Pork Posole

I have three things I like to cook these days:

1. Things to keep my family alive (the basics) 

2. Things that make me happy (already tested) 

3. Things that don't take a lot of time or money (no big investment) 

Today this Pork Posole soup was in category number three. I felt like cooking, but Christmas is just days away. Which means family is visiting, laundry needs to be done, and gifts need to be wrapped. And oh yeah, there's that new job I just started three months ago. So I need low investment, high returns.

I turned to my favorite go to magazine, Cooking Light. (I really look through my other cookbooks, but what the f@&% is cream of tartar?) 

Here's the Pork Posole recipe I found today. Totally easy, and delicious! Took about 40 minutes of prep time (between opening beers) and then it simmered for another hour. 

Only two things went awry. First, the pork did not give off a lot of fat. I think that's because I like to over trim my meat. So when I added the onions, there were no "drippings" left. I added a tiny bit of olive oil to make up for it. Because of the lack of fat drippings, the bottom of the pan browned quickly. So I stirred the onions a little more than usual so they wouldn't stick and burn. As for the browning, it was all good once the beer hit the pan and the pan deglazed. 

Second, I didn't have cayenne pepper (crushed red pepper), so I just used some chili powder instead. Worse things could happen. 

Again soup was good. Really good. Better yet, the kids liked it. And, better still, it was cheap. So while it started in category three, it's probably going to jump to category two. Once I figure out how to make it in the microwave it will join category number one.

Browned Butter and Sage Chicken

I've been thinking about a friend of mine who is trying to eat better but gets bored with chicken. I realized I don't have that problem because I avoid chicken. Because it's boring.

So I'm on a mission to find good chicken recipes. Recipes that don't call for chicken to be soaked in Campbell's Soup or covered in BBQ sauce and cheese. Here's my first find and I have to admit it's pretty good. Not boring at all. Oh, and did I mention, easy to make - Now who can complain about that?

The original recipe comes from Cooking Light. But here's my version. I just made one serving and since the ingredients are so simple, I really didn't worry about measurements.

Take a chicken breast, wrap in plastic wrap and pound until it's 1/4 inch thick. That's 1/4 inch, not a half, not a third. Take your frustrations out and pound that chicken!

After the chicken is nice and thin, sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Put some flour on a plate and coat chicken in flour. Place chicken in medium hot pan that's covered in cooking spray.

Cook 4 minutes on each side. The chicken will be done on the inside if it's thin enough. See previous paragraphs.

Take chicken out of pan and place on plate. Add about 2 tablespoons of butter to the same pan and let brown. It only takes about 45 seconds. The butter will be brown when all the white bubbles go away and the gold liquid gets a brown hue.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of chopped shallots. Cook for another 45 seconds. Add a splash of lemon juice and cook for another 30 seconds. 

Pour sauce over chicken, and serve. Sprinkle with chopped fresh sage if you're trying to be fancy or are taking pictures for a food blog. Enjoy!

Sliders Were The Hit Of The BBQ

Yes, summers in Las Vegas are hot, but they're nice and dry. Which means the evenings are fantastic!

Last weekend we had about 20 people over for a backyard BBQ (yes, we were grilling but I think barbecue just sounds better).  Anyway we provided the main dishes and everyone else brought a side. On the menu were three types of sliders, grilled chicken wings, watermelon, pasta salad, zesty three bean salad, chicken sonoma salad, and plenty of desserts.

Everything was great, but people really loved the sliders. Originally we were going to do burgers and dogs, but thought sliders would be a nice touch. It turns out people liked the portion size. They could have one or two sliders and still try all the other side dishes. And they were great for the kids.

We used a recipe from Food Network's Alton Brown called Mini Man Burgers.

You basically roll out the ground beef in a baking sheet, season it, fold it up and then cut it into squares. I had a hard time rolling it in a baking sheet because my rolling pin was too long and I didn't have any baking sheets without edges. So I just put the parchment paper right on the countertop. At first it was little awkward, but after the third batch of patties I had it down. By the time I finished making all 64 patties I was a pro.

The burgers cook fast, like lightning. We had to turn off a part of the grill and move the burgers so the cheese would have time to melt.

We did three different toppings:
- American cheese
- Blue cheese and bacon
- Swiss with Pineapple and a drizzle of teriyaki

Everyone loved the choices and loved the sliders. I'll definitely make them again, although I'll probably limit them to two toppings unless I have lots of help. And sadly I didn't get to try any until later, so I don't know how they tasted right off the grill.

If you decide to try these sliders at your next party, here's my only advice:
- Make the patties in advance.
- Keep the meet cold until you're ready to roll it out. It was much easier working with cold beef.
- Don't underestimate how long it will take the burgers to cook. They're super fast.
- Depending on how many you make, forget toasting the buns. It's a nice touch, but no one will notice.
- And get creative with the toppings. People at our get together had a lot of fun trying the different burgers. I'd love to hear what you come up with!

There Can Only Be One Grill Master

I love having help in the kitchen. I need one of those prep guys in restaurants that scrubs the potatoes, peels the shrimp, grates the cheese, and dices the carrots. The closest thing I have to a prep guy is my husband. He's great and we work pretty well together... except when it comes to the grill.

Last night we grilled some Huli Huli chicken and this was just one of the exchanges:

Husband: Are the chickens supposed to be on fire?
Me: I don't know, didn't you follow the recipe?
Husband: Of course I followed the recipe (eye rolling)
Me: Well I'm sure they're fine
Husband: No, they're on fire and burned
Me: That's called charring (insert sarcasm)... it happens when you grill
Husband: I understand the concept of grilling... (muttering something under his breath that starts with "B" and rhymes with bitch)

When it comes to the grill, I turn into a backseat driver - Did you preheat? Maybe you should use that part of the grill. Don't flip yet. You're opening the lid too much.

Not having control of the grill is my weakness. I'm going to try and work on it, but until then my husband will likely be grilled on his grilling techniques.

PS: Here's the Huli Huli Chicken recipe adapted from Cook's Country magazine. It's a Hawaiian dish, if you couldn't already figure that out by the name.

This makes one whole chicken. Double the recipe if you're having friends over:

Brine Chicken:

1 chicken split in half
8 cups of water
1 cup of soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves minced
1 tbs grated fresh ginger

Heat oil and saute garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Combine with water and soy sauce in a large bowl and soak chicken for up to 8 hours. We soaked ours for 3 hours and it was great. Don't do more than 8 hours.

Prep Grill

Soak 2 cups of mesquite wood chips in water for 15 minutes. Place in foil packet and cut several vent holes on top. Place foil package on hot coals or directly on grill burner. Heat grill on high until wood starts smoking, about 15 minutes. Turn grill heat down to medium low and place chicken on grill, skin side up. Cook, covered for about 25 minutes. Do not place chicken directly over wood chips. After about 25 minutes, flip chicken and cook for another 20-25 minutes.

While chicken is cooking make glaze

9 oz canned pineapple juice
2 tbs of light brown sugar
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs ketchup
2 tbs rice vinegar
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tbs grated fresh ginger
1 tsp Asian chili-garlic sauce

Combine everything in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thick and syrupy, about 20 minutes.

Take chicken off grill and brush with half the glaze. Let sit for 5 minutes. Serve with remaining glaze. Yum!