCormick@ Peppercorn Medley
• 2 large dollops Gourmet Gardens® Minced Garlic
• 1 red onion
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 325 degrees


Directions:

Wedge and then split into layers the onion and set aside.  Mix together all the dry ingredients and set aside.

Line the bottom of a cast iron pan with the onions.  Lay the chicken breasts atop.  Smear the garlic atop the chicken breasts.  Then rub in the dry ingredients.  Cover with plastic and let sit for an hour in the refrigerator.

Remove the cast iron pot from the refrigerator and gently pour in the orange juice atop the chicken breasts.  Allow to sit for a few minutes and gently stir the orange juice.

Cover and cook two and a half hours.  Turn the chicken after the first hour and then the second hour.

Remove from the oven and allow chicken to rest for 5 minutes.  Carefully move the chicken breasts to a bowl.  Then, put the cast iron pot on the stove and boil the sauce until it is reduced by half, stirring frequently and scraping the spices off the side of the pot.

While the mixture is reducing, use two forks to pull apart the chicken breasts.  If you taste the sauce before it reduces and then while it is reducing, you can taste the flavors concentrating. Once the sauce is reduced, pour it over the pulled chicken using a strainer to catch any bits of meat that would have been overcooked during the reduction process.  Stir thoroughly and enjoy!


Myrtle's Note:  The first time I tried pulled chicken, it just didn't turn out the way I wanted.  I ate it several different ways, the best being as a chalupa topping.  The second best was to simply eat it on a bun with some barbecue sauce.  It has flavor, but not stand alone flavor, not enhancing a dish flavor.  I wanted chicken that could compete with the most lovely Spicy Dr Pepper Pulled Pork, so I radically bumped up my choices of spices and herbs.  Also, by reducing the sauce, I got back a hint of the orange juice, the spices, and concentrated the heat a bit.


Yield: 10-12 servings

Source:  Myrtle Bernice Adams

"Enhanced" Refried Black Beans

Ingredients:

• 2 cans refried black beans
• 1/4 cup softened butter
• 2 large limes
• McCormack's® Chipotle Chili Pepper
• chili powder
• cumin
• cinnamon
• Simply Organic® garlic powder
• Simply Organic® onion powder
• Kulp's smoked seasoning salt

Directions:

TBD ... other than whipping them all together with a hand mixer.


Myrtle's Note:  Really, this is just for me to remember the combination of flavors that worked so well for enhanced black beans that I used as the first layer on my chalupas.  I liked this combination so much better that what I on my first try and wanted to remember it.  I need to work on figuring out the proportions that I use since I am a sprinkle-and-taste kind of cook when making up stuff for myself.


Yield:  Enough to slather on 24 tostada shells.  12 servings for the circumscribed; 8 for the hearty eater.

Source:  Myrtle Bernice Adams

Parsnips with Brown Butter Sage

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bag parsnips
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons fresh sage
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon McCormick's® Peppercorn Medley
• 1/2 teaspoon Redmond's® Real Salt

Directions:

In a small prep bowl, thoroughly mix brown sugar, salt, and pepper and set aside.

Peel and cut the parsnips into slivers and set aside.

In a sautuese pan, melt the butter on medium heat and allow it to brown, turning a bit foamy.  Add in the parsnips and toss thoroughly to coat.  Sprinkle the sugar, salt, and pepper mixture evenly across the top of the parsnips and toss thoroughly once more.  Sauté for approximately 12-14 minutes, until nicely browned, turning the parsnips periodically.  Half way through, add in the fresh sage and continue cooking.  Serve warm.

Source:  Myrtle Bernice Adams

Chicken with Bourbon Mustard Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 cup bourbon
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon Redmond's® Real Salt
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions:

In a large, shallow bowl, mix together the mustard, bourbon, dark brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and sea salt.

Halve the chicken breasts to create two fillets per breast.  Place in the marinade and refrigerate for at least two hours.

In a large sauteuse pan, melt the butter and olive oil on medium heat.  Then lift the chicken fillets out of the marinade and cook them approximately 4 minutes per side.  Set the chicken on a plate to rest.

Pour off the remaining fat in the pan and then scrape all the marinade from the bowl into the pan.  Bring to a rapid boil before pulling the pan off the heat.

Myrtle's Note:  The original recipe called for minced green onions. Of course I left those off!  The recipe also gave the option of either two or three chicken breasts.  Being a sauce-a-holic, I opted for just two (four chicken servings).  However, I can safely say that even with three breasts (six chicken servings), you will still have plenty of sauce per serving.


Yield:  6 servings

Source:  http://southernfood.about.com/od/chickenbreastrecipes/r/blbb383.htm

Strawberry Cake Mix Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 box of strawberry cake mix
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil
• 1/4 cup water
• powered sugar

Preheat oven to 350


Directions:

Put some powered sugar in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine together all ingredients and stir until fully mixed.  Drop a spoonful into the bowl of powdered sugar.  Shake and spin the bowl in your hands so that the dough becomes a ball covered in powered sugar.  Place on a baking stone.

Cook for 10-14 minutes.  [My oven took 14 minutes.  My neighbor's 10.]

Myrtle's Note:  This recipe is from my neighbor, but you can find variants of it all over the place.  Apparently it is popular on Facebook.  Some variants include coconut or chocolate chips.  I really, really, really like them plain.

Yield:  24 cookies

Source:  Gail Huffman

Maple Cream Cheese Icing

Ingredients:

• 2 heaping tablespoons of super fine maple sugar
• 3 ounces of cream cheese
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar

Directions:

Beat together the cream cheese and cream until thoroughly mixed.  Beat in the maple sugar until thoroughly mixed.  Slowly beat in the powdered sugar, adding more for consistency preference if desired.

Myrtle's Note:  This is the first icing with powdered sugar that I made that did not taste like it was made with powdered sugar.  This was smooth and a perfect blend of flavor, to me that is.  I am curious if I could have used pure maple syrup, but I have a bottle of super find maple sugar that I have is India Tree.  I am excited to find another use for it!

Grilled Asparagus with Bacon and Mustard Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 40-48 thin asparagus spears
• 4 pieces thick cut applewood smoked bacon (Wright's®)
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, plus a bit more
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon McCormack® Peppercorn Medley

Directions:

Using kitchen shears, cut the bacon slices into quarter inch strips.  Cook on medium heat until golden brown, stirring frequently.  Place on paper towel and set aside.

Whilst the bacon is cooking (in between stirring to ensure the bacon is cooked evenly), smash and then finely mince the garlic clove and set aside.  Finely mince enough fresh thyme leaves to make up a teaspoon and set aside.

Snap off the ends of the thin asparagus spears.  Lay on a plate/platter and drizzle with olive oil.  Toss to evenly coat.  If using propane, put on a cold grill and turn it on to high.

In a glass measuring cup or bottle (I used a Starbuck's frappuccino bottle), put in the vinegar, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, and thyme.  Stir until thoroughly combined.

Walk back out to the grill and turn the asparagus over.

Go back inside and add the olive oil to the measuring cup and stir until emulsified.  If using the bottle, put on the lid and shake vigorously.

Walk back out to the grill and the asparagus should be done.

Serve the asparagus with a bit of crumbled bacon and drizzle with the mustard vinaigrette.


Myrtle's Note:  For the most part, I simply sauté asparagus in olive oil and Kulp Spice Shoppe organic garlic seasoning salt.  But I've been wanting to try something new.  I thought pairing asparagus with a mustard vinaigrette and bacon might be tasty.  It most assuredly was!


Yield:  4 servings

Vinaigrette adapted from:  http://www.reluctantgourmet.com/basic-mustard-vinaigrette-recipe/