Celebration Steaks

December is a month of celebration in our house. Working in higher education we often have nine days of vacation and lots of opportunity to spend with family. On the 21st we recall the night we were engaged nine years ago. After Christmas we celebrate with more time with family and watching bowl games. For the past few years we have had chances to deer hunt and hope we can do it again this year.

The celebration begins tonight with my wife's birthday dinner. She requested grilled steak and sides.


Though the picture isn't great, this is a grilled stuffed mushroom. The "stuffing" is a can of diced tomatoes with onions and garlic added and seared on the stove top. I sprinkled bread crumbs on top and added salt and pepper. They were a little spicy but very good.

The t-bone steaks were cut about an inch thick and they are as large as they look. I used a very simple rub of salt, pepper, and chili powder. I used a small amount of olive oil on the steaks and cooked them for about eight minutes total.

The kids were treated with frozen pizza an hour earlier in hope that we could have a nice dinner. However, our "eater" returned to the table for bites of steak. We wouldn't have it any other way.

White sauce and potato wedges

White barbecue sauce is quite popular in Alabama. Though I generally prefer a red sauce, my wife loves white sauce so I am happy to make it. I have made it in the past and included the recipe on this site. However, tonight I made a much smaller quantity...just enough for three chicken breasts.

More than enough for three breasts:

1/2 cup of mayonnaise

1/8 cup of vinegar

salt and pepper to taste.

Nothing unusual on the potato wedges. I tossed them in salt, pepper, and onion powder along with extra virgin olive oil.

Chicken was on sale at Publix this week so we are certainly cooking more chicken soon! Stay tuned.

Quick Chicken

I have a basic rub that I keep on hand for nights when I am in a hurry and want to do something different than a store-bought rub. This is a rub that I put on burgers, steaks, or chicken. If you are on my Christmas list you are likey to get a jar of this. Here is what I use:

1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon of chili powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon black powder

I sometimes need to add a little more salt. However, this is a good basic rub.

Creative Burger

Really, how creative can you be with a burger? One way is to try new breads. I patted out four burgers and then realized we had no buns. However, we did have two pieces of French bread. I changed the shape of the patties to better fit the bread.

To the meat I added worcheshire sauce and a small amount of Tony Chachere's seasoning. I added cheese once the burgers were finished cooking. Burgers were good. I went a little too light on the seasoning since we had two relatives over.

Note: Today is Thanksgiving and the burgers were not cooked today. Today I celebrated with family. Over fifty relatives gathered at my parents farm for food, fellowship, and fun. Great tradition!

Camping

Last weekend I took the family camping. We ate dinner, breakfast, and lunch all over the grill. I went with foil bags for dinner and breakfast with hot dogs for lunch.

In the dinner bag I put steak tips, mushrooms, onions, and potatoes. Before dicing the potatoes I nuked them for about three minutes to begin the cooking process. I also dumped half a bottle of Moore's Teriyaki marinade on top. Once we arrived at the camp site I got the fire going and put the foil pack right on top. After fifteen minutes I turned it and put two hot dog buns on top.

For breakfast I used a cheese grater on a potatoesto make hash browns. I also bought some frozen link sausages and included them in the foil pack along with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and scoop of butter.

I did take pictures but all you can see is the foil bag. Not very exciting. Both tasted great! Next time you go camping, I recommend you

Next time we camp I need to buy the pots to prepare hot coffee for breakfast. Iced coffee was good but not what we needed on a cold morning.

Tony Chachere's and bourbon

Tony Chachere's is a great seasoning blend that goes well with chicken or steaks. I favor dry rubs like Tony Chachere's over most marinades. I pulled a couple of steaks out of the deep freeze and allowed them to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.

I rubbed a generous spoonful of TC on the steaks and placed them in a bag with 1/2 cup of bourbon. After living in Kentucky for four years bourbon is among my favorite adult beverages. I allowed the steaks to marinade for about four hours an then cooked on each side for about six minutes.

In-doors my wife cooked potatoes and green beans. With a side salad and cold beer, it was a perfect meal.

Grilled bacon = Fire

I recently grilled bacon cheese burgers for some friends. I love grilled bacon. Cooking above the burgers allows the grease to drip down onto the burgers and make them taste even better. However, the grease also drips onto the flame and can pretty much make everything catch on fire.

A few minutes after the initial flip of the burgers I opened the grill to see many of the burgers in flames. I was able to blow out the flames and retrieved the water bottle from inside to help control future flame-ups.

The burgers were seasoned with Cavenders Greek Seasoning and the bacon grease. Other than being a little too charred in places the burgers were great. I will grill bacon again soon. However, next time I will have the water bottle on hand from the beginning.