Category: Recipes

By Posted on Posted in Recipes 2 Comments

We are on the chicken kick again and I must say I have a new favorite this year, it is honey mustard marinated chicken on spinach with a honey mustard vinaigrette, made from all the left overs from cooking the chicken…so tasty and so easy.

Honey Mustard Marinated Chicken on Spinach

Like most marinades, the beauty is that once its marinating the only thing left to do is cook it up when its time for some chow.  The problem is that we don’t want to eat the same marinade necessarily when we marinate something and end up with 20 bottles of marinade in the fridge.  So we have started making our own, we make just enough for the two of us, using stuff we have around the house and when we are done, we don’t have to worry about a partially used bottle hanging around.  So without further ado here is the recipe:

Ingredients
1/4 c dijon mustard
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp whole mustard seed
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp olive oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together well and pour over chicken in a zip lock.  Squeeze air out of zip lock and seal.  Work marinade around chicken and leave to marinate over night in the refrigerator.  Occasionally redistribute the marinade in the bag.  The next day open the bag and take a huge whiff, it smells fantastic.  Cook chicken however you would like, in a pan on the stove, in the oven or my personal favorite grill it.  You could probably even nuke it but I am not sure, I avoid the microwave like the plague.

Enjoy, I have some more chicken to eat.

Looking for more ways to enjoy chicken?  Here are some ideas for chicken.

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By Posted on Posted in Recipes, Smoked Goodness No Comments

Well they are finally gone, and sadly so, the last rack of ribs we had in the freezer was dinner tonight.  But not without some trying something new first.  In the past I have been a fan of jerk chicken, and have made some completely from scratch…more about that later.  I have also used some store bought ‘jerk’ rubs in the past and they are alright but wanted to go out and try something new.  So that is what I did, I found a jerk rub and complimenting glaze I liked and tweaked it a little and it was a bit spicy, so if you are not necessarily for spice, you might want to back it off on the pepper a little.

Jerked Pork Ribs

The little strange yellow color in the picture is the pineapple glaze that didn’t get absorbed, its tasty even if it does look a little strange.  Using the recipe for the rub below, I rubbed the ribs and sealed them in plastic wrap in the fridge over night.  This morning I took them out and let them set out for about an hour before I fired up the smoker.  I then smoked the ribs using the 3-2-1 method using pecan wood.  During the final hour I began brushing the glaze onto the ribs and did so three times, it could have really used one or two glazings.

When it was all said and done I let them rest covered with foil and a towel for about a half hour then it was eating time.  They were sweet and spicy and had a nice jerk flavor, not quite authentic but still very good.  We will be making these again.

Jerk Rib Rub
Ingredients
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp ground coriander
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp dried thyme
2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cayenne pepper (remember it was spicy)

Instructions
Combine all until mixed uniformly.  Rub into meat.

Pineapple Glaze
Ingredients
2 c pineapple juice
2 tbsp cider vinegar
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
3 tbsp dark brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Instructions
Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan.  Heat to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about half.

Like I said they were tasty, I am glad I have leftovers for tomorrow.  They should make a fine lunch.

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By Posted on Posted in Recipes, What's for dinner No Comments

Its been a chili theme over here, but sometimes a recipe without a picture is better.  Some food is just not photogenic, like this chili.  It was good, more of a Mexican tasting chili than a traditional chili, but it was not photogenic, just tasty.  You can make this in one pot if you would like, less dishes.  So without further ado here is the recipe.

Ingredients
7 or 8 fresh tomatillos, husks removed
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and halved
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 or 2 pounds ground venison (you could chop up some steaks if you wanted too)
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced green chiles
1/2 c diced bell pepper
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
2 c chicken or beef broth
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp salt

Instructions
Combine tomatillos and jalapeno in blender and blend until thick and smooth.  Brown venison with 1 tbsp oil (I did it all in a stock pot and only dirtied one pot).  Set venison aside.  Add remaining oil to pot and saute onion until translucent (3ish minutes), add garlic saute for another minute.  Then add tomatillo and jalapeno paste, chiles, peppers, cumin, coriander, broth and venison back into the pot.  Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 45 minutes.  Remove from hear stir in salt and cilantro.  Enjoy.

This is great with a dollop of sour cream and some tortilla chips.  Makes a great meal on its own and its relatively healthy.

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By Posted on Posted in Recipes, Smoked Goodness, What's for dinner No Comments

Making chili is an art, not like all out on your own art but like sewing, where you have a pattern to follow but every time something is a little different.  Cooking in general is like this but chili is a special breed of cooking, it can change quite a bit from time to time.  This time was no exception.

Chili in a bowl stacked with cheese

This was what I would refer as chili its not fancy other than what you put into it but it is full of flavor and spice, not the kind of spice that burns your tongue off and renders you ability to taste broken.  The kind of spice that is pleasant while you are eating it and reminds you when you are done that it was in fact a good spicy bowl of chili, that is the kind of spice I like with my chili.

What made the chili so special this time was the ingredients, mostly the meat if you remember in my last post I smoked a chuck roast in a chili rub just for this pot of chili.  Also what made this pot of chili quite unique was that I was here the entire time I made it, tending to it on the stove.  Usually I cook the meat if it needs to be cooked, drain off the grease and throw everything together in the crock pot and let it go.  But this time I did it in a pot on the stove, a bit more tending but it was much more rewarding and I got to throw in ingredients in phases, for instance I put in some garlic at the start then a little more about an hour before it came off the stove…gives it a bit more of a garlic taste.

So without further ado,  here is the skeleton recipe.  Like I said chili is an art and I use these more like guidelines than an actual recipe.

Ingredients
1 lb meat (beef+bacon, beef+pork, beef+sausage, etc) shredded, cubed or ground
1 medium onion chopped
2 jalapenos seeded and chopped
1 dried jalapeno
1/3 c dried kidney beans
1/3 c dried black beans
3-7 cloves of garlic, peeled smashed and chopped
1 pt chili sauce (we have a home canned variety)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/3 c brown sugar
1/3 c chili powder
3/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp oregano
1 c beef broth
water

Instructions
Once meat is cooked and (if preferred) fat is drained off. Combine all ingredients in a pot add water until liquid covers all ingredients.  It cooking in a crock pot at 1 cup more water and set it on auto or high for 1 hour then down to low for at least 4 hours.  If doing it on the stove (bonus points) or in a dutch oven (double bonus points), bring to a boil then reduce heat and cook at a low simmer for 3-4 hours.  If cooking on the stove stir occasionally and check for flavor, add anything else you feel it requires and also add water if it seems to be getting to thick.  The dry beans will soak up a lot of moisture (and flavor).

So in addition to having the smoked chuck roast as my meat in my chili it was joined by some whole jalapenos I had smoked and dried during the summer.  Chili is a great dish to get creative with, I enjoy trying new things with my chili and changing it up a little every time.  Chili is a very test and tune dish.

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By Posted on Posted in Recipes, Smoked Goodness No Comments

A quick tease of things to come.  Today I took the first step in making what will be hopefully some undeniably good chili.  So to get things started I whipped up a rub and rubbed a chuck roast and let is sit in the fridge overnight wrapped snugly in plastic wrap.  Notice no mustard, just rub.

Rubbed and ready chuckie

Once this morning rolled around it was straight onto the smoker at 225°F for about 8 hours over apple wood until it reached 205°F.  I spritzed it with apply juice after about an hour every half hour or so and at about 160°F I brushed it with a ‘glaze‘, a mixture of apple juice, chili powder, onion powder and brown sugar.  Once  it was done, I pulled it off the smoker, wrapped it in foil and towels then let it rest for about an hour.   Once this was done I pulled it and stashed it away until its time to make chili.

Chili rubbed chuckie on the smoker

Ingredients
3 tsp paprika
4 tsp kosher salt
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cayenne
5 tsp chili powder
4 tsp ground black pepper
4 tsp onion powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp whole mustard seed

Instructions
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl.  Rub evenly and generously over a hunk of meat.  Let it sit wrapped in plastic wrap overnight in the fridge.  Then cook the following day.

So the real intention of the rub and the smoke was to get some meat ready to make chili, but I had to try a piece and it was good.  It kinda tasted like chili at least near the bark but as you moved in it was just good ole tasty juicy beef.  Check back soon for the sequel (the chili).

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