Collard Greens with Smoked Ham Shank

Hands down, my very favorite vegetable side is collard greens with smoked ham shank! This is such a heart and filling veggie side and has so much depth to the flavor. I like to take two days to make my collard greens so I can actually use the broth I cooked the ham shank in. Letting that broth cool in the fridge for a day really allows the fat to rise to the top so it is easy to scrape off. That way you aren't left with greasy greens.

Collard Greens
Makes 6-8 servings

• Ingredients:
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 head collard greens cleaned and cut into 1"-2" pieces or 1 package pre-cleaned pre-sliced collard greens 
• 1 small onion diced
• 6-7 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp creole or cajun seasoning
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Red pepper flake to taste
• 3 tbsp apple cider vinegar

How to Make Collard Greens Day 1:

1. Combine your ham shank and chicken stock in a large stock pot and bring to a boil. 
2. Cover and turn to low to simmer for 2-3 hours until falling off the bone. 
3. Remove the ham shank from the broth and discard the bone and fat. Shred the additional meat and place in an airtight container over night. 
4. Place the broth in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator overnight as well. 

How to Make Collard Greens Day 2:

1. Remove the broth from the fridge and skim the fat off the top. Set aside. 
2. Drizzle a large stock pot with about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Saute your onion and garlic until your onion is translucent. Add in your creole or cajun seasoning and stir for about 1 minute more. 
3. Add in your broth, then allow to come to a boil. 
4. Add in your collard greens and ham shank and bring to a boil. Season to taste.
5. Reduce to a simmer and allow to cook down for 1.5 to 2 hours. 
6. 15-20 minutes before serving, adjust seasoning as needed and add in the apple cider vinegar. 

You will not be disappointed with this recipe. Hearty, homey, and delicious!

Enjoy!

~H

Brazilian Cheese Bread

There are a couple of restaurants I am just a sucker for an one of those is a Brazilian steakhouse. You know, those places where they cook the meat over an open flame, then carry it around and slice pieces off for you? You usually have a green and red card or stopper to the servers know if you still want meat or if you are just too full? Yeah, those places. I am a sucker for the meats!

One of the best thing about going to a Brazilian steakhouse is the little cheese bread they make. They have a nice light crunchy exterior and this sort of gummy, cheesy interior. Now that I am describing it, they sound strange, but they are really just fantastic.

I have tried for years to master these little bad boys. I have a quick version that I make in a muffin tin - the taste is spot on, but the texture not so much. So, I set out to really master these little cheese balls. I think I have finally done it! I know they are not truly authentic because the flour and cheese are not correct, but they are really close.

Brazilian Cheese Bread
Makes 15 cheese balls

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp whole milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup tapioca flour
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup total of sharp cheddar and parmesan cheese combined

How to Make Brazilian Cheese Bread:

1. Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 
2. Combine the milk, oil, and salt in a medium sauce pan. 
3. Heat ingredients over medium heat until just starting to bubble. 
4. Turn the heat off and quickly mix in all the tapioca flour. You will be left with a really gummy like mixture. 
5. Transfer to a stand mixer and attach the paddle attachment. Mix on medium for 4-5 minutes. 
6. When the dough is cool, add in the egg until combined, then add in the cheese. 
7. Use a small cookie scoop and form 1" to 1.5" balls of dough. Roll them between the palm of your hands until smooth. 
8. Place the balls on a parchment lined cookie sheet and cook for 25-28 minutes. They should have a nice light brown color and still be soft in the middle. 

These are great as a standalone appetizer or as a side with meat, soup, fish, pasta, whatever.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!

~H

Beef Stoganoff

A few weeks back I posted a recipe for a garlic and herb butter prime rib roast and eluded that I would soon be posting a recipe to use up all those leftovers. Well, here you are - Beef Stroganoff or as we call it in our house, Stroggie!

This recipe is pretty versatile in that if you don't use beef, you can certainly substitute chicken and chicken stock. If you are a vegetarian, just substitute in veggie broth and skip the meat altogether. I'll also show you how to make this from scratch without using leftover meat in case you don't have 2 pounds of leftover prime rib on your hand. You know, just in case :)

Lotsa sauce!

Little bit of sauce!

Beef Stroggie
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds of seasoned beef (or chicken) trimmed and cut into 1" cubes (optional)
• 1 package sliced mushrooms washed and cleaned
• 1 small onion diced
• 10 cloves garlic minced
• 1 quart beef stock (or chicken or veggie)
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tbsp Italian seasoning (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup sour cream
• Noodles or potatoes for serving
• Sliced green onions or chives for serving

How to Make Beef Stroggie:

1. Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large pot and heat to medium high. 
2. Brown your meat in batches and set aside. Even if your meat is already cooked, you still need to do this step to lock in the flavor.
3. Add in the onion, garlic, mushrooms and seasonings and saute until the onions start to turn translucent. 
4. Add in the beef stock and bring to a boil.
5. Turn to low and simmer until the stock is reduced to about 2 cups of liquid. 
6. Add in your meat at this point and continue to simmer until you are left with about 1 cup of liquid. It should start to thicken up at this point.
7. Add in the cream and sour cream and turn to medium heat. Bring to a light boil for about 10 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken. 
8. Serve over noodles or potatoes and top with green onions or chives for a bit of freshness.

This is a very rich dish and a little bit goes a long way. Traditional Stroganoff was served over mashed potatoes, but I am a big fan of serving over noodles. Yum, yum, yum! Fat, fat, fat! 

Enjoy!

~H&J

Bacon and Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

I, like every other person my age, grew thinking that Brussels Sprouts were not good. Truth is, we actually just didn't really eat them growing up, but as soon as I had them I loved them. Brussels Sprouts are all the rage now a days. Every trendy restaurant has some sort of variation of this recipe on their menu and has for the past 7 years. Whether they are roasted, pan seared, or deep fried - people just love to combine Brussels and bacon. I have actually even had tempura Brussels - I will say they kind of missed the mark for me, but the restaurant got an A for creativity.

We usually eat this side dish around the holidays and fancy it up with some pancetta vs bacon, but being that it is June and bbq season, I went straight for the thick cut bacon!

Bacon and Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs Brussels Sprouts trimmed and cut in half
• 1/2 lb thick cut bacon cut into small pieces
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Bacon and Balsamic Brussels Sprouts:

1. Add your bacon to a large suate pan heated to medium heat. Render your bacon down low and slow until nice and crispy. 
2. Drain on a paper towel and set aside. 
3. Reserve 1-2 tbsp of the bacon grease in your large saute pan. 
4. Saute the Brussels Sprouts over medium high heat on both sides until nice and brown on each side. Season to taste. 
5. Add in the balsamic vinegar and reduce until nice and thick. 
6. Add in the bacon and serve!

The balsamic in these ends up bringing a nice sweet element as it caramelizes. That combined with the saltiness of the bacon makes the perfect side dish!

Enjoy!

~H

Crock Pot Split Pea Soup

Growing up, my grandparents owned a small cafe in Beaver Utah. It was called the Ponderosa Cafe, but in our family, it was known a just "The Cafe." Each day, my grandpa would make homemade soup. Now, we know I am a soup person and love every variety of soup so I couldn't even chance picking a favorite but Split Pea soup with ham was right up there. I decided to make this one super easy and just throw all the ingredients in the crock put and let it simmer all day. Turned out perfect!

Split Pea Soup

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 bag split peas (16 ounces)
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1-2 cups cubed ham or 1 large ham shank cooked until tender, fat removed, and shredded (optional) 
• 1 medium onion diced
• 4 carrots diced
• 5 stalks celery diced
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp Italian seasoning 
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Crock Pot Split Pea Soup:

1. Combine all ingredients in your crock pot and stir to combine.
2. Cook on low for 8-10 hours until the split peas have broken down and thickened the soup. 

See, how easy was that?!? Soup-er easy! Ok, sorry about that - I am normally not that corny. 

Well, the weather is heating up, so enjoy this one while you can!

~H

Garlic and Herb Butter Rubbed Prime Rib

Ooooohhh...Butter makes everything better! No, but really, butter really does make everything better. Side story - John and I went to Ireland last year and they have the best butter. I am infamous for my butter eating (don't judge), but let's just say I may have taken it to the next level in Ireland. My inner chubby gal was rejoicing.

OK - back on topic. I found an awesome bone in prime rib at our favorite butcher and I just had to roast this bad boy up. I have butter rubbed other meat before then roasted/grilled it and it turned out well, so I decided to use the technique in this recipe as well. John's exact words were "I have never had a better prime rib in my life!" And then he just kept saying it over and over and over again. It was BOMB!

Garlic and Herb Butter Rubbed Prime Rib
Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 5 lb bone in prime rib tied up
• 2 sticks butter softened
• 5 sprigs rosemary minced
• 30 cloves garlic minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

How to Make Garlic Herb Butter Rubbed Prime Rib:

1. An hour before you are ready to cook your prime rib, remove it from the refrigerator. 
2. Combine the butter, garlic, and rosemary and set aside. 
3. Season your prime rib generously with salt and pepper then coat it with the garlic herb butter. 
4. In the meantime, heat your grill (I used the BGE) to 250 degrees using indirect heat. 
5. Add your prime rib to the grill and plan on cooking approximately 35 minutes for every pound.
6. During the last hour of cooking, heat your grill up to 350 degrees. This will help get a really nice crust on the outside. 
7. Once you have hit your desired internal temperature, remove from the grill, tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. 120-125 rare, 130-135 medium rare, 140-145 medium.
8. Remove your string, cut the bones off, slice, serve, and enjoy!

Oh sooo good. Juicy, moist, tender! We obviously had a ton of leftovers, so I will be posting a beef stroganoff recipe if you find yourself in the same predicament. 

Enjoy!

~H&J

GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookies

Have I mentioned that I didn't used to be much of a baker? Well, it is true, but this last year I have proven that wrong and also have found out I am quite good at baking. Here is me tooting my own horn! One of the simplest recipes any baker has to master is an amazing chocolate chip cookie recipe...or any cookie recipe for that matter. Chocolate chip cookies aren't your thing? Well, something is a little bit wrong with you, but that is ok - find your favorite cookie and just master an awesome recipe.

These cookies are soft, chewy and GIANT. I suppose you could make the balls smaller, but where is the fun in that? The batch makes 9 cookies - yes, that is it - 9 cookies, so if you are making these for a crowd then double up. Just know that you will only be able to fit about 6 cookies on a large cookie sheet and you do not want to double stack these in the oven.

GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 9 Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 stick (8 tbsp) of unsalted butter melted then cooled to room temperature
• 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar loosely packed
• 1 large egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup chocolate chips

How to Make GIANT Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray. 
2. Combine your flour, salt, and baking soda in a small mixing bowl and set aside. 
3. In a large bowl, combine the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar and beat on high with a hand mixer until creamed (4ish minutes).
4. Turn the setting to medium and beat in your egg and vanilla. 
5. Once combined, add in your flour mixture and continue to mix until everything is combined. 
6. Fold in your chocolate chips. 
7. Scoop cookie dough into balls using a 1/4 measuring cup. Do not flatten the dough balls and make sure they have plenty of space to grow.
8. Bake for 13-14 minutes. 
9. Remove from the oven and let cool on your cookie sheet for 20-30 minutes until they set.

Enjoy these delicious chocolate chip cookies!

~H