Thursday, July 27, 2023

Corn Salad with Queso Fresco

I have been on the hunt for a good summer salad and this hit the spot!!  It was so yummy and easy to make!!!  Kids ate it too because it is CORN!!!  Do it up!!!
OBB - serves 6

INGREDIENTS:

DRESSING

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 23 juicy limes)
1/4 cup white wine vinegar or rice vinegar
45 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup oil (extra-virgin or light olive oil, canola oil, avocado oil, all work well.)
1/2 cup roughly chopped cilantro, stems removed

SALAD
4 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
8 ounces queso fresco or cotija cheese
1 large red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
(optional) 1 jalapeno pepper, chopped (and seeded if desired)
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, and cubed
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

DRESSING
In the jar of your blender, combine lime juice, vinegar, garlic, salt, and sugar. Blend until ingredients are completely combined. With the blender running, add the oil in a steady stream. Add cilantro and blend until the cilantro has broken down but still maintains some of its texture. Taste and feel free to adjust flavor with salt and pepper, or even extra sugar or lime if desired.

SALAD
Bring about 1 inch of water to a boil in a large stock pot. When the water boils, add the corn and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse and then add to a large bowl. Toss together the corn, red bell pepper, red onion, jalapeno pepper, and crumbled cheese (*NOTE: If you anticipate letting the salad sit for a while before serving, you may want to wait on the cheese and add it right before serving, with the avocado). Toss with Cilantro-Lime Vinaigrette, feel free to add more or less, depending on your preferences. Chill until ready to serve. Right before serving, gently toss in the avocado and season with salt and pepper.

Saturday, July 22, 2023

Surf and Turf Pinwheels

No baseball this weekend so that meant we are WIDE open and I could make some yummy eats!!!  This was delicious :)  We had this with some rice and grilled fruit/ice cream - so good!!!
Serves 4

Ingredients

Pinwheels:

  • 1 Whole Flank Steak or Skirt Steak
  • 12-15 slices Prosciutto
  • 2 cups Shaved Parmesan Cheese
  • 1 cup Chopped Parsley
  • 1.5 tbsp Kosher Salt
  • 1.5 tbsp Black Pepper
  • 1.5 tbsp Garlic Powder
  • Canola Oil as needed

Lobster Meat Skillet:

  • 4-6 oz Lobster Meat
  • 2.5 oz White Wine
  • 3 tbsp Clarified Butter
  • 1.5 tbsp Minced Garlic
  • 1 tbsp Chopped Parsley

Instructions

  • Lay your skirt steak out on a cutting board, slice it in half and cover it with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Using a heavy mallet or food mallet, hammer the skirt steak until it is less than ½” thick. Mix together your salt, pepper and garlic then lather your steak with oil and season both sides. Next, add a layer of sliced prosciutto followed by a layer of chopped parsley and shaved parmesan. Carefully roll the skirt steak up lengthwise to create the pinwheel. Secure the roll with two strings of butcher twine and slice between them to make two separate pinwheels. Repeat this with the rest of the skirt steak for all of the pinwheels.
  • Preheat your Breeo to 325-350F adding the Sear Plate for about 2 minutes before cooking.
  • Add your pinwheels to the sear plate to cook for about 4-5 minute per side or until they are 130F internal. Place sure to flip as needed to prevent the cheese from burning! As the steaks are cooking, add a cast iron skillet or wok to the center of the sear plate. Melt your clarified butter then add your minced garlic to simmer until golden brown. Deglaze the skillet with white wine, then add your lobster meat to cook in the butter for about 3-4 minutes until warmed. Once the lobster meat is done, garnish with chopped parsley then pull off and keep warm. Pull your steaks when done and let rest for 10 minutes.
  • Serve up your steaks with some lobster meat and butter over the top along with more chopped parsley for garnish. Enjoy!

Friday, July 21, 2023

Grilled Ranch Chicken Drumsticks

I'm always looking for new ways to make chicken legs so I like them hahahaha  AND this was it :)  This couldn't be easier AND it was super yummy!!!  Made this up with this AMAZING  summer salad!!  Great meal!!!!
 Serves 8

Ingredients

  • 2 lb chicken legs
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 packet ranch dressing mix

Instructions

  • Brush chicken legs with olive oil. Rub ranch dressing onto the chicken legs.
  • Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Place chicken legs on grill. Grill for 30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes, or until they reach an internal temperature of 185-190 degrees F.

Notes

  • You want to cook chicken drumsticks until they are 180-190 degrees F. I know this seems really hot and chicken is usually done before that, but cooking them to a higher heat point makes it so the chicken isn't stringy like sometimes happens and it's not bloody by the bone. Trust me just do it!
  • Keep the grill temperature to about 350 degrees F. This temp allows the chicken to be perfectly cooked, but the skin won't become scorched.
  • Keep the lid to the grill closed as much as possible .
  • Flip the chicken legs every ten minutes.
  • Have some water ready in case there are flare ups. Chicken drumsticks have a lot of skin which renders when grilling and can drip grease causing flare ups.
  • Grill over direct heat.