Shrimp Kabobs

Kabobs are an easy approach to grilling.  String a bunch of meats, veggies, or even fruits up on a stick and toss it on the barbeque!  This recipe is pretty simple, doesn’t have a huge amount of prep time, if you don’t count the waiting time, and the results are worth it.  Rage on.

Ingredients

1. 21 Shrimp, peeled and deveined
2. 3 Skewers
3. 1 tbs. Brown Sugar
4. 1 tsp. Granulated Garlic
5. 1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
6. 1/2 tsp. Hoisin Sauce
7. 2 tbs. Soy Sauce
8. 3 tbs. Vegetable Oil
9. 1/4 tsp. Fish Sauce
10. 2 tsp. Granulated Sugar
11. 1/2 tsp. Salt and Pepper

Quick Directions

1. Soak skewers in water(if wooden skewers) for at least an hour.
2. Mix ingredients 3-11 together to create marinade.
3. Toss shrimp into marinade and cover.  Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Put seven shrimp on each skewer.
5. Grill for 3-5 minutes on each side.
6. Enjoy.

Detailed Directions

I usually buy the frozen shrimp.  It is slightly cheaper where I live and is the same as what quality I would get at the  fish counter at the grocery store.  Since I don’t live close to a coast I have found it to be a good option.  However, fresh is best!
Regardless of how your shrimp has been acquired, make sure it is thawed, peeled and deveined.  It can be a messy process but you really don’t want to eat those parts so go ahead and do it right.  I usually put my shrimp in a bowl of cold water and let it thaw for about 30 minutes before I peel it and make sure that it has been properly deveined.  And honestly it hasn’t always been so there is a little bit of clean up.  Of course you may ask…why don’t you thaw your  shrimp ahead of time?  Well easy to answer, I don’t always plan to use shrimp and I always have it in the freezer so it is usually a last minute thing, hence the water bath.

So we have our shrimp squared away.  Now make sure your skewers are properly treated.  If you are using the wooden one use ones, you need to make sure to soak them in water.  Nothing special here, just a regular water bath.  The reason we do this is to make sure they don’t light on fire while on the grill.  It won’t really hurt anything if you skip this step but it will kind of ruin the magic of a kabob as the ends burn up.  Keep that in mind.

Whisk together the marinade(ingredients 3-11) and put the shrimp in.  Cover it and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  You don’t have to do this if you’re short on time but getting those flavors into the shrimp is worth it.


Once the shrimp has marinated and the skewers have soaked in water, you are ready to start preparing the kabobs.   It is really easy, so don’t go getting into a rage!  You want to put the skewer through the tail side of the shrimp and then through the head side.  Having a little space in the middle part is what you want.  You could run the skewer through the whole piece of shrimp but then it will take up more space and the shrimp won’t get that normal shape once cooked.  To be honest it would be weird!

Hopefully the picture illustrates what we want.  But by all means, feel free to try a different skewer technique if you like.  It is your kitchen, and your decision!


I found seven shrimp fit on the skewer great.  You may find you can fit a few more or a few less depending on what size shrimp you have purchased.  And that is ok!  Fit what you can so that it is nicely filled up, or even put a few less on if you want to only serve so many to each person and want them to have their very own kabob.

Put them on the grill and give them about 4-6 minutes per side.  With the marinade it makes it harder to tell when they are done as they are already dark.  But, shrimp doesn’t take long and you  will know its done when it gets some nice grill marks on each side.  If you are scared of undercooking them, make sure they get the 6 minutes and some solid marks before you flip.


Using this marinade with shrimp doesn’t have to be limited to the grill and a kabob.  Feel free to soak the shrimp in the tasty  juices for a pan fry.  The kabob also doesn’t have to be limited to just the shrimp, I find putting some chunks of fresh pineapple that has soaked in the marinade is also amazing.  I can’t see where this process would fail with other things that may come to your mind.  Just remember that shrimp cooks very fast, so if you are using a thicker piece of meat you will need to cook it longer.  Accept your decisions and appreciate them.  Cooking can be scary, but it isn’t worth a bad rage.  We all can do it, some of us may just need a bit more learning.  Rage on friends.

“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!

Breakfast Casserole

Breakfast is the best meal.  The foods that are typically eaten for breakfast are fantastic and I’m pretty sure it is ok to eat a “breakfast” meal anytime of the day.  Like breakfast, a good casserole is always a win.  First off it’s easy, secondly the leftovers are amazing.  This morning I decided to come up with a dish that would utilize some peppers that were getting old and satisfy the taste buds.  Rage on.

Ingredients

1. 6 Eggs, scrambled
2. 1/2 Red Pepper, diced
3. 2 Jalapenos, seeded and diced
4. 1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded
5. 1/2 Cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
6. 6 Sausage Links(I used honey maple but regular works)
7. 1/2 a Package of Tater Tots
8. 1/2 tsp. Salt and Pepper

Quick Directions

1. Cook sausage links till done.
2. Dice the red pepper, jalapenos, and sausage.
3. Place into a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray or rubbed with butter.
4. Whisk eggs into a scramble with the salt and pepper.
5. Pour half of egg mixture over the sausage and peppers in pan.  Mix.
6. Sprinkle the cheeses over on top.
7. Cover cheese with tater tots, enough  to fill the top nicely.
8. Pour remaining egg mix over the top.
9. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, or until golden brown on top and eggs are no longer runny in center.
10. Enjoy!

Detailed Directions

Start off by browning the sausage links.  You want them fully cooked and normally I would say make sure they reach a temp of 165 inside, but  for this dish it is ok if they aren’t completely cooked in the middle since they will be in the oven for about an hour and should finish there.

 

While the sausage is cooking you can get the red pepper and jalapenos diced up.  Be careful with the jalapenos though.  If you like real spicy, go ahead and leave a little bit of the flesh and seeds inside but otherwise you will want to remove them.  Wear gloves if you have them, or make sure to wash your hands very well once you are done with the jalapenos.  And DO NOT touch your  eyes with that juice on your hands.

Add the diced up sausage, red peppers, and jalapenos into your baking dish.  I used a 3 quart Dutch oven but a small baking pan or casserole dish will work great.  When doing a big batch, go ahead and double the ingredients for a normal cake pan.  Also make sure to use cooking spray or grease the pan with butter.

 

Whisk the eggs and salt and pepper together.  You want a nice consistency for scrambled eggs here.  If you find yourself in a rage over something, take the anger out here.  You won’t hurt the eggs!

 

 

Pour half of the egg mixture over your sausage and  peppers and mix up.  Then sprinkle the cheese over this.

 

 

 

Now it is almost ready.  By now, you should have your oven preheating to 350.  Get the tater tots out and place a generous amount over the top of the cheese.  Nothing fancy here, just want nice coverage.

It is almost finished!  Take the rest of the eggs and dump them on top.

 

 

 

 

Toss the pan into the oven and let it cook until it is golden brown on top.  It will take a little bit, about 50-60 minutes.  To make sure the middle is done, take a spoon or fork and slightly pull the middle open and if its not runny then you are good to go.  Dish it out and enjoy.

 

 

The Weekend Fridge Cleaner

The nice thing about this dish is how versatile it is.  You can follow the simple steps listed above and easily add in other things.  Dice up an onion and toss it in with the peppers.  Bacon can be used as well, cook it and crumble it up and put it in with or in place of the sausage. Ham works just the same, chop it up and in it goes! The peppers add a delicious sweetness along with a subtle hint of heat but they aren’t for everyone, so leave them out if you want too. Mess around, find things in your fridge that are going to be tossed out soon and add them into the dish. Don’t be afraid to use regular ground up breakfast sausage instead of the links either. You are the master of your kitchen and as the man/lady in charge you can make up your own rage.

Italian Chicken Meatballs

Can you really go wrong with spaghetti and meatballs?  Well yeah you could if the meatball isn’t great.  Hopefully, you will agree with me about how delicious this one is.  It is a fairly simple recipe, but you will get your hands dirty.  Best thing about this is that you can easily make it ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze until you’re ready to make the meal.  Rage on.

Ingredients

1. 1.5 lbs. Ground Chicken
2. 1 lbs. Ground Italian Sausage(whatever your favorite is)
3. 2 T Fresh Parsley, rough chop
4. 2 Slices of Bread(I used 2 white heels, but the middle regular slice is fine)
5. 1 Egg
6. 1 Garlic Clove, minced
7. 1/2 Tbsp. Garlic Chili Sauce
8. 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
9. 1/2 tsp. Italian Seasoning
10. 1/2 tsp. Salt and Pepper

Quick Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Rip bread into small pieces before adding.
2. Mix well, but don’t over mix.
3. Form into 1 inch balls and place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.
4. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until 165.
5. Makes about 24 meatballs.

Detailed Directions

Get all ingredients into a bowl.  Make sure to shred the slices of bread into small chunks before adding them.  I have heard soaking the bread in milk will help make a more moist meatball, but I didn’t try this so I can not confirm.



Go ahead and go in there with your hands.  It will combine the ingredients well and won’t over mix which can cause the meatball to be tougher.  You just want to make sure everything is incorporated or close to it.



Once you have it mixed, use some cooking spray on a baking pan and get ready to form your balls!  Try to make about 1 inch balls.  This doesn’t have to be exact but you do want each one to be about the same size as the rest so that they will cook in the same amount of time.

Bake them at 350 for 15-20 minutes.  Pull out the thermometer at 15 minutes and see what you have.  We want 165 for the meatballs.  An easier way to get the thermometer into the center is to put it through one, then stack that on another ball and push the thermometer through it as well.  This way part of the thermometer that will get the temp should be inside and get the actual temperature.

Once they are finished pull them out and let them cool if you don’t plan to use them right away or get ready to add them to your favorite tomato or Alfredo sauce.  They will work great with both!  Enjoy!



Things to Consider
The nice thing about baking these meatballs is how many applications this opens up.  You can cool them down, and have a stand by ready to go in your freezer.  Or have dinner almost complete for tomorrow’s dinner when you don’t have as much time in the kitchen.  They work great in Alfredo sauce or tomato based sauces, the choice is yours!  If adding them to a sauce, I suggest you add them before the sauce is warmed up in a sauce pan or frying pan.  Heat on medium and let the sauce and meatballs come up to temp together.  This will also help the meatballs take on a bit of the sauce flavor to make the dish more cohesive.  If you like spicy, don’t be afraid to use spicy Italian sausage, or even add a dash of your favorite hot sauce into the mix.  The choice is all yours and you should not be afraid to remember that.  Rage on.