California Burritos

Tonight we give you one of my favorites…California Burritos. This is not a normal burrito, it’s more of a wrap, but I do toast the tortilla a bit. This is not required. The origin of this dinner is an outdoor restauant/tiki hut in Satellite Beach, Florida called Da Kin Diego’s Insane Burritos. These fresh beach wraps brought me a lot of joy, but they tended to lean heavy on the rice and beans. The saving grace was the sauces. So in honor of that memory, here is the Colonial Beach version of a California Burrito. I loved making these and would come up with enough adaptions that it never became boring. I have some smoked chicken from our last big smoke-fest, so that is the foundation. Normally I would just grill some chicken. But I’ve done...

Chicken Gyros!

Chicken Gyros! One of the best things to come out of my kitchen! Since we had some great gyro’s, I’ve been thinking about how to make my own. I bought this $16 spit/pan on Amazon to see if I could pull it off. And we absolutely did. We bought an 8 back of chicken thighs. Placed each in a ziplock bag and pounded them flat, to about 1/4 inch. Using kitchen shears, cut these in half. In a storage container we mixed this… 6 garlic cloves, minced2 tbsp red wine vinegar5 tbsp lemon juice1/3 cup Greek yogurt1/4 cup olive oil 11/2 tbsp dried oregano1 tbsp onion powder1 tsp ground cumin1 tsp ground coriander2 tsp sweet paprika2 tsp chili flakes1 tbsp kosher salt2 tsp black pepper Put in the chicken and blend well. Set aside for at least an hour, but...

Shrimp Saganaki

Tonight we give you a classic Greek dinner, Shrimp Saganaki. This is our adaption from Sip & Feast FOR THE SHRIMP2 pounds extra large shrimp1/4 cup olive oil divided1/2 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon Kosher salt1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes COMPLETING THE DISH1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil1 medium onion – diced8 cloves garlic – sliced1/2 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes1/2 cup of dry white wine1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes12 ounces cherry tomatoes – halved2 teaspoons dried oregano1 tablespoon honey3/4 cup feta –1/3 cup kalamata olives – sliced1/4 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley1 large lemon – cut into wedges, for serving Dry off 2 pounds of extra large shrimp with paper towels and place in a large...

Chicken & Cheese Sandwich

For lunch I give you Not Your Every Day Chicken & Cheese Sandwich. A few things make this unique. First is the bread is home-made. It was kneaded in my food processor and baked in an air fryer. Also, the chicken is my home smoked chicken from two weeks ago. I vacuum sealed a pile of single-served portions and put them in the freezer. I began de-thawing one pack yesterday. Actually, this lunch took a lot of pre-planning. On Monday night I put 2 cups of all purpose flour, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1 teaspoon of salt into the food processor and gave it a quick hit to mix things up. I poured 1 packet of Instant Yeast into a cup of room temperature water, stirred it to dissolve a bit and poured it into the food processor on the KNEED setting. In about a minute I had...

Braised Short Rib Dinner

Ah…RedMeatMonday®. Tonight I give you a braised short rib. Cooked with a classic Mirepoix with an air fried bake potato stuffed with a broccoli. Short warning, if you want to make this, give yourself 3 or 4 hours. But it is worth it. Sear your short ribs on a high heat in olive oil inside a dutch oven, and set aside. Drain off most of the oil. In the remaining font and oil, add a couple diced celery stalks, carrots and an onion. Cook for a few minutes then add four or five cloves of garlic (I used minced). Add tomato paste, about 2 tablespoons. Stir for about 30 seconds, then de-glased with wine. I don’t like red wine in my stews, so I use white. Stir till reduced then add some beef broth. I like bone broth, even though it salty. Bring to a boil....