New Year's Eve...Hors d'oeuvres time

Since Julie and I have been married, we have pretty much stayed at home for New Year's Eve.  Especially after moving to Utah, not only is it not a good idea to be out partying and then drive home, it's damn cold and usually icy out on the roads, I won't even go into the discussion about Utah drivers...
As the kids have gotten older, we have had a bunch of food and they and their friends just come and go.  I don't mind, at least I know where they are.
I usually end up overdoing it: hors d'oeuvres, dinner, then more hors d'oeuvres and munchies, topped off by some sparkling something and a few sweets.
This year, hopefully I will keep it to a reasonable amount of food...we'll see!
So...on the menu for tonight we have:
Chips and Queso
Bean Dip
Pico de Salsa
Brie and Crackers
Brie puff pastry
Fresh Fruit
Fresh Veggies
Cheese Ball w/Crostini
and possibly Wings.
Martinelli's Sparkling Cider

Random stuff I have wanted to mention:
When I lived in Argentina, a big celebratory meal was an Asado or barbecue as we refer to it here.  Just meat, some rock salt and the grill over hot coals...basic, but spectacular.  Part of the experience was the sauce they use with the fresh grilled meat...Chimichurri (plus, it's fun to say).  I found a recipe that's pretty damn close to what I remember...

Chimichurri

Yield: Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients

1 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley

1/2 cup olive oil

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup (packed) fresh cilantro

2 garlic cloves, peeled

3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Puree all ingredients in a food processor. Transfer to a bowl and serve. Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.  If refrigerated between uses, which isn't necessary, let sit at room temp until the olive oil has thawed and it looks normal.

Probably won't use that tonight, but who knows...

The following two recipes are #3 and #1 on Epicurious' website for 2013 Recipes.  I have a variation of these, but I really like the technique used, and the commentary of Thomas Keller:

Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 pounds)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 450°F. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a 12" cast-iron or heavy nonstick skillet over high heat until hot but not smoking. Nestle chicken in skillet, skin side down, and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high; continue cooking skin side down, occasionally rearranging chicken thighs and rotating pan to evenly distribute heat, until fat renders and skin is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Transfer skillet to oven and cook 12 more minutes. Flip chicken; continue cooking until skin crisps and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate; let rest 5 minutes before serving.

My Favorite Simple Roast Chicken

Thomas Keller - Bouchon

Yield:  2 to 4 servings

Ingredients

One 2- to 3-pound farm-raised chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons minced thyme (optional)

Unsalted butter

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Rinse the chicken, dry it very well with paper towels, inside and out. The less it steams, the drier the heat, the better.

Salt and pepper the cavity, then truss the bird.

Trussing is not difficult, and if you roast chicken often, it's a good technique to feel comfortable with. When you truss a bird, the wings and legs stay close to the body; the ends of the drumsticks cover the top of the breast and keep it from drying out. Trussing helps the chicken to cook evenly, and it also makes for a more beautiful roasted bird.

Now, salt the chicken—I like to rain the salt over the bird so that it has a nice uniform coating that will result in a crisp, salty, flavorful skin (about 1 Tbsp.) When it's cooked, you should still be able to make out the salt baked onto the crisp skin. Season to taste with pepper.

Place the chicken in a sauté pan or roasting pan and, when the oven is up to temperature, put the chicken in the oven. I leave it alone—I don't baste it, I don't add butter; you can if you wish, but I feel this creates steam, which I don't want. Roast it until it's done, 50 to 60 minutes. Remove it from the oven and add the thyme, if using, to the pan. Baste the chicken with the juices and thyme and let it rest for 15 minutes on a cutting board.

Remove the twine. Separate the middle wing joint and eat that immediately. Remove the legs and thighs. I like to take off the backbone and eat one of the oysters, the two succulent morsels of meat embedded here, and give the other to the person I'm cooking with. But I take the chicken butt for myself. I could never understand why my brothers always fought over that triangular tip—until one day I got the crispy, juicy fat myself. These are the cook's rewards. Cut the breast down the middle and serve it on the bone, with one wing joint still attached to each. The preparation is not meant to be super elegant. Slather the meat with fresh butter. Serve with a simple green salad. You'll start using a knife and fork, but finish with your fingers, because it's so good.

See what I mean, love the part about eating the wing immediately and sharing the oysters...only someone who truly loves food will understand.

I'll post my Beer Can Chicken as the weather warms up, it's a grill item.

Merry Christmas and the day after...

Well, all of the research, trial and error of past events, and time waiting for food to be done, paid off...dinner was a success!

At dinner, we had: Mom and Dad, Julie, Lauren, Emily and Parker (CD and Keimon couldn't make it).

The Menu:

Breakfast:
Bacon
Frittata
Smoothies

Appetizers:
Big Papi's Wings
Guacamole and Chips
Onion, Chive Cheese Ball and Crostini
Spinach Dip

Dinner:
Dry-Aged Standing Rib Roast with Sage Jus
Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole
Garlic Mashed Potatoes (Julie's specialty)
House of Prime Rib Creamed Spinach
missing (just ran out of time):
Yorkshire Pudding
Au Jus

I have made a few changes to my original recipes on here, so I think the dishes will work out better.

Now, to start prepping for New Year's Eve...
A couple of items I wanted to serve for Apps were:
Brie Puff Pastry with a dollop of Raspberry Jalepeño Jelly
Herbed Cream Cheese Cucumber Rounds
Empanadas
French Onion Pastry Puffs
Shrimp Cocktail
...and the list goes on!

Thankful!

What more can I say, one day until Christmas and all I can think of is how thankful I am...
Julie, Christopher, Parker, Lauren, Emily and Keimon, sobriety, God, support system, career, abilities, health, family, friends, Max...the list goes on and on.  I know there are not many who are as blessed as I am, and THAT is both sobering, emotional, and brings about feelings of gratitude I have never had.
I love to cook, and take care of those I love and care about.  I think that's why I spend so much time thinking about food, what I'm going to serve, how it will look, who will like it, what I can do to improve it, etc.  You could call it an obsession, but that's just the beginning...

Back to the recipes:

Big Papi's Wings

Serves 6

4 lbs. wings, patted dry and extra skin and fat removed
2 Tbsp Fresh rosemary, diced
2 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Pepper
1 Tbsp Lawry's Season Salt
1 tsp Chili Flakes
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce

Preheat broiler to 500°F
Mix Herbs, Spices and Soy Sauce in a large bowl.  Add wings and toss until covered well.
Place wings on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet.
Roast wings under broiler for a total of 22 min. turning halfway through.
Serve and enjoy either with or without your favorite sauce.

More for the Christmas Meal

Looks like it will be a post by post description here, but I found the Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato recipe:

Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients

CRUST

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup chopped nuts, lightly roasted in a dry pan (pecans preferred)

1/4 cup butter ( melted)

SWEET POTATO MIXTURE

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes ( can use canned to save time, just drain)

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs ( well beaten)

1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Mix thoroughly.

Pour mixture into buttered baking dish (9"X9")and bake for 25-30 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture.

Bake for 10 additional minutes. Allow to set at least 15 minutes before serving.

I also found a different way of doing the Roast this year.  Instead of starting high 500°F then going low until the roast is done, I'm starting low (200°F) then boosting to 500°F for the last 10 min.  I'll see how it goes this time...see update below.

Dry-Aged Standing Rib Roast with Sage Jus

Ingredients

1 (4-bone-in) standing rib roast, preferably from the loin end

Rub:

1 Tbsp Lawry’s Season Salt

1 Tbsp horseradish

1 Tbsp freshly ground black pepper

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Jus:

1 cup water

1 cup red wine

4 fresh sage leaves

Directions

Remove any plastic wrapping or butcher's paper from the roast. Place the standing rib roast upright onto a half sheet pan fitted with a rack. The rack is essential for drainage. Place dry towels loosely on top of the roast. This will help to draw moisture away from the meat. Place into a refrigerator at approximately 50 to 60 percent humidity and between 34 and 38 degrees F. You can measure both with a refrigerator thermometer. Change the towels daily for 3 days.

Remove the roast from the refrigerator and let sit for at least 2 hours to come up to room temperature. While roast is coming up to temp, combine all ingredients for Rub in a separate bowl.  Completely cover the roast with Rub.  Remember to rub the bones as well.

Preheat oven to 250°F.  Place the roast in a roasting pan.  Place a probe thermometer into the center of the roast and set for 115°F.  Turn the oven down to 225°F and roast until internal temperature is achieved (around 30 min./lb. of roast).

If you have a convection oven, use Convection Roast at 225°F and the crust will be perfect and you won't have to blast it at the end.

Remove the roast and turn oven up to 500°F.  Cover with heavy-duty foil. Allow the roast to rest until an internal temperature of 125°F is reached.  Place the roast back into the preheated 500°F oven for about 10 minutes or until you've achieved your desired crust.  Remove and transfer roast to a cutting board. Keep covered with foil until ready to serve (at least 15 min).

Degrease the juices in the roasting pan.  Use grease for Yorkshire Pudding (see recipe).  Place the pan over low heat and deglaze with 1 cup of water.  Add the wine and reduce by half.  Roll the sage leaves in between your fingers to release the flavors and aroma.  Add to the sauce and cook for 1 minute.  Strain and serve on the side.

Should be a pretty tasty meal!

Counting down to Christmas

It seems as if I really haven't gotten in to the Christmas Spirit this year.  We did the usual tree purchase the day after Thanksgiving, but it took until this last weekend to get the lights on and we don't even have it positioned yet, or decorated.  I must admit that this is the traditional precursor to Christmas, but with the girls as busy as they are, Julie being sick and me trying not to get all of the way sick and swamped at work we just haven't done it yet.
We do have some shopping done, however, thank God!
I have also been thinking about doing a Prime Rib with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Creamed Spinach and Yorkshire Pudding.
I found this recipe and am definitely going to see if it is really the one from the House of Prime Rib...

Creamed Spinach from The House of Prime Rib

Makes 4

Helen Brown’s West Coast Cookbook features this recipe. The recipe is credited to the head chef at Lawry’s Prime Rib in Los Angeles, who opened the House of Prime Rib in San Francisco in the 1940s. Note: The instructions say to make a medium cream sauce with butter, flour and milk. This is a béchamel (bay-shah-MEL) sauce, which is a French white sauce that can be made thin (1 tbsp each butter and flour to 1 cup milk), medium (2 tbsp each butter and flour to 1 cup milk), or thick (3 tbsp each butter and flour to 1 cup milk). You make the sauce by stirring the milk into a roux, which is made by slowly mixing the flour into the softened butter over very low heat.

Ingredients:

1 lb. fresh spinach

3-4 strips bacon

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 medium onion

Salt and pepper to taste

Cream Sauce:

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. flour

1 cup whole milk

Directions:

Boil spinach (not too well done). Remove from heat, wash spinach in cold water, and squeeze dry in a dish towel. Grind in a Cuisinart and set aside. Grind bacon and sauté in a skillet. Grind onion and add to bacon with garlic, salt and pepper. Sauté until all moisture is gone.

Make a medium cream sauce with butter, flour and milk (see note above). Add ground spinach, onion, and bacon mixture to the cream sauce and bring to a slow boil.

Remove from heat and serve.

I'm sure the other items are soon to follow.

Weekend Celebration

This weekend, we all pretty much stayed in since we are all battling a bit of the cold/flu season in our own ways.  However, we did get some great news this past week that will make Christmas that much sweeter.

Friday, Jules and I went out for some Smothered Burritos (w/cheese, of course), and brought some home for the girls...they were more than excited.  Something about leftover smothered burritos that is 'heart warming'.  I'll have to get the recipe for the sauce - it's amazing!

Saturday, I made Julie's favorite Pork Cutlet/Schnitzel with Roasted Veggies:

Schnitzel - Pork

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1/2 in. Pork steaks/tenderloins, or pound to 1/2 in.
2 Tbsp Bacon drippings
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
Lawry's Season Salt
Garlic Powder
Lemon Pepper
Mrs. Dash
1/2 cup flour
1 cup plus a little extra Chicken Stock

Prep
Season room temperature pork with Lawry's, garlic powder, lemon pepper and Mrs. Dash.
Pour flour in a pie tin, or something similar.  Coat seasoned cutlet in flour and let rest for at least 10 min.
Re-coat with flour shaking off all extra.

Cook
Heat drippings and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat until hot but not smoking.
Gently place cutlets in oil and cook for about 4 min. undisturbed.
Flip cutlets and cook on the other side for 3 min.
Remove cutlets from oil and let rest for about 5 min.  Serve as soon as possible as the longer the pork sits, the coating will get soft.
Pour off most of the cooking oil from the pan, reserving a small amount (about 1 Tbsp) with bits for gravy.

Gravy
Over medium heat, stir in some of the flower (about 1 Tbsp) from the coating plate and cook for about 2-3 min. cooking out the flour flavor.  Mixture should be a light to medium brown.  Slowly pour in stock and whisk until all flour is dissolved.  Cook down for 2 min. then taste.  May need thinning, the addition of a splash of Soy Sauce, squeeze of lemon, or something, but it should be pretty tasty.

Roasted Veggies

Serves 4

4 Potatoes - peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1 Sweet Potato - peeled and cut into bite sized pieces
1/2 Red Onion - cut into 1/2 in pieces
6 cloves garlic - skins removed, can cut in half if desired
4 Carrots - peeled and cut into bite sized pieces

Preheat oven to 350°.
Toss above prepared veggies in olive oil, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme (fresh herbs can be substituted with dry herbs or Italian Herb Seasoning), lemon zest (1/4 of the lemon) salt and pepper.
Spread veggies on a sheet pan and cook in the oven for approx. 20 min. or until carrots can be easily pierced with a paring knife.

Serve and Enjoy!

Then, on Sunday came the Coup de Gras...Stuffed, Cornish Game Hens, with Sauteed Brussel Sprouts!
We started mid afternoon watching a ton of football and doing stuff around the house (laundry, finishing the lights on the tree, cleaning rooms, homework, etc.) and having some hors d'oeuvres.

Stuffed Cornish Game Hens

One hen per person

Ingredients:

4 Cornish game hens, about 1 1/2 pounds each, rinsed and dried thoroughly

1 Tbsp Lawry's Seasoning

Olive Oil

2 Tbsp Butter

1/2 onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, finely diced

2 stalks celery tops, finely diced

1 Sprig fresh Rosemary - chopped

1 Tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning

1 tsp Garlic powder

Lemon zest of 1/4 of the lemon

4 Thin slices of a lemon, after zesting is ok

1 cup leftover rice (any kind is ok: white, wild, brown, etc.)

1 Tbsp golden raisins

1/4 cup White wine

1/4 cup Chicken stock

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Stuffing: In a medium saute pan, heat Olive Oil and butter until hot.  Add onion and celery, saute for about 2 min. until fragrant. Add garlic and saute approx 1-2 min. Add herbs and saute approx 1 min. Add wine and cook down about 3 min.  Add stock and heat mixture through.  Add raisins, zest and rice.  Heat through and season to taste.  Should be moist but not wet.

Hens: Rub olive oil all over the hens and season each with the Lawry's. Place the hens on a roasting pan with plenty of space between them.  Loosely stuff the cavities of each hen with a slice of lemon and the rice mixture. Roast the hens in the preheated oven for about 1 hour or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the juices run clear. Remove the hens from the oven, loosely tent with foil and let rest 10 minutes before carving or serving.

Drippings make a great gravy!  With a little flour, cook down roux then add 2 cups chicken stock. Season to taste.  Serve gravy on the side...

Q4 YoYo

The Fourth Quarter of each year is traditionally busy for me in my profession.

It is also a 'hurry up and wait' time, where I am totally dependent on the economic whims of my clients. Consequently, it can sometimes be a pain in the ass.

I need to cook something that will totally take me out of the Q4 funk and catapult me in to the up part of this YoYo...

Hmmm, what sounds good?

Just found a recipe for ground beef florentine.  Sounds like it has potential...I will return and report...

Next Day...

Well, the Beef Florentine was a success.  I adjusted the recipe (surprise), and this is what worked:

Beef Florentine

Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 12 oz. medium egg noodles
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp Italian Herb Seasoning
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce, can substitute one or both with bottled sauce.
1/2 cup beer or white wine
1 (10 oz.) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (15 oz.) container Ricotta cheese
1 onion, chopped, sauteed and divided in half
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. shredded Monterey Jack or Mozzarella cheese, divided in half

Directions:
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil.  Add pasta, and cook for 6-7 minutes or until al dente; drain.
Preheat oven to 350° F.  Spray a 9X13 or other large casserole dish with Pam.
In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onions (take out half of them when soft), then add ground beef to brown evenly; drain excess fat.  Season with garlic, Italian herb seasoning, salt and pepper.  Stir in tomato sauce and beer/wine.  Cook for 1-2 min to allow flavors to meld.  Remove from heat and stir in cooked noodles.
In a medium bowl, combine spinach, ricotta, other half of the onions, half of the Jack/Mozz cheese and the Parmesan.
Spread half of the noodle mixture in a the large casserole dish.  Layer with all of the spinach mixture, then cover with the remaining noodle mixture.
Cover with foil and bake in preheated oven for 15 min.  Remove foil and cover the top with the final half of the cheese and continue cooking 10 min. or until cheese is melted.
After out of the oven, can add more Parmesan, or bottled sauce when plated, if desired.
Serve and enjoy!

Mini Meatball Soup...Found it!

Mini Meatball Soup

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

Serves: 4 big servings

Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan in a slow stream
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ground beef, pork and veal combined
1 egg, beaten
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Romano, a couple of handfuls
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs, a couple of handfuls
6 cups chicken stock or broth
2 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried pasta, rings, broken fettuccini or ditalini
1 pound triple washed fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

Directions
In a deep pot over medium heat add oil, chopped carrots, celery and onions and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and cook veggies 5 or 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the veggies cook, combine meat, egg, garlic, grated cheese, bread crumbs, salt, pepper.
Uncover your soup pot and add broth and water to the pot. Increase heat to high and bring soup to a boil. When soup boils, reduce heat a bit and start to roll meat mixture into small balls, dropping them straight into the pot. You are making meat dumplings that will cook in the broth. When you are done rolling the meat, add pasta to the soup and stir. Cover and simmer soup 10 minutes. When pasta is tender, stir in chopped spinach in batches. When spinach has wilted into the soup, the soup is done and ready to serve. Adjust your seasonings.
You can also add some shredded Parm or whatever cheese you desire to the soup.
Serve soup with crusty bread or Grilled 4-Cheese sandwiches.

Grilled 4-Cheese Sandwiches

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, cracked away from skin
8 slices crusty Italian semolina bread
1 cup shredded provolone
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
1 cup shredded Asiago
* All of these cheeses are available in specialty cheese case and dairy aisle already shredded
In a small skillet over medium low heat, combine oil, butter and garlic. Cook garlic in butter and oil gently for 2 or 3 minutes. Remove garlic butter mixture from heat.
Place a large nonstick skillet on the stove over medium high heat. Using a pastry brush, brush 1 side of 4 slices of bread with garlic oil and place buttered side down in skillet. Top each slice with equal amounts of the 4 cheeses, distributing them equally over the 4 slices. Top each sandwich with another slice of bread brushed with garlic butter, buttered side up. Flip the grill cheese sandwiches a few times until cheeses are melted and gooey and bread is toasty and golden. Cut grilled 4 cheese sandwiches from corner to corner and serve.

This is a great soup to do with your kids.  Lauren and I made this soup when she was about 10 and she had a blast!
Great for a cold day outside!

The Salad Days

OK, so my dad found a couple of recipes from my grandpa Art of some of the best salad dressing ever...

or another of what seems to be the same...

I'll have to try them out and see which is the original.
Super busy at work, so planning a menu or even what to cook for the evening is tough.  I put out some chicken thighs to thaw this morning, so I'll need to see what I can do to make something tasty...
I really feel like Corned Beef and Cabbage though.  This is what I do...

Corned Beef and Cabbage

Every St. Patrick's Day I make a huge pot (about 9 lbs.) of Corned Beef with the necessary veggies (carrots, celery, potatoes and cabbage).  Served with some malt vinegar for the cabbage and a mustard sauce, it's a great meal for the whole family!
We used to have a dessert of Guinness floats, but since I don't imbibe any more we have whatever else sounds good.

Beef:
3-4 lbs. Corned Beef (Flat cut or end cut) with Herb/Seasoning Packet
3 cloves garlic
1 onion - cut in quarters
1 celery stalk - cut in 1" pieces
1 Bay Leaf
2 Bottles of Beer (whatever you like)
Cold water to cover
Bring to boil, reduce to med-low and cook for 3:30 (3 1/2 hrs.)

Veggies:
Red potatoes - quartered (about two per person)
Carrots - cut diagonally into 1" slices (about one per person)
Green cabbage - cut into 6 wedges with core intact (more if desired)

At 2:45 add potatoes
At 3:00 add carrots and cabbage

Remove meat from pot and let rest for about 10 min.
Serve veggies around roast and enjoy!

Mustard Sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp Yellow mustard
1 tsp Horseradish
Mix thoroughly and add anything else you would like to taste (favorite hot sauce, splash of beer/Irish Whiskey, sour cream...the possibilities are endless).

One more post...WTF? Happy Day Before Thanksgiving!

I know it seems as if someone (me) who mocked those with Blogs wouldn't post very often, but I'm feeling like I probably need to since tomorrow is one of my favorite holidays.  If we didn't have to go anywhere it would probably be better, but at least the weather will be nice for the weekend.

I'm not much of a dessert person, but I made cookies the other night for dinner and while the batter (rolled in plastic, in the fridge) isn't lasting very long, the cookies were quite tasty - if I do say so my damn self...

Big Daddy's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat oven to 350°
Cover cookie sheet with Silpat

Dry Ingredients:
2 1/4 Cups Flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Sift flour, salt and baking soda and set aside

Wet Ingredients:
1/2 lb. butter (2 sticks)
3/4 Cup sugar
3/4 Cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
In a stand mixer (KitchenAid) cream together butter, sugar and vanilla then add eggs one at a time and cream until soft.

With the mixer on low, combine Dry ingredients with Wet, a little at a time until completely mixed.

Mix in with a wooden spoon:
1 1/2 Cups Semi-Sweet Morsels or chopped chocolate bar
1 Cup Quick Oats 

Let batter sit in fridge for about an hour until it firms up a little and balls up easily to the size of a ping pong ball.  Dough can be rolled in a 2 in. roll and stored in the freezer wrapped in wax paper and/or plastic wrap.  To serve, just slice off pieces about 1/2 in. thick and bake.

Place balls of dough on the Silpat covered cookie sheet and bake for 12 min. until edges brown.  Remove from oven and let sit for about 3 min. then serve or put on a cooling rack until completely cool.  Personally I prefer to eat them while still warm with a glass of milk...Indeed!

An hors d'oeuvre recipe a good friend just shared with me...

Cranberry Chutney

5 Cups fresh cranberries (about 1¼ bags) or

(Recipe calls for 4 cups cranberries (1 bag) and 1 cup raisins – I use extra cranberries and no raisins)

2 Cups packed brown sugar

1 Cup water

¼ Cup lemon juice

½ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground clove

1 teaspoon finely diced onion

¼ Cup slivered almonds (toasted in oven at 400 for about 2-3 minutes)

Put all ingredients in large sauce pan, bring to boil, reduce heat simmer for about 35 minutes.

Baked Brie

Large Brie wheel or 2-3 small ones

Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets

Egg, beaten

Wrap Brie with pastry sheet.  Cut excess pastry and seal by pinching seams. (make sure to seal or the cheese will ooze out)

Brush with egg wash

Bake in oven at 375° – 400° until golden brown and crusty (about 20 –30 minutes) 

Let baked brie stand for 30 minutes (minimum) prior to eating otherwise the cheese will be too soft and will ooze out all over the plate.

Serve with crackers or crostini and chutney.  Delicious!

Again, not a baker or dessert person per se, but I found a recipe for a "Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie" that looks and sounds amazing, so I think I'll try it...

Salted Caramel Cheesecake Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Adapted from 'Joy the Baker'

Crust

2 Cups Gingersnap cookie crumbs

2 Tbsp brown sugar

Pinch of Salt

1/2 stick (4 T) unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake

1 lb. (2 blocks) cream cheese, at room temp

1 1/3 Cups sugar

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

2 lg. eggs, at room temp

1/2 Cup plus 2 Tbsp Heavy Cream

1 tsp lemon zest (optional)

Caramel

1/2 Cup sugar

2 Tbsp water

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/3 Cup heavy cream

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 tsp salt

Place two racks in the upper and bottom third of the oven.  Preheat oven to 350° F. You'll need a 9-in. pie plate and a 9x13in. pan for boiling water.

To make the crust:

Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor and grind to a fine crumb, add brown sugar, salt and butter.  Toss together, moistening all of the gingersnap crumbs.  Pour mixture into a 9-in. pie plate and press with fingers until sides and bottom are evenly coated with crust.

Bake for 10-15 min until golden brown.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool while making the cheesecake filling.  Reduce oven temperature to 325° F.  Place a tea kettle of water on the stovetop to boil.  Boiling water will be added to the 9x13in. pan and placed under the baking cheesecake. 

To make the cheesecake filling:

In the bowl of a stand mixer (KitchenAid) fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and sugar.  Beat until light and fluffy, about 3-5 min.  Beat in salt and vanilla until well incorporated.  Add eggs, beating one a time until creamy and smooth.  Slowly beat in cream, beating on medium high until creamy. Add lemon zest if using.

Pour Cheesecake mixture into the prepared cheesecake crust.

Place 9x13 in. pan on the bottom rack of the hot oven.  Carefully pour in hot water and fill to 1/2 full.

Place cheesecake on the upper rack.  Bake for 50-60 min. until cheesecake is browned and puffed.  When cheesecake is puffed and doesn't have loose jiggle in the center, turn oven off and use a towel to prop the oven open slightly.  Let cheesecake rest for another 45 min. in the cooling oven.  Remove from the oven and cool completely, for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

While the cheesecake cools, make the caramel so it can cool as well.

To make the caramel:

Add sugar, water and corn syrup to a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring once or twice.  Bring to a boil and allow to brown.  Once sugar has browned to a medium amber color, remove from heat and immediately add heavy cream and butter.  Mixture will boil and foam.  Stir well. Add salt and stir well to incorporate.  Caramel may seem thin...that's ok.  Place in a bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and cool in the fridge for at least 4 hours, overnight is best.

Pour the cooled caramel over the cooled cheesecake, return to the refrigerator until ready to serve.  Sprinkle with a dash of Kosher salt or specialized sea salt, then slice and serve.

Cheesecake will last for up to 4 days, well wrapped in the refrigerator.

Ok, I'm done with the recipes for a while.  But who really knows how long.  I need to try a couple of these first...

A New Record?

This will be my 4th post in one month...WOW!
Yeah, not too terribly spectacular but it works for now.
I'm trying to stay working diligently through the end of the day as we approach Thanksgiving, but there really aren't a lot of people, especially the ones I talk to, around.
Thought I would include my recipe for my Green Bean Casserole:

Green Bean Casserole

Sautee in melted Butter and olive oil (until onions are soft and shrooms have cooked down):

½ diced onion

1 clove diced garlic

½ lb. mushrooms, sliced thin

White wine

Then, add:

2 cans French Cut Green Beans - drained

1 can Cream of Mushroom soup

½ container of French’s French Fried Onions

Mix well.

Top with the remainder of the can of French’s French Fried Onions.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes (25 min. covered, then remove lid for the last 5 min.)

I'm thinking it would be fun to put together a Cookbook of some sort, I'll have to think of a great name for it...maybe 'Big Daddy's Kitchen'?  That one's taken by a blog, but we'll see. Not a real cookbook from what I can tell...

I need to work on a soup that's easy and amazingly grubbin'.  There was a meatball soup Lauren and I put together, I'll have to find the recipe and give it a whirl.

Turkey Countdown - T minus Seven...

Turkey Day - One week away!

I honestly have no idea where the year has gone already.  Seems like it was just summer, and now it's snowing outside - that reminds me, I left my Rosemary plant outside last night...it's not doing very well, so we'll see if this kills it or invigorates it a little.

I do enjoy Thanksgiving, after all it is a holiday that revolves around family, football and food...the three "F's".  Usually we go to my Mom and Dad's for dinner with the extended family.  We need to be there about an hour early to make the gravy and help carve the bird(s).  I'm kind of known for my gravy and my green bean casserole (it's a variation on the basic, but I saute garlic and onions with white wine and add my own touch to things).

Anyway, about five years ago I began brineing my birds at home and suggested to my Mom that she do the same.  I don't think I'll ever prepare a turkey in another way...fresh, moist, and delicious! What leftovers there are reheat perfectly and what is used cold is super moist and tender...YUM!

Here's what I do (still haven't figured out how to do this with a Convection Oven yet, so this is with a regular oven):

Brined Roast Turkey

1  14-16 lb. Frozen young turkey

Brine:

1 cup Kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 gallon vegetable stock
2 Bay leaves

1 Tablespoon black peppercorns

1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries

1 gallon heavily iced water

Aromatics:

Season salt and pepper

1/2 onion - large chunks

4 Rosemary sprigs 

4 Sage leaves 

4 Whole garlic cloves

1/2 lemon

1/2 stalk celery or celery tops

How to:

2 days or so before cooking:

Begin thawing bird in a refrigerator/cooler not to exceed 38°F.  If necessary, put bird in a large (5 gal) bucket/plastic (food grade) bin and run cool water over submerged bird until thawed (usually about 3 hours or so).

Combine the salt, sugar, stock, bay leaves, peppercorns and allspice in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Stir to dissolve solids and bring to a boil.  Remove brine from heat, cool to room temperature and refrigerate.

The day before cooking:

Combine the brine and iced water in the large bucket.  Place the thawed turkey, breast side down, in brine.  If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully covered in the liquid. Cover, and refrigerate for 8 to 20 hours, turning the bird once halfway through brining.

The day of cooking:

Preheat oven to 450°F.  Remove bird from the brine and rinse both inside and out with cold water.  Discard the brine.

Place the bird on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan or sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Lightly use Season salt and pepper inside the cavity of the bird, then stuff with onion, rosemary, sage, garlic, lemon and celery.

Lightly use season salt and pepper on the outside of the bird, then tuck wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on the lowest rack in the oven at 450°F for 25 minutes.  Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Set thermometer alarm to 160°F.  A 14-16 lb. bird should require a total of 2 - 2 1/2 hours of roasting.  Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes before carving.

I hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving as much as I'm going to!

Is this Hell, or is it just me?

Day one of November Hell week (well, it will probably be a two day event). Not all that bad since it gives me the opportunity to get a head start on the rest of the country and company.  I'm dragging a little tho.
The weekend went pretty well:
Friday was the Company Anniversary Party - 5 years, wow! Just to think that I started 3 years ago is a trip.
A lot of shit has gone on since then...liver shutting down, getting sober, re-assessing of my life, brutal and rigorous honesty, reduction in income with a promotion and a team, dissolving of said team and now the potential for unlimited income...all in 3 years.  The next three have to be better...
Saturday was all about stuff at the casa - went out to lunch, blew millions of leaves into 3' high piles up against the fences on the North and South ends of the yard, pizza for dinner, and trying to clear the DVR with Jules, then started to prep for my Sunday Big Book Discussion at Suncrest.
Time change for Sunday, fall back an hour and all. Finished the discussion, meeting, shopping, clean at the studio then had Cody over with Lauren for dinner.  I made my favorite Pot Roast Recipe:

Jar Pot Roast

Yield: 6 to 8 servings 

Active Time: 20 minutes 

Cooking Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons canola oil 

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, freshly ground pepper to taste 

1 denuded short rib or boneless short ribs, 3 to 5 pounds 

3 carrots, peeled and chopped 

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 

3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped 

1 leek, white and light-green parts coarsely chopped 

1/2 bulb of garlic, cloves smashed but unpeeled 

1 bay leaf 

1 cup sherry 

3 to 4 cups chicken stock 

2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Set rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dry beef with paper towels, season with salt and pepper.

Set a Dutch oven on high heat until it is very hot; add oil and heat until just smoking.

Sear beef until it is a deep, rich brown, about 3 to 5 minutes a side.

Remove beef from pot; discard all but a teaspoon of fat.

Add sherry to pot and reduce by half, about 4 minutes, while scraping up flavorful brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Put all vegetables into pot and cook until slightly soft, about 5 minutes.

Add bay leaf and beef, with any accumulated juices, then pour on chicken stock until the beef is three-quarters covered. Cover pot with tin foil or a tight-fitting lid and place in oven. Check after 15 minutes to make sure liquid is simmering lightly; adjust heat as needed. Continue cooking for a total of three hours.

Allow the meat to cool in the liquid. When cool, degrease, either by using a degreasing pitcher or by chilling in the refrigerator and removing most of the hardened fat from the surface of the liquid.

To serve, place a colander over a large bowl. Remove meat from liquid. Strain the liquid, pressing down on vegetables to remove all the juice. Discard vegetables. Return the meat to the liquid and reheat. Cut meat into portions and place each in a pasta dish; spoon a generous portion of the braising liquid around the beef. Top with a spoonful of caramelized onions and a roasted carrot. Sprinkle with parsley. Serve with Horseradish Cream.

I totally forgot the Horseradish Cream though, dammit!

Anyway, today I got here at 5:40 am and won't leave until probably 6:30 pm...long, fucking day!  I'm getting a lot accomplished though.

Not sure what to have for dinner, probably stir fry.  We'll see.

Already November? WTF?

Halloween yesterday...and no chili leftovers to be found...damn!
I would have thought that 9 lbs of meat would at least last a little while but every year I'm surprised for some reason.
Another recipe that is requested a lot is my Bloody Mary Mix:

SILVER FOX BLOODY MARY MIX

 Recipe can be cut in half very easily…

 2 large cans Tomato Juice (just the basic Campbell’s Tomato Juice)

1 Ten oz. bottle Worcestershire Sauce

1 Ten oz. bottle A-1

10 shakes Tabasco (to taste)

10 shakes Celery Salt

1 tsp. Horseradish (to taste)

Fresh ground black pepper (to taste)

Juice of ¼ fresh lemon and lime (to taste)

In a one gallon container, shake all ingredients listed above until well mixed.  Serve over ice with your choice of accompaniments:

- Pickled Asparagus

- Celery stalks

- Stuffed green olives- bleu cheese, pimentos, garlic, etc.

- Lemon wedge

- Lime wedge

- Whatever else sounds good…

This mix is great with regular Vodka, but goes very well with a citrus or pepper Vodka also.


Whenever I can, I'll post some stuff that has worked for me/us and is pretty damn tasty if I do say so my damn self.

Jules met me today to have lunch after we picked up the Tahoe at the dealer.  We went to Mimi's - OK food, I remember the French Onion Soup being better and the French Dip w/onions, peppers and shrooms was OK.  Julie liked her chopped salad.  Food was marginal, but the company was spectacular and it was great to do that again with my beautiful wife.
Tonight is the Onset Financial Anniversary Party at Jupiter Bowl.  The last few we have been to have been fun, and I don't expect anything less this evening.  Can't tell you how much better it is to arrive, attend and leave these events SOBER!  Holy shit, what a difference!

How time flies!

I honestly can't believe how fast 2013 has flown by...now it's October 24th and Halloween is right around the corner.  Not one of my favorite holidays, but I do celebrate with Chili for those who come around.
Even members of the local church come by for their Halloween Fix.

I call it PETA Chili, (NOT after my least favorite spin on a piased, self righteous, irrational group), my version stands for "People Eating Tasty Animals".  Nine pounds of meat and seven hours to make, it's pretty damn good if I do say so my damn self!
Here's the recipe:

PETA (People Eating Tasty Animals) Chili

Ingredients:

6 Tbs. Oil or Lard

2 Cups Chicken Broth

4 lb. Pork, cubed approx. ¼ - ½ in.

3 lb. Beef, Cubed approx. ¼ - ½ in.

2 lb. Ground Turkey

12 oz. Beer – Pilsner type, Domestic if desired i.e.: MGD, or Mexican i.e.: Pacifico or Mexicali

7 Cups Peeled, chopped tomatoes

¼ Cup finely chopped celery (~1 med. Stalk)

2 tsp. Sugar

3 Cans Orgega diced green chiles

3 tsp. Ground Oregano

3 tsp. Ground Cumin

3 tsp. Fine Black Pepper

4 tsp. Salt

5 Tbs. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Fresh Cilantro (~ ¼ Bunch Chopped)

1 tsp. Fresh Thyme (~ 6 Sprigs Chopped)

6 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

2 Cups Purple Onion, diced (~1 large)

1 Cup Red Pepper, diced (~1 medium)

1 lb. Monterey Jack Cheese

Limes – cut into wedges for use immediately before eating

Sour Cream

In a 2 gallon pot, simmer the chicken broth while preparing remaining ingredients.

In a 2 quart saucepan combine celery, tomatoes and sugar.  Simmer 1 ½ hours, or until all ingredients are completely tender.

Put the following into 12 oz. of beer and stir until all lumps are dissolved: Oregano, Cumin, Black Pepper, Salt, Chili Powder, Cilantro and Thyme.

Add tomato mixture, chiles, beer mixture, and 3 cloves garlic to broth in the 2 gallon pot.  Stir with a wooden spoon and bring to a low simmer.

Note: When browning the meat, use 1 clove garlic, finely chopped, salt and pepper.

Brown pork in a skillet with about 2 Tbs oil.  With a medium size skillet, it is advisable to brown only half at a time.  The pork should become white on all sides and fully separated.  Do not overcook at this point.  Add pork to the 2 gallon pot and bring to a low boil for about 30 min – pork needs a ½ hour start on the beef and ground turkey.

Brown turkey in a skillet with about 1 Tbs oil.  Add turkey to the 2 gallon pot.

With the balance of the oil, brown the beef.  With a medium size skillet, it is advisable to brown only half at a time.  The beef should become white on all sides and fully separated.  Do not overcook at this point.  Add beef to the 2 gallon pot and bring to a low boil for about an hour.

Add chopped onions and peppers and cook at a low boil for about 2 – 3 hours, stirring with a wooden spoon every 15 – 20 min.

Remove the Chili from the stove and allow to cool for about 1 hour.

After Chili is cool, refrigerate for 24 hours to allow the spices to permeate the meat and the flavors to meld.

Reheat and serve or can be frozen in freezer Ziplocs.

About five minutes before serving, grate the Monterey Jack and add to the chili.  Stir with a wooden spoon until completely dissolved.  If only reheating part of the chili, use about 1 oz. per serving (to desired taste).

At service, add the juice of one large lime or two small limes for the whole pot.  Individual servings can be served on the side for use immediately before eating.

Serve with a dollop of sour cream and Oyster Crackers, saltines, Sourdough French Bread or your favorite rolls/bread.

Reading my past posts, I was a little high strung/stressed/freaked out of late, but I'm OK now.
I need to realize that work is work and life still goes on.  As long as I have my sobriety, values and family and a good program of living it's all good.

I have been hitting the gym every day at lunch and I can say two things after day 3...I really enjoy it and DAMN I'm sore.  15 min cardio, then 25 min lifting.  I'm sure I'll get used to it and eventually won't hurt every day, but for now I'm kind of hating it.

I need to go thru all of this and see which recipes I've posted and which I still need to.  Thinking about it, I'd eventually like to put together some sort of cook book. Don't know if it will be something to publish or to pass along to the kids, but cooking and creating is something I'm passionate about and love to share.

I also need to break up the monotony in my meal preparation at home.  Kind of on a tight budget right now so that doesn't help, but even still there are many meals I can throw together, and those are usually the ones that everyone likes.