Drunken Chicken Stew

Here is a one pot meal that is absolutely wonderful to fix and is a genuinely delightful thing to have on hand for leftovers. That and you set it to cook early in the day and eat it when you want. You can do this overnight in a crock pot or you can do it in the oven in a covered stock pot of you choose. I like using the oven on this one a little better, but to each your own. A longer list of things are needed but it is a phenomenal stew. Go ahead and gather these items.

1 whole chicken
2 bottles of dark or amber lager beer
2 carrots (peeled, sliced)
2 ribs of celery (diced)
1 large white onion (diced)
1/2 pound green beans
1 bag frozen corn kernels
1 large can stewed tomatoes
3 cloves of garlic (diced)

2 bay leaves
2 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp salt
2 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp dry mustard powder or seed
1 tsp celery salt
1 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 cup long grain wild rice
2 cups chicken stock

Put the onion in a large pot over the stove on medium heat until slightly transparent. Add the celery and carrots, and place the chicken on top of the veggies. Pour the two bottles of beer in and add the rest of the veggies. Fill the rest of the pot with water to the top of the chicken.Dump in the spices and mix in with a wooden spoon, cover and place in a 300ºF oven for about 4 hours, if you want to cook it longer, lower the temp 15 degrees for each hour over. After 4 hours remove from oven and remove the chicken, shred the chicken off the bones and place back into the pot and cook for an additional hour at 250ºF. Prepare your rice per recipe subbing stock for water. Place rice in a bowl and put stew over the top and you're ready to chow down. What comes out of this is a rich stew with delicious flavors and an overwhelming want to get second our even thirds. Save the leftover stew and have leftovers with smashed potatoes or more rice. Sometimes it tastes better the second time around. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Cocktail Sauce

One of my favorite things in the world is shrimp. I can throw down on them. Steamed, fried, broiled, grilled, it doesn't matter. They're good no matter how you make them. But in most cases, you eat cocktail sauce with them or with fish. It's quick, it's simple, it's absolutely delicious, and you can make it at home to suit you're tastes a whole lot easier and cheaper by making it yourself than buying that disgusting cocktail sauce that comes from the store. Adjust how hot you like it by adding and removing horseradish and hot sauce. Here are the things you are going to use:

1/2 cup of ketchup
1 Tbsp Horseradish (raw and prepared)
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 dashes hot sauce
1 dash lemon juice
1 tsp dried parsley
Pinch of salt

Like I said, it's quick and easy and this amount radio can be tweaked to fit your taste. But this is a good basis of measurement. For a really good experience and if you can handle the heat, substitute the raw horseradish for wasabi paste. Absolutely delicious sauce and it tastes much better than that garbage that you buy in the grocery store. Plus it's much cheaper to make.

Mocha Stout BbQ Sauce

So, you know I'll get into the kitchen every once in a while and make up a new BBQ sauce when I find some ingredients that I truthfully love. On this occasion, I was looking for a mildly inexpensive Stout that would offer a spin on my Guinness sauce with some different flavors. Behold Highland Mocha Stout. Thick, rich, full bodied, stout with heavy overtones of chocolate malt and coffee. I knew if I were to make a sauce with it, the sweetness from the chocolate would blend in with the acidity of the vinegar and just perform a level of sweetness without tasting like chocolate. The coffee flavors would be super prevalent, and, well, the yummy, succulent bitterness of the stout would just shine through. Here is what you'll need:

2 cups of ketchup (no corn syrup added)
1 cup of Highland Mocha Stout
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup brown mustard
2 tablespoons chilli powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 Teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Agave nectar (for sweetness)
1 teaspoon died onion flake
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

Add ingredients to a small pot and simmer on medium low heat while mixing together. Make sure all ingredients meld and are completely mixed in. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 30-40 minutes. Stir every 10 minutes or so that the sauce doesn't burn into the pot. What comes to fruition it's a joyful symphony of flavor that can only bring thoughts of happiness and sunshine. I've saved the rest and have used it on multiple different things since the Steak Sandwich that it was meant for, and it gets better with age. A truly awesome sauce. Just make sure that you have fun with these recipes and you can use them on multiple occasions. You won't be dissatisfied.