Brussel Sprouts ala Thanksgiving Dinner

I am not the best recipe follower, but I usually read a lot of recipes and then mash them altogether and guess...which is what I did with the brussel sprouts.

2 lbs loose brussel sprouts - BTW, if the grocer suggests the ones in the freezer, leave the store immediately!

1/2 pound of pancetta (this was not the easiest thing to find in GA, but we ended up finding it at the deli counter - my markets have it near the bacon/pork/pig products)

1-2 Tbs olive oil

Salt

Pepper

1-2 Tbs chicken broth

Cut pancetta in small cubes, brown (really brown) pancetta in olive oil.

You can choose to keep your sprouts whole, diced, sliced, cubed, etc. The world is your playground. For Thanksgiving dinner, with brussel beginners, I sliced. Eating a WHOLE brussel sprout on bite one is a bit intimidating.

Once pancetta is cooked through, add sprouts to the mix. You'll want to start stirring, but refrain from doing so! They're like a good burger...flip once. Let them sit in the yumminess of bacon grease and olive oil and get crusty. You can salt and pepper at this point. Go easy on the salt, pancetta is moi salty.

Once there is a crust on the sprouts, flip over and wait. If they are feeling a little tight, you can loosen them up with chicken broth.

Enjoy!

Twisted Texas Chicken Diablos

I thought these looked like they might appeal to some members of our group. If you decide to try them, let me know how they turn out.

2 pounds chicken tenders

2/3 cup orange juice

1 1/2 tablespoons dry steak seasoning

8 ounces cream cheese

2/3 cup chopped Texas pecans

12 whole fresh jalapeños

2 pounds thin-sliced bacon

2 cups barbecue sauce

Place chicken tenders in bowl, add orange juice and 1 tablespoon steak seasoning, stir, cover and set in refrigerator to marinate 1 or more hours, but not overnight. In separate bowl, mix cream cheese, pecans and 1/2 tablespoon steak seasoning, blend well by hand, and set aside. When ready to assemble, wash and slice jalapeños in half lengthwise, remove seeds, then rinse again. Fill jalapeño half with cream cheese mixture, place chicken tender on top of filling, wrap with 1 slice of bacon, and secure with large grilling skewer so that bacon stays wrapped around jalapeño. Place three stuffed jalapeños on each skewer. When finished, brush all finished jalapeños generously with barbecue sauce. Bake or grill until chicken is thoroughly cooked, approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees, turning halfway through cooking time and basting with more sauce. Baste one last time about 5 minutes before finishing cooking or use remaining sauce to serve.

Posole & Cornbread

You don't always need to have posole with cornbread, but they do go really well together. Of course the best way to have posole is on top of your Christmas tamales.

Posole

32 oz frozen posole or large can of hominy
2 onions
2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 pounds pork steak or pork roast, cubed
6 medium red chile pods (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp cumin seed, crushed
12 oz chopped mild green chile
#2 can whole tomatoes, chopped with juice
1 1/2 T sugar

Cook all ingredients together, except hominy, until meat is tender and starting to shred. Add hominy long enough to warm. This tastes even better the next day!

Cornbread

3 eggs

2 1/4 sticks margarine

1 1/2 c. milk

3/4 tsp. baking powder

3 c. Bisquick

1 1/4 c. sugar

3 heaping T. cornmeal

Beat eggs and add milk. Melt margarine and add to mixture.

Mix all dry ingredients and add to liquid ingredients, folding

until just mixed. Pour into ungreased 9 X 13 pan. Bake

at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Habanero Salsa

Here's the recipe for the habanero salsa that I made. It's from Rick Bayless. Here's a copy:

Ingredients

• 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 1 medium carrot, roughly chopped
• half of a small onion (about 1/2 cup), roughly chopped
• 12 medium (about 5 ounces) orange habanero chiles, stemmed
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar
• About 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Directions

Roast the garlic in a skillet over medium heat, turning regularly until soft and blackened in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and peel.

In a small saucepan, combine the carrot, onion and habanero chiles with the vinegar and 1 cup water. Partially cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the carrots are thoroughly tender, about 10 minutes. Pour into a blender and add the roasted garlic, salt and sugar. Blend until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, thin with a little additional water. Taste and season with additional salt if necessary.

Pour into jars or bottles and store in the refrigerator.

Pasta Carbonara

I found this recipe on Gojee and made it tonight. I made the pasta from scratch using the Italian flour I got from Amazon.com. It was awesome: the best pasta recipe I've made. It would be great even without homemade pasta.

I used bacon (finely chopped, fat removed) and a yellow onion (couldn't find a shallot). I did top it with a slow cooked egg, but I would consider that optional.

Ingredients

• 1.5 oz freshly grated pecorino romano
• 1 large raw egg
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs olive oil
• 1/4 lbs guanciale, pancetta or bacon
• 1 small shallot minced
• 2 slow cooked eggs (optional)
• chopped chives
• 6 oz pasta (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine)

Directions

Put the pecorino and black pepper in a large bowl and set aside.

Boil the pasta according to the package directions and drain.

Add olive oil to a pan and fry the guanciale (or pancetta or bacon) and shallots until it is cooked and the shallots are fragrant. Add the drained pasta to the pot and toss to coat.

Dump the pasta into the bowl with the cheese and pepper then break the raw egg on top. Toss to distribute the egg and cheese evenly then plate the pasta. Top each bowl of pasta with a slow cooked egg and sprinkle with chives.

Pad Thai

Pad Thai

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) package dried flat rice noodles
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Asian chile pepper sauce, divided
• 1/4 cup chicken stock
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 8 ounces medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
• 8 ounces skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 cups bean sprouts
• 6 green onions, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
• 2 cups bean sprouts

Directions

1. Fill a large bowl with hot tap water and place the noodles in it to soak for 20 minutes.
2. In a small bowl, stir together the fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of the chile sauce and chicken stock. Set aside.
3. Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat and add vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, stir in garlic and cook for about 10 seconds. Add shrimp and chicken; cook, stirring constantly until shrimp is opaque and chicken is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Move everything in the wok out to the sides and pour the eggs in the center. Cook and stir the eggs until firm. Add the noodles to the wok and pour in the sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until the noodles are tender. Add a bit more water if needed to finish cooking the noodles. Stir in 3 cups of bean sprouts and green onions. Remove from the heat and garnish with chopped peanuts. Taste for seasoning, adjusting the spice or lime juice if needed.
5. Serve garnished with fresh cilantro, chopped peanuts sugar and remaining bean sprouts and lime wedges on the side.

Oatmeal Cranberry White Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 5-ounce package Ocean Spray® Craisins® Original Dried Cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Using an electric mixer, beat butter or margarine and sugar together in a medium mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. Combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt in a separate mixing bowl. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

mother's famous chinese egg rolls

We've been learning how to make egg rolls. We still have not found the right wrappers, but this recipe is a good one. For pictures of the correct way to roll egg rolls, check out the original recipe here.

Once you make these egg rolls, you'll never make them any other way! Make sure you get the correct egg roll wrappers. They should be FROZEN and very thin, almost paper thin. Do not use egg roll wrapper found in the refrigerated section (usually near tofu) in Western supermarket - they make starchy, thick, gooey egg rolls with big bubbles on outside when you fry. It's important to make sure you keep your wrapper and rolled egg rolls under plastic wrap so that they do not dry out!

ingredients:

50 Spring/Egg Roll Wrappers (about 2 packages), defrosted unopened at room temperature for 45 minutes or in the refrigerator overnight
1 tablespoon cornstarch (or flour) mixed with ¼ cup of cool water
Oil, for frying

FOR THE GROUND PORK
1 pound ground pork
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon sugar
freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE VEGETABLES
2 to 3 cloves garlic, very finely minced
½ head of cabbage (about 11 ounces)
3 carrots, shredded
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
10 fresh shiitake mushrooms (or dried black mushrooms soaked overnight), stems discarded
1 tablespoon cooking oil (canola, vegetable, peanut)
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Freshly ground black pepper

directions:

1. To make the filling, combine the ingredients for the ground pork together. Marinate at least 10 minutes. In the meantime, shred the cabbage and the carrots using your food processor or by hand. Slice the mushrooms into very thin strips (or you could use your food processer and pulse a few times to get a fine dice.

2. Heat a wok or large saute pan over high heat. Add the cooking oil and swirl to coat. Add the pork and stir-fry until no longer pink, about 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to medium-low, push the meat to one side of the pan. Add the garlic, cabbage, carrots, ginger and the mushrooms and stir-fry for 1 minute, until the vegetables are softened. Add the rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil and black pepper. Continue to stir-fry for another minute. Scoop out the filling to a baking sheet and spread out to cool. Prop up one end of the baking sheet so that it tilts and will allow all the moisture to drain to one end. Let cool for 15 minutes.

3. Discard all of the accumulated juices. Use paper towels to blot the filling to rid of extra oil or juice. Now, you're ready to wrap (see photos for instructions on how to wrap). IMPORTANT: Only use 1 heaping tablespoon of filling for each egg roll. These are slender egg rolls, the width of the egg roll should only be 1.25" diameter.

Keep the rolled egg rolls in neat, single layer and covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. If you want to stack the egg rolls, make sure you have layer of parchment paper in between the layers to prevent sticking. Keep wrappers also covered with plastic wrap to prevent drying. Refrigerate up to 4 hours until ready to fry or freeze.

4. To fry the egg rolls, fill a wok or pot with 2 inches of high-heat cooking oil. Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) or until a cube of bread will fry to golden brown within 10 seconds. Gently slide in or lower the egg rolls, frying 4 to 6 at a time, turning occasionally until golden brown about 1½ minutes. Place on wire rack to drain and cool.

NOTE: To fry frozen egg rolls, do not defrost the egg rolls – just add them to the oil frozen, frying 4 to 6 at a time. Add an additional 1½ minutes to the frying time since they are frozen.

Classic Chicken and Dumplings

Ingredients

• 1 (3 3/4-lb.) whole chicken
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
• 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon granules
• 3 cups self-rising flour
• 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 2 teaspoons bacon drippings*
• 1 cup milk
• Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

• 1. Bring chicken, water to cover, garlic powder, thyme, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 tsp. pepper to a boil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken; reserve broth.
• 2. Cool chicken 30 minutes; skin, bone, and shred chicken. Skim fat from broth. Add chicken, bouillon, and remaining 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper to broth. Return to a simmer.
• 3. Combine flour and poultry seasoning in a bowl. Cut in shortening and bacon drippings with a pastry blender until crumbly. Stir in milk. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Roll to 1/8-inch thickness; cut into 1-inch pieces.
• 4. Drop dumplings, a few at a time, into simmering broth, stirring gently. Cover and simmer, stirring often, 25 minutes. Garnish, if desired.
• *2 tsp. butter plus 1/4 tsp. salt may be substituted.

Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry

We tried this recipe last night (original here). It was both very easy and very good. It calls for Williams Sonoma's sesame stir fry sauce, which I didn't have and wasn't interested in buying, so I used Google to help me find a recipe for a sauce.

Sesame Stir Fry Sauce

• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Combine all the ingredients. The sauce was somewhat spicy, but not so much that the kids wouldn't eat it. If you don't want the heat, then I suggest cutting the crushed red pepper to 1/2 teaspoon.

Sesame Chicken Stir Fry

• Canola oil for frying
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch strips
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1/2 lb. snow peas, trimmed and strings removed
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips, then halved crosswise
• 3/4 cup sesame stir-fry sauce
• 2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds
• Steamed rice for serving

In a wok over medium-high heat, pour in oil to a depth of 1 inch and heat until shimmering. In a bowl, whisk together the egg whites and cornstarch. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add to the bowl and stir to completely coat the chicken with the egg mixture.

Working in 4 batches, add the chicken to the oil a few pieces at a time. Fry, turning the pieces occasionally and making sure they don’t stick together, until lightly golden, about 4 minutes per batch. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Carefully transfer the hot oil to a large heat-safe bowl. Increase the heat on the wok to high, return 1 Tbs. of the oil to the wok and heat until smoking. Add the snow peas and bell pepper and stir-fry until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Return the chicken to the wok, add the stir-fry sauce, and toss to combine and heat through, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve immediately with steamed rice. Serves 6.

Udon Pork Ragu

I got this recipe from a Williams Sonoma catalog (you can find the original here: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/udon-pork-ragu.html). We made it yesterday and liked it enough that we'll do it again. I used ground pork that we bought from a local farm. The recipe calls for fresh udon noodles but our local grocery store didn't have any udon (fresh or dried), so I decided to make my own noodles following a recipe like this one (no pasta-making tools required). After all that, though, I think we'll just use spaghetti next time.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 2 yellow onions, diced
• 2 tsp. roasted garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. smoked coarse ground pepper
• 5 lb. heirloom tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 36 oz. fresh udon noodles
• 2 Tbs. finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbs. julienned fresh basil
• Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for serving

Directions

Preheat a wok over high heat. Add the pork and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-high, add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic powder and smoked pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season with salt. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook until the tomatoes begin to break down, about 8 minutes.

Uncover the wok and continue cooking, stirring the sauce occasionally, until it thickens, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the noodles and cook, stirring occasionally to untangle them, until they are warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the noodles and sauce to warmed pasta bowls and garnish with the parsley and basil. Serve immediately and pass cheese at the table. Serves 6 to 8.

Tomato Sauce for Pasta

Our garden is giving us lots of great tomatoes. This weekend, we had about 20 tomatoes to use up, so I made up a tomato sauce for pasta. I adapted a recipe that I got from a book that Sarah and I bought while we were in Italy. It calls for basil and luckily our friends down the street have been growing basil and hooking us up. The sauce tasted so fresh and delicious. We put it on spaghetti, but I would recommend a different pasta that would hold the sauce better... maybe rigatoni.

Ingredients

• 8 tomatoes
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 8 leaves of fresh basil, sliced into strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Peel the tomatoes by placing each tomato in boiling water for 30-60 seconds, then placing it in an ice water bath. The tomato skins should split and peel easily. Chop the peeled tomatoes.

Warm the oil in a frying pan and add the garlic until the garlic just turns brown. Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and add the basil.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie

This recipe is from Catherine, one of my book club friends. Catherine's recipes almost always have notes at the end. I've learned to pay attention to Catherine's notes.

I've made this a couple of times myself. I prefer to use shredded carrots, but I don't really like carrots anyway.

Hands-on: 31 minutes
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 medium leeks, sliced
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (14.5-oz.) can chicken broth*
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 1/2 cups frozen cubed hash browns with onions and peppers
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 (17.3-oz.) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed*
• 1 large egg

PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add leeks, and sauté 3 minutes. Sprinkle with flour; cook, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Whisk in chicken broth; bring to a boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat; stir in chicken and next 5 ingredients.
2. Roll each pastry sheet into a 12- x 10-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface*. Fit 1 sheet into a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate; spoon chicken mixture into pastry. Place remaining pastry sheet over filling in opposite direction of bottom sheet; fold edges under, and press with tines of a fork, sealing to bottom crust. Whisk together egg and 1 Tbsp. water, and brush over top of pie.
3. Bake at 375° on lower oven rack 55 to 60 minutes or until browned*. Let stand 15 minutes.

*My Notes:
14.5 oz. can of broth = 1-3/4 cup. I thought this made the gravy a little too thick, so I bumped it up to 2 cups of broth (I use Tone's or McCormick soup base from Sam's or Costco).
I do not understand why they want you to roll a rectangle for a round pie pan. I pulled and rolled until it was more or less a rounded square and fit the pan, and tucked the "points" down. Same with the top crust, which I tucked down behind the bottom crust and pressed to seal. My baked crust was prettier than theirs pictured!
Before you put the pie in the oven to bake, tear off a square of foil, quarter it , and tear out the middle to make a circle. Open and place over crust to protect the edge while baking. Remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking (remember to put on low rack, not in middle of oven).

Breakfast Burritos

We made breakfast burritos for dinner tonight. We used a Williams Sonoma recipe and some farm fresh eggs from a local farm (they're delicious). I topped it with some fire-roasted salsa that I made with jalapeños from our friends' garden. The recipe is online at http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/pressed-breakfast-burritos.html, but here's a copy. We don't have a panini press, so we used our George Foreman.

Ingredients

• 1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more, to taste
• 2 large avocados, halved, pitted and peeled
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 Tbs. olive oil, plus more for brushing
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 3/4 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled until tender and diced
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 6 thick-cut bacon slices
• 12 eggs
• 6 large burrito-style flour tortillas
• 6 oz. cheddar cheese, grated
• Sour cream and salsa for serving

Directions

Put the jalapeño, garlic, lime juice and the 1/2 tsp. salt in a molcajete or small bowl. Smash with a pestle or a fork to a coarse paste. Add the avocados and cilantro and mix and mash, leaving some lumps. Adjust the seasoning with salt. Set the guacamole aside.

In a large nonstick fry pan over medium heat, warm 2 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the red and green bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook until warmed through, 3 to 5 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

Preheat an electric panini press on the “panini” setting. Place the bacon on the press and close the lid. Cook until crispy, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Wipe off the press.

In a bowl, beat together the eggs, salt and pepper. In a nonstick fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 1 Tbs. olive oil. Add the eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until curds form, 2 to 3 minutes. Place a large spoonful of the scrambled eggs in the center of each tortilla. Top each with some of the bell pepper mixture, 1 crumbled bacon slice and 1 oz. cheese. Roll into a burrito and lightly brush the outside with olive oil.

Place 2 burritos on the panini press and close the lid. Cook until crispy, 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat to cook the remaining burritos. Serve immediately with guacamole, sour cream and salsa. Serves 6.

Fragrant Chile Rub

I put this rub on a rack of ribs (about 12 hours before cooking them). Then the next day, I put it on some mahi mahi (about 10 minutes before grilling it). It was good on the ribs, but amazing on the mahi mahi. That was the best piece of fish I've ever cooked.

The rub has just a little bit of a kick (McKenzie said it was spicy, but she still tried it) and has a great sweetness. The rub keeps for about a month and should be good on just about anything.

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground ancho chile
• 1 to 3 teaspoons ground chipotle chile (I used 1)
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Combine all of the ingredients.

Habanero BBQ Sauce

To go with our ribs, I made a BBQ sauce from a recipe I found here. I changed the recipe a bit. For one thing, I cut the number of habaneros. The sauce wasn't too spicy, except that it had too much black pepper. Here's what I would suggest, with less black pepper. Apparently, this sauce will keep for a while.

• 4 habanero peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 (15.5 ounce) can sliced peaches in heavy syrup (I used half a Mason jar of Sarah's bottled peaches)
• ½ cup dark molasses
• ½ cup yellow mustard
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ½ cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice

Place the peppers, peaches, molasses, mustard, brown sugar, and vinegar into a blender. Measure in the salt, paprika, pepper, cumin, coriander, ginger and allspice. Blend until liquefied. Refrigerate overnight before using.

Spicy Citrus Brine

For Sarah's birthday, we barbecued four racks of ribs and had a bunch of people over to enjoy our new patio. I brined two racks, used a rub on another, and left the others plain. The brine I liked the best was a Spicy Citrus Brine. I'll post the rub recipe later.

The brine isn't as spicy as it's name implies. I didn't think it was spicy at all.

• Juice of 2 oranges
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1½ tablespoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes.

Combine the ingredients in a 1 gallon Ziploc bag with the ribs, squeeze the air out of the bag, and seal it. Massage the brine into the meat and place in the fridge for about 12 hours.

Cumin, Coriander, & Lime-Brined Ribs

I barbecued pork ribs today. This time I brined them first. They turned out great and the meat practically fell off the bone. It made me a big believer in brining ribs. I may not use the same brine next time, but I will brine.

Here's how to make the brine. Cook the ribs the same as always.

The recipe called for cilantro, which I substituted with mint because I didn't have any cilantro on hand. Also, I added the red pepper of my own accord. I used whole cumin, coriander, and crushed red pepper and ground it myself in my spice grinder.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• ½ tablespoon ground crushed red pepper
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 cup water
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves

Directions

Combine ingredients. Pour into a 1 gallon Ziploc bag. Add the ribs to the bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. Massage the brine into the meat. Refrigerate for 8-12 hours.

Icebox Key Lime Pie

This recipe is courtesy of cookscountrytv.com If you want to look at recipes, you'll need to set up an account, but it's free, and you get access to a bunch of great recipes, so you might as well.

*Note: The recipe says to use a food processor. I don't have one, so I used a blender. The end product was good, but I think it would have been much easier with a food processor.

Be sure to use instant pudding that requires no stovetop cooking for this recipe. We use regular supermarket (Persian) limes-tasters thought bottled lime juice lacked depth of flavor. We much prefer our easy homemade crust to store- bought versions.

Serves 8 to 10.  

INGREDIENTS

Crust
8	whole graham crackers , broken into smaller pieces
2	tablespoons sugar
5	tablespoons unsalted butter , melted
Filling
1/4	cup sugar
1	tablespoon grated lime zest
8	ounces cream cheese , softened
1	(14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3	cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1 1/4	teaspoons unflavored gelatin
1	cup fresh lime juice from 6 to 8 limes
1	teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse crackers and sugar in food processor until finely ground. Add melted butter in steady stream while pulsing until crumbs resemble damp sand. Using bottom of dry measuring cup, press crumbs firmly into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate. Bake until fragrant and browned around edges, 12 to 14 minutes. Cool completely.
2. 2. For the filling: Process sugar and zest in food processor until sugar turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Add cream cheese and process until combined, about 30 seconds. Add condensed milk and pudding mix and process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl. Stir gelatin and 2 tablespoons lime juice in small bowl. Heat in microwave for 15 seconds; stir until dissolved. With machine running, pour gelatin mixture, remaining lime juice, and vanilla through feed tube and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.
3. 3. Pour filling into cooled crust, cover with plastic, and refrigerate at least 3 hours or up to 2 days. To serve, let pie sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing.

Chicken Stock

For Christmas, Jed & Heather gave us a book called The Elements of Cooking by Michael Ruhlman. I've only read the first chapter so far, but it's already paid dividends.

The first chapter is about stocks (e.g., chicken stock, beef stock). It has some helpful tips for creating great stocks. For example, it says to create the stock over low heat (whenever I had used my own stock before, I had just saved the water that was left after boiling a chicken). He also mentioned that, while its fine to use a raw chicken to create chicken stock, you could also roast the meat and bones first to give the stock a deep roasted flavor.

Today, I put this newfound knowledge to work. For dinner last night, we roasted a chicken. After carving it, I saved the bones and whatever meat was left on them to make a stock today. I put the bones & meat in a stock pot, added about 2½ quarts of water, heated it to about 180 degrees (regularly using a thermometer to make sure it didn't go higher), and let it go for an hour and a half. I regularly skimmed off whatever fat coagulated on top (using a pre-roasted chicken, you get less fat than you would with a raw chicken).

Next, I cut a carrot, leeks, and a sweet onion into large chunks and added them to the water. I kept the temperature around 180 degrees for another hour. I then removed the bones, meat, and vegetables and strained the broth through a fine strainer. I let it cool a little, then added salt to taste.

I used the stock to make hot and sour soup. I have to say, it was the best batch of hot and sour soup I've ever made. Using this homemade chicken stock instead of canned chicken stock (like I usually do) made a huge difference. It just tasted lighter and cleaner. Also, I'm sure that the homemade stock had much less sodium than the canned stuff (I checked the closest can of chicken stock and was surprised at how much sodium it had).

I had about two cups of stock left over, which I put in a Ziploc bag and froze. Apparently, it will keep in the freezer for a few months.