The Kamado Smoker and Grill (cookbook review)

If you are looking for a cookbook that takes you from soup to nuts explaining things that both the novice and the seasoned outdoor cook can appreciate then this is the book for you. This book is filled with recipes that everyone can appreciate.

Tips, everyone wants tips and tricks and you will find them numbered and with a nice large banner so you know where they are. Don't know what reverse searing is? You will find the answer in this book.

While the book is loaded with pictures and step by step visual instructions I do think there could have been a few full page images of some of these delicious dishes. All in all this is a great cookbook and you don't necessarily have to have a Kamado Smoker to benefit from all the good advice as these tips and techniques have cross over to any backyard grill set up that you may have. Go out an pick up a copy.


I received a free copy of this book to review and secondly the author is one of my colleagues as a Char-Broil AllStar.

Gotta Feed The Kid™

Many of you have probably seen me make this statement - Gotta Feed The Kid™ and then I post what I fed him that day - well there is a reason behind it and it is a multi-layered and complicated little entity. Gotta Feed The Kid™ is a domain name that I own that I have yet to start putting content into it mostly because I am a little too busy to devote the time necessary but this is the year I will and once I do - stand back. I am excited to share with you all the wonderful meals I prepare for my son that you could just as easily prepare for your families as well. While my son has been eating all kinds of unusual things his entire life he is just as much a fan of the simple things so I try and mix it up a bit to not only keep him excited about food but also not to take him so far out of the box that he becomes jaded.

We eat a lot of the same things for the most part as well - all I do is change up the preparation of the side dish and its a "tried and true" with a twist. This Chicken Madras is something I would make often as we are big fans of the Indian and West Indian flavors.

Eggs, we typically make Sunday brunch and its usually either eggs or pancakes or waffles or all three.

Southwestern food from my native New Mexico is always on the menu in some form or another. This is a stacked enchilada that just also happens to have eggs - you will find out soon enough that we like eggs. So I hope to have the website up soon and I hope to see you all there and believe it or not I will be posting recipes so you can recreate the dishes and share them with your families. I am psyched.

The Fourth

I think the 4th of July should be changed to Independence day and we should celebrate it the first saturday of July that way there is always the three day weekend, people have friday off or monday whichever and it is consisitent. This middle of the week thing is confusing. We dont ever do much and this year was no different. We had lunch at La Caridad. This place gets mentioned in Sienfeld but I first went back in 1982 and have been many times since, I used to work at 76th and Broadway so during that time I went more than ususal, it has expanded and then contracted but the avocado salad is still the same goodness. Watched movies and made mole chicken, then we saw the fire works from the window and TV.

I will post a recipe with actual measurements isnt that different for me, I usually say "do a little of this and a little of that and voila you can eat"

Chicken in Mole Sauce
Ingredients:
1 Chipotle Chile -- Dried 1/4 cup Shortening 2 tablespoons Red Chiles -- Ground 2 cups Chicken Broth 4 Flour Tortillas -- cut in strips 1/4 cup Tomato Sauce 1/4 cup Onion -- Chopped 1 tablespoon Raisins 1 tablespoon Almonds -- Chopped 1 tablespoon Sesame Seed 1 tablespoon Pumpkin Seeds -- Shelled 1 tablespoon Peanut Butter 1 1/2 teaspoon Sugar 1 1/2 teaspoon Oregano -- Ground 1 1/2 teaspoon Cocoa Powder 1/2 teaspoon Anise Seed 1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon -- ground 1/4 teaspoon Cloves -- Ground 1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg -- Ground 1/4 teaspoon Allspice -- Ground 1/4 teaspoon Ginger -- Ground 1/4 teaspoon Cumin -- Ground, OR 1/2 teaspoon Cumin Seed 1 cup Chicken Broth 8 Chicken Breast Halves, or thighs or whole chicken cut up its up to you.

Directions:
Cover chile with warm water. Let stand until softened, about 1 hour. Drain and finely chop. Heat shortening in 3-quart saucepan over medium heat until hot. Cook and stir ground red chiles in shortening until brown (add about 1/4 t water to prevent scorching if necessary); cool. Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth. Stir in remaining ingredients except the remaining 1 cup of broth and chicken. Heat to boiling; reduce the heat and cover. Simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally; cool. Place a small amount of the sauce into a blender container. Cover and blend on high speed until smooth. Repeat with the remaining sauce. Heat 1 cup of the sauce and the remaining chicken broth in a 12-inch skillet; reduce the heat. Place the chicken, skin sides up, in a single layer in the skillet. Cover and simmer until done, about 1 hour. Remove chicken to serving dish and keep warm. Measure the cooking liquid. In skillet combine 1 cup of the cooking liquid with the remaining sauce and heat to boiling, stirring constantly, and pour over the chicken.