Sunday, October 19, 2008
Beef and Sausage Chili (GOOD BUT HOT)
Messed around with a couple of flavors and textures with good results, outside of maybe a little too much spiciness. Browned some stew beef with salt and pepper, then browned ground sausage. After browning the two meats, I sauteed onion and green pepper, added various chile seasonings, added the meat back in, as well as a can of red kidney beans and two cans of diced tomatoes. Simmered it for a couple hours until the beef was tender.
For whatever reason, I always end up making my chili too spicy. Since I eyeballed the amounts, it's hard to pinpoint the culprit, but I'm thinking it may be chipotle powder. I also added chili powder, ancho powder, cumin, coriander, and paprika, but none of those are really that spicy, so I think the chipotle is the one. As someone without a spicy filter, I don't mind at all, but it's usually a little too much for everybody else. So in the future, maybe kick back the chipotle and see what happens.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Crockpot Chicken with Lemon, Peppers, and Tomato (GOOD)
Monday, October 13, 2008
Crockpot Chicken with Lemon, Peppers, and Tomato (GOOD)
A good crockpot experiment ... browned off the chicken pieces (I had drumsticks, wings, and breast) and put them in the crockpot with a can of whole plum tomatoes (crushed with my hands), a can of cream of chicken condensed soup, and the juice and zest of a lemon. Put that on high for about 4 hours, then added sliced green pepeprs, red peppers, and sweet onion for the last hour. Served it over rice and hit it with some fresh parsley and lemon juice. Good taste all around ... though I could definitely add some capers or green olives next time for one more level of flavor.
Crockpot Chicken with Lemon, Peppers, and Tomato (GOOD)
A good crockpot experiment ... browned off the chicken pieces (I had drumsticks, wings, and breast) and put them in the crockpot with a can of whole plum tomatoes (crushed with my hands), a can of cream of chicken condensed soup, and the juice and zest of a lemon. Put that on high for about 4 hours, then added sliced green pepeprs, red peppers, and sweet onion for the last hour. Served it over rice and hit it with some fresh parsley and lemon juice. Good taste all around ... though I could definitely add some capers or green olives next time for one more level of flavor.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Pulled Pork and Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas (VERY GOOD)
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Pulled Pork and Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas (VERY GOOD)
Tonight was the Leftover Bonanza, so I took my leftover pork from Sunday and leftover chicken from Tuesday and threw together two different quesadillas, both with very good results. The first was pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and mozzarella cheese. The second was chicken, Buffalo sauce, mozzarella, tomatoes, and a sprinkle of gorgonzola. Threw them on the grill for a few minutes and the result was very good.
Pulled Pork and Buffalo Chicken Quesadillas (VERY GOOD)
Tonight was the Leftover Bonanza, so I took my leftover pork from Sunday and leftover chicken from Tuesday and threw together two different quesadillas, both with very good results. The first was pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and mozzarella cheese. The second was chicken, Buffalo sauce, mozzarella, tomatoes, and a sprinkle of gorgonzola. Threw them on the grill for a few minutes and the result was very good.
Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Okra Stew (DECENT)
Monday, October 6, 2008
Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Okra Stew (DECENT)
This was basically "throw what you got in a pot and see what happens dinner" and it came out fairly well. No real recipe to pass on, other than adding chicken, sweet potato, okra, and some egg noodles to chicken stock.
I will say this ... I'm forever on the quest to find "depth" for my soups and stews that I throw together. By depth ... I'm talking about how the whole thing tastes good, but lacks some sort of layer to it that makes it a little bit fuller tasting. My guess is that because a home-cooked stew with homemade stock has considerably less sodium in it, it gives it that "thin" taste. In the future, I'm thinking I may try butter or heavy cream for that depth, or maybe even starting with a roux to see what happens.
Chicken, Sweet Potato, and Okra Stew (DECENT)
This was basically "throw what you got in a pot and see what happens dinner" and it came out fairly well. No real recipe to pass on, other than adding chicken, sweet potato, okra, and some egg noodles to chicken stock.
I will say this ... I'm forever on the quest to find "depth" for my soups and stews that I throw together. By depth ... I'm talking about how the whole thing tastes good, but lacks some sort of layer to it that makes it a little bit fuller tasting. My guess is that because a home-cooked stew with homemade stock has considerably less sodium in it, it gives it that "thin" taste. In the future, I'm thinking I may try butter or heavy cream for that depth, or maybe even starting with a roux to see what happens.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Smoked Pork Butt, Baked Beans, and Acorn Squash (GREAT)
Summer meets fall in this one with a pork butt done on the BBQ smoker. I think I'm finally getting the hang of the smoker I have, and have learned that the temperature becomes wildly inconsistent after about the first 4-5 hours. So with that in mind, I took the approach of smoking the meat on the grill until this point, and then finishing it in the oven on 225 where I can regulate the temperature for as long as I need. This works great because a good bark has already been achieved after the first 5 hours, so it's basically a matter of cooking it in the over until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees.
The acorn squash is a rerun ... click here ... and admittedly I went lazy on the beans and bought a can on Bush's. But hey ... I gave up 8 hours of my time to cook the meat, so there!
Smoked Pork Butt, Baked Beans, and Acorn Squash (GREAT)
Summer meets fall in this one with a pork butt done on the BBQ smoker. I think I'm finally getting the hang of the smoker I have, and have learned that the temperature becomes wildly inconsistent after about the first 4-5 hours. So with that in mind, I took the approach of smoking the meat on the grill until this point, and then finishing it in the oven on 225 where I can regulate the temperature for as long as I need. This works great because a good bark has already been achieved after the first 5 hours, so it's basically a matter of cooking it in the over until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees.
The acorn squash is a rerun ... click here ... and admittedly I went lazy on the beans and bought a can on Bush's. But hey ... I gave up 8 hours of my time to cook the meat, so there!
Strip Steaks with Gorgonzola-Thyme Butter (GREAT)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Strip Steaks with Gorgonzola-Thyme Butter (GREAT)
Steak on the grill is a no-brainer, especially once you've had the same grill for a couple years and know exactly how to cook one. I like to keep the steak simple ... load it up with gray salt and fresh black pepper, coat with a little olive oil, and hit the grill. For me, a perfect medium-rare is four minutes a side on high on an uncovered grill. After the first four minutes, I topped the steak with the gorgonzola-thyme butter (1 TB butter, 2 TB or more of gorgonzola, 2 sprigs of thyme, and ground pepper), and put the grill lid down for the last minute to melt the butter.
Strip Steaks with Gorgonzola-Thyme Butter (GREAT)
Steak on the grill is a no-brainer, especially once you've had the same grill for a couple years and know exactly how to cook one. I like to keep the steak simple ... load it up with gray salt and fresh black pepper, coat with a little olive oil, and hit the grill. For me, a perfect medium-rare is four minutes a side on high on an uncovered grill. After the first four minutes, I topped the steak with the gorgonzola-thyme butter (1 TB butter, 2 TB or more of gorgonzola, 2 sprigs of thyme, and ground pepper), and put the grill lid down for the last minute to melt the butter.
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