Earl Cooks Homemade Panko from "Turkey's" Homemade Bread

When I first heard about "panko" breadcrumbs I wondered what the big deal was. I personally did not use much breading back then, and even the breadcrumbs I had (store-bought), usually went stale before I used up the whole container. When I first tried panko, I was startled that they were so light, but now I love that. Then I watched a video on how it was made and everything made sense.
A bit of panko history
Panko is Japanese from pan ‘bread’ + ko ‘flour or powder'. Developed as a necessity in the 40s when Japan was at war with Russia, and commercial ovens could not be used. The Japanese cleverly discovered a way to bake bread using electrical current which created a crust-less loaf of bread, no browning, so the resulting crumbs were very white. Now we know them for the CRUNCH they add to any coating and have become ubiquitous in baked, fried and roasted dishes. 

So, I wondered, "could I make panko bread crumbs from 'Turkey's' homemade bread"? I had already made croûtons and regular bread crumbs from her perfected bread recipe with great success. Why not panko? Maybe because I don't know how? Well, that's never stopped me! But I did a bit of research. Others had used the shredder blades of their food processors. Just 2 problems. 1) I don't have a shredder blade because 2) I don't have a food processor. One cook used a hand grater, but mine was too fine. I do have a mini food processor add-on to my Immersion Blender, which made them just okay, not perfect but good enough for this try. Several recipes called for a lower temp but a short cooking time too, which didn't work in my oven. I ended up going with a 300℉ oven for 21 minutes shaking them and rotating every 7 minutes. Seven minutes wasn't enough, neither was 14. 21 seemed just right. I baked them on a half sheet rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper. I left them to cool and placed them in a freezer bag with a folded paper towel to absorb any residual moisture. I placed them in the freezer to preserve them, but will probably use them up soon.

Earl Eats All-You-Can-Eat Shrimp at Red Lobster

When I was younger...a lot younger, I considered all-you-can-eat as a challenge. Now it is more of a punishment. I force myself to eat more than I should to get the value that really isn't there. But every year, Red Lobster offers their "All-You-Can-Eat" shrimp special, tempting me to punish myself...again! But it was my wife "Turkey's" birthday and I knew she looks forward to it, even though she eats like a bird (get it? Turkey=bird😏).
They did have a couple of new offerings and of course, they forced me to eat the delicious cheddar biscuits so I wouldn't have room for too much shrimp...oh and a salad. So when my food gets there I have eaten 3 biscuits, a fair sized salad, and almost an entire glass of water. Where would I put the shrimp?

 I started with 2 new flavors, Mediterranean and Nashville Hot Shrimp. Of course, I also had a side dish and the Mediterranean comes with a pilaf. Again, where do I put the shrimp? Turkey had her standbys, hand breaded and scampi.

While I liked the Nashville Hot, it was a bit inconsistent. The Mediterranean was very good. Grilled on skewers with a nice sprinkle of scallions on top. I found the space and reordered. They only allow 1 at a time but they give you plenty of time to get it going. I went for the scampi, then the linguine. Made room for everything except some of the pilaf. So I ate 4 servings of shrimp and was miserably full for the rest of the night. But I think I got my money's worth, and "Turkey" got her birthday dinner. Challenge WON! And I just saw an ad for all-you-can-eat wings at my favorite wing place!(What am I saying?)

Earl Cooks Freezer to Plate Orecchiette Pasta & Marsala Sauce for Your Chicken

I know, this isn't a 'recipe', it's a box but I  said I would revisit the "Freezer to Plate" brand of sauce for use with your frozen chicken using some slight modifications, and I think it went well. I tried a new flavor, Marsala, with  Orecchiette pasta this go round.

What I changed

I used just 2 boneless, skinless, chicken breast halves rather than the 4 the box recommends. I also used a smaller glass baking dish (8"x8" not 9"x13") and cooked it for an hour. I find that at our altitude, pasta in the oven doesn't cook as fast as wherever the recipe was tested.

What We Liked

The chicken was plump and juicy, It is a dish you need not pay much attention to. Once you do the 5-minute prep, just bake it until done and serve. It was plenty for the 2 of us and more than enough for my wife. I will be finishing her leftovers for my lunch!

What We Didn't

The brown sauce was somewhat unappealing to my wife, though I didn't care, but the sauce was rather bland. We don't drink or cook with wine, so the flavor was unfamiliar and came from a tiny pouch. And again I would have liked the pasta to be a bit less al denté

Conclusion

This is a great weeknight meal when you don't want to (or forget to) prepare in advance. Take the chicken from the freezer, no defrosting and follow the box instructions. We probably won't buy the Marsala flavor again, but I will try to have one of their flavors on hand for an effortless meal.

Educational Stuff (well that's new!)

Orecchiette is a variety of pasta typical of Apulia, a region of southern Italy. Their name comes from their shape, which resembles a small ear. Pronunciation: oh-reck-ee-ET-tay 

Earl Cooks Spaghetti Squash with Parmesan & Butter Sauce

Three ingredients! That's It! Cooking doesn't get much easier. Add to that that is is my wife's favorite fall food and one that bakes unattended while your life goes on, and you'll wonder why you don't make this more often! Autumn is loaded with goodies from the harvest and squash is is in abundance. Take 1 spaghetti squash. 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and a stick of butter and you're almost there! Here are some pictures of the process.

Whole, with stem end removed

Let Me Begin by saying that spaghetti squash is tough to cut...very tough! Using a long serrated knife, I remove the stem end. I then place the cut end on the cutting board and attack it from the flower end (the other end). With that same knife, I cut right through the little indentation, rocking back and forth cutting down as I go. Keeping both hands ON TOP of the blade is important here both as a safety precaution and to assist in the cutting.

Halved-Season with salt & pepper

When Halved, I place halves cut side up for seasoning. Salt & pepper is all that is required and the moisture from the squash allows them to stick. I then add extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) to a sheet pan to cover, then add salt and pepper the oil.

Cut side down in oiled, seasoned pan

Place the cut side down in the pan and place in a preheated, 350℉ oven for 50-60 minutes.

Out of the oven after baking

When you remove the squash from the oven it should look something like this on the rind. Crisp makes it easy to remove and makes sure the flesh is tender.

In all it's golden color

Here is what it looks like after baking. It is now ready to be turned into spaghetti! Simply take a fork and draw it pole-to-pole and the flesh becomes strands. I made a simple sauce placing shredded butter and Parmesan in the bottom of a bowl and placed the squash on top. the residual heat melted all 3 together! I always feel squash of any kind begs to be topped with fresh cracked pepper, so I added a bit more and it was so good, my wife took the leftovers for HER lunch! Now you know why she is known as "TURKEY"!

Earl Cooks 3 Meats, Eggs & Potatoes Breakfast

My first experience with a breakfast casserole was at my father's home after he remarried. My step-mom prepared what she called a 'strata', something I was unfamiliar with in the 70s and wasn't popular with "Turkey" because the eggs never seemed quite cooked. Of course, I now know what a 'strata' is but I am going to call it a casserole, just the same.
I had never prepared one before, but I felt like 'breakfast for dinner' last night and thought this might be the ticket. It might well be called 'kitchen sink breakfast casserole' because it includes several items that come straight from the fridge with little or no preparation. That makes it perfect for a weeknight meal, or when you have some ingredients you want to use up. Here's how it went...
Ingredients

• hash browns (mine were from baked potatoes)
• cheddar cheese-shredded
• 3 breakfast meats
• bacon-cooked to your liking
• smoked sausage (I used applewood-smoked) 
• ham (black forest deli style is what I used)
• 4 large eggs
• 1 medium-sized yellow onion
• Cajun seasoning
• salt & fresh ground pepper
• Japanese style panko bread crumbs-enough to cover top layer

Instructions

—as I pointed out earlier, many of my ingredients were from items I had in the fridge (baked potatoes & cooked bacon from previous meals, but these are easily cooked while preparing other items).

• Heat oven to 350℉
• Shred potatoes for hash browns. Use a coarse shred for this if possible. Line the bottom of a glass casserole or baking dish with hash browns after coating with pan-spray. Season with Cajun seasoning (or anther seasoning if Cajun is too spicy)
• Place hash brown layer in the preheated oven to par cook while preparing other items
• Dice the onion and sauté in butter for just a few minutes
• Remove lightly heated hash browns from oven (if your potatoes weren't baked previously, you may need to leave them longer). Stir lightly sautéed onion into potatoes. Top with a thin layer of cheese, about half of the cheese.
• Dice meats into about 1/4 inch dice and mix together and top the cheese.
• Top with remaining cheese
• Scramble eggs together and pour over all the rest of the layers
• Top with breadcrumbs
• Bake at 350℉ for 35-45 minutes, covering after 30 to prevent over browning

Results

Keep in mind that this is only for two people, even though we both had another serving the following day. It would easily feed 3 to 4 people. This is totally adjustable to what you like or have on hand. It would even work well with some added veggies like spinach or broccoli. Maybe i should try a vegetable-rich version next time!

Earl Cooks Rubbed Rib-eye Steaks with Brussels Sprouts

It is almost unbelievable, how much learning about Sous Vide for cooking steaks, has changed our enjoyment of eating them. I have always loved steaks at restaurants, but rarely could I get the flavor I sought at home. 2 things changed my steak cooking/eating life 1)-A Cast Iron Skillet and  B)-The Sous Vide technique. If you like steak, you should try it. Last night I tried one more new thing...Captain Len's Steak Rub...AND IT WAS GREAT. I oven roasted the Brussels Sprouts (I know, it seems like it should be  Brussel Sprouts or Brussel's Sprouts, but it's not). For my steaks, I cooked them in my Hamilton Beach Sous Vide Professional until they reached 140°, "Turkey's" preferred doneness. Then I grabbed my new 15" Cast Iron Skillet I bought just last week for just such an occasion. The details follow:
Ingredients

• 2 8oz. Rib-eye Steaks
• 1 pkg. Captain Len's Steak Rub
• Frozen Brussels Sprouts (if fresh is used adjust cooking time)
• Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper (for the Brussels Sprouts)
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) for Steaks & Sprouts
• 2 tsps real butter for finishing both the steaks and the sprouts

Instructions
—for the steaks

• Remove from wrap or packaging and lightly salt both sides
• Vacuum seal each steak individually (If you don't have a sealer this can be done manually)
• Place in Soud Vide machine (no Sous Vide? No problem, use a slow cooker!)
• Once the steaks reach the desired doneness, allow them to cook for no less than 1 hour. Temp the water at regular intervals.
• Remove Steaks from Sous Vide. There will be moisture/rendered fat in the bags. DRY THE STEAKS WELL. Coat with Captain Len's Steak Rub (or your favorite rub).
• Pour enough EVOO in the bottom of the skillet
• Heat Cast Iron Skillet on HIGH until wisps of smoke rise then turn down to MEDIUM HIGH
• Turn your steaks often. Many rubs include a sugar component that will BURN if you don't.
• Remove from heat and allow to rest 5-10 minutes

—for the sprouts

• Allow 25-30 minutes to cook at 400°
• Cover small rimmed baking sheet with EVOO, pepper & salt
• add frozen sprouts, distributed evenly over an oiled sheet pan. Single layer.
• Top with more EVOO and salt and pepper
• Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes
• Remove and shake them around to make sure all are seasoned.
• Replace and continue cooking for 10-15 minutes longer.

—for both to finish

• Place 1 tsp real butter on sprouts and 1 on steaks to give a finishing richness.

Results

Rib-eye was tender and juicy and I ate 2 portions of sprouts.

Earl Cooks Seared Salmon with Balsamic Glaze

Salmon Fillet with Balsamic Glaze on a bed of Quinoa & Rice

As I have previously mentioned, we have recently started eating more Salmon and have loved it. I also recently bought some Balsamic Vinegar of Modena at Trader Joe's. Trader Joe's is an interesting place to shop and I look forward to going there. They are almost 100% private label product, but it is some of the highest quality available AND at a moderate price. Their olive oil is very high quality and now I find their Balsamic Vinegar to be the same. I also found a great price on some Salmon fillets a day or two ago and need to try a new recipe. There are many recipes available for salmon with a balsamic glaze, so after looking at them, I decided to use them as a bit of a guide and go my own way. Going my own way is not always successful, but this was, and I can judge that by "Turkey's" response...she loved it!

Let me start by saying that If I am cooking FROZEN salmon, which I do from time to time, I just follow their instructions on the package, which usually involves baking it. Fresh, skin on fillets, however, I want to pan sear. I want to control the cooking and seasoning completely. Also, we are not big side dish eaters for nightly meals. A little vegetable or starch to fill us up, something quick, is all we usually go for. Tonight, I decided to try something I had never tried, Quinoa, which I mixed with long grain white rice & butter.

Ingredients

—for the fish

• 2 salmon fillets, skin on, 4 to 5 oz. each

—for the balsamic glaze

• Balsamic Vinegar 1/4 cup
• Lemon Juice from 1 lemon 1-2 TBLS
• Brown Sugar 2 TBLS
• Water 1/4 cup
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper and Salt
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). Enough to coat skillet bottom, about 2 TBLS

Instructions

• Remove Salmon from the refrigerator and any wrapping. Dry surface with paper towels
• Salt & Pepper both sides of fillets.
• Mix Liquid Ingredients & Brown sugar together, stirring well until all are combined.
• Heat oil in the skillet on medium-high until shimmering.
• Reduce heat to Medium and add fillets skin side UP
• Cook for 3 minutes or so, and flip so skin is down, cooking for another 2 or 3 minutes, depending on the thickness of your fillets
• Drizzle glaze on the fillets and allow to cook 1 minute more.
• Ad more glaze to plate
• Serve and devour!

Results

Great. I prepared a small side with Quinoa & Rice and placed my fillet on top. My wife used the glaze to flavor her Quinoa & Rice too!

Earl Cooks Green Tomato & Onion Gratin

Fall has given us a bounty of green tomatoes. So many, in fact, that they are turning red (ripening) before we can use them in something special, so I started looking for recipes using Green tomatoes that are NOT fried green tomatoes. There are A LOT! When my Wife, `Turkey,' said she was thinking about a BLT, I said How about a Gratin! (probably not a normal reaction, but I had been looking at all of the recipes and one caught my eye). Green Tomatoes, Onions, Bacon & Cheese—How could I I go wrong! (I did just a bit and I will tell you where).
Ingredients

• 3 or 4 Green Tomatoes (smallish)
• 2 Yellow Onions
• 3 slices of thick sliced bacon, crisp
• 1 cup Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup FRESH Breadcrumbs
• Fresh Cracked Pepper and Salt
• 2 TBLS Rendered Bacon Grease

Instructions

• Slice tomatoes pole-to-pole in ½ inch slices
• Place bacon on stove top to cook & preheat oven to 350°
• While bacon cooks, slice onions in ½ slices RETAIN SLICES TOGETHER-DON'T SEPARATE RINGS
• Take FRESH bread slices (about 3), and cut into rough cubes, then place them in a food processor to turn into bread crumbs (I always use the crusts, best part!)
• From the pan the bacon cooked in, remove 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and add to the breadcrumbs. Mix together well, using a food processor.
• Remove bacon from pan to paper towels to drain. Place in refrigerator or freezer to cool (this makes it easier to crumble later)
• Place onion slices in WHOLE slices together into remaining bacon grease and sauté until lightly browned on both sides.
• Shingle green tomato and onion in a baking or casserole dish (Layer, side by side overlapping one another) until all onion and tomato are in.
• Top with crumbled bacon, then cheese, then breadcrumbs
• Bake for 30 minutes uncovered then cover and bake for 20 more.

Results

I found that I needed to cook them this longer or hotter. and when placed back in the oven, it came out better. It is not quite as good as Fried Green Onions, but we liked it and passed some on to our eldest daughter who ate liked it too.

I also mistakenly added the breadcrumbs before the cheese and worked to remove them, but some remained. It left the cheese a bit dry and not as gooey as I would have liked.

Earl Cooks Meat Department's Asparagus Filled Chicken Breast with Cheese

For some time now, I have been trying to use my own resources rather than rely on that of others in my food preparation. Mostly I do. When I see something I think we would like, I figure out a way to do it and make it my own. Once in a while though, I see something and it calls to me. Such was the case on my first visit to a new market near me called "Honey Bee Produce Company". As it turns out, it is not truly new, because it is owned by Associated Foods, a giant grocery cooperative headquartered in Utah. 'BEE' that as it may, their stores (Macey's, Fresh Market etc.) are some of the best stores I shop at, and have the friendliest, most helpful people working there. In addition, their private label products (Western Family) are always good quality. Their meat is very high quality as is their poultry and seafood. Well back to my story...I saw in their fresh meat case something that caught my eye. A fresh, boneless, skinless chicken breast filled with fresh asparagus spears and cheese ready to cook at home for what I thought was a really good price. I bought 2,  1 for 'Turkey' (my wife) and 1 for myself. I brought it home and cooked it up. I had no instructions but I will detail what I did and it was very good. There are many good recipes for this on the Internet if you are making it from scratch, but I had no guidelines for one where it is partially prepared, so even though it is a breast, I 'winged' it.
Instructions

• Take the assembled breast and asparagus and season on both sides I used seasoned pepper because I was unsure of any seasonings inside the breast
• Into a HOT cast iron skillet, as some EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil). When the Oil shimmers, gently add the breasts to the skillet and turn to medium to BROWN. While the breasts are browning, heat oven to 325°.
• When all is browned, add a TBL of water to the pan, cover, and place in oven to roast for 15-20 minutes or until breasts reach 165° in the center of the thickest part.
• Remove from breasts from oven and from skillet, and allow to rest, covered for 5 minutes, covered with aluminum foil.
• EAT!

Conclusion

This was a very good meal. Next time though, I would add more seasoning and would top with a great Parmesan. I might also create a butter sauce from the pan drippings because Asparagus loves butter.

Earl Eats "Turkey's" Home Baked Bread

KitchenAid Classic Stand Mixer

Sunbeam Stand Mixer

Life is a series of events that ultimately leads to better or worse events. Such a series, brought me BREAD! Let me explain. My wife "Turkey" as she is affectionately known, is a terrific cook. We all love the smell and taste of fresh baked bread, but how often do we get homemade? But let me digress. "Turkey" loves baking. For a long time, baking cookies was a regular event, but she had to use hand tools. So loving her baking, I thought I could encourage it by making it a bit easier. But after checking the price of KitchenAid stand mixers like they use on ALL the TV baking shows, I knew that was not in our budget or future. So I shopped around and found what I thought, as a non baker, was a substitute and surprised her with it. She was happy, sort of, I think, and I was happy because it was 1/4th the price! Have you ever heard the saying "you get what you pay for"? Even when you are poor, that holds true. But it was a step-up from hand mixing, so that was good. And it was just cookies right? How hard could they be, says the NON-BAKER! Well that may be just one of the reasons my wife doesn't let me bake or use her equipment, but back to the reason for the story. As the grandboys grew and we tried not to, the need for cookies faded. Quite sometime ago, a family of my daughter's acquaintance, updated their kitchen and gave her their older KitchenAid Classic. Of my 2 lovely daughters, I have that one that cooks and one that doesn't. This KitchenAid was now in the possession of the one that doesn't. Where it sat. She realized the value of the mixer, but had no real need for it, so she offered it to her mom, "Turkey". And she was elated to have a KitchenAid, but it went under-used UNTIL a light went on in her bakers brain that said "BREAD, HOMEMADE BREAD".

She found the perfect recipe, made it her own, tweaked it time and time again, and I think it is PERFECT every time! We have not bought bread from the store in many month. She ENJOYS making and baking it with her second hand KitchenAid! Not fancy artisan style bread this is bread just like I remember from my childhood. We slather each warm slice as it comes out of the oven with REAL butter and it is marvelous! She bakes 2 loves, one for each of us and if there are leftovers, they make great French Toast, Croûtons, Breadcrumbs

   

Earl Cooks Breakfast from Leftovers-Ham & Eggs & Potatoes

shown in my Perfect Grip Pan

Being frugal is a blessing...and a curse. I hate to throw things out, sometimes even when I should. My wife, "Turkey" as she likes to be called, will not eat anything past the 3 days in the fridge. She says i have an iron stomach and it is true, I can and will eat most anything. But this is not one of those. The Ham I used is from dinner the night before and the potatoes are from some I baked just days ago. Even "Turkey" would eat this, but she is not quite awake yet and doesn't much like breakfast unless it is for dinner. I on the other hand, LOVE breakfast, but don't often take the time to fix my own. Today frugality meets hunger in a simple and satisfying breakfast that takes only a few minutes and uses those valuable resources-LEFTOVERS!

Ingredients

• Ham leftover from ham steak dinner
• Potatoes from stuffed baked potatoes
• 2 Large AA Fresh Eggs (supermarket fresh, not hen house fresh)
• Fresh cracked black pepper

Instructions

• Dice potatoes and place in a HOT pan (Medium High) allowing them to brown on all freshly cut sides. (I added s small amount of pan spray for this browning, even though I used a NON-STICK pan). Potatoes are cooked through from baking so browning and warming through is all that is needed.
• Dice ham in, and add to potatoes to warm
• Scoot potatoes and ham to the side of the pan, and crack the 2 eggs into the pan, topping with fresh cracked pepper. Add a small amount of water directly to the pan bottom and cover. This steam will cook the top of the eggs while the direct heat cooks the bottom but please keep the yolk runny because when that yellow goodness runs into the ham and potatoes you have a near perfect breakfast combination.
• Serve it up with toast you cooked while waiting for the eggs to cook so you can soak up any residual golden goodness.

Results

Need I say more? NO! I need to go fix me some BREAKFAST!

Earl Eats at Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

As so often happens, I was on my way to discover somewhere else, and got a bonus discovery! I had never eaten or even heard of them, in fact I thought it might be a gas station of a similar name or a car wash, also the same name. With steakburgers prominently displayed in the the name I thought I should give them a try. As I pulled up to the drive-through, I almost gave them a pass because it was quite busy even though it was past the lunch hour, but as I watched the line moved quickly so decided to go ahead and try it. And the line moved very quickly.

 I wanted a Steakburger, but my approach trying someplace new is order their basics. Their menu says they serve Vienna Beef  hot dogs and they use what has become known as the "Top Slice" or "New England" style bun often associated with lobster rolls, so I ordered their Chicago Style Hot Dog and to try their burger, I ordered their basic.  I also ordered fries and a drink. They serve Pepsi Products, but not a great selection. Their fries are like shoestring potatoes almost but they do offer fry sauce!

Their burger was not as good as I paid for so that is a negative.

Freddy's #4 Combo

Conclusion

Their Hot dog was okay with a nicely toasted bun but when compared to their competition, not as good as other Chicago Dogs at fast food restaurants. The help was courteous and friendly and as mentioned, the line moved rather well. I won't be trying these 2 items there again, so next time, it will be their steakburger, if there is a next time.

Earl Cooks Ham Steak with Potatoes and Carrots

Sometimes we remember fondly foods from our youth, and we never go back to these as adults. Both my wife and I ate a dinner favorite, hundreds of miles from one another, when we were young, but I had never thought
about cooking it until a couple of years ago when I saw a Ham Steak on sale and thought I would bring back our youth! I actually thought that since we are empty nesters, this would be much better than buying a whole ham. My wife told me the basic ingredients, which I ignored. The first time, I tried a mustard sauce, but she was unimpressed. So next time I tried the classic.
I start with the bone in fully cooked Smoked Ham Steak, in a dry pan on medium to medium-high heat. I brown it on both sides for flavor. Since it is cured and smoked I don't add more seasonings now. After it has browned, drain any excess liquid, add sliced onion and let them caramelize. I then add the sauce...canned soup! You can use the classic,Cream of Mushroom or if you prefer, Cream of Chicken. I used Progresso, but any brand works, including store labels. Top the soup with small or small chunks of potato, and carrots. We use Gold potatoes most often but use your preference. Make sure you give enough time to cook them. You may want to lift the Ham Steak on top while they cook through. Cover. When cooked through, season with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt to taste.


Ingredients

• 1 Fully cooked Smoked Ham Steak
• 1 small Yellow Onion, sliced thin
• 1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
• enough small gold potatoes for 2 (or cut potatoes)
• several carrots, chopped into 2" lengths. Baby carrots work well for this.
• salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Instructions

• Brown Ham Steak and drain liquid
• Slice onion and caramelize in pan with ham
• Pour soup, undiluted, over ham and onions
• Top soup, ham & onions with potatoes and carrots
• Finish with fresh cracked pepper and sea salt (careful with the salt...The cured ham is already salty and the soup may have salt too). 

Results

This makes a quick and easy week night meal. It has few ingredients and does not need a bunch of attention. It may be a new experience or may bring back great older experiences!

Earl Eats "The Hog Burger" at Britton's Restaurant in Sandy

Britton's Hog Burger

The last time I went to lunch with one of my grandboys, we went to Britton's in Sandy, UT. I had the Louisiana Heart attack and loved it. Today, my other grandboy and I went back to Britton's. I showed him the menu description of the Louisiana Heart Attack and he wanted to order that for himself. But he pointed out to me something I had missed on my previous visit...The Hog Burger! Here is their description:
-Hog Burger-Two Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, One with Bacon, One with Tomatoes, with a Burger and Grilled Onions Stuffed in between

How could I go wrong! I love EVERY SINGLE COMPONENT. Again it is:

• Grilled Cheese
• Bacon (It gave the whole sandwich a rich smokiness) 
• Tomatoes
• Burger
• Grilled Onions
• Fries with their own Fry Sauce

Everything was done to perfection, even the server who was wearing a tiara because it was his birthday.

Conclusion

I couldn't finish it, but not for lack of trying. It was just fries I had to leave behind, but only a few. Go try this all you who love Burgers, Grilled Cheese, Bacon & Tomatoes!

 Britton's Louisiana Heart Attack w/Veggies Removed (kids!)

Earl Cooks Mediterranean Crusted Salmon with Spinach/Artichoke Riced Caulifower

Salmon has become the go-to seafood in our house. I originally started serving it because of it's health benefits, but now it is for it's versatility and flavor. It seems to be readily available year-round, and while not cheap, it is rather reasonable. I try to have it once a week, so I am always looking for new ways to season and serve it. While shopping a my local fishmonger (the seafood area in the butcher section at the chain grocery store), I spotted some salmon fillets that were pre-seasoned with a Mediterranean herb crust, so home they came! Now all I had to do was find a side that wouldn't negate the health benefits of the salmon, so I created Spinach/Artichoke Riced Cauliflower...what a MOUTHFUL. And yes it was a mouthful, but easy and per my wife's instructions, cleared a bit of cupboard space! The details follow...
Ingredients
̶  for the Spinach/Artichoke Riced Cauliflower

• 1 pkg Riced Cauliflower (frozen)
• 1 can Artichoke Bottoms
• 1 can chopped spinach
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Salt & pepper
• 1 TBL real butter

 ̶  for the fish

• 2 Mediterranean Herb crusted Salmon Fillets (5 oz). I bought mine at my local Smith's, a Kroger grocery subsidiary, but have seen them elsewhere and even in the frozen food section. You can also find crust recipes all over the internet
• Salt & Pepper
• Lemon
• 1 tsp real butter 

Instructions

̶  for the Spinach/Artichoke Riced Cauliflower

• Drain canned spinach and artichokes and rinse thoroughly
• Chop Artichokes
• Cook Riced Cauliflower per package instructions and drain any excess liquid
• Combine all and heat through
• Add butter, salt pepper and lemon juice to taste

 ̶  for the fish

• Cook per recipe instructions. If you are cooking fresh salmon, I recommend a skillet to give the skin the necessary crispness, but I cooked mine in the oven because the skin had been removed

Results/Conclusions

The salmon was good, though not as good as I have made before. I love artichokes, but the canned variety lacked the savory goodness of fresh. My wife likes canned spinach, or spinach in any form, so it was fine and we have come to enjoy riced veggies of all kinds. All-in-all it was a satisfying  weeknight meal, though next time, I will make a few changes.

Earl's Experimental Kitchen (EEK!) Kluski Noodles

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Earl's Experimental Kitchen (EEK!) Kluski Noodles

Smoked Pork & Potato Topped With a Golden Egg

It is impossible in my world to tire of smoked pork. When mixed with diced Gold potatoes and topped with a perfectly cooked, sunny-side up egg, heaven is nearby!

This treat is composed of leftovers. Leftover smoked pork from Captain Len and leftover gold potato from baking several extra earlier in the week. What isn't leftover, is the the perfectly runny and yellow egg I topped them with. I owe my love of runny (or as my grandson's call them dippin') eggs comes from my mother. She was great at breakfast foods, but runny eggs were my favorite! I used to cook for breakfast for both of my grandsons and to this day, they still love them. The key to making them dippable is using the steam generated, either from the other items in the pan, like the potatoes & pork, or adding a dash of water and placing the lid on to trap the steam. I never fry eggs at any temperature above medium-high and I try to keep on the low side of that, which would be low-medium-high as opposed to medium-medium-high or high-medium-high. I find it over cooks the bottom while leaving the white unset and under done.

Earl Cooks Gold Potatoes Stuffed With Smoked Pork

In our house we love gold potatoes! Their buttery color and thin skins are perfect for almost every dish, and they bake well too!

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have some Apple-wood smoked pulled pork from Captain Len's. I thought it's flavor would go great topping a baked Gold Potato, and boy was I right!

Now you can smoke your own pork, if you have a smoker, or you can buy several brands at retail grocers, but mine is from a place passionate about smoked meats, Captain Len's! My wife also wanted to add a touch of his not-so-famous BBQ sauce which is out of this world!

Ingredients

• Gold Potato of choice
• Smoked, pulled pork, again your choice
• EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
• Freshly ground pepper and sea salt

Condiments (the first 2 are not really optional in my opinion)

• Real Butter
• Sour Cream
• More salt and pepper
• shredded cheese
• BBQ sauce

Instructions

• Preheat Oven to 425°F
• In a  baking sheet, drizzle EVOO all around, add salt and pepper to the EVOO.
• Wash and trim a needed your potatoes. You will be eating the skins so keep that in mind. 
• Add cleaned potatoes to the baking sheet and drizzle with more EVOO and salt & pepper
• Place in preheated oven for 45-60 minutes, turning once halfway through the baking time
• When you have about 15 minutes to go, place the pork in aluminum or oven proof container and set in oven to heat.
• When cooked, split open and top with pulled pork and your favorite condiments!

Conclusion

This turned out much better than I had hoped. My wife even took leftovers to work to eat the next day...high praise indeed!

Earl Eats Fried Green Tomatoes

I had never heard of fried green tomatoes until I was and adult and married. My wife who is affectionately called "Turkey", introduced me to them not long after we were married and I LOVED them!
I understand they are a staple of southern cooking, and I guess she is from the south...southern UTAH! I'm sure that is not the southern cuisine they are from. I have read many recipes for these green gems, but her simple, straight forward instructions make for the best I have ever had, because they are the ONLY ONES I have ever had!

Ingredients

• Fresh, vine UNRIPENED tomatoes from the garden
• Seasoned Flour for dusting (Salt, Pepper)
• Bacon Grease

Instructions

• In a large skillet, heat bacon grease
• Slice tomatoes Pole to Pole in 1/4" slices
• Dust with seasoned flour and gently lay in heated grease, flipping once to gook both side until slightly crisp.
• EAT...but be VERY cautious. The grease heats the water in the tomatoes to LAVA temperature and the grease and hot water will BURN YOUR TASTE BUDS OFF!

We get them this time of year because it has turned cold and the tomatoes that remain on the vine won't ripen. This isn't my recipe and I haven't ever made made it but maybe I will try!

Earl Cooks Pulled Pork Quesadillas

Smoked pork is my my favorite smoked meat...ribs, roasts, loin, ham and BACON. I had an opportunity to get some apple-wood smoked pulled pork from Captain Len recently, and walked away with a large pan full of the stuff. I have to treat it with the care and thoughtfulness it deserves, and waste NOTHING! I had the ingredients, I was hungry, that is a great combination!

Pulled Pork Quesadillas

Ingredients

• Apple-wood smoked pulled pork (mine was from Captain Len's BBQ but you can smoke your own)
• Flour Tortilla (I used store bought for this)
• Cheese (Shredded) I used mild cheddar because it is my wife's favorite
• 1 Yellow Onion (I prefer yellow to white and buy local whenever available. My wife can't eat red so they are always out of the question.
• Butter and Olive Oil for sautéing the onion
  Topping/Dipping
• Sour Cream
• Salsa Verde
• Guacamole or Avocado-based dip

Instructions

•  Prepare the tortillas by heating the tortillas in a dry pan to give them a bit of color on each side. Set aside and cover or wrap in foil or a kitchen towel. I use 2 8" per quesadilla.
• Slice onion  in half end to end then the halves in thin slices to prepare for sautéing. Add bit of butter and olive oil to sauté the onions. Cook the onions until partially translucent limp.
• Add your pulled pork to the onions and mix the pork and onions together. Mine was refrigerated so it needed a bit longer to come up to temp.
• While this is happening, grate your cheese and place on one of the tortillas which will be the bottom of your quesadilla. 
• When warmed through top the first cheese layer with the pork/onion mixture. It should be hot enough to melt the cheese somewhat. Top that layer with MORE cheese...it is a quesadilla after all, then top with second tortilla AND PRESS FLAT, or as flat as it will go. Place the completed quesadilla back in the skillet to complete the melting process and flip with a large spatula after first side has warmed up. BE CAREFUL, you will want to lift and tilt the pan to meet the quesadilla unless you are better at turning than I am.
• Cut each quesadilla pizza style and dip in suggested toppings or any you may like!

Conclusion and Thoughts

This is a great way to use leftovers and you can modify this by adding cilantro, jalapeños or other Mexican flavors you love. I wanted to highlight the smokiness of the pork so made it to do that. I will never buy a quesadilla at a fast food place again!

Earl EATS Captain Len's Apple-wood Smoked Pulled Pork Sliders w/Baked Beans

Our graduating class had it's 45th reunion reunion last Friday night. I was a small gathering but the food was catered by one of our own Captain Len! Having given up the legal profession, he is now happy to spend his time on Blues & Barbecues. And were those of us in attendance happy he does. He smokes the pork for at least 12 hours over locally harvested Apple wood, gives it a splash of his secret sauce and piles it high on a slider bun the tops it of with his own slaw...perfect! If you want he has his own BBQ sauce which is smoky and rich and I used it on the baked beans he had me slingin'. Great food, great folks. He brought his classic guitar, but we didn't have time. Look for his smokin' trailer in downtown Salt Lake City and BBQ Up!