Not to often I get a turn around like this from the time a meal enters my mouth to the time it hits the site. My son got really ill this weekend so no super bowl parties this year. We did however take it easy today, are watching the game now, and did a bunch of cooking today. Started the morning off with some biscuits and gravy, lunch was sandwiches, and dinner was grilled lamb chops. For those who do not know, I got a lamb this year by trading some of my elk meat. I have been looking forward to perfecting lamb chops for a while now and think I got it nailed down now.
Here is what I used:
1 lb of lamb chops
3 Tbsp. minced garlic
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
I defrosted the chops this morning after reading the cookbook yesterday and getting some inspiration. Once defrosted, I put the chops in a one quart freezer bag with about a 1/4 cup of the olive oil, three tablespoons of garlic, and one teaspoon of Italian seasoning. I let the chops sit in that bag for about two hours.
Right before cooking I gave a good sprinkle of the red cayenne pepper to give the chops a bit of a kick. I got the grill good and hot and put the chops on there and gave them a quick sear. I turned the heat down to low and cooked for about 12 minutes until the center was 125 or medium rare.
After pulling them from the grill I served them up with some pasta and some of the marinara sauce my wife made earlier today.
Total prep time: 15 minutes.
Cook time: 12 minutes
Overall, these chops just melted in my mouth. They were extremely tender and had amazing flavor. Served up with the pasta made for an excellent meal. I plan on making these for a few of my friends real soon who were unsure about lamb. This is absolutely one way to convince them that this meat is worth having in your freezer year round. Enjoy
I have had this book for quite some time now and it has just sat on my shelf. Like many cooks, I hate to use a recipe and use cooking as an outlet to be creative. I am not sure what exactly made me pick it up today but I did. It could be that again, it is snowing and I was looking for something to read, and again, I miss my life living in Hawaii but that is besides the point. I have been watching a lot of BBQ TV and doing even more planning for our BBQ event this summer. I spent about two hours going through this book and I was happy to see that this cookbook is unlike others that I have picked up in the past. The recipes in this book were very unique and it really got the creative juices flowing. It covers all meat that you can find at your local butcher shop and even goes into some more less common. It has a great section on grilling pizza and although I did not look into it too much, a section of vegetables. I am going to use the habanero peach chutney recipe the next time I grill a duck breat for sure. If you are looking to take your grilling to another level you should absolutely pick up a copy of this book.
The first time I heard that Peach Street was making a grappa I was a little nervous but also intrigued. I always liked the idea of grappa. Instead of taking the finished product of wine and distilling it such as brandy or cognac, you take the seeds, stems, and skin that come from making the wine and you distill that. The end result, grappa. The thing that annoys me with grappa is how is was a fad in the late 90’s and most of the grappa around that time tasted like lighter fluid. Not that drinking things that taste like lighter fluid was bad but it was all of the yuppies that were drinking it talking about it like they knew anything about great spirits. Now that you know my pet peeve, here is the review.
Located in Palisade, CO, Peach Street Distillery is young compared to some of the more popular well known distilleries in this country. Although they are young, they believe in doing things the right way, the first time. Every product that comes out of their doors is top notch the first time. They make brandy, gin, vodka, bourbon, and other great products, such as grappa.
One thing I love about this grappa is its scent. Unlike the scent of lighter fluid that other grappas can have, the one from peach street has a strong scent of grapes and wine, the way it should be. They get their grapes from Garfield Estates Winery which, is making me want to try their wine. Having had Muscat wine in the past and knowing that it is a very sweet grape, it could pick it out when having my nose above the glass.
The color is extremely clear and the taste is extremely smooth. You can definitely pick up the muscat grape in the taste is this grappa is sweeter than others I have had in the past. At 40% alcohol by volume (80 Proof) it is not any weaker or stronger than most items in my liquor cabinet. However, this is not something you are just going to drink to get trashed. I can go through a bottle of tequila in a night but grappa is in the same category as cognac or brandy in that it is considered a “digestivo” or an after dinner drink.
I love what this distillery is doing and I love that it is in Colorado. The people that are involved are passionate about their products and are going to continue to grow and release new products. If you haven’t figured it out yet, go get yourself a bottle if you can and enjoy it.
We are always looking for great food that works well when we get together with friends to watch sports. Sometimes we go for more traditional appetizers such as wings and potato skins and other times we like to just be creative. For this recipe we combined two fantastic dishes that are great all by themselves but when you bring them together, hold onto your hat and be prepared for an amazing experience. The first time we made this it was an instant hit; literally everyone came into the kitchen and just stated eating until there was nothing left. Here is what is involved….
Ingredients:
1 bag popcorn kernels
1 lb small, peeled, deveined shrimp
2 lbs of bacon
Cajun Seasoning
Putting it together: Start by cooking your bacon in a cast-iron skillet until crispy. Don’t overdo it though; you want the bacon to be crispy but not burned or hard. After you are done cooking the 2 lbs of bacon pull out one pound for your guests as snack bacon and cut the other pound up into small pieces and set aside. Next take a ten quart stock pot and pour in enough bacon grease to cover the bottom of the pan. Take the popcorn kernels and pour in enough so that you have a full layer on the bottom of the pan but not stacked up on top of each other. Cover the pan and on medium-high heat start popping your corn. It works well to grab the pan by the handles and shake it while it is on the flame. Listen to the pops, when you start to hear the popping getting slower it is time to take a look. Lift the lid carefully and see if you have a full pan of popcorn. The trick to this step is to not burn the popcorn but pop it enough so that you don’t have so many un-popped kernels. Add the bacon to the popcorn and set aside. The next step starts by washing the shrimp in warm water and removing the tails. In a sauté pan on medium heat add some bacon grease to sauté the shrimp in. Add the shrimp and season with as much Cajun spice as you like. Be careful not to overcook the shrimp as it is easy to do; they are done when they turn from gray to pink and orange. Next, drain any liquid that may be in the pan and add the shrimp to the popcorn. Finally season to taste with additional Cajun seasoning and serve in bowls. Warning: Be prepared to make a second batch right away because it will not be around for long.
Prep Time: 20 min prep, 20 min cook
Final Thoughts: This is a very unique snack that combines some really great tastes. It would be easy to modify this and take it in many different directions just as we did. If you do this right it will be something your friends will talk about for a long time.
I am addicted to BBQ Pitmasters right now. It could be the five f$%&ing feet of snow on the ground or it could be the amount of planning we have been doing for our Smokin 4th of July BBQ competition this summer. This event is officially a two day event and is going to be bigger than it has ever been. We are capping the event this year at 42 competitors and raising the purse. We have some huge surprises in the works and are super excited. To get the rest of you excited, here is a video of Myron Mixon from TLC’s BBQ Pitmasters on the Late Late show the other night. Good stuff. There is a reason he is one of the most successful BBQ competitors ever. I agree with his butter usage.
This weekend was an amazing weekend of food. Spent last night with some friends enjoying a 12 course meal and continued this morning with stuffed french toast, “house” coffee, and some crispy potatoes. Didn’t eat much the rest of the day but we finished off the weekend with Cuban sandwiches. What exactly is a Cuban sandwich? Well, it is roasted pork, sliced ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard. It is fried up panini style and in this case we served it along side fried potatoes. If you want some history of the sandwich, you can read it here.
Here are the ingredients:
Pork Roast
Smoked Ham
Swiss Cheese
Mustard – I used Dijon
Mayo
Cuban Bread – I used some rolls from the local bakery and flattened them
Start out by roasting the pork. You can use a mojo marinade which is often used when making Cuban sandwiches that consists of cumin, garlic, oil, and some lemon or orange juice but in this case, we just seasoned the pork with salt and pepper and roasted in the oven. Next, slice the pork and start assembling your sandwiches. Start by flattening the rolls then adding sliced pork, sliced ham, and some Swiss cheese. then add pickles and put some good mustard on the top layer of bread. Finally, brush the outside of the bread with butter and fry in a skillet. Fry until the outside of the bread starts to brown and the cheese is melted.
There are a few other variations of the sandwich including sliced tomato, lettuce, and salami. Mix it up and enjoy.
Wooden utensils are a staple in any kitchen. Most of us grew up with the cheap five for a dollar wooden spoons and they would get stained, start to smell and never really come clean. Sure they are cheap to replace but they break easily and who wants to work with the “Ford Pinto” of utensils. I introduce the utensils of Chester P. Basil. These are the “Ferrari’s” of the utensil community. They fit perfect in your hand and they are extremely well made. Here is a segment from the “About Us” section on their page.
“From the days of the open hearth , through wood fired cooking stoves, to today’s modern ranges, great cooks have always kept an assortment of wooden spoons, paddles, boards and other functional woodenware close by. Their forms have taken many shapes over the centuries. The early settlers brought with them different ideas of what a wooden spoon or paddle should look like, based on their various ethnic backgrounds. These ideas have gone through a melting pot to form the basic shapes we have today. The types of wood and the tools used to shape them have also seen changes over the years. The early settler, whose very existence was based on his ability to take raw materials and transform them into functional items. Many a pioneer would spend countless hours during the long winter nights, working by the light of the hearth, to fashion wood into functional shapes for the kitchen and farm.
The Good Ship Hampshire docked in the port of Philadelphia in the year 1756. Three brothers ,my ancestors, began a relationship with the land through farming and the working of wood. This reverence for all things natural still resonates with me. The woodenwares I make with my hands are for the present and the future, as well as the past.
Cherry and maple are predominantly the woods I use in making my wares. The use of mineral oil when the wood appears to be dry, is recommended. On occasion the surface may roughen from soaking in liquid, this can be smoothed with fine sandpaper or a Scotch Brite pad if desired, but continued use will accomplish the same thing. “
Mark Robert Hamm
Designer and Maker
Of Chester P. Basil’s – “An American Wood Spoon”
If that doesn’t sum up the passion behind their products than I do not know what does. I have been using these now for a few months and there is no way I am going back. You can purchase their fine products here
Many of you know about our involvement with various charities such as the United Way and our local Kiwanis Club. Today we branch out and help a different group who are active in their community. We have many friends in Nashville, TN so it is only natural that we would reach out and give to the Tropics Ladies Kickball team and the Nashville Youth Football program. It is always special when you meet other people that live life to help others and the Tropics Kickball team is no different. This team has taken things to the next level by becoming their own brand and in turn, have helped fund the Nashville Youth Football program for many years by having fun and being creative. I hope you will in turn join us in supporting their cause by ordering a 2010 Tropics calendar.
Here is how you can order the calendar.
Send $20 to kickballissexy@gmail.com if you use PayPal or you can send them an email and inquire about an address to mail a check. If you are paying with PayPal don’t forget to leave your mailing address so they can send you their calendar.
Not cooking much this week with everything going on but getting a ton of great links sent to me. This one is all about eating big food and getting it for free “if” you can finish. 7 lb. burritos, massive pizzas and burgers, this article has it all. This is what I love about our country, we constantly push the limits of gluttony. You can read the full article here
Got this sent to me today, have no idea where it came from. I thought it was fitting seeing how much I have been talking about pie lately on our social networking sites. Thanks Fred for the pic.
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