Pulled Pork and Lowfat No Mayo Coleslaw

Finally, NASCAR season is back! You might have read posts in the past that refer to how my husband and I met - we were both in the lobby of our dorm on the second night of school, freshman year, watching the Bristol night race. Seriously, we didn't mess around wasting time, finding eachother! We began talking, and the rest is history.

If you've been following my blog for a while, you know last year, I took it upon myself to do a little NASCAR Challenge. See A Year Ago: Daytona 500.

Seriously, I love the challenges, bring 'em on!

So the premise was I'd cook a meal that is symbolic of the city or state where the race was held. I began last year with Daytona, and proceeded to blog 13 more races. If you're a NASCAR fan, you know the tracks begin to repeat halfway thru the season, and many tracks are located close toegether, so I blogged about half the season.Now I'm not going to do another season of NASCAR food, but I did want to kick off the season right and cook a meal that reminds me of my wonderful years in North Carolina. This whole meal is super simple to put together, and very delicious!

Pulled Pork Open Faced Sandwiches with Lowfat, No Mayo Coleslaw

1 1lb. pork tenderloin (mine was already seasoned with a peppercorn crust)

1/2 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce, or a combination of a few (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Mesquite Hickory and Brown Sugar, and added a touch of vinegar and mustard)

1/2 c. chicken stock

2 slices bread (or texas toast or a roll)

Place pork, stock, and BBQ sauce in a slow cooker on low, cook for 6 hours.

Shred and let it soak up the liquid.

Serve on toast with extra BBQ sauce.

Lowfat, No Mayo Coleslaw

1 sack of coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)

1/4 red onion, sliced very thin

1/4 c. light sour cream

2 tbsp. champagne or apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp. mustard powder

salt and pepper

1 tbsp. powdered sugar (you can use granulated, powdered dissolves easier)

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sour cream, vinegar, mustard powder, salt, pepper and sugar.

Toss in cabbage, mix to distribute.

Let coleslaw sit in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours before serving, toss before serving.

Chicago Style Deep Dish Everything Pizza

Tonight's race was the first night race at Chicagoland ever. I love night racing, it seems like it's so much faster and much more fun! I had to make deep dish pizza, because it's do good, and it's something I've never made before.
I followed this recipe, by Emeril. I used vegetarian sausage, and omitted the pepperoni, but everything else was the same.
I let my sauce cook down so it was really thick and extra sweet and spicy. It was such a good dinner!
I used a springform pan, and it came out perfectly.

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza Dough, recipe follows (I made half a recipe)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic

2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano

1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 (28-ounce) can plum tomatoes

1 tablespoon dry red wine

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced

8 ounces pepperoni, thinly sliced

8 ounces mushrooms, wiped clean and thinly sliced

1 green bell pepper, cored and cut into thin rings

1 yellow onion, cut into thin rings

1 cup thinly sliced black olives

1 pound crumbled hot Italian sausage

1 cup grated Parmesan

While the dough is rising, make the tomato sauce. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the herbs, seeds, salt, and black and red peppers, and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, wine and sugar, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely before using.
Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
Oil 2 seasoned 12-inch round deep-dish pizza pans with the extra-virgin olive oil. Press 1 piece of dough into each pan, pressing to the edge and stretching about 1 1/2 inches up the sides. Let rest for 5 minutes.
Layer the mozzarella cheese all over the bottom of the pies. Top each with half of the pepperoni, mushrooms, bell pepper rings, onions, black olives and sausage. Ladle the sauce evenly over each pizza and top with Parmesan.
Bake until the top is golden and the cheese is bubbly and the crust is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and serve hot.

Chicago-style Deep Dish Pizza Dough:

11/2 cups warm water (about 110 degrees F)

1 (1/4-ounce) packages active dry yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup semolina flour

1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus 2 teaspoons to grease bowl (I used 1 tbsp EVOO)

1 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, combine the water, yeast, and sugar and stir to combine. Let sit until the mixture is foamy, about 5 minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the semolina, 1/2 cup of the oil, and the salt, mixing by hand until it is all incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Continue adding the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, working the dough after each addition, until all the flour is incorporated but the dough is still slightly sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth but still slightly tacky, 3 to 5 minutes. Oil a large mixing bowl with the remaining 2 teaspoons oil.
Place the dough in the bowl and turn to oil all sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set in a warm, draft-free place until nearly doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Divide into 2 equal portions and use as directed.

California Pasta Toss

Today's NASCAR race is in Sonoma, CA. I wanted to make fresh pasta to toss with some california vegetables in a white wine-sun dried tomato pesto sauce. I hope you enjoy this delicious pasta!

California Pasta Toss

1/2 lb. fresh chive pasta

1 lb. asparagus spears, trimmed

1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts in water

2 tbsp. sun dried tomatoes, minced

1/2 c. vegetable stock

1/2 c. smoke gouda cheese

Crushed red pepper flakes

White Wine - Sun Dried Tomato Pesto:

20 basil leaves

10 sun dried tomatoes

1/2 c. white wine

2 tbsp. EVOO

Salt and Pepper

2 tbsp. walnuts

Prepare pesto sauce, blend all ingredients until well incorporated. Set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, drop in pasta, cook for 3 minutes, scoop out of water.

Drop asparagus spears in the water, blanch for 2-3 minutes. Drain.

Put pot back on burner, add pesto sauce, turn to low, cook out most of the wine. Add pasta, asparagus, artichokes, and sun dried tomato strips.

Toss pasta in sauce, if it's dry, add some stock.

Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Plate, top with smoked gouda and crushed red pepper flakes.

Everything Stromboli

When I decided to make Stromboli, I knew I'd have to use some meat. Since we're going mostly vegetarian, I decided to use veggie sausage and pepperoni. They both taste really good, and are very close to the original meat. This made 3 stomboli, but could be stretched to 4, or 2 giant stromboli.

Everything Stromboli

1 red onion

2 bell peppers

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 rectangle shaped pizza crust

1/2 c. tomato sauce

6 sausage links

12 slices pepperoni

Grated parmesan cheese

3 slices provolone cheese

1 tbsp. EVOO

1 tsp. sesame seeds

Heat a large nonstick skillet to medium heat. Add onion and peppers, toss, add salt and pepper and cook for 10 minutes until all the liquid is cooked out and the veggies begin to caramelize. Add fennel seeds and crushed red pepper. Take off the heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough, slice into 3 sections. Top with the peppers and onions, sausage, half of cheese, roll over, place in pepperoni and remaining cheese, roll all the way and place on a baking sheet.

Score with a knife, drizzle with EVOO, sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

the assembly line.

my favorite veggie products

just out of the oven...yum!

Richmond

Tonight's race is in Richmond, VA. I couldn't find any specific dishes for Richmond, so I looked at recipes from the state of Virginia. I do know that ham is extremely traditional in Virginia. I found a website that has Colonial Williamsburg dishes, and the Ham and Cheese sounded great to me! The description is: Sugar-cured ham and cheddar cheese on a pretzel roll with stone gound mustard, red pepper relish, and vegetable chips. I looked up recipes for Bavarian pretzel rolls, and found an awesome on here. The rolls are a little involved, but they taste so good! When the menu said the sandwich is served with vegetable chips, I wasn't exactly sure what kind it meant, so I just picked up some vegetable chips from the snack aisle. The red pepper relish recipe was on the website, I quartered the recipe. I used German stone ground mustard, which had little bits of whole mustard seed in it. This mustard adds a real punch, and tastes great on any sandwich. Please enjoy this delicious, historic meal!

Ham and Cheese on a Pretzel Roll with Red Pepper Relish

2 pretzel rolls (recipe to follow)

1/4 lb. sugar or honey ham

1/4 lb. white cheddar, sliced

1 cup red pepper relish (recipe to follow)

4 tbsp. stone ground mustard

Red Pepper Relish:
(makes 1 quart)
1 cup corn syrup
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ cup vinegar
4 cups red bell peppers, cored and diced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 small onion, finely chopped
In a large saucepan, combine the corn syrup, sugar, vinegar, pepper, salt, and cloves and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the peppers and onion, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer for 15–20 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill thoroughly before serving.

Bavarian Prezel Rolls:
1 1/3 cups warm water
2 tablespoons warm milk
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 cups flour
kosher salt
1/2 cup baking soda


In a small bowl if using a bread machine, or in the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, mix a 1/3 cup of the warm water (105-115 degrees) with the yeast and let stand until foamy.
Add the remaining cup of warm water along with milk, sugar & melted butter and swirl to dissolve the sugar. (If using a bread machine add mixture to bread machine at this point and continue). Add flour and mix on dough cycle or med-low speed. Remove dough from bread machine once it forms a nice a firm, pliable dough ball. Add more flour if necessary.
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured table and knead for 2 minutes. Roll into a 2 foot long log and cut into 12 even pieces. Cover dough with plastic and a damp cloth and let sit for 10 minutes. Pat dough into rolls or form knots and arrange on a lightly floured surface about an inch apart and cover with lightly oiled plastic wrap. Let the pretzels rest for an additional 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 425°. Lightly oil 2 baking sheets.
In a large stockpot, bring the cold water to a rolling boil and add baking soda.
Drop two rolls into the boiling water and boil for no more then 30 seconds, turning once. Carefully remove with tongs or slotted spoon and hold above pot and let drain. Sprinkle lightly with salt. Repeat with the remaining rolls.
Arrange rolls on the oiled baking sheets and bake on the upper and middle racks of the oven for about 8-10 minutes, or until browned all over; shift pans from top to bottom and back to front halfway through, for even baking.
Let rolls cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

(carb lover's heaven...)

Talladega!

Today's race is at Talladega Superspeedway. When deciding what to make, I emailed my friend Shannon, who is from Pell City, AL. She told me I had to make BBQ chicken, and I listened! I used the Neely's BBQ sauce recipe, found here. I thought I should make fried green tomatoes because I've never had them and they're such a southern tradition! Unfortunately, I could only find tomatillos, no green tomatoes, and there were only 3 at the store, so I looked around to see what other veggies looked good and were grill-able. I settled on zucchini and bell peppers. I marinated them and grilled them with the chicken. I also made cornbread muffins, but threw in some jalapenos and white cheddar to give them an edge. It was a bit of a hodgepodge dinner, but delicious, nonetheless.

Grilled BBQ Chicken, Fried Green Tomatillos, Jalapeno White Cheddar Corn Muffins, and Grilled Veggies

Chicken:

2 chicken breasts

1 cup BBQ sauce:

2 cups ketchup

1 cup water

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

5 tablespoons light brown sugar

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper

1/2 tablespoon onion powder

1/2 tablespoon ground mustard

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cooked uncovered, stirring frequently, for 2 hours.

Fried Green Tomatillos:

3 tomatillos

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup cornmeal

2 tbsp. flour

EVOO to coat the pan

Heat the EVOO over medium-high. Slice the tomatillos, dip in buttermilk, then in cornmeal-flour mixture. Fry on each side for 4-5 minutes, until just golden. Drain on paper towels, serve immediately.

Jalapeno White Cheddar Corn Muffins:

1 cup cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

2 tbsp. minced jalapeno

1/4 cup shredded white cheddar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Mix all ingredients in a bowl until just combined.

Line a muffin tin with papers, spray with nonstick spray, then spoon muffin mix in. Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.

Grilled Veggies:

1/4 cup EVOO

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp. minced herbs, like parsley, tarragon, thyme, and basil

1 garlic clove, minced

salt and pepper

Assorted veggies, like mushrooms, peppers, squash, eggplant, and peppers

Mix all ingredients except veggies, pour over veggies and marinade for 30 minutes. Grill for 4-5 minutes per side.

Mexico City!

Today the Sprint series is off, but the Nationwide series is racing in Mexico City. I saw this recipe in Bobby Flay's cookbook for Yucatan Chicken, and figured I'd make it since the Yucatan Peninsula is in Mexico.
One of the reasons I started this blog was to challenge myself to try new cooking methods and ingredients, and tonight's dinner had both! I've never cooked tamales before, and I've never had jicama. The tamales were outstanding! The jicama was good, too. It tasted like a sweet water chestnut. Kroger didn't have papayas this week, so I subbed mango in the salsa.
I hope you enjoy these two great Bobby Flay recipes!

Pumpkin Tamales with Yucatan Chicken

Pumpkin Tamales:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp ginger
1 tbsp. nutmeg
Salt and pepper
24 dried corn husks, soaked in water for 2 hours
½ recipe of Masa


Masa:
1 ½ cups fresh corn kernels
1 medium onion
2 cups chicken stock
6 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. shortening
1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
1 ½ tsp. sugar
Salt and pepper


About 2 hours before you plan to form the tamales, clean the husks under water, soak them for 2 hours in hot water, until softened.
Puree the corn, onion and stock, transfer to a mixing bowl and cut in the shortening and butter. Using your fingers, mix in the cornmeal, sugar, salt and pepper until there are no visible lumps of fat.
Remove the corn husks from water and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, combine the pumpkin, honey, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Add the pumpkin mixture to the masa, marbling it through; do not combine the two mixtures completely.
Lay 2 husks flat on a work surface with the tapered ends facing out and the broad bases overlapping. Place about 1/3 cup of masa in the middle. Bring the long sides up over the masa, overlapping, and pat down to close. Tie each bundle with a strip of corn. Trim the ends to about ½” beyond the tie. Arrange in a single layer in a steamer and steam over boiling water for 45 minutes.


Yucatan-style Chicken Skewers with Papaya-Tomatillo Salsa:
1 cup Yucatan Marinade
9 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (I used tenders)
1 medium jicama, julienned
2 cups papaya-tomatillo salsa
Wood Skewers

Yucatan Marinade:
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
¼ cup ancho chile powder
2 tbsp. pasilla chile powder
¼ cup paprika
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp salt
¼ cup EVOO
Combine all ingredients in a blender until emulsified.


Papaya-Tomatillo Salsa
1 papaya, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
4 tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped
2 tbsp. diced red onion
1 tbsp. minced jalapeno
¼ cup lime juice
¼ cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp. honey
Salt and pepper


Combine all ingredients in a bowl, May be refrigerated for up to 1 day before serving.


To prepare:
Rub the marinade into the chicken, cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
Prepare a charcoal grill or preheat the broiler
Thread each piece of chicken onto 2 skewers so the meat stays flat, grill for 4 minutes per side. Arrange on a plate with the jicima and salsa.

(The tamales before I rolled them)

(This is what jicama looks like, as well as the corn husks soaking)

Phoenix!

Last night's NASCAR race was in Phoenix, AZ. I decided to flip through Bobby Flay's cookbook again to find a recipe that would be fitting. JJ told me he really wanted chile rellenos, which were in the cookbook, so I made those, along with some barbeque chicken in corn pancakes with mango-tomatillo salsa.
This meal was delicious! It was so flavorful, and had just the right amount of spice. Unfortunately, I forgot to type up the recipe before I brought the cookbook back to the library today, so I can't share that, but if you want it, this is the cookbook it came from:
Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food, Bobby Flay. Warner Books, Inc: New York, 1994.


Finally, Jimmie Johnson had his first win of the season!

Texas!

Today's NASCAR race is in Texas. When I decided to do the NASCAR challange this season, my first thought for Texas was I need to make ribs. Now I've never made ribs before, and I think I've only ever had them 2 or 3 times in my life, so I was very weary!
I was looking through a Bobby Flay cookbook, and found a recipe for Peanut-Chipotle BBQ Ribs. Now for those of you who don't know much about Bobby Flay, he is a terrific south-west/grill chef, who makes the most amazing sauces. They are always so complex with so many comlimentary flavors. You'll see that when you read all of the recipes that compound on each other below.
Now, not to be overshadowed by the ribs, was a Zucchini and Corn Quesadilla. It says this is Mesa Grill's most popular item, and I understand why! It is so fresh and complex tasting with tons of spice!

Barbecued Ribs with Peanut-Chipotle Sauce

&

Corn and Zucchini Quesadilla with Smoked Tomato Salsa and Avocado Relish

Corn and Zucchini Quesadilla with Smoked Tomato Salsa and Avocado Relish

Three 8-inch tortillas
¼ cup grated Monterey Jack
¼ cup grated white cheddar
2 tbsp. chopped red onion
1 jalapeno, minced
¼ cup fresh corn kernels
Salt and pepper
½ cup Smoked Tomato Salsa (recipe below)
½ cup Avocado Relish (recipe below)


Preheat oven to 450 degrees
Place 2 tortillas on an ungreased baking sheet. Spread half the cheeses, onion, jalapeno, julienned zucchini, and corn on each and season with salt and pepper. Stack the 2 layers and cover with the last tortilla. Bake for 8-12 minutes.
Cut into quarters and serve with salsa and relish.


Smoked Tomato Salsa:
2 medium cold smoked tomatoes, seeded and chopped
2 tbsp. diced red onion
1 tbsp. minced jalapeno
½ cup fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. ancho chile powder


Combine all ingredients, refrigerate. Bring to room temp. before serving


Avocado Relish:
1 ripe Haas avocado
1 tbsp. finely diced red onion
1 tbsp. minced jalapeno
2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper


Combine avocado, onion, jalapeno, lime and cilantro, season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Serve at room temperature.


These are the two garnishes, I made them this morning so they would have time for the flavors to combine. Cover the avocado with plastic wrap right on the avocado to make a skin or it is likely to turn brown.

Barbecued Ribs with Peanut-Chipotle Sauce


1 cup soy sauce
4 tbsp. chopped ginger
2 racks of ribs
2 ½ cups peanut chipotle sauce (recipe below)


Peanut Chipotle Sauce:
1 ½ cups New-Mexico style Barbeque sauce (recipe below)
½ cup smooth peanut butter
¼ cup soy sauce
1 ½ tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 ½ tsp. pureed canned chipotles
1 ½ tbsp. honey


Combine all ingredients, refrigerate covered for up to 4 days.


New-Mexico Style Barbeque Sauce:
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
½ medium red onion, finely diced
1 garlic clove, finely diced
6 plum tomatoes, diced
½ cup ketchup
2 tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. honey
1 tsp. cayenne
1 tbsp. ancho chile powder
1 tsp. pasilla chile powder
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. worstershire sauce


In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and sweat the onion and garlic until translucent. Add tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes, add the remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 minutes.
Puree the mixture in a food processor, pour into a bowl and cool.

There are many ingredients in the BBQ sauce, but many you probably have on hand. One thing I did was buy whole dried ancho chiles, and ground them into powder myself.

For the ribs, per Katie's instructions, I boiled them on Saturday afternoon in a large pot of water for an hour. Then I placed them in a pyrex dish, covered in plastic wrap, and left them overnight.

I took them out of the fridge and washed off the fat, then i dried them, seasoned with garlic salt and pepper, and grill them.

For grilling: I placed them on the grill, cooked for 5 minutes on the first side, flipped and basted with BBQ sauce, then flipped them and basted, and I reapeated this step 4 times, basting and cooking each side 2 times. I liked mine as they were, JJ added a little more sauce on the side for dipping.

Bobby Flay’s Bold American Food, Bobby Flay. Warner Books, Inc: New York, 1994.

Martinsville!

Today’s NASCAR race is at Martinsville, VA. I tried to find a traditional dish from the area, but it was mostly ham, and traditional southern country cooking. My favorite southern dish is chicken and dumplings. I have had it many ways, but Cracker Barrel still is the best in my book! I looked up many copycat recipes, but nothing was the same. I wanted it to be as authentic as possible. I remembered watching Unwrapped on food network, and they showed how the dish was made. The chicken is chicken tenders, whole, and the dumplings are rolled and boiled, not wet batter dropped into the pot. I saw they boil the dumplings and then add in the chicken later on. They also said they make the dumplings the size of a sugar packet. I think I did a pretty good job at replicating! For the sides, I chose the 2 sides I always get there, carrots and fried okra. I made oven fried okra though, instead. Since okra is naturally sticky, it holds the breadcrumbs very well!
Enjoy the race; let’s hope Jimmie Johnson can 4-peat!

Chicken and Dumplings, Oven Fried Okra, Sweet Baby Carrots

Chicken and Dumplings
Chicken and Sauce:
½ lb. chicken tenders
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup 2% milk
1 tsp. white pepper
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. salt
Dumplings:
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. baking powder
½ cup skim milk


Heat a dutch oven over medium high, add butter and flour, whisk to cook flour, add stock and milk, bring to a rolling bubble. Add in salt and pepper, slide in chicken. Cover and turn to low.
Bring a large pot of water (half full) to a boil.
Combine all dumpling ingredients in a bowl, mix together with a fork. Turn out and roll. Use a pizza cutter and create sugar packet size dumplings. Drop in the boiling water, keep at a high boil (be careful it doesn’t boil over, it will foam) and boil for 10 minutes.
Gently transfer into dutch oven with chicken tenders. Keep on low, uncovered, to thicken and reduce.
Allow it to simmer while preparing other ingredients, taste for seasoning adjustments.



Oven Baked Okra
1 bag of frozen cut okra, thawed
½ cup Italian style breadcrumbs
½ cup panko breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large bowl, toss okra with breadcrumbs and salt and pepper. Arrange on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown.



Sweet Baby Carrots


2 cups baby carrots
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. honey


Place steamer basket in a pot with 1/2” of water. Bring to a boil and steam carrots for 15 minutes.
Take basket out of the pot. Turn heat off. Add the butter and honey to the pot, let it melt and add carrots back, toss to combine.

The most beautiful chicken tenders I've ever seen in my whole life!

Cutting the dumplings to sugar packet size

Bristol!

Today’s race is at one of many fans’ favorite track – Bristol! It is a short track with lots of bumping and wrecking! It’s definitely a great one to watch if you’re not necessarily a fan because of all of the action. Bristol is a small city in TN, and doesn’t have a specific dish, so I researched some traditional Tennessee fare.
As a result of the American Revolution, Tennessee is known as the “Hogs and Hominy” state. The hominy was prevalent, as was ham. Hominy is corn without the germ. It can be found whole or ground, often used to make grits. After researching hominy, I found that it was often served for breakfast with maple syrup, used in a stew called posole, or formed into cakes and browned. I decided to bake it with a little rosemary and parmesan, like I would make a potatoes or rice.
For the “hogs” part of the meal, I bought a quarter ham sliced for tonight’s meal, and one later in the night. I found a recipe that I thought would be interesting, Cola-Baked Ham with Cherry Orange Glaze. It’s an Emeril recipe found here. Obviously, I didn’t make a whole ham. I arranged the slices in a baking dish, cooked it with the cola, and then glazed it every 10 minutes for an hour.
I didn’t find any specific vegetables mentioned for Tennessee, so I went with steamed broccoli.

Cola-Baked Ham with Cherry Orange Glaze, Parmesan Baked Hominy, Steamed Broccoli

Cola-Baked Ham with Cherry Orange Glaze:
1 (12 to 15-pound) fully cooked bone-in ham

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 (2-liter) bottle cola

3/4 cup cherry preserves or jelly

1/4 cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons orange flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Trim rind and excess fat from the ham, leaving a 1/4-inch thick layer of fat. With a sharp knife, score the fat in a diamond pattern. Place the ham in large roasting pan and sprinkle with the allspice. Pour the cola into the pan and bake uncovered 1 hour and 15 minutes, basting every 15 minutes with the pan juices.
Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine the cherry preserves, orange juice, and liqueur over medium heat and cook, stirring, until melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
Remove the ham from the oven and brush the top and sides with the cherry glaze. Return the ham to the oven and bake, brushing with pan juices and glaze every 15 minutes and tenting the ham with foil if browning too quickly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of ham without touching the bone registers 140 degrees F, about 15 to 30 minutes.
Remove the ham from oven and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour before slicing.

Parmesan Baked Hominy:

1 2 oz. can hominy

1/2 cup fat free half and half

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. fresh rosemary

salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients in a casserole dish, bake for 45 minutes at 325 degrees, until bubbly.

Atlanta!

This week’s NASCAR race is in Atlanta, GA. Because there are so many races in the southeastern region I plan to cook traditional fare for, I wanted to change it up for tonight’s dinner. JJ and I never get fast food for dinner, unless we’re travelling. For a break in the kitchen, I thought maybe we’d get Chik-fil-a for dinner since it originated in Atlanta, GA. Then I remembered it’s closed on Sunday. I decided to try to recreate their chicken sandwich (minus the bun) and cole slaw, and buy frozen waffle fries. I used Alton Brown’s fried chicken recipe found here, but I used boneless, skinless breasts and EVOO. I know Chick-fil-a uses pressure cookers to make the chicken, but 1. I don’t have one, and 2. I’m afraid of deep frying food, so I made it on the stove top Alton’s way. I found the cole slaw recipe in a knock-off cookbook. I don't like mayo, so I used sour cream.

We’re not big soda drinkers, but the Coca-Cola headquarters are also in Atlanta, so we had to have a Coke with dinner.

As an aside, I had the opportunity to meet Truett Cathy, the owner of Chik-fil-a when he visited Lenoir-Rhyne’s campus last fall. He is an amazing man with such deep faith, unwavering morals, and a wonderful business sense. I was required to read his book Eat Mor Chikin, Inspire More People for a business class. It was an easy read, somewhat of an autobiography, mixed with business tips and principles he follows. I have the utmost respect for him, and for the company! Enjoy the race!

Fried Chicken, Waffle Fries and Cole Slaw

Fried Chicken:

1 broiler/fryer chicken, cut into 8 pieces (2 large chicken breasts)

2 cups low fat buttermilk

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika (I used smoked)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

(I added 2 tsp. onion powder)

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Flour, for dredging

Vegetable shortening, for frying (I used olive oil)

Place chicken pieces into a plastic container and cover with buttermilk. Cover and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.

Melt enough shortening (over low heat) to come just 1/8-inch up the side of a 12-inch cast iron skillet or heavy fry pan. Once shortening liquefies raise heat to 325 degrees F. Do not allow oil to go over 325 degrees F.

Drain chicken in a colander.

Combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Liberally season chicken with this mixture. Dredge chicken in flour and shake off excess. Place chicken skin side down into the pan. Put thighs in the center, and breast and legs around the edge of the pan. The oil should come half way up the pan. Cook chicken until golden brown on each side, approximately 10 to 12 minutes per side. More importantly, the internal temperature should be right around 180 degrees. (Be careful to monitor shortening temperature every few minutes.)

Drain chicken on a rack over a sheet pan. Don't drain by setting chicken directly on paper towels or brown paper bags.

If you need to hold the chicken before serving, cover loosely with foil but avoid holding in a warm oven, especially if it’s a gas oven.

Cole Slaw:

6 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup shredded carrots
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 − 1/2 cup milk
Mix & Chill 15 minutes.

Meanwhile combine:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 tsp. celery seed
2−3 drops hot sauce
3 Tbsp. dry minced onion
1/4 − 1/2 cup buttermilk

Mix well with cabbage. Chill. Allow flavors to blend for several hours before serving.

Las Vegas!

This week’s NASCAR race is in Las Vegas, NV. When I think of Vegas cuisine, I think of buffets. I didn’t want to make a buffet for just JJ and I for dinner, so I had to keep thinking. Next thought - poker, you need one hand for the cards and one for the food, so I thought of sliders. I also think of the desert, and hot tex-mex flavor.
I love how burgers have become so gourmet, especially mini-burgers. I decided to combine the mini-burger with tex-mex flavor, and came up with cheddar chipotle sliders. They’re quite simple, so I decided to take advantage of a Sunday afternoon with nothing to do and make homemade whole wheat yeast rolls for the buns. I have always been weary of yeast, it seems that the directions always say it should double in volume twice, and mine rarely doubles. Directions also say to leave it in a warm area, so my new method with yeast is to turn the oven on to 200 degrees for about 10 minutes while I’m making the dough. Then I turn the oven off, leave the door open a minute and put the bowl with the dough in. I’ve had the best results with this method! (Or maybe it’s been good recipes lately). If you don’t have the time, you can buy yeast rolls, or try the mini burgers with Hawaiian sweet rolls. I serve these burgers with carrot and celery sticks.

Chipotle Cheddar Sliders on Whole Wheat Yeast Rolls

10 oz. 96% lean ground beef
¼ yellow onion, grated
1 tbsp. worstershire sauce
4 chipotles in adobo, minced
Salt and pepper
½ cup shredded or sliced cheddar
Sliced tomatoes
Lettuce
Pickle slices
Ketchup
6 whole wheat sesame rolls

Combine beef, worstershire, onion, chipotles, and salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Shape into 6 patties. Grill for 5 minutes on each side. After flipping the first side, put the cheese down and let it melt while second side cooks.

Top with lettuce and tomato.

Yeast Rolls recipe is found here. It's for clover rolls and made with regular flour, but I used King Arthur whole wheat flour and shaped each into one ball, not 3.

(The burger assembly line)

California!

California is the location for today’s race! I tried to come up with something for today that showcases many of the products associated with California, like spinach, citrus, almonds, and cheese. California cuisine is also associated with fresh and healthy ingredients. If you can't find blood oranges, regular can be used. Blood oranges are tart, and taste like a cross between an orange and a grapefruit.

I use light butter in my pastries, and I don't ever have a problem with it. Light butter contains more water, which didn't effect this pastry, but some recipes should not use light butter, like some cookies and cakes.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Tart

&

Spinach Citrus Salad

Tart Filling:

1 long-necked butternut squash, sliced

2 large yellow onions

1 tbsp. butter

Salt and Pepper

4 oz. herbed goat cheese

¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Salt and pepper

Crust:

2/3 cup wheat flour

2/3 cup all purpose flour

4 tbsp. light butter, diced and very cold

1 egg yolk

Up to 3 tbsp. ice water

Mix flours together in a bowl with butter. Use fingers to break up butter until the pieces are from the size of sand to a small pebble. Add the egg yolk and enough water to form a dough. Wrap in saran wrap and chill for half an hour.

While dough chills, melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over low, add onions and softened until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Place 1 inch of water in a pot, place a steamer basket in and steam butternut squash slices for 15 minutes. Remove from the water and let them sit to cool.

Roll out crust and press into a tart. Poke the bottom with a fork to create a few holes. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Take out and let cool for 10 minutes. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.

Mix the onions with goat cheese, spread over the bottom of the tart shell. Arrange the butternut squash slices on top. Sprinkle the gruyere cheese on top. Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown and cheese is melted.

Spinach Salad:

4 cups baby spinach, washed

1/8 cup sliced almonds, toasted

2 blood oranges, segmented

1 grapefruit, segmented

½ cup mandarin oranges

¼ red onion, sliced

1/8 cup dried cranberries

Dressing:

Juice of 1 lemon

Juice of remainder of oranges and grapefruit

1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Mix the dressing together in the bottom of a large bowl. Toss the spinach in the dressing to coat. Top the salad with the remaining ingredients, serve immediately.

This photo shows the onions softening, the squash removed from the steamer basket, and the dough, post chilling.

This photo shows the crust in the tart shell, being pricked with a fork to keep the dough from bubbling up.

Daytona!

NASCAR is something very special to JJ and I. In many ways, it’s what brought us together! Friends of mine took me with them to a NASCAR race in Charlotte, NC, for my High School graduation gift in October of 2002. I fell in love with the area as we drove through the Carolinas, and I knew I would have to go to school down there. I found a small Lutheran school in Hickory, about 1 hour northwest of Charlotte, and my heart was set on going there.
JJ and I met at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC, in the lobby of our dorm watching the Bristol night race on the big screen. He sat down on the couch next to me, and we began talking and found out that our favorite drivers (Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon) were teammates. That led to a date – a trip to the Hendrick motorsports complex. Which led to many more dates, and of course, the rest is history…
One of JJ and my favorite things to do is go to the races, and spend every Sunday afternoon from mid-February to November watching the races. During last year’s finale, Homestead, I couldn’t help but think how great a Cuban sandwich sounded, and that is what began this year’s NASCAR Challenge – Every week I will prepare a Sunday dinner (or Saturday, depending on when the race is) that is known for being popular or historical to that certain location.



First up, Daytona! JJ, and all of his family, are from St. Augustine, FL, about 45 minutes North of the Daytona International Speedway. Every time we go to JJ’s house, we stop by Daytona for the July 4th race (pictured above), or just a visit. There are a few restaurants in the area that we always frequent – Sonny’s and Woody’s, both southern barbeque. It seemed only fitting that for Daytona I make Sloppy Woody’s – the signature dish of Woody’s! Here is the description taken from the website:
“Our Signature Sandwich. This signature dish has been the number one choice of Woody's patrons since the very beginning. The ultimate Bar-B-Q sandwich, our Sloppy Woody is a tangy combination of our smoked pork, beef and turkey simmered in our special Bar-B-Q sauce and piled high on a toasted bun.”
I couldn't get a single turkey cutlet, so I substituted a chicken breast. I also used Sticky Fingers Barbeque sauce, popular in the Carolinas. At Woody's, they have 4 different BBQ sauces at the table, and you mix up your own creation. JJ and I like the Carolina Sweet BBQ and the Carolina Classic (mustard-vinegar base) the best. We usually choose fries and salad for our sides, so I decided to go for sweet potato fries, our favorite, and a wedge salad, a popular southern side.
Enjoy my take on a Sloppy Woody, and enjoy the Daytona 500!

Sloppy Woody’s, Sweet Potato Fries, and Wedge Salad

Sloppy Woody's:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, finely diced

1 slice of pork tenderloin, finely diced

1 piece of steak, finely diced

1/2 cup Sticky Fingers Carolina Classic BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup Sticky Fingers Carolina Sweet BBQ Sauce

1 cup chicken stock

2 buns, split and toasted

Place all meats and sauces in a crockpot on high. Simmer for 6 hours. Add more sauce and stock if it gets too dry. Woody's meat stays mostly cubed and in tact, but shreds a bit, the meat will be very tender will do this naturally.

Wedge Salad:

1 head iceberg lettuce

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

4 strips center cut bacon, diced, cooked and drained

2 tbsp. light blue cheese dressing

2 tbsp. blue cheese crumbles

Cut iceberg head into wedges. Drizzle 1 tbsp. of dressing on each, top with half of the remaining ingredients.

Sweet Potato Fries are from the freezer section.