Sweet 'n Smoky Chicken

 

This recipe was developed by my dad's younger brother, Steve Ownby, when he and his wife Carole took a cooking class together around 1980 or so. We have made it again and again with very little variation except for which chicken pieces and which cooking appliance. You can see it's a well-worn recipe card. For this blog I'm going to tell you how I made it today, in two different crock pots, for my family and to give away to some other little families who could use a meal right now. My hope is that you will see the possibilities and go make it for yourself. It's SO worth it!

Prepare the crock pot (or baking pan):

1 large onion, cut in half and sliced in large arcs

Scatter the onions to cover the bottom of the crock pot.

Prepare the chicken:

10 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons Old Hickory Smoked Salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place all the thighs on it skin-side-down. Sprinkle with the smoked salt and then broil for about 5 minutes, or until it starts to crisp a little. Remove from broiler and turn the pieces over. Sprinkle with smoked salt and the black pepper and  then broil again. Place the broiled pieces on top of the onions in the crock pot.

Prepare the sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons prepared mustard

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

two good shakes of hot sauce ( I make my own)

Place all the sauce ingredients in a small saucepan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove pan from heat and pour over the chicken pieces. Turn the crock pot on high and cook for 4-5 hours until the thighs shrink a little and are tender enough to fall off the bone. Serve over wide egg noodles, with broccoli and a salad maybe.

Viennese Plum Cake

 This has become my favorite plum cake recipe, and it works perfectly with gf flour. I have used chopped walnuts instead of almond flour, and that is delicious too. I found the recipe using a google search for plum cake. It was originally published in Taste of Home magazine. 

This version is gf with almond flour in the topping

For the cake:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup 1:1 gf flour mixture (or all-purpose flour)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups fresh or frozen plums (about 1 3/4 pounds fresh)

   I used 12 Italian plums from my friend's backyard

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the topping:

1/2 cup 1:1 gf flour mixture (or all purpose flour)

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cold butter, cubed

3 tablespoons almond flour (or other chopped nuts)

    the nuts are optional, but I like them!

Directions

     In a large bowl, cream softened butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.

     Transfer to a greased 9-inch square baking pan (I used a 7x11-inch pan lined with parchment paper) Top with plums. Combine cinnamon and remaining sugar; sprinkle over plums.

     For topping, in a small bowl, combine flour and sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in almond flour or other nuts if desired. Sprinkle over top.

     Bake at 350º Fahrenheit for 50-55 minutes or until topping is golden brown and plums are tender. Cool on a wire rack.

NUTRITION FACTS

1 piece = 1/9 of whole cake

327 calories

17 grams fat (10 grams saturated fat)

87 mg cholesterol

234 mg sodium

41 grams carbohydrate (24 g sugars, 1 g fiber)

4 grams protein

Our Christmas Favorite Antipasta

My mom got us all hooked on this terrific salad recipe, originally published in the December 2000 issue of Cooking Light Magazine.

Ingredients

3 cups asparagus, cut in 2-inch lengths

3 cups mushrooms, quartered 

1 cup red bell pepper strips

3 oz mozarella cheese, in 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup pitted ripe olives

14 oz can artichoke hearts, quartered & drained

11 1/2 oz jar pepperoncini, drained

Steam asparagus for 2 minutes, then plunge into ice-water to chill. Drain. Combine with all other ingredients. Stir with dressing. Chill for 45 minutes to 2 hours. Do not make this more than 8 hours ahead, or freshness will be gone.

For the Dressing:

1/3 cup cider vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon each of salt & pepper

Put everything in a small jar with a lid. Shake to combine.