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Let’s get started on this simple, and comforting recipe.

Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]

• 2 lbs of Chuck Beef, or a good stewing beef, cut into larger bite sized cubes
• 2 Russet potatoes, skinned, and cut into large bite size pieces
• 4 oz can of yellow curry paste (as seen here)
• 1 stick of cinnamon, approximately 4 inches long
• 1 star anise
• 4 cardamon pods, smashed
• 2 large shallots, quartered
• 1 large onion, cut into large bite size pieces
• 2 14 oz cans of coconut milk
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup of roasted, unsalted peanuts
• Cooked Jasmine rice
• 2 tbsp canola oil

You are going to treat this entire dish like a stew. It will cook low and slow for a good couple of hours, but that is OK as you will be gifted with some wonderful and tantalizing aromas during that time.

Begin by adding your cubed beef a large mixing bowl. Add in the curry paste and beging mixing the meat around, making sure the paste adheres to all of the pieces. Once done, set aside, and wash your hands with warm water and soap.

Next, heat a dutch oven if you have one, if not a heavy pot on the stove, on medium heat. Add in the oil and let it come to temperature.

Toss in the cinnamon stick, star anise, and cardamon seeds and pods. Give a good stir.  This is probably your second great smell as the curry paste was probably the first inviting smell. Let this cook for about 3 minutes.

Toss in the shallots and the onions and give another good stir. Let this cook, stirring a few times along the way, for about 5 minutes.

Next, toss in the curried meat mixture, turning up the heat to a medium high. and give a good stir. Cook, untouched for about two minutes. Add in the chicken stock, and the coconut milk. Give another good stir.

Let this come to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours.

Now, add in the fish sauce, brown sugar, peanuts, and the potatoes. Give a good stir, then cover again. Allow this to cook until the potatoes are fork tender. This will take about 30-40 minutes.

Give the broth a taste. Heavenly right?

Once the potatoes are cooked, the beef massaman curry is ready to serve.

To serve, add some cooked jasmine rice to a soup bowl. Using a ladle, ladle in some of the broth, potatoes, and beef over the top of the rice. Top with some more broth.

Not only the smell of this massaman curry is amazing, but I think you will agree that the flavor is also out of this world. Super tender beef, along with the chunky potatoes and onions. Well, what more do I have to say to get you make this one? Hope you enjoy.

Maybe some of you have once heard about a Mexican hot dog, and might have questioned it, much like I did. I recall seeing a show on television and they were talking about Mexican hot dogs, somewhere in the southwest portion of the United States. What it ended up being, and don’t get me wrong, it looked great, was a bacon wrapped hot dog, with tomatoes, onions, jalapeno peppers, and a cream sauce. Once again, it looked great, but I had a better idea, and something I thought would be a bit more authentic. I did not want to go with a bacon wrapped hot dog because I had already did this with my corn dog recipe, as well as simply wrapping the hot dogs in bacon and grilling them. Both amazing, but not what I was looking for in what I am calling the Mexican hot dog.

Let’s get started.

(Serves 1)

• 2 flour tortillas, warmed, per serving
• 3 tbsp refried beans, cooked
• 2 roasted jalapeño peppers, seeds and stem removed, sliced
• 1 hot dog, make it your favorite one, cooked
• 1/2 cup of shredded Colby jack cheese
• Sriracha sauce, optional

Begin by preparing all of your ingredients. To roast the peppers, I simply add them to a hot cast iron skillet, turning along the cooking process, until they are nice and blackened on all sides. Then, remove them, let them cool to the touch, and clean them.

Cook your hot dog any way you like. For this particular recipe, I like to steam them until fully cooked, then lightly sear them in the hot cast iron skillet, just for a little color.

To assemble the hot dog, warm the tortillas until they are nice and flexible. You can do this on a skillet, or in a microwave.

Remove one of the tortillas, spread the refried beans on the base of the tortilla, then top with about 3/4 of the cheese, then the sliced jalapeno peppers. Top with another warm tortilla, pushing down just a bit to melt some of the cheese, then top with the cooked hot dog and the remaining cheese.

You want your tortillas flexible at this point in time. If they are not warm and flexible, either add them back to a preheated skillet, covered, or in the microwave for about 15 seconds, until they are nice, soft, and flexible.

Roll the tortilla, until you have the seam side down. The refried beans and cheese will serve as a the glue, keeping everything in tact.

Slice it in half and serve with Sriracha sauce for additional heat.

This Mexican hot dog is creamy, has a nice snap from the hot dog, a bit of heat from the roasted jalapeños, and when taking a bite, just blends all of those flavors into one.  I hope you enjoy.

When I began thinking about this recipe, I was looking at a beef tenderloin that I thought I would break down and stuff with duxelle, but something threw me a curveball that day and I was left wondering what I was going to do with it, and hence my further curiosity to make this Thai peppered beef.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs beef tenderloin, cut across the grain, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 large shallots, thinly sliced
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1/4 cup of sweet soy sauce
• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
• 1/4 cup of water
• 3 Thai chile peppers, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• Cooked Jasmine rice
• Fried Egg, optional

Begin my marinating your beef in the cornstarch, 3 tablespoons of fish sauce, and cracked black pepper. Marinade for at least two hours, but no more than four.

When you are ready to cook, and this one goes fast, heat a large wok with some oil. Let it come to temperature, then add the beef. Cook for a minute or two, then toss in the garlic and shallots. Give it a good toss, cooking another minute or so before tossing in the soy sauces, sesame oil, and additional fish sauce.  Sprinkle with sugar, and add in the water. Reduce the heat to a medium, low, and give a good stir. You should see the sauce beginning to form from the cornstarch.

Add in the sliced Thai chile peppers. If you want to keep these out due to your weakness to spicy food, feel free, but trust me, the chilie peppers do give a really great balance and spice.

Cook for a couple more minutes, then serve in a bowl of cooked jasmine rice, and top with a fried egg. Trust me, this one is great. A bit of sweet, salty, and spice and when you cut into the perfectly cooked egg, it adds this creaminess that just balances everything. It is a perfect palette rocker.  I hope you enjoy.

Don’t get me wrong, a chip sandwich on its own is pretty darn awesome, but as I am always trying to get my kids to try new things, I thought I would take his idea of a chip sandwich and convert that into one of his favorite burgers. Yes, his favorite burger is a plain burger, stacked with bacon. No cheese. No condiments. No nothing.

So this led me to make this really awesome burger creation, and sure, I loaded mine up differently than I did my oldest child, and my middle son, but what did shine besides the delicious burger was the crisp, yet tender, homemade garlic chips.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

• 3 large russet potatoes, cleaned, skin on
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 3 cloves of garlic, lightly smashed
• Ground chuck, made into your preferred size burger patty
• Generous amount of salt
• Generous amount of cracked black pepper
• Thick cut bacon, cooked, bacon grease reserved
• Thick style burger buns, proportionate to your patty, and thick enough to trap any juices
• Carmelized onions, optional
• 2 slices of American cheese, per burger

If you have a mandoline (highly recommend if you do not have one), use it, and set it to about a 1/4 inch thick. If you do not have one, don’t worry. This will give you an opportunity to work with your knife skills. The point is slice the potato lengthwise, so use a very long knife, a knife longer than your potato, cutting into about 1/4 inch thick. Keep the skin on. I’m a big believer in skin on. Add all of your slices to a large bowl, and cover with cold water as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

As the potato slices soak, cook your bacon in a large cast iron skillet. Add the garlic to a skillet and add in the oil. Cook on medium to low heat, being gentle to not burn the garlic. Your goal is to extract the great garlic flavor into the oil. After about 10 minutes, remove the garlic cloves and discard, and turn off the heat. Your bacon should be finishing up now, so once it is cooked, remove to a paper lined plate to drain any oil. Turn the heat off of the bacon skillet as well, but reserve the bacon fat. Yes, we are going to cook the burgers in the fat.

Caramelize your onions if you are using them.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Drain the water from the potatoes and lay them on a large towel. Cover with another towel and gently pat them to dry. Next, add a wire rack onto a large cookie sheet. If you do not have a wire wrack, don’t worry. Use parchment paper instead. Brush the garlic oil on both sides of the potato slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and place in the oven to cook for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, and maybe even 10 minutes into the cooking, take a peak on them. The last thing you want are burnt chips. Flip over, then raise the heat to 400 degrees, cooking for another 10 minutes of so, and once again, keeping your eye on them. If some are cooking faster than others, remove them from the oven and place on a plate. Continue until all of the chips are done.

Next, make your patties. I like to mix a small bowl of salt and pepper together, then generously sprinkle a plate with the mixture. Once my patty is made, I can set it onto the plate, absorbing the salt and pepper, then season the top. I’m always generous when it comes to seasoning the top and bottom as it helps build a nice crust, which I really love.

Bring the bacon fat up to a medium to high heat. Add in your burger patty(s) and cover with a splatter screen if you have one. Cook to your desired doneness, flipping on both sides. I prefer a medium on my burgers. Before you reach your doneness, add bacon slices, caramelized onions, then top with the cheese. The cheese will begin to melt down, covering the onions and bacon for another added surprise.

Before serving, slice your buns, and add into the warm oven. To plate, add the cheeseburger to the bottom bun, and stack with a handful of the homemade garlic chips, then top with the top bun.

This burger will grab your attention, and those around you. It is stacked with perfection. With both hands, grab that burger, give a light squeeze, and wrap your mouth around it. Crunchy and garlicky from the chips, then the really juicy burger along with the smokey sweetness from the bacon and onions, really complete the burger. Super great, and now I am glad my kid opened my eyes to a chip sandwich. Who knew? The big question is, which is better the pretzel burger, the cheese crisp burger, or this bad boy? Hope you enjoy.

I was already into my first batch of chili this season, when all of a sudden a family member posted a picture on Facebook of Cincinnati chili. My mouth was watering right away, probably because I am not only a food, but also, it just looked darn good. Now if you have never had Cincinnati chili, it probably is a must try. It is your classic chili con carne, but has the addition of some really great seasonings, and is cooked slightly different, well, a lot different from your standard chili.

A bit thinner in consistency, the great thing about this chili is that it not only tastes amazing, but you serve it completely different. Commonly referred to as 1-way all the way to a 5-way, the chili holds its own by itself, but when going one way, or how I like it, four-way, this chili will be sure to please.

Lets get started.

Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]

• 2 lbs ground beef
• Water, enough to cover the ground beef, approximately 4-6 cups
• 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 6 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 cups of onion, finely diced
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 5 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tbsp cayenne powder
• 1 /2 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper

To Serve:

• 1/2 lb of cooked spaghetti
• 1 cup of onion, finely diced
• Sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• oyster crackers
• Red kidney beans, cooked (optional)
• Hot sauce (optional)

Begin by getting a large pot on the stove. Add the ground beef and water, and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat to medium, and begin stirring the beef, breaking it up as you stir. Continue this process for about 45 minutes. Skim off any of the crud that might float to the top and discard.

Next, add everything else, giving a good stir. Bring this mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and let it cook for approximately 3 1/2 hours, stirring from time to time.

Now if you are living on the edge and like that fatty flavor, you could go ahead and serve this right now, but instead, I recommend that you take it off of the stove, let it cool, then place in refrigerator overnight. The reason you will probably want to do this is that when you remove the chili the next day, the fat that was cooked off from boiling the ground beef will rise to the top, allowing you to remove all of that fat. So do just that, and remove that thin layer of fat from the chili.

Once you have removed the fat, take it back onto the stove, bringing it up to a boil, then get ready to serve.

Remember now, I went four-way, which means, spaghetti, chili, onions, and cheese:

To serve, add a layer of the cooked spaghetti on the bottom of your bowl. Ladle a generous amount of the chili on top of the spaghetti. Top with onions, and a lot of grated cheese. Place a small handful of oyster crackers on the side, and dig in!

You will be surprised not only on the awesome texture of this chili, but more importantly, the flavor. You get the richness from the cocoa powder, and the clove and cinnamon really stand out. But it is also the texture you get from the onion and cheese that make this chili just melt in your mouth.

Give it a shot, and hope you enjoy the recipe!

Many of us who our not from southeastern Europe probably have no idea, nor heard of cevapi. That is one of the reasons I am going to introduce it to you today. Cevapi, in my opinion, are like grilled kebabs that look dense in texture, but are extremely light and airy. Not only that but they are packed with some great flavor. They are found in the southestern parts of Europe. Think Serbia, Kosovo, and Bosnia. To me, this is their kebob, and one similar to kofta. After all, it cannot be just the Italians that make some sort of meatball right?

Let’s get started on this wonderful southeastern Europe style kebab.

Ingredients: (serves eight)

• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, minced
• 1/4 cup of Italian leaf parsley, finely chopped
• 4 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup warm water mixed with 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cracked black pepper

Serve with:

• Naan bread, warmed
• Ajvar (optional)
• tzatziki (optional)

If you have never added baking soda to any of your meat mixtures, you might be missing out. The baking soda builds that pillow texture, that airiness you get in this kebob. Remember that when you are biting into the final product. Take all of your ingredients, throw them in a bowl, and mix well with your hands. Mix like you are making meatballs, or a meatloaf.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let this sit overnight if you can, if not, at least 4-6 hours.

Next, form the cevapi into thick finger likc shapes, if you will. They do not have to be perfect. They should be about the length of your index finger, an inch or so thick.

Let these rest while you fire up your grill. I highly recommend cooking over charcoal if you have that opportunity as the charcoal give this kebobs that smoky flavor. Well, let’s admit, charcoal or wood should be used when grilling. I will admit that I have not used the gas grill all summer long since my cousin was kind enough to hand down his charcoal grills to me.

Once the coals are hot, add the cevapi to the grill, cooking a few minutes per side. These do not take very long to cook. You should get nice sear marks on the outside of the kebabs, while going for a medium, to medium well on the inside.

Once your cevapi are off the grill, you have some options in plating.

My personal favorite is to plate the cevapi on a nice plate. To another plate, stack the warm naan or pita bread. Then in two separate bowls, add the ajvar and the tzatziki.

Build your cevapi by spreading ajvar on the bottom of the bread, top with the cevapi, and drizzle some tzatziki sauce on top. Wrap and bite into it. The result is something out of this world. Tender bites of the kebab that are so well balanced by the slightly spicy ajvar sauce then cooled by the tzatziki sauce. This southeastern Europe kebab known as the cevapi is hard to be. So if you are looking for something new to try, and get your family or guests questioning at the dinner table, this one might just do that. Enjoy!

If you are looking for a real crowd pleaser, try this crostini out. It costs a bit of money but it is a really decadent appetizer, and one that everyone was raging over.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients: [Print this Recipe]

• 1 rustic baguette, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 lb New York Strip, smoked, cooked medium
• 1/2 cup of Cambozola Blue Cheese, room temperature (Cambozola is like a blue brie)
• 1/2 cup of spinach leaves, optional
• Salt and Pepper
• 1/2 cup of Cherry wood chips, soaked in water for at least one hour

Begin by seasoning your steak on both sides, generously, with salt and pepper. Let the steak sit at room temperature as you heat up your grill. Lately I have only been working with charcoal as I think the flavor adds a bit more flavor to the grill. So however you are grilling, whether it be charcoal or gas, get the grill to a medium to high heat to get a nice sear on the steak. Sear the steak on one side, cooking for about three minutes, then flip, add in the soaked wood chips, cover, and cook an additional four minutes. You are looking for about 140 degrees for the steak. When you have reached that temp, I typically use my finger to check doneness by pressing on the steak. A meat thermometer can be dangerous as it will let out all of those delicious juices.

When the steak is done, remove from the grill, place on a plate, tent with some aluminum foil, and let it REST for about 20 minutes.

During the rest time, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Brush olive oil onto the top of each sliced baguette and place onto a large baking sheet.

Place into the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until they are a light golden brown.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Rub the garlic clove onto each crostini and sprinkle just a pinch of salt and pepper onto each one.

Take your blue cheese and add a bit to each crostini.

Slice your steak very thinly, across the grain. Try a piece and promise to wait to each another piece before serving your guests.

Add a slice of steak on top of each cheese covered crostini. Top with a spinach leaf. Serve.

I cannot tell you how the reaction was when I served these. Everyone love them. People were eating four or five of them, and seeing that there was plenty more to eat, that was a positive thing! So try these out for your next party and I guarantee everyone will be talking about them. Enjoy.

Some say that booyah, in its traditional form, takes several cooks, over several days to make. I could probably agree, especially if we all had that type of time on our hands, but remember, we are cold, and need something today, and this is where you can take a classic, start early, and have that traditional dish late in the day, and into the night.

Booyah after all, is a stew that is typically made by first creating your stock, then adding in your proteins and vegetables, simmering, and bringing all of the flavors together. These flavors just scream comfort, and this hearty Wisconsin booyah recipe is something that can be enjoyed by many.

Lets get started.

• 4 beef bones
• 1 1/2 lb beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
• 4 medium onions, chopped
• 5 ribs of celery, chopped
• 1 whole chicken, cut into pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 5 large carrots, trimmed, chopped
• 2 cups of green cabbage, shredded
• 2 cups of fresh green beans, chopped
• 4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cups of corn kernels
• 1 cup of peas
• 10 red potatoes, skin on, chopped
• 1 large lemon, juiced
• 1/2 tbsp worchestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Water
• Chopped flat leaf parsley (optional)
• Oyster crackers

Enough ingredients right? This is super easy, and just wait, as it is well worth any energy and time spent in making the booyah.

Always begin by having all of your items ready. Begin by getting your stock ready. To a large soup pot, heated on medium to high heat, add in the beef bones, and begin to brown them a bit, only for a few minutes. To this add in about half of the chopped onions. Stir for a minute or two, and then add in your bay leaves. Now is time to add in the water. Add about 12 cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.

Once your mixture has boiled, add in the stew meat, and the chicken pieces, and simmer for about two hours. Make sure you have enough water to cover all of the meat. If it is not covered, simply add a bit more. As the meat is cooking, skim off any of the junk that floats to the top and discard.

After two hours, remove all of the meat with a large slotted spoon, or spider skimmer and place in a large bowl. Skim of any remaining junk floating at the top, but keep the beef bones in the broth.

Now it is time to begin adding the vegetables, one type at a time.

Begin by adding the potatoes and carrots, cooking for about 15 minutes. Next, the onion and celery, cooking another 15 minutes. Toss in the peas, and cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the corn. After about 5 minutes, toss in the green beans. Add in the chopped tomatoes, give a good mix, and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Continue to simmer the stew for about 10 minutes.

During this time, remove the skin from the cooked chicken, and begin shredding the chicken, as well as the beef stew meat. Once all of the meat has the fat removed, and the bones, and is shredded, add it back into the soup pot.

Give a good stir, bring back to temperature, and continue cooking on low heat for about 30 minutes.

Just before you are ready to serve, add in the juice of the lemon, the soy sauce, and the worchestershire sauce. Give a good stir. Remove the beef bones and discard.

Ladle a good amount into your favorite soup bowls, sprinkle a bit of chopped parsley, and serve the booyah with a nice handful of oyster crackers on the side as well as a lemon wedge.

True comfort, and a really great balance of flavors and textures. Wisconsin does good things, and introducing you to booyah is one only one of them. I hope you enjoy.

My wife had asked what the pasty was, and the waitress came back with this description that I was not buying as a foodie, so I had described it to both of them, relating it to the empanada, or turnover. Basically a flaky dough that is filled with a meat mixture, folded and sealed, and baked until fully cooked. With that said, I had told my wife that I was on the edge of making my version of a pasty called a Jamaican meat pie, or other wise known as the Jamaican patty.

Now I have never been to Jamaica, and trust me, I would love to go, not only to relax on their beaches, but also to try the jerk chicken, and also their saltfish and stews. I do know enough however of the flavors of Jamaica, and decided to offer up my version of a meat mixture to make these Jamaican meat pies. Let’s get started.

Ingredients for the Dough:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 tsp salt
• 2  tsp turmeric powder
• 8 tbsp Crisco vegetable shortening
• 8 tbsp butter, unsalted, cubed
• Approximately 1/2 to 3/4 cup of cold water
• Additional flour for dusting
• Large cutting board, or pastry board

Ingredients for the Meat Filling:

• 1 lb of good ground beef
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp ginger paste
• 2 tbsp garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp tumeric powder
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cumin powder
• 1 large habanero pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
• 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
• 15 oz can of tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup of cooked rice
• 1/2 cup of beef stock
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 1/2 tbsp salt (to taste)
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper (to taste)

Ingredients to make the pie:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp water

Begin by making your dough. To a large bowl, sift in your flour, salt, and tumeric powder. Sifting your ingredients not only removes any lumps, but it also makes the dough nice and flaky. Add in your shortening and the butter. Take a couple of forks and begin mixing the butter and shortening into the flour. Once everything is incorporated, begin adding in the water. Add enough water until your mixtures turns into a dough, making sure it is not too loose and not too wet. Form into a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap, placing it in the refrigerator over night, or let it rest for at least four hours.

To make the meat mixture, heat the oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add in the diced onions and cook just until they begin to soften. Next, toss in your ginger and garlic paste, giving it a good stir and cooking for another minute. Next toss in your ground beef, breaking it up and mixing it along the way. Cook the meat until browned. Cover, allowing only a little space so that you can tip over and remove any excess fat.

Return the skillet back to the stove. Add in your tumeric, cumin, and cinnamon powder, as well as the thyme and diced habanero pepper. Give it a good stir, and continue to cook a few more minutes to incorporate those flavors. Next toss in your tomatoes and cooked rice, giving that a good stir, and cook a couple of more minutes. Add in your stock and rum. Cover, reduce the heat and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Taste, and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. You want to make sure you have all of the right seasoning before filling into your pie.

Remove the mixture from the skillet and place into a medium bowl, letting it come to room temperature.

When you are ready to make the meat pies, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the refrigerator.

Dust your pastry board with the flour, and take approximately a baseball size piece of the dough, flattening it onto the board. Dust with flour. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into about a six inch circle.

Add a few tablespoons of the meat mixture into the middle of the dough. You want enough dough in there to be able to fold over the dough, allowing for a good seal.  Add the water to the beaten eggs,  an brush along the edge of the dough. Fold and seal the pie. With a fork, crimp the edges of the pie and brush more of the egg wash on the top of the pie. Repeat until you make all of the pies, approximately 6-8 pies.

Place the pies onto a large baking sheet and cook in the oven for approximately 25-35 minutes or until golden. Carefully remove a pie from the sheet and plate.

The first thing you should note is the great color of the pie. It has a nice vibrant yellowish-orange color from the tumeric powder. When slicing into the pie, you are welcomed with a phenomenal smell, and while biting into one, you get this great texture that is just packed with the perfect amount of heat. The sweetness from the dough balances the heat from the habanero, making this pie truly comforting. Enjoy.

Growing up, my parents would make the standard meal on St. Patty’s day which typically consisted of boiled cabbage, potatoes, and corned beef. As I liked it, I have grown to not boil the corned beef or cabbage, rather, roast it in the oven, then make reuben sandwiches out of it. I am, however, always stuck with plenty of left over corned beef. I typically enjoy the leftovers and make corned beef hash as well, but this time, I wanted to make something unique and creative, hence the reuben eggroll.

If you have been following me for some time, you probably know that I love anything put inside of an eggroll wrapper and fried. You can tell that by my recipes such as the Thanksgiving Eggroll, or the Mexican Eggroll, or the Filipino Lumpia.

The reuben eggroll is something outrageously delicious, and in my opinion a lot easier to eat. A great appetizer to serve on a St. Patty’s Day party, because after all, all of those beer drinkers out there are craving something like this. Let’s get started.

• 2 cups of cooked corned beef, diced
• 1 cup of green cabbage, finely shredded
• 1/2 cup of cooked sauerkraut
• 4 slices of Swiss cheese, diced
• Spring Roll Wrappers
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 cups of canola oil
• Thousand Island Dressing

Begin by adding the corned beef, cabbage, sauerkraut, and Swiss cheese to a large bowl, and mix until everything is nicely combined.

Heat your oil on the stove to about 350 degrees. During this time, make the eggrolls.

Lay a wrapper with the points of the wrapper facing you, like a diamond. Take about 3-4 tablespoons of the mixture and place it on the wrapper, closest to you. Fold over, and tuck the mixture in, a bit tightly, and continue to roll until you have a few inches of the wrapper exposed. With a pastry brush, brush on the beaten egg, fold over the remaining edges, and properly seal. Repeat until all of the eggrolls are finished. This should make about 8-10 eggrolls.

Carefully add about four of the eggrolls into your heated oil and fry for about 6-8 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove the eggrolls with some tongs, draining as much of the oil as possible, and allow to cool in a paper-lined strainer. Repeat with the remaining eggrolls.

To serve, either slice them in half, exposing the surprise inside, or let your guests take a bite and find out for themselves how awesome these are. Serve with a side of thousand island dressing.