Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get away from my grill.

Recently, because the weather has been so nice, Nick and I have been grilling up a storm.  I would love to be able to eat red meat everyday, but since we would all die early deaths doing this, we have been doing much more chicken.  As you probably know, I'm not the biggest lover of chicken, but if it's grilled and dark meat I will eat it.  I've been trying to get hold of my grilling chops and seem to doing pretty well.  Nick is a fabulous griller because he stands there to monitor and flip the food as necessary, where as I tend grill and run around trying to get the rest of dinner on.

After a little debate and me getting grumpy about it, we decided that we will alternate who does the grilling.  I am starting to realize that if Nick handles all the meat that I will never learn how to do it myself.  Usually I am the vegetable preparer and his sous since the only time he really cooks is when he is with me and I cook all of the time on my own.  So this time I insisted that I get to handle the meat, which left the vegetables for Nick.  Thankfully he was all for alternating and supports me learning how to grill.

I premarinated my chicken thighs and drumsticks in Alpenglow Orange Chipotle sauce that Christopher brought home from Colorado.  This stuff just smells good.  When I was pouring it into the baggies of chicken I was thinking, wow, this is going to be good chicken if I don't burn it.  While that was marinating and I was on my run with Emmy, Nick arrived and prepared some garlic zucchini for me to grill up also.  It was sooooo good.  Zucchini is one my favorite vegetables and he did a great job preparing it.  Yum!

Nick wants to enter a contest with Shun to win some free knives.  This might be his entry, but we'll see.  We cook so much meat that I think he should send in a nice picture him carving the meat with his Shun.

I didn't burn it!  What we both need to start working on now is getting the hang of doneness.  I was poking the meat with my giant, long BBQ tongs to see if it was springy.  Nick taught me that I should use my finger like I would if I was cooking in the kitchen.  There was a big difference in feel from the tongs to my finger.  It helps immensely to use your finger, but some of my drumsticks were still a little pink.  Because of the bone it is difficult to tell when the meat is fully done.  It will feel like it is done, and most of it is, but then when you get right next to the bone it is a little pink.  I will have to start using my thermometer in conjunction with the poke test. 

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Last night we grilled up some chicken really quickly too.  My dad had to be at a troop meeting by 7:00pm instead of his usual 7:30pm so we were rushing to get things on the table.  On this chicken we used the Char Crust rub that I used on the tri-tip.  While Nick grilled the chicken, I was inside doing the veggies.  The broccoli turned out really well and all I used was garlic, nutmeg, and sesame oil.  I was hoping to taste more nutmeg, but it was overpowered by the sesame oil.  Christopher was able to taste something, but thought it was cinnamon.  My dad's piece of chicken was cooked well, but for some reason all the other pieces were still a little pink...probably because we were rushing to get his dinner on.  As Nick likes to say, "A hungry Chin is an angry Chin."  He is very correct and looking out for all the young scouts my dad would be grumbling at.   It's a good thing we have a microwave for the rest of ours!

Easy Broccoli

4 broccoli crowns, cut into bite size pieces
1 head garlic, minced
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp EVOO 

Directions: 

Parboil broccoli until bright green and still crunchy.  Douse with cold water.  Sautee garlic, nutmeg, and sesame oil for one minute over high heat.  Add broccoli.  Toss until broccoli is well coated.