Bacon Cheeseburger Pinwheels

Wow… here is a recipe that is pretty much life changing 🙂 These things are perfect. Perfect for life, perfect for dinner, perfect for lunch, perfect for game-time, just perfect. I mean, BACON… CHEESEBURGER… PINWHEEL… the name says it all.

Even Newton shamelessly begs for them!!

After much experimentation my husband and I decided that Gray’s Jamaican Spicy Sauce was the perfect accompaniment to these things.  Purists may argue for plain old Katsup and Mustard, but since I think Katsup is gross, I would argue back 🙂  No honestly we tried all options, Katsup, Mustard, BBQ sauce, etc… Jamaican Spicy was just the best.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pinwheels

1 lb Lean Hamburger
3 TBSP Tomato sauce
1 Egg
1/2 cup Seneca Crispy Onions, crushed (or use whatever local brand you can find
6-8 strips of Bacon, cooked and chopped
Worcestershire sauce

3/4 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 can refrigerated Pizza dough

• Preheat oven to 350F
• In a large bowl combine everything except the Pizza dough
• Roll out the pizza dough to approximately 9″ by 15″ and top with the hamburger mixture
• Starting with the long edge of the dough, roll up into a log
• Slice the log into 16 or so pieces, approximately 1 inch each.  Don’t worry if the dough looks a little thin.  It will puff up when it bakes.  (see the picture below)
• Place the pinwheels onto a baking sheet lined with non-stick foil or parchment paper
• Bake 18-20 minutes until golden brown.
• Eat Up!

Pinwheels on baking sheet

Ummmm, dig in!!

Kenny’s Ribs

This recipe comes thanks to a good friend of ours, Kenny, out in Colorado. Making these ribs is an event, but a well worth it one. This one is also the reason for our last post about rib rubs.

For this recipe you’ll need some sort of Rib rack and deep roasting pan.  We usually end up rigging up a contraption that involves our roasting pan, a cooling rack, and an upside down roasting rack.  (We’ll take pictures next time).

Kenny’s Ribs

1 package bone-in baby back ribs
Liquid smoke
Rib rub
Butter
Your favorite BBQ sauce

• Peel the ribs.  A handy trick we learned for this was from my chef brother who showed us that if you grab the membrane with a paper towel it grips it and you can usually get it off in one careful pull!
• Rub the ribs down in liquid smoke and let them stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Do this in the pan you are going to use so that any excess drains down onto the bottom.  Another handy trick, wear gloves or anything while rubbing in the liquid smoke.  Otherwise your hands will smell for a looooong time!
• After 30 minutes, rub the ribs down with your rib rub.  Again, wear gloves!!
• Place the ribs in a rack bone to bone and flesh to flesh standing up with the fat end of the bone facing down.  It should look like this )()(.
• Add about 1.5 inches of water to the bottom of the roasting pan.
• Cover the whole pan in plastic wrap or extra large baking bags.  Then cover with foil.  The goal is to make a good seal so that the ribs steam and “smoke” (liquid smoke) inside the tent.
• Cook in 325-350 F oven for 3-4 hours until the meat pulls down about 1/2″ on the bone.
• Remove the foil then allow to stand for 15 minutes.
• Brush the ribs with melted butter while still warm, then let them cool completely.  Kenny notes that at this point you can refrigerate or freeze the ribs until you’re ready to eat them.

To Finish:

• On the grill cook them bone side down for 4-5 minutes. 
• Flip them over and cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes. Baste the bone side with BBQ sauce while the other side is cooking.
• Then baste them 3-4 times constantly turning them so that the BBQ sauce caramelizes but doesn’t burn.
• EAT!

Rib Rub

We stumbled across this rub recipe to compliment a rib recipe a friend of ours sent us.  That recipe said simply, “rub the ribs down in your favorite rub.” Well, as it turned out, we didn’t have a favorite rib rub, and we didn’t even know where to start looking for one!  The ones in the store are no fun, it’s too easy to just go to the store, pluck something off the shelf and use that… plus, they are never as good as homemade! So, our search was on.  We tried a few different recipes, with somewhat mixed results, then eventually stumbled upon this one and FINALLY perfection. Not too sweet, and with a little bit of a kick… this one is right up our alley!

Rib Rub

2 TBSP granulated sugar
1 TBSP packed brown sugar
1 1/2  Tsp Garlic powder
1 1/2 Tsp Chili powder
1 1/2 Tsp Cumin
1 1/2 Tsp Paprika
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Onion powder
1 Tsp White pepper
1 Tsp Ground black pepper

Combine everything together and apply to ribs. Can be stored in an airtight container if needed.

 

Buffalo Wings, they’re baked, not fried!

These wings are so good you would honestly never know that they are baked and not fried. They are much healthier than traditional wings, plus you can make them at home! (We don’t have a deep fryer at home… yuck).  Seriously though, we aren’t that health conscious, but just the fact that we can make these at home is awesome.

The nice thing about these wings is that you can use whatever sauce you want.  In the original recipe they tell you how to make your own buffalo sauce, but we actually prefer to toss them in a bit of barbecue sauce.  Our favorite is Sweet Baby Ray’s Hickory & Brown Sugar.

Baked Buffalo Wings

1 lb Chicken wings (we use “party wings” or “wingettes”, that’s how our local store labels them)
1 TBSP Cayenne pepper
1 TBSP Salt
1 Tsp Crushed red pepper flakes

• Fill a large pot halfway with water then add all the ingredients.
• Bring the water and chicken to a boil and allow to boil for 15 minutes
• Transfer the wings to a broiling tray covered in aluminum foil (or non-stick foil).
• Place in the middle of the oven under broil.
• Broil for 15 minutes, then flip them over and broil for another 15 minutes.  Finally, flip them back over and broil for another 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer the wings to a bowl and toss them in your sauce of choice.  Start with a small amount of sauce and add more if desired.  You may be surprised how a little sauce can go a long way!

Crock Pot Jerk Chicken

This is one of those recipes that is just to die for. It reminds us of a one of our favorite places, Jamaica.  Friendly people, a slower pace, sunshine, and good food!  What could be better.  This recipe is perfect for a hot summer day when you don’t even want to think about turning on the stove, or for a cold summer day when you’re looking for a bit of heat to spice up the doldrums.  Either way, this recipe has a lot of spices, a lot of heat, and a lot of flavor.

Just a warning, this recipe needs to marinate. So we usually prepare it the night before in our crock pot dish then refrigerate overnight, and set it up to cook in the morning.

We serve with white rice, or Spanish rice.

Crock Pot Jerk Chicken (Makes: A LOT)

5-6 lbs of chicken thighs
1 large onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
2 scotch bonnet peppers, chopped

Grated ginger

3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 TBSP lime juice

2 TBSP Garlic powder
2 TBSP Kosher salt
1 TBSP Granulated sugar
1 TBSP Ground allspice
1 TBSP Ground dried Thyme
2 Tsp Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 Tsp Ground Black pepper
1 1/2 Tsp Ground dried Sage
3/4 Tsp Ground Nutmeg
3/4 Tsp Ground Cinnamon

Combine everything, except the chicken, in a crock pot.  Add the chicken and coat well.  Cover and allow to marinate for at least 1 hour, but overnight is better.  Cook in the crock pot for 7 hours on low.  Eat up!

If you want to add a bit of a crisp, turn your oven to broil, place the chicken on a cookie sheet and put under the broiler quickly, just for a minute or two.  Keep a close eye on it so it doesn’t burn!

Spanish Rice

Our favorite spanish rice recipe. Easy and delicious, and, though this makes me cry a bit inside, not too tomatoey.

Spanish Rice

2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 medium onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups water
1, 8oz can tomato sauce
1 small green bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 Tsp salt
3/4 Tsp chili powder
1/2 Tsp cumin
1/4 Tsp garlic powder

• In a large pan heat vegetable oil over medium heat
• Add rice and onion and heat until rice is lightly browned, about 5-10 minutes
• Stir in the remaining ingredients and heat to a boil
• Reduce heat, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally  for approximately 30 minutes until rice is tender.

Crusty Bread

So I found this recipe from, of course, Pinterest!!  This bread is super simple to make and totally worth it!  It’s crusty, a little bit moist, but not jaw breakingly chewy, and it’s adaptable!  The bread takes 12-18 hours to rise, so I have made it at night and then baked it in the morning. It works out perfectly.

The cool thing about this bread is that you can make it plain, or you can add different things to it to make it into a yummy flavored bread. The one that I like best is lemon, gruyere, and rosemary.  Delicious.  The original blogger has suggestions for many different takes on the bread, so check out her post: Simply So Good Crusty Bread

Without further ado, I present Lemon Gruyere Rosemary Crusty bread!

Crusty Bread (This recipe is easily doubled)

3 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 cups water

For Lemon, Gruyere, Rosemary

Approximately 2 oz. Gruyere shredded (1/4 of a block)
Zest from 1 lemon
1-2 sprigs worth of Rosemary chopped finely

In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, and yeast.  Add in the gruyere, lemon zest, and rosemary.  Add water and mix until shaggy. It will be VERY sticky!  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in warm location for 12- 18 hours.

Place a round baking vessel of your choice (a round tall casserole dish, a dutch oven covered with aluminum foil, a cast iron pot, etc…) into an oven.  Preheat the oven to 450 F with the empty dish inside.  Meanwhile, on a heavily floured surface, pour the dough out and shape it into a ball – it will still be VERY sticky!  Cover it with plastic wrap and allow to sit while the oven warms – for about 30 minutes.

Once the oven is warm, remove the preheated dish and drop the dough in.  Cover the dish and return it to the oven for 30 minutes.  After 30 minutes, remove the cover and allow to bake for an additional 15 minutes.  Then, remove from the oven.  After a few minutes knock the bread out onto a cooling rack.

Get a Husband Brunswick Stew

A man’s stew! From all recipes.

Brunswick Stew

Total cook time: 3+ hours

1 TBSP olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1.5 lbs ground pork
1.5 lbs ground beef
3 lb whole chicken, cooked and deboned
3, 14.5 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes, pureed
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Hickory BBQ sauce
1 tsp+ Hot Sauce
1 green pepper, whole
3, 14.7 oz cans creamed corn
salt and pepper, to taste]

Instructions:

• Heat the olive oil in a skillet.  Add onions and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add pork and beef and cook till browned. Do not drain.
• Transfer the mixture into a large pot over low heat.
• Stir in chicken, tomatoes, ketchup, and BBQ sauce, and hot sauce.
• Add the green pepper, whole.
• Cook for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until thickenend.
• Stir in the creamed corn, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Cook for an additional 1 hour stirring occasionally.
• Remove the green pepper, finely chop, and stir back into the stew.