Fire Roasted King Ranch Chicken Casserole

[FTC Disclaimer] We received no compensation for this post.  Two of the links are Amazon Affiliate links.

Alexis and I have been on a leftovers purge for the week because our freezers have gotten too full.  Last night, our freezer dive resulted in enough treasures to make Eating Well's Quick King Ranch Chicken Casserole. 

Of course, we changed it up a little bit, mainly because of what we had on hand or what we didn't.  And of course, we did ours on a kamado grill - a large Big Green Egg.  I think the fire roasting absolutely adds to the dish.

Steak and Eggs

[FTC Disclaimer]  Technically, this is not a sponsored post, as I have taken a break from sponsorships this year.  However, in the spirit of transparency, we still have a close working relationship with the folks at Certified Angus Beef® Brand and Thunderbird Wings.

I love breakfast for dinner.  Chicken and waffles.  Huevos rancheros.  And of course, steak and eggs.

Prime ribeye, Yukon gold hash browns, fried eggs, and some of our home cured and smoked bacon. 

Alexis and I shared this for dinner the other night when she found a USDA Prime, Certified Angus Beef® Brand ribeye steak at our Food City.  I'm so glad that Food City carries the Prime grade. I don't get Prime every time but it is a treat when we do. Being less than an inch thick, it was perfect for steak and eggs for dinner. 

Alexis and I were sous chefs for Trace Scarborough of Thunderbird Wings at an event last year.  He gave me this new beef rub that he had in development - Bravo.  It is based on the Mexican mole sauce profile - earthy, deep, rich chile, smoky, and with the most subtle hints of chocolate.  I love that unique approach to a beef rub.  I've had to be quiet about it until now because it is finally out for sale.

Fire Roasted Buffalo Chicken Sausage Mac and Cheese

[FTC Disclaimer]  This is not a sponsored post; however, the Amazon links that I give are Amazon Affiliate links.  

We were shopping for supplies for a project and found some Buffalo Chicken Sausages at Fresh Market.  We didn't need the sausages for the project, but I couldn't just pass them up once I saw them, right?  

When we were brainstorming how to use the sausage, I thought of the Buffalo Mac and Cheese that we used to get at Rafferty's (before they closed our local one....boooo).   So we made mac and cheese with the Buffalo chicken sausage instead of fried Buffalo chicken.

Of course, we made ours over live fire on a kamado grill - a Big Green Egg to be specific.  But you could do this inside as well.  Make the sausage and sauce on the stove top and then roast the mac and cheese in the oven. 

I love this small Lodge cast iron skillet because it is grill safe and the wok-like sloped walls make it easy to toss and flip food while cooking.  I bought one for my mom a few Christmases ago and was so envious I purchased one for myself!

Porterhouse Steaks with Twice Baked Potatoes

Wow, it is hard to believe that Nibble Me This is 10 years old as of today. 

Back then, I never imagined that creating a BBQ and grilling blog would lead to the opportunities that it has.  

• I have gotten to work with great food brands and grilling companies.
• I have been lucky enough to work side by side with World Champions.
• I have gotten to take educational trips to learn more about grilling, butchery, and food production.
• I have traveled to farms and ranches to gain a better understanding of where my food comes from and sustainable practices.
• I have received hands-on training to do things like break down half of a steer and artificially inseminate a sow.
• I got contracts to write two BBQ/grilling books.

But the absolute best part of Nibble Me This has been the friendships that have grown out of it. I have met so many wonderful people across the country that I am proud to call my friends.  Well....most of y'all, anyway ;) 

New Year's Eve was unseasonably warm, which are two words a griller loves to hear.  So Alexis and I grabbed a few porterhouse steaks for a quick dinner before our youngest and his friends headed out for a Dirty Guv'nahs concert. 

Twice Baked Potatoes

These are a reliable side dish - they are easy and almost everyone loves them.  We washed, lightly oiled, seasoned with salt, and wrapped russet potatoes with foil.  We put them in a 400°f Big Green Egg on indirect heat (using a plate setter) until they were tender - about 45 minutes because these were smallish.

We sliced off the top 1/3rd of the potatoes and scooped out the pulp from inside.  We then mix in finely chopped bacon, butter, sour cream, finely chopped green onion, and shredded Sweetwater Farms smoked yellow cheddar.  You are basically just making loaded mashed potatoes so throw in whatever you want.  Finally, we seasoned it with some of our NMT Beef Rub v.2 to taste, about 1.5 teaspoons.  

Stuff all of that mix back into the hollowed out potato shells.  You can make these ahead and have them ready to cook.  Then heat them through for about 20 minutes at 350°f. 

Smoky Mountain Chicken Sandwich

[FTC Standard Disclaimer]  No compensation was received for this post. 

Fired up one of the Big Green Eggs tonight to grill these Smoky Mountain Chicken Sandwiches.

Typically, a Smoky Mountain chicken sandwich or burger is topped with bacon, BBQ sauce, and cheddar.  I'm not sure how, when, or where this divine trinity became associated with the name "Smoky Mountain".  I have just seen it that way on countless menus.

I went in a bit different direction, but I used the same smoky-sweet-cheesy profile for this game day sandwich.  My secret ingredients were two local Tennessee products, fitting since they live in the shadows of the Smoky Mountains. 

Reload Rub and Seasoning Double Action Sweet and Smoky BBQ Blend

Alexis found this rub at Elder's Ace Hardware. It has a very balanced BBQ rub flavor, featuring things like sea salt, turbinado sugar, powdered molasses, dried onions, dried garlic, and chiles. 

Blackberry Farm Smoked Onion Jam

Yes, THAT Blackberry Farm!  This sweet smoky jam is made with sweet onions, smoked onions, cane sugar, and a few other ingredients.  The flavor is otherworldly. 

Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Thanksgiving isn't over until we've made our Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Soup.  This is a recipe that I got from my mother years ago, and we've made it our own.  It takes your leftover turkey and surrounds it in this velvety and hearty soup.

I know that you've probably already used up your Thanksgiving leftovers but tuck this one away for Christmas leftovers or use a rotisserie chicken instead. This also freezes well, so if you are tired of turkey, you can save it for later.  This soup rocks on a cold, dreary Winter's day.

Smoked Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

Servings:  8 cups or 4 bowls

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrot, about 1 large carrot
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 7 cups turkey stock
• 6.2-ounce package Uncle Ben's Wild Rice 
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flake
• 2 cups diced smoked turkey
• 1/4 cup finely chopped green onion, about 3 onions
• 1 cup half and half
• 2 teaspoons NMT BaCock! Poultry Rub recipe or another poultry seasoning

Instructions

1. Saute the carrot. Preheat a stock pot over medium-high heat.  Melt the butter and saute the carrot for three minutes.
2. Make a volute.    Sprinkle in flour while whisking to combine.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking continuously.  Slowly add the stock while whisking.  It seems like a lot of work, but it's worth the whisk (sorry, couldn't help myself).   
3. Add the rice, seasoning packet, black pepper, and red pepper flake.  Bring to a simmer and let cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
4. Stir in the smoked turkey and green onions.  Cook until heated through, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and stir in the half-and-half.  
6. Season to taste.  Add the poultry seasoning, starting with 1 teaspoon and add until you reach the taste you like.  For us, that was 2 teaspoons of NMT BaCock! Poultry Rub but your mileage may vary.

Creamy Southwestern Chicken, Tomato, and Rice Soup

After an Indian Summer the temperatures, cold wet weather has rolled across Eastern Tennessee.  We made this velvety soup to warm the chill off of our bones.

It is a creamy chicken soup loaded with Southwestern seasoned tomatoes and wild rice.  Comfort food at its finest.

This is more of an idea than a recipe, I wasn't writing things down.  But here's the nexus of it.

1. Make a veloute sauce.  Make a roux with flour and butter, then whisk in chicken stock.  
2. Add about 1/2 cup of dry wild rice, 1/2 cup of Southwestern dried tomatoes, and season with NMT BaCock! poultry seasoning.  You could use sun-dried tomatoes instead.  Cook on a low simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Fold in heavy cream.  Taste for seasoning and adjust with more NMT BaCock! poultry seasoning.
4. Top off with dried parsley and Olde Virden's Super Fine Grind Red Hot.  

We made some croutons out of extra dinner rolls.  We tossed them into butter in a skillet and sprinkled them with some Albukirky Seasonings Green Chile Rub.  

This was so rich, smooth, crazy good and had just the right kick of spicy heat.  It almost made me wish that I had a cold because this will be AWESOME when you have the sniffles.