Okay. I know this blog is predominantly about writing and variations thereof, but I’m also a closet chef. More like wanna-be chef. Alright, alright….I’m a self-taught cooking fool who loves food with an almost obsession-like devotion. I’m a slave to the Food Network and Travel Channel (Anthony Bourdain is my hero-I’m not exactly your cuddly chef like Paula Deen…although I have absolutely nothing against good Southern food).

So I couldn’t resist sharing my obsession with you. What else brings more people together in life than food?

Let the salivating begin….

Crockpot Beer Chicken

Beer. There’s just something about it. Cold fizzing tickling your nose as the ambery bloom warms your spirit when you guzzle it down. What better way to use beer than in cooking? (besides drinking it as you cook. Or play poker. Or do nothing. But drink. No, I’m not a lush…although this post may make me sound like one. More, a fine appreciation of all things delicious).

Jessica, blogger of How Sweet It Is, posted a recipe for Crockpot Beer Chicken. Stunning, melt-in-your-mouth photos with the perfect recipe for a long-day-after-work-it’s-waiting-to-greet-you-meal.

The picture says it all! I followed her recipe almost to a tee, but not quite. I cut the recipe in half since it makes so much (8-10 servings!). I used Wegman’s brand Memphis BBQ sauce thinned with Yuengling beer. Only the sweet, molassesy, lick my fingers sauce for this woman.

The chicken was melt-in-your-mouth tender with a hint of smoke from the paprika and rich with the Beer BBQ sauce. We piled the chicken high on fresh rolls from the bakery that were buttery soft and sopped up the juices. On the side, we made fresh from the freezer tater tots. Yeah, I know. The height of culinary delight. But what do you expect when you’re rushing to eat because you have another appointment after dinner? Even us foodies take shortcuts every now and then. I do buy the tater tots that don’t have any added unnatural ingredients other than potatoes and seasonings, so that has to count for something, right?

Enjoy the Crockpot Beer Chicken from Jessica by clicking here and let it take all your worries away.

“I have long believed that good food, good eating is all about risk. Whether we’re talking about unpasteurized Stilton, raw oysters or working for organized crime ‘associates,’ food, for me, has always been an adventure.”  – Anthony Bourdain