Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

Well, I know the blog’s been quiet, but I’ve been kinda busy with health concerns (I’m fine, don’t worry about lil ol’ me) and work. Today, I made a super-fast dinner of shrimp and whipped up a quick cocktail sauce that turned out super yummy!

Horseradish Cocktail Sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1 TBS. Asian cocktail sauce (you can find this in the ethnic food isle)
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 TBS. horseradish
• salt and pepper to taste
• a few dashes of hot sauce to make it spicier! ;p

Combine all the ingredients and let sit for at least an hour so flavors can meld. Serve chilled with shrimp and enjoy! Very tangy from the horseradish and super delicious! Try it soon!!

Blueberry Bread

Ok, I actually can’t take full credit for this recipe as the original isn’t mine.  I had a nursing student whom I was a preceptor to recently, and she would bring in this delicious bread her mother baked regularly.  This bread was called “blueberry bread” and I absolutely adored it!!!  I’ve tweaked the recipe though as I had to put my own spin on it….I can never leave well enough alone!  Anyways, here’s my version:

Blueberry Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour, divided with 1/4 cup set aside
• 2/3 cup sugar or splenda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Juice and zest of 1 lemon
• 2 TBS butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup boiling water (may need a little more or less)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup chopped toasted almonds (may use pecans or hazelnuts as substitutes)

Line the bottom and sides of a 9×5 inch loaf pan with wax paper.  Butter wax paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, mix 1 3/4 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  In a measuring cup, pour juice from lemon and zest and add butter.  Add enough boiling water to make 3/4 cup liquid total.  Add vanilla extract to liquids, then add the liquid into the dry ingredients, blending well.  It’s easiest to do this by hand and get a little messy!

In a separate bowl, combine the blueberries, nuts and remaining flour.  Add this mixture to the batter, being careful not to mush the berries too much!  Pour the batter into pan.  Bake for about 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean and dry.  Remove bread from oven and take loaf out by pulling on wax paper.  I cool my loaf on a metal rack.

I know quick-breads should sit overnight as they taste better the next day….but I must say this bread is VERY delicious when it’s fresh out of the oven!  Hubby and I adore this bread, and since blueberries are in season, it’s the perfect way to use them up!

Red Lobster and Chedder Bay Biscuits

Well, hubby and I went to eat out today as I had no energy to cook whatsoever. I have to say, I’ve never had a bad experience at a Red Lobster, whether it be the food or the service! I always get the coconut-coated shrimp. This time I also got the crab linguine alfredo. And of course, can we forget the Chedder Bay Biscuits?? It seems like everyone loves those things….and I have a pretty good knock-off of these famous biscuits! Here’s my recipe:

Jenny’s Chedder Bay Biscuits

• Bisquick (follow instructions on box to make the regular bisquick drop biscuits)
• 1/2 cup sharp chedder cheese
• 2 tsps garlic powder
• melted butter

Follow instructions on bisquick box to make one batch of drop biscuits. Add to bisquick mixture the cheese and garlic powder and fold in. Don’t overmix biscuit mix because it will get chewy and tough. Bake for instructed time and when fresh out of the oven, brush with some melted butter. This isn’t the healthiest recipe, but is sure a treat!!!

Classic BBQ Ribs

Well, I finally did it…I smoked some ribs on my charcoal grill for the first time this season!!! They were absolutely delicious too! The only trick that I cannot stress enough about smoking is making sure the temperature doesn’t get too high in the grill and you don’t keep “peeking” at the food in the grill. If the temp is too high, then you won’t get the delicious result of the “low and slow” tactic that makes BBQ ribs so fantastic. If you keep peeking at the food you will create highs and lows in the temperature that also will disturb the smoking process.

Classic BBQ Ribs

• 1 slab of pork spareribs, trimmed*
• 2 TBS of Righteous Rib Rub (see my recipe)
• 1/4 cup Sweet and Tangy BBQ sauce (also my recipe in this blog)

For mop sauce:

• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1TBS Righteous Rib Rub

Season ribs, more liberally on meaty side. Let rub sit on ribs for a couple hours, but no more than overnight. The salt in the rub can actually start to dry out the meat if you let it sit too long. Prepare mop sauce by combining the mop sauce ingredients in a bowl, set aside. Prepare grill for smoking. Using a chimney starter, fill it up about 3/4 of the way full of charcoal. Light charcoal and spread out on one side of the grill in a single even layer. On the other side of the grill, place a drip pan (just a disposable aluminum pan works) that’s halfway full of warm water. Start smoking when charcoal is about “medium” warm, which means you can hold your hand a few inches above the grate for about 5 seconds without having to pull away. At this point, place ribs over drip pan (this is called indirect grilling because meat is not directly over the fire) and add wood chips if using. I used a handful of soaked hickory. TIP: always soak wood chips for at least an hour before using so they don’t burn up real quick, but rather smolder, hence creating the smoke flavoring. Keep temperature in grill between 250-350 degrees. If you don’t have a thermometer for your grill, see if there is one available to buy for your grill. Temperature is VERY important, repeat, VERY IMPORTANT in smoking!!!! If the temp is too high, meat will be tough and dry. If temp is too low, meat doesn’t cook evenly and takes much longer. A rack of spareribs takes about 3 hours to smoke. Every hour or so, you must go back out and add 8-10 unlit charcoals to the fire to maintain temperature. Also, after the first hour, start basting ribs with mop sauce every half hour. AVOID PEEKING AT FOOD IN BETWEEN ADDING COALS AND BASTING!!!

Add BBQ sauce to ribs only during the last 10 minutes of smoking. The sauce has a lot of sugar and will burn quickly on the ribs. Make sure sauce has been at room temperature before putting it on the ribs!!!

*to trim spareribs, remove flap of meat from backside. Wedge a thermometer tip under tough membrane that covers the back of rib, get an end up, use a paper towel remove membrane in one big rip. Trim top of ribs of extra meat (use in another dish) so that ribs are more “rectangular” in shape and remove any excess fat and sinew on meat.

ETA: see this video for a demonstration: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_MGM_RRTUQ

Garlic-lime steak

My main course for my feast on the grill was a steak that the grocery stores sell as “london broil” which is a misnomer, because london broil refers to a cooking method, it is NOT a cut of meat.  What you see in the store that they sell as london broil is usually top round roast or top round steak (which is just a thinner version of the roast cut).  Top round roast is cut from the “round” portion of the cow, which is the rump!    Cuts from this area are usually pretty lean.  Now, the steak I was cooking was a pretty big one, can’t remember exactly how big, but it was around 3-4 pounds!  Needless to say, I have lots of leftovers, but hey, who’s complaining?!  Anyways, this is a rare exception to my rule that I don’t marinade beef.  But this steak could really use it so here it is:

Garlic-lime steak (enough for 4 people)

• 1 london broil steak, mine was 3-4 pounds
• juice from 4 limes
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 2 green onions chopped, white and green parts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tsps dried oregano
• 1 Tbs ancho chili powder (if not available, use paprika)
• salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients above except for the steak in a bowl and whisk to combine well.   In a 9×13 glass dish, place steak down and pour marinade over.  Cover with plastic wrap and marinade for AT LEAST 4 hours, up to overnight if desired.  Set up grill for hot temperature, if using charcoal grill this means you should only be able to hold your hand 1 inch above grates for 2-3 seconds.   Place steak directly over hot flames and cook for about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare.  Cooking times will vary depending on thickness.  My steak was about just under an inch thick.   When done, let meat rest covered for 5-10 minutes.  Take this time to grill the asparagus recipe above! 

Easiest side dish EVER on the grill!

So, being that yesterday was 90 degrees, sunny and hot, I cooked dinner completely out on the grill.  I hate having to keep running back inside to check on my side dish if I’m grilling my main course outside, know what I mean??  So usually I try to find a side dish that works on the grill too, and this is one of my favs.  It’s easy, delicious and healthy.

Grilled Asparagus

• 1 bundle of asparagus
• olive oil
• shredded Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste

Trim asparagus bottoms about 1-2 inches, depending on thickness of stalk.  Lightly coat in olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and grill directly over hot flame.  Obviously, you need to put them perpendicular to the grates or else they will fall in!  Asparagus doesn’t take long to become crisp-tender, so watch them closely.  After about 3-4 minutes, they are done (that’s for thicker stalks, for thinner, only 2-3 minutes).   Sprinkle immediately with some shredded Parmesan cheese, and that’s it!  Give it a try, you’d be surprised how incredibly tasty something as simple as asparagus is on the grill!

Steak Dinner :D

Alrighty, today I was in the mood for a good steak dinner with some good beer.  Can’t get any better than this!!  First, the main course, New York Strip Steaks.

Grilled Steak

• 2 NY strip steaks about 1″ thick
• olive oil (just enough to cover steaks lightly with)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground celery salt
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder

Combine last four ingredients in a small bowl.  Coat steaks with some olive oil, just enough for the seasoning to stick.  Rub steak seasoning onto steaks.  This can be done as early as the night before, but at least an hour before cooking.  Prepare grill.  If using gas grill, heat to medium-high.  If using charcoal, have one layer of charcoal down.  You should be able to hold hand an inch from grate for 3-4 seconds if you have medium-high heat.  For medium steaks, cook for 4 minutes per side.  If you want medium-rare, do only 3-3 1/2 minutes per side, and so on.

And of course, let meat rest for a few minutes before serving so the muscle can relax and the juices won’t run out when meat is cut.  To get the cross-hatch design, put steak perpendicular to grates for 2 minutes (if cooking for medium doneness) then while on the same side, turn 90 degrees so they are still perpendicular, but facing the other way.  Cook for 2 more minutes, then flip over.  Repeat sequence again on other side and you will have perfectly done steaks, inside and out!!

Roasted Rosemary Potatoes (serves 2)

• 3 medium russet potatoes cut into 1″ cubes
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp spicy Hungarian paprika
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a bowl and add enough olive oil to lightly coat.  Add rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper.  If spicy paprika is not available, then use regular paprika with a little bit of cayenne pepper.  Put on a baking sheet and bake in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, flip, and cook for another 15-20 minutes depending on how crispy you like your potatoes.  Since my husband has to have everything with cheese on it, I placed cheddar cheese on potatoes and put under broiler for a couple minutes.

I served these along with steamed carrots to complete my meal…..along with lots of beer. 

Sweet and Tangy BBQ sauce

On the professional BBQ circuit, there is nothing more sacred than you’re own BBQ sauce. And as all pit masters know, your sauce is the key to great BBQ. Which is why everyone keeps their recipe secret, like superheroes who protect their identity. In a way, your sauce is your identity on the BBQ circuit, so maybe that’s why all the secrecy. Anyways, I’m posting mine because I’m no pit master, but I do love to grill!!!! I’m almost hesitant myself to post this though…..I’d like to keep all the credit for it, but I guess my love to share food recipes overrides ego in this case.

Sweet and Tangy BBQ Sauce (makes about 2 1/2 cups of sauce)

• 2 cups ketchup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Juice from 2 limes
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (may need more or less, see recipe below)
• 2 TBS molasses
• 1 TBS Worcestershire sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp liquid smoke
• 2 tsp spicy brown mustard
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• a few dashes of favorite hot sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 TBS cracked black pepper

First, juice lemon and limes and add to measuring cup. Add enough apple cider vinegar to equal 3/4 cup of liquid total between the two. Add this to all the rest of the ingredients in a pot over medium-low heat on stove top. Bring to light simmer and reduce heat to low while frequently stirring (it will bubble over badly if you don’t!). Simmer for about 10 minutes. Let cool and refrigerate overnight for best taste. Can be used right away, but leave at room temperature if using right away. BBQ sauce tastes best when at room temperature, so don’t take it out of the fridge and immediately put on meat. Let it always come to room temperature first!

That’s it!! Very easy to make and pretty darn tasty in my opinion!

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

Here was the main course in my kick-ass mexican dinner – a very tasty boneless, skinless chicken breast dish. I know it’s grilling season, but I was so busy doing gardening and laundry today that I needed a slow-cooker dinner tonight. Here it is:

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 can of tomato sauce
• 2 Tbs chipotle sauce (you can find this in the ethnic section of your grocery store)
• 1/4 diced red onion
• 3 Tbs. cilantro roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup salsa (see my recipe in this blog!)
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix tomato sauce, chipotle sauce and cilantro in a food processor. Cover chicken with sauce in slow cooker. Add on top the onions and salsa (I didn’t process them because I wanted some “chunkiness, but if you like smooth sauces, then add them as well to food processor) cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. I served this over rice to pick up all the good sauce. This didn’t turn out spicy at all, so add more chipotle sauce if you like things spicy!

Kick-ass Guacamole

Ok, today I was doing a mexican cuisine dinner and the food turned out seriously kick-ass!  So, here was my starter, the guacamole.

Kick-Ass Guacamole

• 2 avocados
• Juice from 2 limes
• 2 Tbs diced red onion
• 1 garlic clove diced finely
• 1 jalapeño finely diced with most seeds and membranes removed
• 1 handful of cilantro roughly chopped
• drizzle of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Cut open avocados, remove pit and cut diamonds in the shell and then using a large spoon scoop guacamole out of shell.  Juice the limes and add to avocado.  Using a fork, lightly mash up the avocado so it’s still chunky and mix thoroughly with juice.  Avocados will oxidize so the acidic juice is needed to preserve the color of the avocado.  Add rest of ingredients, fold lightly, and let sit in fridge for at least an hour before serving.