Archive for September, 2013
Posted by MontanaVike on September 11th, 2013
Caramelized Onion Dip
Ali_C
Good as a dip for sweet potato/zucchini fries and as a spread on a sandwich.
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 medium sweet onion about 1/2 pound, peeled and sliced
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- salt and pepper to taste
To make the dip: Melt the butter in a medium frying pan over moderate heat, and add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions soften, then caramelize. This should take between 10 and 15 minutes. The lower the heat, the longer it takes, but the less likely you are to burn the onions.
Once the onions are a medium brown, remove from the heat and add the vinegar.
Place the onions and vinegar into a small food processor. Add the honey and mustard, and process or blend until smooth.
Add the mayonnaise and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to serve.
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
Johnny's Ranch Beans
Johnny
I came up with these years ago and the recipe changes almost every time. This is a good base to start with. You can add about anything you want to this base
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 5 hours hrs
Total Time 5 hours hrs 20 minutes mins
- 1 lb bacon diced
- 1 lb hamburger
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 C molasses
- 1/2 C brown sugar
- 1/2 C Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce You can probably use a different brand, but why?
- 1 t chili powder
- 2 T pepper sauce I like Chipotle Tobasco but you can use about anything
- 4 cans beans I usually use a can of black, 2 cans of kidney and a can of pintos
Cook bacon until browned.
Add hamburger and brown
When meat is ready, add onion and garlic.
Cook for about 5 minutes.
Put meat mixture into crockpot and add remaining ingredients
Cook in crockpot on high for about 4 hours, low for 6 to 8 hours
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
Alton Brown's Brined Turkey
Johnny
The only way I do it now
Prep Time 16 hours hrs
Cook Time 3 hours hrs
Total Time 19 hours hrs
Turkey
- 1 14 to 16 pound frozen young turkey
For the Brine:
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 gallon vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
- 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
- 1 gallon heavily iced water
For the aromatics:
- 1 red apple sliced
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 cup water
- 4 sprigs rosemary
- 6 leaves sage
- Canola oil
to 3 days before roasting:
Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.
Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.
Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat:
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket.
Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey’s cavity along with the rosemary and sage.
Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.
Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting.
Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
Harry Renner’s Eggnog
Johnny
By far the best eggnog ever. Very creamy, light on the egg.
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 30 minutes mins
Cuisine Christmas tradition
- 6 eggs separated
- 3/4 cup sugar set aside 1/4 cup
- 1 qt. cereal milk [half and half or one pint each milk and whipping cream]
- 1 cup straight bourbon
- 2 oz. Jamaican dark rum
Beat egg whites until stiff
Fold or beat in 1/4 cup sugar. Set aside.
Beat egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar, fold into egg white mix.
Add cereal milk, bourbon and rum.
Serve topped with grated nutmeg.
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
Red beans and rice
Johnny
My version, probably not authentic
Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
- 2 lb hot Italian sausage
- 1 lb beef kielbasa
- 1 green pepper
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 chipotle pepper
- 1 jalapeno
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 14 oz cans chicken stock
- 4 14 oz cans dark red kidney beans
- 3 cups prepared white rice
Brown Italian sausage in large skillet
Cut kielbasa into 1/4? thick rounds and add to Italian sausage
Dice green pepper, yellow onion and garlic.
Add to sausage.
Cook onions, peppers and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.
Mince chipotle and jalapeno and add to pan.
Add remaining ingredients except rice and simmer for 1 hour.
To serve: Place large scoop of rice into bowl and add ladle of red beans.
At this point you can add a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce to spice things up. I suggest Chipotle Tobasco for a nice smoky kick
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
Dunkley's Famous Macaroni Salad
Johnny
Very good salad. Spicier than the normal salad. Everyone always likes this
Prep Time 30 minutes mins
Cook Time 4 minutes mins
Total Time 34 minutes mins
- 1 16 ounce package salad macaroni (or ditali pasta)
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup red onion diced
- 1 cup onion diced (yellow or white)
- 1 cup medium cheddar diced
- 1 cup swiss cheese diced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup dill pickles diced
- 1 cup salami diced (Can substitue pepperoni. Very good and a bit spicier.)
- 1 cup olive black, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon horseradish
- 1-2 tablespoon garlic salt
- 1-2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 1-2 teaspoon black pepper fresh ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 3 ounce jar diced pimentos, rinsed and drained
- 1-1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil.
Add macaroni and cook until it is al dente, approximately 7-9 minutes.
DO NOT OVERCOOK the pasta or it will fall apart when the salad is tossed together.
Rinse macaroni until cool.
Drain well and let it dry out slightly.
Place pasta in a large bowl.
Carefully fold in celery, onion, cheddar, Swiss cheese, Parmesan, dill pickles, salami, and black olives.
Refrigerate the mixture, covered, overnight (or refrigerate for at least 2 hours).
Mix the garlic salt, minced garlic, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, dry mustard and celery salt together. Add to the salad.
Fold in pimentos.
Mix 1 cup of mayonnaise and horseradish; fold into the salad. (You may use up to another 1/2 cup mayonnaise, if needed).
Refrigerate for another 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving.
http://www.recipezaar.com/Dunkleys-Famous-Macaroni-Salad-44133
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef
Johnny
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 40 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon garlic chopped
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- vegetable oil for frying (about 1 cup)
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2 large green onions
Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.
Don't get the oil too hot.
Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
Remove it from the heat.
Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices.
Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.
Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.
Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).
Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.
Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.
You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.
Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.
After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.
Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.
Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.
Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.
Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/P-F-Changs-Mongolian-Beef-66121
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
Fresh Horseradish Sauce
Johnny
I love this on prime rib and roast beef sandwiches.
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 15 minutes mins
- Fresh horseradish root look for a firm, unblemished root - the whiter it looks inside, the fresher it is
- White vinegar
- Salt
- Ice water
Gather all your protective gear, cooking implements and ingredients together and bring them all to the outdoor location of your choice (you'll need an outlet and a table.) It's best to have everything in place before you get started so you don't have to run back and forth and take the gloves on and off, etc.
Cut the ends off the horseradish root and peel it (the interior should be a creamy white) and then cut it into cubes that will be a manageable size for your blender or cuisinart.
Pour 1/4 cup of the ice water into your blender or cuisinart (if you're using a blender, it should be enough to just cover the blades) and dump the horseradish cubes in after it.
Blend it for 25-30 seconds or until it is the consistency of the prepared horseradish you'd buy at the store. If your blender or cuisinart is having trouble, you can add a bit more water. Stop blending to shove any stray, unblended chunks down into the bowl and blend until they've been incorporated.
Depending on how hot you want the horseradish you can either add the vinegar and salt now or wait a few minutes to add it. (I wait about 5 minutes let the heat reach a maximum.) Add 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar and a half teaspoon of salt for each cup of ground horseradish root. Then blend a few seconds to combine thoroughly.
Taste (try a small amount as it may be very spicy!) the sauce to see if you need to adjust anything (more vinegar, more salt, etc.) If you're satisfied, you can jar it up now.
If your sauce seems too liquidy, you can drain off some of the water.
Spoon the sauce into glass jars with airtight lids and place them in the refrigerator. If you want to freeze the sauce, use a plastic container with an airtight lid. It will keep well in the fridge for about 4-6 weeks or in the freezer for 6 months or more.
http://gardenofeatingblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/bitter-herb-preparing-fresh-horseradish.html
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
Pork Chops Yum-Yum
Johnny
Suzanne's favorite recipe.
Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
- 2-4 pork chops 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch thick
- 1/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/8 cup honey
- 1/8 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
Brown chops on both sides.
Place in greased casserole dish.
Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 for one hour.
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Pork-Chops-Yum-Yum-95222
Posted by MontanaVike on September 9th, 2013
Wilted Spinach Salad
Johnny
Tony C's favorite!! And when Tony C. likes something, you better like it too!! Sometimes I like to add sliced hard boiled eggs.
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 40 minutes mins
- 1 lb bacon
- 4 tbs. sugar
- 4 tbs apple cider vinegar
- 1 can mandarin oranges
- 2 lbs baby spinach
- 8 oz. portabella mushrooms. cubed
- 8 oz. shreded mozzarella cheese
Dice bacon into 1/2 pieces and cook until crispy
Remove bacon from grease (retaining grease) and drain on paper towels
Mix juice from oranges, vinegar and sugar in separate bowl.
For dressign add juice mixture to bacon grease and stir over medium heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off heat and let it cool for about 5 minutes
Combine spinach, oranges, mushrooms and cooked bacon in salad bowl.
Pour warm dressing over spinach and toss thoroughly.
Add shredded cheese and toss again.
Serve immediately.
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