Creativity of Cooking

https://prezi.com/view/p91vhtCry00Vq5vinNEb/

Traeger Grill Trick of my Trade

Here I talk about Traeger Grills and why I like to use them for the cooking that I do.

https://soundcloud.com/bazziggy/traeger

http://www.traegergrills.com/

Olde Town Spice Shoppe Review

The following is my audio review of the Apple wood smoked rub I used from the Olde Town Spice Shoppe.  Links to the Apple Bourbon Pork chops and the Olde Town Spice Shoppe below the review link.

https://soundcloud.com/bazziggy/oldetownspiceshoppe

http://bazziggycooking.blogspot.com/2017/10/apple-bourbon-pork-chops-with-onion_5.html 

http://www.oldtownspices.com/

Home Made Pizza Americana

I have had quite a while to perfect pizza cooking and dough's which in my opinion is the most important thing about a pizza if the dough isn't good then the rest of the pizza won't be.  This pizza dough is a very basic pizza dough that can be compared to most pizza restaurants normal type of pizza and in my opinion tastes just as good as theirs or even better especially when it's a chain using frozen dough.  This pizza is also good if you wish to prepare it then chill it in the refrigerator until you are ready for it for example cooking a bunch of pizzas at the same time for a party.

Ingredients:

1. 5 Cups Unbleached High-Gluten or Bread Flour
2. 3 TBSP Honey or Sugar
3. 2 TSP Salt
4. 2 TSP Instant Yeast
5. 1/4 Cup Olive or Vegetable Oil
6. 1 Cup Milk (Low Fat or Whole)
7. 3/4 Cup Room Temperature Water

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients into the electric stand mixer and set the mixer on a low speed for about 4 minutes.  After this allow the dough to rest for 5 minutes then on a medium low setting allow the mixer to mix to dough for another 2 minutes.  If you are doing this by hand then use a metal spoon and a metal mixing bowl and mix together into a coarse ball as you rotate the bowl with one hand and the other mix the dough with the spoon like a dough hook for the same duration.
   
2. Once the dough is done test the dough to make sure it's the right consistency by touching the dough if the dough sticks to your hands then it needs more flour so keep adding flour to the dough by the Tablespoon full till the dough no longer sticks to your hands.  The dough will be too dry if the dough does not attempt to stick to the sides or the bottom of the bowl in this case add water by the Tablespoon full till the dough slightly sticks to the sides and bottom of the bowl but comes off clean.
   
3. After the dough is to the right consistency take a small piece of the dough either by tearing or cutting it off and then stretch it evenly if thin translucent membranes appear in the dough then the dough is mixed thoroughly and is ready for the next step.
   
4. Take the dough and roll it out into a ball then take it and cut it into 4 10 oz sections and then roll these into balls making sure there are no air pockets in the dough.
   
5. Brush or lightly rub olive oil to the outside of the balls and place them in freezer bags and set in the refrigerator for 2 hours minimum (Over night if possible) to allow the dough to rise.  Extra portions can be placed into the freezer for up to 3 months for later use after being chilled in the refrigerator.
   
6. 2 hours before needed take the dough out of the refrigerator and allow to get to room temperature.  After this flour your work area and then work the dough out into the desired shape by stretching it or tossing the dough if you know how.
   
7. Preheat the oven to 400 °F (~204 °C).  If cooking on a stone allow this to heat in the oven while it's preheating.
8. After the dough is to the desired size perforate the dough to allow the air to escape during cooking and to prevent bubbles in the pizza.  You can use a fork if you don't have a perforator.
   
9. Place the sauce from the previous recipe onto the dough and spread it around leaving the outside edge free of sauce to allow the crust to rise and not to burn the exposed sauce.
   
10. Next place down a layer of cheese for this I used a pre packaged pizza blend but just mozzarella will work just fine.
    
11. Next place the meats on top of the cheese.  If you are doing just pepperoni or Canadian bacon then just place more cheese down before adding the meat since these meats will slide off should there be cheese on top of the meats alone sausage or other ground meats don't need this treatment.
    
12. Next place your vegetables onto the pizza. then top with more cheese if you are using precooked bacon add this on top of the layer of cheese covering the vegetables.
    
13. Place the pizza on a pan or a peel and slide the pizza into the oven or onto the stone and allow to cook for 15-20 minutes or the crust becomes a golden brown and remove from the oven.
14. Allow the pizza to cool then cut and serve.

All-Purpose Marinara Sauce

With my family visiting from Texas I was asked to make some home made pizza and in my opinion one of the two most important things for a pizza is the sauce.  Now this is a basic marinara sauce that I have perfected over the years using some tips and tricks I have learned over the years to give it a nice Italian flavor and a slight sweet taste to it from the onions.  Now you can use this on pizza or as a sauce on pasta should you choose to but in my opinion for a better pasta sauce remove the water and use a can of diced tomatoes with the juice they come packaged in to give it a thinker consistency.  Of course if you do like a thinner sauce then this might be what you are looking for with no alterations to it.

Ingredients:

1. 1 Can (28 ox) Tomato Purée
2. 1 3/4 Cup Water
3. 1 TBSP Dried Parsley
4. 2 TSP Dried Basil
5. 1 TSP Dried Oregano
6. 1/2 TSP Dried Thyme
7. 1/2 TSP Dried Marjoram (Optional)
8. 1/4 TSP Cracked Black Pepper
9. 1/4 Cup Olive Oil
10. 2 TBSP Brown Sugar
11. 2 TBSP Minced Garlic or Garlic Powder
12. 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar or Lemon Juice
13. 1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Yellow Onion
14. 1 TBSP Butter
15. Salt to Taste

Directions:

1. In a skillet bring to heat the olive oil.  Once up to temperature add in the onions and allow to Sauté for about 5 minutes or until soft.
   
2. Once onions are done cooking add in the butter and brown sugar then allow the onions to caramelize.
3. Once the onions are caramelized add in the dry ingredients and mix together. if you are using minced garlic add before the dry ingredients and allow to Sauté for a short time before adding in the dry ingredients.
   
4. Once everything is mixed together add the red wine vinegar or lemon juice to the mixture and turn off the heat.
   
5. In a large pot put in the tomato purée, water, and the mixture from the skillet then mix together and allow to simmer on low heat to bring out the flavors.
   
6. Allow the sauce to cook for 15 minutes and then remove from heat and allow to cool.  Once cool transfer to the refrigerator and allow to set for at least 2 hours better to allow it to set for a day to allow the flavors to be drawn out of the sauce.

Comparing Cooking a Steak at Home to going out to a Steakhouse

After having some family visit and them asking for a good steak to eat for dinner one night I told them I would cook them one about as good if not better then one they could get at a steakhouse.  After the meal most of them were wondering what it would of costed to go out and eat instead of having me do steaks at home so after figuring out the prices this is what I managed to come up with.  Most of them were surprised how much more especially the higher end steakhouses charged over just doing it at home that you could get a couple of extra meals out of the same price.  I hope that this chart helps you and others know that cooking can not only be fun but also a lot cheaper then going out and getting a meal.

Apple Smoked Baby Back Ribs

After some real life issues I needed to take care of I'm back with a new recipe for Apple Smoked Baby Back Ribs.  I personally like this recipe for ribs because it's nice and flavorful with out the need of a sauce to help it out. I also like smoking them with apple wood to add a hint of the sweet fruit flavor to the meat.  I have tried a couple of times in the past to make a apple cider barbecue sauce  but still haven't found one that tastes right in my opinion and I'll keep working on that and maybe one day I'll figure something out that I like and share it on here with everyone to view.

Ingredients:

Ribs:

1. 2 Racks of Baby Back Pork Ribs
2. 1/3 Cup Yellow Mustard
3. 1/2 Cup Apple Juice
4. 1 TBSP Worcestershire Sauce
5. 1 TBSP Apple Cider Vinager
6. 1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar
7. 1/3 Cup Honey (Warmed)

Rub:

1. 3 TBSP Brown Sugar
2. 1 TBSP Chill Pepper Powder
3. 2 TBSP Cracked Black Pepper
4. 1/2 TBSP Garlic Powder
5. 2 TBSP Onion Powder
6. 1 TBSP Salt
7. 3 TBSP Basil
8. 3 TBSP Thyme

Directions:

1. Take all the ingredients for the rub and mix them together in a bowl until thoroughly mixed together.
2. If the ribs still have the membrane on the bone side take a butter knife or a flat head screwdriver and work it under the membrane in the middle of one of the bones to create a starting point then with some paper towels get a firm grip and tear the membrane off of the ribs.
   
3. Start the smoker with the apple wood.
4. In a bowl mix together the Mustard, 1/4 cup of apple juice, Worcestershire sauce, and apple cider vinegar.
5. Spread the mixture over the ribs and work it into the meat in a thin layer then take the rub and apply it to the ribs and thoroughly cover the ribs in the rub.
   
6. Once the smoker is ready place the ribs meat-side up and allow them to smoke for at least 3 hours.
7. After the 3 hours remove the ribs from the smoker and set the temperature up to 225 °F (~107 °C).
8. Prepare 4 sheets of tin foil and turn up the edges of two pieces up to retain the liquid.  place the ribs inside the tin foil then top each rib with half of the honey, brown sugar, and the remaining apple juice.  Fold the tin foil over the ribs then cover the top part with another piece of tin foil then return to the smoker or grill and let them cook for another 2 hours.
9. If you desire sauce on the ribs in the last 30 minutes of cooking remove the ribs from the tin foil and place back on the smoker or grill then brush the sauce of choice on top and allow it to tighten during the last 30 minutes of cooking.
10. Let rest for 5 minutes after cooking before serving.