What is Prime Rib and How to Make It

 

 

What is Prime Rib? It is a roast made from the popular Ribeye steak section or as some people call them, Delmonico steaks. It is usually prepared around the holidays. There are three grades of meat; Select, Choice and Prime. Choice is the most popular because of it's blend of fat and quality but also affordable. The Prime is by far the best for flavor, it is also very rare and there for cost nearly twice the amount of choice. Select is the lowest quality and of course the cheapest but it still graded by the USDA so you at least know what your getting when you buy it. Even though most people call it "Prime Rib", what you are really looking for is called a Beef Rib Roast or Standing Rib Roast. I imagine that the name Prime Rib just became popular from the restaurant business, which probably did start out selling it as Prime but it crossed over to more affordable restaurants and they just kept the name the same.  

Ingredients:

6 pound Beef Rib Roast- (1 rib bone will feed at least two people, a 1 rib Rib Roast usually weighs 2-3 pounds)

Seasoning- There are a million recipes for Rib Roasts to google. This is what I like. You will find a recipe for a marinade after the link, that is what I use for my Rib Roasts.

Savings: 10$ per person!



Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

Bacon is delicious, it's easy to see why so many people are crazy about it, so you can't go wrong with this recipe. Pork Tenderloin is super lean and really tender but it really needs the bacon to "step it up a notch", as Emeril would say. Cooking it on the grill is recommended but in the oven on broil would work as well. Since the Pork is so lean, don't over cook it because it will turn into jerky. Besides that, this is a simple dinner that taste like you know what you are doing.

Ingredients:
2 pounds Pork Tenderloin (8-12 ounces per person)
1 pound Bacon (About 16 ounces for every 32 ounces of Pork)
2 Tbsp. Garlic
1 Tbsp. Pepper
1 Tbs. Salt
Tooth picks (optional)
Savings: $20-30

White Wine Artichoke Sauce

Do you know how to make artichokes? Like me, you might have tried and failed before but I finally figured out a great recipe for a sauce. I asked so many people, "how do you cook an artichoke?" It seems a lot of people have never made artichokes before because I couldn't get any advice except online. My mission to make a delicious artichoke sauce started about twelve years ago when I ate at a local Cuban restaurant in Gulfport, FL. They had a dish with fish covered in Artichoke sauce and it is still one of the best dinners I have ever tasted. This is a white wine sauce that can be served over seafood, chicken, pasta or even vegetables.

 

Ingredients:

2 Artichokes (I used fresh but canned or frozen hearts might work)

2 sticks butter or equivalent amount of  EVOO

1 1/2 Tbsp. Garlic (I used powder but 4-5 crushed cloves would be easier)

3-5 ounces Drinking White Wine

1 Tbsp. Salt

2 tsp. Basil

1 tsp. Rosemary

1 tsp. Pepper

2 Tbsp. Flour or 1 Tbsp. Corn Starch

1 cup Freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

 

Savings: ?

I have only had this once and I have no idea how much it cost and it's not exactly the same. fresh artichokes are not cheap, so the canned or frozen will save a lot time and money but I haven't tried it yet.

Five Consequences of Rationalization And It's Impact on Our Food Culture

Have you ever tried the Atkins diet or are you currently not eating gluten because someone said it's bad for you? At what point in the future will we all become so focused on function that we forget about the connection we get through events like cooking and dining with friends and family? Is our generation the adults who decided the only way to live healthy is to stop enjoying food and simply eat to live? I fear the day when our meals will consist of nothing but a meat cube that is packed with the nutrition our body needs. Forget a meat cube, imagine the kids and parents all gathering around the dinner table to enjoy their all purpose shakes. Why risk eating any solid substance when we can get all the nutrition our body needs through a straw?

I might be exaggerating some what but I have seen a dramatic change in our food culture in todays society. I get living healthy, that is one of the reasons I started this blog but I don't think we should sacrifice our dining traditions so everyone can look like body builders. As a "home chef", a parent, a fitness wannabe and a butcher, here are some consequences I have noticed from the increased rationalization of our diets.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

This is a variation of the classic entrée Chicken Cordon Bleu. I have been making this at my work for so long I could do it with my eyes closed; but it can be easily messed up so be prepared. It's surprisingly pretty cheap and easy if you keep a well stocked fridge. Most of the ingredients can already be found in a typical fridge. The only complicated part of this recipe is that you need a meat tenderizer, basically a mallet for food. If you are careful and you do it right, this is one recipe that can take your cooking level from rookie to all-pro.


Ingredients:
1.5-2lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
2 tbsp. Italian Seasoning (Garlic, Salt, Basil, Rosemary...)
6 slices Swiss cheese
3 slices deli lunch meat (traditional uses ham)
2-3 cups bread crumbs
2 cups parmesan cheese
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Savings: 10-25$ (More savings if you already have most of the ingredients on hand)

Make Your Own Birthday/Party Cake

 

 
 
 
 
A store bought cake can cost a lot of money, especially when you have three kids like me. Not to mention including buying cakes for friends and family, we would have to buy at least three cakes a year; that's a cost of at least $100 every year. $2,000 will be spent on birthday cakes by the time they turn 18! Luckily for me my wife is pretty talented in making her own cakes. This is not something easy like most of my recipes I post on here but with practice I think it's do-able. Also, my wife does 99% of the work so I am only describing the process of making the cake, can't really add any tips. If you have any trouble, ask Angel for some tips like how to make flowers or writing on the cake. (https://www.facebook.com/angel.hook.3)

Ingredients:

Butter cream (A lot, left overs can be frozen) 6-10 cups. Recipe
     - powered sugar
     - butter
     - vanilla extract
     - milk
Box cake mix (2)
Food coloring
Cake decorating supplies

Savings: $10-$40

 

 

 

 

Cuban Sandwich with Pulled Pork

Bread will flatten even more, don't have final product picture

Cuban sandwiches are very popular in the Tampa Bay area because of the large amount of Cubans who traveled to Ybor City in Tampa, Florida in the early 20th century. Cubans were popular lunch items among the cigar mills and at one point, Ybor was the largest cigar producer in the entire world! Still to this day, many traces of Cuba can be seen in Ybor from the old Spanish style houses to the popular Cuban restaurants and clubs dotted all over the city. If you live in the area, you probably expect to see a Cuban sandwich on most lunch menus at any restaurant in town. I do not claim my Cuban sandwiches are authentic but they are about as close you can get with a few minor differences.




Ingredients:
Cuban/French bread (whole loaf) whole wheat for extra healthy but I don't recommend
1/2 pound fresh deli sliced cooked ham (Boars Head is good or an all natural brand)
1/2 to 1 pound of roasted pulled pork (Pork shoulder w/spices)
Fresh Dill pickles sandwich slices
1/3 pound Swiss cheese (Boars Head as well)
Mustard
Mayonnaise
A press or Panini maker but a regular frying pan will do as well

Savings: 5-15$

Considering you probably have mustard and mayo, this will cost around 15 dollars and will make 3 sandwiches. This is a good idea if you have pulled pork left over and want to make something interesting. Even cheaper if you also have the cheese and ham in the fridge! Now just buy the pickles and bread.

Thank You For Reading

What Good to a Nook is a hook cook book?
Dr. Seuss One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Thank you everyone for reading my blog and being interested in the recipes and the little tips and stories that go with them. We have eclipsed just over a thousand views so far and I am impressed with myself that I have been able to some what keep up with it. 1,000 hits in over a year isn't much really compared to my brief stint writing about the Florida Gators on SBNation where each article would get 1,000 views a day. Considering I am the only writer, I only post once or twice a month and I don't network very much I am surprised people still read it almost every day. I know the main readers are my family and friends, which was the intent of this blog so it makes me motivated to keep posting for you and hopefully you will continue to enjoy reading!

Restaurant French Toast

 I learned how to make French Toast when I was about nine years old. It's probably one of the first things I learned how to cook on a stove. Even now as adult I still I really enjoy it for breakfast with my kids. Now I can make it a little fancier but not much has changed in how I make it.

Ingredients: 5 slices of bread (sour dough if possible)
5 Eggs
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
1-2 cup syrup
(Serves 2 adults or 1 adult plus 3 children)

Savings: 10-20$

Surf and Turf Kabobs

Kabobs on the grill are a great way to save time and still have a great dinner. Forget about a long clean up after dinner of washing pots and pans and cleaning the kitchen. Forget about slaving over the stove preparing the main course and all of it's side dishes. The biggest challenge is cutting up the vegetable's and meat and sliding them onto a skewer; fire up the coals and your done!
Savings: 10-30$
Ingredients: 1 pound Top Sirloin/Flat Iron
 1 pound Swordfish/Tuna Nuggets
 1 Green Pepper
 1 Yellow Onion
 1 Tomato
 6-8 ounce mushrooms
 Marinade (Make your own marinade found here or to save more time buy some)
Serves 4

Zesty Baked Chicken

 Want muscles like that? Try this for recipe for a healthy protein packed dinner. Using a whole chicken is one of the most efficient ways to make a healthy and delicious meal. It is packed with lean protein and even the dark meat is full of nutrients like iron, zinc and B vitamins. A six ounce portion of white meat has 48 grams of protein and only 240 calories (dark meat has a little more calories but more essential nutrients). Healthy adults should consume about half of their body weight in protein a day and adults trying to build a lot of muscle should consume about one to one and a half times their body weight in protein. Try this recipe for a really painless meal that churns out a lot of flavor and necessary vitamins for the whole family.(She will probably be mad for posting this picture by the way!)

Savings: 10-15$
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (try all natural for more flavor)
                      1 tbsp Sea Salt
                      2 tsp Pepper
                      1 tbsp Chili Powder
                      1Orange
                      1 Lime
                      2 tbsp Butter

MAD TV Meat Beaters

Such a great recipe I had to share!

Braciole: Stuffed Sirloin Steak

 Just so you know, I could get in big trouble for this recipe. This is insider information and I am willing to put my life on the line to leak it to you. At Publix, you'll find an item in the meat department called "stuffed Flank steak". Flank steak is not a great cut of meat but the way it is prepared, it's actually pretty good. But this recipe right here, is even better but does require a little work and a meat tenderizer. Instead of Flank, I decided to go with Top Sirloin Fillets. Top Sirloin is more tender and has better flavor, but it requires a little more work to stuff it and roll it. The extra work pays off in the end, trust me.

Savings: 5-10$
Ingredients: 1.5-2 lbs Top Sirloin Steak or Fillets
Fresh Spinach (1 bag)
Provolone Cheese (8 oz)
1 tbs salt                             
2 tsp pepper
1 clove garlic minced
1 cup EVO
1 tsp paprika
1 meat tenderizer

What's This? What's This?

What's in your pantry? Part II

This is my list of recommended items necessary to efficiently try new recipes at home. With these items, you should be able to try just about any basic dinner recipe. Don't forget about all the items listed in part one as well, it's kind of important.

I included a funny little story about my Uncle Wayne tricking me into eating a jalapeno too!

What's This, What's This?

What is in your pantry? Part 1
Do you have basic ingredients to make a delicious meal? Every one knows the bare necessities are milk, bread and beer. But what are the bare necessities for a home chef? There is nothing worse than wanting to try a new recipe and realizing you don't even have half of the ingredients. Here is a list of ingredients that I find essential to make trying new recipes fun and hassle free. Nobody wants to buy a shopping cart full of spices all at once so next time your shopping try to pick up a few of things at a time so that eventually your pantry will be ready for any recipe!

You're Doing it Wrong!

How do you make scrambled eggs? Do you premix the eggs in a bowl and do you add milk or water? Do you gently fold the layers repeatedly until the eggs look like stacks of paper or one big blob? Well, that's wrong, that is an omelet.  Don't get me wrong, I love a nice fluffy omelet. When I want scrambled eggs, I want nice creamy flavorful, non-dry, non-runny eggs.Also...What's the difference between white and brown eggs?


Savings: 8-22$ (Restaurants typically charge 1-2$ per egg.)
Ingredients: One dozen organic eggs are roughly
four dollars. Plain white eggs are typically just under two dollars. 
Trust me, organic eggs taste 10x better, in this instance you really "get what you pay for".

I See, You See, We See

I was reading some of the "news" articles at Yahoo and came across this "supermarket guru article" on how to tell when meat is old and more. He has a lot of GREAT advice on how to avoid being tricked by the super sneaky markets. The only problem is, most of the stuff he said was wrong. Who declared this guy a supermarket expert? Someone needs to take that title back and give it to me! I'll show you some of the tips from the "expert" and then I'll show you what really to do in the supermarket. That's fair right?

Braised Chicken With Veggies

Best chicken ever. Do you have a problem making healthy food taste good? Some people just accept that chicken breast are typically dry and bland. Not this time, not with this recipe. Also, I have some tips to save some money on buying frozen instead of fresh.You can thank me later.
Savings: 5-10$
Ingredients:1 pound Chicken Breast or Thighs.
                   Assorted Vegetables/ any of these
                   works: Carrots, broccoli, potatoes,   
                   onions, mushrooms, potatoes, red 
                   peppers, asparagus, cauliflower,  
                   squash, green beans, ginger snaps.               
                   2-3 Strips Bacon.                                             
                   1 cup Water                                                    
                   1 can of Cream of Chicken
                   1 tbsp Garlic and 3 tbsp Butter
                   1 tsp Black Pepper and Thyme
                   1 tbsp Basil or 1 sprig (serves 2-3 adults) Cooking time about 60-130 minutes

London Broil

 "How come every time you come around My London Bridge wanna go down like LONDON LONDON wanna go down like LONDON LONDON be going down like. The drinks start pouring and my speech start slurring. Everybody start looking real good (OH SHIT!)

       Sorry, every time I buy a London Broil I think of that song by Fergie. It's actually a Top Round Roast but most places label it a London Broil. It's great for thin sliced roast beef. Try this marinade recipe for more flavor and tenderness. Keep reading to see the pictures of me dancing to Fergie. 

Savings: 5-10$

Ingredients: London Broil (thick cut)

                2 cup Beef Broth

                2 cup Mushrooms

                1 tbsp Salt

                1 tsp Pepper

                1 tbsp Garlic 

                1 sprig Rosemary

What's This? What's This?

In this series, "What's This? What's This? I will display various items to learn about and how to use them. In this post, I'll discuss cuts of meat and explain what it is, where it comes from and different ways to prepare it.
       These are called T-bone and Porterhouse steaks. A genius customer once asked me if they could purchase a boneless T-bone...No and never come back I replied. I didn't really say that, but keep reading so you don't make the same mistake of asking a foolish question when choosing steaks.

Name:Porterhouse/T-bone
Price: 10$ per pound (on average)
Prepare: 1 1/2" thick medium rare, On the grill! Make sure it is at least a grade of USDA Choice.