poultry

5 Easy Tips for Juicy Roast Chicken

A juicy, crispy roast chicken with vegetables is one recipe every home cook can—and should—easily master.

Roast Chicken Recipe

Why would a little old bird seem so intimidating to me? Maybe because the little clucker has inspired more failed recipe attempts for me than any other recipe I’ve tried to master.

Am I alone here?

Roast chicken is supposed to be easy. It’s not like you need new technology or fancy schmancy ingredients. It’s one of the basics and cooks have been roasting birds for, like, forever.

So what was my problem?

continue to the recipe… about 5 Easy Tips for Juicy Roast Chicken

Grilled Turkey Kofta Skewers with Yogurt Sauce

While lamb or beef is traditional, I prefer ground turkey for these flavorful Middle Eastern skewers, and the creamy cool yogurt sauce adds a lightened dipping sauce thats full of flavor.

Food that is delivered in an unexpected way is always more fun. It must be true, because there’s even a cookbook all about the food phenomenon.

Thai food has it’s skewered Satay, Mexicans love their mayo with cotija-dressed cob of corn on a stick and in China you can even find yourself a fried scorpion on a stick—if you dare. Thank you very much but I’ll “stick” with a good old American mustard-dipped corn dog.

Probably one of the most universal foods on a stick is kofta, a simple blend of garlic-studded, spiced meat shaped on a stick that you’ll find in Greek, Persian, Indian and Lebanese cuisine.

If you think that because it hails from an exotic land that it must be difficult to make, you’re wrong. If you think man, that sounds like it has a lot more flavor than a regular burger, you are right!

And if you can shape a simple meatball, this skewered turkey kofta is going to totally hit your sweet spot.

continue to the recipe… about Grilled Turkey Kofta Skewers with Yogurt Sauce

Buffalo Roasted Turkey

This tender and juicy roasted turkey gets a little heat thanks to a basting of spiced up, buttery buffalo hot sauce and is a refreshing deviation from the traditional Thanksgiving turkey.

After this bird shows up to the table, Thanksgiving may never be the same.

Most people who know me, know that I am not what most would consider a traditionalist. Strike that. I do have some traditionalist tendencies, so I guess I’d consider myself a progressively wavering traditionalist. I’m a little stuck in my ways but always open to trying something new.

Take Thanksgiving for example. It’s the ultimate traditional holiday. Back in the day the family always gathered ’round to reconnect for that one must-meet time of year. The kids watched the Macy’s Day parade. The women cooked. The men watched football. We all snuck swipes of whip cream from the freshly made pumpkin pies. Then we joined hands, said thanks and we ate. Then we said we were full. And then we ate again.

And then we put a whole wrench in the traditional monkeyworks and swapped out roles so that now the guys and gals cook together and the ladies are the first to fist pump the SF 49ers as they roll over those Seattle Seahawks in this year’s turkey day’s big game (fingers crossed!) And then we join hands and we say thanks. And we eat. And then we complain about how stuffed we are. And then we eat again.

Just another reason to celebrate tradition with a twist. Like this Buffalo sauce basted bird. Yep, that’s definitely bucking with tradition.

continue to the recipe… about Buffalo Roasted Turkey

Honey Mustard Chicken

Rituals. They come in every style and many colors. Some might call them superstitions, others call them routines. And most every pro sports player won’t go into a game without following theirs. All I know is I think I’m ready to add a few new ones to my day.

I was reading an article in this month’s Esquire about things to do in January, because it’s January. Number 2 on the list of items to improve life and have fun while doing it was the suggestion to engage in a daily ritual. A ritual, not a resolution. I like the sounds of that much better. And just for one month.

Their suggestions sound pretty good:

Read a poem every night,

Walk around the block twice at noon,

Drink a finger of Scotch after dinner.

Does eating a finger of ice cream instead of Scotch count?

It can’t be that hard to come up with a new ritual. After all, I already have a few in the bag.

continue to the recipe… about Honey Mustard Chicken