Since the weather is heating up, it’s time to do some cooking outdoors! Beer Can Chicken is an easy way to cook a whole chicken on the grill while keeping it moist and flavorful.

Before getting started, make sure that your grill can accommodate the chicken — since the chicken will have to cook while it is upright and the lid will have to be closed. You can always use a smaller/larger bird, depending on your needs.

Beer Can Chicken

1 whole chicken (approx. 4 pounds)
1 can of beer (This can should fit inside the bird’s cavity and be used as a stand)
1.5 cups spice rub (I like to use a mixture of kosher salt, course ground pepper, cayenne pepper and lemon zest)

Well, the first step is to drink half the beer! You only need half the liquid in the can for cooking. To better facilitate the transfer of moisture from the can to the bird, you can remove the top of the beer can with a can opener. Then pour in half your dry rub mixture.

Rinse and dry the chicken after removing all the giblets and other business. Then take the other half of the dry rub and rub it under the skin and inside the chicken. You can also use a little olive oil to rub it.
Arrange your charcoal or wood chips in the grill base leaving a spot in the middle empty, so that the flames will surround the chicken but not be directly under it. Once it is hot and ready to go, place the can in the middle.

Now place the bird atop the can and press down lightly to secure the can in the opening. You position the legs in front slightly for support. Place the lid on top and cook. Check to see it is cooking evenly, if not you may need to rotate the bird a few times. Cooking time will be about 2 hours, but will vary according to your grill. Use a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the meat to make sure it’s cooked to 170 degrees. Carefully remove chicken to cool and enjoy.

Photo credit: Ingorrr

This boozy brownie recipe mixes a creamy chocolatey topping with the bite of whiskey for a dessert that I just can’t stop eating!

You can, of course, make it without the whiskey — but why would you want to?

Whiskey Brownies

3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup shortening
2 tbs. water
2 eggs
1 (6 oz.) package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup whiskey

Chocolate topping

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 package (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chipsPreheat the oven to 350 and grease a 9-inch pan. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt in a bowl and set aside. In a saucepan, combine sugar, shortening and water. Cook on low heat until boiling gently. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time. Now add flour mixture and stir well. (If you want to include a half cup of nuts, mix them in at this stage) Pour the mix into the pan and bake for 30 minutes.

After brownies have cooled, sprinkle the whiskey on top and let it soak in. The make the topping as follows:

Heat the cream in the microwave for 45 seconds and pour on top of chocolate chips and stir. If that does not melt the chocolate enough, put it the mixture in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until smooth. Then spread on top of brownies.

CMSC Spirits is releasing a new spirit in May — Love Potion #9. They sent over a little sample, which inspired me to create a new dessert. The tropical-fruit-flavored liqueur is made with sugar cane alcohol (instead of grain alcohol), which made me think strawberry tart!

It’s a light and refreshing dessert, with the mascarpone adding creaminess without turning the dish into something heavy or sticky-sweet. Oh, and it’s super easy!

Love Potion #9 Creamy Strawberry Tart

8 oz. mascarpone cheese
1 oz. honey
1 lemon
12 strawberries
1 tablespoon Love Potion #9 (can also use Grand Marnier or Chambord)
1/2 teaspoon powdered sugar
4 ready-made mini-graham cracker crusts
(or you can make your own crust and put them in small serving tins)

Blend the mascarpone and honey together, adding 2 squirts of fresh lemon. Fill each mini pie crust with the blend, reserving a few tablespoons of the mix for garnish.

Slice the strawberries. In another bowl, mix the strawberries with the Love Potion #9 and powdered sugar. The add a couple squirts of fresh lemon and stir some more.

Top your little tarts with strawberries and add a little dollop of the mascarpone mixture on top.

Love Potion #9

Even though St. Patrick’s Day is over, it’s time again to whip out the Guinness, Bailey’s and Jameson’s whiskey and turn them into delicious cupcakes!

The Irish Car Bomb is a well-known (although not very tactfully named) drink consisting of a layered shot of Jameson’s and Bailey’s dropped in a 3/4 full glass of Guinness and chugged like crazy. (Don’t let it sit … curdled Bailey’s in your beer is not an appetizing sight)

Well here is an easy recipe to render that tasty cocktail in cupcake form: Chocolate Guinness cupcakes, filled with whiskey chocolate ganache and topped with Bailey’s whipped cream. Yum! (more…)

I had so much turkey left over after Thanksgiving that I froze a great deal of it for use in future recipes.

Of all my leftover turkey cooking adventures, this simple recipe is my favorite one so far.

If you managed to escape Thanksgiving and Christmas without mountains of leftover turkey, you can use chicken or vegetables instead.

This is one of those sauces that actually tastes much better after sitting in the fridge overnight.

Leftover Turkey Vodka Marinara

1 jar of store-bought marinara or 1 quart homemade marinara
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of vodka
2 cups cooked white-meat turkey, cut in bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Optional additional ingredients
1/2 cup chopped zucchini
1/4 white onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tbs. olive oil

(If you like a zesty, chunky sauce — saute the optional ingredients in a pan and incorporate the cooked mixture into your marinara for added flavor and texture.)

Take out the cream, so that it will be room temperature when you use it. In a large skillet, simmer the marinara sauce and vodka over low heat for about 10 minutes.

Then stir in the cream and cook on low heat until the mixture is heated completely. Now stir in the cheese until it melts and mixes into the sauce. Next add your turkey or chicken pieces (they should be thawed if they were frozen).

Raise heat to medium heat and cook for about 5-10 more minutes. Turkey should be tender and have soaked in some of the flavor of the marinara.

Serve over pasta, penne (pictured) recommended.

More recipes for cooking with booze

Chef Jamie Oliver created this refreshing granita as an easy, light and elegant dessert. Yummy!

Grapefruit-Campari Sorbet

1-3/4 pints fresh squeezed grapefruit juice, strained
14 oz. superfine sugar
7 oz. Campari
Juice of 2 lemons
Juice of 2 oranges

Whisk together the grapefruit juice and sugar. Add the Campari, lemon and orange juices. Freeze in an ice cream maker, or in a metal container for a granita texture.

Photo & recipe courtesy Campari

Liquor and wine are a big part of many holiday dishes. Here are some of the most delicious recipes I could find that get a boost from the bottle and could be a part of your special holiday meal. Enjoy!

Starters
Sweet Potato Bourbon Soup
Drunken Crab Bisque
Roasted Beet and Smoked Sturgeon Salad with Vodka Vinaigrette

Meats
Grilled Molasses and Rum-Glazed Fresh Ham
Red Wine Braised Beef Brisket
Roasted Goose With Apple Rum Stuffing

Veggies
Whiskey-Glazed Carrots
Zest White Wine Green Beans (The recipe suggests canned, but why not use fresh!)

Potatoes
Potato Latkes with Wine Syrup

Dessert
Baked Figs with Honey and Whiskey Ice Cream
Figgy Pudding with Rum Butter Sauce