“Grilled” Cheese

I have loved grilled cheese for as long as I can remember.  Give me a grilled cheese with a bowl of tomato soup to dip it in and that is about one of the best comfort foods I can think of.  But have I ever had one that was actually grilled?  Why no, this food with grilled in the name has never been given such a treatment in my presence.  It almost makes me rage(in all of the wrong ways) now that I have had the opportunity to try it cooked in what I can only assume is the appropriate way.  Go ahead and find your inner rage after you try this tasty sandwich!  Rage on!

Ingredients

1. 8 slices of Italian Bread
2. 1 Clove Garlic, minced
3. 3 Tbsp. Butter
4. 2 Slices of Tomato(4 if the tomato is small)
5. 4 Slices of Pancetta
6. 4 oz. Mozzarella(fresh or sliced)
7. 4 oz. Smoked Gouda

Quick Directions

1. Melt butter in a small sauce pan on low, add garlic and turn to medium high and let cook for about 1-2 minutes.  Remove from heat.
2. Cook pancetta on medium high till cooked through.  About 4-8 minutes.
3. Brush butter garlic mix onto one side of each slice of bread.
4. Put about 1  oz. of cheese on unbuttered side of 4 slices of bread, 2 with gouda and 2 with mozzarella.
5. Place 2 slices of pancetta on top of the gouda ones, and 1 slice of tomato on the mozzarella ones.
6. Put about 1 oz. of gouda on top of the pancetta, and 1 oz. of mozzarella on the tomato.
7. Cover with remaining slices of bread, buttered side up.
8. Grill about 2-4 minutes on each side with lid on.
9. Enjoy.

This really is a simple dish, so don’t go and get yourself all worried about the steps.  Start off by simply melting the butter in a small sauce pan.  Low works great here, you don’t want to cook the butter.  Once you have it fully melted add in the minced garlic and turn the heat up to medium high and let it cook for about 1-2 minutes to get the garlic into the butter.

Now, you can get the pancetta going at the same time on medium high.  It will take about 4-8 minutes, turn it a few times and it will cook similar to bacon.  You can use bacon in place of the pancetta if your grocery store doesn’t carry it or you want to save a little money.  It is often considered an Italian bacon because of the different flavors and it isn’t smoked like bacon is.

So your basic prep is done.  You just have to put the thing together.  Start by brushing the garlic butter onto one side of 4 slices of bread.  If you don’t have a brush, don’t worry!  Just simply use a spoon to  gently pour it on and spread it out.  Make do with what tools you have at your disposal.  I placed them butter side down onto a baking pan to make assembly and transport to the grill easier.

Put about 1 oz. of gouda on 2 slices and 1 oz. of mozzarella on the other two.  This doesn’t have to be completely accurate.  Just thin slices of cheese to cover the bread.



Put two slices of the pancetta on the 2 gouda pieces, and 1 tomato on the mozzarella ones(2 slices if the tomato is small, you want full coverage).  Once that is done, put close to the same amounts of cheese on top.

It isn’t an exact science here.  The purpose of the cheese on both sides is to lock in the pancetta and tomato, but if one side has slightly more cheese then the other…it is ok.  Don’t get into an angry rage here!  It’s not like somebody has been making you grilled cheese for all of your life without actually grilling them.  We can handle a slightly different amount of cheese here.

Once you have the cheese on both sides with the goodies inside, you can butter the other four slices and place them butter side out.  You’re pretty much set here.  These can be made ahead of time and hold in the refrigerator for a few hours no problem.  You don’t want to keep them too long, though, as it will dry the bread out.

Transport them to your closest grill and get started.  They won’t take long and be vigilant so that they  don’t get burned.  It really only takes about 2-4 minutes on each side.  This does depend on how hot your grill is though.  I put the lid on the grill so that the heat would circle around and help the top side while the bottom was on the heat.  This creates an oven atmosphere that will really help the cheese to melt and not leave you with charred bread and barely melted cheese.  Nobody wants a barely melted grilled cheese.
So that is basically it.  Go enjoy a grilled cheese for the first time.  I mean an actually grilled cheese sandwich.  Who would have thought.  Rage on friends.



A “Grilled” Cheese
Things line up this day.  We found success in the kitchen that is worthy enough to write home to mom about.  Don’t worry if you slightly burn a side while testing this guy out, I did.  Four minutes on the grill creeps up fast and I wasn’t being vigilant enough!  I did make sure to pay more attention on the second side and it still tasted delicious.  If you don’t have access to a grill, you can follow the same recipe but do it in a frying pan instead.  You will still get a tasty grilled cheese it just will be lacking some of that great flavor a grill imparts.  You can also go with the old stand by of a couple of slices of American cheese if you don’t want to step out of the comfort spot.  Bacon instead of pancetta, another great substitute.  Take your favorite cheese and find your own delicious sandwich.  Feel free to leave it in the comments so that I can try it.  And of course, rage on my friends, rage on.

Beer Glazed Kielbasa

 

Kielbasa is something I have recently discovered…and it is amazing.  This recipe is simple but does take a little bit of time.  The results, though, are definitely rage worthy.  Enjoy this dish, write home to mom about it, and most importantly…rage on!

Ingredients

1. Kielbasa
2. 1/8 C Brown Sugar
3. 1 Beer(I used a dark beer, but your choice for this)

Quick Directions

1. Slice kielbasa into 1-2 inch sections.
2. Pour 1 can or bottle of beer into a sauté pan.
3. Add brown sugar and stir till mixed.
4. Toss in kielbasa and turn heat on high.
5. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
6. Cook until sauce reduces to a sticky glaze, stirring occasionally.
7. Enjoy!

Detailed Directions

Start by slicing your kielbasa into 1-2 inch sections.  I didn’t bust out a ruler, but I would guess mine were mostly about 1 inch.  For this recipe, they don’t have to be super close to the same size as it is a bit of a long cook time.

 

 

Once you have it sliced up, you are almost done with the prep.  Open your favorite beer, I used a dark beer but you can use almost any beer here.

 

Pour the beer into the pan, add the brown sugar, and mix.  Once you have that  squared away, add in the sliced up kielbasa and turn the heat on high.  Let it go until you have a boil.  Once that is achieved, reduce heat to a simmer and let it go.

While it is cooking, you may have to adjust the heat as liquid cooks out.  Less liquid=easier boil.

Stir every few minutes and make sure it is only at a simmer.  A perfect time to work on your side dishes.  I made scalloped potatoes and corn to compliment the kielbasa, but you can make whatever takes your fancy!  I did forget to time this dish, but I think it took about 30-40 minutes to reduce the beer into a sticky glaze.

 

To make the glaze for this recipe is very simple, so don’t go getting scared!  Just simply keep the liquids at a simmer and they will do the work.  You will eventually have a pretty  tasty sauce that sticks well to the kielbasa as the liquid cooks out.

 

Once the beer has reduced into a sticky glaze, the  kielbasa is done.  So go enjoy it!

Yes there is more!

There is a lot you can do by following these simple steps.  You can replace the beer with soda and follow the same steps.  Only thing with using the soda is that you wouldn’t need to include the brown sugar for those.  I’ve used lemon-lime sodas for great success, have even used a cherry lemon-lime soda that was sublime.  Experiment here, not only with different beers.

This also would work great with different ring-bolognas and similar to kielbasa meats.  Don’t be shy in your kitchen.  It is after all…your kitchen.

Grilled Zucchini and Carrots

The grill is not just for cooking your favorite meats!  The veggies have a great place  on  you’re grill too.  Often, the twice baked potato or carrots and potatoes find a place on my grill but there is room for other options.  This recipe is simple, fast to prep, and tasty!  Rage on.

Ingredients

1. 2 Zucchinis
2. 1-2 Cups Baby carrots
3. 1 or 2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
4. Worcestershire Sauce
5. Olive Oil
6. Butter
7. Salt and Pepper

Quick Directions

1. Peel zucchinis and slice into 1.5 inch strips.
2. Cut carrots in half lengthwise.
3. Place carrots onto a piece of foil, then put zucchinis on top.
4. Drizzle olive oil and Worcestershire sauce over top.
5. Sprinkle garlic evenly over top.
6. Melt 2 Tbs. of butter in microwave and pour over top(can just slice thin from the stick and put squares evenly to save a step)
7. Shake salt and pepper over everything.
8. Wrap tightly with the tin foil.
9. Grill for 15-20 minutes, flipping every 5-8 minutes.
10. Veggies will be tender, carrots still a little crisp when finished.
11. Enjoy!

Detailed Directions

Start by rinsing the zucchini under cold water.  Peel them and cut the ends off.  If you don’t mind the skin, it can be left on and won’t hurt a thing.  Then slice them into about 1/2 inch thick strips.  Cut them about 1.5 inch lengthwise, about the same length as the baby carrots.  Once they are done, cut the carrots in half lengthwise.

Get a piece of foil out and start by placing the carrots on the  bottom.  Next put the zucchini on.  Drizzle with olive oil(you don’t need a lot) and Worcestershire sauce.  Next get the minced  garlic into the party.  If you want to make prep even easier, just use granulated garlic or garlic powder.  I prefer granulated as it will spread a little easier and won’t clump together but both work.
Now you can either melt about  2 Tbs. of butter in the microwave, or do like I did and just cut thin slices off of the stick and place them evenly on top of the pile.  Once that is done, shake some salt and pepper over everything and wrap it tightly in the foil.  I had to use 2  sheets to get everything covered nicely.

Next get it on your grill!  Try to keep it off to the side so its not at the hottest part of the grill.  Now, because the carrots take longer, you will want the carrot side to be on the bottom when you first place it onto the grill.  This way they will be closer to the heat and it will help to get things cooked evenly.  Let it go for about 5-8 minutes before flipping for the first time.

Let it cook for about 15-20 minutes.  Cooking time will vary depending on how hot the grill is, there will be more fluctuation if using charcoal too.  Once you think it is done, you can easily test it by trying a carrot and if it is tender with a slight crisp to it, you are good to go!  Rage on!


In Closing
This method of cooking can be used for a wide range of vegetables.  I have used about the same method for potatoes and carrots.  I imagine using squash would work great, or sweet potatoes…it has tons of potential!  Don’t be afraid to try things out. 
The base seasonings are simple enough, but you can easily turn it up a notch by adding a dash of ground cayenne pepper or chili powder.  Maybe toss in some lemon pepper?  Why not is the question.

Oven Roasted Chicken

It has been a little bit since I last posted.  I do apologize for that, but promise many more posts will be coming!  Today I just wanted to get a quick post up about roasting chicken in the oven.  I don’t have as many pictures of this but it isn’t hard to do!  Rage on.

Marinade

1. 1 cup Olive Oil
2. 3 T Soy Sauce
3. 3 Garlic Cloves, minced
4. 1 tsp. Ground Ginger
5. 1/4 cup Brown  Sugar
6. 1 tsp. Salt and Pepper

Whisk ingredients together, rub chicken with marinade till well coated, cover and refrigerate.  I let it sit overnight, but at least an hour will work.

Quick Directions

1. Whisk marinade together.
2. Make sure chicken is fully covered in marinade.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Overnight is better.
4. Bake in a pan covered with tin foil at 275 for 2 hours or until internal temp of 165.
5. Uncover, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes to crisp skin.
6. Enjoy.

Detailed Directions
I used a whole chicken for this.  Don’t be afraid of doing the same, just make sure that the insides aren’t still inside before you go to bake.  Sometimes the organs are stuffed inside in a little package and you don’t want to leave that in there.  Also, don’t be afraid to follow this recipe but use boneless chicken breasts or quartered chicken.  If you do use those instead, make sure to bake them a lot less as they are smaller and it won’t take as long.

Once you have selected your chicken, get marinating!  Whisk together the marinade, place the chicken into a bowl and pour the marinade over it.  Go ahead and get your hands dirty here.  You want to make sure everything is covered in the tasty marinade to really get the flavors developed.  If using a whole chicken, try your best to get inside as well as under the skin.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.  If you have the time, let it marinade overnight, flipping the chicken once about halfway through.  The longer you let it go the more flavor you will get into the meat.

Onto the baking.  The easiest  way to prepare a tasty chicken is to just roast it in the oven.  Put the chicken into a baking pan, make sure to include the marinade, and cover with foil.  Bake at 275 for 2 hours or until the chicken is 165 internally.  Make sure to temp a few spots as a whole chicken can take awhile to cook all the way through.  Once you hit that sweet spot, remove the foil and turn the heat up.  Bake at 350 for another 30 minutes to get the skin nice and crispy and your dinner is ready!

Other Things
If you are using chicken breasts or chicken quarters, you won’t need to bake as long.  It will all depend on the size of the chicken your baking, but as long as you make sure it temps at 165 your good to go.  Also, if there is no skin on the chicken, you don’t need to worry about the crisping step.

There are a lot of ways to go with this method.  You can change the seasonings up a lot, imagine a bit of paprika and lemon juice?  I think that sounds pretty good.  Just remember a good marinade has an acid in it, spices, and oil.

One last thing for those comfortable in the kitchen, you can make a super tasty stock with those left over bones and skin.  I’ll write up a blog at a later date using this oven roasting method to make chicken and noodles, but it will be a few weeks before I get to that dish.  Until then, enjoy your time in the kitchen, experiment, get excited, and most importantly….add a dash of rage!