The Great Man Sac Review!

Here's my review of the very manly snacks that were in the Man Sac from Josh this Thanksgivesmas.

Ashe County NC Pepper Jack
The cheese itself is much more solid in feel than most jack used to make pepper jack. The cheese tasted fresher. Good spice flavor. Some heat at the end but it never was overwhelming. Very good cheese!

Beehive Cheese Co. Barely Buzzed/Rubbed w/ Coffee
A harder, more brittle cheese than expected. Very unique taste. Some sweetness, but mostly mild bitterness and smokey flavor. Awesome!

Stilton Texford and Teb Bleu Cheese
OH MY GOD THE STINKINESS!!! Very strong, traditional bleu cheese taste. Would be awesome over a good steak or crumbled in a salad.

Busse'o Hot Sepressata Sausage Stick
Really, really good! Subtle spice, never too strong. Not slimy or greasy like some beef sticks. Tastes like good quality meat. Very good with the pepper jack on crackers.


Great gift!

Southern Food
GREEN TOMATO SOUP WITH HAM

Cook Time: 35min
Total Time:35 min, !mom says this is a lie, I say it's worth it, Best soup I've ever had

Ingredients;

• 2 Tbls butter
• 4-6oz ham, diced
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 4cups chick broth
• 8 medium green tomatoes peeled and chopped
• 2 medium red tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and stem removed, minced
• 1/4 tsp celery salt
• dash Tabasco, optional
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation;

Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat; add ham, onion, and garlic, Saute, stirring, until onion is tender. Add chicken broth, chopped green and red tomatoes, and minced Jalapeno pepper, Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 30 min.

Working in batches, pulse in blender of food processor until almost smooth, Pour back into the saucepan and add celery salt, Bring to a boil, reduce heat , and simmer, uncovered, for 5 min. Taste and add salt and pepper and Tabasco sauce, as desired.

Grilled bread (Naan)

We've made this bread a few times now and love it. You cook the raw dough on the grill - and no, it doesn't fall through or stick to the grates (as long as you oil them beforehand). Once you get the method down, it's quick and easy. We like to top it with goat cheese and tomatoes. Yum!

Click on the pictures for a larger image, or save and print.

GRILLED PEARS!!!

This is just ridiculous. Grilled dessert? Yup.

Ingredients:
- Pear
- Pat of butter
- Brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla to taste
- Vanilla ice cream

Cut pears into thick slices. Melt butter and mix in brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. Pour over pear slices and refrigerate until butter hardens. Place on grill until sugars caramelize. Put over ice cream.

Sesame Ginger Glazed Asparagus

We put this sauce over plain grilled asparagus.

Combine:
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced ginger

Microwave for ~1.5 minutes.
Drizzle over asparagus nizzle.

Chicken Parmesan Burgers

2 (3 ounce) square ciabatta rolls

1 garlic clove

1/2 pound ground chicken

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons lower sodium marinara sauce, divided

1/2 teaspoon fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Cooking Spray

1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Basil leaves

1. Preheat broiler

2. Cut rolls in half. Place bread, cut side up, on a baking sheet. Broil for 3 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove bread from pan. Rub each slice with cut side of garlic. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

4. Combine chicken, 1/3 cup marinara, rosemary, thyme, red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Divide into 2 portions, shaping each into a 1/4 inch thick patty. Heat an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add patties to pan; cook for 3 minutes. Turn patties, and place pan in oven. Bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Top each patty with 2 tablespoons cheese; bake 1 minute.

5. Layer bottom half of each roll with 2 basil leaves, 1 patty, 1 tablespoon marinara, 2 basil leaves, and roll top.

ENJOY!!

Crab Cakes......Yummylicious!

This recipe is from the cooking light magazine and it is spectacular!

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

3 tablespoons light mayonnaise

2 teaspoons dijon mustard

3/4 teaspoon old bay seasoning

1/2 teaspoon worshesterchire sauce

2 egg whites

1 pound lump crabmeat, drained and shell pieces removed

1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) - I made my own bread crumbs from whole grain bread!

1 tablespoon olive oil, divided

cooking spray

1. To prepare crab cakes, combine first 7 ingredients in a medium bowl. Gently fold in crabmeat. Gently stir in 3/4 cups breadcrumbs. Cover and chill 30 minutes.

2. Divide crab mixture into 6-8 equal portions; shape each into 3/4 inch thick patty. Place remaining 3/4 cups breadcrumbs in shallow dish. Working with 1 patty at a time, dredge in breadcrumbs. Repeat procedure with the remaining patties and breadcrumbs.

3. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat both sides of crab cakes with cooking spray. Add 4 crab cakes to pan; cook 7 minutes. Carefully turn cakes over; cook 7 minutes or until golden. Repeat procedure with remaining oil, cooking spray, and remaining 4 crab cakes.

Note: I used more oil than recommended and did not coat the cakes with cooking spray before cooking.

ENJOY!!!!

Ham and Potato Gratin

Grandpa would say these potatoes are "all rotten," but there's nothing remotely bad about this recipe. The best way to slice all the potatoes is with your new, fancy, food processor Christmas gift that does the job in less than thirty seconds - but a knife and cutting board work just fine, too : )

5 medium thick slices smoked ham (about 4 ounces)
4 tablespoons butter
2 pounds baking potatoes (4 or 5 of them), such as russets, peeled and very thinly sliced
3 cups freshly grated Gruyere cheese (we did a combination of mozzarella and cheddar instead)
1 teaspoon nutmeg, or to taste
Salt and pepper

1)Preheat the oven to 375
2) Trim all the fat from the ham. Chop into 1/2 inch to 1 inch pieces
3) Use one tablespoon of the butter to coat the inside of a baking dish about 14x9x2. Arrange half the potatoes in an even layer in the dish.
4) Arrange half the ham evenly over the potatoes. Distribute half the cheese over the ham. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste. Arrange the remaining potatoes, ham, and cheese in even layers in the dish. Sprinkle on more nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Cut the remaining butter into bits; dot the top evenly with butter.
5) Bake, uncovered, until the gratin is golden, about 50 minutes; do not overcook or the gratin will be dry and the ham rubbery. Serve immediately.

Chimichurri sauce

Your life will be better with chimichurri in it. It's an typical Argentinian sauce for steak, but goes great with chicken, too. The recipe calls for a lot of herbs, but they break down a lot and - let's be honest - you'll want a lot of this delicious stuff.

1 packed cup washed, stemmed, parsley leaves
1 packed cup washed, stemmed, fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 cup washed, stemmed fresh mint leaves
6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt, or more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 cup EVOO
1/3 cup distilled white vinegar, or more to taste
1/3 cup cold water

Combine the parsley, cilantro, mint and garlic in a food processor and finely chop. Add the salt, black pepper, and hot pepper flakes and process to blend. Add the oil, vinegar, and water and continue processing to make a thick sauce. Taste for seasoning, adding salt or vinegar as necessary; the chimichurri should be highly seasoned. Serve within a few hours.