Food – Page 3 – Hoots of a Night Al

Seasoned Garlic Roast Chicken

October 6, 2015 5 Comments

Chicken is a staple in our weekly meal rotation, but I’ve only ever cooked chicken breasts or chicken strips. I’ve heard that cooking bone-in chicken parts (thighs, wings, etc.) yields juicier and moister chicken, but cooking a whole bird has always intimidated me. I guess it doesn’t take much for me to be intimidated? Hah. This week though, I decided to face my “fears,” and go for it!…And I’m so glad I did.

I couldn’t find a recipe that looked like exactly what I wanted (you know based on all my experience of never having cooked a chicken), so I sort of made up my own. First open your chicken, remove the innards (I squealed unpleasantly and immaturely the entire time I did this.), rinse well under water, and pat dry. Place the chicken on a baking sheet lined with heavy duty aluminum foil. Cut up 1 to 1 1/2 sticks of salted butter and allow it to soften. While your butter is softening, slice the top inch off of a head of garlic and rub the exposed cloves all over your chicken.

Slice the top inch off of 2-3 more heads of garlic and deposit them into your chicken’s…butthole? Rear cavity? Hahah. I’m sorry. I felt wildly inappropriate anytime I did anything in this “area” of my little chicken and laughed awkwardly the entire time. Liberally season the inside of the chicken with seasoned salt, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper, as well.

When your butter is softened, add in 2-3 Tablespoons of seasoned salt (I used Lawry’s), and Kosher Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste (I probably used 1-2 teaspoons of each). Stir the seasonings into the butter until they’re well mixed in and it looks like the sickly orange color below. It will look better after it’s cooked…promise. Spoon the butter mixture onto your chicken and smooth it all over including any crevices (like the “armpit” beneath the wing). I felt like I was frosting a hideous cake, and that’s basically how it looked when I was done! I’m a wizard in the kitchen, what can I say?

Cook your chicken in the oven for around 1 hour at 425 degrees. My chicken was just over 3 pounds, and it was fully cooked after an hour at this temperature. If your chicken is closer to 5 pounds, it will probably take around an hour and a half. Be sure to check that your chicken’s internal temperature is 165 degrees to ensure it’s cooked completely. The seasoned butter should have created a beautiful brown skin all over the exterior.

Once you’ve confirmed your chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the oven, loosely cover it with foil, and let it rest for at least ten minutes. After what will feel like forever, you can finally carve into your little birdie and enjoy the moist, juicy meat! I was amazed at how easy this was, and I felt silly for being so intimidated! Louis has coined this his new favorite meal that I make, so I’m marking it down as a success!

Another perk of cooking a roast chicken at home is that you get to smell the delicious scents wafting throughout the house! I had Christmas music playing while I cooked, so it felt just like the holidays to me. (Even though we eat turkey not chicken….eh. Poh-tay-toh, Poh-tah-toh.) While the chicken is in the oven you can use that hour to whip up some garlic mashed potatoes, green beans, or a yummy salad to accompany it. I hope this encourages anyone else who is nervous to try out a new recipe! Happy cooking! (Not really, I hate cooking, but as it’s a necessity of daily life, might as well make the best of it 😉 )

Food, Recipe

Simple Chicken Tortilla Soup

September 29, 2015 4 Comments

You know those recipes that remind you of home? The ones in cookbooks full of notes, scribbles, and handwritten additions? This soup is one of those recipes for me. It was always one of my favorite things my mom made during the fall and winter when I was growing up. When I got married, she passed her recipe on to me, so I could have a piece of home whenever I wanted. It’s relatively simple and super delicious, so I wanted to share it with all of you!

The “hardest” part of this recipe is all of the chopping. Seriously, everything has to be cut, sliced, diced, minced, chopped….you get it. Once everything is properly chopped, it’s simply a matter of combining it!

The fresh produce you need to cut includes: 2 large carrots, 1 large onion, 6 ribs of celery, 1 jalapeño (seeded…be careful! Don’t get the juice anywhere near your eyes!), and 4 garlic cloves. You also need to slice one pound of chicken into bite size pieces. Any of these ingredients can be adjusted to your liking.

It’s definitely easiest to measure out all of your ingredients before you start cooking the soup because it makes the process much smoother. Plus, if everything is prepared, you can pretend you’re on a cooking show where everything is neatly laid out just waiting to be grabbed and poured in the pot. I’m sorry though, this recipe doesn’t include a pre-made batch of soup sitting just offscreen. Or a hilarious onscreen persona.

First, heat 1/4 cup of oil and 3 tablespoons of butter over medium-high heat. Add your chicken and cook until it is no longer pink. Once the chicken is almost fully cooked, add your carrots, onion, celery, jalapeño, and garlic, and sauté for around 5 minutes.

It should already be smelling pretty delicious at this point, but it’s time to add in some spices to take it over the top. Pour in (from your pre-measured bowl!) 1 teaspoon of each of the following: Lemon pepper, chili powder, salt, and cumin. (If you’re still pretending you’re on a cooking show, feel free to grab the spices with your fingers and toss them into the pot with a little flourish. No pressure, though.) Add 1/2 cup of flour as well. This will help thicken up the soup a little. Give everything a good stir to make sure the spices are distributed evenly.

Finally, stir in 42 ounces of chicken broth and 1 14.5 ounce can of petite diced tomatoes. Bring everything to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 1 hour.

After that hour, the scrumptious tortilla soup scent will have filled your house. Well…it fills up our 1-bedroom apartment, but at least the areas surrounding your kitchen should smell like soup? Regardless, get your preferred toppings ready. I love lots of shredded cheese with an abundance of tortilla chips to dip in my soup. My family fills their bowl with chips and pours the soup right on top. Feel free to make it your own! Live your life, you know? This recipe makes 6 to 8 servings depending on how ~~much of a pig~~ hungry you are.

Whip up a batch next time you’re craving some delicious, simple, homemade tortilla soup, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed!

Food, Recipe

Crock-Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

February 5, 2015 3 Comments

Who’s ready for a delicious, easy dinner recipe? If you’re not…um…quit reading? 🙂 I found these Crock-Pot BBQ Chicken Sandwiches months ago, and I have since made them my own with a few modifications. They have quickly become one of my go-to dinner options. Read on for the recipe!

There are only a few ingredients in this recipe: chicken breasts, garlic powder, vinegar, brown sugar, and BBQ sauce. I always use Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue Sauce because I can find it anywhere, it’s inexpensive, and most importantly, it’s DELICIOUS. They have several varieties, but the original is definitely the best.

Another “ingredient” I use is a Reynolds Slow Cooker liner. These can be found by the Ziploc bags at the grocery store, and they make cleaning up the Crock-Pot a cinch! No more scrubbing and scraping and taking up half of your dishwasher after each Crock-Pot meal! They’re awesome, and I would totally add them to your routine when using your slow cooker.

Once you’ve assembled your ingredients, toss everything but the chicken in your lined slow cooker. Mix the ingredients together well, add in your chicken breasts, and coat them with the sauce.

Cook the chicken on low for 4-6 hours until it is thoroughly cooked and can be easily shredded with a fork.

Once your chicken is shredded, you can serve it a number of different ways. My favorite is to spoon it onto some lightly toasted buns and serve it with my simple homemade baked fries.

I know this meal is a hit because Louis always asks for seconds when I make it! Three chicken breasts usually make enough meat for about six to eight sandwiches, depending on how much chicken you put on each one. It’s great because it is so easy to make, and it typically lasts us for two meals!

I hope you enjoy these sandwiches as much as we do! Feel free to pin or print the recipe below, and let me know if you give it a try!

Food, Married Life, Recipe, San Antonio, Travel

Night Al Migrations: Black’s Barbecue

September 16, 2014 3 Comments

Hi y’all! Sorry I’ve been MIA for a bit! I started a new job, so that has definitely taken away my blogging time! I’m back today to talk about a mini road trip Louis and I took last week to Black’s Barbecue in Lockhart, Texas. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon, so we hopped in my Sunfire and drove up, get this, PICKLE PARKWAY. That was the name of the toll road we took! How cute is that? It has the fastest posted speed limit in the United States…85 miles per hour!

We enjoyed the quick drive and wound up in quaint, downtown Lockhart. If we ever make another trip out, I’d love to spend an entire day there. They have antique shops, gift shops, and three other popular barbecue joints. Maybe we can make it back one day to do a “barbecue crawl?” Sort of like a pub crawl, but more our style, since we don’t drink? I’ll add it to our “To Do” list. 😉

When we drove up, there was a line extending at least 20 people out the door! We were starving, but we figured the long line was a good sign. We only waited about 30 minutes, and it was SO worth it.

Once you get inside, the sides are served up cafeteria style and the meats are sliced as you request them. They had all sorts of sides including pinto beans, mac ‘n cheese, deviled eggs, and more, but I just couldn’t resist the green beans. I mean seriously, look at my plate. Our cashier looked at me like I was crazy, but they’re my fave veggie! Get off my back, man.

After waiting in line for so long, we didn’t want to miss out on trying anything, so we got a sliced turkey sandwich, an original sausage link, and a half pound of lean brisket. Oh, and a million green beans (but still not enough for me. Never enough.). The brisket was FOR SURE the best thing we tried. It was so moist and juicy that it didn’t even need barbecue sauce! I loved the sliced turkey sandwich, and (obvi) the green beans were probably my fave part of the meal. Who drives an hour for barbecue and fills up on green beans?? This girl. The sausage was just meh.

Overall, our meal was completely delicious, and we agreed it was totally worth the trip and the wait outside in the Texas heat! If you still need more proof that this is a quality establishment, check out this picture below of the owners…

They’re Aggies! No wonder the food is so delicious!! 🙂 The entire restaurant was filled with memorabilia gathered over the years including countless family memories. Black’s Barbecue is the oldest continuously family-owned barbecue joint in Texas (since 1932!), so it was great to see their family history represented throughout the establishment. It’s nothing fancy, but it serves its purpose by providing tons of checkered tablecloth covered tables for people to sit together and enjoy some delicious Texas barbecue (and green beans, of course).

We loved our mini trip our to Lockhart, and we can’t wait for our next trip out to Black’s Barbecue! Let me know if you’ve ever tried it, or if you know of any other Texas barbecue spots we need to try!

Food, Recipe

Homemade Pizza in Less Than 1 Hour!

July 15, 2014 7 Comments

Hey y’all! This easy homemade pizza has quickly become a favorite in our home. A few weeks ago, Louis and I got ingredients to make a pizza together, and it turned out so tasty we’ve made one once a week since then!

Here are the ingredients we use:

1 pack Weisenberger Pizza Crust Mix

1 jar Mezzetta Authentic Pizza Sauce

HEB Cheese – Pizza Blend

Hormel Original Uncured Pepperonis

Feel free to add any other toppings you enjoy on your pizza! Duh. The Weisenberger Pizza Crust Mix is awesome because it gives you a homemade pizza taste without having to make it totally from scratch and wait around all day for the dough to rise. You simply add hot water and let it rise for at least five minutes (we usually give it around 30 minutes). The Mezzetta pizza sauce was recommended by my parents, and it is YUM-O. One jar lasts for about three pizzas, and I even dip my pizza in it because I love the taste so much! I think these two ingredients are really what make this pizza so delicious. Feel free to branch out on the cheese and toppings as your little heart desires, but don’t say I didn’t warn you if you stray from Weisenberger and Mezzetta and your pizza tastes like Italian turds.

Another optional ingredient is a handsome sous chef. (To help in the kitchen obvi…not to chop up for your ‘za.)

Follow the ingredients on the Weisenberger pizza crust mix by adding 1/2 cup of hot water to your mix and stirring it up. Then, cover it in a little oil and form it into a ball. I cover my mixing bowl with a kitchen towel and set it outside to let it rise in the miserable Texas heat.

Once your dough has risen, spread it out into a circle (or a different shape if you’re feeling jazzy) on your greased pizza pan and add your selected ingredients. I also usually add some melted butter and garlic powder to the crust because we are oh-so fancy. Set your oven to 500 degrees, and bake your pizza for 10 minutes.

Just like that you’ve got a fresh, yummy homemade pizza! This pizza is the perfect size for Louis and I to split. If you’re cooking for more than two, then um…buy more ingredients, obviously.

From prep to plate this pizza takes less than an hour to make, so it’s perfect when you’re craving homemade pizza but don’t have all day to wait for the dough to rise! Hope you enjoy this simple, homemade pizza soon!

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