Robin's Random Recipes

I made this tonight and it was a huge hit. I tend to find crockpot dishes bland and disappointing but this one was perfect.

1 pound smoked sausage, sliced into 1/2" rounds
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1" chunks
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deviened (I use 26/30 count)
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 cups chicken stock (or one 15 oz. can)
2 yellow onions, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
1 jalapenoe, seeded and deviened, minced
4-6 garlic cloves, minced
2 bay leaves
.5 tsp dried thyme
.5 tsp cayenne
2 tsp kosher salt

Dump everything except shrimp in crockpot and stir. Cook on high for a 3-4 hours, adjust seasonings, then reduce heat to low. Stir in shrimp and cook until shrimp is opaque, 15-30 minutes. Serve over rice.

This is from a forum I frequent. I've modified the recipe (mostly the amounts) just a bit. This makes a lot, feel free to scale back the recipe.

5 lbs chicken wings (separated at both joints, discard tips) or drummettes only
1/4 cup (11/2 stick) butter, melted
1/2 cup Frank's Hot Sauce (not the "sauce for wings")
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vinegar
salt & pepper

Combine hot sauce, lemon juice, and vinegar and set aside.

Deep fry your wings (a turkey frier is perfect, otherwise you'll have to fry in batches) at 350 for 10 minutes or until desired crispness is achieved. You can tell they are done on the inside when they float, then just make sure the outside meets your crispness standards.

Remove wings to a paper towel-lined cookie sheet, blot dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Put the wings in a large lidded bowl or tupperware container. Pour the melted butter over them, put on the lid and shake. Take off the lid and pour the sauce in and shake again.

Serve with Blue Cheese dressing and celery stalks.

Adapted from Good Eats to use rosemary instead of thyme, since I don't like thyme. I prefer dark meat and hate cutting up chickens, so I use all thighs instead of a whole chicken. The original recipe says to bake for 1.5h but that came out a little dry for my taste.

1 10-12 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on.
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 sprigs rosemary
40 peeled cloves garlic
Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. Toss with a 2 tablespoons olive oil and brown on both sides in a wide fry pan or skillet over high heat. Remove from heat, add oil, rosemary, and garlic cloves. Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Remove chicken from the oven, let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, carve, and serve.

My last rotisserie chicken fell a little flat, so I swiped the brine from the latest Cook's Illustrated.

1 1/2 cups table salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 medium heads garlic , outer papery skins removed, cloves separated, unpeeled, and crushed
6 bay leaves , crumbled
1 whole chicken (6 to 8 pounds), giblets removed and discarded
Ground black pepper

Dissolve salt and sugar in 1 gallon cold water in large container. Stir in garlic and bay; immerse chicken and refrigerate until fully seasoned, about 2 hours.

Rinse chicken, pat dry, and season with pepper.

Rotisserie on medium-high for 45 minutes to an hour until 165F in the breast, 170F in the leg/thigh.

3.5 to 4 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs (or a mix)
½ c Kosher salt
2 T sugar
Fresh ground pepper
1/3 c Dijon mustard
1/3 c mayonnaise
½ tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Remove the tenderloins from the chicken breasts for more even cooking; reserve for another use.

Combine salt, sugar, and enough water to cover. Brine the chicken for an hour or two.

Heat a gas grill to medium high.

Combine mustard, mayo, and rosemary in a large bowl.

Pat chicken dry, season with pepper. Add chicken to bowl, stir to combine and coat.

Spread the chicken out on the grill.

Cover and grill for 8-10 minutes total, flipping once. (rotate for grill marks if desired.)

With careful attention, the tenderloins can be cooked the same way, just for about half the time. I pan fried them on the stove the next day.