Hey wassuup?

I woke up this morning craving this special chicken sandwich. I had planned to make this a couple of days ago but got busy. Then the craving hit me and so it became my breakfast. So here are the simple directions.

Simply Amazing Chicken Sandwich

one sandwich bun

broken chicken pieces (as much as you want for a sandwich, dark or white meat or both)

garlic spread

salad dressing or mayonnaise

sliced dill pickles

black pepper, to taste

Butter the bun with the garlic spread and toast it. Heat the chicken pieces for about 45 seconds in the microwave. Place the chicken pieces on the toasted bun. Put the mayo on the bun with no chicken, add the sliced pickles and black pepper. Cut in half and share it with your best friend. After they eat this, they will remain your best friend for life!

This simple recipe was inspired on one of those occasions when I was looking in the fridge and noticed a fair bit of left-overs. Steak and various veggies that should get used sooner than later. The rice was made as an accompaniment to the beef stir fry

Beef Stir Fry

2 lbs. beef (any tender cut like a top sirloin, striploin, or rib), thinly sliced

3 Tbsp. olive oil (I like the health benefits of olive oil. You can use any oil)

2 tsp. crushed garlic

1 tsp. ginger (more or less, to taste)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper powder

1 -1 1/2 cups chicken stock

3 tsp. cornstarch

2 cup cold water

large bunch of broccoli

2 celery stalks

3 good size carrots

1 large onion

Heat oil, add garlic and ginger, cook for 1 – 2 minutes, just to flavor oil. Add the beef, salt and pepper. Cook for few minutes just to color and flavorize the meat. Remove meat from pan. Add all the veggies and 1 cup of water to steam veggies for about 3 – 4 minutes. Add meat back into pan. In a jar add the cornstarch and 1 cup of cold water, shake til mixed and add to pan. Stir well.  Next, add the chicken stock (pre-made powder/water mix is fine) and stir well again. It is now finished.

Basmati Rice

2 cups uncooked basmati rice

4 cups water

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt

Wash rice thoroughly, let drip dry. In a pot add the oil, water and salt and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir and cover. Mark the timer for 18 minutes. When timer beeps, check the rice. If it’s good, shut off the stove and keep uncovered to “dry” the rice.

Serve rice with beef stir fry on top, in a bowl. Enjoy!

Hey everyone,  this batch of dishes were created because of my son and his fiancee’s baby shower. It just worked out well with the timing.  I had been planning to start this little web site and Youtube channel for some time now. This just gave me the kick in the pants to get on with it! So this first video is for Portuguese roast beef & Portuguese Rice. These recipes involve a lot of garlic, bay leaf and onions.

My amounts will be heavy as I was cooking for 40 people roughly. I will recap the ingredient list here. All you have to do is watch the videos for the “how to”.

The Portuguese Roast Beef:

4 Boneless Outside Round Roasts (about 3 – 4 lbs. each)

1 – 2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper

20 -25 bay leaves

5 – 6 Tbsp. Crushed Garlic

4 Cooking Onions, sliced medium

1 Bottle (750 ml) Dry Red Wine

Just apply everything to the roasts in one large foil pan in the exact order that I have listed all the ingredients here.  Cover foil pan with aluminum foil tightly and place in a 375 degree  oven for  20 minutes, then 250 degrees for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. The smell, as it is cooking, will make you crazy!

If you don’t want to heat up your house in the summer time use your bbq. Put it on medium/high for 20 minutes then as low as possible for the remainder of the time. Make the gravy the way I show you in video 3, it’s easy!

The Portuguese Rice:

5 cups well rinsed long-grain, par-boiled rice

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1 Large Onion, cut into small pieces

3 tsp. Crushed Garlic

12 Bay Leaves

3 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Black Pepper (optional)

1 1/3 Small Cans – Tomato Paste

3 Cups of Peas

10 Cups Water

Brown the onions, then add the garlic, bay leaves then the water. Bring to a boil, add the tomato paste, salt, pepper and peas. Bring back to a boil again. Add the rice and stir well. Cover, put on low and simmer for 18 -20 minutes. When done, uncover, stir regularly until the grains have cooled and are loose. Eat rice and enjoy!

Well we are drawing to a conclusion on the baby shower catering.  In all, there will be 4 videos about the baby shower catering. The following 3rd video is the finishing of the Portuguese rice, the cooked Portuguese roast beef and the wine-based gravy….yum! Always contact me if you have questions about my recipes. Believe it or not a lot of what I do is not from a cook-book but simply what makes sense to me and what has worked for me in the past when we had the bar/restaurant.  Reach me at tony@anyonecancook.org

Beer can chicken is probably one of the easiest ways to cook chicken with the end result being amazing. The chickens are so moist and flavorful. Whoever came up with the idea deserves a big fat kiss! Here are the simple details:

Beer Can Chicken

1 whole chicken (3 – 4 lbs.)

1 teaspoon seasoned salt

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder

1 beer can (a tall-boy is preferable, with your favorite liquid: beer, water, apple juice etc)

Preheat bbq to 325°F

Mix all the spices together in a small bowl. Wash chicken thoroughly and let it drip dry.  Rub the outside of the chicken with your combined spice mixture.

Have your beer can ready with your favorite liquid and then slide the chicken (use the larger of the 2 openings) over the can until it’s sitting comfortably (then we’ll begin…). Place on a pie-pan or other heat durable pan and place inside the bbq.

Check it periodically, you can even baste it or rotate it. It will cook for 75 minutes to 90 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.   Cut into a thick part and see if the juices are clear or if they have color. Clear means ready.