Chicken Apple Salad Recipe

I'm a big fan of those 4.99 whole rotisserie chickens you can find at Costco or your local markets.  I typically buy at least two or three of them at a time, debone them, separate the chicken meat and can get 1-2 meals out of each chicken.   Below is a chicken salad recipe I use when I have a cup or so of extra chopped chicken and want a nice cold chicken salad for lunch. 

1 to 2 c. chicken, chopped (white meat is best but can mix)
1 small sweet onion, chopped small
2 Apples (recommend Fuji), chopped relatively small chunks
1 to 2 tbsp of Mayo
Fresh ground pepper



Optional: add a dash of Curry Powder for a unique twist on this.

Summer Squash Skillet Saute Recipe

You know the old adage that everything is better with bacon, well this is just another example of that fact.
I'm not even sure when this came into my culinary repertoire but every time I've served this to family and friends they rave about it.  It's simple yet hearty.

Ingredients:

2-3 slices of bacon, chopped into small pieces (vary as desired but don't use turkey bacon for this one)
3-5 Yellow Summer Squash, diced
1 onion, chopped
2-3 Tomatoes, chopped (and I prefer plum/Roma's and deseeded - but you can use any variety)
1 can of corn, drained (optional)

In a skillet, cook the chopped bacon (not quite to crunchy).
Add onions and saute until beginning to get soft (don't brown)
Add squash and saute until getting soft (can speed this up with a lid - to steam them a bit)
Add tomatoes and can of corn and cook until tomatoes are cooked/soft.
We often omit the corn to avoid the extra carbs/calories but it's a nice addition either way.
Serve immediately.

Baby Back Bliss... Oven Rib Recipe

Several years ago my Mom, some sisters and I went to the Southern Women's show at the convention center. Amidst the beauty, jewelry, home decor, gardening booths there were a host of cooking/culinary related booths that stopped us in our tracks. One was a regional merchant promoting a new meat rub "Butt Rub." The name caught our eye and in addition to being the butt (yep, like pork butt) of some quick witted jokes drew us in to the booth. With very little hesitation we walked out with approximately $20 worth of the humorously named rub. All I can say is I have shelves full of spices, including several jars of spice rubs just for roasting/grilling meats but this Butt Rub is phenomenal! So here's the scoop on my favorite use of the Butt Rub...

Needed:
2-3 lb slab of meaty baby back ribs (if you are in N.Florida/Jacksonville area get them at Tillman's)
Olive Oil
Butt Rub
Heavy Duty Foil

Preheat oven 450F.
Rinse and dry the slab of ribs.
Lightly rub/coat the dried ribs with olive oil.
Butt Rub all over the ribs - top, bottom, sides (a little goes a long way but sprinkle all over)
Completely wrap and tightly seal the foil around the slap.
Place wrapped ribs (bones facing up) on middle/lower rack in oven. Cook at 450 for the first ~45 minutes then bump oven down to 350 and cook for another 2-2.5 hrs.
Take out of the oven and carefully (watch steam will rush out) cut foil open.
If not eating immediately these will keep warm in the foil for at least 45 minutes after removing them from the oven - just keep them sealed well.
Ribs will be amazing, falling off the bone.
Some people add a BBQ sauce but they are so good with just the Butt Rub spice that is completely optional. If you add sauce you can thow them back in the oven or on a grill briefly to warm the sauce on them.

One of the best Butt Rubs you'll ever have!

For Grillmasters.. I should note my step-father Ashley uses Butt Rub on the roasts and ribs he does on his grill and they too are pretty amazing.
You might be able to find Butt Rub at your local market/butcher but if not see the Butt Rub website link on my home page.