I just haven't been feeling very inspired to cook, so I didn't want to post just for the sake of posting. I'm proud of my digital recipe book and am proud to say that I stick by all the posts on this blog. You should revisit some of the older ones :). I've also recently adopted a new puppy named Mackenzie. She's taking quite a bit of time, but I am dedicated to spending some quality "me time" in the kitchen. But, sometimes it's hard to say no to this face...
However, I did it and came back this week with barbecue - homemade barbecue sauce that's a unique twist on a favorite, and also delicious! For sides I boiled corn on the cob and roasted red potatoes. A few weeks ago I also made Macaroni salad from scratch for a cook-out. It tasted just like what I've always bought at the store :)
BARBEQUE CHICKEN
4 Chicken Breasts
1 Cup Diced Onions
3 Cups Ketchup
1 1/2 Cups Water
1 Cup White Vinegar
6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
3 Tablespoons Ground Mustard
Salt and Pepper To Taste
Before making this dish I was really scared to tackle making my own barbecue sauce because it's such a staple. Everyone loves barbecue sauce and has a distinct opinion of how it should taste. Spicy, mild, sweet, smokey. However I decided that this wouldn't really be home-made barbecue chicken unless I tried.
With that said, there were multiple instances where I wanted to reach into the fridge and just use Sweet Baby Rays (which if you haven't tasted, is the best sauce EVER).
I digress.
The first thing you want to do is brown your chicken breast in a pan on high with some oil. This should take about 3-4 minutes on each side. The goal here isn't to cook them all the way through, just to add some of the brown coloring on the outside. Once this step is complete, you can set them aside while you make the sauce.
Dice your onion and place in the same pan you used before (adding more oil if necessary). Let the onions simmer for about 3 minutes and then add the remaining ingredients. Let the sauce come to a boil on high, then reduce to medium and let simmer for about 15 minutes. Don't worry if the sauce seems very "watery". As it simmers, it will begin to thicken (although, the end result is a liquid consistency). I tasted the sauce before adding to the chicken and it was VERY strong. It has a prominent citrus taste and an intense bite. Don't worry though, as it cooks in the oven that will dissipate.
Take the sauce, pour over the chicken and bake in the oven (pre-heated) at 350 for 45 minutes. The end result is a delicious, tender, and unique taste on barbecue chicken :)
MACARONI SALAD
1 Box Elbow Macaroni
1 Cup Diced Celery
1 Cup Diced Red Onion
3 Tablespoons Minced Flat-Leaf Parsley
3 Cups Mayonnaise
2 Cups Dry Mustard
3 Teaspoons Sugar
4 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
9 Tablespoons Sour Cream
As Summer approaches, there are some key signs of cook-out season: 1) Watermelon, 2) Grilled Corn on the Cob, 3) Macaroni Salad. There's no way that I could go through the entire summer without attempting making this staple - and it's too easy not to try.
After cooking the noodles, simply mix the ingredients together and toss into the noodles. I used about 2/3 of the mixture and then put the salad in the fridge. Save the last 1/3 to add right before serving to make sure that the pasta isn't dry.
And that's it! After five months of longing you've finally have before your eyes two very tasty and brag-worthy recipes to add to your repertoire. I promise that this was our last break and I won't try new recipes without letting you know first :)
Until next time, happy cooking!