Barbecue Chicken Rub

This is tonight's dinner. You can see the quickles from earlier. The rice is no big deal: white rice with Parmesan cheese. But, the teenager was enamored with my chicken. I was inspired by watching Robert Irvine try to save a barbecue restaurant last night. Here's my take on a barbecue chicken rub. 

First, marinade the chicken. I used a simple brine: equal parts water and vinegar with sugar. I soaked the chicken and let it sit in the brine for a few hours in the refrigerator. 

Here's the rub (see what I did there?):

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 1/2 tablespoons paprika

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon breadcrumbs

1/4 teaspoon crushed mustard seeds

1/4 teaspoon celery seeds

1 tablespoon crushed sea salt

1 1/2 tablespoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Mix the rub. Rub it over the chicken. Place in a pan. Cook 25-30 minutes. Turn over. Cook another 25-30 minutes. 

The whole family gave this thumbs up. Must have done something right. 

Quickle

Pickles take a long time. And to be honest, I have yet to make pickles that kept their crunch. 

So here's an idea on getting that pickle taste, in just an afternoon. 

The idea is to soak cucumber slices in a vinegar and sugar brine for just a few hours. 

Brine:

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar 

Sea salt to taste

I used 2 Persian cucumbers, which are short and thin. I sliced them into 1/4 inch portions. Put the cucumber slices in a bowl, poured the brine in the bowl and sprinkled crushed sea salt over them.  Then put then in the refrigerator for a few hours.  Serve as an appetizer or a side dish. 

Pasta and a Feta Cheese Based Alfredo Sauce

A Friday in Lent and I'm looking for a non-meat dish. Why not pasta with an Alfredo Sauce?  Great!  But I have a twist on it. I know that the main cheese used in an Alfredo Sauce is Parmesan. But years ago, I developed this sauce using Feta cheese. 

Step 1:  cook up your pasta. 

Step 2:  the sauce

2 teaspoons butter

1 teaspoon flour

4 ounces Feta cheese

1/4 pint cream

2 teaspoons white wine

2 teaspoons Parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

In a sauce pan, make a roux with the butter amend flour. Medium low heat. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Crumble the Feta cheese into the pan. Slowly add white wine. Then cream. Then Parmesan cheese. Add more salt and pepper to taste. 

Parsley is a good addition to this. So are vegetables like asparagus. 

Spread sauce over pasta to serve.