AWESOME Meat rub-slightly spicy and sweet

This rub works great on Ribs, chops, steaks, and anything you want to grill or bake (yes even fish)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup cayenne pepper (chili powder can be used but use less)
1 tablespoon pepper
1 tablespoon salt (or use 1 1/2 tablespoon Natures Seasoning instead of salt/pepper)
1 tablespoon paprika (I like smoked paprika but any will work)
dash cumin

mix all ingredients together and rub on all sides of meat. Refrigerate for minimum of 30 minutes. Grill/bake/cook as desired.

As the meat is cooking you can make a nice sauce to top it with the below ingredients:

Brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, dash of salt, and dash of cayenne or chili powder. Mix to taste and simmer on stove until reduced to a thick sauce. Top your meat with it upon serving.

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas

Everyone has leftover turkey from Thanksgiving (if you make turkey) so here is a good recipe to use for hte leftovers.

8 servings
Leftover Turkey
Red Enchilada Sauce-large can or use sauce recipe on this blog.
Chopped onion
Cheese to taste
Taco seasoning
8 medium sized tortillas- I prefer flour but corn can be used also


Pull all turkey off carcass, dark and white meat. Chop all meat finely and add about 1/2 cup pan drippings to keep moist. Place in hot pan, stirring frequently. Add onion and taco seasoning. Stir frequently until browned. Remove from heat.

Fill tortillas with meat mixture and cheese (if desired) and roll. Place in baking pan. Once all enchiladas are in the pan cover lightly with red sauce (Do not soak enchiladas with the sauce or they will come out soggy) and more cheese (if desired). Sprinkle hot sauce over enchiladas (if desired) and bake for 20 minutes.

Serve with rice and beans or just sour cream on top.

Latkes- Potato Pancakes made my way :-)

Latkes are a traditional German side dish served with applesauce or sour cream and served with Pork (usually). There are several other countries in Europe that have their own variations of Latkes, so please don't be offended if I use my German roots (and what I remember of my Great Grandma's recipe)

For 4 servings (adjust to your needs)

5-6 medium potatoes (russet makes the best ones) peeled and washed
1 medium onion
 2-3 eggs (medium eggs use 3, large or extra large use 2)
1/2 cup or so or flour (you may use only 2 tablespoons of this, it depends on your taste)
salt/pepper to taste or Natures Seasoning
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste (only is served with applesauce)

Shred potatoes -soak each batch in water while you are shredding the remaining potatoes, when all potatoes are shredded store in water until onion is ready.
Shred onion (tip-use chilled onion to avoid tears)
Remove shredded potatoes from water and mix with shredded onion, please mixture on tea towel (or cheesecloth) and roll up and twist out all remaining water/moisture. The more moisture the more flour you will need and the faster the Latkes will brown on outside but remain uncooked on inside)

Beat eggs and seasonings in medium bowl. Add potato/onion mixture and mix well. Add flour a teaspoon at a time until you have a good mixture to make pancakes. The mixture should  be similar to a meatball mixture, not too thick but lumpy and should easily form a ball. Add flour as necessary to make this.

Form balls of about 1.5 inches round and flatten to a thick pancake. Place in hot pan coated with cooking spray or canola oil. The pan MUST be hot before you place the Latkes in or they will not brown properly.

Cook on each side about 5 minutes each- until brown and crispy - they should not be soggy in the middle. Cooked on medium high heat at 5 minutes each side they should come out brown and crispy but firm in the middle, Drain on rack and keep warm in 300 degree oven until ready to served.

These can be served with a variety of toppings including BBQ Kailua pork, veges, turkey, ham, or anything you desire for a great appetizer.

NOTE: you can use leftover mashed potatoes (leave out the wringing out moisture) but use less eggs and finely diced onions, and more flour. Experiment with leftover hash browns or any type of leftover potatoes.

Braised pork belly

NOTE: this recipe also works with thick cut pork chops or pork steaks. I also use it on pork loin that I trim into rib cuts

2 lbs pork belly-remove skin

1 cup mirin (in asian food section)

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

½ onion chopped

1 tspn garlic (fresh crushed or chopped)

2 cups broth—I use swansons low sodium

red wine-about 1 cup (drink the rest)

Slice pork belly in 2-3” sections, combine soy and mirin and place in either plastic bag or shallow dish, add pork belly and marinate at least 30 mins or overnight

Place pork belly in heated pan and sear each side-remove and set aside

Place wine, marinade, broth, onions, and garlic in oven proof pan- bring to boil, add pork belly and cover and place in 300 degree oven for 2-3 hours(depends on thickness of pork belly). After 2-3 hrs place pan on top of stove on simmer to finish. After 30 minutes of simmering turn up heat and reduce sauce until slightly thick.

Serve over couscous, rice, or pasta. Serve small cup of sauce on side for dipping or drizzle over pork belly placed over couscous.

Breakfast Meals

Egg Pie-serves 4 or 2 healthy eaters

6-8 oz hash browns cooked crisp (enough to cover bottom of 8” pie/cake pan

6 eggs

Teaspoon or so of water

2-3 oz Onions and garlic to taste (I like fresh but powder can be used NOT salt)

Natures seasoning to taste (I used about a teaspoon)

Fry hash browns til crisp

Line bottom of pie/cake pan with hash browns

Lightly season with Natures seasoning (about ¼ of what you use)

Beat eggs with water until fluffy

Add onions and garlic and rest of Natures seasoning

Pour on top of has browns

Bake at 350 until firm (about 20 mins regular oven, 15 convection oven)

Slice and serve with fresh fruit

Options:

Add ham, sausage, or back (cooked) to egg mixture before baking

Add salsa (homemade is best) to top of pie immediately prior to serving

Breakfast casserole- serves 4 or 2 healthy eaters

1 can refrigerated croissants

2 servings sausage or bacon – cooked

6 eggs

¼ onion chopped fine

1 clove garlic diced

½ tomato (always optional)

4 sliced mushrooms

Cheese-grated or sliced

Seasoning to tast (I prefer Natures seasoning or Maui herb seasoning)

Spray 8” cake pan with non stick spray

Line 4 croissants as bottom crust

Mix meat, eggs, onions, garlic, and seasonings

Por over bottom crust

Top with remaining croissants

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes

Top with sliced tomato and cheese and serve with fresh fruit

BBQ Wings--Also good for football tailgate parties

12- 18 chicken wings-doesn't matter if all drums or even if boneless wings
1/2 cup BBQ sauce- your favorite kind, I like KC Masterpiece Honey BBQ for these
1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (more if you like a garlicky taste)
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste-can be left out completely)
1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
11/4 cup butter/butter substitute

Extra BBQ sauce for basting

Melt butter in small sauce pan, add remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour over wings, ensure all sides are coated.

Place on rectangular pan- non-stick or use Reynold's non-stick foil and place in 350 over for 30-40 minutes (depends on your oven). Turn after 15-20 minutes. Baste as needed with extra sauce.

When done these make a slightly sweet (if you use Honey BBQ sauce) BBQ wing that is a great addition to tailgate parties. Can be made in advance and heated on grill at tailgate (indirect heat). However, if you are attending a University of Hawaii game make sure you include copious amounts of alcohol because the tailgate party is the best part of the game this year :-)

Football game HOT Wings

12- 18 chicken wings-doesn't matter if all drums or even if boneless wings
1/2 cup Franks* Hot Sauce (I like Franks, you can use your favorite sauce)
2 tbsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder (not salt)
1/2 tsp garlic powder (more if you like a garlicy taste)
1/4 tsp salt (or to taste-can be left out completely)
1/2 tsp pepper (or to taste)
1/8 tsp cumin - if you don't like real spicy leave this out
1/4 cup butter/butter substitute

Thaw wings, if thawed, rinse and pat dry and place in a container that allows the wings to all sit on the bottom (like a large flat Tupperware-or imitation- container with lid....you can also use a zip lock bag if no container.

Mix all ingredients except butter and Hot sauce in small dish. Melt butter, add 1/4 cup hot sauce when melted and mix well. Remove from heat and add rest of ingredients and mix well. Cover wings with this mixture and marinate over night (min 4 hours).

After done marinating, pour wings and mixture on cookie sheet with small lip/rectangular pan  that is either covered with non-stick  Reynolds wrap or use parchment paper (this is for easy clean up, any non stick pan will work as long as it has a small lip so no drips).

Baste with the rest of the hot sauce and place in 350 oven for 30-40 minutes. It is best if you turn the wings after 15-20 minutes and add a little more hot sauce.

These come out tender, spicy, and perfect for a tailgate party or just snacks at home.

PLEASE REMEMBER IF YOU DO NOT LIKE REAL SPICY : DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!. IF YOU LIKE MEDIUM SPICY : use less spicy hot sauce and omit cumin and red pepper

BBQ wings recipe to follow :-)

Garlic Shrimp and homemade spaghetti sauce - No not together :-)

This was dinner tonight-Spaghetti for Ken and Garlic Shrimp for me ---both over al dente spaghetti noddles

Garlic Shrimp

½ to 1 lb shrimp

2 cloves garlic finely diced

2-4 tablespoons butter (4 if you want extra sauce)

Lemon juice to taste

Flour – optional

Cayenne pepper- optional

Rinse and drain shrimp, devein, pat dry---optional rub with a tad bit of flour cayenne pepper mix for a spicier flavor

Melt butter in medium high skillet

Sauté garlic for 2 minutes, add dash lemon juice (just a bit)

Add Shrimp and sauté for about 5 minutes, just until shrimp turn pink

Remove shrimp and serve over rice, noodles, or quinoa

Squeeze lemon to taste over shrimp and enjoy

Spoon extra sauce over shrimp for more flavor

Spaghetti sauce-must simmer at least an hour or more

1 24 ounce can crushed tomatoes

½ cup onion-diced

¼ cup garlic-diced or crushed

¼ - ½  cup Italian seasoning (can sub the individual spices but I love my Italian seasoning mix)

Place all ingredients in saucepan and simmer

Add ½ lbs ground beef/turkey/Italian sausage if desired

Simmer another 30 minutes

Pour over pasta as desired

SAUCES/MARINADES ---- good for any occasion

Beef Sauce/Marinade – good for all lean cuts beef but I use on strip and flank steak

1 cup red wine (I use chianti but pinot noir is good too)

½ cup beef stock

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

¼ cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon garlic

1 teaspoon Natures seasoning or salt/pepper to taste

MARINADE- Mix all ingredients in gallon size plastic bag, add beef and marinade for minimum 1 hour

This will tenderize meat and adds great flavor---also can be used for basting when grilling

SAUCE- mix all ingredients in sauce pan and simmer until reduced to thick sauce

Use as topping sauce with chopped onions and/or mushrooms (braise onions and mushrooms to give better flavor) to give steak robust flavor upon serving

Pork/Chicken sauce/marinade

1 cup white wine

½ cup chicken stock

1 tablespoon vinegar (balsamic works best but apple cider vinegar gives unique flavor)

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoon garlic (1 teaspoon if using powder)

¼ cup chopped onion

Salt/pepper or natures seasoning to taste

Marinade---Mix all ingredients in large plastic bag and marinade meat for minimum 30 minutes then grill or bake----if you pan fry use sauce in pan instead of oil

Sauce- mix all ingredients in sauce/fry pan and simmer until reduced (not quite thick but almost-consistency of tomato soup) pour over grilled meat or cook meat in sauce and thicken sauce to top meat

BBQ MARINADE/SAUCE

Marinade:

½  cup Worcestershire

½ cup sugar (brown or white)

½ cup vinegar (cider vinegar gives best flavor but balsamic or white will work---if using balsamic use less due to the stronger properties)

¼ cup oil (I use olive oil but you can use any)

½ cup Teriyaki marinade (I use Kikomans)

½ cup pineapple juice

Garlic and onion to taste (I use diced onion and garlic but powder will work as well)

Mix all ingredients in a shallow pan or large Ziploc bag until thoroughly mixed. Add dash of salt and pepper or your favorite no-salt seasoning

simmer in saucepan to thicken if using as sauce and not marinade

Spicy Aioli sauce-makes 1 cup sauce double if feeding more than 4 This aoili is good for sweet potato fries, hamburgers, turkey burgers, adn any sandwich you want to add a kick too.

1 tablespoon lime juice (or ½ fresh lime and squeeze the juice out of it)

1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (Tony Chachere’s  More Spice or Creole seasoning works)

2 tablespoons Franks Red Hot Sauce (or your choice hot sauce-use less if you like less spicy)

1 cup miracle whip/krafts tartar sauce(if used on fish)

1 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic (or ½ teaspoon garlic powder )

Salt/pepper to taste or Natures Seasoning

Mix all ingredients in small bowl

Chill 30 minutes