There are a few food shows on TV that I cannot miss. Even though it’s not a cooking show, I just love Carnival Eats. The host, Noah Cappe, is quite funny and entertaining. I think he may have the perfect job. Travelling around and enjoying the crazy foods at fairs and carnivals sounds great to me. Like this Walking BBQ. This is a take on the classic Walking Tacos, which are bags of Fritos topped with taco meat. Walking BBQ consists of Fritos topped with… yep… you guessed it… BBQ.
Load ‘Em Up
There aren’t any laws for what you can and cannot put in your Walking BBQ. I kept mine traditional, with just some leftover smoked pulled pork, homemade BBQ sauce, canned baked beans, and homemade slaw. It’s fun to eat and tasty at the same time. Win!
If I’m reaching for a bottled BBQ sauce, I often go for Sweet Baby Ray’s.
This is a take on the classic Walking Tacos, which are bags of Fritos topped with taco meat. Walking BBQ consists of Fritos topped with… yep… you guessed it… BBQ.
My wife proclaimed that the broccoli in these Parmesan broccoli potatoes was the best she’s ever had. I guess I could’ve left out the potatoes but they were my favorite! It’s a win-win dish for us! I made them on the grill, cooking them over indirect heat, but you can cook them in the oven just as easily. They really are fantastic!
Done To Perfection
After about 10 minutes I checked on the Parmesan broccoli potatoes and gave them a little stir. If they’re looking a little dry don’t be afraid to add a bit (1/4 cup at most!) of water and stir. Depending on how big your potatoes and broccoli florets are you might need a bit longer than the 15 minute cooking time. You want them to be tender but not falling apart. I like to use a skewer to poke them. If the skewer goes into the potato without much resistance, they’re done and ready to serve!
Although you can make these potatoes in the oven, you can also make them on a grill. I recommend that you use a grill basket if you do. I makes cooking easier and you don’t have to worry about anything falling through the grates. And cleanup is easier too!
My wife proclaimed that the broccoli in these Parmesan broccoli potatoes was the best she’s ever had. I guess I could’ve left out the potatoes but they were my favorite!
Making jerky with my Nesco Snackmaster Pro is something I really enjoy. But the other reason I bought a dehydrator is to dry fresh herbs from my garden. Fresh herbs don’t last long, so I dry as many as I can and keep them in air-right containers in the pantry like this dried cilantro on the Nesco Snackmaster Pro.
Great In Recipes
Easy as anything to dry, dried cilantro crumbles up and stores easily for use in the winter. It’s not a substitute for fresh cilantro in recipes like salsa, but it’s great for flavoring stews and soups.
Removing The Stems
I did not remove the cilantro from the stems until after I dried it. It’s a lot easier to remove the leaves once they are dried. I then lightly crumbled them just a bit and put them in containers for use later.
I like to load up my dehydrator. To do that I picked up a handful of extra trays. They really add a whole lot more drying space! Since I have to rotate my trays, I write a number on each one on a piece of blue painter’s tape so I can keep track of them.
One thing is guaranteed. Put a bean salad in front of me, and it’s going to disappear. For me, it doesn’t get any better or easier. The perfect contrast in textures and flavors. A little sweet. A little tang. There are hundreds of variations on bean salad, and I am pretty sure I’ve made and enjoyed them all. This tangy bean salad is no exception. Made in no time, but better after it gets happy in the fridge for a few hours first.
Open To Changes
Like with any good ole bean salad you can change this tangy bean salad up to suit your tastes. I think a few slices or fresh jalapeno are great if you like a little kick. Roasted red bell pepper instead of green bell pepper is also a nice change. You can get roasted peppers in a jar usually by the pickles in the grocery store. They’re nicely sweet and really tasty.
There are hundreds of variations on bean salad, and I am pretty sure I’ve made and enjoyed them all. This tangy bean salad is no exception. Made in no time, but better after it gets happy in the fridge for a few hours first.
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.
Perhaps ‘carrot candy’ would be a better name for these maple bacon carrots, done up right using the Char-Broil Big Easy. Who knew that carrots could be so addictingly good? Slightly sweet, slightly smoky with a little crispy bacon, these maple bacon carrots on the Char-Broil Big Easy disappeared in no time. Fortunately you can fit up to two bunk bed baskets into a Big Easy so you can actually make a pretty good sized batch at once. You’ll want to make as many as you can.
Get The Best Results
I used baby carrots, but you can also use full-sized carrots. Try to pick ones that are all roughly the same size or your cook times will vary. That’s why I went with the baby version. They’re all roughly the same size so they all got done at the same time.
For a little kick, sprinkle the carrots with a little bit of cayenne pepper or chipotle pepper powder just before serving.
The bunk bed basket lets you double the amount of cooking space you have on your Big Easy. And it’s easy to take in and out of the cooker too!
Perhaps ‘carrot candy’ would be a better name for these maple bacon carrots, done up right using the Char-Broil Big Easy. Who knew that carrots could be so addictingly good?
Transfer carrots to the Big Easy basket, bacon seam side down.
Place into the Big Easy and cook until the bacon starts to brown and shrink and the larger of the carrots is slightly tender, 25-30 minutes. I lifted the basket out and poked them with a long bamboo skewer.
Brush the carrots with maple syrup. I use a long brush for this. Just lift the basket up, holding it with one hand, and brush with the other.
Return to the cooker and cook another 3 minutes.
Remove the basket from the Big Easy and remove the carrots to a platter to cool a bit.
Sweet and spicy is right. I’m not sure about the Honky Tonk part but wow, what a great dressing! It has a nice vinegar hit. This Honky Tonk sweet and spicy salad dressing has a nice little ‘kick’ to it, thanks to the addition of Sriracha sauce. And my favorite, celery seed. I absolutely love celery seed in everything from a salad dressing to a seasoning rub to coleslaw. If you’re looking for a break from your tired old salad dressing, this is it.
Better With Time
This Honky Tonk sweet and spicy salad dressing gets even better as it sits. But I have to say, it didn’t sit long around our house. I really like it a lot. It’s different in a very, very good way. I like to make a double batch and keep it in salad dressing serving bottles in the fridge. I’m kind of a dressing-aholic so it’s best that I have extra on hand at all times.
Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!
This dressing comes out nice and smooth. There’s nothing ‘lumpy’ in it. But, I let it process a bit extra because I wanted it doubly creamy smooth. It was worth the extra few seconds.
My wife and I recently spent a few days at the Dollywood DreamMore Resort and Spa. We had such a wonderful time there. One of the biggest highlights was the buffet. Normally when you think buffet you think low quality food, mostly pre-made. Oh that’s definitely not the case at the DreamMore. Everything was made from scratch and everything was out-of-this-world delicious.
One of the things I loved the most, interestingly enough, was the house-made dill Ranch salad dressing. It was delicious. I could’ve just drank it out of the bottle. I knew instantly that I had to make some when I got home. Now, this version is mighty good, too, but I’m pretty sure that the DreamMore version used fresh herbs (they had a nice herb garden right outside of the restaurant). Even still, this is delicious and a perfect alternative to ‘normal’ Ranch.
The Resting Time Is Not Optional
Do not be tempted to rush the 1 hour rest time that this dill Ranch salad dressing needs. Those dry herbs need time to make the dressing happy. I really love dill so I added a bit more than the recipe calls for.
Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!
A lot of restaurant signature sauces start with simple, off-the-shelf ingredients. A restaurant near us starts with BBQ sauce and Ranch, just like with this quick fix BBQ Ranch dressing, and then adds a few other ingredients (such as crumbled cooked bacon) to make it different for different dishes, such as for dipping onion rings or chicken wings. They also use it as a spicy version of their house Ranch salad dressing for well, you guessed it, salads.
Great For Fries, Burgers And Wings Too!
This quick fix BBQ Ranch dressing isn’t just for salads, though. That’s for sure. I squirted it on a big plate of French fries. Then I dipped grilled chicken wings in it. I slathered it on hot-off-the-grill hamburgers. Heck, it’s great on wraps too!
Just make sure you start with good, quality BBQ sauce and Ranch dressing. And don’t hesitate to use a spicy BBQ sauce, or one with a bit of smoky flavor to it.
This dressing will last a while in the fridge, if there happens to be any leftover. Just make sure to give it a good shake or stir before serving.
Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!
A lot of restaurant signature sauces start with simple, off-the-shelf ingredients. A restaurant near us starts with BBQ sauce and Ranch, just like with this quick fix BBQ Ranch dressing, and then adds a few other ingredients.
Corn is in season and that’s a happy time for me. And as much as I love grilled corn-on-the-cob, corn in salads is tied for my favorite way to get some good fresh corn into my belly. Like this jalapeno popper grilled corn salad. Creamy dressing. Crunchy bacon. Deliciously sweet corn. And a little heat. This is the perfect side dish for a grill-out or picnic. Make extra because everyone is going to want seconds. Even grandma. Well, if she likes a little spiciness that is. Now that I think about it, you might want to warn her first that this salad does contain jalapenos.
Fresh Is Best
I prefer to use fresh corn when I make jalapeno popper grilled corn salad. We’re getting our corn from the southern US now, but soon they’ll be harvesting corn here in Indiana. Almost time for my yearly ritual of putting up corn for the winter. I race on down to our local farmer’s market, Binford Farmer’s Market, and load up on corn as soon as it’s available. And I do mean load up. My favorite? My Dad’s Sweet Corn from Tipton, Indiana. Hand-picked and incredibly sweet, they always have great corn.
And as much as I love grilled corn-on-the-cob, corn in salads is tied for my favorite way to get some good fresh corn into my belly. Like this jalapeno popper grilled corn salad.
I devoured my BBQ Island Club sandwich like I devoured the Margaritaville: The Cookbook. That’s where I found the recipe that inspired this sandwich. There’s nothing wrong with your standard good ole club sandwich. This is your standard good ole club sandwich… but with a twist. The dressing mix, as easy as it is, sets it apart from any other sandwich.
This Is One Great Club Sandwich
I made a big batch of the dressing and BBQ sauce mix and kept it on hand for burgers and sandwiches. It’s a nice change and is also absolutely fantastic on a Reuben or pastrami sandwich. Of course it’s also great on a BBQ Island club sandwich. If you love club sandwiches as much as I do, you also need to make my club with pesto mayonnaise!
If I’m reaching for a bottled BBQ sauce, I often go for Sweet Baby Ray’s.
There’s nothing wrong with your standard good ole club sandwich. This is your standard good ole club sandwich… but with a twist. The dressing mix, as easy as it is, sets it apart.
