family

Slow-Grilled Tequila-Citrus Chicken Thighs

The weather is getting nicer for the most part here. We have had some extremely hot days, 90’s, and then the next day will be in the 50’s and rainy. That is classic North Idaho for you!

We are excited for summer food! We love grilling, and do it year round but we don’t have a covered deck which makes it not very convenient, so we don’t do it often in the snow… but we do sometimes!

I would say that 95% of recipes I try, I change. I just always read them and think “this should be done this way, and that should be this and not that…” So when I find a recipe that I don’t mess with it’s either because I don’t feel it is even worth making or it is WOW this sounds amazing!

This recipe is the latter. I don’t think I could make it any better except to double it so that we can invite the family over!

Click to purchase this awesome cookbook on Amazon!

It is an affiliate link, it won’t cost you any more but I do receive credit for it. Thanks!

You might notice in the pictures that my hubby is using a grill mat. If you have not tried them, you must! They really are amazing!! No more flare ups and you still get the grill lines and all the flavor that makes using your grill wonderful! I highly recommend them!

RENOOK Grill Mat Set of 6 – 100% Non-Stick BBQ Grill Mats, Heavy Duty, Reusable, and Easy to Clean – Works on Electric Grill Gas Charcoal BBQ – 15.75 x 13-Inch, Black

If the sun is shining on your deck this evening, give Slow-Grilled Tequila-Citrus Chicken Thighs a try!

Happy Grilling!

Elizabeth XOXO

Slow-Grilled Tequila-Citrus Chicken Thighs

Recipe from Weber’s Charcoal Grilling™ The Art of Cooking with Live Fire, by Jamie Purviance



Serves: 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
Marinating time: 6 to 8 hours
Grilling time: 30 to 40 minutes

Marinade:
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup tequila
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chipotle pepper Chipotle Pepper Tobasco Sauce
1 tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 chicken thighs (with bone and skin), trimmed of excess fat and skin

1. In a medium bowl mix the marinade ingredients. Put the chicken thighs in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, lay flat in a rimmed dish, and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours, turning once.

2. Remove the chicken thighs from the bag and pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Bring the marinade to a boil and let it boil for at least 30 seconds to kill any raw chicken bacteria.

3. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the chicken thighs, skin side down first, over direct low heat (250° to 350°F), with the lid closed as much as possible, until the meat is firm and no longer pink near the bone, 30 to 40 minutes, turning every 5 minutes and swapping their positions as needed for even cooking. During the last 20 minutes of grilling, brush the chicken on both sides with the boiled marinade. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook’n is a next generation recipe app that makes it fun and easy to share favorite recipes.

Click here to get Cook’n (it’s free!)

Get Cook’n


� DVO

Camping…don’t forget the Hot Dogs

We went camping last weekend. We don’t campground camp. We go out in the woods to camp. No cell service, no restrooms, no convenience stores.

When packing for camping trips, it’s import to remember everything I’m going to need! Unfortunately, I am human and sometimes I forget stuff.

Some of our most memorable camping trips have been when we forgot something and problem solving to make it work! Like forgetting the syrup. We tried to find huckleberries to make a sauce for the pancakes but it was too late in the season. I ended up boiling down Dr. Pepper and using that as syrup. It wasn’t the best but it worked-ish and we still remember it! There was the time we forget the top to the sunshade canopy. We bungeed a tarp to the top of the frame. It worked!

The time I forgot the hot dogs I was a bit upset. Oooops! I think we actually had to drive all the way back to civilization that time. I have never forgotten the hot dogs again!

I think that is one of the best things about camping and why I think it’s important for families to camp! It provides many opportunities for problem solving and working together to fix things . It allows us to unplug from things that “entertain” us and allows our brains to actually work. It teaches us to be grateful for nature and also to be grateful for what we have at home!

Last weekend I had decided to make Hamburger Stroganoff while camping. I brought everything I needed…. I thought. I started making it and realized I had forgotten a key ingredient. The Cream of Mushroom Soup. I had to come up with a way to make dinner without it.

Fortunately, I had a little baggie of flour on hand. I am not even sure why I put it in there but I am grateful it was there! I melted butter and finely chopped about eight of the crimini mushrooms and sauteed them in the butter. When they were cooked they had absorbed all the butter so I added two more tablespoons of butter and melted that. Then added two tablespoons of the flour and stirred it to combine it. Then I slowly poured in a cup of milk and stirred until it was the right consistency. I added quite a bit of salt and pepper.

It was bomb!! It was way better then Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom! I am not sure if I will ever buy it again, it was that good!

Dinner turned out great!! Yummy!!

I snapped a quick photo… not a great one, but I was in the middle of making dinner while camping! It might not look great but it was!

Sometimes mistakes or forgetfulness can turn into great adventures or great recipes!

I am sure you can find a bunch of recipes for homemade cream of mushroom soup, but I wanted to share the one I made up in a pinch that turned out to be really good!

Cream of Mushroom Soup

4 tablespoons divided butter
6–8 cremini mushrooms finely diced
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon salt more if needed
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the diced mushrooms and saute until they are slightly carmelized and have absorbed a lot of the butter. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well. Slowly add the milk stirring constantly. Stir until quite thick then remove from heat. Add salt and pepper and taste for seasoning. Add more if necessary.

Cook’n is a next generation recipe app that makes it fun and easy to share favorite recipes.

Click here to get Cook’n (it’s free!)

Get Cook’n

I hope enjoy this recipe! Happy cooking and maybe take the family camping!

Elizabeth XOXO

Macaroni with Cheese with Hot Dogs

When I was a kid, my Mom was a single mom of two. Things were really tight. If she knew of food assistance she didn’t have it. She was the most amazing strong woman! I definitely got my skill of making something of nothing from her. She was so creative.

She made this recipe up and it became one of our all time favorites for dinner or even lunch.

It was requested at my house today for lunch so I decided to share it with you! I did really hesitate though….. Most people are very turned off by the name. Hot dogs in mac and cheese? Ewww. Yeah, it’s not a pretty dish. You gotta trust me on this though! Really, you do!

My kids, my husband and every daycare child I have had in thirty years has loved this stuff!

Give it a chance, try it out! I would love to hear how your kids liked it!

Enjoy!

Elizabeth XOXO

Macaroni and Cheese with Hot Dogs

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked macaroni
1 package sliced hot dogs
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
salt to taste
pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and cook according to package directions. In the last 3 minutes of cooking, add sliced hot dogs. Drain. Return noodles and sliced hot dogs to the pan. Add tomato sauce, diced canned tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Gently stir in shredded cheddar cheese. Do not over stir.

Cook’n is a next generation recipe app that makes it fun and easy to share favorite recipes.

Click here to get Cook’n (it’s free!)


DVO

Get Cook’n








Soup Weather

I love soup!!! I love all kinds of soup!!! I am somewhat obsessed with soup! Buuuuuttttt….. I can’t have soup in the summer. I just can’t do it. It’s not right. Yeah, I know there are cold soups…meh. I like my soups hot. Lava hot. With a side of warm crusty bread. Mmmmmmm.

So I get pretty excited for fall! Pumpkin spice everything and scarves and boots and SOUP!! Yay!!! Call me a basic white girl.

Photo cred: Aisling O Connor

A couple weeks ago my hubby and I went to one of my favorite restaurants for a Saturday lunch date. The soup of the day was “Lasagna Soup”. Yum! Hubby ordered it! I can’t remember what I had… it obviously was forgettable. That Lasagna Soup though…… oh wow!

I don’t know if you are like this, but whenever I have something really good at a restaurant, I instantly start trying to figure out how to replicate or improve upon it at home. I am always sure I can make it and maybe make it better! Sometimes I do, sometimes not.

This time was no different. I went home and started looking at recipes for Lasagna Soup. We do a spaghetti in the instant pot that is really good because the pasta is cooked in the sauce, so I knew I wanted to do it that way. After a lot of comparing recipes I came up with my own.

I was anxious to see how my family and especially my husband like it since he was the one who had eaten it at the local restaurant. I needn’t be worried!! He said it was ten times better that the restaurant’s soup and please make this again, soon!!

Ding ding ding!! Ladies and Gentleman, we have a winner!! I love when I make something that just hits a new level of HOLY YUM!

And soooo… I am here to share it with you!! I hope you and your family enjoy this as much as we did!

Happy Fall and happy soup weather!

Lasagna Soup

Servings 8

For a little bit of family fun, don’t remove the bay leaf. Whoever gets the bay leaf is lucky and doesn’t have to help with dishes!

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion diced
4 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 pound Italian sausage
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 bay leaf
7 cups chicken stock
8 ounces Mafalda pasta or bow ties
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
8 ounces ricotta cheese
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat olive oil in Instant Pot on the Saute setting. Add sausage, onion, and garlic, breaking up sausage into bite sized piece. Cook until sausage is browned. Add Italian Seasoning, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Pour in red wine and stir.
Change setting on Instant Pot to simmer.
Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock. Stir to combine. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add uncooked pasta and gently stir to moisten all pasta noodles. Set the pot to manual high for 8 minutes and seal the cooker. It should take about 10-12 minutes to come up to temperature.
As soon as it is done, quick release and stir. Stir in basil and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
While the pasta is cooking, prepare the ricotta mixture. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, parsley, Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
To serve, place a scoop of the ricotta cheese mixture in each soup bowl, and then ladle the hot soup over the cheese. Sprinkle with shredded mozzarella. Garnish with fresh basil.



Cook’n is a next generation recipe app that makes it fun and easy to share favorite recipes.

Click here to get Cook’n (it’s free!)

Get Cook’n


� DVO

Wine is divine

I wanted to incorporate wine in my food blog because, well…. wine is divine! Two of my daughters and I absolutely love wine!

My oldest daughter and my husband love good beer… not cheap beer, good beer. They love the local crafted beers and we have plenty of those near here!

The whole family enjoys a good cider now and then. We prefer them on the dry side. Not too sweet.

I will be sharing about all of those things we love, wines, beers and ciders, along with mixed drinks, liquors and even bubbles with you!

I am in no way a connoisseur of wine, I just like to drink it! Nor am I an expert on craft beer and I am not a bartender. I just wanted a way to share the wines and drinks that we love with others and have a way to keep track of them as well!

Today I want to share a wine with you that we have enjoyed for a few years now. My husband and I went to a local restaurant called The Porch for a date night dinner a few years ago. We ordered a bottle of wine at the suggestion of the server. We were NOT disappointed! It was a Townshend Red Blend, T3. Oh WOW! It was incredible!

As soon as we were done with dinner we went directly to the grocery store to purchase another bottle. We were unable to find the same one but found this one. Townshend Vortex Red. It is amazing as well!

Townshend Vortex Red, Red Wine

It is a $15 bottle, which I feel is pretty reasonable, especially given how wonderfully rich and deep and smooth this wine is. We buy it often for a nice dinner on the weekend.

I did just check on Townshend’s website and they are sold out! It is really that good!!

Townshend is a Washington Winery, not far from us, established in 1998. Their tasting room is in Green Bluff. If you are local then you know what that is! It is a huge area of growers of pretty much everything. It is a super fun place to go to pick your own fruits and veggies and pumpkins and even get your Christmas tree! Green Bluff turns pumpkin and apple picking into a party and makes memories that will last forever!

Click here to check out Green Bluff and all the exciting events they have coming up this year!

By the way, Townshend not only grows grapes, they grow Christmas trees too! You could pick out and cut down a Christmas tree and do a little wine tasting before heading home! Sounds like a tradition I could get behind!

Check out their website and all their wines here.

I haven’t been to their tasting room yet but that is going to change this year for sure!

Cheers!

Photo by rawpixel.com on Pexels.com

Welcome to Wine Food and Family!

Hi! I am so glad you are here! I have wanted for so long to be able to share my passion for food and love of family with you! I am excited to finally be able to do that. I hope that you enjoy the stories, food and wine recommendations I have for you.

I love my family. I love spending time with my family! One of the best ways to bring my family together is food! I don’t know about your family but mine likes good food! Which is handy because I love to cook. I am terrible about writing down my recipes, however. My kids having been nagging me for years to get my recipes written down so that they can make them as well. What better way to do that than with a blog?! I get to share my recipes with my kids and with you and hopefully bring other families together over some great food and drinks.

I live in North Idaho. It is a beautiful little piece of heaven. (Shhhhh…. don’t tell anyone! We are trying to keep it a secret!) My parents, my girls, grand-kids and my siblings all live near by.

Home Sweet Home

Last weekend, my granddaughter had an ice skating competition in Missoula, Montana. My husband, my two oldest daughters, my granddaughter and myself made the short road trip to watch her and spent the weekend there.

She is seriously so adorable and an excellent skater! She placed 4th in both of her events. She was up against some really good competition this year!

While we there we stopped at the Wheat Montana Bakery to buy flour. They sell flour, cereals, baked goods, sandwiches and salads. All the flour and baked goods are made from their locally grown wheat. I use their flour exclusively for for all my baking. We make special trips to Montana to buy it by the 50 pound bag. It is high quality flour and it is Non-GMO.
If you ever find yourself in Missoula Montana stop into their cute little bakery and have some of their delicious goodies!

I have always enjoyed cooking but didn’t do a lot of baking. I knew how. Just wasn’t my thing…. until I tried bread making. My mother used to make eight loaves of bread every single Saturday! Warm bread on Saturday afternoon was my favorite! I loved it! I also didn’t want to do it. She did it all by hand and I had no desire to do such a thing.

Along came my beautiful pink Kitchen Aid mixer. Isn’t she beautiful?! This is a super old picture back when she was pretty new. I believe I’ve had it for about twelve years now.

Early picture of my pink Kitchen Aid, a gift from my hubby!

Of course, I wanted to try everything in it! That is when I discovered bread making with the Kitchen Aid! It was so much fun! Pretty soon I was adjusting recipes and making all kinds of breads for family and friends. After a few years I began to worry I was wearing my kitchen aid out making bread in it so often. I don’t think it was meant for what I was doing to it!

I switched to making my loaves of bread using the dough cycle of my bread machine and then taking it out and baking it in the oven. This seems to work well and my kitchen aid is happy and healthy making cookies, cakes, whipped cream and all kinds of other wonderful things.

This is my favorite go to bread. It is the perfect mixture of wheat and white flour so that it is not too heavy. You can mix up the grain blends, flax seeds and hemp hearts and use what ever suits your fancy just keep the measurements the same.

I have all my dry ingredients in canisters in this order in my cabinet and I can throw a loaf in the machine in five minutes. If you make bread often, that is a really convenient way to do it!

My Momma taught me well!


Three tips for slicing bread

My Mom taught me these great tips! I hope with a little practice they help you too!

  • Look at the bread not the knife. In other words, keep your focus on the slice staying the same thickness, not focusing on keeping the knife straight. It works!
  • Use an electric knife if possible, if not, use a good serrated knife.
  • It is best to let the bread cool completely before cutting it.

While this is ideal…. good luck, because there is nothing better than warm bread with butter on it, especially on Saturday afternoon.

Healthy Wheat Bread

Ingredients

1 cupWheat Montana All-purpose white flour
1 cupWheat Montana Prairie Gold whole wheat flour
1/4 cupmulti-grain cereal or super grain blend of choice
1/4 cuphemp hearts
1/4 cupraw organic flax seed
1/4 cupvital wheat gluten
1/3 cuporganic sugar or 1/4 cup honey
1/4 cupinstant potato flakes (NOT potato pearls)
1 tablespooninstant yeast
2 tablespoonsinstant dry milk powder
1 teaspoonsalt
1 1/4 cupwarm water
1 tablespoonbutter or olive oil
1 tablespoonwhite vinegar
butter for top

Directions

Mix all dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Put warm water, butter and, vinegar in bread machine pan. Dump in dry ingredient on top. Start the bread machine on the “Dough” cycle. When done kneading and rising, work the dough a bit to get out air bubbles, shape into a loaf and put into greased/sprayed loaf pan. Heat oven to 375* and let the loaf rise to about double. Bake for 27 minutes, turn pan around and bake for 3 more minutes. Remove from oven and brush with butter. Let cool for 5 minutes and then turn out of loaf pan onto a cooling rack. Let cool for at least 2 hours before cutting. Store in a ziplock bag.

Blog at WordPress.com.