Sunday, June 7, 2009

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

I realize that probably everyone and their mother has made garlic mashed potatoes at some point in their cooking, but these were so good!! Jim found the recipe. We scaled it down from 100 servings to 4 servings and it turned out great. Sometimes scaling down a recipe doesn't always work, but in this case it did. The only thing Jim added was a little bit of milk. I think next time I'd like to try it again, cutting down the butter and adding sour cream. Needless to say, we'll be making these again!!

2 pounds unpeeled red potatoes, quartered
4 ounces butter, room temperature

2 ounces Romano cheese, grated - we used Parmesan
1 tbsp. and 2-3/4 tsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried oregano


Place the potatoes and garlic in a large pot and fill with water. Bring to a boil and cook potatoes for about 20 minutes or until tender but still firm. Drain. Stir in butter, cheese, salt and oregano. Mash with a potato masher or with an electric mixer.

Spicy Tomato Glazed Chicken

This is a really quick glaze to put together and it gives the chicken a little kick. Jim said it just tasted like ketchup, but the pieces I had tasted like more than that. I think the chicken needed to be on the grill a little longer to let the glaze really form a crust, but our grill is on it's last leg and likes to burn things lol.

1/2 cup ketchup
1 tbsp. molasses
1 tbsp. chopped chipotle chilies in adobo sauce or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt


Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Cook 2 pounds of poultry, meat, seafood, or vegetables on a lightly oiled grill. When the food has 5 to 10 minutes left to cook, baste it with the glaze and turn it frequently to create a glossy crust.

Tips: Glazes make great dipping sauces to serve at the table along with your food. Simply make a little extra and set aside before grilling.

Resist the urge to apply a glaze early in the cooking process: The sugars in the sauce will burn before the food cooks through.

Best With: Turkey cutlets, bone-in chicken pieces, burgers, and salmon.

Pork Tenderloin in Bourbon

Jim found this recipe for the pork loin we had in our freezer. He let it marinate overnight and then cooked it on the grill. I know the picture doesn't look like much, but it was pretty good. And then we used the leftovers for pork tacos later in the week.

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup bourbon
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, halved
3 pounds pork tenderloin


Mix together soy sauce, bourbon, brown sugar, and garlic. Pour over pork, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Remove pork from marinade, and place on rack of shallow roasting pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until meat thermometer registers 160 degrees F/71 degrees C.