Studio711.com – Ben Martens

This one is a classic from my childhood. Mom always made it in a pie pan, but I love it so much that I calculated the volume of a pie pan and expanded the recipe to fit perfectly in a 9×13 pan. So it no longer looks like a pie but I’ll still call it that. This isn’t quite how Mom used to make it, but I think she’ll approve of my modifications.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1/2 diced onion
• 5 eggs
• 2 1/4 cups milk
• 1 1/4 cup Bisquick
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 4-5 strips of bacon, cooked and chopped
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

• Grease or spray a 9/13 pan and preheat the oven to 450.
• Cook ground beef over medium heat along with the onion.
• Beat milk, Bisquick, eggs, salt and pepper until smooth
• Pour the Bisquick mixture into a pan along with the meat, onion, and bacon.
• Sprinkle with cheddar cheese
• Bake about 30 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean
• Serve with ketchup

I used to work with a guy from the Caribbean who made fantastic hot sauce. I haven’t gotten any hot sauce from him lately, but he did give him his (very vague) recipe. Logan, Andy, Tim and I decided to spend an afternoon trying to make our own hot sauce. Thankfully we were smart enough to do it outside on the side burner of the grill to avoid turning the house into a warzone.

Our first attempt used an equal mixture (by weight) of unseeded habaneros and papaya. It was HOT. Logan named this one “Devil’s Tears.” For our second attempt, we dialed back the peppers into a 3 to 1 mixture and included some mangoes with the papaya. That one is still quite hot, but if you enjoy hot sauces, it’s not too crazy to eat. Logan named that one “Agent Orange.”

We ended up with a lot of hot sauce between the four of us, but I think we’ll convene again at some point to try and make it even better.

The recipe that follows is for Agent Orange. If you want to try Devil’s tears then just adjust the weight of fruit to peppers.

Ingredients

• 3lb 10oz papaya and mango (2 papayas and 3 mangoes)
• 15.5 oz unseeded habaneros
• 6 tsp minced garlic
• 3 tsp ground cumin
• 1.5 tsp dried mustard
• 6 tsp salt
• Vinegar

Directions

• Seed the fruit and remove it from the skin.
• Wear gloves! Chop the habaneros.
• Combine fruit, peppers and spices.
• Add vinegar until it almost reaches the top of the mixture.
• Boil slowly until soft (30-45 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
• Blend and store

Yield: 18 4oz jars

Tim and Chelsea have an amazing Mexican meal. They sent me the recipe, but they do it so well, I didn’t want to just copy them exactly. So instead I took pieces of their meal and changed it up a bit. The end result is something that makes my mouth water just typing this out. It’s a lot of work, but I think you’ll find that it’s worth it. And if you’re really pressed for time, there are plenty of places where you could take shortcuts.

Mexican Rice
You could make your own but I cheat and make this from a box/packet. Alternatively you could make some sticky rice with cilantro and lime juice.

Refried Beans

Ingredients

• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can refried beans
• 2 pieces of cooked bacon

Directions

• Combine refried beans and drained pinto beans. Add two pieces cooked bacon and allow to simmer over low heat.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp diced, seeded jalapeno
• 1 tbsp diced onion
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup diced, seeded tomato
• 2 tsp fresh lime juice
• Salt & pepper

Directions

• Combine!

Guacamole

Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados
• 2 tbsp diced, seeded jalapeno
• 2 tbsp diced onion
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup diced, seeded tomato
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• Salt & pepper

Directions

• Put it all in a bowl and mix it up. I use a fork to smash the avocado.

Marinade

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup cumin seeds
• 5 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups olive oil
• 2 bunches cilantro (leaves and stems)

Directions

• Toast the cumin seeds in a medium saute pan over medium-low heat for 5 minutes, or until fragrant.
• In a blender, combine the cumin seeds, jalapenos, garlic, pepper, lime juice, and salt. Pulse the blender to finely chop ingredients. Add the oil and cilantro and puree until smooth.

Grilled Steak Burritos

Ingredients

• 4 burrito size flour tortillas
• 1 pound top sirloin
• 1 cup shredded cheese
• Sour cream

Directions

• Make the marinade. Lightly score both sides of the meat with a knife so that the marinade will penetrate. Place the meat in a large plastic bag or bowl, pour in the marinade, and coat well. Marinate in the refrigerator for 24 to 48 hours.
• Grill the steak.
• When it’s done, pull it off the grill and cut it into thin slices. You may want to cut the steak perpendicular to the slices too so they are smaller and easier to eat.
• Have each person prepare their burrito (no guac yet though!). Place the rolled burritos back on the grill. Grill until golden brown on both sides.
• Top with guacamole and sour cream. Serve with rice and beans on the side or inside the burrito.

My parents came out for a visit this past weekend. While they were here, I thought it would be fun to attempt some food in the dutch oven. Now that we have an actual back yard, I can try it at home instead of only when we go camping. I wasn’t confident enough to make the main course in it, so we decided to try dessert instead. The recipe is pretty simple. Mix up chocolate cake from a box (including the oil and eggs), add chocolate chips, and line the 12” oven with foil. 6 coals on the bottom and 10 on the top for 30-35 minutes is supposed to result in delicious cake if you rotate it every 10 minutes.

After following the directions, I ended up with mushy chocolate. Part way through cooking, I thought I might end up needing more heat so I got some more charcoal started and added it in after 30 minutes. It took almost a full 60 minutes with a lot more charcoal than the recipe called for, but we ended up with a surprisingly delicious cake! A bunch of the chips fell to the bottom creating kind of a crunchy crust. There was one tiny burned spot right in the center of the oven, but otherwise, you couldn’t tell that it wasn’t baked in a normal oven. We let it cool, added some chocolate frosting, and then enjoyed it!

P.S. Next time I think I’ll probably skip the wood underneath the charcoal table, but I was just super nervous about somehow leaving heat marks in the concrete the very first time I have any kind of fire back there.

P.P.S. Wondering why I needed that table at all? Charcoal on dirt loses a lot of heat into the ground. Charcoal on the pavement would have been ok but it would have definitely left burn marks. So that table is a great way to contain the charcoal and reflect the heat upwards.

P.P.P.S. If you ever need to start charcoal outside of a grill, find yourself a charcoal chimney! In a grill I think there are easier solutions like straight lighter fluid and a match or an electric charcoal starter.

Jay sent me a recipe and said it was so awesome that I had to make it. Since he rarely sends me recipes, I figured I’d give it a shot.

Part way through the cooking process, my noise started to burn. Then I looked over at Tyla and her eyes were watering and her whole face was red. The chili ended up being spicier than I normal make it but still delicious.

When I mentioned it to Jay he said, “Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that I didn’t use the jalapenos.” Thanks.

The side dish you see in the photo is something Tyla made that she calls “zucchizzas.” It’s sliced zucchini with pizza sauce and mozzarella baked under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Pretty good!

Ingredients

• 8 Cups fat free, reduced sodium chicken broth

• 1 Onion, finely chopped

• 8 Portions chicken breast (about 2 pounds)
• 2 Packages Knorr Roasted Chicken Gravy Mix
• 3 Cans (7 ounces each) mild diced green chilies

• 6 Cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 Jalapeños, seeded and chopped
• 1 Can (28 ounces) white hominy, drained
• 8 (6-inch) flour tortillas

• 1 Tomato, diced

• 1/2 Cup fat free sour cream

Directions

1. In a large pot, combine chicken broth, onion and chicken breasts. Heat to boiling over high heat. Then reduce heat to low and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, about 20 minutes. Remove chicken from the broth and set aside to cool.
2. Use whisk to blend and gravy mix into the broth. Then add chilies, garlic, cilantro, cumin, jalapeños and hominy. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; then reduce heat to low. Shred the cooked chicken by pulling it apart with two forks, and add it back into the broth. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
3. Warm flour tortillas by placing them between two damp paper towels and microwaving on high for 45 seconds.
4. Spoon a portion of the green chili (about 1 1/2cups) into each bowl, top with a spoonful of diced tomato and a tablespoon of sour cream.
5. Fold a warm tortilla, and place it beside the bowl of chili for dipping. Serve and enjoy!

As our snowstorm dragged on last week, the pantry started getting thin. Thankfully we’re only a half mile walk from the grocery store, but what fun is that? I decided to invent some dinner. Since they were calling the storm “snowmaggedon”, I decided to call this “snowmaghetti.” The picture is atrocious, but that’s kind of the point. It doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as it tastes good and you can use what you already have in the pantry. So here’s how I made it, but when you make this, you’re required to experiment!

Ingredients

• 1lb of ground beef
• 1lb of chicken
• 1 bag of frozen broccoli
• 1 can of corn
• 1 can of mushrooms
• 1 can of cream of celery soup
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• Cheddar cheese
• 1 box of whole wheat elbow macaroni

Directions

• Cook the meat until it’s done.
• Coat 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray and then put in the meat, veggies, and soup. Top with cheddar cheese.
• Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes
• Meanwhile, cook the macaroni according to the directions on the box
• Let the dish cool for a few minutes after removing it from the oven so it’s not quite so soupy.
• Serve the mixture on top of the macaroni.

It was surprisingly delicious! The one thing I’ll probably change next time is only using one kind of meat. I wanted to go straight chicken, but we only had one chicken breast in the house.

If you attempt something like this, let me know what you did to improve it. If you feel like Jake and Eddie from Earnest Goes to Camp then you’re doing it right!

I tried making baked mac and cheese a few weeks ago and it turned out gross. I found a new recipe that was supposed to be healthier. We changed it a bit by using broccoli and tomatoes instead of spinach and it was fantastic! I’ve included that change in the recipe. You’re supposed to do a bread crumb topping, but I read that can get mushy if you refrigerate leftovers so I topped with some extra cheese instead.

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs, (see Tip)

• 2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1 package of frozen broccoli thawed

• 1 can of fire roasted diced tomatoes

• 3 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided

• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 4 cups shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

• 2 cup low-fat cottage cheese

• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 16 ounces (4 cups) whole-wheat elbow macaroni, or penne

Directions

• Put a large pot of water on to boil. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Mix breadcrumbs, oil and paprika in a small bowl.
• Heat 3 cups milk in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until steaming. Whisk remaining 1/2 cup milk and flour in a small bowl until smooth; add to the hot milk and cook, whisking constantly, until the sauce simmers and thickens, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Cheddar until melted. Stir in cottage cheese, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Cook pasta for 4 minutes, or until not quite tender. (It will continue to cook during baking.) Drain and add to the cheese sauce; mix well. Spread half the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the broccoli and tomatoes on top. Top with the remaining pasta; sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
• Bake the casserole until bubbly and golden, 25 to 30 minutes.

For Father’s Day, I brought the ingredients for a bacon log over to Don’s house and we set to work. This time we added crumbled, cooked bacon in the middle of the log and a rub on the outside of the log. The real improvement was that Don cooked it for three hours in his smoker. We placed the log on top of aluminum foil and poked holes in the foil for the grease to drain out. The last time we made this, the log boiled in the grease and made it soggy. The end result was delicious!

The Bacon Explosion recipe has been on my list for a long time. This weekend, I finally witnessed its splendor in person. After a long hike on Saturday, we all ended up back at Tim and Chelsea’s house. Stephanie created some bacon and cheese patties to top the burgers and I made a smaller version of the Bacon Explosion.

I started by creating a bacon weave. In the middle of that, I flattened about 2/3 pound of mild Italian sausage and then placed three slices of cheddar on top of the sausage. I rolled it all together, covered it in BBQ sauce and put it in the oven. The recipe says 225 for 3 hours but we didn’t have that long so we attempted to cook it at 375 for about an hour. The internal temps got well over the 165 they recommend so we called it done and chowed down.

Delicious. I’m pretty confident that if any human ate the entire thing, they would die within 7 minutes of their last bite.

Do NOT bake this on a flat cookie sheet. You’re going to end up with a LOT of grease in the pan! The next time I make this (and there will be a next time), I’ll cover the pan in aluminum foil. I think we might have ruined one of Chelsea’s pans in the process. Secondly, I’d see if I could put some sort of rack on top of the foil-covered pan so that the log isn’t cooking right in the grease.

And since I’m sure someone will comment about this if I don’t put it right in the post, yes, this actually made me drool. Chelsea was watching me as I pulled it out of the oven. I carefully cut it with the knife and a big ball of drool dropped out of my mouth onto the pan. (Luckily it was right on the edge away from all the food.) What can I say? It looked delicious!

The recipe I linked to in the first paragraph has a lot better pictures than the ones I took so feel free to peruse there if you need some more bacon in your jpeg.