Our local grocery store has English muffins on sale 50% off on occasion. I can’t pass it up when they do since English muffins are great for a lot of things, from breakfast to lunch to dinner. I love them as hamburger buns, topping the burger with a great fried egg. And now, I love making English muffin French toast.
Little Effort. Big Reward.
These English muffin French toasts take very little time to make and come out fantastic. They taste just like your usual French toast, but they have a bit more crunch and texture to them. I’d have no problem saying that I like them more than the usual French toast.
Although I garnished these with powdered sugar and maple syrup, you could also use chocolate syrup, or better, Nutella spread!
English muffins are great for a lot of things, from breakfast to lunch to dinner. I love them as hamburger buns, topping the burger with a great fried egg. And now, I love making English muffin French toast.
I’m a big fan of anything in a packet, from breakfast to dinner and anything in-between. These Lumberjack breakfast packets are further proof that a meal-in-a-packet can be absolutely fantastic. From sausage links to potatoes, eggs and cheese, each bite gives you a full breakfast taste. Anything and everything would be good in these. Substitute ground pork sauce for the links. Or even ham. Add jalapenos for some kick, or just serve them with hot sauce on the side. Anything goes (and is good) in these packets.
A Great Make-Ahead Dish
You can prepare these lumberjack breakfast packets ahead of time. They’re perfect for a camp-out, or an early morning grill at a local park. Just make the potatoes ahead of time and chop everything up. That way you just have to cook the eggs and vegetables once you get to your destination.
For a little freshness I like to add a bit of just-cut fruit on the sides. If you’ve got a big day of hard hiking and fishing ahead, these will start things out right!
These Lumberjack breakfast packets are further proof that a meal-in-a-packet can be absolutely fantastic. From sausage links to potatoes, eggs and cheese, each bite gives you a full breakfast taste.
I usually make sandwiches for lunch every day. It’s that or something off the grill or leftovers from the night before. These pepperoni pizza grilled cheese sandwiches are a big favorite around here. They don’t take long to make, taste like a pizza, and have nice fresh veggies on top. Oh, and ooey gooey cheese. Don’t forget that. You can add as much cheese as you want.
The Perfect Griddled Sandwich
I bought a Cuisinart Griddler many years ago. I use it for making grilled cheese sandwiches, paninis, hashbrowns, bacon, chicken breasts… anything. Like these Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese sandwiches. Cleanup is easy, and it’s highly portable. It’s great for those trips to the beach or for a cabin rental. You never quite know what cooking equipment you’ll have there when you arrive. You can make breakfast, lunch and dinner on the Griddler from Cuisinart.
These pepperoni pizza grilled cheese sandwiches are a big favorite around here. They don’t take long to make, taste like a pizza, and have nice fresh veggies on top. Oh, and ooey gooey cheese. Don’t forget that.
Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.
I usually cook ribs, chicken, turkey, or my favorite, chicken wings, on my Char-Broil The Big Easy TRU-Infrared Oil-less Turkey Fryer. I noticed that red bell peppers were on sale, and that got me to thinking about canning some roasted red peppers on the Char-Broil Big Easy. Normally when I roasted bell peppers I toss them on the grill for a while, but this time I loaded up the Big Easy basket and the Char-Broil Big Easy Bunk Bed Basket with 9 peppers (the 10th one wouldn’t quite fit, and you don’t want to crowd them).
Get The Perfect Roasting
I lowered the basket into my preheated Big Easy and let the peppers roast for a 45 minutes (I’d go 30 minutes if you want your peppers to have a little more ‘bite’ to them).
I wanted my peppers a little on soft side. If you pull yours out sooner, just keep in mind you might have to steam them a bit longer to get the skins off.
Steam And Peel
The peppers then went into a large bowl, which I covered in foil and let steam for 10-15 minutes to make the skins easy to remove. Be careful opening the foil (or handling the peppers) as they will be hot!
After letting them cool slightly, we cut out the stems and removed the skins. The peppers were then ready to can (see below for how we canned them).
Save a few of the roasted red peppers to add to some smoked sausages with kraut, also cooked up perfectly on your Big Easy.
Fire up your Big Easy. Add peppers to basket, but don’t crowd them.
Add basket to the Big Easy and roast 30-45 minutes depending on how done you want them.
Remove and place peppers in a large bowl or resealable baggie and cover/seal for 10-15 minutes to let the skins steam off.
Remove skins, seeds, and stems.
Follow canning instructions below.
Canning instructions
Mix vinegar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat.
Put jar and lids into a large pot of water and bring to a boil for 10 minutes. Remove, drain, and set aside.
Pack peppers into jars as desired.
Add vinegar mixture. Using a knife, poke around the edges of the jar to make sure no air bubbles are trapped. Add more vinegar mixture if needed to maintain a level 1/4″ beneath the top of the jar.
Add lid and screw on tight.
Place jar into hot water and bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes.
Remove and let cool completely.
Check that the lid has shrunken (doesn’t move if pressed). If it does, refrigerate and use within a few days.
Otherwise, store in a cool, dark place until ready to use. Refrigerate after opening.
Notes
You can use this same technique for roasting jalapenos or chile peppers.
I enjoyed this Hawaiian cole slaw so much that I made it twice in one week. I loved the sweetness of the pineapple, the explosion of orange flavor from the mandarins, and my favorite, the Maraschino cherries. It’s a nice tropical flavor all in a crunchy creamy slaw. I’d make this again and again, and soon. And best of all, I had all of the ingredients in my pantry (well, plus a bag of slaw in the fridge).
I make a lot of slaws, including this Hawaiian cole slaw, so I try to always keep a bag of shredded cabbage mix around. Slaw mix tends to last a lot longer than salad so it’s easier to store and keep fresh.
I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
I enjoyed this Hawaiian coleslaw so much that I made it twice in one week. I loved the sweetness of the pineapple, the explosion of orange flavor from the mandarins, and my favorite, the Maraschino cherries.
Slowly fold in the pineapple, orange, and cherries.
Season with salt and pepper.
Chill for 3-4 hours before serving
Notes
Note: You have to make sure that the pineapple, oranges, and specially the cherries, are well drained before adding to the slaw. Wrap the quartered cherries in paper towels to dry. This will also keep the cherries from “bleeding” into the slaw.
Nothing is easier than smoking nuts. I use my Weber Smokey Mountain Smoker, but you can also smoke them on your gas or charcoal grill using a couple of added wood chunks. Smoking nuts only takes 20-25 minutes. If you want your smoked spicy nuts extra smoky and extra spicy, add a bit of chipotle powder. You won’t be sorry!
Perfectly Smoky And Spicy
This version of smoked spicy nuts isn’t in-your-face spicy. There’s a nice subtle spiciness to them, along with that great smoke flavor. They make for the perfect party treat. I like to use a mix of nuts but you can stick with your favorites instead. No one will fault you if you smoke a huge batch of almonds! I would!
This version of spicy nuts isn’t in-your-face spicy. There’s a nice subtle spiciness to them, along with that great smoke flavor. They make for the perfect party treat.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword nuts, smoked
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 25 minutesminutes
Total Time 30 minutesminutes
Servings 2cups
Calories 966kcal
Author Mike
Ingredients
2cupsraw nutsI used a mix of peanuts, pecans, almonds and cashews
Fire up your smoker for 325 F cooking over a mild wood (I used cherry). (If you are using a Weber Smoky Mountain smoker, do not add water to the water pan).
Place the nuts in a medium bowl.
Combine the remaining ingredients in another bowl and pour over the nuts. Toss to coat completely.
Pour nuts into a disposable aluminum foil half sheet pan or pie pan.
Place onto smoker (top rack if using a Weber Smoky Mountain) and smoke for 20-25 minutes, stirring once.
This roasted poblano cream sauce is the perfect somewhat-spicy sauce for topping grilled chicken sandwiches. It’s also fantastic on burgers, pork, or used as a dip. It actually would work as a soup too. Want a little extra kick? Roast a jalapeno with the poblano and add it to the sauce when you blend it.
Perfect On Chicken
My first use for this roasted poblano cream sauce was over grilled chicken fajita sandwiches. It adds a wonderful southwestern flavor and creaminess to any dish that it’s used on. Feel free to use any pepper you wish if poblanos aren’t your thing. I like them since they aren’t too spicy but also have more flavor than bell peppers.
This roasted poblano cream sauce is the perfect somewhat-spicy sauce for topping grilled chicken sandwiches. It’s also fantastic on burgers, pork, or used as a dip.
Although certainly not an authentic take on the (yummy) Cuban sandwich, these grilled Cuban hot dogs do remind you of the tastes of the handheld classic. Easy to make, they’re perfect for lunch. I just fired up my Weber Q1200 grill and tossed a few dogs on. Minutes later we’re enjoying lunch!
The Right Pickle For The Job
I used McClure’s Sweet and Spicy wavy cut pickles on these dogs. They are by far our favorite pickles. They are crunchy, tasty, and have a really nice kick to them. They were perfect on these grilled Cuban hot dogs. You can use your preferred pickles instead, of course.
Although certainly not an authentic take on the (yummy) Cuban sandwich, these grilled Cuban hot dogs do remind you of the tastes of the handheld classic.Â
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword hot dogs
Prep Time 5 minutesminutes
Cook Time 10 minutesminutes
Total Time 15 minutesminutes
Servings 4
Calories 237kcal
Author Mike
Ingredients
4hot dogs
4hot dog buns
4piecesdeli hamI used a Black Forest ham since it has a nice flavor to it
Whenever you’re cooking outdoors on the grill, there’s always room leftover to put treats. Like these insanely good grilled bacon-wrapped stuffed olives. They’re easy to cook, and disappear in minutes. I often refer to these as ‘cooks treats’, since I get to be the first person to sample them. And often I sample too many. But the nice thing is that I’m the only person that knows.
Eat ‘Em Like Popcorn
These are the world’s easiest snacks. I used jalapeno-stuffed olives, but you can use garlic-stuffed or whatever you like, even Gouda-stuffed ones. Or heck, they don’t even have to be stuffed! These little morsels come out salty and briny, with a nice kick from the rub (I used a sweet rub with a little kick to it).
Never let that empty grill space go to waste. If you have a fire going, might as well use it. It doesn’t have to be for anything fancy. These little treats are a great example of that.
Whenever you’re cooking outdoors on the grill, there’s always room leftover to put treats, like these insanely good grilled bacon-wrapped stuffed olives. They’re easy to cook, and disappear in minutes.Â
I had an out-of-this-world good andouille po boy from Chef Dan’s Southern Comfort food truck the other day. And ever since, for darned near every minute of the day, I’ve been jonesin’ for another. This time I made my own. A good po boy requires a good remoulade. I made a big batch of Chez John’s Kaw-Cajun Comeback sauce, but any good remoulade will do. Just make sure it’s got some kick to it. The fantastic flavor of andouille and the remoulade are the stars of this sandwich. A little heat and a little spice. Perfect.
The Messier, The Better
The best po boy drips when you eat it. All down the front of your arms, on your shirt, and all over the table, and best, onto your plate so you can sop up the drippings with the last piece of bread from the sandwich. Those drippings have everything good in them, from remoulade to sausage juice. Good eats. I’m not sure that the drippings aren’t my favorite part. You’re guaranteed to get every flavor in one taste.
Fry the sausage in a cast iron skillet until browned. If your sausage isn’t fatty enough you might have to add just a bit of oil, but don’t over do it.
Warm the bread if desired.
Top bread with the lettuce, pickles and tomatoes.
Add the cooked sausage and top with the remoulade.
Notes
If you can’t find andouille sausage you can substitute smoked sausage.
