Chicken and Pumpkin Tin Foil Stew

Ingredients, per serving:

¾ cup cubed pumpkin. I used frozen.

½ cup frozen corn.

½ cup leftover chicken, cubed.

1 cup cubed carrots.

¼ cup dehydrated tomatoes, cubed.

3 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped.

1 small under-ripe Scotch bonnet pepper, seeds & placenta removed, chopped finely.

1 TBSP pesto. I used frozen.

1½ tsp dried mushroom powder

½ tsp smoked salt.

1 tablespoon olive oil.

Fresh ground black pepper, to taste.

One tablespoon butter.

Instructions:

• Mix everything except the butter together till seasonings are evenly distributed.
• Place butter in the middle of a sheet of aluminum foil. Deposit the mixture on top of the butter, and wrap to a log shape, sealing the edges. Turn the resulting aluminum foil log over, and wrap again in a second layer of aluminum foil.
• Grill over medium high for 20 or 30 minutes, until you can smell things cooking. (Alternatively, roast in the toaster oven.)
• Unwrap, serve and enjoy.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapeno Peppers

Ingredients
(for six individual servings; scale up for larger quantities.)

• 1 pound pork sausage
• 12 slices bacon
• 6 jalapenos (stems, core, and seeds removed)
• 4 oz cream cheese (softened)
• 4 oz cheddar cheese (shredded)
• 2 TBSP Homemade Sweet Rub
• 1 cup BBQ Sauce

Instructions
Preheat your smoker to 250° F (120° C). Pretty much any smoking hardwood will work; what do you like?

•  In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and 1 Tablespoon of the sweet BBQ seasoning.

•  Spoon some of the cream cheese mixture into each of the cored and seeded jalapenos. Use the back of the spoon to press the filling all of the way into the jalapeno.

•  Wrap each jalapeno with 1/6th of the pork sausage (about 2½ oz each). Use your hands to ensure the sausage is covering the entire jalapeno and roll back and forth into an egg shape.

•  Wrap each sausage covered jalapeno with bacon. Count on two pieces per pepper. Secure with toothpicks.

•  Place the bacon wrapped peppers on the smoker over indirect heat and close the lid. Smoke until the internal temperature reads 165° F. This usually takes around 2 hours at 250° F, depending on the size of your peppers.

•  If you want soft, bite through bacon, brush the peppers with BBQ sauce and serve immediately.

Or,

•  If you want crispy bacon, brush them with BBQ sauce and then increase the heat to 400 degrees and cook for a few minutes or transfer the peppers to a baking sheet and place under your oven broiler for 1-2 minutes.

•  Serve hot and enjoy!

From Bill Carney

Sweet & Spicy Squash & Tempeh

INGREDIENTS

1 clove elephant garlic, cubed (alternate: a head of garlic cloves, peeled & halved)

1 medium apple, peeled, cored & cubed

One 2-pound, peeled butternut squash, washed, seeded, peeled, and cut into 1-inch cubes

½ pound tempeh, cubed

1 small sweet potato, cubed

½ medium yellow onion, cubed

One 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk

¼ cup light brown sugar

1TBSP fresh ginger, peeled & minced

⅓ tsp hot pepper powder

1 TBSP roasted garlic powder

½ tsp garam masala

1 tsp vegetable bouillon

½ cup water

PREPARATION

Heat water and bouillon in a small frying pan, to boiling. Add tempeh cube. Cook for about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally, turn once or twice. Drain, reserving the liquid.  

In a large roasting bowl, stir together the coconut milk, brown sugar and all spices. Add reserved vegetable broth. Add the squash and turn to coat thoroughly.

Preheat the barbecue. Heat a medium-large cast iron frying pan on barbecue. Add coated vegetables to hot pan and cover the pan with foil or a lid, and bake on the barbecue for about 30 minutes, until the squash is beginning to get tender.

Remove foil or lid, and allow the mix to thicken for 10 minutes.

Serve over rice.
 

Results? Really good!

Country Style Spare Ribs

2-3 pounds country-style pork ribs. (Half a pound per person.)

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cider vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

¼ cup good red wine

¼ cup stone ground mustard

¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1½ TBSP (roasted) garlic powder

1 tsp (roasted) onion powder.

1 TBSP rhubarb powder (dried, ground)

1 TBSP roasted bell pepper powder

¼ tsp red pepper powder

1½ TBSP low salt soy sauce

1 tsp Tabasco sauce

1 tsp Tabasco smoked chipotle sauce

Combine all sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth. Pour over the ribs, making sure all ribs are covered on all sides with sauce. Marinate at room temperature for an hour, or in the refrigerator overnight.

Barbecue on medium grille; spoon extra sauce onto ribs on the grille (but make sure that the sauce all gets cooked before serving).

Cook ribs until they’re no longer pink, but are still moist inside. Serve with grilled corn on the cob, grilled jojo’s, grilled bell peppers and maybe a nice amber ale.

Share with good friends.

Grilled Veggies

Cube your veggies. Mostly a little bigger than half inch cubes. Softer things get to be a little bigger.  

This requires some sort of veggie grill pan: amzn.to/1q1JEDq or http://amzn.to/1pYyouU. 

Note: I used to use an old street sign that I'd burned all the paint off of; it worked fairly well, but of course, it didn't drain well. I've also used a cast iron griddle or frying pan. Personal opinion: small drain holes are good. Side walls are a necessity. 

Put on the roots first: taters, sweet potatoes, turnips, beets, carrots, etc. 

When they're halfway done, add the garlic, onions, peppers, broccoli, zucchini, parsley, snow peas, cashews, etc. 
 
Experience will teach you how big to cut each piece. Hint: turnips should be cut into smaller chunks than sweet potatoes. 
 
Sometimes we add chorizo or tofu chunks with the soft veggies or cubed chicken breast, with the root veggies. 
 
Experiment. I'll bet you'll love it! Oh, and it's fine to serve it alongside a big flank steak.

Homemade Veggie Burgers

Ingredients:

2-3 thin slices homemade wheat bread, toasted fairly dark, cubed
    (OK to substitute disinglutie bread or cooked bulgar/quinoa/millet)

6 cloves garlic

½ - ¾ cup flowers of basil, marjoram, tarragon, removed from stems

Salt and pepper to taste

2 TBSP lemon juice

1 small pepper or ⅓ large pepper, cubed

½ tsp dried red peppers

⅓ cup Parmesan cheese (goat cheese will substitute)

Toss it all in a food processor and process it until granulated (texture of tablesaw sawdust)

Shape into patties.

Fry or barbecue.

Works actually pretty well. Tasty, not boring. 

Stuffed Sirloin Steak

Instructions, one steak per person:

Butterfly fillet a thick-cut (1”+) Angus sirloin steak: cut it in half through the middle, leaving a meat hinge between 2 pieces of ½” steak. Grind a bit of fresh pepper over both sides, and sprinkle on ½ tsp of ground lemon grass.

Layer onto one side of the opened steak:

• 2 or 3 fresh basil leaves.
• 2 strips cooked & drained thick cut bacon. Leave it just a little chewey.
• 3 or 4 rings of freshly grilled onions.
• 1 tsp crumbled bleu cheese.
• A few julienned sun-dried tomatoes

On the other side of the opened steak:

• Drizzle 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar.

Close the steak, enclosing the bacon and other ingredients. Tie the steak shut with a couple of pieces of food-safe twine.

  

Brush both sides of the steak with olive oil. Grind a little fresh pepper on one side, and place the steak, seasoned side down on a hot grille, immediately lowering the flame to medium or medium low.

When it’s ready to turn, re-apply a little olive oil to the top, grind a little fresh pepper onto it, and flip that side down. You should only have to turn the steak once. Depending on how hot your grille is, five minutes a side may be enough.

Serve with a good stout or Belgian beer. Share with good friends. 

Interesting Open-Face Fish Sandwiches

Fish, thawed, thawed. Salmon is one of our favorites. Whitefish works.
    (up to ½ pound per person)

Cut into 4 oz steaks.

Several slices sourdough bread (or 2 large homemade slices per person)

Marinade (enough for 2, maybe 3 people)

2 TBSP Hoisin sauce

2 TBSP Balsamic vinegar

12TBSP Chardonnay (white wine)

2 TBSP honey

2 TBSP Pepper-infused oil (or olive oil plus some hot peppers, if you like the heat)

Whisk this all together in a flat-bottomed bowl, and marinate the raw fish in it. 

Green Avocado Gunk: (each avocado serves 2, maybe 3)

½ avocado, fork mashed

3 or 4 Spanish olives, minced finely. (Usually these provide enough salt.)

2 TBSP sweet onion, minced finely.

6+ good grinds of black pepper
2 TBSP chopped fresh Thai basil
1 TBSP lemon juice

Mash it all together in a bowl. If you use a food processor, add 3-4 TBSP plain organic yogurt, and 1-2 TBSP olive oil to make it nice & creamy. 

Process:

Marinate the salmon steaks in the marinade sauce. Give ‘em no less than 15 minutes; an hour is not too much. Heat up the grille (I used a George Foreman grille; a barbecue would work well). When it’s hot, put the fish on the grille. Spoon some more marinade on them. Cook them until they’re done all the way through.

While they’re grilling, heat the marinade. It would be good to reduce the mixture by at least 50%.

When the fish is done, cut into ½” x ½” (x 2” or so) strips, and load back into the bowl of reduced marinade. Cover the fish thoroughly.

While this is soaking (again), oil the bread & toast it. When it’s done, spread the avocado green gunk on the toast, and pile on the soaked salmon. Garnish with a little very coarse salt (it’s crunchy!).

Enjoy with a good abbey-style dubbel ale. Ok... you can serve it with a nice white wine, if you want. 

Mediteranean Burgers

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh oregano
¼ cup coarsely chopped olives. Best if you mix green & black
2 TBSP chopped red onions
1 egg, raw
¼ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves
2 TBSP fresh basil chopped
salt and pepper to taste


Muck it all together. Sorry, you want use your hands for this. Yeah, it’s a mess, but it’s worth it.

Shape it into two patties and fry it in a good old fashioned cast iron skillet. Serve on a whole wheat hamburger bun with the usual condimental accessories.

Serves two.

Chicken Pasta Mornay

Per person:

1 chicken breast, seasoned with salt, pepper, thyme and sage; grille to internal temperature of at least 160 degrees. Slice into 1/4" thick slices. Use 1/2 to 1 chicken breast per serving.

• Put a small mound of hot cooked pasta on a plate or shallow dish. In a pinch, a thick slice of toasted homemade bread will work.
• Sprinkle cooked vegetables over the pasta: broccoli or stir-fry vegetables. Veggies are optional, of course.
• Ladle on a healthy portion of Chicken Parmesan Mornay Sauce over the pasta and vegetables.
• Spread sliced chicken over sauce.

Barbecued Corn on the Cob

Buy fresh ears of corn. Bodacious is best. Soak them in water for 30 minutes.

Stick them on a fairly hot barbecue. Turn them every so often. Pull them out when the outside is dark, beginning to be burned.

Serve with napkins! Peel the corn at the table. Add butter and/or salt if you like. Enjoy!

Inspired by Daniel Katzenmaier.

Barbecued Veggies

Potatoes

Take a couple of pounds of small red potatoes and quarter them lengthwise. Drop them into boiling, salted water and cook them partway – maybe to the point where they’re halfway done.

Remove from the hot water, rinse in cold water (to keep them from over-cooking) and dry them. Spread them on a baking sheet. Preheat your barbecue at this point.

Spray lightly with olive oil and season fairly heavily with seasoning salt and fresh ground pepper.

Put them on the barbecue, in a part of the barbecue that is not overly hot; medium heat is fine. Cook for a total of about 10 – 15 minutes, turning once in the meantime. Use coals or add some fruitwood to a gas barbecue for extra flavor. They’re ideal if they have some good brown color on the outside, but the inside is not overly soft.

Onions

Use sweet onions if possible. Peel and slice thick, at least ¼”. Spray lightly with olive oil and season modestly with seasoning salt and fresh ground pepper.

Put them on the barbecue, in a part of the barbecue that is not overly hot; medium heat is fine. Cook for a total of about 10 – 15 minutes, turning once in the meantime. Use coals or add some fruitwood to a gas barbecue for extra flavor. Do not over-cook. They’re ideal when they’re al dente like good pasta: just a bit of firmness to the bite.

Bell Peppers

Quarter the peppers lengthwise; remove all the seeds. Wash in cold water.

Put them on the barbecue, in a part of the barbecue that is not overly hot; medium heat is fine. Cook for a total of about 10 – 15 minutes, turning once in the meantime. Use coals or add some fruitwood to a gas barbecue for extra flavor. Do not over-cook. They’re ideal when they’re al dente like good pasta: just a bit of firmness to the bite.

Zucchini

Use young zucchinis, before the seeds have developed. Do not peel; slice thick, at least ½”. Spray lightly with olive oil and season modestly with seasoning salt and fresh ground pepper.

Put them on the barbecue, in a part of the barbecue that is not overly hot; medium heat is fine. Cook for a total of about 10 – 15 minutes, turning once in the meantime. Use coals or add some fruitwood to a gas barbecue for extra flavor. Do not over-cook. They’re ideal when they’re al dente like good pasta: just a bit of firmness to the bite.


I love to barbecue veggies any time I'm barbecuing meat: it compliments the flavor of the meat, and allows us to do all the cooking outdoors so the kitchen stays cool on hot days. Besides, my family really enjoys barbecued veggies with our barbecued meat.

Barbecued Steak Stuffed with Thyme, Ginger & Bacon

Ingredients, per serving:

1 ten-ounce sirlion steak, thick cut. (Actually any boneless steak that is of sufficient quality for barbecue is fine.)
3 strips bacon, mostly cooked (still chewy)
1 TBSP red onion jelly
1 TBSP fresh thyme leaves, washed, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, finely shredded
1 ounce Mozarella cheese, sliced
salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
While the barbecue is pre-heating at a high heat, slice through the steak, leaving one edge connected ("butterfly fillet"). Season with salt and pepper inside and outside.

Spread Red Onion Jelly thickly on one side of the steak. Layer the shredded ginger and chopped thyme over the jelly; then the bacon and cheese.

Close the steak, and press it firmly with a spatula to keep it closed.

Place on the hot barbecue, and immediately turn the barbecue to medium-low. Cook until done in the center (at least 140 degrees). Serve with fresh veggies, baked potato, and red ale or stout.

Comment: less thyme. More jelly (double it). More ginger, or a better way to capture its flavor. Consider other cheeses: white is right, but needs more zing: Parmesan-Reggiano? Asiago? Romano? Maybe Bleu? Add some garlic. Consider food processing herbs w/ garlic (coarsely) and maybe some lime juice.

Mint & Oregano Stuffed Pork Chops

Ingredients:

• 4 Large pork chops, filleted
• 8 Strips bacon, cooked, medium
• 4 TBSP fresh peppermint, washed, stemmed an, finely chopped
• 3 TBSP fresh oregano, washed, stemmed and chopped medium
• 4 tsp raspberry chipotle sauce
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• salt and fresh ground pepper

Directions:
Preheat the barbecue on high while you’re preparing the meat.

Since I used frozen pork chops, I defrosted them in the microwave while I fried the bacon in a cast iron pan and dry it in paper towels. When the chicken is thawed, slice them in half horizontally, like sandwich bread. Salt and pepper generously both inside and out.

Spread the jam on one side of the pork chop, inside. Spread chopped mint and oregano evenly on both sides of the inside of the pork chops. Then stuff ¼ cup parmesan cheese inside of the pork chop. Layer the bacon on top of the parmesan cheese. Close the pork chops, now stuffed with yummy things; press it tightly closed with a spatula to seal it shut.

Place the chops on the grille and immediately turn the flame down to medium. I recommend preparing a good salad while the meat cooks. It’ll be different on every barbecue, but I cooked the chicken about seven minutes on each side; it got a good sear on it and stayed moist. Make sure the chicken is completely cooked, of course.

Review: this was fairly flavorful, but not as tender as I’d like. I think I over-defrosted it, and over-cooked it on the BBQ: be careful with both of those. Mint jam would have been a good substitution, but these could have benefited from a little more zing in the filling as well: maybe add some lemon juice for tartness, or some cayenne or Tabasco for heat.

Old Roastsputin

Ingredients:

• A big hunk of meat. I guess that it would translate to a four-pound chuck roast.
• 2 bottles Old Rasputin Russian Imperial Stout.
• Salt & pepper to taste.
  

Preparation:

Trim off the fat, all the fat.

Heat up your faithful cast iron frying pan on medium to medium-high heat. Sear both sides well.

Cooking, Plan A, slow cooker:

Pour one and a half bottles of Old Rasputin into a slow cooker that’s large enough for the roast to lay flat in. Let the brew heat up (set the slow cooker to “high”) while you’re searing the roast. Drink the half bottle that remains while working on it. Once the pot is hot, turn it to “low.”

Cook for a couple of hours on one side. Turn it over. Add veggies. Cook for two or three more hours. Pour out the brew it cooked in, and grieve its passing.

Cooking, Plan B, Dutch oven:

I use a cast iron Dutch oven, which means that I can heat it up on the stove top. As it begins to heat, pour one and a half bottles of Old Rasputin in. Let the brew heat up (set the slow cooker to “high”) while you’re searing the roast. Drink the half bottle that remains while working on it. Once the pot is hot, turn it to “low.”

Cook for a an hour at 325 degrees on one side. Baste every so often. Turn it over. Cook for another hour or two. Add veggies an hour before you’re done.

This deserves to be cooked until pretty well done. It should almost fall apart under your fork.

Pour out the brew it cooked in, and grieve its passing. What a sad thing to have to lose the Imperial Stout.

This makes a roast that has a remarkably complex flavor. My friend Alan makes this best, but this version is pretty darned good.

BBQ Chicken with onion Sandwich

1 frozen chicken breast
2 pieces toast
BBQ sauce (to taste)
Onion (to taste)
Parmesan Cheese (to taste)

Defrost chicken breast, 8 minutes give or take average size. On grill (or whatever) cook till done on the outside. Cut it in half (fillet) then cook with raw side facing down.

Once done put one half (or both but it's hard to fit your mouth around it with both) on toast. Spread BBQ sauce on both slices, or you wont taste it depending on which end is up (I like to use thick 'n spicy brown sugar BBQ sauce) slice up onion, depending on how much you like onion, (me being obsessed with onion, I put a whole slice on it!). Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and put together.

And enjoy.

With this chicken I get a little more creative with spices but not a lot or it's to much.


Courtesy TJ McLain, a CreativeBug.

Chicken Caesar Sandwich

1 frozen chicken breast
1 Leaf of romaine lettuce
2 pieces toast
1 Caesar Dressing (to taste)
Parmesan cheese (to taste)

Defrost chicken breast, 8 minutes give or take average size. On grill (or whatever) cook till done on the outside. Cut it in half (fillet) then cook with raw side facing down.

Once the chicken breast is done, put one half (or both but it's hard to fit your mouth around it with both) on toast. Spread Caesar dressing on the other piece of toast. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Put your leaf (break it in half so it will fit) on the toast. Put the bread together and enjoy.

I like to spice my chicken with only salt and pepper. The dressing spices the sandwich well enough alone.

Courtesy TJ McLain, a CreativeBug.

Multi-grain Date rolls

Add, in order, to the bread machine bowl:

1 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup 9 grain mix for bread
1 1/2 cups white bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 TBSP white sugar
2 TBSP butter (margarine will do if you must!)
2 TBSP dry milk powder
(or eliminate milk powder and substitute milk for water)
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water

load it all in the bread machine bowl, in sequence, set the machine for dark bread (the heavy dough takes slightly longer to cook) and press "go!" I usually hold back a bit of the water until every thing else has mixed, adding a little bit of the remainder at a time until the dough is firm but soft.

While the bread machine is producing dough for you, measure and set aside:
1 1/2 cups dried dates, chopped coarsley

Most bread machines will mix the ingredients, let the bread raise for a while, then mix some more, and let it raise again. Four minutes before the end of the last real mixing time, add the dates. Let the bread finish mixing and let it raise a little.

Remove the bread from the machine before it's finished raising. Cut it into small pieces and shape as desired. There's room for a great deal of creativity here. I use some very small loaf pans, and some tiny pie pans from small chicken pot pies, shaping and sizing the bread for those. I also cover a cookie sheet in parchment paper and shape some basic roll shapes - suitable for sandwich buns later - for cooking there. I made some long strips of dough and braided it together for a fun long & narrow bun.

Place the rolls in a warm place to raise again; it will probably need to be noticeably warmer than room temperature.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 for 20 or 25 minutes until the inside is completely cooked. Cool on a cooling rack.

These are good hot (either fresh from the oven, or fresh from the toaster) and buttered. My sweetheart likes raspberry jam on them. They're modestly sweet, and the grains make for an wonderfully fun texture. I like to serve them alongside barbecue (we barbecue meat, veggies and fruit all together).

Serious Meat Rolls

Into the bread machine, in this order:

1½ tsp active dry yeast

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

2 TBSP white sugar

2 TBSP dry milk powder

2 TBSP butter

1¼ tsp salt

1⅓ cups water, lukewarm.

Set the bread machine on “dough” setting. When it's done, cut it in half, and roll each half out on a flowered surface, until it's less than 1/4" thick. Coat with:

Sliced steak (season and grille a 12 oz steak; refrigerate, slice thinly; half for each roll)
one chicken breast, seasoned and grilled, refrigerated and sliced.
3 oz thinly sliced pepperoni
4 slices of bacon, soft cooked
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup frozen veggies (I like French cut beans)
4 ounces (1/4 pound) of crumbled cooked pork sausage.
Season with a fair bit of freshly ground pepper (the bacon provides enough salt).

Roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll, resulting in a roll that's 12" x maybe 4" diameter. Let it raise for 20 minutes, then bake at 350 for 35 or 40 minutes until the inside is completely cooked. Cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm, sliced thick as a main dish (I like it with fresh corn on the cob), or slice it into appropriate size pieces and freeze separately for re-heating later.

Chicken Breasts stuffed with Shrimp & Bacon

Per Person:
1 large Chicken Breast, thawed, butterfly filleted
7 large shrimp: I use the pre-cooked frozen type: do not thaw.
2 strips bacon
1 tsp fresh garlic: I like a couple of cloves of fresh roasted garlic, but thin slices of raw garlic is fine.
1/4 tsp ground paprika
1/8 tsp ground chili powder
1 oz Irish cheddar cheese, sliced thin
1 tsp lemon juice
salt & pepper

Fillet the chicken breast. Season inside and out with salt & pepper. Layer shrimp and bacon on one side. Drizzle lemon juice over shrimp & bacon and cover with garlic and then Parmesan cheese. Season with paprika and (if you like) Cajun seasoning.

Close the chicken breast and place on an oiled sheet. Cook 18 – 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Review: I used to cook these in my George Foreman Grill, but I've been baking them recently, in my toaster oven. I really like the results: juicier, easier cleanup (please bake on tinfoil!), and more tender.