Chicken Rubs

This post definitely comes under the heading of food! It's a catch-up from the summer where I prepped a fair amount of chicken for people to grill and eat.

All the quantities are in teaspoons, but are ratios so that you can easily make more ... a quarter of a teaspoon of a powder is going to be a pain to measure .... multiply everything in the recipe by four, use what you need, and pput the rest in a Zip-lock baggie in the freezer for next time!

Coffee and Fennel

Ingredients
This turned out to be a popular mix, with a lot of positive comments about the "strange taste in the background" (the fennel !)

Coffee	24
Brown Sugar	6
Salt	2
Chile Powder	2
Fennel	3
Chocolate Powder	6

Sweet Garlic and Onion

This one has the potential for heat - be careful of the amount of Cayenne Pepper.

Smoked Paprika	16
Brown Sugar	16
Salt	16
Chile Powder	8
Black Pepper	12
Garlic Powder	12
Onion Powder	12
Cumin Powder	1
Celery Salt	4
Cayenne Pepper	1

Mediterranean Garlic and Onion

This one is similar to the one above, but with a Mediterranean flavour  rather than a more New World one.

Smoked Paprika	6
Salt	6
Garlic Powder	6
Brown Sugar	6
Cumin Powder	1
Sage	2
Oregano	2
Cayenne Pepper	1
Black Pepper	2
Coriander	1

Method

• In all cases, mix your herbs first.
• Open your (thawed, if necessary) chicken
• Cut chicken breasts to desired size - about 4 to 5 inch pieces (2 or 3 per breast)
• Rub herb mixture in to the meat, applying generously
• Pack meat into plastic food savers, add a little olive oil,  and stash in fridge
• Keep for about three days before use
• Every twelve hours bring meat from stash, add a little more rub mixture, and rub into the meat
• Remove from fridge at least four hours before cooking, and allow to warm
• Grill on medium-high heat
• To check for completion cut into thickest part of largest piece after about 10 minutes on grill

Winter Food - Slow Cooker Happiness

 Hot Food After Christmas
After Christmas is always a tough time for cooking. You're stuffed with so much bird that you really can't stand to see turkey for at least another 10 months. Mountains of Christmas Pudding, in lakes of whiskey, drift across your fevered dreams.

So, in the midst of this, food was required, and I was the one volunteered to shop at the local supermarket (here in Spokane, where we're staying for a few days) and make something to stop the incessant background rumbling of tummies !

Ingredients

Leeks	4
Celery	1 head
Chicken Broth	1 litre
Sweet Corn	2 cans
Chicken Breast	2
Andouille	1 large

Herbs and Spices

Fennel	6 tbsp
Herbes de Provence	4 tbsp
Garlic	2 tbsp
Parsley	4 tbsp
Salt and Pepper	1 tsp each

Instructions

• Chop the celery and leeks into small pieces.
• Rinse the leek well to remove and sand or mud.
• Add the greens and the chicken broth to the slow cooker.
• Start the slow cooker at maximum heat.
• Cut the chicken breasts into small (2 cm) pieces and fry them gently in oil (olive oil or even butter will do fine) with more Herbes de Provence added to flavour.
• Slice the Andouille and fry this gently also.
• Add the meat to the slow cooker, and then the balance of the herbs and spices. 
• Mix well and then add the corn and blend well into the mix.
• Leave to cook for two or three hours and then serve.

Bon Appetit!!

TTFN