My Year on the Grill

Mini Chocolate Pecan Pies, thanks to Oh NUTS!

2011-12-08T11:29:00.000-06:00

OK, first up that fair up front announcement, the very good folks at Oh Nuts! made me an offer I could not refuse....

FREE NUTS!

Click the Logo to view their home page!

I have been doing business with Oh Nuts for a few years now. ALWAYS the best quality (Take a look at the pecans in the photo above, HUGE, arriving in excellent condition. I am especially drawn to their pecans and walnuts. Not only tasty, but make beautiful accent garnishes. They make the food look just as good as they taste!

Shipping is fast, quality is EXCELLENT and prices are actually below the super market prices (especially if you sign up for their eMail mailing list and take advantage of their free shipping offers they send out on occasion).

I made these mini pies based on a recipe I saw Carla Hall make on an episode of The Chew.

OK, if you saw the episode (well, actually, if you read the title of this post), right away you noticed that either I have giant chocolate chips and giant pecans OR I made chocolate pecan tarts instead of a pie.

Because... well, portion control. I LOVE a pecan pie. Never had it with this much chocolate mixed in, but I was sure I was going to love it. But it is awfully fattening. Making them this size, I was able to control the size and as long as I have the will power to only eat one, well...moderation. Since each little tart is about 3 good size bites, I even didn't feel too guilty when i had a little bit of pumpkin pie along side.

And besides, they photograph so nicely...

And, besides the size, I made an additional change that you probably saw in the first photo in the above series... Bourbon in place of vanilla. First, the alcohol does cook out, leaving a deep rich earthy taste behind. Besides pure vanilla extract is actually mostly alcohol anyway. In a pecan pie, I just like Maker's mark in place of vanilla. Just one more layer of flavor.

Alright, first up is a pie crust recipe. I am constantly on the look out for a new pie crust recipe. I have tried several, but never could quite get one as good as my Mother-in-Law's. So, I phoned her and tried hers for the first time.

Lard. Shhh it's the secret ingredient that only grandmother's know.

So, My Mother-inLaw's Pie Crust recipe first...

Makes 2 pie crust, or one to freeze for later and one to cut into 6 tart size...

3 cups Flour

1 cup Lard

1 tsp Salt

Mix until crumbly. Then mix together ...

1/4 cup Water

1 Egg

1 tsp Vinegar

Combine, Divide and roll out, generously flour as you roll out.

OK, as I said, I was making tarts... tartlettes if you will. SO I rolled one of the crusts out pretty thin. I then took a large fluted edged round cookie cutter and made six circles. I sprayed a muffin tin generously and placed the circles in the bottom of the tins. This made a cup shape about 3/4 inch tall.

OK, in the recipe (that you can see on The Chew's website by clicking HERE), Carla made a pie. I cut the recipe in half, had more than enough to make 6 tarts. I also glazed the bottom with egg whites.

So, here's what I did. The measurements are @1/2 what Carla used (But you should check her recipe if you are making pies)...

1/2 cup Corn Syrup (I only had white on hand, she advises dark)
1 TBS Butter softened to room temperature
1 tsp Corn Starch
1tsp Bourbon
1/2 cups Pecans, chopped
1/4 cup Whole Pecans for decoration
pinch of Salt
1/4 cup Sugar
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
2 tsp White Vinegar
1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Chips

Preheat oven to 375

Cream Butter and Sugar
Add Beaten Eggs
Add Cornstarch, Salt, Bourbon, Vinegar and Corn Syrup, and now you have the pie filling
sprinkle a single layer of chocolate chips
sprinkle the pecan pieces
add the pie filling
Bake on center rack for 30 minutes
Add the garnish whole pecans
Return to the oven until center of filling reaches 200 degrees

And the verdict is that these were PERFECT! An adult pie, let the kids have the pumpkin and cakes and sweets. Rich, earthy,nutty taste. Just a hint of the Bourbon and a very unique taste with the chocolate added!

LOVE THIS!

O Olive Oil Cooking Contest Underway - VOTE NOW!

2011-12-04T11:28:00.000-06:00

This week is a big week fro some very talented bloggers! The very good folks at O Olive Oil are partnering with eRecipeCards.com to select a winner in a very special and even unique cooking contest. Not only is there going to be a "winner" selected for the quality of the recipe submitted, but for the first time (that I know of), food bloggers are being judged and awarded prizes based on the quality of their food writing as well as a prize for best food styling/photography.

A part of the judging is up to you! The true honor of any recipe is to be added to someone's recipe file as something that they may consider making themselves at a future date. So, in order to determine a "winner", 1/3rd of the judging will be based on how many people add their recipe to their eRecipeBox maintained on eRecipeCards.com.

Setting up an electronic recipe box is very easy. All you need is an email address and a password that you control. Then, any recipe you see on eRecipeCards.com home page can be stored with just a single click into your file. And of course, from the same account you are able to submit a recipe blog post for others to enjoy.

To set up an account, follow the directions on our "Tour" page. Step by step, easy to follow illustrated instructions will have you set up in minutes. Click HERE or the click the photo of the recipe box.

To find the recipes and the page to "Vote" for your favorite, Go to the Search page at the top of the eRecipeCards.com home page (or click HERE). Once there, type in OOLIVEOIL (all one word, all caps (easiest to cut and paste).

Here in no particular order are the recipes and the talented folks who are working so hard (and deserve your vote)...

Rainey from "The Project Table" has submitted ...
Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Champagne Vinegar Drizzle

Amy from "U Try It" has Submitted ...
Chicken Satay with Cucumber Relish

Evelyn from "Cheap Ethnic Eatz" has submitted ...
Vinegar Tarts and Olive Oil Ice Cream

Shari from "The Saucy Gourmet" has submitted ...
2 Salads made with O Olive Oil Products

Penny from "Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen" has submitted ...Pork tenderloin with Blood Orange Sauce with a Sweet Potato Salsa

Jessie from "Savory-Bites" has submitted ...
Clementine Olive Oil Ice Cream

Kristen from "Frugal Antics of a Harried Housewife" has submitted ...
Winter Grain Salad

And Last, But certainly NOT least...
Bobbi from "Bobbi's Kozy Kitchen" has submitted ...
Cilantro Lime Cod with Sherry Vinegar Reduction

OK, it is now up to you... Many of these are your blogging buddies and would appreciate your votes. Many may be new to you, but their hard work should be rewarded with a vote...

And if you are interested in getting a bottle (or two or more) of O Olive Oil for yourself, in addition to supplying all of the prizes for the contest, are offering EVERYONE a 20% discount on any order made between now and December 31, 2011!!!

PLUS, it gets better, free shipping for all orders over $60 (after the discount).

Use Code "e-recipecards" for 20% Discount on O Olive Oil Plus Free Shipping on orders over $60
www.OOliveOil.com

eRecipeCards is the Cat's Meow

2011-11-12T15:07:00.004-06:00

It's been awhile since I have done an update about
eRecipeCards.com.

We started just 6 short months ago, and a lot has happened. So first, just in case you are new...

The place for FOOD BLOGGERS to see and to be seen, Collecting RECIPES from the hardest working cooks, pleasing the hardest to please every day - Their Families. Great RECIPES, pleasing FOOD STYLING, answering the age old question... WHAT's FOR DINNER

Let's review...

We are many things... A Food Porn site, dedicated to food stylists and food photographers. Well, we are that. Our layout provides the largest photos of any of the portals showing off food bloggers' work. We make you look better.

But wait, we're more... We are the only "inclusive" site. We have two rules for your submissions. They must be original photos, nothing lifted from a magazine or book. If you cooked it and you photographed it, we want to include your work. As to the recipe, you must provide original commentary. meaning, it's fine if you cooked something from a book, magazine or other bloggers work. Just be sure to give proper credit and have any deserving links added to your blog post. If you have a suggestion to improve something, if you did something different, just provide original content/commentary on what you did, why you did that and what you think. That's it, meet those criteria and no one judges the quality of your work. We want to include your work.

And links... We go nuts with links! Your photos link to your webs page. The title of your blog post links back to your web page. And your Web user name links everything back to a special page we maintain on our site dedicated just to the recipes that you submit. Remember that all inclusiveness we brag about. We are the site that really shows off your body of work... Your entire body of work!

Which is important because when you submit,

we do the leg work to get you seen and noticed.

Did you ever wonder how Google decides which posts appear in which order. Pretty easy really, Google keeps score. Whenever your blog link appears, like when you submit a recipe to eRecipeCards.com, Google makes a mark on their big giant scorecard. Submit every day and everyday you get a mark. And that's you that gets the mark, you and your blog. It is not a magic bullet that will leapfrog you into "prairie Woman" status, but in a year, you will be way ahead of the blogger who faithfully posts everyday but never promotes. I am learning many more tricks to SEO, but this is the simplest and in the long run, most effective. I f people talk about you (and when you submit, we talk about you), Google takes notice.

Let us help Google to help you get found! Make us a habit whenever you post something new (and remember, we are inclusive, submit your top ten, all the posts you are most proud of, and we will put them out there to be found).

We have an easy submission process which allows you to Name your post, Direct readers to the page in your blog and select the photo to appear with your recipe. There is a page on our website providing a step by step "how to Submit" instructional page. Just click the blue letters, or the green "submit button" to see the graphics heavy instruction page on how to get started. It is very easy and hundreds of bloggers make us a habit.

"TAGS" are as important as your photos. Actually, tags are more important. in the long run. Each night, we submit your tags to Google (and other search engines) for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). For a basic understanding, click the blue letters to see what Wikipedia has to say about SEO. But basically, we link your post to whatever keywords or tags you attach to the submission.
So, be sure to not only list the name of the dish, but main ingredients as well. Maybe the dish is perfect for a "PICNIC", list that as a tag. How about " HOLIDAYS", but also list which one... "4th of July" or "Thanksgiving". And if it's a "Thanksgiving" dish, I am guessing you could add "Christmas" to the tags as well. Are you using "Sweet Potatoes", be sure and do a separate tag for "Potatoes". "Cheddar Cheese", be sure and list "Cheddar" as well as "Cheese".

One word of caution, we do check. So please be sure that each tag is relevant. We want you to submit every relevant tag. We will submit these to Google with your links. More is More in this case. BUT, use only relevant tags.

And separate each tag with a comma.

Contact@eRecipeCards.com

Especially if you are new, you may need help to get started. We are here. And more importantly, we will stay here to get you started and active. Any questions... Any problems... Any way that we can help you to look good, we stand by. Your questions will always be answered with in 24 hours, but usually within an hour.

Like any software, it can be frustrating to learn. But like most software, our "system" is logical and makes sense. You just have to understand the logic. We are here to help you master the software!

800 Members

10,000 Recipes and Growing

2,500 Visitors a day

Are you a part???

Really incredible statistics... The one I am most thrilled about, 2,500 people a day use our search feature to help answer the age old question, "What's for Dinner?". Over Labor Day weekend, over 2,000 peoplesearched for "Grilling" or "BBQ". Of those searching, they open 7.2 pages (meaning they look at 7 of your blogs/recipes) before making a choice!

eRecipeCards.com WORKS. People are finding recipes. People are finding your blogs!

So now is the time to post your Thanksgiving menu ideas. Have you been blogging for over a year or for many years? If so, you must have a great Turkey idea (How to Brine, Stuffing vs Dressing, Frying smoking or oven roasted)... How about the best Sweet Potatoes, dinner rolls or an amazing Pecan Pie!

If so, share them with the world via eRecipeCards. Let your older posts be an asset to drive traffic to your site.

Give us a try... You'll be thrilled with the results!!!

Soup Recipe... I don't need no Stinkin Recipe

2011-11-08T09:53:00.000-06:00

It's November... Cold, blustery... nasty.

None of the charm of a winter day, none of the hope of a spring day, none of the pleasures of a summer day and even though it is fall, November days have just a sad memory of the beauty of early fall.

So, let's make soup

All you need is Chicken Stock

Store bought or make your own (I love my rotisserie chicken, makes enough stock to get the chicken FREE)!

Cut up some vegetables...

Carrots and celery are always around my pantry.

Saute some onions in butter... just to get them soft and an easy way to add a bit of butter fat to the soup.

Toss in some spices. Of course I had me some of my "Not Your Grandmother's Herbes de Provence", but savory or spicy (at the end I added 1 tsp of "Big Easy in a Jar", my Cajun Mix just to add a tiny kick).

And add whatever meat leftovers you have. Night before last, I made some Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken. I had 4 thighs left. I tossed them in whole. Once they simmered for an hour, the meat was easy to strip from the bone and shred...

Cause that's how easy it is to make soup.

Season to taste (this was the point I added just a single tsp of Cajun spices)

Maybe add a diced up Poblano Pepper for color and that nasty cloudy cold November day becomes tolerable.

Sweet Potato Grits and Shrimp ala Bobby Flay

2011-11-04T09:42:00.000-05:00

Said it before, say it again... Bobby Flay is a genius.

At the risk of offending my southern friends, grits just ain't that good. Just kind of bland. But, with a little effort, grits can be seasoned and flavored to be Very Very good. And with just a bit more effort, they can be extra ordinary.

Like these.

The recipe can be found in Bobby Flay's MESA GRILL COOKBOOK. According to his introduction for the dish, "I can see this as a Sunday dinner with the family, with the grits piled in the middle of the plate, surrounded by the shrimp. But the grits are so good, you could also serve them as a side dish for an elaborate meal." ...

Or a side dish for Thanksgiving dinner???

Here's what I did...

1 large Sweet Potato
2 TBS Canola Oil
1/2 Shallot, finely diced
4 cloves Garlic, smashed and minced
2 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
1 cup whole Milk
2 tsp pureed Chipotle Chile in Adobe Sauce
(yes, from the can, into the mini chopper to puree)
pinch Kosher Salt
1 1/2 cups quick cooking Grits
2 TBS Butter
3 TBS Honey
6 TBS Olive Oil
1 pound large Shrimp, shelled and deveined
Fresh ground Black Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Roast the sweet potato in the oven until tender when pierced with a knife (about 45 to 60 minutes)
Peel the sweet potato and puree the flesh in a food processor (or mini chopper)
Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan, add the shallot and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.
Add the stock, milk, chipotle puree and salt... bring to a boil.
Slowly whisk in the grits. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in the sweet potato puree, stirring frequently for 5 to 10 minutes, until smooth and thickened.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter and honey to taste. Cover and keep warm.
Sauté the shrimp in preheated olive oil for just a few minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK. Season with salt and pepper.

Spoon the grits on a plate, top with the simple sautéed shrimp and serve with a sauce of your choice. In the MEAS GRILL Cookbook, Bobby gives recipes for a Green Onion-Cilantro sauce and a Red Chili Oil sauce. If you make them both, you get a little "Heaven and Hell" sauce choices, and they look great on a plate...

Green Onion Cilantro Sauce...

1 cup sliced Green Onions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh Cilantro
1/4 cup Rice Wine Vinegar
1 TBS Dijon Mustard
Pinch Salt and Pepper
1/2 cup Canola Oil

Combine everything except the oil in a food processor and pulse until smooth. With the motor running, add the oil slowly until emulsified.

--------------------------------------------

Red Chili Oil...

2 red Jalapeño Pepper, roasted, with the skin, seeds and white parts removed
1 cup Canola Oil

Back to the mini chopper and blend away!

--------------------------------------------

This was a terrific meal. Actually, except for the roasting of the sweet potato, the whole thing came together in less than 30 minutes. You can make the sauces while the grits are cooking, and the shrimp is about as fast to cook as you can get.

But really, it's not so much the speed that makes it a winner. What an incredible combination of tastes. the sauces are sweet and spicy, as well as hot and flavorful. The shrimp are simple, but the taste shines with the simple salt and pepper seasonings. But the sweet potato grits are destined to become a favorite.

Here's a few extra photos to give you an idea of the very easy process...

...

Your Blog Deserves FREE Olive Oil

2011-11-03T08:25:00.003-05:00

Click the photo of premium gourmet Olive Oils and Vinegars
to see details about the COOKING CONTEST
Because "Your Blog Deserves FREE Olive Oil"

eRecipeCards.com partners with O Olive Oil for November FUN

Olive Oil, We all use it, we all could use more AND we all would like a chance to try a premium gourmet oil for FREE! O Olive Oils are different and better than the run of the mill. Pressed replaces infused for a deeper, richer taste; perfect for salads, raw vegetables and light sauteed dishes!

With a combined prize pool of over $600, you will want to be a part of the contest and the FUN!

Click the Money to see the details of our Cooking Contest
Over $500 in FREE Gourmet Olive Oil and Vinegars to be awarded

And speaking of "deserves", please take a minute and drop by O Olive Oils Facebook page. They are sponsoring the contest and deserved to be "Liked" for their involvement. Just click the word balloon and you will get a chance to view their page and Like them (and let them know you saw them on eRecipeCards.com!

Happy Halloween from THE Cul de Sac IRON CHEF

2011-11-01T11:07:00.000-05:00

That's me

These are my Cutlery... Knife fork and spoon (Wife and neighbors)

And the secret ingredient was BACON

We had over 300 neighborhood kids come by and 100 of the Mom and dad escorts enjoyed a piece of Chocolate-Bacon Buttons.
1 pound of bacon

1 bag of Chocolate chips

Happy Halloween!

My last Smoke of the Season - Ribs and Pork Shoulder, not Marlboros

2011-10-30T15:37:00.002-05:00

You know it's a good table when people want to photograph the food before they eat!

Yesterday a dozen of our friends and family stopped by for an Indian Summer day of BBQ!

Weather was perfect, mid 70's and the food... Well, you decide...

Pulled Pork Sandwich...

RIBS

MORE RIBS

FIRECRACKER COLE SLAW
Ala My Carolina Kitchen

Pickled Red Onions

AN Italian warm Potato Salad

But don't you love the Texas shaped serving dish!

My now FAMOUSRaspberry Chipotle Carolina style
Pulled Pork

And BACON
Faux Reese's Cups

It was a good day in teh Cul de Sac!

Oh, and I made beans too, but didn;t take any photos.

Help Oh! Nuts Support Breast Cancer Research

2011-10-20T12:52:00.003-05:00

Click the photo to see how to easily donate to fight cancer

Would you donate 1 minute of your time in exchange for a $3 donation to the Susan G Komen for the Cure to Help fight Breast cancer???

I received a wonderful email yesterday...

Hi,

I would like to let you know about something Oh Nuts is doing now in October.
For every Facebook like, tweet or Google +1, Oh! Nuts will donate $1 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure to help fight Breast Cancer.

See link here http://www.ohnuts.com/pink-october/

Please feel free to share with your readers,fans and followers.

Thanks
Sam Feferkorn

Of course I tweeted and liked them and I am getting ready to +1 them (need to get an account first, but what a great reason to do so). And sure enough, I got the confirmation that my numbers counted and the donation would be made.

I have had a long relationship with Oh Nuts! My very favorite thing that they offer is the chocolate rock chips shown in the cookies above. Makes a very fun chocolate chip cookie. Of course they also offer the very best nuts, I am especially fond of their whole pecans and some amazing Black Walnuts!

This is such a wonderful thing to do, and so incredibly socially responsible. These days, with the "occupy Wall Street" news bombarding us, it is so rewarding to know that there really is a social contract that comes with owning and operating a business.

So, click the link...

http://www.ohnuts.com/pink-october/

Everything is all set up. It takes just seconds to "like" if you have a facebook account, and the tweet is already written and takes even less time.

It's a great cause and socially responsible company. BTW, no purchase necessary, no sign up forms to fill out, just have a Facebook, Twitter and/or a Google Plus account.

Reward them, make their promotion a HUGE success and take just a single minute to donate to a great cause!

Poblano Macaroni and Cheese ala The Homesick Texan

2011-09-11T06:46:00.000-05:00

Have you missed me???

It's been awhile since I posted here, but not awhile since I posted to a blog. Come and visit my new blog

INSPIRED BY eRecipecards.com

in fact, I've posted everyday for the last 45. Come and see what I've been cooking up.

In point of fact, this very same post is located over there (and truth be told, I wish you would click THIS Link and read the post there... it, my new home after all and if you want t o visit me, you need to head there). Go ahead, no difference at all, you would just be visiting my new blog.

But, I am following through on an obligation I made to my dear friend,GirliChef while I lived here with this fun post by posting it here as well...

This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off
sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

so....

I am back, Deep in the Heart of Texas!!!

Remember last week when I made Pork Tacos, Dallas Gas Station Style from the Homesick Texan Cookbook?

All part of a cookbook spotlight and cook-off hosted by Heather (of the GIRLICHEF Blog). 19 of the best and brightest (well, 18 and me) bloggers have agreed to really put fellow blogger, Lisa of the Homesick Texan Blog (and author of the The Homesick Texan Cookbook) to the test. Rules are pretty simple, we all cook the same dish two weeks in a row, we all blog the results, next week, we all pick our own dishes and really test the book. And finally the last week of the month, we do a book report.

So, we are in week number two of the spotlight. It's time to test out a side dish. And what is more Texan than a big skillet full of Macaroni and Cheese? Well, almost anything would be. You see, the origins for Mac and Cheese are not Italian or Mediterranean at all, but are British. For the most part, pre-1820's Texas was explored, settled and populated by Hispanic Europeans and native born Mexicans. Texas (actually a part of Mexico at the time) loosened their immigration laws allowing land ownership by non-Mexicans for the first time. was almost 100% populated by Mexicans. But in the 1830's, led by Steven Austin and his gang of "Old Three Hundred", huge parcels of land were sold to citizens of the United States (with British and French origins). These immigrants (some legal, most illegal) brought with them, fraudulent land speculations and the slave trade.

Which brings us to Jim Bowie, Slave Trader, land Speculator, Indian Fighter, nasty horrible man and one of the most admired figures in Texas history. He is also the designer of the famous Bowie Knife. But unlike all of the information above, the knife has very little to do with Poblano Macaroni And Cheese.

But Jim Bowie the man does. Not as a cook, but as an example of the melding of cultures. Bowie's roots can be traced to Maryland, which traces it's roots to English immigration. In order to secure his ability to thrive as a land speculator, he bought his way into a marriage with the daughter of the vice-Governor of the provence (a shade over $300,000 dollars buys a bride half your age, Mexican citizenship and a government title).

But (and I am now getting to the food), a funny thing happens when you sat down roots in a new culture. Jim Bowie fell in love with his wife. he learned the language and the history of the area. He was accepted as a respected mover and shaker and leader of men. And with that love and respect came a desire to adapt recipes to meld the cultures (keep everybody happy at home).

The six flags that have flown over
TEXAS

Tex-Mex food is different from the traditional foods served in Mexico, and even New Mexico and Arizona. Texas has a unique culture and cuisine because of Jim Bowie and the like who moved to a land, adapted the best and brought with them their best.

The heavy creamy cheesy dish, Macaroni and Cheese is from England. Sure, roots in Italian pasta and French sauces, but the heavy cheese dish we know (and that disgusting blue box) was born in English kitchens.

The Poblano chili (along with the spices Lisa brings to her recipe) are all part of the native Mexican and Hispanic Europeans who settled in Texas prior to their immigration crisis of 1830.

Melding Jim Bowie's English/Maryland roots and his financial arm candy wife (whom he went to his historic death loving dearly), Lisa has created a perfect example of Tex-Mex cuisine.

The dish comes together in about an hour. By roasting the peppers first, the full flavor is brought out. Adding Cayenne pepper spice along with smoothing it out with some mustard powder, cumin and lime melds the Mexican side. No English kitchen would serve this and Mexican homes could not imagine these combinations.

Only in Texas could a slave trading, land grabbing, back woods fighter become an honored founder of a country, state and...Cuisine!

And that's what makes this dish a perfect example of Tex-Mex Cuisine...

Poblano Macaroni and Cheese

adapted from The Homesick Texan Cookbook
serves 8... note, I doubled this recipe. I love leftovers, but also I wanted to use up the pasta, not have leftover cheese to spoil and it makes such a great presentation in a big cast iron skillet

4 poblano chiles
16 oz. elbow pasta Note: I used Fusilli Pasta (the corkscrew type). I liked that pasta as it soaks up teh cheese sauce so well, every gap has the cheese oozing into the nooks.
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
10 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbs. all-purpose flour
3 c. whole milk
2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. ground cumin
lime zest
1 c. chopped cilantro
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
24 oz. grated white cheddar cheese (I used half white, half yellow)

for serving:
Cotija cheese

Roast the poblanos under the broiler until blackened, ~5 minutes per side. Remove and cover them to let them steam, for ~20 minutes. I like to roast them right on top of a large sheet of foil, then just bring the foil up and around the chiles. Peel/rub off the skins and remove the stems and seeds, then dice into ~1" chunks.

Bring a large salted pot of water to a boil and cook pasta until just al dente. Preheat your oven to 375° F. Grease a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet (personally, I'd choose an 8"-10") and set aside.

In a pot set over low heat, melt the butter. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the flour and cook until light brown and toasty smelling, ~1 minute more. Whisk in the milk and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Remove pot from heat and stir in mustard powder, cayenne, cumin, lime zest, cilantro, and prepared poblanos. Taste and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper, as needed.

Stir half of the cheese into the sauce until melted. Throw in the pasta and stir until coated. Pour into prepared dish. Top with remaining cheddar cheese and bake, uncovered, until cheese is bubbly and slightly golden. Sprinkle with Cotija

I just LOVED this dish... so rich, thick and cheesy. But just enough spices to make it very interesting. I paired this with a grilled steak and grilled corn on the cob! In fact I actually finished the dish in the grill, simple matter of moving the skillet onto the side of the grill, indirect heat, everything comes out hot from the grill and ready to serve!

Now that's a meal!

If i have tweaked your interest in anything Texan, and all things Texas Cuisine, The Homesick Texan Cookbook will be available for sale on September 13th. And Lisa's blog is up and ongoing at HOMESICK TEXAN.

This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off
sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

Pork Tacos Dallas Gas Station Style ala The Homesick Texan

2011-09-01T10:54:00.000-05:00

Have you missed me???

It's been awhile since I posted here, but not awhile since I posted to a blog. Come and visit my new blog

INSPIRED BY eRecipecards.com

in fact, I've posted everyday for the last 35. Come and see what I've been cooking up.

But, I am following through on an obligation I made to my dear friend, GirliChef while I lived here with this fun post by posting it here as well...

This post is part of The Homesick Texan Cookbook Spotlight and Cook-Off
sponsored by Hyperion and hosted at girlichef

so....

The stars at night - are big and bright
Deep in the heart of the suburbs of Kansas City.
The prairie sky - is wide and high
Deep in the heart of the suburbs of Kansas City.
The sage in bloom - is like perfume
Deep in the heart of the suburbs of Kansas City.
Reminds me of - the one I love
Deep in the heart of the suburbs of Kansas City.
The cowboys cry - ki-yip-pie-yi
Deep in the heart of the suburbs of Kansas City.
The rabbits rush - around the brush
Deep in the heart of the suburbs of Kansas City.
The coyotes wail - along the trail
Deep in the heart of the suburbs of Kansas City.
The doggies bawl - and bawl and bawl
Deep in the heart of the suburbs of Kansas City.

Yeap, last night the stars were bright as we celebrated all (well some) things TEXAS!

A couple of weeks ago, I was contacted by one of my favorite bloggers (and regular contributer to eRecipeCards.com), Heather, the GirliChef about participating in a Cookbook spotlight and Cook-Off invitation. Exciting enough, I love this type of contest -spotlight- giveaway. More than just a random number drawing, if you want the freebie, you have to earn it.

So, the deal is we get a book for free, and we post 3 recipes and a review of the book. OK, I can do that. Then I read that there will be 19 participants. Each of those 19 will be cooking and posting the same recipe. Now that is intriguing. I not only cook a recipe, but I can take a look at the different photography skills with the same recipe, read over the different writing styles of the same recipe and get introduced to new blogging buddies!

Well, Yippee Ki-Ay !!!

But then I got even more excited by the concept...
The book in question is, The Homesick Texan Cookbook, written by Lisa Fain.

Dig a little deeper into Lisa Fain and you see another reason to howl,
YIPPEE KI-AY and hoist a drink in toast to a legend in my mind...

She made it!

Maybe it will help if you hit play on this youTube video...

I think everyone in life deserves a theme song, And for me at least, this should be Lisa's. The video starts wiht a very lonely girl unpacking her boxes after moving to the big city (then it gets weird with swirling Abba heads, so only watch the first couple of minutes and then come back and read more while the music plays).

That's what Lisa was. Lonely homesick Texan moving to the big city (New York). But she certainly made the best of it. She used Texas cuisine to introduce herself to her new friends, then started a blog! Yeap, she is indeed ONE OF US (see, that's why she gets a theme song).

Click the logo to magically be taken to the Homesick Texan blog

Homesick Texan is indeed a food blog, telling the story of one expatriated Texan in the big city. It is very personal, telling stories of her friends (taste testers) and family but mostly of herself and her struggles to find ingredients, adapt to more seasonal cooking and her hunts for authentic Texas faire in the land of nouveau cuisine.

I love food bloggers. In fact, I have made a blog (Inspired by eRecipeCards.com) just using recipes that I was inspired to make provided by food bloggers. But how much inspirational can a story get than going from eater to foodie to food blogger to food blogger that has found her voice to published author.

OK, that's the who of the book... Here's the who of my little dinner party...

My good friend Herme (neighbor as well as frequent taste tester for my efforts) is also a homesick expatriated Texan. Forced out of her native land to the wilds of big city (suburban) life, she was very excited when I simply sent her an email saying, "dinner party for homesick Texan, bring props".

I probably should have checked with her prior to the party, as I made a pitcher of Sweet Tea to serve with the Texas meal.

Herme informed me that, in fact, the "House wine of the South" is in reality not a common Texas drink. Sure enough, when I double checked the index in the book, as well as the search function on Homesick Texan the blog, Lisa has never done a post on sweet tea.

Of course, after reading the forward to the book and reading over her blog, I realized that she had moved before that bitch Katrina had displaced thousands of New Orleans residents to eastern Texas. I suspect that these immigrants influenced more than one Texan to give this a try. So, I blame the ever evolving Texas cuisine for not catching up with Lisa during her all too brief visits home. Yeah, that's it, ever changing, not my poor research.

BTW, real quick, make a pitcher of sun tea (sadly, that's my pitcher of tea sitting on my smoker. I had to explain why I had a pork shoulder and yet was not going to fire her up and smoke it... Smoker's know these things and take it personal, but I digress and will get to the recipe shortly) and make a "simple syrup" to make it sweet. 1 cup water, add 2 cups sugar, bring to boil while stirring constantly, remove from heat, continue to stir for 5 minutes. Allow to cool, add to the tea. Much different than "sweetened tea".

But, since this is not about the south, but about all things Texas, I won't bore you with my next Texan Faux Pas when I made a fancy Pina Colada (actually a "Painkiller"). My resident homesick Texan told me that Texans like their beer and enjoy a shot and rarely serve foo foo mixed drinks. My intention was to virally serve up a toast with this Caribbean treat to Lisa as an acknowledgement to her accomplishment (and if you can't tell, the drink is actually sitting on her acknowledgement page of her cookbook).

But again, as her preface says, Texas is pretty big. I would venture to say that more than a few spring breakers visited Galveston Island and enjoyed a nice cool refreshing rum drink. Herme (like I am sure Lisa) was warned away from the debauchery of Spring Break on the Key West of Texas. But Herme has succomed to the debaucheries of my Cul de Sac and regularly imbibes. Makes me wonder if even worse debaucheries exist in NYC for Lisa to avoid... Things that keep her mother up nights...

But I digress...If only rum drinks were Texan, I would hoist a few PAINKILLERS in tribute to "One of us"...

1 part Orange juice
1 part Pineapple Juice
1 part Cream of Coconut
1 Part Coconut Rum
(Cruzan is my rum of choice)
Blend and serve over ice with a pinch of Nutmeg

But they are not. And near as I can tell, neither is my Caribbean Salsa recipe...

Well, maybe it is. Lisa does have a recipe for Pineapple Salsa on her blog. And, she uses it on several recipes. So it must be a Texas thing. Although my neighborhood Homesick Texan assured me that it was sacrilege to add pineapple. And in comparing recipes, hers is not close to mine, so I will continue to put this in the Faux Pas catagory.

So, this didn't fit either... despite the wonderful presentation possibilities of loading up a hollowed out pineapple with....

1 part Tomatoes
1 part Onion
1 part Red Bell Pepper
2 parts Roma Tomatoes
2 parts Pineapple

Dice everything the same tiny size
add 1/4 parts chopped Parsley
1/4 parts "not your Grandmother's HERBES de PROVENCE"

So, that's what I did wrong in my tribute to Texas dinner. But in my mind, and in the heart of my personal homesick Texan, I hope my efforts showed...

So, let's get to the recipe and see what I did right...

Let's start with my one complaint and get that out of the way...

The title of the dish

Lisa calls this "Pork Tacos Dallas Gas Station Style" She tells a wonderful story about a corridor near Dallas where seemingly every gas station offers their version of this quickie delicious meal. Well, i am going to tell you that no gas station would make this recipe as she lists it. I own a pretty good knife and I keep it sharp (my knife cast more than my first car, but that's a story for another time). I am a griller and smoker and actually am considered one of the best pulled pork makers in my very competitive neighborhood filled with grillers and smokers. I know my way around a pork shoulder. Worked with them before and often. But it still took me over an hour to trim and dice the two pounds of shoulder to 1/2 inch size. Let's do the math... my 2 pounds (actually, I asked my butcher to do a 2 1/4 pound shoulder, bone in. Once the bone was removed and the fat trimmed, I ended up with 2 pounds of meat... but I digress); my two pounds of meat in the hands of a competent knife guy took over an hour. I honestly do not see how anyone could do it in less time (unless they fudge on the half inch size and make them bigger (I've seen your pictures, you know who you are)). I made 6 tacos from the 2 pounds. That's a lot of labor cost to prep this dish. So, from here on out, I am calling this "Pork Tacos Dallas Gourmet Taco Shop Next to the gas Station Style".

But, that's it. Plan to spend a good hour (longer if you have dull knives or are not used to trimming meat) of prep time. For me, that is a lot of prep time.

But it was worth it!

Deep rich flavors, the mix of peppers, combined with the citrus juices in the marinade made for quite a surprising treat. Again, fitting for any Gourmet taco stand.

If you will permit one more criticism... I was given an advance copy of this book to review. I felt an obligation to cook as directed. I loved the marinade and would certainly use it again. BUT, the fast 15 minute cook time (the real reason for dicing the meat so small) is not my method of choice for pork shoulder. After marinating as directed, I would make a mop sauce from the same ingredients and cook either on my beloved smoker or in a slow cooker for hours to get the most tender and flavorful pieces of meat for the filling. ALSO, once slow cooked, it is a simple matter of taking a couple of forks and shredding the shoulder into bite size bits. My educated opinion is that the meat would be just as tasty and save at least that 1 hour of prep time.

But that's just me. Like I said, as printed, as made, I have ZERO issues with the taste. the tacos were indeed worthy of a gourmet taco joint!

And wonderful fun for a dinner party... Set up a lazy Susan with roasted Jalapeno Pepper, my fake Texan (Caribbean really) Salsa, Sour Cream, A sweet Cilantro sauce, and a Queso Cheese to top as you like...

And my wife enjoyed the book so much she made a delicious cool cucumber salad (page 258) that paired perfectly with the spicy tacos!

Truly a wonderful TEXAS meal made deep in the hearts of suburbia! Thanks Lisa and Congrats on the book!

Pork Tacos, Dallas Gas Station Style
adapted from The Homesick Texan Cookbook
makes 4-6 servings

for the pork
4 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into ½" chunks
1 canned chipotle in adobo
4 garlic cloves
½ tsp. dried oregano
½ tsp. ground cumin
small pinch ground cloves
¼ c. orange juice
¼ c. pineapple juice
1 Tbs. white vinegar
2 Tbs. olive oil
salt, to taste
1 Tbs. vegetable oil

for the tacos
6 jalapeños
tortillas, flour or corn
cilantro, chopped
yellow onion, small dice
1 lime, cut into wedges/slices

Toast pasillas in a dry skillet over high heat for ~10 seconds per side, or until they start to puff and change colors. Fill skillet with enough water to cover chiles and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let chiles rehydrate until soft, ~30 minutes.

Place re-hydrated chiles in blender (discard soaking liquid) along with the chipotle, garlic, oregano, cumin, cloves, orange juice, pineapple juice, vinegar, and olive oil. Blend to a smoth purée. Add salt to taste. Toss pork with purée (I put everything into a gallon ziploc bag). Let sit in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours.

Before cooking, let pork sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Fry pork in the skillet for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While pork is cooking, place jalapeños under broiler and cook for ~10 minutes, or until blackened, turning once. Serve pork in warm tortillas, topped with cilantro and onions, along with the roasted chiles and lime wedges...and salsa, if you like.

If i have tweaked your interest in anything Texan, and all things Texas Cuisine (except for rum drinks in Galveston Island), The Homesick Texan Cookbook will be available for sale on September 13th. And Lisa's blog is up and ongoing at HOMESICK TEXAN.

Come visit...

2011-08-12T19:38:00.001-05:00

My friends, I am swamped... Really swamped. That's the good news.

I love the new business.

I am also back to daily blogging!

Just not here.

For the time being, I am going to be found on eRecipeCards.com

And to catch up with my blogging, come see my NEW blog...

INSPIRED by eRecipeCards.com
http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/

Really... gonna be awhile before I post here again, but I am posting new every day!

Peach Mango Strudel and Chicken with A delicious Sauce...

2011-08-05T12:02:00.000-05:00

greetings and again... Come take a look at my all new blog...

Isn't that a wonderful presentation for a Strudel??? Come see how easy it is.

Inspired By eRecipeCards.com
http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/

It is now where I primarily post my work. I am dedicated to a new post each day (over there).

Please, my regulars, come make me feel welcome, comment, visit, contribute, follow... all the stuff that makes me know you care!!!

Dave

A very Delicious Failure

2011-08-03T12:05:00.000-05:00

Well, I fudged this one up... in look

But it tasted great

A three fruit, ice cream Terrine, ala Wendy Lyn Watson, author of the "A Mystery Ala Mode" ice cream shop mysteries from the MYSTERY LOVERS KITCHEN blog.

Lots of details posted on my new BLOG...

http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/2011/08/ice-cream-terrine-ala-wendy-lyn-watson.html

Come take a look

Dave from... Inspired By eRecipecards.com

2011-08-02T12:05:00.000-05:00

Chicken Vesuvio over at my new site...

Inspired by eRecipeCards.com

And while you are there, sign up for my RSS feed, Friend me on Facebook, Follow me, leave a comment and put my grandkids through college (just funnin with you on one of those)

Dave

A delicious pasta and wonderful Zucchini Cakes

2011-08-01T15:45:00.000-05:00

Hi again regulars...

Have two recipes over at my new site...

Inspired by eRecipeCards.com

Come visit, these are terrific, whole wheat pasta with a Ricotta Cheese sauce

and a crispy Zucchini Cake!

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken ala My Tasty Treasures

2011-07-30T13:21:00.000-05:00

Hello hello hello...

Just posting a link to today's post...

http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/2011/07/honey-mustard-grilled-chicken-ala-my.html

Come take a look at what is inspiring me today!!!

With lots of thanks to Donna at My tasty Treasures!

2011-07-29T13:42:00.000-05:00

Did you read yesterday's post???

If not, you might want to.

For a variety of reasons, among them, I hate the name I chose for my blog, I am going to be concentrating on a second blog...

INSPIRED BY eRecipeCards.com

located here... http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/

On occasion, I will post something original here, but mostly I will be posting recipes that I have found on eRecipeCards.com.

Like today where I found this recipe from Joelen at the "WHAT's COOKIN, CHICAGO" blog.

Everything's better with Fritos...

Come see what I mean at...

INSPIRED BY eRecipeCards.com

located here... http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/

Once again... A change in my life

2011-07-28T16:31:00.000-05:00

Have you all heard about eRecipeCards.com???

Just kidding, I am guessing all my regulars have at least visited... If not, read over the few posts that I have made in the last couple months since the website has come live. Oh, and go over to eRecipeCards.com, register, post your top 100 recipes, make it a daily habit and scream on twitter, facebook, youtube and from out your front door that we exist.

Anyway, I have been having the time of my life! It is now my job to look at @ 150 food blogs a day! I always look at any submissions, as well as hunt around for potential new members. Oddly enough, it's work, but work I love.

Promotion is now what I do (in addition to maintenance, editing, data entry and I take out the garbage and mow the lawn). I will admit to being a bit (OK, a LOT) lax in posting lately. Well, that ends today. I am returning back to posting daily...

Sort of.

But I will get to that in a second. back to promotion.

It dawned on me that I have an amazing number of wonderful recipes being submitted daily. Over a thousand in a month, and the numbers are growing every day. I have a wonderful collection of recipes in my eRecipeBOX (a convenient storage spot for the recipes that I want to conveniently find again). It's time I start showing the value of eRecipeCards.com. Not just as a place to be seen, but also a place to search for recipes and to answer that age old question...

What's for Dinner???

So, here's the change...

I HAVE A NEW BLOG...

It's called "INSPIRED BY eRecipeCards.com"

It's located at http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/

And, it is just what it sounds like... Everything I am going to post is going to be from recipes I saw on eRecipeCards.com. More to the point, the recipes will be inspired by the recipes I see. i rarely make a recipe exactly as I see it, and can not in clear conscience say I will. In fact, I can pretty much promise that the things I post will be versions of the original recipes. But that is what makes cooking fun and challenging.

Like this...

It's the first of many (I am going to make a daily commitment until the end of August at least).

I first saw this recipe 6 weeks ago. It was an early submission to eRecipeCards.com. I saved it in my ereciepBOX, knowing that I would give it a try. It was a Mexican version of corn on the cob. Obviously, I changed that, but I did stay true to the spirit of the recipe.

It also was submitted by one of my all time favorite people, Mary from ONE PERFECT BITE. It was very fitting that I used one of her recipes as my first post.

Now, I will be back here occasionally. An original recipe here and there, a recipe from someone that does not submit their recipes to eReciepCards.com (although honestly, just not enough time in the day to do my job and job to too many other blogs... but I whiningly digress...). A pizza (yes, i plan on finishing the project).

So, take a jump over... let me know what you think. Comments here, there, emails YearontheGrill@yahoo.com anyway you like.

If you've been waiting to see if eRecipeCards.com would work... Come take a look. IT WORKS GREAT.

But also, come over and see what me and Mary came up with...

http://erecipecards.blogspot.com/

Share Our Strength

2011-07-28T12:59:00.002-05:00

Join me in support of Yahoo!’s $20,000 commitment to Share our Strength! This is a quick (30-second) way to commend Yahoo! for its partnership with an organization working to end hunger in the America.

To show its appreciation, Yahoo! has committed to donate $20,000 to Share Our Strength on behalf of US, the Foodbuzz community of publishers and readers.

In turn, you have the opportunity to show your support of this partnership by setting Yahoo! as your homepage by clicking on this link. Like what they’re doing? Let them know by changing your homepage!

Here are two things you can do raise awareness about this important cause:

1. Make Yahoo! your homepage now.
2. Share the campaign with your Facebook friends and Twitter followers.

Dirty Florida Golfer SORBET - Almost a Dirty Arnie Sorbet

2011-07-22T12:01:00.000-05:00

Oh my... I just love bloggers...

Last week, over at the Mystery Lover's Kitchen, I saw a post on a Porch Swing Sorbet written by their resident ice cream maven... Wendy Lyn Watson.

Wendy has lots of Ice cream chops (lives in Texas... I hear it's going to be hot somewhere around Texas this week). Wendy is the author of the "Mystery Ala Mode" series. Murder mysteries centered around a Texas ice cream parlor and the workers in the shop. Now, doesn't that sound like a "cool" job (groovy and temperature). I just finished her latest book, "A Parfait Murder" and it was terrific fun summer read. Felt 10 degrees cooler with every page.

Aside from the fact that I have a natural distrust of Vegetarians, Wendy is winning me over as one of my favorite from the MLK. I just bought my first ice cream maker ($2 at a garage sale). So I pay very close attention to her every post. She also submits her recipes to eRecipecards.com (have I mentioned that site lately???). Click that button and you can easily find the recipes she has submitted, as well as direct links to her posts on Mystery Lover's Kitchen.

OK, a long way of saying, I was intrigued by her post. A sorbet is not an ice cream at all. No cream, no dairy. It is more frozen juices. Wendy's post on her Porch Swing Sorbet had iced tea as the main ingredient (with a smidgen of lemon juice.

Well, my wife's favorite drink right now is an Arnold Palmer. See my post yesterday for the complicated recipe with home made southern sweet tea and fresh made real lemon lemonade. The easy recipe... get some lemonade, get some tea, mix 50.50, sweeten as you like and serve over ice. When I saw Wendy's recipe, I had in my head to give an ARNOLD PALMER SORBET a try.

OK, back th loving bloggers...

I am new at ice cream, and VERY new at sorbet. Meaning, i had a few questions. I made an inquiry on the Mystery Lover's Kitchen page, and fast as you can say, "Bob's your Uncle", Wendy got back with me with a few suggestions.

One I was very happy to oblige. Here's the secret to a sorbet... Booze and sugar. really, booze and sugar helps get a creamy soft sorbet. Without B&S, you get ice crystals... basically a big ball of flavored ice.

OK, remembering yesterday's post, you can doctor up an Arnold Palmer by using southern made Sweet Tea (making it a Winnie Palmer (much sweeter than an Arnold Palmer... Winnie is Arnie's wife BTW). I indeed had Sweet tea (as opposed to sweetened tea... not the same).

But I was encouraged to add booze to the mix (I LOVE Wendy). A shot of vodka would be normal, but I was out of vodka (the drink, BTW with a shot of vodka is called a Dirty Arnie). Another common drink is a dirty Palmer, using a shot of Rum.. A funny thing happened on the way to the liquor cabinet. I had to move my bottle of Cointreau to get at my bottle rum.

HMMM... It's just too hot to move all those bottles... So Cointreau it is!!!

And besides, doing a little research, I couldn't find a named drink recipe for an Arnold Palmer with a shot of Cointreau, so I get to name it... The Dirty Florida Golfer

But since I ran everything through my ice cream maker, I give you...

The Dirty Florida Golfer Sorbet...

1 1/2 cups Sweet Tea
1/2 cups Sweetened Lemonade
1 shot of Cointreau

Combine, run through an ice cream maker as directed

Mine did need to set up over night in the freezer, but by morning it was a delightful spoonable soft almost creamy consistency. but certainly something that easily held it;s shape.

I have made a pitcher of Arnold Palmers (my wife's favorite after work drink) just about every week this summer, and certainly during the last few miserable days. This was a wonderful treat to go with a glass.

Thanks Wendy... and i have plans for a recipe from your latest book that i will be serving very soon. So expect a review and more glowing accolades to come!

...

Let's Drink to Arnold Palmer !!!

2011-07-21T07:42:00.000-05:00

Here's how I had fun in the sun yesterday (we topped 100 degrees)

You are about to learn more than you ever wanted to know about the Arnold Palmer Drink.

The basic Arnold Palmer is simplicity in itself...

Make some Tea
Make some Lemonade
Add ice cubes to a glass
Pour the glass half full with Tea
Top off the glass with Lemonade

Sweeten as you like.

But wait, there's more... How about an Arnold Palmer Cocktail

If you add a shot of Rum, you have a Dirty Palmer
If you add a shot of Vodka, you have a Dirty Arnie
If you add a shot of Cointreau, you have a Dirty Florida Golfer
This last one I made up... I was out of Vodka and the bottle of Cointreau was calling to my inner inspiration... And I like the name!

But wait, there's more... Sweet Tea makes a different drink...

I made some very strong sun tea using just 4 cups of water and three of the large family size Luzianne tea bags, left in the sun for 3 hours (OK, a little long, but I forgot about it).

Next, I made a "simple Syrup"
5 Cups Sugar added to 3 Cups Water
Slowly bring to boil, add slices of one lemon and a spig of mint
Remove from heat, allow to cool and strain

I added 2 cups of Simple Sugar to the STRONG Tea

And if you have ever had real Southern Sweet Tea (The house wine of the South), you know that there is no comparing a glass of fresh brewed sweet tea compared to a glass of Northern sweetened tea. It's just a different drink.

OK, stay with me, that is actually too much simple syrup for the tea. BUT I also made real fresh lemonade...

Juice of 6 lemons (1 Cup)
3 Cups Water
1 cup of the Simple Sugar
Mix well
Add slices from 1 lemon
Allow to rest for 2 hours while the oils from the lemon rind infuse into the L-ade

And now, finally here's what I did...

I filled a glass with ice
filled half the glass with Sweet tea
Filled the rest of the way up with Lemonade
Mixed and enjoyed!

This in fact is not an Arnold Palmer drink. When made with Souther Sweet tea in place of Northern Sweetened tea it is called a Winnie Palmer (named for Arnie's wife)

That's about enough...

Come back tomorrow to see something amazing (food-wise) I made with this!

So that's what I did to beat the heat...

What are you serving that's cool and refreshing...

Come over to eRecipeCards.com and share your ideas. It's easy to post and just as easy to surf around and find some equally amazing cool ideas...

Bet you'll be inspired too!

And you will find this recipe and more on eRecipecards.com!

...

SHARE OUR STRENGTH

2011-07-21T06:09:00.000-05:00

SHARE OUR STRENGTH

2011-07-15T16:17:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your support!

Rustic Rosemary Bread

2011-07-15T06:36:00.000-05:00

The only thing better than the smell of fresh made bread from the oven is fresh made Herb Bread from the oven.

And the only thing worse than a recently reformed non-smoker is a first year gardener showing off the spoils of his herbs in container garden...

They say things like, "no need for those plug in air fresheners, i just move a pot of Rosemary into a room and it fils the air with such a delightful scent".

And, "cooking with fresh onion chives has really added a new layer of flavors to just about any savory dish".

People get so bored... Until they taste the spoils of the container garden...

Here's what I did...

Makes one 2-pound loaf or 2 1 pound loafs
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100º F)
1 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
4 cups all-purpose white flour (no need to sift)
2 1/2 TBS Sugar
1/3 cup fresh herbs (I used Rosemary and onion chives)

Extra 1/4 cup Flour to aid in kneading
A brush of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a pinch of Sea Salt

Mix the dry ingredients with the herbs first. I like to do the mixing stage in a gallon size ziplock bag. I mix my bread in a Kitchenaid Mixer. I have also been successful mixing in a food processor. During my time on the island, when I didn't have any kitchen appliances, I did the mixing by hand..
Add the water and mix well. Be sure the water is warm, but not too hot. Anything above 110 degrees will kill the yeast before it gets a chance to do it's magic.
Now it's time to knead the bread. Keep the extra flour handy, as the dough at this stage is very wet. Knead for at least 10 minutes. You will need to add flour to get to a sticky, but not too sticky phase. With experience, you can feel and see the bread become hydrated. That is when the ingredients mix completely, and it is ready for a rest. I "knead" in the Kitchenaid at a medium-low setting for about 5 minutes. I do the last few minutes by hand to get the feel of the right consistency. Ready to add more flour if needed, or more water (in 1/2 teaspoon increments) if needed.
Modern Bread makers call it proofing, old timers call it rising. But whatever you want to call it, form the dough into a ball, coat with a bit of Olive Oil so the outside does not dry out, cover with a towel and let it rise for 2 to 3 hours. The dough will double in size in that time .
And now, it's time to punch the dough down, and orm the loaf
Punching the dough is exactly what it sounds like. The yeast releases gases. That is why the dough doubles in size. When you take a punch at the dough, the gases are released. The dough returns to it's original size. If you are dividing the dough, use a knife to cut the dough, instead of tearing.
You can make a round inverted bowl shape, or ia loaf size. A little kneading is fine (it's just fun to knead), but no more than a minute or two.
If you press the dough out to a circle, even thickness, and roll it up, it forms a nice submarine shape.
Brush a little Oil on the outside of the bread and sprinkle a bit of coarse cut Sea Salt on the top.
Take a VERY sharp knife and cut slits onto the bread
I bake the bread (350 degrees) using a remote read thermometer, with the prob inserted into the center of the bread. The bread is done when it reaches an internal temp of 190 degrees. If you cook by time, it takes about 25 minutes if you are baking a loaf (long, thinner, like a submarine), or about 30 minutes if you are baking a bowl shape.
Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting (this also evens out the cooking internally so the final loaf has no underdone dough spots).

Come see some terrific ideas for bread. There have been LOTS of submissions, just perfect for the HOT DAYS ahead!

You can find this recipe on eRecipeCards.com.

And if you think you want to try this again in a few weeks, you can easily store the recipe in an electronic recipe box you set up, you control and only you see. It's a great feature that lets you store all those amazing recipes you see on the internet.

...

Strawberry Jam

2011-07-14T06:52:00.000-05:00

I had a batch of strawberries that were about to go bad. I have been all about trying my best not to throw food away, so what to do...

What to do????

Making jam is just so easy. And fast and in small batches (like trying to use up a bit of fruit before it goes south on ya) and a tasty treat!

I made this during the time it took me to do the dishes from the night before...

Here's what I did...

I ended up with about 2 cups of strawberries, diced to about the size of quarters and sliced into @1/4 inch thick.

Popped those in a small sautee pan over medium heat.

I added 1/3rd of a cup of sugar and did that TV chef thing of flipping them to coat. If you are afraid of sugary strawberries on the floor, buy a dog or stir with a silicone spatula or spoon.

As this heats, you will see liquid start to appear! Like Magic! But, I had a plan (more on that later) and wanted a thin jam, something pourable. So I added ... 1/4 cup of Cointreau! Yeah, that orange flavored liqueur!

Simmer this for about 10-15 minutes, until the juice starts to reduce.

Pop it all in a blender, mini chopper or food processor and pulse only a few times. You want it thick, with bits of fruit floating.

Like this!

Makes one heck of a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich for lunch...

And when your hard working wife gets home from her inconvenient day job on one of those 95 degree summer days...

Ice cream and a topping of fresh made strawberry Jam is almost as good as sending roses to work.

Come see some terrific ideas for summer treatsy. There have been LOTS of submissions, just perfect for the HOT DAYS ahead!

Peach Ice Cream

2011-07-13T07:17:00.000-05:00

Talk about your DOG DAYS OF SUMMER...

Sigh...

It's hot, just too dang hot!

So let's make ice cream.

And here's an odd product endorsement. In actuality, it's a hobby endorsement. I am cheap. Really cheap. So cheap that my wife and I enjoy garage sale-ing as a hobby. Sometimes it's just a driveway full of other people's useless crap.

Sometimes it's a brand new in the box RIVAL GOURMET CREAMERY brand new (young married couple selling their wedding gifts).

So, for $2, I now own a table top ice cram maker. Why not, could be fun and I have certainly spent $2 in worse ways.

This is my first attempt and I LOVE IT! No mess, not much fuss and really smooth, delicious ice cream!

And now, my mind is racing with the possibilities. Only slight drawback is this is small, only makes about a quart. But that's ok, my fat ass doesn't need too much of this treat hanging around. Would interfere with my rice cake intake.

But i digress...

Here's what I did...

First, I Caramelized some peach bits...

Took one peach, skinned it and diced into quarter sized pieces.
Put them in a small sautee pan,
added the juice and zest from one lemon.
added 1/2 cup of sugar
and stirred until well mixed and liquid appears magically (only takes a few minutes, and the liquid doubles).
Allow a slow simmer for about 15 minutes. the peaches get soft and the liquid turns a caramel colored brown...

Like this...

While I was doing that, I also was making ice cream...

1/2 cup Sugar
dash Salt
1 Egg beaten
1 cup Whipping Cream
2 tsp Vanilla

Combine sugar salt and milk in a saucepan, cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until mixture almost boils.
Reduce heat to low. VERY gradually, add a couple of TBS of the hot milk to the beaten egg. DO NOT add the egg to the milk, add in a separate cold bowl. You want to mix without the hot milk cooking the egg. Add a couple more TBS (about half the milk) to the eggy milk. Keep whisking as you add. Now, you can add this to the hot milk remaining in the hot pan. Keep whisking to mix well.
Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens, about 3 minutes.
remove from heat and refrigerate for at least a couple hours.
Combine whipping cream, vanilla and chilled mixture, stirring with a wire whisk to combine.
Pour into the $2 ice cream maker and follow their directions.

Now, there are several ways to combine the fruit and the ice cream. I took about half of the fruit and added it in during the last minute of the process.

I have plans for the other half that I will talk about later.

but, in the mean time...

WHOOP DE DOO, this was wonderful.

I laugh in the face of 100 degree days. I own a table top ice cream maker!

...

Pizza - Cheeseburger in Paradise... really, sing along

2011-07-12T07:18:00.000-05:00

Look Close, you know the words, sing along...

Cheeseburger PIZZA

in paradise

Medium rare with mustard 'be nice

Heaven on earth with an onion slice

I'm just a cheeseburger PIZZA
in paradise

I like mine with lettuce and tomato
Heinz 57 and French fried potatoes
Big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer
Well good god almighty which way do I steer for my

Chorus:
Cheeseburger in PIZZA
paradise (paradise)
Makin' the best of every virtue and vice
Worth every damn bit of sacrifice
To get a cheeseburger PIZZA
in paradise
To be a cheeseburger PIZZA
in paradise
I'm just a cheeseburger PIZZA
in paradise

And there you have it... All the song ingredients are here. And, I must say this is a WONDERFUL pizza.Really and truly does taste hamburger-ish. The mix with the mustard and pickles is spot on with the hamburger. I will admit, it started out as a goof, just a pizza challenge when I had a little extra time on my hand, but is now in my regular rotation. Even planning a party around the idea now.

Highly recommended.

Here's what I did...

While I did indeed enjoy a "cold one" with the finished product, I decided this deserved a BEER BREAD PIZZA CRUST! It's my goto recipe for a thick Chicago style pizza pie. I also made this in a cast iron skillet. The trick to all pizzas is HOT. I had all my ingredients ready to assemble while I preheated the skillet to 500 degrees. It lost a lot of heat during the less than 5 minutes it took to assemble the pizza (and I had to be careful to avoid burning my fingers while I spread out the dough, but it did what cast iron is famous for, retain the heat. Thus, the crust had a crispness that I would not have gotten without a HOT skillet.

For the beer bread pizza dough recipe, go HERE.

Next, a very important step when making any Chicago thick pie, always line the bottom with cheese slices (in this case, provolone). That helps to keep the crust from getting soggy.

And now, time to start singing the song... I like mine with Lettuce...

French Fried Potatoes

Really, fried some up ahead of time and lined the bottom.

The Hamburger was a no brainer, instead of an onion slice, I caramelized a few onion slices and mixed them with the burger.

I made a fast PIZZA marinara sauce from canned tomatoes. Click HERE for that recipe.

Heinz 57

and

mustard 'be nice

Big kosher pickle (slices)

And what's a cheeseburger (pizza) without a little white Cheddar Cheese

Do all that quickly and get the cast iron skillet back in the 500 degree oven as quick as possible. Now, it took about 15 minutes for the dough to cook. I used my handy dandy instant read temperature probe. Bread is done at 190 degrees. Thick Chicago style pizza dough is ready at 190 degrees.

And for presentation purposes, Garnish with a hamburger bun top.

That may be one of the oddest things I have ever written here (and I try my best to write odd things just for fun, hoping one person sees the oddity). So, let me repeat this...

The garnish is a HAMBURGER BUN!!!

I was in paradise... And yes, deserves a starring role in my PIZZA 2011 Project!!!

...

Grilled Pork Loin with Garlic Lime Marinade ala MY BIZZY KITCHEN

2011-07-11T07:54:00.000-05:00

PORK... It's what's for dinner!

BUT... did you know, recently the USDA dropped the recommended internal temperature for pork to just 145 degrees (down from 160 degrees). That is a huge number that you need to remember. At 145, the meat still has a slight pink tinge.

It's time to rethink the old rules about pork. No longer is pink pork a bad thing. No longer do we need to grill pork to a cruel hockey puck consistency. From now on, when you think pork... THINK PINK!

You see, today's pork has is not the same as pork from days of yore (10 years ago). Pork in the olden days was raised with an eye towards BIG PIGS. They were fattened up and thus, the fat content of pork was much higher. Today's piggies are leaner and much less fatty. Since fat comes to temperature faster than lean muscle, the previous goal of 160 degrees was actually measuring the fat as well as the meat. Now, less fat means the meat is still cooked, without needing to reach the higher temp.

Make sense?

Well, if not, just know that your pork is cooked even with a slight pink tint. Know that the internal temperature goal of 145 is now the norm and best for your pork. Think about it, does the term "fork tender" come to mind when talking pork chops. Mine does.

Oh, and please use an internal temperature prob thermometer when cooking pork. You will notice a HUGE difference between 145 degree pork loin and 160 degrees.

OK... Let's get to the recipe...

I was inspired by this recipe from a post by BIZ at MY BIZZY KITCHEN. She made a Garlic Lime Sauce from a recipe inspired by DINE & DISH.

Not sure where it originally came from, me, I found Biz's post while looking over the recipes at eRecipeCards.com. Things are progressing nicely (above my expectations) on the site. Today, I am on track to hit a MAJOR milestone of numbers of submitted recipes. My goal number for the end of a month will be hit in just 3 weeks. People are finding us. But better, people are responding with some wonderful recipes to try or to get inspired by. And with the easy to use eRecipeBox feature that makes setting up a convenient easy way to re-find recipes you might want to try later, eRecipeCards.com is turning into just what I had envisioned.

Really, come take a look...

OK, commercial done, back to the recipe...

Biz did her post of a GARLIC LIME SAUCE to top her pork. I pondered this and decided I would like to try her sauce as a marinade. Plenty of oil, cilantro and spices to season the meat nicely while still letting the meat speak for itself.

And besides... LOOK WHAT I FOUND IN MY GARDEN...

A HOT Chile Pepper (Biz's recipe used Red Pepper Flakes... more fun to mince up a fresh pepper), and some fresh cilantro.

I love my garden!!!

OK, here's what I did (Inspired by Biz)...

Zest of 1 Lime
Juice from 2 fresh Limes (about 1/4 cup)
4 Cloves Garlic, minced
1 HOT tiny Pepper, minced
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Handful of Fresh Cilantro, I didn't measure, but @1/4 cup, minced
a little salt and pepper

Combine everything. I ran it through my mini chopper to get everything infused properly.

Place a 1 1/2 pound pork loin in a plastic ziplock bag.
Add the marinade, squeeze out all the air and let it rest in the fridge for 4 hours.

And grill over medium hot colas or the medium setting on a gas grill, measuring the internal temperature with a remote prob, I turned 1/4 turn with every increase of 20 degrees.

It was a good day on the grill!

Grilled some Sweet Corn and some Sweet Potato Slices...

Thanks BIZ... it was a great recipe. Very inspiring.

And back to the commercial.

Seriously, eRecipeCards.com is many things, a place to see and be seen, but also I think the eRecipeBOX feature is terrific. See something you might like to make in a week, month or year, no more need to fumble around trying to remember where you saw that idea. No more saving to an Exel spreadsheet (tried it), or write something out in MS Word (tried that too) or saving little bits of paper (tried that too).

I have more than a dozen recipes in my box already. Some I may get to this week, some in a month, and some I may never get to. But, I know where they are at, easily viewed, with the large photos, easy to visually remind me of what the recipe is.

And now, with the large number of recipes, with the ever growing number of submitters that are adding their body of work (not just today's post, but some of their favorites from days of yore). eRecipeCards.com now more than ever is worth a look!

Bet you'll be inspired too!

And you will find this recipe and more on eRecipecards.com!

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Chicken Fried Steak with Sweet Potato Fries

2011-07-10T09:50:00.002-05:00

OK, this post is for Chicken Fried Steak.

But really, don't the baked sweet potato fires make the picture pop...

Speaking of the sweet potato fries, I used a recipe I found on JoAnne's Blog, EATS WELL WITH OTHERS, for Honey Lime Chipotle Sweet Potato Fries. I just love SPFries, and wanted to give these a shot. JoAnne is in the midst of a "reinvent a classic" contest and is working on sweet potatoes. Her blog is great reading for a variety of reasons, but sweet potatoes right now are drawing my interest.

She did say this was a close second choice for the recipe she will submit. I thought they tasty great. An additional benefit is the slight tacky sticky (in a good sense) that the honey adds to the potatoes. Next time I make these, I will add some lime zest and coarse grind seas salt. The honey will aid in the seasonings sticking (something the "plain" sweet potato fries does not do). Also the extra little green flecks will add to the look.

But as far as taste, loved it! follow this link to get to her recipe... top notch!

But, before I digressed, I had started a post on chicken fried steak, with an onion milk gravy.

What I particularly like about this is that I used a leftover piece of steak as the ingredient. I have an obsession with leftovers. I do my best to cook a new and different meal from the leftovers so dinner isn't boring.

I had grilled a beautiful London broil size steak. To me, it was cooked perfectly, rare to medium rare. But the steak was nicely um... sloped (for lack of a better word), with a thinner section at an end. this thinner section was more medium well done (my wife's preference). Well, I had already sliced off the bad section (the medium well that she liked) the night before for her. All I had for leftovers was a large section, perfectly cooked, rare to medium rare. The perfectly cooked section was something I could eat as candy. But something my opinionated (even when she is obviously wrong) wife would not touch.

So, let's get creative. Make something new out of the old dish and also something I would enjoy but that my wife ended up LOVING..

Here's what I did...

I sliced the thick steak into about 3/4 inch medallions. As always, but even more important is to cut against the grain. Reheating steak will always toughen it up a bit, so make sure your finished product is as tender as possible by always cutting against the grain of the meat.

Next, I soaked the pieces in buttermilk for about 30 minutes. really! Adds a bit of snap to the taste, but also keep the meat moist and tender even though it is fired!

While that is happening, est up a dredging are. three stages, plain flower first to coat each piece.

Next, through beaten eggs.

And finally through some seasoned flour. I just added garlic flakes, a tiny bit of Cayenne Pepper, some course grind sea salt and sesame seeds.

And fry up in about 1/2 inch of Canola Oil. Canola oil is best for frying as it has a higher burn temperature than olive oil. Since the meat is already cooked, all you are really cooking is the outside coating. Just fry until golden brown and delicious.

And that's it!

I made a simple milk gravy (actually, buttermilk) with onions.

I poured off most of the oil, only leaving the drippings and maybe a TBS of oil.

I added diced onions, large dice size, about the size of a dime and sauteed them in the oil and drippings until tender.

I added 1 cup of buttermilk and simmered this for a few minutes.

And finally, I had a cup of water standing by to thin the gravy if needed. I ended up adding just 1/4 cup. i like thick gravy.

So there you go... Leftovers!

Thanks JoAnn for the Sweet Potato recipe. Good luck with the Sweet Potato contest. you always have my vote!

Come see some terrific ideas for leftovers. There have been LOTS of submissions, just perfect for the HOT DOG DAYS OF SUMMER!

Easy Peasy FIREWORKS CAKE

2011-07-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

Continuing my 4th of July, cooking with the great faces of South Dakota posts...

Cooking with kids, spectacular results, and easy to make - What could be better!

This is a direct steal from Cleo Coyle's post at the Mystery lover's Kitchen.

In fact, honestly, you should jump over to her post for a slightly different look (she added accents around the base), a MUCH better presentation once the cake is sliced (she dyed the bottom layer bright blue and the top layer bright red), and more detailed photos about how to get the look.

Come to think of it, since I used a box cake mix and a can of frosting, I probably shouldn't even be doing this post.

But then I wouldn't be able to show off my assisstants...

So, here you go...

Step 1 - buy a box of cake, buy a can of frosting, buy a bright neon tube of blue and red food coloring.
Step 2- Go to THIS POST at the Mystery Lover's Kitchen blog for detailed instructions, detailed photos on how to get the look.

Or, wing it from these tips (still pretty easy)...

Be sure your cake is cooled before you frost.

save 4 TBS of frosting before you frost the cake. I actually used 2 cans, about 1 1/2 cans actually, but had plenty of help to finish the remaining.

put 2 TBS of frosting in a small ziplock bag and mix in the color so you have a baggy of red and a baggy of blues.

Start from the center and alternate colors, making circles around the cake.

Now, to get the flowered - fireworks look, use a toothpick. Again, start in the center, put the toothpick into the icing (not into the cake) and drag to the edge. Repeat from the opposite side so the cake is "sliced" in half. Next, again from the center, divide each of those halfs in half, making the cake look like it has been quartered. Finally, still from the center, divide those quarters in half the same way.

OK, all the star points are pointed out. Time to make some pointed in. From the edge this time, position the toothpick in the icing between two of the "pointed out points". Drag that to the center. Work your way around the cake, until all of the "pointed out" lines have a "pointed in" line between them.

Lots of places in here where the kids can make a contribution with just a little supervision.

In the shadow of George Washington's nose, I can not tell a lie.

If this is something you want to make, Take the tips I gave you here and then visit Cleo's post (click HERE). LOTS of details, lots of photos, frosting tips and info that makes this look just as easy as it is.

And the kids loved doing this!

Thanks Cleo.

Come see some terrific ideas from the Holiday. There have been LOTS of submissions, just perfect for the HOT Holiday!

Watermelon Shark - The Great Faces of South Dakota

2011-07-08T05:02:00.000-05:00

How can you not love these faces...

Either set...

Our South Dakota adventure ended yesterday with a miserable 13 hour drive home. But before that, we had a great time!

We saw 8 of the greatest faces in the state!

4 in stone...
3 in smiles...

and one in watermelon!

We spent the week mostly eating out. But this was my contribution to the Fourth of July festival in Winner, SD (one of the great places) with 3 of those great faces of South Dakota!

There is only one small complicated part of getting this look.

Slice a big hunk out for the mouth, and then score a one inch area around each lip to form the teeth.

Slice a small bit off the bottom so the shark face sits flat.

Add some marbles (or block olives (sharks have black eyes) for eyes!

South Dakotans (South Dakotites???) are not known for using melon ballers, but we had enough teaspoon measuring spoons to make up for the preferred ball shape of the melon.

Busy hands made for quick work

And since 1/4 of the watermelon was taken up with the teeth presentation, someone had to deal with the left overs!

One other suggestion, the teeth are a little delicate. The zig zag carving is very easy, but save that part for just before serving. Lots of fingers going in and out of the mouth can knock a few teeth out.

But a few toothpicks fix everything!

The 8 GREAT Faces of South Dakota!

...

Redneck Cake - Beer Bread Pulled pork CAKE

2011-07-07T05:51:00.000-05:00

Beer...Good
Beer Bread...Good
Pulled Pork...Good
BBQ Sauce...Good
Provolone Cheese...Good
REDNECK CAKE... IT'S ALL GOOD

Last weekend, I made 35 pounds of pulled pork. When the dust settled, I ended up with about 6 pounds left over. While freezing is always an option. Pulled pork freezes very well, but I like to use up what I havebeforee moving on to new projects. So I enjoyed a few days of sandwiches, but then I knew what I wanted. My very favorite leftover meal...Redneck Cake.

As with all recipes, first thing to do is assemble the ingredients...

For the bread, you need...

1 bottle of Killian's Irish red Beer (any beer will work, I like Killian's
3 cups sifted flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon sea salt

and for the icing, you will need

8 cups loosely packed pulled pork
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/4 pound provolone cheese

And here's how to make it...

SIFT the Flour... Let me repeat, SIFT the flour. Beer bread is a very dense. If you do not sift the flour, this recipe will turn into a brick very fast.

Then combine all the dry ingredients and mix well before adding room temperature beer, and mix well.

Instead of pouring into a loaf pan, pour into a 9X13 casserole dish (spray with the canola oil spray, or butter and flour the bottom of the pan to keep from sticking). The goop will be about 1 inch thick.

Bake at 375 (preheated oven) for 50 minutes.

The bread needs to cool for about 15 minutes, while it is cooling, heat in a microwave 4 cups of loosely packed pulled pork. Before heating, add 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce. Heat away. A little tip, cover with a paper towel while heating, or your wife will have to clean out the microwave (or worse, you will).

4 cups of pulled pork covers half the cake. Repeat the process with the remaining 4 cups, and cover the rest of the cake.

Shave the provolone cheese and spread it evenly over the top.

This is a recipe for leftovers. If you don't have enough pork, make a thinner layer. Same for the cheese.

put it under the broiler for a few minutes till the cheese melts. I made two of these, as I have a church pot luck dinner for tomorrow. Beer bread pulled pork casserole vrs green bean french fried onion casserole... which would you pick?

BTW, The one with the extra cheese is mine... all mine...
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

And here's the finished product (and a chance to show off my chicken plates). Warms up great in a microwave.

And be sure to check out all the recipes I've posted at...

Heavenly Hash Banana Pecan EXTRA Gooey Chocolate Cake

2011-07-06T06:07:00.000-05:00

Now this is a cake!!!

OK, not one of those amazingly beautiful things I dream about decorating. Nothing you will see on "Cake Boss", but it does have a certain rustic beauty.

I mean look at all this stuff, and it's just on the outside...

Banana Slices

Pecans

Marshmallows

And a rich chocolate fudge drizzle!!!

And the inside is a moist chocolate dream...

Here's what I did...

4 Eggs
1 Cup (2 sticks) Butter softened
2 Cups Sugar
2 tablespoons baking Cocoa
1 1/2 Cups all purpose Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoons Salt
1 1/2 cups chopped Pecans

1/2 cup Pecans leave them whole
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1 - 10 ounce bag miniature marshmallows

2 bananas cut into thin slices

Rich Fudge Icing
1/2 cup (1 stick) Butter
1/4 cup baking Cocoa
1 pound Confectioner's Sugar
1/2 Cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla

For the cake, combine the eggs, butter, sugar, cocoa, flour, baking powder and salt and mix well
Stir in the chopped pecans
Pour into greased medium sized cake pan and small cake pan so you get that layered look.
Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Let stand to cool. Spread Marshmallows over the large cake and add the small one on top. Garnish the sides and top with whole pecans and banana slices, add more marshmallows to the top

For the Icing, combine the butter, baking cocoa, confectioner's sugar, cream and Vanilla in a bowl and mix well if needed, thin with 2% milk.
Drizzle the icing over the marshmallows

And you have one incredible cake!!!

And be sure to check out all the recipes I've posted at...

My Go to Bread Recipe for a Sweet French Loaf

2011-07-05T17:06:00.000-05:00

Whoo whoo, I get to bake!!!

In all seriousness, if I can do it... certainly you kitchen pros can take some flour, water, salt and sugar mix in a little yeast and make a stunningly beautiful looking, delightfully aromatic and deliciously tasting loaf of bread. I have had many cooking success stories, but to this day, the thrill of a home baked loaf of bread is my favorite kitchen experience.

I hear from a few of you every time I do a bread post that you are afraid of yeast. I understand, I've been there. But, it's a new year, it's an opportunity to try new things. So, to those half dozen or so of you bread baker want-to-be's... This post is for you...

Makes one 2-pound loaf or 2 1 pound loafs
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100º F)
1 tablespoons granulated yeast
1 tablespoons kosher or other coarse salt
4 cups all-purpose white flour (no need to sift)
2 1/2 TBS Sugar

Extra 1/4 cup Flour to aid in kneading
A brush of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
a pinch of Sea Salt

Mix the dry ingredients first. I like to do the mixing stage in a gallon size ziplock bag. I mix my bread in a Kitchenaid Mixer. I have also been successful mixing in a food processor. During my time on the island, when I didn't have any kitchen appliances, I did the mixing by hand..
Add the water and mix well. Be sure the water is warm, but not too hot. Anything above 110 degrees will kill the yeast before it gets a chance to do it's magic.
Now it's time to knead the bread. Keep the extra flour handy, as the dough at this stage is very wet. Knead for at least 10 minutes. You will need to add flour to get to a sticky, but not too sticky phase. With experience, you can feel and see the bread become hydrated. That is when the ingredients mix completely, and it is ready for a rest. I "knead" in the Kitchenaid at a medium-low setting for about 5 minutes. I do the last few minutes by hand to get the feel of the right consistency. Ready to add more flour if needed, or more water (in 1/2 teaspoon increments) if needed.
Modern Bread makers call it proofing, old timers call it rising. But whatever you want to call it, form the dough into a ball, coat with a bit of Olive Oil so the outside does not dry out, cover with a towel and let it rise for 2 to 3 hours. The dough will double in size in that time .
And now, it's time to punch the dough down, and orm the loaf
Punching the dough is exactly what it sounds like. The yeast releases gases. That is why the dough doubles in size. When you take a punch at the dough, the gases are released. The dough returns to it's original size. If you are dividing the dough, use a knife to cut the dough, instead of tearing.
You can make a round inverted bowl shape, or in this case, I made a loaf size. A little kneading is fine (it's just fun to knead), but no more than a minute or two.
If you press the dough out to a circle, even thickness, and roll it up, it forms a nice submarine shape.
Brush a little Oil on the outside of the bread and sprinkle a bit of coarse cut Sea Salt on the top.
Take a VERY sharp knife and cut slits onto the bread
I bake the bread (350 degrees) using a remote read thermometer, with the prob inserted into the center of the bread. The bread is done when it reaches an internal temp of 190 degrees. If you cook by time, it takes about 25 minutes if you are baking a loaf (long, thinner, like a submarine), or about 30 minutes if you are baking a bowl shape.
Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before cutting (this also evens out the cooking internally so the final loaf has no underdone dough spots).

For Jackie's toast, I brushed on some Truffle Olive Oil and rubbed a slice of garlic on each side. Pop in the oven until just starting to toast around the edges. Then topped with just a little bit of Pecorino Cheese. Similar in taste to Parmesan, but melts much better.

This recipe is for a French Bread. I do add a bit extra sugar to make a sweeter bread. .

And of course, regular readers know that I make this bread in memory of my friend who passed away in 2010.

Eng Bread. You know it, you love it, and it is nearly fool proof.

It's just a simple loaf of French Bread, with just a bit extra sugar. Very easy, very fast and tastes great. Go ahead make bread baking your Summer goal.
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