Big Man, Little Kitchen

Seared Scallops with Spicy Aioli

Posted on April 14, 2013 by bigm5853

With Kris out of town for girls weekend I was looking for something easy and tasty for one. While walking through the grocery store the fresh scallops caught my eye and bingo I had an idea. Seared scallops, asparagus and aioli sauce. Scallops are really easy yet super tasty.Rinse the scallops to remove any grit, dry with paper towels. Remove the small side muscle and season both sides with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Place the scallops in the hot oil and sear for about 2 minutes, you want them golden. Gently turn the scallops and sear the other side, about 2 minutes. You do not want to over cook these as they will get rubbery. I made a spicy aioli to go with these.This aioli is simple to make and has a nice kick. Here is how to make this:

1/2 c mayonnaise
Juice from 1/2 lime
2 T sriracha (or more for extra heat)
1 t soy sauce – I use gluten free
salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.

Roasted asparagus was a nice accompaniment for the scallops and easy as well. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, clean asparagus and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes and it is ready to go.

Put some aioli on the plate, top with the a scallop and enjoy!!

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Chicken and Sprouts

Posted on April 9, 2013 by bigm5853

We had a pretty nice day on Sunday so I grilled out some marinated chicken thighs with a side of the roasted Brussels sprouts. I marinated the chicken overnight using about 1/4 cup gluten free soy sauce and 1 tsp of a spicy rub I purchased at the Golf show this year. Nice thing about this meal – both the sprouts and the chicken thighs cook at the same temp of 350 degrees, so they will be on the grill together. Get your grill going and the temp set. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place directly on the grill. Using bone-in thighs pushes the cooking time t about 40 minutes, or until the internal temp is 170. You can find the sprouts recipe here :

http://bigmanlittlekitchen.com/cedar-plank-salmon-with-grilled-brussels-sprouts

Pull off the grill, rest 2 minutes and serve. Enjoy!

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Simply Steak

Posted on April 4, 2013 by bigm5853

It does not get much better than a good steak! I like to keep it simple when grilling my steak. Too many people like to add rubs or spices to a steak. If you get a good cut of meat you do not need any of those things. Simply rub on a little olive oil, salt, pepper and that is it! Don’t even need steak sauce (or God forbid – ketchup) when eating a proper steak.Take the steaks out of the fridge and let rest at room temp for 30 minutes before grilling. Rub some olive oil on both sides, season with salt and pepper and yo are ready to go.Get your grill smoking hot – I cooked these at 450 – 475 for 6 minutes a side. Remove from grill, let rest 5 minutes. I served this with a baked sweet potato on the side – tasty. Enjoy!!

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Country Style Pork Ribs

Posted on April 3, 2013 by bigm5853

Now that spring is finally here (kind of) and the temps rising into the 40’s, it is time to get back to some grilling. This was our first go at country style pork ribs. I did not realize these were such big, meaty ribs! A nice smoking and slow cooking on the Traeger made this a meal to remember!First you need to put together a good rub for these bad boys. This is what I used:

2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground ancho chile
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

Rub all over ribs and refrigerate 4-8 hours, let that flavor develop.For the first hour I like smoke the pork. This means keeping the grill temp between 180 – 200 degrees. Now turn up the heat and continue to cook for 1 1/2 – 2 hours, until ribs are tender. Brush with your favorite BBQ sauce ( I used KC Masterpiece ) and cook for 15 minutes more.Remove to a platter and let rest 5 minutes before serving. We served these with side of Baked Maple and Brown Sugar Butternut Squash. Here is what you need for this:

1 medium butternut squash peeled and cut into cubes
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash salt
dash nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a baking dish with cooking spray, set aside. Put squash in a bowl. Heat the maple syrup, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and nutmeg until hot and butter is melted. Pour over the squash cubes and stir gently to coat. Pour into the prepared baking dish; cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, stir gently, and bake uncovered for about 15 minutes longer, or until squash is tender. Enjoy!!

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Happy Easter

Posted on April 1, 2013 by bigm5853

This year it was jut Kris and myself for Easter. We started the day with a bacon, cheese egg bake. It was a nice morning of drinking coffee and reading the paper, a no stress holiday!For dinner we sent for one of our favorites – Braised short ribs. On Saturday we stopped at the butcher and picked up some bone-in short ribs and they were excellent. Served with boiled yukon potatoes and fresh green beans. A tasty meal for 2. Cheers!

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Sausage Hash

Posted on March 29, 2013 by bigm5853

I was watching ‘Brunch with Bobby (Flay) the other day and he was making some hash. It looked so good I thought I would give it a try, putting my own spin on it. Kris said it turned out great, with just the right amount of spice. This will be a keeper! For my version I used 1/2 tube of Jimmy Dean sausage, chopped green and yellow peppers and some onion. About 1/4 cup of each. For the potatoes I used Klondike Gold from Green Giant. First dice the potatoes and boil them in salted water. Cook them just long enough to where they are tender but not mushy. Meanwhile saute the sausage, peppers and onion. Add the potatoes to the mixture and continue to cook. This is where I added the spices. I used salt, pepper, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, cumin and just a pinch of cayenne pepper. Before draining the potatoes, I reserved 1/2 of cup of the cooking water. As I was cooking the mixture I added some of this water to help deglaze the pan, to get bits off the bottom of the pan.

To serve pile the hash on a plate and top with an over easy egg. Tasty!! Breakfast for dinner is so good, we should do it more often. Enjoy!

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Hurry Up and Wait Roast Chicken

Posted on March 28, 2013 by bigm5853

I love roasted chicken and this is an easy way to do it. The technique comes from a French chef and the chicken turns out moist and super tasty. What’s different about this method is you place the chicken on it’s side! Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Pat the chicken dry, rub with a couple tablespoons of butter, season with salt and pepper. Place in a heavy cast iron pan and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, flip chicken to the other side and cook another 25 minutes. Remove again and cook for 10 minutes more with the breast side up. Or until done – I had to cook an additional 8 minutes.

Now comes the wait part and this is the secret to super moist chicken. Place a large cereal bowl on a baking sheet. Place the chicken breast side down with the legs resting on the bowl. The legs should be higher than the breast. Tent with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. All the juices will redistribute and the chicken will be the best you ever had!

The next best thing about roasting a chicken is making homemade chicken stock with the carcass. I usually let the bones chill over night and make the broth the next day. Nothing makes better soups then homemade stock!

To make the stock – Toss the bones in a stock pot. Add enough water to cover and add:

Carrots, celery, onion(quartered), 3 cloves garlic(cut in half), 5 pepper corns, bay leaf, afew sprigs of fresh thyme and oregano. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer gently for 2 hours. Strain stock using cheesecloth. Enjoy!!

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Bacon Egg Cheese Bake

Posted on March 24, 2013 by bigm5853

Weekends are made for lounging around and good breakfast. Normally we just have scrambled eggs and bacon but this weekend an egg bake sounded good. Plus you can make enough to have leftovers on Sunday.For this one I used 3 types of peppers, onion and mushrooms. I like to gather everything up and get started.First get all the ingredients chopped up.Cook the bacon. I always cook mine in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, until crispy. An easy and mess free way to cook the bacon.When done remove from the oven and drain on paper towels. Crumble and set aside.Saute the veggies in some butter until tender but still firm.Spray a baking dish with cooking spray and layer in the veggies.Don’t forget the cheese! I grated about 2 cups of colby jack.Layer the cheese over the veggies. Next come the eggs. I used 7 eggs. Put them in a bowl and whisk together with – 2/3 cup milk, 1tsp dry mustard, salt and pepper. Since Kris and I do not eat wheat I also add 1/2 cup almond flour. This adds a fluffyness that bread normally does.Pour the egg mixture over the cheese and sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.I like to top my serving with salsa, for a little extra flavor. Enjoy!!

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March Madness!!

Posted on March 23, 2013 by bigm5853

What a great time of the year! Kris and I love March Madness. It is a lot of fun to watch all the basketball games and cheer for our favorite teams. Some years we go to the local sports bar to watch but last night we stayed home. Of course this means we need to cook up some tasty bar food to enjoy while watching the games. We went with nachos and wings!When making nachos I like to slice the cheese and place a piece on each chip. The round chunk of Kraft colby is the best for nachos. Not sure why but it melts nicely and has a great flavor.Place the chips on a baking sheet, top with a slice of cheese and bake at 350 degrees until the cheese is melted. I add a slice of jalapeno to mine to kick up the heat. Serve with salsa, olives and whatever else tickles your fancy.Of course the wings were grilled with curry lime sauce, our favorite. You can find the recipe for these in the appetizer section. Time to kick back and watch some B-Ball. Go Cyclones!!!!

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Leftover Chicken Chili

Posted on March 21, 2013 by bigm5853

What to do with the left over chicken chili? Hmmm, plus I have not been to the store since getting back from vacation so choices are limited. I found some potatoes in the pantry so decided to have creamy mashed potatoes smothered in chicken chili. Tasty!Get the chili heating up, peel and chop some potatoes. Add the taters to salted water and bring to a boil. Boil gently, about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork tender. While this is going on, prepare the ‘filling’.I like to throw shredded cheese, butter and cream in a small sauce pan and heat on low. This gets the cheese and butter melted and warms up the cream. That way when you add the mixture to the mashed potatoes, you do not cool them off.When the potatoes are done, drain the water and put back in the pan. Pour the cream, cheese mixture over the top and mash away. I always use a hand masher, so I am sure to leave a few lumps:) Now put a big mound of the mashed taters on your plate, smother with the chili and you have a great comfort meal! Enjoy.