June | 2012 | onedadskitchen

A Father’s Day Feast for Brunch

Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. We decided to do a brunch for Father’s Days and have everyone over here for it. We made quite a bit of food, and of course I didn’t think about taking pictures of everything until after people had already started eating, so I apologize in advance for the pictures. We put out quite a buffet spread and I’ll share some the recipes here today. We made corned beef hash and home fries, both of which I have posted recipes on before. We also made pancakes, which I have posted on before and scrambled eggs. We did make a few things that I haven’t posted recipes on before, which I will share over the next few days. We made a Sausage Gravy with Biscuits, A Cheese and Onion Quiche, Crabcakes, Steamed Mussels, a Blueberry Coffee Cake, Banana Bread and a Fruit Salad. For today, I’ll tackle the Sausage Gravy and the quiche.

Sausage Gravy

8 ounces pork sausage

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 1/3 cups milk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 package refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (you can certainly make your own, but we were pinched for space and time and opted for Pillsbury.)

Preheat the oven 350 degrees. Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake for 14 to 17 minutes until golden brown. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove the sausage and drain on a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the skillet. Whisk the flour into the hot drippings until smooth; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk, and cook, whisking constantly, for 5 to 7 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the sausage, salt and pepper. Serve over warm biscuits.

The quiche was just as easy, although we did cheat a little and used a pre-made refrigerated crust for the shell.

Cheese and Onion Quiche

1 pre-made pie crust (you can certainly make your own if you like)

4 tablespoons butter

6 cups thinly sliced onion

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

6 eggs at room temperature

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups cream, half-and-half or milk, heated gently until warm

Heat the oven to 425 degrees and set the rack in the middle. Prebake the chilled crust until the crust begins to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove and let cool on a rack while you prepare the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Put the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; when the butter melts. add the onion and some salt and pepper. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is very soft and lightly browned, at least 20 minutes; adjust the heat so it doesn’t brown or crisp up, but just cook it until the onion practically melts. Add the thyme and stir, turn off the heat and cool slightly. Combine the remaining ingredients in a bowl and then add the onion mixture.

Put the semi-cooked shell on a baking sheet and pour in the egg mixture. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until almost firm (it should still jiggle just a little in the middle) and lightly browned on top; reduce the oven heat if the edges of the shell are darkening too quickly. Cool on a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature.

There are many more things you could add to the quiche to suit your tastes. You could add some bacon, mushrooms, or any variety of vegetables that you might like, such as broccoli, asparagus, peppers, tomatoes, spinach, really nearly anything you want. Make sure the vegetables are parboiled and cooled before you add them to the eggs and don’t overcrowd it by adding too many things.

That’s all I have time to talk about today. Tomorrow I will go over some more recipes from the menu – the crabcakes and the mussels. Check back tomorrow for those recipes. Until then, enjoy your Father’s Day and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 17, 2012 in Breakfast, Cooking, Eggs, Gravy, Pork

Tags: breakfast, cheese and onion quiche, father's day brunch, father's day meal, sausage gravy, sausage gravy with biscuits, warm biscuits

8 Great Steaks To Cook For Dad | Food Republic

14 Jun

8 Great Steaks To Cook For Dad | Food Republic.

IF you’re looking to make some steaks this weekend for Father’s Day, here’s some great recipes from Food Republic, a website from chef Marcus Samuelsson. These recipes are perfect for the grill this weekend and the site always has some good recipes and tips. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on June 14, 2012 in Beef, Cooking Websites, Grilling

Tags: 8 great steaks for the grill, Food Republic, grilling steaks, Marcus Samuelsson

Fried Catfish Redux and Bacon Braised Green Beans

11 Jun

I took the weekend off from blogging to spend some time with the family and have fun, but now its back to it! Tonight I made some fried catfish. I have made catfish before, and you can find the recipe here, so today I wanted to try something slightly different. Every recipe I could find really suggests that frying catfish is the best way to make it, and while it may not be the healthiest way to go, I have to admit it does turn out good. As I was searching around, I sent a Twitter message to America’s Test Kitchen asking them for some advice, and they shot back to me this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated for Pan-Fried Catfish. I broke out my trusty cast iron for this one since the one I have has higher sides than a regular skillet and works well when frying with oil. I find myself using the cast iron pan for most everything lately. It really retains heat well and I can throw it in the oven to roast as well. Anyway, back to the catfish:

Pan-Fried Catfish

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup fine-ground cornmeal

Salt and ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 large eggs

2-3 cups vegetable oil (I didn’t use this much, I cut it in half and it was fine)

2 catfish fillets, skin and dark fatty flesh just below skin trimmed, fillets cut in half lengthwise (I didn’t do this either; since it was just Sean and I for dinner tonight, I left the fillets whole and Sean and I split one and I saved the other for another meal)

Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet, place the sheet on the middle oven rack and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place 1/2 cup of flour in a wide, shallow dish. In a separate wide, shallow dish, mix together the remaining 1/2 cup of flour, cornmeal, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1/4 teaspoon of pepper, and cayenne. in a third shallow dish, whisk the eggs with 1 tablespoon of oil until uniform.

Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper. Drop the fish in the flour and shake the dish to coat. Shake the excess flour from each piece, then, using tongs, dip the fillets in the egg mixture, turning to coat well and allowing the excess to drip off. Coat the fillets with the cornmeal mixture, shake off the excess, and lay them on another wire rack set of a rimmed baking sheet.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a large heavy bottomed pot or cast iron pan over high heat until the oil reaches a temperature of 400 degrees. Place two catfish fillets in the oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Adjust the heat as necessary to keep the oil between 385 and 390 degrees. Remove the fillets from the oil with a slotted spoon and lay them on a plate lined with several layers of paper towels; blot to help remove any excess oil. Transfer the fried fish to the wire rack in the warm oven. Bring the oil back up to 400 degrees and repeat the cooking process with the remaining fish fillets. Serve the fried fish with lemon wedges or dipping sauce.

Since I only made the two pieces, I didn’t have a second batch to make, but if you have larger pieces of catfish you may want to cut them down and do them in batches so as not to crowd them into the pan when cooking.

I had bought some fresh green beans in the store yesterday, so I thought I would make them as well and wanted to jazz them up a little bit, and what jazzes things up better than bacon? I got this recipe from the Food Network’s Anne Burrell. It’s an easy recipe, but takes a little time so you may want to get it started before whatever you are serving it with.

Bacon Braised Green Beans

Extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 pound bacon, diced

2 garlic cloves, smashed

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 pound button mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (I omitted these, other than me, no one in my house eats mushrooms, so out they went)

Salt

1 pound string beans, stems removed

1 cup chicken stock

Coat a large skillet with olive oil over medium heat. Add the bacon, garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the bacon is crispy, about 5 minutes. When the garlic has become golden brown and very aromatic, remove it and discard.

Add the mushrooms (if using) to the bacon pan, season with salt, to taste, and cook until they become soft, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beans and the chicken stock, season with salt, to taste, cover and cook over medium low heat for 40 to 45 minutes. If the liquid reduces too much during the cooking time, add some water to make up the difference. Remove the lid and cook until almost all of the liquid is reduced. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve.

It’s not hard to make, it just takes a little longer than I thought it would. I reduced the liquid all the way down to almost nothing because it allowed the bacon to crisp up again and pick up the flavor from the chicken stock. I also served the dish with some white rice. All in all, I think it turned out pretty well.

I have a steak to cook tomorrow; I’m not sure how I am going to do it yet, but I’ll come up with something. If it’s nice enough out, I may throw it on the grill. Check back tomorrow and see what happens. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 11, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Seafood, Side Dishes, Vegetables

Tags: bacon braised green beans, cast iron pan, frying catfish, pan fried catfish

Totally Tantalizing Turkey Chili

09 Jun

I love to make chili and have been making it for many years. I have done different variations of it over the years, but I have mostly settled on making turkey chili when I make it. The turkey is better for you than the ground beef and lends itself nicely to the long cooking process of the chili. You also don’t get all the fat in your chili that ground beef tends to add to the sauce. Michelle loves it and always make a large batch so we have it for lunches and then we can freeze some and have it when we need a quick meal or use it to make a quick batch of nachos for an appetizer. This recipe is far from exact since I pretty much eyeball everything I use for this one at this point since I have been making it so long. If you like more heat in your chili, add more hot sauce or chili powder. I try not to make it too hot since it does pick up some heat after a day of two of sitting in the fridge.

Turkey Chili

2 pounds ground turkey

1 tablespoon McCormick’s Montreal Chicken seasoning

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 14.5 ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1-2 tablespoons chili powder

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Dash of hot sauce

2 15.5 ounce cans dark red kidney beans, drained

Heat a large Dutch oven of medium-high heat. Add the vegetable oil and heat the oil until shimmering. Mix the Montreal Chicken seasoning with the ground turkey, mixing by hand until well blended. Add the turkey to the Dutch oven and heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and stir to mix with the turkey, heating for about 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add the diced tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Cook until the tomatoes begin to release some of their juices, about 3 to minutes. Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper and hot sauce and mix thoroughly. Turn the heat to low and cover. Allow the chili to cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the kidney beans and mix thoroughly (at this point I usually taste the chili to see if it needs any more spices: chili powder, salt, pepper. Add more if you think it needs more). Cover and allow to cook for 2 to 3 hours.

I typically serve the chili with white rice and have some sides if anyone wants to add anything to the chili, like sour cream, diced fresh tomato, shredded cheese and occasionally some diced jalapeno or diced avocado. As I stated earlier, this makes a great ingredient for nachos if you want to make nachos or even a great taco filling if you want to use it for tacos.

It’s a very easy recipe, doesn’t take a lot of work (you could easily put this all in the slow cooker and let it cook all day, just brown the turkey meat first) and tastes great. It’s Saturday and I am thinking I want an easy meal tonight, so I may go for some simple BLT sandwiches tonight. Check back later and see if that’s what I decide to go with! Enjoy your day, and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 9, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Slow Cooker Meals, Turkey

Tags: chili, turkey chili, turkey tacos, using turkey chili in nachos

Pass the Parmesan Paninis!

07 Jun

I’ve had a few people ask me about sandwich recipes and trying to find some new ones. I am always on the lookout for a new sandwich recipe since it’s one of my favorite meals. They are perfect for busy weeknights, but you like to be able to vary things and offer some that are new and different. I happen to catch this one from Williams-Sonoma a few days ago and it sounded too good to pass up. We all love chicken parmesan, so why not have it on a sandwich that’s a Panini?

Chicken Parmesan Panini

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for brushing

4 sandwich rolls, split (I am using ciabatta rolls, a personal favorite)

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup dry bread crumbs

3/4 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1 1/3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil

1 cup tomato sauce

Butterfly the chicken breasts, cut each one in half, and pound to 1/4-inch thickness. Season with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the 1 cup of oil to 350 degrees. Brush the rolls on both sides with oil. Preheat an electric Panini press to medium. Line a baking sheet with paper towels.

Put the flour and the eggs in separate breading trays or bowls. in another tray or bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the chicken into the eggs, letting the excess drip off. Place the chicken in the breadcrumb mixture, pressing gently so the crumbs adhere.

Place 2 chicken pieces in the hot oil in the skillet and fry, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 3 minutes total. Transfer the chicken to the paper towel-lined baking sheet. Repeat to fry the remaining chicken.

Place 1 piece of chicken on the bottom of each roll and top with 1/3 cup mozzarella, 1 tablespoon of basil and 1/4 cup tomato sauce. Cover with the top halves of the rolls. Place two of the sandwiches on the preheated panini press, close the lid and cook until the cheese has melted, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut in half. Repeat to cook the remaining sandwiches. Serve immediately.

You could make several sides to go with the sandwiches, like a simple salad, or a little bit of pasta. I personally think the salad is perfect to go along side of the sandwich. Either by themselves or with a side, I think they make a great, easy meal. If you don’t have a panini press, no big deal, You could just make these as sandwiches or heat them in a skillet like you would a grilled cheese sandwich.

That’s today’s simple dinner. Tomorrow night I am making Turkey Chili, so you can check back for that one. It’s a family favorite around here and I always make extra to freeze some for another day. Make sure to come back tomorrow to check out the recipe. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 7, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Poultry, Sandwiches, Uncategorized

Tags: chicken parmesan, chicken parmesan panini, paninis

Killer Kabobs and Rice Pilaf

04 Jun

We weren’t home all weekend for me to do any cooking, so I needed to make my lamb kabobs tonight. Of course, the weather has not cooperated here in New York and it has been raining here all day, so I had to improvise and cook the kabobs in the broiler. Either way, this is a very easy recipe from Williams-Sonoma that only takes about 30 minutes total to cook, and that includes making the yogurt sauce and the rice pilaf.

Greek Lamb Kabobs

2 large lemons

2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano

5 green onions, white and pale green portions, thinly sliced

5 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup olive oil

1 1/2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, cut into 2-inch cubes

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 cup plain yogurt

1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

1 onion, cut into chunks

1 small yellow pepper, seeded and cored, cut into chunks

1 small yellow squash, cut into chunks

Place 8 bamboo skewers in cold water to soak until ready to use.

Grate 3 teaspoons of zest from the lemons and squeeze 5 tablespoons of juice. In a shallow glass dish just large enough to hold the lamb in a single layer, combine 2 teaspoons of the lemons zest, 3 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the oregano, half each of the green onions and garlic, and the olive oil. Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper. Add the lamb to the marinade and turn to coat. Let it stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, cucumber, the remaining 1 teaspoon of lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and the remaining green onions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Prepare a gas or charcoal grill for direct-heat grilling over high heat and oil the grill rack, or preheat a broiler. Remove the lamb from the marinade. Thread the lamb, pepper, onion and squash onto the skewers. Brush the remaining marinade on the vegetables and lamb on the skewers. Place the skewers on the grill rack, or put them on a baking sheet and place it under the broiler. Cook, turning once, 6 to 7 minutes for medium-rare, or until done to your liking. Divide the skewers among 4 plates and serve with the yogurt sauce.

I have to say, I thought the lamb turned out very tender and cooked perfectly and the marinade added a great flavor. Michelle and I both loved the yogurt sauce. The coolness of the cucumber and the little bite of lemon from the zest and the juice was fantastic. I would make the yogurt sauce again to use as a dip for other things.

I also served the dish with a very, very simple version of rice pilaf that I got from America’s Test Kitchen. It only takes about 30 minutes and came out perfectly.

Easy Rice Pilaf

3 tablespoons butter

1/2 onion, minced

Salt

1 1/2 cups white rice, rinsed and drained

2 1/4 cups water

Pepper

Rinse the rice under cold water until the water runs clear. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and 1 teaspoon of salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the drained rice. Saute until the edges of the rice begin to turn translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 17 minutes.

Transfer the pot to a cold burner or trivet and let the rice stand for 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Rinsing the rice helps remove some of the excess starch, making it so the rice does not clump together. Toasting the grains with the onion and butter helps to bring out some of the nuttiness in the rice, which is great for a rice pilaf. This recipe also moves away from the standard 1 part rice, 2 parts water by using less water in the recipe and it does seem to make a difference, producing very tender and fluffy rice.

You could also serve some thick sliced tomatoes with this dish, covered in a little olive oil and maybe some Kalamata olives and feta cheese to really make it a Greek meal. Either way, it’s a fast, easy meal that comes out tasting great.

I have a rack of ribs to make tomorrow for dinner, so hopefully the weather cooperates a little better so I can cook them outside. If not, I’ll be doing my oven grilled ribs recipe. So it will be a rib recipe one way or the other tomorrow! Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!

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Posted by MikeG on June 4, 2012 in Cooking, Dinner, Grilling, Lamb, Rice, Sauce

Tags: cucumber yogurt sauce, easy rice pilaf, grilled lamb kabobs

50 Things to Grill in Foil : Recipes and Cooking : Food Network

02 Jun

50 Things to Grill in Foil : Recipes and Cooking : Food Network.

Here are some more great grilling tips, this time from the Food Network. There are so many different things that you can grill in foil packets and have them turn out wonderful. Give something other than potatoes a try and see how it works out. Check it out!

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Posted by MikeG on June 2, 2012 in Cooking Websites, Grilling

Tags: foil packets, grilling, grilling in foil

Poppin’ Some Popcorn Shrimp

01 Jun

Sean has been asking me to make popcorn shrimp for weeks now. I had to search around to try to find and easy recipe to use and I found this one at America’s Test Kitchen. Sean got skeptical when he saw that there was clam juice in the batter, but once they were done and he was eating them, he didn’t mention it all. As a matter of fact, there were very few leftover at all. It’s a very easy recipe but does call for some deep-frying, so be careful with the hot oil. I just used my deep cast iron skillet instead of a Dutch oven and worked out just fine for me.

Popcorn Shrimp

1 1/2 pounds medium/large (31 to 40 count) shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails discarded

3 quarts peanut or vegetable oil (I didn’t use nearly this much, maybe 1/2 of that, and it was fine)

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 1/2 cups bottled clam juice

Toss the shrimp, 1 tablespoon of oil, lemon zest, garlic and 1/2 teaspoon of Old Bay seasoning in a large bowl. Refrigerate, covered, for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Heat the remaining oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat to 375 degrees. Combine the flour, cornstarch, remaining Old Bay seasoning, pepper, and baking powder in a large bowl. Stir the clam juice into the flour mixture until smooth. Fold the marinated shrimp into the batter until evenly coated.

Working quickly, add a quarter of the shrimp, 1 at a time, to the oil. Fry, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain the shrimp on a paper towel-lined plate, then transfer the shrimp to a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Place the shrimp in the oven to keep warm. Bring the oil back up to 375 degrees and repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Super easy to make and they taste really, really good. The coating is nice and crunchy, not oily at all and the shrimp is cooked perfectly. We had it with some french fries and Sean and I both loved it. I will definitely be making this one again, maybe as an appetizer for a party.

It’s just a quick recipe today. Tomorrow we’re off to a barbecue, so no recipes tomorrow, but I am hoping to make Greek Lamb Kebobs on Sunday, so we’ll see how that one goes. Check back and see what it’s like. Until then, enjoy your evening and enjoy your meal!