Roasted Chicken Two Ways

Hi folks, tonight we decided to do roasted chicken, Tanya wanted a Bar-B-Que flavor and I wanted a Garlic and Herb seasoned so why not do two. I started out with two whole fryer chickens, about 5 pounds a piece. On Tanya's I used a mesquite spice rub, you can pick this up at most grocery stores. Just wash the chicken and give it a good rub down.
Then I moved on to mine, a couple of tablespoons of soft butter, mixed with a teaspoon of minced garlic, a pinch of fresh dill weed, a pinch of oregano, and a pinch of basil. Then give it a good rub down with about half of the butter mixture. Then I gave it a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
I put them in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes, then took them out for a quick basting. On the BBQ one I just brushed on some regular BBQ sauce, for the garlic herb I used a little more of the butter mixture. Then i repeated the basting procedure every fifteen minutes until the birds had an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
These both tasted great, I usually don't care for BBQ flavor on things, especially chicken but if i peeled the skin off, there was just a hint of mesquite flavor.

Pan Seared Ahi Tuna Steaks

Yellow Fin Tuna is often called "Ahi Tuna" from its Hawaiian name, although the word Ahi can also mean the closely related Bigeye Tuna. I picked up these steaks from Costco and decided to make them last night. I started by making a marinade with soy sauce, toasted sesame seed oil, and Siracha. If you don't like spicy food, go easy on the Siracha.

After about 20 minutes I turned them over and let the other side soak for 20 minutes. Then I put them in a hot skillet with a little olive oil. Make sure your skillet is hot when you put them in otherwise they will stick and fall to pieces. After a quick sear (about one and a half to two minutes) I turned them.
Depending on how you like your Tuna, you can shorten the time on the next step, I was in the mood for a completely cooked through steak last night so after i flipped them i put the whole pan in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. If you want a medium rare 2 to 3 minutes is perfect. Quick note when you put the pan in the oven don't forget the whole thing has been in there, including the handle. After I pulled it out of the oven, I forgot that and grabbed the handle to steady the pan as I removed the steaks... ouch!!! I like a lot of heat on my food so i topped it with a squeeze of Siracha and enjoyed.

Pub Mix Chicken with Spinach and Balsamic Salad

Wow, it has been a while hasn't it. I guess I ran into kind of a slump, I have been making the same things over and over again. But tonight I had an idea for a good breading on chicken, and since the Bears were playing the Packers and dad was coming over to watch, I figured why not try it out. We but this mixture to snack on called Utz Pub Mix, it is a mixture of a bunch of snack foods, like pretzels and cheese crackers.
I took a bunch of this and put it in a food processor and ground it up to a powder. Next I took some skinless, boneless chicken breasts and dipped them into a some eggs I had beat together, then rolled them in the powder. I put the chicken into a baking dish I had coated with cooking spray. Put that in the oven at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.
I also made a quick salad, for this i used baby spinach leafs, sweet bell peppers cut into pieces, and cherry tomatoes from our garden, cut in half. For the dressing on this I tossed it with a little extra virgin olive oil and aged balsamic vinegar.
Any way that is about it for now, lets hope that it is not such a long time between posts again.

Char Siu and Pork Fried Rice

Char Siu is an Asian style of Bar B Que usually made with pork put on skewers and then marinated and roasted over a fire. I cant say that we enjoyed eating this, because honestly it was not very good. the marinade is made from cane sugar, dry soy powder, garlic and onion flavors, when we first prepared it, it smelled like cool aide. I was hoping that cooking would take away that taste, but it did not work . I ended up making a quick reduction of soy sauce, sesame oil, balsamic vinegar and ground mustard to break up the sweetness and make it some what edible. I made pork fried rice to go with this and that turned out pretty good. to make this i used 2 and half cups of long grain rice, and made that according to directions on the bag. After the rice was done I put it in a large bowl and added a tablespoon of sesame oil, a table spoon of soy sauce, and a half tablespoon of garlic powder. Then I added a small package of ham cubes, two bunches of green onions finely chopped and a package of frozen peas.
After I mixed that all up I put it in my counter top griddle and let it reheat for about a minute or so, then I pushed all the rice to one side and cracked four eggs on the other and scrabbled them.
After the eggs were done a mixed them in to the rice and dinner was ready.

Baked Ziti

Hey everyone hope you all are doing well. The other night I wanted to try something a little different from Spaghetti that we always have, and then I remembered one of my favorite TV shows "The Soprano's". Carmella always made Baked Ziti, and I had some Ziti Noodles in the pantry, how hard can it be. Well honestly the one I made was pretty easy. I had a couple packages of Hillshire Farms Italian Sausages, the ones with cheese inside. So i cut those up into bite size slices and browned them in a skillet, in another pot I made my usual base tomato sauce(here is a link), I left out the ground beef, but I suppose you could leave it in to make it extra meaty. I boiled the Ziti Pasta for about 7 minutes til it was al dente ( firm but not hard), this is important because we are going to bake this for a few more minutes and we don't want to over cook the pasta. I added every thing together and put it in a 13x9 cake pan, covered with shredded Mozzarella. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes to finish off the pasta and melt the cheese. After I made this I went online and found a real recipe for Baked Ziti, and the only thing I did wrong was not put cheese in the mixture, I just had it on top. Oh well it was still pretty darn good, and next time it will be just that much better.

Bacon Meatloaf

Well tonight, I decided to make a Meatloaf, and after my last one I thought that bacon was a good idea to include. Only problem is I did not take any pictures to post, but we all know what a meatloaf looks like. I also ran out of eggs and did not feel like running to the store so i used a package of meatloaf seasoning we had in the cupboard, I know kind of cheating, but I added to it so there is a recipe in here. So here it is:
2 pounds ground beef
1 package bacon
1 package meatloaf seasoning
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tbsp ground mustard seed
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp A1 steak sauce
1 cup water
The reason I used the packaged seasoning is it has a dry binder in it that takes the place of the egg. Cut the Bacon into small pieces and fry in a skillet until almost crispy. Mix all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl, drain the bacon and add mix again. Put into a loaf pan( I finally found one for meatloaf that has two pans, one with holes in it to drain off the excess fat) put into a 350 degree oven for about an hour. This turned out really good and I am sure it will become a part of our regular dinner rotation. Speaking of dinner rotations, I think that I am running out of things to cook, so I would like some ideas. If you have any recipes you would like to share send them to me and I will do it, and in the meantime I will dig out the cookbook my Grandmother gave me for Christmas a few years ago(yeah right more like a decade ago, man I think I am getting old). I think it has some old family recipes in it.

Coho Salmon

Well I never got the pictures of what these fish looked like before we butchered them, so I will have to post those later. Mom and Dad headed up camping along Grime Creek, near Idaho City, and Dad caught two Coho Salmon up there during their spawning season. Coho's are cool because during their spawning season their bodies physically change, normally they are silver in color, but when it comes time to reproduce, they change to a bright red color, and the males jaws and teeth become enlarged and hooked. Salt water caught Coho taste a little better because of their high fat content, fresh water caught during spawning have traveled far up river and have burned off that fat. I prepared these by steaming them with a sprig of baby dill, and a slice of lemon. Mom and Dad came over and brought some store bought Sockeye, these are the darker red fillets.
These tasted amazing, no real fishy taste to them at all. Hopefully when they go back up there next weekend Dad can catch some more, and who knows, maybe he can talk Mom into trying fishing again since no kids will be there to release her catch.
Edit: Mom Just sent me the photo

Chicken Kebabs

The phrase kebab is Persian in origin and translated means "fried meat". Arabic tradition has it that the dish was invented by medieval Iranic who used their swords to cook meat over an open fire. There are many variations of kebabs, the one we are used to here in the U.S. is a Shish from the Turkish word meaning to skewer. Since this is a Persian dish originally the traditional meat used is Lamb, but any meat can be used. I chose to do Chicken. For this recipe you will need:
6 Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 Green Bell Pepper
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Large Yellow Onion
Cherry Tomatoes1 Bottle Tuscan Italian Dressing
Cut the Chicken, Peppers, and Onion into about 1 inch squares, put into a large mixing bowl with Tomatoes and Dressing. Marinate for about 30 minutes to an hour. If you are using Bamboo Skewers soak in water for an hour before using them, if you are using metal spray with cooking spray before putting the ingredients on. I used cast iron stove top grill, the only problem with that is the marinade puts off a lot of smoke. Get your grill hot and start putting the ingredients on the skewers and put on the grill turning every three to four minutes to make sure all sides touch the grill. Now with Chicken it could take longer to cook, just because you want to make sure it gets cooked through (no such thing as a nice medium rare piece of Chicken). Then there is nothing left to do but eat, oh yeah another warning, be careful biting into the tomatoes, the juices inside are really, really hot.

Grilled Dessert

Well tonight was grill night, for dinner I made Chicken Kabobs, but I will right about those tomorrow, what I really want to do tonight is talk about dessert. I made Brown Sugar Glazed Grilled Pineapple and served it with a spoonful of Strawberry Revel Ice Cream. These were really easy to do, to start peel and cut a Pineapple into Wedges and put into a mixing bowl. Then you will need the following:
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbsp Butter
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 cup Lemon Juice
Put 1/2 tsp of the Cinnamon and a few pinches of the Brown Sugar into the mixing bowl with the Pineapple and gently toss. Heat your grill, make sure it is hot when you start cooking this will let the Cinnamon and Sugar caramel on the Pineapple. While the grill is warming, in a sauce pan combine all the other ingredients over medium heat until you get glaze. When the glaze is done put the Pineapple on the grill and cook about 3 minutes a side, basting every now and again to get a nice glaze. After they are done cooking drizzle the remaining glaze over them. And now it is time to sit back and enjoy. Well that is about it for tonight, got Chicken Kabobs tomorrow, and as soon as I get the pictures from Mom, I will have kind of a re-post of Lemon Dill Salmon, but this time Dad caught a couple wild Coho Salmon.

Smoked Brisket

Brisket is a cut of meat from the lower breast or chest. While all animals have a brisket, it is usually used to describe beef or veal. This cut of meat is usually tougher because it carries about 60% of the weight of the cow. This is why I like to smoke this cut with indirect heat for many hours, or as it is often referred to "low and slow". This style of cooking allows the meat to cook long enough to break down the fibers in the meat without over cooking it. I like to use a dry rub that I picked up at a BBQ competition, it is called Old Ranch House Seasonings. It is made here in Idaho and is really good, and inexpensive. I also use what is called a "mop" or "sop" to baste during the 6 plus hours it takes to cook. The recipe for the mop is:
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1 cup olive oil
2/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup water
the juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves of garlic minced
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Place all ingredients into a large pot, bring to a boil. Remove from heat but keep warm. Baste brisket every hour.
Another tip about smoking brisket is to just leave it. Place it on the grill, fat side up and don't worry about turning it or anything, just keep your wood chips smoking. After about 6 hours at 200-250 degrees it should be done. Use your meat thermometer and check in the thickest spot for a temp of around 160.

Homemade Salsa

Not a very involved recipe tonight, but some of the veggies in our garden have ripened and I decided to make some Salsa. We had Roma Tomatoes, and Red Blush Onions ready.


For this recipe I used
5 Roma Tomatoes diced
12 Red Blush Onions diced
1 Clove Garlic crushed
Handful of Cilantro finely chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tbsp lemon juice
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and serve. You may have noticed there are no peppers in my recipe, you can add diced Jalapeno Peppers to get the your desired heat. This also works good as a marinade for Carne Asada. Soak the meat in it for a few hours then grill, slice into small strips and use to make Tacos.

Herb Encrusted Rack of Lamb and Purple Majesty Potatoes

Ok Sit back and relax, this might take a while. French Cut Rack of Lamb is one of my favorite things of all times. I mean they look like meat lollipops, how can you loose. The only thing I don't like about Lamb is that most recipes are paired with mint, and I don't care for that. Before I get to far, French Cut means that the meat is stripped off the ribs, giving you kind of a handle to satisfy the primal urge to eat meat with your hands with out looking like a total caveman. I found a recipe about a year ago for a herb and mustard crust that goes good with Lamb, and every time I make it I usually eat myself into a coma. For the crust you will need:
1 large clove of Garlic
1/2 cup fresh chopped Basil
1/3 cup freshly grated pecorino Romano cheese1/3 cup dry plain breadcrumbs
2 Tbsp Herbs De Provence ( it is a dry mix of herbs found at most grocery stores)1 1/2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard2 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
Mince garlic in processor. Add next 5 ingredients. Using on/off turns, process just until basil is finely chopped. Drizzle oil over. Process until mixture is blended. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
I usually double this because I do two racks, when your done you should have something that looks like this.
The reason I always do two racks is i roast my racks in what is call the "Guard of Honor". Not only do I think it looks cool, I think it makes it easier to make sure the crust stays on. The next step is:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Arrange, bone side down, on small rimmed baking sheet. Press breadcrumb mixture onto lamb, coating completely. This is where I do the Guard of Honor. You stand the roasts on end and interlock the bones. Roast until meat thermometer inserted into center of lamb registers 135°F for medium-rare, about 30 minutes. Let lamb rest 15 minutes. Transfer lamb to cutting board. Cut between bones into individual or double chops. Oh I almost forgot I wrap the tips of the bones with foil so they don't burn and fall apart.
When I cut these the crust usually falls off, so I use it like a stuffing or spread when I serve it. Ok on to my next new discovery, Purple Majesty Potatoes. I have seen these on Food Network, and ran across some at my local grocery store, so I had to try them. I did a little research on these, and surprisingly they are are really good for you. They were developed by Colorado growers using natural crossbreeding techniques that resulted in really high antioxidants. For these I quartered them and boiled them til they were fork tender, then transferred them into a bowl containing
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tbsp Oregano
1 tbsp Basil
1 tbsp Dill
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence
toss that together then put on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Ok I know its been a long post but I have one more new discovery I want to share.
Everyone meet Roxy, our newest addition to our family. She is a Blue Heeler and Rottweiler mix. But luckily for us I don't think she will be very big, she is eight weeks old and weighs in at about 3 pounds. If she ever does anything besides sleep I will take some more pictures.

Turtle Burgers

Tonight I made the kids Turtle Burgers. It took them a while to actually eat them (they thought they were made out of turtle meat). The hardest part about making these was the bacon shell, For that I just wove a couple strips of bacon, this took some patience and a stead hand, but i think it was worth it in the end. For the legs, head, and tail I used Lil' Smokies, the original pictures I saw of this used Hot Dogs, but all I had here was quarter pound franks. The rest of it is just a hamburger patty. After I put them together I put them on a cookie sheet with a cooling rack on it.

I think I am going to buy a Broiling Pan for next time, I think it will be easier to cook and remove them from the pan that way. My sister and I have been discussing different variations of these, and I hope she does the breakfast version, with ground sausage, cocktail weenies, and bacon, on a bed of biscuts and gravy. Oh my now I am hungry again. Well off to bed for the night, good cooking all.

Mock Sushi

Generally when you think of Sushi, most people think of raw fish. This is a common misconception, Sushi is a type of rice that is usually topped with seafood, but this just because there is an abundance of seafood in Japan, you can actually top it with any type of protein or vegetable. Contemporary Sushi was created by Hanaya Yoehi at the end of the Edo period in Edo, somewhere in the early to mid 1800's. Originally it was created as sort of a fast food, that could be eaten with out utensils by the road or in a theatre. Most Sushi has Nori paper in it, a lot of people refer to this as seaweed, but it is actually a type of algae and there is a difference, but no matter what you call it, it has a very "fishy" taste. That is where my "Mock" Sushi comes in. I took Cucumbers and sliced them, then cut the center out. Then i stuffed them with a Salmon Spread. I ran out of Sushi Rice so I did not put that in my Salmon, but next time I will, so it will be a true Sushi Roll that I don't have to roll. Plate it like regular Sushi with a some Sriracha and Wasabi Paste if you want some heat. For the Salmon Spread you need:
2-6oz. cans Boneless/Skinless Salmon
1-8oz. pkg Cream Cheese
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tbs. Pepper
1 Tbs. Paprika
Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth. This can be used as a spread for crackers or a filling like I did tonight.

Bacon Wrapped Mac N Cheese Stuffed Meatloaf

Meatloaf is a meat dish consisting of ground meat (usually ground beef or a combination of ground beef, lamb or pork), which is formed into the shape of a loaf and either baked or smoked. It has European roots, minced meat loaves have been prepared since the 5th century. Traditionally it is a German, Belgian or Dutch dish. Many Meatloaf recipes can also be a traded off for a Meatball recipe. But my recipe is wrapped with Bacon and stuffed with Mac N Cheese. The recipe calls for your basic Meatloaf seasoning package,a box of Mac and Cheese, and a package of Bacon. I put a layer of bacon across the bottom of my loaf pan.
Then I put half of the prepared meat in the pan, then a thick layer of Macaroni and Cheese, the put the rest of the meat on top of that and pat it down so it all forms a nice loaf. Next I cover the top of the loaf with bacon so it is completely surrounded with pork goodness. Bake at 350 for about an hour. Quick safety note, put your loaf pan on a cookie sheet or in a cake pan, the Bacon grease will drip everywhere (I started a little fire in the oven on this one, haha).

Chicken Parmigiana

Parmigiana usually describes a classic Southern Italian dish consisting of sliced Eggplant layered with cheese and tomato sauce. Breaded meat variations (veal or chicken) are common here in the U.S., probably a result of immigration as with most Americanized dishes. While the world parmigiana directly translates to "from Parma" which is a city in Northern Italy, the dish does not derive from Parma cuisine. Eggplants were brought to Italy from Sicily though the south. The Sicilian word "parmiciana" means shutter or shingle and originally the dish was constructed in a shingled manner, so it is thought that the "c" was changed to a "g". In the United States and Canada this is usually served on top of or with a side of pasta. The recipe I use is pretty straight forward, you will need:
4 Skinless Chicken Breasts
2 cups milk
Italian Bread Crumbs
Mozzarella Cheese about 8 ounces
You can use your favorite Spaghetti Sauce or make your own, I have a recipe you can use just minus the Ground Beef, here is a link.
Rinse and pat dry the Breasts, then wrap them in plastic wrap. Use the smooth side of a meat tenderizer or a rolling pin to flatten the breasts in to an even thickness, this helps the meat cook evenly. Next dredge the chicken through the milk and then coat with the bread crumbs. Pan fry the breasts until the crumbs get a nice brown color. Lay the chicken in a greased baking dish, then cover with the tomato sauce. Next add slices of the cheese on top of the Chicken Breasts. I use a fresh Mozzarella cheese, not the hard bricks, but the soft cheese. I think this type of cheese melts better and has a better taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Serve on top of Spaghetti noodles. Garnish with your favorite Garlic Bread. Well that's all for now, let me now what you all think about this recipe and the new way I am trying to do the blog with a little information about the history of the dishes I am making.

Chicken Fried Steak with Gravy

One of my favorite ways to have have steak is to have it cubed and battered, then fried up and covered in gravy. There are a couple different stories on how this dish was first brought to America, but generally it is believed to be from German and Austrian Immigrants in the early 1800's settling in Texas. They brought a recipe for Wiener Schnitzel, which I always thought was a hot dog, but it is a battered fried steak. One interesting note is that in the late 1930's the name was changed from Wiener Schnitzel to Chicken Fried Steak or Country Fried Steak depending on what part of America you live in, probably because of war with Germany, kind of like Freedom Fries, but more successful. Well any way history class is over, time for a recipe.

1/2 cup vegetable oil
6 (4-ounces each) cube steaks
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups whole milk
Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Heat a medium-high skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil. Cook's Note: Oil is heated when you drop a little flour in and the oil spits.

Pound out the cube steaks with a meat mallet until they are 1/4 to 1/2-inches thick. Salt and pepper both sides. Mix the flour, cayenne and paprika together in a bowl. Beat the eggs in another bowl. Dredge the steaks through the flour, then egg mixture, then through the flour again.

Place the steak carefully in the pan as the oil will splatter. Cook until golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes on each side. When finished, place on a sheet tray lined with paper towels, hold in a warm oven and repeat the procedure with the other pieces of steak.

When all steaks have been cooked off, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the cooking oil and lower heat. Add 3 tablespoons of the leftover flour mixture to the oil and whisk to create a paste. Cook until golden, about 1 minute. Gradually add the milk to the flour and oil mixture while whisking together. Season the gravy with salt and pepper, to taste. Let cook until thickened; about 10 minutes.Pour gravy over the steak to finish and garnish with parsley.
Well that is all for tonight, hope you all enjoy.

Dinner Out With The Wife Tonight

So not much to write about cooking tonight, Tanya and I decided to go out to dinner. We ended up at El Tenampa, because as many of you know I have a tremendous weakness for burritos.
I had the Macho Burrito priced at 9.95, not much here but a regular shredded beef burrito, but all in all not a bad burrito. Tanya had the Shredded Beef Fluatas. These looked good, and both were served with a generous helping of Rice and Beans.
I have ate here many times before and keep coming back, I am not sure if it is the really friendly waitstaff or the 5 dollar Margarita's.
Let's just say it may be a little of both, and yes that is not an optical illusion, that thing is as big as my head and filled with Strawberry and Tequila goodness. How many times do I have to say this, don't judge me, at least it was not an appletini.

Grilled Ribeyes

I am working on a new marinade recipe, and my wife tells me you can't get it right the first time. I have to agree, thank goodness for pre-bottled KC Masterpiece. But now that I have some of the ingredients in that marinade I will be trying to reproduce that flavor. Not much of a story to write about these, but you may have noticed a pat of butter on the steak, I first saw this on a Food Network Bar-B-Que challenge. The lady who served her steak seasoned with only salt and pepper, then a pat of butter finished in the top ten in the Texas State Steak Cook Off. So I figured why not try it, and I must say I will be adding butter to all my steaks now. Well I will keep you all updated on my next marinade attempt, success or failure.

Lemon Dill Salmon

After all the cookies I think a nice light piece of fish is in order. I prepared this similar to the shrimp I did a little while back. I used my bamboo steamer and some dill weed and lemon slices. I also steamed some fresh Green Beans, and flavored them with a little butter and lemon pepper seasoning. Not much of a recipe here, just steam away and enjoy. I just took a couple of Rib-Eyes out for dinner tomorrow night so check back to see what i did.