Quick Wednesday Night Chili

Ingredients:

2 lb chuck, cubed about 1/2 inch
1 bunch green onions, chopped about 1/2 inch long
5 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large can diced tomatoes
1 small can black beans
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp chili powder (I buy Mohave Chili Powder from the Spice Hut)

Brown chuck in small handfuls. Don't turn it too much as you want it to actually brown.
Add onions and garlic. Stir and cook for about a minute.
Add rest of ingredients, stir well, cover loosely and simmer for about two hours.

Serve with Skillet Corn Bread.

Skillet Corn Bread

Put about three tablespoons bacon fat or lard in a 10 inch cast iron skillet and put it in the oven. Preheat oven to 450º.

While the oven is heating mix:

1 1/2 cups corn meal
3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Combine:

2 cups buttermilk
1 egg

Add to dry and mix.


Melt 2 Tbsp bacon drippings or butter and add to mixture. Stir to mix.
Add 1 to 2 cups grated cheddar and a chopped jalapeno to batter.

When oven reaches temperature, take out cast iron skillet (don't forget it is very hot) and pour the batter into the hot grease.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Bourbon Poached Peaches

Mmm. Yumm. Mmmm. Wow.

Martha Stewart's Recipes

I know. Martha Stewart. But wow...

Grilled Salmon

So the other day (Friday) my friend Alan gives me a whole filleted humpback salmon that he caught in the Skagit River. Today (Sunday) I put half of it on the grill with my brother's recipe. Skin on is best

Butter
Olive oil
Lemon juice
Mustard
Dill

Quantities aren't particularly important. I put in about two T of butter, one of olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, a tsp of Gulden's Spicy Brown mustard, and a good healthy amount of dried dill. Mix it all up to make a paste and slather it over the non-skin side of the salmon. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the grill on high heat with aluminium foil. Add the salmon, skin side down. Cook for about ten minutes or so. Basically when you stick a fork in it it should flake and not look like jelly.

Remove and eat.

If this isn't on the menu at the Hyatt it certainly should be.

Mom Green's Fruit Salad

This is one of my favorites for a summer barbeque.

2 green apples
2 red apples
purple or green grapes, halved
4 bananas, sliced
1 large can pineapple tidbits or chunks, drained
2 small cans mandarin oranges, drained
1 container Extra Creamy Cool Whip
cinnamon to taste (start with about a half teaspoon and go from there)

Apple Stuffed Pork Chops with Maple Glaze

I threw this together the other day because I had some leftover maple glaze from a ham I had made and was trying figure out what to do with a couple pork chops. Apple trees are starting to produce a few ripe apples so this is what I came up with. No picture because I was hungry and forgot to grab the camera. (Edit: Picture added.)

Thick cut pork chops
One apple (preferably one that is firm and a little tart. I have used Gravensteins from my one of my trees and Granny Smith from the store with good results.)

Cut a deep pocket into each pork chop
Slice the apple and stuff the pork chops full

Mix 1/2 cup maple syrup with 1/4 tsp ginger and 1/8 tsp each of nutmeg and allspice.

Place stuffed chops in greased baking dish and drizzle with maple syrup mixture.

Bake 375º for 45 minutes uncovered (you may need a little less time if your chops are not very thick).

I serve with homemade applesauce and sauteed sliced zucchini and yellow squash.

Update: The second time I actually made sure the chop was covered with syrup. The
maple flavor was much more pronounced and the dish was even better.