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My daughter and son-in-law live in a condo. No open fire grilling is permitted. Trying to make great steaks is a challenge. This is my way to cook when visiting. GE makes an incredible product called the Profile Indoor Smoker. It makes a great substitute for a outside unit. Some reviews claim it doesn't replicate an outdoor one, but I find it produces great smoke flavor. This technique also works with other beef products. The smoke level is turned down from where I do ribs or pork, but I am looking for a hint of smoke flavor duplicating being cook on a grill. Ingredients: 2 one pound American wagyu strips, salt, and pepper to taste. That's it! Begin by bring the steaks to room temperature. Salt and pepper them while they are warming. Preheat the smoker to 200 degrees with the smoke level set to 3. Once preheated, place the steaks on the middle rack. I set the desired internal temperature at 120 degrees. We like our beef on the rare side. Don...

I was at the local meat market buying some different cuts of beef. Got out to the car and got a text from my son-in-law, his mother wanted pork chops. Went back into the market and return with some beautiful chops. My daughter is gluten free so I did these with a gluten free coating. Ingredients: 2 1/2 pounds of boneless pork chops 1 cup gluten free flour  1 teaspoon sweet paprika  1 teaspoon smoked paprika  1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder  1 teaspoon onion powder  1/2 teaspoon oregano  1/4 teaspoon rosemary Begin by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Next mix all the dry ingredients in a gallon sized zip top bag. Toss the chops in the flour mixture. Place the coated chops on a sheet pan lightly drizzled with olive oil. Place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes. Check the pork and carefully turn the over. Bake another 10 minutes until lightly brown and a temperature of at least 145 degrees. All...

I grew up outside of Pittsburgh, in a multi-ethnic area. My first real job was driving the delivery car for a local pharmacy. Two of our regular customers were an elderly Italian couple. If I was lucky, I would get to their house at dinner time. Mrs F. always had a pot of spaghetti at every meal. I loved hearing her say, "come in and have a taste". Her idea of a taste was a huge bowl of the best spaghetti and sauce I have ever eaten. I have tried to duplicate that delicious sauce for years. This is my version, minus added salt. There is some salt from the tomatoes naturally, and the bacon, but the sodium is minimal. Ingredients: 1 pound ground beef 1/2 pound ground pork 3 pieces precooked low sodium bacon 4 cloves of garlic 2 ribs of celery, on from the center with leaves 1 small sweet onion 1 carrot 1/2 cup of bell pepper 1 teaspoon dry basil 1 teaspoon dry oregano 1 tablespoon dry Italian seasoning 1 teaspoon white pepper 1/4 teaspoon ground red...

This is a quick recipe when you want a meal with minimal clean up. I made this version with New York strip steak as it was on sale cheaper than sirloin. Ingredients: 8 to 12 ounces of steak  Marinade: 2 tablespoons olive oil  2 teaspoons Worcester sauce 1/4 teaspoon onion powder  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder  1/8 teaspoon salt Butter: 3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon beef tallow (optional) 1/4 teaspoon thyme  1/2 teaspoon parsley  1/4 teaspoon onion powder  1/4 teaspoon garlic powder  1/8 teaspoon tomato powder (optional) New potatoes and fresh green beans based on your appetite  Begin by slicing your steak into bite size pieces. Add the steak and marinade ingredients to a zip top bag. Massage to get the steak well coated. Allow to rest at least an hour. In the meantime, half the potatoes and trim the beans. Lightly coat the veggies with a drizzle of olive oil. Preheat you oven to 400 degrees. When the oven is ready, ba...

A few months ago, my son in law sent me a post. I can't remember what it was about, but it mentioned liege waffle. (That, I remember.) After doing some research, I found a recipe that looked good. I bought a bag Swedish pearl sugar, and made a batch. They weren't anything like I  hoped for. The pearl sugar was hard, and crunchy.  Back to more research. It turns out there are 2 different types of pearl sugar. I needed Belgium pearl sugar.  Eureka!! That's what I was looking for. Ingredients 1 cup whole milk 1/2 cup warm water  1 package instant yeast  2 tablespoon granulated sugar 3 tablespoon brown sugar 2 XL eggs, room temp and lightly beaten 2 tablespoon vanilla bean paste or extract  1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature  6 cups AP flour 1 teaspoon salt Start by mixing the yeast, sugar and warm water in the bowl of your stand mixer. Allow to rest a few minutes making sure the yeast is active. It should be foamy. Add the other ingredients and mix...

My genealogy is pretty straight forward. Scotch-Irish, and English. Although I wasn't raised on much cultural foods, I thoroughly enjoy these Irish potato pancakes. You can find hundreds of online posts, and every one will be different. Depending on the area of Ireland they come from, they will vary greatly. Ingredients: 4 medium size russet potatoes  1/4 cup finely diced onions  2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup potato flour or AP flour 1 clove garlic I egg  Salt and pepper to taste. To begin, peel 2 potatoes and dice them. Add the pieces to a pan of water, then cook until tender. Add the butter and mash them to a stiff mashed potato consistency. Peel the other potatoes and shred them with a box grater, or food processor. Lightly sprinkle with salt then wrap the shreds in a kitchen towel. Squeeze as much moisture out as much as possible. Combine the mashed with the shreds adding the flour, egg, garlic, and onions. Mix well. Heat a frying pan over mediu...

My kitchen time has been very limited lately. Visiting my daughter and her family this weekend gave me a chance to finally cook something. My son-in-law said he wanted some tacos, but didn't have any ground beef. He also said he had a package of chicken thighs that need to be used. This is the result. Ingredients: 6 boneless chicken thighs  1 poblano pepper 1 bell pepper  1 sweet onion 3 cloves of garlic  1 can of fire roasted tomatoes ( I used a large can because that was available, but recommend a small can) 1 teaspoon chilli powder  1 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon  1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika  1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder. 1 teaspoon sugar Begin by slicing the onion, bell pepper, and poblano. In a sauce pan or Dutch oven, add about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sweat the veggies until tender and translucent. Add the can of crushed tomatoes and all the spices and mix well. Cook for about a half hour.  Next a...

Let's be honest, I go to a steakhouse for the rolls, as much as the steak. Hot and fluffy with a cinnamon honey butter, I have to be careful not to fill up on this delicious bread before my meal arrives. This is a great recipe for creating these beauties at home  Ingredients: 1 tablespoon honey 6 tablespoons sugar 1 packet  active dry yeast 1 1/4 cup whole milk, warmed  7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, divided 1 teaspoon kosher salt  2 large eggs, room temperature 3 ½ cups  bread flour In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment, combine the 1/4 cup warm milk with 1 teaspoon of honey and yeast, letting it activate the yeast for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar, milk, 6 tablespoons melted butter, and salt and mix until just combined. Add in the eggs, and mix to combine. Add the flour to the yeast mixture, and mix until combined. Scrape the dough into the center of the bowl. Knead the dough on  speed 2 for 4 to 5 minutes occasion...

There is something about a freshly toasted English muffin. Split,with all the nooks and crannies filled with melted butter, I think it makes a perfect breakfast side. This is an easy recipe, but takes all night for bulk fermenting. Ingredients: 100 grams active starter 15 grams sugar or honey 225 grams milk 125 grams water 45 grams unsalted butter softened  500 grams AP flour Corn meal for dusting  Start with 100 grams of very active starter. It should be bubbly and risen. Add starter to the bowl of your stand mixer.  Add all ingredients except the corn meal. Using a dough hook, mix on low speed for 1 minute. Allow the dough to autolysis for about 60 minutes. This allows the flour to absorb the water and milk. After resting, knead dough on speed 2 for about 8 to 10 minutes. Dough will be shiny and somewhat sticky. Cover bowl and allow to rise overnight. You can also transfer the dough to a graduated bowl to better track rise. ...

One of my favorite restaurants is the Columbia in Ybor City. Every once in a while, I will break my tradition and order something different from the menu, but usually it's their chicken and yellow rice. Ingredients: 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of chicken  1 bell pepper diced 1 small onion diced 1 clove garlic  2 cups no salt chicken broth  1/2 cup no salt beef broth   1/2 cup frozen peas 2 tablespoons olive oil  12 to 15 saffron strands 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/2 teaspoon paprika  1/4 teaspoon oregano 1/4 chili powder  Salt and pepper to taste. Start by browning the chicken in your dutch oven. Next add the small sweet onion, bell pepper, and  garlic.  Cover and heat on medium until the vegetables are translucent. Next, add two cups of no salt added chicken broth and one half cup of no salt added beef broth. Simmer for 30 minutes. Add the rice and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. When rice is rea...

I have been baking off and on most of my life. My earliest memories are baking with my grandmother at a very young age. I enjoy doing things on my own, so naturally I started making my own vanilla extract a while back. Once you make your own, you won't use store bought again.  There are two grades of beans A and B. A grade are plump and oily and B grade are drier, smaller beans. Some folks use A for baking, scraping the caviar or seed with a knife for baking. Others suggest B grade for extracts since they are drier and you get more beans in an ounce. I find no difference since you are using one once of beans for 8 ounces of alcohol for a single fold extract. The important part is using an acholol volume of 35 to 40 percent. I use vodka which brings out a good vanilla flavor with out any added flavors. Some folks use spiced or coconut flavored acholol, but I really don't want any other flavors, just vanilla. I should point out at this point, I don't ...