Blue Cheese Shrimp Toasts

Makes 20 pieces

Warm...shrimpy...and blue cheesey. Damn.

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked small shrimp
• 3 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
• 1 bunch green onion (white & light green parts only) chopped fine
• 1/4 cup mayo
• 1 tablespoon cholula - or your favorite hot sauce
• 20 sour dough bread slices (cocktail size, about 3.5 inches square) lightly toasted
• Five slices deli muenster cheese, each slice cut into quarters

Directions

1. Turn broiler to high
2. Combine shrimp, blue cheese, green onion, mayo & cholula in a bowl - mix well to combine
3. Top each bread slice with some of the shrimp mix, and then one quarter of a cheese slice
4. Broil until lightly golden and cheese begins to melt

Warm Butternut Squash & Crispy Bacon Salad

Serves 4

The title kinda says it all doesn't it?

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• 2 cups butternut squash, cut into a 3/4 inch dice
• 2 teaspoons butter
• 1/2 pound bacon, diced
• One 4-5 ounce bag salad greens

Directions

1. Combine syrup, vinegar and oil - whisk well, season with salt and pepper and set aside
2. Put squash in a bowl, add 2 tablespoons of water, cover with plastic wrap (making a couple small knife slits in the plastic) and microwave until softened but not mushy, approximately 4 minutes
3. Cook bacon in a non-stick pan until just getting crispy, remove excess oil and add squash -  cook until squash just begins to brown, remove from heat
4. Put greens in a bowl, add squash & bacon and toss with some of the dressing - plate

Brisket Grilled Cheese

Makes one

How do you spell comfort food? I spell it: B-r-i-s-k-e-t G-r-i-l-l-e-d C-h-e-e-s-e.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Finlandia butter*
• 1 clove garlic, minced, crushed or chopped fine
• 2 slices sour dough bread
• enough thinly sliced & heated brisket to cover one piece of the bread - don't skimp but you also don't want too much
• 2 slices Finlandia* cheddar cheese
• 2 slices Finlandia* jack cheese
• 1 tablespoon horseradish sauce - the mayo kind, not the grainy 'prepared' kind

Directions

1. Put butter and garlic in a small bowl - mix well
2. On one slice of bread, spread the horseradish sauce, add 2 slices of cheese, then the heated brisket, then the other slices of cheese, then top with last slice of bread
3. Spread half the butter/garlic mixture on the bread and cook in a hot non-stick pan until golden brown
4. Butter top side, flip and continue cooking until the bottom is golden as well
5. Eat - but not too quickly even though you'll want to

*Finlandia butter is available at select COSTCO locations and other fine retailers.

View fullsize

---

WATCH ME MAKE THIS

No Mayo Tuna Sandwich

Makes one

One small change makes this the perfect sandwich - really.

Ingredients

• 1 small can tuna
• About 2 tablespoons mustard, your choice - reg, dijon, grainy, spicy etc
• 2 slices whole wheat bread - it tastes better and is better for you
• Thinly sliced tomato - enough to cover a piece of bread
• Thinly sliced cucumber - enough to cover a piece of bread
• Alfalfa sprouts - enough to cover a piece of bread, and don't skip this part, they really add to the flavor
• Fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. This should all be pretty obvious, but...mix tuna with mustard - add more or less mustard depending on how moist you like it
2. Toast bread, then add the tuna, tomato, lots of fresh ground pepper, cucumber, sprouts and top with last piece of bread

Grilled Mashed Potato & Bacon Pizza

Makes one pizza

An amazingly stupid sounding, but fantastic combo. I like using the raw dough you can buy - but it works well with a store-bought crust like a Boboli (see #10 in directions if you do).

Ingredients

• 1 ball pizza dough, or
• 1 large clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups cooked mashed potatoes
• 2 ounces Ready Bacon, diced and cooked until crispy
• 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Lightly oil a baking sheet and spread out dough until it's about 1/4 to 1/3 inch thick - it doesn't need to be a perfect circle (in fact it rarely is)
2. Warm potatoes in a small pot on stove
3. Combine garlic & oil in a small bowl and set aside
4. Heat grill to medium
5. Lightly brush top of dough with oil and put oiled side down on the grill
6. Once bottom of dough has good grill marks - 5 to 7 minutes, lower heat and flip dough over
7. Brush top with garlic oil, then spread with the mashed potatoes, bacon and then sprinkle with the cheese
8. Close grill lid and let cook until cheese melts, about 3 or 4 more minutes
9. Remove, slice and eat - but that was obvious, right?
10. For a store bought ready crust, brush the top with garlic oil, then add the potatoes, bacon and cheese and bake in a 425 oven about 12 minutes

Open Face Hot Crab Sandwich

Makes 2

I have 3 words for this recipe: hol-y-crap!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces lump crab meat

• 1/3 cup diced green onion - white & light green parts only

• 3 tablespoons mayo

• juice of 1/2 a lemon

• 1 teaspoon Cholula hot sauce

• 1 Kaiser roll

• 4 slices Pepper Jack cheese

• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped

Directions

1. Mix crab, green onion, mayo, lemon juice and Cholula well - season with salt & pepper

2. Preheat broiler

3. Split bun across the middle making a top and bottom and broil until light brown

4. Top each roll with crab mixture then cheese

5. Broil until cheese is melty

6. Garnish with cilantro

Grilled Meatloaf Sandwich

Makes two (crazy good) sandwiches

When we shoot a show, the crew (Michelle and Shannon) eat whatever it is I've made. And this sandwich went into their top 5...immediately.

You can use a store-bought meatloaf for this - or try the Mexican Meatloaf recipe on the site - it's way good.

Ingredients

• Enough 3/4 thick slices of meatloaf to cover 2 slices of the bread you'll use, which should be:
• 4 slices of something really good, ie sourdough, a hearty rye, whatever
• if you made the Mexican Meatloaf (see recipe) use the sauce from that, if not combine:
• 1/4 cup mayo, 1 Chipotle pepper, minced and a tablespoon of apricot jam
• 4 slices Muenster, Provolone or Havarti cheese

Directions

1. On a grill or in a non-stick pan, cook the meatloaf slices until heated through and starting to get crispy
2. When you flip the slices, add the cheese to the top
3. Toast or grill bread
4. Spread chipotle mayo on the bread and add arugula, the meatloaf and the final slice of bread

View fullsize

WATCH ME MAKE IT...

---

Grilled Catfish Sandwich

Serves 2 to 4

Pickled mayonnaise and grilled catfish...it's like a bit of the South right where you are. Unless you're already there, then it's like...oh never mind.

Ingredients

• 2 - 8oz catfish fillets
• 2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 Ciabatta buns, long enough to hold the fillets
• 2 Dill pickles
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tomato, sliced

Directions

1. Drizzle Catfish with olive oil and season with Old Bay
2. Heat a non-stick over medium high heat and add butter
3. Once butter has melted, put in catfish and cook about 5 minutes on each side
4. While it cooks, dice pickles and mix with Mayonnaise
5. Slice bun in half and toast or broil until golden brown
6. Spread pickle/mayo on bread, top with tomato slices and then catfish

Hoisin Chicken Lettuce Cups!

Makes about 6-8 lettuce cups

Think Asian chicken tacos served in lettuce cups.

1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce

1 tablespoon Asian chili sauce, like Sambal

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Neutral oil

1/4 cup finely diced white or yellow onion

1/4 cup diced red pepper

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut in very small pieces

2 large garlic cloves, chopped fine

1/2 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine

1 head butter lettuce, separated into individual 'leaf cups'

Chopped peanuts & chopped green onions for garnish

• Combine hoisin, chili sauce, soy & sesame oil - mix well and set aside

• Heat wok or pan until almost smoking, add about a tablespoon of the oil , then the onion and red pepper - cook about a minute

• Add the chicken and stir fry until just about cooked through - about 3 minutes, then add ginger & garlic - cook another minute or 2 until chicken is done

• Add the hoisin combo and stir through well to coat

• Serve chicken in the leaf cups and garnish with peanut & green onion

Spicy Hoisin Tofu with Eggplant

Serves 4

Ok, I know what you're thinking..."Tofu Sam, really? No...really.

Ingredients

• One 14 ounce block firm Tofu
• 2 Asian Egg Plants, the long thin kind
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1/4 cup Hoisin
• 1 tablespoon Chili Paste
• 2 tablespoons green onion light green and white parts only, chopped

Directions

1. Remove Tofu from package, wrap in a double layer of paper towel and let dry about 15 minutes
2. Cut off ends of eggplant, slice lengthwise and cut into even 3/4 inch slices
3. Add peanut oil and eggplant to hot pan or wok and cook for 5 minutes, stir often
4. Remove eggplant from pan and set aside
5. Cut Tofu into even medium size cubes, about the same size as eggplant and put in hot pan or wok with a little oil and stir fry about 5 minutes
6. Add eggplant back to pan with tofu and add Hoisin and Chili paste, stir well until well mixed - but don't be too rough or you'll bust up the tofu
7. Garnish with green onion and serve

Halibut with Olive Tapenade

Serves 2

Simple and simply great.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Black olives
• 3 tsp capers
• 3 tsp parsley
• 1/4 cup olive Oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 - 6oz Halibut fillets
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Chopped drained olives, capers and parsley either by hand, or in a processor until chunky but fine add olive olive, salt & pepper - mix well and set aside
2. Drizzle halibut with olive oil and season with salt & pepper
3. Grill or sear until cooked to where you want it
4. Top with tapenade - serve

Mexican Beer Can Chicken

Serves 4-6

Maybe the juiciest chicken ever. Oh no - I am so not kidding.

Ingredients

• 1 whole 3-5 pound chicken
• 1 can of beer
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 tbs cumin
• 2 tbs oregano
• 2 tbs garlic powder
• A big pinch of Kosher salt
• juice of 3 limes

Directions

1. Pre-heat grill or oven to 375
2. Mix Chili Powder, Cumin, Oregano, Garlic Powder & Kosher Salt well in a small bowl
3. Pour out or drink about 1/2 of the beer and add about a 1/4 of the mixed seasoning to the beer can
4. To remaining dry seasonings, add lime juice & mix into a paste
5. Line baking sheet (for oven), or grill safe pan (for grill) with foil
6. Insert beer can into the large opening of the chicken (you know what I mean here) then place on sheet or grill pan
7. Rub seasoning paste on chicken to completely cover
8. Put chicken in oven or grill and cook for 1 1/2 hours - or until a thermometer reads about 160 in the breast

Grilled Polenta

Serves 2-4

There's soft polenta, and then there's the polenta formed in a tube like sausage - which sounds kinda gross...but it's not.

Ingredients

• 1 pound Polenta
• 1 bunch of cilantro, finely chopped
• 3 tbs olive oil
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions

1. Open Polenta and remove rounded ends
2. Slice polenta into 3/4 inch slices
3. Mix Cilantro and olive oil well and spread onto polenta slices
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Grill on each side for 3-5 minutes until they get really good grill marks

Mexican Street Corn

Serves 4

Stupid good.

Ingredients

• 4 ears of corn, husks & silk removed
• 3 tbs olive oil
• 2 pairs wooden chopsticks
• 1/3 cup Mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup crumbled Queso Fresco or grated Parmesan cheese - on put on a plate
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tbs Chili Powder

Directions

1. Heat grill to medium high
2. Rub olive oil on each ear and grill until they soften and get grill marks - about 15 minutes
3. Remove from grill, insert a single chopstick into the end of each ear as a handle
4. Brush with mayonnaise, roll in cheese, then sprinkle with a little chili powder & finish with a squeeze of lime juice

Halibut with herb butter

Serves 2

No bad here, just really fresh & flavorful fish!

Ingredients

• 2 6oz Halibut filets
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 3 tbs Italian parsley
• 2 garlic cloves pressed
• 1 tbs lemon zest
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 shallot diced fine
• Pinch of Kosher salt
• 2 tbs olive oil

Directions

1. To butter add shallot, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, parsley, Kosher salt and mix well
2. Season Halibut with olive oil, salt and pepper
3. Place Halibut in a hot pan face down and sear for about 3 minutes on each side
4. plate fish and top with 2 tbs of the butter mixture
5. Let butter melt on top of fish and serve

Chicken with Feta Oregano Butter

Serves 2-4

Really moist chicken with tons of flavor!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 2 large cloves of garlic pressed
• 3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
• 1/4 cup fresh Oregano chopped fine
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• 2 full chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

1. Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
2. To soft butter add oregano, Feta, garlic, Kosher salt and pepper; mix well
3. Line a baking sheet with foil and place chicken breasts onto foil
4. loosen chicken skin and put butter mixture under skin on both breasts
5. drizzle olive oil over top of chicken and season with salt and pepper
6. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour

Steak with Chipotle Lime Butter

Serves 2

A tender steak topped with a great butter flavor.

Ingredients

• 2 big ribeye steaks
• Kosher salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 2 Chipotle peppers
• Cilantro chopped fine
• 2 tbs lime zest

Directions

1. Set broiler to high
2. Season steak with Kosher salt and pepper on both sides
3. Broil steaks in cast iron pan for 5-8 minutes
4. To soft butter add Chipotle, Cilantro, lime zest, juice of 1 lime and mix well, set aside
5. Remove steak from pan and top with slice of lime butter
6. Cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes

Waffles with Bourbon Pecan Butter

Serves 4

This is not your typical waffle...it's way better! And I'm not making it from scratch either, frozen all the way baby!

Ingredients

• 4 frozen waffles
• 1/2 cup soft butter
• 2 tbs chopped Pecans
• 1 tbs Burbon
• 1 tbs powdered sugar

Directions

1. In a small pot over low heat, melt butter with Bourbon and pecans - mix well
2. Let cool then put butter mixture in fridge to set
3. toast waffles until golden brown
4. Top waffles with butter mixture and powdered sugar

Apple Tarte Tatin

A sweet upside down apple pie kinda thing...

2 small Granny Smith apples peeled, cored and cut into slices

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

• Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees

• Put apple slices in a bowl with the lemon juice - and mix (the juice will help keep the slices from turning brown

• Take pastry out to thaw

• Put sugar & butter in a 9 or 10 inch cast iron skillet , and stir until butter & sugar melt together

• Continue stirring until it just begins to get a little darker in color, then add the slices and cook, stirring to allow the slices to soften a bit

• Cut the puff pastry into a circle a bit larger than the skillet

• Cover top of skillet with puff pastry

• Tuck in pasty edges like a pie and put a couple slits in the top

• Bake approx 20 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown

• On large serving plate slowly flip the skillet over onto plate so that the pastry is on the bottom

• Serve

Hot dog on a stick

makes 10

A super simple hot dog on a stick, Sam style!

Ingredients

• 1 pack of your favorite hot dogs
• 1 pack refrigerator buttermilk biscuits
• 10 single chop sticks
• mustard and ketchup for dipping

Directions

1. Grease baking sheet with butter
2. Cut sausages in half
3. Wrap each 1/2 of sausage in biscuit dough, seal ends and place on baking sheet seam side down
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
5. Insert stick into ends of dogs and serve with dipping sauces