Chris' Recipes

Bon Appetite!

Stuffed Pablano Peppers

Written By: Chris - Feb• 25•15

Bill and I eat a lot of stuffed peppers.  We wanted to change things up and I created these using Pablano peppers (pronounced “po-BLAH-no”) instead of the usual bell peppers herunterladen.  They are a mild chili pepper that originated in the state of Puebla, Mexico.  They are used in one of my favorite Mexican classics; the chile relleno in which the roasted pepper is stuffed with cheese, then coated in egg and fried herunterladen.  The ripened red poblano is significantly hotter and more flavorful than the less ripe, green poblano that is readily available in most grocery stores herunterladen. While poblanos tend to have a mild flavor, occasionally and unpredictably, they can have significant heat, so if you don’t like heat I would recommend a simple bell pepper adobe flash playeren apple.  I filled them with ingredients that I had on hand and used up some left over cooked rice and prepared pasta sauce.

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Ingredients: 

2 Pablano Peppers
1 Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tomato, small chopped
1/2 to 1 lb download panasonic tv app. Ground Beef
1/2 Cup Cooked Rice, I had left over brown rice
1/2 Cup Ricotta Cheese
2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 Cup Pasta Sauce
1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
Fresh Basil, if desired

Poblano peppers are good candidates for roasting live backgrounds. Roasting brings out the fruitier flavors of the pepper and eases in removing the skin, which can be tough.  Roast or char them.

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To do so, you can either place them on a tray under the broiler, directly on the grill or directly on the open flame, which is what is typically what I do fritz os 7.11 herunterladen.   Over the open flame, turn them every two to three minutes until they are completely blackened.  They will be charred and blistered on the outside and the flesh will be cooked and blackened gratis powerpoint herunterladen.

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Next, you make them sweat music to disk.  Once charred and hot, place them in a bowl covered with plastic wrap, close it tightly and let them sweat for 10 to 20 minutes.  Then remove the charred skin which should come right off using the edge of a knife download pdf ipad.  You can rinse them if you like, but I don’t.  Make a slit down one side of the pepper cutting lengthwise in each chile, being careful to not cut through to opposite side. Remove and discard seeds.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

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Meanwhile, cook the onions in the oil over medium high heat until they become soft and begin to caramelize.  Add the tomatoes and the ground beef.

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Once the beef is cooked through, drain off any access fat and stir in the Italian seasoning and garlic.  Cook for a few minutes before adding the rice and ricotta.

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Stuff the peppers with the filling.

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Top with the prepared red pasta sauce and top with cheese.  Bake 30 minutes or until heated through.  Turn the oven to broil to brown the cheese watching closely for a bout two minutes.

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The filling is creamy and delicious along with the charred pepper.  We enjoyed this meal paired with a wonderful 2008 Cabernet Franc from Smith Wooton; one of my favorites!

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As a simple side, I served thinly sliced roasted beets.

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Heat about a tablespoon of butter, layer the sliced beets in the melted butter and allow the beets to brown slightly over medium high heat until the edges begin to brown, about five to seven minutes.  Turn and cook another couple of minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris

Simple Crock Pot Pulled Pork with Beer

Written By: Chris - Feb• 19•15

I’ve been working on trying to make some dishes in smaller portions.  I typically pull out my large 18 or 22 quart roasting pan when I make this dish, but since I was going to be hosting a smaller group, I made a smaller simple crock pot pulled pork diploma duo.  You can use pork butt or pork shoulder.  Each work well in this preparation so I just grab what’s on sale.  It really is simple; but you need to plan ahead because the key to keeping it tender is to cook it low and slow herunterladen.  With the smaller portion, I usually cook mine anywhere from eight to 16 hours.  I like to make it ahead of time and just reheat it prior to the event navcore downloaden.  Pork is relatively inexpensive so it’s a go to for me as I’m able feed a large group at a value.  You can use any dark ale beer, but I used Honey Weiss because it’s what I had on hand animal crossing new horizons designs herunterladen.  The crock pot keeps the meat warm and the reserved stock keeps it moist.  Folks can dish up their own and I offer a couple condiments along side so people can choose their own toppings!  I like to serve these on sweet Hawaiian buns and offer a mild creamy horseradish sauce and BBQ sauce I can't instagram.  This recipe is perfect for a party setting.

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Ingredients: 

1 (avg herunterladen. 3 or 4 pound) Pork Butt or Arm Roast, boneless
2 Large Onions, chopped
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
12 ounces Beer, I used Honey Weiss, but any will work such as a dark ale
2 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
Salt &  Black Pepper, freshly ground to taste

Set the slow cooker to High herunterladen.

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Cut the pork into large chunks and season it with salt, pepper, and garlic powder spiele kostenlos downloaden vollversion legal.  For better flavor, brown the pieces over high heat in a bit of oil.

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Chop the onions and layer some in the bottom of the crock pot download zoom file.

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Continue to layer the browned pork and onions until the crock pot is filled download royalty-free images.

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Pour the beer over the pork and onions and place the lid on the slow cooker crock pot.  Cook pork on High for an hour or two and then reduce the heat to Low and cook for at least eight hours or overnight.

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Stir the meat from time to time and once tender, remove the large chunks of pork (and fat), using a strainer while reserving the juice.  Allow the fat to rise using an “Oil Fat Separator” and keep the juices.  Shred with two forks.  Discard fat and try to reserve visible onion pieces.

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After discarding the initial pour of stock including the fat out, pour enough of the juices to completely saturate the pork.  If using immediately, return the pork to the slow cooker and keep warm.  If using at a later time, allow to cool before placing in an airtight container and refrigerate.  Warm thoroughly before serving.

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The pork will be tender, moist and delicious!  It tastes great on King’s Hawaiian Rolls with Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce and Woeber’s Horseradish sauce.  Its zesty taste created from freshly ground horseradish blended with special spices into a creamy base is awesome.

The pork also freezes well.

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris

 

Creamy Potato and Onion Bake

Written By: Chris - Feb• 10•15

This is one of those recipes that is simple and was created based on some ingredients that I had on hand in my fridge and pantry.  I always have onions; usually have a few russet potatoes, and had some flavorful creamy cheese that I love Download apps ipad!  I added some heavy cream, butter, salt and pepper, fresh herbs, and Parmesan cheese.  Boursin Cheese is one of my favorites.  I serve it along cheese trays and even use it as a simple dip for celery or carrots panopto uni bayreuth herunterladen.

Jen and I wanted a delectable dish that would go well with the lobster tail we prepared for our “pre-Valentines” celebration and came up with this potato bake freenet mail app herunterladen.  You can use whatever herbs are your favorite or in season.  I chose fresh parsley and thyme, which are our favorites.  I thought about sage, but decided against it since it can really overpower a dish automatically download photos whatsapp iphone.

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Ingredients:

2 Russet Potatoes, finely sliced
1 Medium Onion, finely sliced
1 5.2 ounce, Boursin Cheese
1 Cup Heavy Cream (or more)
1-2 Tablespoons Fresh Thyme, finely chopped
1-2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper, to taste

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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Download baby pictures for free.

Wash and slice potatoes (leaving the skin on); peel the onions and slice them very thin using a mandolin.  Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or rub with softened butter for more flavor Download current movies for free.  Line a thin layer of potatoes on bottom, overlapping slightly.

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Layer onions onto the potatoes and add crumbles of the cheese spotify für laptop herunterladen.  Continue with layers.

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Season layers with salt and  pepper and continue to layer for at least four layers download blinkist books.

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Pour on the cream and season with plenty of salt and pepper app android.  You may need more cream to cover potatoes to the top layer.

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Add some grated parmesan cheese

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Then add chopped herbs Download codec for free.

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Bake for 45 minutes, or until bubbly.  Allow potatoes to sit for around 15 minutes before serving.

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This was a delicious meal!

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris

 

Jumbo Colossal Lobster Tails

Written By: Chris - Feb• 06•15

You may recall I had written a blog some time ago about Pure Foods Fish Market; “a true Seattle tradition” in Pike Place Market.  Anyways, Bill and I recently visited them again in early January while staying in Seattle and I’m happy to say that Neal, the manager and fishmonger has made up for any reservations that I had originally had!  Although our previous delivery had me disappointed, I’m happy to report that he has been great making up for our less than stellar service.

When we made our most recent purchases, we took advantage of their complimentary filleting of the fish and we picked up a few special items as well critical ops for free.  Since Valentines is approaching, we splurged and bought one of those large gourmet 24 oz. Lobster tails that melt in your mouth!  Plans have changed and we’ll now be traveling to Napa for that special day; so when my bestie Jen recently came up to visit and spend the night, we decided to not wait for a special occasion and treated ourselves to an incredible feast.  We are worth it!

These jumbo lobster tails average between 1.5 and 2 lbs. and each tail will feed two to four people.  That’s no lie tigerjython.  We each ate plenty and had some left over!  Besides just tasting great, there are actually nutritional benefits to eating them.  They are often considered a luxury food because they are usually very expensive!  These saltwater creatures, has many varieties found all over the world. They are an ideal source of low-fat protein, zinc and B-12 which makes it a recommended food for lovers herunterladen.  The sweet flesh is best enjoyed by cooking them simply, either boiled or steamed, halved and grilled or baked.  We followed Neal’s instructions for baking and it turned out AMAZING!

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Ingredients:
1 Jumbo Lobster Tail
Lemon
Butter
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Kitchen Shears

Bill and I had vacuum packed the lobster and froze it as soon as we got home, so the first thing we had to do for our dinner was defrost the lobster tail download nasheed.

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Be prepared, they are large!  Rinse it very good and enjoy it’s beauty!

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Jen and I got started with a wonderful Hendricks Gin, cucumber martini (one of our favorites!) while we called Neil for his advise herunterladen!

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Cut right at the top of the shell, cutting down the center to the base of the tail—but don’t cut through the tail. Cut only the shell, not the meat.

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Grab each side of the shell, and gently pull the shell away from the meat film download van youtube mac.

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Once the meat is freed, grab the meat and pull off any discolored or stringy parts.  You can either squeeze the shell together to close the gap and lay the meat on top of the shell; grabbing the loose part of the meat on the sides and folding it over the shell germanys next topmodel spiel kostenlos downloaden.  Or just open it up completely, like we did this time.

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Cut a small slit on top of the meat.

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Drizzle with your favorite Lobster marinade (Neil suggested melted butter, dash of garlic powder, squirt of lemon juice, and pepper herunterladen.  We prefer lemon wedges, salt and pepper and hunks of butter too).  Wrap the lobster in foil and move the tails to a pan and bake at 450 degrees for 35 minutes or more depending on doneness.

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Cooking times vary, so watch that your Lobster Tail does not burn 3d modelle kostenlos downloaden!

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Remove the lemon and discard.  Use a fork and gently pull the meat from the shell.  Cut it and serve with drawn butter.

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Meanwhile, prepare your sides herunterladen.  We chose a simple fillet mignon with seasoned salt and pepper, cooked medium rare.

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We also had pan seared mushrooms and slivered roasted beets; as well as some thin cut potatoes and cream.

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Bill decanted us a wonderful 2009 Shafer Napa Valley Stags Leap Cabernet.  One Point Five.

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It was spectacular and paired perfectly with this scrumptious meal!

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Happy “early” valentines with a memorable and spectacular meal!

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris

Chicken Pot Pie

Written By: Chris - Jan• 29•15

Winter months in Minnesota call for warm, comfort food.  It’s unusual for me to travel without Bill, but I recently participated in a mission trip to Haiti Download tonie does not work!  It was an amazing life changing experience and I can’t wait to visit friends I met there again soon!  Although I had made arrangements before I left and prepared plenty of dishes for him to heat and eat while I was gone, he told me he missed my cooking and had some dishes on his wish list when I got home ältere teamviewer version herunterladen.  One of the meals he asked for was Chicken Pot Pie.  So simple and so delicious!  Our oldest son Nicholas who tends to be a bit on the fussy side when it comes to vegetables, was coming over for dinner so I was imagining that he might be picking through the vegetables and pushing some aside iphone xr apps.  To both of our surprise, though he didn’t think he would like it, but he loved it and even cleaned his plate!

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Ingredients: 

1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crusts (two if you want one on the bottom)
9-12 Chicken Tenderloins, chopped
1 Onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, pressed 
1 (12 to 16-oz.) Mixed Vegetables, frozen
2 to 3 Cups “Home Style” Simply Potatoes
2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
Salt & Pepper, to taste
Seasoning Salt, to taste 
2 Cups Chicken Gravy, prepared

I normally insert many images for instructions, but this recipe is so easy, you really don’t need them herunterladen!  Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

Chop the onions and saute them in the butter and olive oil over medium high heat until they start to become translucent herunterladen.  Sprinkle the chopped chicken tenders with salt and pepper and add to the cooking onions.

Stir and cook the chicken and onions another seven or eight minutes until cooked through herunterladen.  Sprinkle with a skosh of seasoning salt and set aside.

Lawrys

Spray the bottom and sides of a large pie plate (I use the Pampered Chef stone one)  with non stick cooking spray ps4 account herunterladen.

Meanwhile, prepare chicken gravy (I use two packaged one cup with water for a quick and delicious option).

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Completely cover the bottom of the pie dish with two to three cups of the potatoes video von webseite downloaden online.

Top the potatoes with the cooked chicken and onions.

microwave veg birds eye classic mixed vegetablesw

Next, top the chicken layer with either type of classic mixed vegetables that you prefer herunterladen.

Use the back of a large wooden spoon and insert it vertically in about five or six places so that the gravy can seep down through out the layers as you gently pour it evenly over the pie download android for free.

Unfold the pie crust and place over the top of the filling, tucking the excess edges inside the dish. If desired, brush the crust evenly with an egg wash.  Using a knife, gently cut a couple of vents in the top of the crust.  Place the pie onto a baking sheet to avoid a mess from over flow in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 20 minutes.

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Allow the pie to rest for about ten to fifteen minutes to set up before slicing the crust.

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Scoop onto plates and enjoy!  We had a simple side salad with Ranch, which is Nick’s favorite and some nice white wine!

Enjoy!
Cheers!
~Chris