Super Sauce Free Steak

Good evening everyone! Sometimes, the "culinary world' just dictates which recipes we'll try in a given week. For example, as I perused my favorites spots for inspiration last weekend, I was finding little in the way new recipes. Digging a little deeper, I stumbled across a unique steak marinade featuring vegetable juice and vodka. I tabbed the page, essentially marking it as "come back to in the future". Further browsing into another source eventually lead me to ANOTHER steak marinade recipe featuring vodka, hot sauce and vegetable juice. That settled it - the culinary world was telling me to try this marinade, and I wasn't about to ignore that message.

So, armed with two "bloody mary" marinade recipes I combined the best parts of each and set out to try this idea on my own. Here's what I came up with: 

The Recipe: 'Bloody Mary' Steak 

What You'll Need: 

(Serves 2) 

1 Large Skirt Steak (1 - 1.5 Lbs) 

1 Cup Vegetable Juice 

1/2 Cup Vodka 

1 Teaspoon Hot Sauce 

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce 

2 Garlic Cloves (Crushed) 

Salt (Pinch)
Pepper (Pinch)


Begin by combining all of the ingredients in a large 1 gallon sealable bag or in a small glass dish with a lid. (I prefer the second option, as it makes for easier cleanup and it's easier to get the steak out when the marinating process is over). Mix the ingredients well until everything is evenly combined, then add the steak to the bag / dish and seal. Place the steak in the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours prior to cooking.

When you're ready to cook, remove the steak from the marinade and allow the excess to liquid to drip off the steak (don't pat the steak dry, however). Place the steak on a grill set to medium high heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, making sure to flip halfway through the cooking process. This method will produce a medium rare steak, for those who prefer things a little more done, add a few minutes per 'level' of doneness (3 more minutes for medium, 6 minutes for medium well - etc.)

Allow the steak to rest for 3 to 5 minutes before slicing it and serving. Enjoy!

The Results:

The best testament I can give to this recipe is that you don't need a steak sauce. The steak is so full of great flavor that a steak sauce would only mask what the marinade created - even those that THINK they HAVE to have a sauce with every steak may find themselves surprised. Flank steak on its own is a relatively underwhelming steak. It gets the job done, but it's not typically going to be the star of the dish. (Most flank steak recipes feature a sauce or side to help "pick up" the steak) With this marinade, the typically ho-hum flank steak shines with great, rich flavor. You have to try it to fully believe it, but this marinade is certainly one to keep close by for a summertime cookout.

That's all we have for you this evening. Maggie takes to the kitchen tomorrow night for a brand new recipe of her own, and we'll close out the week with a product review that may help those of you who aspire to be at home chefs, but feel like you can't cook enough to justify buying the fresh ingredients. Intrigued? You should be!

Until then,

~Cheers 

Delightful Delicious Cod Cakes

Good evening everyone!  It's always fascinating when one cooks to take an ingredient and mold it in such a way to make it familiar.  This is often done with fish and rightfully so.  If you are cooking for kids (and adults,) they recognize round patties and never think twice on what they are eating.  Tonight, I'm whipping up a batch of fish cakes that won't get confused with any kind of burger.

The Recipe:  Cod Cakes with Garlic-Basil Aioli
Original Recipe Found In:  America's Test Kitchen Simple Weeknight Favorites

What You'll Need:
1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup chopped fresh Basil
2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
1 Garlic clove, minced
1 Pound skinless Cod fillets, cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 Cups Panko Bread Crumbs
1 large Egg
2 Scallions, finely chopped
1/4 Cup Olive Oil

To start, place the mayonnaise, basil, lemon juice, and garlic in a food processor.  Blend these ingredients until everything is smooth and lightly green, no more than 20 seconds.  Transfer this mixture to a serving bowl and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Clean the aioli remnants out of the food processor and begin to prepare the cod.

Place half of the cod in the food processor and process until the cod pieces are finely minced, about six pulses.  Transfer the cod into a large mixing bowl and repeat the process with the other half of the cod.  Add the previously processed cod back to the food processor.  Next, add 3/4 cup panko, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, an egg, the scallions, and 3 tablespoons aioli.  Blend this mixture until all the ingredients are evenly mixed, between 10 to 15 pulses, depending on how well you want this mixture combined.

On a clean plate, place the remaining 3/4 cup panko and spread into a thin layer.  Reach into the food processor (with the blade out!) and form into 3 1/2 inch patties.  If there is any remaining liquid, gently squeeze out and reform the patties if necessary.  Lightly dredge the patty into the panko to adhere and place onto another plate.  Repeat this process until there are four patties.

Next, inn a nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium high heat, until about shimmering.  Add the patties to the skillet and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about four to five minutes.  After they have cooked on the one side, carefully flip the patties over and cook for another four to five minutes.  Serve with the remaining aioli and enjoy!

The End Result:

We've said it once, we'll say it again:  cod is such a versatile fish.  It will absorb from any other flavors, mask its fishy flavor, and leave you completely surprised.  Biting into the cakes, I didn't get any overwhelming fish flavor, but instead, I got a little crunch from the panko and from the scallions.  Using the food processor to blend all the ingredients together is brilliant, because you will end up with a lifeless blob (trust me, I tried it.)  The garlic basil aioli is actually a great take on a tartar sauce.  The basil might be a bit much for those who aren't used to that basil flavor.  But it's a great topping over these delightful little cakes!

Thanks for joining us this week.  Check back again next week as we continue to explore our culinary creativity.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Sweet Potatoes + Bacon = Perfect Hash

Good evening everyone! If we had to make a short list of our favorite ingredients to use in a recipe, sweet potatoes would certainly be among the finalists. The sweet root is versatile, easily adaptable to most dishes and can even act as a sweetener and thickener for other recipes. We’ve used sweet potatoes in about every way imaginable, we’ve mashed them, baked them, cooked them into soups, paired them with chorizo, put them in pies – you name it, we’ve tried it. Or so we thought.

Last week I came across an America’s Test Kitchen recipe that paired the orange root with an ingredient I had yet to try – bacon. Following the philosophy that everything tastes better with bacon, I decided to tackle this dish and expand our sweet potato horizons. It didn’t hurt that the “star” of the dish was a variant of a maple glazed pork chop, which we’ve tried before and know to be a fantastic end result.

The Recipe: Maple Pork Chops with Sweet Potato Bacon Hash

What You’ll Need:

(Serves 4)

1 ¼ Pounds Sweet Potatoes (Peeled, cut into ½ inch chunks)

6 Slices Bacon (Chopped fine)

4 Bone-In pork chops (1 inch thick, 8 ounces)*

2 Teaspoons Minced Fresh Thyme

½ Cup Maple Syrup

1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar

2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard

* We have a large supply of boneless, thin cut pork chops that we use for most of our pork chop recipes. The instructions below are for the thicker cut chop (we’re adapting for our smaller chops, but leaving the recipe original).

Begin by placing the sweet potato in a large bowl and cover with a microwave safe lid (or use a microwave safe plate as the lid  if you don’t have a lid). Microwave for 4 to 7 minutes on high until the sweet potatoes are soft. Meanwhile, add the bacon to a large (12 inch) non stick skillet and cook over medium high heat until the bacon is golden brown. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a paper towel lined plate. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the bacon fact from the skillet before wiping it clean with a paper towel.

Pat the pork chops dry with a paper towel and lightly season them with salt and pepper. Score the outer surface of the pork chops lightly with a knife (this prevents the chop from ‘curling’ during cooking). Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved bacon fat to the same skillet you used before and bring it up to temperature over medium high heat. Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook for 4 minutes per side, or until the chops are golden brown and cooked through. Transfer the chops to plate and loosely tent with aluminum foil. Set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of bacon fat to the same skillet you’ve been using all along and set the temperature to medium. Add the sweet potatoes to the skillet and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they become slightly crispy and browned. Once browned, stir in the bacon and thyme and season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer this mixture to a serving bowl.

Finally, add the maple syrup, vinegar and mustard to the skillet (yes, the very same one we’ve been using all night) and cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens (make sure to stir occasionally to prevent sticking). Return the pork chops to the skillet and rotate the chops in the mixture for 2 minutes (flipping every 30 seconds or so) until the glaze begins to stick to the chops. Serve with the potato / bacon hash and enjoy!

The Results:

As I mentioned in the open, we’ve cooked a variant of this maple glazed pork chop before (it was actually our first ‘return’ to cooking with pork) so we knew the flavors here were going to be great. (Spoiler: it was)

The pork chop was great, but the sweet potato hash was something special. The perfect blend of the sweet potatoes with the rich, salty flavors of the bacon was one of those “wow!” moments of home cooking. The two ingredients blend so well, it’s hard to believe bacon / sweet potatoes aren’t mandated partners in every recipe. Okay, that may be overdoing it – but I want to convey just how good these two are together. This certainly won’t be the last time we combine these two ingredients! Do yourself a favor and give this a try at home (Oh, and at 300 calories per serving it’s easy on the diet too!)

That’s all we have for you this evening. Stop back tomorrow night for Maggie’s brand new recipe! Until then,

~Cheers

Grilling with Fruit, Take Two

Good evening everyone!  Since we have a grill, it's been delightful trying new ingredients to put on the grill to see if they stand up to the test.  So far, those ingredients haven't let us down, which is a good thing.  Tonight, we throw another ingredient on the grill, with another slice of meat heaven, to produce one sweet and savory dish.

The Recipe:  Grilled Pork and Mango with Rum Sauce
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, August 2013

What You'll Need:
1 Tablespoon Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
2 Tablespoons fresh Lime Juice, divided
1 1/2 Teaspoons Canola Oil, divided
1 (1 Pound) Pork Tenderloin, trimmed
2 ripe Mangos
1/4 Cup packed Dark Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup golden Rum
2 Teaspoons unsalted Butter
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt

In a medium bowl, combine the jerk seasoning, one tablespoon lime juice, and one teaspoon oil.  Mix these ingredients until well combined.  Place the tenderloins on a plate and drizzle the seasoning mixture over the pork.  Rub the seasoning over the meat until everything is well coated on both sides.  Set the plate aside.  Next, peel the mangos and cut into 1/2 inch slices.  Place these slices on another plate.  Drizzle with 1/2 teaspoon of oil until all sides of the cut mango are coated with oil. 

Preheat a grill to medium high heat.  Add the pork to the grill and cook for four minutes on each side, or until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees.  Take the pork off the grill and add the mango slices.  Cook for three minutes on each side, until grill marks are visible and some of the natural juice starts to come out.  Take the mango slices off the grill.

Next, on a stovetop, combine the brown sugar, rum, butter, and salt in a small saucepan.  Bring this mixture to a boil, which should take about two minutes (or shorter!)  Reduce the heat and simmer for four minutes or until thickened.  Stir in one tablespoon of lime juice to combine.  Drizzle the sauce over the pork and mangos, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

I expected the pork to have some out-there flavor, or have a kick of super spice, but it actually tasted very mild.  Granted the jerk seasoning has a whole lot of different flavor elements, the lime juice and the oil seemed to subdue that flavor.  Grilling the pork with that seasoned mixture was the ideal way to cook it.  The grilled mangos are quite flavorful too, although you want to be sure that you have ripe mangos, because it will make for one very chewy fruit.  The rum sauce was quite the show stopper.  Obviously, cooking the mixture to remove any of the booziness from the rum is a wise decision, but the flavor that is left behind is sweet, almost kind of nutty.  But it's perfect for this unique dish!

Thanks for joining us this week!  We will back next week, hopefully not melted, with brand new dishes for you to try at home.  Until then,

~Cheers!

The Magical (Flavor) Qualities of Pine Nuts

Good evening everyone! If you do any type of at home cooking (which, seeing as you're presently reading a cooking blog, I'd assume you'd at least dabble in) you've likely come across a recipe or two featuring pine nuts. These tasty little morsels are the main ingredient in many pesto recipes and feature as a key component in a lot of different breading dishes as well. Their flavorful, easy to work with and readily available at almost any grocery store. Their one drawback?

Those little suckers are expensive!

Our local grocery stores sell pine nuts in 4 ounce jars for $6.99. That usually results in me standing, staring at the shelf while I mumble something about checking into a career growing pine nuts, because that's clearly where the money is. I've never been able to justify $7 for such a small quantity of something, so we've used pine nuts VERY sparingly on the blog.

Enter: Trader Joes. Our newest grocery store of choice not only carries pine nuts, but they sell them in 8 ounce bags for - $6.99. Yup, twice the quantity, same price. They're still expensive, but with the small amount of pine nuts that most recipes call for, an 8 ounce bag will last you a good while.

Armed with our cost effective pine nuts, our blog will be an unstoppable culinary force!

Or...we will have some new recipes to dabble in. Same thing.


The Recipe: Pine Nut and Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Original Recipe Found In: America's Test Kitchen: Simple Weeknight Favorites

What You'll Need: 

(Serves 4) 

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts (Trimmed of excess fat) 

1/3 Cup Panko Bread Crumbs 

1/3 Cup Toasted Pine Nuts 

1/3 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 

3 Garlic Cloves (Minced) 

3 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

1/4 Cup Light Mayonnaise 

1/2 Cup Chopped Fresh Basil 

Begin by preheating your oven to 450 degrees and spraying a large rimmed baking sheet with non stick spray. 

The original recipe calls for you to toss the pine nuts, bread crumbs, oil, cheese, garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a medium bowl until everything is homogenous. I found it was much easier to add all of the ingredients into a small food processor and simply pulse for 4 to 6 seconds until the mixture was blended nicely. This creates a more even breading as well (no large pine nut chunks or spaces where some ingredients don't appear). 

Next, combine the light mayo in a bowl with the basil. Stir until evenly blended. Pat you chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, then spread an even coating of the basil / mayo mixture over each breast (just the top). You don't need much, just a thin layer will suffice. This spread will both add flavor to the chicken breast and act as a 'food glue' to keep the breading in place. 

Speaking of the breading - it's time to spread it on! Set your chicken breasts on the baking sheet and then simply sprinkle the  mixture across all of the breasts, making sure to work it into any crevices of the chicken and making sure all the sides are covered (again, focus mainly on the top and do not bread the bottom).  

Once each breast is evenly covered, pop the baking sheet into the oven and let the chicken cook for 18 to 22 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Serve with a side of green beans or other veggie and enjoy! 

The Results: 

This dish hits all of the 'must haves' when it comes to weeknight cooking. Flavorful? Check - the panko / pine nut breading creates a beautiful crunchy crust that blends great with the juicy chicken and surprisingly fresh basil spread. Quick and easy? Check - at roughly 30 minutes start to finish, this dish can go from concept to reality in time to feed a hungry family (or just a family of one). Healthy? Check - at just under 350 calories per serving, this dish will deliver on the flavor while keeping your healthy eating goals a reality. This dish is a must try! 

That's all we have for you this evening, we're back tomorrow night with Maggie's turn in the kitchen. Until then, 

~Cheers 

Wrapped Chicken Yields Super Delicious Results

Good evening everyone!  As Tyler mentioned earlier this week, sometimes we share simple recipes that are easily duplicated.  While elaborate recipes are mighty tasty and worth the extra effort, a quick recipe that looks simple enough can surprise with an outstanding flavor.  Tonight, I present to you a dish that fits those qualifiers and will make you want more.

The Recipe:  Prosciutto Pesto Chicken
Original Recipe Found In:  Grill This, Not That

What You'll Need:
4 boneless, skinless Chicken Thighs
1/2 Cup fresh Goat Cheese
2 Tablespoons store-bought Pesto
4 thin slices Prosciutto

To start, place the goat cheese on a clean plate.  Let the cheese soften at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, or until it is easy to spread.  Add the pesto and combine until well mixed.  Set this mixture aside.  Now, if you like the freshness of just prepared pesto, you are more than welcome to create this palate pleaser.  But, if you want a quick mix, store-bought pesto is your best bet.  Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between freshly prepared and store-bought pesto.  The choice is yours!

Next, preheat a grill to medium-high heat.  On another clean plate, season the chicken with salt and pepper.  On the underside of the chicken, place a line of the pesto/cheese mixture down the middle.  It's just as easy to spread the entire mixture over the chicken, but, just so nothing runs out while cooking, stick to the middle.  Wrap each piece of chicken with a slice of prosciutto until snug.  If one piece of prosciutto doesn't fit, another piece or two won't harm the chicken.

After the chicken is wrapped in prosciutto, place each piece of chicken on the grill.  Cook on four minutes on each side, until the prosciutto is crispy and browned.  Be careful when flipping the chicken, because it might want to separate from the chicken.  Place the chicken on a serving plate and enjoy!

The End Result:

The chicken remains super moist around the coat of the prosciutto.  Four minutes on each side is a perfect amount of cooking time.  But of course, 160 degrees is the cooked time for the chicken, if you want to be safe.  The pesto and the cheese combination is something I've never tasted before.  The pesto will be the predominant flavor, which cheese playing second fiddle, but a creamier, herby flavor is not to be missed.  And finally, the prosciutto keeps all these flavors encased is a salty wrap.  The prosciutto almost tastes like bacon, but has a deeper flavor to it.  Overall, these are tasty little chicken numbers that are so easy to create, it'll become your next weeknight dinner!

Thanks for joining us this week.  We'll continue on our culinary journey next week with brand new recipes to share with you.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Simple Yet Savory Steak

Good evening everyone! If you're a regular watcher of any cooking related TV shows ('Chopped', 'Iron Chef America', 'Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives' or the like) you've likely seen more than a few interesting culinary trends when it comes to cooking the classic steak. I tackled one of those trends a couple of weeks ago, and this week I'm looking to take on another.

Whether it's in a high end restaurant or a small diner along the roadside, chances are if someone is cooking up a high quality steak, they're topping it with a butter infused sauce or simply topping it with butter by itself. At first this seems a bit odd, why top a perfectly good steak with a rich fat like butter? The answer is surprisingly simple, the butter becomes a beautiful glaze that adds just a bit of richness to the hearty steak. Even better, you can infuse butter with other flavors, such as garlic and onion, to further enchance the steak's flavor. The key to using a butter sauce, like anything in the culinary world, is moderation. Too much butter and you'll overwhelm the final dish.

With a bit of the background out of the way, let's get to cooking our own butter enhanced steak!

The Recipe: Grilled Steak with Vegetables and Lemon Herb Butter
Original Recipe Found In: Food Network Magazine (July, August 2013)

What You'll Need:
(Serves 4)

1.5 Pounds Sirloin Steak (About 1 inch thick)
1 Red Onion (Sliced into 1/2 inch rings)
2 Large Zucchini (Cut diagonally into 3/4 inch slices)
1/2 Cup BBQ Sauce (Your choice, we have recipes HERE & HERE)
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter (Room temperature)
2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley (Chopped)
1/2 Teaspoon Lemon Zest

Preheat your grill to medium high heat.

Meanwhile, add the steaks, zucchini, onion, BBQ sauce, worcestershire sauce, chili powder and a pinch of salt and pepper into a large bowl. Toss everything until all the ingredients are evenly covered. Let everything rest for 5 minutes to allow the marinade to settle in.

While your steaks are resting, mash the butter with the parsley and lemon zest. (A fork works well here). Set this mixture aside.

Remove your steaks from the bowl and transfer them to the grill. Transfer your vegetables to a grill basket and add them to the grill as well. Cook the steaks for 4 to 5 minutes per side (for medium) and then move them to a cutting board and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.

Leave the vegetables on the grill for another few minutes (making sure to toss / stir them every couple of minutes) until they're nice and crispy.

Slice the steaks into a few pieces and top with the lemon herb butter. Serve with the vegetables and enjoy!


The Results:

True to the concept, the lemon herb butter adds just a touch of richness to the steak without overwhelming the flavor. The grilled vegetables complimented the steak beautifully (you really can't top fresh veggies off the grill) and the BBQ sauce 'marinade' ties everything together remarkably well. The best part is that this entire dish clocks in just under 330 calories. Low calorie and full of flavor, that's a win - win recipe!

That's all we have for you this evening. Maggie takes to the kitchen Thursday night with a brand new recipe of her own. Until then,

~Cheers

I Swear, I'm Almost Out of Burger Recipes

Good evening everyone!  As much as I love burgers and all the different variants between the kinds of meat and toppings, I realize that some of our followers are probably burnt out on all the burger recipes we've shared.  But since we went three and a half years without a grill, I'm bound to make up for lost time.  Tonight's burger recipe is quite a unique one, but also has every component to make a great American burger.

The Recipe:  New England Turkey Burger
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, July 2013

What You'll Need:
(Serves 4)

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Cups thinly sliced Onion
3/4 Cup Samuel Adams Summer Ale
1 Pound ground Turkey
1.5 Ounces reduced-fat Vermont White Cheddar Cheese, shaved
4 Teaspoons Canola Mayonnaise
2 Teaspoons Whole-Grain Mustard
4 Whole Wheat Hamburger Buns

To start, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Once the pan is heated, add the oil and swirl to coat.  Once the oil is heated, add the sliced onion and cook until the onions are tender and slightly translucent, about seven minutes.  After the onions are cooked, slowly add the beer to the skillet.  Bring the heat of the skillet to a medium-high heat.  Once at a boil, reduce the heat of the skillet to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the onions are golden and the liquid is nearly evaporated.  Stir occasionally to prevent the onions from sticking to the pan.  Remove the skillet from the heat and cover with a lid.

Next, preheat a grill to medium-high heat and clean with a grill brush once the grill is heated.  In a large mixing bowl, lightly toss the ground turkey to get it at a consistent mixture.  Remove 1/4 cup of onion from the skillet and finely chop the onion.  In the mixing bowl, stir the turkey and onion together until everything is well combined.  Divide the mixture into four equal parts and shape until the patties 1/2-inch thick.  Press a thumb-sized indentation in the center of each patty and season with salt and pepper.  Once the grill is heated, place each of the turkey patties in the grill.  Cook for five to eight minutes on each side.  On the second size, place a slice of the cheddar cheese on each patty.  Grill until the cheese is melted, about one minute.  By now, the turkey patties should be fully cooked, about 165 degrees.

While the burgers are cooking, combine the mayonnaise and mustard in a small bowl.  Spread the mixture evenly on the bottom half of each bun, along with the cooked burger, and reserved onions.  Top with the other halves of the buns, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

There are so many different flavor notes that are in this burger.  Immediately, the tang from the whole-grain mustard hits your tongue.  Although the mayonnaise cuts out almost all of the sharpness from the mustard, you can still taste it and it is delectable.  The sweetness of the caramelized onions is also very pronounced, but again, it definitely adds to this well-rounded dish.  The turkey meat isn't too heavy for the pallet (or the gut), and when cooked right, it can be very juicy.  If you want, adding a leaf or two of lettuce and a slice of tomato will only enhance the deliciousness of this burger.

That's all we have for you this evening.  Most of you will have a day off tomorrow (and possibly a long weekend.)  Enjoy our nation's holiday and remember to be safe!  Join us next week as we continue our culinary adventures.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Fish Tacos Meet a Unique Sauce

Good evening everyone! We're back after a bit of an unplanned hiatus. Maggie's birthday was last week and we took a few vacation days to celebrate. We had planned on returning to the blog on Thursday and Friday for our new recipes, but later in the week I came down with a bit of a bug (cold, sinus type thing) and that basically shut down any aspirations of cooking for the week.

One week later, we're healthy once again and ready to return to cooking. With the 4th of July nearly upon us, grilling season is in full bloom and the "grilling super bowl" is on our doorstep. Tonight's dish is a great option for those who want to grill out a nice, fresh evening meal, but don't want to rely on the usual grilling staples of burgers and hot dogs. Let's get cooking!

The Recipe: Grilled Fish Tacos with Tequila Lime Crema
Original Recipe Found On: Cacique.com

What You'll Need:
(Serves 4)

2 Tilapia Fillets
Corn tortillas (warmed)

(For the rub)

4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon Cumin
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

(For the tequila lime crema)

1 Cup Crema Mexicana*
Juice from 1 Lime
1/4 Premium Tequila
1 Teaspoon Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper

*Crema Mexicana is essentially Mexican sour cream. You may not find something labeled exactly the same, but if you search out a sour cream that lists heavy cream as an ingredient, you've effectively found the same thing. Crema Mexican is a rich, creamy sour cream that doesn't have as much bite as traditional sour cream - even a mild sour cream would do well as a substitute for this recipe.

Begin by combining all of the rub ingredients together in a small bowl. Pat your fillets dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture before rubbing each fillet thoroughly in the spice mixture. Make sure each fillet is coated evenly and that all crevices are cracks have been covered by the rub. Place the fillets on a plate and store them in the regrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes prior to cooking. This gives the rub time to penetrate into the fillets, making sure this delicious flavor is present in every last bite of the final dish.

While your fillets are marinating, you can began preparing the tequila lime crema. In a small blender, combine all of the ingredients for the crema and pulse until everything is evenly blended and the mixture is smooth. Store the mixture in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve. You can prepare this sauce up to 24 hours in advance if you'd prefer.

Once your fillets have marinated for at least 20 minutes, preheat your grill and oil the grates. Place the fillets directly over the heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side, or until the fish is cooked through and the meat is opaque and flaky.

Remove the fillets from the grill and thinly slice them. Serve on the warmed tortillas with a helping of the crema and other taco toppings such as fresh salsa, cabbage and red onion. Enjoy!


The Results:

The appeal of this dish, for me, was the tequila lime crema. I was intrigued to try such a unique sauce alongside the traditional 'hot and spicy' fish taco. The crema didn't disappoint, the mild sour cream becomes a great base (and neutralizer) for the bite of the tequila, and combined the two create a fresh, citrus sauce that compliments the heat of the tilapia fillets very nicely. We topped our tacos with fresh salsa, finishing the fresh, bright flavor profile of this dish. If you're in the market for something a little more fulfilling than the standard burger fare, these delicious little tacos are worth a shot!

(No photo tonight, we had a series of technical difficulties that kept us from posting pics...sorry!)

That's all we have for you tonight, stop by tomorrow night to see what Maggie has cooking. Until then,

~Cheers

Mango Marinade Makes for a Marvelous Meal

Good evening everyone! We’re one day away from it “officially” being summer, but the weather in the greater Midwest has already taken a turn for the hot. While I’m not a big fan of hot weather, the warmer days do signal the return of some things I greatly enjoy – including tropical fruits that tend to make their best appearances in the summertime. One particular favorite of mine is the mango. We’ve used mango as an ingredient in previous recipes, and have even featured how to cut, slice and clean your very own mango. It’s somewhat surprising that I’ve never tried using this bright citrus in a marinade, since its flavors lend so well to grill season. Well, that trend ends tonight. Mangoes make it to the grill!

The Recipe: Mango Grill Chicken

Recipe (Heavily) Adapted From: Food Network Magazine, July 2012 Issue

What You’ll Need:

(Serves 4)

2 Mangoes, cleaned and diced (alternatively, buy a package of mango chunks from your grocer – it’s easier)

4 Bone in, skin-on chicken breasts

1 Cup Fresh Cilantro (stems, leaves  and all)

4 Tablespoons Chipotle Based Salsa

*The original version of this recipe appears in the July / August 2012 issue of Food Network Magazine as “Chipotle Mango Chicken with Chimichurri” and it differs greatly from the version I’m writing about tonight. I gave credit to the recipe for “inspiring” tonight’s dish, but if you want to try the original, understand it will be vastly different from what I’m sharing.

In a large food processor, add the mango, cilantro and chipotle based salsa (it doesn’t really matter what kind of salsa, just as long as it is tomato based and lists chipotle as it’s main pepper. You can increase or decrease the heat to your liking by choosing varying levels of salsa heat). Pulse the mixture until everything becomes a nice puree (there will be some chunks left behind, and that’s okay, but make sure the pieces are fairly small).

Pat your chicken breasts dry with a paper towel, then work about 1 tablespoon of the marinade under the skin of each chicken breasts. Next, scoop between three to four heaping tablespoons of the marinade into a plastic sealable baggy (repeat for each chicken breast you’re cooking). Place one breast into each bag, seal tightly, then jumble and jostle the chicken around until it is evenly coated in the marinade. Store the chicken in the baggies, in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours. It works best if you make this before you leave for work in the morning and let the little buggers marinate all day until you come home.

Next, preheat your grill to 350-400 degrees. Lightly oil the grates and place the chicken, skin side up, on the grates (directly over the heat) Cook for 5 minutes before turning the breasts (skin side now down) and allowing them to cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes. Leaving the skin side down for so long is sacrilege to many ‘chicken skin aficionados’, but by doing this you’ll create a great crispy skin that crackles after you’ve pulled it off the grill. This skin almost becomes one with the marinade and produces a nice, lightly crispy exterior full of marinade flavor while allowing most of the fat to burn off on the direct heat.  

Check your chicken to make sure it registers 165 degrees at the thickest part of the breast. If not, turn it once more (skin side up) and allow it to cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes, or until you reach the target temperature. Remove from the grill and serve immediately!

The Results

It’s a rare feat to create a BBQ style chicken, fresh off the grill, that doesn’t need BBQ sauce. This recipe manages to do just that. The chicken is moist and full of flavor, thanks to an all day session with the marinade – which is OUTSTANDING! The slight heat of the chipotle blends beautifully with the sweetness from the mango and everything is tied together wonderfully with the fresh undertones of cilantro. This dish is simple, looks great off the grill and is full of delicious flavor. That’s a win, win, win situation! Give this one a try at your next summer cookout – it’s sure to be a favorite.

That’s all we have for you this week. We’re back next week with two brand new recipes. Until then,

~Cheers

The Classic Tale of Pork and Fruit

Good evening everyone!  With grilling, the possibilities are endless.  It's great to know that cooking some variation of meat with a vegetable (or fruit,) will yield you with tasty end product that has a great smokey flavor to it that you wouldn't normally get with a dish cooked from an oven.  With that, tonight's dish has all those great qualities that you expect from a grilled dish, plus incorporating a new ingredient makes tonight's recipe all that more great.

The Recipe:  Grilled Pork Chops with Nectarines
Original Recipe Found In:  Cooking Light, June 2013

What You'll Need:
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Thyme
3 1/2 Tablespoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, divided
2 Teaspoons minced Garlic
4 (6 ounce) bone-in center-cut Pork Chops
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Black Pepper
2 ripe Nectarines
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
1/4 Teaspoon ground Cumin
1/8 Teaspoon ground Red Pepper
4 Teaspoons Mascarpone Cheese

To start, preheat a grill to medium-high heat.  Once the grill begins to warm up, you can prepare the pork chops.  In a small bowl, combine the thyme, one tablespoon olive oil, and garlic; mix these ingredients until well-combined.  Place the pork chops on a clean plate and rub the oil mixture evenly over the pork chops until they are completely covered in the oil mixture.  Once the pork chops are seasoned, sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Once the grill is heated, place the pork chops directly on the grill rack.  Grill the pork chops for three to five minutes on each side, depending on desired degree of doneness and thickness of the chop.  We like to cook our meat until it is well done, with a little hint of pink.  Alternatively, you can cook it until the pork is at a cooked temperature, which is 145 degrees.  Once cooked, transfer the pork chops to a clean plate, cover with aluminum foil, and let stand for 10 minutes.

While the pork stands, transfer the nectarines to a clean plate.  Cut these in half and discard the pits.  In a small bowl, combine the sugar, remaining 1/2 teaspoon of oil, cumin, and red pepper until well mixed.  Rub the sugar mixture evenly over the cut halves of the nectarines.  Immediately transfer over to a grill.  Grill the nectarines for two to three minutes on each side or until tender.  Transfer the nectarines back to a clean plate and let cool.  Once cooled, cut the nectarines in wedges and serve with mascarpone cheese.  Serve the nectarines with the pork chops and enjoy!

The End Result:

The pork tastes great rubbed in olive oil, garlic, and thyme.  It creates a delicious flavor that is only enhanced by the grill.  Letting the pork stand keeps all those juices in the meat and gives it a really juicy texture.  The nectarines were also enhanced by the grill.  You can barely taste the sugar mixture that was rubbed before the grill, but by using the grill, it made the nectarines super tender, almost melt-in-your-mouth quality.  The nectarines also offset the pure power of the garlic and thyme in the pork, so it's a must have when cooking this dish.  

Thanks for joining us tonight.  Check back later this week when Tyler presents a brand new dish.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Marvelous Mahi-Mahi

Good evening everyone! We've often discussed how much we enjoy cooking with the ubiquitous 'white fish'. This generic term applies to a wide swath of the fish 'genre', including cod, halibut, swordfish, perch and much more. It came as a bit of a surprise, given how much we enjoy using white fish fillets, that we had not combined our summertime cooking method of choice (grilling) with our fondness for fish. Well, tonight that (culinary) atrocity ends!


The Recipe: Beer Marinaded Mahi-Mahi
Original Recipe From: Time To Grill (Weber Grill e-book)

What You'll Need:
(Serves 2)

1 Cup Beer
1 Medium jalapeños (Sliced thin)
3 Tablespoons Lime Juice
2 Boneless, Skinless Mahi-Mahi fillets


In a glass baking dish (preferably one that has a lid), combine the beer (you can use any variety you like - we opted to use Summit's extra pale ale - because it's one of the beers we had in the fridge...plus, you get to drink the 'extra' while you're preparing the recipe. Life's too short to use crummy beer, even if it's for a marinade) jalapeños and lime juice. Add the fillets, making sure to cover them as well as you can in the marinade. Cover the baking dish and allow the fillets to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes, making sure to turn them halfway through.

It's important to stick to that 15 minute marinade time, as the acidic lime juice will actual begin "cooking" the fish after 15 minutes - obviously leading to a dryer than desired fillet.

Remove the fillets from the marinade (discard the marinade) and season them lightly with salt and pepper. On a clean, preheated (400-450 degrees) grill, add the fillets and cook for 8 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Make sure the fillets have are nice and flaky before removing them from the grill by lightly prodding them with a metal spatula or fork.

Transfer the fillets to your serving platter and enjoy! These fillets pair nicely with a green veggie (brean beans or asparagus are the best choices). Since we were already using the grill, we opted to toss some asparagus in olive oil, sprinkle it with salt and grill it alongside the fillets (8 to 10 minutes). But the side dish is up to your personal preference!


The Results:

Delicious! The mahi-mahi was incredibly tender and juicy thanks in part to the marinade. The fish picked up a very small hint of heat from the jalapeños (slight - not enough to deter even those who HATE heat in their food) but was otherwise unaffected (flavor wise) from the marinade. In this case, that's a good thing as mahi-mahi has great flavor on its own. Clocking in at just under 150 calories, this delicious dish is PERFECT for summertime. Give it a shot today!


That's all we have for you this evening. Stop in later this week as Maggie takes to the kitchen with a brand new recipe, featuring a brand new ingredient! Until then,

~Cheers

On The Sweeter Side

Hello again everyone! One of the perks of summertime cooking is the ability to grill fruit. If you've never tried a pineapple slice or watermelon chunk on the grill, you really should give it a shot. The natural sugars of the fruit caramelize, greatly intensifying the fruit's natural sweetness.

 As I mentioned in last week's post, we had a big grill out over the Memorial Day weekend. One of the dishes we tried involved grilling up pineapple slices and combining them with frozen yogurt. Intrigued? You should be!

The Recipe: Caramelized Pineapple Fro-Yo

What You'll Need:

1 Pineapple (Cored, peeled, sliced into rounds)
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon
Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Next, dip each pineapple slice into the brown sugar / cinnamon mixture. Make sure each slice has an even coating of the mixture before transferring them to a plate. Allow the slices to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before adding them to the grill.

Cover 1/2 of the grill with aluminum foil, and bring the temperature to 350 degrees. Add the pineapple slices to the foil and allow them to cook for 5 minutes per side. This allows the brown sugar to caramelize, creating a thick, sticky glaze on the pineapple. After both sides of the pineapple have been coated in this lovely glaze, transfer the slices directly onto the grates for 1 minute per side. This creates the great char lines on the pineapple slice and adds a little more depth to the final flavors.

Once charred, remove the pineapple from the grill and dice it into smaller pieces. Scoop a few pieces of the pineapple into the bottom of a bowl, top with vanilla frozen yogurt and scoop a few slices of pineapple on top of the frozen yogurt. Serve and enjoy!


The Results:

This is one sweet little treat! Pineapple is already packed with natural sugars, so caramelized pineapple is predictably sweet. (That's a subtle way of warning you that a little of this dish is better than a lot - good things come in small serving sizes). But warm pineapple blended with cool vanilla frozen yogurt is one of summertime's most simple and decadent flavors. The next time you're firing up the grill, throw a few slices of pineapple on there and give this dessert a try for yourself.

Go a Bit on the Wild Side

Good evening everyone!  As we've mentioned here on the blog before that using a grill can transform a simple dish to something extraordinary.  We've done the grill trick for quite a few recipes already (and I'm sure we'll have more up our sleeve in the next coming months.)  Tonight, I'll take a type of meat that is ranked in the "non-traditional American" sense, but give it the grill technique and it's something completely different.

The Recipe:  Lamb with Tzatziki Sauce
Original Recipe Found In:  Eat This, Not That No-Diet Diet

What You'll Need:
1 Cucumber; peeled, halved, and seeded
1 Cup plain Greek Yogurt
Juice of 1 Lemon (about three tablespoons)
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, finely minced
2 Teaspoons fresh Dill
4 loin or shoulder Lamb Chops (about four ounces each)

To start, preheat a grill to medium-high temperature.  Once the grill begins to warm, make the Tzatziki sauce:  using a cheese grater, grate the cucumber halves into small pieces.  Once the cucumber is grated, wring out the excess liquid from the cucumber.  This can be done by squeezing the cucumber to the inside of the bowl and pouring the excess liquid into a sink.  Keep wringing out the cucumber until it is barely moist.  Next, in a medium mixing bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, one tablespoon of olive oil, garlic, dill, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Mix all these ingredients until well combined, then set aside.

By the time the sauce is made, the grill will be ready to use.  On a clean plate, rub the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on the lamb chops and season with salt and pepper.  Once seasoned, lay the chops on the grill; cook them on five to six minutes on each side.  Using a meat thermometer, insert into the thickest part of the chop.  Once it reads 135 degrees, they are medium to well done.  Place the lamb chops on a serving plate, serve with the Tzatziki sauce, and enjoy!

The End Result:

Now, admittedly, not everyone is a fan of lamb.  I wasn't a fan until about ten years ago until I had my first gyro, and I had my reservations when someone told me that I was eating meat from a cute and fuzzy animal.  But I think grilling the lamb chops, like they were a piece of steak or a pork chop, would help those who are nervous about trying lamb.  The coat of olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, doesn't particularly enhance anything about the meat, but it gives an even playing field for the way its prepared.  The true winner of this dish is definitely the Tzatziki sauce.  There is something so incredibly fresh about this sauce and how well it pairs with lamb that cannot be missed.  You would think that one ingredient would stand out amongst the others, but everything works so well together that it's not hard to miss.  If you haven't tried lamb, I would recommend that this be the recipe to start enjoying this great grilled meat.

We didn't forget our dessert recipe!  It might have been a week, but we will showcase this fantastic dish.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Baked Beans Take Center Stage

Good evening everyone! Tonight we're taking a look at the unsung heroes of the grilling season - the side dishes. From veggies, to fruit to the classic beans, side dishes can really enhance the final meal. Traditional banked beans are sort of a ho-hum affair, but the recipe we're trying tonight puts a unique spin on the classic side. These aren't your father's baked beans.

The Recipe: Tuscan Stovetop Baked Beans
Original Recipe Found In: Food Network Magazine June 2013 Issue

What You'll Need
(Serves 8)

1/2 Pound Thick Cut Pancetta (Diced)
1 Medium Onion (Diced)
1 Stalk Celery (Diced)
1 Large Carrot (Diced)
1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
4 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
3/4 Cup Dry White Wine
4 x 15 Ounce Cans Great Northern Beans (Drained, Rinsed)
15 Ounces Canned Crushed Tomatoes
2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 Tablespoon Fresh Lemon juice
1/2 Cup Shaved Parmesan Cheese


Begin by placing a large dutch oven over medium high heat and add the pancetta. Cook, stirring occasionally until the pancetta is crisp and lightly browned. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and transfer the pieces to a plated lined with a paper towel. Leaving the grease in the dutch oven, add the carrot, onion and celery along with the italian seasoning and the red pepper flakes.

Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened - this takes about 8 to 10 minutes. Next, add a dash of salt and pepper and the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add the white wine and deglaze the pan, working off any browned on bits from the bottom of the dutch oven. Allow the mixture to simmer until it reduces by half, then add the beans, tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir well and allow the mixture to simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir in the lemon juice and return the pancetta to the dutch oven.

Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and top with the parmesan cheese - serve and enjoy!

The Results:

Baked beans are a staple of summertime cookouts - but the traditional canned variety can be a bit bland and underwhelming. This recipe is essentially pork and beans, but kicked up to a whole new level of flavor. The pancetta adds a great, salty "bacon-like" flavor to the beans which are not as heavy as their canned cousins due to the chicken broth / white wine base. Paired with a good burger or pork chop - these beans will really shine.

That's all we have for you this evening, but be sure to stop back each night this week as we'll be featuring a brand new mini-recipe (plus Maggie has a full fledged recipe of her own). Until tomorrow,

~Cheers

Not Your Average Burger

Good evening everyone!  During this grilling season, there's a whole variety of foods and types of meats to lay out on the grill and cook.  While this is a great way to enjoy any kind of food (not only not heating up the house on those super hot days,) repeating the same meats over and over again could get somewhat bland.  Tonight, I'm creating a very unique burger that your pallet won't soon forget.

The Recipe:  Sausage Burgers with Sriracha-Honey-Mustard Sauce
Original Recipe Found In:  Food & Wine Magazine, June 2013

What You'll Need:
(Serves 8)
1 1/2 Pounds Ground Pork
1 1/2 Pounds Sweet and Hot Italian Sausage, casings removed
1/4 Cup Honey
3 Tablespoons Sriracha sauce
1/4 Cup Dijon Mustard
1/4 Cup Whole-Grain Mustard
8 Whole Wheat Burger Buns, split and toasted

To start, mix the ground pork and the sausage meat in a large bowl until well combined.  If the sausage still remains in bits of pre-formed sausage, throw them in a food processor to get into smaller pieces.  From this meat mixture, shape into eight 4 inch patties, about 3/4 inch thick.  Set the patties aside on a clean plate.  

Next, heat a small saucepan over medium heat.  To the saucepan, add the honey, Sriracha, and both mustards.  Stir to combine well.  Cook this mixture until a boil.  You'll find that this sauce won't exactly "boil" - it will begin to bubble.  When this happens, you'll know when to turn down the heat to a simmer.  Heat this mixture until it becomes a slightly glossy sauce, about three minutes.  Reserve half the sauce in a bowl for serving.

Being to preheat a grill and prepare for cooking.  Once the grill is heated, cook the burgers over medium high heat for five minutes on each side.  Grill until the burgers are lightly charred and barely cooked through.  Once each side is cooked and using a brush, glaze the burgers with the Sriracha-Honey-Mustard sauce and continue to grill.  Once the glazed side has cooked for three minutes, flip the burgers over and glaze the sauce on the new side.  Continue to cook for three minutes.

On a serving plate, spread the buns with light mayonnaise and top with the burgers.  Serve with the reserved sauce, coleslaw and/or pickles.  Top with the bun, serve, and enjoy!

The End Result:

If you're feeling bold and adventurous on your burgers, then this is the burger for you!  The meat is cooked perfectly and hits all the right flavor notes.  The combination of the ground pork and ground sausage melds together so well, that it's a surprise we haven't tried this combination yet.  The Sriracha-Honey-Mustard sauce packs quite a punch.  Granted there are greater parts of honey and mustard in the sauce, the Sriracha is quite potent, yet makes for a memorable sauce.  If you're not into a strong heat (or like me, can't handle it well,) I would layer up with pickles and mayo so you can still have the flavor of the sauce, but not a full mouth of it.  Overall, a wonderful burger alternative to the typical beef burger!

Check back tomorrow when Tyler returns for a dessert that make you want seconds.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Coffee & Steak Yields Great Smoky Flavor

Good evening everyone! I’ve got something different lined up for my portion of the blog this week. Like most of the country, we took advantage of the Memorial Day holiday and spent some quality time outdoors, including some time spent behind the grill. Rather than posting our entire Memorial Day spread in one big blog, I thought I’d break things down into two “mini-blogs”.

Today’s first mini-blog features a cooking technique that you may have seen on many Food Network or cooking channel shows (especially ‘Chopped’ or ‘Iron Chef’) – cooking your steak with ground coffee. At first glance, it seems a bit odd, coffee on steak? Why would you want to flavor your steak with coffee? Yet, time after time, chefs on these cooking competitions use the technique and are widely praised for their flavorful steak. Clearly there’s something there – I aimed to find out just what was so special about coffee covered steaks.

The process is fairly straightforward. Simply divide 1 teaspoon of ground coffee amongst your steaks (already seasoned lightly with salt and pepper) cover both side of the steak with ground coffee (remember, you’re not “breading” the steak with coffee – treat it like a seasoning) and place the steak on the grill. Cook the steak like you normally would and simply enjoy.

While I was cooking the steaks I noticed something interesting – the steaks were developing a deep red coloration around the edges, this is the tell-tale sign of smoked meat. (If you’ve ever cooked meat on a smoker or eaten at a good BBQ joint, you’ll recognize that bright red coloration as a sure fire sign of well done smoky flavor).

First cuts into the steak revealed the same situation, the first ¼ inch of the steak had a nice, deep red color (the ‘smoke’ had penetrated the steak – another good sign for BBQ). Color and presentation are all well and good, but did the coffee change the flavor?

Yes, it did. The coffee created a great, smoky flavor. The steaks tasted like they had been cooked over a smoker for hours, not simply grilled for 10 minutes. Surprisingly, there was absolutely no coffee flavor – just rich, smoky flavor that blended superbly with steak sauce or stood up nicely on its own (sans sauce).

It turns out the secret of coffee on steaks is that it creates a great smoked meat like end product. You don’t have to increase cooking time or even change the cooking method. Just a light rub of ground coffee and – ta-da – you’re eating smoked steaks.

If you’re feeling like tweaking your usual steak dinner, I’d recommend giving the ground coffee technique a try. It adds a great deal of flavor without changing any of the usual aspects of cooking a steak. Best of all, we now understand why everyone keeps using this technique on all of the cooking shows!

That’s all for min-blog number one. Maggie will step into the kitchen tomorrow night for her own full fledged recipe. I’ll follow her on Friday with mini-blog number two. Until then,

~Cheers

A Side Dish Becomes the Main Attraction

Good evening everyone!  I've made mention several times here on the blog how much I love the Mexican cuisine, but at a very close second, I also love Chinese food.  And while I have the essentials of Mexican cooking down, I can't say the same for Chinese.  I have had several opportunities to prove myself and try varying degrees of Asian food here on the blog, but I have never tackled one of the most well-known Chinese foods...until today.

The Recipe:  Vegetable Fried Rice
An adapted recipe from www.foodnetwork.com

What You'll Need:
1/3 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Onion, diced
3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Teaspoon ground Ginger
3 whole Scallions, white and green separated
3/4 Cup Sugar Snap Peas, ends trimmed off and cut into smaller pieces
3/4 Cup shredded Carrots
4 large Eggs, lightly beaten
4 Cups cold, cooked Jasmine Rice

To start, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  For this portion of the recipe, it's important to keep a medium-high heat for the skillet.  You don't want to overheat the pan, or else your vegetables will become very crispy.  Once the pan is heated, add one tablespoon of the oil.  Add the onions to the pan and season with salt and pepper.  Cook the onions until they become slightly translucent and fragrant, about two to four minutes.  Add the garlic, ginger, and scallion whites.  Stir fry this mixture until everything becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds.  Next, add the sugar snap peas and shredded carrots.  Stir this combination until everything is well combined and all ingredients are heated through, about five minutes.  Once cooked, transfer into a large bowl and cover to keep warm.

Return the skillet to the heat and add two more tablespoons of oil.  Once the pan has returned to medium-high heat, add the beaten eggs and season again with salt and pepper.  To cook the eggs, stir them constantly, and when the eggs are almost set, yet still moist, transfer the eggs into another bowl, cover to keep warm, and set aside.

Again, return the skillet to the heat and heat the remaining oil.  Once the pan has returned to medium-high heat, add the cooked rice to the pan.  Using a spatula, break up any clumps that have formed.  Season with salt and pepper and stir fry the rice to coat with the oil.  Once the rice is covered, stop stirring the rice until it becomes slightly crispy, about two minutes.  Stir the rice again, removing any clumps that have been newly formed.  Add in the scallion greens, the stir-fried vegetables, and eggs.  Stir all the ingredients together until everything is well incorporated.  Heat this mixture until the ingredients are warmed, about two to three minutes.  If you want, add a splash of soy sauce for a little hint of flavor.  Serve and enjoy!

The End Result:

While this fried rice is in no means, like they serve in any Chinese restaurant, I'm proud of the fact that I actually got to create this dish.  The rice remained a bit sticky, probably from the remnants of cooking it the night before.  But once it became warm, it was a good base for all the other ingredients.  The onions, sugar snap peas, carrots, and scallions were cooked to perfection - not too raw and not too overdone.  Adding a bit of soy sauce right before serving gave the fried rice a bit of flavor and if you are wanting more flavor, you can add more soy sauce, or any Asian inspired seasoning to this dish - it won't certainly take any flavor away from it.  

That's all we have for you this evening, thanks for joining us for another week from around our culinary world!  Enjoy the holiday weekend and the unofficial start to summer.  Check back next week as we showcase our adventures in the kitchen.  Until then,

~Cheers!

Summer Classic

Good evening everyone! Well, you can’t say we didn’t warn you. When we bought our grill this spring, I wrote that we had a large backlog of grilling recipes that were just begging to be prepared. Every week for the past month, we’ve been firing up the grill for at least one of our recipes. This week? That trend continues.

The Recipe: BBQ Pork Chops With Shallot Green Beans

Original Recipes Found In: The Best of America’s Test Kitchen

What You’ll Need:
(Serves 2)

2 X 4 ounce Boneless Pork Loin Chops

1 Tablespoon Paprika

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

2 Teaspoons Ground Coriander

1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin

1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper

For the BBQ Sauce:

½ Cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Light Molasses

2 Tablespoons Grated Onion (Or onion flakes)

2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar

1 Tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 Teaspoon Liquid Smoke

For the Green Beans:

2 Cups Fresh Green Beans (Cooked)

4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter

2 Tablespoons Vermouth

Obviously, everything in this recipe can be scaled to serve a larger crowd. Simply adjust to suit the number of people you’re feeding.

Begin by combining the dry ingredients (paprika, brown sugar, coriander, cumin and black pepper) in a small bowl. Toss until everything is evenly blended. Reserve 2 teaspoons of the spice rub in a small bowl, this will later be used in the BBQ. Transfer the remaining mixture to a shallow bowl or plate.

Next, pat your chops dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Using a chefs knife or paring knife, lightly score the surface of the pork chop twice (both sides). These scores prevent the chop from “curling” while the meat is on the grill. When the chops curl, you tend to have overcooked edges and undercooked centers (not a good thing!)

Coat both sides of your chops with the spice rub, making sure all cracks and crevices are filled. Allow the excess spice rub to fall off the chops. Set the chops aside.

In a medium bowl, combine all of the BBQ sauce ingredients, along with the 2 teaspoons of reserved spice rub, whisk well until evenly blended. Set this mixture aside (go ahead and give it a taste if you want – it’s good! Just save some for the recipe!)

If you’re making this dish with the green bean recipe, now is a perfect time to start on the green beans. In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter over medium high heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they turn a deep golden brown and become lightly crisped on the edges. This takes about 10 minutes.

Once browned, transfer the shallots to a skillet and stir in the vermouth. Bring the mixture to a light simmer before adding your (already cooked – they can be boiled, microwaved – whatever – just be sure they’re already cooked) green beans along with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Give the beans a good toss to evenly coat them in the shallot sauce and then transfer them to a platter and serve.

Heat your grill to 500 degrees, clean the grates, and then reduce the temperature to 350-375 degrees. Place the chops directly oven the heat and cook for 3 to 5 minutes per side (adjusting cooking time based on the thickness of your chops – ours were about ¼ inch thick, so they cooked quickly). During the last minute of cooking on each side, brush a thin layer of the BBQ sauce on the chops (top side) so the sauce becomes a light glaze. It’s not part of the original recipe, but I’ve found this little touch really adds to the final dish.

Transfer your pork chops to a serving plate, serve with the BBQ sauce and green beans and enjoy!

The Results:

Elegantly simple recipes will always be appreciated on this blog and this recipe was, in fact, elegantly simple. A basic blend of spices complimented with a rich and savory BBQ sauce turn these delightfully grilled chops into a summertime flavor festival. BBQ + meat + grill almost always results in fantastic dishes (it’s about as close to “fool proof” cooking as you can get).

The green beans were a pleasant surprise as well. The butter shallot sauce added a nice bit of onion like depth to the fresh, bright flavors of the beans. Paired with the hearty BBQ flavors, the beans really balanced the plate. 

Oh – the best part? The whole dish clocks in at a little more than 200 calories!

That’s all we have for you this evening. Maggie will take to the kitchen on Wednesday night with a brand new recipe of her own. Until then,

~Cheers