Charlie had his birthday party today. I spent three days getting everything ready for it.

 

I Smoked a brisket today

I did a brisket in the smoker today. The target temperature to pull it was 202 degrees. It got to 199 and sat there for two hours until it finally hit 200 and got finished about 20 minutes later.  You expect a brisket to stall before it gets done but this was the longest time I have ever had.  I've heard of it about people hafin it be longer though. It is for Charlie's birthday party tomorrow so I won't cut it today.  As soon as it cools, I will put it in the refrigerator. It will be easier to cut and reheat.  I also made a couple of pork shoulder roasts yesterday.  I will take pictures if them and the rest of the stuff I am making tomorrow.

 

Asian Sticky Ribs

Thermoworks almost always has good recipes.  This was smoked in the smoker for a couple hours, then braised in the oven for three more.  That is more time than I'd normally cook baby back ribs and these were falling off the bone, they were so tender. Normally that would not be a good thing but these had so much flavor and were really good.  I'll ask Charlie if he would like these or my regular smoked ribs for his birthday party that is coming up soon.

Thermoworks Asian Sticky Ribs adapted from HeyGrill.com

Ingredients

2 slabs baby back ribs

 

Asian style BBQ Rub

3 T. smoked paprika

1 T. Chinese 5 spice powder

1 T. ground ginger

1 tsp. ground mustard

2 tsp. Kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp. ground pepper

1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice 

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

Braising Liquid

1 C. hoisin sauce

1/2 C. soy sauce

1/2 C. orange juice

1/2 C. brown sugar

1/4 C. rice wine vinegar

1/4 C, apple juice

4 cl. garlic, crushed

3-inch fresh ginger root, peeled and sliced

6 green onions, white part, diced..save greens for garnish

1 tsp. cayenne powder

Sticky BBQ Sauce

10 oz, red pepper jelly

1/2 C. apple cider vinegar

 

Garnishes

Sesame seeds to taste

6 green onion greens chopped diagonal

1-2 fresh seranno peppers, sliced into thin coin (recommended but optional)

Instructions 

Preheat smoker to 250º.  Combine rub ingredients.  Prepare ribs for rub and coat rub.

Smoke ribs at 225-275 for two hours (@ 175º)

Prepare braising liquid and have ready when ribs are pulled.  Remove to oven set at 325º, pour braising liquid over, cover tightly with foil & heat ribs to 203º, about 2 to 3 hours.  Check temp with Thermopen.  Remove to cutting board.  Combine stick BBQ sauce with braising liquid & boil to reduce by 1/3.  Heat grill to 450º, dip cut apart ribs in BBQ sauce and move to grill to caramelize on each side.  Serve garnished with sesame seeds, sliced green onion greens & chilies. 

 

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake

I made my own birthday cake from scratch today. This is the recipe but it didn't not turn out like I expected. It was good though.  I do not make cake often enough to be able to be confident that something does not sound right.  The recipe for the ganache does not mention whipping the frosting but needed it to have the texture it has.  It says to use whipping cream and add whipped cream but the whole thing needs whipping too and I didn't get that.  The cherry sauce used 2 1/2 cups  cherries. I thought  a can would be enough.  I should have got 3 or 4 cans for that much so I had to top the cake with cherries with the few I had.

It is dark chocolate so not very sweet and that is how I like it.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Cake  Posted by Sandra July 2022

 Ingredients

3 eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup coconut oil

1 cup almond milk or milk

3/4 cup cocoa

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tbsp vanilla extract

A pinch of salt

2 + 1/2 cup flour

1 cup hot instant coffee

For the Cherry Sauce:

2 1/2 cups sweet cherries

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tbsp lemon juice

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp cornstarch

For the Ganache Frosting:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 cup whipped cream

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter and flour two 9-inch (23cm) cake pans.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder, and baking soda) until well combined.

In a large bowl, add the eggs and sugar and mix them using a stand or electric mixer until lightened in color for 3-4 min. Add the oils, vanilla, and milk and whisk together.

Add the wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix until combined. Finally, add the hot coffee and mix to combine.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans.

Bake for about 35-40 minutes (do not forget to do the "toothpick test" before removing them).

Remove them from the oven and cool completely.

Preparing the Cherry Sauce:

In a medium saucepan, add the cherries, sugar, lemon juice, and 2-3 tbsp water. Bring to a boil over medium heat while stirring constantly and then cook for 4-5 min until the cherries have softened.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining water and cornstarch and evenly add the mixture into the cherries while stirring constantly and cook for 1 min until the sauce has thickened. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Transfer to a jar and store in the fridge until using.

For the Ganache Frosting:

Heat the heavy whipping cream in a saucepan or the microwave, and then add the chocolate. Let it stand for 4-5 min, then stir until chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Let it cool at room temp.

In a large bowl, add the whipped cream and cooled chocolate mixture and mix them until everything is combined. Refrigerate for 30-40 min.

Place the first layer cake on a serving plate and spread about 3/4 cup of chocolate ganache frosting and add cherry sauce evenly in a ring around the outside to hold the cherry sauce inside.  (see photo). Place the second layer of cake on top. Spread the remaining frosting evenly over and around the cake with a spatula. Decorate with chocolate and cherry sauce.

Refrigerate for at least 3 hours before serving.

Meatballs tonight

 

Charlie gave me a scare at lunch time. He asked for a salad.  I knew he was back to normal when he asked for meatballs for dinner. :)  It was too hot to turn on the oven so I did them on the grill.  It worked out well

Classic Meatballs

This homemade meatball recipe is a Betty classic, and for great reason! For generations, home cooks have relied on this hearty meatball recipe to show some skills the kitchen. by Betty Crocker Kitchens Updated Dec 7, 2020

Ingredients

1lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef
1/2cup Progresso™ Italian-style bread crumbs
1/4cup milk
1/2teaspoon salt
1/2teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4teaspoon pepper
1small onion, finely chopped (1/4 cup)
1egg

Steps

• 1 Heat oven to 400°F. Line 13x9-inch pan with foil; spray with cooking spray.
  2 In large bowl, mix all ingredients. Shape mixture into 24 (1 1/2-inch) meatballs. Place 1 inch apart in pan.
  3 Bake uncovered 18 to 22 minutes or until temperature reaches 160°F and no longer pink in center. 

Charlie said this was really good.  I used a jarred Sicilian tomato sauce with spaghetti. I tossed the boiled spaghetti with 2/3 of the jar of sauce to absorb it into the pasta, then added the meat ball and the rest of the sauce and a side of lots of grated parm. 

Banh Mi for dinner tonigh

 

Banh Mi

 

"This version of the popular Vietnamese bahn mi sandwich has sweet and tangy pickled vegetables and broiled chicken breast, served on a toasted French baguette."

I used pork instead of chicken this time

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup carrot, cut into 1/16-inch-thick

matchsticks

1/4 cup white (daikon) radish, cut into 1

/16-inch-thick matchsticks

1/4 cup thinly sliced white onion

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half

garlic salt to taste

ground black pepper to taste

1 (12 inch) French baguette

4 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves

1 small jalapeno pepper - seeded and cut

into 1/16-inch-thick matchsticks

1 wedge lime

DIRECTIONS:

1.

Place rice vinegar, water, and sugar into a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil, and stir until the sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Allow the mixture to cool.

2.

Pour the cooled vinegar mixture over the carrot, radish, and onion in a bowl, and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. Drain off the excess vinegar mixture after the vegetables have marinated.

3.

While the vegetables are marinating, preheat the oven's broiler, and set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Lightly oil a slotted broiler pan.

4.

Sprinkle the chicken breast with garlic salt and pepper, and broil on slotted broiler pan, turning once, until the center of the chicken breast is no longer pink and the surface has browned, about 6 minutes per side. Remove the broiled chicken, and slice into bite-size pieces.

5.

Slice the baguette in half the long way, and pull the center of the bread out of the baguette halves, leaving a cavity for the filling. Place the baguette halves under the broiler to lightly toast, 2 to 3 minutes.

6.

To assemble the bahn mi sandwich, spread each half of the toasted baguette with mayonnaise, and fill the cavity of the bottom half of the bread with broiled chicken, cucumber slices, pickled carrot, onion, and radish, cilantro leaves, and jalapeno pepper. Squeeze a wedge of lime over the filling, and top with the other half of the baguette.

Italian Pork Chops with new potatoes and sautéed mushrooms

 

Italian Pork Chops 

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, lightly beaten 
• 3 tablespoons milk 
• 1 ½ cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs 
• ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped 
• 4 pork chops 

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Step 1

  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C).

• Step 2

  Beat eggs and milk together in a shallow dish.

• Step 3

  Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley together in a second shallow dish.

• Step 4

  Heat oil in a large, oven-proof skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until just golden brown to flavor the oil. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and reserve for another use.

• Step 5

  Dip each pork chop into egg mixture, then bread crumb mixture until well coated.

• Step 6

  Place pork chops in the skillet and cook until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes on each side.

• Step 7

  Transfer the skillet into the preheated oven and bake chops for 25 minutes, or to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

  
  

  The mushrooms were quartered, cooked with some oil and butter, seasoned with salt and pepper and Italian seasoning.

  
  

  The potatoes were store bought, microwave cooked and tossed with seasoning included in the package and with some butter.

  
  

  Charlie is redecorating the living room and these are two paintings he created to go on either side of the fireplace.  The corkscrews is something I did 20 years or so ago.