Easy Snack Mix

This is something I prep every week for our family! pre-portioning keeps the endless snacking down, saves money, controls calories, and controls how healthy it is. There's no cooking involved.

Bonus Content to Seasoned and Smashed Chicken

Today I am showing you a bulk prep way of doing the Seasoned and Smashed Chicken that I covered in an earlier video. Also trying out a headgear camera holder for when nobody is around to help me make some videos! HAHAHA

Easy Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls are the greatest snacks, desserts, and breakfast food! In this video, I make them from scratch using my own technique and the recipe for bread dough. https://www.tyronebcookin.com/2009/05/easy-bread-dough.html 

If you would rather not make the dough, buy pizza dough balls from your local grocer.

I do not use a sweetened dough for Cinnamon Rolls because there is enough added sweetness in the filling and glaze.

My cameraman is Tytus today!

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Peanut Brittle! (and the secret to not breaking your teeth!)

 

We're making peanut brittle with the boys. Steph goes through the steps. The addition of the baking soda at the end creates air bubbles in the brittle. This maintains the crackly goodness of the brittle BUT keeps you from breaking your TEETH! It's DELICIOUS!

  

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Mexican Chocolate Caramel Cookies!

 

These Mexican Chocolate Carmel Cookies are made with the caramel candy we made in our last video! Stephanie found an awesome "from scratch" cookie recipe that she modified to make it her own!

Here is the link to the cookie recipe we modified. 

https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/jumbo-chocolate-cookies/

Thank you! #TastesBetterFromScratch

The changes are simple. When you watch the video you will see HOW and then WHEN to add them in.

• Replace the chocolate chips with 2 discs of Mexican Chocolate chopped up. 
• Add a tablespoon of instant espresso powder to your cookie dough.
• Add your caramel candy into the middle of the cookie dough. Watch our caramel candy video. If you're still not convinced to try it yourself then those little square plastic-wrapped caramels from the store will do.

Two things you need to remember to have the most success with this recipe:

1. Chill your cookie dough 2 to 3 hours before using.
2. After rounding your caramel candy into balls, chill for at least an hour. You can do this anytime and then wait till your cookie dough is chilled.

This will also help your cookie have the best structure with no caramel "blow-outs". But even if you do have some, it still tastes great!

Products we use. Give them a try!

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Caramel Candy!

Stephanie and the boys take on making caramel candies. Tytus and Ezra clearly have fun BUT I am sure the end result is the motivation for helping out!

Do you need recommendations for your kitchen? Here are my top picks... Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

Turkey! Injected and Smoked

We did an injected and smoked turkey for Thanksgiving! Short video. A few tips and thought process on how I do it. Hope you continue to find things to be thankful for each day! ❤️ Take advantage of the categories and lists that I have assembled and reviewed for top recommendations in the kitchen. Kitchen Best Buys http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

The Perfect Cheesecake!

 

 
Looking for the perfect cheesecake recipe? This is a classic New York style cheesecake with a cookie crust and high sides. We also add some leftover "Halloween" candy! It is dense, rich, and light at the same time. But we can't take credit for the recipe we just bumbled through it for some excellent results! 

Simply Recipes - The Perfect Cheesecake | I got to say, it is for my tastes, I love it! (and our whole family as well)  https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/perfect_cheesecake/ 

If you need help picking great tools for your kitchen, see my reviews for top picks! 

Kitchen Best Buys https://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

GRILLING! Metal skewers for the WIN!

PRO TIP wood skewers ALWAYS burn. I don't care if you soak them all day. 

Use metal skewers even when cooking sausage, hot dogs, chicken satay, vegetables, fruit...because the metal heats up and cooks it inside as well. Which also reduces the time it takes to cook.

Tytus and I are just "chillin' and relaxin'" throwing some food on the grill for Sunday supper. I am teaching him why I do things the way I do them and enjoy spending time with my son. He loves cooking as well as the filming aspect of making these videos.

Take advantage of the categories and lists that I have assembled and reviewed for top recommendations in My Kitchen Best Buys.

OXO vs Zoodler | Veggie Noodles

Tytus and I review the OXO julienne peeler and the Zoodler. Do you remember the veggie noodle craze and why it's STILL making a lot of great dishes? Stick around after the review to see 2 quick dishes you can make to take advantage of these kitchen tools. AND speaking of kitchen tools... 

Take advantage of the categories and lists that I have assembled (below) for top recommendations in the kitchen. Each with my own personal comments. 

 

My Kitchen Best Buys

http://bit.ly/KitchenBestBuys

*Credit to Tytus my main cameraman today!

Southern Greens in 10 Minutes

Greens are delicious! Collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, beet greens...And even swiss chard. In this video, I prepare Swiss chard like a southern green. How do you do that? With pork fat!

This is a quick technique I use to produce some delicious greens in a short amount of time. I use leftover grease from quality hickory smoked bacon, red pepper flake, and fresh garlic. That's about it except for seasoning with salt. Enjoy!

Check out my Kitchen Best Buys! I have been working a lot on this lately! These are some of my top picks of things I use in the kitchen. If you look closely enough in my videos you can see that I use the products I endorse. If you have some suggestions on things you would like to see or items I should review leave it in the comments. THANK YOU for visiting our website and watching our videos!

Waffles vs Pancakes

Why choose? Simple recipe and preparation of Waffles and Pancakes. 

This episode we let Tytus do some of the videoing and Tyrone (dad) tries to quit saying "alright" during filming. Ezra will again make his appearance as the official taste tester. This episode was brought to you by The Hot Mess Kitchen Crew! and Spices by Sarah!

**We aren't being sponsored by them, we just like their products. 

Simple Waffle and Pancake Recipe: 

1 cup all-purpose flour, 

2 tablespoons (or more) Honey 

2 teaspoons baking powder 

1 teaspoon salt 

1 cup milk (a little less for waffles) 

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil 

1 large egg 

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract (optional) 

Things we noticed to work on next time:
Lighting (we see some sunlight bleach out some parts of the video)
Sound (sound can range up and down as we try to film at different lengths)

BEST Grilled Cheese on a Burger Bun?

A grilled cheese sandwich is delicious! We eat tons of them. On a burger bun? We eat them on any kind of bread! We only need 3 ingredients: cheese, a form of bread, butter(...any form of fat? BACON FAT?). We can even get rid of the butter and still get a "toast" on the bread.

I thought it would be fitting to start the official first episode of The Bcookin Show with a classic. Grilled Cheese Sandwich. Toasted Cheese Sandwich if you prefer.

What is the best tasting version of Grilled Cheese Sandwich you have experienced or made? The most delicious grilled cheese is your own!

• Smoked Gouda on multigrain
• Manchego on a baguette
• Sharp Cheddar on Sour Dough
• American on white bread...

Your possibilities are endless. And what is the classic soup pairing? Tomato right? What would you say? I love a great grilled cheese sandwich with chili.

Have you ever tried shredding Cheddar or Monterrey cheese and using it on the outside of the bread? It crisps up real nice AND releases enough oil to replace the butter. Crispy cheese toast on the outside with a melted ooey-gooey center. Tytus discovered this technique a while back and he loves it.

We hope you enjoy the simplicity of our Grilled Cheese "how-to" video! In this "first" episode we managed to get the wide-angle or full use of the video screen. We also learned some more "tricks" about posting links and adding fun things to our editing.

The Bcookin Show Too! (Pizza)

Tytus and I have made some improvements. I am getting a little better at editing and using the "thumbnail, end screen, subscribe button, watermark, and next video/playlist" add-ons for Youtube.

In this next video you may recognize some older clips that I pieced together. Eventually we will break it all down in newer shows but for right now we are getting the feel of things. 

What does that mean? we will video more technique and recipe breakdown. Showing you how we do it. 

• Make the dough, 
• ingredients we use, 
• equipment,
• tips and tricks...

But for now, thanks for being patient as we work this all out. 

* Thank you Anne and Beth for emailing in your suggestions and comments! We appreciate the encouragement!

I'm BACK!

In the last couple of years, I was over at BartonsOnBoard.com blogging about being with Mercy Ships in West Africa. I was working as the Food Service Manager. I posted a few food-related things over there but mostly it was about our family live on mission.  If you know me, I think you'll love to check out the other link. It won't be all food and such, but I am sure it's going to come up from time to time.

My oldest son Tytus, now 10, has shown an interest in cooking, computers, and doing some cooking videos. SO maybe we may do a few things here and see how it goes...

Low­Fat Banana & Chocolate Chip Muffins

INGREDIENTS

○  3 medium very ripe bananas
○  1egg
○  1/3 cup low­fat milk
○  1/2 cup granulated sugar (maybe substitute with honey)
○  1/2 cup brown sugar
○  1 1/2 cups flour (wheat or white)
○  1 teaspoon baking soda
○  1 teaspoon salt
○  2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup chocolate chips (depends on how chocolatey you like it!) Also I like to use mini chips, less chance of them sinking to the bottom of the muffin.
○  2 tablespoons pecans/chopped walnuts (optional)
○  1/2 Cup Applesauce
○  1/2 Cup Rolled Oats (also called old-fashioned or whole oats)

• 
  # The last two ingredients applesauce & oats are also optional, but I wouldn't use one without the other. It messes with the structure of the muffin. Wet & Dry.
• 
  DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Lightly coat 12 muffin tin liners with cooking spray and place in muffin tin.
   
3. In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork.
   
4. Whisk in egg, milk, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.
   
5. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt.
   
6. Add flour mixture to banana mixture and combine well.
   
7. Fold in chocolate chips and optional pecans/walnuts.
   
8. Spoon equal amounts of batter into 12 muffin cups.
   
9. Bake 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
   
10. Allow to cool slightly in pan, then remove to wire rack.
    

# Baking times will vary depending on your oven and size of tin. We like to use the mini muffin tins which take less time.

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Ezra's BATMAN! Chocolate Cupcakes with Reese's Surprise!

Ezra recently had his 4th birthday party and with this came the usual choices like cake, cupcakes, or cookie cake. There's also deciding if I was going to make some spectacular creation like a previous Dinosaur Train Cake, Jake and the Neverland Pirate Cake, or this one I pulled off in Liberia West Africa Estevam Turns ONE! over 8 years ago. I thought the heat alone was going to melt the homemade marshmallow fondant off that cake!

We (wife and I) have had great cupcakes over the years and I thought it was time to go that route again. The theme was BATMAN! And we found some nice cupcake topper rings with the Batman, Wonder Woman, and Superman logo. Even if the presentation is not going to be "spectacular" like previously mentioned cakes, we still want it to be special.

People always tell us, "You always bring great food to a party or dinner without being told what to bring! How do you do it?" Really its simple, we cook the food we want to eat! (And we trust our taste buds.)

I decided on a chocolate cupcake with a chocolate buttercream icing and a Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cup surprise in the center! For this recipe I was hunting down something different, or better, when I ran across the Brown Eyed Baker's recipe for Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes!

With cooking and recipes I don't try to "re-invent the wheel". I find the "wheel" I like. If I can't find one I like, THEN I invent the "wheel" I want!

I found the "wheel" I wanted with BEB's chocolate cupcake! If you are in this culinary world as a hobby, or a career, hopefully you get to the point where you can just look at a recipe or list of ingredients and KNOW that's what you want. I was looking over BEB's recipe thinking...

• "chocolate & coffee, Mmmm" (good baking flavor combo even if u don't like coffee)
• "I like the technique for...creaming, melting, mixing..."
• "Vinegar? Hmmm...this is looking like a modified Red Velvet Cake recipe (without the food coloring) and I like THAT"

For my son's birthday party I wanted to make the cupcake more my own. Or maybe OUR own. So I tucked a frozen Reese's Mini Peanut Butter Cup in each cupcake before baking. Freezing it helps maintain its structure during the baking period.

I was very pleased with this cupcake. Chocolate flavor, moist, held together, baked properly, and it was a hit with both kids and adults. 

I made my own buttercream frosting and skipped the ganache in BEB's recipe. But I would encourage you to try her whole recipe. The only reason I changed other aspects of it was to get the "wheel" I wanted.

Here is the recipe again: Ultimate Chocolate Cupcakes -- Brown Eyed Baker has a great site with more than just baking recipes. Go check it out.

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How to MacGyver a broken electric smoker!

I knew a month ago that my smoker was broken but being the Frugal Guru that I am (read: cheap) I couldn't throw it away! Using my culinary MacGyver skills I decided I could still use it to smoke the chicken I was doing for this July 4th weekend.

WOW! My smoker has faded over the years! I wonder if that is from a combination of heat and sun? 

 I realized that I could easily make this usable as a charcoal smoker. The bottom of my smoker has a round electric element with lava rocks. Otherwise there was plenty of room and a metal bowl as a base. I had my wife get a bag of Match Light Charcoal when she was at the store.
I read the directions (because it has been awhile) and piled my charcoal up on the lava rocks like an upside down cone and lit them. Later I spread the coals out and waited for the fire to die down. About ten minutes. Just like the directions said. Funny thing about directions, sometimes they work. I threw a couple handfuls of wood chips on top...time to get started.

You've probably heard, "I don't like using charcoal because I can taste the fuel on my food!". This is because of two things:
1. Not following directions and let the fire die out. And/Or...
2. Using entirely too much lighter fluid and not letting it burn off.

I kind of miss that "old school" smell of cooking with charcoal and wood. Once we started having kids I couldn't give up smoking or grilling so I went for convenience.

• Gas Grill - cooking from start to finish without wasting any time.
• Electric Smoker - set it, and forget it.

The thing about charcoal and wood, it's time consuming manipulating the nuances of fire and air to get the right temperature long term. We (my wife and I) both work and we have small kids...So, "NO!" to the days of finagling smokers and grills with "master techniques". But the smell was nostalgic if only for this weekend!

Wings & Breasts!

You can use a smoker as a grill to smoke meats like chicken wings, chicken breasts, thighs, burgers, hot-dogs...without going"low and slow". Low & Slow is for other cuts of meats like pork butt, ribs, brisket, and larger pieces/cuts of meat. -- Burgers, chicken wings, chicken breasts & thighs, stuff like that can be cooked at high temp over the coals with a handful of wood chips thrown in, it picks up plenty of the smoke flavor and they are done from 30 to 60 minutes start to finish.

My personal favorite is smoked wings, flash fried and buffalo sauced! (butter & hot sauce mixture, add garlic)

My "trick" worked out great for the weekend. Look, I know, I KNOW, that you have some experiences and stories like that yourself! Share them with us in the comments! Please, we would love to hear them!

PS. In my early college days we did this to a Gas Grill as well. We added an additional grate (read: food cooling rack) to help keep the charcoal in place where the gas burners used to be.

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Chile Coban Pecans (Pecan Crack)

This recipe, as most of my recipes, has a story behind it...

A Chef friend came to stay with me last summer for a few days because we both were attending the same conference in my town. We could catch up, show him around town, hang out...and of course attend the conference together. It just so happened that he brought me some gifts. One gift was several pounds of pecans.

A short time later another friend came back from a trip to Guatemala and gave me a package of Chile Coban, a very specific tasting dried pepper with a bit of smoke flavor. 

[Fast Forward a bit in time...]

Around the Fall holidays I was using a spiced nut recipe because I wanted to create some Christmas gifts and snacks that had a personal touch. But I was very unhappy with the results I was getting from a highly rated internet recipe. BAM! I had a stroke of genius, "Tyrone, why don't you just create your own recipe and use what you have on hand?!". [You won't ever convince me talking to yourself doesn't have its benefits!] And that's how this recipe came to be! 

A personal "Thanks!" goes out to Gary H. and PW. (aka - Pastor Will). This recipe has been tested by hundreds of palates by now with great reviews. The "heat" in this recipe is only noted in taste, not burn.

PS. To all my food service friends, this makes a full sheet pan (2 or 3 of the home cookie/sheet pans) These are best a couple days after making, they get a little crunchier and taste seems to "mature".

Ingredients

3 egg white
1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon ground cloves
1 1/2 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon Chile Coban

Or use cayenne, chipotle powder, something with some heat you like.

3 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 pounds pecan halves

Or walnuts, mixed nuts, BUT pecan is my favorite for this.

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray or parchment paper.

In a large bowl beat egg white until foamy. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, salt, Chile Coban, (or substitute), and vanilla.

Whip to "melted marshmallow consistency" Add nuts, and stir to coat. Spread evenly onto prepared pan.

Bake for 30 minutes, until well toasted and golden brown. Remove from oven, and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

The end result...

And it's delicious!

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Grilled Chicken Tortilla Soup

On the Anastasis & Africa Mercy we served chicken tortilla soup with fresh chips (corn tortillas cut in wedges, fried, & salted) and salsa, often serving rice as well. On the Caribbean Mercy we bought the chips, there were no fryers on board. This recipe tastes so much better just grilling the chicken but I have a few other options I think you should try as well.

I won't bore you with the bulk preparations from the galley but walk you thru a recipe that's close to mine (for home use) that is from allrecipes.com: chicken tortilla soup -->

INGREDIENTS

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons chili powder

I omitted the chili powder and use chipotle peppers or roasted cumin instead -- much better taste. Chipotle peppers are smoked & dried Jalapeno peppers, not as hot and adds great smoky taste. Next, use a dry non-stick for toasting some cumin seeds. Then grind up(electric coffee grinder, mortar and pestle, or ziploc bag and hammer! LOL)...this develops a greater, more complex taste to the soup than chili powder.

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes

Here I would suggest a good brand of Fire Roasted Tomatoes.

• 1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups water
• 1 cup whole corn kernels, cooked
• 1 cup white hominy

If you are not a hominy person, leave it out

• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 boneless chicken breast halves, cooked and cut into bite-sized pieces

Let's grill these chickens, its going to add another dimension of flavor that will make your soup stand-out. Or another good fast option is buying the rotisserie chicken at the grocery store or Sam's/Costco Club and picking the meat off. ***Or if your in California Bay Area Mi Pueblo has an awesome grilled chicken done in front of the store on certain days! (I think the one close to San Jose on Story Road or maybe Capitol) If anybody can get that marinade/rub they are using for THAT chicken I would love it! Been trying for years!

• Fresh tortilla chips

If you can't make fresh chips Chili's chips are a good pickup option without costing much and being 'same day' fresh. Order them to-go.

• sliced avocado
• shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
• chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium stock pot, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Stir in chili powder, oregano, tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Stir in corn, hominy, chilies, beans, cilantro, and chicken. Simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Ladle soup into individual serving bowls, and top with crushed tortilla chips, avocado slices, cheese, and chopped green onion.

The way I like to eat it is to put some chips in the bottom of the bowl, put the soup on top, a little cheese, slice of avocado, then (if you have limes) a fresh squeeze of lime juice over the top.

What's the best chicken tortilla soup you have ever had? Recipe or Restaurant?If you have enjoyed this post please help by sharing! (Pinterest buttons also appear on post pictures)
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