Baltimore-style Roasted Drunk Chicken

The premise behind this recipe is that the chicken stands up on a beer can while it cooks. The beer infuses the chicken with moisture and flavor and the chicken skin with get crispy all over because it's not sitting in any of the juices. To give the roasting chicken some added stability, I picked up a little roasting rack that holds that beer can on a stand at Target for about $4.


Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken (4-6 pounds)
• 1 12oz can of beer (soda would be ok too)
• 1 Tbls kosher salt
• 1 Tbls Old Bay Seasoning
• 1 Tbls vegetable oil
• 1 bay leaf

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Drink about half the can of beer (using a full can of beer can make it overflow and create a mess. Put the can of beer in the roasting rack and place them both in your roasting pan (I used a large stainless steel skillet). Slide the bay leaf into the beer can.


Without ripping or removing the chicken skin, carefully separate the skin from the breast and legs using your fingers. Again using your fingers, rub the Old Bay Seasoning on the chicken breast and legs under the skin. Place the chicken on top of the beer can so that the can is inside the center cavity of the chicken. The legs should be pointed down.


Combine the vegetable oil with the kosher salt. Spread the mixture evenly over the entire chicken.

Roast the chicken for approximately 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours. How long the chicken takes to cook with depend on the size of your chicken, how cold the chicken was when you started, how evenly your oven heats, and how often you open the oven door. Poultry should be cooked to an internal temperature of approximately 165 degrees. The most important thing to look for is that the juices from the chicken run clear.

Now you get to carve and enjoy.

Crock Pot Hawaiian Pulled Pork

Looking for something a little bit different? Well look no further. This pork is tender and slightly sweet, but very good.


Ingredients

• 3-4 lb pork shoulder
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 cup ketchup
• 2 Tbls lemon juice
• 2 Tbls vinegar
• 2 Tbls brown sugar
• 2 Tbls worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbls minced garlic
• 20oz canned pineapple chunks

Directions
Place the pork shoulder into the crock pot. Add the dry ingredients on top, followed by the wet ingredients.


Cook on low for 8-10 hours. When done, shred the pork shoulder and mix together with the rest of the crock pot contents.


This works really well when served over rice.

Chipotle Citrus Marinade

This marinade is great on chicken or pork. Marinate for an hour for a subtle flavor. The longer you keep the meat marinating, the stronger the flavor will be.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 2-3 chipotles in adobo
• 1 Tbls minced garlic
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 Tbls cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp salt

Directions
Mix all of the ingredients together in a blender and puree until smooth.


Marinate your chicken or pork for as long as desired.


I used this marinade on grilled chicken breasts. They were delicious.

Crock Pot Cranberry Pot Roast

This pot roast is delicious with a slightly peppery and slightly sweet flavor. This might be my favorite of all the pot roasts that I've made.


Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs beef roast
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 3 Tbls minced garlic
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbls soy sauce
• 2 Tbls maple syrup
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions
Place the beef roast into your crock pot. Add the dry ingredients on top of the beef first. Then add the liquid ingredients on top.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. As with all crock pot meals, this is easy to prep the night before and put in the crock pot in the morning.


When the roast has reached your desired level of doneness, use a fork or a pair of tongs to shred the beef and mix all of the ingredients together. I served this over mashed potatoes and it was delicious.

Leftovers were made into sandwiches with some cheese on hamburger buns.

Chipotle Maple Marinade

This is a quick and easy marinade for chicken, pork, or whatever else you'd like to try it on. It's sweet and a little bit spicy.


Ingredients

• 2-3 chipotles chiles in adobo
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tbls minced garlic
• 1 Tbls soy sauce

Directions
Blend all of the ingredients together until smooth. Pour over your choice of meat and marinate as long as desired. I like to do at least 30 minutes.


I used this to marinate pork chops, which I then grilled. They were delicious.

Peanut Butter Cheesecake Fudge Brownies

The best word to describe these brownies is decadent. They're rich and delicious and relatively easy to make. This is a slightly modified version of these brownies.


Ingredients

• 1 box fudge brownie mix (and whatever it requires)
• 2 eggs (called for by the fudge brownie mix)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil (called for by the fudge brownie mix)
• 8oz cream cheese
• 1 14oz can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 12oz package milk chocolate chips
• 3 Tbls milk
• 20 mini peanut butter cups

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Mix the fudge brownie batter according to the directions on the box. The mix I used called for combining the mix with two eggs and a half cup of vegetable oil. Your mix may be different. Pour the batter into the a greased 9x13 baking pan.


Soften the cream cheese in a bowl in the microwave, 30 seconds to a minute should do. Mix the condensed milk and peanut butter with the softened cream cheese. The mixture will be thick. Spoon evenly over the fudge brownie batter in the baking pan. Bake for approximately 45 minutes, or until the brownie is firm and starts to brown.

Let the brownie cool for 30 minutes and then put it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.


Add the milk and milk chocolate chips to a bowl. Using the microwave, slowly heat the chocolate until it melts and you are able to mix it with the milk to form a smooth mixture. Be careful not to burn the chocolate. Heat the chocolate for only a few seconds at a time before stirring and heating again. Once the milk and milk chocolate chips are mixed evenly, spread it evenly over the brownie.


Carefully cut the peanut butter cups in half and place evenly on the top of the brownie.

Cut the brownies into your desired portion size and enjoy.

Creamy Mushroom Sausage Baked Pasta

I've made a bunch of different kinds of baked pasta and this is one of my favorites. The sausage really adds a nice flavor to the dish. You could, of course, use beef instead, but I like the sausage.


Ingredients

• 1 pound of pasta (I like rotini for this, but elbows or penne will work too)
• 1 pound ground sausage
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced (or a different color if you prefer)
• 1 14.5oz can condensed cream of mushroom soup
• 16oz marinara sauce
• 1 4oz can of diced mushrooms (fresh mushrooms are ok too)
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 Tbls minced garlic
• 1 Tbls vegetable oil
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.


Cook the pasta to al dente according to the directions. The pasta will cook more in the oven so it's ok to make the pasta a little bit under done.


Using a large skillet, saute the onion and red bell pepper with the vegetable oil. When the onions turn translucent, add the ground sausage. Brown the sausage while breaking up the pieces as much as possible. Once the sausage is fully cooked, add the minced garlic and diced mushrooms. Mix in the cream of mushroom soup and marinara sauce. Heat the sauce until it starts to bubble.


Combine the sauce with the pasta and pour the mixture into a greased 9x13 baking pan or casserole dish. Cover the pasta evenly with the shredded cheddar cheese. Bake 30 minutes.

Leftovers heat up really nicely and make great lunches.

Steak Seasoning

Sure, you can go to your local grocery store and buy a shaker of steak seasoning, but by making your own you adjust the seasoning mix and get a really customized flavor. Use this recipe as a starting point and then you can adjust from here.


Ingredients

• 2 Tbls paprika
• 2 Tbls ground black pepper
• 2 Tbls kosher salt
• 1 Tbls garlic powder
• 1 Tbls onion powder
• 1 Tbls cumin
• 1 Tbls cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix well. If you don't like spicy foods then you should skip the cayenne pepper. Pretty easy, right?

This seasoning goes great on steaks and burgers, but you can try it on whatever foods you would like.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

Beef stew is easy and delicious. There a plenty of ways to make it, so this is how I did it:


Ingredients

• 3 lbs beef roast, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 medium potato, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• 1 10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 cup beef stock (or beef broth)
• 1 4 oz can diced mushrooms (fresh mushrooms are good too)
• 1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Cut the beef roast into 1 inch chunks and toss it in the crock pot. Dice the potato and onion and add them to the crock pot too. Now add everything else. I found it helpful to mix the cream of mushroom soup and beef stock into a separate bowl before adding to the crock pot. Mix well.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Stir and serve.

This has a nice beef flavor to it and everything was tender and delicious.

Marinated Mushrooms

Marinated mushrooms are a great appetizer, snack, or party food. These are also easy and quick to make.


Ingredients

• 8 oz mushrooms, cleaned and cut into bite-size pieces
• 2 Tbls olive oil
• 2 Tbls apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 Tbls Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• pinch of kosher salt

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. Once the oil heats up, add the mushrooms. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the mushrooms. Saute the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms begin to brown. Don't fully cook the mushrooms, you only want to get some of the water out of them. As soon as the mushrooms start to get some color, add the vinegar, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes.

Remove the pan drom the stove and pour the entire contents into a separate container. Now let the mushrooms cool. As the mushrooms sit, they will marinate in the oil, vinegar, and seasonings. The longer they sit, the more flavor they will absorb and the better they will taste.

You can store them covered in the refrigerator. They will keep for a few days.

Eggs Marshall

Eggs Marshall, a.k.a. eggs with Italian seasonings, a.k.a eggs with Italian salad dressing. The idea for this recipe came from season 2 episodes 21 of the TV show How I Met Your Mother. It's incredibly simple and really delicious.


Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1.5 Tbls Italian dressing

Directions

Beat the eggs in a bowl. Heat the Italian dressing in an 8 inch skillet over medium heat. When the dressing heats up and begins to bubble, add the beaten eggs. Cook until the eggs reach your desired level of doneness.

Feel free to use more or less dressing to make the Italian flavor more or less assertive. The flavor will also probably vary depending on which brand/style of dressing you use.

Crock Pot Citrus Pork Carnitas

Carnitas is a Mexican pork dish that is slow roasted or braised. There are a bunch of different ways to make carnitas with different seasonings.


Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs pork shoulder
• 1 large orange, juiced (approx. 1/4 - 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1 Tbls cumin
• 1 Tbls minced garlic
• 1/2 cup beef stock (or beef broth)
• 1 onion, sliced

Directions

Plop the pork shoulder into your crock pot. Sprinkle the cumin and garlic evenly over the pork. Cover the pork with the onion slices and pour the orange juice, lime juice, and beef stock over the contents of the crock pot.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. The pork should shred easily when it's done. If there's more liquid than you'd like, turn the heat up to high and remove the lid until some of the liquid evaporates.

The pork is tender with a subtle smokey citrus flavor. It's not spicy, but you can make it that way by adding some cayenne pepper before cooking.

I used this to make tacos using corn tortillas, diced raw onion and tomatos, and fresh cilantro.

I also used this pork to make great sandwiches with some sliced cheddar and mustard.

Blackberry Barbecue Sauce

If you like barbecue sauce (who doesn't?) and you're looking for something that's a little bit different, this recipe is great and really easy.


Ingredients

• 1/2 cup blackberry preserves (seedless is best)
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 2 Tbls brown sugar
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp mustard (optional)
• 2 Tbls balsamic vinegar

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Simmer for about 15 minutes.


Makes about 2 cups.


I usually make this with pork chops.

Crock Pot Beer Braised Beef Roast

This is another crock pot meal. I was able to do all of the prep work at night and put the stoneware in the refrigerator over night. In the morning, I put the stoneware into the crock pot base and turned it on before I went to work.


Ingredients

• 1 Beef roast (mine was about 2.5 lbs, 3-4 lbs would probably be ideal)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
• 2 Tbls Italian seasoning
• 12oz beer (most kinds should work well)
• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes

Directions
Place the beef roast into the crock pot. Arrange the onion slices all around the beef. Sprinkle the Italian seasoning on top. Next add the Worcestershire sauce, then pour the tomatoes on top, followed by the beer. After adding all of the ingredients, mine looked like this:

Cook on low for 8-10 hours. I did about 10 hours on low with the lid on, then I did another hour and a half on high with the lid off to reduce the amount of liquid. If you use a large piece of beef then you shouldn't need to reduce the liquid.


This was delicious served over rice.

This also works really well on sub rolls.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

This soup is delicious. I love to make it when it's cold outside. It's also great if you're sick and want to help clear your sinuses since it's a bit spicy.


Ingredients

• 2-3 cooked chicken breasts, diced (not shown)
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 Tbls minced garlic
• 1 Tbls oil
• 2 jalapeños, diced
• 4 cups chicken broth or stock (approx. two 14oz cans)
• 1 15.25oz can of corn
• 1 14.5oz can of diced tomatoes
• 1 10.75oz can condensed tomato soup
• 1 Tbls cumin
• 1 Tbls chili powder
• 1 Tbls fresh cilantro, diced

Directions
In a large pot, sweat the diced onion and green bell pepper with the garlic and oil. Once they are soft, add the remaining ingredients to the pot and bring to a boil. Once it boils, drop the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.


The soup is best served with guacamole, sour cream, grated cheese, or tortilla chips.

A couple of notes about the the ingredients:


First, jalapeños can be of varying strength. You may want to wear gloves when cutting them to prevent absorbing the oil into your skin which can cause a burning sensation.


Second, make sure you use fresh cilantro. Fresh is way better than the dried stuff.

Crock Pot Barbecue Pulled Pork

Today we're making pulled pork using a crock pot. I love using my crock pot since it means that I can assemble the ingredients the in the morning or the night before, turn on the crock pot in the morning and when I get home from work the house smells incredible.


In this case, I assembled all of the ingredients the night before into the removable stoneware from the crock pot. I placed the lid on the stoneware and put it in the refrigerator. In the morning, I took it out, put it in the crock pot, and went to work. Super easy.


Ingredients

• 1 pork shoulder (mine was 4.59lb bone-in)
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2 cups ketchup (this is equivalent to an entire 24oz bottle)
• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup water (optional, I'd omit)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp hot sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions
Start by slicing the onion.

Now plop the pork shoulder into the crock pot. Lay the onion slices on top of the pork. Add the brown sugar, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce first, then add the ketchup, vinegar, and water on top. Turn the crock pot on low and come back in 8-10 hours. 


After 10 hours on low it was still really liquidly, so I turned the heat up to high and let it go for another 2 hours without the lid. The pork was incredibly tender and shredded very easily. More importantly, it was delicious. The sauce was thin, so next time I'd omit the water.


I used the pulled pork to make sandwiches,

tacos,

and ate it with chips.

Happy cooking.


The recipe shown here is a modification of this one.

Bacon Egg and Cheese Breakfast Sandwich

Breakfast is the first meal of the day and while not everyone has the time to cook a delicious breakfast everyday, I like to take the time, when I can, to cook something that I'll really enjoy.


Ingredients

• 1 bagel (I used an everything bagel)
• 1 egg
• 2 strips of bacon
• 1 slice of cheese (I used cheddar)
• honey (optional)
• hot sauce (optional)
• 1/2 Tbls. butter (not shown)

Directions

Slice the bacon strips in half and lay them in a frying pan to cook.

Slice the bagel in half and put it into the toaster, if desired. When the bacon finished cooking, remove it from the pan and lay the strips on a plate with a paper towel beneath them to drain the grease.

Drain the fat from the frying pan. Melt the butter in the pan and make sure the bottom of the pan is covered. Add a little bit of extra butter if necessary. Crack your egg into the pan to cook. I like to cook my egg until the yoke is hard, but you can cook yours however you like.

You can start to build the sandwich as the egg finished cooking. I like to build mine, starting at the bottom, with honey, cheese, bacon, hot sauce, and then the egg. If you don't like honey or hot sauce, you could try adding ketchup instead.

Now enjoy.