Griffin Contracting - Construction Blog

Grilled Chicken & Sweet Potatoes

thehightechhandyman — Sun, 13 Jun 2010 23:24:48 +0000

Ingredients

3 Chicken Breasts – boneless / skinless [ cut into 1-inch cubes ]

2 Sweet Onions [ cut into chunks ]

4 Sweet Potatoes [ peeled and cut into 1 inch coins ]

2 tbsp Water

¼ cup Olive Oil

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce

2 Garlic Cloves [ minced ]

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/4 tsp Salt

Procedure

1. Place the sweet potato coins in a dish and cover with water – microwave on high until they become soft (~ 20 minutes)

2. Remove any visible fat from the chicken breasts and cut into strips

3. Quarter the onion and separate into individual pieces

4. To create the marinade combine the water, olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic cloves, pepper, and salt and whisk well

5. Place the onions and potatoes in a large zip-top bag and add half of the marinade – add the chicken and the other half of the marinade to a seperate zip-top bag (place both bags in the refrigerator for an hour or overnight, if desired)

6. Grill the chicken, onions, and sweet potatoes on a charcoal or gas grill until chicken reaches 180°F – (the sweet potatoes should be soft and the onions caramelized)

Source: Taste of Home

Chocolate Chip Cookies

thehightechhandyman — Wed, 26 May 2010 02:02:18 +0000

Ingredients

1 cup Shortening

½ cup Sugar

1 cup Brown Sugar [packed]

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt

2 cups Ghirardelli or Hershey’s Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 cup Chopped Nuts [optional]

Procedure

1. Combine shortening, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract – mix on high until creamed together

2. Add the eggs to the above mixture and continue to whisk until fluffy

3. In a separate container, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt – whisk well

4. while slowly mixing, add the dry ingredients until consistent cookie dough is formed – if too sticky, add a bit of flour

5. Mix in the chocolate chips while mixing on low speed

6. Portion the dough into tablespoon size blobs and place them on a greased baking sheet

8. Bake at 350°F until puffed and lightly brown

9. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for a minute or two before transferring them to a wire rack.

10. These cookies re-warm well in the microwave for ~15 seconds

Source: Inspired by Hershey’s ChocolateTown Cookies

Chipotle BBQ Sauce

thehightechhandyman — Tue, 25 May 2010 04:15:53 +0000

Ingredients

1 tbsp Vegetable Oil

2 cups Yellow Onion – [ diced ]

10 cloves Garlic – [ minced ]

1 cup Tomato Ketchup

4 Ancho Chiles – [ seeded ]

4 Mexican Dried Chiles – [ seeded ]

3 cups Chicken Stock

½ White Onion – [ diced ]

2 Chipotle Peppers – [ seeded ]

½ Worcestershire Sauce

½ cup strong Coffee

¹⁄_³ cup Brown Sugar – [ packed ]

¼ cup Cider Vinegar

¼ cup Lemon Juice – [ fresh squeezed ]

1½ cup Dijon Mustard

2 tsp Kosher Salt

Procedure

Chipotle Chile Paste

1. Place the Ancho chiles, Mexican chiles, white onion, and 3 cloves of garlic in a large saucepan and cover with the chicken stock

2. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and allow to simmer for ~15 minutes or until chiles become soft

3. Remove from heat and pour into a blender. Blend on low and increase speed until thoroughly puréed

4. Set aside for later use

BBQ Sauce

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and sauté the yellow onion and the remaining garlic in the vegetable oil – (add the garlic when the onion begins to become translucent)

2. Add the chile paste and the ketchup – continuously stir for 4 minutes

3. Add the remainder of the ingredients and allow to simmer for 30-40 minutes – Stir frequently as the sauce thickens to prevent scorching

4. Remove from heat and pour into a blender – Purée thoroughly

5. Store in the refrigerator or freeze for later use

Source: Sharon Cayton via Food Network’s – FoodNation with Bobby Flay, episode “Austin, Texas”

Savory Spice Blend

thehightechhandyman — Mon, 24 May 2010 05:15:08 +0000

Ingredients

1 1/2 tsp dried Oregano Leaves

1 tsp ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Paprika

1/2 tsp ground Ginger

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Black Pepper

Procedure

1. Combine all ingredients and grind thoroughly with a mortar & pestle

2. Store in a tightly sealed jar

Meatsauce

thehightechhandyman — Mon, 24 May 2010 04:48:58 +0000

Ingredients

5 Italian Sausages

2 lbs Ground Sirloin

2 Yellow Onion – [ diced ]

2 green Bell Pepper – [ diced ]

2 cans Crushed Tomatoes – [ Hunt's 28 oz. ]

2 cans Tomato Paste – [ Hunt's 6 oz. ]

¾ cup water

Salt – [ to taste ]

Black Pepper – [ to taste ]

Chili Powder – [ to taste ]

2 tbsp Oregano

Procedure

1. Brown the ground sirloin and sausage in a large stockpot – Crumble to desired size

2. Drain meat well and set aside

3. Dice onion and bell pepper to desired size and sauté until translucent

4. In a large dutch oven, combine all the ingredients and mix well

5. Cover and simmer for 2-3 hours

Source: Patsy Fesperman

Cottage Pie

thehightechhandyman — Mon, 24 May 2010 04:23:51 +0000

Ingredients

1/4 cup Butter

1 cup Onion – [ diced ]

1½ lbs. Ground Sirloin

Salt – [ to taste ]

Black Pepper – [ to taste ]

¼ tsp Savory spice blend

1 cup Brown Gravy

2 cups Mashed Potatoes

Additional Butter

1 cup Cheddar Cheese – [ grated ]

Procedure

1. Brown the ground sirloin, remove from heat and drain in a colander

2. Sauté the onion in a small amount of the butter until lightly browned

3. add the remainder of the butter, ground beef, salt, pepper, and savory – continue to cook for 5 minutes

4. Add the gravy and heat until bubbling (you can prepare this gravy from scratch or use a pre-packaged dry mix)

5. Portion the mixture into ramekins or rarebits

6. Pipe or spoon a liberal amount of mashed potatoes on top of the meat mixture

7. Top with cheddar cheese

8. Bake in a 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are lightly browned

Source: Rose & Crown Pub – Epcot World Showcase (Walt Disney World)

Corn Casserole

thehightechhandyman — Mon, 24 May 2010 03:13:21 +0000

Ingredients

1 box Jiffy^® corn muffin mix

8 oz. can Cream-Style Corn

8 oz. can Whole-Kernel Corn

8 oz. Sour Cream

1 stick Butter or Margerine

2 Eggs – [ beaten ]

Procedure

1. Melt butter and pour into 9×13 baking dish or portion into ramekins

2. Beat the two large eggs

3. in a mixing bowl, combine the muffin mix, cream-style corn, whole-kernel corn, sour cream, and eggs

4. Place the mixture in the baking dish or portion into ramekins

5. Bake at 350F for 40 minute or until the casserole can be probed with a cake tester with no residue

6. Allow to cool and cut into rectangles or circles, using a biscuit cutter.

Source: Patsy Fesperman

Chicken Turnovers

thehightechhandyman — Mon, 24 May 2010 02:10:28 +0000

Ingredients

1 cup Chicken – [ boiled & shredded] or [ canned breast meat, drained ]

1 cup Cheddar Cheese – [ grated ]

¼ cup Celery – [ diced or minced ]

1 tbsp Onion – [ minced ]

¼ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Black Pepper

1 tube Crescent Rolls – [ 8oz. refrigerated reduced-fat ]

Procedure

1. Trim the fat from a medium/large boneless, skinless chicken breast and boil until internal temperature reaches 180°F

2. Shred the chicken using two forks

3. Dice or mince the celery and onion and grate the cheddar cheese

4. In a small bowl, combine the chicken, onion, celery, cheddar, salt, and pepper – mix well

5. Prepare the crescent rolls by separating and laying them out on a baking sheet – roll them out to gain a little more surface area

6. Divide the chicken mixture into eight equal parts and place in the center of each crescent roll

7. Fold over the dough into a neat triangle and seal the edges

8. Bake in a 375°F oven for 13-17 minutes or until golden brown

Source: Light & Tasty Magazine – May 2006, p 59

Crab-Topped Tilapia

thehightechhandyman — Sun, 23 May 2010 22:40:25 +0000

Ingredients

4 Tilapia Filets – [ 5oz. each ]

¼ tsp Black Pepper

¹⁄₈ tsp Salt

¹⁄₃ cup Celery – [ finely chopped ]

2 tbsp Onion – [ finely chopped ]

1 Garlic Clove – [ minced ]

2½ tsp Butter – [ melted ]

2 tsp All-Purpose Flour

¹⁄₈ tsp dried Thyme

¼ cup Milk – [ skim ]

1½ tsp Lemon Juice

³⁄₄ tsp Worcestershire Sauce (or a marinade for chicken)

1 tsp Hot Pepper Sauce

¼ cup Mayonaise – [ reduced fat ]

6 oz. Premium Crabmeat – [ drained ]

4 tbsp Seasoned Bread Crumbs – [ divided ]

Procedure

1. Season the tilapia with the salt and pepper and place in a 13×9x2 baking dish coated with non-stick spray

2. Sauté the celery, onion, and garlic in 2 teaspoons of the butter until translucent – (reserve the remaining half teaspoon of butter)

3. Stir in the flour and thyme until blended

4. Gradually whisk in the milk and bring to a boil – (stir for 2 minutes or until thickened)

6. Stir in the lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, and hot pepper sauce

7. Remove from heat and stir in the mayonaise until blended

8. Stir in crabmeat and 3 tablespoons of the bread crumbs

9. Portion the crabmeat mixture onto the tilapia filets

10. Garnish the crabmeat with the remaining bread crumbs and sprinkle with the remaining butter

11. Cover and bake in a 350°F oven for 18 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork

Source: Light and Tasty Magazine – January 2007, p 07

Brown-Rice Pilaf

thehightechhandyman — Sun, 23 May 2010 21:40:12 +0000

Ingredients

1 cup Brown Rice – [ short grain ]

1 tsp Olive Oil

1 Red Onion – [ a.k.a. purple onion ]

2 cups Chicken Stock

Kosher Salt – [ to taste ]

Black Pepper – [ to taste ]

1 cup Frozen Peas – [ optional ]

½ cup diced carrots – [ optional ]

Scallions, Parsley or other Greens for Garnish

Procedure

1. Soak rice in a large bowl. Stir the rice slowly and remove any foreign particles

2. Chop onion (and carrot if desired) into desired size…julienne, diced or minced

3. Bring a large saucepan to temperature over medium heat. Add olive oil and the onion (and carrots if desired) and sauté until onion is translucent

4. Add the chicken stock and stir to loosen any onion stuck on the bottom of the pan

5. Drain the rice and add it to the saucepan

6. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to simmer

7. Add the frozen peas (if desired)

8. Simmer for 30-45 minutes while stirring frequently

9. Remove from heat and allow to sit, covered, for roughly 10 minutes

10. Fluff rice with forks while working in the salt and pepper

11. Garnish with scallions, parsley, or other desired greens