Chili Cornbread Bake

If you have leftover chili and a box of cornbread mix this is a good way to use leftovers.  In a baking dish pour out some of your cornbread mix in the bottom.  Top that with leftover chili and some shredded cheese, then top that with more batter.  Bake until golden brown and the batter is set.  Slice and top with sour cream and some salsa!  Trust me this will become a fav!

Farmers Market Greens with Chickpeas potatoes and ham

After a trip to my local farmers market, I decided to play around with making some greens with a few additions.  In this recipe I used Kale and Radish  greens for a little variety.  

First things first, make your broth.  I added onions and a ham hock to some water and chicken base and let that simmer for around three hours.  The meat on the ham hock has to be tender so it can be shredded later.  

While that's going on, cut up your potatoes and greens.  Wash the greens, cut and put in a bowl.  Cut up the potatoes as well and store them in water so they don't discolor.  Once you have made the stock, take out the ham hock to cool.  Add in your greens and chickpeas.  Make sure your chickpeas are well rinsed before you add them in.  Cook for a few minutes, then add the potatoes.  While that's cooking, remove and dice up all the tender ham from the hock.  Add that to the pot, cook a couple more minutes, then serve as a soup.  As you can see, I did cornbread with mine.  I crumbled it over the top!  

Enjoy!

Potatoes, Ham and Eggs in a cast iron skillet.

These little cast iron skillets are awesome vessels for an easy breakfast dish.  In this dish I used some left over oven roasted potatoes and peppers along with some fresh sliced mushrooms I picked up at the farmers market yesterday.  I diced up some ham and added that as well.  Preheat your oven to 500 degrees, and put a pizza stone on the wire rack.  Those it's not as good as a wood fired oven, it's the best way to approximate that style of cooking.  As it heats up, wipe the skillet with some olive oil and put in your potatoes, mushrooms and ham.  When the oven reaches 500, pop in your skillets for about 5 to 10 minutes, until the contents are hot and sizzling.  Next step, take out the skillets one at a time and crack two eggs over the top, salt and pepper and return them to the oven.  Cook them until you get the doneness on your eggs you desire.  Remove and serve with a couple slices of toast.

Bulk Spices are the way to go!

As you can see from the pic, the prices on buying spices in the bulk section of your grocery is the way to go.  I've posted this in the past, but wanted to share an example of what they really cost!

That's your tip for the day!

Kevin

Sous Vide Chicken Thighs

In December I ate a double cut pork chop at a hotel restaurant that is in a small town near my house.  I like pork, and a pork chop is one of my favorite cuts for sure.  When this dish came to the table, I was shocked how flavorful and tender it was...only to find out their method of cooking was to Sous Vide it, then finish it on the grill.

For Christmas this year I can say that I am now the proud owner of a Joule Sous Vide machine.  So far, I've tried Pork and Chicken...both came out amazingly well.  This method of cooking maintains the proper temperature, and allows you to impart flavor better than any other cooking method I've seen to date.  Here are a few pic's of Chicken Thigh's we did this week.  If you haven't tried this method of cooking.....do a bit of research and pick up a Sous Vide unit that will work for you and is in  your budget.  I'm super happy with my Joule!

Joule Web Page

Roast Beef Hash

If you are like me, it's always great to make roast beef with potatoes and carrots, however we always seem to have a ton of leftovers.  I intentionally buy a larger beef roast than I will need for the express purpose of making this dish.  You will need a grinder of some kind, either the type that is hand cranked, or the one like I will share...an attachment for my KitchenAid Mixer.  So let's get started.  

As you can see in the picture, there is leftover potatoes, carrots and roast beef.  To that, I add an onion and some parsley.  This mixture is run through a grinder on a rough grind...you don''t want it super fine by any means!

Once  you grind the mixture, the next step is to fry it up in  your favorite skillet...I use cast iron.  I do this on a medium heat and let it sit for a bit to develop a crust, then turn it / mix it up again and then let it sit to brown.  Do this until you reach the doneness you desire.  As you can see in my pic below, I like my hash done pretty well because I serve a fried egg over the end result, or as you can see in this pic.....grilled sausages.  Season to your liking and enjoy that in some cases...the leftovers are better than the original meal!  

Gordon Ramsay's Scrambled Eggs

Wow, it's been forever since I've posted on here, and I'm hoping to change that beginning with this post.  So I've watched this video numerous times over the past couple years, but never tried to cook this as Gordon did.  The past two mornings I've made scrambled eggs this way, and I can vouch it's my new favorite way to scramble eggs.  These come out to creamy and perfect...I can't imagine going back to my old methods.  Check out this video, and give it a try..you won't be disappointed.  The only drawback to this method is the cleanup in a regular pan...I may get a non-stick sauce pan just for this recipe....maybe LOL. 


Gordon Ransay's Scrambled Eggs