Category: Your Kitchen (Page 27 of 39)

      Gazpacho for dudes

      May 13, 2011 /

      Well, not just for dudes, but I posted this on Grub for Guys a couple years back and it’s definitely dude-friendly, thanks to my secret weapon, Buffalo wing sauce. The weather reached almost 90 degrees here in Wisconsin earlier this week, so it’s time to start thinking about warm weather fare. So try this one when you have one of those steamy days….

      It’s summer, and you can either embrace that or bide your time until fall. Either way, you can help yourself by eating foods that are warm weather fare—grilled steaks, chicken, salads, and cold pasta are always good choices. And if the thought of cold soup doesn’t scare you, gazpacho is one of the best summer foods, and it’s very easy to make. Here, I came up with my own version that includes a few non-conventional ingredients like avocado, cilantro and Buffalo wing sauce. Give it a whirl in your blender and on your taste buds and let me know how you like it. With that, here we go…..

      Ingredients
      1 ½ cups tomato juice or vegetable juice such as V-8
      3 medium size tomatoes
      ½ small green pepper
      1 celery stalk
      ½ medium cucumber
      1 medium raw jalapeno pepper
      1 small avocado or ½ of a large one
      2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
      2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
      2 Tbsp. commercially made Buffalo Wing sauce
      1/3 cup chopped cilantro
      ½ tsp. Kosher salt
      ¼ tsp. ground black pepper

      Directions
      Cut the tops off the tomatoes and squeeze the pulp and seeds out, then coarsely chop the flesh. Seed the green pepper and coarsely chop. Remove the strings from the celery and coarsely chop.
      Peel and seed the cucumber and coarsely chop it. Seed and chop the jalapeno, using kitchen gloves if possible (or washing your hands immediately afterward…..I hope I don’t need to tell you why!). Then cut the avocado in half, remove the pit, scoop out the flesh and discard the pit and rind. Put all of the vegetables in a blender along with the tomato juice, olive oil, vinegar, wing sauce, cilantro, salt and pepper. Blend or pulse briefly until smooth (shorter time if you prefer a chunkier soup). Refrigerate for 1-2 hours, but you can serve as is if you’re hungry. Serves 4.

      Chef’s note: Before making this, make sure you have a loaf of crusty bread and a good summer beer such as Corona on ice. Now you’ve got a meal!

      Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen

      Product review: Spaghettios with Meatballs

      May 12, 2011 /

      Chef JimI am not sure when Campbell’s bought Franco American, but I just had some Spaghettios for the first time in years and the flavor has not changed one bit–it’s comfort food to the Nth degree, no matter when or where you grew up. I’ll be honest, though, I originally was going to review the ones with sliced hot dogs and those hot dog slices were pretty disgusting so I didn’t finish the dish or the review.

      But the one with mini-meatballs is delicious. And let’s face it, it can’t be easy to make processed meatballs taste real, and these do have that canned food meatball thing going on, but they still taste real enough not to be considered mystery meat (I think). And with ground pork being the first meat ingredient, the flavor is a bit milder than all-beef meatballs.

      As for the pasta rings, they were done about to the degree you’d expect for canned pasta, but those and the familiar mild tomato sauce with a slightly cheesy taste is still really great. Of course, at 480 calories a can (who’s going to eat half a can?), it’s a pretty hefty calorie binge for lunch. But still worth a once-in-a-while binge at that.

      Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

      Mother’s Day strawberry salad

      May 6, 2011 /

      Guys….Sunday is Mother’s Day, so make sure you have a card en route or that you are planning something for your mom, grandma, or, of course, your wife and mother of your kids. We live back in the north now, but when we lived in Nashville May was strawberry season, so we would go pick them on Mother’s Day. We should have our strawberries in June, but if you like anywhere in the south or in a warm climate like California, or even if you don’t mind grocery store strawberries, this is a great brunch or lunch recipe for your lady(ies). Enjoy and hopefully said ladies will also enjoy….

      Mother’s Day Strawberry Salad (serves 2)
      Salad:
      4 cups chopped lettuce
      1 cup sliced strawberries
      4 oz. Turkey lunch meat
      ¼ cup feta cheese
      sliced pickled sweet/hot jalapenos (optional)

      Dressing:
      2 tbsp. Strawberry preserves
      2 tbsp. Olive oil
      1 tbsp. Balsamic or red wine vinegar
      2 tsp. Lemon juice
      dash of salt and pepper

      Combine all salad ingredients. Whisk together dressing and pour evenly over salad.

      Healthy, Ingredients, Recipes, Your Kitchen

      Product review: Chef Boyardee Chili Mac

      May 3, 2011 /

      Chef JimThis product did not boast “NEW” on the can or anything, but it sure did catch my eye. I am a sucker for trying anything that could pass for junk food or canned anything. Maybe it’s because I’m positively addicted to carbs. And that’s not a great thing for my waistline, but I sure do love carbs.

      Now, I don’t make a habit of eating canned food every day for lunch, but I had to try this Chefboyardee Chili Mac because it just looked intriguing. It was macaroni with chili gravy and some ground beef. Sort of like a poor man’s Hamburger Helper. And poor man’s it is, because there is barely any beef in this dish.

      But I can say unequivocally that this chili mac is delicious. Not only is it a tasty gravy, but the macaroni is not mushy. In fact, it’s almost al dente, something you just don’t find in canned pasta. You want proof of how much I liked it? Well, I’m not going to bore you with the photo of the bowl, but I ate the whole can and the whole can was good.

      It didn’t hurt that the temperature in Madison today is about a balmy 45 degrees. So anything with the word “chili” in it was going to hit the spot, and this mac did just that.

      Product Reviews, Your Kitchen

      Grilling season!

      April 29, 2011 /

      It’s getting closer to grilling season. In some parts of the country, it’s already here. Or hell, some of you will grill when snow is on the ground, and there isn’t a whole lot wrong with that. Anyway, here is a set of recipes I posted on Grub for Guys a couple years ago. Enjoy and let me know what you think!

      Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Jalapeno Salsa
      There is nothing like barbecue chicken in the summer, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend time waiting for bone-in, skin-on chicken to take forever to grill while the fat drips into the fire and burns your chicken. Me, I will take my chances with a boneless chicken breast, but dressed up for maximum flavor. Here is a simply marinated chicken with a bright, flavorful and spicy salsa to top it with.

      Ingredients
      4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
      ¼ cup olive oil
      2 limes, divided
      Kosher salt & black pepper
      1 cup fresh pineapple, cut into very small chunks
      ½ cup peeled, seeded cucumber, also cut into small chunks
      ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
      1 jalapeno pepper, stem removed, seeded and chopped very fine

      Directions
      Combine olive oil, juice of one lime, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a large re-sealable plastic bag. Add chicken and marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. In a small bowl, combine pineapple, cucumber, cilantro, jalapeno, juice of one lime and a pinch of salt and pepper. Set aside. Preheat grill or grill pan to medium high. Remove chicken from bag and grill for about four minutes per side, or until no longer pink and slightly charred on the outside. Serve chicken topped with salsa. Serves 4.

      Tequila Lime Pork Tacos
      Ingredients
      4 boneless pork loin chops
      ¼ cup tequila
      2 limes, divided
      2 Tbsp. packaged taco-seasoning mix
      2 Tbsp. olive oil
      ½ cup cilantro, divided
      Kosher salt & pepper
      12 small corn tortillas
      1 mango
      ½ cup shredded manchego cheese
      ½ cup shredded cabbage or cole slaw mix
      Guacamole (store bought, or mash one peeled avocado with some salt, chopped cilantro, and lime juice to taste)

      Directions
      In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine tequila, juice of one lime, seasoning mix, olive oil, ¼ cup cilantro and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add pork, and marinate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Peel and chop the mango and put the chunks in a small bowl. Put cheese in a small bowl, followed by cabbage in another bowl and guacamole after that. Also have some chopped cilantro and small lime wedges at the table. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high and grill a few corn tortillas at a time for about 30 seconds per side or until a couple of small char marks are made and tortillas are warm but still pliable. Set aside and then add pork to grill. Cook for about 3-4 minutes per side and then let rest on a cutting board for about 5 minutes. Cut pork into small chunks and put in a bowl. For serving, place some pork on a corn tortilla, top with mango, cheese, cabbage, guacamole, and some cilantro and a squeeze of lime if you like. Makes 12 tacos, which you can divide according to how many hungry people you’re serving. This recipe goes great with a Corona or two (ore more).

      Wasabi Cole Slaw
      This is a kickass side dish that will open your sinuses. It goes well with any grilled meat, or on top of burgers, hot dogs or sandwiches.

      Ingredients
      ½ head green cabbage, finely shredded (or 1 bag cole slaw mix)
      ½ cup regular or light mayo
      ½ cup wasabi mayo
      1 Tbsp. soy sauce
      ½ Tbsp. fresh ginger
      1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
      ½ Tbsp. honey
      Kosher salt & ground black pepper to taste

      Directions
      Combine all ingredients except cabbage in a large bowl until well blended. Add cabbage and toss to coat. Serve immediately or let blend flavors in fridge for an hour or two. Serves 6-8.

      Healthy, Ingredients, On the Grille, Recipes, Tailgating, Your Kitchen

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