Chicago Dogs at Home…in Texas

Need a Quick, Easy, and Under 300 Calories Labor Day Grill Plan? (It’s under 300 calories IF you use an Orowheat Sandwich Thin rather than the buns in the picture) 🙂

Prep: 2 min

Cook Time: 5-8 min

Serves: 1

Ingredients:

• 2 Applegate Farms Hot Dogs You can use regular or organic, these are the ONLY hotdogs I’ll eat, they are free of fillers, nitrates and preservatives and they are delicious and low fat!
• 2 Buns of your choice, or Orowheat  whole wheat sandwich thin split in 2.
• 2-4 Sport peppers
• 4 Tomato slices, I like Heirloom or green ones if available.
• Yellow or spicy mustard
• 2 pinches of 2 % cheese (about a TBS).
• 1/4 tsp. Celery salt
• 1 Claussen spear, split in half long ways.

Instructions: (It’s simple)

1. Cook dogs on skillet or grill, turning so you get a nice brown dog.
2. Assemble : Bun, Mustard, Cheese, Dog, Peps, Tomato, Pickle Spear, then sprinkle with celery salt! Yes, you can top with mustard as well if you want double mustard.
3. Enjoy with a cold beer 🙂

Cheers!

Seoul, South Korea WOW!

hello – 안녕하세요 (annyeonghaseyo)

Well sorry for the slight delay in posting, we’ve been very busy! We’ve had a fantastic time eating, sightseeing, and even with our LUCK! I’ll briefly touch on all of these and then I’m off to visit a palace!

The Food:

Well we started eating differently on the plane. On our way to Seoul from Tokyo we got an interesting “club sandwich”. It was 2 white breads with a wheat bread in the middle, on the top layer was and egg like substance, then a roast beef like slice (just 2), and then american

cheese….Now for the good stuff:

We went to a place called Din Fung for dim sum and had plenty of soup dumpling, regular dumplings, kimchi (it’s served with every meal), sauteed baby bok, and tea. It was all very good and 100 times better than anything in America! They also hand made all of the dumplings and noodles in a kitchen you could see in while eating so that was really cool!Then we had Indian at Asia Luna, all very good at SPICY! (this is where I discovered that the Men’s and Women’s restrooms in public are in the same room…).

Next thing on the list was Bibimbap and Bulgogi:

The word literally means “mixed meal.” Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating.^[2] It can be served either cold or hot. Bulgogi (Korean pronunciation: [bulɡoɡi]) is a Korean dish that usually consists of marinated barbecued beef, although chicken or pork may also be used.

This was typical Korean fare an very tasty!!! I really liked this a lot and was anxious for my first real Korean dish! The one thing I really love so far about Korean fare is everything comes with sides and different sauces.

We had some random snacks and drinks here and there like:

Ho-tteok is a variety of filled Korean pancake, and is a popular street food of South Korea. It is usually eaten during the winter season. It was very sweet.

Kimbab, which is like sushi rolls but with veggies and a minimal amount of meat and some other things I have no idea what they were…(sorry no picture, I forgot).

Soju (Hangul 소주; Hanja 燒酒) is a distilled beverage native to Korea. Its taste is comparable to vodka, though often slightly sweeter due to the sugars added in the manufacturing process, and more commonly consumed neat. This was super cheap and pretty potent, we had a small bottle a local bar with our Cass beer and it was “interesting” kind of rice like wine with vodka in it. Haven’t had another bottle since but not ruling it out…

Kings Dessert: This is good entertainment and these guys really ham it up for the Americans! See vide0

We also had Korean BBQ: which was awesome! We had pork and beef, both equally good! You cook it up yourself and then dip it in the according sauces, all served with several sides of course! EVERYONE here was smoking and drinking Soju, we were the last people that made it in then they started turning people away because they were “full”. Apparently in Korea there’s no “waiting” for a table even though they seem to “wait” for EVERYTHING else… especially subways! While I’m on the subway topic, if you like your “personal space” you absolutely DON”T have it in Korea, think sardines and then throwing another 20 in the same can! You’re lucky if you get in and even luckier if you can get off at times. Every once in a while we would get a seat but not often. Out of 25 million Korean’s- it feels like probably 99% take public transportation to get around.

The Sights:

So far we have seen a lot:

The Bongenus Temple, Namdaemun Market, The Express Bus Terminal (loads and loads of shopping), Nseoul Tower, The National Museum, Insadong artsy area, The Coex, and more. I will go into more detail later on these…Now for the LUCKY ODDS part!

I looked this stat up and from what I found 5.6 million people use this subway on average a day, wow! It’s almost nauseating how many people are running around all the time! Well yesterday we were heading home on the Subway and we happened to run in to an old friend from San Marcos that we knew when we were in college, she used to date my old roommate… We had joked several times: “I wonder if we will run into Kay?” WELL… we did! It was absolutely amazing! We were in total shock! Seoul’s subway is the 3rd largest in the world! We’re meeting up with her next Thursday!

We leave for Thailand tomorrow! Stay tuned!

Forgive Me I’ve Been Experimenting… With Pork

Sorry the blog has come to a screeching halt for the past two weeks, there’s a PERFECTLY good explanation I promise.  I’ve been endlessly experimenting with foods for my “Pork Experiment” dish in the evenings instead of blogging!

It’s been fun and I’m just tweaking little details here and there to get ready for the big day, SUNDAY.

What I’ve got in the fridge:

• 15lbs of pork shoulder from a local farm in Bastrop TX, Bershire Pork!
• Homemade pickles, that are increasing with flavor as we speak.
• Homemade mustard that’s almost done.
• Some delicious baby swiss…
• Some other secrets that I cannot divulge at this time!

About the Event:

Cookoff pros Nick Suarez and Theo Peck are excited to present Austin’s first ever Pork Experiment, an amateur cookoff involving Austin’s finest home chefs. Dishes will range from savory to sweet and will feature our favorite ingredient – Pork. Sharpen your knifes, this is a call to all home chefs looking to be named Austin’s next cookoff king or queen.

Winners will not only achieve culinary glory, but will be flown to Brooklyn, NY to compete in the National cookoff title, the super-bowl of cookoffs held at Brooklyn Brewery.

Prizes:

• A free Trip to Brooklyn!

Franklin’s BBQ – 10 Person “Pork Party” – The winner would receive a party for 10 people to include…
• 1 whole pork butt to be eaten at Franklins.
• Also includes pork vinegar sauce, slaw and potato salad, bread and a reserved table for you to “shred” the pork.
*Also include 1 draft beer per person 21 or older.

• Foreign and Domestic $100 gift certificate

• CASH CASH CASH

• Chameleon Cold Brew – Great Product and Cash Bounty

• Foodie Cards – Discount dining card with $30 credit on them

• Le Creuset Cookware

• Crif Dogs one of a kind skateboard

• Brooklyn Slate Beverage Coasters

Come out and support Evan and I, we will be working as a team and would love to see you there!  GET TIX HERE

Healthy Curried Chicken and Veggie Skewers with Crispy Garlic and Sumac

These delicious and healthy kebabs are filled with powerful, natural anti-inflammatory agents and disease fighting compounds, see what Dr. Weil has to say.

Prep: 10-15 min

Marinate Time: 2 hours at least, the longer the better.

Cook: 10 min for garlic, around 15-20 min for the skewers

Serves: 2-4 depending on how many other things you are serving.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Onion, cut in half then quartered, into squares
• 1 Squash, sliced in 1/2 inch think rings
• 1 Zucchini, sliced in 1/2 inch think rings
• 7 Large mushrooms, quartered
• 1 large chicken breast, cubed 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch
• 1 green bell, cut into squares
• 5 limes, 1 lemon, juiced
• 5 cloves of toasted garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 tsp Sumac, I got this from my husbands parents that are currently in South Korea and I’ve never cooked with it until now, it’s lovely!  It can be found at specialty shops and could be omitted if you don’t have any luck finding it, just replace it with some lemon zest (1/2 tsp).
• 2 tsp olive oil, one for marinade and one for garlic
• 1 TBS Curry
• 1 TBS Garam masala
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric
• 1 tsp red pepper, dried
• 1 tsp pepper, freshly ground (I used 3 types, black, pink, and white).
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, chop up garlic and place small baking dish with 1 tsp of olive oil, bake 10-15 min or until golden.
2. Cut up produce and chicken as described above and place in a large casserole.
3. Add all spices, cooked garlic, citrus juice, and olive oil, mix well coating all the pieces.
4. Marinate for two hours at least, you can marinate over night as well.
5. Soak skewers in water (7-8 skewers).
6. Skewer up your kebabs alternating veggies while adding chicken here and there, I put 2-3 pieces of chicken on each skewer, so they were predominately veggies.  Reserve the marinade if there is any left and put in a small stock pot and boil for 30 sec, use this to drizzle on kebabs once they are done BBQ’ing.
7. Grill on charcoal or broil, turning to get all sides for about 15-20 min, or until chicken is done.
8. Drizzle with reserved marinade if desired.

Serve with couscous.  CHEERS!

Marinating

Homemade Ham Glaze

Easy to make homemade ham glaze!  Happy Holidays!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 C. Vinegar
• 1/3 C. Molasis
• 1/3 C. Light Karo
• 2 TBS Quality strawberry preserves
• 1 C. Brown Sugar
• 1 C. White Sugar
• 1/2 C. Pulpy OJ (or fresh squeezed)
• 7 whole allspice balls, 7 cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp cayanne, and 1/4 tsp freshly ground cinnamon: All ground in a mortar and pestle until smooth.
• 1 TBS butter, salted

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium sauce pan on medium heat for 5 min reduce to low heat for an additional 10 while stirring to smooth out mixture.

Glaze ham as you normally would and do it frequently 🙂

Glaze

Prosciutto Wrapped Quail Breast Crostini with Cipollini Collard Greens and Panko Potato Cakes

ONE WORD….  FANTASTIC!

TAPAS STYLE DINNER

Prep: A long time

Cook Time Total: 45-55 min (includes potato cook time).

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 8oz of quail breast (no bones).
• Bread, french or sourdough (8 small slices, cut into squares).
• 8 slices or prosciutto.
• 4 garlic cloves
• 6 cipollini onions, look for dense ones
• 1 Cup arugula
• 3/4 bunch collard greens
• 1/4 Cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 TBS dry red wine
• 2 TBS vinegar
• 2TBS olive oil
• Green onion, 2, sliced very fine (potatoes)
• 1-2 TBS butter (potatoes)
• 2 TBS milk (potatoes)
• Garlic powder, sea salt, fresh pepper to taste (potatoes)

Instructions: ( I will try not to make this confusing).

1. Marinate breasts in balsamic, 2 minced garlic cloves, and one minced cipollini onion for 3o min
2. While breasts are marinating, cook potatoes until done and mash, mix in green onion, butter, milk, and spices (cool in fridge).
3. Wrap breasts with prosciutto and set aside in fridge
4. Combine arugula with wine and vinegar- salt and pepper and set aside in fridge
5. Take remaining 2 garlic cloves and onions, drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and bake @ 350 for 30 min
6. Cook wrapped breasts in large skillet until done flipping once cook potato cakes in small amount of olive oil until brown on each side.
7. Cook collard greens in pan quail was cooked until done, mix in chopped up roasted garlic and onion, season with salt and pepper.
8. Cut the bread in small squares and drizzle with olive oil and parmesan cheese and toast until crispy.
9. Assemble crostini, toast, arguala, quail and serve with a side of collard greens and potato cakes.

Serve with a Merlot or Cab, we had a glass of Cupcake Merlot @ $10 a bottle (w/ Randall’s card, $16 reg).

Quail- السمان

Just Plain Good Ol’ Fall Off the Bone BBQ RIBS…

Just Plain Ol’ Fall Off the Bone Good BBQ RIBS

Prep: 15 min

Cook Time: 2 hrs (or until they fall off the bone).

Serves: Depends on how hungry you are!

PREP GRILL FIRST:

I use a medium bag of coals and after they are ready to go I knock them all down and slide to the back half of the pit so I can place the ribs wrapped in foil on the front half to “smoke” them.

Ingredients and instructions:

• Fresh Pork Spare Ribs (how ever many you want) I eat about 3 but you may want to eat 6 🙂
• Lay out to long pieces of foil and place ribs on top of double layered foil.
• Spices: 1.5 tsp paprika, 1 tsb chili powder, 1tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp onion powder, Blend all spices together and rub onto pork ribs.
• Salt Lick Hot BBQ Sauce: Drizzle about 2 TBS on each side and rub all over ribs.
• Wrap up Ribs in foil tightly.
• Place on prepped grill and cook for 1 hr and 45 min.
• Take Ribs out of foil and place on bbq pit for 5 min each side to char.

Serve with any sides you want I like mac and cheese and collard greens 🙂

Pork Ribs

Quick 6 Ingredient Dinner: Salt-Lick BBQ Pork Loin with Wild Rice and Asparagus

This is a great dinner that’s easy to make and sure to please!

Prep: 5 min

Cook: Depends on the rice, but the pork and asparagus takes 5-10 min

Serves: 2

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless pork loin chops (.70 lbs)
• 1/2 bunch of asparagus
• 1 cup uncooked wild rice
• 1/2 cup Salt-Lick BBQ hot BBQ sauce
• 2 cups organic free range chicken broth
• Salt, pepper, and 1 TBS of butter

Instructions

1. Marinade pork in BBQ sauce if you have time, if not no worries
2. Cook rice according to package, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 TBS butter
3. Wash asaparagus and spray dish with Pam- lay out on glass baking pan, cook for 5-10 min on 450 degrees
4. Cook pork in large skillet until browed on both sides (depends on thickness but about 2 min each side), don’t overcook and drizzle some BBQ sauce on top and serve with the sides.

Enjoy!

Pork Loin