Father’s Day: Barbecue Chicken in the Oven

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Traditionally any summer holiday just screams for the barbecue, right? Well, perhaps not in Tucson. We have such wonderful weather to grill outdoors from say September to May. But in June, forget about it! It is just plain HOT!!

But that does not mean that when certain holidays come around, that we do not wish for and plan for those same enjoyable barbecue/ grill meals. Yummz! Grilled chicken, hotdogs or corn on the cob, potato salad, coleslaw etc… We just love it all..

We just cook a bit differently in the summer.

What do we do differently? We cook it all indoors. Now yes, we will admit, the toasty grilled flavor is gone… BUT that is OK because no one is ready to pass out standing in front of the hot coals either.

Here is our easy recipe for BBQ Chicken in the Oven.

What you need:

  • Chicken (we like to use chicken on the bone, but use your favorite pieces)
  • BBQ sauce (We love Trader Joe’s Bold & Smoky Kansas City Style BBQ Sauce)

How to:

Cover you baking dish of choice with foil. Spray with cooking spray or coat the foil lightly with oil.

Thaw the chicken first, if frozen, then rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Place chicken on the foil covered baking pan, and season lightly with salt and pepper.

Bake at 350 degrees until the chicken is just cooked. This can take between 30-60 minutes. The time will depend on what pieces of chicken you chose to cook. Bigger, thicker pieces take longer than smaller thinner pieces. Also chicken with bones takes a few minutes longer than boneless chicken.

It is easy to check to see if you chicken is cooked. Take the pan out of the oven and cut into the chicken with a knife and fork to peek. Chicken is fully cooked when the juice runs clear, and the meat is no longer pink inside.

When the chicken is fully cooked, brush the BBQ sauce on the chicken and let cook about 10 more minutes.

Variations:

-You can season the chicken before cooking with some cumin or Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute if you like

-You can cook the chicken the day before (hey in the AM when it is cool) and then heat up with the BBQ sauce when you are ready to eat.

So that is it, really. Let us know if you tried this Oven BBQ and what you think.

3 Easy Father’s Day Breakfast Ideas

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Are you looking for some easy Father’s Day breakfast ideas?  Here are a few of our favorite ideas for you to keep those Father’s happy.

1. Ranchero Breakfast

This is one of our favorite breakfasts and you can make it as simple or as complicated as you like. The ingredients can contain any of the following:

  • Eggs (cooked however you like)
  • Tortillas
  • Salsa/ Sour Cream/ Cheese
  • Cooked Chorizo
  • Black or Pinto Beans

We usually cook up two fried eggs and serve them with black beans and some soft, warm tortillas. On the side we have the salsa and sometimes sour cream and shredded cheese. Then we like to take some eggs, cheese and beans and roll it all up in one of the tortillas…. YUM!

2. Chocolate & Peanut butter Waffle Stackers

This one is quick and is also yummy! Start with two of your favorite Trader Joe’s frozen waffles per person. Heat them up according to package directions and then spread one with peanut butter. Sprinkle the peanut butter with some chocolate chips and top with the other hot waffle. The heat from the waffles should melt the chocolate chips. Serve with Maple syrup if you like…

3. Kielbasa and Eggs

Here again is a flexible and tasty breakfast that the whole family with enjoy. Cut a Kielbasa into 2 inch chunks, and then in half the long way (so it has a nice flat part to brown up on the stove). Then brown up the pieces in a pan until golden. The nice thing about Kielbasa is that they are already cooked so you only need to brown and heat them up when you want to serve. Also Trader Joe’s sells a Turkey Kielbasa so you can enjoy all the flavor, without all the fat that some other breakfast meats contain. Serve the browned Kielbasa with your favorite eggs (I love them with scrambled eggs) and toast.

We hope you enjoyed these ideas for a fabulous Father’s Day Breakfast. Let us know what you served.

Trader Joe’s Guide To Summer

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We had a pleasant surprise today when we went shopping at Trader Joe’s in Tucson: The Trader Joe’s Guide to Summer has arrived! See it here on the web at www.traderjoes.com

This June version of the Fearless Flyer is a trimmed down summer version, that includes a unique multiple folding system that took me a little time to figure out! I kept trying to make it into the  Fearless Flyer book, and instead this booklet was one long page folded up about 4 times.

Eeks! More Coffee!!

Anyway, this Guide to Summer illustrates a few of Trader Joe’s more Summer Friendly items. These include items to grill, snack on and drink to stay cool.

One item that we have to mention (as we have already finished off our first cup!) is the Avocado Salsa Verde. This is a wonderful “vibrant” (their wording here) tomatillo salsa verde (green salsa). It first caught our eye in the sample area, as they were combining the salsa with the Red, White and Blue Tortilla chips!

We both just loved the salsa- it was cool and had large chunks of avocado in it. At first it seemed to be very mild, but then … the heat (medium) came a few seconds later.

We brought this Avocado Salsa Verde home and enjoyed the salsa with eggs and tortillas – a sorta Ranchero dinner.

Another way to serve the Avocado Salsa Verde is the way they fixed the sample at Trader Joe’s: with tiny shrimp chopped and mixed in. This became a kind of mock Seviche (you know that fish dish that you sometimes see in Mexican Restaurants).

This brings me back to the Summer Guide. Pick up a copy today – in it you will find some great new products to help you stay cool this summer!

Trader Joe’s Wine: Chariot Gypsy, 2007

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A wine moment with Delaina…the sipping continues….

This wine moment features the red wine Chariot Gypsy 2007. Chariot’s Gypsy comes out of Jim Neal Wines in St Helena, California. This red wine is complex and smooth, but with enough playfulness to drink on summer evening.

Now remember, we live in Tucson Arizona so a summer evening for us means that we are inside with the air conditioner running… and staying cool.

The label does not describe the wine’s flavors for you, other then to note the obvious, “Red Wine”.  I am always intrigued by wines that say “Red Wine” or “Table Wine” (the latter is usual for Italian wines). So I thought perhaps the winery from California wanted the Chariot Gypsy to be California’s “table wine.”

So you have only my taste buds to describe this wine for you. The bouquet to me is a mixture of lavender and cherries. The flavor I would say matches the smell.  It is what I would imagine drinking summer would be like in a vineyard.

Yeah…  I do know this sounds ‘cheesy.’ But hey speaking of cheese, this wine would pair nicely with a number of different cheeses. For example, try smoked Gouda, or even a creamy plain and simple cheese like Monterey Jack. We love to serve a selection of cheeses and fun crackers with wine for an appetizer.

If you were thinking about a full dinner paring, then I can tell you that this wine also pairs nicely with a salad and gnocchi tossed in garlic butter.

Either way, bon appétit! And I hope you enjoy drinking yummy wines during the summer nights to come.

Have you tried this wine? Take a moment to leave a comment if you like… we can compare wine tasting notes….

Cheers!

Delaina