What's Dad Cooking?

Shrimp Stuffed Portobello When you have a little time, and really want to indulge, this is one of those great stepped up recipes. It honestly came from my own indecision a few years ago between stuffed mushrooms and baked stuffed shrimp. I put the two together and it was just plain delicious. For 4 Very Healthy Servings... 1 lb Jumbo (21-25) Easy Peel Shrimp 4 Portobella Mushroom Caps 1 Roasted Red Pepper Diced 1 Pint Heavy Cream 2/4  Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese 1 Cup White Wine (I use Pinot Grigio) 2 Shallots, Finely Diced - about 2 tbsp each for stuffing and sauce 2 tbsp finely diced Celery Pesto - about 2 heaping tbsp each stuffing and sauce Ritz Crackers - 1 stack 6 tbsp Butter, Unsalted, 2 for Stuffing, 4 for Sauce Olive Oil 1/2 tsp Red Pepper flake 1/2 tsp Paprika Black Pepper About 6 slices Bacon, crumbled (optional) Pre-heat oven to 375. Remove the stems from the mushroom caps, carefully remove the "gills" with a spoon and wipe the mushroom wit...

Life is good when you have nothing to do all day but cook. Today's menu included some grilled chicken for my wife's lunches, some chicken chili and one of my mother in law's favorites, shrimp stuffed portobellas with a red pepper cream sauce. A little something for everyone today, recipes to follow.

This is a great side even on a work day. Only about 5 minutes of prep and the Crock Pot  or slow cooker does the rest. Night Before 1 lb bag of beans I've used small white beans and navy beans with equal success, prefer great white northern. 7 cups water Morning Of 1/4 lb of bacon, diced. Thick cut works great here as well as maple, hickory smoked or apple-wood bacon. 1 onion, medium, finely chopped. As always, i prefer Vidalia. 1-2 jalapenos slice into rings 1 tsp Dad's Rub 4 tbsp Soy Sauce-low salt 2 tbsp Honey On the night before , lay the beans out on an oven sheet to check for small stones & other debris. Soak them right in the slow cooker in the 7 cups water. Heat Warning! Two jalapenos sliced into rings plus the Dad's Rub can be very spice for some. You can slice the peppers in half the long way and use a teaspoon to scrape out the seed and the white pith where all the heat is. The morning of cooking, add all the remaining ingredients to...

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. 1 part each -Black Pepper -Cayenne Pepper -Paprika -Cumin -Garlic Powder -Onion Powder -Dry Mustard Powder Please note there is no salt in this rub. I prefer to salt to taste, depending what's on the menu and other ingredients like Soy or Worcestershire Sauce.

There are plenty of great barbecue sauces in the market, but sometimes you want to go the extra with homemade, or you get halfway through cooking and realize you don't have any in the cupboard. The most basic recipe i know is... Equal parts Honey, Ketchup and Soy Sauce(low salt) whisked together. I recommend starting with about 2 tablespoons of each. Now you can get a taste and make it you own. Want it sweeter, more honey, or try a little brown sugar or even maple syrup. Too much sugar will burn on the grill or even under the broiler .More tomato? More ketchup! Needs spice, black pepper is a great place to start. Maybe a dash of cayenne or a some finely minced chipotle pepper with the sauce from the can. Some sauteed onion or fresh garlic is a great add or garlic powder as well. If you want to season without heat, try a dash of allspice, very potent though, go easy at first. If your a big fan of heat, add some hot horseradish. A couple of dashes of your favorite mustard is alwa...

As long as we're in the middle of summer, i would like to get some of my favorite grilling & sides out there. Might as well start with chicken. I know, everybody already has a favorite chicken recipe, but for those who prefer their chicken tasty & juicy, and can't seem to get it that way, let's start with a marinade. The following works for all sorts of chicken, including boneless skinless breast, wings, thighs, and my favorite, the whole chicken. You'll need... 8-10 chicken thighs (I love thighs, don't be afraid of dark meat. To make cooking easier & avoid grill flares and raging infernos. I take the skin off before marinating, but leave the bone in)  or 4-6 boneless, skinless breast breast  or  about 2 dozen whole wings  or  1 whole chicken 6-8 pounds 1 gallon freezer bag or bowl/container big enough for whole chicken 1 beer, maybe 2 2-3 fresh jalapenos 1 tsp salt 1 tbsp black pepper 1 tbsp crushed red pepper flake 1 tbsp garlic ...

Welcome to What's Dad Cooking? If you enjoy the recipes (or not) and tips, or simply would like to share some of your own, i would love to hear from you. The main focus will be to share recipes and cooking tips, but when i see a chance to help you save money or time, i'll share that too.