Category: American

Carmelized Onions

Created on 2/10/2018

Ingredients:

  • Several medium or large onions, yellow, white, or red
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Butter, optional
  • Kosher salt
  • Sugar, optional
  • Balsamic vinegar, optional

Instructions:

Step One: Slice 1/2-inch off the stem ends of the onions and the roots off of the root end. Place the onions cut side down on the cutting board. Cut them in half through the root end. Peel back the peels from the onions.

Lay the onions cut side down and make angled cuts into each onion, aimed at the center, cutting almost all the way, but not completely through the root end. Make the cuts to your desired level of thickness.

The root end will help hold the onion together as you cut it, making it easier to cut. Then cut a V in the root end to cut out the tough root holding the slices together.

Step Two: Use a wide, thick-bottomed sauté pan for maximum pan contact with the onions. Coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil, or a mixture of olive oil and butter, if using (about 1 teaspoon per onion).

Heat the pan on medium high heat until the oil is shimmering. Add the onion slices and stir to coat the onions with the oil. Spread the onions out evenly over the pan and let cook, stirring occasionally.

Depending on how strong your stovetop burner is you may need to reduce the heat to medium or medium low to prevent the onions from burning or drying out.

After 10 minutes, sprinkle some salt over the onions, and if you want, you can add some sugar to help with the caramelization process. (I add only about a teaspoon of sugar for 5 onions, you can add more.) One trick to keeping the onions from drying out as they cook is to add a little water to the pan.

Step Three: Let the onions cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour more, stirring every few minutes. As soon as the onions start sticking to the pan, let them stick a little and brown, but then stir them before they burn.

The trick is to leave them alone enough to brown (if you stir them too often, they won’t brown), but not so long so that they burn. After the first 20 to 30 minutes you may want to lower the stove temperature a little, and add a little more oil, if you find the onions are verging on burning.

A metal spatula will help you scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan as the caramelization proceeds. As the onions cook down, you may find you need to scrape the pan every minute, instead of every few minutes.

Continue to cook and scrape, cook and scrape, until the onions are a rich, browned color. At the end of the cooking process you might want to add a little balsamic vinegar or wine to help deglaze the pan and bring some additional flavor to the onions.

Store refrigerated for several days in an air-tight container.

Notes: Add these onions to this horseradish sauce for a full and rich sauce.

Horseradish Sacuce for Sandwiches

Created on 3/7/2023

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2 Tbsp prepared horseradish, drained
  • 2 Tbsp mayo
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp chives, finely chopped

Instructions

Step One: In a small mixing bowl, stir all of the ingredients together. Serve right away or cover and refrigerate for about 2 weeks.

Notes: Pro tip, add these carmelized onions to this sauce for a richer flavor. This sauce is perfect for this pastrami sandwich!

Pastrami Sandwich

Created on 3/7/2023

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb sliced pastrami beef deli meat
  • 4 hoagie rolls
  • 8 slices provolone cheese or 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • Horseradish sauce
  • Mustard of choice
  • Pickles
  • 1/2 lb about 10-12 mushrooms, thickly sliced
  • Garlic Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups Beef Broth

Instructions:

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Step Two: Saute Mushrooms until golden and soft. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper to taste. Remove mushrooms from pan and set aside. In the same skillet (without cleaning it), add 1 1/2 cups beef broth and boil for a few minutes to reduce slightly. Season broth to taste (you want it to be flavorful for use as a dip) then remove from heat – this broth is your “au jus” dipping sauce

Step Three: Heat a large pan over medium heat. Take the slices of pastrami and fry them in the pan to get each piece hot in temperature. Make sure to flip sides after a few minutes. Cut the hoagies in half. Add horseradish sauce on the bottom of each hoagie. Add a layer of pickles on top. Add the hot pastrami on top of the pickles. Layer a thick amount of cheese on top of the pastrami. Add sauted mushrooms. Coat the top of the hoage with mustard of choice. Put the sandwich in the oven. Cook until the cheese gets melted (10 is minutes)

Step Four: Serve each sandwich with an individual ramekin of AuJus – Dip with every bite

Roast Chicken Caesar Salad

11/12/2020

Ingredients:

  • 8 anchovies, mashed to a paste
  • 8 garlic cloves, finely grated
  • 6 Tbsp. mayonnaise, divided
  • 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard, plus more for serving
  • 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more
  • 1 3½–4-lb. whole chicken or 4 chicken legs (thigh and drumstick; about 3 lb.)
  • Kosher salt
  • 8 medium shallots, unpeeled, halved lengthwise
  • 2 lemons, divided
  • 1 oz. Parmesan, finely grated
  • 4 oz. country-style bread, torn into 1½” pieces
  • 2 romaine hearts, leaves separated, torn

Instructions:

Step One: Place a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 450°. Whisk anchovies, garlic, 3 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 1 Tbsp. mustard, 1 Tbsp. oil, and 1½ tsp. pepper in a small bowl. Set aside 1 Tbsp. anchovy mayo in another small bowl.

Step Two: Pat chicken dry; season outside and inside all over with salt. Arrange breast side up in a cast-iron skillet and tuck wings underneath. Arrange shallots around (if using legs, nestle under and around); season with salt and pepper. Brush remaining anchovy mayo all over chicken, making sure to get it into the nooks and crannies, then brush shallots with any leftover anchovy mayo.

Step Three: Place chicken in oven so legs are facing toward the back (this is the hottest part of the oven and will help the legs cook before the breast dries out) and roast until some anchovy mayo and fat begin to drip onto shallots, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven and, using tongs, turn shallots to coat in drippings. Return skillet to oven and continue to roast chicken, stirring shallots once or twice, until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 155°, 45–55 minutes. If skin starts to get too dark on the top before chicken is done, tent area with foil, leaving the rest of the bird exposed. If using chicken legs, start checking at 40 minutes (a thermometer inserted right at the joint should register 160°). Transfer chicken and shallots to a cutting board, leaving behind any juices and fat in skillet. If shallots need more time to soften and darken, roast a bit longer without chicken before proceeding. Reserve skillet.

Step Four: Reduce oven temperature to 400°. Finely grate half of zest of 1 lemon into a large bowl; cut lemon in half and squeeze in juice. Add reserved 1 Tbsp. anchovy mayo, remaining 3 Tbsp. mayo, and remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and whisk to combine, then stir in Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Set dressing aside.

Step Five: Add bread to reserved skillet with fat and turn to coat. Return skillet to oven and toast bread, tossing halfway through, until golden brown and crisp, 12–15 minutes. Transfer croutons to bowl with reserved dressing. Add romaine and gently toss until lettuce is well coated. Season salad with salt and pepper.

Step Six: Slice remaining lemon into wedges. Carve chicken and nestle back into skillet or transfer to a platter; arrange shallots and lemon wedges around. Serve with salad and more mustard alongside.

Fluffy Egg Sandwich

Created on 2/5/2023

Ingredients:

  • 15 eggs
  • 1.5 cups of milk
  • 3 teaspoons chicken powder
  • Freshly cracked black pepper
  • 3 green onion
  • Burger buns
  • Sliced cheese (sharp cheddar or American do the best)
  • Cooked breakfast meat (ham, sausage, bacon)

Instructions:

Step One: Preheat the over to 300 degrees. Add eggs, milk, chicken powder and black pepper to a bowl. Blend together with an emulsifier, or add to a blender. Blend until everything is well combined.

Step Two: Strain the mixture through a sieve to remove chunky egg bits. Add parchment paper to the inside of a baking dish. Pour the egg mixture into the baking dish.

Step Three: Chop the whole green onion and add to the top of the egg mixture.

Step Four: Wrap the top of the baking dish with aluminum foil. Put the baking dish on top of a baking sheet. Fill the baking sheet with water. Cook in the oven for 1 hour.

Step Five: Cut the egg mixture to the size that will fit your burger buns. Add mayo or hot sauce the burger bun, add the egg and breakfast meat of choice.

Notes: Avocado and tomato are great additions to this sandwich. Here is a video for reference The fluffiest Egg sandwich ever. #eggsandwich | TikTok

White Wine Sauce

Created on 1/05/2023

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup white wine (Pino Grigio/Chardonnay)
  • 3 tablespoons cold butter
  • Half lemon squeezed
  • 3 cloves minced garlic
  • Parsley

Instructions

Step One: Turn heat to medium high. Once the pan is hot, add the white wine. Let this steam and heat up for about 10 seconds

Step Two: Add cream and butter. Let everything combine together for a few minutes

Step Three: Add garlic, salt and pepper

Step Four: Once the garlic smells fragrant and the sauce is well combined, garnish with parsley and serve with your protein of choice.

Note: This sauce goes great with scallops and roast chicken.

Shepheard’s Pie

Created on

Ingredients:

Meat Filling

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 1 lb. 90% lean ground beef -or ground lamb
  • 2 teaspoons dried parsley leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 garlic cloves -minced
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 1 cup frozen mixed peas & carrots*
  • 1/2 cup frozen corn kernels

Potato Topping

  • 1 ½ – 2 lb. russet potatoes -about 2 large potatoes peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
  • 8 tablespoons unsalted butter -1 stick
  • 1/3 cup half & half
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

Make Meat Filling

Step One: Add the oil to a large skillet and place it over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onions. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

Step Two: Add the ground beef (or ground lamb) to the skillet and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Add the parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and and pepper. Stir well. Cook for 6-8 minutes, until the meat is browned, stirring occasionally

Step Three: Add the Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute

Step Four: Add the flour and tomato paste. Stir until well incorporated and no clumps of tomato paste remain

Step Five: Add the broth, frozen peas and carrots, and frozen corn. Bring the liquid to a boil then reduce to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

Step Six: Set the meat mixture aside. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

Make Potato Topping

Step One: Place the potatoes in a large pot. Cover the potatoes with water. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer. Cook until potatoes are fork tender, 10-15 minutes.

Step Two: Drain the potatoes in a colander. Return the potatoes to the hot pot. Let the potatoes rest in the hot pot for 1 minute to evaporate any remaining liquid.

Step Three: Add butter, half & half, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Mash the potatoes and stir until all the ingredients are mixed together.

Step Four: Add the parmesan cheese to the potatoes. Stir until well combined.

Assemble Casserole

Pour the meat mixture into a 9×9 (or 7×11) inch baking dish. Spread it out into an even layer. Spoon the mashed potatoes on top of the meat. Carefully spread into an even layer. If the baking dish looks very full, place it on a rimmed baking sheet so that the filling doesn’t bubble over into your oven. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes.** Cool for 15 minutes before serving

Notes: To make this dairy and gluten-free, sub out the flour for almond flour and the half and half/butter with a milk alternative

Biscuts and Gravy

Created on

Ingredients:

  • One tube of Old Country Sausage
  • Two tablespoons of butter
  • One cup flour
  • Two cups milk, divided
  • Smoky seasoning
  • Paprika
  • Black pepper
  • Pillsbury Grands! With Flaky Layers
  • Green onion

Instructions:

Step One: Preheat oven to the temp indicated on the Pillsbury can. Once the oven is to temp, cook the biscuits according to the instructions.

Step Two: Heat a pan to medium high heat. Cook the sausage.

Step Three: Add butter. Once the butter is melted, add the flour. Make sure to coat the sausage in the flour.

Step Four: Add one cup of milk to the sausage and flour. Mix everything together. The mixture should be very thick. Keep adding in milk, little by little, mixing it through the sausage to get the right consistency. You may not need the entire 2 cups of milk.

Step Five: Add smoky seasoning, paprika and black pepper to the mixture.

Step Six: Garnish with green onion and serve with biscuits.

Notes: For a more complete breakfast, poach two eggs and serve with the biscuits and gravy. Tabasco is the best hot sauce for this meal.

Fried Chicken Sandwich

Created on 1/18/2023

Ingredients:

Chicken Marinade

  • 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon EACH paprika, garlic powder, black pepper and salt

Breading

  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 cup corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon EACH paprika, garlic powder, cayenne pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt and pepper

Spicy Mayo

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 teaspoon paprika or cajun seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Assemble

  • 4 medium sized brioche buns
  • Mayonnaise
  • Sliced pickles
  • 3-4 cups of canola oil for frying

Instructions:

Step One: Pound chicken breasts in between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Cut each chicken breast in half crosswise to make 2 small pieces of chicken about the same size as the bun (see video below). 

Step Two: In a large bowl, buttermilk, paprika, garlic powder, salt & black pepper. Add the chicken to the mix and place in the fridge to marinate up to 24 hours or use right away. (I recommend marinading for 24 hours)

Step Three: Heat oil in a large heavy-duty skillet or pot on medium temperature or until the temperature reaches 350F.

Step Four: In a medium shallow bowl, whisk the flour, cornstarch, and spices. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of the buttermilk batter into the flour mixture and mix it through with a fork.

Step Five: Working with 1 piece at a time, dredge chicken the flour mixture and press flour on the top chicken to form a thick crust. Transfer chicken to hot oil and fry for 3-5 minutes per side or until the outside is crispy and golden and the internal temperature reaches 165F. 

Step Six: Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a large saucepan and toast buns face down until golden and crisp. Whisk all the ingredients for the mayo in a small bowl and spread a generous layer of mayo on each bun. Top with pickles and chicken. Enjoy hot! 

Notes: For extra crispy chicken, do a double fry. Fry chicken per the directions in Step Five. Repeat until all chicken has been fried once. Turn the oil temperature up to medium high, wait until the oil reaches that temp. Then return each piece of chicken separately into the oil. Fry again for about 2 minutes until the breading is a deep golden brown color. Repeat with each piece of chicken.

Christmas Prime Rib

Created on 12/24/2022

Ingredients:

  • 1 (6 pound) boneless prime rib roast
  • 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons coarsely ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 2 stalks celery, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 carrot, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 small unpeeled onion, quartered and separated
  • 2 teaspoons concentrated beef base (paste)
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • Rosemary for garnish

Instructions:

Step One: The day before serving, remove the roast from the package and dry thoroughly with paper towels. Set roast on a baking sheet, and place in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 1 hour before cooking to allow meat to reach room temperature. Rub the roast all over with horseradish and Dijon mustard. Mix kosher salt, black pepper, thyme, and garlic powder together in small bowl; sprinkle over the roast

Step Two: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place celery, carrot, and onion into the bottom of a roasting pan; place the roast on top

Step Three: Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and roast until the meat is browned and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reads 120 degrees F (54 degrees C) for medium-rare. Remove from oven, transfer roast to a platter, and cover with a tent of aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 30 minutes. The temperature of the meat will rise about 10 degrees during resting time

Step Four: To make au jus sauce: Skim excess fat from pan drippings in the roasting pan. Place the pan over a burner set to medium heat; stir in beef base and 1 1/2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, scraping and dissolving any brown flavor bits from the bottom of the pan. Strain out and discard vegetables. Combine cornstarch and 1 teaspoon of water in a small bowl; whisk the mixture into sauce. Allow sauce to thicken slightly; pour into a gravy boat and serve with roast