Category: Irish


Resolution Cooking List

Filed under: Asian, Food, Indian, Irish, Italian, Sauce — Leave a comment
September 21, 2012

Hello faithful readers!

I have been thinking long and hard about what I want to cook and show case here. This has been greatly aided by the arrival of my new MasterChef: The Ultimate Cookbook. Flipping through the cookbook, I had a wonderful idea. This year instead of a New Years Resolution, I am going to make a Resolution Cooking List. I am composing a list of foods, dishes, sauces, etc… that I have never made from scratch before. I would sincerely love your help! I am looking for anything from the very complicated perfect gumbo to the simple spaghetti sauce from scratch. Whether it is French cooking, Italian cooking, Asian cooking, Indian cooking, Cajun cooking, or good ole down home Southern cooking, I am game for anything! I want to know what my readers want to see me cook or at least attempt to cook! My game plan is to come up with a list between 12-24 dishes that I have never made entirely from scratch and document my progress through out next year. Please comment, email, carrier pigeon (or how ever it is you communicate) to get me your suggestions. I’m really looking forward to challenging my self and my cooking ability this next year. This is just one more stop on the way to a MasterChef audition!

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Burgers, and Slammers, and Fries Oh My!

Filed under: Burgers, Food, Garlic, Irish, Potatoes, Quick and Easy, Sauce, Seasoning — Leave a comment
July 11, 2012

 

Five star dining is great, but sometimes you just want a nice, juicy burger. Am I right?

ideally you’d be throwing these bad boys on a charcoal flame grill on a nice sunny afternoon. Unfortunately, we don’t always have that luxury. Don’t lose hope though, because a good quality grill press or grill pan can get the job done just as well but with out the mosquitos and sun burn. 🙂

Here I made both full-sized burgers and slammers to accommodate the little ones. I premade the patties the night before and coated them in a mixture of Hidden Valley ranch dip mix and steak dry rub. Even though they were cooked in the kitchen this really helped give them that fresh from the grill flavor. “Liquid Smoke” can help with this effect as well.

As a side I made steak fries. Now there are several ways to make french fries and everyone has their favorite. Mine might be a little fancier than most. I like to cut up my potatoes in thick slices and fry them just enough to get a slightly crispy edge. Then I lay them over a baking pan and lightly coat them with extra virgin olive oil and season with garlic, sea salt, rosemary, and a little Cajun seasoning. Then I bake them until they turn a nice golden brown. Find your own happy place when it comes to things that have no set path, even if it means throwing some frozen fries in the oven because you are short on time.

I’m Irish, and if you don’t know, I love to add an Irish flare to food when ever I can. French fries, or “chips” is always a perfect opportunity for a little flare. Here I have made a malt vinegar dipping sauce. It’s really simple and easy to make. Just a little malt vinegar, fresh garlic, sea salt, ground sage, and just a pinch of ground mustard. Always seasoned to taste. And don’t just limit this to the fries because it can really give that burger an extra kick too! 🙂

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