Dry Rubbed Drumettes + Buffalo Chicken Burgers

Last night Shaun had basketball. So my great friend Kristen came over for a little girls night. Instead of hanging on the couch and drinking wine, we decided to get our workout on!

We hit the gym and did a nice total body workout, with a little cardio mixed in. I have to say, working out with someone else really is the way to go. It is not only more fun, but I felt like I got a better workout! Do you ever find that working out with a partner leads to a better exercise session?

So let's talk about chicken for a moment. A few weeks ago, the kind people at Gold'n Plump sent me a cooler full of premium quality, wholesome chicken to sample.

I have to admit that I was skeptical at best about this chicken. Because let's face it...most chicken is chicken. It's not particularly tasty and can often be rubbery and overall just a vehicle for some kind of sauce or spice rub.

I was, however, intrigued by their mission. Gold'n Plump touts their All Natural, No additional hormone raised chicken. They are environmentally-friendly and constantly finding ways to reduce their carbon footprint. They feed their chicken all raw materials. They humanely raise their chickens. And so I was really excited to try the chicken and see if the taste lived up to all of the hype.

Chicken cutlet, pan-fried!

I'm happy to report that this chicken was absolutely delicious. {I don't usually say that about chicken}. It was juicy, flavorful, NOT rubbery and just overall really fantastic. I would definitely seek this chicken out again. And so with so much chicken at our disposal, Shaun and I got to work on a few dishes!

First up, we made some dry rubbed drumettes. Again, drumettes make me slightly skittish because they can be very rubbery. These were not. Shaun made a spice rub consisting of salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, a tiny bit of cumin and chili powder.

He tossed the rub with the drumettes in a ziptop bag and grilled these up. I served them alongside some Mediterranean quinoa. A dish I'd make over and over again! Healthy (no oils or sauces) and tasty. Yum!

Such a nice treat and change up from the traditional chicken breast!

Next up, I wanted to use the ground chicken, and so I decided to make buffalo chicken burgers! I could eat buffalo chicken anything, anytime. It's so delicious.

Buffalo Chicken Burgers
1 lb. lean ground chicken
salt
pepper
paprika
onion powder
Frank's Red Hot
reduced fat blue cheese crumbles
sandwich thin or bun
cooking spray

With your hands, mix the chicken with the salt, pepper, paprika and onion powder. Shape into 4 patties. We grilled these on our Foreman grill since it was raining out side! Spray with cooking spray, close the lid and grill until cooked, just a few minutes.

Remove from grill and brush with Frank's Red Hot. Place on a sandwich thin or bun and top with blue cheese crumbles. Eat immediately!

So there you have it. Two easy chicken recipes made with all natural, delicious chicken. If you want to try the Gold'n Plump chicken, you can now find it at Target! And be sure to download their coupon for $1 off!

Have a great Thursday everyone!

Questions of the Day:

What's your favorite way to enjoy chicken?

How do you 'healthify' it?

psst...I did receive samples of Gold'n Plump, however all opinions are 100% my own.

How I Read

Can we talk about reading for a moment?

If you've been a reader of TAA, you know that I am constantly reading and always on the hunt for new books that I just can't put down. I have recently been reading Divergent and alternating between my Kindle and my Kindle app for iPhone.

I thought it would be fun to run through a few ways that I get my read on! And as always, I'd love to hear yours!

Kindle: Typically I read all of my books Kindle! I understand reservations toward e-readers...in fact, I used to feel the same way.

I know you are thinking 'but Rachel, I loooove having real books! And turning real pages! And letting them collect dust on my bookcase! And not being all 2012 about it!'

I know! Ok? I know. Trust me. I used to say the same thing. But once I realized the ease, convenience and light-weight nature of the Kindle, I never looked back. In fact, I often will refuse to read a real paperback, in favor of purchasing the e-version. I have problems. I'm just mildly obsessed with the fact that I have access to any book I want at any time I want. So yeah...I'm being all 2012 about it! Instant gratification or bust!

Even on the beach, real books are no more

Kindle app for iPhone: If I somehow forget my Kindle at home, or if I'm riding the train without a large purse, I simply use the Kindle app, which can sync to your actual Kindle and the spot you are reading. I love having this option, even if it's not the absolute most ideal way to read. Somehow, reading on the iPhone actually does make me a little motion sick (as opposed to the actual Kindle screen), but it is truly a great option when carrying the Kindle itself just isn't in the cards. Ah technology.

Magazines: Ok, this one I do NOT read on any kind of device, other than the thick glossy pages themselves. I do love having real magazines because I adore the vibrant colors and the ability to rip pages out to save in my recipes and home projects binders. I also do not have a color screen on my Kindle, so perhaps I'd feel differently if I did.

Blogs & News: Typically I read all of these on the computer. Occasionally, I'll pull up some blogs on my iPhone and read them, but I like having the big screen for photos and just simpler reading. Not to mention that I'd rather spend more time on the computer than looking at the tiny iPhone screen. Though I know how to remedy that...with an iPad perhaps?! :) That's on my wishlist, by the way. But in all seriousness, I have about 100+ blogs in my Google Reader (which often has upwards of 500+ unread posts giving me anxiety to get reading) and love checking real and entertainment news all the time. Sigh.

So that's how I get my reading done. Now it's your turn!

Questions of the Day:

How - and what - do you read?

Do you have multiple devices?

What have you been reading lately?

Springtime Cupcakes + Cookbook Challenge Link Up

I learned something really important over the four day weekend.

Four day weekends rule!

I feel like I accomplished so much this weekend...a desk detox, wardrobe detox and reorg, lots of family time, some friend time, some gym time...and I feelrefreshed today and ready for the week. Can every weekend be 4 days?!

 

So for Easter Sunday, I went with an old standard for dessert...cupcakes! My original plan was to make a cake, however, for any party, I always love bringing desserts that are easily distributed. No cutting involved, just grab a cupcake and go. Not to mention that I could make a whole bunch and bring some to Shaun's parents and some to my aunt's house. It's really a win all around.

 

I didn't get crazy with flavors here. I went with a classic chocolate cake and my newly perfected vanilla buttercream. I decided to try out a recipe from my Southern Living Cookbook (thanks Aunt Chet!)...and kill two birds with one stone since this also fulfills part of my Cookbook Challenge!

 

The cake was incredibly easy to make and came together in a snap. I really liked these cupcakes. For me, the could have been a little more chocolatey (perhaps a little espresso powder in them next time?), but overall, they were moist with a little crumbliness and they set up with a little chewy crust on top. I liked that part :) Lastly, I simply dyed some buttercream with Wilton Violet food coloring and topped them with springy non-pareils.

Springtime Cupcakes

Yields 3 dozen cupcakes
for the cupcakes:
*Adapted from Southern Living's Basic Chocolate Cake
1/2 C shortening
2 C sugar
2 large eggs
4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped & melted
2 1/4 C cake flour, sifted
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 C buttermilk
3/4 C water
1 Tbsp vanilla extract

for the vanilla buttercream:
*Adapted from my Giants Superbowl cupcakes
1 1/2 sticks butter, at room temperature
4 C confectioners sugar
3 - 4 Tbsp milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 - 4 toothpicks of Wilton violet food coloring gel

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 3 muffin tins with paper liners.

In a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the shortening unil fluffy, gradually adding the sugar. Beat well and add the eggs one at a time, until completely combined. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in the microwave. Cool for a few seconds and add to the egg mixture, mixing well.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add this to the chocolate mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the buttermilk but ending with the flour. Mix on low until all are completely combined. Mix in the water on low and then stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin tins. I used a medium cookie scoop for the perfect amount (Note: not a heaping scoop...just a plain old scoop will be plenty). Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire racks.

Once cooled, make the frosting.

Beat the butter until fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar, one cup at a time until combined and fluffy, adding milk as necessary to thin it out. Mixer should be on medium-high speed. Mix in vanilla. Add food coloring to your desired color and beat until gorgeously purple. Frost cupcakes and top with sprinkles.

Eat many, immediately.

 

So that was my big baking item this weekend. Pretty, no? I was really happy with how these turned out, though, as usual, my frosting skills could really use a little sharpening :)

Questions of the Day:

What did you eat/make over the holiday weekend?

What's your favorite kind of cupcake? My favorite combination is always chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream!

Add a link to your recent recipes that were adapted from a cookbook!

1. Pork Tenderloin with Apple Chutney

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)