Football Meat and Cheese Dip

Most epic dip ever. A hardy meat and cheese dip baked in oven. This is a meal for about 3-4 people.

  • 1 loaf French or Italian bread (thick loaf)
  • Two 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature 
  • 8 ounces sharp Cheddar, grated 
  • 8 ounces White Cheddar, grated
  • 1/2 lb. mild / anise Italian sausage
  • 1/2 lb. spicy Italian sausage
  • 2 bunch green onions, finely chopped 
  • 1/2 white onion, finely chopped 
  • 2 medium tomato, finely chopped 
  • 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped 
  • 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, such as Tabasco 
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder 
  • Large corn chips, for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut an oval in the top of the load of bread, scooping out the bread in the center and make a “bread boat.” Place the bread on a cooking sheet.

Take sausage out of casing and fry in saucepan with the onion, set aside.

In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese, cheddar, sausage, green onions, tomatoes, bell peppers, hot sauce and chili powder until fully combined. Spoon the mixture into the hollow center of the bread loaf. Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling, and serve warm with corn chips and bread

Paprikash!

An extraordinary dish.

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 pounds chicken: 4 drumsticks, 3 thighs, 2 breasts (skin on)
  •  Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon  canola
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 large yellow onion, peeled and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
  • 3 tablespoons smoked or sweet paprika (MUST BE FRESH)
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 large ripe tomato, chopped (stewed up)
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • 1 pound egg noodles
  • ¾ cup sour cream

PREPARATION

  1. Heat oven to 400.
  2. Season the chicken with tons of salt and pepper.
  3. Heat the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large, heavy, oven-safe sauté pan or Dutch oven set over high flame, until the butter is foaming.
  4. Sear the chicken in batches, skin-side down, until it is golden and crisp, approximately 7 minutes. Then turn the chicken over, and repeat on the other side, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove chicken to a plate to rest.
  5. Put the breasts in the oven (they are bigger and need to catch up to the dark meat)
  6. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the accumulated fat in the pot. Return the pot to the stove, over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook, stirring frequently with a spoon to scrape off any browned bits of chicken skin, until the onion has softened and gone translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
  7. Add the garlic, and stir again, cooking it until it has softened, approximately 3 to 4 minutes.
  8. Add the paprika, the flour and a touch of broth, and stir well to combine, then cook until the mixture is fragrant and the taste of the flour has been cooked out, approximately 5 minutes.
  9. Add tomatoes and broth, whisk until smooth, simmer 5 minutes and then nestle the chicken back in the pan, skin-side up with. Slide the pot into the oven, and cook until the chicken has cooked through and the sauce has thickened slightly, approximately 25 minutes.
  10. Meanwhile, set a large pot of heavily salted water to boil over high heat. Cook noodles in the water until they are almost completely tender, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Drain the noodles, and toss them in a bowl with the remaining butter, then toss again to coat.
  11. Place the chicken on top of the noodles, then add the sour cream to the sauce, stir to combine and ladle it over the whole.

Linguini with Shrimp (WIP)

Ingredients

 

Directions

  1. Drizzle some oil in a large pot of boiling salted water, add the linguine, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or according to the directions on the package.
  2. Meanwhile, in another large (12-inch), heavy-bottomed pan, melt the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat.
  3. Add the garlic, saute for 1 minute. Be careful, the garlic burns easily!
  4. Add the shrimp, 1 teaspoon of salt, and the pepper and saute until the shrimp have just turned pink, about 5 minutes, stirring often.
  5. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, lemon slices, and red pepper flakes.
  6. Toss to combine.
  7. When the pasta is done, drain the cooked linguine and then put it back in the pot.
  8. Immediately add the shrimp and sauce, toss well, and serve.

Lasagna Bolognese

This is a low cheese, high flavor Lasagna.

INGREDIENTS

  1. Bolognese sauce:
    • 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
    • 1 medium carrot, peeled, coarsely chopped
    • 1 celery stalk, coarsely chopped
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil
    • 1 pound ground beef chuck
    • 1 pound ground pork
    • 4 ounces pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped
    • Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
    • 1 cup dry white wineB
    • 1 cup whole milk
    • 1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes
    • 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided
  2. Cheeses:
    • Mozzarella (like 1-2 packages of grated cheese)
    • Parmesan or Grana grated cheese
  3. Béchamel:
    • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 4 cups whole milk, warmed
    • Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
    • Kosher salt
    • If Bechamel doesn’t thicken well, do another roux (butter & flour) and add back milk
  4. Assembly:
    • Kosher salt
    • Unsalted butter, room temperature (for dish)
    • 2 cups finely grated Parmesan
    • Special equipment: A pasta maker

PREPARATION

  1. Up to two days ahead
    1. Make the Bolognese sauce
      Pulse onion, carrot, and celery in a food processor until finely chopped.
    2. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add ground beef, ground pork, pancetta, and vegetables; cook, breaking up ground meat with a spoon, until moisture is almost completely evaporated and meat is well browned, 25–30 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
    3. Add wine to pot and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pot, about 2 minutes. Add milk; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until moisture is almost completely evaporated, 8–10 minutes. Add tomatoes and 2 cups broth; bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, adding water by 1/2-cupfuls if sauce looks dry, until flavors meld and sauce thickens, 2 1/2–3 hours.
    4. Let sauce cool, then cover and chill at least 12 hours or up to 2 days. (Letting the sauce sit will give it a deeper, richer flavor.)
      1. Make the béchamel
        Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in warm milk, 1/2-cupful at a time. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until the consistency of cream, 8–10 minutes; add nutmeg and season with salt. Remove from heat, transfer to a medium bowl, and press plastic wrap directly onto surface; let cool slightly. Chill if not using right away.
  2. Day of
    1. Reheat the sauces
      Combine Bolognese sauce and remaining 1 cup broth in a large saucepan over medium heat, and heat until sauce is warmed through.
    2. Meanwhile, if you made the béchamel ahead of time, heat in a medium saucepan over low heat just until warmed through (you don’t want to let it boil).
    3. Cook the noodles
      Working in batches, cook fresh lasagna noodles (prefer using Barrilla Pasta that aren’t pre-cooked) in a large pot of boiling salted water until just softened, about 10 seconds. Remove carefully with tongs and transfer to a large bowl of ice water; let cool. Drain noodles and stack on a baking sheet, with paper towels between each layer, making sure noodles don’t touch (they’ll stick together).
    4. Assemble the lasagna
      Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 13×9″ baking dish with butter.
    5. Spread 1/4 cup béchamel in the prepared baking dish. Top with a layer of noodles, spread over a scant 3/4 cup Bolognese sauce, then 1/2 cup béchamel, and top with 1/4 cup Parmesan & Mozzarella. Repeat process 7 more times, starting with noodles and ending with Parmesan, for a total of 8 layers. Place baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet and bake lasagna until bubbling and beginning to brown on top, 50–60 minutes. Let lasagna sit 45 minutes before serving.
    6. Lasagna can be assembled 12 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Let sit at room temperature 2 hours before baking. Cook, covered with foil until the last 20 minutes, then finish cooking uncovered.

Dried: If you spot imported dried egg noodles, they’re worth the splurge, but standard supermarket durum wheat will work just fine (avoid no-boil, though). Supermarket noodles are thicker, so make fewer layers. Cook 24 noodles (1–1 1/2 boxes) per package instructions; divide sauces evenly among 6 layers. Trim noodles as needed.

Med Chicken

  • 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (about 1 3/4 pounds)
  • 6 garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
  • Juice and zest of 2 lemons
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, more for serving
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or marjoram
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, more for garnish (optional)
  • ¾ teaspoon sumac, more for garnish (optional)
  • ⅔ cup plain Greek yogurt, preferably whole milk yogurt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  1. Combine chicken with all but 1 teaspoon of the grated garlic (save that teaspoon for the yogurt sauce), the zest and juice of 1 lemon, oil, parsley, mint, thyme, oregano, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and the sesame seeds and sumac, if using. Cover and marinate for 15 to 30 minutes at room temperature; you can refrigerate it for up to 24 hours.
  2. Heat grill or broiler. If grilling, cook chicken over high heat until charred in spots, 4 to 7 minutes. Flip pieces and continue grilling until just cooked through, another 4 to 7 minutes. If broiling, arrange a rack 3 to 4 inches from flame. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and spread chicken out in a single layer. Broil chicken, turning halfway through cooking, until well colored and charred in spots, 4 to 7 minutes per side.
  3. While chicken cooks, place yogurt in a small bowl. Stir in the reserved grated garlic and lemon zest and season to taste with salt. Serve the chicken drizzled with olive oil, remaining lemon juice to taste, black pepper, parsley and sesame seeds and sumac, if using, with the yogurt alongside for dipping.

Sea Bass

epic found on somethingnewfordinner.com

Great for any white fish, but especially an oily bad ass fish like SB

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup white wine
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 medium shallot, very finely chopped
  • 2 T fresh lemon juice
  • zest of one lemon
  • 3 T unsalted butter
  • 2 T fresh dill, chopped
  • 2 T capers, drained
  • 2 T grape seed oil, or other hot oil
  • 2 pounds Chilean sea bass filets about 1½”
  • Salt
  • Pepper

 

Instructions
  1. Pre heat oven to 450 degrees. Put wine, garlic, shallot, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue cooking until liquid is reduced to about ⅓ cup. Reduce heat to low and whisk in 1 tablespoon of butter at a time. Remove from heat and stir in 1 T dill and capers. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
  2. Heat an oven proof skillet on high and add grapeseed oil to the pan. Heat the oil until it starts to shimmer. Dry the sea bass thoroughly and season with salt and pepper. Sear the fillets for about 3 minutes on each side, turning once. The goal is to get a crispy golden crust on each side.
  3. Remove the pan from the stove and transfer to the hot oven. Roast for about 5 minutes in the oven until sea bass is just cooked through.
  4. Plate the fish, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with remaining 1 T fresh dill.

Chili

First stab at a work in progress.

ingredients:

  • 1.5 lb ground beef
  • 1 giant sierra nevada
  • 2 onions
  • Garlic
  • 3 stalks of celery
  • 1 Red bell pepper
  • 1 fresh japaleno
  • 4 anaheim chilis
  • 1 can kidney beans
  • 1 can black beans
  • 1 27 oz can of whole tomatoes
  • 1 can of tomato sauce
  • Cumin
  • Salt
  • Chili Powder
  • Celery salt
  1. Saute onions for several minutes
  2. Add ground beef and garlic and saute….
  3. Separately saute fresh jalapeno, red bell
  4. Saute until nice… use celery salt to flavor
  5. Combine the two pans
  6. cook a bit longer and spice up with 1/4 cup chili powder and 1 tbsp cumin
  7. Put in crock pot
  8. Add  beans (drained and rinsed) tomato sauce and whole big can of tomatoes crushing them with hands as you add
  9. Roast Anaheims, peel skin… chop and add
  10. Add half of giant beer (or a whole regular beer)
  11. cook for 6 hrs… lets see what happens

Milks Stroganoff

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound filet mignon or mignon tips (cut into 2 inch long and 1/4 inch wide)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1 pound mushrooms, caps only thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup beef broth
  • 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 3/4+ cup sour cream
  • 2+ teaspoons flour (eyeball it)
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons minced parsley
  • Salt and freshly grounded black pepper
  • A couple shots of Sherry or dry vermouth
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 8 -10 ounces medium egg noodles, cooked al dente
  1. Heat large non-stick skillet over high heat and sear meat on all sides, for about a minute. Work in small batches so meat does not give off liquid. Do not use oil etc. Remove to a plate.
  2. Cool the meat skillet slightly and deglaze it w a couple shots of sherry or dry vermouth to bring up all the love.
  3. Add butter to meat love skillet, stir it up. Add onions and sauté, after a bit add mushrooms and garlic and sauté until deep golden, about 15 minutes or longer.
  4. While this is all going on blend broth, mustard, heavy whipping cream and sour cream in a separate saucepan and bring to simmer.
  5. Lower heat, add flour and cook stirring for a minute to thicken
  6. Whisk the gravy and any meat juices slowly into the veggie pan, simmer, without boiling until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes.
  7. Add meat to sauce and heat, without boiling until meat is warmed through. Season to taste with salt and pepper; stir in dill and parsley and spoon over noodles.

Do’s: make extra sauce

Don’ts: overcook meat

The Duncan

 

This is a different take on the Boardwalk Martini, an evolution if you will. A major shout out to the lovely and talented Liz for taking it to the next level in a feat of cataclysmic creativity.

Ingredients for two Martini’s:

  • Boyd and Blair Potato Vodka. A small batch “craft” vodka.
  • Dry Vermouth in a mister (no mister, no deal)
  • Lemon
  • Crushed Ice
  • Regular Ice
  • Frosted Martini Glasses….(another deal breaker if they aren’t frosted)
  • Toothpicks
  • Citrus Stripper
  1. Fill bottom half of martini shaker with regular ice cubes.
  2. Add 5 ounces Boyd and Blair to your shaker.
  3. Remove frosted Martini glasses from ice box.
  4. Spray the frozen glasses inside and out with light vermouth spray (it sticks to the frozen glass)
  5. Use the stripper to get lemon peel into glass. Ideally you will do the stripping near the glass so you get the lemon zest on the inside of the glass
  6. Drop lemon peel in glass
  7. Shake the shaker 5-7 times, don’t over shake, you will water down the spirit.
  8. Add crushed ice to the shaker….don’t shake…huge upside, it gives you shards…
  9. Pour into the two glasses over the lemon peel
  10. LET IT SIT. for 5-10 minutes, yes LET IT SIT
  11. Congratulate yourself on what a pompous ass you are for making such a perfect duncan
  12. Enjoy.