Dana has been wanting to make mushrooms ever since we made the mushroom sauce for the steaks a couple of weeks ago.  She said that her Mom used to make mushrooms as a side dish all of the time.  She said that she would always fight her brother for them.  So she called her Mom and got the recipe.  These mushrooms are easy and delicious.  The perfect no fuss side dish.

Jane’s Mushrooms

Preheat a 12 inch skillet over medium/high heat.  Add 2 tbs of margarine/vegetable spread.  Then add the diced onion and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.

Saute for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms start to brown.  You will notice that the mushrooms first release their liquid.

Then the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms start to brown.

Once the mushrooms brown add the Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed and the mushrooms start to darken.  Roughly, 5-10 minutes.

Remove from the heat and serve.

Super simple and delicious.  The perfect side to any dish.

Jane’s Mushrooms

 

Author:

Jane

Recipe type: Side Dish

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 35 mins

Total time: 40 mins

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A simple and delicious Mushroom side dish.

Ingredients

• 16 oz mushrooms, sliced or quartered
• 2 tbs margarine or vegetable spread
• 1 tbs Worcestershire Sauce
• pinch salt and pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat a 12 inch skillet over medium/high heat. Add 2 tbs of margarine/vegetable spread. Then add the diced onion and mushrooms and season with salt and pepper.
2. Saute for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms start to brown. You will notice that the mushrooms first release their liquid.
3. Then the liquid evaporates and the mushrooms start to brown.
4. Once the mushrooms brown add the Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed and the mushrooms start to darken. 5-10 more minutes.
5. Remove from the heat and serve.

3.2.1230

While in the Midwest visiting family, Dana and I were introduced to beer bread.  The bread comes in a mix and all you have to do is add beer.  It was great, but the mix costs an arm and a leg.  Highway robbery if you ask me.  So I decided to try to make my own that was comparable.  I tried and threw away a bunch of beer bread over the last week.  I could not get it perfect.  I tried self-rising flour but it was too salty.  I tried all-purpose flour and bread flour and it was missing the perfect texture.  I tried sugar, agave, and honey in various amounts.  Then last night I finally came up with the perfect recipe.  It was moist, delicious and had the perfect texture.  Another tip - You need to use aluminum free baking powder.  You can use regular, but depending on the beer it can have a slightly metallic/tinny back end flavor.

Beer Bread

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.  Melt the butter and set aside.  Allow it to cool why you assemble the remaining ingredients.

Sift together the bread flour, cake flour, sugar and baking powder. The key to this recipe is sifting all of the ingredients.

Add the honey and beer.  Stir for about 30 seconds.  There will be lumps, but it is fine.  You don’t want to over mix this dough.

Scoop the dough into the loaf pan.  Then brush with the butter.

Bake at 375 degree Fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes or until the top and sides are browned and a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.

Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes.  Then remove the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack.  Let cool completely before eating.

Beer Bread

 

Author:

Rex

Recipe type: Bread

Serves: 8

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 50 mins

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The best beer bread around!

Ingredients

• 1 cup cake flour
• 2 cups bread flour
• 1 tablespoon aluminum free baking powder
• ¾ tsp salt
• 2½ tbs honey
• 2½ tbs granulated sugar
• 12 ounces favorite beer
• 3 tbs unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray. Melt the butter and set aside. Allow it to cool why you assemble the remaining ingredients.
2. Sift together the bread flour, cake flour, sugar and baking powder. The key to this recipe is sifting all of the ingredients.
3. Add the honey and beer. Stir for about 30 seconds. There will be lumps, but it is fine. You don’t want to over mix this dough.
4. Scoop the dough into the loaf pan. Then brush with the butter.
5. Bake at 375 degree Fahrenheit for 40-50 minutes or until the top and sides are browned and a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly.
6. Remove from the oven and let sit in the pan for 5 minutes. Then remove the bread from the pan onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely before eating.

Notes

Don’t forget to sift the flour. It is important in order for the bread to have the proper texture.

3.2.1230

This bread is awesome!  It also toasts very well.

Happy Memorial Day!  A special thanks to all of the Veterans and current service members out there.  Thanks for your service to this country.  In honor of Memorial Day I wanted to create a simple and delicious burger.  Something that anyone can make.  To do this I created a burger with a slice of onion embedded in each side.  So simple that I couldn’t believe that I have never done it before.  The burger ended up being the best burger that I have ever had.  The onion flavor permeated the burger and the onion caramelized to add a sweetness that was unique.  This is a must make burger for Memorial Day!

Onion Slice Burger

Divide 1 1/3 pounds of 80/20 ground beef into four 1/3 pound patties.  Then slice a whole yellow onion into 1/8-1/4 inch slices.

Then place a slice of onion down on a flat surface, add the 1/3 pound of ground beef and then top with another slice of onion.  Then push the onion down to form a patty that has the onion embedded in it.

I used a Burger Press to get uniform patties, but you can do this by hand.  If you are having a little trouble getting a nice flat burger without a press, place a piece of plastic wrap over the burger/onion and then place a cutting board over it.  Then press down and form the patties.

Preheat your grill to medium/high heat.

Season both sides of the burger with seasoned salt.

Place the burger over the heat and grill until you start to see juices bubbling up around the top piece of onion.  Then Flip.

Grill until the burger is finished to your liking.  I would give you a specific amount of time, but it varies based on burger thickness, grill temp and desired doneness.  I like my burgers medium so I usually cook for another 4 minutes after the flip.  Once again, this varies based on the burger and grill.

Remove and serve with your favorite toppings.

Memorial Day Onion Slice Burgers

 

Author:

Rex

Recipe type: Burger

Serves: 4

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

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The ultimate burger, with onion slices embedded in the patty.

Ingredients

• 1⅓ pounds 80/20 ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion
• 2 tsp seasoned salt
• 4 hamburger buns
• desired toppings

Instructions

1. Divide 1⅓ pounds of 80/20 ground beef into four ⅓ pound patties. Then slice a whole yellow onion into ⅛-1/4 inch slices.
2. Then place a slice of onion down on a flat surface, add the ⅓ pound of ground beef and then top with another slice of onion. Then push the onion down to form a patty that has the onion embedded in it.
3. Preheat your grill to medium/high heat.
4. Season both sides of the burger with seasoned salt.
5. Place the burger over the heat and grill until you start to see juices bubbling up around the top piece of onion. Then Flip.
6. Grill until the burger is finished to your liking. I would give you a specific amount of time, but it varies based on burger thickness, grill temp and desired doneness. I like my burgers medium so I usually cook for another 4 minutes after the flip. Once again, this varies based on the burger and grill.
7. Remove and serve with your favorite toppings.

Notes

I used a Burger Press to get uniform patties, but you can do this by hand. If you are having a little trouble getting a nice flat burger without a press, place a piece of plastic wrap over the burger/onion and then place a cutting board over it. Then press down and form the patties.

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These burgers were amazing I hope that you get a chance to try them out.  Make sure to let me know what you think.

Dana and I love grilled steaks.  However, after a few steak dinners, it can get a little old.  The best way to spice up a steak dinner is to add a sauce to the steak.   There is nothing that compliments a great steak better than a nice mushroom sauce.  I came up with sauce after watching Dana saute up some mushrooms for her Marsala sauce.  I figured I could make a nice sauce using a similar method.  The sauce came out great and will now become a staple in the household.

Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms, garlic and onions.

Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender and just start to brown, about 12 minutes. Don’t worry, the mushrooms will first release their liquid before the liquid is cooked out and the mushrooms fully cook.

Add the broth and red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, roughly 12 minutes.

Stir in the thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Set aside and keep warm until your steaks are ready to serve.

Serve your steaks with the sauce over them.

Red Wine Mushroom Sauce

 

Author:

Rex

Recipe type: Sauce

Serves: 4

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Print

 

The perfect complement to a grilled steak.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• two 8-ounce packages sliced mushrooms
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ small onion, minced
• ½ cup beef broth
• ½ cup red wine
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tsp fresh parsley + extra for garnish
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the mushrooms, garlic and onions.
3. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are tender and just start to brown, about 12 minutes.
4. Add the broth and red wine and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, roughly 12 minutes.
5. Stir in the thyme, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.
6. Set aside and keep warm.
7. After you cook up your steak serve it with the sauce over it.

3.2.1230

This sauce is delicious and complements grilled steaks perfectly.  The best thing about this sauce is that it works great as a side too.

With a toddler running around the house Dana and I have limited time to cook.  We love lasagna, but having to haul out the giant stock pot to boil the noodles is a pain.  Besides the extra dishes, the extra time needed to boil the noodles adds precious time to our already chaotic day.  So we had high hopes when we tried out the No-Boil Lasagna noodles.  The thought of just assembling the lasagna without the hassle was too good to be true.  Or was it?

To test out the lasagna noodles we used our basic lasagna recipe and assembled it in the same way that normally do.  We made the simple substitution of the noodles.  Basic recipe.

As you can see from the photos, the lasagna was not runny or wet.  It was solid and delicious.  It had the taste of fresh lasagna with the texture of day old lasagna, it was awesome!

The noodles had great flavor, great texture and created a great lasagna.

The only issue that we discovered with the noodles was that the top layer of noodles were a little dry.  The noodle s require extra moisture and therefore you need to add a lot more sauce to the top of the lasagna than you normally would.Dana and I think that you should add an extra cup of marinara to the top of the lasagna.

We believe that these no-boil noodles are a winner.  They make lasagna easier and don’t take away from the delicious flavor of our basic lasagna.  I would totally recommend these to any person who wants to make lasagna but doesn’t have the time.

Over the off season, I decided to upgrade from the Lang 84 to a more consistent smoker.  The Lang was great, but it was a lot of work to keep the temperatures steady.  I did a bunch of research and finally settled on a gravity feed smoker.  Basically you fill up the charcoal chamber and then it auto feeds the charcoal as needed.  I ended up buying a Superior Smokers SS1.  It is a large smoker, but actually the exact size needed to do a whole competition on a single smoker.

As you can see from the pictures I have the smoker bolted onto a trailer that also includes a stainless steel prep table, sink and the all important water heater.  I set up a single EZ-Up over the whole trailer and everything needed to compete is right on the trailer.  No need to pack a car full extras.  This puppy holds it all.

I finally had a chance to break it out and set it all up at Pork in the Park in Salisbury, MD.

Pork In The Park 2013 is over and we had a so-so showing.
We finished 44th overall out of 106 teams – Not too Shabby!
Chicken 28th
Ribs 17th
Pork 73rd
Brisket 74th

Chicken and Ribs were great but unfortunately we tanked Pork and Brisket. I was surprised by Pork, as it has been our strongest category with a 160+ usually. However, I was not too surprised by the brisket, as we have never been that great at it. Haha. Need to work on that. Special thanks to Billy and Bill for helping out. Need to go back to the drawing board regarding Brisket. Hopefully it will be ready before Fredericksburg BBQ Jamboree.

So the other day I was testing out banana bread recipes and every single one came out burnt on the outside and raw in the middle.  I figured I had the wrong pan or used the wrong temperature.  Then I Googled my problem and came up with a possible error.  My oven could be off.  I never thought of testing it.  So I grabbed one of my barbecue probe thermometers and wired up my oven.  Set it 350 degrees and watched it take off.  The preheat light turned off at 415 and the oven settled in at 428 degrees.  Wow this is hot I thought. Then I researched it and it is normal for an oven to overshoot at the beginning by as much as 50 degrees.  However, it will cycle and the median temperature should be 350.  However, the coolest my oven got was 365 before reheating to over 400 degrees.  Making the median temperature around 382.  32 degrees hotter than it should be.  No wonder all of my banana breads were coming out scorched.  Thinking back on it, it would explain why my frozen pizza that should take 12-15 minutes was done in under 6 minutes.  Makes sense now.

So then I thought I might have to buy a new oven.  It sounded cool, but then I saw the price and I was like no way.  Then I did a little more research and found that you can adjust the thermostat in the oven.  It was super simple.  I have a maytag oven so basically you set it to 550 degrees then hold down the BAKE button  for 10 seconds or until 0 degrees displays.  Then you can adjust the thermostat in 5 degree increments by using the up and down buttons.  I had to adjust mine 30 degrees down.

After a another test, I found out that my high temp was 370 and my low was 330 making my median temperature right at 350.   Now it seems to bake perfect.  I will have to get that banana bread recipe up ASAP.

I never thought that the oven could cycle so much and have such varying degrees of temperatures.  I guess that is why convention ovens are so nice.  Well since my oven is on the way out, I may have to start saving up for a new one.

Stay tuned for the banana bread post.

Dana and I really love the sweet potato casserole from Ruth’s Chris.  So we scoured around to find a recipe that was similar.  We settled on a recipe, but it was way too sweet.  It was actually Tooth-aching sweet!  The sweet potatoes multiplied by the candied pecan top, was similar to the taste of the original, but way too sweet for comfort.  I could only eat a spoonful.  So we failed at the recipe first go around.  We went back to the drawing board and cut out some of the sweetness.  Here is the new and improved version.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Butter a 2.5-3 quart casserole dish.

Make 3 cups of sweet potatoes by either baking and mashing or cubing, boiling and mashing.  We peeled and cubed 5 sweet potatoes. Boiled until soft and mashed.

Combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl.  Mix thoroughly.  We used a stand mixer to get it light and fluffy.

In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar, flour and nuts.  Mix.  Then slowly pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until combined.

Top the sweet potatoes with the sugary nut mixture.  It is noted that the images were taken during our first go around with the recipe and show more topping that you may have.  Trust me less is a good thing.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until the sweet potatoes hit 165 in the center.

Let the casserole sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Sweet Potato Casserole

 

Author:

Rex

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Total time: 1 hour 10 mins

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The perfect sweet potato casserole.

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Base

• 3 cups mashed sweet potatoes – see recipe
• ¾ cup sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 stick butter, melted

Sweet Crunchy Topping

• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbs flour
• ½ cup chopped pecans
• 2 tbs butter, melted

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter a 2.5-3 quart casserole dish.
2. Make 3 cups of sweet potatoes by either baking and mashing or cubing, boiling and mashing. We peeled and cubed 5 sweet potatoes. Boiled until soft and mashed.
3. Combine the sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl. Mix thoroughly. We used a stand mixer to get it light and fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl combine the brown sugar, flour and nuts. Mix. Then slowly pour the melted butter over the mixture and stir until combined.
5. Top the sweet potatoes with the sugary nut mixture.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until the sweet potatoes hit 165 in the center. Let the casserole sit for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Notes

Adapted from – http://www.grouprecipes.com/82254/ruths-chris-sweet-potato-casserole.html

3.2.1230

Dana and I are getting ready for Easter and we wanted to dye some eggs.  Then we discovered that it was going to take a huge pan to hard boil all of the eggs that we wanted to dye.  So we looked for an alternative.  It just so happens that this alternative is the easiest way ever to hard boil an egg.   The best part is that it takes the boiling right out of the equation.  Place the eggs in some muffin pans and you are good to go.

Hard Boiling Eggs in the Oven

Preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit.

Place each egg into a cup of a muffin pan.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Immediately remove the eggs and place into a ice bath.  Chill for 10 minutes and you are done.

Quite possibly the easiest and most fool proof way to hard boil large eggs.

These are the easiest hard boiled eggs that I have ever peeled.  The peel comes right off.  Super simple!

Possible Issue When Dyeing Eggs

The one issue when dyeing the eggs is that the eggs released some microscopic residue out of the shell during baking, which left some brown spots.  The cure is to gently wipe the eggs while they are in the ice bath.  A little water scrub cured this issue.  The eggs looked nice and bright white.

The Best Way to Hard Boil Eggs

 

Author:

Rex

Recipe type: Hard Boiled Eggs

Serves: 12

Prep time: 1 min

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 31 mins

Print

 

Quite possibly the easiest and most fool proof way to hard boil large eggs.

Ingredients

• 12 dozen large eggs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degree Fahrenheit.
2. Place each egg into a cup of a muffin pan.
3. Bake for 30 minutes.
4. Immediately remove the eggs and place into a ice bath. Chill for 10 minutes and you are done.

Notes

Possible Issue When Dyeing Eggs The one issue when dyeing the eggs is that the eggs released some microscopic residue out of the shell during baking, which left some brown spots. The cure is to gently wipe the eggs while they are in the ice bath. A little water scrub cured this issue. The eggs looked nice and bright white. It is also noted that the amount of time may vary based on the size of the eggs.

3.2.1230

While I was New York I accompanied Dana’s Father to a nice market.  This market has a small wheel of Camembert cheese on sale for half off.  Yeah, I could not pass up on the offer. So I thought about making a wheel of Camembert wrapped in puff pastry.  Then Dana’s dad said that he had some fresh asparagus and it was on.  Time to make some delicious appetizers with cheese and pastry.  This recipe is short, but it packs a punch.  Especially if you serve it with nice honey mustard!

Camembert Asparagus Puffs

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Thaw two sheets of puff pastry.  Then cut the pastry into 12 equal squares.  Also whisk an egg in a small bowl and set aside.

Wash and dry the asparagus spears.  Then either cut off the tips and save.  To save on some moolah you can use the whole spear cut into 1 inch sections, but I like the asparagus tips.  What can I say, they are delicious!

To form, spread out 1 square of puff pastry on a cookie sheet. Then coat the edges of the square with a light coating of the egg wash.

The place a cube of Camembert cheese and a piece of asparagus on each square.

Fold over the puff pastry and then using a fork, press the edges together to form a tight seal.

Repeat for the remaining squares.

Then using the remaining egg wash, coat the top of the pastry squares.  The egg wash will give them a rich golden color when they are done.

Place the pans in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is puffy and golden brown.

Remove and let cool for a couple minutes before eating.  This is an important step as the filling is like molten lava right out of the oven. No joke.  Molten lava.

Plate the puffs and serve with a nice honey mustard.

This was an awesome appetizer!  Quick, simple and delicious!

Camembert Asparagus Puffs

 

Author:

Rex

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 24

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins

Total time: 30 mins

Print

 

Quick cheesy pastry bites, perfect for any occasion!

Ingredients

• 1 box puff pastry (two puff pastry sheets)
• 1 small wheel Camembert cheese
• 24 Asparagus spear tips
• 1 egg

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Thaw two sheets of puff pastry. Then cut the pastry into 12 equal squares. Also whisk an egg in a small bowl and set aside.
3. Wash and dry the asparagus spears. Then either cut off the tips and save. To save on some moolah you can use the whole spear cut into 1 inch sections, but I like the asparagus tips. What can I say, they are delicious!
4. To form, spread out 1 square of puff pastry on a cookie sheet.
5. Then coat the edges of the square with a light coating of the egg wash.
6. The place a cube of Camembert cheese and a piece of asparagus on each square.
7. Fold over the puff pastry and then using a fork, press the edges together to form a tight seal.
8. Repeat for the remaining squares.
9. Then using the remaining egg wash, coat the top of the pastry squares. The egg wash will give them a rich golden color when they are done.
10. Place the pans in the oven and cook for 12-15 minutes or until the puff pastry is puffy and golden brown.
11. Remove and let cool for a couple minutes before eating. This is an important step as the filling is like molten lava right out of the oven. No joke. Molten lava.
12. Plate the puffs and serve with a nice honey mustard.

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