Delicious – Simple Comfort Food – Recipes that are simple and delicious.

Sous-Vide Pork Chops with Brown Butter

January 8, 2019January 8, 2019 Dax Phillips 1 Comment

I’m late to this game. The game of sous-vide, the method of cooking in which food is placed in a plastic, vacuum sealed bag which is cooked in a water bath for longer than normal cooking times at an accurately regulated temperature. You see the process on cooking shows, etc. Typically a piece of meat or vegetable is placed inside a bag along with herbs or oil marinade, sealed, and placed inside the ‘jacuzzi’ to cook. I wanted one many years ago but decided to hold off until they would hopefully come down in price. Well, I folded because the price was right on a brand, Anova, and gosh am I glad that I did!

My first reaction was to cook a nice cut of beef at a perfect temperature but we had already feasted on a beef dinner around the holidays, with plenty of leftovers, so I decided the next would be thick cut pork chops. I’ll admit that I love overcooked, almost dry, pork chops especially the thin cut style over charcoal but I’m not going that direction. These I knew would be perfect (well at least I was hopeful), juicy, and delicious, and hopefully worth the deal on the precision cooker.

Let’s get started.

First off, the Anova is way too easy to use. I initially thought that this might get complicated, and granted you should be able to vacuum seal with something like a FoodSaver or use this simple technique, but the rest is simply plugging it in, setting a temperature, and a time. Simple, and a bit too easy in my book. Kidding.

Ingredients:

Food safety vaccum sealable bag, large enough to nestle your pork chop(s)
2 2 inch thick whole cut, bone in, pork chops
Generous pinches of salt
Generous pinch of cracked black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tbsp unsalted butter
Fresh herbs such as thyme or rosemary, optional

Start by seasoning each side of the pork chops with salt and pepper. Place inside of your sealable bag and add the olive oil and pork chops. You can seal a chop per bag, or spread out two, so as long as they will fit in your cooking vessel.

Vacuum seal, or squeeze out as much air as humanely possible.

Add water to your vessel, in my case I simply used a pressure cooker pot but you can use any large pot. Fill enough water to submerge your precision cooker. There is basically a fill line marked on the Anova device.

Set your temperature. I did 140F degrees at 2 hours. Once you plug the device in and set the time and temp, it regulates the water temperature and circulates the water. Make sure the sealed bags are submerged completely.

After two hours (go about your business), or more (I say more because this keeps your temperature at 140 degrees until you remove it from the expired time), carefully remove the bags from the hot water, cut them open, and place the pork chops onto paper towels to remove any moisture.

Don’t worry. These are not that pretty when you remove them from the bag. The next step is where ‘real pretty’ comes into play. Keep in mind the pork is done at this time, and as indicated in the Anova manual, they should be cooked at 140 degrees from edge to edge.

Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat. Let this heat up for a couple of minutes until it begins to lightly smoke. Toss in all of the butter, and the herbs if using, then lay in the pork chops, ensuring they are patted dry before placing. Your goal is to get them nicely seared. Gently tilt your pan, and using a spoon begin collecting the butter and pouring it over the pork chops. Repeat this process over the course of the next few minutes, turning the chops over and continuing with the butter.

Remove them from the skillet after your desired browning. Keep in mind you can finish these on a hot grill as well for a couple of minutes per side for the grill marks and smoky flavor.

Plate, and drizzle the brown butter over the top if you desire. Season with a touch of salt, and get excited.

I called my kids to the table, along with my wife, and I will admit that I was excited. Not only because they looked pretty darn good at this point, but I was anxious to see if they would be the temperature they were and how juicy they would be.

I took the internal temp with my digital thermometer and they measure at 146 degrees. What some may seem as medium for pork, trust me, this was perfect.

No lie, this was probably the most moist, tender, and delicious pork chop not only that I have ever made, but also that I have ever had. After my son and I finished the pork chop we both were kind of giddy with delight. If you are like me and have always been on the fence with precision cooking, get off and get to it! I have more to follow including fish, vegetables, chicken, and yes… beef. Do you have one of these devices and do you enjoy cooking with it?

Glazed Italian Cookies

December 8, 2018December 8, 2018 Dax Phillips 2 Comments

Butter. Sugar. Flour. Baking Soda. Baking Powder. Eggs. Extracts. Those are the basic ingredients that I have been dealing with for nearly three weeks, among a few others such as Cocoa powder, salt, and more butter. My cookie game is on point, at least I thought it was until I decided to come up with this glazed Italian cookie that I thought was going to fail, but I was completely wrong.

Most every time we frequent our favorite Italian grocery and deli, Glorioso’s we tend to visit their baked goods area and pick up a good dozen of their cookies. Everyone in the family loves them. They are great alone, and a perfect snack with an afternoon coffee, so I decided to come up with a batch that I was hoping would come close, and I did a pretty darn good job.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 whole eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
6 tsp baking powder
5 cups all purpose flour, possibly more
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp lemon extract
parchment paper, optional but recommended
1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
2-4 cups of powdered sugar
5-7 tbsp milk
colored sprinkles, optional

This is a great cookie dough recipe and you can adjust your extract accordingly whether you want vanilla, almond, lemon (preferred), or other to your taste.

Keep in mind that you need to be care when adding the lemon extract as it can be a bit ‘chemical’ tasting if you go too far. You can always zest a lemon and add that in for an extra kick as well.

Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet, or two with parchment paper.

Get a mixing bowl ready as your main mixer, then another bowl for sifting some dry ingredients. There is something about sifting that I really love. I’m not sure what it is. Maybe it is the fine powder coming out of it, or maybe it was a memory of being a kid and seeing my elders use them in baking, not sure.

To the mixing bowl, add in the butter and sugar. Put the mixer on medium-low and begin creaming the butter. During this time sift your flour, baking powder, and salt. Crack your eggs into a separate bowl to prevent any shells from getting in the batter.

Add the lemon extract to to the butter and sugar, then start slowly adding in the eggs, one at a time. Once all of your eggs are nicely mixed into the butter, slowly begin adding the flour. Mix on medium until you have a nice batter. Stop and scrape down the sides, and mix some more. Add more flour if needed to form a nice, thick and somewhat sticky dough.

I placed all of my dough into a piping bag, but you can use your hands and form these into 2 inch log shapes if you want. I placed mine in a gallon sized ziplock, clipped off the corner to the size I was going form, and piped strips onto the parchment paper.

Once all of your dough is used, place into the oven for about 9-11 minutes until golden brown.

While the cookies are baking, make the glaze. Take the melted butter, powdered sugar, and milk and whisk in a mixing bowl. Mix, feeling free to add a bit more sugar or milk until you have your desired consistency.

Once the cookies are baked, remove them from the oven and transfer them to a wire rack. Let these cool for about 30 minutes before adding the glaze. I simply add the same parchment paper under the cooling rack to catch excess glaze.

Take a cookie strip and cut them into bite sized pieces. Dip each piece into the glaze, the put on the rack. Repeat. Sprinkle your decorations if you desire, and let the glaze set. I let these sit out overnight, then bagged them for later use.

When my wife and daughter came home, they said something along the lines of ‘Oh boy, what are these!?’, then upon biting into them they knew right away where I was headed, and that was the Italian cookie. Addicting, but well worth it, these Italian glazed cookies will be a real hit, especially this time of year. Enjoy!

Indian Style Red Onions

August 29, 2018August 29, 2018 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

As you probably know, I am a fan of all sorts of ethnic cuisines, probably more so than the standard American foods (granted my last meal will be fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and sweet corn), and that is saying a lot as I do love great American food. I could, and probably get away with it, eat some different ethnic food on a daily basis whether that be Greek, Italian, Mexican, Thai, or Filipino. You name it, I’m in. Lately, however, I am really craving Indian food. Maybe it is that simple, yet complex, notion of lentils cooked down in a curry gravy only to be swiped through with delicious warm naan bread, or maybe it is something like chicken tikka masala served alongside some rice, and well these Indian style red onions. It’s the simple things that get me.

It was years ago when I fell in love with Indian food, or Pakistani food for that matter. These platters would arrive and there would always, or most likely, be a small mound of simple red onions on the platter and I often scooted those to the side. That is until recently. I dabbled in them and low and behold those onions were definitely not there for garnish, they were there to boost the dish and cut through some of the richness of the dish. Not only that but they exploded in flavor, and that really intrigued me. Intrigued me so much I think about serving them along side most meals.

After dissecting the ingredients, I thought I would offer them up to my family during a recent hummus, grilled chicken, and pita party at the dinner table. I think they liked them. I know my wife did, all of the kids tried them, and I was eating them like chips alongside the rest of the meal.

These Indian style red onions are much like those trendy pickled red onions you are starting to see on like every burger nowadays (something I made back in 2009), but a bit more simple to make (believe it or not) and to me, loaded with more flavor. Addicting if you will.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced into 1/4 inch slices
1 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp chaat masala (find at your local Indian store)
generous pinch of salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

That’s it. Your only challenge, and a minor one at that is to get the chaat masala. You can Google it and make your own, but it is a lot easier to buy the store bought. Chaat masala is essentially a blend of Indian spices including cumin, coriander, ginger, dried mango powder, hing, and some chili powder, among other spices. The flavor profile is incredible to say the least.

Soak the onions in cold water for about 20 minutes, then strain the water.

Add the onions, lemon juice, salt, chaat masala, and cayenne pepper to a bowl. Stir well. Cover and let them marinade for about 1 hour until you are ready to serve.

Soaking the onions takes that ‘bite’ out of the onions which is great in my opinion and you are not walking around after eating them with onion breath. Serve the onions alongside your meal and dabble in there, grabbing a few and include them after some bites. Talk about snap, crackle, and pop! These Indian style onions are sure to please and go really, really well alongside grilled meats, or heck even a bowl of great hummus, pita, and olives. Feel free to cover and refrigerate any leftovers for about a week. Hope you enjoy!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Party Dip

July 26, 2018August 4, 2018 Dax Phillips 1 Comment

It was not too long ago where our families got together for an early summertime barbecue, or cookout if you will. I tend not to be a snob when it comes to the terms barbecue and grill out (or cookout), but when I hear a barbecue I think of meat smoked low and slow, then served while grilling is typically done over charcoal or wood, or for those that use gas, cooking at a faster pace. Regardless, any get together is always a fun time in our book, and we always like to bring something to the get together. When I ask the question to my wife if we can bring anything to the party, when I hear the word ‘Dessert’ I often panic in a sense. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t freak out or anything, but dessert is typically not my cup of tea and I typically only make dessert for my wife and kids. I am more into the savory, not the sweet.

So when I heard a dessert, I immediately thought of taking this one on myself and making something very simple, sweet, and something I knew adults and children would love. That’s when I came up with the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Party Dip.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Party Dip Recipe

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

8 oz package of cream cheese, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup salted caramel (or caramel chips)
1/2 tsp salt
Graham crackers or sliced apples

Again, this dip is way too easy to make and everyone crushed it. I think there was about 1/2 tablespoon left when we gathered the kids to leave the party. Yes, it’s that good, and a bit addicting.

Start by adding the cream cheese, butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla extract to a mixing bowl. Turn on your mixer and mix until all of the ingredients are well combined.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Party Dip Ingredients

Next add in both of your chocolate and caramel chips. Mix again to make sure all of the chips are combined.

Now get your silicone baking spatula out and get all of those goods scraped out and placed into your serving bowl.

When you are ready to serve, place your serving bowl next to a plate lined with graham crackers and sliced apples. Spread onto either one and get to town. These are sweet, creamy, and have a great little texture from those mini chips.

This is a quicker winner of a dessert. Hope you enjoy!

Hibiscus Iced Tea

June 23, 2017June 23, 2017 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

I love shopping at my local Mexican grocery store. I have said it before and I will always say it as to how much fun I have browsing the aisles. Granted I’m pretty much the only gringo roaming the aisles, but that is just ok by me. At my particular store, one of the end caps is loaded with dried chilies and an array of spices. There are things I have never heard of before, such as different dried flowers for cooking, but one recently grabbed my attention, and one that I knew. Hibiscus flowers. These dark burgundy looking dried flowers were grabbing my attention, only to be brought home and turned into a refreshing tea, that I knew my wife and I would love.

If you are not familiar with hibiscus tea, don’t worry. This stuff is brewed all over the world, has a great taste, and is super easy to make.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

2 oz bag of dried hibiscus flowers
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 whole cinnamon stick
8-10 cups of water
Additional items could be lime, ginger, or allspice berries

Start by adding 5 cups of water, sugar, and cinnamon stick to a pot. Bring to a simmer, add in the dried hibiscus flowers, and let this steep for about 30 minutes. If you want to explore with lime, ginger, or allspice berries, go ahead.

After 30 minutes. Strain the mixture, reserving the hibiscus concentrate. This is your base, so if you are wanting to use this right away, mix about equal parts of concentrate to cold water, served over ice. My batch was pretty much gone in one day due to everyone loving it so much.

This hibiscus iced tea is comparable to a blended cranberry juice flavor with that kick of cinnamon. Not only is it super refreshing to drink but it’s loaded with awesome health benefits such as lowering cholesterol, great for the liver, blood pressure, and it has anti-cancer properties, all of which my body probably needs.

If you are looking to impress some guests and help boost their immune system, why not give this hibiscus iced tea a try. It’s a winner! Hope you enjoy…

Loaded Puppy Chow Dessert

February 6, 2017February 6, 2017 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

Most every time I go to the store, I see small packages of what is called ‘puppy chow’, and I see people buying these powdered sugar based cereal. I’ve looked at the cost and say to myself ‘seriously, that much for this?!’. That when I figured I would come up with own batch, making it my own and loading up this puppy chow that I knew my wife and kids would love. The ingredients are way too simple and I pretty much had everything laying around with the exception of the Chex cereal. You’re going to love this one.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

10 cups of Chex Mix (I used the Rice variety)
1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup of smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp unsalted butter
10 Oreo cookies, crumbled
1/2 cup of regular M&Ms
1 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

Get a large mixing bowl, one large enough to hold all of the cereal comfortably.

Add the crumbled Oreos, then the cereal, then top with the M&Ms.

To another bowl, add the chocolate chips, butter, and peanut butter. Place in a microwave and melt for about 90 seconds or until you have a smooth mixture. Give it a good stir, and if you need it to smooth out even more, add a few more seconds in the microwave.

Get your powered sugar ready.

Take the chocolate mixture and pour all over the cereal and quickly mix, then pour on the powdered sugar. Continue to mix until everything is coated. Pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet and let cool.

Serve in bowls and seal in a bag for all of the leftovers. I must say my family probably took down a half of that batch and wow they were in heaven. If you are looking for a simple dessert and one that you can simply throw together for that sweet tooth of yours, give this one a go. The addition of the cookies and M&Ms were a huge hit. Hope you enjoy!

Garlic and Dill Fried Cheese Curds

August 13, 2015August 13, 2015 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

This past weekend I had to go to one of our local grocery stores, and typically on the weekend, there are always vendors pushing their local products. I’m somewhat a fan of that, and I always sample their products, and about half of the time purchase their products, only to support local. My first encounter was an older lady pushing her cheese curds. She had a few to choose from, and when my first question was ‘how fresh are they?’, she immediately said she pulled them this morning. You can always tell a fresh cheese curd from that first bite. It should be squeaky, soft, and lightly salty. These were everything that, and more. I loved them.

As my daughter has been asking, A LOT, lately ‘when are we going to make those cheese curds again?’, I decided that this was the time, and a perfect time because the curds from Malcore Foods were really good, especially the garlic and dill cheese curds. I picked up some regular cheddar, as well as the garlic dill, and headed home to show them to my daughter.

When I opened the bag, I was a bit skeptical if she, or my boys would like them, after all they had green specs of dill on them! They liked them, a lot. I’ve never fried these type of curds, so I was excited to see how they would turn out. Let’s just say they were gone in a matter of minutes!

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

12 oz bag of fresh cheese curds, garlic and dill, room temperature
2 cups of canola oil
12 oz of lager beer
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt

Add the oil to a medium pot, and bring to a medium-high heat. In the meantime you can prepare the batter. In one bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix. In another bowl, beat the eggs and add in the beer. Mix. Combine the wet mixture with the dry mixture to form your batter. Make sure you mix well to get any lumps out of the flour.

Once your oil is heated through, carefully dip a handful of the curds into your batter. Once they are golden brown, this only takes a few minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider, and place onto a paper towel lined plate to remove any excess oil. Repeat.

Serve immediately. Again, this bag of cheese curds were gone in a matter of minutes, and all of my kids wanted more! I thought one bag was enough, especially that we are going to the annual State Fair. If you ever wanted something from Wisconsin, and especially our State Fair, well, cheese curds would be the ticket. I’m sure we will get plenty more, and hopefully they have the garlic and dill fried cheese curds as that subtle garlic and tang from the dill really made these cheese curds that much better. Hope you enjoy!

Garlic and Dill Fried Cheese Curds

Author: Dax Phillips

Recipe type: Appetizers

Prep time: 5 mins

Cook time: 10 mins

Total time: 15 mins

Serves: 5

Ingredients

12 oz bag of fresh cheese curds, garlic and dill, room temperature
2 cups of canola oil
12 oz of lager beer
1½ tsp baking powder
1 cup of all purpose flour
2 eggs
1 tsp salt

Instructions

Add the oil to a medium pot, and bring to a medium-high heat. In the meantime you can prepare the batter. In one bowl add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix. In another bowl, beat the eggs and add in the beer. Mix. Combine the wet mixture with the dry mixture to form your batter. Make sure you mix well to get any lumps out of the flour.
Once your oil is heated through, carefully dip a handful of the curds into your batter. Once they are golden brown, this only takes a few minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon or kitchen spider, and place onto a paper towel lined plate to remove any excess oil. Repeat. Serve immediately.

Taco Pie

July 13, 2015July 13, 2015 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

This past fourth of July, we decided to break from our normal routine of staying put in our neighborhood, and instead decided to go to our sister-in-law’s house for the weekend. It was fun to say the least. We were able to go fishing along the Rock river, as well as just spend good old time with family. Granted we did not catch many fish, but my kids were able to spend some good quality time with their cousins, and they loved every second of it! With that said, my cooking responsibilities were set aside as well. My sister-in-law did not even let me help. WITH ANYTHING. I will be honest, it actually felt pretty good not to cook for a bunch of people. Regardless, there was one dish she threw together that was so simple, and one where everyone devoured. It was a taco pie.

This taco pie is everything you could probably love about tacos, but done in a pie kind of form. In my case, I decided to use pre-baked puff pastry sheets as my top and bottom crust. Did my family love it? Heck yes, and it was so, so good.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

2 sheets of puff pastry, cooked according to directions
1 1/2 lb ground chuck, cooked and fat removed
1 whole onion, chopped
1 whole jalapeno pepper, diced (seeds removed if you do not want it spicy)
1/2 tbsp salt, to taste
2 tbsp taco seasoning
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1 cup of cooked corn kernels
1 cup of your favorite salsa (I used a blend)
3 cups colby jack cheese, shredded
2 cups Doritos, crumbled
black olives, optional
sour cream, optional
shredded lettuce, optional
additional jalapenos, optional
lime wedges, optional
hot sauce, optional

Start by heating a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once heated, add in your ground chuck, and cook until browned. Strain and discard the fat.

Return the ground chuck back to the heat, and toss in the onions, corn, jalapenos, salsa, and seasonings. Stir and cook until the vegetables have softened. Once softened, remove them from the heat, and prepare your taco pie.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To a baking dish, one large enough to fit one of the pre-cooked puff pastry sheets, place the puff pastry sheet on the bottom.

Top with some of the cheese, then layer on the meat mixture, then layer on the rest of the cheese, and then the crumbled Doritos. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted. Once melted, remove and top with the remaining puff pastry sheet, and then back in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the top puff pastry is warmed through.

Now you are ready to dig in. I let the pie rest for about 5 minutes before slicing into squares, but you do what you want.

Once sliced, place onto your plate, and add sour cream, olives, hot sauce, lettuce, and limes. Or don’t. It’s your call.

The ultimate is the taco pie. It’s a bit sweet from that awesome puff pastry, and then an explosion of flavor from everything you love about a spiced taco meat mixture. You could do this with chicken or pork if you want, but the classic ground beef mixture hit a homerun with my kids. Did I mention my oldest even ate it, and loved it? To me, that’s a win, win, and I’m thankful my sister-in-law turned me on to something so easy, yet so comforting to make. Hope you enjoy!

Taco Pie

Author: Dax Phillips

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Total time: 40 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

2 sheets of puff pastry, cooked according to directions
1½ lb ground chuck, cooked and fat removed
1 whole onion, chopped
1 whole jalapeno pepper, diced (seeds removed if you do not want it spicy)
½ tbsp salt, to taste
2 tbsp taco seasoning
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp cracked black pepper
1 cup of cooked corn kernels
1 cup of your favorite salsa (I used a blend)
3 cups colby jack cheese, shredded
2 cups Doritos, crumbled
black olives, optional
sour cream, optional
shredded lettuce, optional
additional jalapenos, optional
lime wedges, optional
hot sauce, optional

Instructions

Start by heating a large skillet on medium-high heat. Once heated, add in your ground chuck, and cook until browned. Strain and discard the fat.
Return the ground chuck back to the heat, and toss in the onions, corn, jalapenos, salsa, and seasonings. Stir and cook until the vegetables have softened. Once softened, remove them from the heat, and prepare your taco pie.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
To a baking dish, one large enough to fit one of the pre-cooked puff pastry sheets, place the puff pastry sheet on the bottom.
Top with some of the cheese, then layer on the meat mixture, then layer on the rest of the cheese, and then the crumbled Doritos. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted. Once melted, remove and top with the remaining puff pastry sheet, and then back in the oven and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the top puff pastry is warmed through.
Now you are ready to dig in. I let the pie rest for about 5 minutes before slicing into squares, but you do what you want.
Once sliced, place onto your plate, and add sour cream, olives, hot sauce, lettuce, and limes. Or don’t. It’s your call.

Fried Pizza Dough

June 1, 2015June 1, 2015 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

There is a pizza place near where we live that we have been ordering from lately. It’s called Pizzeria Scotty, and it is probably our favorite pizza place, at this time. As I often make my own pizzas, yes there are days where I’m pinched for time, I will go ahead and place an order. Not too long ago we tried one of their appetizers. It was their deep fried garlic bread sticks. My first bite into these things, as well as everyone around the table, was as though we just entered heaven. Lightly fried with a garlic butter sauce, along with some romano cheese, we could have simply ate those for dinner. It was now for me to recreate these awesome snacks, and I believe I hit it right on the head. As my kids and I sat around the first batch that came out, we simply giggled because we nailed it. No more ordering those anymore.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

1 batch of your favorite pizza dough
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
2 cups of canola oil

Start by heating your oil on medium heat. You will want this to come up to about 350 degrees.

During this time, roll out your dough. Shower your cutting board with some of the flour, then layout your dough, and roll it out into about 1/2 inch thick. Using your bench scraper, or knife, but them into strips, then slice those strips in half. You could target about 3 to 4 inch strips.

Add the butter and garlic powder to a bowl. Melt in the microwave, or on a pot on the stove. Your call.

Once the oil is heated, add in a handful of the dough strips, and cook for about 2-3 minutes or until they are a light golden brown. Once golden, remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper lined plate to let any excess oil drain.

Brush some of the garlic butter onto the fried pizza dough, and shower with some of the parmesan cheese.

Repeat.

Go buy, or make some more pizza dough because these things are so addicting you will want to.

These are the perfect side dish to your pizza party. Garlicky, buttery, and just salty enough from the parmesan cheese. I know you will love these. I know we did, and sorry Pizzeria Scotty… I’m making my own from here on out. Hope you enjoy!

Tahini Sauce

May 21, 2015May 23, 2015 Dax Phillips Leave a comment

Not too long ago, I posted a recipe for a shawarma seasoning (that was really great), and I used it when making chicken shawarma, another recipe that I will be posting in the near future. To accompany the chicken shawarma, I made a batch of tahini sauce. If you have never had tahini sauce, oh man, it’s a must try. The ingredients are simple, but the impact it makes on sandwiches, or salads for that matter is amazing.

As my chicken shawarma had some hummus I had made a few days prior, I decided to do a final drizzle of tahini sauce to elevate the sandwich to another level.

The picture is not very exciting to say the least, but you can get a sense of what it looks like.

Let’s get started.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of tahini paste, mixed
2 cloves garlic, mashed
1 lemon, juiced
1/4 cup of lukewarm water, more if needed
1/4 tsp salt, to taste

That’s it. You can add some minced fresh parsley if you want, but I wanted mine to be a bit cleaner in a sense.

Basically add everything to a mixing bowl, and stir until everything is incorporated. The consistency should be that of a salad dressing, not too thick, and not too thin.

The lemon and garlic are perfectly balanced by the tahini paste. Did I mention how much I love tahini sauce? Again, this tahini sauce goes great on salads, sandwiches, or heck even a quick dip for pita chips. Hope you enjoy!