Talladega!

Today's race is at Talladega Superspeedway. When deciding what to make, I emailed my friend Shannon, who is from Pell City, AL. She told me I had to make BBQ chicken, and I listened! I used the Neely's BBQ sauce recipe, found here. I thought I should make fried green tomatoes because I've never had them and they're such a southern tradition! Unfortunately, I could only find tomatillos, no green tomatoes, and there were only 3 at the store, so I looked around to see what other veggies looked good and were grill-able. I settled on zucchini and bell peppers. I marinated them and grilled them with the chicken. I also made cornbread muffins, but threw in some jalapenos and white cheddar to give them an edge. It was a bit of a hodgepodge dinner, but delicious, nonetheless.

Grilled BBQ Chicken, Fried Green Tomatillos, Jalapeno White Cheddar Corn Muffins, and Grilled Veggies

Chicken:

2 chicken breasts

1 cup BBQ sauce:

2 cups ketchup

1 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

5 tablespoons light brown sugar

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cooked uncovered, stirring frequently, for 2 hours.

Fried Green Tomatillos:

3 tomatillos

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 tbsp. flour

EVOO to coat the pan

Heat the EVOO over medium-high. Slice the tomatillos, dip in buttermilk, then in cornmeal-flour mixture. Fry on each side for 4-5 minutes, until just golden. Drain on paper towels, serve immediately.

Jalapeno White Cheddar Corn Muffins:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

2 tbsp. minced jalapeno

1/4 cup shredded white cheddar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until just combined.

Line a muffin tin with papers, spray with nonstick spray, then spoon muffin mix in. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

Grilled Veggies:

1/4 cup EVOO

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. minced herbs, like parsley, tarragon, thyme, and basil

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper

Assorted veggies, like mushrooms, peppers, squash, eggplant, and peppers

Mix all ingredients except veggies, pour over veggies and marinade for 30 minutes. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side.