Looking for some cooking ideas.. something I can make a bit earlier in the day and then quickly warm back up as food is being served - eg enchiladas.
Good dish for a potluck
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One app that’s always a hit is Buffalo chicken dip. I’ve tweaked the common recipe quite a bit to improve it.
One is to replace the cheddar cheese. Who the heck has cheddar flavor in their wings? And more importantly cheddar is a cheese that does not work in slow cookers, it immediately separates and you get hard balls with an oily slick instead of melting into the dish. So immediately toss the cheddar. Add a little bit of mozzarella in its place as the mozzarella won’t be strong enough to overpower the buffalo flavors and it will add some stringy texture and mix in. Just use diced “string cheese” not the pregrated stuff if you’re being cheap or real wet mozzarella if you want to show off.
Second do not use canned chicken meat or breast meat. White meat doesn’t taste like wings!!! Fortunately cheap thigh meat tastes almost exactly like wings and you’ll save a bundle. You can either do a quick pan roast on some fresh chicken thighs or if you’re being lazy buy fried chicken from Publix or your local grocery store.
Three don’t use ranch dressing, again it separates into an oil slick. Instead add some blue cheese and a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning not the already made ranch dressing. It will work even better if you take butter over low heat and then slowly melt the blue cheese into it and add the packet of spices and a splash of heavy cream and meld it together before putting in the crockpot. Otherwise you’ll get some spots with too much blue cheese. Not a problem for me but a problem for some people.
Here’s the standard recipe for proportions only.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6...ntentType=Recipe Hub&clickId=st_recipes_mades
So use cooked (either by you or prebought) chicken thigh meat, make a sauce from some melted blue cheese, butter, hidden valley ranch seasoning packet and heavy cream, and replace the cheddar with some diced string cheese or fresh mozzarella. For the hot sauce I like a 4:1 ratio of Crystal Hot Sauce with Sriracha as the 1.
I’m in New Orleans and my afternoon hearing was cancelled. So sitting at Turkey & the Wolf with a plate of deviled eggs topped with fried chicken skin. So good...
That your favorite dessert or you use it as an appertif?
62Nole
Seminole Insider
Crock pot is soooooo easy. Chicken thighs cover with cans of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken. Sprinkle an envelop of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix.
Start it in the morning, slow cook til you get home. Of course you can put favorite veggies with it.
Another option is a Boston Butt Roast. I like to braise it before crock-potting it.
Sorry. The side............................... a single malt or Gentleman Jack.
Start it in the morning, slow cook til you get home. Of course you can put favorite veggies with it.
Another option is a Boston Butt Roast. I like to braise it before crock-potting it.
Sorry. The side............................... a single malt or Gentleman Jack.
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For a main you can always make Western Carolina pulled pork sammies. It’s not quite as good as if you smoked it, but it’s not that off from the legit that anything but Western Carolina BBQ connoisseurs would notice.
Just take a pork shoulder or Boston butt and cook it on low for several hours (depending on size) with some Western Carolina sauce you make up (it’s super easy) and some added hickory smoke powder (I buy it here https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B015...8-1-spons&keywords=hickory+smoke+powder&psc=1 ).
Then just leave out some buns and put a bowl of Carolina red slaw next to the pulled pork (once it’s done you will need to shred it and maybe drain some extra liquid) and let everyone assemble it.
This is a good recipe for the sauce which if you haven’t had Western Carolina style it’s very light sauce basically just seasoned vinegar and isn’t a thick tomatoey sauce you get from Kansas City or the older southern “coca Cola style” baked rib sauce.
https://amazingribs.com/tested-reci...-north-carolina-hill-country-bbq-sauce-recipe
For the red slaw all you do is grate up some normal green cabbage and maybe some apples and an onion if you’re being fancy and then add the same “dip” or bbq sauce that you use for the pork along with maybe a little bit extra sugar.
To assemble the sammies it’s just the pulled pork topped with a little red slaw.
So it’s
1) Make plenty of the Lexington style “dip” or Western Carolina BBQ sauce.
2) Add enough dip/sauce to cover the bottom quarter of the pork shoulder/Boston butt and sprinkle on some hickory smoke powder on to the meat and into the dip/sauce. Cook on low heat until it’s falling apart.
3) Shred the pork and pour off any runny extra liquid.
4) Grate up a green cabbage and maybe one sweet onion and a couple of Fuji or Braeburn apples. Add enough of the dip/sauce that it takes on a reddish color and maybe add a teaspoon full or two of extra brown or white sugar.
5) At the party place the red slaw next to the pulled pork and maybe assemble a couple of sammies so people get the idea that the red slaw is to top the pulled pork and NOT just eaten out of hand.
1) Make plenty of the Lexington style “dip” or Western Carolina BBQ sauce.
2) Add enough dip/sauce to cover the bottom quarter of the pork shoulder/Boston butt and sprinkle on some hickory smoke powder on to the meat and into the dip/sauce. Cook on low heat until it’s falling apart.
3) Shred the pork and pour off any runny extra liquid.
4) Grate up a green cabbage and maybe one sweet onion and a couple of Fuji or Braeburn apples. Add enough of the dip/sauce that it takes on a reddish color and maybe add a teaspoon full or two of extra brown or white sugar.
5) At the party place the red slaw next to the pulled pork and maybe assemble a couple of sammies so people get the idea that the red slaw is to top the pulled pork and NOT just eaten out of hand.
No prep?
You just break them open and they come out deviled? I’d like to meet the chicken that laid them.
Lol, yeah I laughed at that. Great deviled eggs require a lot of prep. And while what I posted for the main and app has more steps and are more complex dishes, you’ll spend more time working on the deviled eggs especially if you do it right.
Now you can make half%*% deviled eggs by simply slicing a hard boiled egg in half, topping it with aoli or mayo, adding a dot of dijon mustard and sprinkling on some prebought furikake seasoning. My wife and I do that periodically and it takes no time and is about 3/4s as good as real deviled eggs. But real deviled eggs where you make a filling from the yolks, then pipe it back into the whites and add some decorative and flavor bomb touches like a caper or two, some salmon eggs, diced pimento, an olive, etc... takes a lot of time and effort especially for a large number of guests.
Buffalo chicken mac and cheese
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/buffalo-mac-n-cheese-3363515
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/buffalo-mac-n-cheese-3363515
I meant once they are already made, you don't need to go about doing a lot later if they're prepared early. I'm sure there are all type of fancy ways to make deviled eggs, but the ones I grew up with weren't and still tasted great. I can be a food snob just as much as the next guy, but I can still appreciate a simple dish.
Cheesy potatoes
BBQ meatballs...I'd have to go find my recipe, but I just use frozen meatballs (Rosina's is my preferred brand), a bunch of ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, dried minced onion, a couple other things I can't think of, and a shot of whisky. Mix it all up in the morning and stick it in the slow cooker before you get ready for work, then leave it plugged in all day until it's time. Big hit.
BBQ meatballs...I'd have to go find my recipe, but I just use frozen meatballs (Rosina's is my preferred brand), a bunch of ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, dried minced onion, a couple other things I can't think of, and a shot of whisky. Mix it all up in the morning and stick it in the slow cooker before you get ready for work, then leave it plugged in all day until it's time. Big hit.
And unless you're going to be eating with some snobby foodies, the extra effort will likely be wasted. Regular deviled eggs are just fine in a potluck setting.
Add fried chicken skin and top with Everything Bagel topping - I’m in a good coma
I boil them properly (my in-laws turn the yolks grey). Then a little mayo and the yolks get whipped with a bit of Tabasco and dried mullet roe. Then topped with some smoked paprika and Hawaiian Black Sea salt and chives.
I might just make some now.
I typically bring dessert. Holiday baking is my favorite! It's more acceptable to use bourbon as a main ingredient.
Tamales always go over well. Everyone should have a tamale abuelita to buy from
62Nole
Seminole Insider
Indeed. I make a chocolate bread pudding for dessert at both Thanksgiving & Christmas. It is very good without any sauce, but it is fantastic with a nice bourbon sauce.
My wife and I make tamales ourselves from time to time and I consider the Navajo green chili chicken tamales from Frybread house in Phoenix as the best food anywhere....but they are a %*%* to make. VERY timeconsuming. Other than when we make Xiaolongbao dumplings, I can’t think of anything more tedious. The end results of both are great...but is it worth it?
i made about 50 last Sunday in preparation for our tamale making party. Did a little experimental and made a filling out of spinach-artichoke dip w/ hatch chilis and chopped smoked ham hocks with collard greens. I flavored the masa with the pot likker. they were pretty tasty.
For our party, i have traditional pork, but I smoke the pork butts before braising it in chili sauce and a jalapeno popper style that's roasted jalapenos and poblanos, bacon and cream cheese. that's really good, especially if you fry them to re-heat them. When you fry them, it's like a Frito stuffed with a jalapeno popper.
Sounds great! Like I said I love all tamales even the Mississippi Delta and Chicago tamales that barely resemble the real deal, but such a pain to make....
a trick that I picked up from an abuelita is to use shortening if you cannot get fresh lard. Also whip the shortening or lard like you are making a meringue - makes for a lighter tamal
App - Veggie tray
Main - Platter of Chick Fil A nuggets and a box of toothpicks
Nobody expects much at potlucks.
Main - Platter of Chick Fil A nuggets and a box of toothpicks
Nobody expects much at potlucks.
Carnitas in a croc pot. Bring along some corn tortillas, diced onions, cilantro, salsa roja and verde, cojita or queso fresco for making street tacos, etc.
3-4lb boston butt
Quartered onion
Pour some mojo, oj, lime juice till halfway over pork.
Can chipolte peppers
Sprinkle in some adobo seasoning, cumin, chili powder, 2 bay leaves.
Cook till is shreds easily
Place pork under broiler till parts get crispy. Boom.
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Now youre talking. Never done the rock sugar, but heard the mexican coke and real lard (if on stove/oven) is the abuela secret.
Obviously Carnitas would be my top choice, but American Goulash would be a close 2nd (as opposed to Hungarian, which is more of a beef stew and not as easy). Plenty of recipes out there and easy to make for a large crowd. Basically its a homemade beefaroni.
Yeah, its crazy how they do it traditional. Braise it in water, lard coke, orange peel, cinnamon, clove, mexican coke, rock sugar, other stuff. It braises long enough to boil the water away and then the pork shoulder cube are left to fry in the remaining oil.
Obviously not worth doing for a potluck, but it's the little things like that, that truly transform a dish.
I went to a mexican joint outside of LA where they had little old ladies hand making the corn tortillas and cooking them on stone. Had all the meats and fixins laid out on a big wooden table. Easily the best mexican ive ever had. Half of the stuff was meats that i had no idea what they were, and it didnt matter.
If looking for a bourbon based desert, there is a chocolate bourbon pecan pie recipe somewhere on the webz that is amazing.
This is mine.
1 9" deep dish pie shell (or you could fill two shallow shells)
3/4 cup sugar (white or light brown, I prefer light brown)
1 cup light Karo syrup
1/2 cup butter or margarine
4 eggs (beaten)
2-3 Tbsp. Bourbon (Adjust to taste. Also, I recommend either Maker's Mark or Buffalo Trace bourbon for the best flavor profile. Kahlua also works very well for a substitute.)
1 tsp. vanilla extract (but who measures vanilla?)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped pecans (I use way more than this, because I like more pecans and less regular gooey filling, and then I top with whole pecans)
4-6 oz. Ghirardelli semi-sweet or 60% Cocoa bittersweet chocolate bar/chips
1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Coarsely chop chocolate bar/chips and spread evenly onto the bottom of the pie crust.
3. Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan. Stir constantly over medium-low heat until butter melts and sugar dissolves. Remove from heat to cool (but not to room temp).
4. Mix eggs, bourbon, vanilla, and salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in sugar mixture, then stir in pecans. Pour mixture into chocolate-covered pie shell.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until top is golden and filling has firmly set.
