Taste of Chicago and Grateful Dead Show countdown

Well...just got tickets to take my son to see The Grateful Dead July 5!  Fortunately, The Taste of Chicago is also that weekend!  Looking forward to it...

Justin's 18th bday tattoo

Me and my friend Nicole at Soldier Field back in the early 90s

Crockpot Chicken Taco Chili

This recipe came from The Comfort of Cooking 02/20/12...I made few changes because of what I had on hand.

1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced (I hate mincing garlic and usually prefer to use the press)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, mined (WASH YOUR HANDS)
1 green pepper, chopped
10 oz frozen corn (I had a 14 oz bag and used it all)
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce (I didn't have any, so I used a can of petite chopped tomatoes, drained)
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained (I had a 28 oz can of crushed tomato and used that, undrained)
1 T cumin
1 T chili powder
1 t dry oregano
1 t kosher salt
2 boneless, skinless raw chicken breasts

Combine all of the above ingredients in your crock pot.  Cook on low 6 hours, or high 4 hours.  At the end, shred the chicken and stir it up.

You can garnish with sour cream, cheese, green onions, cilantro, etc.  I bought multigrain tortilla chips to eat with the chili.  Turned out super yummy!

Cookie, Brownie, Peanut Butter Cup Treats

This is hardly a recipe because it uses convenience items.  But I don't care what you say...they are good!!

This is yet another Pinterest find that I am glad I tried.  My son and his friends inhaled them!  I've made them a few more times for friends who liked them just as much as the kids.  And can you blame them??  Chocolate chip cookies...good.  Peanut butter cups...goood.  Brownies...goooood.

What you need is refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough.  I suppose you could use any kind of cookie you want, but why wouldn't you want chocolate chip??  So anyhow...press the cookie dough into muffin tins.  I recommend using paper cups to make it easier to get them out of the pan.

Now, get 12 peanut butter cups and place on top of the cookie dough.

Then, get a box of brownie mix and mix it according to the directions.  I used some that had chunks it it too.  Pour it over top of the peanut butter cups.

Place the pan into the oven.  I put a pan on the shelf underneath it because I didn't want them to overflow onto the bottom of the oven.  Bake 18 minutes at 350 degrees.

Let them sit for a bit so they can set.  Oh my heavens...I want these now!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin adapted from Food Network Magazine 2012

 

First time I made this, I only made one tenderloin.  Big mistake because my son and I gobbled it up so fast!

First, you want to combine all of the rub ingredients...1 t salt, 1/2 t black pepper, 1 t brown sugar, 1 t cumin, 1 t ground mustard, 1/2 t onion powder, 1/2 t garlic powder.

Now, take 2 pork tenderloins (do not be foolish like I was and only make one!), 1.5 # total, and place in a ziplock bag.  Rub 2 t olive oil all over it, then the rub.  Put it in the fridge and let sit at least 1-4 hours.

Combine 3/4 c apple cider vinegar, 3 T brown sugar, 2 T ketchup and 1/2 T red pepper flakes. Pour into the bag with the pork and refrigerate another 2 hours.

When you are ready to grill, pull out of the fridge for like 30 minutes.  Grill on low for 20 minutes until it reaches 140-145 degrees.  Let it rest 20 minutes more.

While the pork is on the grill, heat the marinade for a little bit to reduce.  Drizzle over the sliced pork.

Oh so good!

French Kiss Martini

Pretty sure I originally found this on Pinterest.  Made it with friends and yummy!

2 oz pineapple juice
2 oz vodka
1 oz chamboard

Shake, don't stir, because it makes it nice and foamy and kind of tastes a little different.  Serve in a martini glass.

Good Old School Chex Mix

I like to cook this in the oven but it seems at all of the recipes now are made in the microwave.  Yuck.
The original recipe calls for 3c each corn, rice and wheat Chex, 1 c nuts, 1 c pretzels, 1 c bagel chips.  I mix it up and sometimes use goldfish, Cheerios, Cheese-its and don't normally use the pretzels because they are what usually ends up in the bowl at the end because no one want to eat them.  Anyhow...plot all of the ingredients into a large baking pan.  Then melt 6 T butter and add 2 T Wocerstershire sauce.  Drizzle over the cereal mix and toss to coat.  Now combine 1 1/2 t seasoned salt, 3/4 t garlic powder and 1/2 t onion powder.  Sprinkle over cereal mix and toss to coat.  Place the pan into the oven at 250 degrees and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Ahhh...brings back memories of Thanksgiving day as a kid.  My mom used to make Chex Mix for us to eat while watching parades and waiting for dinner.

Broccoli Salad from my friend KBB

I love this stuff!

2 bunches raw broccoli, cut into flowerettes
14 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
raisins to taste (or dried cranberries)
1 1/2 c mayo (I use lite, but always Dukes)
1/4 c sugar
2 T white vinegar
1/2 red onion, chopped fine

Combine everything and let it sit at least 3-4 hours.

Limoncello Citrus Sangria

I can't remember where I got this recipe but let me tell you...it is delicious!  I made it for friends and it got guzzled down in no time!

1 orange, sliced
1 pink grapefruit, sliced
2 lemons sliced
1 bottle white wine
1 1/2 c limoncello
3 c champagne (I just used one bottle)

Put everything into a clear pitcher.  So yummy!

Can't find the picture of it, but it sure is pretty.

Spaghetti with Clams and Crispy Bread Crumbs

Yesterday I was sitting around, going through my big box of recipes and came across this one from Food and Wine (April 2013).  I had some clams and figured I would give it a shot.  Here is the original recipe:

Toast 1T olive oil and 1/4 cup panko in medium skillet over moderate heat, tossing until golden about 3 minutes.  Season with S&P and transfer to a small bowl.

In a deep skillet, heat 1/4 cup olive oil.  Add 2 thinly sliced large garlic cloves and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add 3 dozen Manilla clams or cockles* and 1 cup dry white wine and simmer over moderately high heat until the wine is slightly reduced and the clams just start to open, about 4 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of salted boiling water, cook 1 pound spaghetti until al dente.  Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

Add the pasta, cooking water, 1 t finely grated lemon zest, 3 T fresh lemon juice, 2 1/2 T finely grated mullet bottarga*, 1 t crushed red pepper, 2 T finely chopped thyme, 2 T finely chopped rosemary and 2 T finely chopped parsley to the clams and toss over moderately high heat until the pasta is well coated and the clams are completely open, 2 minutes.  Discard any clams that don't open.  Season with S&P, sprinkle with the toasted panko and serve.

*Manila clams (Venerupis philippinarum)

This important clam is not a native of North America, but was accidentally introduced to Washington State in oyster seed shipments from Japan. The animal quickly acclimated to our waters and is now found from British Columbia to northern California. They are similar in size and appearance to littlenecks; however, they are oblong in shape, being more long than high compared to littlenecks. The internal surface of the shells near the siphon end is normally stained a deep purple color or yellow. The shells completely close. Their siphons are short so they are buried to only about 4" fairly high in the intertidal zone. They inhabit a variety of substrates, from gravel to mud to sand, above the half-tide level, which is higher than the zone where butter and littleneck clams are found. The black siphon tips on Manilas are split. The inside edge of their shell is smooth to the touch. In Puget Sound, they are especially abundant in small outlets and lagoons. Growth is quite rapid with the clams reaching marketable size in two years.

This species has become a welcome addition to Washington's list of clams and is taken commercially by hand diggers and by sport diggers with shovels, forks and rakes. It is a shallow burrower with many found within the first two inches of substrate, and for this reason are easily harvested by hand-digging. Manilas account for 50 per cent of the annual commercial landings of hard-shell clams in Washington.

This clam, like the native littleneck, is normally prepared by steaming. They are summer spawners.

*Bottarga is silver mullet roe

...originating in countries surrounding the Mediterranean. Using sea salt, the roe is cured and dried to perfection, then waxed to prevent further drying and exposure to light.

Waxing also prevents contact with foreign matter. For the novice, Bottarga appears quite unique, odorless, and may look like a flat waxed sausage. But once the wax is removed, your taste buds will discover one of the most flavorful marine products.

Colors naturally vary from golden yellow to darker shades of reddish brown.

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Now for my feedback.  I had a 50 ct bag of farm raised little neck clams, dry instead of fresh herbs, and obviously didn't have the bottarga.  I was finishing up a canaster of panko so I think I used a bit more than what was called for.  Since I had dried herbs, I used much less than was called for, 1 t each.  It was still too much and overpowered the clams.  I used whole grain thin spaghetti.  In the future, what I will do is cook the clams in a 1/2 c wine since they have so much liquid on their own, and not add the 1/2 c pasta water.  I will use even less of the herbs but use fresh.  1 t, instead of 2 T fresh herbs might do.  2 T parsley would still probably be OK.  I also will remove the clams from the pan before adding the pasta, then put the opened clams on top of the pasta.  I don't have much of a desire to ever use the bottarga so I may just add some parmesan to the pasta.  

How to Clean Clams

Cleaning clams is a quick and easy, and important if you don't like salty, sandy clams!

1. Never select a clam that is already open or chipped, broken, or damaged in any way. Make sure to immediately unwrap them at home, so they can breathe, and store them in a cool area.

2. Just before cooking, soak your clams for 20 minutes in fresh water. As the clams breathe they filter water. When the fresh water is filtered, the clam pushes salt water and sand out of their shells. After 20 minutes, the clams will have cleaned themselves of much of the salt and sand they have collected. Instead of pouring the clams and water into a strainer, pull the clams out of the water. Sand has sunk to the bottom of the bowl; pouring the water into a strainer will pour it back over the clams.

3. Once the clams have been soaked, use a firm brush and scrub off any additional sand, barnacles, or other oceanic attachments. This is the same final method used when cleaning mussels.

Stuff I tried (and liked) on Pinterest

http://www.pinterest.com/lsuperstar/i-made-it-and-it-was-good/

I'm a dummy

Well...in yet another bonehead move, I don't remember my password to my original blog, also called Good Grub with Les and Boy http://lesandboy.blogspot.com/, so I had to start over.  Ha.

I've been cooking up a storm still and loving every minute of it.

I'm addicted to pinterest http://www.pinterest.com/lsuperstar/ and try lots of recipes on there.

I'm going to do my best and not get my blog dismantled again.  So...let's get started!