Another Food Collage: 3 Meals From Last Week (Long & Lotsa Pics)

[tx smoker]

Very nice spread of meals bud! We are finally getting some decent grilling weather. Might even drag out the kettle in the next day or 2.

Thanks so much my friend. Although still not a lot of time to prepare really top shelf stuff, these were all very good meals that were quick to put together. Been kinda fun getting creative again...well pizza isn't exactly creative but it's fun making everything yourself.

Some great looking dishes Robert! I’d be hard pressed to choose a favorite, but I definitely would smash that smothered ribeye first. The orange sauce sounds delicious.

Thank you Joe. Honestly, I can't pick a favorite. all were totally different and all were very good. The recipe for the sauce is above in post 20 if you wanna take a look at it.

Robert

 

[smokerjim]

Dont know where to start Robert so I'll just say they all look fantastic

 

[xray]

Thanks so much my friend. Although still not a lot of time to prepare really top shelf stuff, these were all very good meals that were quick to put together. Been kinda fun getting creative again...well pizza isn't exactly creative but it's fun making everything yourself.

Thank you Joe. Honestly, I can't pick a favorite. all were totally different and all were very good. The recipe for the sauce is above in post 20 if you wanna take a look at it.

Robert

The recipe sounds good and one I will surely make. I’ve done an orange sauce and may have a recipe floating around here somewhere, so I have a good idea how this will taste.

One of the issues I’ve had is the few times I’ve made it, it’s been inconsistent. One time it was perfect and another time felt like I was burning a hole in my frontal sinuses every time I ate it.

Using the ground up chiles should give repeatable results, so I’ll try that. It’s either that or I’ll have to count the amount of chiles used instead of using a volume measurement.

 

[Ringer]

Thanks so much....but Jake has yet to reply to this thread

That's hilarious, great catch. I got Jake confused with SmokinVOLfan . Honest mistake, I'm from TN too...lol

 

[chilerelleno]

Thank you my friend!! I sure have been missing your culinary masterpieces though. It is nice to see ya drop in once in a while though knowing how insanely busy you are. Always great to see you.

Robert

Busy? Ha! Just the opposite, still out from work on workers comp after surgery. Man I can't have much fun, no hunting, fishing, hiking or other outdoor physical activities, my shoulder just can't handle much prolonged movement such as just swinging while walking.
I've been doing a little cooking, grilling, but nothing worth posting, it all has been posted before.
E.g. I'm doing Rolled Tacos tonight, chuck braised in a tasty red chile sauce.
BTDT posting on the forums.
But they are by special request of my darling 46 yr'ol birthday girl.
Rolled tacos, guacamole, pico de gallo and frozen peanut butter chocolate chip pies was the full request.

How y'all doing? Life treating you both good?
Your postings are fantastic as usual.

 

[indaswamp]

EXCELLENTE' my Texas Friend! All those meals look awesome! Interesting take on the steak! Big Like!

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Wow Jeff. Think you know how I love Pizza and that looks fantastic! I could eat myself until miserable with that Manicotti. Great cooks bud.

 

[tx smoker]

Robert, it all looks amazing !!! I love your detailed threads.Makes it almost easy enough for me to tackle. Keep the threads coming !

Thanks so much. I appreciate the kind words. I've always been somewhat of a detail oriented person so I guess it just rolls over into my threads. sometimes I almost feel like I overdo it but nobody has yelled at me for it

Dont know where to start Robert so I'll just say they all look fantastic

Thank you Jim. For a few quick and easy meals, I thought they came out well.

Using the ground up chiles should give repeatable results,

I've had the same experience using whole peppers. I believe the key is finding good quality ground spices and figuring out how much to use versus whole peppers. Of course the better quality, the more consistent results you'll get.

Robert

 

[tx smoker]

That's hilarious, great catch. I got Jake confused with SmokinVOLfan . Honest mistake

HA!! I had a feeling that was the case, but being the perpetual smart a$$ that I am, I just had to comment Still though, I do appreciate the sentiments and kind words.

Busy? Ha! Just the opposite, still out from work on workers comp after surgery

WOW!! I didn't know you were down and out. That's totally opposite of your normal circumstances. Wishing you all the best for a speedy and complete recovery...and hoping to see another culinary masterpiece coming out of your kitchen

Robert

 

[tx smoker]

EXCELLENTE' my Texas Friend! All those meals look awesome! Interesting take on the steak!

Thanks so much Keith. That steak was off the hook good. We both loved it and I bet the same concept would work great with some of the game meat you have in the freezers.

Wow Jeff. Think you know how I love Pizza and that looks fantastic! I could eat myself until miserable with that Manicotti. Great cooks bud.

Very much appreciate it Brian....but who is Jeff? The Manicotti was excellent and super easy to make. Something tells me we will be seeing you put it together at some point soon.

Robert

 

[clifish]

Very much appreciate it Brian....but who is Jeff? The Manicotti was excellent and super easy to make. Something tells me we will be seeing you put it together at some point soon.

Robert

yeah when I read Brian's comment I had to think for a moment that I had been calling you the wrong name all along...lol

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Very much appreciate it Brian....but who is Jeff?

I guess not only did my feet and hands get numb on that boat trip my brain did also!

 

[fxsales1959]

UGH!! I really believe that all 3 of these are worthy of their own thread but did not have time last week to post them. Thought about taking a nasty, gloomy, rainy Sunday yesterday and posting all of them in individual threads but didn't want to blow up the forum. Home early today and decided to do one long post with all three of these.

Made some pepperoni and salami, was slicing it last Sunday to vac seal. Tracy walked through, grabbed a slice of pepperoni, eyebrows went up (it's really good!!) and she decreed that we were having pizza for dinner. Uhhhh....sure thing honey....anything you say dear....looks like I best get some dough going.

The dough after the second proof
View attachment 630724

I'd just gotten a considerable shipment from The Sausage Maker. Found this little toy on their site and knew I had to get one. It is fantastic!! A real game changer for getting the dough rolled out nicely in the pan.
View attachment 630725

Dough all rolled out
View attachment 630726

Sauce, pepperoni, and spicy Italian sausage, all homemade. More pepperoni would have been nice but this was what was left after packaging up the rest of it.
View attachment 630727

Onions and peppers
View attachment 630728

Lotsa mozz and some fresh grated Romano. I was in a cheesy mood
View attachment 630729

Onto the grill and under the pizza dome for 10 or 15 minutes to start melting the cheese and set the crust. Now onto the top rack to finish
View attachment 630730

Getting close....
View attachment 630731

Done and sliced for serving
View attachment 630732

Pizza and cold beer on the patio. Works for me
View attachment 630735

As most of you know our menu is limited due to some dietary constraints that Tracy has. Beef is our predominant protein and I try to come up with ways to vary the menu. Being that we love Mexican themed meals, I thought this one might be fun. Smothered rib eyes with roasted Mexican orange sauce. There are no oranges in the sauce. That's the color after adding all of the pepper spices.

Start the sauce by roasting onions and a couple huge Roma tomatoes. Onto the Rec Tec at 475 for 30 minutes or so.
View attachment 630736

While the veggies are on the grill I start getting the spices toasted.Oil, garlic, and the spices in a skillet
View attachment 630737

Cook till the garlic starts to darken the it becomes very aromatic...and it does smell good!!
View attachment 630738

Veggies off the grill
View attachment 630739

Everything into the Ninja and blended up. It is certainly orange
View attachment 630740

Just had to try some on a chip. It is outstanding!!
View attachment 630741

Seasoned a couple of nice rib eyes with the Mexican spice blend I put together not too long ago
View attachment 630742

Grill some peppers and onions
View attachment 630743

Flash blast the steaks on one side over the screaming hot sear burner
View attachment 630744

Put the steaks on a CI pan and top with the grilled veggies and some Monterey Jack cheese then under the pizza dome to melt the cheese
View attachment 630746

These are looking pretty good!!
View attachment 630747

Plated with some Mexican rice and topped with a nice drizzle of the orange sauce. Weather was terrible so we ate inside.
View attachment 630748

Ahhhh....I'm thinking I got these about right
View attachment 630749

This was really, really good. Very authentic based on a similar meal I used to get at our favorite Mexican restaurant...before COVID. The orange sauce is new to me and it's 100% legit Mexican. So good!! Matter of fact, I used it last night to top some tacos we had for dinner. It's gonna be a staple around here.

Now it's time for some sausage Manicotti in a garlic and broccoli cream sauce. A lot of pics with this one

Sausage, cream cheese, Italian herbs, a little salt, and some Romano cheese. I did add a little heavy cream to get the consistency to where it'd go into the shells easier.
View attachment 630750

Mix it all up to create a God awful looking mess
View attachment 630751

Put the sausage mix onto the jerky cannon (a story behind this little move)
View attachment 630752

Shoot the mix into the shells
View attachment 630753

Now to get the cream sauce going. Garlic, butter, and Italian herbs into a skillet
View attachment 630754

Saute till the garlic becomes fragrant and add flour
View attachment 630755

Heat till it becomes a roux
View attachment 630756

Add the heavy cream
View attachment 630757

Simmer till it starts to thicken and add the broccoli
View attachment 630758

Simmer a little longer and now we have a nice cream sauce
View attachment 630759

Ladle it over the Manicotti. I covered the pan with foil and put it on the grill to heat.
View attachment 630760

Got some homemade Italian buns out of the freezer. These were made for sandwiches but almost all of them were used in this fashion. Butter and Parmesan cheese on top then onto the grill
View attachment 630761

Manicotti off the grill
View attachment 630762

Rolls got away from my by a couple seconds but they were still good. Dinner plated and out to the patio.
View attachment 630763

This was outstanding. Rich, creamy, and decadent. "Luxurious" is not really in the lexicon of this country boy but if it were, I'd have to say this meal fit the bill. Beware though, it's not a meal for the lactose intolerant

Well, that sums up most of last week's meals. Was kinda nice to have a bit of time to play around and do some different stuff. Smoked a couple racks of Dino ribs over the weekend that might just have to get posted also but am still at the point of not wanting to blow the forum up so might wait to post those babies...but man they came out good!! Thanks for sticking with this, assuming you made it all the way to the end. Take care and see y'all again soon.

Robert

yeah man.... love the pizza. still have hard time giving up my stone but might have to give it a shot..

 

[tx smoker]

yeah when I read Brian's comment I had to think for a moment that I had been calling you the wrong name all along...lol

Nope, you're good Cliff. Brian just had a momentary brain fart

I guess not only did my feet and hands get numb on that boat trip my brain did also!

Don't feel bad Brian. My brain goes numb the second I get out of bed in the mornings and stays that way all day until beer:30

yeah man.... love the pizza. still have hard time giving up my stone but might have to give it a shot..

Thanks so much. I used the stone for a long, long time. Since finding this CI pizza pan though, I'll never go back to a stone. This thing is off the charts and makes the best pizza we have ever had.

Robert

 

[Brokenhandle]

Well Jake, Jeff, whatever they are calling you these days Robert...it all looks excellent! It took me several tries to read through your whole thread without getting interrupted but I finally made it! I'll say that pizza definitely is my favorite...been too long since I've made a homemade pizza and dough so I have a craving! Have one pizza dough mix from Prepared Pantry so will use that up more than likely. But wanted to say thank you again for turning me onto them!

Ryan

 

[hoity toit]

UGH!! I really believe that all 3 of these are worthy of their own thread but did not have time last week to post them. Thought about taking a nasty, gloomy, rainy Sunday yesterday and posting all of them in individual threads but didn't want to blow up the forum. Home early today and decided to do one long post with all three of these.

Made some pepperoni and salami, was slicing it last Sunday to vac seal. Tracy walked through, grabbed a slice of pepperoni, eyebrows went up (it's really good!!) and she decreed that we were having pizza for dinner. Uhhhh....sure thing honey....anything you say dear....looks like I best get some dough going.

The dough after the second proof
View attachment 630724

I'd just gotten a considerable shipment from The Sausage Maker. Found this little toy on their site and knew I had to get one. It is fantastic!! A real game changer for getting the dough rolled out nicely in the pan.
View attachment 630725

Dough all rolled out
View attachment 630726

Sauce, pepperoni, and spicy Italian sausage, all homemade. More pepperoni would have been nice but this was what was left after packaging up the rest of it.
View attachment 630727

Onions and peppers
View attachment 630728

Lotsa mozz and some fresh grated Romano. I was in a cheesy mood
View attachment 630729

Onto the grill and under the pizza dome for 10 or 15 minutes to start melting the cheese and set the crust. Now onto the top rack to finish
View attachment 630730

Getting close....
View attachment 630731

Done and sliced for serving
View attachment 630732

Pizza and cold beer on the patio. Works for me
View attachment 630735

As most of you know our menu is limited due to some dietary constraints that Tracy has. Beef is our predominant protein and I try to come up with ways to vary the menu. Being that we love Mexican themed meals, I thought this one might be fun. Smothered rib eyes with roasted Mexican orange sauce. There are no oranges in the sauce. That's the color after adding all of the pepper spices.

Start the sauce by roasting onions and a couple huge Roma tomatoes. Onto the Rec Tec at 475 for 30 minutes or so.
View attachment 630736

While the veggies are on the grill I start getting the spices toasted.Oil, garlic, and the spices in a skillet
View attachment 630737

Cook till the garlic starts to darken the it becomes very aromatic...and it does smell good!!
View attachment 630738

Veggies off the grill
View attachment 630739

Everything into the Ninja and blended up. It is certainly orange
View attachment 630740

Just had to try some on a chip. It is outstanding!!
View attachment 630741

Seasoned a couple of nice rib eyes with the Mexican spice blend I put together not too long ago
View attachment 630742

Grill some peppers and onions
View attachment 630743

Flash blast the steaks on one side over the screaming hot sear burner
View attachment 630744

Put the steaks on a CI pan and top with the grilled veggies and some Monterey Jack cheese then under the pizza dome to melt the cheese
View attachment 630746

These are looking pretty good!!
View attachment 630747

Plated with some Mexican rice and topped with a nice drizzle of the orange sauce. Weather was terrible so we ate inside.
View attachment 630748

Ahhhh....I'm thinking I got these about right
View attachment 630749

This was really, really good. Very authentic based on a similar meal I used to get at our favorite Mexican restaurant...before COVID. The orange sauce is new to me and it's 100% legit Mexican. So good!! Matter of fact, I used it last night to top some tacos we had for dinner. It's gonna be a staple around here.

Now it's time for some sausage Manicotti in a garlic and broccoli cream sauce. A lot of pics with this one

Sausage, cream cheese, Italian herbs, a little salt, and some Romano cheese. I did add a little heavy cream to get the consistency to where it'd go into the shells easier.
View attachment 630750

Mix it all up to create a God awful looking mess
View attachment 630751

Put the sausage mix onto the jerky cannon (a story behind this little move)
View attachment 630752

Shoot the mix into the shells
View attachment 630753

Now to get the cream sauce going. Garlic, butter, and Italian herbs into a skillet
View attachment 630754

Saute till the garlic becomes fragrant and add flour
View attachment 630755

Heat till it becomes a roux
View attachment 630756

Add the heavy cream
View attachment 630757

Simmer till it starts to thicken and add the broccoli
View attachment 630758

Simmer a little longer and now we have a nice cream sauce
View attachment 630759

Ladle it over the Manicotti. I covered the pan with foil and put it on the grill to heat.
View attachment 630760

Got some homemade Italian buns out of the freezer. These were made for sandwiches but almost all of them were used in this fashion. Butter and Parmesan cheese on top then onto the grill
View attachment 630761

Manicotti off the grill
View attachment 630762

Rolls got away from my by a couple seconds but they were still good. Dinner plated and out to the patio.
View attachment 630763

This was outstanding. Rich, creamy, and decadent. "Luxurious" is not really in the lexicon of this country boy but if it were, I'd have to say this meal fit the bill. Beware though, it's not a meal for the lactose intolerant

Well, that sums up most of last week's meals. Was kinda nice to have a bit of time to play around and do some different stuff. Smoked a couple racks of Dino ribs over the weekend that might just have to get posted also but am still at the point of not wanting to blow the forum up so might wait to post those babies...but man they came out good!! Thanks for sticking with this, assuming you made it all the way to the end. Take care and see y'all again soon.

Robert

Are you sure you don't work at a high end restaurant? This post is awesome, I can tell you are one hell of a chef so congratulations is in order. Keep it coming.

HT

 

[civilsmoker]

Some nice looking meals Robert!

That smothered steak reminds me of having a steak and eggs breakfast at a green chili farmers house in southern NM. Smothered streak is a fav of mine!