Sweet Barbeque Chicken

Tonight I grilled the chicken that I'd prepped for last night with the sweet spice rub. 

I don't know how to describe how good this smelled at this point - it was like looking at chicken but smelling apple pie.

When I got the chicken legs out of the freezer I also took out some shrimp that I'd forgotten I had.  So I prepared them how I have before - marinated in beer, melted butter, lemon and lime juice, and olive oil.

 

I have enjoyed the grilled fruit so far.  I should have put it on the grill directly this time though.  But they tasted like apples straight out of an apple pie.

I had some leftover grilled potato salad so I added it as a side.  The apples paired great with both the chicken and the wine.  I should have taken the shrimp off the grill sooner, or put them on later.  The onions weren't bad but I don't think I'd add them if I do this again. 

Oh, and check out the plate.  I picked up a Richmond themed plate at Tweed in Short Pump.  Expect lots of pictures of it on here because it's awwwwesoooommmee!  =o9

Upcoming Concoction

I know it's early on in this little experiment, but I want to try something on my own.  I'm taking a few things I've learned so far along with some of my own ideas.  I want to do another version of the barbeque chicken I did on the first entry. 

Tonight I made a rub out of all the sweet spices I have.  I did one tablespoon of all of the following:

• Sugar (1/2 tbs to keep it from getting too sweet)
• Paprika
• Spanish paprika
• Savory
• Cinnamon
• Majoram
• Nutmeg
• Apple Pie Spice

The rub smells great - sweet but not too sweet.  I'm using the maple sauce from before but instead of ranch dressing I'm going to add honey.  I also plan on grilling the apple slices and pairing everything with the Riesling from the other night. 

The spice jar is something Kristen picked up at Sur La Table.  As neat-looking as it is I have to be careful with the cork top.  It tends to flake when taking it on or off the jar so I have to put a piece of Saran Wrap inbetween to keep cork flakes from getting in it.

I'm not grilling the chicken tonight.  Tonight is microwaved hotdogs.  I'll probably do it tomorrow. 

Earlier this year, Kristen and our two closest friends went on a cruise.  I attended a food/wine pairing seminar and discovered one of my favorite pairings is Riesling with apples or pears.  I'm hoping that grilling them will add a different twist to it.  =o9

Grilled New Potato Salad with Bacon and Buttermilk Dressing

Tonight we confirmed that we need a bigger kitchen.  In addition to me making tonight's entry, Kristen made homemade whoopie pies.  I'll let you read about it here.   But between both of us being in the kitchen at the same time, lighting equipment, and an overflowing recycle bin, we barely had room to move.

We picked up some pre-made sliders yesterday and wanted a good side dish to go along with it.  We picked between grilled steak fries and the the potato salad, and it seemed the salad was less effort to make.

 

Oddly enough, I think the recipe was incomplete.  It called for garlic powder and onion powder, neither of which was in the directions.  So I included it in the buttermilk dressing portion.  Also the directions didn't say anything past halving the potatoes but I ended up mashing them slightly to give it more of a traditional potato salad texture.

No drink tonight - I did have a beer but it was gone before I could photograph it.

Oh, and for those of you more interested in the whoopie pies:

I made too many potatoes I think.  There wasn't enough dressing to hold everything together.  And I think it would've been more flavorful with more dressing.  But we both made something yummy while constantly stepping over each other, which is an accomplishment in and of itself.  =o9

Nacho Burger with Avocado Relish and Tomato-Chipotle Salsa

I asked Kristen to pick out the next recipe.  When she saw the entry for Nacho Burgers, her response was, "OH MY GOD YOU HAVE TO MAKE THESE!!"

I'm surprised that I did two Latin dishes in a row.  I'm not a big fan and I usually don't go for peppery foods.  But the last two have turned out great.  I'm upset that I threw out the chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from last time because I needed them this time too. 

This recipe was more about preparation than grilling.  The burgers are topped with a salsa and avocado relish which took most of the time to make.  Fortunately we had some burgers left over from an earlier cookout, so I made the salsa and relish while they thawed out.

And tonight's beverage of choice is Michelob Ultra with Lime.  Unfortunately it started to rain when I began to grill so I couldn't get any pictures. 

Although you could eat it as a regular burger, I ate it as an open-faced sandwich with a knife and fork.  The recipe called for blue tortilla chips, but the store didn't have any.  So I picked up some lime flavored chips instead.  It made for a nice yet unexpected crunch in the meal.  The whole thing was almost too much to have with a side dish.  =o9