What's Dad Cooking?

Bacon Cheeseburger Mac Since fusion food is all the rage, i decided to fuse two American classics, Bacon Cheeseburgers with Mac & Cheese. The kids love it almost as much as i do. This isn't going to win any low fat awards, but it steals the show for taste. This will make 4-6 servings, depending how big the kids are. Please don't be scared by the ingredients. This is the flavor that kid's love and this melts beautifully without a rue or baking. 8 oz (1/2 lb.) Small Pasta - went with my boy's favorite shells 4 oz Extra Sharp Cheddar- diced or shredded 8 oz Velveeta - Yup, you read it right - diced 1 lb Ground Meat - Lean Hamburger or even Turkey rocks this dish 1/4 lb Bacon - cut into small pieces 1/4 cup Onion finely diced 1 cup Milk 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil Grill Seasoning Bacon rendering Render the bacon on medium low in a tbsp of oil to get it started. Start water boiling for pasta, cook to desired tenderness when water boils See below for sauce if

Grilled Mockiyaki Chuck Steak I absolutely love teriyaki, but do not always have molasses on hand for a "true" teriyaki marinade. If you do, you want.... Soy Sauce- low sodium Garlic- Fresh minced or Garlic Powder Pickled Ginger - minced fine Molasses Red Pepper Flake to taste Black Pepper to taste. I know there are no measurements, not uncommon in my kitchen. One of my biggest challenges writing recipes is deconstructing what i have done by sight, feel and taste for years into something that others can follow. I would start with about a half cup of soy, and just a tablespoon of molasses, a teaspoon of ginger and a dash of each seasoning. I found some Chuck Steak, cut from the section just behind the rib eye, so its a delicious brother that needs a little treatment like the marinade. The chuck was half the cost of the rib eye. I pat the steaks dry with paper towel so they sear, and go about 5-7 minutes a side on a medium high grill for 1 1/2" steaks cook

Grilled Lamb Chops There has been some recent salad activity located in Dad's kitchen, but i am still a carnivore at heart. The next couple of posts are for the meat & carb lovers out there. The grilled Lamb Chops are more abut the ingredient than the method. When I was a child, one of the staple meats was lamb chops. NOT the fancy, Frenched variety on the rack, but the bony shoulder blade chops that are quite a bit more affordable, but just as tasty. Recently shoulder blade chops have jumped in price to about $6-$7 a pound. Far more tasty in my opinion than very cheap cuts of steak for the same price. I figure 2 chops per person for servings. Grilled Lamb Chops with Mean Green Pasta The prep is as simple as some Grill Seasoning and 5-7 minutes a side on a medium grill for medium rare chops. I served them here with my Mean Green Pasta , an Asian inspired delight, but also will throw some sweet potatoes wrapped in foil and olive oil on the the grill for about 45 minute

Trying a new salad dressing can completely wake up even your oldest , or most tired salad mix. My wife recently brought some Spinach Salad to work as a Thank You to some co-workers, but along with the Greekish dressing, I wanted to give a choice to the punchy vinegar taste of the Greekish. The sweet and tangy of the Honey Soy Sesame was the perfect option to offer a very different but equally delicious flavor. Adjust your 'dashes" below to your own taste. My 'part' when i am testing is usually a 1/4 cup. 1 part Rice Wine Vinegar 1 part Soy - low sodium if available 1 part Honey 2 part Vegetable Oil - I had Canola on hand Sesame oil - Small Drops - can be very overpowering 1 tsp - 1 tbsp Pickled Ginger - minced very fine Dash Red Pepper Flake Dash Black Pepper Dash Garlic Powder I put everything except the Vegetable oil in my container or mixing bowl to blend well. I do this for all salad dressings, as it helps the dry spices, salt or sugar get dissolved

Beef  Stew Been overcast for so long, gotta go with some stew even though it's not that cold yet. Everyone has their own spin on beef stew., and i've played with a few different methods. The mood hit me today for tonight's dinner, so no marinade here. Feel free to marinate the beef overnight in some red wine, Worcestershire Sauce, garlic rosemary & thyme for extra intense flavor, but don't be scared if you want stew today and no patience. This stew is quite delicious already. As an alternative cooking method, brown the meat, de-glaze with wine and add everything to a slow cooker on low for about 6 hours, but the potatoes get overdone in my opinion. 1 1/2 lbs Stew Meat cube into bit size pieces - about 3/4 inch 1 1/2 lbs Baby Potatoes - no peeling required - dice same - cover w  water to prevent browning 1 medium Onion- diced rough. (today's was a purple onion, so exciting) 2 Carrots - sliced bite size - i like the bias 2 Celery - sliced bite

 For too many reasons to possibly list here, my wife is my hero. However, one of the smaller reasons is her dedication and willingness to only eat salads for work meals. She feels lighter on her feet all day, and says it makes up for our more indulgent meals when she is home. Tuna & Bean salad is just one of the alternatives that we go with when i make here lunch. She has me put it over any variety of mixed crunchy greens & hot pepper rings with some home made dressing . 1 5 oz can Solid Tuna in Water 1 16 oz can Cannellini Beans - drained & rinsed* 2 tbs Olive Oil 2 tbsp Cider Vinegar 1 tbsp Dried Parsley Salt and pepper to taste - A dash of crushed red pepper is great! 1/3 cup each of the following  finely diced Cucumber - Seeded - peel optional Red Bell Pepper Celery Carrot Purple Onion I drain the tuna in a mesh strainer over the sink, easier than squeezing the can and spraying myself with tuna juice. Use a large mixing bowl just to make life easy.

In our home, we now call this house Rice, we make it so frequently. Very Tasty! The food police will be knocking on my door for Rule Breaking and using converted (par-cooked) rice again, but it just cooks too beautifully not to use. We usually serve with burritos , but as a standalone it works great with some shrimp tossed in to simmer with the rice or even leftover grilled chicken breast to stretch those budgets. 1- 1 1/2 cups converted rice - y'know that "uncle's" rice or market equivalent 1 3/4 -2 1/2 cups Chicken broth - low sodium store brand if home made is not an option. *** More rice & stock for more servings- 1 cup of rice is about 4 servings and some leftovers*** 1 medium Onion dices fine or Shallot works really well here. 1 16 oz can petite diced tomatoes - DO NOT drain 1 16 oz can Black Beans - DO NOT drain 1 16 oz can  Corn -Drained or 1 1/2 cup fresh or frozen 1-2 Jalapenos cut into thin rings or seeded & diced fine if you want to cut t

One of the family favorites, these burritos are spicy, cheesy, a bit messy and anything else you might want in a great burrito. I know there are some bean haters out there, and they can be omitted, or the bean base can be substituted with a quality can of refried beans. The can of black beans is somewhere between 80¢ and a dollar, vs. double for refried and lower in sodium, fat, and additives as well. We all want to save money , right? The following will make 8-10 burritos with 8" tortillas. I frequently make a day ahead, or freezes well in a food saver or with air removed from a freezer bag. ( I use a straw.) The prep on this before it goes in the oven is about 1 1/2 hours. Well worth the time when you have it Bean Base 1 16 oz Can Black Beans - drained and rinsed 1 Lime - zested and juiced Meat Mix 1 1/4 lb Lean Hamburg - Ground Turkey or Chicken work well here also. 1/4 lb Bacon - about 4 thick cut strips diced 1 medium Onion - diced fine 2-3 Chipotle Peppers dice f

Burritos with Enchilada -ready for Oven A ouple of years ago when i was planning on burritos for dinner, the market was out of the canned stuff one day, and thank goodness. it forced me to make my own which is far superior, and a lot less expensive. A 29 oz can of Puree is only about $1.50, half the cost of the "Authentic" sauce. 1 29 oz can Tomato Puree 3+ tbsp Cider Vinegar 1/4 cup Onion finely diced 1 tbsp Dad's Rub 2-3 Chipotle Peppers finely diced    or 2-3 tbsp Chipotle Hot Sauce 1+ tsp sugar 1/2 tsp salt 2 tbsp Olive oil Small dash of ground cinnamon, and/or allspice,  Very Easy to overpower. Burritos w Enchilada Sauce Topped with Pico Served w Rice Saute the onion in the olive oil.over medium low heat. The longer you let it go toward fully caramelized, the more delicious it gets. If you have the time, take the onions all the way. Except peppers or hot sauce, add everything else and whisk together, continuing medium low heat to simmer. Add t

Unless you're just one of those chicken haters, everyone else has their favorite variety of chicken wings. Whether you like to Buffalo, sweet and spicy, Asian sticky, orange sesame or in this case, barbecue, at some point you can't get enough of those chicken wings. For me, on the bone, slow grilled with a sweet and spicy barbecue sauce is the way to go. Marinade - at least 4 hours, overnight for max flavor For  4-5 lbs chicken wings, about 16 pieces, tips cut off, flats & drums NOT separated 2 12 oz beers -good ol' American light beer works great 1 Lime - zest & juice 3-4 Jalapenos sliced w seeds, or seeded & diced for heat control 1 tsp Salt 1 tsp Black Pepper 1 tsp Garlic Powder Or 1 tbsp Dad's Rub in place of Black Pepper & Garlic for extra pop. Barbecue Sauce - Homemade or favorite store brand (try mine it's really good) Start with nice clean grill grates, lightly rubbed with oil to prevent sticking, Pre-heat grill on h

You may want to cut back the ingredients if you don't like leftovers or have small family, i'm all for anything that gives a meal or two the next day also. This is a super simple prep and like all casseroles, too easy to cook. Oh, and it tastes great too. 1 1/2 lb Sausage -sliced in rings or 1/2 moons for bigger & firmer links, mix up your favorite varieties 2 lbs Potatoes, bite size, sliced thin - baby potatoes work great here, no peeling 1 medium onion, diced fine - about 3/4 cup 1/2 Bell Pepper, diced fine - about 3/4 cup - I love the red or orange for best flavor 4 tbsp dried Parsley or  a good handful of fresh if on hand. Salt & Pepper to taste Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees while prepping, this is fast. Most varieties of sausage slice best if half frozen, especially ground turkey. I have made this with sweet and hot Italian, Bratwurst, Kielbasa including the baloney brand turkey kielbasa, Linguica, Portuguese Chourico, Andouille, Chicken Apple, and Mango Ja

NOT your normal thick Alfredo Sauce at all. My wife and mother in law actually prefer thinner sauces, while i am always a fan of the cheesy goo. Dad wouldn't be Dad without the family, so I love to cook to their preferences. 1 lb Penne or other medium tube pasta, love the Barilla enriched 1 qt Heavy Cream 1 cup Grated Parmesan or Romano -Break the Rules, use the cheap stuff 4 cups Broccoli Crowns, fresh, cut off stem into big bite pieces 2 cups Chicken Stock 1/2 cup pesto, homemade or store brand (classic basil & garlic) 2-3 tbsp Olive Oil Salt and Pepper to taste In a deep 12 inch skillet, saute the broccoli in olive oil over medium heat for a 2-3 minutes.Salt and pepper to taste here. Raise heat to medium high and add the chicken stock to steam the broccoli for just a couple minutes if you like it firm, as do i.  Remove the broccoli to a bowl, leaving the stock in the pan, reducing heat to simmer, reducing stock by about half to concentrate the flavor. Whisk

 The greatest benefit of working from home is is always being close to the family and being able to make time for their interests. My son's favorite activity is  Scouting , which is all the camping, wood projects, pinewood derbies, great community service events and so much more than anyone could fit into a calendar. Wherever there are large dgroups of children, there must be food.      As much as I love to cook, with Scouting I am involved in many other aspects and we frequently call upon the parents and other groups of fine volunteers to keep us fed. As often as we safely can, we involve the boys too. Many of their advancements rely upon knowing how to plan a meal, budget the plan, go shopping and execute the meal with their family or in their den. The pack runs on food, no matter how you look at it.      The most frequent menu offering is Cub Scout Sirloin, aka hot dogs. We boil, grill, fry, campfire cook hot dogs. Scout parents are the Ninjas of the hot dog cooking wor

     This is one of my more recent recipes. I have dabbled in stir fries over the years, usually dumping some new brand of Asian condiment stir fry sauce over some over sauteed veggies, with everything tasting like it came out of whichever bottle I used.  I finally woke up and just peeled it back to the basics and had yummy success that is worth sharing. The Sriracha adds the heat factor, but there is a milder version in the Asian food aisle. The wild rice pilaf is just a healthier and tastier option to the regular white rice. A bit more expensive, but a lot more yum factor. This makes three very healthy adult portions. For the Stir Fry 1 lb Shrimp - i go with e-z peel, tails & shells off, prefer 16-20/lb count, no less than 21-25/lb 1 Red bell Pepper diced about 3/4 inch 1 large Onion - large rough dice about 3/4 inch 2 large Celery Stalk - bias cut same size 2 Whole Carrots Bias Cut about half size 1/4 Cup Soy Sauce - low sodium if available 2 tbsp Honey 2 tbsp Srirach

     Still following up on the Elks Dinner, i was asked a couple of times "What's in the Chicken Salad?" No trade secrets, i'm here to share. Nothing out of the ordinary, just my own little twist. because of the two day cookathon, these are eyeball measurements to taste. I am cutting back to family proportions also, but feel free to triple for your next big meal. 2 Grilled Chicken Breast halves - about 1 pound - diced to your preferred chunkiness Mayonnaise - about a half cup 1 tbsp Dijon Mustard 1 Small Celery Stalk - finely diced - about 3 tbsp 1 heaping tbsp Sweet Pickle Relish 1 tsp black pepper Dash of Salt Dash of Celery Salt      Unlike the my Cole Slaw , i put the chicken in the bowl first before i mix in the dressing. That way i can control the wetness by mixing in the mayonnaise slowly. Some folks like it drowned, but not me. I want to taste the chicken. I put a link in the ingredients to my chicken marinade for grilling, or if you can get your h

     One of my favorite all time sides, my slaw is pretty basic, but as usual, you can tweak it easily to your own tastes. I have been trying to deconstruct my recipes as i write them for the site so i can give fairly accurate measurements, but this last slaw was made in the heat of battle while prepping the Elks Dinner, so the measurements, except for the bag of slaw, are eyeballed. The Elks dinner was actually double this amount, and i still came up short for servings next to/on top of the pulled pork, luckily i had other sides. 1 24 oz bag Cole Slaw mix - green & red cabbage, shredded carrots 3/4 cup Mayonnaise 1 tbsp Yellow Mustard 2 tbsp Cider Vinegar 1 tsp sugar 2 tbsp Parsley Flakes - dry 1 tsp Black Pepper 1 tsp Garlic powder dash of Salt Dash of Celery Salt      Whisk everything together in a mixing bowl before adding the cabbage mix. If you have fresh heads of cabbage on hand, by all means it add to it. Taste the dressing before adding the cabbage. You might

 I've been talking about it for a couple of days now, so finally here is my recipe for pulled pork. WARNING, Rule Breaking in Progress. Unlike tradition classic "real" pulled pork, this is not smoked. I simply don't have a smoker and while slow grilling works very well, this oven or slow cooker method is great on a nasty winter day when you just gotta have some pulled pork. Pork Butt - 3-6 lb in the market 8-10 lb from the box stores 4 tbsp Dad's Rub 4 tbsp Salt 4 tbsp Brown Sugar    *** for the smaller roast, 3 tbsp each should be enough*** BBQ Sauce Cole Slaw 1-2 cups Apple Cider 1 Large Onion Sliced into Rings Sliced Apples - optional 1/4 cup Cider Vinegar - optional Favorite Crusty Rolls, I love Bulkie Rolls Dad's Rub Dad's Rub is just my own little spice blend that i use for grilling and sauces and all sorts of other places. It is simply 2 parts Chili Powder- the "Hot" Mexican on the market shelves usually isn'

Spinach Salad      Yesterday i ranted about running around and prepping for the Elks Dinner. Today we made the BBQ sauce , grilled 10 pounds of chicken, marinated in beer and pimento moida. a Portuguese crushed red pepper (Italian varieties are more readily available, but Mom-in-Law makes the pimenta) and made a couple of salad dressings. I will get the pics up from the dinner as soon as I have them available, and I will be assembling the Spinach Salad, Chicken Salad and the Slaw on Thursday so they are fresh for the dinner, but here is the beginning of the menu. Spinach Salad 1 9oz pkge of Baby Spinach - pre- washed, very nice Cole slaw mix- Cabbage Blend and Carrots - handfuls to taste Dried Cranberries - handful to taste Purple Onion - sliced thin or diced fine Toasted Sliced Almonds Toss the ingredients in a large bowl and Voila! You have Salad. Please don't be afraid of the cabbage, adds the crunch you want in salad and fantastic depth of flavor. If you have left

     While wifey & i were running all the errands, we finally manged to stop in at Nacho Mamma's in Bristol, RI. They've been open for a while now, year and a half or so, we just haven't got there.... Our Loss! Since we've moved home from Arizona, we are always looking for good Mexican, and while we have found a couple of places, nothing quite as fresh or tasty as Nacho Mamma's. My wife enjoyed shrimp tacos with a great salsa verde and i had to dive into the steak tacos with classic pico, another fine choice, and you can forget about the hard shell - soft shell debate.The owner Mike grills fresh flour tortillas for his tacos, and you really get the best of both worlds. Mike was also telling me that he will only use fresh & that's why there were no fish tacos available, they didn't have what he wanted, up to his standards. We also split a basket of chips & salsa. Is it wrong not to get full blown nachos at a place called Nacho Mamma's

     Today was the boy's first day of fourth grade, so we'll have his favorite meal, spaghetti & meatballs, (recipe links to follow) for dinner tonight. Beyond today, it's my week to cook on Thursdays at the Elks, and a menu for 50 or so servings of pulled pork, homemade slaw, BBQ chicken sandwiches, beanies & weenies, chicken salad and couple of green salad offerings had to be purchased and prepped. For now, just chicken is marinating in pimenta moida, a wet Portuguese crushed red pepper and we'll rub down the pork with a good dose Dad's Rub tomorrow.      i will be putting up the posts for the pulled pork and slaw soon, both really basic but really yummy. BBQ Sauce Spaghetti & Meatballs Spaghetti Sauce Dad's Rub Dad's Rub is just my own little spice blend that i use for grilling and sauces and all sorts of other places. It is simply 2 parts Chili Powder- the "Hot" Mexican on the market shelves usually isn't too spicy.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake Muffins      I couldn't make up my mind one day between blueberry cheesecake or blueberry muffins... Dry 2 1/2 cups All Purpose Flour   ½ tsp salt 4 tsp Baking Powder ¼ tsp Baking Soda Twice sifted together in medium bowl Wet 2 cups Sugar 3 whole Eggs 1/4 cup Milk 1 ½ 8 oz package Cream Cheese room temp 3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) Butter (unsalted) room temp Zest of 2 Lemons Juice of 2 Lemons - about 1/2 cup Non Stick Spray or Muffin Liners 1 Pint Fresh Blueberries Cream sugar, butter and cream cheese in mixer with wisk. Start on low setting, move gradually to med. high. Add zest and lemon juice, mix on low Add milk, mix on low Add 1 egg at a time, start on low setting, and move gradually to med. high. Low setting on mixer, add sifted dry ingredients slowly, about ½ cup at a time, until completely blended, move gradually up to medium until blended, but do not overblend or muffins will be

Pico de Gallo is the ultimate side and/ or condiment. Salsa has become one of the top American condiments and dips. If you like any jarred salsa, then you just have to try this easy Pico, which is an uncooked salsa. Lately i've gone a little crazy with it, topping not just tortilla chips but burgers and dogs, pizza, and even mixing it into tuna and chicken salad. It will add freshness, some texture, a little (or a lot of heat), and most of all, great taste! Please note that while i use plumb tomatoes in my recipe, your favorite tomato is just fine. I like the plumb tomatoes because the meat is firm, they are easy to prep, and they seem to hold up to the lime juice without breaking down too quickly. Also Any onion can be used, and purple onions work well also. This is a large quantity recipe, can be halved easily enough to try. 1 Lime 1 Tsp Sugar 2-3 Jalapenos - diced about 3-4 tbsp. Seeds optional for heat 8-10 Plumb Tomatoes 1 Vidalia Onion, Large, Diced to preference. Fres

     This is the easiest dessert to make short of opening a pint of Ben & Jerry's, but anything with pudding just has to be delicious. There are lots of pudding flavors, and another trick is to do two separate layers, separated by cookie crumbs, like the chocolate and vanilla ice cream separated by the Carvel Crunchies in the middle. This was just a straight forward chocolate, the classics always hold up. 2 5.9 oz packs Instant Chocolate Pudding 2 tbsp Dark Chocolate Cocoa Powder 4 cups Milk - Low Fat is fine 1 Chocolate Graham Cookie Pie Shell 8-12 of your favorite cookies, broken into big crumbs    Whisk the cocoa powder into the milk well before adding the pudding. Sometimes they have dark chocolate pudding available, but not always, and the cocoa powder boosts the yummy regular chocolate even more. Whisk the pudding at least 2 minutes into the milk for complete blend. Please note that the Package calls for 3 cups of milk per package, i have cut down to two cups per, for a

Chili with Black Beans      Before the Food Police come out to my home again, I KNOW this is not "authentic So and So Chili" and "real competition Chile doesn't have beans" etc. The only competition i am in is for my family's taste buds, and yours as well hopefully. (My nephew, who had never made chili before, did win a Chili Cook Off among 25 or so friends doctoring this base with some ground Portuguese blade meat.)      The following is a very basic chili base that you can doctor to your preferences in any number of ways such as more onions, fresh bell pepper or serrano pepper (really nice actually when they are available), but it is delicious just as it is. Depending on your heat tolerances, this is a medium heat by my family's thermometer, but we like spicy food here. 1 1/2 lb Ground Hamburg - 80/20 is very tasty and budget friendly here, but lean works fine 3/4 cup Onion, diced - approximately 1 medium onion 2-3 tbsp minced fresh jalapeno -

     Nothing Chinese here, no soy, no rice noodles, but the lunch lady, my mom, and everyone else's mom in my neighborhood called it American Chop Suey. My friend from Minnesota insists its just Macaroni Hot Pot, and i have been accused of not knowing how to make a real bolognese, but no matter what you call it, this dish is fast, budget friendly, and tasty American Chop Suey 1 1/4 lb lean Hamburg or Ground Turkey 2 24oz jars favorite brand Pasta Sauce or 6 cups homemade, less chunky = more kid friendly 1 medium Onion - diced fine Olive Oil Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder, Dry Basil to taste      Pre-heat large skillet or medium sauce pan over medium heat with a couple tbsp olive oil to aid browning. Brown meat & onions together, or start onions first if you prefer closer to caramelized. Depending on your sauce or your family's tastes, season here with salt, pepper, extra basil or garlic powder. When meat is well browned, a little char helps flavor, slowl