Shoestring Sweet Potato Fries

Not to be a broken record…but these are totally simple & delicious. 

Ingredients

• 1 large sweet potato, rinsed (no need to peel)
• 2 teaspoons neutral oil - like vegetable or avocado
• ½ teaspoon each Kosher salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin  and/or curry powder
• 1 teaspoon curry powder, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Spiralize sweet potato using the small noodle blade, then place the spiralized potato in a large mixing bowl
3. Add oil, salt, pepper and cumin and/or curry powder if using (which you should be) to the potatoes and mix well so the seasonings incorporate evenly
4. Place spiralized potatoes on a baking sheet and bake 20-30 minutes (toss fries halfway through) or until nice and golden brown

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Shiitake Spinach Egg Thing

And by thing I mean stupidly delicious.  Don't ask - just make it.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 2 bacon strips, sliced widthwise
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• ¼ cup chicken broth
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• Pinch each Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 poached eggs, see recipe

Directions

1. In a large pan on medium heat, cook bacon until about halfway done, then add mushrooms and cook until softened - 3 to 4 minutes
2. Add chicken broth - continue to cook another minute
3. Next add spinach - sauté until wilted then season with salt and pepper; remove from heat
4. Serve spinach mixture on serving plate and top with poached egg.

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Baked Brie with Shiitakes

This is one delicious appetizer.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon butter
• 6 Shitake mushrooms, stems removed & thinly sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• Pinch Kosher salt and pepper to taste
• Pinch garlic powder
• 1 sheet puff pastry, removed from freezer about 30 minutes before using
• Flour
• One 8 ounce wheel of brie, with top rind removed
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°
2. Put non-stick pan on high/medium heat, add oil, butter and mushrooms - cook about 5 minutes until nicely softened, add thyme, salt, pepper and garlic powder - stir well to combine then remove from heat and set aside
3. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to make it a little thinner
4. Place cooked mushrooms in the center of the pastry - spread out to approximately the same diameter as the cheese
5. Spoon mustard on top of brie, then place mustard-side down onto the mushrooms
6. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover and turn over - trim the excess - and place onto a parchment lined baking sheet and press down to seal. Reserve the pastry scraps for decoration (if you want)
7. Beat the egg and milk to combine in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. Place seam-side down onto a lined (parchment paper) baking sheet. Decorate with the pastry scraps, if desired - brush with the egg wash
8. Bake for 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown - serve with thinly sliced baguettes or crackers.

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Oven Smoked Beef Ribs

No smoker? No worry, cause these are so delicious and cook just in the oven. 

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Makes approximately 4 ribs

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds beef back ribs
• 3 tablespoons liquid smoke
• 1/3 cup yellow mustard
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon five spice powder
• 1 tablespoon sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 275
2. Put ribs on a large sheet of foil, and brush with liquid smoke, then liberally with mustard
3. Season well with salt & pepper and wrap tightly with foil - place in oven
4. Bake 3-4 hours, checking after about 3 hours for your perfect level of tenderness - I like them very tender (just don’t tell anyone in Texas)
5. Combine hoisin, honey, soy, 5 spice, sriracha and sesame oil - mix well and set aside
6. When they’re ready, remove from oven and turn to broil
7. Open carefully (there will be steam) and either pour out liquid in the foil and put back on robs, or put ribs on a rack
8. Brush well with sauce and return to oven for until sauce starts to bubble
9. Remove and devour, I mean serve.

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Easy Homemade Cauliflower Fried Rice

So delicious and easy - plus you'll almost have no clue it’s cauliflower (but your waistline will).

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 1 medium head (about 24 oz) cauliflower, rinsed
• 1-2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ½ cup red onions, diced small
• ½ cup red bell peppers, diced small
• 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons Sriracha
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 tablespoons diced green onion

Directions

1. Remove the core of the cauliflower and coarsely chop off just the florets
2. Put the cauliflower in a food processor and pulse until the cauliflower is small and has the texture of rice - shouldn’t take more than 5 or 6 seconds, but if it’s a lot of cauliflower for your processor, do it in 2 batches or it can get mushy.
3. Heat a large saute pan or wok over medium heat with 1 tablespoon oil then add onions, peppers and mushrooms; stir and cook about 5 minutes.
4. Stir in ginger and garlic until fragrant (about 30 seconds) then add the cauliflower rice - drizzle with a little more oil, and stir frequently until all is heated through and beginning to get a bit of color - maybe 3 minutes
5. Then add the soy, sesame oil and Sriracha - mix well
6. Finally add the beaten eggs, and stir until egg is cooked through - about another minute
7. Remove from heat - serve and garnish with green onions.

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Potato Latkes

Makes twenty 3 inch latkes

Crispy, golden little potato pancakes - what's not to like? I serve them topped with sour cream and some finely chopped lox. Now you're talking - make that 'now I'M talking'.

Ingredients

• 4 large potatoes, peeled (Idaho are perfect)

• 1 small onion or 1/2 large - shredded

• 2 eggs

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped dill

• Salt & pepper to taste

• Canola oil for frying

• For serving: sour cream, lox or apple sauce

Directions

1. Either use a grater or processor (with the metal blade attached) to shred the potatoes

2. Put shredded potatoes in a towel, wrap tight and squeeze out the water - put into a bowl

3. Shred onion same way and add to the potatoes with the eggs, flour, baking powder, s & p and dill - mix really well

4. Heat 1/8 - 1/4 inch oil in a large pan over medium until hot but not smoking

5. For each latke, put 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture carefully into the pan and flatten slightly

6. Fry turning the latkes once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes

7. Drain on paper towels

8. Remove any loose bits of potato mixture between batches with a slotted spoon

9. Add more oil as necessary

Beef Brisket

Serves 6

As great as brisket is for dinner, it's fantastic and arguably better the next day for sandwiches. You can use either the point or the flat (a whole brisket is made up of both) but the point has more fat which makes it ultimately more delicious.

Ingredients

• 3 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced

• 1 tablespoon each kosher salt & coarse ground black pepper

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 tablespoons oil

• One beef brisket (flat cut) 4 - 5 pounds

• 1-12 ounce can tomato paste

• 3/4 cup brown sugar

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

• 1 cup beef broth

• 6 ounces beer - whatever kind you want will work

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Season brisket with salt & pepper

3. Mix garlic with oil and rub over brisket

4. Put half the onions in the bottom of a roasting pan and put brisket on top of onions

5. Combine remaining ingredients except broth & beer, mix well and spoon over top of brisket - top with remaining onions

6. Pour broth and beer around the outside of brisket

7. Cover tightly with a lid or foil and bake 3 to 4 hours, or until fork tender

8. Let cool slightly and slice across grain to serve

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French Toast Waffles

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Grand Marnier (optional)
• Two ½ inch thick slices Brioche bread
• Butter
• Syrup (optional)
• Powdered sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat waffle iron
2. In a shallow medium sized bowl beat the eggs with the milk, salt and Grand Marnier (if you choose to)
3. Dip each side of the bread slices into the egg mixture (but don’t soak it too long) and place in the waffle iron
4. Cook waffles until golden brown
5. Top with butter, syrup and powdered sugar

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Bourbon Peach French Toast

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 1 Peach, diced small
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon zest
• 1 ½  tablespoons bourbon, separated
• 2 eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 2 teaspoons granulated white sugar
• Two-Four 1 ¼ inch thick slices of bread (any you like, but get a good one)
• Powdered sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat non-stick pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter and add peaches, cooking just to soften
2. Add brown sugar to the peaches, mix until sugar melts and add lemon zest; then stir in 1/2 tablespoon whiskey, cook out the alcohol- about a minute, set aside
3. In a shallow medium sized bowl beat the eggs with the milk, white sugar and 1 tablespoon bourbon
4. Preheat a separate nonstick skillet on medium heat until butter melts and starts to sizzle
5. Dip each slice of bread into the egg mixture (be sure cover both sides AND the ends) and place in the skillet
6. Cook until golden brown (about 3 - 4 minutes before turning) on each side and be sure to cook the ends too
7. Put on a plate, top with peach mixture and sprinkle with powdered sugar to serve

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Polenta Bruschetta

Serves 6-8 as an appetizer

Ingredients

• 4 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced small

• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 teaspoon olive oil

• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

• 1 Polenta Chub (makes about 20 rounds)

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil (use what you have but I used avocado oil)

• ½ cup goat cheese, soften

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil - pinch of salt and pepper to taste; set aside

2. Open Polenta and remove rounded ends

3. Slice polenta into ½ inch slices

4. Brush oil onto polenta slices and season with salt and pepper

5. Grill on each side for 3-5 minutes until they get really good grill marks

6. Remove polenta from the grill

7. On each grilled polenta round, spread a little goat cheese, top with bruschetta mixture and serve.

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Shepherds Pie with Tots

The crunchy deliciousness of tots instead of mashed potatoes on top of this is a most welcome change. Make it.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon neutral oil
• ½ of yellow onion, diced
• 1 large clove garlic
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 teaspoon each Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• ½ cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup cut frozen vegetables (your choice, I used carrots, parsnips and beets)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 - 16 ounce bag frozen tater tots

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. In an oven proof skillet (cast iron is ideal) heat oil and cook onions until translucent; then add garlic and cook until fragrant about 45 seconds or so
3. Add in the ground beef, cook until almost done and season with salt and pepper
4. Mix in tomato paste then sprinkle in flour, cook out flour about a minute or so then stir in broth and Worcestershire sauce; mix well - add a little more broth if it’s too thick, but you don’t want it runny
5. Add in the frozen vegetables and parsley and mix well
6. Add the frozen tots on top
7. Bake in the oven 30-40 minutes then broil on high towards the last minute of cooking time until tots are a nice crispy golden color

Sopa De Fideo

A super delicious Mexican tomato soup with toasted thin noodles. Oh my...

INGREDIENTS

• 1-2 tablespoons neutral oil
• 8 ounces of uncooked Fideo Cortado, fine dry noodles (can use broken spaghetti)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 medium size onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• One 28 ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
• 3-4 cups chicken broth
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

For serving

• Hot sauce
• Fresh chopped green onions
• Diced avocado

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium-size skillet and add the dry noodles. Cook until noodles are almost brown in color - mix in cumin and chili powder; continue to cook until noodles are toasty, remove from heat and set aside
2. In a stock pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil and cook onion until translucent
3. Add garlic, cook until fragrant about 30 seconds - then add tomatoes and use a hand blender until tomatoes are pureed (if you have one-can transfer tomato mixture in a regular blender at this time and return back to the pot)
4. Next add 3 cups of broth and the toasted noodles to the tomato mixture (add more broth if you like it thinner)  season with salt and pepper -  let simmer about 20 minutes or until noodles have softened
5. Ladle soup in a serving bowl and garnish with hot sauce, green onions and/or avocado if you want, and I highly recommend you do

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Baked Chipotle Chicken Taquitos

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 1/3 cup salsa verde (green salsa)
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese - Monterey Jack, cheddar or even a mix…it’s up to you
• 1-2 tablespoons finely minced chipotle peppers
• 10 flour tortillas, approximately 6 inches in diameter

Toppings for serving

• sour cream
• shredded lettuce
• guacamole (my recipe)
• diced tomatoes

DIRECTIONS

• Preheat oven to 425
• Combine chicken, salsa, cheese and chipotles in a bowl - mix well to combine
• Heat tortillas slightly to make them pliable, add some filling and roll up tightly
• Place seem-side down on a greased baking sheet and brush or spray with neutral oil
• Bake approximately 25 minutes or until golden and crispy
• Plate, add toppings and serve - yum.

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Mayo Cheese Bread

My mom's old school recipe never fails.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/3 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup diced yellow onion
• 1/3 cup shredded asiago cheese (or a combo of shredded Monterey jack & cheddar)  
• 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 sourdough baguette  

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Combine mayo, onion, cheese & parsley - mix really well
3. Season with pepper and a pinch of salt, stir through
4. Cut baguette horizontally and spread on cheese mayo mix
5. Bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly
6. Slice into pieces and serve

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Breakfast Bean Benedict

Featured on Tailgate Day TV episode.

5 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can fridge large biscuits (5 count)
• 15 ounce can baked beans
• ¼ pound bacon, cooked halfway (not crispy)
• ¼ cup red onion, diced small
• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard
• ½ tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• Poached Eggs in advance (make as many as you need)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook biscuits, as per instructions; set aside
2. In a saucepan cook beans, bacon and red onion until onion is translucent - mix in mustard and worcestershire sauce; let simmer for 10-15 minutes
3. Make poached eggs and set aside
4. To assemble split biscuits in half. Ladle baked beans over biscuit and top with a poached egg

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Pork Sandwich

Featured recipe on my Tailgate Day TV episode.

Makes 1 large sandwich

INGREDIENTS

• ½ pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced into 4-5 portions

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove, minced/crushed
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• ½-1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• Juice from ½ lime
• Kosher salt

Sandwich Sauce:

• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon chili garlic sauce

Sandwich Fixings:

• 1 large good Italian or French roll, cut in half lengthwise
• 1 cup baby arugula, tossed in olive oil
• 4 slices of tomato
• 4 onion rings, cooked per instructions

DIRECTIONS

1. In a small bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and whisk until thoroughly mixed
2. Put the pork cutlets and the marinade in a ziplock bag, seal and refrigerate a couple of hours
3. Mix the sandwich sauce ingredients, set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use
4. Heat grill on medium, cook pork until done (about 3 minutes each side) - at this point you can also heat the sandwich bread and onion rings if you want
5. To assemble spread sauce on bottom half of the bread, layer arugula, pork, tomatoes and onion rings - top with bread, slice into portions or eat the whole thing yourself.

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Chile Verde with Pork

Recipe featured on Sam The Cooking Guy Tailgate Day TV episode.

 

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS

• 1-3 tablespoons neutral oil (like vegetable or canola)

• 3 pound pork shoulder (cut into 1 inch size cubes)

• 1 cup white or yellow onion, diced

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• ½ teaspoon ground cumin

• 1 16 ounce jar salsa verde

• 1 10 ounce can green enchilada sauce

• 1 25 ounce can hominy, drained

• ½-1 cup chicken broth

Suggested servings and toppings:

• Cooked riced

• Tortillas

• Chopped red onions

• Chopped fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot on medium-high heat - cook the pork until brown on all sides (cook in batches, add more oil if needed); remove pork and set aside

2. In the same pot, saute onions for about a minute, add garlic and cumin; cook until fragrant then add the cooked pork back in

3. Next add the salsa, enchilada sauce and hominy; mix and add chicken broth just enough to cover the pork mixture

4. Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer partially covered for about 2 hours or until pork is fork tender

5. Serve over cooked rice with tortillas on the side and top with fresh onions and cilantro.

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Turkey Injector Marinade

This is a simple but delicious marinade to help moisten the inside of the bird. No bad will ever come from injecting – unless you inject yourself, and then it will only hurt.  It'll hurt like sxxt, but you'll get over it.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup chicken broth
• ½ cup butter
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ½ tablespoon Kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in a small pot over medium heat and bring to a boil, then immediately turn down to low and simmer 5 minute, stirring often
2. Turn off heat and let cool about 10 minutes
3. Load the syringe with marinade and inject in the turkey all over - breast, thigh, and leg – repeat to ensure even coverage
4. Wipe off any excess from the outside, then season the turkey with your rub and cook

Brisket Mac N Cheese

Featured recipe on Back to School Day TV episode.

Serves 6

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound pasta of your choice (I used orecchiette)
• 1 tablespoon neutral oil (like vegetable or canola)
• ½  yellow onion, diced
• ½ pound cooked brisket
• 2 ½ cups milk
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 8 ounces smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
• 8 ounces horseradish Cheddar cheese, shredded
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• ½-1 cup French Fried Onions

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water a little less time than the directions on the package, drain well but save some of the pasta water.
3. Cook onion in oil until soft and brisket - cook another 2 minutes to just warm up the brisket, set aside.
4. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it.
5. Melt butter in a large (4-quart) pot and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. While whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth.
6. On low heat, add handfuls of the Gouda and Cheddar cheese to the sauce, salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, add the cooked macaroni, brisket mixture and stir well.
7. Pour into a 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle fried onions on top
8. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top.

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Mexican-ish Poutine

Featured recipe on my BACK TO SCHOOL DAY TV episode.

Serves 2-4

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bag frozen fries (I used waffle fries, but any french fry will work)
• 10 ounces pork chorizo
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 large poblano chile pepper
• ¼ cup chopped fresh green onions
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken (deli rotisserie chicken works great)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven per french fry package instructions; spread the fries evenly onto a baking sheet and bake as package instructs - until browned and crunchy
2. Cook chorizo in a small sized saucepan until chorizo is done, about 5 minutes - add cream and let simmer on low heat until sauce thickens, about 10 minutes
3. Roast poblano chile over your stove's open top and keep turning until blackened all around or you can place chile on baking sheet and broil until blackened all the way around - you'll have to turn them a couple times
4. Let the pepper cool, and remove blackened skin or put in a paper bag and seal for 10 minutes to steam then peel off charred skin, remove stem and seeds and dice small - set aside.
5. On a plate layer as follows: fries, chicken, chorizo gravy, poblano peppers and green onions
6. Be sure to get a little of everything in each bite

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