Dinner Tonight: Leftovers become an awesome Asian soup

An amazing soup comes from adding some simple ingredients to leftoversThe other night I made a Five Spice Pork and had some leftovers in the bottom of the crock pot.  I saved them and put them in the fridge thinking that it would be good for lunch the next day, but then I had a better idea.  Since there were such classic asian flavors in the pork, I could make an easy Asian broth to turn them into a soup.  Here's what I did.

Ingredients:

8 cloves of garlic

Large piece of fresh ginger

32oz Vegatable Broth

Leftovers from the Honey Apple Five Spice Pork

Bok-choy or raw spinach

Directions:

  1. Seperate pork from the the other pan drippings and solids in the leftovers and set aside
  2. Add remaining leftovers to pot
  3. Peel garlic and slice thinly, add to pot
  4. Peel ginger and cut into 1/2 inch pieces, add to pot
  5. Add vegatable broth
  6. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20-30 minutes
  7. In a frying pan, saute greens in water until wilted
  8. Place some greens in each bowl
  9. Brown reserved pork until crispy in same frying pan.  Divide and add to each bowl
  10. Cover greens and meat with broth and serve!

Dinner Tonight (and tomorrow) - Apple Honey Five Spice Pork

Great crockpot asian pork with Chinese Five Spice

A very common combination in american cooking is apple and pork, but I was looking for a way to bring something more to the flavor profile this time.  When I started thinking I realized that a lot of the same flavors that we use with apples are present in Chinese Five Spice recipes, and thought this would be a great combination.  The pork came out fall apart perfect with a great combination of flavors.  It was at once both familiar and exotic.  This one will get made again here in Fat Boy Heaven.

Apple Honey Five Spice Pork

YIELD
 6 servings
ACTIVE TIME
 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME
 7 hours, 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    •  Pork Loin, 2.5-3 lbs.
    •  Red Delicious Apples, 3 sliced
    •  Honey, approx 4 T
    •  Chinese Five Spice, 2 T

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Lay the apple slices (from two of the apples) in the bottom of the crockpot.
    2. Sprinkle with five spice.
    3. Cut slits in the pork loin (approx 1/2″-3/4″).
    4. Drizzle some honey into the slits.
    5. Then place apple slices into the slits.
    6. Place the pork loin into the crockpot.
    7. Drizzle the top with the remainder of the honey.
    8. Place the rest of the apples on top.
    9. Then sprinkle the whole thing with five spice.
    10. Cook on low for 7 hours

NOTES

Serve with veggies

Non-Geek Alert: Facebook is about to make it far too easy for people you don't know to see everything you have ever posted...Again

Facebook has rolled out it's new Graph Search to a limited number of people today, and will roll it out to everyone soon.  What this means for most of us is a lot of work if we have ever, in the entire time we have used Facebook, posted anything we don't want what experts call our "Social Graph" to be able to find with a quick search.  As the article below points out, essentially it makes everything you have ever posted or been tagged in visable to not only friends, but the much broader "Friends-of-friends" group.  For those of us with friends that will add anyone who asks to their friends list this can be a little disturbing.  Looks like we all have some house keeping to do on our timelines.

3 Privacy Settings You Must Change Before Using Facebook Graph Search:

3 Privacy Settings You Must Change Before Using Facebook Graph Search - Tweaking your Activity Log just became a necessary and tedious new part of being a Facebook user. Thanks to the service's new Graph Search feature, all that profile info you've painstakingly updated over the years (employer, home town, relationship status, movie likes, etc) and all the photos you've added over time, are now to become data in a database of the social network's trillion connections between a billion users.

 

Time keeps on ticking - The first library without books is getting ready to open...in Texas of all places

I would have expected to see this in Portland, San Francisco, or New York.  It is suprising to see it happen first in San Antonio of all places.  I love the idea, and hope it works well enough for other cities and counties to give it a try.  You can already checkout ebooks in many library systems, but why deal with the hassle of paper books when you don't need to.  In this age of smart phones, ebook readers, and tablets galore all that really needs to happen is for a format to be decided on.  Here we are hoping for EPUB, but that would cut out the millions of Kindle's amazon has alrady won the market with.

Bexar set to turn the page on idea of books in libraries - San Antonio Express-News:

Bexar set to turn the page on idea of books in libraries

 

Kickstarted to release: The Cookoo Watch

In May of 2012 a group called ConnectedDevice, led by Peter Hauser, looked to Kickstarter to help back an idea for a connected watch.  The idea was to have a real watch that also would connect to your smartphone, providing notices if you received an SMS message, a phone call, or new email on your smartphone without needing to reach for the phone.  The idea evolved into a product that is now in the hands of backers and was officially launched this week at CES.

The Kickstarter Edition of the Cookoo Watch arrived this morning

While the company was not able to hit all of it's goals (at launch it is not compatible with Android due to so many different BlueTooth implementations), it has accomplished the biggest one: They have shipped watches that are truly watches whether connected to your iPhone or not, and which are powered by replaceable batteries instead of requiring frequent recharging.  You can view the original goals and timeline of the project here via KickStarter.  While I have only had the watch for a few hours, I am impressed.

The Cookoo is a watch first, and connected device second, an important goal for mainstream acceptance

The watch was remakably easy to set up.  You download the connected application from the iTunes store and launch it.  It finds the watch, and you set alerts and button functions.  You can use the button to check-in to a location on Facebook, drop a waypoint pin on a map (handy when parking in large mall or sporting event lots), and even remotely snap a picture.

The settings are easy to configure, and pretty comprehensive, with more options coming

The command button can be configured to automatically check you in to the nearest location on FaceBookThis is a great product, that will get even better with time thanks to an open API and wide spread availability.  Keep an eye on this thing, it is going to be important.

Crowdfunded COOKOO Smart Watch Launches Worldwide At CES 2013 - Forbes:

Crowdfunded COOKOO Smart Watch Launches Worldwide At CES 2013

 

Bacon Night! - Apple Bacon Tomato Soup

It is really easy to find new recipes using bacon, but finding new recipes that intrigue me with new flavor profiles takes some doing.  I love doing soup this time of year, mostly because it makes for great leftovers that usually hold up well in the freezer for quick meals when we need them.  I found this recipe at All Recipes in an email they sent out a few weeks ago, and decided to give it a try.  Super simple to make and great flavors have added this to the FatBoy rotation.

Apple Bacon Tomato Soup

 

YIELD
 8 servings
ACTIVE TIME
 15 mins
TOTAL TIME
 45 mins

INGREDIENTS

    • 5 slices bacon
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1/2 white onion, chopped
    • 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
    • 2 cups beef stock
    • 1 (15.5 ounce) can pinto beans
    • 1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
    • 2 stalks celery, chopped
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 1 medium apple, thinly sliced
    • 1/2 cup red wine
    •  salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, coarsely chop, and set aside.
    2. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, and saute white onion and garlic 3 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Stir in beef stock, pinto beans, tomatoes, celery, and bay leaf. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer.
    3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook and stir the apple in the red wine until soft.
    4. Mix bacon, apple, and remaining red wine into the soup mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally until well blended.

Dinner Tonight: Redeye Mole Chili

I was looking for a new dinner recipe a few weeks ago and stumbled across this great recipe from Rachel Ray for Redeye Mole Chili.  The combination of sweet spices from the mole with a classic redeye sauce (a southern specialty featuring coffee) makes a unique and new addition to my recipe box.  Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

Redeye Mole Chili

 

YIELD
 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

    • 3 cups beef stock (if using ground beef) or chicken stock (if using ground turkey)
    • 2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
    • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
    • 4 slices lean smoked bacon, chopped
    • 1 1/2 pounds ground beef sirloin or ground turkey
    • 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
    • 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    •  Salt and pepper
    • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
    • 1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed
    • 1 15 ounce can diced fire-roasted tomatoes
    • 2 tablespoons instant coffee
    • 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika
    • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
    • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 2 cups shredded or crumbled extra-sharp cheddar cheese
    • 1 small red onion, finely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. In a large saucepan, bring the beef stock and ancho chiles to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until softened, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a food processor and puree.
    2. Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the beef, increase the heat to high and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Lower the heat to medium, add the yellow onion and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes; season with pepper.
    3. Stir the tomato paste into the chili for 1 minute. Stir in the ancho liquid, black beans, tomatoes, coffee, paprika, coriander, cocoa and cinnamon and simmer for 5 minutes; season with salt.
    4. Serve the chili in shallow bowls. Top with the cheese and red onion.

Dinner Time - Slow Cooker Maple Pumpkin Pulled Pork

I love experimenting with new ways to use ingredients, and thought this would be a great flavor combination.  It exceeded my expectations.  The delicate moistness of the pumpkin holds up well to the maple but the bourbon and worcteshire sauce help smooth the transition.  When combined with the salty goodness of the pork it is amazing.  Give this a try, you won't regret your visit to Fat Boy Heaven.

Slow Cooker Maple Pumpkin Pulled Pork

If you like pulled pork, you're going to love this beautiful recipe for slow cooker pulled pork. Rich & salty, with just enough sweet to make you crave it nightly, you're gonna love this recipe twist!

YIELD
 8 servings
ACTIVE TIME
 5 minutes
TOTAL TIME
 4 hours

INGREDIENTS

    • 3 pound pork roast
    • 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
    • 2/3 cup brown sugar
    • 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
    • 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 teaspoon maple extract
    • 2 tablespoons bourbon
    •  hamburger buns

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Place pork roast in a slow cooker. Add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, Worcestershire sauce, bourbon, and maple extract. Use a spatula to mix together the pumpkin mixture over the top of the pork. Cover and set slow cooker to high. Cook for 4-6 hours, or until pork is tender.
    2. Using two forks, pull the pork apart until well shredded. Stir well into the pumpkin mixture. Cover and allow to cook for another hour, until the sauce thickens.
    3. Spoon mixture onto hamburger buns. Serve and enjoy!

Dinner Time - Steak Gratin

When I was planning this weeks menu I noticed that top sirloin was on sale, and was trying to figure out what I could do with it.  I remembered my Dad making homemade Mac and Cheese when I was a kid with hamburger, and have always loved the flavor combination.  I took that and ran with it to kick things up a few notches with this Steak Gratin.  The rich flavor of the sirloin combines well with the lighter marscapone and parmesan cheeses to really let the meat shine.  The addition of a little bit of dried mustard with salt and pepper takes the flavor just a little bit higher without overwelming.  If you are looking for comfort food, welcome to Fat Boy Heaven.

Steak-Macaroni Gratin

 

ACTIVE TIME
 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    • 4 tbsp. butter
    • 1 lb. sirloin, sliced
    • 1 small onion, finely chopped
    • 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
    • 3/4 tsp. dry mustard
    • 1/2 tsp. salt
    • 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
    • 1 1/2 cups whole milk
    • 2 cups mascarpone cheese
    • 1 cup Parmesan cheese
    • 1 lb. pasta, cooked al dente
    • 1 cup fresh bread crumbs

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a med.-size oval baking dish.
    2. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in deep skillet over med.-high heat; add steak and onion; sauté until vegetables are tender, about 5 min.
    3. Stir in flour, mustard, salt, and pepper; cook 1 min.
    4. Gradually whisk in milk; stir until slightly thickened, about 3 min.
    5. Remove from heat. Add cheeses and stir until cheese melts.
    6. Mix in pasta. Remove to baking dish.
    7. Melt remaining butter; add bread crumbs and sauté until golden. Sprinkle crumbs over pasta. Bake about 20 min.

Review: Numark TT USB Turntable

Some times you want to listen to something that just didn't have wide enough appeal to make the leap to CD in the 80's, and hasn't made it from the dusty bins of the publisher's vaults to join the back catalog of media on iTunes.  That was the case for me with an old recording of J.R.R. Tolkien reading selections from "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" and other poems that are part of the Middle Earth cannon.  The Album was recorded in 1967 and is titled "Poems and Songs of Middle Earth".  It includes among other things the only published recording of Tolkien reciting poetry in Elvish.  Yes, it is geeky but then so am I.

To record it I pulled out the Numark TTUSB Turntable with USB and went to work.  The turntable is a wonderful made, belt driven, Hi-Fi turntable that has remarkable quality.  The platform is cast alluminum, and everything is top quality here.  Included in the box is a disc with both Mac and PC versions of the software to make recording super simple.  You just hit record on the computer, hit play on the turntable, and the software records the contents of your album.  It will seperate the tracks, and then ask you to identify the album.  Once the naming process is complete the software adds the recordings to iTunes automaticaly and then asks if you want to record anything else.

High quality, great sound, and super simple.  It doesn't get any better than this.  Now if I can just find a way to avoid having to record all of my wife's old Wham! records......

Dinner Time - Kentucky French Toast with Bourbon Candied Bacon

I wanted something warm and tasty for dinner tonight, and started thinking about new ways to cook bacon.  Once I decided on candying it with bourbon and brown sugar I started thinking about what to cook with it.  Eggs and pancakes seemed to easy.  I decided on a bourbon and cream french toast that I am calling Kentucky French Toast.  Freaking amazing!  Give this little taste of fatboy heaven a try!

Bourbon and Brown Sugar Bacon

Sometimes bacon needs a little dressing up, like when it is served for dinner. This is a simple way to change it up and still get the salty fatty goodness that only bacon can provide.

INGREDIENTS

    • 1 lb Bacon
    • 2 oz Bourbon
    • 1/2 cup Brown Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Preheat oven to 350
    2. Mix bourbon and brown sugar to thick paste
    3. lay our full slices of bacon on baking sheet lined with parchment paper
    4. spread brown sugar mixture over bacon
    5. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until bacon is crisp but not burnt

 

Kentucky French Toast

I saw a recipe for Irish Toast on AllRecipes.com and decided to change it up with my favorite cooking bourbon instead of irish whiskey.

YIELD
 6 servings
ACTIVE TIME
 5 mins
TOTAL TIME
 50 mins

INGREDIENTS

    • 1 (16 ounce) loaf French bread
    • 4 large eggs
    • 2 fluid ounce Bourbon whiskey
    • 3 fluid ounces half and half
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 tbs pumpkin pie spice
    • 1/4 cup butter
    •  confectioners' sugar for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Cut the bread into 12 slices. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, bourbon, half and half, and vanilla extract until well blended.
    2. Heat some of the butter in a skillet over medium heat until the butter is hot and the foam has disappeared. Press each bread slice into the egg mixture, then fry in the hot skillet until nicely browned on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Add more butter to skillet as needed. Brush each slice with butter, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar.

Dinner Time - Sloppy Cheeseburgers

I was trying to think of a new way to change up the sloppy joe concept, and struck on this one. Who doesn't like cheeseburgers? I served them on hard rolls, because I didn't feel like baking today and they were the only firm rolls in my grocers bakery today, but next time ill try them on pretzel buns as sandwiches instead of open-faced like we served them tonight

YIELD
 10 Sandwiches
ACTIVE TIME
 15
TOTAL TIME
 4 hours 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    • 3 lbs Ground Beef
    • 3/4 cup ketchup
    • 1 large onion, diced
    • 3 tbsp worshtershire sauce
    • 3 tbsp mustard
    • 1 lb medium cheddar cheese
    • Garlic
    • Salt
    • Pepper
    • Garlic powder

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Brown ground beef, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in worshtershire sauce, and simmer adding onions to soften
    2. Add beef and onion mixture to crock pot
    3. Add ketchup and mustard, mixing well
    4. Cube cheese and add to meat mixture, covering cheese
    5. Cook on high 3-4 hours until cheese is well melted and incorporated
    6. Serve on a firm bun or roll

Dinner Time - Easy Baked Chicken and Dressing

I love stuffing, and wish it was more common to eat year round instead of just at the holidays. To make up for it's lack throughout the year I find myself looking longingly at the Stove Top boxes when I walk through the grocery, but cannot bring myself to eat that crap. So periodically I make this dish to make a normal day feel like the holidays, just a little bit.  Chicken came out cooked perfectly, nice and juicy without any pink.  Dressing was flavorful and moist.

Easy Baked Chicken and Dressing

ACTIVE TIME
 20 minutes
TOTAL TIME
 80 minutes

INGREDIENTS

  • Stuffing

    • 1 lb bag of Stuffing Croutons
    • 2 1/2 cups Chicken Broth
    • 1 stick butter or margarine
    • 1/2 cup diced Celery
    • 1 Large onion - Diced
    • 1 Large Egg

  • For Chicken

    • 3 lbs Boneless Skinless chicken breasts (3-4 depending on size)
    •  Salt
    •  Pepper
    •  Garlic Powder

  • For topping

    • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Preheat oven to 375

  • For Stuffing

    1. Place croutons in a large mixing bowl
    2. Add liquid ingredients, mixing well
    3. Lightly beat egg and stir into the mixture
    4. Add veggies and mix well
    5. Pour mixture into large baking dish

  • For Chicken

    1. sprinkle chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste
    2. place chicken on top of stuffing

  • Topping

    1. sprinkle cheese over the top of baking dish and cover with foil
    2. bake at 375 for 1 hour

Fatboyheaven goes BIG for The Pantry at Rock Creek Church

This morning the family and I got up early and headed down to Rock Creek Church to cook Fat Boy Stew for 115 people at their Food Pantry for the 2nd Saturday meal. Just take the recipe for Fatboy stew and multiply it by 10 and you have the idea. It was great to give back and help with what has become a family project at the Pantry, and we had a lot of fun catching up with a great group of volunteers.  

If you would like to help this holiday season, the Pantry at Rock Creek Church provides food for more than 100 families every week through their partnership with The Oregon Food Bank.  Donations to The Oregon Food Bank can be designated to benefit The Pantry, as can gifts to Rock Creek Church at 4470 NW 185th Ave., Portland, OR 97229.

Here was the grocery list:

230 cups total volume

5lbs sausage - polish links/ brats
10lbs hamburger -
12 lbs frozen mixed veggies
12 cans diced tomatoes
24 cans pinto beans
10lbs potatoes
5 large onions
Chicken stock base
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
Cumin
Chili powder
4 gallons water

Brown the ground beef and sweat the onions until translucent

Add the sausage

Add the tomatoes, mixed veggies, and beans

Add the remaining ingredients and simmer for at least an hour

Whiskey Tasting: Dark Corner Distillery's Lewis Redmond Carolina Hand Mash Bourbon

Dark Corner Distillery in Greenville, SC is new to the whiskey world.  An Artisanal micro distillery focused on hand-spirited small batches of whiskey and other libations, Dark Corner started in 2010.  That recent start hasn't stopped them from some rapid expansion, however.  They have quite a wide range of offerings, but as of November 16th they can say something no one else in South Carolina can say: they now make bourbon.

Dark Corner had a big party to comemorate their first bottling, and I got ahold of two bottles from their first batch.  First, you need to understand that whiskey mellows the longer it is in the barrel.  Distilled the 3rd quarter of 2010 and barrelled on halloween night 2011, Lewis Redmond Carolina Hand Mash Bourbon was aged for 14 months on charred new american oak 5 gallon barrels.  This means it is going to be a bit more raw than some longer running brands, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great bourbon.  For new-make bourbon this is as smooth as it comes.  They replace a lot of the rye normally used in bourbon with red wheat, giving it a sweeter top note, quickly resolving to carmel and vanilla.  Its young age leaves a nice sour apple finish that is crisp and refreshing. 

They currently barrel 30 gallons of bourbon per month, and are now using 15 gallon barrels. This years barreling won't be tapped until late next year at the earliest.  I'm hoping to some day see how well this bourbon holds up to 6-12 years in a barrel, if their first batch is any indication it will quickly become a classic.   It will likely be a while before many of my readers get a chance to taste this whiskey, but if you run across it you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

 

 

Holiday Gift Guide - Unique Gift ideas

This holiday there are a lot of different ideas for gifts. One of the most unique I think are subscription services.  Gone are the days of fruit-of-the-month club, today's subscriptions are a whole new game.  From deliveries of personal grooming products, to movie subscriptions for theater tickets, there is something for everyone on your holiday gift list.

The Birchbox

Each month, you'll receive a selection of samples that they’ve tried (and retried) themselves. The women’s subscription includes everything from skincare to makeup, as well as fun non-beauty extras. The men’s subscription delivers top-tier grooming products in addition to lifestyle accessories ranging from hip socks to tech accessories. Check out the ever growing list of products in their Women’s Shop and Men’s Shop. For $20/month it is a great way to get variety of new products into the hands of those people you know who you can never buy for.

MoviePass

MoviePass is just getting started, but it is an intriguing concept.  For $35/month you receive the ability to see a new movie everyday.  Simply go to the theater and select a movie and showtime using the MoviePass App. Check-in at the theater to load your MoviePass membership card (You must be within 100 yards of the theater to successfully check in). Then use your MoviePass membership card to purchase your ticket at the theater kiosk and enjoy the show!  You are limited only in that you can not see the same movie twice, and IMAX and 3D movies are not included.  For the movie lover on your list this is a homerun.  You can find more information and sign up here.

BarkBox

For the dog owner in your life there is Barkbox.  Each month, your dog will receive his own box of treats and goodies to play with, making for much less boredom (and therefore, less furniture destruction) around the house. $25/month, and can be found here.

The great thing about all of these services is that you can send digital gift notices, so it is a great last-minute gift idea as well.  Of the three BarkBox is the only one I haven't used yet, but they are all great ideas for your holiday giving.

 

Dinner Time - King's Hawaiian Baked Ham & Swiss Sandwiches

I was looking for dinner ideas and ran across some posts on Pinterest about doing these sandwiches and though I'd give them a try.  The flavor profile is amazing!  My daughter swears there was pinapple, but alas there was none.  The cheese melted thoroughly and the butter soaked rolls crisped up extremely well.  A little messy in the hand, but well worth having to hold a napkin close at hand.  Give this one a try folks, this is Fat Boy Heaven right here!

King's Hawaiian Baked Ham & Swiss Sandwiches

 

YIELD
 12 Sandwiches
ACTIVE TIME
 15 minutes
TOTAL TIME
 40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

    • 1 12 pack of King’s Hawaiian Original Rolls
    • 3/4 lb. deli ham, shaved
    • 1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, thinly sliced
    • 1 1/2 sticks butter
    • 3 tablespoons Stone Ground deli mustard
    • 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
    • 3 teaspoons of poppy seeds
    • 1 onion, chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Heat oven to 350. Melt butter and mix in mustard, Worcestershire sauce, onion and poppy seed. Simmer for several minutes.
    2. Cut the entire pack of rolls in half, horizontally (keeping all top and bottom halves in tact).
    3. In a greased 9×13 pan, place bottom half of rolls and spread 1/3 of the onion mixture over the bottom of the rolls followed by the ham and cheese.Spread 1/3 of onion mixture over the bottoms of the rollsLayer ham and cheese evenly over bottoms
    4. Replace the tops of the rolls and spread the remaining onion mixture over top.
    5. Cover and bake for 15-20 minutes and, once finished, separate for serving.Ready to cut apart and serve!

Dinner Time - Baked Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken with Southern Honey Corn Pudding

I was looking to do something different with Chicken the other night and found quite a few recipes for baked chicken, but I wanted something lighter than the breaded recipes I was finding everywhere.  The wife had put me on notice that with Thanksgiving coming, she wanted lighter meals, but that just doesn't happen in Fat Boy Heaven!  I threw this dinner together as a compromise.  The chicken came out light and delicious with great flovors from the brown sugar and garlic combining perfectly with some of the juciest chicken I've ever made.  The southern corn pudding is something you have to try to appreciate.  Think creamed corn, but taken to a new level.  Corn is mixed into a basic custard flavored with Jack Daniel Tennessee Honey Liquor to make a delicate and flavorful but not overly sweet side dish that your family will love.

Baked Garlic Brown Sugar Chicken

“A quick, easy chicken recipe for days when you don’t want to spend time in the kitchen. Even finicky people will eat it. Goes great with traditional potatoes or rice.”

YIELD
 4 Servings
ACTIVE TIME
 10
TOTAL TIME
 40

INGREDIENTS

    • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    • 4 garlic cloves, minced
    • 4 tablespoons brown sugar
    • 3 teaspoons olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. Preheat oven to 500°F and lightly grease a casserole dish.
    2. In small sauté pan, sauté garlic with the oil until tender.
    3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.
    4. Place chicken breasts in a prepared baking dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.
    5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
    6. Bake uncovered for 15-30 minutes.

Southern Honey Corn Pudding

This Tennessee version of a corn pudding recipe I created has Jack Daniel's Tennessee Honey added to the ingredients. The results are peerless. Everytime I serve it, the dish is emptied and people want to know about that wonderful flavor. The alcohol cooks out in the 400 degree oven

INGREDIENTS

    • 5 large eggs
    • 1/3 cup butter, melted
    • 1 tablespoon sugar
    • 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
    • 3 tablespoons Tennessee Honey (Jack Daniel’s Whiskey)
    • 1 tablespoon orange juice
    • 1/2 cup half/half
    • 4 tablespoons cornstarch
    • 2 (15.25-ounce) cans whole kernel white corn
    • 2 (14.75-ounce) cans cream-style white corn
    • 1 small green cayenne pepper, chopped fine (remove seeds if you want less heat which I do for guests)
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    •  Dash onion powder
    • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

    1. In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs; add half/half and beat. Stir in the remaining ingredients, adding the corn last. Blend well. Pour mixture into a buttered 2 quart casserole dish. Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for one hour or until golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

FatBoy Creations: Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

 

Growing up one of my favorite meals was stuffed cabbage, but we rarely had it because it took so long to prepare. Rolling the cabbage stuffed with meat and rice was time consuming, and very hard to do without making a mess.

I decided to try and make it easier by deconstructing this great dish into a casserole instead of all of the time in assembling it the traditional way.

FatBoyHeaven Stuffed Cabbage Casserole

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp olive oil, divided
  • 1 lb. 95% lean ground beef
  • 1 large onion, chopped fine
  • 1 tbsp finely minced garlic
  • 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp sweet Hungarian Paprika
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 
  • 1 1/2 heads green cabbage, coarsely chopped
  • 1 can (14.5 oz.) petite dice tomatoes with juice
  • 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice

Instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a large glass casserole dish with non-stick spray. (My dish was 13" x 10")
  2. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat; add ground beef and cook until it's browned and cooked through, breaking it apart as it cooks. Remove ground beef and set aside.
  3. In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil, chopped onion and cook over medium heat until the onion is translucent and starting to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, dried thyme, and paprika and cook about 2 minutes more. Then add the diced tomatoes with juice, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Add water to the pan. Simmeruntil it's hot and slightly thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
  4. While it simmers, cut cabbage in half, cut out the core, and remove any wilted outer leaves; chop the cabbage coarsely into 1 inch pieces.
  5. Heat remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or dutch oven; add the cabbage and cook over medium-high heat until the cabbage is wilted and about half cooked, turning it over several times so it all wilts and cooks. Season with salt and fresh-ground black pepper.
  6. When the meat and tomato sauce mixture has cooked and thickened a bit, stir in the 2 cups of cooked rice and gently combine.
  7. Spray casserole dish with non-stick spray and the layer half the cabbage, half the meat mixture, remaining cabbage, and remaining meat mixture. Cover tightly with foil and bake 40 minutes, or until the mixture is just starting to bubble on the edges.