Happy 4th oh July Hot Dog
Like everyone else, I like an occasion hot dog. I have limited myself to a enjoying a hot dog once a year…July 4th. So for this year we decided to do it up right. First off, the only dog to use is a Nathan’s All Beef. On the Blackstone we heated up avocado oil and tossed on some chopped Vidalia Onions and a handful of Hot Cherry Peppers. To join them we toasted some potato buns. The topper was a seared grass fed ground beef, flavored with some chili seasoning, fresh ground black pepper and pink Himalayan sea salt. With the buns toasted, we added the peppers, onions and mustard. With the dog placed it was topped with crispy meat mixture, and for me, a slice of deli-cut American cheese. Hands down, the best hot dog I’ve ever had! I hope all my...
Bagel Basil Turkey Burger with a Cashew Cream
A foot injury sidelined me this week. But my wonderful sous chef helped me get back on my feet, or my foot, so to speak. Thus we give you a Bagel Basil Turkey Burger with a Cashew Cream. And yes, it was incredible. And entirely new based on what we had on hand. Saara did all the heavy lifting on this. I just offered thoughts from my position on the couch. For prep work, saute half an onion in some olive oil, the add a handful of chopped basil and some minced garlic. The basil burger was a mix of ground turkey, the onion/basil mix and seasoning. To this we added a couple tablespoons of high quality pesto. The seasoning of the moment was McCormick’s Chicken Seasoning and some oregano with some ground black pepper. Grilled on our Blackstone griddle with...
garden grown cucumber salad
The star of Saturday night’s dinner on a hot Summer night was the garden grown cucumber salad. The whole meal was a griddle cooked turkey burger with sweet potato fries. But let’s focus on the cucumber salad. Two garden grown cucumbers were sliced. Garden fresh parsley, basil and dill were added. Into the bowl went Apple cider vinegar, minced garlic, diced roasted red bell peppers, kosher salt and crushed black pepper with a diced onion. Mix and let this sit for an hour, tossing occasionally. The burger was ground turkey, mixed with suateed onion and spinach. Add this with some olive oil and chicken/steak seasoning and blend well. Season with black pepper. Grill on each side for about 5 minutes. The sauce was our usual mayo with cholula hot sauce. We...
Quick Pickles
Today’s cucumber harvest, or as I like to say “Future Quick Pickles.” It’s been a solid year of cucumber production in the garden. Here’s my quick pickle recipe that I enjoy serving with Summertime meals. INGREDIENTS (made for one) One cucumber, peeled and thin sliced • A dusting of salt• 1 tsp Balsamic vinegar• 1 tsp White wine vinegar• 1 tbs agave• A couple springs of fresh dill (my garden is cranking dill out now)• Red onion (a couple rings, chopped).• Chopped Roasted red bell pepper (a few strips). DIRECTIONS Lightly salt the cucumbers and toss, let them rest to draw out the moisture. Give it an hour, or less. Pat dry. Add the ingredients above and toss. Put in the fridge to chill. Take it up a notch if you have fresh parsley and...
A Ham and Cheese Dual Toad in the Hole with Roasted Red Bell Peppers and a Lime/Dill Creama
Sometimes when I lie awake at 3 AM due to my bi-phasic sleep pattern, I think of what I will make for breakfast. This creation is a direct result of that. Cut two holes in a large slice of sourdough bread. Save the resulting bread circles! I use an olive jar. Blend some robust olive oil with garlic powder and Pink Himalayan Sea Salt. Brush it onto the bread. Cut a few slices of ham, I used Toi Black Forest Ham. Break an egg into a bowl and then slide it into place. Repeat. Crush on fresh black pepper sprinkle with parsley and a hint of Mexican Tajin seasoning. Apply some finely shredded Mexican Co-Jack cheese and top with roasted red bell pepper strips. Air-fry at 370° for 10 minutes, keep the door closed and let it sit for 2 minutes. Top with a crema made from...
Harissa Air Fried Chick Peas
This uses a fiery hot spice from North Africa. If you want something tamer, you could use just paprika. Big thanks to my life-long buddy Chip Gorman whose comment on my earlier air-fried chick pea snack led to the discovery of Harissa, which has become the basis of so many great meals. I get mine on Amazon. Simple recipe. I drain, rinse and clean (remove the skins) two cans of chick peas. I roll them out on a kitchen towel to dry and remove the rest of the skins. I throw these into a bowl with a little olive or avocado oil and coat them with the Harissa Seasoning. These go into the air fryer for 20 minutes, then I rotate the trays and do a few more minutes, or until they are crunchy all the way through. No mushy-ness. Place these in a bowl, add some more...