Pimento Cheese Grilled Cheese
Posted by Mike Farley (04/17/2012 @ 10:51 pm)
 I think I first had pimento cheese on a burger when I lived in Nashville. It was like crack on a bun, and I usually order it when I see it on a menu, no matter what form that it’s in. Well, you all know my favorite grocery store is Trader Joe’s, and last week I found two things to help celebrate Grilled Cheese Month–pimento cheese and these kickass ciabatta rolls. The rolls are those half baked ones that you finish in the oven, giving you the impression that you just baked them from scratch. Pimento cheese, if you haven’t had it before, is more of a spread–it’s usually make with a combination of cream cheese, cheddar, pimentos, and other spices and flavorings. And best of all, it melts into oozy goodness.
Today I tried to create some mini grilled cheese sandwiches using these items. I baked two rolls, cut them in half, and sprayed the outsides of them with olive oil spray. I then spread pimento cheese on the insides of both rolls, and added some salami slices to one of them. I cooked them in a skillet as if I was making a grilled cheese. This also meant I had to flatten them slightly with a spatula and cover the pan for a minute or so in order for the cheese to melt. It only took a minute or minute and a half on each side, but the result was amazing for both sandwiches. If you can find pimento cheese, grab it and try some version of this sandwich–you will thank me later!
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, Interviews, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: easy grilled cheese, easy sandwich recipe, easy sandwiches, food for dudes, grill cheese recipe, grilled cheese month, Grub For Guys, guilty pleasure, midnight snack, pimento cheese grilled cheese, pimento cheese grilled cheese with salami, pimento cheese is awesome, pimento cheese on ciabatta rolls, Trader Joe's
Easy Awesomeness: Trader Joe’s Bacon Wrapped Dates
Posted by Mike Farley (04/13/2012 @ 11:13 pm)
 You are likely getting tired of hearing me pimp Trader Joe’s, but their awesomeness became even more awesome when my wife got me a Trader Joe’s Companion Cookbook for my birthday. Then last week we got the Trader Joe’s cookbook, the bigger one. And the recipes are insanely good. We tried a few already but one that is truly great and easy is the bacon wrapped dates.
I found a link to the recipe at a gluten free website, which is interesting because we are researching a gluten free diet as a possibility for our son with autism. And hey, he loves bacon too, so maybe he would like this recipe, as picky of an eater as he is.
Seriously though, I made some of these the other day and they are as good as they look and as good as they sound. Make sure you have foil under the rack so that the grease drips down onto something disposable. And you don’t have to shop at Trader Joe’s to make these, although the dates they sell are perfect for this recipe.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, On the Grille, Product Reviews, Recipes
Tags: bacon, bacon recipes for guys, bacon wrapped dates, cooking for dudes, cooking with bacon, dates, easy appetizers, easy bacon appetizer, easy bacon recipe, Grub For Guys, guilty pleasures, midnight snacks, Trader Joe's, Trader Joe's cookbook
It’s Grilled Cheese Month!
Posted by Mike Farley (04/06/2012 @ 10:11 pm)
Grilled cheese sandwiches. Who doesn’t love them? Well, it’s your month–April, specifically, is Grilled Cheese Month. I have a few ideas of sandwiches I’d like to create, but the first one I tried yesterday was killer–maybe literally if you eat too many of them, but I digress….and digest. I give to you, the Wisconsin cheddar/bratwurst grilled cheese.
First of all, as I may have mentioned before, it’s best to use real butter for these. Set a stick out and let it get to room temperature to soften. And get some good sturdy bread, preferably as I did that I cut from a loaf, but not too thick that the cheese won’t melt. This particular sandwich is best with white, rye or pumpernickel bread.
For this sandwich, I found some mini-brats at Trader Joe’s, and cooked those in a skillet over medium heat. I added water after they started to brown, just like cooking sausage, although these are fully cooked and probably didn’t need to be cooked through too much more. If you can’t find these mini-brats, you can use sliced regular brats. After cooked, slice two of the links in half lengthwise, and set them aside (or slice into 1/4 inch rounds for larger links). Shred some good cheddar and set that aside. Butter the outside of two bread slices, and spread some thousand island dressing on the inside of one or both bread halves (you can buy it or make your own mixing mayo, ketchup/chili sauce, and sweet pickle relish). Put a pat of butter in a small nonstick skillet and warm over medium heat until just melted. Lay the brat pieces on the inside of the bread, and then put about 1/3 of a cup of shredded cheese on top. Close the sandwich, and cook in the pan for about 2 minutes or until browned, and then flip it over and cook for another 1 minute or until browned. The second side takes a much shorter amount of time.
Slice and serve with pickles, chips and a cold beer (or a frosty root beer or cola is even good with grilled cheese). Oh, and tomato soup, but it’s getting too warm for soup already. Oh wait, I had mine with these kickass sweet/hot peppers from Trader Joe’s…..you’d think I was on their payroll, right?
Enjoy the weekend everyone!
Posted in: Grocery stores, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: beer, bratwurst, bread, butter, cheddar cheese, cheese, easy gourmet grilled cheese, grilled cheese month, grilled cheese sandwich, guilty pleasure, indulgent grilled cheese, midnight snack, pickles, root beer, sweet hot peppers, Thousand Island dressing, tomato soup, Wisconsin cheddar
Maple cheddar
Posted by Mike Farley (12/26/2011 @ 9:03 pm)
Okay, so if you don’t live in Wisconsin, this might be a bit more difficult to relate to. But on a recent visit to the most awesome Brennan’s Market, I came across a new flavor of cheddar–maple cheddar. It’s cheddar cheese literally infused with maple syrup. I was a bit skeptical but when one of the employees asked me if I needed help and then saw the maple cheddar in my basket, she said that was her favorite. Okay, if I was ambivalent before, now I was sold. And I was already imagining what to do with this cheese.
I had also picked up some thick cut bacon at Brennan’s, and so my breakfast the next morning was an open faced bacon/cheese melt using the bacon and the maple cheddar. And as you might expect, it was awesome. Of course, you can make this with any type of cheese, but this maple cheese gave it that hint of sweetness, and it was subtle, as if you were eating pancakes and some of the syrup slid onto your sandwich. Yum.
And it’s simple–just cook 2-3 slices of bacon. Cut a thick slice or two of crusty Italian bread, top with the bacon and some shredded cheese, and broil or toast for about 2-3 minutes or until the cheese melts and is bubbly.
Posted in: Grocery stores, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, bacon and cheese, breakfast food, breakfast sandwich, cheddar, easy breakfast, easy breakfast sandwich, food for dudes, Grub For Guys, Italian bread, maple cheddar, thick cut bacon
Grilled cheese and tomato soup always classic
Posted by Mike Farley (12/19/2011 @ 7:53 pm)
A gray day in December just screams for a grilled cheese sandwich and tomato soup, so thankfully we had everything on hand to have the combo for lunch. Here is my take on the most authentic version…..
The sandwich: You can use any kind of bread, but for authenticity sake I used Italian bread–the packaged kind that is essentially glorified white bread. For the best results, also use real butter, thawed to room temperature (seriously, the sandwich will come out perfectly crispy, and you will not have ingested any of that plastic tasting fake stuff). Slice about a quarter inch slab of butter and place in a quality nonstick skillet. Then butter the outsides of two bread slices. Meanwhile, grab either two thin slices of American cheese or cut a few thin slices off a log of Velveeta. Put the cheese on the bread so that the buttered sides are facing out. Warm the skillet over medium heat and once the butter is melted, put the sandwich down. Cook for about 60-90 seconds or until brown and crispy, then flip the sandwich. Cook for about 30-45 more seconds (the second side cooks in about half the time, but I’m not sure why that is). Slide onto a plate and slice in half if you like.
The soup: With all due respect to chefs who make killer tomato soup, or to soup companies that create nice versions of tomato soup, I have to say that nothing quite compares to Campbell’s. And make it with a can of milk instead of water for a nice creamy soup. I’m not sure if it’s because this is the tomato soup my mom made growing up, but regardless, it always tastes perfect and awesome.
I’ll work on more versions of the combo in the next week or so. Meanwhile, do yourself a favor and make this one–I guarantee it will be the best lunch you have all week. Okay, maybe, but you get the point.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: American cheese, butter, Campbell's Soup, Campbell's tomato soup, easy grilled cheese, grilled cheese for dudes, grilled cheese recipe, grilled cheese sandwich, Italian bread, milk, soup and sandwich, tomato soup, Velveeta, white bread
Grub for Guys: beef tenderloin
Posted by Mike Farley (12/16/2011 @ 10:14 pm)
Greetings and welcome to Mikey’s Kitchen in the week before Christmas. Wow, did I just say that? Anyway, we posted my recipe for beef tenderloin with a horseradish dipping sauce over on Bullz-Eye’s Grub for Guys today. I’m also pasting the recipe below. Enjoy!
If you read my column here and food blog, Mikey’s Kitchen, you know that I don’t always suggest using expensive and/or exotic ingredients. It’s more of a an every-dude column for the average guy, mostly ones who don’t necessarily cook much but who are looking for tips and ideas on how to get more comfortable in the kitchen. And so in the spirit of the holidays, since it’s a special time of year that may require a special meal or two, I am suggesting you go buy some beef tenderloin – aka filet mignon. Because sometimes you just have to, and because I made this dish last week and it came out freaking awesome. Now, you can buy the whole tenderloin as I did, and you can roast it whole and then slice it, as I did not do. You can also buy the filets pre-sliced. But I cut my own steaks from the whole tenderloin, and the result was maybe some of the best steak I’ve ever had.
INGREDIENTS:
4-5 pound whole beef tenderloin (filet mignon)
Olive oil for brushing
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Chopped fresh parsley
FOR THE SAUCE:
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons jarred horseradish
Pinch salt
DIRECTIONS
Let meat sit at room temperature for an hour or so. Meanwhile, combine dipping sauce ingredients and set aside or refrigerate until you are ready to continue.
Preheat a grill pan (or large nonstick skillet) to medium high heat. Combine salt, pepper and parsley on a plate. Slice steaks into 8 oz. portions or so (about an inch thick), brush all sides with oil and then roll in salt mixture so that the outside rim of the steak is coated. Also sprinkle some salt on both sides of the meat, then place in grill pan and cook for about 4-5 minutes per side for medium (it helps to cover while cooking to seal in the juices and not set off your smoke alarm). Let stand on a plate with tented foil for about 1-2 minutes before pouring the juices back on top, and serving with the dipping sauce. Serves 3-4.
Good sides for this dish are my twice baked potatoes and sautéed spinach (heat a few tablespoons oil in a very large, deep skillet, and add a 16-20 oz. bag of spinach. Cook down for about 2 minutes, add salt, pepper and a pinch of garlic powder before serving).
Posted in: Grocery stores, Healthy, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: awesome beef tenderloin recipe, beef, beef for dinner, beef tenderloin, filet mignon, Grub For Guys, holiday beef tenderloin, holiday cooking, holiday recipe for guys, holidays, horseradish dipping sauce
Quick breakfast frito pie
Posted by Mike Farley (11/21/2011 @ 11:08 pm)
Don’t tell your cardiologist about this one. Also, don’t tell my doctor, either. But I whipped this up this past weekend and it was too delicious not to share with you. And it’s real easy. It also was the perfect breakfast after I had a few beers Friday night.
First, take a generous handful of Frito’s and put then in a shallow bowl. Cook 2 slices of bacon in the microwave (or as you would normally cook bacon) for about 2 minutes or until crisp. Cut 3-4 slabs of Velveeta off a hunk and cut that into smaller cubes. Sprinkle over the Fritos and nuke for about 30 seconds. Crumble bacon on top of Frito mixture. Meanwhile, spray a nonstick skillet with cooking spray and warm over medium heat. Crack an egg (or two) into the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the whites are set and yolk is still runny. Slide egg(s) onto the top of the Frito mixture and sprinkle with hot sauce. Serve with a big glass of OJ or big mug of coffee, and enjoy (trust me, you will!).
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Grocery stores, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, breakfast, breakfast Frito pie, cheese, easy breakfast, easy breakfast recipe, eggs, food for dudes, Frito pie, Fritos, Grub For Guys, hangover food, hot sauce, Velveeta
Turkey Day is upon us
Posted by Mike Farley (11/18/2011 @ 7:38 pm)
Folks, where did that year just go? Just like that, it’s Thanksgiving again. This year we are visiting family and going out for dinner, but we plan on having our own turkey dinner the week afterward. Meanwhile, I thought it would be a good time to plug my own blog here, and publish a link to last year’s instructions on cooking a turkey 101.
Here is that link:
And here is a link to what to do with your leftovers
You can also make the soup recipe I posted a few weeks ago using turkey instead of chicken
Then, of course, if you can’t button the button on your pants, you can make this healthy turkey sandwich.
I’ll have more ideas for leftovers next week, but for now I wanted to make sure you were covered with a refresher and some ideas for leftovers to start out.
Posted in: Food on a Budget, Healthy, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: delicious turkey, easy roast turkey, how to cook a Thanksgiving turkey, how to cook a turkey, roast turkey, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving turkey, turkey, turkey dinner, turkey leftovers, turkey sandwich, turkey soup
Cooler weather=warmer food
Posted by Mike Farley (10/25/2011 @ 10:42 pm)
 I have to admit, by the time September hits, and there is a chill in the air, I’m ready to stop grilling and making salads and gazpacho and ready to start cooking stick-to-you-ribs meals like chili and stew and roasts. One of the reasons I was excited about moving to Wisconsin last year was for the earlier changing of the season from that of Nashville. Of course, there is the down side to that–i.e. early and lots-of-it snow. But we have some time before that happens (well, hopefully we do). And the warmer fall has been a mild bummer in a cooking sense, because who wants to make stew when it’s 80 degrees outside, as it was the first week to 10 days of the month here in Madison. Something is wrong with that picture, but I’m no climate scientist.
As I write this, however, it’s a brisk 60-ish with temps dropping into the low 40′s tonight. It’s stew time, and I’ve got a beef stew on the stove. I’m not making the one I posted here last year, but a new recipe I found in a magazine. But I have to tell you guys, I re-visited my chili recipe last week during a football Sunday (the beef one), and it came out way better than it ever has before. I think the key was just to let it thicken naturally, but either way I felt pretty good about that recipe, admittedly better than the first time I made it and created the recipe.
I’m also looking forward to re-visiting casseroles and mac & cheese like this one. I also want to give another go-round with this Buffalo chicken mac I saw in the Food Network magazine recently. Man, was that amazing. Oh, and don’t forget about soup. Maybe I need to make new soups a priority this year–dude soup. Yeah, that’s it.
Posted in: Food TV, Grocery stores, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Your Kitchen
Tags: beef chili, beef stew, buffalo chicken mac & cheese, chili, chipotle mac & cheese, cooler weather, dude food, food for dudes, food for guys, Food Network Magazine, macaroni and cheese, Madison, Nashville, stew, warmer food, Wisconsin
Maple-y bacon breakfast sandwich
Posted by Mike Farley (10/06/2011 @ 9:47 pm)
Psst, don’t tell your cardiologist about this one.
Last week, I saw Eggo French Toast Waffles, which are more of a waffle and less like French toast (the key is there is maple syrup baked in), in the freezer case at the grocery store. I thought our 4-year old would like these, so I picked them up. Then of course, I realized it’s bacon week and anything goes.
So this morning, I toasted two of these “waffles,” and scrambled some eggs. I cooked up two slices of thick cut bacon in the microwave. When the pillows of maple goodness were toasted, I put a slice of cheese down on one of them, then topped with the scrambled eggs and the bacon slices and put the other waffle on top. And there you have a breakfast sandwich that is every bit as tasty as it sounds, and looks (above).
Posted in: Grocery stores, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen
Tags: bacon, bacon egg and cheese, breakfast, breakfast sandwich, breakfast sandwich recipe, cheese, dude food, easy bacon sandwich, Eggo waffles, eggs, food for dudes, French toast, French toast waffles, Grub For Guys, maple bacon sandwich, maple syrup
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