Fire Up the BBQ

for your Memorial Day cooking 

Slow Cooker Root Beer Baked Beans  

Root Beer Baked Beans the perfect side for a grilled meal.
The addition of root beer gives a bit of sweetness to the baked beans and bacon adds some smokiness. One of the best parts of making this recipe is using a slow cooker which frees up your day for other things AND it can be assembled the day before. Root Beer Baked Beans  can also be baked in an oven.
Recipe adapted from http://www.browneyedbaker.com/ Serves 8-10
Cooking tip: Pour the root beer slowly as it foams up quickly.
Ingredients:

• 6- 8 pieces of bacon
• 1-1/2 cups diced sweet onions
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-28 oz. can baked beans, drained
• 1-15 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1-15 oz. can cannellini, kidney or chili bean, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup prepared barbecue sauce e.g. Sweet Vidalia Onion
• 1/3 cup each molasses, pure maple syrup and brown sugar 
• 2 TB. each Dijon mustard or Spicy Brown Dijon mustard, ketshup, Worcestershire sauce and cider vinegar
• 1-12 oz. can or bottle root beer (not diet) 

Directions:

• Fry bacon, set aside and reserve 1 TB. bacon drippings.
• Saute onions and garlic in reserved bacon drippings, set aside on a paper towel.
• In a 4-6 qt. crock pot, add in all ingredients. Stir to combine. Cook on low until sauce is slightly thickened about 4 hours. Serve using a slotted spoon.
• If baking bean dish in oven preheat to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-3 qt. baking dish. Add in all ingredients and mix well. Bake uncovered 45 minutes or until sauce is thickened. 

GO FESTIVE WITH 

Cherry Float Cupcakes

http://sockfairies.blogspot.com/2017/06/cherry-coke-float-cupcakes.html

Moroccan Grilled Chicken Kabobs with Tzatziki Sauce
Cook's Notes:
Tasty grilled skewered chicken marinated in a Moroccan style spice blend. It is easy to make marinating the chicken in lemon juice, olive oil and a blend of spices and then grilling it to perfection. The spice blend is made with a number of ingredients including a base of paprika with a touch of heat being provided by some cayenne and a hint of the exotic by the cinnamon, ginger and turmeric. Grilling the chicken only takes a few minutes. As a time saver serve kabobs using a prepared box of herb couscous or Basmati Rice (Roasted Chicken Flavor and Herbs with Orzo Pasta).
Recipe adapted from closetcooking.com and serves 4.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless-skinless chicken, cut into chunks 
• 2 TB. lemon juice (half of a fresh lemon) 
• 2 TB. olive oil , Garlic Olive Oil or Eureka Lemon Fused Olive Oil 
• 1 tsp. paprika 
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin 
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon 
• 1/8 tsp. ginger 
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric, saffron or curry
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt 
• 1/4 tsp. pepper 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• lemon slices
• 10 large wood skewers (soaked at least 30 minutes in water).
• optional veggies to thread on skewers: zucchini (green or yellow), sliced into 1/3″ rings, medium bell peppers, cut into 1″ pieces, 1 medium sweet or red onion, sliced into chunks, medium sized mushrooms, rinsed and dried on paper towels

Directions:

• Place chicken pieces in a bowl, drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice. Combine spices in another small bowl and sprinkle over chicken pieces. Place in a freezer zip loc bag and marinate the chicken for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Drain marinade and skewer the chicken with veggies. Grill over medium-high heat until cooked, about 10 minutes per side.Serve with Tzatziki Sauce-a Greek cucumber yogurt dip. It’s a healthy sauce you can serve with chicken, grilled veggies, pita chips, gyros and as a raw veggie dip.

Tzatziki Ingredients:

• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled about 1 cup 
• 10 oz. plain Greek yogurt
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh dill or 1-1/2 tsp. dried dill
• 1 TB. freshly squeezed lemon juice 
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt, or to taste
• 1/8 tsp. black or lemon pepper

Tzatziki Directions:

• The cucumber should be peeled, finely diced and strained of it's juices. I squeezed it really tight by the fistful with two paper towels. Getting rid of excess juice is important so that you tzatziki sauce isn't watery the next day.
• Combine the strained and chopped cucumber with plain Greek yogurt, lemon juice, minced garlic, dill, salt and pepper.
• Mix everything together in blender pulse a few times, but not puree it. For best flavor make the sauce the day before for flavors to meld.