This is one my cheap and easy (and not TOO bad for me) "go to" menu items.
Chicken thighs have very little fat, and actually a fair amount of white meat on them. Call them the poor cousin of the chicken breast if you will, but I'm poor so I'll live with the label. If you don't eat the skin, you consume less fat, but I can't resist.
For some reason the Holly Farm brand chicken thighs at Kroger are considerably cheaper than the other brands so of course that's what I get. Four thighs never cost more than $2.50.
I picked up a package of four this week for $2.01 and also a bottle of Kroger brand BBQ sauce for $1.17. That's going to make two main serving of meat for $1.59 a serving and leave me a half a bottle of BBQ to something else with.
This is one of those things you either want to leave yourself time to make or do ahead and freeze for instant use.
Parboil those thighs for about 15 minutes. [Parboil: Put enough water in a pot to cover the thighs-bring it to a boil-add the thighs-keep at a low boil for 10-15 minutes] Then wrap those bad boys up in aluminum foil with a healthy dose of BBQ sauce and bake at 325 for about an hour and half. The beauty part is that you can throw whatever kind of sauce you want on the chicken. Or concoct something of your own. I learned from one my Texas friends, Kandy Pople-Gill, that adding a little bit of cinnammon to the BBQ sauce varieties really adds "something" and it will make your house smell INSANELY good while they cook!
You know they're done when you can easily pull the meat away from the bone with a fork.
Now dig in!
Sunday, April 14, 2013
Gettin' Freaky with Tzatziki
This works GREAT as a dip, or a sandwich spread, or on lamb burgers if you're "going Greek." First, a simple recipe, then the story (and pronunciation) of tzatziki.
For a generous portion to put on four lamb burgers-
3/4 c. plain green yogurt
1/2 c. seedless cucumbers, shredded and drained of excess lidquid
1 clove fresh garlic
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
(To make a dip for parties, double that recipe and serve with toasted pita chips)
This is so great, especially in summer, when you want something "light". The cucumbers make it smell AWESOME. The Greek yogurt has tons of protein in it, and NO fat.
And, now, a history lesson courtesy of Wikipedia:
Tzatziki (Anglicised: pron.: /zɑːdˈziːki/; Greek: τζατζίκι [dzaˈdzici] or [dʒaˈdʒici]; Turkish: cacık [dʒaˈdʒɯk]; Albanian: xaxiq[citation needed] ; Persian: ماست و خیار) is a Greek appetizer, also used as a sauce for gyros. Tzatziki is made of strained yogurt (usually from sheep or goat milk) mixed with cucumbers, garlic, salt, olive oil, and sometimes lemon juice, and dill or mint or parsley.[1]
Tzatziki is always served cold. While in Greece and Turkey the dish is
usually served as an accompaniment, in other places tzatziki is often
served with bread (loaf or pita) as part of the first course of a meal.
Tzatziki
Turkish cacık,
the more diluted cousin of tzatziki, is usually served as an
accompaniment to meat, though it is suggested as a soup or a salad also.[2] Usual ingredients are yogurt (from goat's milk), cucumber, salt, garlic, and dried and crushed wild mint.[3] When served as a meze (appetizer), it is of a thicker consistency, indistinguishable from tzatziki.
In Cyprus, the dish is known as talattouri[4] (cf. tarator), and recipes often include less garlic and includes the herb mint, unlike the Greek counterpart.
In Bulgaria, Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, the same dish is known as "dry tarator" (Bulgarian: сух таратор, Macedonian: сув таратур, Serbian: сув таратор) "Snezhanka" salad (салата "Снежанка"), which means "snow white salad", and is served as an appetizer. During preparation, the yogurt (Bulgarian: кисело мляко, Macedonian: кисело млеко, Serbian: кисело млеко) is hung for several hours in a kerchief and loses about half of its water (drained yogurt, Bulgarian: цедено кисело мляко, Serbian: цеђено кисело млеко, Macedonian: цедено кисело млеко). The cucumbers, garlic, minced walnuts, salt and vegetable oil are then added.
Similar dishes in Iraq are known as jajeek, normally served as meze alongside alcoholic drinks, especially Arak, an Ouzo-like drink made from dates.
A variation in the Caucasus mountains, called ovdukh, uses kefir instead of the yogurt, thus creating a refreshing summer drink. This can be poured over a mixture of vegetables, eggs and ham to create a variation of okroshka, sometimes referred to as a 'Caucasus okroshka'.
A similar dish is made in Iran, called mast-o-khiar literally meaning yogurt with cucumber. It is made using a thicker yogurt, which is mixed with sliced cucumber, garlic, and dill (sometimes chopped nuts are also added as a garnish). Iranians take the dish a step further, substituting shallots, called mast-o-moussir.
Cacık may also be compared with raita and pachadi in India, all are served as a refreshing appetizer along with other dishes.
For a generous portion to put on four lamb burgers-
3/4 c. plain green yogurt
1/2 c. seedless cucumbers, shredded and drained of excess lidquid
1 clove fresh garlic
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
(To make a dip for parties, double that recipe and serve with toasted pita chips)
This is so great, especially in summer, when you want something "light". The cucumbers make it smell AWESOME. The Greek yogurt has tons of protein in it, and NO fat.
And, now, a history lesson courtesy of Wikipedia:
Tzatziki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Greece Turkey |
| Details | |
| Course | Appetizer |
| Type | Dip |
| Main ingredient(s) | Strained yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, salt and sometimes lemon juice, dill or mint or parsley |
Contents |
Etymology
The name comes from the Turkish dish cacık, which contains many of the same ingredients but is considerably more liquid.Variations
In Cyprus, the dish is known as talattouri[4] (cf. tarator), and recipes often include less garlic and includes the herb mint, unlike the Greek counterpart.
In Bulgaria, Republic of Macedonia and Serbia, the same dish is known as "dry tarator" (Bulgarian: сух таратор, Macedonian: сув таратур, Serbian: сув таратор) "Snezhanka" salad (салата "Снежанка"), which means "snow white salad", and is served as an appetizer. During preparation, the yogurt (Bulgarian: кисело мляко, Macedonian: кисело млеко, Serbian: кисело млеко) is hung for several hours in a kerchief and loses about half of its water (drained yogurt, Bulgarian: цедено кисело мляко, Serbian: цеђено кисело млеко, Macedonian: цедено кисело млеко). The cucumbers, garlic, minced walnuts, salt and vegetable oil are then added.
Similar dishes in Iraq are known as jajeek, normally served as meze alongside alcoholic drinks, especially Arak, an Ouzo-like drink made from dates.
A variation in the Caucasus mountains, called ovdukh, uses kefir instead of the yogurt, thus creating a refreshing summer drink. This can be poured over a mixture of vegetables, eggs and ham to create a variation of okroshka, sometimes referred to as a 'Caucasus okroshka'.
A similar dish is made in Iran, called mast-o-khiar literally meaning yogurt with cucumber. It is made using a thicker yogurt, which is mixed with sliced cucumber, garlic, and dill (sometimes chopped nuts are also added as a garnish). Iranians take the dish a step further, substituting shallots, called mast-o-moussir.
Cacık may also be compared with raita and pachadi in India, all are served as a refreshing appetizer along with other dishes.
Preparation
The cucumbers used for tzatziki are usually salted, squeezed, and drained to eliminate excess water.[5]Saturday, April 6, 2013
The BAT sandwich
I wanted a BLT. Problem was, didn't have any
"L" or any of the "traditional" "T." Necessity being the mother of invention and all.... I ended up with toasted mulitgrain
bread w/ some low fat mayo on it, some fresh parmesan melted on both
sides, Bacon, Avocado, and sundried Tomatoes. I call it the BAT
Sandwich, in honor of Barry Wiseman. Tee hee!!!
The sharpness in the fresh parmesan and the tang of the sundried tomatoes jazzed up the avocado.
Except for the bacon, it was a healthy meal. (Insert sheepish grin here!)
I typed this with an "avocado" color background, because I can!
The sharpness in the fresh parmesan and the tang of the sundried tomatoes jazzed up the avocado.
Except for the bacon, it was a healthy meal. (Insert sheepish grin here!)
I typed this with an "avocado" color background, because I can!
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