The Simplest of Simple Barbecue Method

James and I LOVE barbecue. Unfortunately our barbecuer rusted into a twisted heap of metal. ( we considered a funeral for it) and we never got around to buying a new one. And one does want barbecue at all times of the year, not just summer. I started experimenting with oven methods.

Then I decided , while I was at it, I'd try to figure out a healthier way of making tasty barbecue. Because really your typical barbecued whatever has a huge amount of fat aka grease, which turns the arteries of old farts like us, into sludge.

I am still experimenting with making my own sauce, but my results in that area aren't encouraging in that area yet. I finally went back to a cheapy store bought sauce.

Okay so this is how it goes:

Easy Barbecue Pork Chops

Set your oven at 350 degrees

You need:

1 pkg chicken or pork chops
rectangular cake pan or bottom of a broiler
water
garlic powder
onion powder
various spices you like ( I put Mrs Dash)

Place meat in pan. ( you might one to consider a layer on tinfoil to ease later clean up)
Pour about 1/2 cup of water around the meat but NOT on it
Pop meat, uncovered into 350 degree oven.
Let meat roast for at least 20 minutes.
Check to make sure the water hasn't all evaporated. If it has , add a bit more
Flip each piece.
Now sprinkle your spices onto the meat ( the reason you don't add them right away is that salt and some other spices can actually make your meat tough if you put it on the meat when its raw/cold)
Put your pan of meat back in the oven, still uncovered for another 20 minutes.
Check meat again. Flip it over, sprinkle more spices. Add a bit of water if the water has all dried up. (But don't overdo the water, you want baked chopped, not boiled chops) After this, no more adding of water, unless the bottom of the pan seems to be burning.

If your meat is done , now is the time to brush on a liberal layer of barbecue sauce.
Put meat back in oven .
Yes let it cook for another 20 minutes.
Take pan of meat out, flip each piece and put a liberal layer of barbecue sauce, return to oven.
Bake for ( you guessed it) 20 minutes.

At this point your meat should be tender and tasty. I usually add a bit more bbq sauce to the top and broil for a few minutes. If you choose to do this , stay in the kitchen and WATCH the meat. Do not wander off to watch tv for a minute or go potty. You'd hate to have your hard work ruined by grilling it into black smoldering heap of coal. ( trust me I have much experience on this)


Options:

You can cook barbecued chicken or ribs this way too. I always have precooked my chicken before tossing on the outside barby because I do HATE biting into a piece of chicken and tasting blood ( ew!) and I have a fear of food poisoning.


Any input, ideas and tips would be appreciated!!

Roasting a Chicken

Oven temp: 350 F

roasting time: 1 1/2 hours ( min)

My Basic Favorite Method for Roasting a Chicken:

(tip I do NOT buy chickens unless they are on sale, a whole hen can cost $11 or $12 here!!! So if the chicken is between $6 or $7 per chicken I'll buy a couple. If they're less than that, I stock up! lol Now another IMPORTANT tip: NEVER buy STEWING HEN. If you see chicken for super cheap, or three to a bag, make sure that nowhere on the package does it say " STEWING HEN"! "Stewing Hen" is code for " This chicken is very very old and very tough and very stringy and you might get great soup out of it if you boil the heck out of the thing for 12 hours, but don't expect to be able to chew the meat"

Here's what you need to roast a chicken:

1. 1 roasting hen
2.  about half a cup of marg
3.  1 or 2 cups of water
4.  some good sprinkles of salt and pepper
5. dressing
6. optional: peeled potatoes, cut into quarters
     peeled and quartered carrots, peeled turnips,
     cut into large chunks

If you plan on making dressing , you need to make that first. I usually turn my oven to 350 before I start making the dressing. I always make my chicken stuffing with a whole grain bread and I make my turkey with white bread. They just seem to work better that way for our preferences.

The Dressing: ( make this BEFORE) you put chicken in oven . ( yeah I know you probably know this , but I have been ditsy on a few occasions and popped the bird in, then realized belatedly that I had to attempt putting stuffing into a hot bird)

1 loaf of any FRESH whole grain bread, (regular whole wheat will do , but the
dressing as tasty)
1 small chopped onion
1  margarine ( melted in microwave or pot - don't burn it!)
salt and pepper

Tear about 2/3 loaf of bread into small pieces about the size of toonie. Add chopped onions. Pour in melted margarine. Stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Now comes the fun part - stuffing said chicken.

Place chicken into your roaster pan breast side up. If there is an annoying piece of elastic holding the bird
together, remove it with scissors and toss. Then just open the big end of the chicken , grab small handfuls of dressing and stuff it in . Squish in as much as you can get into it. I don't tie it shut or any of those fancy methods. Now that you've finished torturing the bird and getting your hands all gooey, put the chicken back in pan, breast side up again. Now take a fork or pastry brush and brush a light coating of marg across the top of the bird, with a couple smears on the drumsticks and wings.

Now do you want to cook potatoes and/or carrots and/sweet potatoes and/or turnip ( suppressing a shudder) in the pan with the chicken? If so you should lay them around the bottom of the pan alongside the chicken.

Now pour 1/2 cup of water into the pan, around the chicken but not over it.
Cover chicken with either roaster lid or several large pieces of tin foil.

Place in 350 oven for about an hour and a half.

Check your chicken about ever half hour. Baste chicken with pan juices.Add more water if the pan seems to
be drying up on the bottom, especially if you have veggies cooking alongside the chicken. If areas  of the chicken seem to be drying up, dab on a bit more marg on these areas.( I find the drumsticks and wings usually need a couple of dabs.)Put he lid back on, return chicken to oven.

Now I'll tell you how to tell if you chicken is done. The first thing to do is gently grip one drumstick and gently lift and tug it. If it pulls easily away from your bird, it is done, or almost done. If there is any tension when you pull the bird is not done. The second thing to do is pierce the bird deeply with a large fork ( you can make do with a regular fork) If the juice comes out pink or not completely clear the bird is not done.
If you really want to check for sure, then make a deep slice into the breast.right to the bone. If you see pink or blood, it's not done. It really is better to have a chicken overdone , rather than underdone.

Once your chicken is done you can take the tin foil off and broil it for a FEW minutes, if you want a browner skin. STAY with your chicken, watching carefully, during this browning.You don't want it to burn and some ovens are finicky.

Now you can remove your chicken. Carefully scoop out the veggies with a slotted scoop and put into a bowl. Now move your chicken onto a platter or large plate.(I use two pancake turners to help slide it onto the plate.) Using a tablespoon,carefully scoop out all of the dressing from inside the bird.

Now what's left in your pan is the wonderful yummy drippings to make gravy! Place your roaster over a burner on the stove ( or 2 burners,depending how big your roaster is) and turn your burner(s)on minimum.

Okay so now if you're anything like us, you'll want to make gravy.
Don't be scared, gravy is EASY.

First take a large cup of cold water and set by stove. Don't worry you'll understand in a moment.

Take a medium sized plastic container with a TIGHT lid. Put 3 heaping Tablespoons of flour into the bowl.
Half fill the container with COLD water.  (NEVER USE HOT WATER!) Holding your container over your sink, with your hand securing the lid, shake the container vigorously for a minute or two. Then slowly pour
the contents into your drippings in the roaster, stirring. I like to slowly stir with a whisk. Turn your heat to medium and stir while it slowly starts to bubble.  This stirring is what makes a good gravy. Don't leave your gravy.If you leave the gravy and forget it for only a minute or two it can burn quickly. If your gravy seems too thick, slowlyadd a bit more cold water and stir more. ( I always forget to have that cold water on handy, and I've made some panicky rushes to the sink to get more.) Let it bubble a bit, and stir a lot for about 3 minute.
Have a taste. Yum!

At this point, some people add spices to their gravy. I don't. I like my gravy simple. I may add a bit of salt and pepper. You can try a few spices every time your roast a chicken and find out what you like. Good luck!

Another tip:

We like to eat the drumsticks, thighs, and wings, and leave most of
the breast meat for sandwhiches. I usually chop some up and freeze
it for later stir fries.

Cookies I'm Going To Try

Loretta Painter's Soft Sugar Cookies



Loretta Painter owns a restaurant and catering business in Stewardson, Illinois. She says that using margarine rather than butter keeps the cookies softer longer. I love this recipe because the cookies are indeed soft and chewy and have a wonderful flavor from the addition of sour cream. — Mimi
Yield: approximately 48 cookies

1 cup (250 ml) margarine

1-1/2 cup (375 ml) granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking soda

1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking powder

1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) salt

3/4 cup (175 ml) sour cream

4 cups (1 l) all-purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl, beat margarine and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract; mix well. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Gradually stir the flour into the margarine mixture until well incorporated. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill several hours or until dough is firm enough to handle.

Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). On a lightly floured board, roll out to about 1/4 inch (1/2 cm) thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters.

Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake about 15 minutes or until edges are slightly browned. Let cool about 1 minute on the baking sheet and then remove to wire rack to cool completely. Decorate with your favorite icing (we recommend Royal Icing).

 Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month if not frosted or up to 1 week if frosted. Makes approximately 48 cookies, depending on the size cookie cutters you use. These cookies ship well if cut into regular geometric shapes (such as circles or squares) and packed very carefully. They can break during shipping if you cut them into irregular or delicate shapes like Santa Claus and snowflakes. If you want to use fancy cookie cutters, it is best to hand-deliver these cookies.

Source: Christmas Cookies Are for Giving by Kristin Johnson and Mimi Cummins. The book features 48 other great Christmas cookie recipes, plus baking tips, tips on packaging cookie gifts, tips on shipping cookies, and tips on making Gifts in a Jar.