JDawgs Special Sauce Copycat

JDawgs were made famous at an off campus shack for students to grab a bite between classes.  My kids rave about them so I was excited to try "the sauce" for our 24th of July un-celebration.  Then I also scored a BIG deal by finding  Brioche Hotdog buns at Walmart!  They are buttery delicious!  You know how some times you are choking down the bun when eating a hotdog.  Not these.  This will be a new family favorite!  They are also split down the top middle to pop your dog into on top.  Clever!  I used Ballpark all beef hotdogs.  ( add fresh "hand shucked" corn on the cob and you'll do a happy dance.) ("What About Bob" reference)  There are a few variations of the recipe on Pinterest.  I think I used one by the Food Charlatan with variation.

The Best Hot Dog You Will Ever Eat (JDawgs Special Sauce Copycat)

Serves Makes about 1 and 1/2 cups sauce     

For the sauce

• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce (I used Sweet Baby Rays)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon cider vinegar
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (some recipes call for soy sauce)
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• dash black pepper

To assemble

• large all-beef or Polish hot dogs (Costco has the best!)
• large buns (The ones at Costco fit perfectly) But I (Marilyn) found a NEW FAVORITE bun- Brioche hotdog buns at Walmart!!!!
• butter
• white onions
• sauerkraut
• pickles

Mix the sauce up all together and boil for a few minutes, then serve or refrigerate (even for weeks!)

Reuben Flatbread

Dang that St.Patrick's Day got by without me knowing about this delicious easy dish.  But I love Reuben's any time and after spending the day with daughter Brandi- we ate these at Rooster's Brewing Company and Grill in Odgen.  They were so good I had to come home and whip them up. Easy peesy.

 

 

I like the Stonefire Naan bread found at our local stores.  The amounts would vary depending on the size of the flatbread.  This isn't rocket science.  If I can figure it out, anyone can!

Spread a couple of tablespoons of Thousand Island dressing on top  of the flatbread.  Top with several thin layers of corned beef deli slices, topped with drained sauerkraut, topped with a titch more dressing and mixed cheeses on top.  I also took a few slices of the corned beef and made a tuck in it so I had a little bowl- like at the restaurant- and put a dab of dressing and more kraut for a garnish on top.  Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes.  Garnish on top with chopped green onions, tomatoes if you like or parsley.

Hawaiian Ham and Pineapple Skewers

(recipe and picture from thereciperebel.com)

Yesterday at Bucket, everyone brought their new favorite summer recipe.  This shish-kabob was served at a recent function and everyone loved it.  So easy with just deli ham- would be great (and inexpensive) for a party! The BBQ sauce makes it (and helps caramelize the fruit.)



Hawaiian Ham and Pineapple Skewers 

Ingredients- 1 package of sliced deli ham
1 1/2-2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1 sweet bell pepper, cut into 1" chunks
1/2 cup barbecue sauce

Weave ham strips onto the skewers, alternating with pineapple and peppers.
East cold, or brush with BBQ sauce and grill for 5-10 minutes until slightly caramelized.  You can also bake in the oven until hot if desired.

Pineapple Brown Sugar BBQ sauce

1 regular sized juice box pineapple juice (6-7 oz.)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. garlic
2 T. Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup ketchup
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 pinch salt (to taste)
1-2 T. corn starch
1-2 T. water

Add all ingredients except for corn starch and water to a medium pot.  

Bring to a boil and reduce to medium-low, simmering for 10-15 minutes until flavors come together.  

Mix equal parts corn starch and water.  Slowly add to the sauce and stir, until you reach your desired consistency.  

Serve with pork, chicken or beef.

Smashed Fingerlings

Friend Valene served these along with grilled Mint and cumin-Spiced lamb chops, grilled zucchini and leeks with walnuts and herbs, a green gazpacho soup.  It was heaven.  I made a raspberry lime dessert with coconut crust.

 The above picture is from our meal.  The fingerlings are on the right.  Since you couldn't really see them, below is Bon Appetit's picture.

So here are the changes-  Valene used red potatoes instead of fingerlings and didn't use much Jalapeno. So I guess I need to changed the name to Smashed Red Potatoes with a titch of Jalapeno or to 

Smashed Red Potatoes with Mustard glaze.

These were MARVELOUS!

• 3 pounds fingerling potatoes, halved crosswise if large  (red potatoes) (or Yukon Gold)
• ½ cup olive oil, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup Sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
• 1 jalapeño, thinly sliced into rounds, seeds removed if desired (Valene didn't use much)
• ¼ cup (lightly packed) torn flat-leaf parsley leaves

• Preheat oven to 450°. Toss potatoes with ¼ cup oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing once, until golden brown and tender, 30–35 minutes. Let cool slightly, then lightly flatten.
• Meanwhile, whisk vinegar and mustard in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in remaining ¼ cup oil until emulsified; season with salt and pepper. Add potatoes, jalapeño, and parsley and toss; season with salt and pepper.

Grilled Lemon (Kalamata Olive) Chicken

A few weeks ago, our Relief Society had a fun activity (where I did the Utah field trips class/favorite SL eating places)  Another class that was going on was cooking with herbs.  Janice Trotter taught the class and afterwards I stopped by to sample a dish everyone was raving about.   She got the recipe from Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism cookbook and if this recipe is any indication, the book is a winner.  Though the recipe is called grilled lemon chicken, I think it should be called Kalamata Olive Chicken since that is the main flavor.  If you are not a green olive fan, then this recipe isn't for you.  If you LOVE new flavors and finding a new, healthy dish, try it!  You can also make this using ground white turkey and making patties with them.  I think Janice doubled and I definately will, the sauce.  Janice also sauteed the chicken in a pan rather than grilling.  It would be delicious either way.

 

Jillian Michael's Grilled Lemon (Kalamata Olive) Chicken

6 (4-5 oz.) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, ( halved) or you could use 4 servings of honeysuckle white ground turkey 97/3

2 servings kalamata olives (1/4 cup), pitted and halved

3 tsp. dijon mustard (1 T.)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 tsp. dried leaves of oregano

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

1 lemon's juice

1 tsp. lemon peel zest

2 cloves garlic

1 T. honey

Directions

1. To prepare the dressing, whisk together the lemon zest and juice, the basil, honey, mustard, garlic, and salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a slow stream. Set aside.
2. Place the chicken on a cutting board and lay a sheet of wax paper over it. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the chicken slightly so it is an even thickness. If using ground turkey, form six thin patties. Place the meat in a shallow baking dish just large enough to hold it. Pour half of the dressing (about 1/3 cup) over the meat and turn once or twice to coat. Cover the dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours if possible, and up to 8 hours, turning at least once.
3. Stir the olives into the remaining dressing, and set aside until ready to serve.
4. If using a gas or charcoal grill, spray the grill with olive oil and prepare a medium-hot grill. If using a grill pan, spray it with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat.
5. Discard the marinade and grill the meat until it is opaque in the center, 5-6 minutes per side.
6. Place the meat on a platter and drizzle with the dressing. Serve.

Brazillian Grilled Pineapple

I know most people have grilled pineapple - and just slapped pineapple rings on the grill topped with a titch of brown sugar.  But I'm here to tell you there is grilled pineapple and then there is GRILLED Pineapple Brazilian-style.

This is a new family favorite!  Thanks, Domingues family.

Brazilian Grilled Pineapple

Layer pineapple, either spears or rings, in a 9 x 13 pan.  Mix about 2 cups brown sugar in about 6 cups water and bring to boil in a saucepan.  Pour the boiling mixture over the pineapple and let marinade overnight or for several hours.  When ready to eat, drain the marinade off the pineapple and grill til warm with grill marks.  Heaven!