The question – What is Jerk… not in life (we all know at least one of those!) but in cooking?  The answer – Jerk is a style of cooking native to Jamaica. Jerk seasoning mostly depends on the inclusion of two items: allspice and Scotch bonnet or habanero peppers. Other ingredients may include cloves, cinnamon, green onions, thyme, and garlic. When serving a crowd, I often substitute jalapeño for the habanero, since you never know what people’s tolerance is for overly spicy foods.

The shredded beef that I used was the leftover pot roast from a post from a couple of days ago. If you don’t have such a thing hanging about, most grocery stores sell prepared pot roast in their meat department or deli.

When assembling the dumplings, lay about one dozen of the wrappers on the counter at a time, place the filling in the center of each, but only brush and seal 3 or 4 at a time. The dumplings may be made up to one day ahead. To do so; lightly sprinkle a baking sheet with cornstarch and place the filled and sealed dumplings on the sheet, lightly sprinkle the dumpling tops with more cornstarch and cover with plastic wrap. Repeat with another layer or two, sprinkling each with the cornstarch to keep them from sticking. Refrigerate until ready to fry.

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Once or twice a year our neighborhood has a Progressive Dinner.

Here’s how it works – a notice goes out to all 118 homes in the community. You may sign up to be a “Dinner Host”, which means you do not have to cook, just set up to host dinner for 10 people.

Or, you sign up to cook, in which case you are then assigned to provide either an appetizer, an entrée for 10, soup or salad plus a side for 10, or a dessert. Those dishes are dropped off at the “Host Houses”. Each couple brings 1 bottle of red wine and 1 bottle of white wine to the “Appetizer House” where everyone first gathers.

Names are drawn randomly during appetizers and we all disperse to the various host homes for dinner. The wines travel along to the dinner part of the evening. Then we all gather back together at a specific house for dessert (remaining wine – in tow).

You and your significant other stay together if you are a “Dinner Host”, otherwise the two of you are split up during the dinner part of the evening.

Past themes have included; Italian, Mexican, Western, Mardi Gras, Valentine’s, and Tacky/White Trash (not the best food- think Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pigs in a Blanket, Chili in a Frito bag- but the most fun ever! Pictures below.)

Our house for appetizers; complete with plastic flamingos in the yard, a clothesline on the trailer, and a wheelbarrow full of cheap beer and boxed wine

Me, Whitney, and Joanie (last names omitted to protect the innocent!) complete with candy cigarettes in hand, bad make-up, wads of gum in mouths, and classy overalls!

Twinkie, zinger, snoball, ding-dong, donut, White Trash cake!

Our next Progressive is this Friday and the theme is Jamaican. Appetizers will be at our house and even though hosts are not required to cook, obviously, I still do. One of the dishes I plan to make Jamaican Beef Dumplings. I found an amazing price on a pot roast at the store today and decided it would be perfect to use for the shredded beef. I cooked up the roast for dinner and will now use the rest of the beef for the dumplings, that recipe will post in a couple of days.

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Different fats and oils have different uses. Each performs best within a certain range of temperature. Some are made for high-heat cooking, while others have intense flavors that are best enjoyed only lightly heated or uncooked and straight from the bottle drizzled on food or used in vinaigrettes.

As with many Asian recipes, today’s calls for peanut oil. Especially in stir-fry, peanut oil is the fat of choice. It has a higher smoke point than many other oils and lends a light peanut flavor that complements so many Asian-inspired dishes. The smoke point of an oil or fat is the temperature at which it gives off smoke when heated.

Other important considerations are food allergies and the type of fat the oil contains; saturated, polyunsaturated, or monounsaturated. Here are the differences, straight from the American Heart Association.

“Saturated fat:  Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol. Saturated fat is found mostly in foods from animals and some plants. Foods from animals include beef, beef fat, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, milk, cheeses, and other dairy products made from whole and 2 percent milk. All of these foods also contain dietary cholesterol. Foods from plants that contain saturated fat include coconut, coconut oil, palm oil, palm kernel oil, and cocoa butter.

Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats: Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are the two unsaturated fats. They’re found in many fish, seeds, nuts, and oils from plants. Some examples of foods that contain these fats include salmon, trout, herring, avocados, olives, walnuts, and liquid vegetable oils such as soybean, corn, safflower, canola, olive, and sunflower.”
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“Next to music, there is nothing that lifts the spirits and strengthens the soul more than a good bowl of chili.” Harry James (1916-1983) band leader and trumpeter.

OK, I wouldn’t go quite that far; to say that nothing lifts the spirits more, but just like most people, I do enjoy a spicy and steaming bowl of chili. There are more chili recipes, and really great chili at that, than one can count. Chili is a truly American dish with so many great variations; with and without beans, mild to very hot and spicy, vegetarian, or made with any type of meat imaginable. Hope you enjoy this chunky beef version… until you have time to try it out, one more quote from a famous chili-loving American.

“Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili.” Alleged dying words of Kit Carson (1809-1868), Frontiersman, and Mountain Man.
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Isn’t it strange how sometimes you go out for dinner and you are drawn to order the same thing at one restaurant and then another?  Recently, that item for me has been candied pecans. I use candied pecans often at home as well, but there is always something a little different about the ones I get while eating out. I finally asked a chef friend, what the difference was. He informed me that restaurants often first candy the nuts and then fry them. That makes sense since I often wondered how their pecans were so much more “toasted” than mine. If you would rather not fry the nuts, just go to this previous post for candied almonds, and substitute pecans for the almonds.

You may be able to find balsamic glaze at the grocery store, I know that Trader Joe’s carried it at one time, not sure if they still do, but it is easy to make at home and easy to store extra for use again later.  I served this salad to three men last night, and in their honor, since they are “manly men”, this is now referred to as a “manly man” salad!
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I’m still on a bit of a high after the Arizona Cardinals won the NFC West title yesterday. While researching area foods for the post for yesterday’s game in Detroit, I not only found the Chop Salad, but also this tasty and famous steak sauce – a Detroit favorite. It brings out the best in beef and adds a spicy punch of flavor.

The Flat Iron Steak, also known as the top blade steak, has been a popular restaurant menu item for the past few years and is increasingly becoming available in grocery stores. It was developed at the University of Florida. The researchers wanted to find a way to use a waste cut of beef from the shoulder of the cow. Though a flavorful and relatively tender cut of meat, the top blade roast has a serious flaw in its center; an impossibly tough piece of connective tissue running through the middle.

The researchers developed a method for cutting and presenting the steak, and wound up with an amazing cut of beef, a nearly perfect steak for the grill. The Flat Iron, named because it looks like an old-fashioned metal flat iron, is uniform in thickness and rectangular in shape. The only variation to the original roast is the cut into the middle of the steak where the connective tissues have been removed.

The Flat Iron is similar in flavor and texture to Skirt and Flank steaks and is best grilled over medium-high heat. For this particular recipe, we are using a grill pan so that we can gather drippings from the meat. Enjoy!
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Do you know anyone who doesn’t like lasagna? I certainly don’t! It’s right up there with hamburgers, spaghetti, and mac and cheese as the all-time family favorites. All those classics have been posted here already, it is now lasagna’s turn.

Toasted and skinned hazelnuts are used in the pesto. To learn how to do this procedure, either go to the Tip Index at the left and look under “Hazelnuts” or click on this link.
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Nancy, Zada, and I have been having a fun couple of days catching up, swimming (Zada), watching Disney videos (Zada and us mom’s too, sometimes), and just hanging out.  Nancy and her husband, Ethan, have lived on a sailboat in Southern California for the past 15 years! They began a grand sailing adventure with Zada in December 2008.  The boat and Ethan are currently in San Carlos, Mexico, and the girls will be joining him on Thursday to continue their trip. They’ve been state-side for the past couple of months waiting out the hurricane season. The next ports of call are the South Pacific and New Zealand!  You too can follow their grand adventures on their blog which is on my blogroll at the right under “Super Non-Cooking Stuff” – “Sailing with Smith & Jones”.  That’s my name for their site because it’s Ethan Smith and Nancy Jones, and I just adored the old TV show, Alias Smith and Jones... remember that?  In their honor for dinner tonight – as in “Smith and Jones” we have … East and West…
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At one time, flank steak was considered to be a poor man’s meat, since the cut it considerably tougher than other cuts of beef. The cost of flank steak has risen considerably over the past 3 decades. In the 1970’s flank steak retailed for about 79 cents per pound, now it is well over $6 per pound, when not on sale. The cause? Fajitas! Once fajitas became popular, so did flank steak and strip steak. Both are very flavorful cuts and contain almost no fat.  It is long, thin, and full of tough connective tissue. For these reasons, flank steak is usually marinated before being broiled or grilled whole. Because it is tough, you usually slice it thinly on a diagonal across or against the grain to sever the tough fibers and make the flavorful beef chewable. Flank steak is also used in stir-fry dishes as you will find with this quick and easy meal.

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This versatile parsley sauce can be used on a variety of dishes, including grilled meats, poultry, and seafood. It is also great tossed with cherry tomatoes or any type of grilled or roasted vegetables.  Keep it on hand to liven up any dish you’re finding a bit bland.

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