Sunday, September 1, 2019

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN



Neither rain, snow or a damn hurricane staring at us will deter us from a good meal and COLLEGE FOOTBALL.





It's WEEK ONE of College Football. (They called Florida & Miami WEEK ZERO)





Since Florida doesn't play until next week, today it's my alma mater BALL STATE and INDIANA. The game is slated to be played in Indianapolis. It should be a good one.





So, let's fire up the gas grill and do a Rotisserie Chicken.


This is similar to one we made a year or so ago. 

ANOTHER GAME DAY CHICKEN 



But hey give me a break. We need something simple and fast. According to the Weather Channel, we are all going to get blown into Georgia on Tuesday.


This is so easy. You put it on the grill and drink a beer.







Start with a COUPLE of ROASTER Chickens. Make sure you size them to fit your grill. Blot chicken with paper towels.


We used Salt & Pepper on one, and Grand Diamond Seasoning on the other
 
Remove the innards from the cavities.



Save these for making broth. (you are making broth ???)



Cut a half lemon in half. Put in cavity along with a slab of butter (seasoned butter 3 TBL)



Cut off the wing tips.



Put in fridge for 1 hour



Tie up the wings and legs



Baste with chicken broth and salt & pepper



Place on your Rotisserie





I turned gas to low and cooked for 2 hours. Baste them every 15 minutes. (I use Chicken Broth)





When internal temp of the chicken reaches 170 degrees, remove it from the Rotisserie.





Cover with foil and set it aside. Internal Temp should rise on it's own to 180



Make whatever sides you want. Salad? Baked tater? Your choice.



When you are ready, cut up the chicken and eat it.



Really easy, isn't it ??





Don't forget to save the bones so you can make broth. You are making broth, right?


The game was good, although Ball State lost 34-24 but that was not a surprise.





Thank god for HULU.



See you next week as the Gators return to the Swamp.




LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

Sunday, August 25, 2019

GAME DAY - HAM AND SQUASH


The only way we get through a long HOT Florida summer is by looking forward to GATOR FOOTBALL !!  Those of us here, dream about it all summer. We watch Classic SEC Football on ESPN, we pull prerecorded games from our DVD library and watch them. We can't wait for the season to begins. 



But to be totally honest I view football as "hey, basketball season is just around the corner." 


 
You can take the boy out of Indiana, but you can't take take the basketball out of the boy. 




So, we begin our quest for a few good GAME DAY recipes that you can enjoy before, during or after the game.

And may your team win.

Today we are going to make two simple recipes. They are easy to make, tastes great, and is LOW CARB

Yes I said low carb. We got back on that wagon a few weeks ago. But don't worry, I have a few good recipes I have not blogged about yet. So we'll squeeze those in as we go along.

First lets cook up a nice baked ham. Damn, this is so EASY.


Get a Picnic Ham Shoulder




Pre Heat Oven To 350

Remove wrapper and put it in a pan



Add 1 Cup of water

Cover tightly with Aluminum Foil



Bake for 2 hours

Check temp. You want 160 degrees (You DO have a THEMO PEN??)


Remove and cool.



Remove the fat.




Cut it up and serve it.






To go along with our Ham, let's make some spaghetti squash. I never thought I would eat something like this, but the boss (Penny) suggested it as a substitute for pasta.


Here's how it goes

SPAGHETTI SQUASH



Pre Heat oven to 350

Cut off the ends of the squash



Cut Squash in half – LENGTHWISE 



Scrape out the seeds
 

Place the half pieces cut side down on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper



Bake at 350 degrees for one hour

HAVE A BEER !! 



Remove Squash and flip the pieces over to cool.




When warm enough to handle remove the squash using a fork as a scraper


Grease your casserole dish with Veg Oil (PAM)


Put a couple of spoonfuls of sauce on the bottom of the pan(s) 


Put the shredded squash into the dish.

Pour a jar of Marinara sauce (of your choice) over the squash and mix



Add ½ tsp of Garlic Salt

Add ½ tsp of Italian Herb mix


Add ¼ Cup of Parmesan cheese

Stir
 I put it all in a big bowl, mixed it then added to the pans. You can do this either way.

Now you can add your toppings



Mushrooms, and Mozzarella cheese were my choices (Amounts to your liking)

Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes 

Here is the squash baking along with the ham. I put the squash in after the ham had cooked for an hour

Remove the ham to cool

Remove foil on the squash, turn off oven and leave dish in oven for 10 minutes or so



Serve and ENJOY.



DON'T FORGET THE SALAD !!!

Has the jury reached a verdict?

We have your honor.

WINNER WINNER GAME DAY DINNER

I was shocked at how nice this dish came out. The squash itself has little if no taste and the marinara sauce mixed well with it. And with the mushrooms and cheese, it was G R E A T.

And it was SO EASY to put together. Most of your time is waiting on the oven to do its thing. Gives you more time for a refreshing adult beverage. 


 
And time to play with the president.

 PRESIDENT GROVER CLEVELAND

Dinner out of the way, it's time to settle in for some Gator Football. The season begins.



It was a great game. Miami was better than I thought they would be, and we showed the typical first game blues.


But in the end, The Gators came out on top 24-20 to start their season.


LIVE LONG AND PROSPER

and 

GO GATORS !!!!