Happy New Year from Zestybeandog and Co! Yard Birds with Agave Garlic Citrus Jalapeno Glaze, Black Eyed Peas, and Sun Dried Tomato Bread

Happy 2012 to Everyone! It’s been a crazy couple of weeks but all is well in Zestybeandog Land! We have successfully had Christmas with both families, packed a 1,700 sqft house into a 10×20 storage unit, moved to Lago Vista from Austin to stay at Evan’s  parents home for the next 1-2 years while they’re in Singapore, unpacked some kitchen stuff, had a low key NYE celebration playing poker and enjoying drinks, and of course cooked up a great New Year’s Day meal for everyone. We are so grateful for our families for all of the amazing help we had… or we’d probably still be packing boxes! Here’s to new adventures and good times in 2012. I wish you all the best of everything not only for 2012 but for all the years to come. Cheers!

I’d also like to give a personal shout out to my fellow foodie bloggers: Five Reflections, Rufus’s Food and Spirits Guide, Simple Speedy Snacks, Twistedvines, Talinorfali, Bam’s Kitchen, Saffron and Honey, The Kale Chronicles, The Complete Cook Book, Coffee with Caroline,Pure and Complex, Sports Glutton, Charles with Five Euro Food, Tandy with Lavender and Lime, Sweet Caroline’s Cooking,Hotly Spiced, Edible Substance, Food Diary of a Picky Eater, Adesinsa’s Kitchen AND to all I may have missed, I’m still in a food coma 😉

Yard Birds with Glaze

Prep Time: 20 min

Cook Time: 3-4 hours

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 2 Whole chickens 4-4.5 lbs each
• 1 C. Amber agave nectar
• 2 TBS Butter
• 1 Jalapeno, minced
• 1 Garlic clove, minced
• 1 Clementine, juiced
• 2 TBS Sugar
• 1 tsp Sea Salt, kosher
• 1 tsp Green peppercorn, finely ground
• Charcoal
• Mesquite wood chips, soaked in water for 20 min
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Prep smoker, with about 10-12 lbs of charcoal and wood chips.
2. Make glaze in small sauce pot. Mix all ingredients besides the chicken, and last 3 items on the list. Bring to a simmer and then cook on low for 5 min, stirring occasionally.
3. Salt and pepper washed chickens, place on smoker and glaze every 30 min until chicken reached an internal temp of 165 F.

We paired this with a Brooklyn Lager 2, it was great!

Black Eyed Peas

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 3 hrs

Serves: 8-10

Ingredients:

• 22 oz Black eyed peas,  like Melissa’s
• 5 Thick slices of bacon, cut up into chunks
• 2 Tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 Jalapeno, diced
• 1 Garlic clove, minced
• 1.5 TBS Better than Bullion Paste
• 5 C. Water
• 2 tsp. Cumin
• 1 TBS. Pepper
• 1 tsp. Paprika
• 1 tsp. Garlic powder
• 1 tsp. chili powder

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to crock pot and cook for 3 hrs on high.

Bread Recipes coming soon 🙂