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Monthly Archives: August 2016
OK, I know many do not know what the sous-vide method of cooking is (or do not understand or trust it) and it can seem scary… but only if you don’t follow good practices. Basically, sous-vide is cooking foods placed in a vacuum in a water bath that is kept at a stable temperature. And those are the keys… the vacuum and stable temperature. Now you may be thinking, I want a crust or grill marks on my steak… not just a hunk of pink or gray meat on my plate. I agree with you and that is the beauty in this process. Sous-vide cooks the meat to the desired doneness (and no further since the meat can never be…
Back in the What? Prepare a weekly menu! Are you crazy? post, I mentioned using pulled pork and kimchi leftovers for a pork kimchi fried rice. For those of you that have been waiting (or wondering if I would make that dish!), your wait is over. Today I made this recipe for lunch – I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Pulled Pork and Kimchi Fried Rice 1 1/2 cups of pulled pork, cut as desired 1 cup of kimchi, cut (using scissors in a glass bowl to save your cutting boards!) 1 egg, whisked 2 dashes Ichimi togarishi 1/2 red pepper, diced 1 stalk celery, sliced 1 tsp garlic, minced 1 tbsp peanut oil 1 tsp sesame oil 2 tsp Tabasco spicy…
Tonight’s dinner is simple and fast – and has a little bit of kick from cooking with tequila and lime! Margarita Fajitas Ingredients: 6 oz thin sliced beef, cut into strips 1/2 onion, sliced radially 1/2 green pepper, sliced lengthwise 1 stalk celery, sliced (and/or 1 carrot julienned, sliced mushrooms, quartered broccoli flowerets, etc) 1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced 1 lime, zested and juiced 1 tbsp chili powder 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp dried cilantro 1 – 2 oz silver tequila 3 – 4 flour tortillas 2 tsp vegetable oil salt and pepper to taste Shredded cheese (optional) Preparation: Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Place the sliced beef into a bowl, add salt and pepper and oil. Toss…
Ok, for tonight’s dinner I cheated… a little. I had a hankering for pizza, but did not want to make one from scratch. Ordering in or going out was an option, but I wanted to share this little trick with everyone instead. (By the way, I promise to visit my favorite place with pizza soon, I swear!) Rather than get the delivery version of the pizza you want – why not start with the basics and build your own! That’s right… I used a take and bake basic pizza (Papa Murphy’s $5 fave pepperoni for this pizza) and added some seasonings (basil, oregano, red pepper flakes), fresh mushrooms, green peppers, and additional cheese. What I started with: What I created…
With the summer weather continuing here (which is awesome!), I again decided to cook using the grill. Tonight is an experiment – paella on the grill. It is an experiment for 2 reasons. First time for me for using the grill to cook paella, obviously. But second, I am using a new seasoning – ‘Paellero’. I will comment on the flavor after trying the results! Simple paella Ingredients: 3/4 cup of pearl rice (or arborio if pearl is not available) 3 oz of chorizo, linguiça, or andouille sausage 5 -6 extra large prawns (16/20 per pound) 1 tsp garlic, minced (about 1 medium clove) 1 small shallot, minced 1 cup frozen peas 2 tsp olive oil 1/2 pkg of Paellero seasoning 2…
Well, I started the pulled pork with brining in yesterday’s post. Today, I am going to hot smoke it on my barbecue grill. Preparation: First, remove the pork shoulder from the brine, rinse and pat dry with paper towels. Place the meat in a medium bowl and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with more Smoky Mesquite seasoning and fresh cracked black pepper on all sides. Prepare the smoker with chips, the grate and light the grill and leave on high. When the grill and smoker box are hot, place the meat on the grate. Cover the box and and close the grill top. Cook/smoke approximately 40 minutes, checking halfway through and turn the meat over. When finished, remove the meat to a large…
What is better with pulled pork than a piquant vinegar based slaw? I can’t think of much, so I am going with this Savory Sriracha Slaw. The preparation is quick and it only needs an hour or 2 for the flavors to meld and marry. There are many ways to tweak this recipe – tonight I went with the savory style using herbs de provence (that’s right… I bet no one thought I would be going there!) Savory Sriracha Slaw Ingredients: 1/4 of small head of red cabbage, julienned 1/4 of a small head of green cabbage, julienned 1 carrot, peeled and julienned 1/2 tsp celery seed 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1/2 tsp herbs de provence Freshly…
In preparation for tomorrow’s pulled pork dinner, I want to brine the pork shoulder overnight. I know it seems like extra work, but the results will speak for themselves – trust me! Here are the ingredients I use to create my brine. Pulled Pork Brine Ingredients: 2 – 3 lb pork shoulder 1/3 cup salt 2 tsp Smoky Mesquite grinder 1/2 tsp ground Chipotle Chili 1 bay leaf 1/2 tsp minced garlic 1 tsp minced onion 1/4 fresh cracked black pepper 2 tbsp molasses 1 qt water (or enough to cover the pork) Preparation: Place all ingredients, except pork, into a large zip closure bag. Add 2 cups of water and close the bag. Swirl the bag to mix spices and dissolve…
With some of the hottest days of the year this week, let’s face it – no one wants to be inside cooking dinner. So tonight, it is hamburgers on the barbecue. But not just a boring or everyday hamburger, this one has pizzazz! Introducing the kimchi cheeseburger!!! Just think of how perfect this burger is. No lettuce, no pickles, no onion – but all those flavor aspects are there in the kimchi. And this is a quick dinner to make. While the grill was getting warmed up, I seasoned the ground beef patties, prepared the kimchi with my kitchen shears, and spread mayo on the buns for tasty toasting. Kimchi cheeseburgers Ingredients: 2 ground beef patties 1 cup of kimchi 2 hamburger buns 2 slices…
Tonight, I decided to make a quick chicken stir fry. With fresh vegetables, Thai cargo rice, and lean chicken breast, this meal is healthy and balanced. Using several different sauces creates a wonderful variety of flavors in the final dish. Are you ready to give this recipe a try? Spicy and Sweet Chicken Stir Fry Ingredients: – Stir fry 1 chicken breast, cut into 3/4 inch cubes 1 carrot, halved and bias sliced 1 stalk of celery, bias sliced 1/2 small onion, radially sliced 2 tsp mined garlic 1 1/2 cup broccoli flowerets 1 tbsp of rice vinegar 2 tbsp peanut oil – Sauce 1/3 cup of spicy banana sauce 1 tsp sriracha sauce 1 tbsp of hoisin sauce 1 tbsp cornstarch 1…