Chipotle Chile Pepper Rub

Yummy Yummy Yummy……

Chipotle Chile Rub (its really easy)

Makes 1 ½ cups

* 5 garlic cloves, peeled and really finely chopped or crushed through a garlic press
* ½ cup mild paprika – just not sweet – using smoked paprika is yummers
* 3 tablespoons pure ground chipotle Chile powder
* 1/2 tablespoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
* 2 ½ tablespoons sea salt

In a bowl, stir together all of the ingredients until thoroughly blended. Or use a mini chopper to grind it all down to the same size. If you use the chopper, do the pepper, salt and garlic until fine and add the rest and really mix well. Scoop into a container, cover with an airtight lid (I use mason jars) and store in the refrigerator for up to a month

I use it as a rub on fish, veggies, chicken, meats – I also use it mixed into cooked rice or corn or mashed potatoes or cooked beans
I also like it in a Bloody Mary

Its strong so use a little, let the flavor disperse and mellow, taste again and see if you should add more.

Eat Well

Perfect for 4th of July!! - Tuesday Fried Chicken

When the Lee Bros. stepped into my life; their no-nonsense approach to fried chicken freed me and I have not looked back since!

From The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook:

People get baroque with fried chicken, seasoning it with fancy brines, chile, honey, tamarind paste and battering with all manner of dairy products to make it crusty. We believe fried chicken at its most minimal, delicate and crisp is its finest expression.

We hear people say they don't fry chicken at home because they don't want to live with the grease, and our answer to that is this: we've fried in galley-sized kitchens with no ventilation whatsoever, and it's rarely been a problem. If you were running a fried-chicken restaurant from such a kitchen, there might be cause for concern, but you're not. So just open your windows wide and fry away. You'll be glad you did.

I have made the Lee Bros.' Sunday Fried Chicken recipe, which involves a good 4 hours of brining, but I have been working a slightly modified version of their Tuesday Fried Chicken for some time and have had great results. It’s the perfect way to brighten the end of a long day. It’s really not hard to make – try it – it may just set you free!

Tuesday Fried Chicken from the Lee Brothers Southern Cookbook

3 cups peanut oil – I only fry in this
1 recipe all-purpose Fry Dredge (below)
3 pounds chicken legs and thighs (bones in)

Essential equipment: candy thermometer

Preheat the oven to 250º F.

Pour the oil into a 12-inch skillet and heat over medium-high heat until it reaches 325º F on a candy thermometer. [Note: if you use a different size skillet, make sure you've got 1/3" of oil in order to ensure proper frying.] USE a cast Iron Skillet!!!! Its simply the best way to do it. If you must, god knows I have, use a good home heavy duty fryer. But its yet to be as good as a seasoned Cast Iron Skillet.

Place the fry dredge in a medium bowl or in a large, sturdy plastic bag. Dredge the chicken thoroughly by rolling it in the bowl or shaking it in the bag. Shake off any excess dredge. Using tongs, transfer 3 legs and 3 thighs to the skillet, skin side down, and cover. Fry the chicken, maintaining a constant temperature of 325º F or higher, until the chicken is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Uncover the skillet, turn the chicken pieces with the tongs, and fry 6 minutes more, until the chicken is golden brown all over. Turn it and fry for another 3 minutes, then turn again and fry for 3 more minutes. The chicken should be an even dark golden-brown all over.

With the tongs, transfer the chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat above steps with the remaining chicken.

When all the chicken is done and serve immediately!

Serves 4 people

All-Purpose Fry Dredge

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp stone-ground cornmeal
2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
A dash of paprika

In a medium bowl, sift the flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper, twice. Use as directed.

Makes 3/4 cup.

Thanks again to the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook

Perfect for the 4th of July!! Fiery Oven Fried Chicken

Fiery Oven Fried Chicken

Preheat oven to 450° F.

1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce (found in the international aisle of most supermarkets)
3 tablespoons pineapple juice
4 6-ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
3/4 cup bread crumbs or Panko bread crumbs or use could use crackers
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons canola oil

In a large bowl, combine the chili-garlic sauce and pineapple juice. Add the chicken and toss to coat.

In a separate bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the oil. Working with 1 piece at a time, coat the chicken in the bread crumb mixture and transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining breasts. Bake until cooked through, about 15 minutes.

I have also done this with a firm fresh white fish, like Cod and adjusted the baking time.

I like it as an entrée with a salad but its also great sliced and used to make a sandwich.

Perfect for 4th of July!!: Mothers Potato Salad

Mothers Potato Salad

Famously served on summer holidays, BBQ’s and picnics while I was growing up


10 pounds potatoes – washed, cut in 4ths, skin on, and summered in salted water until a fork can pierce them but still FIRM. Mom used russets but they don’t always hold up in a simmer, so I use white or Yukon gold these days.

Once they are cooked as noted above, drain off water, do not rinse, and place in large mixing bowl – while they are still HOT gently mix them with one cup red wine vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, lots of fresh cracked pepper and sea salt. Mix well and let cool.

Once the potatoes are cool and marinated, peel each quarter, gently. Discard the skins (or save for a killer breakfast scramble the next day) and place the potatoes in a clean large mixing bowl.

Add to the potatoes:

One large red onion minced
One head of celery, washed and minced
One jar sweet pickles, minced
Three tablespoons Dry Coleman’s English Mustard – no jar mustard
Mayonnaise, enough to taste and look creamy – PS – you have come this far, don’t bother with fake mayo, use the real thing!
Sea Salt
Pepper

Mix well but use a rubber spatula as you DON’T WANT to mash the potatoes!

Clean the edges of the bowl. Smooth the top of the salad. Place two sliced or diced hard boiled eggs on top and sprinkle it all with unsweetened paprika

Over the years we have found that this is best made the day before serving. It gets better with some age so if you can wait, days two three and four are always the best; if it lasts that long.

Enjoy

Perfect for 4th of July!!: Jordan+Brenda's Cherry Glazed Spareribs!

Grilled Spareribs with Cherry Cola Glaze

4 12-oz cans cherry cola (flat)
2 Tbsp malt vinegar or apple cider vinegar
2 C cherry jam or preserves
1 Tbsp hot pepper sauce
⅔ C Dijon mustard with horseradish
7¼ to 7½ lbs well-trimmed pork spareribs
3 Tbsp soy sauce

Boil cherry cola in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1½ cups, about 45 minutes. Stir in next 5 ingredients. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is reduced to 2½ cups, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.

Transfer glaze to large bowl.

Position racks in top and bottom thirds of oven and preheat to 325 ºF. Sprinkle ribs with salt and pepper. Wrap each rib rack tightly in foil, enclosing completely. Divide foil packets between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until ribs are very tender, switching positions of baking sheets halfway through baking, about 2 hours total.

Cool ribs slightly in foil. Pour off any fat from foil packets.

Prepare barbecue (medium-low heat).

Cut each rib rack between bones into individual ribs. Set aside 1 cup glaze. Add ribs to bowl with remaining glaze and toss to coat. Grill ribs until brown and glazed, turning to prevent burning, about 5 minutes total. Serve, passing reserved glaze separately.

***
I hear that Jordan insists on making these spareribs when he and Brenda have peeps over..

Danger - this is so good, you might eat them ALL. I also tried it on Chicken Wings and it was really good.

Thanks

Perfect for 4th of JULY - Fresh Peach Pie - Yummy in Summer

The season for fresh peaches is short, but it’s certainly a tasty time of the year when the peaches are ripe and ready to eat.

Peaches are delicious fresh off the tree. Some Southerners eat them like apples while others prefer to slice peaches and eat them with a fork. Either way, it’s hard to beat a good ripe peach you can use grocery (frozen) peaches and canned peaches to make a pie but I would not recommend it unless it’s the dead of winter and you are trapped by the snow…

Fresh Peach Pie Recipe

Double pie crust (9 inch size)
5 cups of fresh ripe peaches (sliced – sometimes I peel them sometimes I don’t)
1 tsp lemon juice - fresh
1 cup sugar -
1/3 cup regular flour
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 TBS good vanilla
3 TBS Markers Mark Bourbon
2 TBS butter

Directions:

You can make your own pie crust or get a frozen double crust of refrigerator crusts. If you’re not making your own, don’t bother with the frozen ones… crusts in the refrigerator section taste more like homemade than the freezer types.


Mix the lemon juice and vanilla with the fresh peaches. Stir a little bit to get the lemon juice mixed in.

In a separate bowl, mix together the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Mix well.

Stir the sugar/flour mix in with the peaches.

Pour the peach mixture in a pie crust.

Dot the butter evenly around on top of the peach mix in the crust.

Top with the second crust and cut slits in the top or cut the top crust into lattice strips

Flute the edges of the crust. In other words, mash the edges together and then use your fingers to make little ridges like you see on pie crusts in the store.

Bake in a preheated 425 degree F oven for around 40 minutes. Check often near the end of the baking time as ovens can vary. The middle of the pie should be a pretty buttery brown, and you’ll see bubbles in the knife slits.

You’ll probably need to put strips of tin foil or a pie edge protector around the outside edge of the pie the last 15 minutes or so. Fluted edges tend to get darker than the center on homemade pies.

Fresh peach pie is fabulous served warm; even better with a scoop on a spoon of vanilla ice cream.

Peach pie is also fine served cold. The pie does need to be stored in the refrigerator, since it’s a fruit pie.

Heirloom Tomatoes salad on fresh herb crisp thin pizza

Now as the seasons are in change we think about what fresh eatables abound and things to lighten up

Just as the first of the season give us really good tomatoes, asparagus, bright strong fresh herbs and sweet citrus you can make the types of comfort food that almost everyone likes

This is one that i really like: Heirloom Tomatoes salad on fresh herb crisp thin pizza

**
Grab a bag of the prepared pizza or fuccasia dough available at trader Joes and whole foods as well as some gourmet markets. Or a fresh ground corn/masa based crust…

Fresh rosemary, oregano, basil, washed and ready

Whole Lemon

Olive oil sea salt and fresh ground pepper

Set the oven to bake at 425 and prep a cookie sheet, pizza stone, round pan, even a Pyrex brownie pan works when you’re in need but it’s all good –

Grind some pepper corns with one garlic clove fresh rosemary and oregano salt and a tablespoon of herbes de provence with a strong ¼ to ½ cup virgin olive oil – grind well and set aside

Wash the basil and set it aside

One ball fresh mozzarella cheese let warm to room temperature before slicing

Stretch out or roll out the dough

Brush heavily with the herbs/oil mixture corner to corner

Let rest until the oven comes to temperature

When it does; bake for 15 minutes or until it’s getting very brown but not burned;
turn temperature to broil

While that is in the oven quarter your tomatoes and place in a mixing dish with the sliced mozzarella cheese, all the fresh basil leaves, one scoop of the herbs/oil mix from earlier and mix really well. Probably will need some more pepper. Mine did

Pull the hot crust out and simply pour the salad onto the crust (getting a sizzle from the crust is fun.)

Dash the pan under the broiler, now hot, and warm up the toppings and the crust sizzles but not so you brown the toppings.

Pull the pizza out at that time and set on slab or other cool but cutting save surface

Slice into slightly larger than brownie size, serve without delay

Hummus from Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Very Easy Hummus from Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

Ingredients

4 garlic cloves

2 cups canned chickpeas, drained, liquid reserved

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/3 cup tahini (sesame paste)

6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)

2 tablespoons water or liquid from the chickpeas

8 dashes hot sauce


Directions
Turn on the food processor fitted with the steel blade and drop the garlic down the feed tube; process until it's minced. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and process until the hummus is coarsely pureed. Taste, for seasoning, and serve chilled or at room temperature.

Copyright, 1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All rights reserved


Aaron’s update:

I do one can chickpeas and instead of the second can I use one cup cooked edamame beans

I like to add the zest from the lemon’s before I juice them

I like to add chipotle sauce or chili as a variant

BROWN SUGAR BERRY COBBLER

BROWN SUGAR BERRY COBBLER

SERVES 6

Does anything say straight-up summer like a cobbler? The one here gains complexity from a jumble of different berries and extra depth from dark brown sugar. Mixing the brown sugar with regular granulated sugar makes it easier to sprinkle on top of the biscuit topping before the cobbler goes into the oven; when it comes out, the tender, featherlight biscuits will be crowned by golden crunch.

• 3/4 to 1 cup plus 1 teaspoon packed dark brown sugar (depending on sweetness of berries), divided

• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

• 2 3/4 lb mixed berries (strawberries trimmed and halved if using)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• Rounded 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

• 3/4 cup whole milk

• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

• Preheat oven to 425°F with rack in middle.

• Stir together 3/4 to 1 cup brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add berries and toss to coat.

Transfer mixture to a shallow 3-qt baking dish and bake until mixture is hot, about 12 minutes.

• Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add butter and blend with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some roughly pea-size butter lumps. Add milk and stir until dough just comes together.

• Remove baking dish from oven and drop 12 mounds of dough onto hot berries. Stir together remaining tsp brown sugar and granulated sugar and sprinkle over dough. Bake cobbler until topping is golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to warm, about 30minutes.

RECIPE BY ANDREA ALBIN
PHOTOGRAPH BY STEPHANIE FOLEY

Do something for others: CLEAN OUT YOUR PANTRY!!!

Do something for others: CLEAN OUT YOUR PANTRY!!!

Some of the areas we live in are thought of as well-to-do communities or urban communities where people are getting along just fine. Pleasant urban surroundings disguise the fact that many people are barely making ends meet. Your local food bank quietly assists many families in need and in fact, a lot has been reported about the number of food bank clients reaching out for help for the first time. Most food banks are privately funded, and rely solely, on the donations and kindness of others to keep their organizations running. Both food and monetary donations are always needed.

That being said I encourage all the readers of Currants to think about how you can help in your community by taking a good look into your pantry, cupboards, cabinets etc and pull out unopened/sealed cans, jars and packages of food items you can donate to your local food bank. When I really looked at what I had and what I could give, I was surprised to see how much stuff it really was. It’s amazing how fast a few grocery bags fill up! Make this an activity for you and the family, school is out or soon to be out, it’s a good lesson to share with family and friends.

I have included a link that has a zip code search method for finding food banks in your community. http://feedingamerica.org I know that if we look, there are people in need in all our communities. Items most often listed as needed include: canned fruit, dry milk (any size), chicken, veggie or beef broth (any size), canned pasta (with/without meat), canned or jar pasta sauce, dried pasta and rice, died beans, canned beans, canned tomatoes, peanut butter, bottled juice, cooking oil (quart or smaller), Pam or other oil spray, jelly/jam, paper towels, trial size/hotel toiletries, bar soap, and coffee.

Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue

Wow * Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue *

I just finished linner (too late for lunch but early for dinner) at a BBQ joint here in Cave Creek Arizona of all places. Bryan's Black Mountain Barbecue! A total American munch down mow down home style place that does it right. They were rocking the blues and a big trash barrel painted black next to the exit has a stenciled picture of a flying pig on it. Maybe here pigs do fly? Oink. The decor can be summed up with the fact that there is a sign that says "hippies use the side door". The Q is done right from my personal experience. Smoked with a dry rub on some; good red sauce, one spicy and one not, the moist and tender brisket and pulled chicken are sauced and served on sliced homemade white bread. Oink. The ribs are only pork and are scary good – I controlled my eyes and ordered only a few. But let’s just say they fell of the bone and into my muzzle with ease. They even offer a veggie "pulled" smoked squash option. Oink


And always a good sign, the place was full of cops and firemen!

Chef Bryan has been cooking at eating smoked ribs since was a kid when his grandmother made her own sauce and he would collect hickory from the woods with his grandpa. Bryan worked for years as a chef at some of the best restaurants in the US and settled in Arizona. He had always wanted to do his "own thing" so away he went and opened this gem of a spot.

I give it a triple oink rating!!

Baby Cheddar Goldfish®

Need I say anything?