BBQ chicken

May 25, 2022 by Rebecca Davis in Cooking, Gluten-free, Recipes, Summer, Toddler eats

A short marinade in olive oil, apple cider vinegar, mustard, and soy sauce followed by the best ever spice rub (seriously, triple the recipe and use it on everything), makes this a BBQ chicken worthy of your most discerning guests.

Take me to the recipe!

We’ve used this marinade and rub on all kinds of chicken: breasts, thighs, bone-in, skin-on, boneless, skinless, and an entire chicken. It has worked with every iteration! I was really tired one day and put the sugar in the marinade instead of the rub—still great. My husband likes to put the rub on WITH the marinade and let the whole thing sit for 30 minutes—also great. So if, like me, your attention is divided while trying to make dinner, this is the recipe for you.

A note on cooking chicken:

Roast the chicken between 425 and 450. I use the lower temperature for skinless and boneless varieties to avoid drying out the meat. The higher temperature works with the bones and skin, but keep an eye out to ensure that the skin doesn’t burn. A loose piece of foil over top usually does the trick.
Grill the chicken by heating up the grill on the highest temperature and then turn it down to medium just before putting the chicken on the grill. Cook until the internal temperature is 165 in the fattest part.

BBQ Chicken

Yield: 3 lbs chicken
Time: 60-90 minutes, depending on how long you cook your chicken

3 lbs chicken (any type, but I prefer boneless, skinless thighs or a whole spatchcocked chicken)
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp yellow mustard
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp thyme
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 tsp onion powder

Combine the olive oil, apple cider, soy sauce, and yellow mustard. Place chicken in a large container (plastic bag, glass container, mixing bowl, or whatever will hold all of the chicken) and cover with the marinade. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, but up to an hour.

Combine the dry rub ingredients.

Heat the oven to 425-450 (see note above).

Take the chicken out of the marinade, but DO NOT pat dry- we want a little extra liquid. Cover with the spice rub on all sides and massage it into the chicken.

Place on a sheet pan or in a large cooking dish and cook, uncovered, for about 15 minutes (a whole chicken or very large chicken parts will take longer to cook, usually about 45-50 minutes). Check for doneness and cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 in the thickest part of the chicken.

If any sauce remains in the pan, save it for pouring onto the chicken before serving.

Everything potato gratin

April 13, 2022 by Rebecca Davis in Budget meals, Cooking, Gluten-free, Holidays, Kid eats, Nut-free, Quick meals, Recipes, Spring, Toddler eats, Vegetarian

This easy side dish is the perfect way to make something that seems fancy (gratin!) while using all the shortcuts (barely any chopping!).

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So, I used Jamie Oliver’s method for a quicker potato gratin. Gratin’s usually need up to an hour in the oven, but by combining cooking methods, you can get a creamy, crunchy, crispy dish in less than 30 minutes. Also, using everything bagel spice means that you don’t have to chop any onions or garlic or really measure much of anything.

Just a quick word of warning: Use oven mitts to secure the tin foil over your skillet or tin on the stove. You want a tight seal so that the potatoes steam a bit before going into the oven. ALSO, use caution when removing the foil as the steam is plentiful and HOT.

A note about SALT: I don’t add any in this recipe because most of the pre-made Everything Bagel spice mixes are pretty salty. Check your labels and then decide if you want to add more salt. I would recommend a sprinkle of sea salt over the top of the finished gratin if you feel like it needs more.

Everything Potato Gratin

1½ lbs russet potatoes (about 2 very large), peeled and sliced thinly
½ cup heavy cream
½ cup water
2½ Tbsp everything bagel spice, divided
5-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
1½ cups grated cheese (mixture of gruyere, asiago, gouda)

Time: about 30 minutes, mostly active
Yield: 5 side servings

Preheat the oven to 425.

In a large oven-proof skillet or tin, spread the thinly sliced potatoes.

In a large measuring cup, combine the milk, water, and 1 1/2 Tbsp of everything bagel spice. Pour over the potatoes in the skillet. Add the fresh thyme and stir well to combine and to spread out the dried and fresh herbs.

Over a medium-high flame, bring the liquid to a boil. The liquid around the edges of the pan will boil quickly. Look for the first few bubbles in the middle of the pan and turn down the flame to medium-low.

Carefully wrap a piece of tin foil over the top of the skillet or tin. I wear oven mitts to do this because I want a tight seal, but I don’t want to burn myself. Let cook over a medium-low flame for 6 minutes.

Turn off the flame and CAREFULLY remove the foil being sure to wear oven mitts and to remove the foil away from you to avoid the hot steam.

Top evenly with the grated cheese.

Cook, uncovered, in the oven for 15 minutes. Top with the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of everything bagel spice.

Let cool slightly and serve.

A deeply flavored, rich, and cozy beef stew is usually an all-day, multiple-pan affair. But this recipe simplifies the steps so that you can have this stew, which is mostly hands-off cooking, on the table in a maximum of 2 hours. #meandthemoose #beefstew #dinnerrecipes #beefrecipes

Weeknight beef stew

March 24, 2022 by Rebecca Davis in Cooking, Fall, Food, Kid eats, No refined sugar, Nut-free, Recipes, Toddler eats, Winter

A deeply flavored, rich, and cozy beef stew is usually an all-day, multiple-pan affair. But this recipe simplifies the steps so that you can have this stew, which is mostly hands-off cooking, on the table in a maximum of 2 hours.

Take me to the recipe!

Okay, so I’ve tried every beef stew recipe out there. (No, I haven’t, but I’ve tried A LOT.) The best ones require time and effort: Multiple cooking methods, multiple steps, multiple pans, etc. And the results have largely been worth the effort. BUT, if you have a busy family, young kids, a demanding job, or just don’t feel like tending a stew all day, there is a simpler beef stew option!

I did a bunch of research and tried a bunch of tricks. My goal was to achieve a rich flavor without using every pan in my kitchen and without requiring a ton of work. Some of my shortcuts worked and some didn’t. I think I’ve landed at a happy medium that isn’t exactly “set it and forget it” but that will get you a lot more bang for your flavor buck than a quick stew made in, say, the slow-cooker.

My first shortcut was to brown the meat in one batch in the oven instead of searing it in multiple batches on the stovetop. I know searing is the way to lock in moisture and to achieve some caramelization on the outside of the meat, but it takes me FOREVER and my hand gets very tired from holding the tongs and rotating the cubes until they’re evenly browned. So instead, I patted everything dry and roasted it at high heat in the oven for a few minutes to get that caramelization.

AN IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT SALT: I found that if I didn’t salt the meat at all before the roasting, the end results were slightly bland. However, when I over salted the meat before roasting, it dried out because too much moisture came out during that initial cook. So, use a judicious pinch of salt before roasting and then generously salt the rest of the dish at various points in the cooking.

Then, I stirred in some flour right after that initial roast and along with the onions and carrots. I found that adding in the flour at this stage rather than at the end, allowed the flour to cook and thicken the sauce without any added fuss.

My next major shortcut was to whizz a majority of the ingredients in a blender and pour it all over the meat and veggies before a long, slow braise. Less chopping! No garlic fingers! Win win! But, if you don’t want to dirty your blender or food processor (which I completely understand) a traditional chop will do just fine.

Weeknight beef stew

Time: 1 3/4- 2 hours
Yield: 4-6 servings

2 lbs stew beef cubes
1 Tbsp kosher salt, divided (see note above)
3 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour
2 cups beef stock
1 cup red wine
2 anchovies
6 large garlic cloves, divided
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 large onion
2 large carrots

Optional topping:
1/2 lb mushrooms (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil or butter, or a combination
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 500. Pat the beef cubes dry. Add in a single layer to a large Dutch oven. Top with 3 Tbsp of butter cut into 6-9 small cubes. Sprinkle very lightly with salt. Roast, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.

While the beef is roasting, add the beef stock, wine, anchovies, 3 cloves garlic, thyme, 1-2 very large pinches of salt, and pepper to a blender or food processor and whizz for 30 seconds.

Once the beef is quickly caramelized, turn the oven down to 375. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of flour over the meat and mix. Add the onions and carrots and remaining 3 large garlic cloves to the pot. Sprinkle with another judicious pinch of salt. Stir.

Top with the liquid and bake in the oven, uncovered, for 1¼-1½ hours, stirring once halfway through the cooking time. The dish is done once the liquid has cooked down and thickened into a gravy-like consistency.

Optional topping:
While the beef is cooking, chop or slice the mushrooms and sauté in butter and olive oil. Once they have released their water and that water has evaporated, add the vinegar and cook for 1-2 more minutes until the vinegar has also evaporated.