Just tossing a few dogs on the grill is a quick way to get dinner done. But those plain-old looking dogs can get mighty boring after a while. Of course you can put all sorts of fancy toppings on them (my favorite is the Chicago dog or just chili, onions and cheese). Another simple way to visually jazz them up is to score them in a spiral pattern, making spiraled hot dogs. This not only looks cool, it also gives your condiments a way to hold on to the dog.
Easy Once You Get The Hang Of It
To make the spiral, just start on one end with a sharp knife held at a 30-to-45 degree angle (the sharper the angle, the less spirals you’ll get) and start to rotate the dog. I find it’s easier to do with the dog standing up on one end. Start at the top with the knife, rotating the dog until the knife gets to the bottom.
For an extra flash, score the ends with a ‘+’ sign, 1/4″-1/2″ deep.
Grill the dogs until they puff up pretty and golden brown!
Sometimes you want to change things up from the usual smoke – ribs, pulled pork and the like. I was feeling that way the other day when I fired up my Weber Smokey Mountain Charcoal Smoker. So, I ran down to the grocery store and picked up a 5 pound roll of bologna. The woman behind the counter wanted to know how I wanted it sliced. She looked at me rather puzzled when I told her I wanted the whole thing as-is. I told her I was making smoked bologna and that it was going to be a happy day.
I’m Scoring Challenged
Scoring the bologna can be challenging, but you don’t have to worry if it doesn’t come out perfect. It lets the smoke in a bit better and gives the BBQ sauce a place to hold on to. You can see my Red Chile smoked bologna for further proof you don’t have to get all fancy when you score your bologna.
The Best Sandwiches Ever
Sliced thin, smoked bologna is the best bologna you’ll ever have. It has a light smoky flavor and makes for absolutely excellent sandwiches. I used Cashman’s BBQ sauce on the bologna and really liked it. Our neighbor’s daughter brought it to us from Defiance, OH. I wish we had it here in Indy! (I think they no longer exist, so substitute your favorite sauce!)
Well, time for us to harvest the last of the fresh herbs we planted this year. Thyme, rosemary…. all of our favorites. Some I dry, some I freeze. This is how I freeze them for later use. Freezing fresh herbs is easy. I freeze mine in olive oil. Most recipes that I have that require fresh herbs also require olive oil. So it’s a no-brainer to put them into oil. I think they also keep their color better in oil. You can also use melted butter.
Chopping the rosemary reminds me that it is time to make one of our favorites – rosemary focaccia bread. That’s the nice thing about freezing fresh herbs. I always have them on hand for my favorites!
My wife and I picked up some old lunch trays at the antique mall recently. Ever since then we’ve been wanting to make a TV dinner-like meal. We settled on this outstanding combination. Smoked meatloaf, scratch mashed potatoes with gravy for starters. Then we added fantastic herbed peas and carrots. For dessert we made a light apple pie wonton crisp. In this part 4 of our dinner, we’ll make the apple pie wonton crisps.
Time For Dessert
These are somewhat reminiscent of the apple cobbler you would get with a meatloaf TV dinner, but easier! I got the idea from the berry wontons we made recently.
My wife and I picked up some old lunch trays at the antique mall recently. Ever since then we’ve been wanting to make a TV dinner-like meal. We settled on this outstanding combination of smoked meatloaf, scratch mashed potatoes with gravy, these fantastic herbed peas and carrots, and a light apple pie wonton crisp.
Gotta Have Your Veggies!
In this meatloaf TV dinner part 3, we’ll make the peas and carrots. These are not the canned peas and carrots you might remember from your school cafeteria or from a frozen TV dinner. You’ll actually want to sit down with a bowl of these and dig in, and you’ll probably ask for seconds!
I have to admit, in the days when I did sit down with a TV dinner, I put butter on my peas and carrots. But then, I used to put butter on just about anything. Now I try to refrain and just use lots of freshly ground black pepper instead.
My wife and I picked up some old lunch trays at the antique mall recently. Ever since then we’ve been wanting to make a TV dinner-like meal. For our meatloaf TV dinner Part 2 we settled on this outstanding combination of smoked meatloaf, these scratch mashed potatoes with gravy, some fantastic herbed peas and carrots, and a light apple pie wonton crunch.
The Perfect Side
In this meatloaf TV dinner part 2, we’ll make the mashed potatoes and gravy. The potatoes are pretty much your standard fare, but the gravy is insanely good! It’s a great poultry gravy that you can throw together without having to use chicken or turkey drippings.
Add the potatoes and cook until tender, 15-20 minutes.
Drain.
Melt the butter in the half-and-half over medium-low heat.
Place potatoes in the bowl of a mixer. Use the paddle attachment on low speed to mash the potatoes.
Slowly add the butter and half-and-half mixture, sour cream, and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix until mashed but not smooth.
For the gravy
Saute the butter and onions over medium-low heat in a large saute pan, about 12-15 minutes, or until the potatoes are lightly browned. (Make sure they are browned. If it takes longer than 15 minutes, so be it. Don’t rush it!)
Whisk the flour into the pan and add salt and pepper.
Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring.
Add the chicken stock and cook another 4-5 minutes, until thickened.
Add the cream.
Stir and serve.
Notes
I also like to steam my potatoes instead of boiling them.
My wife and I picked up some old lunch trays at the antique mall recently. Ever since then we’ve been wanting to make a TV dinner-like meal. We settled on this outstanding combination of smoked meatloaf, scratch mashed potatoes with gravy, fantastic herbed peas and carrots, and a light apple pie wonton crunch.
The Star Of The Show
In this part 1 of our dinner, we’ll make the meatloaf. This was made on the smoker. You could also make it on a grill (over indirect heat), or in your oven. The original recipe came from a Texas BBQ Rub newsletter. You should try their rubs – they’re great! And sign up for their newsletter. It’s always full of great recipes, like this one!
We ate at a Max and Erma’s the other day. We’ve always enjoyed their southern fried chicken salad. So, I figured I’d try to duplicate it at home. And did I ever. Of course, the key to this salad is the fried chicken. For me that means two things: buttermilk and hot sauce. The rest is pretty much up to you!
The end result was very tasty, and as good as the real thing. Maybe even better. Everything about my southern fried chicken salad was delicious, and not just the chicken. Normally I’d lean towards a Ranch or blue cheese dressing, but the bottled Dijon mustard vinaigrette matched the restaurant original’s taste perfectly. This is a great salad. One that I’d make again and again!
I picked up a 3 or so pound boneless, skinless turkey breast the other day. I was going to smoke it and use it in turkey salad sandwiches, but instead I grilled it and sliced it thin for po boys, which I made two ways. Nothing beats a tender, juicy grilled turkey breast po boy on fresh bread with fresh toppings.
You don’t have to make these grilled turkey breast po boys the same way every time. I didn’t.
The first time, I served up on a hoagie roll with Southern broccoli slaw. I’ve always liked slaw on pulled pork sandwiches, and have found it goes just as well on any grilled meat sandwich.
The second po boy (ok, more a sandwich) was served up on a hamburger bun with Kaw-Cajun comeback sauce (recipe courtesy Chez John), lettuce, red onion and tomato. The perfect sandwich.
This is my take on a recipe for a grilled chicken wrap with southwestern dipping sauce posted on the Kraft website. I liked the original idea, but made a few changes. I really liked the final result. Oddly, my wife did not. She thought it was a tad bland. I found it to be tasty, crisp, and even better when dipped into the sauce.
Any Chicken Will Do
A lot of recipes like this one for grilled chicken wrap with southwestern dipping sauce call for using chicken breasts. I prefer to use chicken tenderloin, specially when I can find them on sale. They cook quicker and are more tender.
The dipping sauce is good for anything. Veggies. Chips. Wraps.
I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.
Grilled Chicken Wrap with Southwestern Dipping Sauce
A lot of recipes call for using chicken breasts. I prefer to use chicken tenderloins, specially when I can find them on sale. They cook quicker and are more tender.
