As an adult, it’s likely that you know your way around the kitchen. Though you may not be able to present a meal worthy of beating Bobby Flay to your dinner party guests, you should at least know the basics of plating a meal worthy of being added to Instagram. Here are some simple recipes that will make your guests think you spent hours preparing the meal, when in reality you spent more time keeping your glass full while cooking.

Beer Can Chicken

With temperatures rising due to summer, it’s likely that you’re doing a fair amount of cooking on the grill to prevent your kitchen from getting too hot. The next time you decide to grill, consider trying beer can chicken. It’s as simple as the name sounds. You’ll need a 12 oz can of beer of your choice. We recommend using a cheaper beer and keeping the craft beer for you to enjoy while the chicken cooks on the grill.

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 1 12 oz beer of your choice
• 2 Tbsp of olive oil
• 1 Tbsp of salt and pepper
• 1 Tsp of garlic powder
• 1 Tsp of chili powder

Begin by washing your chicken and removing the giblets and any excess fat that easily detaches. Dry the chicken and then massage it with the olive oil. Begin to apply the dry ingredients on the outside and inside of the chicken. Open your can of beer and take a few sips from it, as you will not need the entire can of beer for the chicken. Any remaining spices can be added to the beer can prior to inserting in to the chicken. Poke between 2 and 4 holes on the top of the beer can. Now you’re ready to get personal with your chicken. Lift your chicken and place it on top of the beer can. It should be a nice snug fit. You’re ready to add your beer can chicken to the preheated grill! Cooking time should be between 1 ½ to 2 hours. You’ll know the chicken is done when the internal thigh temperature is 180 degrees. Allow your chicken to rest 10 minutes before you cut in to it. Pair your beer can chicken with one of our many IPAs

Fajitas

Fact: Mexican food always tastes better with a margarita. I don’t know why, but it just does. Create your own fiesta at home with homemade fajitas. Depending on how many people you’ll be cooking for, you’ll need about half a pound of fajitas per person.

Ingredients for Chicken Fajitas

• 2 lb boneless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup of tequila
• ¼ cup of orange juice
• 2 limes
• 3 cloves of minced fresh garlic
• 1 jalapeno pepper chopped (seeded if you aren’t a fan of spicy)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon pepper

Optional:

• 1 yellow onion
• 1 green and 1 red bell pepper

Begin by washing your chicken and setting it aside. Combine the remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts and allow them to marinate for at least four hours (overnight if you’ve planned that far in advance) in the refrigerator. Remove the chicken from the fridge 15 minutes prior to grilling. At this time, you’ll want to begin prepping the onions and peppers by rinsing and slicing. Add your sliced peppers to a piece of foil that is large enough to fold over all of the vegetables. Sprinkle a dash of salt and pepper to the foil prior to folding. Once the grill is preheated to medium-high heat, add the chicken and grill for 7 minutes on each side. The vegetables will need no more than 8 minutes to cook. Enjoy your tequila fajitas with a nice margarita on the rocks.