Lobster Galore!!

Here's what you need:

2lbs Lobster meat
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 lbs. Butter
2 medium slices onion
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch ground cayenne pepper

Directions:
First, lets cook the lobster. To do this boil the lobsters for just under 10 minutes. The chitin in the lobster shells will cause them to turn a nice bright red.
Next: In a medium pot simmer cream, chicken broth, bouillon cubes, onions, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce for roughly 10 minutes. Once the ingredients in the mixture get to know each other, it's time to start the rue. In small pan add butter and flour mix with a whisk vigorously! Then slowly add the liquid to the rue in small ladles all the while whisking. Don't let this mixture boil. keep the HEAT ON LOW. Boiling can cause the milk to curdle..

(WARNING! EXCESSIVE AMOUNTS OF BUTTER MAY CAUSE A WILD PAULA DEEN TO APPEAR!)

Next break into that crustaceansional goodness (yes, I just made that word up. Deal with it!) also know as a lobster and begin to pick the meat from the shell. Once you have picked every once of the meat from the lobster break the pieces down into just under bite size chunks. Then add this to the mixture and bring back up to just under a boil. Serve with a chunk of bread and dig in!

Homemade Turkey Chili

I made turkey chili for the first time and it came out great! The best thing about making chili is that you can adjust it to make it to your liking! Prep time is about 10 minutes and cooking time is about 45 minutes so enjoy!

What you'll need:

• 1 1/2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 Serrano Chili
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce (without spices)
• 1 15oz can Kidney Beans (undrained)
• 1/4c Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 2 Stalks Celery
• 1 tsp Chili Powder
• 1/4tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4tsp Cumin Powder
• 1/4tsp Oregano
• 1/4tsp Cayenne Pepper
• French Bread
• 1lb Ground Turkey
• Cream Cheese

All fresh veggies are minced.

Make It:

Start by cooking the turkey in a frying pan until about 90% fully cooked. While the turkey is cooking, in a medium sized pot, add all of the veggies in the pot on low with some olive oil (1tsp) and sauté until translucent. Add some salt and pepper while sautéing. Once veggies are aromatic and translucent, add the kidney beans and tomato sauce. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes then add all of the spices.

Add the turkey to the pot and let simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring frequently. Add salt and pepper to taste. Continue cooking on low for 20 minutes and add additional spices to taste for your liking and then add the Cheddar Cheese, cubed . If you like it spicier add some hot sauce, or jalepenos (I like Mt. Olive Jalepeno slices from the jar). Continue to stir and let simmer for another couple of minutes until the cheese is melted in.

Serve your Turkey Chili in a bowl, add a dollop or two of the cream cheese on top and mix in, with a side of sliced French Bread. Scoop your chili out of the bowl with your bread or spoon it on top and enjoy.

Wild Mushroom and Sweet Potato Gratin

What a GREAT side dish! This is also my introduction to Fontina cheese. Edited from yet another Cooking Light recipe!

What you'll need:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil 
• 4 cups (1/4-inch-thick) sliced cremini mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 3 1/2 cups (1/4-inch-thick) sliced chanterelle mushrooms (about 8 ounces)
• 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley, divided
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
• 4 cups peeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth 

Skittle Vodka

No; I am not an alcoholic... I am a liquor connoisseur - trust me. This recipe takes time, effort, and the ability to have a good time - with of course the vodka. I made this with a friend of mine who absolutely loves candy and to party (I mean hey, who doesn't??)

Now Here's what you need to TASTE THE RAINBOW!

• First off a handle of Vodka
• Large bag of Skittles ( I bought a 54oz bag)
• 5 large empty water bottles
• Roughly 30 coffee filters
• 5 Glass bottles
• A Funnel
• 5 plastic baggies
• a measuring cup
• and patience.

Lets start off by completely separating the Skittles into corresponding colors in separate bags.Next measure out and fill the empty plastic bottles with roughly 12 oz of vodka. Once you have filled all of them - if you can  - count 120 of one color of Skittles (If you can't count that high, you should not be making this ಠ_ಠ...) That's roughly 6 friends who have all toes and fingers if you get confused..

Once you counted super high of each color, put those into corresponding plastic bottles.

Once you have them all filled with the rainbow, close the cap tightly and shake vigorously! Then allow all of them to sit for several hours until they look as awesome as this:

 

Now after this step you need to just settle down and wait. All of the Skittles to dissolve into the vodka over night. This allows you to do what everyone thinks is normal in the morning... Play with vodka. In the morning we discovered that there was a gross looking white foam. 

Well here's where you need the patience of a saint.  Take around 5 coffee filters, a funnel, and an empty cup large enough to fit to vodka and begin to strain by: Placing 5 filters into the funnel and pouring the vodka through. To say this is slow would be an understatement.

I suggest doing multiples of the same color in separate cups at the same time, to save time (if you have enough funnels). Also, the purple and orange will need more filters, or will need to be re-filtered because we discovered the foam could get through. Orange also took all night so I STRONGLY suggest to do that in 2 cups at the same time.

Once you have them all filtered and poured into the neat glass bottles, place in the freezer over night. Invite friends over for a party and taste the rainbow!! Celebrate this awesome recipe with a party, which will required you to make more at the end of!

Freakin' Bacon Fried Rice!

You might be thinking...

 But I'm thinking...

This isn't really a 'man food' per se. Mostly because that's not my section and I'm incapable of writing like that nor do I care / want to try. However; the time has come for me to make something absolutely amazing.. Whats better than food itself? BACON. Whats better than white rice? Fried Rice. What happens when you put them together? Something that should be deemed illegal in seven states - Bacon Fried Rice. You say Disgusting? NAY! I say grow a pair! You say unhealthy? I say we all die sooner or later. You say fattening??? NAY!!! I say hit the gym Nancy!
Now listen up get into the freakin' kitchen and grab this crap:

• 2 cups of rice
• 3 THICK cuts of bacon
• A Carrot
• 4 Green Onions
• 1 sm Onion minced
• 1/4 tsp Ginger
• 2 Cloves minced Garlic
• 1 egg
• Soy Sauce
• Sugar

  Anything else you think would be awesome in this concoction.

Get the that rice on the stove and let it cook!

First things first, grab fire and place metal thing over fire. I prefer something meat won't stick to. Next grab them slabs of pig's gift and cut them into chunks of bite sized godliness. Sear those suckers up and let them cook. Once they're to your perfection; take out the bacon. BUT WAIT; use that liquid gold grease to pan sear those healthy things I call vegetables. Once those vegetables are seared and soft, crack an egg and began scrambling that up! Once the egg is FULLY cooked (don't need to die here). Throw in the freshly cooked rice and mix around to get that great bacon grease fully coating everything. Next throw in that soy sauce and continue to add to you see fit! Mix that all around until fully coated. Next? Whats healthier than bacon?? SUGAR! Add that stuff, mix around and serve that to those who think they can handle this.

Now when you're finished with this and about to eat it.. Just enjoy and say: 

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWW YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

cooking, beef, bacon, eating, recipe, blog meat, chicken, rice, soy sauce, stir fry, man food meal food eating awesome

Sweet Potato Mash

This Sweet Potato Mash recipe is amazing and will bring you right to the holiday mind set. It's great enough to make year round, but a great additional to the Thanksgiving and Christmas table.

What You'll Need:

• 4 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes
• 3 tblsp butter
• 1/4 c skim milk
• dash cinnamon
• dash nutmeg
• dash clove
• salt
• pepper

Make it:

Start a large pot of boiling water with a dash of salt. Skin the potatoes and chop into cubes. When the water starts boiling add the potatoes and boil until the potatoes are soft. 

Once the potatoes are soft, drain the water and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well by using a hand mixer to make them silky soft. Taste, and then include additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shrimp Po' Boy

• We're taking it down south today to give you a GREAT Shrimp Po' Boy recipe. This is super simple, and relatively inexpensive considering most of the ingredients will already be in your pantry. There is practically no prep time and cooking is a breeeeezzzeeee!!! I made minor adjustments to a Cooking Light recipe. (I love my Cooking Light cookbook)

What you'll need:

• 5 tablespoons dry Whole Wheat breadcrumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil 
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined 
• 1/4 cup ketchup 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/3 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/3 teaspoon hot sauce 
• 2 Whole Wheat  long rolls
• 2 cups lettuce
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion

Make It:

Start by cleaning and removing the tails of your shrimp. Next, in a small bowl, add the minced garlic and breadcrumbs and mix these together well. Dredge the shrimp in the breadcrumb mix and cover well. In a medium sized pan, heat some oil on a medium-high heat and begin to sautee the shrimp. Cook the shrimp for approximately 5 minutes on each side or until shrimp browns on both sides.

While the shrimp is cooking, add the wet ingredients in a small bowl along with the seasonings. That includes everything in the list above except for the shrimp, breadcrumbs, garlic, bread, onion, and lettuce! Feel free to adjust this "dressing" according to your likes as this is going to be spread on your bread. Kick it up with extra seasoning and lemon, or tone it down with extra ketchup. However you prefer. I like mine with a little kick! Refrigerate this while we continue to cook the shrimp and let the flavors marry.

While the shrimp is finishing up in the pan, split the bread long ways and lightly toast. While the bread is toasting, shred some lettuce and onion to garnish and add some crunch to your sandwich. Once the bread is toasted, add the lettuce, onion, "spicy ketchup" by spreading it on the bread, and then finally add your shrimp.

Photo shown with a Sweet Mashed Potato side. Recipe to come shortly!

Red Sangria

Red Sangria

• 1.5L Cabernet. I prefer to pay less than $15 for it. I've maintained my college mindset, I can't help it.
• 8oz Blood Red Orange Juice
• 1oz Peach Vodka
• 1oz Blackberry Brandy
• 1oz Rum
• 3oz Club Soda
• 1/2 Cup Sugar
• 1 Granny Smith Apple
• 1 Nectarine
• 6 Strawberries

In a large pitcher, add all of the fruit after it's been cubed. Stir in all ingredients and let chill for about a day before serving. *This cocktail is best served with the company of my lovely friend Joelle.


I've been slacking on adding cocktails even though my content knowledge is outrageous. What is more outrageous is that fact that I feel the need to make each cocktail to have a photo. This is not going to happen, I just can't drink like I'm in college any more. So, here are the recipes. Make them pretty for me : )

MAN FOOD: Crab Meat Stuffed Trout

     Beef Jerky, yes. Pizza, sure. Crab meat stuffed trout, is this really a MAN FOOD?
I don't know, is trekking 90+ miles to an animals home to rip it from existence simply to nourish myself manly? How about if I shove two more animals inside of it, simply to enhance its flavor from good to amazing? Yes its MAN FOOD, Don't doubt me again. But if you still need convincing read this article, not in your own voice but in the voice of Sam Elliot.

Here's What your going to need:

• 1 Trout. freshly retrieved from its habitat using cunning ticks.
• 1/2 cup Crab meat.
• 1 stalk of Celery.
• 1 Clove of Garlic.
• 1/8 cup Onion.
• 3 strips Bacon.
• ~2 Tbsp. Mayonnaise.
• ~2 Tbsp. Butter (Melted)
• Bread Crumbs.
• 1 Egg. Which I forgot to take a picture of.

     Let us commence. First, cook your bacon. Firster, wake up at five in the morning and jump in an American pick-up truck with your father and drive to your favorite fishing spot. Use your smart human brain to fool the dumb fish, with their not human brain, into thinking a shiny piece of metal is its prey. Then wrestle the little bastard into your net, and repeat, until the state of Pennsylvania says your done for the day(or drain a lake, which ever you find more suitable). Clean your fish and drive home, you choose the order. Now cook your bacon, you saw that in the last MAN FOOD: Pizza.

     Dice your celery, dice your onion, dice your garlic. Into a bowl combine those now diced accoutrements along with all the other none trout ingredients. I did not list how much bread crumbs to use, and the butter and mayonnaise are "abouts", there's a good reason for this... I didn't measure them. Here again you have to use your human brain to achieve a certain level of consistency for your stuffing.

     Crush up your bacon and add it to your concoction. Then place the stuffing into the fish's now empty body, like Dr. Frankenstein meets Emeril. Its not all going to fit but do your best. Wrap the creation up in aluminum foil and place into your 350˚ oven. About half way through cooking unwrap your masterpiece so the excess moisture is let out and the stuffing can develop a satisfying crunch. Depending on fish size and stuffing amount this will take 45-60 minutes maybe longer, fish is done when its no longer translucent and flaky.

That second wrapped item is the left over stuffing.

Pro-tip: High class lemons go a long way.

     Trout. I declare you MAN FOOD.


If you like this article or any other article, or want to suggest a recipe or anything else you can reach us at Itsbestservedhot@gmail.com All feedback is welcome.

Greek Taco

Let's all thank Jeff, the newly crowned Sandwich King for this yummy recipe. So simple, so delicious, so filling and so refreshing. I totally edited the original recipe.

What you'll need:

• 1lb Ground Lamb
• 1/4 c Diced Red Onion
• 1 minced Garlic Clove
• 1 tbls Tomato Paste
• 1/4 tsp Oregano
• 2 tbls Dry Red Cooking Wine
• Salt/Pepper
• 4 Small Pitas

Tzatziki:

• 1/2 Cucumber, peeled and shredded
• 1 cup Greek Yogurt
• 1/2 Minced Garlic Close

Cucumber Tomato Relish:

• 1 tbls Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbls Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1/2 Cucumber, peeled and cubed
• 1/4c diced Red Onion
• Salt/Pepper

Make it:

*Quick note. I like to make the relish and tzatziki first and let chill while cooking the rest.

 In a large skillet, heat the oil over me-high heat. Add the lamb, sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook until for approximately 10 to 12 minutes. Once the meat turns golden brown, remove the lamb and set aside. Turn the heat down to medium and saute the onions in the lamb juices until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant. Season. Add the tomato paste and cook until it caramelizes. Deglaze with the red wine and scrape any bits up that have adhered to the pan. Add the lamb back in, stir and set aside.


For the tzatziki: In a food processor, add the cucumber and garlic and quickly shred. Remove from the processor and fold in the yogurt. Refrigerate until ready to use. 


For the tomato/cucumber relish: Chop the cucumber, tomato and onion and place into a small bowl. Add the vinegar and let soak and the rest of the ingredients and stir together. Refrigerate until ready to use. 


After the lamb mixture is ready, very lightly toast the Pita. Then layer on the tzatziki on the pita, add the lamb, then top with the relish. 


Make it healthier and cook with Ground Turkey, whole wheat pitas, and fat free yogurt!

Barbecued Chicken

Here's a great little recipe that requires you to fire up the grill and roast these suckers to perfection. The perfect party food that everyone will LOVE!


Here's what you'll need:

• Several pounds of chicken (thighs, legs, breasts anything)
• Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
• 2 Tsp Onion Powder
• 2 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 2 Tbls Lemon Juice
• Dash of Cayenne Pepper
• Salt
• Pepper
• 3 Tbls water

In a large bowl mix together all the ingredients except for the chicken - Mix thoroughly. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least an hour before grilling. Once the chicken has been marinading, remove from the marinade an place onto a hot grill. Take the extra left over sauce and place into a pot and simmer until rapid bubbling. Once the sauce is bubbling, continually turn the chicken while coating with the sauce. The sauce will create a nice crisp of flavor on the outside of the chicken. Once the chicken is finished, reheat the sauce, pour into a small bowl and use as a dipping sauce.


food, cooking, meals, eating, meat, beef

Penne and Vodka Sauce

This recipe is a bit long, but its worth it!

1 large onion diced
1/2 lb proscuitto or 1 ham steak or Both-diced
1/2 lb butter
1/2 lb sun dried tomatoes(optional)
1 can or frozen baby peas (optional)
3 cloves garlic
Tbs. Parsley
Tbs. Basil
Tbs. Black pepper
Tbs. Crushed red pepper
Large can crushed tomatoes
One quart half and half
Large can chicken broth
Pint vodka
4 shots brandy
Rue to thicken

In a large frying pan- melt butter. Sauté onions, sun dried tomatoes, garlic. If using ham steak dice and add to sauté.

In a Large pot-
Add chicken stock
Half and half
All spices
Sauteed mixture
Diced proscuitto
crushed tomatoes
Salt to taste

Simmer about an hour thicken with rue as needed.

Recipe for rue-1 stick butter
1 cup flour
Melt butter
Slowly add flour
Constantly mixing until a nutty smell.
Add 1 small can of chicken stock slowly.
Slowly add to sauce,  constantly stirring.  Simmer 20 minutes add uncooked peas 5 minutes before

Once sauce has thickened, throw over cook Penne, mix well and Enjoy!

Amazing Barbecued Ribs

 

Need a great idea for your next upcoming party? This recipe is amazing. Loads of flavor, and the meat will just fall off the bone!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 pkg of Ribs
• Your favorite BBQ sauce
• 1 tbls Onion Powder
• 1 tbls Garlic Powder
• Salt 
• Pepper
• Sugar
• 1/8 C Ketchup
• 2 Cloves garlic - crushed
• 3 tbls vinegar
• 4 tbls Worcestershire sauce
• And if you have it, a dash of Liquid smoke. 

First we need to boil the ribs. Then we can marinade the ribs. Either in a large bowl, or baggie; combine the list ingredients above and mix well. If you like spice, throw in red pepper flakes, a hot sauce, or cayenne pepper. Let sit for several hours.

Once you think its done marinading, take the ribs out and put them into a preheated 350 degree oven. DON'T throw out that marinade though, we are going to transfer that to a small pot and heat it up. This will act as the glaze for the ribs which are baking away in the oven. Once the sauce is bubbling, allow it to sit and thicken up. Every 20 minutes or so, brush the sauce onto the ribs and continue baking. Do this for about an hour.

Once the ribs spent an hour in the oven, its time to fire up the grill. The grill should be already hot around medium heat. You will lay the ribs on and ONLY turn them once. Use what left over sauce you have left and generously pour onto the ribs. After about 15 minutes, remove from grill, allow to cool and enjoy!

Campfire special part 2

This isn't really a recipe, its more like awesome.. (Yes, I just did that, deal with it..)
Who loves roasting marshmallows on an open fire??? I might love it more than what is acceptable in normal measurements. But who cares..And before everyone starts arguing about how you roast a marshmallow, and when its "done" I'll just settle this right now.. Until it is no longer looking like a marshmallow, just a big black harden shell of molten sugar!! OK enough talk about that, lets instead focus on one word, and one word only... SM'OREOS!!! Yes that's right, I just went there!

I came about this very early in the morning when I was digging around the back of the truck looking for food. I came across a camping necessity, marshmallows, and my necessity... Oreos.. Then it hit me like a brick wall, and I was more excited than a kid in a candy shop! Seeing how 10am is too early to start binge eating sugar, I was forced to wait till dark.

Here's what you'll need:

• Copious amounts of Oreos
• Copious amounts of Marshmallows
• Copious amounts of Campfire!

I debated with friends, and tried multiple ways. But we finally all agreed on roasting the marshmallow to your liking. Once that's done, twist the Oreo apart and place that molten goodness on the cream filling. Then simply reconstruct the Oreo with it's new ingredient and consume this magical deliciousness!


WARNING!
This is highly addictive and you may go through a pack of Oreos disgustingly fast, but ITS OK!! I won't judge, and you'll love this too much to care!

P.S. - Unfortunately not 1 bear was seen.. We looked for days on our hikes, but we did see a young buck, and multiple bunnies (The liked our campsite.) I will also leave you with this image I took while hiking.. If this doesn't make you want to go explore, nothing will.

Camp fire special!! Part 1

Writing this post is bittersweet to me. Why, you might ask? Well I left the blog, twitter, and other implements that we use to keep us going in the hands of my trusted contributors 4 days ago. I turned 21 again on the 19th of August and my friends and I decided that we want to celebrate another way rather than just going out and partying. I - a camping newbie to say the least - spent the last 4 days in the wilderness cooking over an open fire, gathering wood, and cutting it down to size with only a hatchet! So what I write here is just 2 of the creations that I came about while camping. I hope you one day will spend a few days out in the woods - hiking, biking, and sleeping on the ground. It's a joy, and relief to disconnect from the world and just be you. This officially marks the end of my summer, and will be moving back to my campus by the end of the week. But don't fear I will stay here! Without further ado, I present to you: Campfire Foil Dinners!

I apologize for not having a picture, my camera was dead.

Here's what you'll need:

• Tinfoil
• Ground Meat
• Potatoes
• Carrots
• Onions
• Garlic
• A splash of oil if on hand
• A CAMPFIRE!! (It's kinda important)

Optional:

• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Meat Tenderizer
• Seasoned Salt

First, lets wash the vegetables as best you can, with whatever clean water source you have. Don't worry about peeling anything, we're going rustic here! Spread out a fairly large piece of tinfoil onto your campsite table and if you have a bit of oil lightly grease the bottom. The next thing you will want to do is to grab your ground meat and press it flatly down on the tinfoil, leaving ample room on the edges. Next cut up the all veggies into small almost bite sized chunks and throw those on top of the meat. I unlike other campers had several spices - I mean, common.. I want full flavor! - including onion and garlic powder, meat tenderizer, and seasoned salt. I sprinkled each of those on the meat and veggies along with a bit more oil. I then tried my best to enclose the tinfoil packet with more foil.... After successfully putting 3 pieces of foil around it, I won the battle. I then placed (don't throw like usual it might break) this packet into the hot embers of the fire and let it sit. I fashioned a turning device with sticks and flipped the food every 5 minutes. After several flips, the meat was fully cooked and the veggies were amazingly soft and tender. I had myself a hot, delicious dinner. Cut open that foil, place it on the picnic table, and dig in.
Enjoy!

Man Food: Pizza

     Welcome back, seekers of gastronomical ruggedness. In the interim, between last post and this, I have reflected inwardly. What was I reflecting upon? How often to butch you and your taste buds up. Originally I wanted to post once a month but, Beef Jerky  (Still being capitalized) was so friggin awesome I'm Man Fooding your face twice a month.


Now lets begin. Ready? GO!! Pizza with BACON.

What your going to need.

Ingredients: (This made 2 pies)

• Flour (~2 cups*)
• Corn Starch (1 Cup)
• Corn Meal (1 cup)
• Olive Oil (1 Tbsp)
• Yeast (1 Tbsp)
• Water (~1 1/2 cup*)
• Salt (1 Tsp)
• Sugar (2 Tsp)
• Helicopter (optional)
• Toppings (1 lb. of bacon, not optional)  

         *More of these may needed to be added while kneading the dough the moisture in   

  the air ad in your hands affects the dough to the point of not enough or to much moisture

1. Start by adding your yeast, sugar, and olive oil to warm water. Warm the water first you don't want to kill the yeast.
2. In a separate bowl combine your flour, corn starch, corn meal, and salt
3. After your yeast has been activated (It will have a head to it) 

  

   4. Go ahead and shove both mixture into a a bowl and mix with a spoon until everything 

       is "lumpy" then dig in with your hands. 

   5. If the dough is sticking to your hands then its time for more flour. If all the ingredients 

      aren't coming together, then you need more flour. Dough should be like Voltron. 

      everything working together in the right amounts.

 When the dough has been brought together and kneaded throw a towel over the bowl and let the dough rise and move on to the second part. BACON.

Cook it how you want, Ive seen too much of epic mealtime to not cook it like a professional baconerteror, in the oven

Lay out your non-optional bacon on a cookie sheet in a the manner above, place the cookie sheet, now paved with victory, into a 400˚ oven for 10-12 minutes pull it out flip it and repeat.

Helicopter: Preparing for bacon patrol duty, looking for bacon pirates.

Now is the time for the final steps.

Preheat your oven to 400˚ or leave it on from your baconing.

Stretch your dough over a cookie sheet. Slather on some sauce (I used a homemade from the garden sauce, recipe coming soon), then put your toppings on, then cover them with cheese. Cheese goes on top, it holds in the baconie goodness.

• How to stretch your dough, drape it over your fingers on both hands and gentle widen the gap between careful not to tear it.

 

• Cookie sheet. Oil it, non-stick spray it, or flour it.

Fold over and lightly flour

Oven time is about 15-20 minutes. or until the bottom of the crust is lightly browned

Bam! Pizza! Done. Michelangelo would be proud.

If you like this article or any other article, or want to suggest a recipe or anything else you can reach us at Itsbestservedhot@gmail.com All feedback is welcome.

Chicken Paprikash over Sweet Potatoes

This is a great, slightly spicy little dish that is quick, simple, fun and healthy. This recipe was found in my Cooking Light book and the original recipe is linked at the end of this post. I made a few edits to make it just a little more healthy and a little more flavorful.

What You'll Need:

• 4 Sweet Potatoes
• Chicken Tenderloins
• 2 tblsp whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp Paprika
• 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/2 Red Onion
• 2 Portabello Mushroom
• 1/2 cup fat free/low sodium Chicken Broth
• 1/4 Cup Light Sour Cream
• 2 Garlic Cloves
• Butter
• salt
• pepper

Cook your Sweet Potatoes in the microwave until soft..about 15-18 minutes. Before you put them in there, stab them a few times all around first to let the heat in.

While the sweet potatoes are cooking, dice up the chicken tenderloins into bit sized pieces. In a mixing bowl, add the chicken, and all dry ingredients and mix well.

In a large frying pan melt about 1 tablespoon butter on med-high heat. Once it starts melting, add the coated chicken along with the mushroom (which should be cored, cleaned up, scraped, and chopped into cubes) and saute for about 5 minutes, or until the veggies become tender and the chicken is cooked through.
Next, stir in the chicken broth and cook until the sauce thickens for about another 5 minutes. Once everything is married and in love in the pan, remove it from the heat.
While off the heat, add the sour cream and mix well.

Arrange the sweet potatoes on a plate and make a small slice in the center leaving the ends uncut so it looks like you poked a pocket into the potato. Take a fork a fluff the inside of the potato as well as you can, but no need to go overboard and be gentle. We don't want to destroy the skin.

Add the chicken mixture into the potatoes by spooning it in, so the sweet potatoes become the bowl. Spoon on some extra sauce.

Serve just like this and eat until stuffed.

Potato Salad

So yea, even though this blog is titled "Best Served Hot" I have a lot of cold salad recipes. But don't act like you don't love them. This recipe is courtesy of a chef friend. Thanks Mike!

What You'll Need:

• 5 lb Red Bliss Potatoes
• 1 cup light mayo
• 1/4 cup dijon mustard
• 2 cup apple juice
• 1 cup red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh dill
• 1/4 apple cider vinegar
• salt
• pepper

Make It:
With the skin still on, quarter and boil the potatoes. Cook them enough, but keep them slightly firm so it doesn't get mushy.
As the potatoes are cooking away, add the apple juice to a small pot and boil this down until about half has disappeared to a 1/4 cup.
While cooking the potatoes, add all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl including the reduced apple juice.
Let this all chill in the fridge while the tots are going.
Once the potatoes are done, drain thoroughly and add to the mixing bowl and mix well.

Serve Chilled

Other Options:
This is in the orinigal recipe, but I pulled it because I don't love bacon and it's not on my healthy food agenda. However, for you bacon lovers out there:

Add 2lbs thick sliced bacon
Cook the bacon on med-low heat until the fat is rendered out and crispy. Once done, place the bacon on a papertowel to pull the extra grease.
When cool enough to touch, chop into diced pieces, add to the salad and mix.
It's really, really, good.

Vegetable Fried Rice

Want to put a spin on the same rice that you always have? Well This recipe is really easy, and I'll let you know how to do it.

Heres what you'll need:

• 4 c cold white rice
• 1 carrot
• 3 green onions
• 2 tbls oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 egg (OPTIONAL)
• 2 tbls soy sauce

First lets slice the green onions, and slice the carrots. Then in a large pan or wok heat up 2 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil is hot, throw in the carrots and allow them to cook until they are soft. Once the carrots are done, throw in the green onions next. After a minute or so, crack in egg and scramble it. This is a good time to break apart the egg into tiny pieces. Once the egg is fully cooked, throw in the rice and break that down if it is in clumps. Allow the rice to get hot, then add 1 teaspoon of sugar, and continue mixing. To finish off the rice throw in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and mix through.

Once the soy sauce is completely mixed through and the rice is hot again, remove from heat, plate and enjoy!!

Pesto Mayo

Pesto Mayo

• 4tbls Light Mayo
• 10 Fresh Basil Leaves
• 3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Garlic Clove
• 1 Pinch Salt and Pepper

In a food processor, add of the the ingredients for the Pesto Mayo and blend until smooth. 

Caprese Sandwich

Looks like somebody bought a lot of fresh basil and mozzarella! This sandwich was SO good, I kind of surprised myself! I can eat this every day of the week if I could.

What you'll need:

• 2 Chicken Breast
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Fresh Basil
• 2 Portuguese Rolls
• 1/2 cup Whole Wheat breadcrumbs
• 1 Egg
• 4tsp Fat Free Milk

Balsamic Vinaigrette:

• 1/3c Balsamic Vinegar
• 4tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1tsp sugar
• 1/4tsp Oregano
• 1/2 Minced Garlic
• Pinch of Salt/Pepper
• Splash Water

To start, we will begin with making our own balsamic vinaigrette. In a small pot, add the balsamic vinegar, sugar and oregano. Let this simmer on low heat until it reduces until about half of it's content and stir continuously. Once it reduces, add the garlic, salt and pepper. Let this simmer for another 2 minutes and remove from heat. After we remove it from the heat, add the Extra Virgin Olive Oil and stir well. Refrigerate this to let it get cool.

Next, we can start prepping the chicken. Trim all fat from the chicken breast and cut in half. Pound the chicken to make it thinner. In a mixing bowl add the egg and milk and beat them together. On a separate plate, place the bread crumbs for dredging. Dip the chicken in the egg bath, then coat with breadcrumbs. Add this to a hot pan with some oil and butter, and cook on medium heat. Cook on both sides for approx 5 minutes each. While the chicken is cooking, slice the tomato and fresh mozz. 

Then we will slightly toast the bread, just enough to get it warm. Place the chicken on the bottom side of the bun, then top with basil, fresh mozz, and tomato. Drizzle some of the balsamic vinaigrette on top and serve. 

All hail this sammich!

Tortellini Salad

So even though the title of this blog is "Best Served Hot" here is another salad! This is perfect for summer bbq's and to add a fun change to your run of the mill pasta dinner. Thanks to Aunt Cindy for this one, it's so delish!!!

What you'll need:

• One finely chopped medium sized red onion
• Three or four  chopped carrots
• Three or four chopped stalks of celery
• One finely chopped red pepper
• One finely chopped green pepper
• One finely chopped yellow onion
• Two pounds of tortellini cooked al dente.

Chop and mix all veggies with lite Italian dressing while tortellini cools. Mix in tortellini cover and refrigerate 2-3 hours before serving

Magnolia Cupcakes

Ever hear of those cupcakes that were made famous by Sex and the City? Well the lovely ladies at my job like to celebrate birthdays with them...it just so happens it was my birthday. Here's a photo of the fantastic Magnolia Cupcakes. (in real life)

Caprese Pasta Salad

Questo è molto delizioso...or whatever. This is very delicious. So eat it.

Aww Pastina!! love it!

What you'll need:

• 1/2lb Pastina Pasta
• 1/2 Clove Garlic
• 3tsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 1/2lb Fresh Mozzarella
• 10 Grape Tomatoes
• 1tsp White Wine
• 2tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 9 Leave Fresh Basil
• 1/4tsp Oregano
• 1 pinch salt/pepper

Make it:

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil with a pinch of salt and a 1/2 tsp of Extra Virgin Olive Oil. If you're going to use Pastina, add it to the boiling water and continue to stir. This will cook quickly, in about 3 minutes. Keep an eye it. The water should reduce to nothing and your little stars should be fully grown. Take off the heat while still slight al dente. (Al dente means "to the tooth" in Italian so there should be a bit of a bite to the pasta before removing from heat. It will continue to cook after removing from the heat) Refrigerate with a cover while we work on the rest.

In a bowl, add the grape tomatoes, sliced in half with the shredded basil, minced garlic clove, and the rest of the ingredients. Let chill.  Once cold, add the pasta and continue to keep cold. While cooling, stir the cold pasta salad and add salt and pepper to taste. 

Served chilled!

Optional: Use whole wheat pasta such as Rigatoni

Steak and Potatoes

Make yourself look like a fancy little chef with this simple steak and potatoes without the grill. It's a small effort with BIG flavor.

What you'll need:

• 2 Shell Steaks
• 2 Medium Sized Sweet Potatoes
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• Pinch of Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• Butter

Optional:

• Romaine Lettuce
• 1/2 Cucumber
• 3 Grape Tomatoes
• Crumbled Goat Cheese

Make it:

Make sure to trim all the excess fat off the steaks. If they are shell steaks, there shouldn't be much.

Mince the garlic as finely as you can. Then, spread it on both sides of the steaks and rub it into the meat. Do the same with a few and healthy shakes of pepper (enough to actually see the pepper covering the meat) and lightly salt. Let sit for about an hour to let those flavors melt in.

Skin the sweet potatoes and dice into medium sized cubes.

Heat one pan on med-high with your choice of cooking spray, or some light butter. Once the pan gets nice and hot add your steaks. Cook for about 7 minutes on each side or until it reaches the desired level of done-ness. There is no need to poke and prod and move it all around unless the pan gets dry. 

In another pan, add your choice of cooking spray, or light butter and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add your potatoes. Put a lid on your pan and let it cook on med heat. After approximately 5 minutes, stir the potatoes around and place the lid back on. Let it sit for another 5 minutes.

After the 5 minutes pass, take the lid off the sweet potatoes and turn the heat up to high. Continue to cook until they crisp and brown. The potatoes usually take longer than the steaks do, so I always start them beforehand. 

The optional:

Although the steak and potatoes are dee-lish on their own, it might be a good idea to add a small salad to the plate. Not only will it add some color and take up that extra space, but its just never a bad idea to have a salad. 

General Tso's Chicken

I was in the mood for some Chinese food last night and decided to take a crack at it. It looked like it would be difficult, but it was SUPER EASY!! Well lucky for me, it turned out awesome! Lucky for you I'll share how I made it!

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 pkg of chicken (I used thighs)
• 3 green onions
• 2tbl cornstarch
• 1 tbls sugar
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tbls sugar
• 3 tbls water
• 2 tsp ginger
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 tbls rice vinegar (or white vinegar)
• 4 tbls soy sauce

Lets start off by first cutting up all the ingredients such as the ginger, garlic, and onions. Slice the green onions, peel and mince or grate the ginger, and then mince the garlic. Next combine all the ingredients except for the chicken into a bowl and allow to sit. Next cut the chicken into about 1 in. chunks and pan sear them in a wok or a regular pan. Once the chicken it completely cooked through, pour the other ingredients onto the chicken while the pan is still on. keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Once thick, transfer to a plate and ENJOY!

If you want more spice, add more crushed red pepper flakes!
If you want more sauce, just double the recipe but only use a total of 3 tbls of cornstarch.

Tomato and Fresh Mozzarella w/ Balsamic Reduction

This fresh and delicious summertime salad is quick and easy.

What you'll need:

• Fresh Mozzarella
• 2 Fresh Tomatoes
• 5 leaves of Fresh Basil
• 1/4 cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1/2 tsp Sugar
• Romaine Lettuce

Make it

In a small pot, add the Balsamic Vinegar and sugar and put on low heat. Let simmer until it reduces to half the amount and stir often. Take off heat after the vinegar turns to a syrup-like consistency.
Shred 3 leaves of romaine lettuce and spread it over a plate.
Slice about 1/4 inch thick pieces of fresh mozz and the fresh tomato.
Place the basil leave in a circular shape around the plate and add one in the center.
Alternate the mozz and tomatoes on top of the bed of basil and lettuce.
Lightly drizzle the balsamic vinegar reductions to finish.

OPTIONS: Substitute arugula for romaine to add an extra kick of flavor. Oh so good!

MY Awesome White Rice

This is a REALLY simple recipe, I love it and you will love it too! Not many people know how to cook rice properly, and after this you will NEVER use that disgusting quick rice again! Here's the deal, I made white rice for my friends a few times, and now EVERY time I'm over their houses, they ask me to make it again, and again. Apparently "they just can't make the rice the same way I do.." So people of the internet, I'll let you in on my little secret!

Here's what you'll need

• Dry long grain rice (none of that quick rice stuff.)
• A pot WITH a lid
• Water
• Salt

That's it!

The directions of the rice always state that it's a 2 - 1 ratio. 2 parts water, 1 part rice. Now heat your water till its boiling, once it is throw your rice in and return to a boil. Don't forget to stir. I always add just a little bit more water to the rice. This makes helps make the rice sticky and softer! Once it starts boiling again with the rice, stir and lower to the lowest flame and cover. This is where people will disagree with me.. I stir my rice often, others swear by just letting it sit all by itself. Well if you keep doing it the same way, you'll keep getting the same results. So stir every 5 minutes or so and cover again. This helps release the starch the rice holds onto, thus making it sticky! Once there's no more water and the rice is soft I stir the pot getting all the rice to stick together and comes out mostly in 1 lump.

That's how I make my rice, which is constantly asked for every time I'm with my friends!
On second thought.... I should start a rice fund..