Today's Bottom of the Jar Recipe

I have posted before about using the bottom of jelly/mustard jars for creating flavor profiles. Today, I made a new one.

I had about 1 teaspoon or so of mustard stuck at the bottom of a squeeze bottle of spicy brown mustard. It just wouldn't come out of the container anymore. So, I added 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 1 teaspoon of maple syrup. Shake well. Covered 4 chicken leg quarters with the mixture and roasted in the oven at 375 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. YUMMY!!

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Rachael Ray's Fig and Fennel Chicken Review

This recipe was our dinner today. I made it exactly as written with the exception that I used bone in chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts. I cooked it on high for four hours and the chicken wasn't quite done yet. I expected that because it was dark meat. It was done perfectly on high after 5 hours.

I love the flavor of the chicken with the herbs, marsala and the flavor added to the chicken by the fennel and figs. However, the fennel in the big hunks like described never got softened enough to eat for me. I love my vegetables crispy and raw, but the large hunks of fennel were hard and difficult to eat. Next time I make it, I will shave the fennel to the same size as the onion so the flavors mix better.

My husband ate the chicken and tasted the fennel and figs, but didn't like them. Luckily there was plenty of chicken for him to eat.

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What's cooking this week?

Menu 6/3/2011 - 6/11/2011


Fri 6/3 - Ravioli Lasagna with Spinach
Sat 6/4 - Beans and Kielbasa
Sun 6/5 - Mediterranean Chicken from Rachael Ray
Mon 6/6 - Pizza
Tue 6/7 - Beef Stew with Apple Beer, Potatoes and Carrots in slow cooker
Wed 6/8 - Country Style Ribs in slow cooker
Thu 6/9 - BOGO
Fri 6/10- Creamy Chicken and Noodles in Rice Cooker
Sat 6/11- ROTN - Krista's Birthday and Carnaby Street

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Willy McBride's and Kilkenny Beer

My husband and I visited a restaurant called Willie McBride in South Branch, NJ this week. It is a new location for a well established place in Hoboken, NJ. I was very impressed. It is decorated like an old upscale Irish Pub. They have an awesome menu, a huge amount of high definition televisions playing your favorite games and great choices of beer.

One of the beers they had on tap is a Guinness product that is very new to the USA called Kilkenny Beer. It is a red ale with a nice foamy head. It drinks very smoothly and the taste is creamy and delicate with a malty dry finish. I could drink this all day and night. It has quickly become my very favorite beer.

I can't wait to go back and try more items from the menu, but the beer I will choose will be Kilkenny!!

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