JBug's Kitchen Antics

What's Cookin'?

I'm sure you've guessed that I've been in a slump lately as far as blogging goes. Not to worry. I'm still cooking and Big Guy's still getting fed. It is just that, although hard to believe, I've kind of run out of things to say (also known as inspiration). 

It seems a trifle silly ....(hummm trifle - wonder if I should make one) to be paying blog hosts for something I haven't used in 6 months, so I'm switching to a "free" service as soon as I can find one that will support a blog of this size.  Just in case the lack of blogging motivation is a forever thing, thank you all for following JBug's Kitchen Antics and for being a part of this little adventure. The friendships gained are precious. Wish I could say the same for the extra pounds. TTFN 

Huckleberry Cream Cheese Pie

Pardon my ignorance but I didn't know a huckleberry from nothin' until we moved here. Where I grew up in Northern Ontario, wild blueberries are more common and grow on low bushes close to the ground. They're really tiny, packed with flavor and take real dedication and a lot of patience to pick enough for a pie.

Then while living in Western Canada I learned all about the larger more commercial high bush blueberry and about saskatoon berries too but here in Oregon, we're surrounded by wild huckleberries of the blue, black and red variety, along with copious amounts of blackberries too. It's been quite the learning experience.

Big Guy picked a quart in his hiking travels and I stuck them in the freezer to save for a special occasion. Friends visiting from New Mexico and a feed of Dungeness crab seemed like the perfect time to showcase a pie made from the tart, juicy little orbs of deliciousness.

A crisp and sugary shortbread crust (Pate Sucree) blind baked until golden then cooled and topped with a sweetened cream cheese and sour cream pastry cream and crowned in shiny huckleberries is what this stellar pie's all about. Further enhanced by a huckleberry glaze, the pie needs a good 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving to set up, which makes it a perfect dessert candidate when you're picking crab and drinking wine. 

Incidentally you can always substitute another berry like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries if huckleberries aren't common in your neck of the woods. Of course you'll have to change the name of the pie, but you already knew that didn't ya.  

Huckleberry Cream Cheese Pie (adapted from Idaho a la Carte)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

3 cups huckleberries (divided)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water, divided

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 baked and cooled 9 or 10 inch crust (I used Pate Sucree)

 Using an electric mixer and a small bowl, whip together cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Spread onto bottom of baked and cooled crust and refrigerate for 1 hour. In a small pot combine 1 cup huckleberries and water. Heat over medium heat until almost boiling. Strain and mash mixture through a sieve leaving seeds and pulp and return juice to the pot (should be 1 cup).  Mix together cornstarch and and sugar and add to juice in pot. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until mixture has thickened and juices are transparent. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Top cream cheese mixture in crust with 2 cups of berries. Spoon glaze mixture over berries return pie to refrigerator. Chill for 2 to 3 hours before cutting. Makes 6 servings. 

Mixed Greens and Herb Salad with Figs and Walnuts

I'm as guilty as the next person in sticking to the usual tried and true mixed green salad so I'm here to tell you about a new kid on the block. 

Imagine the impact on the old taste buds of fresh herbs including parsley, mint, dill and chives tossed with fresh mixed greens and topped with tiny slices of dried figs, crunchy toasted walnuts and shaved pecorino romano cheese. Add a jar of rich and creamy dressing, sweet with maple syrup and tart from balsamic to the equation along with a touch of garlic and a hint of mustard. Pretty darned amazing! 

We took it a step farther last night. I left out the cheese and topped the salad with a piece of broiled salmon garnished with crisp and salty bacon. Sublime? You bet! Perfect after a day spent on the Alsea River fishing for Chinook on a not so typical 80 degree day on the Oregon coast. OK  - now I'm bragging! 

So shoot me. 

Mixed Greens and Herb Salad with Walnuts and Figs (from JBug’s Kitchen adapted from Food & Wine; Dressing from Maple Syrup Cookbook by Ken Haedrich)

 8 cups mixed greens

4 ounces sliced dried black mission figs

1/2 cup toasted walnuts

1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup torn fresh mint leaves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

2 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

1 ounce shaved pecorino romano cheese (optional)

In a large bowl, toss together greens, walnuts, and herbs. Top with cheese. To serve, pass dressing on the side.

Maple Balsamic Dressing:

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Juice of 1 lime

1 clove garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup canola or peanut oil

Salt & coarse ground black pepper

Combine vinegar, maple syrup, lime, garlic and mustard in a blender. Pulse well. With motor running add oil slowly until dressing is emulsified. Add salt and pepper to taste.  Makes 1-1/2 cups. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. 

Black 'N Blue Peach Pie

We're having a very difficult time adjusting to living on the Oregon Coast. I mean what with moderate coastal temperatures, skin softening humidity that has made those well earned desert wrinkles disappear (well almost), sounds of ocean waves and green, green everywhere you can just imagine how uncomfortable we are. Now here I go telling you about the availability of incredible fresh locally grown fruit and berries ripe for the picking...heck you can see what an impossible situation we find ourselves in. 

Now that we have that out of the way, I have to confess I kinda' made this pie up to take care of 3 over-ripe peaches, a handful of blueberries left over from making muffins and blackberries that are oh so very plentiful on our property right now. Pie crust hiding in the freezer, a desire for crunch and imagination are all that were required before this beauty hit the oven to ruminate for an hour.

Believe me, we could hardly wait for it to cool enough to cut. It's a good thing there was a well abused pizza pan under the pie to catch the overflow or I would have had to clean the oven before I could make another one. Now what should the next combination be? Any ideas?

Black ‘N Blue Peach Pie (an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics)

Pastry for a single crust pie

3 large peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

2/3 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400. Line deep dish pie pan with pastry and place into freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a large bowl combine sugar and cornstarch. Fold in peaches, blackberries, blueberries and vanilla and arrange over chilled pastry. Using a tablespoon, drop topping over fruit in pie pan, leaving some spaced between. Place pan on a sheet pan to catch any drips and bake in preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes or until pie is brown on top and filling “burps”. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Topping:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash salt

1/4 cup cold butter

1 egg

Whisk sugars, flour, salt and cinnamon together. Using a pastry blender cut butter in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk egg with a fork and add to crumbs. Toss to combine. 

 

Chili-Cheese Mac

Sometimes the simple things are the best and even moreso when you're camping although there are many who would ask "how would you know" and with good reason. My idea of camping is a 3 star hotel with a kitchenette and no WIFI. Lucky a single burner, a pot, a knife and a spoon are about all you need to make this quick and easy dinner.

I'm warning you though - it is far from gourmet and certainly not calorically responsible especially when someone who will remain nameless goes back to the pot for thirds, but no matter. It's a perfect meal when you're looking for a quick carb load and/or you aim to indulge your resident carnivore who happens to love the stuff. 

Oh, in case you might actually be camping on this last long weekend of summer here's a few more good one pot dinner ideas for the ever so industrious camp cook.

Stuffed Pepper Soup     Cowboy Bean Stuff      One Pot Spaghetti

     

Course that assumes you've brought along your computer and have wifi access in which case it proves you like to rough it about as much as I do... and no we're not camping this weekend. We're home on the Oregon Coast where some if not all the camp grounds are full, the Bay is crowded with boats and crabbers, and the Alsea River is floating a whole gaggle of wanna'be salmon catchers. 

Creamy Cheesy Chili Mac (Inspired by Cooking Light)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 pound lean ground beef

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 can beef consommé

1-1/2 cups beef stock or water

1 – 10 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chile (I used Rotel)

8 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni

1 pound Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes

In a large pot or sauté pan with lid, heat oil until shimmering. Add onion and cook until transparent. Crumble in ground beef and sauté until beef is no longer pink. Add garlic powder, coriander, cumin, and chili powder and stir well to distribute spices. Add consommé, beef broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni and stir well. Cook, covered for 8 to 9 minutes or until macaroni is done. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add Velveeta. Remove pot from heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes to melt cheese and thicken mixture. Stir well and serve. Makes 6 servings.  

 

Smoked Salmon Pizza

I'm not sure whether to call this effort a pizza or snazzed up flatbread although I suppose it could be one or the other or both, but I do know for certain it is a heck of a way to showcase some of Big Guy's home smoked salmon. 

I happened to have some homemade pizza dough in the freezer leftover from a previous pizza pigout, and quickly defrosted, it hit the gas grill for a grand total of 4 minutes a side. Cooled briefly, we topped the crisp and crunchy disc of deliciousness with a whipped up combination of cream cheese, sour cream and lemon juice, followed by flakes of smoked salmon, minced sweet onion, freshly chopped dill and salty capers.

What can I say except we'd do it all over again in a heartbeat big time. Kinda' hard to go wrong with the perfect combination of sweet smoky salmon, tart sour cream/cream cheese, spicy onion, salty capers and fresh herbacious dill.  

Incidentally, my new favorite pizza crust recipe is found here. Just be sure to use bread flour rather than all-purpose for a never fail crisp crust although all-purpose will do in a pinch.  

Smoked Salmon Pizza (Inspired by Rachael Ray)

1 ball ready made pizza dough

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream

Salt & course ground black pepper

Juice of half a lemon

4 to 6 ounces smoked salmon

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup chopped sweet onion

2 tablespoons capers, drained

Preheat gas grill to 450. Roll or stretch dough out into a 16 inch circle and place onto grill. Bake for approximately 4 minutes a side or until cooked through and crisp. Remove to a board and cool.

In a small bowl, whip cream cheese until light. Add sour cream slowly a spoonful at a time and whip to combine well. Add lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. To finish pizza, spread cream cheese mixture onto crust. Top with crumbled smoked salmon, dill, onion and capers. Cut into pieces and serve. 

Peaches And Pork On The Grill

In my opinion, nothing screams of summer quite like the smell of a sweet juicy sun kissed peach. Add a grill and a few pork loin chops to the equation along with a drizzle of good balsamic vinegar and you'll find perfection on a plate. It is darned easy on the cook too.

We've Williams-Sonoma to thank for last night's inspiration although their recipe calls for a basil garnish that I didn't have, but no matter. It is perfectly acceptable without.

Simply pork loin chops seasoned with salt and pepper, then brought to room temperature before they hit the grill, the real flavor quotient's fresh from the tree peaches, quartered and splashed with a little oil and maple syrup then grilled for 60 seconds until golden. Finished with a touch of balsamic vinegar and a dusting of freshly ground black pepper, they are a perfect accompaniment to moist and tender pork chops. Throw in a tossed salad and dinner's cooked in under 10 minutes.  Here's the link to the recipe and just so you know, I'd be inclined to try it with chicken or halibut or even salmon too. In fact, I'm going to do just that. 

Other ideas for grilled peaches - how about serving them with a grilled Ham Steak or show them off along side a chipotle chicken salad for a soothing grilled sweetness next to the salad's spicy heat. 

      

 

Catching Up

We've had friends visiting for the past couple of days and when it comes to summer entertaining and this type A personality, planning ahead is the key to keeping life rolling along as it should. It certainly kept J'Bug semi sane although Max and Finnigan's varying degrees of social skills or lack thereof darn near put me over the edge. Anyway, here's the low down on some of our menus during the past week.

Korean Barbecue Flanken Ribs is a perfect summer night dinner because the meat marinates for a minimum 24 hours before it hits a super hot grill for a grand total of 2 minutes per side. The combination of hoisin sauce and sugar in the marinade never mind lots of minced garlic and fresh ginger make for a fabulously caramelized crunch on the outside and fork tender juiciness on the inside of the ribs. 

Along with a made in advance Spicy Noodle Salad chock a block full of colorful veggies such as carrots, green onions, julienned mini sweet bell peppers and and snow peas and a crunchy ramen noodle slaw, dinner was super easy on the cook. 

 

Of course we also had to take advantage of the riches Neptune bestows and enjoyed crab caught by you know who, roasted in the oven accompanied by a rich and buttery orange sauce perfect for dipping bread fresh from the oven. I know I've bragged about this particular dish before but it is one of our favorite ways to prepare our local Dungeness crab. Along with a salad, it makes for another easy on the cook dinner. Here's the link the recipe for Oven Roasted Crab with Orange Butter Sauce and I'm telling you, it is amazing. Just be sure to keep the cool white wine flowing and a roll of paper towels on the table and you'll have a bunch of happy people. 

When you're looking for something quick and easy, you don't have to look any farther than bonless chicken thighs on the grill.

In our case we enjoyed a re-run of the Mustard Maple Marinated Chicken from way back in 2011, grilled up all crisp and crunchy and accompanied by a curry flavored orzo salad - same as the recipe on the link with orzo pasta instead of basmati rice for no other reason than I just wanted to give it a try, particularly after the fabulous cold lemony orzo and asparagus combination we had a while ago. 

Just so you know, I whipped up the sauces, marinades and salad dressings all in advance and stored them in the refrigerator until they were needed. Some of the veggies were pre-prepped as well and that means I got to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with the wine bottle(s) and the guests. 

 

 

 

 

 

Ritzy Crispy Halibut

I'm not sure who started the rumor that tuna is chicken of the sea because in our house halibut holds the honor. Now there are tons of ways halibut can be cooked although I have to admit it is the one fish I have difficulty with because it goes from being barely cooked to tinder dry in less than a minute. Last night's creation is definitely going on our keeper list because it makes me look like I know what I'm doing. 

Last week when Big Guy's buddy John was here crabbing I cooked up a mess of oven fried chicken to take to them on the boat for their dinner. It got me thinking how fabulous halibut would be treated to a buttermilk/hot sauce bath followed by a roll in equal parts crushed crackers and flour finished by a short trip in a saute pan. 

I was right too. Don't you love when that happens? Moist and flaky meaty fish in a crisp but light coating - heck the 9 minutes cooking time was darn near perfect. It had Big Guy insisting we follow up with a repeat in the very near future. That's high praise from the guy that caught the fish in the first place. 

Buttermilk Ritzy Halibut (an original from JBug's Kitchen Antics inspired by myrecipes.com)

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoons hot sauce (I used Franks)

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or lemon pepper

2 - 6 ounce pieces halibut - approx 1-1/2 inches thick

Whisk together buttermilk, hot sauce, onion powder, salt and pepper. Pour into a  zip bag and add halibut pieces. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes. 

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup cracker crumbs (I used crushed Ritz)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425. Mix together flour, cracker meal, salt and pepper in shallow bowl. Remove fish from marinade (discard marinade) and coat one piece of fish at a time with flour/cracker meal, shaking off excess. Place onto a wire rack and allow to sit for 10 minutes before continuing. Heat butter and oil in a large oven proof skillet. Add fish and cook until golden brown 3 of 4 sides over medium heat - about two minutes per side. Flip halibut onto 4th side and immediately place into preheated oven for 2 to 3 minutes or until fish is just cooked. Remove from oven and allow to rest (uncovered) for a minute before serving. 

Pineapple Bran Muffins

In case you're wondering what has happened in our world during the past week, it's been just a little busy around here. There's 

the fishing (halibut and salmon)

...and crabbing

 ...like this

...which leads to this

and this

There's been more blackberry picking and we've the scars to prove it as the two flats we picked in a little over an hour join flats of strawberries, blueberries, cherries and the odd bag of huckleberries in our freezer. Of course there's been plenty cookin' but not a smidge of bloggin', as you know.

Oh and lest I forget, there's been a clearcut disaster going on too. This is our "view" from the decks on the south side of our house so we'll be doing our fair share of tree planting in the not too distant future. Unfortunately what you see here is at eye level for us as the decks hang over a ravine to our property line below so the trees will have about 30 feet of growing to do before they'll make any difference at all. Crappy, isn't it?

Anyway should you be wondering what all this has to do with pineapple bran muffins, we all know fiber makes everything come out better in the end so I whipped up a batch to make our days a little brighter. This particular recipe's courtesy of The Oregonian Cookbook and other than wheat bran, it's loaded with canned crushed pineapple in juice, buttermilk and a mere third cup of oil which makes 'em not only delicious but healthier, right?

There's a bonus too. Not only does the recipe make 24 generous sized muffins, the batter needs to sit in the refrigerator overnight to allow the bran to absorb the liquid before the muffins are baked, which makes 'em perfect when you're entertaining a crowd for breakfast or when you're old like us and need a little more action - if you know what I mean. 

Just a word to the wise. Don't have too many before you take the boat out fishing or you'll make the old adage "don't trouble trouble until trouble troubles you" come true pdq.  Just sayin'. 

Pineapple Bran Muffins from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from The Oregonian Cookbook

1-1/2 cups brown sugar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs plus 1 egg white

1 tablespoon molasses

1-1/4 cups buttermilk

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups wheat bran

1 – 15 ounce can crushed pineapple with juice

1-3/4 cups warm water

In a large bowl whisk together brown sugar, oil, eggs, molasses and buttermilk. In smaller bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Fold into sugar/buttermilk mixture until just combined. Do not over mix. Add wheat bran and undrained pineapple. Pour warm water over top and stir just until combined. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to 24 hours to allow bran time to absorb liquid.

To bake – preheat oven to 350. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners or spray well with cooking spray. Using a 4 ounce scoop, fill muffin cups three quarters full. Bake for 22 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Makes 2 dozen. 

Blackberry Roly Poly Cobbler

Where I come from these are called Diddle Diddle Dumplings and were made famous by the Best of Bridge Ladies in Calgary, Canada who put out a bunch of fabulous cookbooks. You'll see Diddle Diddles on this site in several different versions including the original apple, peach, rhubarb and blueberry but this one is without question the new favorite in our house. Good thing too because we're living in blackberry heaven.

Not your average cobbler, it may take a little more effort but believe you me the extra time is well spent. The unadorned berries are rolled up into a buttery, flakey biscuit like crust, cut into one inch slices then placed cut side up into a baking dish. Smothered in a surgary, buttery vanilla flavored syrup, it all hits the oven and comes out looking like this. Betcha' I know what you're thinking!

Just so you know, we tend to like our desserts a little less sweet but these early blackberries are a trifle on the sour side so I put the full complement of sugar into the recipe, granulated rather than brown because I didn't want anything to mask that incredible berry flavor. To make life easier when you roll the innards into the pastry, I rolled the dough out onto a lightly floured silpat although parchment paper would work as well. I just never seem to have any around and the silpat's the absolute perfect size. Should you lose a few berries when you're transfering the slices into the pan, just tuck 'em in after they've hit the pan. Not a soul will know except for you. 

Enjoy! It's a keeper. Oh by the way, the ice cream is this one using sour cream and yogurt although I jazzed it with bourbon instead of spiced rum. 

Blackberry Roly Poly Cobbler

Sauce:

¼ cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In a small pot, mix together sugar, water and butter and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes. Cool briefly and add vanilla. Set aside.

Dough:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup milk (or buttermilk)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until pieces are the size of peas. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add milk. With a fork, combine until just mixed. Move to a floured surface and knead gently for 5 or 6 strokes until dough holds together. Be gentle though! Roll dough into a 10 x 14” rectangle.

Filling:

4 to 5 cups fresh blackberries 

Spray a large 9 x 13” pan or casserole dish with cooking spray.Sprinkle dough evenly with berries leaving a 1 inch border on one long side. Roll the dough from the long side into as tight a roll as you can manage, pressing it together as you go. Seal well. Cut into 1” thick slices and arrange cut side down in prepared pan.

Pour sauce over the dumplings and bake for 50 to 60 minutes in a 350 oven. Serve warm or at room temperature with or without ice cream.

Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Living at the beach is all about laid back, quick and easy although that theory doesn't necessarily apply to you know who. He was out picking luscious wild blackberries in our neighborhood at 5:45 this morning with the incentive of a cobbler or roly poly for dinner tonight. Just so you know, it took Big Guy all of 45 minutes to pick 10 cups of beautiful big blackberries and the season's just starting. Just imagine what he's going to bring home when I tell him there's jam, muffins, pie, cordial and more cobbler in his future.  

Anyway, last night's dinner met the criteria of our new lifestyle as once the prep was accomplished, dinner took less than 10 minutes to cook. While this particular Asian flavored delightfully delicious spicy sweet cashew chicken is fabulous over noodles or rice, it is plenty filling never mind much healthier stuffed into butter lettuce leaves.

The cool crisp and crunchy lettuce is a perfect balance for the spiciness of extra ginger and garlic thrown into the mix along with the usual red chile flakes and cayenne. Sliced assorted mini peppers, carrot strips and snow peas add to the healthiness too and I mixed some peanuts into the cashews to give it a different kinda' flavor and crunch.

OK so now I've got to be completely honest. Peanuts are a heck of a lot cheaper than cashews so I mixed the two to make my cashew stash go a little farther. I'm kinda' partial to them in the cookies told you about the other day. 

Sweet and Spicy Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from The Best of Bridge Series Cookbooks, The Best of the Best and more

Sauce:

1/2 cup ketchup

1-1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

3 tablespoons sugar

1-1/2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes (optional)

1/2 cup chicken broth

Combine ingredients together in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake until well mixed. Refrigerate until needed.

 

2 skinless boneless chicken breast halves, cut into cubes

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

 

2 tablespoons oil

2 heaping tablespoons minced fresh ginger

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 small white onion, chopped

1 cup mixed mini sweet bell peppers, cut into rings

1 cup julienned carrots

1 cup snow peas, cut in half

2/3 cup salted cashews

1/3 cup salted peanuts

Toasted sesame seeds as garnish

1 large head of butter lettuce, washed and separated into leaves

 

Combine sugar, salt and cornstarch together in a zip bag. Add chicken cubes and toss together to coat. Set aside.  

Heat a wok or large cast iron skillet over high heat until “screaming hot”. Add oil and when oil is just starting to smoke, add cornstarch coated chicken along with garlic, onions and ginger. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute or until chicken is opaque. Add peppers, carrots and snow peas. Cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Add sauce. Cook until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from heat and toss in nuts. Pour into a large serving bowl and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with butter lettuce. Serves 4.  

 

Corn Bread Has Another Life

I'm here to sing the praises of one of America's favorite side dishes ...corn bread. It might surprise you to know that it is a popular dish in Canada too although as a farmgirl from Northern Ontario, I grew up calling it Johnycake.   

Anyway, there's many different ways to make and serve this down home hunk of goodness and there's even a whole bunch of 'em right here on this site but I'm here to prove there's more to cornbread than what you think.

Don't tell anyone but I've been known to layer the batter on a bed of browned sausage links, bake and serve it with warmed maple syrup for breakfast. I've also added crumbled bacon to the batter and topped it with apple slices and cinnamon sugar. Brought to the table hot from the oven, it's been called breakfast, dinner and dessert.  

For another somethin' somethin', here's a Chicken & Cornbread Casserole that was a surefire hit in our household and a great way to satisfy a recent craving for Mexican flavors. Simply jazzed up cornbread hit with chile powder, cumin, chopped green chiles and creamed corn and baked in a large cast iron skillet, the fun begins after the pan leaves the oven. Pierced with a fork, drizzled with red enchilada sauce, topped with shredded cooked chicken and a mountain of grated cheese, the pan hits the oven to warm through. 

Sliced in wedges and topped with salsa, sour cream, guacamole or a pile of pickled jalapenos to Big Guy's delight, it is a testament to ingenuity, imagination and the joys of good old corn bread.

By the way, here's a link to the original source of the recipe at Cooking Light, but you'll notice I've taken the liberty of changing the title of my version. After having lived in Tucson, AZ so close to the Mexican border and enjoying many real honest to goodness tamales, there's no way I can call this one a tamale casserole. It is what it is - jazzed up turbo charged corn bread and it is delicious. 

Chicken and Corn Bread Casserole from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Cooking Light

1 cup minus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup cornmeal (I used coarse ground but fine is OK too)

1 teaspoon chile powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 cup grated Mexican blend cheese

1/2 cup buttermilk (or milk)

2 eggs, beaten

1 – 14 ounce can cream style corn

2 roasted green chiles seeded & chopped or 1 – 6 ounce can

1 – 10 ounce can red enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)

2 cups shredded cooked chicken

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

 

Salsa, Guacamole, Sour Cream, Sliced Jalapenos as garnish

Preheat oven to 400. Spray a 11 or 12 inch cast iron with cooking spray and place in oven to warm. In a large bowl whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cornmeal, chile powder, cumin, cayenne and cheese. In a small bowl beat eggs and buttermilk together. Make a well in center of dry ingredients and add creamed corn, green chiles, and egg/buttermilk mixture. Fold together just until ingredients come together. Pour into heated cast iron skillet and bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove from oven and immediately poke surface with a fork. Pour enchilada sauce over top. Add chicken and sprinkle cheese on top. Return to the oven to warm – 10 to 15 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve garnished with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, and/or jalapenos.  Makes 8 servings. 

 

Orzo Salad With Lemon Dill Vinaigrette

This pasta salad is the kind of side dish that will go with almost anything but topped with peppered broiled salmon fresh from the ocean, it makes for one super fine summery main course too.

Adapted from myrecipes.com, I couldn't see the point in throwing out perfectly good lemon rind so I took the liberty of adding it to the vinaigrette along with the juice, added more fresh dill and mixed snow peas with fresh asparagus for a little extra crunch. A quick blanch in boiling water followed by an ice bath brought the color out in the vegetables beautifully without sacrificing any crispness.

Incidentally in case you're checking the original recipe here, I doubled the dressing because I thought the salad needed the extra boost and next time I may switch the dill for freshly chopped basil and a little fresh mint just because I'm ornery that way. Chopped cucumber, crunchy bell peppers, artichoke hearts and a few kalamata olives substituted for the asparagus and snow peas and it would be a whole new song and dance of the Mediterranean variety. Don't get me wrong, it is absolutely delicious as written but just imagine what one could do to change it up some? Of course Big Guy informed me he'd eat it just like it is every day of the week and twice on Sundays. Yup he liked it...a lot. Surprised the heck out'a me because I thought the orzo would be too prissy for him. 

Oh, in case your wondering how I cooked the salmon, I sprinkled a salmon fillet with Montreal Steak Seasoning, added a bunch of freshly ground black pepper then broiled it skin side down on high for 8 minutes. Left to rest for a few minutes to finish cooking, the skin was removed and the fillet crumbled on top of the salad. So easy and so darned delicious too. 

Orzo Salad with Lemon Dill Vinaigrette from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from myrecipes.com

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Juice and zest of 1 large lemon

4 teaspoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

Generous amount of freshly grated black pepper

Place all ingredients into a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake to combine well. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow flavors to develop.

Salad:

1/2 pound asparagus, cut into 3 inch pieces

1/2 pound snow peas

1 cup uncooked orzo

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and add asparagus and snow peas. Blanch for 30 seconds to bring color out then remove immediately and place into ice water. Drain well and place into a large bowl. Set aside.

Add orzo to pot and cook for 8 to 9 minutes or until al dente. Drain well and add to vegetables. Add onions and toss with prepared vinaigrette. Refrigerate until serving time.  Makes 6 servings. 

The Lowdown on Curry Crab Rundown

Big Guy's back from his big adventure in North Dakota and out crabbing today so while I can't even guess what's in store for us today, I can give you an idea of the process after his success last week.  While he doesn't have far to go since the bay is right below our house, crabbing does require a fair bit of equipment to say nothing of a pile of patience and the better part of a day's worth of time. 

You're looking at B-U-neek 2, Big Guy's fancy new "Freedom Hawk" kayak with a little electric motor so he doesn't have to paddle all the time, pontoons for stability and plenty of room for crab pots. Not a bad set up, is it? He's a might proud of it too.

 After he dropped the pots for a good soaking, he paddled across the bay, beached the kayak and called me on his cell so I could wave hello.  FYI, our house is above the point of the arrow, nestled in the trees.

Anyway, at the end of the day, my very own hunter, angler, cook came home with 7 monster crab that he oh so efficiently boiled and cleaned, two of which went into this fragrent, delicious island style curry from Food & Wine.

Curry Crab Rundown is a coconut curry dish popular in the Caribbean and this version's loaded with ginger, curry, and allspice, spiced up with habenero chile and sweetened with coconut milk. It is perfect with sweet fresh crab but would be wonderful with shrimp, lobster or any firm white fish like halibut, cod or even catfish.  

We had our stew along with some soft inside crunchy outside ciabatta rolls but naan would be fabulous too.

Curry Crab Rundown from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Food & Wine

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger (or more to taste)

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon turmeric

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 small habanero pepper, seeded & chopped (more or less to taste)

1 teaspoon dried thyme

Salt and course ground black pepper

2 cups unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup water

1 pound lump crabmeat

3/4 cup chopped cilantro

Heat oil in a deep skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and cook until transparent. Add garlic, ginger, curry powder, turmeric and allspice and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add diced tomatoes, habanero, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir in coconut milk and water. Bring to a high simmer, then reduce heat and cook, stirring occasionally for 15 to 20 minutes or until sauce is reduced by one-third and thickened. Stir in crab and heat until warmed through. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with bread for dipping.  Serves 4. 

Oh, in case you're wondering about the orzo, feta and lemon salad in the last photo, I'll be telling you about that one later. I'll admit to going a trifle overboard with the habenero so we (I) needed something to cool my palate and we had the salad leftover from dinner the previous night. Good thing too. Ya' gotta' watch those little peppers, ya know!

 

All The Good Stuff Cookies

I'm taking the liberty of calling these cookies how I see 'em because along with the fact they're Big Guy's new favorites, experience (a lot of it)  has shown one can throw almost everything but the kitchen sink into them and they'll be stupendous. 

Along with the usual butter/sugar/egg/oatmeal combination, these puppies have 3 cups of other good stuff - any combination, all of it up to your imagination, such as white chocolate chips, dark chocolate, semi-sweet, butterscotch, peanut butter flavored or cinnamon chips...you name it ... nuts like salted whole cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts, dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, strawberries, sour cherries, blueberries, chopped up dried apricots, peaches or even dried pineapple or coconut, candies like M & M's, malt balls and the like and I've even thrown in trail mix - you know the kind with whole almonds, raisins, coconut, chocolate chips and dried pineapple chunks.

Chilled for a minimum of one hour before baking, I scoop the dough into whoopie pie pans because they make a darned perfect cookie, but use regular cookie sheets if you must. Just be sure to give them room to expand and let 'em cool completely before removing them from the pan otherwise the cookies will crumble (ah darn huh).

Believe me, the 15 or so minutes it takes to cool 'em will be the longest 15 minutes of your life. Just sayin'. 

Anyway, they might not look picture book pretty but holy cow, they sure do taste mighty fine. Give 'em a try and be sure to let me know about your special combination of good stuff. 

All The Good Stuff Cookies from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Noble Pig

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar (I used dark, but light is OK too)

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup oatmeal (I used old fashioned but quick is OK too)

3 cups of good stuff * see Note below

Cooking Spray

 

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In bowl of electric mixer whip butter, granulated and brown sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Scrape sides of bowl down from time to time to incorporate ingredients. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla, beating well to incorporate. On low speed, add flour and mix just until combined. Fold in oatmeal and all the good stuff. Cover dough and chill for a minimum 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Spray pans with cooking spray. Using a quarter cup scoop, roll dough into balls and place onto sheet pan or into whoopee pie pans. Bake for 15 minutes or until cookies are golden brown but still slightly soft to the touch in the center. Cool completely before removing from pans. Makes 24 to 26 cookies.

Note:  Three cups of any combination of white chocolate chips, dark chocolate, semi-sweet, butterscotch, peanut butter flavored or cinnamon chips...you name it ... nuts like salted whole cashews, walnuts, almonds, pecans, or hazelnuts, dried fruit such as cranberries, raisins, strawberries, sour cherries, blueberries, chopped up dried apricots, peaches or even dried pineapple or coconut, candies like M & M's, malt balls (leave whole) and the like and I've even thrown in trail mix - you know the kind with whole almonds, raisins, coconut, chocolate chips and dried pineapple chunks. 

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

OK so summer may not be offical yet at least as far as the calendar goes but the air is scented with the first sign of the season - at least in our house it is. We've a dehydrator full of ruby red Hood strawberries on the go and believe you me, you can't beat the aroma of those beauties.

That, along with 8 one quart bags of the gems in the freezer and this pie took care of two flats of the juicy sweet berries to say nothing of our Saturday afternoon. Talk about a labor of love. 

Now I don't know about you but the combination of rhubarb and berries, just about any berry, is definitely high on my list of personal favorites and while I'm known to mix rhubarb with rapsberries as a first choice, strawberries come in a very close second. I love the color, the flavor and the appearance of a fruit pie particularly when granulated (aka instant) tapioca and cornstarch are used as thickeners because the juices stay clear and the color true.

That's what I did here and believe you me, this pie's a real winner. Just remember to let the fruit filling mascerate for at least 15 minutes with the sugar/tapioca mixture before it goes between the crusts and for heaven's sake, let the pie burp a bit before you remove it from the oven. Afterall, that's what makes it beautiful. Just sayin'. 

JBug’s Strawberry Rhubarb Pie an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics

Pastry: (adapted from Ina Garten)

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

1/3 cup very cold shortening

1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water

Place flour, salt and sugar in food processor with steel blade and pulse a few times to combine. Add butter and shortening cut into cubes to dry ingredients and pulse processor 10 to 12 times or until butter is the size of peas. With motor running gradually add ice water and pulse until pastry comes together. Place pastry into a large zip bag and form into a flattened disc. Press all the air out of the bag and seal. Refrigerate for a minimum half hour.

Pie Filling:

3 cups sliced rhubarb (frozen, slightly defrosted is fine)

3 cups fresh whole strawberries

1-1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup granulated tapioca

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

In a large bowl whisk together sugar, tapioca, cornstarch, vanilla and salt.  Add rhubarb and berries and fold together. Let sit for minimum 15 minutes before continuing.

To make pie – Preheat oven to 400. Divide pastry disc in half and roll out on a well floured board. Line bottom of deep pie tin leaving a 1 inch overhang. Fill with fruit and dot with butter. Roll out top crust and arrange over fruit filling. Seal edges and flute. Decorate as you wish and cut slashes in top crust to allow steam to escape. Place pie tin on lower rack of oven and put a baking sheet underneath to catch any drips. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until crust is golden and juices run clear. Cool on a wire rack to room temperature before cutting. Refrigerate any leftovers. 

Chile Verde Pie and Coast Time

In case you're wondering why JBug's Kitchen Antics has gone from "every day" to twice or three times a week, here's the reason. It's not that I haven't been cooking every day and as much as I'd like to blame this blog's service provider as they've been undergoing challenges recently that have stretched my frustration level to a breaking point, the real story is that I think I may have finally converted my Type A inner clock to "coast time". 

Coast time is our local version of "manana" or when 9 o'clock means noon and 1 pm means 4 which then becomes 5 o'clock somewhere. Do you get my drift? I've been meaning to tell you about this chili verde pie for days now, but kept saying "ah heck, maybe tomorrow". See, I AM on coast time. 

Anyway if you're a regular here at J'Bug's, you'll know that after our 11 years in Tucson, we came away with a rather strong appreciation for Mexican cuisine and one of our favorites is chile verde. I mean what's not to like about cubes of pork shoulder braised until tender in green chile, onion and beer? (Hit the link and see our version here).  It's perfect "coast time" food because after the prep work it basically cooks itself. Leftovers are fabulous in taco's, enchiladas or even under an egg for breakfast but we happen to love our savory pies around here, so in the interest of trying something new I thought why not? 

Leftover pork chile verde, an extra dose of chopped green chile, a cup or so of frozen corn all wrapped up in a flaky crust - really, what's not to love and love it we did. 

Next time you're looking for a new way to cook up some leftovers, try thinking outside the box a tad and make a pie. I mean you can slap darn near anything between two sheets of flaky dough and call it dinner. In fact, I'm going to put my thinking cap on right now and...on second thoughts, the rain is over, the sun is out and the beach is calling. Maybe tomorrow. OK?

Chile Verdi Pie an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics

Pastry for a double crust pie

4 cups leftover chile verde

2 roasted green chilies, chopped

1 cup fresh or frozen corn niblets

1 tablespoon heavy cream

Coarse sea salt

 Preheat oven to 450. Line a 9” deep dish pie pan with pastry. In a medium bowl, mix together chile verde, chopped green chilies and corn. Pour into pastry lined pan and top with second crust. Seal edges, flute, slash and decorate and you wish.  Brush crust with heavy cream to glaze and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, and then reduce heat to 350 and bake additional 45 minutes or until crust is golden and filling bubbling. Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Makes 6 servings. 

 

Crunchy Cool Chicken Salad

Summer's knocking on the front door and with the long weekend upon us, what better way to celebrate the season than with a cool as a cucumber chicken salad.

Not your ordinary salad, this one's loaded with crunch from sweet bell pepper, cucumber, water chestnuts and peanuts. The crunch quotient is increased even more with the addition of chow mein noodles which pair beautifully with a simple Asian influenced dressing. I almost called it a vinaigrette but that wouldn't fit because there isn't any vinegar in it. Picky huh. 

Next time you're looking for something different to add to your summer menu, give this one a try. Its fresh flavors and satisfying crunch are darn near addictive never mind its a great way to get your family to eat their veggies. 

Crunchy Chicken Salad from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Idaho A La Carte

 

3 cups cubed roasted chicken

1 romaine heart, shredded

4 green onions, chopped

1 – 8 ounce can sliced water chestnuts, drained

6 mini sweet bell peppers, sliced

1/2 seedless cucumber, julienned

1 cup snow pea pods

4 ounces deep fried chow mein noodles

1/2 cup salted peanuts

 Place chicken, lettuce, green onions, water chestnuts, bell peppers, cucumber and pea pods in a large bowl and toss to combine. Toss with dressing. Garnish with chow mein noodles and salted peanuts.

Dressing:

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 teaspoon dry mustard

Combine ingredients together in a small jar with a tight fitting lid and shake well. 

Salmon Burgers

One of the many joys of living on the Oregon Coast is the availability of sea creatures including but not limited to salmon. Big Guy made sure our freezer was well stocked with his catch last year and darned if we're not almost out and counting the days until season opens again.

With several months left to wait I was blessing my lucky stars that we'd decided to set aside a few packages including one of belly trimmings. Skin removed, we chopped the fish and combined it with green onions, soft breadcrumbs, egg, parsley, lemon rind and juice and even a dab or two of Dijon. As you can see we let the burgers get extra crispy on the outside for added flavor. 

Topped with tartar sauce jazzed up with a splash of hot sauce and served on a bed of chopped salad, the crisp outside, moist and flavor filled burgers would have been fabulous in a soft toasted bun but we were behaving ourselves (or trying to) so settled for salad instead.  

We adapted the recipe from Dinner With Julie, so hit the link and head right to the original; however, you'll see our version below with a few subtle changes just because that's what cooking's all about.

Chunky Salmon Burgers from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Dinner With Julie

12 ounces fresh salmon

2 green onions, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

1 egg

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon dried dill

Juice and rind of half a lemon

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup panko crumbs more or less as needed

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

Cooking spray

Remove skin from salmon and check for bones. Coarsely chop fish and place into a small bowl. Add green onions, soft bread crumbs, egg, parsley, dill, lemon rind and juice and mustard and combine with a fork until well mixed. If mixture seems too moist add panko crumbs as needed. Form burger into 2 large patties and season each liberally with salt and pepper.

Preheat broiler on low. Spray an oven proof skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Add burgers and cook on both sides until golden (2 minutes per side). Move to broiler and cook on low broil for 5 minutes. Serve burgers with tartar sauce on salad. Serves 2

 

Coney Island Chili Dogs for Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner

The resident carnivore's nuts about hot dogs, particularly chili dogs and for the sake of harmony in our marriage it behooves me to cater to him every once in a while. He's often claimed he could eat them for breakfast, lunch and dinner so I took him at his word just to see if he'd ever get enough.

Of course the first go round was in the dinner category with the dogs nestled onto a warm soft bun (yup, trust me it is under there somewhere), loaded with double dogs and slathered with lots of sweet spicy Coney Island chili.

Not being totally familiar with such a thing and never having tasted an authentic Coney Island Dog, I can only tell you the chili's different from other kinds in that it is sweet, not the usual spiced up kind and the flavor of yellow mustard really comes through. Big Guy said it was great so we'll have to trust him on that. 

Breakfast brought crispy cornmeal waffles to the table, slathered in chili and cheese, topped with an octopus of fried weiners crowned with a sunny fried egg. A breakfast of champions to be sure and believe me, there wasn't a whole lot of conversation going on while the champ was chowing down.

The third and dare I say final version includes weinies rolled into corn tortillas and deep fried to a crunchy finish. Served with a spoonful of chili and spicy pickled jalapenos on the side, they weren't quite as successful as the other two choices. Could it be that someone had finally had his fill? Oh please!

 

Coney Island Chili for Dawgs from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from food.com

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large onion, finely diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste

1 – 8 ounce can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I used French’s)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 tablespoon chili powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Dash cayenne

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add beef and cook until no longer pink. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is softened. Add remaining ingredients and mix well to combine. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low simmer and cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes or until chili is reduced to a very thick consistency. 

One Pot Noodleburger Stroganoff

Although ground beef is a King's ransom these days, if and when you manage to find it on sale, stretch it out and feed a crowd with this quick and easy one pot wonder.

Loaded with all the things that normally go into a traditional stroganoff including mushrooms, onion, and sour cream, this one's beefed up even more with the addition of dry marsala wine and nice chunky egg noodles are included in the pot too.  

It tastes pretty gourmet and is sure to please even the pickiest eaters in the family. Good thing we don't have any of those around here - heck in our house anything with booze in it is automatically gourmet.  

One Pot Hamburger Noodle Stroganoff from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from chow.com

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 pound ground beef

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/2 cup dry marsala wine (or sherry or red wine)

1 can beef consommé

1 package dried onion soup mix

2-1/2 cups water

1/4 cup ketchup

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

8 ounces egg noodles

3/4 cup sour cream

Chopped fresh parsley

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and cook until browned. Remove from pot and set aside. Add butter to pot and when melted add onions and garlic. Cook until vegetables are softened, then crumble in ground beef and cook stirring often until beef is no longer pink. Stir in flour, paprika, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for approximately 2 minutes, stirring up browned bits from bottom of the pot. Add wine and stir pot until the wine has evaporated. Add consommé, dry onion soup mix, water and ketchup. Bring to a boil and add noodles. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered for 7 to 8 minutes or until noodles are soft. Remove from heat and taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Stir in sour cream and fresh parsley. Allow mixture to sit for 5 minutes so noodles absorb liquid. Serves 4 to 6. 

 

Braised Turkey Thighs with Mushrooms and Marsala

Gone are the days that turkey was the forgotten bird relegated to a few special occasions throughout the year. Thankfully it is a lot easier to find turkey parts at the local market which opens the kitchen door to lots of possibilities. 

We've cooked and shared turkey bird many different ways with you during the past 5 years. I know, isn't it hard to believe JBug's Kitchen Antics is into its sixth year? What with over 1,600 posts under our belts, I suppose it could explain the reason we're having trouble coming up with new and exciting things to make never mind the old belt's a lot tighter than it was 5 years ago too. Oh well.

We've had turkey drumsticks caribbean style cooked in beer, rich with Island spices and we've enjoyed the flavors of the Southwest with chipotle, cumin and kumquats,  or drowned in a deep spicy mole sauce. We've had turkey rolled, ground, and left over and they've all been memorable but last night's may just top the list. Until next time. 

     

Turkey thighs browned and braised in stock with sauteed onions, carrots and celery, crisp bacon and meaty mushrooms aromatic with sage, thyme and rosemary, and kicked up with glugs of dry marsala wine. Oh my glory! Served with creamy Idaho potatoes cooked and mashed with a ruby yam, loaded with butter and kissed with cream and a side of cranberry sauce - we were giving thanks all over again.

Next time you're browsing the poultry section of your favorite market, give turkey pieces a second look. Believe me, you won't be sorry one bit. 

Braised Turkey Thighs with Mushrooms and Marsala from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from New York Times, Mark Bittman

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Salt & coarse ground black pepper

All-purpose flour

4 turkey thighs

4 slices thick cut bacon, diced

1 large onion, diced

1/2 pound large mushrooms, quartered

1 cup diced carrots

4 sticks celery, diced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1/2 teaspoon crumbled sage

1/2 cup dry marsala wine

2-1/2 cups chicken stock (or more)

2 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup marsala (or water)

Preheat oven to 300. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium high until shimmering. Meanwhile trim excess skin from turkey thighs, season well with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Brown thighs on all sides, removing from pan when finished. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan. Add onions, mushrooms, carrots and celery and cook until vegetables soften. Add thyme, poultry seasoning and sage and cook for 1 minute. Add marsala wine and cook until wine is reduced by half. Return turkey thighs and bacon to the pan. Add stock until about half way up sides of turkey thighs. Bring to a boil then place pot in oven (uncovered).

Braise for 2 hours or until turkey is very tender. Check pot half way through, adding additional stock as needed. Remove from oven and place on stove top on low heat. Mix together flour and marsala and add to pot. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring until gravy is thickened. Serves 4. 

Soup Bowl Cabbage Rolls

I don't know if you've noticed but we're crazy about the flavor of cabbage rolls around here so this is last night's version. 

Not a casserole because this one's cooked on top of the stove; not a roll because...well, they're not rolled or stuffed; not a soup like the last one (below), this version's more like a stew. 

Adapted from Taste of Home, I took the liberty of making a few changes by adding onion and more spices to the mix, particularly after reading some of the reviews that indicated the recipe was on the bland side. Well, let me tell you, there's nothing bland about this one; however, since we're all about honesty here, in my opinion this recipes needs a little work. In addition to the onion, extra spices including oregano, red chile flakes, a lot more garlic, black pepper, salt and beef stock instead of water, should I decide to make it again I'll change the timing a tad. You see by the time the cabbage was appropriately cooked (not soft but just a little firm to the bite) the rice was way over done so I'd be inclined to cook the rice separately and add it at the end or give the cabbage a head start before adding the rice to the pot. 

Anyway, next time you're in the mood for some good old fashioned cabbage comfort food, check out one of these first. I won't be posting last night's version until it gets a re-run but if you're so inclined, hit the link and check out Taste of Home's recipe and tell me what you think. 

Stuffed Cabbage                                  Cabbage Roll Soup

 

 

 

Beer Battered Sea Bass Tacos

Tacos are a great solution when you're looking for a quick excuse for dinner and/or your family's not big fish fans. I'm not saying we're not because we are but who can turn down a piece of fish coated in a light beer batter and fried until golden? Come to think of it the same beer batter could make darn near anything palatable (think fair food like twinkies, oreo cookies or such). Kind of magical I'd say particularly since there's only 4 ingredients in it too - flour, salt, pepper and warm beer. Who knew?

Anyway, I know we've had fish tacos here before so the main thing that's different about these is the creamy and spicy sauce I found on SoupAddict's blog (hit the link for the recipe) and the fact that you'll see 2 kinds of tortillas on this masterpiece of a taco.

Imagine if you will, a corn tortilla folded over a stainless dough scraper (like this one) and deep fried for about 30 seconds a side, then wrapped in a warm refried bean slathered flour tortilla and filled with taco makin's. The beans make the two tortillas stick together and it means a you can stuff the taco full of fabulous things including slaw, sauce, avocado, fish, jalapenos and the like and your taco won't fall a part when you bite into it. The added crunch isn't a bad thing either. 

Here's the recipe for the beer batter just so you can try it out. The trick to success is to use room temperature beer when you whip it up and make sure to let the batter rest for 15 minutes or more before you use it. Oh and be sure to dry the outside of whatever you're dipping so the batter will stick. Incidentally, Sea Bass may not be the best choice for making tacos because it's kind of bony so for a better experience, try cod, halibut or catfish instead.

Beer Battered Halibut for Tacos from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Epicurious.com

Batter:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground lemon pepper

1 cup beer, room temperature

Whisk together flour, salt and pepper. Whisk in beer and beat until smooth. Let rest for 15 minutes.

1 pound fish cut into strips (halibut, catfish, tuna, salmon, cod, etc)

1 lime cut in half

Salt and lemon pepper seasoning

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Dry outside of fish with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with lime juice. Let sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile heat 1 inch of oil in the bottom of a heavy pan until it reaches 350. Dip seasoned fish into batter then fry in batches for 3 to 4 minutes total, flipping over half way through. Drain on paper towels. 

 

 

Pork and Mushroom Ragu

Some optimistic soul (like Big Guy) would say there's a plus to every minus which is all just fine and dandy but personally as a staunch realist I'd say it's more'n likely there's 2 negatives for every positive, except for this ragu of course. Then he'd be right! 

This totally made from imagination dish may not be the prettiest thing you've ever seen but holy smokes it sure is good. 

The other day I was remembering the pork chops my Mother used to make. She'd put the chops out on a rimmed baking sheet, cover them with onions, salt and pepper and drown the whole shebang in milk. Baked in the oven, they may not have been the best looking chops, but holy batman baby they sure were tasty tender moist morsels. I figured why not try making a ragu out of cubes of pork shoulder using the same idea but ramping up the flavors somewhat.

Well seasoned pork browned on all sides, flavored with sauteed onions, shallots, garlic, thyme, bay and rosemary, braised in a pan deglazed with vermouth then covered in milk and slow simmered in the oven is what this dish is all about. Finished at the last minute with a little sour cream for added richness, extra black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg, it's incredible on a pile of pasta garnished with shards of parmesan cheese.

The flavors are subtle, the meat incredibly tender and moist and it's all very filling particularly if you use a hearty style of pasta like the trottole I used or even rigatoni or bucatini. The only downside is the sauce's curdled appearance but what the heck - put enough cheese on it and you won't even notice. 

Pork and Mushroom Ragu an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

2-1/2 to 3 pounds pork shoulder

Salt and coarse ground black pepper

All-purpose flour

2 large shallots, peeled and sliced

8 cloves garlic, smashed

1 small onion, finely chopped

8 oz. large mushrooms, quartered

1/2 cup white vermouth or dry sherry

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh rosemary

3 to 4 cups whole milk

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup sour cream

Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 325. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Meanwhile remove excess fat from pork shoulder and cut meat into 1 inch cubes. Season very well with salt and pepper and dredge in flour, shaking off excess. Add oil and butter to hot pan and when shimmering, brown meat in batches on all sides, removing to a bowl when finished. Add shallots, garlic, onion and mushrooms to the pot and sauté until transparent, stirring constantly to prevent garlic from burning. Add vermouth or sherry to pan and scrape up browned bits from bottom. Cook until wine is almost completely reduced. Add thyme, bay and rosemary and season all liberally with additional salt and pepper. Return meat and any accumulated juices to the pot. Add milk until meat is covered. Bring to a simmer, cover pot and place into preheated oven. Cook for 1-1/2 hours or until meat is very tender (remove lid during last half hour to thicken sauce slightly).

Before serving, stir in nutmeg and sour cream. Serve over pasta garnished with parmesan cheese, additional grated nutmeg and black pepper. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

Nothing Stays The Same

The older I get the more I realize that change is inevitable. Just look in a mirror and tell me you look the same as you did 10 years ago. I know I sure don't. Get my drift?

Sometimes change is a good thing and other times not so much. Take this view for example. 

This is what it looked like from our back deck from this glorious spot we moved to on the Oregon Coast a whole year ago. Deeply shaded, cool lush green forest so beautiful it could make you weep with wonder, I for one couldn't believe our good fortune in finding such a place.

Well I'm crying for another reason these days because the new owners of 7 acres adjacent to us are clear cutting their land including their side of the ravine right down to the creek where our two properties meet. 

What looked like this a few days ago isn't anything at all what it looks like today and tomorrow it'll be a whole other scene, so much so that I can't bring myself to show you current photos. Just believe me when I say the devastation is unimaginable.

Now in no way shape or form could you ever call me a tree hugger (other than the choice many I've a mind to planting myself in front of in case the axmen decide to ford the creek and come our way). I mean I don't think twice about grabbing a paper towel and as for TP, well I can't think of anyone that can do without that stuff but believe me this whole thing's been a huge wake up call.

Now, since this is a food blog after all, I guess I'd better fess up about what we had for dinner last night. Remember the Manchurian Cauliflower dish I've bragged about here before? Last night I reworked it by adding mini sweet peppers to the pan along with cauliflower florets and it all hit the oven for the same amount of time as in the original recipe while I seasoned and dredged skinless boneless chicken thighs in flour and sauteed 'em until crispy. I tossed the lot together and here's the result. 

Delicious? You bet'cha and proof positive that some changes are a lot easier to swallow than others. Just sayin'. 

 

 

 

Not Just An Ordinary Shepherd's Pie

You know you're on to something good when you lay awake at night thinking about how wonderful dinner was the night before. Am I right or what? 

I knew I'd made this recipe for Moroccan Shepherd's Pie once before and here it is too way back in April, 2011 obviously for the same reason as this one...that is to make use of the remainder of the leftover roast lamb from Easter. We raved about it back then and I'm about to do a repeat performance. 

I basically followed the same recipe as before but added a preserved lemon from my refrigerated stash of salted Meyers and topped the casseroles with whipped sweet potatoes instead of ruby yams but regardless of the subtle changes the flavor's amazing - sweet, salty, spicy...oh man! If lamb's not your cup of tea, I think it would be almost as delicious made with leftover chicken or even pork. MMM, I know I'll be making it again PDQ.

 

 Moroccan Shepherd’s Pie (adapted from myrecipes.com)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound leftover roast lamb, in half inch dice

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon ground cumin

11/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1-1/2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1/3 cup pimento stuffed green olives, sliced

1/3 cup raisins

2 tablespoons liquid honey

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons water (or chicken stock)

1 cup frozen peas (optional)

1 preserved lemon, chopped (seeds removed)

2 medium sweet potatoes or ruby yams, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon butter

Spray 4 ramekins or 1 large casserole with cooking spray and set aside. Heat large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add olive oil and when shimmering add onion. Cook until onion is transparent, then add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring often so garlic doesn’t burn. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, cayenne, turmeric, cinnamon, and salt. Add chicken stock, green olives, raisins, and honey. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove cover. Stir together cornstarch and water and add to pan, stirring well until mixture is thickened to desired consistency. Stir in lamb, preserved lemon and peas. Remove from heat and divide between prepared ramekins.

Meanwhile cook sweet potatoes in boiling water until done (10 minutes). Drain well and return to pot to dry over low heat. Add butter and mash potatoes. Place potatoes on top of lamb mixture in ramekins. Bake in 350 oven until bubbling – about 20 minutes.

 

Hungarian Beef and Potato Soup

We''ve had a string of spring showers (try and say that one 5 times fast) and that was all the incentive I needed to whip up a pot of soup. This one makes good use of ground beef although you could certainly make it with cubes of chuck roast but after all we're at the beach now so I went the easy route.

Courtesy of Food and Wine this pot of comfort is pretty well what the title states along with added flavor thanks to green pepper never mind paprika, cayenne, marjoram and a double whammy from caraway seeds. I pretty much followed the recipe but upped the cayenne for more of a wow, added additional flour and exchanged the beef broth for beef consomme because we like a soup with more body. 

Topped with a dollop of sour cream, a generous shower of coarse ground black pepper and a loaf of crunchy peasant bread on the side, it is definitely a hearty lunch or dinner guaranteed to make a resident carnivore happy. 

Hungarian Beef and Potato Soup from JBug’s Kitchen Antics adapted from Food and Wine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3 large red potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

2 tablespoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or less to taste)

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1-1/4 teaspoons caraway seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cans beef consommé

3 cups water

Sour cream

Coarse ground black pepper

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. Add ground beef and cook, crumbling until no longer pink. Add onion and pepper and cook until vegetables soften – about 10 minutes. Sprinkle in flour and stir well to incorporate. Cook for at least 1 minute, stirring well. Add potatoes, paprika, cayenne, marjoram, caraway seeds, salt, tomato paste, consommé and water. Bring to a boil stirring constantly then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Serve in bowls garnished with sour cream and black pepper. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

Laments and Leftover Lamb

We'll get the laments over with first, if that's OK with you. I haven't been ignoring you all and believe me there's been lots of doings happening in JBug's Kitchen the likes of which you've never seen and may never if this keeps up. There's been a string of technical difficulties with Typepad and I've been unable to post, update, receive or make comments or anything else blog related for most of the past week. It's been frustrating to say the least and I apologize. 

They insist the problem is fixed but I’ve been trying to write this post for the last hour and keep getting booted off so I’m giving up before I do permanent damage and blow a gasket. I’ll be back when the darn thing’s is fixed for good.

...and on we go to another day. Let's try this again! Hope you all had a wonderful Easter and as is the case with many of you I'm sure, we're still working our way through holiday leftovers. We enjoyed a lovely leg of lamb roasted the Greek method just like the one we've had here before.  Marinated in all manner of good things and roasted in a hot oven until the meat is falling off the bone, it's tender, flavorful and full of great leftover possibilities.  

For example, Big Guy took over the kitchen one day and perfected the fine art of pita bread making while I managed to stay the heck out of his way mumbling to myself about what I would do to him if he wrecked the Kitchen Aid. Suffice to say he didn't and served these fabulous pita sandwiches stuffed with leftover lamb thinly sliced and caramelized in a hot pan. Layered with crispy fresh butter lettuce, sliced tomato and fresh minty Tzatziki sauce, it was fabulous.

 

On our third night of lovely lamb, a Moussaka casserole hit the table glowing with a creamy cheesey bechamel topping. While we've made the dish several times in JBug's Kitchen, this was the first effort made with leftover roast lamb but believe me it won't be the last. Adapted from a recipe courtesy of dairygoodness.com, I spiced it up a tad with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, thyme and a few red pepper flakes and added a couple of good glugs of marsala wine because for some reason they chose not to add spices, wine and even left out the potatoes.

While their version is more simple to construct and using leftover lamb was pure genius, to be honest I'd be more inclined to go back to my old standard Nick Stellino version like the one below next time I'm craving the dish. While Dairy Goodness' version isn't baaaaad, Nick's aka JBug's is infinitely better. 

Moussaka from JBug's Kitchen adapted from Mediterranean Flavors by Nick Stellino

2 1-1/2 pound eggplants

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

 

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8 “ slices & patted dry

3/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

 

1-1/2 pounds ground lamb

1 onion, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons dried thyme

½ cup red wine

1-1/4 cups tomato sauce

1 cup beef stock

 

2 cups Béchamel Sauce (see below)

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Peel eggplants & cut crosswise into ½ inch thick slices. Sprinkle with salt and place on layer of paper towels. Cover with another layer of towels, then with a cutting board. Place a heavy pan on top of cutting board to weight it down. Set aside for 20 – 30 minutes.

Heat oil in sauté plan until very hot. Add potatoes, sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook until they are lightly browned (about 5 – 7 minutes). Remove potatoes to 9 x 13” glass casserole dish and arrange evenly on bottom of dish. Dry eggplant slices with a paper towel. Add eggplant to sauté pan in batches and cook until browned on both sides. Place one half of eggplant on top of potato layer in casserole and set other half of cooked eggplant aside for later. Sprinkle well with pepper.

To the same sauté pan, add ground lamb, and cook for 6 minutes until browned. Remove from pan & set aside. Remove all but 2 Tablespoons of meat juices from pan. Add onions, garlic, bay leaves, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and thyme. Cook until onion is soft. Return ground lamb to the pan and add red wine. Cook until wine is reduced by half. Add tomato sauce and beef stock. Lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes or until sauce is thickened.  Top eggplant layer in casserole with meat sauce and add remaining eggplant to top, arranging evenly. Top all with béchamel sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Bake at 375 for 45 minutes, until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.

Béchamel Sauce

2 cups whole milk, warmed in microwave

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

In small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk flour into melted butter and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. (Do not brown the roux).  Pour warmed milk a little at a time into saucepan, whisking constantly. Continue whisking until sauce thickens – about 5 minutes. If you are holding béchamel for any length of time, place a piece of plastic wrap directly on top to prevent a “skin” from forming on the sauce.

Island Chili - Pork, Peppers, Pineapple and Black Beans

Looking at what some of you are calling spring weather these days, a trip to sunnier climes may be in order. It has been wonderful here but typically coast like with fog, sun, rain, warm winds and cool gales all happening on the same day. As far as I'm concerned it's perfect for an imaginary trip to the Caribbean for a bowl of chili, assuming of course they make such a thing in the Caribbean but who really cares right? Whatever provides a little inspiration is A-ok in JBug's kitchen.

Take for example a pound of lean ground pork, stop light peppers (red, yellow and green), a little salsa verde, black beans, tomatoes, a few appropriate spices, and a pineapple tidbit garnish and we called our bowls of spicy sweet stew a roaring success. I'd make it again in a heartbeat and I'm pretty well guaranteed you know who'd devour it too. 

Pork, Pepper, Pineapple and Black Bean Chili an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground pork

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 each green, red and yellow bell peppers, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon chile powder

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste

1 teaspoon salt

Coarse ground black pepper

8 ounces tomato sauce

1 – 14 ounce can diced tomatoes with juices

2/3 cup salsa verde

1 – 15 ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small can pineapple tidbits, drained

Sour cream as garnish

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook, crumbling until no longer pink. Add onion, peppers and garlic and cook until vegetables are softened. Stir in cumin, chile powder, cayenne, salt and pepper to taste and cook for 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and salsa verde. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat and cook covered for 15 minutes. Add black beans and cook for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Serve in bowls garnished with pineapple and sour cream. Makes 4 to 6 servings. 

For some extra yum, give these a try too....

Black Bean, Pumpkin and Turkey Chile   Santa Fe Pork Stew