Bourbon and Butter

Bourbon is a funny thing.  I can barely stand the smell and have no desire to drink it, yet it makes such amazing sauces.  This is ultimately why I own a bottle.  Actually most of the alcohol I have at home is for cooking, not drinking.


That being said, I made one of my favorite chicken dishes tonight, Bourbon Pecan Chicken.  The bourbon sauce is a brilliant addition to the pecan breaded chicken. I served it up with some sautéed asparagus and angel hair pasta with herbs.


Another fun part of this recipe is making some clarified butter.  I've never made it before, but it is quite easy thanks to a hint I found online.  Take twice as much butter as you need for the recipe and melt it in a bowl in the microwave.  Chill the butter in the fridge for an hour, then scrape off the butter solids that floated to the top.  The remaining butter is clarified and can be melted/used per your recipe instructions.  That's it!


I'm hoping to make some bourbon dessert sauces in the near future.  The ones I've had at restaurants always blow me away.

Better Box Mixes

Now I understand the advantages of building a recipe from scratch.  You control everything that goes into your food and the resulting flavors.  That being said, those of us still on the early path to culinary mastery may sometimes utilize pre-made ingredients as a starting point.  This is not a shortcut, though there are some pros to this option.


As much as I love cooking, I don't want to spend all day in the kitchen.  I've used a few box mixes recently to help get things moving.  I am pretty particular about the box mixes I use, definitely looking for as much quality as I can get (and still afford gas).


Tonight, I made potato soup... a nice filling Sunday dinner.  Since I haven't started making my own potato soup from scratch (as often as I want to re-create the Zuppa Toscana from Olive Garden), I start with a pack of Tastefully Simple's Perfectly Potato Cheddar soup mix.  This is a great base to build on.  Usually I'll add browned up italian-seasoned ground turkey.  This does lighten things up a bit.  However, tonight I used sage sausage and a bunch of kale.  The sage added a great savory component, and the kale added a texture that I seriously think was missing now that I've tried it.


Later this week, once my 9x13 casserole dish is available again, I'll be using yet another Tastefully Simple mix to make Ooey Gooey Almond Bars.  Since I really don't need all of those calories at home, my coworkers will be more than willing to help me finish it off.


I have no problems using "good" box mixes to help build a meal, but I ultimately would like to get to the point of building some of these dishes completely from scratch.  Until then, I'll keep experimenting with add-ins.  No matter how good a box mix is on its own, I will try to make it my own in some way.  If I lose my creativity and inspiration in the kitchen by being "boring", I can only imagine how unhappy I would become... and my friends don't like me when I'm unhappy.

Chuck Roast Barbecue

As I am often prone to do on winter weekends, my slow cooker is making another grand appearance.  It really makes a lazy Sunday all that it can be.

This weekend, Steve and I decided to make chuck roast barbecue.  We've made it several times before, and it never fails to satisfy.  It's great in both warm and cold weather.

The original recipe calls for serving it on hamburger buns, though we tend to serve it with a side of potatoes (baked, mashed, or in today's case, oven-roasted) and a veggie of choice.  I found the recipe in a Southern Living cookbook for "Easy Weeknight Favorites".

• 1 (2-1/2 pound) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
• 2 medium onions, chopped (I use one large sweet onion)
• 1 (12-oz) can Coke
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1-1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 tsp beef bouillon granules
• 3/4 tsp dry mustard
• 3/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp ground red pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 6 hamburger buns (optional)

Place roast in slow cooker; add onion.  Combine Coke and next 7 ingredients; cover and chill 1 cup sauce.  Pour remaining sauce over roast.  Cover and cook on HIGH 6 hours or LOW 9 hours or until roast is very tender.  Remove roast with chopped onion from cooker, using a slotted spoon, and shred meat with forks.  (Remaining meat juices can be spooned over mashed potatoes or toast, if desired.)

Combine reserved sauce, ketchup, and butter in a saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated.  Pour sauce over shredded meat, stirring gently.  Spoon meat mixture onto buns.

The start of something new

Today marks the start of a new personal project, namely blogging about my adventures in the kitchen.  Whether it's something new or old, a success or failure, you'll get the gory details here.  And if something turns out great, you better believe I'll share the recipe.