ABK's Dry Rub for Steak and Ribs

Want to give Dad something he'll love for Father's Day?  Follow this plan...

1. Buy some good quality steaks. I love the steaks at Snake River Farms, trust me, Dad will LOVE anything from SRF. The steaks I used for this post are Cowboy Steaks, aka Bone In Rib Eye Steak. They are about 2 1/2 inches thick and are bone-in, weighing in at about 2-2.5 lbs each.

These babies are THICK. About 2 1/2 to 3 inches each. 

2. Mix up the dry rub in about 2 minutes. Double the recipe if you want to package up some of the extra dry rub mix in a cute little container to give to Dad. Buy a BBQ spatula, tie a ribbon around it, along with the homemade dry rub mix.

3. Invite Dad over for a bbq, give him the dry rub mix and spatula. Cook up the steaks and prepare to be Dad's new favorite child.

ABK's Dry Steak Rub
A Bountiful Kitchen

Double if giving away as a gift!

2 tablespoons paprika (regular or smoked)
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
3-4 tablespoons Sea Salt
2 tablespoons Lemon Pepper
1 tablespoon thyme (optional)
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar, if using as a rub for ribs
For best results, apply rub 24 hours before serving meat.

Mix all ingredients in a medium size bowl.
Apply seasonings to meat by sprinkling generously on to surface of meat, massage into meat, turn and repeat on opposite side. Cover meat or place in a Ziplock bag and let the dry rub sit on the meat overnight in the fridge. About 2 hours before cooking, remove meat from refrigerator. Place meat on a plate, and let sit on counter until ready to cook.

Tips:
-It is best to apply the dry rub for at least 24 hours before cooking the meat, or at least 2 hours before.
-You may also use garlic salt and onion salt, in place of powders, if doing so, omit the sea salt.
-Target often sells cute glass containers perfect for bottling spices in their $1 section right in the front of the store.

Instructions for cooking Cowboy Steak:

You will need the rub ingredients above and 1-2 lb  steak to feed approx 2-3 people (depending on amounts of side dishes and how hungry you all are!)
Butter, about 1 tablespoon

Turn grill to medium high. Cook the steak for about 4 minutes on each side. Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook meat for about 15 minutes, turning every 4-5 minutes. The temperature of the grill should be about 400 degrees.
After about 12-15 minutes, insert meat thermometer in center of steak it should register 115-125 for medium rare. Remove from grill. Quickly spread the butter (about 1 tablespoon) on top of the steak.  Let sit on a serving plate for a full 15 minutes, covered loosely in foil before cutting. The steak will continue cooking after being removed from heat.
The steak may also be cooked in an oven (use temperature guidelines in recipe). Sear the meat on both sides on stove with a little olive oil in a pan before placing in oven.

Tweet

Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Skewers

Have you planned your Superbowl menu yet?
I thought it would be fun to create another recipe in honor of the Seahawks going to the big game. Again.
Last year, I posted an original recipe for Seahawk Sliders, a grilled salmon slider, complete with Sriracha mayo and my history with the Seahawks :) .  It was the hit of our party! We loved the Sriracha sauce so much, I decided to incorporate it into this dish as well.
This year, I'm sharing a recipe for a super simple chicken skewer. They are best when marinated for 24 hours, and then grilled on the bbq or on the stove. It takes less than 5 minutes to cook, then drizzle with some extra sauce, garnish and serve.
So simple and so very tasty. I'm predicting this will be our favorite appetizer at this year's Superbowl party.
You know what I'm going to say now.
Say it.  For all of my Seattle family and friend fans.
Seeeeeeaaaaa Haaaaaaaaawwwwwks! 
thanks.

Sweet and Spicy Asian Chicken Skewers
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

about 2-2 1/2 lbs chicken, boneless, skinless*

marinade ingredients:
1 cup Cola, not sugar free
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Aji- Mirin (Sweet Rice Vinegar)
1 cup prepared Teriyaki Sauce, I used Yoshida's or Very Teriyaki
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons Sriracha Sauce (more if you like it hotter)
3-4 tablespoons honey

wood skewers about 12-24
for garnish:
Sesame seeds, toasted
chopped green onions, about 2-3

6-24 hours before serving:
Mix all marinade ingredients together in a bowl with whisk. Remove 1 cup of sauce from bowl, set aside in a small bowl, cover and refrigerate.
Slice the chicken into one inch wide strips. If the breast meat is thick, you may slice the breast in half, then slice again the opposite way in long thin strips. The strips should be about 1" wide by 4-6 inches long, and about 1/2 inch thick.
Place the remaining sauce (that has not been saved for serving) in a Ziplock bag or a shallow pan with the chicken. Seal and refrigerate at least 6 hours, and up to 24 hours. Move the chicken around a couple of times during marinating to insure all pieces are covered with sauce.
When ready to cook, discard sauce that was used to marinate chicken.
Thread the chicken onto the wood skewers and place on a baking sheet or a 9x13 pan.
Place the remaining reserved sauce in a small saucepan and heat for about 5 minutes over medium heat or until reduced and thickened a bit. Turn off heat.
Chop the green onion for garnish.
Heat a griddle or barbecue and grease lightly.
Cook the chicken for about 2 minutes on each side at about 400 degrees, or until cooked through. Do not overcook, or the meat will dry out very quickly.
Place the cooked meat onto a tray. Drizzle with reduced sauce, sprinkle with sesame seeds and garnish with chopped green onions.
Serve immediately, or keep warm by covering with foil. Or refrigerate and serve cold. Do not garnish until ready to serve.


Tips:
-* I used boneless chicken breasts, boneless thigh pieces are also delicious.
-Before heating the sauce to drizzle on top of the chicken, I add about 1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar for color and flavor. I like the way it adds a little more intense flavor to the sauce.
-If you would like to make this dish ahead, it's easy to do so!
Marinate the chicken. Follow directions for cooking. When the chicken is cooked, carefully place the skewers in a 9x13 pan and refrigerate.
When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator, let sit on counter for about 30 minutes. If serving warm, heat oven to 375 degrees. Heat uncovered on a cookie sheet in a single layer for about 3-5 minutes. Remove, and drizzle with sauce, garnish with sesame seeds and green onions and serve.

Tweet

Tacos Al Pastor with Guacamole Taquero

Don't you love it when you get the scoop on an  off the beaten path not in the guide book  type of restaurant?  Last year, my friend Janis (who lived in Mexico for three years)  told me about her favorite go-to, casual Mexican restaurant.
Chunga's in SLC.





















WHAT?
Could it be the same place my teenage son had told me about a couple of years earlier? Saying they had "the best food, EVER!"  Any restaurant that makes burritos the size of your head is a winner in Jake's book. My tendency is to not believe Jake when he gives his stamp of approval on any restaurant, since McDonald's often falls into that category.

I was skeptical, but Janis seemed to be a person with good taste, so I decided to go against my initial impression and give it a try.
Oh.
My.
Here's my Insta of that day.
Loved it.

The Tacos Al Pastor were my favorite. I remembered my son Stephen talking about Tacos Al Pastor being one of his favorite meals when he lived in Puebla, Mexico.  I'm a sucker for anything savory and sweet, so this dish is right up my alley. It's the only thing I order at Chunga's and one of my favorite go-to places now.

You're going to love this make at home version. I found the recipe on Epicurious.com and made a few changes to make the process a bit more simple. We love the combination of flavors in this recipe. Perfect summer dish, no need to heat up the oven, just fire up the grill.
Speaking of summer, it's almost halfway over!
Yikes.






































Tacos Al Pastor with Guacamole Taquero (Taco Shop Guac)
Adapted from Epicurious
print recipe

1 large white onion
1  fresh ripe pineapple

marinade and meat:
1/2 cup orange juice, fresh squeezed is best
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup guajillo chile powder (or any type of chili powder will work)
3 garlic cloves, halved
2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 large or 2 small chipotle chiles
2 1/2-to 3-pound boneless pork loin, cut into 1/2-inch slices

Corn tortillas

toppings:
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup chopped cabbage, optional
remaining chopped onion
Guacamole Taquero  (Taco shop guac- optional) for topping tacos
lime wedges

Early in the morning, or preferably the day before serving:
Coarsely chop 1 onion, divide into two even portions.
Place pineapple on cutting board. Slice the top off and discard. Slice about 1/2 inch off bottom of pineapple as well. Cut off the remaining peel or skin and discard, making sure to remove all bits of outer covering of pineapple. Slice in half, long way. Slice into half again. You should have four, long wedges of pineapple. Remove the core by slicing each wedge length wise down the middle. Remove all of the hard core and discard. Place one of the four wedges on cutting board and chop coarsely. Set other four wedges aside.
Place chopped onion and chopped pineapple in blender. Add orange juice and next 7 ingredients; puree marinade until smooth. Place pork in large resealable plastic bag. Add marinade and seal bag, releasing excess air. Turn to coat. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
The following day, or later in the day:
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat).
Grill remaining  wedges of pineapple until warm and slightly charred,  6-8 minutes per side. Remove from heat, set aside.
Grill pork with some marinade still clinging until slightly charred and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Do not over cook.
Transfer pineapple and pork to work surface; chop pineapple into 1/2-inch cubes. Chop pork. Set aside.
Chop remaining onion half and place in medium bowl. Add cilantro; toss to combine. Grill tortillas until warm and slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.
Serve pork-pineapple mixture with onion-cilantro relish, cabbage (if desired)  Guacamole Taquero, and lime wedges.

Tips:
-How to make your own guajillo chile powder: finely grind about 6 large dried seeded guajillo chiles in a spice mill to yield about 1/4 cup powder.
-You may serve this dish with a variety of toppings and or salsas. I love grated cabbage on tacos, even when they aren't fish tacos. Sliced cucumbers are a perfect addition, and always served at Chunga's.
-All of the prep- marinating the meat, grilling the pineapple, chopping the onions and cilantro and preparing any sauces served with the tacos may be done ahead. On the day of serving, simply cook the meat and chop. Grill the tortillas and serve.
-Pork loin is easily overcooked. I tried two methods, grilling and cooking in the oven. I preferred the taste of cooking over the grill. A Pork Butt will also work. Since about 1/2 of the butt meat is lost in fat removal, use a 5 lb Boston or Pork Butt. Marinate overnight. Cook on low for about 6 hours, remove fat and serve. Or, cook in 275 oven for about 6 hours. Shred and remove fat.

Tweet

Best BBQ Chicken Thighs with Honey-Orange BBQ Sauce

Chicken topped with Honey-Orange and Fresh Grated Ginger BBQ Sauce

How do you feel about chicken thighs? Before you make a face, or tell me they're too high in calories, or you only eat all-white chicken meat, hear me out. It's Father's Day on Sunday, and I have a feeling Dad wants you to keep reading...

Here are my "Top five reasons why you should barbecue thigh-meat for Dad on Sunday" :

1. All of the cool kids are eating thighs. Not really, but they are regularly found on menus at upscale restaurants.  Wait. What did Dad tell you about the cool kids? 
Disregard this reason. Go on to reason #2...

2. It's about 10 times more delicious and flavorful than a piece of white breast meat. 
I am not lying.  Don't look at me that way. Do I sound like your dad? 

3. Thighs are more difficult to over-cook than white meat. Always moist and delicious. I have never overcooked a piece of thigh meat. Not. one. time. It may be impossible to overcook thigh meat. Ask Dad about this. Most dads have a PHD (or equivalent) in grilling. 

4. A thigh costs about 1/2 the price of white chicken meat. I paid about $4 for 8 thighs.  
Dad loves it when you save $$$!!!  He'll be so proud. 

5. And finally, reason #5 why you should cook thighs for Dad on his special day...He'll love it. 

Best BBQ Chicken Thighs with Honey-Orange BBQ Sauce
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

Sauce:
4 tablespoons  OJ concentrate (from a frozen can, thawed)
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce ( I prefer Very Teriyaki brand)

8 thighs, bone in, skin removed
salt and pepper

Whisk all sauce ingredients together in small bowl.  Remove about 1/2 cup of sauce and set aside.
Place thighs in a dish and salt and pepper generously on both sides. Spoon the 1/2 cup of reserved sauce over the chicken to coat well. The chicken may be stored in refrigerator up to two days before cooking in sauce.
When ready to cook, remove chicken from refrigerator, and place on counter for about 1/2 hour.
Coat grill with a light layer of oil or  cooking spray. Heat grill to medium high heat. Place chicken on grill and cook for about 8-10 minutes per side. You may baste the chicken with the remaining sauce (that has been set aside and not used on the chicken) or drizzle the sauce over the chicken after it is cooked, or serve it on the side.
About 4 servings.

Tweet

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing

Memorial Day weekend kicks off the start to Summer. Summer. Summer.
It's been a long Spring here in Utah. One of those keep 4 blankets,boots,hat,gloves,scarf and portable heater at all times in your car for the baseball game seasons. So glad it is finally warming up.
Summer means salads. I've been looking for an excuse to try out this recipe I Pinned a while back.
Verdict? Loved it. My new favorite.
I think there is a similar salad at CPK? This salad comes from the blog Erin's Food Files. She adapted the recipe from Mel at Mel's Kitchen Cafe, but added her own twist, by throwing in some roasted sweet potatoes and succotash (a dish consisting of corn and any type of beans cooked together).
Hello Summer. So glad you're almost here.

BBQ Chicken Salad with Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing
Adapted from Erins Food Files and Mel's Kitchen

print recipe

Chicken* early in the day, or day before prepare chicken in marinade:
4 chicken breast halves, any fat trimmed off
3/4 cup of barbecue sauce to marinate chicken

Salad:
1 large head romaine

12 cups lettuce Spring Mix or Spinach (about 1/2 of a Costco box of Spring Mix)
2 sweet potatoes, baked or grilled on bbq  just until soft

olive oil for brushing on sweet potatoes

Succotash:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
juice of 2 limes
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
2-15 oz cans black beans, drained & rinsed ( I like S&W brand regular or organic)
3 cups corn, frozen
1 teaspoon each sea salt & pepper

Dressing:
1 1/3 cup mayonnaise, light or regular, I used light Best Foods
2/3 cup buttermilk, sour cream, or nonfat greek yogurt, I used light sour cream
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
4 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
few generous dashes fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (you may use either home made or bottled) and additional for drizzling on salad
2-3 tablespoons milk, if needed for thinning dressing

The day before serving salad or early in the day:

Chicken:
Marinate chicken in BBQ sauce at least 6 hours. I like to use a large Ziplock bag. After marinating, preheat grill, and cook chicken until done.  Barbecue the chicken on low heat for about 8-9 minutes per side, depending on thickness of meat. Remove from heat, check for doneness. If cooked through, let rest for about 5-10 minutes. Slice after cooled.

Succotash:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Add beans & corn, season with salt & pepper. Store in refrigerator until ready to use.

Dressing:
Combine all the ingredients together and whisk (or shake, if using a jar) vigorously to combine. I used a blender and pulsed the ingredients.

Assembly:

Place lettuce on platter or large bowl. Layer on top of lettuce with black bean & corn succotash, sweet potatoes, and chicken. Drizzle with additional BBQ sauce, followed by the Creamy BBQ Cilantro Lime Dressing.

Tips:
-Great dish for make-ahead. I made the entire salad the night before and bagged all of the ingredients separately. Then in the afternoon, took to a luncheon and assembled it in just a few minutes.
-You may use any combo of ingredients for the succotash. It would be delicious with red or yellow peppers, chopped onion (red, yellow or white) or tomatoes. I added  small grape tomatoes and loved the color and flavor.
-This serves about 20 as a side dish, and is easily halved.
-I like to make my own bbq sauce (recipe found here), but didn't have any on hand, so I used 'Sweet Baby Rays" bottled sauce in this dressing, and for the marinade.
-For the sweet potatoes, I wrapped the potatoes in foil and grilled them on my bbq (350 degrees) for about an hour. After they were softened, I cut them into about 3/4 inch slices, brushed both sides with olive oil and grilled them just until they were cooked a bit more and had grill marks on the outside of the potatoes.
You can eliminate the step of wrapping in foil and baking the potatoes. Simply place the peeled, sliced potato onto a greased baking sheet and bake or broil until softened. Or grill pieces on the bbq grill.
After the potatoes are cooked, gently chop.
-If you are a cheese lover, grate some cheese on top - Monterrey Jack would work well. I don't think this salad needs cheese, there are lots of flavors in the salad, and with the creamy dressing, I think cheese is a little overkill. Just my two cents :)

Tweet

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde

To celebrate Cinco De Mayo and Stephen's 15 month mark on his mission (read about it here), I made these simple and absolutely delicious grilled Chipotle Shrimp Tacos last week. 

If you love shrimp and a little spice, you are absolutely going to fall in love with this dish. 

                 He looks like a native, right? 

Nobody believes he is Caucasian and a quarter Japanese.

Chipotle Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa Verde

adapted from Food Network Test Kitchen

print recipe

Avocado Salsa:
1 small onion, quartered, or 1/2 sweet onion, 1/2 red onion
1 garlic clove, minced
4 medium tomatillos, (about 8 ounces) husked, rinsed
1 Hass avocado

1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoons kosher salt
juice from one lime or about 2-3 tablespoons lime juice

Shrimp:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chipotle or blended chili powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound medium shrimp (about 20), peeled and deveined
12 small yellow or white corn tortillas
2 limes, cut into wedges

Chop all of the salsa ingredients, season with salt.  Juice the lime and pour the juice onto the chopped vegetables, set aside.

Heat a stove top or outdoor grill to medium-high. Mix the olive oil, chipotle or chili powder, and salt in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Grill the shrimp until translucent, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes on each side. Do not over cook, or the shrimp will become tough.

Grill tortillas, until slightly charred and pliable, about 20 seconds per side. (Alternatively, wrap in a damp paper towel and heat in a microwave.) Top  each tortilla with about 3 shrimp and some avocado salsa. Serve with a lime wedge on the side.

Tips:

-If you don't have the time, or don't have a bbq grill, you may saute the shrimp over medium high heat in a frying pan. Lightly grease the pan or use a non stick pan. 

Tweet

Grilled Teriyaki Elk Kabobs

Disclaimer: If you are offended by hunters, stories about hunting, pics of hunted animals, etc. ,  you may want to pass on reading this post...

Carpet Shoes. Camo. Face Paint. August 20th. The opening weekend of the deer bow hunt in Utah.
A joyous time for the Foster fam.  Well, at least for the males in the fam.  First the deer hunt, and then in a few weeks, the elk hunt.
The hunt is on. Today, I ran down to my basement and opened the freezer, I let out a yelp when I saw this:

My nephew, Nick "harvested" a buck on Saturday, the opening day of the hunt.
Oh happy day.
In honor of Nick, slaying  harvesting (huter talk) a deer, I prepared these tasty kabobs for Sunday dinner. No, I didn't use Nicks venison, just some elk steaks we had in the freezer. Now you know I'm not a fan of wild game, but after marinating these in my special sauce, and Grant working his magic on the BBQ, we ended up with some really delish kabobs on the table.
Happy Huntin' !
love,
The Clampetts.

Nick's deer on the opener. 

Update-Monday night, Jake got a deer as well. 

Want to read more about my hubs obsession with hunting? This post tells it all. 

Grilled Teriyaki Elk Kabobs 
A Bountiful Kitchen
print recipe

For assembly of kabobs:
12-14  10 inch wood skewers, soaked in cold water for at least 15 minutes

Marinade:

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup A-1 or Heinz 57 Steak Sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar, preferably dark brown

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 clove garlic, optional

salt and fresh ground pepper

For kabobs:
2 lbs red meat (elk, venison, beef) cut into 1 inch cubes
fresh veggies and fruit:
1 pineapple, chunked
4 peppers total- assorted colors (red, orange, yellow, green) seeded and cut into chunks
1 cup grape tomatoes
1 large sweet onion, chunked
8-10 fresh mushrooms, washed


Mix all marinade ingredients together in a bowl, or a large Ziplock bag.
Add the cut up meat to the marinade and let sit for at least 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
When ready to assemble, thread meat and vegetables onto skewers.
Grill on medium high heat for about 5-6 minutes per side, turning once.

Tips:

-We have found over the course of YEARS of cooking (and overcooking) wild game, the best way to prepare steaks is to sear or cook in a short amount of time over high heat. Marinating helps tremendously.  

Linked up to:

Tweet

Mother's Day Menu 2011 Part 1 and Winner!

 Barbecued chicken with Ina's Hoisin Sauce and Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Ina's Hoisin Barbecue Sauce

First- I was touched by all of the comments left about your Mother, being a mom, what you love about Mom, etc.  Hope you have a minute, maybe on Mom's day to get out the Kleenex and read some of the beautiful thoughts expressed.  So very sweet.  I also hope you cut and paste what your wrote and share it with your mom or kids. Thanks so much for sharing!
The winner of the Cavanaugh's Chocolate gift certificate, Ina's Cookbook "How Easy is That?" and the Stack'd  by SisterMade  napkins is:
Cassie S. said...
I love that my mom is a strong, independent, intelligent woman who taught me to never be afraid to speak my mind and respect myself. She is amazing!

Congratulations Cassie, hope you (or your mom) enjoy your fun gifts!  Email me at ABountifulkitchen@gmail.com to claim your gifts.

So yes, it's that time again. Time to make dinner for Mom. Today, the main course Barbecued Chicken with Ina's Special Sauce, and a side of Baked Sweet Potato Fries.  I always choose easy but yummy dishes for you to serve up to Mom on her big day (of rest, hopefully).  If you want to see past menu's/posts about Mother's Day, check out MD 2009 ( includes guilt trip in case you were thinking about NOT making dinner for Mom), and MD 2010.
Alrighty then. The chicken. Easy. If it's too cold to bbq, if you live in say, UTAH, you may have to bake the chicken, in the oven.  It's all good. Whatever works for you. It's the sauce that makes this really yummy. If I were you, I'd make the sauce between now and Saturday, then it will just be sitting in your fridge, done. One thing checked off your list. This is sounding easy, right? It is. Remember how many meals mom makes or made for you? This is the very least you can do for her. Trust me.
You'll be her new favorite.

Oh, for planning purposes, here's our menu and schedule for posting:
Barbecued Chicken with Ina's Special Barbecue Sauce-Wed. May 4
Baked Sweet Potato Fries-Wed. May 4 (later this morning, after I feed the chickens)
Fresh Corn Cakes with Peach Mustard Sauce- already posted click here
Salad de Maison-Fri May 6
Lemon Yogurt Cake with Fresh Berries-Fri May 6

Barbecued Chicken with Ina's Hoisin BBQ Sauce
adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook 
print recipe

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken ( assorted pieces) I used boneless, skinless, breasts
Salt and pepper

Pat chicken pieces dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Cook over low heat on barbecue grill about one hour total.  Baste with sauce about last 5-10 minutes of grilling.
If you are using boneless, skinless breast pieces, it will only take about 20-30 minutes cooking on low, or (in the oven) about 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees, depending on the thickness of your meat.

Ina's Hoisin Barbecue Sauce
adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

1 1/2 cups chopped onion (1 large)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup tomato paste
1 cup cider vinegar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup Hoisin Sauce (found in Asian section of grocery)
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes

In a large sauce pan on low heat, cook the onion and garlic in the oil until the onions are translucent, but not browned. Add the rest of the ingredients, and simmer on low uncovered for about 30 minutes.  Store any leftovers in refrigerator.

This makes a load of sauce, but will keep for weeks in the fridge.

Tweet

Mother's Day Menu 2010 -Part 5- Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken

Mom,

Thanks for:

Hot breakfast every morning. I begged for cold cereal, but you would only let us have it two mornings a week. Because you thought eggs, ham, potatoes and toast were healthier :) Remember the phase I went through in jr high when I wanted soup & sandwich for breakfast? Of course, you accommodated me. Weird kid.

All of those home made lunches, because I wouldn't eat school lunch.

All of the drill and cheer costumes/uniforms and all of the school clothes you hand made for me. The sequined hat you made when I was in baton with matching wrist cuffs (red white and blue, of course). The mint green and white striped poncho you crochet in the 4th grade ( still have it), with pom poms, and fringe on the ends that Dad helped cut, while I waited for the school bus. All of the Mother -daughter matching dresses. How did I miss out on the sewing gene?

Always welcoming my friends into our home.

An endless supply of brownies, cookies and your favorite, Hawaiian Punch for fam and friends.

You taught me about love for family. Family was always first for you and Dad. I look back on my childhood with fond memories. Now that my third child is about to graduate from high school, I'm starting to really understand how wonderful you were/are. I'm just beginning to "get" what you gave up for me. You moved thousands of miles away from your mom. You left all of your friends and family in Japan to be with your husband, and raise your kids in a country where you struggled to learn the language. You had to learn how to drive a car at 30. How to write checks, keep a house, take care of us, all without the support of your family. Sometimes, Dad was on a ship for months at a time. The pay of a Navy Chief was small, and somehow, you seemed to make it all work-without credit cards! About once a year you could call home and talk to your family. I remember those calls- lots of laughing and loud talking in Japanese; the call always ended with a few tears.

You never had anything negative to say, about friends, neighbors, Dad or your kids. You just loved us. All of us. My lasting memory of our days on Country Lane will be you- leaning out of the side door in your house coat saying "Play nice". That's been your life motto. Play nice. Treat others with love and kindness. I'm still learning. When I grow up - all the way, I hope to be like you.

Love you Mom.

If you are lucky enough to be with your mom this Mother's Day, treat her to this yummy and simple Sweet and Sticky chicken. She'll absolutely LOVE the ginger pomegranate sauce!

This completes our Mother's Day menu for 2010, check out these links for recipes:

Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken
Mixed Greens with Jicama and Orange
Parmesan Baked Potatoes
Grilled Veggies
Mama's Pound Cake with Berries and Lemon Cream

Sweet and Sticky Grilled Chicken

printable recipe

1 1/2 cups Pomegranate juice

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed dark-brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons finely grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
8 chicken breast halves, or equivalent amount of assorted chicken pieces
Coarse salt,pepper

olive oil to prevent sticking to grill

Bring juice, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat, and simmer until mixture has thickened to the consistency of honey, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool.
Using a sharp knife, make three diagonal slashes through the skin and flesh on both sides of each piece of chicken (this will help the flavors permeate the meat). You may also use skinless chicken.
Preheat grill to medium-low. (If you are using a charcoal grill, coals are ready when you can hold your hand 5 inches above grill for just 7 seconds.) Generously salt and pepper chicken and brush with olive oil. Place chicken on grill, cook for about 5 minutes. Turn chicken and begin basting side that was just grilled. Close cover, and grill 4 minutes. Flip chicken, and brush with additional sauce. Continue to cook, flipping and brushing with sauce every 4 to 5 minutes, until cooked through, about 20 minutes total.

Tweet