Block Party Beans

2 pounds ground beef
2 cups chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery stalk
1 can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 cup ketchup
1 can pork and beans
1 can chili beans
1 can Great Northern beans
1 can black beans
1 can cut green beans, drained
1 can cut wax beans, drained
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard

Brown beef, onions and celery until tender, drain off excess oil. In large deep casserole combine the beef and all other ingredients. Stir well to combine all ingredients, simmer for 20 minutes, then place in oven at 350 degrees for about one hour. Great for picnics or pot lucks.

It is at its best if refrigerated overnight and then gently reheated the next day before eating. Trust me on this…it’s really, really good!

Blue Cheese (bleu cheese) Dressing

1/2 Cup Mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Sour Cream

1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon juice
3 Ounces Blue Cheese

To make this recipe really work I suggest that you combine all of the ingredients into a bowl and then, using a grater, add in some cheese, stir, add in more cheese and repeating until there is no more cheese.  This will make a smooth creamy sauce and not leaving you wanting for a chunk of cheese to bite into simply to get that blue cheese flavor.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

Barr’s Homemade Mayo – It’s east to make

Chicken Fried Steak (Cooks)

Serves 6. Published February 1, 2005.

Getting the initial oil temperature to 375 degrees is key to the success of this recipe. An instant-read thermometer with a high upper range is perfect for checking the temperature; a clip-on candy/deep-fry thermometer is also fine. If your Dutch oven measures 11 inches across (as ours does), you will need to fry the steaks in two batches.

Ingredients

Steak
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Table salt and ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
6 cube steaks , about 5 ounces each, pounded to 1/3 inch thickness
4 – 5 cups peanut oil
Cream Gravy
1 medium onion , minced
1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups whole milk
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
cayenne pepper

Instructions

  1. 1. For the steaks: Measure the flour, 5 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and cayenne into a large shallow dish. In a second large shallow dish, beat the egg, baking powder, and baking soda; stir in the buttermilk (the mixture will bubble and foam).

  2. 2. Set a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels and sprinkle each side with salt and pepper to taste. Drop the steaks into the flour and shake the pan to coat. Shake excess flour from each steak, then, using tongs, dip the steaks into the egg mixture, turning to coat well and allowing the excess to drip off. Coat the steaks with flour again, shake off the excess, and place them on the wire rack.

  3. 3. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position, set a second wire rack over a second rimmed baking sheet, and place the sheet on the oven rack; heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a large plate with a double layer of paper towels. Meanwhile, heat 1 inch of oil in a large (11-inch diameter) Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. Place three steaks in the oil and fry, turning once, until deep golden brown on each side, about 5 minutes (oil temperature will drop to around 335 degrees). Transfer the steaks to the paper towel-lined plate to drain, then transfer them to the wire rack in the oven. Bring the oil back to 375 degrees and repeat the cooking and draining process (use fresh paper towels) with the three remaining steaks.

  4. 4. For the gravy: Carefully pour the hot oil through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. Return the browned bits from the strainer along with 2 tablespoons of frying oil back to the Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium, add the onion and thyme, and cook until the onion has softened and is beginning to brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the flour to the pan and stir until well combined and starting to dissolve, about 1 minute. Whisk in the broth, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Whisk in the milk, salt, pepper, and cayenne; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until thickened (gravy should have a loose consistency—it will thicken as it cools), about 5 minutes.

  5. 5. Transfer the chicken-fried steaks to individual plates. Spoon a generous amount of gravy over each steak. Serve immediately, placing any remaining gravy in a small bowl.

Macaroni & Cheese


6 OUNCES WHITE SHARP CHEDDAR CHEESE (grated)
2 OUNCES MONTERREY JACK CHEESE (grated)
(Cheeses should be combined)
8 OUNCES UNCOOKED ELBOW MACARONI (cooked al dente)
4 TBS BUTTER (salted)
3 TBS FLOUR
1 TBS SALT
1 tsp PEPPER
3 CUPS WHOLE MILK
Unseasoned Bread Crumbs – Optional
First you have to make a white sauce.  Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; stir in flour a bit at a time stirring all the time for about 2-4 minutes and quick enough so you don’t burn the mixture (roux).  It should smell like toasted flour something akin to a cooked pie crust and light in color. The butter to flour ratio must be 1:1 based on weight…not volume. 

 Gradually stir in COLD milk stirring rapidly until you use 1/2 of the milk.  Then, after the milk has been incorporated into the flour and butter mixture and has begun to thin out, add in the remainder of the milk and continue to simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until sauce begins to thicken once again.  Season with salt and pepper.

In a baking dish add a layer of the cooked pasta then a little sauce, then a layer of the combined cheeses.  Continue on with this process until you almost run out of cheese. End the process with a final layer of the cheese and sauce topped with bread crumbs.

Cover and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes (depending on the depth of the pan) until hot and bubbly.  Remove the cover in the final few minutes to brown the top layer of cheese and unseasoned bread crumbs (optional).

Serve and enjoy!

Note: I follow the advice of Laura in the Kitchen and cook my pasta in water salted to the extent that it’s like sea water.  

Jake’s Boss BBQ Rub For Pork or Chicken

Just remember if you are going to use this recipe for grilling keep a eye on it because the sugar had a low burn rate.

Better yet, try reducing the amount of sugar by 1/2 (I have not tried this yet). 


1 ¼ cups packed brown sugar

¼ cup coarse salt (I prefer 2 Tbs)
½ cup paprika
3 tbs dried parsley
2 tbs dried basil
2 tbs oregano
2 tbs dried thyme
2 tsp powdered onion
1 ½ tbs lemon pepper
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon
1.5 tbs dried Worcestershire (optional) 

Buffalo Wings (Cooks Illustrated)

Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce is not terribly spicy. We like to combine it with a more potent hot sauce, such as Tabasco, to bring up the heat. You will need to double the ingredients in the blue cheese dressing.
Sauce
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup hot sauce , preferably Frank’s Louisiana Hot Sauce
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce or other hot sauce, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
Wings
1 – 2 quarts peanut oil (or vegetable oil) for frying
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon table salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 pounds chicken wings (18 wings), cut up (see illustrations below)
Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing and Vegetables
2 1/2 ounces blue cheese , crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
3 tablespoons buttermilk
3 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
4 stalks celery , cut into thin sticks
2 medium carrots , peeled and cut into thin slices

1. For the Sauce: Melt butter in small saucepan over low heat. Whisk in hot sauces, brown sugar, and vinegar until combined. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. For the Wings: Preheat oven to 200 degrees. Line baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 2 1/2 inches of oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat to 360 degrees. While oil heats, mix together cayenne, black pepper, salt, and cornstarch in small bowl. Dry chicken with paper towels and place pieces in large mixing bowl. Sprinkle spice mixture over wings and toss with rubber spatula until evenly coated. Fry half of chicken wings until golden and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer fried chicken wings to baking sheet. Keep first batch of chicken warm in oven while frying remaining wings.

3. For the Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing and Vegetables: Mash blue cheese and buttermilk in small bowl with fork until mixture resembles cottage cheese with small curds. Stir in remaining ingredients (up to carrot and celery sticks). Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Can be covered and refrigerated up to 4 days.4. To Serve: Pour sauce mixture into large bowl, add chicken wings, and toss until wings are uniformly coated. Serve immediately with the carrot and celery sticks and blue cheese dressing on side.5. To Make Ahead: The fried, unsauced wings can be kept warm in the oven for up to 1 1/2 hours. Toss them with the sauce just before serving.

French Chicken in a Pot (Cooks Illustrated)

Click on photo to enlarge


The cooking times in the recipe are for a 4 1/2- to 5-pound bird. A 3 1/2- to 4 1/2-pound chicken will take about an hour to cook, and a 5- to 6-pound bird will take close to 2 hours. This recipe works best with a 5- to 8-quart Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid. If using a 5-quart pot, do not cook a chicken larger than 5 pounds. If using a kosher chicken, reduce the kosher salt to 1 teaspoon (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt). If you choose not to serve the skin with the chicken, simply remove it before carving. The amount of jus will vary depending on the size of the chicken; season it with about 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice for every 1/4 cup.

1 whole roasting chicken (4 1/2 to 5 pounds), giblets removed and discarded, wings tucked under back
2 teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion , chopped medium (about 1/2 cup)
1 small stalk celery , chopped medium (about 1/4 cup)
6 medium garlic cloves
1 bay leaf
1 medium sprig fresh rosemary (optional)
1/2–1 teaspoon juice from 1 lemon


Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 250 degrees. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add chicken breast-side down; scatter onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and rosemary (if using) around chicken. Cook until breast is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Using a wooden spoon inserted into cavity of bird, flip chicken breast-side up and cook until chicken and vegetables are well browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove Dutch oven from heat; place large sheet of foil over pot and cover tightly with lid. Transfer pot to oven and cook until instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted in thickest part of breast and 175 degrees in thickest part of thigh, 80 to 110 minutes.

Transfer chicken to carving board, tent with foil, and rest 20 minutes. Meanwhile, strain chicken juices from pot through fine-mesh strainer into fat separator, pressing on solids to extract liquid; discard solids (you should have about 3/4 cup juices). Allow liquid to settle 5 minutes, then pour into saucepan and set over low heat. Carve chicken, adding any accumulated juices to saucepan. Stir lemon juice into jus to taste. Stir in a flour/water paste mixture to make gravy.

Pepper Crusted Pork Roast

1 pork tenderloin (best) or loin (still good)
1 clove garlic
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup black cherry (or other) preserves
salt to taste
lots of cracked black pepper
2 tbl butter

COAT LOIN WITH CRACKED PEPPER (ALL SIDES)

BROWN IN OIL 3-4 MINUTES PER SIDE, HIGH TO MED–HIGH

ROAST IN 375 DEGREE OVEN TO 165 DEGREES INTERNAL TEMP

REMOVE AND SET ASIDE

AT LOW HEAT, ADD VINEGAR AND GARLIC AND JAM

ADD CHICKEN STOCK AND REDUCE TO HALF VOLUME

TURN OFF HEAT AND ADD 2 TBS BUTTER AND WISK IN

YEAH! YOU’RE DONE

Roast Pork with Apple Cider Dijon Pan Sauce

Chef John’s Roast Pork Tenderloin

with Apple Cider Dijon Pan Sauce

MARINADE:

6 CLOVES GARLIC

2 TBS ROSEMARY

6 TBS VEG OIL (I USE MORE)

MARINADE FOR 24-48 HOURS

THE MEAT:

3 LB PORK LOIN, CLEANED OF GARLIC AND ROSEMARY

SALT AND PEPPER THE LOIN

SEAR IN A HOT PAN (2 TBS OIL) 3-4 MINUTES EACH SIDE, YES, ALL FOUR OF THEM

ROAST @ 375 UNTIL INTERNAL TEMP = 165 DEGREES

REMOVE ROAST AND SET ASIDE

DEGLAZE PAN WITH ¼ CUP CIDER VINEGAR, WHISK

ADD 2 TBS DIJON MUSTARD, WHISK

ADD 2 CUPS APPLE CIDER OR JUICE

ON HIGH HEAT, WHISK AND REDUCE BY ¾

TURN OFF, ADD 2 TBS “COLD” BUTTER, WHISK

ADD A LITTLE ROSEMARY, AND SALT & PEPPER TO TASTE