Recipe - ABT's

OK, before you ask, ABT stands for Atomic Buffalo Turd. Doesn't sound very appetizing, but if you like jalapenos you will love these things. They are very addicting and I cook about 20 of them almost every time that I light the grill or smoker.

There are two methods of making ABT's, depending on if you have a chile grill or not. I will go over the method that uses the chile grill first, then explain how to make them without a chile grill.

As far as the "stuffings", I will go with the way that I prefer, but your imagination is the limit when making these things. For the cheese, you can use any type of cheese and you can add any kind of meat (cook raw meat before stuffing), veggies, fruits or nothing but cheese. It's all up to you and your preference.


ABT's

20 Jalapenos
1 "brick" of cream cheese
Tyson brand pre cooked chicken fajita meat
10 slices bacon (Use cheap thin sliced)
20 Toothpicks

First I place the fajita meat in a skillet and cook it mainly to get the moisture out of the meat. (make sure to cook any raw meat before using as stuffing) Set aside to cool then dice into smallish peices.

Wash the peppers then slice the top off of each one. Using a potato peeler, apple corer, etc, deseed and devein the peppers.

Fill the pepper 1/3 way with cream cheese, add a few pieces of chicken then fill the rest with more cream cheese.

Cut the bacon slices in half so that you have 20 slices. Wrap 1 slice of bacon around the top of the pepper and place a toothpick through to hold the bacon on.

Completely cover the chile grill with Pam spray. Place the peppers in the chile grill and place on your grill using indirect heat. I turn the chile grill 180* every 30 minutes or so. Once the bacon is done, your ready to pull them off and cool for just a little while. I normally cook mine for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. The longer you cook them, the milder they become.

I normally stick one in my mouth, pull the tootpick out then eat the whole pepper at once.

If you dont have a chile grill make sure that you buy large peppers. Lay the pepper on it's side and remove the top portion so that you have an opening (see pic below). Deseed and devein. Place some fajita meat in the "canoe" the place the cream cheese over the top.

Before I said to cut the bacon in half. Well, don't do it if you are making canoe style ABT's. Using a whole slice of bacon, wrap around the entire pepper. This helps the cheese stay in when cooking.

Lay them directly on the cooking grate and continue as above.

Canoe Style:

Recipe - Pan Seared Tilapia

I loves me some Tilapia! Tilapia is a mild tasting fresh water fish. I could eat this 4 or 5 times a week. It's sooo good! I have always bought the Tilapia fillets as induvidually frozen in a big bag at Sam's Club.

Pan Seared Tilapia

Tilapia fillets (if frozen, thaw them)
Butter
Tony Chachere's Seasoning

Rinse the fillets off with cold water. Sprinkle a little (a little goes a long way!) Tonys seasoning on each side of the fillet. Put the fillets in a hot skillet for about 3-4 minutes or until golden brown then flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes or golden brown.

This will put off a little smoke so make sure that you have ventilation going.

When fully cooked, the fish should break off in flakes.

Recipe - Summer Sausage

I haven't tried this yet, but will soon. I love some good summer sausage with sharp cheddar cheese on a cracker!

Summer Sausage

2lbs. Hamburger lean
1 cup water
1/2tsp liquid smoke
1Tbs coarse ground pepper
2tbs mortons tender quick
1/2tsp. Garlic powder
1/2tsp.onion salt or powder
2 large Jalapeño peppers, seeded, washed & finely diced (Optional)


Mix and form into 3 rolls. Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours. Unwrap and bake at 250 for 3 hours. Bake on a rack and turn 1/4turn every 30 minutes as it cooks. May be cooked in smoker for added flavor. When smoking smoke over a water pan & only turn one time.

Recipe - Shrimp Scampi and Cilantro

As much as I love shrimp, this normally isn't the type of food that I eat. After trying it, I decided that I do like this type of food! Quick, easy and gooood!

Shrimp Scampi and Cilantro


1 Pound Shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
2 Tablespoons Butter, real
2 Tablespoons Olive oil
2 Tablespoons Scallions, sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, crushed
2 Tablespoons Cilantro, freshly chopped
1/2 teaspoon Lemon juice
Angel hair pasta
Parmesan cheese or Romano cheese, freshly grated
Dash Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning



1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large skillet.

2. Add scallions, garlic, and shrimp.

3. Saute until shrimp just turn pink.

4. Add cilantro, and lemon juice and heat through.

5. Serve over angel hair pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese.

6. Sprinkle a dash of Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning

Recipe - Tortilla Soup

I love tortilla soup. I tried several different recipes before I found this one. It's really good and I get plenty of compliments on it.



Tortilla Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
4 or 5 cloves garlic
1 pablano pepper, seeded and diced - you can also use 1 bell pepper along with 1 jalapeno pepper, deseeded and diced
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 or 1 1/2 tbsp tomato paste
6 cups chicken stock (or broth)
1-2 chicken breasts
1/4 bunch fresh cilantro
juice of 1 lime


Boil the chicken breast and set aside to cool. When cooled, shred the chicken into bite size pieces.

In a sauce pan, heat the olive oil on med-high. Add the onions, pepper garlic, salt, cumin and coriander for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute and stir. Add the chicken stock and bring to a light boil. When a light boil is achieved, lower to a simmer for 20 minutes stirring from time to time. Add the shredded chicken and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cilantro and lime juice and stir well. remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Some people like to add some crumbled tortilla chips to the soup when preparing to serve and well as shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Sliced avocado also goes well with it.

Safety - Food Handling Tips

Safe Food Handling Tips

Safe Food Temps:

SAFE MINIMUM INTERNAL TEMPERATURES
Whole poultry: 165 °F
Poultry breasts: 165 °F
Ground poultry: 165 °F
Hamburgers, beef: 160 °F

Beef, veal, and lamb (steaks, roasts and chops):
Medium rare 145 °F
Medium 160 °F
All cuts of pork: 160 °F


Utensils:

Wash tongs/spatula/tray/knife often.

Use separate tongs for handling raw meat and cooked meat.

"I use color coded cutting boards, perhaps I am going to use color coded tongs (raw meat, in between meat and done meat tongs). I still will wash frequently!"


Freezing Foods:

Vacuum seal chicken, beef, and pork.

Freeze fish in water.

Never refreeze thawed meat.

Okay to refreeze cooked meat.


Handling Meats:

Put packages of raw meat and poultry into plastic bags

When shopping, buy cold food like meat and poultry last, right before checkout

Separate raw meat and poultry from other food in your shopping cart to guard against cross-contamination which can happen when raw meat or poultry juices drip on other food

Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water

Marinate food in the refrigerator, not on the counter

If some of the marinade is to be used as a sauce on the cooked food, reserve a portion of the marinade before putting raw meat and poultry in it

When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don't put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry.


Misc. Tips:

When putting food in a freezer bag, remove as much air as possible. One way to do so is fill the sink with cold water, seal the bag most of the way leaving about 1 inch open. Now place the bag completely in the water keeping the open portion above water. The water pressure on the bag will push the air out. Now complete the sealing process. And the bag is ready for the freezer.

Completely defrost meat and poultry before grilling so it cooks more evenly

Recipe - Grandma Alma's Meatloaf

I remember as a child going to my Grandparents house and hoping that my Grandmother would make her meatloaf. This was the only meatloaf that I enjoyed back then.

Grandma was kind enough to share her recipe.

This recipe is very simple but it is so good.

To be honest, I can't make it quite as good as Grandma, but it must have been that little linch of love that she threw in but didn't include it in her recipe.

Grandma Alma's Meatloaf

1 to 1/4 Lbs. ground meat

1/3 can of Tomato soup

3 Tbsp catsup

1 small bell pepper

1/2 medium onion, chopped fine

1 Egg

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 Can diced tomatoes, juice reserved

Crackers

Salt

Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 F

Mix meat, catsup, onion, egg, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, salt & pepper

with enough crushed crackers to make the loaf firm.

Mix the tomato juice, the tomato soup and enough water to make 1 cup of

liquid. Pour the liquid over the meatloaf

Cut the bell pepper into wedges or rings and place on top of the meatloaf as

decoration.

Bake at 350 F for 1 hour and 15 minutes

Recipe - Brownies

This is a very quick and easy brownie recipe. I was worried that they would be any good, but I was pleasantly surprised!

Brownies

6 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa
1/4 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 Cup Flour
2 Eggs


First, in a microwavable dish, melt the butter (make sure that the butter is completely melted, otherwise it will not mix in with the other ingredients, and you will have to start over). Then stir this into the unsweetened cocoa.

Now, combine the sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour and salt
with the butter and cocoa and mix thoroughly.

Bake at 325* for about 35-40 minutes.

Recipe - Dutch's Baked Beans

I have a buddy that had made these beans several times so I decided to try them as he was saying how good they were. Let me tell ya, so far everyone that I have made these for has gone nuts over them. They are always a hit!



DUTCH’S WICKED BAKED BEANS
(Beans that will even make Chili Heads happy)

6-8 strips of bacon cut into 1/2 inch squares
1/2 Medium onion, diced
1/2 Bell pepper, diced
2 - 3 Jalapeño Peppers, diced (seeding is optional)
1 - 55 ounce can Bush’s Baked Beans
1-8 ounce can of pineapple chunks, drained
1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 Cup ketchup
3 Tbs. Worcestershire Sauce (good quality such as Lee & Perrin’s)
1/2 - 1 Tbs. dry (ground) mustard

Sauté bacon pieces in fry pan until crispy and remove from pan with a slotted spoon. Sauté onion, bell pepper and jalapeño pepper until tender.

In a large mixing bowl combine beans, pineapple, brown sugar, ketchup and dry mustard. Stir in bacon pieces and vegetables. Pour into a 12X9 or a deep 9X9 aluminum baking pan. (While mixing if things look dry, add additional ketchup 1/4 -1/2 cup at a time)

Place in a 220-250° smoker for 2 1/2 – 3 hours (make sure temperature of the baked beans reaches 160°) or place in a 350° oven and bake for 1 hour.

NOTE: If you are making these beans as a side dish for pork ribs, smoke the removed skirt meat for 1-1 1/2 hours, then dice the skirt meat and stir into the Baked Beans in place of the bacon.

DISCLAIMER:

With the Jalapeño pepper and the dry mustard these beans have the potential for some MAJOR heat. CAUTION should be exercised when feeding these beans to small children and/or the elderly.

To make this recipe Family Friendly, omit the Jalapeño pepper and the dry mustard.

Recipe - Black Bean Salsa

This is a recipe that I obtained recently. I normally don't care for things like this, but let me tell ya what... This is some really good stuff!

It's easy to make and your guests or family will love it!

Black Bean Salsa

1 ½ tsp Cumin
2 (15 0z) Cans black beans (rinsed & drained)
1 (15oz) Can whole kernel corn (drained)
1 Tomato (diced)
1 Red Bell Pepper (diced)
1 Small purple onion (chopped)
½ Cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ Cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 Cup margarita mix or lime juice
¼ Cup olive oil
3 Cloves garlic (chopped)
½ tsp Salt
1 tsp Red pepper flakes
½ tsp Black pepper

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Cookin With Chuck

I have never "blogged" before so please be patient as I am learning something new.

My goal is to post many of my recipes that I enjoy or am wanting to try. Hopefully you will try and enjoy some of these as well.

I will try to post pictures as I know I prefer to see what I am trying for the first time. I know that some recipes sounds gross, but if you see the product, it really looks and taste good.

If you do try something from this page, please leave a comment on what you thought of the dish after you tried it.