Meat Stuffing

I learned this is a French-Canadian recipe.  As I make Tourtières, I guess it's similar to that but crustless.  I like the idea of meat stuffing rather than the carb loaded stuff I dream of.  The problem with bread stuffing is I will eat it all!  At least with this one, I look at it as mostly protein, 😉,  I made this last year and struggled to find the recipe I used, so thought I would blog it so I don't lose it again.  What I used this Thanksgiving:

Smokies wrapped in "Everything Bagel" Puff Pastry

I saw this on food t.v. this morning and was inspired by it.  I used smokies instead of hot dogs.  Mine came from a local butcher and are antibiotic, hormone and chemical feed additives free.  I was making Caprese salad with fresh tomatoes from the farmer's market and thought this would be a great accompaniment with 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: 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 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.  

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.

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.

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...

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:

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:

Asian Spiced Braised Beef

I saw this on food t.v. and was inspired to do my own take on it as I had stew beef thawed for dinner.  I got my enamel coated Dutch oven out and put it to work.  What I used:

Oven Beef Pot Roast with Prunes

I remember this was one of my favorite recipes in the early 90's?  I had the recipe on a newspaper clipping but alas could not find it in my overflowing binder of random food delights to conquer.  I remembered it was with whole pitted prunes, so I made this one up...

Chicken Fried Steak

I have a great fondness for this comfort food.  This is not a meal to count calories, go big or go home.  I never have seen it on menus here in Vancouver and in fact - I don't think I've ever had it at a restaurant here.  I eat it while visiting the States (I know I won't be there any time soon!).  When I first started taking my son to Disneyland when he was six, I would eat it everyday for breakfast before we got to the park.  I could afford the calories back then.  I outgrew eating it for breakfast - it was too much and I stopped enjoying eggs with it, but mashed potatoes are A-okay.  That being said, I have never made it at home.  I decided to try it for dinner this evening. 

Deviled Beef Short Ribs

I saw this being made on a PBS cooking show called "Cook's Country".  Seeing as I love short ribs, I thought this recipe was interesting, and decided to give it a go.  It was my different than my usual method  of making them too.   I used one Serrano pepper instead of the jalapeno.  I served with Anson Mills stone-ground grits and made them cheesy.  I also sauteed a "Farmer's Market" mix of mushrooms.  I prepped this Saturday for dinner Sunday.  I made the mustard sauce first and then proceeded to do the ribs. I drained the fat, let the ribs cool and then moved them to the fridge.  I made the panko crust last.  The next day I warmed the ribs in the oven and then followed the saucing steps.  What I used:

Chili Corn Chip Pie

Yup, this is about as inspired in cooking I am right now.  It was hot today and I had roma tomatoes.  I made homemade pico de gallo with them which is great in warm weather.  Then I thought about what to use it for.  I have always wanted to make this, though it was going to be served in a "Fritos" bag.  This is the bowl version, therefore called a "pie".  This is what I came up with:

Loco Moco

This happens to be my favorite Hawaiian meal when on the Islands.  Yes, I love me some Spam musubi, garlic shrimp, lau lau, malasadas, mahi mahi, poke, shave ice, etc. too, but this is a comfort food I adore.  I'm not serving the sides that often accompany it in a plate-lunch, like mac salad, coleslaw, etc.  I like this for brunch as well as dinner.

Jjapaguri (Ram-don)

Day umpteenthillion in self-isolation.  Can't help feeling like a sitting duck...I have totally abandoned the news and research now except for what sneaks in whether I like it or not.  Just anxiety, panic, fear and sadness, all day, every day.  Anyhooo... I'm trying to start yoga, but apparently need help with my "tight hip flexibility".  Glad I'm by myself doing these exercises so no one can see me.  20 minutes of hip exercises makes me limp around the rest of the day.  😅  Well, exercise is like cooking isn't it?  Practice, practice, practice...

Four Cheese Lasagna

I was having company over for dinner and lasagna was one of their requests when I asked them what they liked.  So I went with homemade Caesar salad, cheesy (Mozza, Grana Padano, Provolone & Ricotta - 5 lbs at least!) lasagna and homemade garlic bread.  Oh, and Tuxedo cake for dessert but I bought that at Costco.  I decided to assemble and bake this the day before.  I would just heat it up when they arrived.  I made the sauce two days before.