Archive for the ‘Food’ Category

02/11

Prep Time – 20 Mins
Cook Time – 1 to 1.5 hours + preheat time

Requires –

Smoker
Applewood Chips

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Ingredients –

About 6-8 lbs of boneless chicken breasts.
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar

1. Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl and rub onto all sides of each chicken breast. I usually combine about a third of the seasoning mix and chicken into a 1 gallon ziploc bag and rub the seasoning around to get it evenly spread.

2. Place the ziploc bag(s) of marinaded chicken breasts in the fridge for at least 1 hour. 12-24 is recommended.

3. Preheat your smoker to 225 degrees fahrenheit. Make sure there is a pan of water in the smoker to help keep the chicken moist during smoking.

4. Once the smoker is preheated, add a small amount of Applewood chips to the smoker.

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5. Place the chicken breasts on the racks and insert your temp probe if you have one.

6. Turn the chicken breasts over after about 30 minutes or when the chicken hits 130 degrees farhenheit.

7. Add another small batch of Applewood to the smoker right after turning the breasts over.

8. Remove the chicken from the smoker racks when the temperature of the breasts are 160 to 165 degrees fahrenheit. Place the chicken breasts in a large, covered pan and let them rest for 5-10 minutes.

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9. Shred the chicken and enjoy! This tastes great with your favorite barbeque sauce and bun.

01/28

It is a warm 33 degree day here in Minnesota. That might not impress you, but usually this time of year we can expect -20 degrees at any moment in time. So when my little girl wasn’t feeling well because of a fever, we decided today would be a good day for homemade ice cream.

Homemade ice cream is a comfort food to me. The first time that I ever realized that you can make ice cream without going to the grocery store was way back in my childhood. I was probably around 7 or 8 when my Grandma Millie brought her hand cranked ice cream maker to my awesome cousin’s party. I remember turning the crank over and over again with my Grandma as my excitement grew from my anticipation on how yummy that ice cream was going to taste. All of my hard work paid off. I can still remember how delicious that ice cream was and I remember begging my Grandma to make it again with me. Every time we make ice cream I think of that moment and my Grandma. It makes my heart swell with lots of love.

It is no wonder why I want to share that same feeling with my children. They loved Grandma Millie too so anytime that I can bring a piece of her to our conversation, I go for it. Sadly, I don’t have the exact recipe that Grandma Millie use to make, but I am certain that she would find my recipe delicious. Here it is:

2 Cups Organic Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Cups Organic Skim Milk
1 Cup Organic Sugar
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 drops of Mint Extract or Peppermint Oil
1 cup of mashed chocolate chips.

Mix the heavy cream, milk, sugar, vanilla extract, salt and mint in a mixing bowl until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer the mixture into your ice cream maker. (I use a Rival Ice Cream Maker). Layer the Ice Cream Maker with 2 inches of ice and a layer of Morton Ice Cream Salt until you reach the top of your container. Start the machine and let it run for 15 minutes. Once the ice cream turns into a mixture that looks like soft serve ice cream, add the mashed chocolate chips. Then restart the ice cream maker and let it mix for 20 minutes. Next transfer the fresh ice cream into a freezer safe container (I use my canning jars) and place the ice cream into the freezer to solidify. After chilling the ice cream for 2 hours take it out to enjoy.

Honestly, I usually cannot wait the whole 2 hours. It usually ends up being 30 minutes before we take out large samples of the ice cream. It is still on the soft side, but it sure tastes yummy.

January 28, 2016

C is mixing the liquid for me with her new whisk.

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G is mashing the chocolate chips. This is one of her favorite cooking jobs.

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This is what the ice cream will look like after 30 minutes in the freezer.

October 29, 2015-6