Game Time!

For KU's heart attack game the other night against Purdue I thought I would make some finger lickin' grub.  I decided on buffalo chicken wings and broccoli slaw.  I went with the broccoli slaw because I already had a bag of it in my fridge and it seemed like it would be a good vegetable side.

If you aren't sure what broccoli slaw is, it is a variation of traditional coleslaw with shredded raw broccoli stalks substituted for cabbage and can also contain shredded carrot.  Like I said, I had a bag of it in the fridge so all I had to do was make the dressing for it.  For the dressing I used approximately (really, I have no idea since I don't measure) 1/2 cup mayo, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 2 teaspoons of honey, and S&P.  Mix the dressing ingredients together, add the broccoli slaw and add more S&P to taste if needed.

For the first time I made a homemade mayo for this. I used a recipe from Nom Nom Paleo.  However, instead of macadamia nut oil I used avocado oil but you could also use EVOO as long as you make sure you use the light version because the normal version will taste too strong.  I also didn't hand whip it.  I was smarter and used by immersion blender.  The key to making this is being patient and pouring the oil as slowly as possible.  I had Chris do this since he is way more patient than me and it's much easier to have someone pour while you blend.  It came out excellent and I will definitely be making more homemade mayo in the future!

For the wings, I opted out of the traditional fry method.  This is mainly because I think frying food is a big pain in the A!  So instead I salt and peppered the wings and baked them at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes and then grill finished them to crisp them up.  This is pretty easy and mess free and would highly recommend this method over frying.

For the buffalo sauce I combined equal parts melted butter and Frank's hot sauce with a few dashes of chili powder. 

 

When the chicken was done it took a bath in the sauce.

Plate up and enjoy the game!  Rock chalk everyone!!!

Chris, the King of Leftovers

Chris, as long as we've been together has always been the king of leftovers.  I've always loved leftovers but normally in the same state they were originally made.  Chris, however, is great at taking leftovers and making a whole new meal out of them.  For example, tonight Chris made Philly cheese steak sammiches (sans bread) with leftover prime rib.

Chris chopped up some onion, red and green bell pepper, and mushrooms in some bacon butter.  Then he thinly sliced the beef and added that after the veggies got all happy.  Finally, he added a few slices of jalapeno white cheddar at the end, put the lid on, and let the cheese get all melty.

I gave it two thumbs up!

(Early) Valentine's Dinner

Since I will be gone on Tuesday for a basketball game in Eureka I decided to do a Valentine's dinner for Chris and I tonight.  I know I said (in an earlier blog post) that we don't really do Valentine's but it's really just an excuse to do up dinner a bit.  This dinner does not have any bacon but was still AWESOME!

Appetizer:  Seared Scallops with Romesco Sauce
Scallops is one of Chris and I's favorite indulgences.  They are buttery and comforting and delicious!  Key to cooking scallops is to make sure you get them super dry and sear them off in a hot pan.  Other than that you just need salt and pepper (before you sear).

Wrapping scallops in bacon is pretty popular (and amazing!) but I chose to make a romesco sauce instead.  It is pretty easy. In a food processor combine jarred roasted red peppers, toasted walnuts, EVOO, shallot, garlic, lemon juice and S&P.  Once combined, I put in a sauce pan to warm up.  When ready to plate, drizzle the romesco sauce on the shallots.  Romesco sauce also goes well with most fish and chicken dishes.

Main:  Slow Roasted Prime Rib
Prime rib roast...I don't need to say much more.  Keep this simple!  We cooked the prime rib a little differently than we have in the past.  We've always started the prime rib in a hot oven (500 degrees) and let it get a good crust and then lower to 350 degrees and cook until it hits the desired temp.  Last Christmas I ran across How to Cook The Perfect Prime Rib.  Basically, it said to do the exact opposite.  Cook the prime rib at a lower temp (150-200 degrees) so that it cooks more evenly and then sear at the end in the oven.  We weren't able to try this method out last Christmas but I really wanted to try it out.  It turned out perfect! 

Cooking the prime rib the old way you end up with a grayish brown ring around the outside but with the new method there was no funky colored ring.  The entire middle was cooked perfectly medium rare.  We used an electronic meat thermometer and cooked until 124 degrees.

I will warn you that cooking at 550 degrees caused a very, very smoky oven for us and we had to turn on some fans and open some windows.  For the rib roast all we did was S&P GENEROUSLY and then cook as directed in the oven.  We love horseradish as a condiment with this.  Normally we would make au jous with prime rib but skipped out tonight.

Side:  Mashed Cauliflower
I believe I blogged about this before but all that needs done is chop up a head of cauliflower and steam in 1 cup of chicken stock and a mashed clove of garlic.  Once tender blend together with butter and S&P.  I also added some grated parm for flavor.

Side:  Sauteed Spinach with Sun Dried Tomatoes (aka vegetable candy)
For this just warm up some EVOO, add some shallot and a clove of garlic and then the key ingredient, sun dried tomatoes.  Chris and I like to call sun dried tomatoes vegetable candy because they are just so darn delicious and have a sweetness about them.  I keep sun dried tomatoes in the fridge so I just chop a few up and add them and their oil.  I rarely make sauteed spinach without sun dried tomatoes After sauteing the aforementioned for a few minuets add your spinach, cook down and add S&P.

Dessert:  Berry Torte with Berry Coulis and Whipped Heavy Cream
This was the first time I attempted this recipe but when I first saw it I knew it would be perfect for Valentine's Day.  For this recipe (check out the link) I did make a small adjustment.  Instead of using frozen raspberries, I already had frozen mixed berries (raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries) so I used that and then I bought fresh blackberries at the store.  For the coulis I suggest to strain the sauce.  It is not necessary but it gets all the berry seeds out of it and the sauce is that much more velvetty.  Chris gave me two thumbs up on this so I'll keep it in my dessert rotation for the future.

Finally, wash it all down with a good glass (or two) of red wine.  We drank Hudson Shah Cab with it.  If you come across it I would highly recommend it.  I used to be able buy this for $10 a bottle but it is now up to $13 but it's still a great value.  Drinks more like a $25 bottle and has never disappointed me. 

To Lovers!

Bacon Valentine's Day Gifts

The divisive holiday that is known as Valentine's Day will be upon us this week.  Some people hate it (all guys and single girls) and some people love it (girls in a relationship).  I can't say I get sucked up into the Valentine's Day hype.  I don't expect a gift or anything elaborate.  I'm normally pretty busy around this time of year so I always told Chris a night of relaxing on the couch with pizza and wine was what I wanted. 

That being said, we don't plan on getting each other gifts.  However, if you plan on getting that special someone a gift and haven't done it yet, I've got a few ideas for you and yes, they involve bacon.

First, who wouldn't want a lovely bouquet of bacon.  If this doesn't scream love then I don't know what does.  This would be way better than an actual bouquet of flowers.  Not that I don't like the smell of flowers but the smell of bacon trumps flowers any day.  Plus, you can eat the bacon and the flowers just die.

This isn't exactly bacon but it is brief, I mean beef jerky which is in the same family of awesomeness.  This is even a do it yourself homemade gift and that is true love.  Edible meat underwear, Pinteresters, eat your heart out on this one.

For the fitness enthusiast, this Pork Belly Fitness shirt will be right up their alley.  I got myself one and love it!  Bacon and squats is where it's at!  There's several different styles and colors to choose from. 

For all the love birds out there, I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day.  For everyone else, I suggest making bacon and you'll instantly feel better.  For myself, I will be coaching a basketball game that night but I have some dinner plans for Sunday.

Bacon Happiness

'Nuff said.

Meatza!

So I made my first meatza today for lunch.  Meatza is pizza but instead of a traditional crust made out of dough, I used meat, hence meatza.  The first time I read about meatza it didn't sound too great and wasn't so sure about it so it wasn't high on the list of new things to cook.  However, it was a recipe in one of my new cookbooks, Well Fed, so I decided I would give it a try.  If you are interested in eating the Paleo/Primal way this is a great cookbook to get.  If you aren't sure of what Paleo/Primal is, I plan on doing a blog post about that in the near future.

Anyways, the meatza.  I used approximately 10 oz of ground beef that I had in the fridge.  If  I would have had a full pound then I would have used that but that's just what I had.  I seasoned the beef with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, dried parsley and a touch of crushed pepper for a kick. Then I molded into the bottom of a spring pan (or a cake pan would work) and cooked at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes. 

While the meat crust cooked I made my pizza sauce.  In a small saucepan I sauteed a minced clove of garlic and Italian seasoning in olive oil. Then I added approx 3 oz of tomato paste and 1/4 cup of water.  I let that come to a boil and simmer for about 5 minutes.

I also sauteed my veggies while the crust was cooking away.  This is where you can put your own spin on the pizza.  You could use about any veggie really including broccoli or spinach.  I sauteed green and red peppers, onion, and mushrooms. 

When the crust was done, I let it cool for a few minutes, then topped with the sauce, veggies, and a sprinkle of mozzarella.  Then I plopped it in the oven at 400 degrees for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese was good and melty.

The verdict?  It was very tasty and will definitely make again.  Is it a substitute for pizza....not really.  I've made eggplant pizza with sliced eggplant as the "crust" and grilled it and that was probably more of a better substitute in my opinion.

The meatza can be very versatile though.  You can really use any ground meat as the crust or could use a mixture of ground meats.  You could also make a Mexican style meatza and use salsa as the sauce and top with a Mexi style cheese.   I like recipes like this because you can make it differently every time if you want to and so you don't get bored with it.  Enjoy!

I'm Still Here!

So this is sadly my first post of 2012.  I have been seriously slacking in the blogging department.  I don't have a good excuse either.  Just been lazy about it I guess.  I've posted a few food pics on Facebook but that's about it.  For anyone who may actually read this I still plan on posting about bacon, food, and other random topics that come to mind.  So I just wanted to do a quick post this morning.

Chris is out bird hunting on this blustery morning so I just had to worry about me for breakfast.  Luckily, when I peeked in the fridge there were two slices of bacon and two eggs left.  Close call! So I fried up the bacon and eggs for breakfast along with a half an avocado.  All the yummy fat, and yes they are healthy fats, should keep me full and energized for quite awhile.  Which is good because I've got some major cleaning to do around the house today.

I hope everyone has a great Sunday!  If you are watching football, go Forty Niners and Ravens!  I'm actually a Patriots fan but both of those teams have former Washburn Ichabod players playing and I think it would be pretty neat for them to play each other.