Welcome all food lovers young and old, novice and profesional. All are welcome. Please feel free to look around and make comments on anything or everything. Comments can keep us humble or expand our heads so feel free to be honest and ask questions.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Cheese cake


Carmel Chocolate

Raspberry

Stawberry

Plain

Aaaaaahhhhhhh Cheese cake....
The wonderful blend of Cream cheese, Vanilla, eggs and sugar.
These are some different varities of the same reciepe that I made for a wedding the other day.
You can add just about anything to this basic reciepe to make a totally different cake.

4- 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1Tb Vanilla extract
4 eggs
Vanilla waffers
1 stick butter

Crust
Blend 1 box Vanilla waffer into crumbs. Melt butter and pour into crumbs mixing well. Press mixture into 9 inch spring form pan.
Filling
Mix 4 pkg cream cheese (24 oz total) with 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract. (preferably homemade see previous post) Mix with electric mixer until well blended.
Add eggs one at a time. Pour mixture into prepared spring form pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Open door of oven and let cool in oven and then on counter till room temp. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours to set.

Stawberry
Slice stawberries and laver on cake. Cover with strawberry danish desert topping.

Caramel Chocolate
In small sauce pan bring 1 cup heavy cream to simmer and remove from heat. Add 1 cup chocolate chips and cover for 15 min. Stir chocolate chips into cream until disolved. Pour into spring form pan over cheesecake and refridgerate untill set. Drissle carmel topping over cheese cake and serve.
You may also add 1 cup of melted chocolate chips into the cheese cake mixture before cooking.

Raspberry
Swirl Raspberry preserves into cheese cake befor cooking.
Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Stuffed Salmon


I just spent 10 days fishing in Alaska. As I was standing in a river pulling in 15 pound salmon I came up with this recipe for Stuffed Salmon. When I got home I gave it a try. I think it puts the finishing touch on a fantastic trip. As the old fish saying goes "This ones a keeper!"

1 Fresh Salmon fillet
1 box long grain and wild rice mix
8 Shiitake mushrooms
1/2 onion
Butter
1 ceder plank

Prepare rice as per directions on box. Slice 1/2 of mushrooms and chop onion. Saute mushrooms and onion in butter and mix with rice. Remove the skin from the salmon fillet. Slice fillet down the center/middle of meat to make a thinner fillet.


Lay fillet on ceder plank and cover with rice mixture.


Roll fillet so the rice mixture is in the center and place on ceder plank. Season with salmon shake.



Cook salmon for 20 to 30 minutes or until desired taste.


Top with more sauted shiitake mushrooms and onions. Serve with fresh vegetables and wild rice.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Pulled Pork


Pulled pork is probably one of the most cooked and eaten forms of BBQ. Its easy to make and boy is it good.
To start you need to buy a pork butt. Bone in or Bone out it doesn't really matter. Bone in is a little less expensive. I prefer it with the Bone in. (It gives my dog some BBQ too.)

You will want to clean and trim the butt. Then you will want to apply your rub. Don't be shy "Nothing beats a good butt rub!" you know.
Place the butt in the smoker and smoke at 220 degrees for 10 hours. Wrap in foil and smoke for another 2 hours. When the meat reaches 195 degrees (this is shredding temperature.)remove from smoker and the foil and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Now its time to pull.

This is where the fun starts. I like to use some rubber gloves. The big yellow kitchen glove's work great.

The meat is very hot and the glove's help keep your hands from getting burned. Place the meat on a cutting board and just rip it apart. The meat should shred easily. Once shredded add your favorite BBQ sauce and enjoy. Makes fantastic sandwiches. Just put on a bun and add a little Cole slaw. Fantastic.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake




Cheesecake is another one of my favorite desserts. It comes in so many different varieties. Basic, New York, White chocolate, Fruit topped and swirled the list goes on and on.
This is a recipe for a classic style Cheesecake with a sour cream topping.
Crust
1 1/2 cup Graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup confectioners sugar
8 TB Butter
1 tsp cinnamon
In medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Press crumb mixture into 9" spring form pan and chill for 1 hour.

Filling
4 PK cream cheese (2 Pounds)
3 eggs
1/2 cup vanilla sugar or just plain sugar
2 vanilla beans (roe)
1 tsp lemon juice
Preheat oven to 370 degrees
In electric mixer beat cream cheese and eggs one at a time until smooth. Add sugar and the roe from the vanilla beans. (cut bean length wise and scrap out roe with knife use roe for cheesecake and place pod in container to make vanilla sugar).Add lemon juice and gently mix. Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake at 370 degrees for 30 min. The cake should be slightly soft in the middle but hot all the way through. Do not over bake or cake will split. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool.

Topping
1 1/2 cups sour cream
3 TB sugar
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Combine ingredients and spread on cooled cheesecake. Bake at 425 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes. remove and cool to room temperature and then chill in refrigerator for 3 hours.

Strawberry topping
2 Cups fresh strawberries
1 tsp orange juice
1 tsp lemon juice
Fresh strawberries
Combine 2 cups strawberries, orange juice and lemon juice in blender and blend until smooth Add a few drops of water if the sauce is too thick. Drizzle over slice of cheesecake and garnish with fresh strawberries.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Caramel Pecan Turtles



"Just one more won't hurt me!" "Hey! Who ate all the cookies?"
These are a cookie I made for a Great cookie Exchange back in 2005. I love vanilla and these are a good way to taste the flavor of it.

Cookie
1/2 Cup Shortening
1/2 Cup Butter
1 1/2 cups of Vanilla sugar/ granulated sugar
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
2 TB Milk
3 Eggs
2 tsp Vanilla

1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp salt
4 to 5 cups flour

Cream shortening, Butter and sugars together. Add milk, beat in eggs one at a time, add vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt. Mix into sugar mixture. Roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness on a floured surface. Cut out with
2 1/4" cookie cutter. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes or until edges are golden. Remove and cool on wire rack.

Caramel Topping
This recipe makes more caramel then you will need but its nice to have in the fridge for other snacks. Caramel corn, dipping apples, Ice cream. Just pop into the microwave for a few minutes stir and pour.

1 cup white corn syrup
1 cup vanilla sugar/ granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup butter
dash salt
Pecan halves
Mix all ingredients together and bring to boil. Boil for 5 min stirring constantly. Drop spoon full of hot caramel in center of each cookie. Place 3 pecans around caramel.

Chocolate Topping
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
Melt chocolate in double boiler stirring until smooth. Drop by spoon full in center of cookies. Cool

I hope you enjoy these cookies the vanilla sugar really gives them a great taste. If you do not have any vanilla sugar you can try adding more vanilla to your taste.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Slow smoked BBQ Ribs




What is the first thing you think of when you hear the word BBQ.
"Ribs"
Ribs are the true American comfort food. There's not much better then sitting down to a slab of slow smoked, fall off the bone, sauce running down and dripping off your elbows Ribs. I love watching people bit into a a perfectly done rib and see the smile in their eyes as the meat pulls away from the bone and the taste of the rub and sauce mingle together to make a perfect culinary delight.

Any one can make the perfect rib. All you need is the right equipment and a little bit of patience. But if your a regular follower of this blog you already have plenty of that. As they say good food takes time and ribs are no exception.

To begin you need to fire up your smoker and get it up to temp. 180 to 220 degrees is the BBQ temp. A couple of racks of pork ribs, (spare or baby back,) some of your favorite rub, a bottle of mustard, a spray bottle of apple juice, some aluminum foil and a love for good food and some Friends to share it with.

First you need to prepare the ribs. Rinse them off and pat dry and trim off any excess fat and meat. Then you need to remove the membrane off the bone side of the ribs. To do this slide your knife under the membrane on the left side of the rack and pry it upwards.


Take hold of the membrane and slowly pull across the slab. If your lucky it will all come off in one piece. If not then remove all pieces the same way. It takes practice but you'll get the hang of it.


Next you need to apply a layer of mustard all over the ribs(both sides). Yep that's right mustard. Don't worry you wont be able to taste it after the ribs are cooked. The mustard is a binder to keep your rub on the meat. You don't have to use it if you don't want to. If your skeptical about the taste I suggest you try it both ways you will be surprised at the out come.

Apply your rub next. Don't be stingy really put it on there you can always make more.

Your smoker should be up to temp by now so you can place your ribs right on the grill. Place them meat side up. Slow smoke the racks at 180 to 220 degrees for 4 hours. I like to mist the ribs once an hour with apple juice. This helps keep the meat moist. But remember if your looking your not cooking.


After 4 hours it's time for the Texas crutch. Wrap the racks in aluminum foil and place them back in the smoker for another 2 hours.

What this does is help the meat get a little more tender and separate from the bone. Some people think that this is cheating. You can skip this step and leave them in the smoker if you like. After 2 hours open the foil and check the ribs. You should see the meat Begin to pull away from the bone.

Close the smoker and let the heat dry the ribs a little another 20 minutes should do the trick. Remove them from the smoker and place on a cutting board and slice. I like to place the racks meat side down with the bone end away from me and using a sharp knife cut down between two bones. Serve the ribs naked with sauce on the side. That way you and your guest can have as much or as little sauce as they like. Enjoy

VIOLA the perfect rib.

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Prime Rib


Prime Rib, Does it get much better?
Take your fork and cut into a slice of prime rib its amazing how tender and juicy it is. As you place it in your mouth your taste buds explode with the flavor. Smoke, salt and spices mingle with the beef to form a culinary experience like no other. It's no wonder prime rib cost so much. I paid $110 dollars for a 18 pound roast around Christmas time. Which is cheap compared to other times I've paid over ten dollars a pound before.
Like most good foods prime rib takes time. Time to prepare, time to cook and time to eat. You begin with preparing the the rub, in prime ribs case the crust.
Crust/rub
2 cups Kosher sea salt
3 T Hi-I-Que rub (or your favorite rub)
4 T Garlic powder
2 T Freshly ground Black pepper
Mix together and add enough water to make a thick paste.
Once the Crust/rub is ready. Take your prime rib roast and trim the fat cap to 1/8 inch thick. Lightly mist roast with apple juice (or water) and add paste in layers to fat cap. Paste should be approx 1/2 inch thick. Wrap meat in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat your smoker to around 250 degrees.


Place meat on grill and cook for 3 hours. (Mist with apple juice or water every 1/2 hour to keep crust moist.) Then turn your smoker down to smoke setting and smoke for 2 hours. Return smoker to 250 degrees and cook meat until internal temp reaches 125 degrees for Med rare or 145 degrees for med well. When prime reaches desired temp remove from grill and let rest for 15 minutes. Slice and Enjoy.