Beef Dry Rub

3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoky paprika
2 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons ancho powder
1 teaspoon chipotle powder

Mix ingredients well and store in airtight container. Will keep for about six months. Makes about 1 cup.

Use
Rub liberally onto your cut of beef, place in a zip top bag and refrigerate for 12-18 hours before roasting.

A Winter Hot Drink

4 mugs worth of Apple Cider,
1 mugs worth of Caramel Vodka,
1 tablespoon Cinnamon,
1/4 cup Brown Sugar

Heat the cider add cinnamon & brown sugar then remove from heat add vodka! DO NOT BOIL VODKA!

A mug is a coffee mug, you can add sugar or not, you can drink it cold or warm. This is the standard recipe, make it your own.

A mug is eight ounces which is one cup. So to figure out how much it makes research how many cups are in the cider and the vodka.

No, this is not the apple pie recipe and no, there is no name for it.

Scrambled eggs are so easy, any one can make them, right?

Well yes, mostly.

But what if I told you there is a simple ingredient you can add to make them better?

That ingredient is sour cream. Add 1/2 tablespoon for each egg in your recipe.

Scrambled Eggs made with Sour Cream

Here’s a rundown.

1 Tablespoon Sour Cream
2 Large Eggs
Kosher Salt
Fresh Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Chopped Chives (optional)

Directions
Mix the eggs and the sour cream in a small bowl. Add the salt and pepper, mix well.

Melt the butter in a nonstick pan over medium-low heat. Add the eggs and gently scramble. Remove from the heat, sprinkle with the chives and serve.

One of my favorite Chinese-style dishes, I came across this and decided it was time to make it.

And color me impressed, it was very true to the dish one would get at a Chinese takeout restaurant.

The method to cook the chicken seems to be the key to this, so follow the directions.

Moo Goo Gai Pan

Highly recommended!

Ingredients:
1 large boneless chicken breast cut into thin slices
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 egg white
Pinch of salt

Mix these ingredients together, add the sliced chicken coating with the cornstarch slurry, and let set for 10 minutes.

Bring a pot of water up to almost a boil. Add chicken pieces.
They will fall to bottom. Gently stir occasionally.
Will take 1 to 3 minutes to cook depending on size. The chicken will float to the top when it is done cooking.

1 can sliced water chestnuts – rinsed and drained
1 to 1 1/2 cups snow peas
1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots
1 small package of sliced mushrooms
Whites of 2 garden onions
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Sesame oil to stir fry

Sauce
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon Shao Hsing cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon corn starch
pinch white pepper

Mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside.

Directions
In a wok or skillet on medium high heat add oil, whites of a garden onion and minced garlic.

Cook and stir for 15 to 20 seconds.

Add carrots, mushrooms and water chestnuts.

Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add snow peas. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 more minutes.

Add chicken into pan and stir to combine.

Stir sauce and pour over top.

Bring up to simmer and cook for 15 to 30 seconds while stirring.

Serve over white rice.

Garnish with remaining white onions.

This is one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s rally quite easy to make. Not sure why people insist on using the boxed variety.

Macaroni and Cheese

1/2 pound elbow macaroni
1 teaspoon butter
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 tablespoon hot water
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese, reserve 1/2 cup to sprinkle on top
1 cup milk

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook macaroni until al dente. Drain thoroughly.

Stir in butter and egg.

Mix salt and mustard with hot water then add to milk.

Add cheese to the cooked macaroni in a bowl.

Butter a casserole dish well, and pur the macaroni into it.

Add the milk mixture, then top with the reserved cheese.

Place in over and bake for 45 minutes or until the mixture is set and the top is crusty.

How I Cook Rice

Note, I use basmati rice when the dish doesn’t need sticky rice. I prefer the texture. These directions are good to use with most any white rice.

Directions
In a saucepan, bring water to a boil.

Stir in rice.

Cover, reduce heat and cook for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat, fluff with fork. Let set for 5 minutes then serve.

Options
Add 1 tablespoon butter and 1 teaspoon salt per cup of rice.

Measure out and add a 1/4 cup of soy or Worcestershire sauce.

Use chicken broth in place of the water. I nearly always do this for fried rice. Make sure you make your rice for fried rice at least a day ahead of time.

This is a very hearty soup. It’s great any time but oh so good on a chilly winter day.

I put this soup together on a chilly January afternoon. I joke about chilly, it was 49 degrees that day.

Ingredients
Vegetable Oil
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into smaller than bite sized pieces
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
Salt
Pepper
1/2 cup flour
8 cups chicken broth (I use Better Than Bullion)
1 bell pepper, any color, diced
1 cup chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
Red Pepper Flakes
Rosemary
Paprika
Parsley
Oregano
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Cumin
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup Liquid Smoke
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1 cup pearl barley (note, you can substitute rice here if you wish)
1 bag Kroger® Vegetable Soup Mix – frozen
1 bag Kroger® Vegetable Gumbo Blend Soup Mix – frozen
1 can Kroger® Cut Extra Green Green Beans
1 can Kroger® Petite Diced Peeled Tomatoes – No Salt Added
1 can Kroger® Sweet Whole Kernel Golden Corn

Place a large stock pot over medium heat, pour vegetable oil into the pot, enough to cover the bottom.

Toss the chicken pieces into the pot, and stir fry until the chicken is cooked. Salt and pepper.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot, and let them cook until soft. You can optionally let them brown a bit.

Reduce the heat and add the flour, stirring until the mixture thickens.

Immediately add the broth. Increase the heat until the mixture comes to a rolling boild.

Add the spices: I don’t measure spices, I just throw whatever feels right in. If you are uncomfortable with this method, try 1 teaspoon of each and add teaspoons until you get the flavor you want.
Red Pepper Flakes, Rosemary, Thyme, Paprika, Parsley, Oregano, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, and Cumin.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, Liquid Smoke, and Tabasco sauce.

Make sure everything is mixed together well before adding the other vegetables.

Add the bell pepper.

Add the chopped carrots.

Add the chopped celery.

Add the cop of barley.

Let this mixture come to a rolling boil. Reduce heat, cover, and let simmer for at least an hour.

Check the soup to see if the barley is fully cooked.

A view of the pot of Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup simmering. (click to view full size)

If it is, add both bags of frozen vegetables.

Add the 3 cans of vegetables.

Let everything simmer for approximately 30 minutes.

Serve garnished with fresh cilantro or chives and crackers or a crusty bread.

A finished bowl of Chicken Vegetable Barley Soup.(click to view full size)

No summer meal is complete without a bowl of coleslaw. Some tips to make your coleslaw beat any store bought coleslaw, hands down.

Shred the Cabbage at Home
This point cannot be stressed enough. Pre-shredded cabbage from the grocery store turns limp faster than freshly shredded cabbage it simply pales to fresh in taste. Shredding cabbage is easy, just thinly slice it and it will turn into crunchy, delicious shreds. For the carrots, use a box grater.

Add Vinegar
Mayo dressing is the classic when it comes to coleslaw. Mayo based dressing can sometimes be too heavy or sweet and fatty. Adding some vinegar along with some Dijon mustard will lighten up the dressing. Don’t be afraid to try different vinegars like apple cider, red wine, white wine, or champagne vinegar work well too. If you want some spice, toss a teaspoon or two of your Tabasco sauce in.

Wait To Mix It All Together
Hold your shredded veggies and dressing separate in the refrigerator until serving time. Your vegetables will be fresh and crunchy, not limp and sauce laden.

Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons celery seed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 large head green cabbage, thinly sliced
3 large carrots, grated

Directions
Whisk together mayonnaise, vinegar, Dijon mustard, sugar, and celery seed.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add cabbage and carrots and mix to thoroughly combine.

Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Macaroni salad, this is a must have dish every summer. I can’t imagine summer without it!

This is a tried and true version, I always hope for leftovers the next day. You should consider making a double batch.

Macaroni salad is a great dish to out ahead of time. To keep the macaroni from absorbing all of the dressing, don’t toss everything together until about an hour or so before. The drier your pasta is, the less it will absorb so make sure your macaroni is drained well first.

If you want to cook the macaroni more than an hour serving, toss with a little olive oil after draining. If it starts sticking together, run it under warm water to break it up.

Any type of short pasta works great macaroni salad. Penne and fusilli are among the favorites, I just use up the type of pasta I have on hand to keep it simple.

Macaroni salad works well with most any vegetable you want to add. Try adding broccoli, pimento peppers, tuna, hard boiled eggs, and bacon.

Macaroni salad goes great with any grilled food. Try serving it along a burger or grilled pork chops.

Macaroni

Ingredients
For the pasta salad
3/4 pound elbow pasta, cooked
2 stalks celery, chopped thinly
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup black olives, sliced
1 medium carrot, shredded
Fresh chopped parsley, for garnish

For the dressing
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Kosher salt
Fresh ground black pepper

Directions
In a large bowl, combine elbows, celery, bell pepper, olives, and carrots.

Dressing: In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper and stir until combined.

Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss. Garnish with parsley before serving.