The Amazing Race: Boston Baked Beans

Inspiration:
The Amazing Race 17! Racers will take off from Boston tonight- can't wait.
Recipe from The New Basics Cookbook


Ingredients:

• 1 pound dried navy or Great Northern beans
  
• 8 ounces slab or thick-cut bacon, cut into 1/4" pieces
  
• 1 cup chopped onion
  
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
  
• 2 cups ketchup
  
• 6 tablespoons maple syrup
  
• 6 tablespoons dark molasses
  
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Rinse and pick through the beans. Soak them overnight in a large pot of water.
   Rinse the soaked beans well under cold water and place them in a heavy saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until tender, 45 minutes to an hour. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid.
   
2. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
   
3. Place a 2-quart flameproof casserole or dutch oven over medium heat and saute bacon until slightly crisp and fat is rendered, about five minutes. Add the onions and garlic, cooking until it's wilted, about 5 minutes.
   
4. Add the brown sugar and stir over medium-low heat until it has dissolved, about five minutes. Stir in the ketchup, syrup, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper. Add the drained beans and mix well.
   
5. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake, stirring occasionally, for 2 1/2 hours. Make sure you scrape the bottom when you stir.
   
6. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved bean liquid, cover, and bake another 30 minutes. Remove the cover and bake, stirring once, until the sauce is thick and syrupy, another 10-15 minutes.
   
7. Serve hot.

Notes:
Boston Baked Beans have an interesting history. From what I've read, the Puritans would slowly cook beans on Saturday evenings and consume them, still hot, on Sundays, their Sabbath, when they were unable to work due to their religion. Traditional Boston Baked Beans recipes use molasses, as molasses was widely available due to Boston's rum trade. (You learn something new every day.) And do you know about the Boston Molasses Disaster? You can't make this stuff up.

Tim loves baked beans, but I'd never attempted them from scratch. It's quite the process, both taking longer and being more expensive than buying canned. However, it isn't a lot of work, as you can just throw the pot in the oven and go watch some football. :)

Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

Next week on The Amazing Race 17: London, England.

The Easiest Chicken Chili

Inspiration:
The last week of regular season NFL football
and
Pink Parsley's recipe


Ingredients:

• 4 cans white beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of fat
• 8 ounces Pepper jack cheese, cut into 2-inch cubes
• 2 cups salsa
• Optional garnishes: shredded cheese, sour cream, avocado, sliced green onions, crushed tortilla chips, extra salsa, tabasco
  

Instructions:

1. Combine the beans, cheese, and salsa in a crockpot. Nestle the chicken breasts into the mixture, and cook on low 6-8 hours.
   
2. Remove chicken breasts, shred with a fork, and return to crockpot. Stir to combine, and serve with desired garnishes.

Notes:
I thought that a little more tomato would be good. I'd consider replacing one can of beans with one big can of stewed tomatoes or additional salsa, and I'd maybe add a little cumin. Tim was completely satisfied with the recipe as written. It's so easy, I think he can make it next time!


Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Katie's Bagel Dip

Inspiration:
My friend Katie makes great dips, and she knows Tim LOVES them. When we recently met up for a weekend, she brought along some of her bagel dip. She serves it at breakfast, but it would be a fine appetizer or afternoon snack with a group.


Ingredients:

• 16 oz. sour cream
• 16 oz mayonnaise
• 1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
  (Katie's note: do not use the dip mix)
• 6-7 oz of chopped corned beef or regular beef
  
• bagels
  

Instructions:

1. Mix all together and serve with bagels or pita chips.

Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 9/10

Tim Cooks: Sloppy Buffalo Joes

Inspiration:
Rachael Ray

me: I think I have a recipe you might want to make for lunch.
Tim: Frozen pizza?
me: No, Sloppy Joes.
Tim: I LOVE SLOPPY JOES.
me: I know. These are a bit different. They are a buffalo chicken Sloppy Joe, from Rachael Ray.
Tim: Sigh. Do I have to listen to her yammering?
me: No, I printed out the recipe. I'll even chop the veggies.
Tim: Good.
me: :)


Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 pounds ground chicken
  
• 1 carrot, peeled and chopped or grated
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup hot sauce (recommended: Frank's Red Hot)
• 1 cup tomato sauce
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 8 good quality burger rolls, split and toasted
• 1 cup blue cheese crumbles
• 2 large dill pickles, chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat a large skillet with extra-virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add meat and break it up with wooden spoon, cook 5 to 6 minutes. Add in carrots, celery, onions and garlic, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, cook 7 to 8 minutes more. In a bowl combine the vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire, hot sauce, tomato sauce and stock. Pour into the pan and stir to combine. Simmer a few minutes more. Pile sloppy Buffalo filling onto buns and top with blue cheese and chopped pickles.

Liz's Notes: We made a half recipe.
Tim's Notes: Add some Tabasco if you like spicy food.

Liz's Rating: 8.5/10
Tim's Rating: 9.5/10

And here's Tim's artistic shot:

Reuben Dip

Inspiration:
A recipe from a local cookbook


Ingredients:

• 1/3 pound deli corned beef, sliced into very thin strips
• 1 can sauerkraut, drained
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 1/2 cup Thousand Island salad dressing
• 1/4 cup prepared horseradish, regular or creamy
• cocktail rye bread, toasted
  

Instructions:

1. Mix all ingredients and pour into pie plate or shallow baking dish. Bake at 325 degrees until bubbly. Serve with toasted cocktail rye bread.

Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10

Milwaukee in a Bowl: Brat, Beer, and Cheese Soup

Inspiration:

Bratwurst from the Farmer's Market and a recipe from the Penzey's spice catalog.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 cup finely chopped carrots
  
• 1 cup finely chopped celery
  
• 1 cup finely chopped onions
  
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  
• 1 pound potatoes, peeled and diced
  
• 6 cups chicken broth
  
• 12 ounces beer
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic power
  
• 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
  
• 1/2 cup half and half
  
• 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  
• 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  
• 3 cooked bratwurst, sliced

Instructions:

1. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium. Stir in carrot, celery and onion - cook until very tender, stirring often, about 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute.
   
   
2. Add potatoes, broth and beer - bring mixture to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Season with garlic powder, mustard powder and cayenne pepper, along with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
   
   
3. Meanwhile, fry the bratwurst slices until browned on both sides.
   
   
4. Stir milk and Worcestershire into the soup. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in the cheese until melted and smooth. Remove roughly 2 cups of vegetables, along with some of the liquid, and place into a food processor - process until smooth. Pour back into the soup and place pot back over low heat. Stir in cooked bratwurst - heat until the soup has warmed through, about 5 more minutes.
   

Recipe Notes:
"Milwaukee in a bowl. Our hometown is known for many things, but these three are our favorites, especially when they are combined in this heavenly soup. If you can't find brats in your area, you can use kielbasa, or even bacon."

My Notes:
Yum.

Tim's Rating: 9.5/10 "The perfect food to have during a Packer game."

Liz's Rating: 9/10

Spicy Pork Po'Boys

Inspiration:
Food & Wine

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground pork
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 medium kosher dill pickles, very finely chopped
• 1/2 small shallot, minced
• Four 8-inch soft baguettes, split
• 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce (I despise iceberg lettuce, so I substituted mixed greens.)
  
• 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
• Hot sauce, for serving

Instructions:

1. Preheat a grill pan. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix the ground pork with the paprika, thyme, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper. Form the pork into twelve 1/2-inch-thick patties. Grill the pork patties over moderate heat, turning once, until they are cooked through, about 8 minutes total.
2. Meanwhile, mix the mayonnaise with the Dijon mustard, pickles and shallot and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mayonnaise on both sides of the baguettes.
3. Place 3 pork patties on the bottom of each baguette and top with the lettuce, tomato and a few splashes of hot sauce. Close the sandwiches and serve.

Food & Wine's suggested beverage: "Juicy, blackberry-rich Southern Australian Shiraz: 2006 Jim Barry The Lodge Hill."

My Notes: This was really easy! The pork patties did not taste that much different than a spicy pork sausage blend, so you could buy bulk sausage if you want a super-quick dinner. Tim loved the sauce so much, he gave this recipe an 11 out of 10.

Liz's Rating: 9/10
Tim's Rating: 11/10

One-Minute Salsa

Inspiration:
A Cook's Illustrated recipe featured in my CSA newsletter
as well as tomatoes, serrano pepper, onion, garlic, and cilantro from my CSA. (Everything except lime, salt, and ground pepper- I love it when that happens.)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 small serano or jalapeño chile or 1/2 chipotle chile in adobo sauce, minced
• 1/4 small red onion , peeled and root end removed
• 1 small clove garlic , minced or pressed
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
  
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• pinch ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons lime juice from 1 lime
• 2 small tomatoes (about 3/4 pound), ripe, each cored and cut into eighths, or one (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
  

Instructions:

1. Pulse all ingredients except tomatoes in food processor until minced, about five 1-second pulses, scraping sides of bowl as necessary. Add tomatoes and pulse until roughly chopped, about two 1-second pulses.
   
   To Make Ahead:
   The salsa can be refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 2 days. Season with additional lime juice and salt before serving.

Notes:
This took me five minutes, not one minute to make. However, it's worth it because it's SO GOOD. Next time I will add an entire serrano pepper, because we love spicy food.

Liz's Rating: 9/10
Tim's Rating: 9/10

Sausage and Sauerkraut Pizza

Inspiration:
We have sauerkraut pizza at the Vermilion Club in Tower, MN every time we visit my aunt and uncle's cabin. It sounds like a weird combination, but it's really good! I think the leftovers are even better. Vegetarian sauerkraut pizza would be tasty as well.


Ingredients/Instructions:

• pizza dough (see link for instructions)
  
• 3 cups bread flour
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 1/3 cups lukewarm water
  
• pizza sauce (just mix together)
  
• 1 small can tomato sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• toppings
  
• 2 cups "pizza blend" shredded cheese
• 3/4 lb Italian sausage, browned and crumbled
• 1 can sauerkraut, well drained
  

Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 9.5/10

Black and White Bean Dip

Inspiration:
Are you ready for some football?!?!? We wanted to have some dip while watching Brett Favre make his regular-season debut with the Jets. Sigh, we miss having you as a Packer, Favre.
I adapted this recipe from Annie's Eats, originally from My Kitchen Café. Check out Annie's blog-- it's one of my favorites.


Ingredients:

• 1 can black beans

• 1 can white beans

• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
  

• 7 oz. hot salsa (I recommend Habañero Lime)
  

• 2 cups shredded co-jack cheese

• 1 cup chopped tomatoes

• garlic salt to taste

• cilantro to garnish
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Rinse and drain both cans of beans. Squeeze the liquid out of tomatoes before chopping so the dip doesn’t turn runny. Put all ingredients except cilantro in a bowl and mix together. Grease a shallow baking dish before spooning in the bean mixture. Sprinkle a little cheese on top.
2. Bake for 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and the dip is heated through. Remove from the oven and top with cilantro.
3. Serve with tortilla chips.

Notes:
We decided to try this dip and compare it to the bean dip that Tim rated an 11/10. Tim's brother had tried both and said we should give it a shot. My brother-in-law and his girlfriend recommended their additions and substitutions: adding in a can of diced green chilies and substituting pepperjack cheese. I think that would taste delicious! We had co-jack cheese on hand and very spicy salsa, so we tried that instead.

Tim's Rating: 8.5/10 ("I think I prefer hot bean dip to be made with refried beans, but this was still good.")
Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

Wisconsin-Style Bratwurst

Inspiration:
A love for bratwurst due to our Wisconsin upbringing.

Ingredients:

• fresh bratwurst
  (not pre-cooked; preferably from a local butcher)
• hard rolls
• spicy mustard
  (my favorite is Beer'n Brat Mustard)
  
• 24 ounces beer
  (preferably Miller, since these are Wisconsin-style brats, but really any beer but Budweiser!)
• large sweet onion, halved and sliced into 1/4 inch thick slices
  
• sauerkraut
  (preferably bagged or Frank's Kraut)

Instructions:

1. Prepare coals in a charcoal grill.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot on medium-low heat, simmer/boil brats and onion in beer (add water to cover if necessary) until brats are cooked through.
3. Continue to boil onions in beer after removing the brats.
   
4. Grill brats until nicely browned.
5. Serve in hard rolls with mustard, onions, and sauerkraut.

Notes:
In a discussion on a cooking board I frequent, we shared different bratwurst preparation styles. Some people, like me, prefer to boil the brats in beer and onion prior to grilling. Other people swear by grilling the raw brats first, then soaking in beer and onions before serving, because it soaks up more beer flavor that way. Finally, some people add green pepper to the beer-onion mixture. In my opinion, green peppers do NOT belong with bratwurst! Italian sausages, maybe, but not bratwurst.

I hope you enjoy our method.

Spicy Garlic Wings with Blue Cheese Dip

Inspiration:
My love for Buffalo Wild Wings' Spicy Garlic Wings
This sauce recipe
These wing and blue cheese recipes


Spicy Garlic Wing Sauce:
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Frank's cayenne pepper
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons water
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Combine all ingredients except egg yolk, water, and cornstarch for sauce of your choice in a small saucepan. Heat sauce over medium heat until boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and allow it to cool, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
2. While sauce cools, vigorously whisk egg yolk with 2 teaspoons water in a medium bowl for about 2 minutes or color is pale yellow. Whisk in cornstarch until dissolved.
   
3. Drizzle sauce mixture into egg yolk mixture in a steady stream while rapidly whisking. This will create a thick, creamy emulsion that will prevent oil from separating.
   
4. Cover sauce and chill until needed.

_______________
Baked Buffalo Wings:

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs chicken wings (about 12 wings)

Instructions:

1. Cut off wing tips (discard or reserve for other use such as making stock). Cut wings at the joint. Put chicken wing pieces in a plastic bag. Set aside.
2. Pour all but 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the chicken pieces in the plastic bag. (Reserve sauce for coating after the pieces come out of the oven.) Seal bag and let marinate at room temperature for half an hour. When marinating is finished, drain marinade and discard bag.
3. Place wing pieces on the rack of a broiler pan. Broil 4 to 5 inches from the heat for about 10 minutes on each side, until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Remove from oven and baste with reserved marinade.
   

___________

Blue Cheese Dip:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sour cream
  
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
  
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  
• 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar or white vinegar
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions:

1. Combine dip ingredients - sour cream, mayonnaise, blue cheese, vinegar, and garlic - in a blender or food processor. Blend or pulse until smooth. Cover and chill up to a week.
2. Serve with wings and celery sticks.
   

Notes: I was not impressed with the baked buffalo wings. The skin was not crispy. Since I don't want to buy a deep fryer, I probably won't make wings again at home. The wing sauce was delicious, and I will definitely try it with another recipe in the future. The blue cheese dip was so good-- would be a delicious salad dressing too.

Tim's Ratings: Wing Sauce: 9/10; Wings: 7/10; Blue Cheese Dip: 9/10
Liz's Ratings: Wing Sauce: 9.5/10; Wings: 6/10; Blue Cheese Dip: 10/10
Mom's Rating: Blue Cheese Dip: 10/10

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Inspiration:
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar


• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper


• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin


• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder


• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro


• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained


• 8-10 ounces frozen sweet corn


• Tortilla chips
  
• Optional: bell pepper, red onion or scallions
  

Instructions:

1. In a small bowl, mix together balsamic vinegar, oil, salt, sugar, black pepper, cumin, and chili powder.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together black beans and corn.
3. Toss with vinegar and oil dressing.
4. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.
5. Garnish with cilantro, and serve with tortilla chips.

Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 10/10

Tim Cooks: Pepperoni Rolls

Inspiration:
Modified from this recipe on the blog Sweet Tea in Texas, which came from Michelle's blog, Sugar and Spice.

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf refrigerated bread dough
• turkey pepperoni
• shredded mozzarella
• butter
• Italian seasoning
• garlic salt
• olive oil
• dried parsley (optional)
  
• pizza sauce
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat over to 350F.
2. Take the dough out of the container & lay it flat. Cut it in half & roll out two rectangles. Spread a little butter over the dough. Sprinkle that with some Italian seasoning & garlic salt. Layer the pepperoni on the dough, and cover with mozzarella cheese.
3. Roll up lengthwise and seal the ends and seam. Place seam-side down in a baking pan.
4. Brush a small amount of olive oil over the top; sprinkle with dried parsley.
   
5. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Serve with pizza sauce for dipping.
   

Suggested Beverage: Red Wine

Tim's Rating: 9/10
Liz's Rating: 8.5/10

Tim's Queso

Inspiration: March Madness

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Velveeta, cut into chunks
• 1 can cheddar cheese soup
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1/4 pound browned ground beef (optional)
• Tortilla chips
  

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients in 2-quart saucepan.
2. Stir until melted.
3. Serve with chips.
   

Tim's Rating: 10/10
Liz's Rating: 6/10

Hot Bean Dip

(not my photo)

Inspiration:
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 (16 ounce) cans refried beans
• 1/2 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 5 drops hot pepper sauce
• 2 tablespoons dried parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• Tortilla chips
  

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, blend the cream cheese and sour cream.
   
3. Mix in the refried beans, taco seasoning, hot pepper sauce, parsley, green onions, 1/2 the Cheddar cheese and 1/2 the Monterey Jack cheese.
   
4. Transfer the mixture to an 8x12 inch baking dish, and top with remaining Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses.
5. Bake in the preheated oven 20 to 30 minutes, until cheese is slightly browned.

Tim's Rating: 11/10

Beer Dip

Inspiration:
allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 (1 ounce) package ranch dressing mix
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup beer (preferably pale ale or stout)
• Pretzel rods
  

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and dressing mix.
   
2. Stir in Cheddar cheese, and then beer. The mixture will appear mushy.
   
3. Cover bowl, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, overnight if possible.
4. Serve with pretzel rods.
   

Tim's Rating: ?/10
Liz's Rating: 8/10