Beer Can Chicken

Beer Can Chicken

Friday after we got back into town from vacation we ventured to Home Depot and picked up the last item we needed to consider ourselves fully moved in… a grill.  It has been about five years now since we have had a grill and boy I sure have missed it.  Jason made the most perfect beer can chicken back in the day and I could not wait to see this beauty in action, I mean five years ago I was still learning the kitchen, this summer is going to be full of working the grill!  I wish I had a photo from Friday night’s dinner (two 12oz. delicious strip steaks with the most heavenly marbling of fat, grilled to perfection and topped with a pad of homemade roasted garlic compound butter, and a twice baked potato) but it was too beautiful to photograph, sorry.  Oh well, tonight Jason made the perfect beer can chicken.  He seasoned the chicken with a homemade Cajun rub and stuffed a can of Hamm’s into the bird.  He tossed some mesquite chips into a smoke packet in the grill, it  smelled so good.   As the bird was doing it’s song and dance I threw on the last of the twice baked potatoes and it was grilling magic.  For dessert I decided since it was hot as hell out why not turn the oven on.

Well to be honest, I have missed baking so much lately since I am trying to drop a few, so I made my first ever angel food cake (not as good as my Grandma’s) and topped it with fresh strawberries and a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.  This was a perfect start to the summer at home and can’t wait for new grilling adventures!

Healthy but hearty… Turkey Chili

Turkey Chili

So the countdown is on, I have three weeks to get my a** in gear so I can wear a bikini on vacation so I am trying to eat a bit better.  I have been good lately but I have missed tearing up the kitchen.  This morning when I woke up I was trying to think of a good Sunday night dinner to bring the weekend to a close.  I needed something that would be as satisfying as delicious comfort food served with a mound of whipped potatoes but still needs to be healthy since I had my fair share of bourbon yesterday- chili works right?  I usually use Rachael Ray’s recipe for turkey chili but lately she has just struck the wrong cord.  She claims everything is healthy on her show but to me it just looks gut-busting gross.

I knew I saw a chicken chili recipe in Giada’s new book so that must be good, new recipe, Bingo!  This recipe called for ground chicken but due to a lack in the poultry department at our local grocer sometimes they carry ground chicken, sometimes they don’t.  Okay, why not use ground turkey instead.

I sauteed up a large onion until it was soft, added some smashed cloves of garlic, and then tossed in two pounds of turkey.  Once that was cooked I added a flavorful blend of  spices (fennel, cumin, chili powder, oregano, salt) and a few tablespoons of flour.  I then added some thawed corn kernels, two cans of rinsed and drained northern beans and a bunch of chopped rainbow chard and covered it with chicken stock.  Everything looked so pretty coming together in the Le Creuset.  After it came to a slow boil I let it simmer for about an hour and then added a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes and adjusted the salt and pepper ratios.  This recipe is my new go to for white chili.

Chili sprinkled with Parmesan