Hawaiian Baked Rice

1 cup sliced ham, chopped
1 cup pineapple chunks
1 cup rice
1 cup pineapple juice
1 cup water/broth
1 cup pizza sauce
mozzarella, to taste
salt and pepper

Lightly brown the ham in an oven safe pot (wide/shallow is best), transfer it to a bowl then add the juice/water or broth. Cook the rice, then add the pineapple, ham and stir, reserving some of the ham and pineapple for topping if you want. Spread the pizza sauce on top. Put the cheese on top, as much as you like, and the toppings. Bake at 425 until just browned. Eat.

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Love this, it's so easy and spectacular. I got the idea when I read this post from Noob Cook (got idea=stole idea). It couldn't be simpler and it's wicked good. Wiffy uses cream of mushroom soup instead of pizza sauce, which I'm sure is lovely, but I wanted to make it more pizza-y so I used sauce. I don't see any reason that you couldn't use other things instead. You could use gravy and make it like Hawaiian haystacks, I bet that would be good. Or maybe a garlicky white sauce. Whatever floats your boat. So, shall we? Lets.

First, I took my ham and fried it up a bit. Gives it a little color and also adds some fond for extra flavor to the rice. Then I added the juice and water and let it come to a boil. Then the rice. Wiffy used a rice cooker, but I don't have one. Plus this way it's all done in one pot which makes for easier clean up, which is always good. Then reduce the heat, cover and simmer until done. Mix in most of the ham and pineapple, leave some out for topping if you like. Next, sauce. Spread that stuff around. Then cheese and toppings. Mmm, cheese. I don't care for bagged shredded mozzarella but I also hate shredding it myself. So I don't usually bother, I just chop it up. Much easier and it works just fine. Now into the hot oven until brown and delightful. Doesn't it look good? Yes it does.

Now another part of the recipe that I changed from Wiffy's is she added garlic to the rice. I didn't because my pizza sauce is pretty garlicky, but there's nothing stopping you from doing it. Hell, there's nothing stopping you from changing it up however you like. This here is a concept, not an absolute and don't let anyone tell you not to experiment. If you need ideas, stay tuned. I'm going to be making more baked rice, I enjoyed it very much.

Quick and Spicy Vegetarian Rice and Beans

1 cup rice
2 cups cooked beans
2 cup water or broth
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp blackening seasoning
salt, if desired

Saute the onion in some olive oil until translucent, add the garlic and stir for ~30 seconds. Add the rice and stir to coat in the oil. Add the liquid, seasoning and beans, cover and cook until the liquid is absorbed. That's it.

Note: You can start with dried beans. Take a cup of rinsed/sorted dry beans, put them in a pot and add water until they're covered by a couple inches. Add ~tsp of the blackening spice and let simmer until tender, ~2 hours. You can them use some of the liquid you cooked the beans in for the rice, I did half that and half broth.

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Here's a quickie, guess what makes for a killer rice and beans seasoning? The blackening seasoning from the shrimp last week! I know, shocking. I wanted something easy, so I looked over my pantry. I had pasta, rice and beans. I've been eating a lot of pasta so I went for rice and beans. I started with dry beans, but you can just use a can and it would maim the cooking time. Although you wouldn't be able to use any of the cooking liquid from the beans, which does add a nice flavor and texture. I guess it all depends on the time frame you have. With canned beans you could have this on the table in less than a half hour, I'm guessing. And who doesn't love that? Not that I ever eat at my table these days, unless you count the dinette set table my computer is on. Heh. The one thing about the seasoning is that I found it didn't have quite enough salt for this kind of thing. It was plenty for the shrimp, but rice and beans want a little more. Although it's not really required, you could easily do a low salt thing and it still tastes wicked good.

If you wanted to un-veg it you could add some bacon or sausage. Or put it in a tortilla with some taco or carnita stuff. That would also be wicked good.

One Pan, Spicy, Black Bean, Chipotle Sloppy Joes. Or Maybe Chili.

1 lb ground beef
16 oz can black beans, drained
16 oz can of plain tomato sauce
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tbls red wine vinegar
1 tsp chipotle powder
sharp cheddar cheese
hot sauce to taste
salt and pepper to taste
oil for browning

Crumble and brown the beef over medium high heat until ~3/4 cooked, then push it to one side of the pan. Add the onions and peppers, saute until the onions are translucent, then add the garlic. Saute for ~30 seconds more then mix everything together. If the beef starts to over brown while you're dealing with the vegetables just give it a little stir. Add the vinegar and stir real quick to deglaze a bit. Turn the heat down to low, add the tomato sauce, beans, chipotle powder, brown sugar and let it simmer for ~15 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until it's as sloppy as you want. Add the hot sauce, some salt and pepper if it needs it and serve on a toasty roll with the cheddar. If you put the cheddar underneath it melts when you put the sloppy joe stuff on.

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If you put beans in sloppy joe does it make it chili? Not all chili has beans, but they share most of the same ingredients. I guess my chili recipe is more broth based than tomato based and it's more complex than sloppy joe. Plus I probably wouldn't use canned tomato sauce in chili... hm.

Anyway I think I'm going to call it sloppy joe, since I ate it on a roll. I didn't really get any prep shots, but I did get one that I think shows pretty much what it's like in my new kitchen. Peppers in the dish drainer, can of tomato sauce in the sink. Yeah, that's a paper plate for a cutting board, none of my real boards fit in a safe way and my knives need sharpening anyway. My spices are behind me on top of a big, round, plastic sugar container so I'm afraid you can't see them. Once I get a kitchen table set up (in the bedroom, with the fridge of course) I'll have a lot more prep space and that will be good.

I like doing it all in one pan like this. Not only because it's just one thing to wash, but as the beef sits to one side finishing cooking the fat drips down and kind of auto-greases the pan. At least it does if your stove is slanted like mine, otherwise you can just tip it a bit with the onions and peppers towards you every once in a while so some gets down there. I like 90/10 beef, personally, I find it just the right ratio so I don't need to add more fat or skim any off at the end.

And now here's a gratuitous pan shot to pad out the end of the post since that's really all I've got. Like how I slipped that in real subtle? Heh.

So, what do you guys think, sloppy joe or chili?

Pan Seared Chuck Steak with an Easy Corn Side Dish and Product Review: Country Bobs All Purpose Sauce

All right, first the steak. No real recipe for this I'm afraid (apparently that's going to be a theme for Saturdays, along with reviews), it's really just a method. But here's what you need:

Steak (let's say 1 lb)
2 cups or so frozen corn
1/2 cup or so diced frozen peppers
1 tbl fresh herbs of your choice (or however much you want/need to season your steak)
salt and pepper

All we're going to do is sear the steak then plop the frozen veggies into the hot, fondy pan. Then you stir the veggies around till they are cooked how you like and that's that. So I guess there's the recipe... but here're the details.

First, steak. I used a chuck steak. Normally not the best for pan searing, but I'm not a steak snob and I don't really mind if it's not perfect. Plus it has a great, strong beefy flavor. And it's what I had. So I rubbed it with herbs. I used some salt and pepper and the grilling spices from Daregal. The spices in that blend are thyme, rosemary, savory and parsley, they went really well with the steak and the corn. Once the steak was ready I pulled it off to rest and tossed the peppers into the pan, then the corn. The water that the frozen veggies put out deglazed the pan (although a splash of red wine wouldn't have hurt, heh heh) and then they got coated with the meaty, herby, salty and peppery flavors. Stir them around, let the liquid simmer off and that's that. Well, unless you don't think it's rich enough and want to put a pat of butter on there. That never hurts. So there it is: pan seared chuck steak with corn and peppers. One pan, two dishes, dinner is done.

Now the review. I recently got a couple bottles of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce to try out and I figured that this was a great time to do it. So I dipped my steak in and gave it a shot. The verdict? It's ok. It's like a cross between A-1 and a bottled barbecue sauce. Sweet, but it still has that steak sauce flavor. I enjoyed it well enough, I'll use what I have, but I won't seek it out when these bottles are gone.

Seared Steak Tips with Asparagus in a Lemon-Mustard Pan Sauce

That's quite a title, I know, but I can't think of anything else to call this dish. At least it's descriptive. Heh. Now I've covered this basic method before, but it's a great method, I do it a lot and this time it's asparagus instead of broccoli. So it's different. Basically what I do is sear the beef, make a pan sauce and then cook the vegetables in said sauce. You can do this with pretty much any veggie you want and anything you can sear and get a good fond from. This time around I'm using steak tips and asparagus.

The sauce I made is very basic, mostly because I didn't have a lot of stuff on hand. But if you wanted to fancy it up you could add some shallots, thyme, rosemary, a splash of red wine or whatever else tickles you. I use water when I make this kind of sauce because I want to be able to really taste the vegetables and I've found using wine or even broth can overpower them. I'm not posting a recipe for this, partly because this is a concept, not an absolute and you should experiment with it and learn how you like it best. But mostly because I didn't measure anything. I'm like that sometimes.

First things first, season the steak with salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Then sear the steak in some butter. You could use olive oil or something like that, but I think butter is best. This time I actually did equal parts butter and bacon grease. Because I'm a madman. Don't be shy with it either, it's not just for searing the steak, it's also the base for the sauce. When the tips are done transfer them to a plate and tent them with some foil. That's the fond you want for this kind of thing, dark and plentiful. Deglaze the pan with about a half cup of water. Now let it reduce till it's maybe a quarter cup or so. Then toss in the asparagus and stir it around for a minute. Now add some fresh squeezed lemon juice. How much? How lemony do you want it? A tablespoon will give it a hint of lemon, the juice of half a lemon will make it a dominant flavor. I used half a lemon because my girlfriend loves the stuff. Add some mustard, I used about a teaspoon. I think. Then just cook the asparagus till it's done, stirring occasionally. And that's it! This can be done in less than a half hour, so it's a great weeknight meal. Plus it only uses one pan, so that's a bonus too! I think a Hefeweizen would be perfect with this, to match the lemon.

Experiment: Apple Braised Pork Chops

2 thick cut pork chops

For the pork:
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp tarragon
salt and pepper

For the sauce:
1 cup apple cider or juice
1/2 tbl dijon mustard
1-2 cloves chopped garlic
1 tbl cider vinegar
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 apple, cored, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 tbl flour

Trim the chops if you need to. Rub them with salt, pepper, tarragon and marjoram. Sear them in a very hot skillet, with a bit of oil, then put them on a plate and tent them with foil. Turn down the heat to medium hot and add the onion. Brown it, then add the garlic. Sautee the garlic for 30 seconds or so and then add the flour. Cook it for a minute or so, but don't let anything burn. Pour in the cider or juice. Add the vinegar and mustard and stir it together. Bring it to a high simmer and let it reduce for a minute or two. Then add the chops and apple. Reduce heat to low, cover it and let it simmer till the pork is cooked and the apples are tender.

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A while ago I had an apple I needed to use and pork chops in the freezer. These two things kind of met head on and became this. Now I know there are tons of recipes on the net for apple braised pork, but I really didn't feel like looking any up. So I grabbed what I had on hand and tossed this together. It came out pretty well, but I know a few things I will change next time. For one, cider would have been much better. But all I could get was apple juice, which made it quite sweet. I had been planning on adding brown sugar, but I think that would have been a bit much. A bit of cinnamon and some rosemary would have been good. I think a pinch of cayenne would have been nice too. But anyway, here is what I did.

First, I seasoned the pork chops. These are boneless center cut chops. They're pretty lean but they do have an outer layer of fat, which I should have trimmed some of off. But I rubbed them with salt, pepper, marjoram and tarragon. Why marjoram and tarragon? They were the first spices I grabbed. I'm wicked good at carefully thought out flavor schemes. Heh. But they worked out really well. I intentionally put lots of seasoning on since I figured some would be coming off in the braise, but next time I will put on a bit more. Then I seared them in a bit of oil. I did this over really high heat so they didn't cook too much, since they would be braising. Then I reduced the heat a bit and browned up the onion and garlic. Well, the onion first, then the garlic. Tossed in a little flour, to help thicken the sauce, and cooked it for a minute. Poured in the apple juice. Here is where I added the vinegar, but once again I have forgotten to take a picture. I did put in vinegar though, I assure you. Then the mustard. This is another thing I will add a little more of next time, although it might not be as important with cider as it was with apple juice. The apple juice really needed more flavor, which the mustard helped with a lot. But cider has plenty of good flavor on it's own. Anyway, then I reduced the sauce a little and tossed the chops and apples in. Then I covered it up and let it simmer for a while. I think it was around 15 minutes or so, but I really don't remember. Just do it till the chops are done, then pull them out. If the apples need more time you can always let them simmer alone for a while. Or just eat them crispy in the middle. And there you have it, braised pork chops with apples. So, this experiment was good, but needs more work.

One Pot Baked Ziti

1 lb ziti
3 cloves of minced garlic (or more)
28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
3 1/2 cups of water (a 28 oz can holds this much)
1/2 - 1 tsp basil
1/2 - 1 tsp oregano
1/2 cup diced onion
mozzarella and lots of it
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)

Preheat the oven to 475. Brown the onion in a couple tsps of olive oil in a large, oven safe pot. Add the garlic and cook till fragrant. Add the tomatoes and seasonings and give it a good stir. Add the water and pasta and stir again. Bring just to a boil then reduce heat, cover and simmer, stirring frequently, till ziti is cooked al-dente. Check the seasoning and add salt, pepper or anything it needs. Cover with cheese and bake till the cheese is brown and crispy, 10-12 minutes.

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This is an adaptation of the baked ziti recipe from Americas Test Kitchen. I'm just going by what I remember, I didn't write it down when I watched it, so we'll assume any flaws are mine and not ATKs. The reason I liked this particular recipe so much is because it's a one pot deal. Less dishes = good times. Plus it's covered in mozzarella and I love that stuff. Most baked ziti recipes I've seen say "boil your ziti, put it in a casserole dish with a bunch of sauce, cover it with cheese and bake it". This recipe cuts out a couple steps by combining the pasta cooking with the sauce making. It's like hamburger helper for adults. And without hamburger. Unless you put some in. Which you can. I'm actually adding Italian sausages. The recipe above is just the basics (although it is perfectly good as it and vegetarian to boot) you can mix in all kinds of things. Zucchini, bacon, meatballs, peppers, mushrooms, shrimp, various cheeses, whatever you want. But why don't we just make it, then you can see for yourself.

So, first off if you are using meat or mushrooms or anything that you want to brown, do it first. Like I said, I'm using sausage. Use a really big oven safe pot, you are going to want it to be able to hold a pound of pasta and seven cups of liquid. Once they're browned I'm moving them to a paper towel lined plate since I don't want the sauce to taste like nothing but sausage. Leave a little grease in the bottom of the pan to brown the onion and garlic in. And then brown the onion in it. If you aren't using something that puts out it's own fat just use a couple teaspoons of olive oil or butter. Add the garlic when the onion is just about done and saute it a little bit. If you browned up something like sausage add it back in now. Then pour in the sauce, add the basil and oregano (uhm, I didn't measure them. Sorry. Just add them to taste.) and stir it up. Then the water and pasta and stir it again. Did you notice me pouring the water from the can? Guess how many ounces are in 3 1/2 cups? 28! Very convenient. Don't ask how long it took me to figure that one out. Now bring it to a boil, stirring frequently. Then reduce the heat to low and cover and simmer till the pasta is cooked, still stirring frequently so the pasta doesn't stick. This should take just about as much time as it would in water, maybe a little longer. Once it's done turn off the heat and take off the cover. Now you can mix in some parmesan, romano, and/or some milk or cream to make it really rich. Some fresh herbs would be nice too. Now top it with the mozzarella, how much depends on your tastes. I recommend lots. I would have put even more on, but this was all I had. Now toss it in your preheated 475 degree oven till the cheese is browned, maybe 10-15 minutes. That's it kids. Want to know what else about this recipe is wicked cool? You can make it in about a half an hour. Make it, eat it.