Category: PROTEINS

SEX ON A STICK for my birthday

SEX ON A STICK
1/2 cup Teriyaki marinade (see below)
fresh pineapple cut into chunks
1 pound Chicken tenders or chicken chunks
1 pound large shrimp, tails cut off
1 pound bacon, cut into halves

  • Soak skewers in water for 1 hour prior to assembly.
  • Stack a piece of pineapple with a piece of shrimp and wrap with a piece of bacon.
  • Thread onto skewer to secure.  
  • Repeat until all pieces are assembled. (I alternate chicken and shrimp for even skewers)
  • Brush with marinade,
  • Bake 10-12 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and brush with marinade again.
  • Bake for an additional 7-8 minutes or until bacon is sizzling.

 Can be grilled, but watch for bacon to burn.

TERIYAKI MARINADE
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white wine 
1 tablespoon sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger
2 green onions, minced
1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
pinch sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 tablespoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar

  •  Whisk together all ingredients until well blended and sugar is completely dissolved.

SLOW COOKER GARLIC CHICKEN

SLOW COOKER GARLIC CHICKEN 
adapted from Recipe Girl
Original recipe in black adaptations in red
Serves 4-6
Prep time 30 minutes 
Cook time 4 hours

3-4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces 2 pounds large chicken tenders
Kosher Salt Sea Salt 
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium sweet onion sliced 1 large Vidalia onion, sliced
8 large garlic cloves, halved 8 large garlic cloves, quartered
several sprigs of fresh thyme
1 cup dry white wine
1/3 + 1/4 cup all-purpose flour Wondra
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, ground with mortar & pestle
1/4 cup Coconut Oil

  • Sift together the 1/4 cup Wondra with salt, pepper and ground red pepper.
  • Dredge the chicken in the Wondra mixture. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. 
  • Cook the chicken quickly until it turns golden brown , flip and then remove to paper towels to drain.
  • Combine the onion, garlic and thyme in a 5 to 6-quart slow cooker and season with salt and pepper. Top with chicken. 
  • In a small bowl, whisk together wine and flour until smooth and pour it over the chicken and into the slow cooker.
  • Cover and cook until the chicken is tender- 3 1/2 – 4 hours on LOW.
  • Serve chicken topped with sauce. 
  • Serve over rice or potatoes.

PAN SEARED CHICKEN w/ LEMON GARLIC GREEN ONION TAHINI (Lemon Sesame Sauce)

PAN SEARED CHICKEN w/ LEMON GARLIC GREEN ONION TAHINI (Lemon Sesame Sauce)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
sea salt and pepper
1/2 cup Panko crumbs
1 JUMBO egg
Baby Spinach
3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup tahini
6 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons safflower oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon sour cream
3 green onions, minced

  • Spread sesame seeds on cookie sheet and bake until fragrant.  8-10 minutes.
  • Shake frequently.
  • DO NOT BROWN. COOL!
  • Add sesame seeds and oil to a small food processor.  Blend until a smooth paste forms.
  • Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, green onions and 1 tablespoon sour cream blending until smooth.
  • Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Pound chicken breasts thin.
  • Beat egg to use as a wash on chicken breasts.
  • After egg washing chicken, dredge in Panko crumbs.
  • In a large skillet melt butter until sizzling.
  • Add chicken pieces and sear on both sides until cooked through.  About 4-6 minutes per side.
  • Remove chicken.  Keep warm.
  • Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to pan and spinach.  Saute lightly.
  • Plate spinach and then chicken.
  • Top with Tahini Sauce.

LEMON THYME CHICKEN

LEMON THYME CHICKEN
4 thin chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 small red onion, halved and sliced thin
1 small red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
2 cups Brussels sprouts, halved
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

  • Bring the white wine, whipping cream, white wine vinegar, dried thyme and green onions in heavy medium saucepan over high heat until mixture is reduced to generous 1/2 cup, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes.
  • Heat large skillet over medium heat and melt 2 tablespoons butter.
  • Saute onion, add Brussels sprouts face down and saute’ a few minutes.
  • Add red pepper strips and saute’ a bit more. 
  • Add tomatoes and move all the vegetable to the outer edges.
  • Pan sear the chicken breasts in the center until cooked though and the vegetables are tender.
  • Strain sauce into heavy small saucepan, pushing hard on solids to release as much liquid as possible. 
  • Set saucepan over very low heat and whisk in butter 1 piece at a time. 
  • Whisk in lemon juice; season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. 
  • Pour over prepared chicken breasts and vegetables.

CLASSIC BEEF MEATBALLS

CLASSIC BEEF MEATBALLS
2 tablespoons avocado oil
2 pounds ground chuck
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seed
4 cups of your favorite pasta sauce (I use Roasted Vegetable)

  • Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  • Drizzle oil into a 13 x 9 baking dish, evenly coating the surface.
  • In a large mixing bowl combine the beef, ricotta cheese, eggs, breadcrumbs, oregano, salt, pepper flakes and fennel. Mix by hand until WELL blended.
  • Pack the meat, rolling into golf ball size balls .  
  • Place balls in baking dish snugly.
  • Roast 20 minutes or until cooked through and firm.
  • Remove from oven and drain grease.
  • Pour pasta sauce over meatballs and return to oven for 15 more minutes.
  • Top with Parmesan cheese and serve with your favorite pasta.

CHICKEN MILANESE w/ KIWI CORN CHUTNEY

MILANESE – An Italian dialect or more commonly for our purposes, meat coated with flour or bread crumbs and browned in hot oil or butter.


CHUTNEY –  refers to a wide-ranging family of condiments from South Asian cuisine that usually contain some mixture of spices, vegetables and/or fruits.


GREMOLATA – Gremolata or gremolada is a chopped herb condiment typically made of lemon zest, garlic, and parsley. It is a traditional accompaniment to the Milanese dish in Italy. 
CHICKEN MILANESE w/ KIWI CORN CHUTNEY

flour for dredging
2 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups plain bread crumbs
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts, pounded thin
2 tablespoons butter
1 can Green Giant white shoepeg corn
1 cup red onion, chopped
3 ripe heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup tarragon leaves
1 kiwi, pureed
salt and pepper

  • In a small mixing bowl combine the lemon zest, parsley, thyme and garlic together to form a gremolata.
  • Add the bread crumbs and cheese.  Work with your fingers to blend well.

  • Use 3 shallow dishes for the eggs, bread crumbs mixture and flour.
  • Season the chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Dredge the chicken in the flour, coating well and then the egg wash followed by the bread crumbs.
  • In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.
  • Fry the chicken pieces for 3 minutes per sides.

  • Puree the kiwi.
  • In a bowl combine the tomatoes, corn, onion, lemon juice, kiwi puree and tarragon leaves.
  • Serve chicken over mashed potatoes with chutney on top.

TERIYAKI MEATLOAF

TERIYAKI MEATLOAF
1/2 cup orange juice 
3/4 cup KIKKOMAN stir fry sauce
1 1/2 pounds ground chuck
1/2 pound ground pork
2 slices sourdough bread, torn into pieces
2 JUMBO eggs, beaten
1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
1/4 cup rice, prepared per package

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Whisk together 1/4 cup of the stir fry sauce and 1 tablespoon of orange juice. Set aside.
  • In a large bowl toss bread pieces with remaining orange juice – let stand 5 minutes.
  • Add the meat, eggs, rice and green onions and remaining fry sauce to the bread bowl. Knead together with your hands until well blended.
  • Shape into a loaf and place into the center of a 9×13 baking dish.
  • Bake 1 hour or until cooked through, basting with the reserved stir fry sauce during the last 10-20 minutes.
  • Let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

CLEANING THE CABINETS TACOS

So our move is a ways off, but I’m making a conscience effort to clean out the cabinets of canned goods and the freezer of meat.  I have a few packages of pork chops in there that I’ve been eating around.  The original package of pork chops was a family pack and the first 2 we ate were quite tough.  I have found though that slow roasting them and shredding them makes them delicious!


So I was poking around in the cabinet and found a can of pineapple, a can of artichoke hearts and had one of those moments where anything sounded possible. It was a great decision!  These are going to be one of our new favorites.

HAWAIIAN TACOS
4 boneless pork chops
8 ounce can crushed pineapple
6 ounce can pineapple juice
1 small onion, finely diced
14 ounce can artichoke hearts, drained well

  • Spray baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Spread onion pieces in baking dish.
  • Salt and pepper pork chops well on both sides and place on top of onions.
  • Combine the artichokes, pineapple juice and pineapple in a small food processor blending until smooth.
  • Pour over top pork chops.
  • Cover with foil.
  • Bake 2 hours.
  • Uncover and bake 20 minutes more.
  • Rest 10 minutes before shredding.
  • Shred pork and toss with pineapple mixture.
  • Serve with cabbage slaw and limes.

LABOR DAY BBQ RECIPES – BLEU CHEESE BURGERS, CHEDDAR BACON BURGERS & COWGIRL KISSES

BLEU CHEESE BURGERS
1/3 pound ground chuck
2-3 tablespoons bleu cheese crumbles
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Mix together, form a patty and grill to taste.

BACON CHEDDAR BURGERS
1/3 pound ground chuck
2-3 tablespoons grated sharp cheddar
1 tablespoons bacon crumbles
salt and pepper
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

  • Mix together, form a patty and grill to taste.
  • Top with additional cheese and bacon if desired.

 

COWGIRL KISSES
8 ounces cream cheese
2 tablespoons Foothill Salad Seasoning
1 slice bacon per pepper
Jalapeno Peppers
Raspberry Chipotle Sauce (see below)

  • Mix cream cheese and Foothill Salad Seasoning until well blended.
  • Clean and remove seeds from peppers.
  • Fill peppers.
  • Wrap each pepper with a slice of bacon.
  • Bake or grill over low heat until bacon is crisp.
  • Serve with raspberry chipotle sauce. 

RASPBERRY CHIPOTLE SAUCE 
1 cup Raspberry Jam 
2 tablespoons diced chipotle peppers
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons apple cider or rice wine vinegar 

  • Whisk all ingredients until well blended.
  • Chill until ready to serve.  
  • Warm before serving.

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CHILE VERDE CARNITAS FRIES

Don’t forget about our upcoming Tailgating Time Link Up for Football.  The season begins Thursday, September 4th, 2014.
 Links open at midnight September 4th!

This recipe I made up after having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants BJ’s Brewerhouse and saw something similar on their appetizer menu.  I knew immediately it would become a football favorite!

CHILE VERDE CARNITAS FRIES
crispy thin fries
Green Chile Verde Carnitas
minced jalapenos
finely shredded jack and cheddar cheese
finely chopped green onions
finely chopped cilantro
sour cream
Heinz Jalapeno ketchup

  • Assemble everything from the crispy thin fries through the cheese “Nacho” style.
  • Bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes to heat through.
  • Top with green onions and cilantro.
  • Add a dollop of sour cream and Jalapeno ketchup.
  • Dig in and Enjoy!

Hubs likes his with pepper jack cheese.  That is the beauty of this recipe – you can build to suit.

    NOSTALGIA, BOB’S BIG BOY & CHILI SIZES

    A  million years ago, okay maybe not that long, but it sure feels like it some days, I worked for Bob’s Big Boy during college.  It was the 80’s when they could be found in every town during the iconic days before Marriott took over and ruined them.  We used to have a menu item called Chili Sizes that to be honest turned my stomach at the time,  Recently though I was thinking up new ideas for dinner and my good ideas always come in the shower when I have no pen and paper so was glad this one was easy to remember.  I had some left over Black Bean Chili so the idea just fell into place.

    Their Chili Size was a half pound flame broiled burger, pinto beans, chili and cheese. Served with a dinner salad. Mine is a quarter pound flame broiled burger with Black Bean chili and pepper jack or cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

    CHICKEN WITH BAKED VEGETABLE STUFFING IN TARRAGON SAUCE

    With this recipe I found two old scraps of recipes (Chicken with Tarragon Sauce and Baked Tomatoes with Broccoli stuffing) that had been torn from old cookbooklets, one was even handwritten it was so old. The Brussel Sprouts and carrots were my addition for texture and color. They begged me to put them together and make this dish. Serves 4.

    CHICKEN WITH BAKED VEGETABLE STUFFING IN TARRAGON SAUCE**
    4 large chicken breasts cut into tenders
    4 + 2 tablespoons butter
    2 large tomatoes
    1 cup baby carrots, cut into halves
    3 cups broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
    1 large bunch green onions, sliced
    1 sleeve Keebler townhouse crackers, crushed
    1 teaspoon tarragon
    1 teaspoon sea salt
    1/2 teaspoon white pepper
    1 tablespoon lemon juice
    1 1/2 cups chicken broth
    1 cup whipping cream
    2 tablespoons flour

    • Melt 4 tablespoons butter in skillet.
    • Brown each side of chicken piece.
    • While the chicken is browning, wash the tomatoes and cut the tops off. Scoop the insides out*, salt the insides and turn the tomatoes upside down to drain.
    • Transfer chicken pieces to baking dish, but leave enough room for the tomatoes in the center.
    • Add the carrots and Brussel sprouts and saute’ until tender.
    • Transfer them to the baking dishes scattered over the chicken pieces.
    • Add the broccoli, tomato pulp and green onions to the skillet and saute’ until tender.
    • Transfer to a mixing bowl and add crackers. Fill tomato cups. Add any remaining broccoli mixture to the chicken .
    • Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in skillet.
    • Add flour until golden.
    • Add chicken broth, tarragon, salt, pepper and whipping cream.
    • Bring to a boil while whisking constantly to prevent scorching.
    • Add lemon juice after it boils.
    • Immediately pour over the whole thing.
    • Cover with foil.
    • Bake for 1 hour at 325 degrees.

    By using the larger tomatoes you can cut them in half after baking and have a nice presentation on the plate.

    *I use a grapefruit knife and it works SUPER!
    **I used Brussel Sprouts tonight, but in the future will use all broccoli.