A Classic Chicken Kebab

I checked out a few cookbooks from the library looking for inspiration and landed on this recipe from the Cooks Illustrated Meat book.  It seemed too easy and yet perfect.  Pairing boneless, skinless chicken thighs with a spice blend, homemade barbecue sauce and a bacon paste to keep the meat moist. I was intrigued, bacon paste, how does one come up with this idea?   I will tell you;  I made this recipe twice, once to practice before my show and once when we shot the segment and it's perfection.  I didn't change a thing originally however I will add pineapple and red onion chunks to the kebabs next time I make this.  I would also serve with jasmine rice on the side.  In a pinch I would just cut the bacon in 1 in pieces and thread on the kebabs between the chicken pieces.  Also, I love chicken thighs in the recipe but they do require a lot of work to cut the fat off.  Try boneless breasts if you prefer....they are leaner and quicker and the bacon will keep them from drying out.  

As always, you can watch the 3 minute video or click to print the recipe, 
or watch and read the recipe! 

Follow along below or click here to print

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Tailgating Tidbits 

Barbecued Chicken Kebabs

Recipe courtesy of Cooks Illustrated Meat book, 

page 421

c/o Celeste Podojil 

Sauce:

1/2 cup Ketchup

1/4 cup Molasses 

2 Tablespoons Grated Onion (use box grater) 

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire 

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard 

2 Tablespoons Cider vinegar 

1 Tablespoon Packed Light Brown Sugar 

Chicken: 

2 Tablespoons Paprika 

4 teaspoons turbinado sugar 

2 teaspoons kosher salt 

2 teaspoons smoked paprika 

2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 pieces 

2 pounds boneless skinless thighs or breasts cut into 1 in cubes 

For the Sauce: 

Bring all ingredients to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat and cook, 

stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1 cup. This will take about 5-7 minutes. 

Transfer 1/2 cup sauce to small bowl and set remaining sauce aside for serving. 

 

For the Chicken: 

Combine paprika, sugar, salt and smoked paprika in large bowl.  Process bacon in food processor until smooth paste forms, 30-45 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Add bacon paste and chicken to spice mixture and mix with hands until chicken is completely coated.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  Thread chicken tightly onto four 12-inch metal skewers.  

Preheat charcoal or gas grill 10 minutes, oil grates 

Place kebabs on hottest part of grill and grill 2-3 minutes, turn and cook until browned and slightly charred.  Brush top surface of skewers with 1/4 cup sauce, flip and cook until sauce is sizzling and browning in spots, about 1 minute. Brush second side with remaining 1/4 of sauce, flip and continue to cook 1 minute until sizzling and browning.  

Remove from heat, transfer to platter, tent with foil and let rest 5 to 10 minutes.  Serve with reserved sauce. 

Nothing but a chicken wing

Growing up in South Florida there was a great wing place my good friend, Tara, and I used to frequent at least once a month.  I like to think we had pretty distinguished pallets at a young age because Chez Porkys was very sophisticated for a couple of high school kids!  We always split our wings and ordered them over rice with a side of curly fries (in high school, calories don't count), our favorite sauces were Asian, Lemon Garlic and Butter and the sweetest most delicious Raspberry wings I have ever tasted.   Living in Atlanta I miss Tara and I miss Chez Porkys...I also miss eating curly fries without thinking about how I shouldn't be eating curly fries, ugh.

This recipe pays tribute to my high school days....I give you grilled coconut curry wings with fresh cilantro!  They make great wings on game day!!!  You can also try boneless skinless breasts (dredge in flour first) sauté in a little olive oil and serve with the sauce over jasmine rice.

Yellow Curry Coconut Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

2 pounds of chicken wings 
    and/or drumettes 2 T olive oil

Pinch red pepper flakes

Zest and juice of one lime

Small Red Thai Chilies 
  (as many or few as you want)

2 T curry powder
1 can coconut milk

1 T soy sauce

1 T brown sugar

3 T chopped fresh cilantro

salt and pepper

Make marinade first

In a small sauce pan heat olive oil, red pepper flakes and curry powder over medium heat for 1-2 minutes (do not let burn). 

Add your whole chilis (just slice them open)

Add coconut milk and rest of the ingredients except cilantro

Bring to a simmer over med high heat, stirring constantly.

Taste sauce and adjust seasoning accordingly.

In last minute add cilantro

Take off heat and cool.

Store in a mason jar or air tight container.

Note….you will need to allow to come to room temperature if putting in fridge prior to making wings. 

Grill wings for about 15 minutes on each side, turn often.

Remove wings from grill and place in large storage container with a tight fitting lid. 

Pour yellow curry sauce over wings, cover, shake until coated.

Place on serving dish and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro.

Click Here to See Me Cook this Dish

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Burrata for Life...Seriously

I have yet to meet someone who doesn't love fresh mozzarella....now, imagine your favorite mozzeralla has a much prettier, sexier, funnier, all around better cousin and her name is Burrata.  I don't know where burrata has been all my life but I've fallen in love.  Burrata is fresh mozzarella stuffed with more mozzarella and cream.  It is like eating a cloud of cheese.  It is perfect and it is now my life.  Ok, back to the recipe.  If you can combine summer and Atlanta, GA into a dish, here it is.  Grilled peaches, grilled bread, a few tomatoes, a light vinaigrette, one large bowl for tossing, sweet burrata and local GA honey, yes please!!!!

As always, you can watch the 3 minute video (I forgot the olive oil in the vinaigrette b/c I was sidetracked by my love of burrata) or click to print the recipe, or watch and read the recipe!

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Tailgating Tidbits Grilled Peach Panzanella 

With Creamy Burrata

Recipe courtesy of Celeste

Ingredients:

3 peaches, sliced in half, pit removed 

½ loaf good bread:  sourdough, roasted garlic, etc. 

2 Balls of Burrata

1/2 small red onion, sliced thinly 

1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half  

Handful of basil leaves, torn or sliced 

Olive oil 

2 Tablespoons White Balsamic vinegar 

2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard 

2 Tablespoons honey

Salt

Pepper 

Herbs de Provence 

Directions: 

In a large bowl toss bread (cut in think slices) in about 

1/4 cup olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper 

Add to grill, indirect heat 

In same bowl, add peach halves and coat in a little more olive oil, 

salt and pepper (use less oil since still some in bowl)  

Add to grill, indirect heat 

In same bowl, add Dijon, white balsamic, 1 teaspoon each, salt, pepper 

and Herbs de Provence with about 1/4 cup olive oil. 

Wisk until combined (taste and adjust seasoning, vinegar, etc) 

  

 

                                                                                                 

Add tomatoes and red onions to bowl, toss to coat 

Remove peaches from grill once they are soft with grill marks

Cut into bite size pieces and add to bowl, toss to coat 

Remove grilled bread, cut into bit size pieces, add to bowl, toss, add basil, toss to coat

Place panzanella on serving place or large bowl

Add sliced burrata and drizzle with honey (about 2 Tablespoons) 

An Italian and a Greek walk into a Tailgate

I was flipping through a stack of recipes I had torn out of magazines from back when I used to read magazines and tear out recipes.  Greek chicken wings with loads of lemon and oregano, I immediately knew I had to try these and quickly.  Most of my inspiration comes from my terrible habit of procrastinating and the need to come up with 5 new recipes 2 days before we shoot my show.  These wings seemed too easy and yet they have so much flavor it was easy to dress them up a tiny bit and make them an original Tailgating Tidbits recipe.  They can be baked and served, grilled only or try both like I did, just don't forget the feta and olives!  The following recipe is very forgiving, no need to measure much of anything, just eyeball your marinade and the final Greek toppings.  You can never have too much flavor in a simple dish like this!  

Follow along below or  click here to print

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Greek Chicken Wings with Grilled Lemon 

Ingredients:

15-20 chicken wings, 

       legs or combination of both 

5 lemons  (zest from 2 lemons) 

1 cup olive oil   

2 Tablespoons dried oregano 

1 Tablespoon Sweet Hungarian Paprika 

1 Tablespoon Granulated Garlic 

      (similar to garlic powder)

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper 

1 Tablespoon kosher salt 

1/2 Tablespoon Cracked Black Pepper 

For serving: 

1 bunch scallions, green part only chopped 

1 small can sliced black olives, drained 

Handful flat leaf parsley, chopped 

1/2 – 1 cup feta cheese 

Instructions: 

If using chicken wings, remove wing tips 

Add chicken wings to a re-sealable bag or container with a lid 

Marinate wings overnight (or a few hours) in olive oil, zest of two lemons, 

juice of three lemons, and spices from above.  

Toss and coat wings in marinade.  Place in fridge until ready to cook 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees 

Place wings on foil lined baking sheet 

Bake wings for 45 minutes 

Throw cooked wings on the grill for 5-8 minutes for a nice char

Add two sliced lemons to the grill 

as well for 3-4 minutes 

Remove wings and pile on platter 

Add scallions, olives, parsley, 

feta and juice from grilled lemons 

Serve immediately 

Sweet Chex Mix

I started by teaching career back in the late 90's and meet my first teacher friend, Deb.  Deb taught both high school math and German and somehow managed to make the best birthday lunches for all of us in the math department. It was there she introduced this amazing, crunchy, sweet, addicting, delicious treat to the entire math department (it's radical...get it).  In the year 2K she also brought it to every bunco night, fast forward to playdates once we had kids and to this day in 2019 she has kept the recipe going strong.  The hardest part of this recipe is deciding how many batches you are going to make because let's be honest, you are not going to eat the leftover wheat chex with milk.
Go ahead and buy two pounds of butter, you will need it!

Unlike most of my recipes this one is pretty exact with measurements.  Click the link to watch me make the yummy treat on Tailgating Tidbits.  Recipe follows below and can also be printed for quick access!

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Sweet and Crunchy Chex Mix 

Ingredients: 

3/4 cup salted butter (not margarine) 

1 cup brown sugar (dark or light)

2 cups corn chex 

2 cups wheat chex (or Crispex) 

2 cups rice chex 

1 cup pecan halves 

(I break them in half) 

1 cup pretzel circles or any flat pretzel 

Preheat over to 350 degrees 

Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil 

over medium high heat, whisking or stirring constantly, 

and continue to boil for 2 additional minutes. 

In a large bowl combine the cereal, pecans and pretzels 

Pour butter and sugar mixture over mixture and stir until combined 

Pour onto a greased 9x13 cookie sheet (I used a silpat on a cookie sheet) 

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, stir and cook another 8 minutes 

Cool before serving  

Breaded Eggplant Sandwich with a Fancy Chocolate Balsamic Glaze

Eggplant is my favorite vegetable ever, I'm obsessed with all kinds of eggplant, especially the long, skinny, pretty, Chinese eggplant that tends to be less bitter than Italian eggplant.  However, here is the thing, I don't find eggplant bitter, I don't mind the seeds, I don't even feel the need to peel eggplant.  Maybe I'm a little lazy and that is why I don't mind all those things but I think they just bring out the eggplant flavor.

This sandwich is a perfect blend of soft and sweet and yet hearty enough for dinner.  The eggplant is tender with a touch of salt, topped with garlic goat cheese, spicy arugula and a chocolate balsamic glaze that gives the perfect finish.

I have included the recipe below (you can watch it or print it or both) notice I don't measure anything and you can swap out whatever you think.  You can make your own breadcrumbs (just toast any old  bread you have in oven until crispy and then process in a blender, food processor or vitamix.  Add spices like I have shown and store any extra in the fridge.)  You can also make your own glaze by slowly heating about 3 Tablespoons sugar with 1 cup balsamic over medium heat.  Stir often and don't let it burn.  Extra can be stored in the fridge as well.

You also have options!  Skip the bun and make an eggplant stack, change out the goat cheese for pepper jelly,  Add lemon to the arugula instead of olive oil.  Add honey to the goat cheese to sweeten the entire dish.  So many choices.....

This sandwich makes a great meatless option to your nightly routine and if you are tailgating, it is a great way to switch it up!!!

Click below to watch Tailgating Tidbits 

Featuring "Breaded Eggplant Sandwich"

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Tailgating Tidbits

Breaded Eggplant Sandwich with Chocolate Balsamic Glaze, 

Spicy Arugula And Herbed Goat Cheese

Recipe courtesy of Celeste

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, sliced in rounds (no need to peel)

1 cup flour

2 cups breadcrumbs (you can sub half with panko)

2 eggs

4 oz goat cheese

2 cups arugula

Chocolate Balsamic Glaze  (regular glaze will work here too)

Olive oil

Garlic Powder

Italian Seasoning

Dried Rosemary

Kosher Salt and pepper

Brioche buns, sliced and lightly toasted

You will need three bowls for this dish; a wide bowl is better

Add flour to bowl and set aside

Crack eggs in bowl, add 1 Tablespoon water with a pinch of salt and pepper

Season breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon each of garlic powder, Italian Seasoning, Dried Rosemary, kosher salt and give a few cracks of black pepper

Mix Goat cheese with 1 teaspoon garlic powder and ½ teaspoon black pepper

Mix arugula with 2 Tablespoons olive oil

Over medium high heat, add olive oil to large skillet until the bottom is just covered

To bread eggplant:

Take each slice and dip both sides in flour, then egg wash, then your seasoned breadcrumbs .  I usually pat my breadcrumbs on the eggplant gently. 

Add to hot oil, they are done after a few minutes on each side.  

The eggplant should have a golden brown crust and will be soft inside. 

As soon as you remove from the oil, drain on paper towels and season immediately on with a pinch of kosher salt.

To assemble:

Spread a nice amount on each toasted brioche bun bottom

Top with our lightly dressed arugula

Add your hot eggplant

Drizzle with your balsamic glaze

Serve immediately