Author: Dave Tappan

It looks like it’s gonna be really nice this weekend in Redding. So…fire the grill! These chicken thighs make for great tacos! 

Grilled Hawaiian Chicken Thighs 

The Meat and Marinade

4 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 C. packed light brown sugar

1 C. soy sauce6 cloves of garlic, chopped

1-2 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped

1 onion halved and sliced into half moons

1 stick salted butter Marinade Directions

In a bowl, mix the brown sugar and soy sauce together. Keep mixing until almost all the sugar is dissolved in the soy sauce.Add in the garlic, ginger and onion and mix.

Let the mixture sit for a few minutes.

Put meat into a zip lock bag and pour mixture over it. Depending on how much meat you have you may need to make more marinade and split this into 2 different bags. Let this marinate for at least 4 hours. For the Grill13×9 Pyrex dish1 stick of butter1 bunch green onions sliced small1 bunch coarsely chopped, fresh cilantro Grilling DirectionsFire the grill to medium-high heat.

Place Pyrex dish on the top shelf of the hot grill.

Add the butter to the Pyrex so it starts to melt.

Add the meat to the grill and cook to perfection.

When the pieces of meat are done place them in the Pyrex to let swim in buttery goodness until all are done and add the green onions and/or cilantro.

St. Patrick’s Day is this coming Monday. If you’re looking for a good Corned Beef & Cabbage recipe, my mom always made a good one that is certain to knock your shillelagh in the dirt! 

Ruthie’s Corned Beef & Cabbage with Horseradish & Mustard Sauce 

1 corned beef brisket (about 4 pounds) with spice packet

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 bay leaves

3-1/2 pounds small potatoes (10-15), peeled

8 medium carrots, cut into 1” chunks, cross-wise

1 medium head cabbage, cut into wedges

1 cup apple juice

1 cup beer 

HORSERADISH SAUCE:

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 to 1-1/2 cups reserved cooking juices from corned beef1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/4 cup horseradish 

MUSTARD SAUCE:

1 ½ tablespoons salted butter

⅓ cup brown sugar

¼ cup white sugar

¼ cup prepared Dijon mustard

1 large egg

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

¾ cup cider vinegar 

Rinse and pat dry your brisket. Place brisket in your crock pot with the spice packet, brown sugar and bay leaves.

Add the beer and apple juice, then cover the remainder of the brisket with water.

Cover the crock pot and cook on low heat for 6 hours.Add potatoes, carrots and cabbage and continue cooking for 2 more hours, or until the vegetables and the corned beef is nice and tender.

Cut beef across the grain into slices. Serve with vegetables, Horseradish Sauce and, if desired, Mustard Sauce. 

Horseradish Sauce:

strain and reserve 1-1/2 cups cooking juices; skim fat from reserved juices. Discard remaining juices.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in 1 cup reserved juices. Stir in sugar, vinegar and horseradish; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened. If desired, thin with additional juices. Season to taste with additional sugar, vinegar or horseradish. 

Mustard Sauce:

Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat; remove from heat.

Whisk brown sugar, white sugar, mustard, egg, salt, and pepper together in a medium bowl. Whisk in vinegar until well combined. Stir mixture into melted butter in the saucepan.

Stir sauce over medium heat until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 minutes more.

I’m in the mood for a cheesy, ooey-gooey sandwich  

Tappan Out Patty Melt  

2 pounds ground beef

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Montreal steak seasoning, to taste

12 slices good quality bread (I use rye)

½ cup Secret Sauce, recipe follows

3 medium Vidalia onions, thinly sliced

6 slices American cheese

1 stick, or so, of unsalted butter  

Secret Sauce

¼ cup Dijon mustard

¼ cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon barbecue sauce

½ teaspoon hot sauce  

In a small bowl, stir together mustard, mayonnaise, barbecue sauce, and hot sauce. Store, covered, in refrigerator up to 3 days. In a large bowl, combine ground beef, Worcestershire and steak seasoning. Shape ground beef into 6 oval patties. In a medium cast-iron skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and golden brown, approximately 35 minutes. In a large cast-iron skillet, cook patties over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, approximately 2 minutes per side. Remove skillet from heat. Remove patties from skillet; wipe out skillet. Layer 1 bread slice with 1 tablespoon Secret Sauce, 2 to 3 tablespoons caramelized onions, 1 slice cheese, 1 patty, and another 1 tablespoon Secret Sauce. Top with another bread slice. Repeat with remaining bread, Secret Sauce, caramelized onions, cheese, and patties. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in skillet. Working in batches, cook sandwiches, flipping once, until golden brown and heated through, approximately 3 minutes per side. Add more butter to skillet as needed.

Chicken wings for dummies. Couldn’t be easier. Mix all the crap together, get it in the crock pot and walk away. 

SLOW COOKER STICKY CHICKEN WINGS 

3 pounds chicken wings

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sesame seeds for garnish

Fresh cilantro, chopped for garnish

Scallions, chopped for garnish 

FOR THE SAUCE

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup prepared hoisin sauce

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup honey

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon Sriracha, or more, to taste

1 ½ inch knob of fresh ginger, minced

1 teaspoon ground pepper

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, honey, garlic, Sriracha, ginger, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.

2. Place wings into a slow cooker. Stir in soy sauce mixture and gently toss to combine. Cover and cook on low heat for 3-4 hours or high heat for 1-2 hours.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water. Stir in mixture into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Strain the cooking liquid into a saucepan and bring to a light boil to reduce.

4. Preheat oven to broil. Line a baking sheet with foil.

5. Place wings onto the baking sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until caramelized and slightly charred. Baste the chicken with the reduced cooking liquid.

6. Serve immediately with remaining sauce, garnished with sesame seeds, scallions and cilantro.

 Our engineer here at Q97, Barry, shared this recipe with me, so I’m sharing it with you. Thanks Bear! 

Cowboy Spaghetti 

16 oz spaghetti or linguine

24 oz. sirloin steak

2 tbsp butter

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup fresh Parmesan, grated

Montreal Steak Seasoning, to taste

Kosher salt and fresh-ground pepper, to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes 

Bring the steak to room temperature.

Cook the pasta:

Boil the pasta in heavily salted water (like the ocean) according to package instructions. Drain, but don’t rinse and set aside.

Sear steak:

In a skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat. Season the steak with the steak seasoning, then sear for 3-4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Remove the steak from the skillet, let rest, then slice into thin strips.

Sauté garlic:

In the same skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.

Make sauce:

Add heavy cream, Parmesan, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes to the skillet. Stir well and let simmer for 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.

Toss noodles:

Add the cooked pasta to the skillet and toss to coat the in the creamy sauce.

Serve:

Plate the noodles and top with the sliced steak. Serve immediately while warm.

Last week, I made the mistake of not posting tacos on Taco Tuesday. Man, did I hear it from you! Thanks for the input!  

FOR THE TACOS

Juice of 3 limes

Chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp. cumin Olive oil Zest of

1 lime

Kosher salt, to taste

1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined

8 tortillas, warmed, for serving

Lime wedges, for squeezing

Plastic squeeze bottle, for drizzling the garlic-lime mayo  

In a large bowl, whisk together lime juice, cilantro, garlic, cumin, olive oil, lime zest and season with salt. Add shrimp and cover with plastic wrap. Let marinate 20 minutes in refrigerator. Preheat your grill to medium heat. Grill shrimp until pink and opaque, about 3 minutes per side. Build tacos: add the salsa, then a few shrimp and a drizzle of the garlic-lime mayo to each taco. Garnish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.   Pineapple Salsa 2 cups diced pineapple 1 cup diced tomatoes 1/4 cup diced red onion 1/4 cup cilantro leaves packed, chopped Juice from 1 lime 1 small jalapeno, finely minced Kosher salt, to taste   In a bowl, combine pineapple, tomatoes, red onion, chopped cilantro, lime juice and minced jalapenos. Add salt, to taste. Stir until all ingredients are combined.  

FOR THE GARLIC-LIME MAYO

1/3 c. Mayonnaise

2 tbsp. hot sauce Zest of

1 lime 1 tsp. garlic powder

Kosher salt, to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk and season with salt.