Let me start off by saying that I love buffalo wing sauce! Just like the woman says on the Frank's Hot Sauce commercial, "I put that **** on everything"...and I do. I have even dipped a bagel into it before just so I could have a reason to be eating buffalo wing sauce. So, if you enjoy it as much as me...you will enjoy this recipe!
Ingredients
1 can of cream of chicken soup (I prefer to use the reduced fat/sodium ones)
1 cup of prepared ranch dip
2/3 cup of chopped green onions
3 cups of cooked and shredded chicken
3/4 cup of buffalo wing sauce (I prefer Frank's)
10 flour tortilla shells (6inch)
3 cups of shredded monterey jack cheese
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 13x9 cooking dish with cooking spray. In one bowl, mix together the soup, ranch dip and half of the chopped green onions. In another bowl, mix together the chicken and the buffalo wing sauce. To assemble each enchilada you will first spread about 2 tbs of the soup mixture down the center of the tortilla. Then, you will add some of the buffalo chicken down the center of the tortilla along with some of the shredded cheese, making sure not to add too much so you will still be able to roll it up without the inside mixture oozing out. Place the tortilla fold side down and repeat this process with all 10 tortillas. After you have assembled all of the enchiladas, pour the remaining soup mixture down the top of the enchiladas making sure to spread it evenly. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and green onions and bake uncovered for an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese has melted. Let dish cool for 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Crab Cakes with Chipotle Mayonnaise
Now, I am not a seasoned crab cake eater but these are by far the tastiest crab cakes I have had while being land locked. Jake made these for me when we first started dating to try to impress me with his cooking skills...and it worked! I was impressed to say the least with how good they tasted, and I have come to find out they are quite easy to make as well.
Ingredients
2 cans of lump crab meat
1 TB of fresh parsley chopped
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
1/4 tsp of salt
dash of pepper
Chipotle Mayonnaise (recipe below)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and shape into 4 crab cakes. Place in the refrigerator for an hour to firm. You will cook the crab cakes in a pan with 3 tbs of oil. Once pan has become hot, place the crab cakes into the hot pan and cook 4-5 minutes per side on medium to high heat or until the outer edges of the crab cake have turned a light brown. Garnish with Chipotle Mayonnaise and enjoy!
Chipotle Mayonnaise
2 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 plum tomato seeded and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and heat on low for about 10 minutes to allow ingredients to marry. You will want to serve the chipotle mayonnaise warm over the crab cakes.
Ingredients
2 cans of lump crab meat
1 TB of fresh parsley chopped
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of bread crumbs
1/2 cup of green onions, chopped
1/4 tsp of salt
dash of pepper
Chipotle Mayonnaise (recipe below)
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and shape into 4 crab cakes. Place in the refrigerator for an hour to firm. You will cook the crab cakes in a pan with 3 tbs of oil. Once pan has become hot, place the crab cakes into the hot pan and cook 4-5 minutes per side on medium to high heat or until the outer edges of the crab cake have turned a light brown. Garnish with Chipotle Mayonnaise and enjoy!
Chipotle Mayonnaise
2 tsp chipotle in adobo sauce, chopped
1/2 cup of mayonnaise
1/2 cup of sour cream
1 plum tomato seeded and finely chopped
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
juice of 1/2 lime
Mix all ingredients together in a saucepan and heat on low for about 10 minutes to allow ingredients to marry. You will want to serve the chipotle mayonnaise warm over the crab cakes.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Pork Chimichangas - an easy meal that tastes delicious
We discovered this one when we had left over pulled pork from a summer barbecue. We wanted to use the pork but had enough sandwiches to last a lifetime and wanted to change things up. We decided to go south of the border on this one and knocked it out of the park. This is an easy dish to prepare and most likely you will have all the ingredients in your house already, except of course the pork, in which case chicken works just fine. (editor's note: this goes quite well with a margarita or a cold cerveza) Here is how I do it....
Servings: 2
Ingredients
2 Burrito size tortilla shells
1 large onion, sliced
1 poblano pepper, sliced
1 lg clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups shredded pork (or cooked chicken/beef)
salt to taste
1 TB of cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic
shredded monterey jack cheese
queso sauce (recipe follows)
pico de gallo (recipe follows)
In a large skillet, saute the onions, peppers and garlic in 2 TB of vegetable oil until the veggies are tender (about 5 minutes at medium heat). Next you will want to add the pulled pork and chicken broth. Continue to stir until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Next you will want to add the spices. If you would like your chimi with a little heat, feel free to add some diced jalapeno or crushed red pepper. Allow the pork mixture to cook at low heat for about 10-15 minutes to allow all those good flavors to get to know one another!
Next, brush both sides of the tortilla shells with vegetable oil...those sides are going to be the outside of your chimis. Flip the tortilla over and place the pork mixture in the center of the tortilla (don't just plop it in the middle in a big ball...you will want to spread it evenly through the middle but not getting it close to the ends that you fold, to allow easy folding of the tortilla). Once the pork is on the tortilla, place a handful of shredded monterey jack on top of the pork. To fold the tortilla you will want to take the side closest to you and bring it over the pork and tuck it tightly under the pork before folding in the sides. You will then slowly roll the tortilla away from you to make a nice tight chimi!
Place both pork chimis in a baking dish and bake (that's right, these are baked...not fried) at 450 for 10-15 minutes or until the tortilla is a very light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Queso Sauce
2 TB flour
2 TB melted butter
1 cup of milk
1/2 lb of white american cheese
3 TB of jalapeno pickled juice
Melt the butter in a saute pan and add flour to make a roux. Once the roux has become a very light tan color, slowly whisk in the milk. Once the milk has begun to thicken you can start to add the cheese a little bit at a time stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once all the cheese has been added, you can add the jalapeno juice and take off the heat.
Pico De Gallo
1/4 cup diced onion
3 diced roma tomato
1 minced garlic
1 TB chopped cilantro (or parsley if you aren't a cilantro fan)
2 TB of lime juice
To essemble: Cooked pork chimi's, queso sauce and pico.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
2 Burrito size tortilla shells
1 large onion, sliced
1 poblano pepper, sliced
1 lg clove of garlic, minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 cups shredded pork (or cooked chicken/beef)
salt to taste
1 TB of cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp garlic
shredded monterey jack cheese
queso sauce (recipe follows)
pico de gallo (recipe follows)
In a large skillet, saute the onions, peppers and garlic in 2 TB of vegetable oil until the veggies are tender (about 5 minutes at medium heat). Next you will want to add the pulled pork and chicken broth. Continue to stir until all of the ingredients are incorporated. Next you will want to add the spices. If you would like your chimi with a little heat, feel free to add some diced jalapeno or crushed red pepper. Allow the pork mixture to cook at low heat for about 10-15 minutes to allow all those good flavors to get to know one another!
Next, brush both sides of the tortilla shells with vegetable oil...those sides are going to be the outside of your chimis. Flip the tortilla over and place the pork mixture in the center of the tortilla (don't just plop it in the middle in a big ball...you will want to spread it evenly through the middle but not getting it close to the ends that you fold, to allow easy folding of the tortilla). Once the pork is on the tortilla, place a handful of shredded monterey jack on top of the pork. To fold the tortilla you will want to take the side closest to you and bring it over the pork and tuck it tightly under the pork before folding in the sides. You will then slowly roll the tortilla away from you to make a nice tight chimi!
Place both pork chimis in a baking dish and bake (that's right, these are baked...not fried) at 450 for 10-15 minutes or until the tortilla is a very light golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes.
Queso Sauce
2 TB flour
2 TB melted butter
1 cup of milk
1/2 lb of white american cheese
3 TB of jalapeno pickled juice
Melt the butter in a saute pan and add flour to make a roux. Once the roux has become a very light tan color, slowly whisk in the milk. Once the milk has begun to thicken you can start to add the cheese a little bit at a time stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Once all the cheese has been added, you can add the jalapeno juice and take off the heat.
Pico De Gallo
1/4 cup diced onion
3 diced roma tomato
1 minced garlic
1 TB chopped cilantro (or parsley if you aren't a cilantro fan)
2 TB of lime juice
To essemble: Cooked pork chimi's, queso sauce and pico.
Beef Soto
This is a great date night meal, or any special meal for that matter. Now, most people would think that doing anything other than just grilling a filet is a crime but I challenge them to tell me this isn't delicious. This will literally melt in your mouth if done correctly. Here is how I do it...
Servings: 2
Ingredients
3 TB of butter plus 2TB later on
3 TB of flour
2 cups of chicken broth
1/4 cup of white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1 pint of fresh mushrooms, sliced and cooked
provel cheese (provelone if outside St. Louis)
bread crumbs
2 beef filets
To begin, season your filets with salt and pepper. Place about 1 cup of bread crumbs in a shallow dish and lightly coat both filets with bread crumbs. Set the filets aside until you are ready to cook them on the grill.
For the sauce, you will need to melt 3 TB of butter in a saute pan. Once the butter has melted, add the flour...you are making a roux so keep stirring and cook long enough to allow the flour taste to cook out (about 2 minutes). Grab a whisk and slowly add in the chicken broth. You will want to continue to whisk until the roux has incorporated into the chicken broth. Add the wine and the lemon juice and let it all come to a slow boil to allow the sauce to thicken a bit. Once the sauce has thickened you will want to taste it at this point and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms and keep the sauce on low just to stay warm while you grill the steaks.
You will want your grill at medium to high heat. To ensure even cooking for your steaks, allow the steaks to come to room temperature before placing them on the grill. For steaks that are 1 inch thick, allow them to cook 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare. A good way to test the steaks are to push on them with your finger, the more firm it is...the more well done they are. Remove steaks from grill and place them in an oven safe dish. Pour the sauce equally over the steaks and then cover the tops of the steak with provel cheese. Place them under the broiler until the cheese has melted and you can't wait any longer to sample it out!
Enjoy!
Picture Below
Servings: 2
Ingredients
3 TB of butter plus 2TB later on
3 TB of flour
2 cups of chicken broth
1/4 cup of white wine
juice of 1 lemon
1 pint of fresh mushrooms, sliced and cooked
provel cheese (provelone if outside St. Louis)
bread crumbs
2 beef filets
To begin, season your filets with salt and pepper. Place about 1 cup of bread crumbs in a shallow dish and lightly coat both filets with bread crumbs. Set the filets aside until you are ready to cook them on the grill.
For the sauce, you will need to melt 3 TB of butter in a saute pan. Once the butter has melted, add the flour...you are making a roux so keep stirring and cook long enough to allow the flour taste to cook out (about 2 minutes). Grab a whisk and slowly add in the chicken broth. You will want to continue to whisk until the roux has incorporated into the chicken broth. Add the wine and the lemon juice and let it all come to a slow boil to allow the sauce to thicken a bit. Once the sauce has thickened you will want to taste it at this point and add salt and pepper to taste. Add the mushrooms and keep the sauce on low just to stay warm while you grill the steaks.
You will want your grill at medium to high heat. To ensure even cooking for your steaks, allow the steaks to come to room temperature before placing them on the grill. For steaks that are 1 inch thick, allow them to cook 5-6 minutes per side for medium rare. A good way to test the steaks are to push on them with your finger, the more firm it is...the more well done they are. Remove steaks from grill and place them in an oven safe dish. Pour the sauce equally over the steaks and then cover the tops of the steak with provel cheese. Place them under the broiler until the cheese has melted and you can't wait any longer to sample it out!
Enjoy!
Picture Below
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Cheesy salsa chicken
So, it was a night alone while Jake was coming home late. I didn't want to do too much and I wanted to work with what was in my refrigerator. This is what I came up with and apparently it was a hit. Here is what I came up with...
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 TB salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mexican oregano
2 TB of vegetable oil
1 cup of your favorite chunky salsa
1 pkg softened cream cheese
3/4 cup shredded Monterey jack
Mix together all of the spices in a bowl and season both pieces of chicken with it, both sides. Heat a large skillet with vegetable oil. Place chicken breasts in skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until lightly golden. Place browned chicken breasts in a baking dish and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix together the salsa and softened cream cheese. I have found using a hand mixer gets the lumps out of the cream cheese quicker. Pour the cream cheese salsa mixture over the chicken and cover with foil. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 20 additional minutes. At the end of baking, sprinkle the Monterey jack on each of the pieces of chicken and bake until the cheese has melted. Once you remove the chicken from the oven, allow to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the dish to cool. Serve over your favorite rice.
(Picture on site)
Ingredients
2 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 TB salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp mexican oregano
2 TB of vegetable oil
1 cup of your favorite chunky salsa
1 pkg softened cream cheese
3/4 cup shredded Monterey jack
Mix together all of the spices in a bowl and season both pieces of chicken with it, both sides. Heat a large skillet with vegetable oil. Place chicken breasts in skillet and cook for 2 minutes on each side, until lightly golden. Place browned chicken breasts in a baking dish and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, thoroughly mix together the salsa and softened cream cheese. I have found using a hand mixer gets the lumps out of the cream cheese quicker. Pour the cream cheese salsa mixture over the chicken and cover with foil. Bake covered for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 20 additional minutes. At the end of baking, sprinkle the Monterey jack on each of the pieces of chicken and bake until the cheese has melted. Once you remove the chicken from the oven, allow to stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before serving to allow the dish to cool. Serve over your favorite rice.
(Picture on site)
Chicken and sausage pepper pasta
This is a newer recipe for me to try. This is not what I usually would put on my blog so fast but it was loved by all so I thought, "what the heck." This is how it goes...
Ingredients
2 TB margarine + 1 TB margarine to be used later
1 TB olive
3 Sweet Italian Sausage links (sliced 1 inch thick at a diagonal)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (Diced in cubes)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 TB flour
1 small onion diced
3-4 Italian green frying peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley (reserve 2 TB for garnish)
2 pickled cherry peppers (jarred) chopped, plus 3 TB of liquid from the jar (based on personal preference you can get sweet or hot pickled cherry peppers)
1/2 lb. uncooked farfalle pasta (aka...bow tie) Cook as directed, making sure to salt the water once boiling
Heat 2 TB of margarine and 1 TB of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until both sides are golden, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, season your cubed chicken with salt and pepper and then toss the chicken into the 2 TB of flour. Once the sausage has cooked for 2 minutes and it is golden, add the chicken. You are only going to brown the chicken at this point so it will only take 3-4 minutes.
Next, add the onion, garlic, green frying peppers, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of fresh ground black pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and stir making sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all of the browned bits at the bottom...this is the flavor! Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer before covering, allowing it to cook for an additional 5 minutes to allow the sausage and chicken to cook through.
Remove the chicken, sausage, peppers and onions to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. Stir in the parsley (remembering to reserve some for garnishing), cherry peppers and their liquid into the skillet along with 2 TB of starch water from your pasta. Bring to a boil and let it reduce slightly (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in 1 TB of margarine. Add the chicken, sausage, peppers and onions back into the skillet to toss with sauce.
Place the chicken, sausage, peppers and onions mixture over the farfalle pasta and garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!
(Picture on site)
Ingredients
2 TB margarine + 1 TB margarine to be used later
1 TB olive
3 Sweet Italian Sausage links (sliced 1 inch thick at a diagonal)
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (Diced in cubes)
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 TB flour
1 small onion diced
3-4 Italian green frying peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 cloves of garlic finely chopped
3/4 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley (reserve 2 TB for garnish)
2 pickled cherry peppers (jarred) chopped, plus 3 TB of liquid from the jar (based on personal preference you can get sweet or hot pickled cherry peppers)
1/2 lb. uncooked farfalle pasta (aka...bow tie) Cook as directed, making sure to salt the water once boiling
Heat 2 TB of margarine and 1 TB of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the sausage until both sides are golden, about 2 minutes. Meanwhile, season your cubed chicken with salt and pepper and then toss the chicken into the 2 TB of flour. Once the sausage has cooked for 2 minutes and it is golden, add the chicken. You are only going to brown the chicken at this point so it will only take 3-4 minutes.
Next, add the onion, garlic, green frying peppers, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp of fresh ground black pepper. Cook for another 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the wine and stir making sure to scrape the bottom of the skillet to get all of the browned bits at the bottom...this is the flavor! Bring to a boil and cook until the liquid is slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken broth and bring to a gentle simmer before covering, allowing it to cook for an additional 5 minutes to allow the sausage and chicken to cook through.
Remove the chicken, sausage, peppers and onions to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside. Stir in the parsley (remembering to reserve some for garnishing), cherry peppers and their liquid into the skillet along with 2 TB of starch water from your pasta. Bring to a boil and let it reduce slightly (about 3 minutes). Remove from heat and stir in 1 TB of margarine. Add the chicken, sausage, peppers and onions back into the skillet to toss with sauce.
Place the chicken, sausage, peppers and onions mixture over the farfalle pasta and garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese! Enjoy!
(Picture on site)
Hoosier Corn
First off, I didn't name this and it has nothing to do with Indiana. I think it's a recipe that relates more to people who put mayonnaise on steak or something ridiculous like that. I felt the same way the first time I heard this...but after I tried it, I will never look at corn the same way. This is how it goes...
Ingredients
Fresh ears of corn
Margarine
Mustard
Parmesan cheese
Chili powder
After you have "shucked" your corn. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once you are at a rapid boil, salt your water and place your corn in the pot and let it boil for 8 minutes. Remove the corn from the boiling water and let cool for about 5 minutes so that all of the rest of your ingredients don't run off your corn...who wants that!
Now stay with me, I know this sounds like a strange combo on corn on the cob, but boy does it taste good!
Lather your piece of corn first with margarine. Next you will want to squirt some mustard (just plain old yellow mustard) over the corn and using a knife spread it over every inch of the corn. Next, you will sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the mustard...don't be shy...give it a good dusting. The final topper to this corn, a light sprinkle of chili powder. If nothing else, your curiosity has got you wanting to dive into this piece of corn! I hope all of you enjoy this as much as I do, I haven't eaten a plain old piece of corn of the cob since!
(Pictures on site)
Ingredients
Fresh ears of corn
Margarine
Mustard
Parmesan cheese
Chili powder
After you have "shucked" your corn. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once you are at a rapid boil, salt your water and place your corn in the pot and let it boil for 8 minutes. Remove the corn from the boiling water and let cool for about 5 minutes so that all of the rest of your ingredients don't run off your corn...who wants that!
Now stay with me, I know this sounds like a strange combo on corn on the cob, but boy does it taste good!
Lather your piece of corn first with margarine. Next you will want to squirt some mustard (just plain old yellow mustard) over the corn and using a knife spread it over every inch of the corn. Next, you will sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top of the mustard...don't be shy...give it a good dusting. The final topper to this corn, a light sprinkle of chili powder. If nothing else, your curiosity has got you wanting to dive into this piece of corn! I hope all of you enjoy this as much as I do, I haven't eaten a plain old piece of corn of the cob since!
(Pictures on site)
Piggy Poppers
I have to start off by saying that I stole this recipe from my brother Chris, so I have to say thank you to him. This recipe you can do with almost any pepper. My pepper of choice??? The jalapeno is my choice. However, for those of you without the stomach for a jalapeno, the pablano pepper is fine. Here is how this works...
Ingredients
4 Jalapeno peppers (if you would like a not so spicy pepper, you can substitute Poblanos)
1-1/12 cup pulled pork
1 pkg softened cream cheese
8 slices of bacon
First, you will need to cut the jalapeno peppers in half. If you can take the heat, you can leave the seeds and ribs in. If you want to keep these a little more tame, remove the seeds and ribs. Next you will need to take about a tablespoon of cream cheese and spread it into the halved jalapeno. Now, you will also be placing the pulled pork on top of this, so if a tablespoon looks to be too much because your pepper is small...make your adjustments accordingly. The same applies for if you are using the poblano pepper, they are usually larger than jalapenos so if you need to add more cream cheese go right ahead. I myself have never had a problem with too much cheese!
After filling all of your pepper canoes with cream cheese you will then want to put some pulled pork on top of the cream cheese. Once you have completed this, you are going to wrap each stuffed jalapeno with a piece of bacon. What goes good with pork...ummm, that's right more pork...and who doesn't love bacon!
Now that you have your piggy poppers all wrapped and ready to go, you will need to get your grill ready! Once your grill is hot, make sure it is at about medium temperature. You don't want the heat too high because it will burn your bacon and leave your peppers still crisp! So, place the poppers on the grill (medium heat). You will have to keep an eye on them and continue to rotate them so the bacon cooks on all sides. You are dealing with grease and fire, so please be cautious while manning your grill. These will need to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the bacon looks golden brown and the peppers are just beginning to become soft. Just to add a little extra flavor to them I brush them with Frank's Sweet Chili Sauce. You by no means need to do this as they taste great on their own, however I am a sucker for sweet and spicy!
(pictures on site)
Ingredients
4 Jalapeno peppers (if you would like a not so spicy pepper, you can substitute Poblanos)
1-1/12 cup pulled pork
1 pkg softened cream cheese
8 slices of bacon
First, you will need to cut the jalapeno peppers in half. If you can take the heat, you can leave the seeds and ribs in. If you want to keep these a little more tame, remove the seeds and ribs. Next you will need to take about a tablespoon of cream cheese and spread it into the halved jalapeno. Now, you will also be placing the pulled pork on top of this, so if a tablespoon looks to be too much because your pepper is small...make your adjustments accordingly. The same applies for if you are using the poblano pepper, they are usually larger than jalapenos so if you need to add more cream cheese go right ahead. I myself have never had a problem with too much cheese!
After filling all of your pepper canoes with cream cheese you will then want to put some pulled pork on top of the cream cheese. Once you have completed this, you are going to wrap each stuffed jalapeno with a piece of bacon. What goes good with pork...ummm, that's right more pork...and who doesn't love bacon!
Now that you have your piggy poppers all wrapped and ready to go, you will need to get your grill ready! Once your grill is hot, make sure it is at about medium temperature. You don't want the heat too high because it will burn your bacon and leave your peppers still crisp! So, place the poppers on the grill (medium heat). You will have to keep an eye on them and continue to rotate them so the bacon cooks on all sides. You are dealing with grease and fire, so please be cautious while manning your grill. These will need to cook for about 10-15 minutes or until the bacon looks golden brown and the peppers are just beginning to become soft. Just to add a little extra flavor to them I brush them with Frank's Sweet Chili Sauce. You by no means need to do this as they taste great on their own, however I am a sucker for sweet and spicy!
(pictures on site)
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The key to anyone's heart.... Pizza
This is my first blog so please bear with me. I have been experimenting with pizza for years and have come up with some great recipes. At home in St. Louis, thin crust pizza is king. I, however, am a sucker for a deep dish any day of the week. My better half, Jake, is also a deep dish pizza nut. So, that being said, I went in search of making the ultimate deep dish pizza. I have made regular deep dish as well as Chicago style deep dish. Today I am talking about Chicago style deep dish. The main difference is the order in which the ingredients go on the pizza. A Chicago style pizza goes like this... dough, cheese, sausage, pepperoni (or any toppings you want) sauce, Parmesan and Romano cheeses. The icing on the cake, if you will, is the crust. Nothing beats a good crust. This is how I make my Chicago style deep dish pizza.
Dough Recipe
1 package rapid rise dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 TB olive oil
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 3/4 cups flour
In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the vegetable oil , olive oil, cornmeal and half of the flour. Mix for 10 minutes. Attach the dough hook and mix in the remaining flour. Knead for 5 more minutes with the mixer. I know this seems like a lot of mixing, but it will be well worth the wait! I let the dough rise in my mixing bowl instead of transferring to a separate bowl, just make sure you rub a little bit of olive oil over the top of the dough to prevent the dough from forming a hard outer crust while rising. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise for 2 hours. Take the dough out and punch it down, then cover the bowl again and continue to let the dough rise for another 2 hours. While the dough is rising you can prepare the pizza sauce.
Pizza Sauce Recipe
1 Large can of San Marzano's whole tomatoes
1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
1 TB of Italian seasoning
2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
2 TB of sugar
In a large bowl, crush the whole tomatoes with your hands. Beware of the tomatoes! They tend to squirt at you while doing this, so I wouldn't suggest wearing white while doing this. After you have crushed the tomatoes, you need to place them in a colander to allow the excess liquid to drain. You definitely don't want a soggy pizza after all this hard work!
Once the tomatoes have drained, add the remaining ingredients. I usually do this in advance so that all of the ingredients have time to get to know one another.
Okay, so now we are finally ready to start the assembly of the pizza...are you getting hungry yet? You will need to bake this pizza in a deep pizza pan or in a cast iron skillet. I personally prefer using a cast iron skillet, as the cast iron cooks the crust perfectly!
You will need to oil the pan before you put the dough into it to ensure you will be able to easily get the pizza out after it is finished baking.
Let the assembling begin!
Dough
Mozzarella Cheese
Sweet Italian Sausage (this is raw so you will have to spread it out over the cheese)
Pepperoni (or whatever toppings you prefer, let your imagination run wild!)
Pizza Sauce
Grated Parmesan and Romano Cheese
Bake at 475 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the crust is a light golden brown. Let the pizza cool for about 15 minutes, resist the temptation to dive into it immediately....your mouth will thank you later on!
Dough Recipe
1 package rapid rise dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 TB olive oil
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 3/4 cups flour
In the bowl of a stand mixer, dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the vegetable oil , olive oil, cornmeal and half of the flour. Mix for 10 minutes. Attach the dough hook and mix in the remaining flour. Knead for 5 more minutes with the mixer. I know this seems like a lot of mixing, but it will be well worth the wait! I let the dough rise in my mixing bowl instead of transferring to a separate bowl, just make sure you rub a little bit of olive oil over the top of the dough to prevent the dough from forming a hard outer crust while rising. Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm area to rise for 2 hours. Take the dough out and punch it down, then cover the bowl again and continue to let the dough rise for another 2 hours. While the dough is rising you can prepare the pizza sauce.
Pizza Sauce Recipe
1 Large can of San Marzano's whole tomatoes
1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
1 TB of Italian seasoning
2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
2 TB of sugar
In a large bowl, crush the whole tomatoes with your hands. Beware of the tomatoes! They tend to squirt at you while doing this, so I wouldn't suggest wearing white while doing this. After you have crushed the tomatoes, you need to place them in a colander to allow the excess liquid to drain. You definitely don't want a soggy pizza after all this hard work!
Once the tomatoes have drained, add the remaining ingredients. I usually do this in advance so that all of the ingredients have time to get to know one another.
Okay, so now we are finally ready to start the assembly of the pizza...are you getting hungry yet? You will need to bake this pizza in a deep pizza pan or in a cast iron skillet. I personally prefer using a cast iron skillet, as the cast iron cooks the crust perfectly!
You will need to oil the pan before you put the dough into it to ensure you will be able to easily get the pizza out after it is finished baking.
Let the assembling begin!
Dough
Mozzarella Cheese
Sweet Italian Sausage (this is raw so you will have to spread it out over the cheese)
Pepperoni (or whatever toppings you prefer, let your imagination run wild!)
Pizza Sauce
Grated Parmesan and Romano Cheese
Bake at 475 degrees for about 35-40 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the crust is a light golden brown. Let the pizza cool for about 15 minutes, resist the temptation to dive into it immediately....your mouth will thank you later on!
Friday, May 20, 2011
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