Thursday, May 23, 2013

Ribs and other "short" stories

Well,  as promised in the last installment, I cooked and shredded the remaining chicken from the marinate/rub and made chicken enchiladas with Mole sauce.  I have to admit I did not make the mole from scratch, I used a packet -  and I thought it was OK - not great, but not bad...  The chicken was very good - sweet with a little after heat - I think that marinate recipe is a keeper.  As much as I like mole sauce, it just didn't have that silky texture I was looking for -  but I'll keep looking but if anyone has a good Mole Sauce recipe from scratch please post it! :)

Anyway, another short-rib story.  Tried the Dr. Pepper ribs again but used my Ninja to only dirty one pot.  It worked great, Seared the ribs, sweated the vegetables, deglazed, and finished in the "oven" setting all in one container and even then kept then warm by using the buffet setting when in used as a slow cooker...  Gotta say at first I thought it was a gimmick but the more I dig into what you can do with this - it is pretty cool...  Anyway recipe is out there already but the sauce you get when your strain out the vegetables, and reduce is silky, and so flavorful... You just can't beat that release of collagen that happens when you successfully extract it...  I just think if you haven't tried short ribs - this is a recipe for you... And frankly, I would even think a pot roast would be pretty good like this too..  Here's a pic...  served over Cheesy Polenta (I had this same combo in Disney during our last trip there Epcot's Italian area - sorry Mickey, mine was better :))

Oh a plug for Ikey too - Our friends at the Oswego Petsmart always have some special events for their Doggie Day camp attendees... and we always try to get Ike some time out there both to help him burn off some energy during non-hunting season as well as keeping his socialization with people and other dogs up - I really think that is one of the reasons he is so good with children and other dogs..
Anyway, they recently had, since it is the season, a "Doggie Prom" and Ike was nominated as Prom King and WON.  So he is now King Ike.... (jeez, don't let it go to his head - he already runs this castle).. Anyway here is one of the pics we submitted for voting....   Note he is a Blackhawks fan

Monday, May 6, 2013

Cinco De Mayo

Hi everyone..
Lots of good stuff going on this weekend - The Kentucky Derby, Cinco De Mayo, just to name a couple...  As for the "Run For The Roses" lets just say I shouldn't quit my day job  - my handicapping this year left a lot to be desired...  I have had some pretty decent luck the last few years cashing a winning ticket or two every year for the past 5 or 6 but NOT THIS YEAR... completely skunked..  Oh well - it still is the fastest 2 minutes in sports. :)
As for Cinco De Mayo  - we had been planning on trying a new recipe for a chicken marinate, and then grilling and making some fajitas and I have to say the marinate was very good.  Here is is:

This will be for about 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 Tbsp Chili Powder
2 Tbsp Cumin
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1/4 tsp salt (I used smoked salt)
1/8 tsp Pepper
1Tbsp packed Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
10 Taco sized flour tortillas (I used some flour and some smaller corn tortillas - I liked the corn better)

In a small bowl (or resealable bag) combine chili powder, cumin, paprika, red pepper, salt, pepper, and brown sugar.  Mix well.
Add Oil and mix again  - it will be moist but crumbly.
Rub on chicken generously and let stand at room temp for 30 mins OR cover (reseal bag) and place in refrig for up to 1 day.
Preheat gas grill (or you can broil in oven if you choose) cook about 5 minutes per side and then let cool for 5 minutes.  Slice into strips

Warm tortillas, as directed.. Serve with salsa, sour cream, cilantro, avocado slices and a squeeze of lime...  

What we did was make them like fajitas - using the steel grill pans..  we grilled some onions, tomatoes and  sweet peppers as well...

Tonight I am going to try Mole sauce and grill the rest of the chicken and make enchilladas in covered in Mole and cheese..  I'll let you know how it goes. :)
Prep work and the grill pans

Lots of color

Added a little cheese, salsa and sour cream