Veggie Shake & Bake!

This is an easy one to toss on the grill or in the oven as a side dish or a veggie main dish.


Peel large carrots, cut into big pieces.

Small (fingerling) potatoes - cut in half.  I got the kind that has red, yellow, and blue potatoes, but any small potatoes will work.

Large onion - cut into large pieces.

I threw in the broccoli florets just because I had some, but any fairly crunchy vegetable would work.  They should all take about the same amount of time to cook.

If you want to make this into a non-vegetarian main dish, throw in some ham cubes.

Toss all into a plastic bag or container.  Drizzle with olive oil and shake to coat.

Sprinkle in any or all of the following:  rosemary, celery salt, black pepper, garlic powder, cooking wine.

Dump into metal pan or onto foil with the sides folded up.  Grill on low or bake at 375F for 2 hrs.  Stir occasionally.

The point is to roast slowly, which brings out the natural sugars in the veggies and adds a lot of flavor.

Keep On Brining - Cider Pork Roast

Since the brine worked out so well on the chicken, I had to consider other meats to experiment on... mwah ha ha!



This is a pork shoulder with the fat rind still on.

Boil 2 c water with 1/2 c kosher salt and 1 tsp mustard seeds. Stir until salt is dissolved, about 3 minutes. Cool and add 4 c apple cider.

Soak meat with brine and black peppercorns in refrigerator at least 5 hours; overnight is best for thick cuts like this.  You will want to start the brining early because the roasting stage takes about 5 hours.

Remove from brine, transfer to foil sheet on grill.

Cook with fat side up on low heat (I only turned on the two burners at the far sides and left the two middle ones off so the heat would be indirect).  This takes about 3 hours before the temp is about 140F.

Flip roast over so fat side is down.  Spread top with a mixture of brown sugar, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Keep heat low for another 2 hours or so, until temp at bone is 160F.

Allow roast to rest on platter for 10 minutes, then hack off some slabs and enjoy!

Juicy Chicken in Brine

This is the easiest way to juicy grilled chicken!

Seriously, these come out awesome with very little effort.


In a saucepan over high heat, boil:

1 c. water
1/4c. kosher salt
1 tsp black peppercorns

Stir until salt dissolves, about 3 minutes.





Remove from heat and cool for 5 minutes.

Add 1c ice and 2c apple juice. Stir when ice is melted, or use cold water.

Brine should be room temp before adding to meat.



Arrange 2# boneless, skinless chicken thighs in zipper bag or plastic container.


Add sprigs of thyme or rosemary and a spoonful of crushed garlic. (optional)

Pour cooled brine over chicken and seal.

Refrigerate for 4-5 hours.  Remove from brine and shake excess off.

(if you want to brine overnight for convenience, rinse chicken after to remove some of the salt)


Grill on medium or bake at 450F for 20-30 minutes, until browned with an internal temp of 170F.  Be careful not to overcook!


If you don't want the finished result to taste very salty, rinse the chicken with water before cooking.  The salt is needed during the initial phase because it allows the flavors from the herbs and juice to permeate the meat.

Fresh Salsa with Olives

It has been a few weeks since I posted a recipe; between vacation and other busy-ness it seems like time slides by very quickly!  I'm back on track now and have an easy and fun recipe for you to try...

I hadn't considered making my own salsa before, since there are many fine ones commercially available.  But then I tried it, and found that freshly made salsa is MUCH better than store-bought.  Plus, I can customize it for my own personal tastes.

I used a food-chopper to cut up the veggies into chip-sized bits.  Beware of pieces that are too large - you want each bite to have several flavors and not just one piece of something.

1 jar sliced green olives and 1 jar sliced black olives
(drain and chop small)

1 small can green chilis

2 roma tomatoes - cut into pieces, chop small.

1 green or red bell pepper and 1 jalapeno - remove seeds, chop small

green scallions - slice into small circles

mix with:

1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp chili powder

splash olive oil, cider vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil.


I usually dump everything into a plastic container with a tight lid, and just shake the container every  hour.

Keep in fridge for at least 3 hours before serving to allow flavors to blend. I tried making it a day in advance, but the tomatoes got too soft.