McGowen BMT Sliders

My buddy Cliff made these tomato sliders for one of our dinner club parties and I promised him I would post them. That was in June. (I'm a little behind on the blogging).

Simple and quick recipe was really tasty and a great way to take advantage of fresh veggies in the summer time. Fresh basil, marinated mozzarella, tomatoes, and carmelized oninons. We also topped half with bleu cheese instead of mozz and they were even better. Grilling the buns is key

Humbolt Fog and Hot Pepper Jelly

We had a few people over for brunch today, and I made a cheese tray. Thought I would share it with everyone. I included one of my favorite goat cheeses, Humbolt Fog from Cypress Groves in California, and served it alongside my very own Hot Pepper Jelly (recipe below). The jelly is delicious and super easy to make. Put all the ingredients in a pot, boil until the jelly reaches 220 degrees, and then ladle the liquid jelly into jars. I also made the cheese board myself. I picked up an old tin platter from the thrift store for around 2 bucks and painted it with chalkboard paint. Cheese boards have never looked so good...

Hot Pepper Jelly:

2 red bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely diced
1 green bell pepper, same
3 1/4 cups sugar
3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon dried, red chile flakes
1 3oz. packet of liquid pectin

TURDUCKIN TIME!!

Well ... I have officially made a turduckin from scratch. My father-in-law (Doug) and I made it over the weekend; it was a two-day process. On the first day, we deboned the turkey, duck, and chicken, leaving only the leg bones and wing bones of the turkey. (You can imagine my initial shock when Doug asked me to join him for a boning party. No ... seriously ... he could barely get it out because he was laughing so hard.) Next, we brined all three birds to make sure they didn't dry out during cooking. On the second day, we made two different stuffings - one traditional with cornbread and one with andouille sausage. All that remained was assembling the birds. Turkey on bottom, followed by layer of cornbread stuffing. Duck on next with another layer of cornbread stuffing. Chicken on top with a layer of andouille stuffing. We then rolled all of it up and stitched it shut with butcher's twine and a huge sewing needle. Walla ... you've got a turduckin!

Smoked Ham

I made this twice in the past week (once for Friends Thanksgiving and again for the long weekend).  It was one of the better hams I have made. 

I used a 10 lb bone in ham shank, dry rubbed in a cajun seasoning.  I added some apple cider vinegar in the bottom of the foil for some acidity and to keep it moist.  I smoked it uncovered for about 2-2.5 hours and then put foil over it and let it cook for another 2 hours to get it up to temp.  It was really juicy and had great flavor.  I smoked it with cherry and hickory wood. 

Kansas City Barbeque Society

Well 3 of the 4 of us are now Certified Barbeque Judges...I wonder which person isn't?  To clear up any confusion see below. 

http://www.kcbs.us/judges.php?str=simpkins&search=Search

http://www.kcbs.us/judges.php?str=urban

http://www.kcbs.us/judges.php?str=romer-jordan

Also, if you need any distinction between competition barbeque and your grandma's Sunday cooking just ask one of us we would be happy to share!  It was a great experience and can't wait to judge a competition.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

So, I made some pizzas the other day. The dough was kind of a hybrid between a New York thin crust and an American style crust. I dig Goat Cheese on pizza and this was no exception.

Assembly was as follows....

Dough> Olive oil and minced garlic> Caramelized onions> Mozzarella> Asiago> Sausage> Goat Cheese> Thyme

Dough Formula as follows....

Flour (100%): 377.65 g | 13.32 oz | 0.83 lbs
Water (62%): 234.14 g | 8.26 oz | 0.52 lbs
IDY (.5%): 1.89 g | 0.07 oz | 0 lbs | 0.63 tsp | 0.21 tbsp
Salt (3.0%): 11.33 g | 0.4 oz | 0.02 lbs | 2.36 tsp | 0.79 tbsp
Oil (3.0%): 11.33 g | 0.4 oz | 0.02 lbs | 2.52 tsp | 0.84 tbsp
Sugar (3.0%): 11.33 g | 0.4 oz | 0.02 lbs | 2.84 tsp | 0.95 tbsp
Total (171.5%): 647.67 g | 22.85 oz | 1.43 lbs |
TF = 0.101
Single Ball: 323.84 g | 11.42 oz | 0.71 lbs

Bonus cheese pizza pic!!!

Sufferin' Succotash

So Urban commanded we all contribute a Thanksgiving post, and who am I to not comply? I was designated to bring a corn dish to the Brune family feast, so I went with a nutritious and delicious Succotash. Pretty straight forward dish, everyone seemed to like it. I’ve posted a “Chili-Lime” version before, and since I forgot to snap a pic of this batch, you can check it out here.

Makes 10 servings…

Ingredients
1 small onion (Diced)
½ Green Bell pepper (Diced)
½ Red Bell Pepper (Diced)
2 Cloves Garlic (Minced)
1 Bag frozen lima beans
1 ½ Bags of frozen Corn
4 Tbls Butter
1 tbls flour
½ Cup Chicken Stock
¼ chopped parsley
Salt
Pepper

Procedure

1. Grab ya a large skillet, melt the butter, and sauté together the onion and bell pepper, season with salt and pepper- about 5 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook 30 secs, then add the lima beans and corn, stir well to combine.
3. Sprinkle the mixture with flour and continue to cook for 1 minute.
4. Add chicken stock, simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add chopped parsley and check seasoning.
6. Serve and enjoy!