Chorizo Corn Chowder

So, I got this recipe from my brother and tweaked it a little, only to find out he had never made it before!  Oh well, it's delicious!

1 lb ground chorizo

1 T flour

4 cobs of corn 

Peppers (whatever kind and heat you like)

6-12 Red potatoes

4 c chicken broth

1.5 c cream

Cumin

Paprika

Salt and pepper

Serve with sour cream, hot sauce, lime juice

Brown chorizo in soup pan, breaking it up as you go.  Meanwhile dice potatoes and cut corn off the cob.  (Bonus points if you grill the corn first.  Negative point if you use the equivalent in frozen or canned corn).  Once the meat us cooked, stin in flour, then add potatoes, corn, and broth.  Cook 5-10 mins until potatoes are tender.

Once tender, add cream and seasoning.  Stir well and cook.  Add in corn starch if needed.  Squish some of the potatoes.

Serve warm, with lime juice (a must!), and sour cream abd/or hot sauce, as desired.

Hawaiian Macaroni Salad

Just like MoBettahs.

1/2 lb elbow macaroni

1-2 T apple cider vinegar

1 carrot, shredded

1/8-1/4 onion shredded (you heard me)

1 1/2 c mayo

1/8 c milk

1-2 t sugar

Salt & pepper

Noil noodles. Add to bowl.  Add vinegar, carrots and onion. Stir and then let cool in fridge. Meanwhile combine mayo, milk, sugar, salt & pepper.  Once noodles  have cooled, mix in the mayo mixture.  Keep refrigerated until served.

Teriyaki Chicken Marinade

2-3 lbs chicken

1/2 c soy sauce

3 T brown sugar

1 T oyster sauce

2 T corn syrup

2-3  T rice vinegar

1-2 t sesame oil

Dash garlic powder

Salt &  pepper

Soft Pretzel Bites

1.5 c water

1 T sugar

1 T brown sugar

1.5 T yeast

1 T butter

1 t salt

4 c flour

.5 c baking soda

1 T brown sugar

Water

Proof yeast with warm water and brown/white sugars.  Add butter, salt, and flour.  Mix with dough hook until mixed, kneaded, and pulled away from the edges.  Transfer to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise til doubled.  

Dump out dough and divide into 8 pieces.  Roll into strips and cut into 1-inch pieces.

Boil water with baking soda and brown sugar.  Use a big pot.  Drop pieces into water about 8 at a time.  Let boil 15-20 seconds.  Lift out with a slotted spoon and place on a baking tray with parchment paper.  Sprinkle with coarse salt.

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush with melted butter.

Puerto Rican Chicken Stew

4 chicken leg quarters

Dash of:

Salt

Garlic salt

Pepper

Turmeric

Onion powder

Cumin

2 T oil

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves minced garlic

1/2 c sofrito

8 oz tomato sauce

1 packet sazon seasoning

Dash or two Italian seasoning

3 large red potatoes, diced, mostly peeled

4 carrots, sliced

3 c chicken stock

1/2 c water

Heat oil in pot.  Add dashes of seasonings.  Place chicken quarters in seasoned oil after removing skin.  Brown on all sides.  Remove and set aside.

Add more oil and onions.  Cook til translucent.  Add garlic and cook til fragrant.  Add sofrito and tomato sauce.  Stir and cook until bubbly.  Add sazon, Italian seasoning, carrots, potato, stock and water.  Combine and bring to a boil. Add chicken back in.  Cover and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook 30 mins.  

Remove chicken and pull meat from bones/tendons.  Return meat in pieces (will fall apart).  Cook for another 5 minutes.  Serve with dippable bread.

Meatball Stew

MEATBALLS

1.5 pounds ground beef

1 egg beaten

1/2-1/3 cup grated mozarella cheese 

1 clove minced garlic

1 teaspoon salt and pepper, each

1/3 cup milk

1 t creole seasoning

STEW

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

2-3 tablespoons butter

1 t oil

1/4 c flour

3 cups beef broth

6 medium red potatoes, diced

3/4 lbs carrots, chopped

Hot sauce to taste

Dash Italian seasoning

1-2 t creole seasing

salt and pepper to taste

cooked white rice

Instructions

MEATBALLS

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Add all the meatball ingredients to a large bowl. Mix until just combined. Don't work the crap out of it. Be gentle.

Form into balls, however big you want it. Bake for 20-25 minutes, depending on size. Remove and set aside.

STEW

Add butter and oil to a large skillet. When hot, add in your chopped onion. Cook until just softened.

Add flour and make a roux. This should only take a minute or two.

Add beef broth and whisk until it becomes one. Just a big ole pot of roux/gravy.

Add the meatballs to the pot, along with the hot sauce, bell pepper, carrots, potatoes and seasonings. Try to make sure your meatballs are sitting in the liquid, not on top.

Bring it up to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, with the lid cracked, until the potatoes are done and you like the thickness, stirring often.

While you got this simmering, go ahead and cook your white rice, by whichever method you choose. 

When you like the way it looks and your potatoes are tender, you're done. 

Bangers and Mash Pie

28 breakfast sausages

3 c beef broth

1/2 c wine (juice replacement)

1 full onion, peeled and diced (seriously, all of it)

1/4 c flour

3 T butter

2 t worcestershire sauce

Dash Italian seasoning

Few dashes salt and pepper

4-6 mushrooms

Mashed potatoes

Cheddar cheese

Dijon mustard

Make mashed potatoes as usual. White potatoes work best. Add in about a cup of cheddar cheese and about 1 t Dijon mustard. Trust me. Set aside.

In a large, deep pan, cook sausages in a little oil. RRemove cooked sausages and cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside. In the pan, add onions to the drippings and start to caramelize. Add butter and melt. Add flour and stir to a paste, then add in wine and broth, whisking. Add in seasonings. Cook a good 10 minutes until thickening. Add in sausages and a few diced mushrooms. Cook for 10 more minutes until nice and thick gravy 

Add to a baking dish and top with potatoes. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then broil a couple minutes until potatoes turn golden.

Garlic Brown Sugar Flank Steak

INGREDIENTS

1-2 pound flank steak, about 1-inch thick

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons brown sugar

4 garlic cloves, minced

Make marinade and pour over steak. Marinade 2 hours to overnight.  

Cook steak as you like, I prefer pan fried in butter (and a little chimichurri sauce).

Chimichurri Sauce (no cilantro)

1/2-3/4 c fresh flat leaf parsley (chopped fine)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 c olive oil

2 T red wine vinegar

1 t red pepper flakes

1/4 t kosher salt

Zest half lemon

Juice half lemon

Mix ingredients together. Using an immersion blender, blend well. Let sit for at least 15 minotes. Serve over steak, or on the side.

Mini Meatloaves

1.5 lbs ground beef

1/2-2/3 c panko breadcrumbs

1/2 onion, chopped

1 T bbq sauce

1 T Dijon mustard

1/2 t garlic powder

1.5 t chili powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

1 egg

Glaze:

1/3 c brown sugar

1/2 c ketchup

2 t Dijon mustard

1/4 t nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix meatloaf ingredients together in a large bowl well.  Scoop into 12 greased Muffin tins evenly.

Bake for 15 minutes.  While baking, mix the glaze.  Microwave for about 30 seconds and mix well until smooth.  Remove and drain fat.  Pat fat off the top of the meatloaves.  Place a spoonful of the glaze on each meatloaf.  Return to oven for about 10 minutes.  Serve 2-3 per adult, 1 for a kid.