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Flag Day!

Posted by in Holidays, Looks Delicious!

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

 
You might think I’m a little early for 4th of July, but there’s another holiday in between Memorial Day and the Fourth of July. Yes, it’s Flag Day! As if I needed an excuse, June 14th is another day to celebrate with food, though no chicken, pork chops or steak—just delicious desserts.

I figured you would be a bit concerned if my chicken was red, white or blue …

So let’s start with I pledge allegiance to Cookies and Cups who makes the most perfect stripes—that she hand-decorated! (I would have just used fruit roll-ups. Eeek!)

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Cupcake Flag, from Cookies and Cups)

 
 
 
I remember my Mom used to make a cake just like this: in a pan, decorated with blueberries and sliced strawberries. I was so guilty of sneakin’ in the kitchen, plucking the fruit off. By the the time dessert was presented, it no longer resembled a cake, but rather more like a pock-marked (from my fat little kiddie fingers) tough-luck creation. This one is from Slashfood.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (American Flag Cake, found on Slashfood)

 
 
 
These next two are so perfect! Well, would you expect any less from a a site called Fabulous Foods and the other from Martha Stewart? (found on Yum Sugar)

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

 
 
 
Now these just win the prize for cuteness. Lollipop sticks as the flagpole! Genius! From The Celebration Shoppe.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (American Flag Cupcakes, from The Celebration Shoppe)

 
 
 
Cupcakes galore! Big cupcakes for the grownups and the mini-cupcakes for the lil’ tots, found on Cupcakes Take The Cake.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Mini Cupcake American Flag, found on Cupcakes Take the Cake)

 
 
 
Inn Cuisine creates a round flag cake! This one brings me joy (and so do the rest of the recipes on Inn Cuisine).

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

 
 
 
Ooohh, I’m so totally doing this! What a great way to not-cake! My kids would be all over this one, from Flickr member Randy Son of Robert and spotted on The Kitchn.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Fruit Flag for 4th of July, from Randy Son of Robert)

 
 
 
And I’ll finish with one of our own, Ree’s Fourth of July Cake, but shhhh … we won’t tell her we’re enjoying it a little early for Flag Day!

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Flag Day! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Fourth of July Cake, from Ree Drummond)

 
 
 
Pssst … if Flag Day is not your thing, that’s okay. Come back and make these creations for Fourth of July. It’s just a few weeks away! Don’tcha just wanna make that fruit-skewer thingy?

Do you remember celebrating Flag Day at elementary school? I do. Mom made me dress in a red skirt, white shirt and dotted blue ribbons all over my hair. I looked … like a dork.

 
 
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Jaden Hair is a food writer, television personality, and food photographer based in Tampa Bay, Florida. Find more of her recipes in her blog, Steamy Kitchen, where you can also read more about Jaden’s new book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, and the rave reviews it’s received!

 

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How to Flatten a Chicken for Grilling

Posted by in Kitchen Talk

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling. Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

 
It’s Memorial Weekend, and do you know what that means? Time to lounge at the pool and hang out by the BBQ. We’re grilling this entire weekend; the weather is perfectly straddling between warm and hot (when it gets hot we jump in the pool … when it gets warm, we EAT!).

This week, I asked my friend, Steve, to share a grilling tip and recipe. He’s the publisher of Grilling Companion recipe site and developer of the brand new iPad app. Steve is sharing a recipe for a Grilled Whole Chicken with Balsamic Glaze and will show us how to spatchcock a chicken (i.e. flatten that sucker for even cooking!).

 
Grilled Whole Chicken with Balsamic Glaze

I have nothing against a whole chicken. It still cracks me up when I open the lid of the grill and see a bird perched up on a beer can. I just find it easier to handle a flattened chicken on the grill. A flat chicken cooks quicker and more evenly, and has the added benefit of not rolling off the platter on your way to the table (yeah, been there and cleaned up the mess). So today’s recipe is a bonus, with equal parts Chicken Butchering 101 and recipe for a delicious and simple honey balsamic glazed whole chicken. Grab a bird and a cutting board and let’s get started!

 
Ingredients:

1 whole chicken (around 4 – 5 pounds)
1/2 cup honey
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Let’s disassemble a bird. Lay the whole chicken breast side down on your cutting board.

2. Feel around his (or her) back until you feel the backbone running straight down the middle. I haven’t read about any cases of scoliosis in chickens, so it should be straight down the center of the back.

3. Using kitchen shears or a knife, cut down both sides of the backbone. The bones are pretty thin in this area, so you should be able to cut through with little effort.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling. Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

4. Remove the backbone completely and trim off any excess fat around where the tail used to be.

5. Ok, here’s where it’s a little tricky the first time. Spread the chicken open and locate the white piece of grissel you see here just to the right of my finger? Cut through it with the knife.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling. Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

6. There is a bone starting under that piece of grissel called the keel bone and it runs down the length of the breasts. If you bend the chicken back a little farther, you’ll start to see the keel bone poke out between the breasts.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling. Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

7. Work your fingers down each side of the keel bone to loosen and then pull it out. See why they call it a keel bone (boat reference)?

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling. Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

8. Now you can either leave the chicken flat or cut all the way through where the keel bone used to be to form two half chickens. I prefer to work with two halves; they’re easier to move around the grill.

9. Light your grill for a two zone, indirect grilling session. If you are using gas, you’ve got it easy—just light half of your burners to medium high and leave the other half off (preferably the center burners should be off). For you charcoal folks, pile up a chimney full of charcoal on one side of the grill.

10. Combine the honey and balsamic vinegar in a bowl and whisk thoroughly to form our glaze.

11. Generously salt and pepper both sides of your chicken.

12. Once the grill is ready, place the chicken skin side down on the hot side of the grill. Stay close by, the fat from the skin is going to flare up! When it does, just move your chicken off the flame until the flare up goes out.

13. Sear the chicken for 5 – 10 minutes (depending on the temperature of your grill). We are looking to crisp up the skin and create a little char, but not burn the entire skin.

14. Once you are done searing, flip the chicken over skin side up and move the chicken to the cool side of the grill.

15. Using a mop or brush, baste the chicken with the honey balsamic glaze and close the grill’s lid.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling. Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

16. We want to keep the grill at as close to 350 degrees as possible and only open the lid to baste the chicken. Just like your oven, the grill loses all of the heat each time you open the lid.

17. Continue to baste the chicken with the glaze every 10 minutes or so and keep the lid closed in between basting.

18. Grill the chicken until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast reads around 160 degrees and the outside skin has darkened.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling. Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

19. Hit the chicken with a little more glaze and place on a platter to serve.

20. Allow the chicken to rest for about 10 minutes before you carve.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling. Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

See? Told you this was easy! Sure, you can buy half chickens, but they are little more expensive and you won’t be able to impress your family with your new butchering skills. With a little practice, you’ll disassemble that bird in no time flat. (Get it?)

 
 
Along with that grilled chicken, I’d love to top it with some Fresh Watermelon Salsa from HowSweetEats.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling (Fresh Watermelon Salsa, recipe submitted by TK member Jessica of How Sweet It Is)

 
 
 
And then we move on to BLT Bites from LanaAnn. How cute are these! I’ll take 4 of them please!

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling (BLT Bites, recipe submitted by TK member LanaAnn)

 
 
 
Another summery side perfect for this weekend is Karly’s Corn with Bacon and Green Onions. Because how can you have a celebration without bacon? Love it.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling (Corn with Bacon and Green Onions, recipe submitted by TK member Karly of Buns in My Oven)

 
 
 
And for dessert, to top it all off, Mangiodasola’s Chocolate Crumb Cheesecake Bars. Truly decadent.

Tasty Kitchen Blog: How To Flatten a Chicken for Grilling (Chocolate Crumb Cheesecake Bars, recipe submitted by TK member Mangiodasola)

 
 
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Jaden Hair is a food writer, television personality, and food photographer based in Tampa Bay, Florida. Find more of her recipes in her blog, Steamy Kitchen, where you can also read more about Jaden’s new book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, and the rave reviews it’s received!

 

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Naked or Dressed?

Posted by in Kitchen Talk

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Steak (Naked or Dressed). Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

 
Well, that title caught your attention, I bet! The subject is steak and there are definitely 2 camps. The first is “Meat. Gimme only meat!” And the other is “Drizzle my meat with some luxurious sauce!”

Whether you’re in the nudist camp or love to be seduced by sauce, I’m sure you’ll agree that you can’t beat a well-cooked steak. Um … unless you’re a vegetarian and in that case, head on over here to Tasty Kitchen’s Salad Category!

So, if I was asked the question: How do you like your steak: naked or dressed? I would answer, “Naughtily half-dressed!” I love a creamy, cheesy sauce, just enough sauce to tease. But I also want my steak to show a little skin, baby!

What about you? Do you prefer your steaks Naked or Dressed?

 
 
Grilled Steaks with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

4 steaks of your choice, 1 1/4″ thick (strip, ribeye, sirloin, filet etc.)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Gorgonzola Cream Sauce (see below)

1. Let steaks sit on the counter for 15 minutes to take off the chill. Pat the steaks very dry, brush each side with the oil and season with salt and pepper on both sides (go easy on seasoning the steak with salt—the gorgonzola is a salty cheese).

2. Heat a grill pan or frying pan over high heat. When very hot, add the steaks and cook 3 minutes. Flip the steaks, turn the heat to medium-high and cook for an additional 6 minutes or until you reach desired level of doneness. Let steaks rest. Top with the Gorgonzola Cream Sauce.

 
Gorgonzola Cream Sauce
Serves 4

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley or chives
4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola
2 ounces grated parmesan
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

In a small sauce pan over medium heat, stir in heavy cream, parsley or chives, gorgonzola and parmesan cheese. Season with nutmeg. Whisk and let simmer for 30 seconds or until the much of the cheese has melted. Serve the cream sauce over steaks.

 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Steak (Naked or Dressed). Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen.

 
 
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Jaden Hair is a food writer, television personality, and food photographer based in Tampa Bay, Florida. Find more of her recipes in her blog, Steamy Kitchen, where you can also read more about Jaden’s new book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, and the rave reviews it’s received!

 

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Taco-Mania!

Posted by in Looks Delicious!

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Taco-Mania! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Fish Tacos)

 
It’s taco time! We make tacos quite often for dinner, and I’m going to admit that sometimes when short on time, I’ll fill the tortilla with something a little unexpected but convenient. In a pinch, I’ll grab a cooked Mojo-seasoned rotisserie chicken from the deli department, a package of corn tortillas, shredded cheese and sour cream.

I don’t even bother carving the chicken at all, I’ll just stick the entire chicken, still in its plastic container right in the middle of the dinner table. We just each rip, tear, grab chicken pieces to put on our tortilla.

So barbaric, yet so good.

I also love making grilled fish tacos (photo above) and any fish on sale will do. Just season the fish with some taco seasoning, throw it on a grill pan and eight minutes later, I’ve got fish tacos. It goes really well with thinly shaved crunchy red cabbage, a sliver of avocado and diced fresh tomatoes. If I need a sauce, sometimes I’ll cheat and do a mixture of mayonnaise and Thousand Island dressing. It’s not authentic I know, but hey, after admitting the rotisserie chicken bit, I’m not afraid to tell ya all my shortcut secrets!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Taco-Mania! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Steak)

Leftover steak gets re-sizzled in the frying pan for 30 seconds and then thrown in a tortilla with crumbled Mexican cheese, shredded lettuce and tomatoes spiced with minced jalapenos.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Taco-Mania! Guest post by Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen (Carnitas)

And then there’s my favorite: carnitas. Pork slow cooked so tender that it practically falls apart. A zesty, spicy corn relish pairs great with the melt-in-your-mouth pork!

So those above are my standby taco recipes. I don’t stray too far off from these combinations. Now that I’ve gotten the normal stuff out of the way, I’ll also admit that I once tried making tofu tacos. !!MASSIVE FAIL!!

Now it’s your turn. What’s your favorite taco stuffin’ AND what’s the biggest taco fail ever? Please tell me I’m not the only one with massive taco fail! Pleeeeze?

 
 
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Jaden Hair is a food writer, television personality, and food photographer based in Tampa Bay, Florida. Find more of her recipes in her blog, Steamy Kitchen, where you can also read more about Jaden’s new book, The Steamy Kitchen Cookbook, and the rave reviews it’s received!

 

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Oy…Oy…Oysters!

Posted by in Kitchen Talk

  My younger son, Nathan, who is 5 years old, absolutely loves oysters. Now honestly, I don’t know if he really enjoyed the taste of oysters or if it was the crowd of adults clapping and congratulating my little tot for being brave enough to down the oyster on his very first try a year […]

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15-Minute Mussels

Posted by in Step-by-Step Recipes

  Tomato sauce for pasta is one of the easiest things to make. Everything gets dumped into one pot, then you turn the heat to low and let it simmer to mellow out its tomato-y-ness (pucker!) and richen its flavor. I’ve yet to make a pot of tomato sauce without leftovers, and the remaining always […]

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Cinco de Mayo

Posted by in Holidays, Looks Delicious!

  If Cinco de Mayo isn’t a drinking holiday, then I don’t know what is! During B.C. (before children) years, my friends and I would map out our itinerary that started the Cinco de Mayo celebration on the evening of Quatro de Mayo. We only thought it would be proper to devote every available hour […]

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These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Posted by in Kitchen Talk

  The moment I decided that this column was going to be dedicated to “my favorite things,” I just couldn’t get that song out of my head! Yes, that song. You know, crisp apple strudels and even schnitzel with noodles! Isn’t it a lovely song to have stuck in your head all day? Originally, I […]