Bacon Butter

Yeah. Thats right. Bacon Butter.

Ingredients:

1 stick of unsalted butter; room temp
3 strips bacon cooked and crumbled
2 scallions, sliced
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper to taste

Process:

Add bacon to food processor and chop until consistency of bacon bits. Add all other ingredients and blend until combined. Keep at room temp for best spreadability.

Nachos Carnitas

I attended an all dude, nfl playoff, mariokart on Wii, beer drinking, food-fest on Sunday. I had been wanting to make carnitas but since, another buddy already had the entree covered, I made my carnitas into nachos by adding fresh jalapenos, red onion, sour cream, cilantro and queso fresco. Turned out pretty good, however, I zested the oranges and limes before I baked that carnitas, and the exposed pith made the braising liquid too bitter. I got the recipe off of this blog:

http://www.bakingbarrister.com/2010/12/party-pork-pork-carnitas.html

Beef and Noodles

I made some pretty good beef and noodles last Sunday. The meat was really tender and fell apart. The more I put food in the crock pot I realize it never steers you wrong.

Ingredients for 4-6 servings:

2 lbs of beef (whatever is on sale at your store), cubed

2-3 cloves of garlic

1 chopped onion (red or white)

Salt

Pepper

Fresh Parsley

Olive oil

Cayenne pepper

Beef broth

Mushrooms (optional)

Green onions

Whipping cream (1 pint)

2 tablespoons of butter

Flour

Spicy Mustard

Rosemary

Egg Noodles

Sour Cream

First, I cubed about 2 lbs of beef (round, shoulder, whatever you want to use) and added salt, pepper, cayenne, fresh parsley, garlic, chopped onion and a little olive oil and let it sit overnight.

After it marinated overnight, add to crock pot with enough beef stock to cover the meat (I also use the leftover broth from other dishes and freeze it until I want it again). Add the mushrooms if you want them in the dish. Cook on low for 6 hours or until the meat is tender and falls apart with a fork.

Cook your egg noodles, al dente (we used about half the bag but adjust based on how many people you are cooking for).

In a pan melt: 2 tablespoons of butter, add a 1-2 ladles of beef broth from the crock pot and about half to three quarters of the whipping cream (depending on how much sauce you want). Stir in rosemary, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of spicy mustard and bring up to a boil to thicken. If you need to thicken a little more add a spoonful of flour and whisk.

Drain the beef broth from the crock pot (freeze it if you want to use again, which I recommend). Combine the beef, noodles and cream sauce in the crock pot, cook for a few minutes to thicken and combine and serve. Add a little sour cream and chopped green onion to each bowl and serve.

Jalapeno Cornbread with Honey Lime Butter

Sooo ... I had some left over braising liquid from my Mexican Pot Roast Tacos, and I didn't want to waste any of it. (Andy: You are the self-proclaimed braising king; do you ever use your left over braising liquid for anything?) I reheated it, reduced it, and blended it all together in my stand blender. Next, I tossed the sauce with some rigatoni, corn, and andouillee sausage. Topped it off with some shredded pepper jack cheese, baked it in the oven in a casserole dish, and I was sitting pretty. I decided to serve it with some jalapeno cornbread with honey lime butter. The butter was fantastic! One teaspoon of lime zest, one tablespoon of honey, and a bunch of butter (I only had unsalted butter, so I added some sea salt). I took the easy way out and used a box of T.J.'s cornbread mix, but I wish I would have made my own. (T.J.'s is a little too sweet for my liking.) Anyway, I just added a bunch of chopped jalapeno to the mix and cooked it in my cast-iron pan, which is the only acceptable way to cook cornbread - period.

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos

Mexican Pot Roast Tacos are awesome! This is the second time I've used this recipe for tacos. They come out delicious every time. Used my own spice mix from some random dried chiles I had laying around (toasted in the oven and ground with my spice mixer), and I fried my own taco shells, which is a must for delicious tacos. The meat just fell apart after 3 hours of braising. Served it with shredded cabbage and T.J.'s authentic salsa. The side is a mexican corn and black bean salad. I fried the corn in my cast iron skillet with some of the extra spice mix to blacken it up a little bit. Very tasty stuff.

MEXICAN POT ROAST TACOS

Ingredients:
• 2 pounds beef shoulder
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, (recommended: San Marzano)
• 1 tablespoon ancho chile powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 3 bay leaves
• Vegetable oil, for deep frying
• 6 fresh medium corn tortillas
• Kosher salt
• 3 cups finely shredded white cabbage

Season all sides of the beef with a fair amount of salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, or other heavy pot that has a tight cover, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and the beef to the pot, browning the meat on all sides, taking the time to get a nice crust on the outside. Add the onion and allow to lightly brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, plus 1 tomato can of water, spices, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover the meat. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer with a lid for 3 hours until the meat is fork tender. Let meat cool in the liquid. Shred meat and set aside.

Heat a large pot of oil over medium heat. When oil reaches 350 degrees F, fry the corn tortillas 1 at a time. Place the tortilla in the oil and wait about 30 seconds. Then use the handle of a wooden spoon to press down into the center of the tortilla and fold it in the middle. Hold down for a few seconds waiting for the tortilla to form into taco shell and then drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

Serve with shredded cabbage, salsa, guacamole, or whatever toppings you like on your tacos.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Saw this recipe on thekitchn.com during last weeks "soup week." I made it a little healthier by using skim milk, light sour cream, light cheese. It was still awesome.

Baked Potato Soup With Bacon, Onion & Cheddar
6 to 10 servings (depending on how hungry you are!)

2 cups cooked and diced bacon crumbles
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
8 cups milk (whole milk, if possible)
2 cups sour cream
1 large bunch green onions, diced
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
5 large potatoes, baked and cubed
3 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 clove garlic (optional)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

If you are using sliced bacon you'll need to start by preparing it. You can save the grease and reduce the amount of butter accordingly for a richer taste. Storebought bacon crumbles will also do just fine (Costco carries a large bag that comes in handy!).

Melt the butter in the bottom of a large pot over medium high heat. Add flour and stir to combine until thickened. Add milk and whisk to combine until mixture is smooth. Add remaining ingredients and allow soup to heat over medium, stirring occasionally until cheese is melted. You will want to keep an eye on the bottom of the pot so it doesn't burn, but since all the ingredients are already cooked, you're really just waiting for things to warm up instead of coming to a specific temperature.

Serve when warm and enjoy!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/soup/recipe-baked-potato-soup-with-bacon-onion-cheddar-136303

Baked Calamari

On Christmas, Beth and I made some baked calamari as an appetizer. This healthier version turned out pretty well. I really wanted to get some fresh squid, but after going to 4 separate specialty markets in Columbus, I found its not "in season". So, we used a frozen package of pre-cleaned calamari from Giant Eagle ($3.99) and it was still pretty good. The key here was roasting our own red peppers for the dipping sauce. I always thought it was okay to use jarred roasted red peppers (especially if you are using them in a recipe and not eating them by themselves) however after making this recipe and tasting how sweet they were, I will be roasting my own from now on.

Ingredients:

Olive oil cooking spray
2 red bell peppers
7 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 habanero chile, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 cup whole wheat panko
1/4 cup medium stone ground cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
fresh ground black pepper
1 egg
1 lb cleaned squid tentacles and bodies
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedge for garnish

Process:

1. Turn broiler on to high and place oven rack about 8 inches from heat source. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. Cut sides of bell peppers away from cores so you have 8 flat pieces; discard core and seeds. Place on baking sheet, skin-side-up, and broil until skin is completely black, 10-12 minutes. Transfer bell peppers to a bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap for about 10 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel all black skin away from peppers and chop.

2. Turn off broiler and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place garlic on a piece of aluminum foil and mist with cooking spray. Gather up edges of foil and pinch together at top. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes. Open foil packet and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Squeeze garlic out of their skins and add cloves to a blender. Add bell peppers and habanero, and puree until smooth. Transfer mixture to a small bowl and season to taste with salt.

4. Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and coat with cooking spray. In a gallon sided ziploc, combine the panko, cornmeal, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. In a medium bowl, beat the egg. Slice squid bodies into about 1/2 inch pieces. Pat squid dry with paper towels. Dip a quarter of the squid in egg, shaking off excess, and add to bag with panko mixture. Seal bag and shake well to coat. Spread squid on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer. Repeat with remaining squid. Bake for 13-15 minutes until squid is opaque and slightly firm. Transfer to a platter, sprinkle with cilantro, dip in sauce and eat it up.