Buffalo & Asian chicken wings.

I had some chicken wings and Cassie mentioned maybe I could do a Buffalo style cook with them. I thought I might do it with some Asian seasonings mixed in.  I just winged it= pun intended. Charlie and Cassie insisted i write it down since they thought it was really good.  I was just playing around with the flavors and didn't take any pictures.  Also they got a little charred on the grill so next time, I need to watch them a little closer.  Here is the recipe.

1/4 C. Tamari
1/4 C. Ponzu
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 C. sugar
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
2 very large cloves garlic, chopped, minced then mashed into a paste with a little salt.
A generous sprinkling of Cholula hot sauce to taste, I guess. we like it spicy

Marinate chicken wings in sauce sealed in a ziplock bag for 30 to 40 minutes, spread on a foil lined sheet pan and place on grill.  Grill, top closed for 8 to 10 minutes.  Check to keep from burning.  Baste, turn and grill until done.  Boil remaining marinade sauce and pour over wings.  If desired garnish with green onion or toasted sesame seeds. Serve with Ranch or blue cheese dressing and rice.

meat loaf

The oven in this house which I moved into three months ago seems to overcook everything.  I tested the temperature the other day. I found that we I set the oven at 350, it was heating to 410.  I turned it down 50 degrees and it went down 65 degrees. I turned it up 20 degrees and it went up 35.  today I made a meatloaf with some bacon woven across the top. I put it in at 40 degrees less than the recipe and took it out 15 minutes early and it still overcooked.  the bacon weave will have to be tossed but the meatloaf under it is still good.  Looks like I am going to have to replace this 25 or 30 year old stove soon.

PS We ate the bacon. I scraped off the burnt brown sugar and it was OK. It is bacon after all. :)

    4 stale hamburger buns,  trimmed of the crusts  

    2-3 Tbs. milk

    2 tblsp. olive oil 

    1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 

    1 rib celery, finely chopped 

    2 cloves garlic, minced  (3 or 4 cloves)

    1/2 large red bell pepper,  finely chopped

    1 lb. ground sirlion 

   4  beer bratwurst, skinned 

    2 large eggs (I forgot to add the eggs this time) It was a little crumbly but still good.

    1/4 c. roughly chopped parsley 

    2 tblsp. Dijon mustard, the grainy kind

    1 tblsp. coarse salt & more to taste 

    1/2 tblsp. freshly ground pepper & more to taste

    1/2 lb. thinly sliced smoked bacon 

    1 lb. of potatoes cut in 2-inch pieces, oiled, salted and peppered

    1/2 c. brown sugar, packed 

    1 tblsp. Coleman's yellow ground mustard 

    1 tsp. catsup, honey dijon mustard and brown sugar)

    Heat the oven to 375F. Cut the bread into 1 inch cubes and place in a large 

    bowl. Pour milk over it & set aside for 5 minutes. 

    Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, celery & garlic; cook until 

    soft and translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. remove from heat; let cool 5 minutes. 

    To bread mixture, add  meat, eggs, parsley, Dijon, salt, & pepper,onion mixture. Combine well. 

    Place mixture in a large ungreased, foil lined baking dish or roasting pan. Shape into   a 5 X 12 inch loaf. Overlap bacon across the top, covering meat. Place potatoes

    around loaf. Season with salt & pepper. 

    In a small bowl, combine sugar, ground mustard & tomato paste to make a 

    glaze. Brush meatloaf all over with glaze. 

    Bake, until juices run clear when loaf is pierced with a 2 pronged fork & the bacon is    crisp, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Let cool 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with potatoes or mash them coarsely  and make peas and gravy. 

Moussaka was dinner tonight

Kinda sorta a Greek version of lasagna

Jetfan27, a person of Greek ancestry gave me this recipe.

MOUSSAKA

4 medium eggplants

salt

4 Tbs. butter

2 lbs. ground beef or lamb

3 large onions, chopped

2 Tbs. tomato paste

1/4 C chopped parsley

1/2 C red wine

salt and pepper

1/2 C water

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2-3 egs beaten

1/2 C grated parmesan cheese

1/2 C bread crumbs

6 Tbs. butter

6 Tbs. flour

3 C hot milk

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 tsp nutmeg

4 yolks lightly beaten 

Olive oil

FILLING

Remove 1/2 inch wide strips of peel lengthwise from egplants.

leave a 1/2 inchspace between peels.

cut into thick slices and sprinkle with salt.

Put eggplant between two heavy plates and let stand while browning the meat and making the sauce.

In frying pan, melt 4 Tbs. butter and saute meat and onioms until meat is browned. Add tomato paste, parsley, cinnamon, wine, salt and pepper an water.

Simmer until liquid is absorbed.

Let cool down and add eggs, cheese and half the bread crumbs.

SAUCE

In a sucepan, melt 6 Tbs. butter over medium low heat.

Add flour and make a roux.

Gradually, stir in milk and stir until quite thick.

Add salt and pepper to taste and the nutmeg.

Combine yolks with a little of the sauce to temper and stir into sauce and cook ove rlow heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly.

Brown egplant slices on both sides in olive oil. Grease an ovenproof casserole or a roasting pan and sprinkle with remaining bread crumbs.

Put a layer of egplant, then a layer of meat and continue until all is used up. Finish with a layer of eggplant. Cover with the beschemel sauce you made and sprinkle grated parmesan cheese over it.

Bake in a 350 oven for an hour. Enjoy!

Cobb Salad for lunch today.

We had our first home grown tomatoes today. It was too hot to cook so i grilled some chicken breasts outside, nuked some bacon and made a Cobb salad.  Cassie made some yummy garlic bread.

Williams Sonoma version of Cobb Salad

Once little known outside Hollywood, where it was one of the stars on the menu of the Brown Derby restaurant, Cobb salad is now served everywhere as a deceptively light lunch. Heaped with blue cheese, bacon, chicken and avocado, it’s a hearty meal that guarantees you won’t be hungry until suppertime.

Ingredients:

1. 2 eggs
2. 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
3. 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
4. 1 clove garlic, crushed
5. 3/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. olive oil
6. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 3 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (about 6 oz. each)
8. 2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
9. 2 tsp. minced fresh thyme
10. 4 thick slices applewood-smoked bacon, chopped
11. 1 avocado
12. 2 romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
13. 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
14. 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola or other mild blue cheese

Directions:

To hard-boil the eggs, place them in a saucepan just large enough to hold them. Add cold water to cover by 1 inch and bring just to a boil over high heat. Remove the pan from the heat and cover. Let stand for 15 minutes. Drain the eggs, then transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Peel the eggs and cut into quarters.

To make the vinaigrette, in a blender, combine the vinegar, mustard and garlic. With the blender running, slowly add the 3⁄4 cup oil through the vent in the lid, processing until a thick dressing forms. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into a serving bowl.

Using a meat pounder, pound the chicken breasts until they are a uniform 1⁄2 inch thick. Season them with salt and pepper. Mix together the parsley and thyme, and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the breasts, pressing the herbs to help them adhere. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat the remaining 1 Tbs. oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook until the undersides are browned, about 5 minutes. Turn and cook until the second sides are browned and the breasts are opaque throughout, about 5 minutes more. Transfer to a plate and let cool.

Add the bacon to the frying pan and fry, stirring occasionally, until crisp and browned, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to