Sweet! Brussels Sprouts that is!

Today I threw together an impromptu snack of awesome for my girlfriend. I know she enjoys brussels sprouts and thought that I should cook the ones I had in the fridge.








Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts
Sake
Brandy
Teriyaki Sauce
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Italian Herb Mix
Butter

I began this recipe by rinsing off my Brussels Sprouts and then slicing them in half lengthwise. I put all of these into a mixing bowl I had on hand.

I then put a saucepan on the stovetop and turned the heat to medium. At this point I put in about a 1/3 of a stick of Butter. After it melts about 1/2 way or so, pour in about 1/4 cup of Sake. Just enough to cover the bottom of the pan. I put in about 1/4 of a cup worth of Brandy, just enough to make it's presence known. I swirled this all together and then tossed in the Brussels Sprouts. On top of this I added in a healthy dose of Onion Powder and then the same with Garlic Powder. Maybe a little more Garlic Powder? A healthy pinch of Italian Herb Mix went next. I then mixed all of this together and let cook for about 1 minute. Then I added in a healthy dose of Teriyaki Sauce; this is where the sweetness really shines through. The Brandy will make it quite sweet, but the Teriyaki Sauce throws it over the top and that is what we want here.

You'll know they are done when the white inside portions of the Brussels Sprouts are turned that brownish hue of the Teriyaki Sauce. Or just taste test, that always works as well. Enjoy.

Zesty Chicken

So after mixing together the Zesty Chops, I decided I was not done making food Zesty. However, using the same marinade to make pork and chicken Zesty was not to be had. I had to Zesty it up even more!







Ingredients:
1 lb Chicken Breasts
Caesar Salad Dressing
Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
Lime Juice
White Wine
Italian Herb Mix
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Ground Black Pepper

I began by trimming the Chicken Breasts and slicing them lengthwise in half. I then turned my attention to the marinade. I used 1 cup Caesar Salad Dressing and 1 cup Honey Mustard Salad Dressing. I topped this off with a 1/2 cup of White Wine and a heavy dash of Lime Juice. Mix together.

Add in the 1/2 cup Italian Herb Mix, dustings of Garlic Powder and Onion Powder, and as much Ground Black Pepper as you want. Mix. Once mixed, add in the Chicken. Let sit for about 30 minutes.

Use a saucepan with medium heat. Once it is heated, add in the marinade and Chicken. Cover.

Make sure to stir every minute or two to make sure the Chicken cooks properly. It should be done in about 10-15 minutes, I cut them open to check out done they were. If not done, cook some more!

I took them off and served with some spicy rice I cooked up in my rice cooker. Enjoy.

Zesty Chops

I picked up a plethora of Pork Chops the other day and decided some cooking was in order. I have not Zestified anything as of late, so today I decided to Zesty it up.









Ingredients:
8 Pork Chops
Italian Caesar Dressing
Lemon Juice
White Wine
Italian Herb Mix

I began with trimming the Pork Chops because I demand lean cuts of meat! I am not a fan of the fat on pork, chicken, or beef unless it's a long cooking process where the fat will melt away.

So after trimming them, I created a Zesty marinade. I used 1 cup of Italian Caesar Dressing to start with. To this I added about a 1/4 cup of Lemon Juice. Then I noticed a delightfully non-empty bottle of White Wine nearby, which I poured about 1/2 a cup's worth into the mixing bowl I was using. I stirred all of this together.

Then I put in about a 1/3 of a cup of Italian Herb Mix in and stirred again. Then in went the Pork Chops that I used a fork to mix into the marinade mixture. I let sit for about 30 minutes while I cooked up some other foods.

I placed a large saucepan on the stovetop and proceeded to turn the heat to medium. Once I felt some heat coming off the pan, I poured in the mixture and Pork Chops. I cooked the Chops in the marinade for a more intense flavor. After about 5 minutes, I flipped them for an even cook through.

Then I took them off and served them with some spicy rice I cooked up in my rice cooker. Enjoy.

Tasty Summertime Tomato Sauce

This tomato sauce was kind of just thrown together with what was in my kitchen and I decided it was tasty enough that it needed to be put up here!

Ingredients:
6 Greenhouse Tomatoes
4 Carrots
4 sm Sweet White Onions
1 md Red Onion
1 Green Bell Pepper
2 Anaheim Peppers
2 Jalapeno Peppers (cored)
Italian Herb Mix
Garlic Salt
Cumin/Coriander
Tumeric

I started with 6 Greenhouse Tomatoes and pureed them in my trusty Food Processor. Added to this was 4 Carrots, also pureed in the food processor. All put into a large saucepan, with the heat on medium.

After I had those two ingredients in the saucepan, I proceeded to use my food processor to chop up 4 small Sweet Onions, 1 Red Onion, 1 Green Bell Pepper, 2 Anaheim Peppers, and 2 Jalapeno Peppers(cored). Then I stirred them all together and added about 3/4 cup of Dark Beer. Stir.

Once I had all of that stirred to an even consistency, I grabbed the spices. My Italian Herb Mix went in first, about 3 spoonfuls. Then I added Garlic Salt, maybe 2 spoonfuls...maybe. Here I added Ground Cumin/Coriander and Tumeric. About 2 spoonfuls of each. Stir heavily. Let cook with semi frequent stirring for about 10 minutes, then turn off heat and serve at your discretion. I served them with some sliced Sourdough Bread. Enjoy!