Big Man, Little Kitchen

Was not sure what we wanted tonight so we stopped by the store, grabbed some grass feed beef , some mushrooms and swiss cheese. Decided to grill out even though it is only about 25 degrees out:) Some fried potatoes on the side and the meal is complete!

The potatoes are very simple. I peel them then slice thin. To make sure they cook up nice and crunchy I par boil them first. In a microwave safe bowl add enough water to cover the potatoes. Toss in some salt for flavor and nuke (covered) for about 4 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels. I just season them with olive oil, salt and black pepper. To cook I put them in a cast iron pan (made for the grill) and grill at 350 for about 30 minutes.Next make the hamburger patties. I season mine with onion powder, salt and pepper. Throw those on the grill when the potatoes have about 12 minutes left. Cook each burger for 6 minutes a side. Add cheese in the last 2 minutes to get nice a melty.

In the meantime, saute some mushrooms in butter over medium heat.Top the burgers with the mushrooms, add a side of taters and enjoy!!!

Kris had some dental work done (temporary crown) so her mouth was a bit sore and she requested something easy to eat. We came up with this cheesy risotto with hamburger. This turned out tasty and will be a keeper!

First step was to make the risotto. This is a slow process as you really need to tend to the rice as it is cooking. First step heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil and butter. Add 1 small diced onion and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add one cup Arborio rice  and cook (stirring constantly) for 2 minutes. Pour in one cup of chicken stock and cook until liquid is absorbed.Add remaining stock (2 cups) one cup at a time and cook until liquid is absorbed. When rice is done, cover and set aside.

Now cook 1 Lb of hamburger along with a diced pepper ( I used a yellow pepper for sweetness). As the burger is cooking add some chili pepper, salt and pepper. When burger is done, drain excess grease and return to pan.

Add risotto to hamburger and season. I used thyme, basil, mediterranean seasoning, and garlic salt. Cook over low heat to let the spices do their magic. In the meantime make the cheese sauce. In a small sauce pan mix about a cup of colby jack cheese, 1/4 cup cream, 2 Tbsp butter and cook over low heat until cheese is melted. Transfer hamburger risotto mixture to a casserole dish, pour cheese sauce over the top and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

Serve in large bowl with fresh grated parmesan cheese on top . Enjoy!!

So what do you do when your grill is covered in snow and you want a steak? You use your cast iron skillet, of course! This is a great way to make a steak, similar to how restaurants do it. First you season the steak with salt and pepper and a little olive oil and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Next get the skillet screaming hot. This will ensure a good sear and proper cooking. You will know when the skillet is hot enough when you sprinkle a couple drops of water in the pan and they dance and disappear immediately.

Place the steaks in the skillet and cook for 2 minutes. You will hear a lot of sizzling and an may see a little smoke. This is good, just be sure to have your exhaust fan on! Turn the steaks and try to place them in the same spot and cook for 2 minutes more. When the time is up place some cold butter on the top of each steak and put in the preheated oven.

For medium rare cook for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and you will have seared, tasty, restaurant quality steak. Remove from pan and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing to let the juices redistribute. You can see the goodness. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving has come and gone but it was one of the best. We always celebrate Thanksgiving with friends and this year was our year to host. Our great friends (family) from Kansas came to Minnesota this year and we also had 2 couples from here in the cities join us. It was quite a feast! Unfortunately I did not get pictures of everything but here are a few to give you and idea.

Since I got the new grill I decided to smoke a turkey and a fresh ham. 3 hours of smoking then about 5 hours of roasting and it turned out pretty good for the first time trying this.

When I put these on the grill at 9:00 AM it was 50 degrees. By the time they finished at 5:00 PM it was 30 degrees, snowing and the wind was blowing about 25 MPH. Gotta love Minnesota!

Kris and I made as much as possible the day before, including the mashed potatoes. The taters were cooked then placed in the crock pot to cool. Put them in the frig overnight and then on Thanksgiving just put them on low and heated for about 3 hours.

Kris made a fantastic jello dish. This went in a trifle dish and chilled over night. Ready to serve on the big day.

The morning of I made the dinner rolls using my Grandmother’s recipe. This recipe is also used for Grandmas caramel rolls which are divine.

Kris set a beautiful table and we were ready for the guests. This is one of the few times were ready early and had time to sit around and watch football! We loved it.

With the meat on the grill this freed up the oven so when our guests began arriving we were able to heat all the wonderful dishes they brought. These included -corn bread stuffing, green bean casserole, 7 layer salad, brownies, heaven balls (this will be explained in a future post), pumpkin pudding, homemade lefsa, cannoli cheese cake. A feast fit for a King!!