Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Slow-Cooker Beer Beef


Beer gives this moist chuck roast a special flavor, especially when combined by the herbs, spices, and tangy vinegar imparted by Italian dressing.

If you end up with a lot of sauce liquid when the beef is done, do what I did. I reduced it by about half, then thickened it a bit with a flour slurry, using about a tablespoon of all purpose flour whisked in a quarter-cup of tap water until smooth.

Ingredients 
  • CHUCK ROAST, 1, three-pounds
  • SALT, ½ teaspoon
  • BLACK PEPPER, ¼ teaspoon
  • GARLIC, 4 cloves
  • RED ONION, 1, sliced
  • ITALIAN DRESSING, 1 cup
  • BEER, 1 cup (drink the remainder of the bottle as a reward)
  • BAY LEAVES, 2

 Directions 
  1. Place the chuck roast into a 6-quart or larger slow cooker. Sprinkle the roast with the salt and pepper. Place the garlic cloves on top of the roast. Add the red onion, then pour over the Italian dressing and beer. Place the bay leaves on top.
  2. Cover and cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 8-10. Don’t open the lid during the cooking time. 
  3. Discard the bay leaves and cut the meat into large chunks.
  4. Smash the garlic with the back of a fork and stir the garlic into juices.

Sunday, December 18, 2016

Crab and Artichoke Dip


You need to know that this recipe makes a helluva lot of rich cheesy dip. I thought I'd make it as a dinner entree and it turned out great. 

But three of us could only handle about a fourth of what I made. The original recipe called for kosher salt to taste, but the final dish turned out a bit salty. So I eliminated salt from the list of ingredients.

It makes a great morning omelet, too.

Ingredients 
  • CREAM CHEESE, 8 ounces, softened
  • MAYONNAISE, 1 cup
  • MONTEREY JACK CHEESE, 1 cup + 1/2 cup
  • PARMESAN CHEESE, 1/2 cup finely shredded
  • ARTICHOKE HEARTS, one 14-ounce can, chopped finely 
  • GARLIC, 2 cloves, minced
  • LUMP CRAB MEAT, 12 ounces
  • GREEN ONIONS, 2 sliced
  • WORCESTERSHIRE SAUCE, 2 teaspoons
  • BLACK PEPPER, freshly ground, to taste
  • PARSLEY, 2 tablespoons, chopped 
  • BAGUETTE, 1, sliced and toasted

 Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
  2. Combine cream cheese, mayonnaise, 1 cup Monterey Jack, Parmesan, artichokes, garlic, crab meat, green onions and worcestershire. Season with ground pepper.
  3. Transfer the dip to a 10” cast iron skillet or a flat casserole and sprinkle the remaining Jack cheese on top. Bake until warmed through and bubbly, about 17-20 minutes, until the top is nicely toasted.
  4. Top with parsley. Serve warm with toasted baguette slices (garlic bread).

Thursday, December 8, 2016

BBQ Kalua Pork Sandwich


Take the barbecue pulled pork sandwich concept, throw in a little Hawaii flavor flair, and you end up with an amazing sandwich that you just can't stop eating.

You should have all the ingredients on hand, except maybe for the kalua (pit-smoked) pork, which is readily available in Hawaii supermarkets or online.

And, there's a minimum of prep and mixing involved, unless you have a special cole slaw recipe and make an incredible potato salad. I'll leave those up to you.

You'll notice there are no amounts given in the ingredient list. Just use what you have, as much or as little as it takes to make enough sandwiches to feed your horde. A carton or package of kalua pork makes 3-4 sandwiches.

Ingredients 
  • SESAME SEED HAMBURGER BUNS, 1 or more packages
  • BUTTER, quite a bit, softened
  • PACKAGED HAWAIIAN KALUA PORK, 1 or more
  • BARBECUE SAUCE, store-bought or homemade.
  • SWEET ONION SLABS, 3-4" diameter, ¼" thick, one per sandwich
  • COLE SLAW, store-bought, KFC, or homemade

Directions 
  1. Break up the kalua pork in a pan, squirt in a more-than-adequate amount of your favorite barbecue sauce. Mix and heat through.
  2. Butter the insides of the buns and pan toast them until golden brown. Remove them to your cutting board.
  3. Cover the bottom of a bun with an onion slab.
  4. Pile the BBQ kalua pork high on onion.
  5. Top with a ridiculous amount of cole slaw and the bun's top half. Try to keep the sandwich from toppling over.
  6. Serve with potato salad and a dill pickle spear (or 2, or 3), and plenty of napkins. Goes great with beer or an ice-cold Coca-Cola®.