It's been awhile!

Well it's been awhile and I have put the blog on the back burner. I have been trying new and interesting recipes but time has not been on my side, I am going to change that. I have had not one but two of the best burgers I have ever eaten on my hiatus and I need to tell you about it....That is the two or three that have read this blog in the past!!

First off is BUB's in Carmel Indiana on Main Street. Awesome location and a nice little sit in place to eat inside and / or out. A small menu but fresh beef (or Elk), great fries and equally great onion rings. Burgers come in three sizes.....To top of a good burger they also have an outstanding Ice Cream shop out front with the best shakes and the brownie something that is HUGE......Can't remeber the name but I do remember eating it....

Second is the Petite Chou Burger with Frites at Le Petite Chou at Clay Terrace in Carmel Indiana. Awesome beef with brie, camelized leeks, brioche bun and aioli, oh ya the mushrooms on top. Pricey but in my opinion worth is as a splurge in the economy!!! Great little place to eat breakfast also.......Broken yoke sandwich with bacon and avocado is ALWAYS my choice!

Red Beans and Rice

Well it has been awhile and I would like to wish the 5 or 6 of you that read this a Happy Holidays. I made Red Beans and Rice the other day for the first time in a long time and I want to share the recipe with you. Very easy to make and is as always great the next day!!

1/2 cup diced onion
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups polish sausage or a cajun smoked sausage - bite size chop
2 can red beans
1 cup rice - I used brown rice
1 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
pinch cayenne
pinch salt
pinch pepper
1 bay leaf
BIG pinch oregano and basil - dried

Sautee the onions in the olive oil
Add the sausage and cook for about 2 min
Add rice and let soak up some of the fat - stir for 30 sec.
Add beans, water and all spices - bring to a boil
once it boils turn to medium cover and let cook for 20 mins.
Stir every once in a while and make sure that rice is not sticking to bottom
Add more liquid as needed if getting dry
Should not be watery.....

Enjoy and eat it up it's great on a coold day!!

Jambalaya - Chicken and Sausage

One of my fav foods in the world is Cajun/Creole. I love spicy, peppery and tomato-y. So I do like to make it every so often, serve it over rice on a cold day and voila......instant warmth. So here is my recipe for one of my favs - Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya.....

4 bone in chicken thighs (skin off leave bone in)
1 medium onion
12 oz crushed tomato
2 tbsp tom paste
3 stalks celery
2 tbsp crushed garlic
1 c slice spicy sausage (smoked is best)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 c roasted red pepper
pinch salt and pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp Italian seasoning
1 c H2O
1/2 c rice (white or brown ok)

1. put olive oil in pot
2. put in diced onion, celery and garlic saute
3. add sliced sausage saute for 5 min to get some of the sausage fat out (good flavor)
4. add roasted red pepper, salt and pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning
5. add crushed toms and paste
6. add chicken and H2O and cook covered on med low for 1 1/2 hr.
7. cook rice

To serve put Jambalaya over rice, have a little hot sauce on hand and enjoy........

Quick BBQ Sauce

I know it has been a while, but I have been preparing for my new job, BUT I have not stopped cooking. Therefore I am passing along a quick and easy BBQ sauce. I use this sauce for alot of things, ribs, burgers, dipping etc., etc.

So here it is:

1 cup Ketchup
1/2 cup yellow mustard
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tbsp garlic powder
pinch of salt and pepper

Mix everything together and heat in a pot on the stove.

You can spice this up.......couple shots of hot sauce should do the trick!!

Enjoy...........

Homemade Ketchup

So I was watching Jamie Oliver on the Food network and saw him making homemade ketchup and I thought what an awesome idea and I could make some flavored ketchup (since I am a ketchup nut - and yes I do eat ketchup with my steaks). I've got a ton of peppers coming in and could made some spicy and sweet!! Jamie Oliver put a whole whack of herbs and spices in his which I wasn't very fond of but you can flavor it anyway you like. So I looked up recipes and found a good one from epicurious.com and thought I would try it out....it's simmering as we speak!! Here is the recipe I used:

1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes in puree
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon tomato paste (I don't have any right now so I didn't put any in)
2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt

**I've got some tabasco peppers growing outside, when they are ready to pick I will try some tabasco pepper ketchup......

Puree tomatoes (with puree from can) in a blender until smooth.

Cook onion in oil in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add pureed tomatoes, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, and salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until very thick, about 1 hour (stir more frequently toward end of cooking to prevent scorching).

Puree ketchup in 2 batches in blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Chill, covered, at least 2 hours (for flavors to develop).

Ketchup can be chilled up to 3 weeks.

Lower Alabama Caviar

This is one of my father in-laws favorite recipes and it's really good. Could be an appetizer, a side item or a dip of sorts for corn chips while watching the game. The great thing about it is that it can be spiced up or served with a heaping spoon of sour cream.

Here you go......

3 (15 oz) cans Black-eyed peas - drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chopped red onion
3 tablespoons each or chopped red, green and yellow peppers
1/2 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything and marinate for at least 12 hours......

Give it a go and let me know what you think!

Eat well.........................

Puff Pastry

So I was talking to my brother in law Norm about the many uses of puff pastry last night and it got me thinking about some of my favorite and easy recipes using, yup you guessed it, puff pastry. Puff pastry can be cut into different shapes and sizes, it will of course puff when you bake it or you can dock the dough so it won't puff and use it similarly to how you would use a cracker. The other great thing as Norm brought up (he is a very creative cook) that puff pastry can be savory or sweet. One of my favorite sweet puff pastry recipes is a Blueberry Lemon curd pastry and here is the recipe:

1 box puff pastry - usually 2 sheets per box
1 pint fresh blueberries possibly 2 if you are making a large nest
1 jar Lemon curd - or you could make your own......
powdered sugar for dusting

I cut puff pastry into circles with a biscuit cutter place on an non-greased cookie sheet following the cooking instructions on the box - let cool after baking.
After the puff pastry has cooled I cut out the middle with a paring knife making a nest of sorts.
Place a spoonful of the lemon curd inside the nest of each pastry and also brush a little curd around the tops of each pastry.
Then place some of the fresh blueberries in the nest on top of the curd filling up the nest.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.......