The Spirit of Taste

Boneless Pork Chops with Prosciutto, Marsala Soaked Figs, and Bleu Cheese

2013-01-21T20:05:00.000-05:00

I'm a sucker for prosciutto. So much so, that I would totally fall for that salty, tasty ham, hanging over my head on a fish hook. Basically, if any aliens are human-fishing, I just gave away what would be perfect bait for me.

And I'm a pretty good catch, if I do say so myself....

Enough narcissism, on to the food! I used this combination, plus baby arugula on a flat bread pizza for a party we had the previous evening, and was a huge fan of the sweet from the figs, salty from the prosciutto, and umami flavors from the bleu cheese. In preserving myself from too many carbs, I decided to use a different crust.... boneless pork chops! That's an upgrade in my book.

Then there is the matter of bleu/blue cheese. I've always spelled it bleu, but a majority of people spell it blue. So I stuck with my guns, and did it all traditional like. Bleu it is. It sounds fancier when you say it even. Really, just try reading "bleu" out loud and not get a little snooty when the words come out. I saw your nose turn up just a degree.

It was enough. You're now a bleu convert.

It's moldy, and you want it.

Anyway, if you have the pork ready to go, this is an easy, easy recipe to whip up.

Ingredients:
1 T. butter
1/4 c. onion, chopped
1/2 c. dried black figs
3/4 c. Marsala wine,
1/2 c. chicken stock or broth
1 T. vegetable oil
Four 5 oz boneless pork chops, brined
2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into strips
1 c. bleu cheese crumbles, stilton or similar
2 c. regular or baby arugula
Salt and pepper

Directions:

Take the butter, and heat in a small saucepan on medium heat. Once melted, and starting to bubble, stir in the onions, and the figs. Let them simmer for about 5-6 minutes, or until the onions become translucent.
Deglaze the pan with the Marsala wine, and add the chicken stock. Continue to simmer for about 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to low, and remove the figs. Reserve the liquid.
In the meantime, heat the vegetable oil in a saute pan, on medium-high heat, until shimmering. Rinse and pat dry the pork chops, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Sear the pork chops in the pan for about 3 to four minutes or until a golden brown color, and flip them. Turn your oven broiler on low.
Once both sides are brown, turn the heat down, and set aside in an oven safe dish. Crisp up the prosciutto in the saute pan, about 1 or 2 minutes. Once crisp, remove from the pan and place on top of the chops.
Place the figs, and the bleu cheese crumbles on the pork chops, and place in the oven about mid range distance from the broiler. This will finish cooking the chops, as well as melt the cheese and reheat the figs.
Deglaze the saute pan with the Marsala wine reduction, and turn the heat to low. Add in your arugula, and wilt just slightly. Once starting to wilt, turn the heat off.
Once the cheese is melted and starting to bubble on the pork chops, remove from the oven, and let rest for 5 minutes. Place wilted arugula on the serving platter, and arrange pork chops on top. Feel free to use the Marsala reduction to dip your pork in!

Pork, fruit, greens, and cheese... I'm pretty sure we've covered our daily nutrition here.

A cavalcade of flavor, resting on a perfect pork chop.

If you can't find figs, dried cherries, or another dried tart fruit will work well with this recipe. Dried cranberries tend to be a bit sweet though, with all the sugar added. Having trouble locating good arugula? Substitute spinach, and grind a bit of pepper on it. It will do just fine.

This recipe is super tasty, and easily convertible to healthy, subtracting the butter, oil, and bleu cheese, and really quick once you sear the chops. The figs and prosciutto are the stars here, and make an awesome contrast against each other.

Happy cooking!

Seared Tuna with a Grapefruit Dijon Vinaigrette

2013-01-14T22:49:00.002-05:00

In the winter, it is hard to find things that bring freshness to the table. You deal more with hearty, full, and bold flavors, as opposed to the newness of spring, or the bounty of summer.

While the rib-sticking type of foods are perfect for winter, sometimes you long for just a splash of that bright, light flavor that the other seasons have in abundance. Lo and behold, in walks citrus, to save the day, and bring those much needed notes to your plate. The acid, the sweetness, the aroma, all while being readily available, and in many varieties, make it the perfect addition to bring additional life to your winter time food blues.

There is a black sheep of the citrus family though, and while being mainly used for juice, it can make a refreshing appearance in your menu, when you tire of lemon and orange hogging the citric spotlight. With its combination of slight sweetness, bitter, and unique flavor, in my opinion, grapefruit is the optimal citrus. It also takes very well to caramelization and browning some of the sugars, adding more complexity.

And did we mention the juice you get from these puppies?? Sheesh, talk about easy to squeeze!

This recipe started out being a simple idea to make a vinaigrette, but then I was hungry, and needed food post haste, and decided to make it a whole recipe. Although, you can use this vinaigrette for a marinade, a deglazing liquid, or just on a fresh spinach salad. It is very versatile.

That's a mighty fine wedge o' citrus.

Just using pink grapefruit is fine, you don't have to go out of your way to find the sweetest of sweet grapefruits, we hook up the sweetness with a bit'o honey as well. We will spice it up with Dijon mustard, some tarragon, and rice wine vinegar to balance it out.

Ingredients:
Dressing - Makes about 2 c.
Juice of 1 Grapefruit
1/2 c. white wine - chardonnay, or pino Gris is fine
1/4 c. rice wine vinegar
1 T. chopped shallots
2 T. Dijon mustard
2 T. clover honey
1 t. dried tarragon
3/4 c. olive oil
fresh cracked black pepper
1 t. kosher salt
Tuna Steak
8 oz of ahi tuna
1 t. black sesame seeds
1 t. white sesame seeds
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. garlic powder
1 t. onion powder
1 t. sugar
1 T. Dijon Mustard
evenly coat with kosher salt
1 T. vegetable oil
Seared Grapefruit
1 Grapefruit, cut into 8 wedges
honey
kosher salt

Directions:

Mix all of the vinaigrette ingredients together, except for the olive oil. Let sit for 1 hour minimum to let the acid of the vinegar bring out the flavor of the shallots and tarragon. Blend the olive oil in with a blender to emulsify, or whisk by hand to keep the olive oil separate.
Mix all of the dry spices together, and then spread the Dijon mustard evenly over the tuna. Evenly coat the tuna with the spices, then heat a pan with the oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil shimmers, sear the tuna on one side for about 1 - 2 minutes, then flip
Repeat on the other side, and remove from pan. Deglaze with a bit of the vinaigrette, and pour over the tuna.
Smother the grapefruit wedges lightly with honey, and season with salt. Heat a clean nonstick, or cast iron pan on high heat, and once hot, sear the grapefruit wedges until they are caramelized on one side. Flip and repeat.
Serve the tuna with the Vinaigrette on the side, or brush on top to serve. Enjoy!!

Winter, what winter? All I taste is tangy summer time.

The seared grapefruit is perfect for eating with a bite of tuna, with a dab of the vinaigrette. The bittersweet flavor gives you that pure grapefruit essence. I made a caramelized onion jasmine rice to go along with this.

Now that I think about it, that vinaigrette would have been perfect over steamed broccoli, or with other seafoods as well!! Use this recipe on pretty much any chicken, pork, fish, or veggie, and I think you will be a happy camper. You'll suddenly forget all about being in 10 inches of snow, or having to scrape frost off of your windshield.

Or, you'll remember all that, and just have a super tasty dinner :)

White Wine Steamed Clams

2013-01-06T22:01:00.001-05:00

I got some clams.

My wife is afraid of them.

I get them all to myself! : D

So, I decided to roll old school. Keep it simple, enjoy the flavor of the succulent briny sea creatures themselves, and do a white wine steam, but throw in a few other goodies to round out the goodieness of it all.

If you are working with fresh clams, these lil' suckers can be a bit sandy. As in, if you don't clean them first, you can probably get a free tooth polish with all of the sand that will be rolling around in your mouth. And not only is the sand on the outside, the clams can be chock full of it. What is your solution??

Before cooking the clams it is a dang good idea to soak them in cold water for at least 30 minutes, rinse each shell individually, and then soak again in salt water for another 30 minutes, and drain again. This should get most, if not all of the salt out of not only the outside, but the inside as well. When the clams are in the water, they will naturally open slightly (they are still alive you know) and filter out any sand inside.

Tasty, but still a wee bit sandy

Another clammy note, If any are open before you cook 'em, don't use it!! You only want closed, aka alive clams. You can't get any fresher than that! Once they cook, they will open up, releasing their clamminess into the broth, making it taste even better. If you can't cook them right away, they should keep for a few days in the fridge. Remember the corny saying for seafood; Ice is nice!

If one opens up though, pitch it, and it's time to take the rest for a steam bath.

Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
1/2 Spanish onion, small dice
1 t. garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
1 c. white wine
2 T. Dijon mustard
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 T. capers
2 T. flat leaf parsely chopped
2 lbs. fresh littleneck clams, cleaned brushed and soaked
salt to taste

Optional: 2 strips thick sliced bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled.

Directions:

Heat a deep saute pan (one with a lid) on medium high heat, and add the onion, and garlic, reduce heat, and saute until onions are translucent.
Add the bay leaves and white wine, and bring to a simmer, and let reduce for 3 minutes. Stir in the Dijon mustard, lemon juice and the capers. Taste, and add a bit of salt.
Add your squeaky clean clams, and cover with the lid. Lift and flop the clams around a bit, until they start to open wide.
Remove the clams that have opened fully, one by one until they are all removed. Taste the sauce and salt as needed. Arrange clams for serving in a deep bowl or dish, and garnish with the parsley, and bacon if added.
As awesomely as you can, pour dat sauce all over each and every clam, soaking it in wine and deliciousness.
Eat with an itty bitty fork, and a spoon to get the sauce.

Salty, briny little treasure chests. Flavor is the key. (hardy har har)

Now, if you had the gumption, you could add pasta to this dish, and do an Italian classic, linguine with clams and white wine, but I'm all about the clams here baby. If you get nice fresh ones like I did, I think they should be their own showcase of seafood delights, and you should enjoy each one without abandon, until the briny, salty, winey tastiness is gone.

I saved my sauce, and put it in the freezer to do another round of either those or maybe some scallops. You can pretty much translate this recipe into any other kind of shellfish, but it goes oh, so well with these clammys.

One of these bad boys will steam nicely...

Broiled Beer Buffalo Ranch Wings

2012-12-30T23:36:00.000-05:00

This is about as easy as I get. Sometimes it doesn't have to be complicated, hard, or expert level. Sometimes you don't have to learn anything new. Sometimes you don't have a deep fryer, or patience to use one.

Sometimes, you just want some flippin' flappin' buffalo wings at home, made in your oven, in one pan, and then you can eat them while messily looking around for more paper towels, because that one wing hit up by your nostril and it stings, and that half scrap of a napkin was obliterated at first touch.

And sometimes, you don't want to stop eating until you can go to a sink and wash your whole face off. These are those kind of wings, that you can make without shame by yourself, pig out, and it is a no muss, no fuss ordeal.

In other news, I really like wings.

Ingredients:
1 Doz raw chicken wings
12 oz. Pilsner style beer, room temperature
1 T. kosher salt
1 t. granulated onion
1 t. granulated garlic
1/2 t. ground black pepper
1 t. dried rosemary, chopped small
1/2 c. ranch dressing
1/2 c. Franks Red Hot (or similar cayenne pepper sauce)

Directions:

Heat an oven on a low broil setting. Using a non-stick, or disposable baking pan, arrange the raw wings in it. Pour the beer over top and place in the oven, about 2 rack spaces down from the broiler.
Cook the wings and reduce the beer, until the skin of the wings start to brown. When they do, mix the dry seasonings together, and toss the wings in them. Flip them to the non-brown side, and place back into the oven until that side starts to blister and brown.
Remove the wings from the oven, then mix the ranch dressing and hot sauce in the same pan, and coat the wings thoroughly. You will have some excess sauce, and you will mostly cook that down.
Return to the oven, and brown under the broiler. Once one side is crispy and cooked, flip them again, and brown the other side
Once browned, and cooked, and crispy like, remove, and serve with the extra sauce poured over top!

Crispy, spicy, savory, and probably not enough.

Time to get sloppy. Eating wings shouldn't be allowed in public really. It's down right embarrassing. That and ribs. Basically anything that requires you to eat like a rabid hyena shouldn't be shown in public. What with ripping flesh from bone and such. Eat them at home, with this recipe, without abandon.

Or, if nothing else, eat your wings proud in public, letting the sauce and flavor cascade over your tastebuds, lips, and maybe your chin, and even a really far spot on your cheek, where you wonder how on earth it got there. I mean, it's closer to your ear than your mouth, and it just doesn't make sense.

But you don't care, because wings.

Seared Chicken w/ Elephant Garlic Chutney and Fresh Tomato Salsa

2012-12-19T11:43:00.003-05:00

I'll be honest. I didn't really know where I was going with this one. It started off as just a plain old chicken breast to be seared and topped with fresh salsa. Then I started going through the fridge, and picking through some things that I had forgot I even purchased.

My little eye spied the elephant garlic.

I've never really worked with it, and I'm always up for trying new things. I know that elephant garlic isn't really garlic, it is a closer member of the leek than garlic. You wouldn't know though. It pretty much looks and tastes just like a big, dumb, mild version of garlic. Its like regular garlic is the spunky one with attitude, and doesn't take crap from anyone, and elephant garlic, is just slow, nice, and doesn't want to hurt anybody's feelings.

These are some hefty cloves!

So at first, I was just curious and thinly sliced some and fried them in oil with a bit of salt. It was like a little garlic chip! Tasty, and would be great as a garnish on some mashed potatoes. That isn't the name of the game tonight though.

I did still want to sear the chicken off, so I coated it with southwestern seasoning, and set it aside. Some tasty tomatoes, peppers, and red onion made up the salsa as well as cilantro. I figured I had a good mix of spicy, savory, and tart, so I decided to turn the mild garlic into a chutney, with some onion, coriander and a splash o' rum and citrus.

Ingredients:
Chicken:
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts
Southwestern or Cajun seasoning
1 T. olive oil
salt if needed

Chutney:
1 T. olive oil
2 cloves elephant garlic, sliced thin
1/4 c. diced onion
1 t. coriander seed
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 T. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. white rum
water if needed
Fresh Tomato Salsa:
3 vine ripened tomatoes
1/2 red pepper, small dice
1/2 green pepper, small dice
1/4 red onion, small dice
2 T. chopped cilantro
Juice of one lime
salt to taste

Directions:

Season the chicken, and let it sit for a half hour. In the mean time, get your chutney a rollin'.
Take your olive oil, and heat it in a sauce pan on medium heat, then add your onion, elephant garlic, and coriander seeds to the pan. Turn down the heat to low-medium.
Get the onions and garlic soft, and try to caramelize them slowly. Once they start to brown, deglaze with the lemon and lime juice, then add the sugar.
Continue to reduce the chutney, and watch for it turning too dark. Once almost all the liquid is gone, add the rum and turn to low heat, and simmer away. if it reduces too much in the mean time, add a splash of water to keep it hydrated.
For your salsa, mix all of your salsa ingredients. That's it.
Heat up a saute pan on medium-high, put a splash of oil in it, and wait till it shimmers. Sear each piece of chicken on both sides, and deglaze with water if needed.
Sear all the chicken, top with a bit of the chutney, then use the salsa as desired!

I liked the way this turned out, it had just enough interesting elements without being over the top. I'm excited to mess around with elephant garlic, I mean the cloves are just huge. The only thing I would change about this recipe is some type of cheese would have contributed a bit of richness, this is a pretty healthy recipe otherwise.

Pork Carnitas en la Cerveza w/ Cucumber Lime Pickles

2012-12-13T20:05:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I'm getting better. Two posts in less than two months, that's called baby steps. Where have I been?

I wrote and self published a cookbook, called The Saucy Pig cookbook. That whole thing is for another post. Right now, I just want to get down to bidness.

The bidness of making stupid good pork carnitas. In beer. Because that's what I do. We use the ever versatile pork shoulder, and don't even have to brine or marinate it, and you know I'm a huge brining guy. That's how good this turned out. This was a first time recipe, and Alabama Slamma, thank ya mamma, it turned out just as I envisioned.

Carnitas literally translates "Little Meats" and braised and roasted after first being fried. We won't be frying the pork, but we will sear the outside with a fantastic seasoning and slow cook it for about 4 hours. It will be falling apart, and easy to shred. After that, you can use it on anything, we had it with some fluffy flour tortillas, a modified salsa, and some quick cucumber-lime pickles.

Ingredients:

Pork:

1 boneless pork shoulder cut into 6 pieces

2 T. granulated onion

2 T. granulated garlic

1 T. Mexican oregano

1 T. paprika

1 T. cumin

1 T. coriander

1 t. ground black pepper

1/4 c. vegetable oil

Braising Liquid

2 T. vegetable oil

1 medium onion large dice

water

2 T. garlic minced,

24 oz amber style beer

1 c. V8 vegetable juice

1 1/2 c. pineapple juice

1 t. Kitchen Boquet or other "browning" type sauce

3 c. chicken or pork stock/broth

kosher salt to taste

Cucumber Lime Pickles

1 English cucumber sliced as thin as you can muster

juice of 1 lime

1 t. olive oil

kosher salt

fresh cracked black pepper

Directions:

Take the cucumber, lime juice, olive oil, and mix them together, season all with a dash of salt and pepper, and let sit in a cool place until you are all done cooking.
Take the cut up shoulder and put it in a bowl, season with all of the dry spices, and mix with the oil. Let rest for 20 minutes.
Heat a roasting, or braising pan on medium-high heat, add the vegetable oil until shimmering, then toss in your onions. Sear the onions, and then start adding the pork, searing the sides with more surface area.
Do this until both sides are seared on each piece of pork. If the pan starts to brown too much, deglaze with a bit of the water. Add in the garlic, and turn down to medium.
Pour in the beer, V8, and pineapple juice, stir until evenly mixed, then bring to a simmer. Place either lid or foil over the pan, and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
Taste the sauce, and add the browning mix to the chicken/pork stock. Put that goodness in the pan, and bring back to a simmer, then cover again.
Cook for about 2 hours, checking the levels of the liquid, adding water if needed. Once cooked, for 2 hours, flip each piece of pork, to cook the other side in the sauce. Test the tenderness of the pork, or the bottom of the pan, if too dark, or the liquid is reduced too much, rehydrate like it's running a marathon.
Cook for another hour, check tenderness. If you can pull it apart with a fork easily, it's done. If not, let it roll again for another hour or so.
Once the pork is fork tender, either chop up on a cutting board or shred in the pan. Garnish with pickles and serve!

Savory and tender, the pork is just waiting to accompany a tortilla, a chip, or a tortilla chip on the way to the adventure that is are your taste buds. I recommend some accouterments, maybe some pico de gallo, cilantro, lime, rice, black beans, etc? Oh, and a nice, frosty beer. After all, we are talking about pork and beer right?

My ultimate suggestion: save this recipe for the Superbowl bust it out on some nachos, and then when the game is boring, and the commercials suck, the only thing people will be talking about is how they cant stop eating the pork nachos!

Barbecued Chicken with Simple Cider Sauce

2012-09-30T13:42:00.000-04:00

Wow, this feels weird, writing a blog post, when it has been so long. Hey, I've been busy, can't apologize for it, hopefully this will be the return of something regular.

Mulling over what to do with cider? Sauce it!

Anyways, down to the recipe! I wanted to make BBQ chicken, but like real BBQ, low and slow temperature cooking. I love that sticky sweet smell, and taste of the caramelization of the sugars and tomato product slathered all over the slow roasting meat on the grill. It's Sunday morning, and I am already drooling over my coffee thinking about it.

This time of year lends itself to fall flavors, like apples, maple, and pumpkin, but it is still warm enough to bust out the grill and sear something off. You won't find my butt outside in Winter doing slow cooked anything, but I will do it when it is a balmy 65 and sunny.

I didn't want to get all crazy with the sauce, so it is a simple blend of cider, sugar, vinegar, and tomato paste, brushed on to the meat right at the end of cooking. A pinch of sage in there for a nice flavor note, but I mostly wanted the grill flavor to come through, being the star. Also did it on bone-in chicken, the bones keep the chicken from drying out too much.

Ingredients:
Chicken and Rub
1 8 cut chicken (2 breasts, wings, thighs, and drummies) preferably brined.
1/4 c. Kosher salt
1/4 c. sugar
1 T. paprika
1 T. black ground pepper
1 T. granulated onion
1 T. granulated garlic

Sauce
1 T. butter
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 c. apple cider
1/3 c. cider vinegar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. Canadian whiskey
1 small can tomato paste
1 T. rubbed dry sage
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse off chicken and pat dry. Mix all dry rub spices together, and apply to chicken thoroughly, coat every nook and cranny!
Heat your grill to about 225-250 degrees, monitor temperature to make sure it doesn't go much above that. If it does, the outsides of the chicken will cook, but the insides will be raw and underdone. Nobody wants a salmonella sammich!
Place your chicken skin side down on the grill, and close the cover. If you are using propane, throw a couple of hickory chunks on a unused part of the grill to get a nice smoky flavor.
Saute your onions in the melted butter on medium heat until they are translucent, and deglaze with the cider.
Go ahead and whip all of the other ingredients in, like I said, this is simple folks! Let it simmer on low, incorporating all the flavors together.
Check the chicken and flip if the skin side is darkening. Let it cook for a little while longer. The chicken will take about 40 minutes to an hour depending on what temperature you have. Just make sure the thickest part of the piece near the bone reaches 165 degrees!
When the chicken is close to being done, take about a cup of the sauce, and a brush or spoon, and start coating the chicken with it. Also, turn the fire up on the grill to get a nice char on the outside. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on high heat.
Remove the chicken, coat with the rest of the sauce, and enjoy like the bbq master you are!

Barbeque sometimes is trying, because we are so used to quick cooking methods, like stir-fry, or saute, even grilling. So resist the temptation to crank up that heat, because you dry out your chicken and be left with a hockey puck!

Oh, and yes, this contains whiskey. Why? Because this is the spirit of taste, duh! It has to have some kind of alcoholic beverage as an ingredient! Enjoy!

Cidery Barbequed Goodness

Chefhangout.com Profile Video

2012-02-09T13:21:00.005-05:00

My profile video for www.chefhangout.com

Thats how I roll!

A New Venture

2012-01-31T21:42:00.002-05:00

Hi Blog Readers!!

I have an announcement!! For the past few months I have been working with a bunch of very talented people, and chefs. Through much effort and work, we were able to launch www.chefhangout.com.

This is the founder of the site, Joe Saad, and this is how he put it:

Announcing the Launch of ChefHangout.com! Cooking Classes in the Comfort of Your Own Kitchen

www.ChefHangout.com

Here you'll meet chefs from all over the planet as they lead cooking classes via Google+ Hangouts where up to 10 people can talk face to face via their webcams.

Google has created a network that will change the way we engage online, and this team of chefs are pioneers who are part of a this new frontier.

We're launching with two dozen chefs, 60+ classes, and a phenomenal group of people who will teach and entertain you in super fun and creative ways.

Try taking a cooking class from your own home. Or buy one for yourself and someone you love. It's a unique gift for any of your friends! I had no idea just how amazing this was until I tried it. The experience is magical and our chefs are diverse, experienced, and all have been selected after months of interviews which were conducted via Hangouts. I found all 24 of them on Google+.

With that being said, you can find my profile on Google+: https://plus.google.com/116825083494890429556/posts

And my chef hangout profile: http://www.chefhangout.com/chef/profile.php?id=45

So please check it out! Join a class, and learn, be entertained, and have fun!

Crazy Stupid Good Bananas Foster

2012-01-13T18:47:00.000-05:00

Banana's foster is one of those things that people love, but never make, which doesn't make sense, because its delicious, and ridiculously easy. Booze, Bananas, and Ice Cream. That's pretty much it! A few extras we will throw in will make it the best Bananas Foster ever!

Via ThreeBananas.com

Ingredients!!
3 Ripe Bananas (All yellow to starting to brown)
1 Tbsp Butter
1 dash ground nutmeg
1 dash ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Amaretto
2 Tbsp Spiced Rum
1 dash vanilla extract

6 Scoops Haagen Dazs Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

Peel and slice bananas about 1/3 inch thick, this way they will retain their shape when you saute them. Melt the butter in a small nonstick pan on medium heat, and add the nutmeg, and cinnamon. Once the butter starts to bubble, add the bananas, and turn to mid-high heat. Cook bananas until they start to soften and then add the brown sugar.
Once the brown sugar dissolves, add both liquors, and the vanilla extract, and return to the heat. The temperature will get hot enough that the liquor in the pan will ignite, this is normal. Just let the alcohol burn off, most of the way. When it the flame is starting to die down, turn off heat and immediately spoon over Ice cream and serve!

via family.go.com

If you want to add some texture, throw some pecans in the mix too, this will add a perfect flavor to this classic recipe!

Maple Bourbon Glaze

2011-12-30T14:00:00.000-05:00

Okay, so totally been slacking on my recipe posting from the hangout the other night.

I will bust out the Maple Bourbon Glaze on ya right now.

1/4 of sweet onion, minced
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp +Bacon raw, and chopped
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup Maple Syrup
1/4 cup brown mustard (new addition)
salt

Take the bacon and start to saute in a small sauce pan, till the edges brown. Then add the butter, garlic, and onion, and cook for about 5 minutes on medium high heat.
If the bacon is getting crispy, then add the bourbon, maple syrup, and mustard, mix together, and bring to a slight simmer. At this point the bourbon will probably catch fire, which is fine, just let it burn off. Once the fire is gone, turn the heat off, and you are good to go!! If you want it a bit sweeter, add some more maple syrup.

Glaze your pork, chicken or ham with this, and you will be sure to please!!

Pecan Bourbon Chicken Sausage

2011-11-19T13:14:00.001-05:00

After a long hiatus from this here blog (you can see what I've been up to here, and here) and being crazy busy at work, I am posting a recipe!! You are very welcome in advance, because this chicken sausage is down right ridiculously taste-tacular. You don't need any special meat-grinding equipment, a food processor will be just fine, as well as a coffee grinder for the pecans.
This is my first foray into sausage making as well, at least since college. So lets not waste any more time, and get this party (featuring sausage) started.

Ingredients!!
5 Boneless Chicken Thighs
5 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
5 Strips Bacon (keep the grease!)
1/2 cup pecans
1/4 cup bourbon
2 Tbsp Salt
1 Tbsp Pepper
2 tsp Fresh thyme
2 tsp. real vanilla extract
3 Tbsp Sugar
3 Eggs
1/4 cup flour

Directions!
First, take the thighs and pulse them in a food processor until they are finely ground up, but not paste like. Then do the same to the breasts, but not as fine as the thighs. Grind the pecans in the coffee grinder. Cook the bacon in a pan, nice and crispy. Remove bacon and chop it up nice and chunky, and pour that bacon grease all up in the mix. That's right, you heard me. Bacon grease that bad boy up.
Now, hand mix all of the ingredients, or mix them them together with a spoon very thoroughly.

That's about it! Now, the most difficult part is getting it all wrapped up and ready to cook. Take about 1/4 of it and put it in some plastic wrap, in tube form. Grab the two ends and roll it tight on the table, and fold the ends underneath. Basically you want it to look like this:

Wrapped up tight and snug

Put it in the freezer for about a half-hour. Take it out and remove the plastic. At this point you can take it, and sear the whole thing in a non-stick pan, on all sides, put it in a 350 degree oven to finish, or slice it and sear the slices. I opted for cooking the whole thing first, then slice to serve.

Slices of heaven

This goes awesome with breakfast, lunch or as an appetizer on some toasted bread with brie cheese.

Chicken Marsala, or, What every wedding meal consists of.

2011-11-06T14:46:00.000-05:00

Okay, so it seems like the Chicken Marsala is the bees knees of what people are looking at, so I'm gonna stop teasing you with it and give you the recipe!

You will need:

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts, patted dry
1 C. All Purpose Flour
2 Tsp onion powder
2 Tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 cup sliced mushrooms (I prefer Cremini or Portabella for color )
1 C. Marsala Wine
3 C. Chicken Stock
1/2 C. Sugar
1 Tbsp Cornstarch Slurry
Salt To taste

Okay, here we go. Have your thermometer yet? Good. Get ready to get intense. Make sure you first have your mushrooms sliced, and fresh garlic minced. This is called a Mise en place, gonna make a technique post about that.

So anyhoo... We will first mix the flour, powdered onion, powdered garlic, and Kosher Salt.
Next, get your vegetable oil to shimmer in the pan with medium heat, you can use a nonstick pan for this, but I recommend a stainless steel pan so you can see the the fond on the bottom.

Dredge your chicken in the flour mixture (coat both sides of the chicken completely) then saute the chicken, until it browns on one side. If it is browning too fast, turn the flame down.

Brown the other side, then remove the chicken to a plate with a layer of paper towels. Keep the flame on, and add the butter to the pan. This is called Monte au Beurre, a French term that means to "lift with butter"
This will partially deglaze the pan, and make it nice and velvety. Then add the fresh garlic and saute for one minute. Next add the Marsala wine, chicken stock, and reduce for 5 minutes. Next, mix in the sugar, and stop!!

Taste it for goodness sake! If it needs anything, sugar, salt, more wine, add it! This doesn't have to be rigid and strict, make it the way you like it. If it doesn't work out this time, take what you didn't like and change it.

Okay, back to telling you what to do. If it tastes the way you want it to, check the thickness of the sauce. If it isn't super thick, add the cornstarch slurry (mixture of cornstarch and water, consistency of half and half). Whisk it in rapidly, or else you will get little cornstarch balls in your sauce! No one wants that. Take the chicken and put it back into the sauce. Simmer the chicken in the sauce and temp it. Bring it up to 165 degrees, and you're done!!!!!!!!! Yaaay!

Jazz it up time: If you want to add something else to the dish, chop up 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, and add it when you add the garlic. Sweet and tangy, they will compliment the Marsala Wine perfectly!

It may seem like a lot, but to properly saute something w/ sauce, this is the way. It will get easier as you go. Just keep it up and you will be a master booze-chef in no time!

Serve with some rice pilaf and steamed broccoli, and impress the guests!

NY Sizzle, among other things

2011-11-01T23:08:00.000-04:00

Just went to the Big Apple, and ate like a big ol' boss of a champ. In this, I got some amazing food, awesome inspiration, and wicked garlic breath. Along with a couple of blisters, some dirt on the shoes, and a massive love for having my own car, I got some mind juice for things to come.

Grand Central

We had Chinese, Italian, American, Fantastical, French, Pizzeria, etc... so on and so forth. Anywhoo, I was pumped. Inspiration comes from many sources, and in my field, fortunately it comes from seeing and eating other peoples food. I am not just pumped about going to NYC. I'm super pumped about a couple of things. I can tell you about one of those. The other I can give secretive tidbits about something.

I am first super pumped about my home prepared foods business. I make good food. Sorry, but I do. People tell me all the dang time! So I want to be able to sell that food to some good folks who will buy it from me instead of the local grocery store. My menu will be simple, the prices will be reasonable, and the food delicious. For all those that can enjoy, I hope you do. details will be coming soon.

Its Fast and Furious (not just the cabbies, hai-yo!)

As for the other announcement, this involves more than just my local friends. It involves anyone, around the world, who enjoys cooking. It is an amazing concept, that (while not my own) is an amazing idea. I am privileged and proud to be a part of it! This is coming very, very soon, probably sooner than my local food, so please stay tuned!

Great food and drink makes you happy, it makes you satisfied, makes you at peace. I hope to bring some of that business to some folks who are looking to learn, eat, and enjoy.

Go Here. Seriously.

Fall Harvest Chicken....Savory sweet scrumptiousness

2011-10-25T21:03:00.000-04:00

With this recipe, we pretty much maximize our Autumness. I mean the only thing this is missing is to mix in some fallen leaves, then build a little tiny bonfire on top of your plate. But the leaves don't taste that good, and the fire, while pretty sweet looking, burns your mouth. So we'll go ahead and leave those out, but put in all of the other Fall goodies.

Crispy and delicious

Ingredients!
8 boneless skinless chicken breasts 4-5 oz each, seasoned with salt and pepper
2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
2 Tbsp Butter
1 Red Delicious, 2 Granny Smith Apples sliced into thin wedges
2 Bartlett Pears, sliced into thin wedges
1 Sweet onion, julienned
2 bay leaves
1/2 Cup Brandy
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 Cup Apple Cider
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 lemon squeezed for juice
1 tsp fresh thyme, or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt to taste
3 Tbsp Cornstarch mixed with 3 Tbsp. Water (Slurry)

Directions!
Heat the oil in a deep saute pan on medium heat, until it starts to slightly brown, then add the chicken smooth side down to the pan. Sear the chicken until golden brown on one side, then flip and sear the other side. If the chicken starts to get too dark, turn the heat down. You won't be cooking the chicken all the way through, so as soon as both sides are nice and toasty brown, pull them and set them aside.

Now add the butter, let it melt, then add the apples, onions, pears, bay leaves and if you are using dried thyme, put that in now. Let those saute for about 3 minutes, getting all of the chicken goodies at the bottom of the pan. If the apples are tender, deglaze the pan with the brandy, and add the cider, chicken broth, syrup, lemon juice and brown sugar. If you are using fresh thyme, add it at this point. Bring that to a simmer and let it stew for about 5 minutes.

Rapidly stir in the cornstarch slurry at this point, reheat until it simmers again, check the thickness of the sauce. If you want it thicker add a bit more slurry. Add your chicken back to the pan. Bring the chicken up to 165 degrees, then serve!

Now savory, sweet, and ready to scarf on

This would go great with some cranberry rice pilaf, or some steamed veggies!

Butternut Squash and Pumpkin Bisque

2011-10-14T22:48:00.000-04:00

Here is a super good, super rich, super super recipe for an awesome autumn belly warmer. That was a lot of words, this better be good.
In Fall, soups are just ridiculously perfect. Its starting to get colder, leaves are getting in the house, and all over your car. You have to start busting out the old dusty clothes, so on so forth, blah blah, and then you think: Soup! I can have some warm delicious soup! And I just happen to have some pumpkin and butternut squash downstairs! Lets do it.

Special equipment optional: Hand Blender, or Food Processor!!

Ingredients!!
2 Butternut Squash
1 onion small diced
2 carrots shredded
3 Tbsp butter
1 c. dry sherry
1 1/2 qt chicken broth
5 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground allspice
4 bay leaves
1 Tbsp Tomato paste
3/4 to 1 1/4 c. brown sugar depending on taste
2 c. heavy cream
1/2 can pumpkin
2 T kosher salt
2 Tbsp chopped chives as garnish (optional)

Take your butternut squash and cut them in half. Put them flat side down on a greased flat baking pan.

Just like so:

Heat your oven up to 425 degrees (hot!) and throw those bad boys in. They will need to bake for about an hour or more, until they are soft to the touch and the flesh looks like this:

Caramelized Goodness.

When its done, let it cool for a bit, then scoop out the seeds, discard, then scoop as much of the flesh out of the skins as possible. If you have a food processor, at this point, throw all the squash in there, and puree it up. Set it aside. If you have a hand blender, chill. Your time will come. Melt the butter in a large stockpot, and then add the carrots and onion. Get them all caramelized and delicious on medium high heat. Once the bottom of the pan starts to get dark, deglaze with the sherry, let it come to a simmer, then add your chicken broth and your butternut squash, puree or not.

Now, add the spices; cinnamon, clove, bay leaf, nutmeg, and allspice, and the tomato paste, and let it cook. You want the fibers of the squash cooked down as much as possible, and just roasting them in the oven won't cut the mustard. Stir it up, cover the pan and let it simmer for 45 minutes.

Try to get the clove, cinnamon, and bay leaf out as much as possible. Then add everything except heavy cream. I put a variation on the sugar, just in case you wanted it sweeter, or less sweet, add the 3/4 cup first then add a bit more to taste.

*note: if you don't have a hand blender or a food processor, don't fret your little britches. Just whip and mash the squash up the best you can in the pot, it almost has more character with li'l chunks o' butternut squash, though not truly a bisque, it still tastes bomb-awesome-sauce.*

Make sure everything is mixed together well, if you have a hand blender, now is your time, blend up any chunks you see fit. Add the heavy cream, and let simmer for another 15 minutes.

It tastes like nap-time

Taste, add anything else you see fit, more salt, sugar, ground spice, etc. This is a sweet soup, but goes well with savory crunchy homemade croutons, or a sharp white cheese shredded on top. Or put a dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream in the middle. Or crumbled bacon, or diced apples. Or whatever you want, make it taste good. I trust you.

Enjoy with some spiced cider and a bonfire, and I'm pretty sure you are in full on Fall/Autumn mode! Go jump in a pile of wet leaves and relive your childhood!! Yay!

Vodka Sauce...Creamy Tomato Goodness

2011-10-12T20:43:00.000-04:00

So I always kinda wondered, why is Vodka in Vodka sauce? Besides the excuse to keep flammable, drinkable liquid around in a kitchen, that is. Its basically flavorless, odorless, and colorless. So why would you add it to tomato sauce?
There are a lot of things to add, alcohol wise, fortified wine, red wine, white wine, but all these add flavor. If you want a Tomato-y, basic sauce, vodka sauce is it. Tomatoes have flavor compounds that are not brought out by cooking, or soaking in water, but are alcohol soluble. So basically, the booze brings out the tomato flavor, without adding any of its own. Add some cream to smooth it out, and you'll see why Vodka Sauce is so popular.

So without further adieu, here is my recipe!

P.S. this is for about 2 lbs of pasta.

Ingredients!!

1 Whole onion small diced
3 Tbsp Minced garlic
3 Tbsp Olive oil
2 Tbsp Dried oregano
3 Tbsp Dried basil
1 tsp nutmeg
1 C. Vodka (it can be relatively inexpensive, a Smirnoff, or Skyy would be fine)
1/2 c. Kosher Salt
1/4 c. Sugar
2 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
1 c. Heavy cream
1 c. Grated Parmesan

Take your first 5 ingredients, put them in a large stock pot (about 6 to 8 quarts) and put on medium high heat. Let the onions get translucent, then deglaze with the vodka. (Don't inhale the vapors!! that is pure alcohol coming off and it will choke the crap out of you!! You'll survive, just be uncomfortable for a minute, and maybe a little buzzed. :P) Add the nutmeg, and let simmer for about 2 minutes.
Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Now turn the heat down to medium-low, cover, and let simmer for about 20 minutes to an hour. If you let simmer for more than 20 minutes, make sure you stir the bottom of the pan so it doesn't burn. The longer you keep it on the stove, the more the flavors can incorporate, so I suggest the longer time.
Once its done simmering, stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan. Turn down to low heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

You are ready!! Add some grilled chicken, to beef..er chicken it up a bit along with your pasta. Perfect with penne, or a hearty filled pasta like tortellini. Get your sawce on!!!

Why buy some in a jar? Make your own!!

Green Tomato Pickles!!!

2011-10-11T10:51:00.000-04:00

Hi!!

A whole week without a blog post? Unacceptable! I even put the pictures out there before I started writing... shame shame. So I present to you a recipe for the beginning of fall. Why? because its colorful!!!
Now this was my first foray into canning/jarring/pickling, whatever. So if there are technical mistakes, I apologize to all seasoned canners out there.

Look at all the purdy colors!!

Ingredients!! (makes about 2 large jars)
Approximately 30 green/starting to ripe Roma style tomatoes
3/4 cup Kosher salt
1 c. Rice wine vinegar
1/2 c. Absolute Peppar Vodka (gettin crazy with it)
1/2 whole lemon sliced into 10 thin wedges
1/2 Sweet onion wedged (use purple for more color!!)
1 Shallot, small diced
1/2 c. Sugar
6 bay leaves
4 whole garlic cloves
2 Tbsp Red Pepper flakes (optional)

2 Mason Jars
2 sealing lids and screw tops
Large Pot of boiling water

Make sure your tomatoes are thoroughly washed. First, you are going to slice those tomatoes up, about 1/4 inch thick. Then take about a 1/4 cup of the salt, and toss the tomatoes in it. Put it covered in a bowl in the fridge over night.
The next day, take the tomatoes and rinse them in cold water. Now add all your ingredients to the bowl and mix together with a wooden spoon. (you can use your hands too, just make sure they are thoroughly washed to avoid any bacteria entering the mixture)
Use the standard sterilization method for the jars and lids with boiling water. If you don't know here is a complimentary Google search!
After the jars have cooled a bit, add your tomatoes to the jars. Fill to the top with cool water, and add about 3 tbsp salt to the top, just to make it nice and brine-y.
These are raw, so they won't be cooked, and they will need to keep in the fridge. The should seal once they cool off in the fridge, but there is enough booze, salt, and vinegar in there to keep it pretty dang sterile. Let sit for about a week to a month to let the flavors blend together, then pop open and enjoy!! Great on sandwiches, wraps, etc.

I also made a couple of jars differently, I cut the tomatoes into wedges, and used Fig Balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and a little more red pepper flakes to make it nice and spicy!!

So the recipe above is pretty basic, and you can modify it with other vinegars, more sugar, more spice.

Buttered Spiked Mulled Cider

2011-10-02T19:16:00.000-04:00

Ok, we are gonna flip the scrip' real quick, and do a drink recipe!!!

I'm all into fall right now, October brought that fall weather real quick-like. Sneaky sneaky!

This is simple, delicious, good, and dangerous!! This junk is too good, and it is too easy to drink too much, so take it easy folks!

This will warm your deepest, darkest organs

For 4 Glasses:

1 quart Apple cider

2 Tbsp butter

2 Tbsp Mulling Spice

1/4 c. brown sugar

12 oz or 1 1/2 cup Spiced Rum

2 oz or 1/4 cup Butterscotch Liquor

Optional: Whipped cream to fatten it up a bit!

Take the cider, butter, mulling spice, and brown sugar, and put it in a saucepan, and heat it until it hits about 180 degrees, basically just before it starts to boil.

Then throw in your booze, and serve immediately! Just a note: Ethyl alcohol evaporates at a very low temperature. So as soon as you add the liquor into the hot cider, it will start to evaporate. To prevent the loss of precious hooch, put it into a covered mug, and it will just condense inside of the mug, hence preserving all your boozy preciousness.

Now, get to a bonfire, bring a pot of this, and enjoy your instant popularity!

Hearty Sunday Man Chili

2011-10-02T16:43:00.000-04:00

What up?

Its Sunday. That means football (American Style) in the afternoon. And there isn't anything better than getting a big honking bowl of hot, thick chili. Add some cheese, sour cream, and beer, climbing under a blanket and watching half of the game before falling asleep with chili breath and your mouth wide open.
With that said, here's how to make some sleep inducing chili, for you and some friends!!

Ingredients!!
1 Lb Lean ground beef
2 Lbs flank Steak, diced medium
2 Tbsp Veg Oil
1 Chopped Onion
1 Diced Green Pepper
1 Diced Red Pepper
2 Tbsp minced Garlic
2 Idaho potatoes, peeled and diced
1/4 C. Dried oregano
1/4 c. Ground Cumin
1/4 c. Dark chili powder
24 oz Dark/Amber Beer
2 28 oz cans Crushed Tomatoes
1 28 oz can Diced tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
1 Large can Dark Kidney Beans
1/4 c. Cocoa powder
1/2 c. Kosher Salt

If you like your chili spicy, add in 3 fresh Minced Jalapenos, or 1 Tbsp. dried. cayenne pepper.

Optional: Sour Cream, Fritos, Cheddar Cheese, Tums.

Directions!
This chili is work, but dang, is it worth it. Take your diced up flank beef, and add it to a large stockpot with your heated vegetable oil on high heat. Once that starts to cook and the outsides start to brown, add the garlic, onions, and peppers. Once those start to get soft, add all the dry spices, except for the cocoa powder. Let those cook in for 2 minutes, then add half your beer.

Now is where you are going to turn the heat down to medium high heat, let the beer reduce down by half, and then add the ground beef. Let that simmer for a bit, then stir it on up. Go ahead and turn the heat back up, this is about to get crazy good.

Add your potatoes, tomato product, cocoa powder and the rest of your beer. Mix thoroughly, and turn the heat way back down to low/medium. Now let it simmer away with the lid on for an hour, checking it every 15 minutes, scraping the bottom with a flat ended spoon or spatula, to prevent the tomato from burning. If it starts to stick, turn the heat down lower.

Now after you do this for a bit, add the salt, and the beans. Stir it up, bring the beans back up to temperature. Taste one of the beef chunks, if it is tender, then you are good to go! Slop that beefy goodness in your bowl, add your preferred toppings, and give it a go! This will be better as it sits, so is good to make the day before the football party, and then reheat, serve, and enjoy at will!!

I'm gonna go ahead and enjoy this....

Beer Braised Beef Tips!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-09-28T23:20:00.000-04:00

Yo!

So I had some beefiness in the freezer, and also some mushrooms, onion, garlic and beer, so I was all "Its a beef tip kinda night!!"
But really it was more like "Aha! I doth hast some sliced beef shoulder in mine freezer. And gadzooks! I also have the ingredients of mushroom, onion, garlic, and a convenient bottle of ale! I shall make a satisfying meal out of these succulent, and convenient foodstuffs!" Or something like that.

Ingredients!!
2 lbs Beef Shoulder
1 Tbsp Salt
1 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 c. Worcestershire Sauce
1 lb Sliced mushrooms
1 medium small diced onion
12 oz Pilsner or Lager style Beer
2 tsp minced garlic
12 oz beer
1 Tbsp Beef Base or 2 Bouillon cubes
1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
1 or 2 Tbsp Cornstarch Slurry
More Kosher Salt
Dash Dried Rosemary

Directions!!
Dice up your beefness. Toss it in the 1st salt and pepper, and let sit for a minute. Heat a deep skillet (make sure it has a lid!!!) with the vegetable oil until it starts to smoke. Immediately put your diced beef in evenly throughout the pan, and let sit for a good 2 minutes to caramelize the beef. You'll want to have the pan on as high as heat as possible.
Now start to stir them up, and get the outsides cooked. You'll be letting this simmer for about 3 hours, so you have some time.

They should start to look like this

Stir them for a bit more, and once the juices from the beef start to come out (about 10 to 15 minutes), remove them from the pan. Let the beef juices start to brown in the pan, until they get dark, then add the Worcestershire sauce to deglaze, and the onions, garlic, and mushrooms. Scrape, stir and get all that goodness off of the bottom of the pan!!

Once the liquid from the mushrooms gets all out, add the beef tips back, and then add the beer, rosemary, beef base or bullion, and tomato paste and stir thoroughly. Taste, and add salt to...er... taste. Turn the flame down to low, and put the lid on. Now let this simmer for about 2 to 3 hours. Stir once per hour just to check.

With all the goodies

Once this time is done, check the tenderness of the beef. If it is suuuuuuuuper tender, then rapidly stir in the cornstarch slurry to the liquid, and if need be add some water or more beer. Turn up the heat, and once it starts to thicken, turn it back down for about 5 minutes

Your all good now!! Serve over Egg noodles, potatoes, or with grilled veggies!!!

Bacon and Cheddar Ale Soup!

2011-09-25T19:19:00.000-04:00

Okay, so its fall time, and that's the time of year for breaking out the soup kettle and making some soups and stews to warm the cockles of your soul...or something as such.

We are busting out the classics, Spirit of Taste style and doing up a Cheddar Soup, with a twist.... and that twist is someone we all know and love. Someone who is always welcome at my house. Its our good friend bacon. And hey, maybe a potato or two might show up just to say hi. So lets dive in, and get to cockle-warming.

Bacon, Cheese, Beer.... is there really anything else?

From : Diary of a Feeder

This recipe is big enough to share or freeze to surprise you in the winter with squeals of joy... or eat all by yourself, whatevs.

Ingredients!
1 whole large, small Diced Onion
2 carrots, peeled and shredded
2/12 Quarts Chicken Broth/Stock
3 C. Heavy Cream
24 oz pilsner style beer (2 beers. Duh.)
1/2 lb bacon, cooked, and chopped (save the fat!!)
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (the sharper the better!!)
2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
salt to taste

optional: 2 Idaho potatoes, peeled, diced and cooked until tender
2 tomatoes diced
sour cream

Take the bacon fat, and put it in your soup pot. If you didn't save the bacon fat, as we discussed earlier, use 2 Tbsp. Butter. Heat that junk up and then throw your onion and carrot in. Cook those until the onions start to get transparent, then, add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat.

Add the beer, then whisk in the heavy cream, then bring back up to a simmer. Meanwhile, mix the flour and vegetable oil together until it forms a paste type substance. That is a raw roux. When the liquid starts simmering, rapidly whisk the flour mixture into the liquid, so as not to form lumps. Increase the heat, and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, then whisk in the cheddar cheese, nutmeg, pepper, then salt to taste.
If you choose to add the potatoes, add them at the end, so they don't mush up, and retain their shape. Oh, the bacon you say? Well, since its all crispy and good, we don't want to ruin that right? So add that on top of the soup after you bowl it up just like a garnish. Also a good time to add your optional tomatoes and a dollop of sour cream. If you wish of course.

Sweet sweet, bacon lovin..

Hope you enjoy!!!

Sliced Shrooms!

2011-09-21T21:33:00.000-04:00

Hey! Here is a quick tip on how to slice mushrooms fast!!

See?! Easy, fast and duplicatable!

Choppin Broccoli

2011-09-19T21:20:00.000-04:00

Here is a quick video tip!! How to cut broccoli rapidly and without a cutting board!!

And here is your result!

From TheTeacherCooks

Now go and get some veggies!!

Killer Kielbasa and Kraut

2011-09-18T22:56:00.000-04:00

Made Kielbasa and Kraut at work a couple weeks ago, and just remembered I wanted to put the recipe on here, cuz it was cotton pickin' amazing.

Its football season, you're gonna have a bunch of people over, and that junk gets expensive, so here is a cheap, but scramtastic meal to serve to to those said people. Nothing says love like giving people pickled cabbage, and consequently gas, (but much later after they've gone home to their loved ones) like sauerkraut.

But, its cool, because this is sooooooooooo good, they will forgive you for giving them flatulence like no other.

Sizzlin Goodness....and Duck sounds.

From Food In Jars

Ingredients!

2 Packs Kielbasa, Cut in half lengthwise, and in 2 inch pieces

3 Tbsp Butter

2 Tbsp Brown Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 Bag Sauerkraut

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 cup Julienned Onions

1 Granny Smith apple shredded

1/2 c. Brown Sugar

1 tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp Caraway Seeds

12 oz Amber/Dark Beer

Take a nonstick, or cast iron skillet, big enough for all ingredients, and add 1 Tbsp butter, until it melts and starts to brown on medium high heat. When the butter starts to sizzle, add the kielbasa, and start to brown it.

You'll want it to caramelize real nice and good, till the sugars in the sausage start to turn brown. Deglaze the pan with 1/3 of the beer then, add the brown sugar, and the salt, stir it for a couple of minutes. Reduce most of the liquid, then remove from the pan, and set aside.

In the same pan (!) add the rest of the butter, julienned onions, caraway seeds, and apple, then let it sweat down for about 3 minutes. If the pan starts to get too brown, turn it down.

Drain most of the liquid from the kraut, then add it to the pan with onions and garlic. Let it start to cook, and caramelize. Constantly stir, and turn the heat up if you turned it down. Add the salt and the pepper, deglaze with the rest of the beer, and add the brown sugar. Stir and reduce for 3 more minutes.

Add the Kielbasa back into the pan, mix thoroughly, and serve with your favorite football food! (aka beer)

To jazz this up, you can add some bacon, to make it a meal, add some potatoes and peppers...Dang. Made myself all hungry.

Enjoy!! And take some Gas-Ex for the rest of us, please? Thanks