"Louisiana Style Chicken Wings" *

Found a recipe for Louisiana Style Wings and modified it a bit by smoking the wings with Northwest apple wood just enough to create what should become the great Northwest Classic Louisiana Style Wings.   We wanted the meal to focus on the wings, so we use the bean pods, carrots and celery in their freshest, and crunchiest state so they, along the wings could be dipped in the Ranch Dressing.  A salad to round out the meal and served with Southern Style Sweet Tea. These babies were succulent, sweet and hot enough to leave a memory in your mouth for quite a while after they were gone.

Ingredients:

2 lbs large chicken wings
Spicy Italian Salad Dressing
Favorite chicken rub (Montreal Chicken Seasoning), or other
1/2 stick butter
1/2 C Louisiana style hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot Louisiana Sauce)
1/4 C Honey
2 C Blue Cheese
1 Garlic Clove

Preparation:

1.  With a sharp knife, cut the wings into three pieces through the joints.  Discard the wing tips, or save for chicken stock.  Spread something the rub will adhere to over the wings. I use Spicy Italian Salad dressing.  Add your favorite rub.  We have been using a no-salt rub found at Costco and it's great.

2.  Make the spicy honey-garlic sauce:  Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.  Add the garlic, and saute for 2 to 3 minutes until it softens (do not let it color).  Stir in the hot sauce and honey and cook for several minutes to blend the flavors  Keep warm.

3.  When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open until the fire is established (4 to 5 minutes).  Place the wings on the grill and smoke for 20 - 30 minutes.

4. Remove the wings, cover, and reset the temp to 375 degrees.

5. Replace the wings on the grill. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 175 - 180 degrees.  The chicken is safe at 165/170, but the higher temps produce a more pleasant consistency to the meat, or until the chicken is no longer pink at the bone.  Place the wings in a large bowl, pour the sauce over them then blend until the wings are covered with the sauce.

5.  Serve with the blue cheese or ranch dressing.

* Recipe adapted from www.traegergrills.com/recipes.

"Jerk-Pineapple Chicken"

Veggies and Chicken breasts, medium heat, on the grille.

Not many things go as well with warm summer days than firing up the grille and tossing on something that will hit the taste buds smack on.

Such was this recipe we found in the Food Network's magazine.  

The recipe called for 4 small chicken breasts, but we used two larger sized pieces.

Mix up 4 sliced scallions, 

2 sliced bell peppers (we had only one, so one was what we used), and 1 sliced pineapple, with a tblsp of vegetable oil, and about a half a teaspoon of fresh Jamaican Jerk rub. 

Toss the chicken into the mixture to get it juiced up, then put the chicken breasts on the grille.

The recipe says to grille for 15 to 18 mins, but I left them on until they reached 165 degrees, turning a couple of times. 

Half way through the grilling, put the veggies on the grille.  

We added some roasted carrots, chunked and baked potatoes, and an ear of fresh corn to the our plates.  Then poured a glass, or two, of some Gevertztramiener wine to balance out the heat of the jerk rub.  

"The New and Improved Smoked Turkey, Gravy, and Dressing"

Do not baste the bird, it softens the skin.  Do not tie off the legs/wings.  Doing so closes off certain area to the heat and yields uneven cooking.  Rub every crook and cranny. 

The Smoker:  Clean, and use any flavor of wood pellets, except hickory and mesquite.  They are too heavy and will over power your bird's taste.  In 2013 I used NW apple wood pellets.  When ready, open the lid and start on lowest setting for 5 - 7 minutes.  After it has started, put the bird in for an hour to an hour and a half for the smoke, then ramp up the temp to 325 degrees. Remove when the deep meat reaches 165 degrees.   

Brine:  Purchase packet in the grocery store when you pick-up your bird.  Follow the directions.  The packet even comes with a large sealable plastic bag.  How long should the bird be brined?  One hour for each pound of bird, breast down.  Then let it sit quietly in the fridge for 24 hours prior to the cook.

Gravy:  Prepare the gravy one hour prior to putting the bird on the smoker.  

Ingredients for Gravy - 

• 3-4 cups water, or chicken stock, or wine, any combination thereof
• 1 cup apple juice
• 2 - 3 cups yellow onions, ends removed, skin on, quartered
• 2 medium carrots peeled 2" lengths, or baby carrots
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 tbl dried sage leaves, crumbled
• 1 tbl dried thyme
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 2-3 tbl olive oil
• No Salt
• the Pope's nose (tail)
• heart, gizzard, excess skin and fat, neck and juices

Procedure -

Put sliced yellow onions, chopped celery and carrots, and herbs, along with 4 or 5 tbls of olive oil in roasting pan, heat in oven at 425 degrees for one hour, or until the onions turn a nice golden brown.  

Once done, pour into a bowl and spoon off the grease on top, then put into the blender and puree to a gravy consistency.  At that point, as my friend "Joe from Oly," says, "Toss in some salt and pepper to taste, then start praising God that he put Joe on earth to be your friend."

Bring the gravy to a boil to reduce and thicken, if needed.  It is rich enough that you can add more stock, or broth, to make more.

Place the bird, breast up, on a roasting rack set it in the roasting pan with the onions, carrots, etc., at 325 degrees. Add 3 or 4 cups of chicken broth (not organic!), apple juice, and optionally, chopped innards from the bird, and put it in the oven/smoker. Replenish liquid with chicken broth as needed throughout the cooking process.

Wet Rub (Simon & Garfunkel):

Ingredients:

• 1 tbl dried crused parsley
• 2 tbls dried crushed sage
• 1 tbl dried crushed rosemary
• 1 tbl dried crushed thyme
• 1 tbl dried crushed oregano
• 1 tbl dried crushed basil
• 1 tbl dried crushed bay leaf
• 1 tbl ground black pepper
• 1 tbl sugar
• 10 tbl vegetabl or olive oil
• 2 1/2 tbl table salt

Procedure: 

Mix dry ingredients first, add the oil, mix.  Separate the skin from the muscle on the bird and slide the rub in between.  Save some for the exterior of the skin. 

Bird Aromatics:

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, quartered, skin on
• 3 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 2 large springs fresh sage, or thyme
• peel of one orange
• orange chunks

Procedure: 

Place ingredients in body cavity, but use care not to plug the airways in the cavity. 

"Butternut Squash with Browned Butter and Thyme"

In the never-ending quest for "something new and different" on our dinner plates, I found this one at Simply Recipes and gave it a try.  The lady I live with has a very conservative, and midwest I might add, pallette, so I figured she would only give it a cursory try.  She liked it.

photo taken with my android phone

 

"Kentucky Pecan Pie"

 

Who doesn't like pecan pie during the holidays?  When I was a little guy, we had a friend, Mrs. Creewal (sp), who loved making pies and since she and her husband were good friends of my mom and dad, she made pies for us.  Back then, my dad and I loved her chocolate pie; but just as good - was the pecan.

My wife has a couple of pecan pie recipes, so we took some ideas from them, especially the "Kentucky Pecan Pie" recipe, and brought a few in from the web, and here is our new recipe.

Hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Ingredients:

1.5 C White Corn Syrup
1.5 C Dark Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tube Melted Butter
1 tsp Vanilla
5 eggs, slighty beaten
1 1/4 C chopped pecans
1 Pillsbury Pie Crust

Procedure:

Combine syrup, sugar, salt, butter and vanilla
Mix well
Add eggs, continue mixing.
Pour into 9" unbaked pie shell.
Position whole pecans in a pattern over the top.
Bake at 375degrees for 20 mins.
Place foil around pan to protect dough edges
Continue baking for another 20 - 25 mins.

Let cool and serve.

"Pan-Fried Cajun Catfish and Tartar Sauce"

We found the recipe in the Food Section of our local newspaper and decided since it looked quick, easy, and tasty to give it a try.  To the fish and tartar we added a glop of coleslaw and a glass, or two, of some chardonnay and had a spendid time at dinner.

Makes 4 servings.  Prep time: 10 minutes.  Cooking time: less than 20 mins.

Ingredients:

4    6 ounce catfish fillets, or something close (we used two 8oz fillets)

2     tsps Cajun seasoning

1/8  tsp coarse salt

1/2  cup low-fat mayonnaise, or Miracle Whip

1     tbs sweet pickle relish

1     tbs minced onion

1     tbs rinsed capers

1     tsp hot pepper sauce

1/4  tsp dried oregano

Instructions:

Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium high.  Sprinkle fish evenly with Cajun seasoning and salt.  Add 2, or 3, fillets to pan; cook 4 minutes per side or until opaque throughout. Remove from skillet; keep warm.  If you have more fillets, wipe the skillet clean with paper towels; repeat procedures.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, relish, onion, capers (we didn't have capers - and we're not sure, but we don't think we missed them), pepper sauce and oregano;  mix well.  Serve with fish.

Per serving: 219 calories, 28 grams protein, 7 grams fat (29 percent of cals from fat), 1.2 grams saturated fat, 10 grams carbohydrate, 22 milligrams cholesterol, 511 milligrams sodium, no fiber.