Isotope Dog Supreme

Hungry Hungry Homer!! I was watching old episodes of the Simpsons and I felt the need to try these out!!! I made them for my oldest son's 17th Birthday last month and it was a hit with all of his friends so I wanted to whip them up again and put them on here.








Hot Dogs or Brats, cooked per your desire
Buns of your choice

Jalapeño Relish:

2 ½ jalapeños, seeds and membranes removed, diced fine
1 cucumber, rough chopped
1 roma tomato, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup sweet onion, diced
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

Mango-Lime Salsa

4 oz mango, diced
2 oz red onion, diced
1/2 jalapeño pepper, seeds and membranes removed, diced fine
3 Tbsp cilantro, chopped

1/3 cup red bell pepper, diced
1 splash rice vinegar
Juice and Zest from one small lime

salt and pepper to taste

Mesquite  Onions:

1 sweet onion, sliced

1 tsp olive or canola oil

Mesquite Wood Chips

Jalapeño Relish:

Combine all ingredients well. Season to taste and allow to mingle in the fridge for at least an hour or two, longer if possible.

Mango Salsa:

Combine all ingredients, season to taste.  Allow to mingle 15 minutes.

Mesquite Onions:

Slice Onions and put into a foil packet, toss with oil. Loosely close and then poke holes in it with a fork.

Put in a smoker on 275 or on a charcoal grill, with mesquite chips.

Cook them until they are soft and smokey, turning them a few times and replenishing the chips for more smoke if needed.

* if you want to do these without a smoker or grill, you can soften them on the stove top with a little oil, then add mesquite liquid smoke to taste and cook a little longer until they are a nice brown color.

According to the show the proper way to serve them in in thirds....but that is just NOT right!

Place your cooked dog in a bun, relish down one side, salsa down the other and onions in the middle!

Not authentic to the recipe but I also put some sliced avocado on mine!

Copycat Red Robin Blue Moon Beer Milkshake

It has been over a year since I was last at Red Robin....and when we went this last weekend they had a new beer milkshake! Of course not getting there too often I had to make my own copy!!!
My husbands comment....."John Steinbeck would be proud!" (Cannery Row if you have never read it)






Makes 2 shakes



1 1/2 cups quality vanilla ice cream
2 TB orange juice concentrate
6 oz Blue Moon White Belgian Ale
1 1/2 ounces Orange Liqueur
1 tsp xanthan gum*

Blend ice cream, OJ and Blue Moon to a smooth consistency, add the shot of liqueur and xanthan gum.
Pour into glasses, top with whipped cream and a sprinkle of orange zest








*xanthan gum is not 100% necessary, it just thickens it well....if you dont want to add it, just stick it in the freezer to thicken.

Copycat Wendy's Pretzel Pub Chicken

I have been seeing this ad for the past month and while the sandwich itself didnt get the best reviews(from all I have read that is almost solely due to the content of its components, not the acutal flavor) I had to give it a try myself....it is GREAT!!!!


This photo is a "regular" bun....see GF on the bottom
My Chicken was gluten free as well.




Toppings:

Muenster Cheese
Mixed Greens
Tomato Slices
Mayo
Not included in the original, but everything is better with BACON!

Pretzel Buns: just providing a link for these as I have not changed them a bit!

Regular.....just shape as hamburger buns


Gluten Free...


Cheddar Honey Mustard Sauce:

1 TB butter
1 TB flour OR for gluten free 1 TB cornstarch
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded cheddar
2 TB yellow mustard
2 TB honey

Heat butter over medium heat add 1 TB flour and stir well to make a smooth roux....add milk, stir and heat until thickened, then add cheese and stir until fully melted....then stir in mustard and honey until well combined...set aside.
If using cornstarch melt butter, stir cornstarch into cold milk then add to melted butter and proceed as directed above.




Chicken Filets:

3 chicken breasts cut in half and pounded to 1/2 inch

Breading:
2/3 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup potato starch
3 TB tapioca starch
1 tsp xanthan gum
OR
1 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp smoked paprika


1 cup water
2 tsp pepper sauce


Mix all your dry ingredients in a shallow dish

Place water and pepper sauce in a separate dish.


Dip chicken in flour mixture, then into water mixture and back into flour mixture to coat well. Repeat will all pieces and set aside



Heat 1 cup oil in a pan and add chicken frying for 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown. (you want a target of 165 degrees in the center)
Drain on paper towels..
 
You could bake or broil these in place of frying for a reduced fat content!



Assembly:

Warm you buns as desired...I warmed my Muenster on the bottom bun. On the top spread some mayo and the Cheddar Honey Mustard.

Place a chicken filet on top of the muenster, top with some greens, tomato and bacon(if using) and place the top bun on......CHOW DOWN!!!!!




This one is with the Gluten Free Bun:

Copycat "Veggie Medley" Veggie Burgers

I had these while visiting family years ago. This particular flavor was the only one from the Gardenburger Brand that I could have because they have no mushrooms(I can't handle mushrooms in excess, gives me a bad tummy ache). I am not a huge fan of frozen burgers anymore so I thought I would make my own LOL, plus I can leave out the wheat gluten and a few other unnecessary ingredients.
I served them on gluten free flat bread rounds. Recipe HERE.




1 cup cooked brown rice
1 cup rolled oats*
1/2 cup cooked lentils
1/4 cup ground flax

1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup chopped carrots
1 small onion, chopped fine
3/4 cup corn kernels
1/2 cup green bell peppers**
1/2 cup red bell peppers**
1 clove garlic, minced
** you can do any combo of colors for the bell peppers you like, orange and yellow are great too!

1 TB olive oil

2 TB soy sauce or Bragg's Amino for gluten free
1 TB parsley
2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cane sugar dissolved 1 tsp water (doesnt have to be completly dissolved)
salt and pepper to taste

Place the oats in a blender and whirl them for a few seconds to chop them, but be careful not to turn it into flour!*
* make sure they are certified GF if needed and you can use a heaping 3/4 cup quick oats in place of this step if you like.

Combine cooked rice, oats, lentils and flax. Set aside










Combine all the veggies in a food processor and pulse until well chopped.

In a large pan heat 1 TB olive oil over medium heat. Add veggies and cook until just tender.







Add the rice mixture, all the veggies and the seasonings back to the food processor and pulse until paste like but still has some chunks...





Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.









Preheat a large electric griddle to 325 and oil it WELL
(Griddle is easiest to do the entire batch, you could do them in sections in a pan on the stove top too)

With damp hands(to prevent sticking, re-wet as needed) shape into patties (I used about 1/3 cup full at a time) and place on the heated griddle.









Grill for 10-15 minutes and gently flip. Bake another 10 minutes until nicely browned.











Serve immediately, I topped mine with onion, spinach, banana peppers, mayo and mustard
 or cool completely and wrap for freezing.

When reheating I suggest cooking in a well oiled pan over medium heat for 5 -7 minutes, flip and cook 5-6 more.

Colonel Munch Cereal

LOL....The other day I came across a copycat recipe of Planet Hollywoods Cap'n Crunch Chicken and it sounded interesting. Then I started thinking about Cap'n Crunch....worth a shot I think! While it is not EXACTLY like them, this turned out pretty tasty if I do say so myself!!! No preservatives or artificial colors and it doesn't cut up your mouth LOL








2 cups corn flour
3/4 cup white sugar(I used Zulka Cane Sugar)
1 cup oat flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup (+ or-) water


In a food processor mix together flours sugars and salt.

Turn the processor on and slowly add the coconut oil and process until it is well blended and the mixture is pebble like.

Slowly add the water 1-2 TB at a time until it just sticks together and slightly sticky. (sorry I missed this pic)

Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate for a hour.





Preheat oven to 325

On a floured surface(corn or oat flour) roll the dough to between 1/8 and 1/4 inch thickness and slice into small rectangles. ( I think mine were a tad too thick)

Place squares on a greased baking sheet.






Bake for 12 -15 minutes and GENTLY stir around(flip if needed) Bake for 7-10 minutes more until golden brown.

They will crisp as they cool!

Cool completely and store in an air tight container.





I put this under "Breakfast" items but in my opinion its not exactly a healthy breakfast....there is quite a bit of sugar in these....not any worse than any other sugary cereal I guess but not really our cup of tea for the first meal of the day LOL.

Spaghetti and (copycat Aidells) Buffalo Chicken Meatballs with Ranch Alfredo

I wanted to make a copycat of Aidell's Buffalo Meatballs.....but what to serve them with? I think this does quite nicely! We don't care for bleu cheese here, but feel free to make it a bleu cheese alfredo if you like!!







Meatballs:

20 oz ground chicken breast(freshly ground or store bought)
1/4 cup Celery, minced fine
3 TB onion, minced fine(package ingredients state these are sauteed...but I skipped that)
2 TB green bell pepper, minced fine
2 TB Cayenne Hot Sauce (such as Franks Red Hot or homemade if you like)
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt as desired
(If you want them even spicier add  ground cayenne pepper!)

2 TB butter
2 TB olive oil



Place everything but the butter and oil  in a bowl and mix well.











Scoop into balls in your desired size. (I made 20)












In a large deep pan heat the oil and butter over medium heat.

Gently place the balls in the hot oil (I did half the batch at a time)

Cook about 5 minutes and flip gently.  Cook until an internal temp of 165 is reached.



Set on paper towels to drain.














Ranch Alfredo:

1 1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup ranch dressing*
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 1/2 TB cornstarch

*sub bleu cheese dressing if you like!

Mix 1/4 cup of the cold milk with the cornstarch and set aside.

In a pan heat the remaining milk and ranch dressing over medium heat. Add in the cornstarch mixture and season to taste.

When it is thickened add in the parmesan cheese and stir until fully melted.




Cook 12 oz pasta(or however much pasta you desire) according to package instructions, drain well

Place a serving of pasta on a plate, add some meatballs and top with a scoop of Ranch Alfredo...


Drizzle on a bit more hot sauce if desired!

Copycat Tournament of Kings Dragon's Blood Soup

My husband and I spent a long weekend in Vegas recently and while there we took in the Tournament of Kings Show at Excalibur Hotel.....(If you are going I highly recommend this show!!!)
Dinner is served during the show and with it came some extremely tasty Dragon's Blood Soup (tomato soup). I knew I needed to find this and make it! I came across several copycat recipes some seemed so plain Jane and others seemed completely off....I decided to have a crack at it and combined a few ideas......I think it comes pretty close!





8 medium roma tomatoes, cored , quartered and de-seeded
1 medium onion, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, de-seeded and cut into chunks
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
2 TB fresh sweet basil (2 tsp dried)
1/2 cup half and half
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp paprika
sea salt and pepper to taste





Foil line and oil a baking pan(rimmed!) with olive oil and preheat oven to 400

Place tomatoes, skin side down on one half of the pan, the  onions, peppers and garlic  on the other, drizzle with a touch of olive oil and sprinkle with salt.









Bake for about 45 minutes until the onion begins to caramelize(check to make sure the onions arent getting over brown, turn gently as needed....when the garlic is golden and soft you can pull them out.)

When the veggies are done, peel the garlic and pour all the veggies and add the basil into a blender or food processor(you can do this with a hand blender in a big bowl if you have one)

Blend veggies well adding the broth and processing until very smooth.





Pour into a deep pan, add the half and half, baking soda and paprika, stir and heat through adding salt and pepper as desired.


Serve hot with a sprinkling of dried basil and pepper

Copycat Red Robin Island Sunburn Style Burger

We took our boys to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle the other day, before hopping on the ferry home we decided to get an early dinner at Red Robin....that is a special treat for us since we don't have one nearby. I ALMOST ordered something else but at the last second I saw this and I am SO glad I did. I really think I have found a new favorite burger. Of course being as we have no RR and also that this particular burger was a "limited time" flavor I had to make up my own!!! Serve them with steak fries topped with garlic, parsley and Parmesan cheese just like RR's and if you like finish off with a copy of Red Robin's Irish Beer Milkshake!

This would be fantastic with beef, ground turkey, a chicken breast or even a veggie patty for a yummy meatless meal!







6 hamburger buns (I actually used a Jalapeno Kaiser from a previous RR copy cat, but any bun will do)


2 lbs ground beef
1/4 cup water
seasoning salt to taste

6 slices pepper jack cheese
1 medium jalapeno, sliced thin
cilantro mayo*
tomato
6 slices pineapple(fresh of course is best, but this time around I could not find a decent one so I used canned rings)


Mango Slaw:
2 cups shredded green cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
(sub 8oz prepared (dry)coleslaw mix if you like)
1/2 cup diced mango
2 TB red onion, minced
1 TB lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro mayo*
salt and pepper to taste

Toss all the veggies together.












Mix mayo and lime juice and pour over slaw, toss well. Salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and allow to mingle for an hour.










*cilantro mayo
1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Mix and allow to mingle for at least 2 hours









Mix beef, water and seasoning salt.....Divide it into 12 thinnish patties and chill. (you can do 6 thicker ones if you want, I was just going for the RR effect, its on the Tavern Double)








Broil your pineapple until lightly blackened on both sides, set aside

Broil burgers to desired doneness....







Assembly:

Toast buns and spread both sides with cilantro mayo, add 1 patty and 1 slice of cheese, add 1 more patty (and an extra slice of cheese if you like too), add slice of pineapple, then tomato and top with mango slaw
Place on the top bun and enjoy!

Copycat Red Robin Irish Beer Milkshake

We tasted this at Red Robin the other day and YUUUUMY!!!! I had to make a copy of it of course. Next week I am doing a copy of their Tropical Sunburn Style Burger so stay tuned for that too!









Makes 2 nice milkshakes:


2 1/2 cups good quality Chocolate Ice Cream
3 oz Guinness Draught
1 1/2 oz Jameson Whiskey
1/4 tsp xanthan gum(not 100% necessary but it helps thicken it up well!)

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend well, pour into a frosty glass and serve with a shot of whipped cream! (If it is still a little runny and you dont have xanthan gum, you can freeze it until it thickens back up)


Enjoy!

Copycat Domino's Tuscan Salami and Roasted Veggie Artisan Pizza

I really loved this one! Seemed simple enough to make a copy so here it is










You can use any dough you like, I used this one that I found as an "Artisan" crust. It is a bit messy but sure tasty! I changed it ever so slightly and the instructions on the link are a bit different for the baking, but I dont have pizza stones so I winged it.

Made enough for 2 pizzas



Starter:
2 tsps yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3/4 cup all purpose flour

Combine the yeast and the water, allow to sit 5-10 minutes until foamy.
Add flour and mix it well(I used my hands, much easier)
Cover and allow to sit for 1 hour.

To the starter add:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup room temp water
1 tsp sea salt
Mix well, it will be very sticky.

Allow to rise in a draft free spot for 90 minutes.

Grease 2 pans very well.

Split dough between 2 pans....sprinkle with flour and pat out to a good pizza size(larger for thinner crust, smaller for thicker) sprinkle more flour as needed.

Brush well with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt.
Allow to rise for 30 minutes.

If you want to bake them right away preheat oven to 500.




Sauce:(makes enough for 2 pizzas)
1/2 tb butter
1 TB flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese(not the green can powder)

Melt butter over medium heat, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add in flour and cook until bubbly.
Slowly whisk in milk and cook and stir until thickened.
Remove from heat and add in cheese, stirring until fully melted.

Spread sauce over pizza crust.




Toppings:(top to your preference, don't overload!)
Salami
Roasted Red Peppers(make your own here, I used 1/2 pepper per pizza)
White Onion
Baby Spinach
Banana Peppers
Oregano
Mozzarella Cheese

 Bake 10-15 minutes, turn on broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes more.










For the plain eaters LOL: