Homemade Christmas Chex Mix

I made this for my neighbors and a few friends I'd be seeing up to the week of Christmas.  I looked at other people's recipes and additions and saw that most recommended upping the spices and butter.  I kept mine basic this year but if I was making it for ourselves, I'd choose spicier add-ins like Sriracha almonds and jalapeno bagel bites, etc.  What I used:

Bucatini Carbonara

I have never made this in life before.  I made this for my son after I talked him out of eating it on vacation.  I owed it to him.  😉

Prosciutto Pumpkin Jam Rosettes

A friend of mine recently returned from Portugal and brought me some pumpkin jam.  She showed me what she ate with it at a restaurant and I had to make it.

"Beef on Weck" Sandwich

In the 80's, a boy took me to the original place Buffalo wings started.  Wings are one of my fondest memories of back east and Buffalo from those days and I don't know why most of the world ruined them by dipping them in "Ranch" dressing?  It's real "Bleu Cheese" dressing ONLY with carrots and celery sticks...Wow did I digress, eh?  I always see "Beef on Weck" on t.v. now but never had it and wished I had while in Buffalo all those years ago.  What I used, based on this recipe:

Pit Boss: Pulled Pork

The nice weather remains so I still have my smoker ready to go.  My son/roommate came home sick from work yesterday and it turned out to be covid.  I await to see how I fare now... I'm waiting a couple days for symptoms before I rapid test, then I will anyway.  Before I knew the bad news, I was at Costco and they had $5 off whole pork shoulder blade roasts, so I paid $15 for a six pounder.  I was so happy to get a food deal on something, so I had to buy it!!!

Cinnamon Spiced Apple Pecan Bread

I was making three loaves today, two for friends and one for home.  I expected it but just regular "Granny Smith" and "Honeycrisp" apples were $9 for 6 apples at the grocery store and they weren't even organic!  OUCH.  I looked at slew of different recipes and liked this one so chose it.  I just tripled the recipe below:

1905 Salad

It's Tomato Season!!! YAY!!!!  🍅  I've had the pleasure of dining at Chef Art Smith's restaurant in WDW Downtown Disney and it was a true pleasure.  I follow it on social media and saw this:  "ART-fully inspired, our NEW 1981 Salad is nearly 40 years in the making. An ode to Chef Art Smith's first cast role in the Magic Kingdom College Program in 1981, our take on the classic Tampa salad features chopped iceberg and spring mix lettuce, honey ham, roasted artichoke, tomato, Swiss cheese, and Spanish olives. However, the real secret is in the sauce. Worcestershire is combined with lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and vinegar, making this new menu option tastebud magic in every bite! 🍴"

Pit Boss: Smoked Chicken Wings

My idea for tonight was to smoke the wings, then finish them in my oven air-fryer to crisp them up.  My only goal was to impart the smoke flavor and have crispy skin.  I preheated the Pit Boss to 225°F.  I seasoned with my favorite "Traeger Blackened Saskatchewan Rub" and "Cool Runnings" chicken seasoning.  In they went.  After about two and a half hours I brought them into the air-fryer.  Internal temp was 150°F when they came off the smoker.  They need to be 165 - 175°F.

Shrimp, Boursin Cheese Puff Pastry Tarts

I made these as a side dish for an "end of summer" dinner in my yard.  My smoker was the feature this evening but I made these tarts inside the house.  I'm not confident enough yet to smoke puff pastry!  Below is tomatoes, cream cheese, sausage and asparagus just put on the smoker:

Filipino Chicken Adobo

I can't believe I've never made this.  It is soooo tasty, and easy.  I based mine off this recipe to give me a starting point.

Pit Boss: Reverse Sear Tomahawk Ribeye

I asked my son to pick this up at Costco for me and he brought a beastly hunk of meat home!  It went in the freezer until a couple days ago. I was preparing this as a thank you to a friend for setting up my new garden this year.  She did an amazing job and made me so happy with my new yard. 😍💜

Pit Boss: Smoked Mexican Street Corn Dip

This is my own version of a Mexican street corn dip.  A neighbor kindly gave me some fresh Chilliwack corn from the farm which is splendid!  Another friend sent me some "Everything But the Elote" spice from Trader Joes so I used that to season the corn after I brushed it with olive oil.  I grilled it, sear grate open at 350°F then closed the grate and turned it down to smoke for 20 minutes.  I removed it, let it cool and shut the "Boss" off for now...

Pit Boss: Smoked Chuck Roast (Poor Man's Brisket)

Smokers call this "Poor Man's Brisket".  I'm chicken to try smoking a brisket.  I know I will one day, but I thought I'd try this first.  I'm not sure how much this weighed but I'd guess 4 lbs?  I put it on at 9 am at 225°F.  My idea was to get to 190°F if it was probe tender, take it out and then let it rest for an hour at least.  I had it laid out on a rack on sheet pan.  

Pit Boss: Smoked Lamb Chops

One thing I know about my smoker is that I will miss it in the winter!!!  We have really grown to love the food on it.  This was easy prep.  I had a rub for lamb I used and also seasoned with fresh cracked pepper and kosher salt on all sides.  These were thick chops, about an inch thick.  On a rack, then sheet pan I put them in the fridge for a few hours before dinner.  

Bami Goreng

I saw Valerie Bertinelli cook this on food t.v. and it looked pretty good so I put it on my "to make" list as I love noodle dishes.  I liked the story of it being Eddie Van Halen's (R.I.P.) favorite dish his mom made and her learning it from Mrs. Van Halen for him.  If you google "bami goreng", there are oodles of variations/recipes on this dish.  Most said chicken and/or shrimp is used, not pork.  I don't know if this is her version or Eddie's moms the way she was taught?  Anyway, I had to make some edits using what I had at home.

Pit Boss: Smoked Baby Back Ribs

This is the first ribs I've made on my smoker.  I was going to do them the way I do in the oven, low and slow (though wrapped in foil and 200°F for the oven).  Today was 225°F for 5 to 7 hours.  I wouldn't use a probe because the bones make it difficult for accuracy.  I perused a lot of pellet grill recipes and decided to spritz especially since I wasn't using a rub so didn't need to worry about it coming off.  I had mostly hickory pellets in the hopper this time round mixed with "competition blend" and charcoal pellets...

Pit Boss: Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork

It was time to to try pulled pork.  I had 4 pounds of pork butt that unfortunately came delivered to me in two pieces, like 2 fat steaks!  I have never seen that before and was expecting a small roast.  I had to tie it with twine to keep the steaks together too as I wanted them to cook equally.  I was so close to switching to making pork butt burnt ends instead, but I stuck to the original plan...

Instant Pot: Cuban Inspired Picadillo

Well I looked at Cuban Picadillo recipes until I found no more to peer at.  Each one was a little different from the other, raisins, no raisins, potatoes, no potatoes, etc.  I guessed the recipe varied from what part of Cuba you were from and likely that families have made it their own over the generations?  All recipes I perused stated this dish was served with rice... I took what I liked out of all of them and created my own, which was pretty much everything but the kitchen sink.  I was looking to make it sweet, spicy & salty:

Pit Boss: Reverse Sear Boneless Rib-Eye Steak

First steak on my pellet grill!  I seasoned them with Kinder's "Buttery Steakhouse" seasoning, kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper.  I brought them to room temperature for a half hour while the grill smoked and then set to 225°F.

Bacon Fried Buckwheat Groats

This was my first time using groats.  I found this recipe and followed it exactly on how to make it like brown rice.  It was real simple; 2 cups groats, 3 cups boiling water and 5 minutes manual on high in the instant pot.  Natural release and let sit on warm for 2 hours.  I decided to stir-fry it for a side with smoked pork butt for dinner.  

Raisin Scones

I saw this recipe and used it as a guideline.  I thought I'd make my son some scones as he really likes them.  I was going to add cinnamon and vanilla but I forgot until after they were in the oven...

Pit Boss: Smoked Meatloaf

I've dreamed of getting a pellet grill since they first came out.  When my neighbors recently bought a Traeger, I just couldn't stand it anymore.  I couldn't go one more day smelling that wonderful smoke wafting over the fence!  So I got my Pit Boss. It's brand new and I'm just learning it.  Meatloaf would be my first attempt at smoking after it rained when trying to do a roast a couple days ago and I had to move that to the oven for fear of wet pellets and auger problems...Pit Boss "Competition Blend" is what I have in the hopper.  I've done a regular grill of burgers and pork chops, but I really wanted to "smoke"... my "Pit Boss FB Group" said it should take about 3 hours total for 2 pounds, though, it's not the time it's the temperature, and each meat is different...

Stuffed Yorkshire Puddings with Roast Beef

My friend's belated birthday lunch.  I made the beef yesterday and heated it up at 200°F today, trying not to cook it, just warm it but it wasn't rare any longer when I took it out.  At least it was tender!  Below is the recipe I used for the Yorkies.

Curry Noodle Soup with Popcorn Chicken & Wontons

I love looking at recipes on this site but haven't attempted any of her recipes until tonight as I find them overly complicated.  This one inspired me for dinner because of the curry and my son loves popcorn chicken.  Also, it's been depressingly rainy here, so soup is always appealing in those times.  I edited her recipe for ease and added pork/shrimp wontons to it.  What I used:

Salty Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I can't remember the last time I made cookies!  It's been a loooong while...  I saw Ina Garten making them on food t.v. and decided the salt looked so good, I had to make them too.  What I used:

Coquilles St. Jacques Casserole

I made this on-the-fly tonight.  I had a bag of frozen scallops and thought maybe some sort of "Coquilles St. Jacques" spin on them would be nice.  I was inspired to do so after we ordered the classic dish as an appetizer in a restaurant ($20 each!).  It had a delicious sounding spin on it made with mushroom duxelles and Béarnaise sauce, however it was served cold and the scallops were raw.  Below is the picture of the Coquilles St. Jacques we were served...we returned both and ordered something else.  I wanted to show my son what the classic dish tasted like though I had to do my own take on it as well, fingers crossed...  🤞

Wild Black Cod (Sablefish) Broiled with Miso

Costco had wild sablefish so I picked some up as it was relatively inexpensive - a rarity in food these days!  I was inspired from a recipe by Mark Bittman I saw in the NYT making miso the star ingredient.  What I used:

White French Dressing

I found this recipe from someone named Jane Snow (Jon Snow's sister?) and it has been sitting in my drafts for a long time now.  I stumbled across it and decided to make my version of it as I had lots of salad ingredients.  What I used:

Crispy Duck Breast

This is only my 2nd time making duck breast as frankly, it intimidates me.  The first time it was nearly perfect except that I forgot to flip the skin side down when going in the oven and the fat didn't render as well as it could have.  It was absolutely delicious though.  I followed this really short video by Gordon Ramsay.  

Mujadara Hamra (Lentil Bulgur Pilaf)

I wanted a healthy side dish for dinner tonight and this is what I found.  There were many variations as I searched recipes and I used what sounded good to me.  This dish is all about the caramelized onions...

Easter: "Butter Chicken" Turkey Breast

I was inspired to make this from a show I watched during the "lockdown phase" of the pandemic with Selena Gomez.  I ended up doing my own creation as I didn't have all the spices on hand that chef Aarti used and I also had a netted turkey breast.  And, I just wasn't invested in spending as much time as was done on the show, I wanted an easier way.  I bought a meat injector specifically for this experiment, bwahaha.

Pork Katsu Sandwich

 I saw this on food t.v. and wanted to make it at home.  For the sauce I used:

No-Knead Toscano Salami Cheese Chive Bread

I saw this on food t.v. and since I've had success making no-knead breads, I was inspired to give it a try.  I found locally made salami that included figs, which I thought would work perfectly, along with cheese.  

Homemade Sugar-Free Russian Salad Dressing

When googling recipes, I saw that most of the Russian dressings were like "Thousand Island" minus the pickles.  When we buy it in a store, it looks like this below here in Canada, so I wanted a recipe that resembled that.  I based mine on this one though made it my own. 

Carrot Raisin Walnut Loaf

I make banana bread or some type of banana muffins every single week for lunches.  I thought I'd change it up this week and use carrots instead.  Well, the real reason is I had no bananas and had lots of carrots so this is what I concocted:

Quick Fridge Pickled Cucumbers & Onions

There are oodles of quick pickle recipes out there, but it's basically what you like in vinegar and eating within a week.  I got a large jar out and here's what I used:

Crock Pot: Coca-Cola Carnitas

We have been on such a taco binge lately, at least once a week.  I saw this on t.v. and decided to make it.  I have to laugh because the show was for budget "under $10" dinners.  The roast cost me $25 though it should have cost $10.  🙄  I guess I should just be happy I could find it in the grocery store today...

Fried Onion Double Smash Burgers

I have wanted to make a smash burger for a long, long time.  My first attempt failed because I absently used 4 ounce patties instead of 2.  They were too big and wouldn't smash.  Today was try 2!  I love potato buns so that is what I served on.  I saw the recipe on a cooking show so thought I'd use it though there are many on the web...

Sunday Night Quickie

I saw this in a Louisiana cookbook from 1959 called "River Road Recipes" and it's still in print!  It seemed so bizarre I just had to make it...and did for brunch today.

Hemp Heart/Almond Bread

I have a friend who can't eat wheat, rice or corn so it's limited in cooking for her.  I was making this dish and thought some sort of bread would be good.  I found this recipe but had to wing it with what was in the house.

Pork & Beans Casserole

I had leftover pork shoulder from our Sunday roast last night so looked around at what I had in my fridge/pantry.  I came up with this after pondering countless casserole ideas in my head made with rice, pasta or potatoes.  I finally decided on beans instead.

Instant Pot: Beef Shank Noodle Soup

I ordered beef shank online from an Asian grocery store and received a 2 pound boneless hunk of meat.  It wasn't the "osso bucco" I dreamed of and was planning to make so I thought I'd try a soup in the instant pot.  I also bought new ramen bowls from Japan so I was very happy to try noodle soup in them!  This was my creation and it was made with all I had in the fridge/pantry:

Overnight Clotted Cream

I found I was able to buy organic cream that is 36% milk fat here so I wanted to try making overnight clotted cream.  Of course it would be served with scones.

Seafood Chowder

I was inspired by this recipe by a Canadian Top Chef contestant.  I had to make my own version as my son doesn't like some things in it, including dill so I made it work.  Also, I wasn't splurging for lobster in the recipe either.  What I used:

Blueberry Banana Hemp Muffins

This wasn't my recipe.  I have never used spelt flour before and once I made almond flour muffins for a gluten free friend and I couldn't get them out of the pan!  So I needed some help and I found inspiration here.  What I used:

Italian Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

I had these huge mushrooms and thought it was the perfect opportunity to stuff them.  Since I had Italian sausage in the freezer, I skewed the filling to Italian seasoning.  I based mine on a recipe by Ina Garten.

Sugar Free Cornbread Corndog Muffins

I saw this on a cooking show and wanted to make them.  I had hot dogs in the freezer and they were wrapped individually so was good for the recipe. I wasn't going to blog this so didn't take any pictures while cooking, but they were so good, I want to remember it!  Good for a corndog fix without the deep fry!

Braised Chicken Thighs with Squash and Kale

I had intended to use my brand new enamel coated cast iron braiser for a Moroccan dish that originally was made in a tagine.  It called for Cara Cara oranges which I had at home now.  However, I saw this recipe and wanted to make it instead as the picture made me drool.  I decided to add the oranges in it.  I also had to add an onion and garlic.   Anyway, here's what I used:

Banana Tarte Tatin with Malai Ice Cream

I saw this chef's show on Netflix and knew I had to make it.  I've never made homemade ice cream before either though I have made tarte tatins a few times.  I found her recipe here.  I made the ice cream the night before and here's what I used:    

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I was inspired to make this after my friend told me she made this recently, though she stuffed hers with Brie cheese and asparagus.  I used what I had in the house.  I had goat cheese which was my first thought but the Boursin had a sooner expiry date of a week away and was leftover from Christmas...

Tabbouleh Greek Salad

I quite like bulgur wheat.  I have some in my freezer and was craving a healthy salad so this is what I made.  I guess it'd be called a "mash-up" - half Greek , half Tabbouleh salad.  I served it with falafel pitas and it was dinner.

Cilantro Pumpkin Seed Pesto

I've been into making pesto lately.  This was the next one after a friend recommended making one with cilantro.  I made this to serve in pitas with falafels and white garlic sauce.  

Roast Beef Po' Boys

I've seen chef Justin of Parkway Bakery & Tavern in NOLA on a few cooking shows over the years.  After this last one, I decided to try making their roast beef.  The chef says they use chuck roast.  I saw a pile of whole garlic cloves by it and when he was seasoning it, I thought I saw cloves poked in the roast.  He said to season it well with onion & garlic powder then sear it off.  I saw an herb on the beef that looked like parsley when the sear was done.  Next he pours cream of mushroom soup mixed with some "Kitchen Bouquet" over it, thought I saw chicken stock there too.  He covers and bakes it at 225°F for hours and hours until fall apart, shredding tender.  This was my take on it:

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

I remember I used to make these all the time when my son was a little boy which was a LOT of years ago now.  Anyway, I decided it was time to see if I still thought they were as good as back then?

Kale Pesto with Asiago Cheese

I had a bunch of kale that I needed to use so I decided to make pesto with it.  I had a package of blanched almonds in the cupboard so I decided I'd pair that with it after toasting them.  

Garlicky Roast Pork Shoulder (Pernil Asado)

I can't remember the last time I had a good pork roast.  I saw this and knew I had to have it.  Groceries give me huge sticker shock these days and it seems funny thinking that pork shoulder is a "splurge" but it was... I read pork, rice, oranges and beans are all good luck to eat on New Years day, so this meal fit the bill for today...