New Years Eve 2015 live from Times Square

Watch Time Squares annual dropping of the ball for free starting now.

Till Next Year,
ENJOY!

A day of canning and starting hard apple cider

  A day of canning pickled goodies and Hard Cider

It's that time of year  when I break out the canning supplies and save as many veggies as I can.

My preference is pickled veggies of any kind so I made Sour Kraut, Pickled Green Tomatoes, garlic dill pickles and Mixed pickles vegetables which we call "CHOW CHOW".

Remember when canning that organization is the key to not driving yourself insane with a huge mess. 

I also put up a gallon of Mulled Hard Apple Cider which should be ready by New Years Eve :)

Till Next Time,

ENJOY!

 

Pan roasted veggies

Pan roasted veggies, just perfect for the season with some nice smoked pulled pork and apple cider ;)

Till next time,
ENJOY

Chef Jason

3 bean - sweet potato chili

This is a great fall dish to warm up your insides.  The hearty pinto, black and lima beans along with chunks of sweet potato make this a very hearty, filling vegetarian chili.  The heat and smokiness from the chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce will warm you right up.  Great tasting easy dish for the fall :)

Till Next Time,

ENJOY!

The Joys of growing your own herb garden

The Joys of growing your own herb garden

Growing your own herbs is fun, it saves money at the grocery and quality of the heirloom herbs is way superior to what you buy in the store.  Three leaves of my flat Italian parsley will literally fill your hand.  I grew Rosemary, parsley, basil, lemon grass, Thai basil, two kinds of Oregano, thyme, Cilantro, dill and sage this year and I've used except the sage and lemongrass which will come in handy for thanksgiving and fall soups!  Consider growing your own for next year you won't regret it.

Till Next Time,
Enjoy

Chef Jason is Back

Pan seared Ahi tuna w/mint-basil-nectarine puree'

Pan seared sesame-ginger tuna

Chef Jason's Lobster and Shrimp Corn Chowder

w/recipe'

      I've been out of the kitchen for a while due to some major health issues but I'm back and bringing you a look at what I've done over the last couple of weeks during my recovery. 

Pan seared Ahi tuna w/mint-basil-nectarine puree'

Pan seared sesame-ginger tuna

Served w/sauteed Bok Choy, zucchini, pepper and onion and a ranch dressing.  

Chef Jason's Lobster and Shrimp Corn Chowder

Really thick, rich and delicious!

1 T. Olive oil

1 T. Minced garlic

1 T. Kosher salt

1 T. Black pepper

2 T. Butter

2 Potatoes diced

2 Carrots diced

2 Celery stalks diced (basic mirepoix ingredients)

1 Onion minced

1 Bell pepper minced (any color will do)

1 T. Old Bay seasoning

1 T. Chef Emeril's Creole Essence 

1 T. Fresh parsley chopped 

1/2 cup Flour

1 cup Chicken stock

1 cup Seafood stock

1qt. Vitamin D Milk or Heavy whipping cream

Seafood

1/4 cup Old Bay seasoning

32 oz. frozen corn - thaw out in advance

2 lbs. Uncooked large shrimp

1 lb. Uncooked lobster tail

Add 1/4 cup of old bay to needed amount of water and bring to a boil.  Add the shrimp and lobster and cook for 5-7 minutes or until shrimp are floating.  Drain retaining 1 cup of the seafood stock.  Set aside to cool, remove shells and cut into desired sized pieces.

Rue

Add olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, butter, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, bell pepper 1 T. Old Bay seasoning and fresh parsley to a stock pot and saute'  5-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Add the flour and cook for 3 minutes stirring "constantly", you might get a cramp in your hand but you won't have burnt rue.  

Add chicken stock and stir to blend well.  Add shellfish stock and stir to blend well.  Add milk and stir to blend well.  Let this come to a boil and reduce to a nice hard simmer.  Add the shrimp, lobster and corn and let simmer over medium heat for 10 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

 

 

 

Double Dipped Buttermilk Pork Chops

Double Dipped Buttermilk Pork Chops

I learned something about myself tonight, I can multi-task! I made this one while talking on the phone with my brother.  Double dipped buttermilk pork chops (3 eggs 1 cup buttermilk for second station of breading station, roll through flour and eggs twice before bread crumbs).  Awesome Mac-N-Cheese, Oven roasted asparagus and a fruit bowl from heaven.  I also got all the dishes done, plated, got the pictures, posted them and my food is still warm!

Till Next Time,
ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Crawfish Etoouffee' my way damnit!

How about a super creamy Crayfish Etouffee' my style!  Well this is great, perfect buttery sauce with fresh crab sauce fresh veggies and some wonderful crayfish meat.  This has a little Italian as well some acini di pepe'.  This is a filling wonderful dish but once again not for the ones afraid of the kitchen, I put my heart and soul with about forty ingredients into this delicious mix. 

Till Next Time,
ENJOY

Chef Jason's Basil Mint Spaghetti Squash

For anyone preparing a dish like this please be aware that the Asian pear and the spaghetti squash are hot coming out of the oven, lol.  This is A dish I cam up with because my wife is vegetarian, which sucks!  So she got oven roasted spaghetti squash, pan toasted pine nuts, with a creamy mint, basil and goat cheese Alfredo along with a little kick from red peppers, red onions, green onions, garlic and a tad of cinnamon for the oven roasted Asian pear.  Don't try this one unless you're a serious chef, but it's my recipe and we love it, the kids helped and I love them and their help in Jaon's Kitchen :)

Till Next Time,
ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Celebration of Freshness and more (Long John Silvers can do Fish and MORE I can do this!

Chef Jason's Celebration of Freshness

Fresh herbs, fresh fruit, fresh veggies????  What?  You can get a can or a frozen bag (Ok I cheated those are frozen Brussels sprouts) but the point is that all of the fresh herbs you see, plus the butternut squash was all fresh, hand chopped by me.  I put my heart and soul into every dish I make and even though my presentation here is way too busy, I'm proud of it!  The flavors were amazing.

On another note I went out to eat at a very upscale restaurant.  I ordered appetizers to the tune of a crab dip with chips, way too much dill in it, no tangy element, really wasn't that good so I tried the second one I'd ordered..... Oh my god, heaven help me in the top five best things I've ever eaten, the Ahi tuna was perfectly rare served with red and green bell peppers, red onions and a ranch dressing drizzle.... Immaculate, the perfect dish!  I was really pushing the boundaries so I tried the pan seared sea scallops over an American style Kim chi.  Chef Jason (not me that's who cooked this dish) nailed it once again, the scallops were perfectly seared and amazing!  The American Kim Chi left a little to be desired in my opinion, but once again I'm testing my pallet every day, are you?  If not drop me a line and I'll tell you how to get the most out of the least, cooking is all about you, what do "you" like and how would you like to push that envelop completely over the edge? 

Chef Jason's Deli Style Crab Salad

Chef Jason's Deli Style Crab Salad

I love good deli style crab salad which is really hard to find.  It seems like every time I try it, it tastes like nothing but onions.  With any salad like this be it chicken, tuna, salmon or anything else you have to take great care with the amount of onion you use as it can overbear the star of the show.  This one is delicious and it's easy and fairly cheap to make.

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 lb. flake style imitation crab meat

1/4 cup diced red onion

1/4 cup diced green bell pepper

1/2 cup diced celery

3/4 cup mayonaise

1/4 cup sour cream

1 T. fresh squeezed lemon juice

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. black pepper

1/8 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley 

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh oregano 

1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill

With your hands coarsely shred the crab (basically just break it down so it's not huge chunks).

Put the crab in a mixing bowl and add the salt, pepper, old bay, mayo, sour cream and lemon juice and fold it in till well coated.  Add all the rest and fold till well mixed and coated.  Let refrigerate for 2-4 hours before eating.  If you let it sit over night the flavors will really meld from the fresh herbs.  It's one of those things that gets better the longer it sits in the fridge.

Till Next Time,

ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Cheesy/Thyme Salmon

Chef Jason's Cheesy/thyme salmon (Oven fried)

Roasted Butternut Squash/walnut bow tie pasta

Chard/Cherry wilted salad

 

This made for a great night in the kitchen for me and my wife Adelin Blevins​.  I made the salmon and pasta, she made the salad and the brownies (not shown).

The pasta was so good that I literally dreamed about it last night, thank goodness there are leftovers :)  The pasta has a very nice vegetable stock based vinaigrette and the fresh parley and fresh sage just make the flavor of the butternut squash and walnuts burst with flavor.  One of the best dishes I've made to date.

The Chard and Dried Cherry Salad was also extremely good, a nice combination of sweet, tangy and bitter made it very well balanced and a great fit with this meal.  Thanks again Addie for helping me and making the salad :)

I'm going to give you the salmon recipe' which was inspired by an idea from my niece Misty Frank​ .

Cheesy/thyme salmon

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.

Spray a cookie sheet lightly with olive oil spray or lightly oil with olive oil.

Get two mixing bowls ready, one for the crumb mixture and one for the egg mixture.

Ingredients:

1-3 lbs. Salmon Filets

Egg Mixture:

2 Eggs
1 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 tsp. Old Bay Seasoning
1/2 tsp. Kosher Salt
1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
1 tsp. (1 clove) Minced Garlic
1 Tbsp. Fresh Thyme Finely Chopped
Juice of 1/4 Fresh Lemon

Coating:

1 Can of French's Cheddar Onions Crushed up Into Crumbs

Mix all ingredients for egg mixture together in mixing bowl and whisk vigorously or until frothy.

In the other mixing bowl place the crushed up French's Onions.  I put the Cheddar onions in a 1 gallon Zip Lock bag and removed all the air.  I then took "the flat side" of my meat mallet and smashed them up.

Slice the salmon into 2" to 3" strips.

Coat each piece well with the egg mixture and then toss in the crumbs, be sure to press each piece in the mixture to make it stick well and shake off excess coating.

Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

Serve and
ENJOY!

Crock Pot Swiss Steak Dinner

Crock Pot Swiss Steak Dinner

Decided to try a couple of other peoples recipe's today instead of making up my own.

Made Crock Pot Swiss Steak, can't remember the exact recipe on that one.

Made Oven Roasted Rosemary and Garlic Potatoes found this one on Youtube and it's incredible! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM2qDPUE9wI

Also made some nice steamed veggies to go with it.

Till Next Time,
ENJOY!

Guacamole Night

Guacamole Night

First Time Making Guacamole from scratch and it turned out wonderfully!

Till Next,

ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Triple C Frog Legs

Chef Jason's Triple C Frog Legs

Triple C Frog Legs mean Cajun/Cranberry/Candied Frog Legs.  It's a super twist on a hot wing with a super savory, sweet and spicy sauce!

You obviously have to have some nice frog legs (hippity, hoppity into my belly)!

 The sauce was just a crazy idea I came up with.  I first made a reduction using 8 ounces of fresh cranberries with sugar, white cooking wine, water, Cajun seasoning and crushed red chillies. 

The next step was to put it in the Ninja till it was a puree.  Then I added butter and Louisiana hot sauce and reduce it a second time.  Sweet and hot and savory all at the same time, great home made wing sauce... Or in this case frog sauce ;)

I also made a cheesy orecchiette pasta with sauteed mushrooms, garlic, chives and asparagus to go with it.

Till Next Time,
ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Asian Albacore Salad

Chef Jason's Asian Albacore Salad

This one was tricky for me, had to use some nice Albacore tuna steaks I got in a budget box and had never worked with it before.  I marinated it in soy, Worcestershire and agave nectar,  I then basted it with Dijon mustard and rubbed it with a Mediterranean blend of seasonings.  I pan seared it for 3 minutes per side to get the perfect medium rare state using olive, peanut, sesame and vegetable oil.  The salad itself is an Asian perfection with sesame ginger vinaigrette.  I added some fresh yellow bell pepper and fresh cilantro to finish.  I am back from my break so stay tuned.  

 If you need any tips, tricks or anything else please contact me.

 Till Next time,

ENJOY!

Chef Jason's "Big Kahuna Burger"

Happy Game DAY!

Chef Jason's Big Kahuna Burger click here for the down low on this game day killer burger

Jason's Kitchen still up and coming

Quick update with some photos, doing some more southern home cooking along with some game day favorites!

Till Next time,
ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Southern Supper Brunch

Chef Jason's Southern Supper Brunch

Home made buttermilk biscuits, sausage gravy made from the drippings from sweet cherry, sweet Italian and smoked sausage with scrambled eggs.

Till next Time,
ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Awesome Lunch meat w/ the help of Chef Robert

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/robert-irvine/ribs-recipe.html

First off, Robert Irvine deserves the credit for most of the rub, I did modify it slightly, I added some herbs such as basil, parsley, rosemary and Oregano, that's about the only difference here.  The other difference is I did it with a pork loin instead of ribs as a gastronomical science project to test my limits as a chef.

I wanted to do a great BBQ beef sandwich but I didn't want it falling apart, pulled pork this time.  So I used his crazy idea of slow cooking in the overn at 225 degrees F "wrapped in plastic". for 2 hours on a pork loin instead of the ribs. Now I have my own home made lunch meat!

Let it cool for 2 hours after pulling it out pf the oven and then slice it.  You can use this for any sandwich you want or use it with some gravy and potatoes.  The juiciness, tenderness and flavor are out of this word.

Thank you Chef Robert for the inspiration to create this dish!

Till Next Time,

Enjoy 

Chef Jason's Pan Roasted Beer Brats Italian Style

Pre-Heat Oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit

For this one simply take some high quality beer bratwursts, some onions, grape or cherry tomatoes, green peppers, fresh garlic, cilantro, parsley 2-3 stems fresh Oregano.  First off pan seer the brats by themselves and as you chop up the ingredients add them.  Start off with olive oil and a Tbsp. of butter and on medium high heat get that nice brown seer you see in the picture.  Next add the garlic, onion, green bell pepper, cilantro and parsley.  as it starts to stick and almost burn add 1/8 cup of water and let it simmer while you get the rest of the things around.  Toss two or three whole stems of fresh oregano on top, add 1 Tbsp. of soy sauce, 2 Tbsp.s of white cooking wine, add the tomatoes, top with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to help with the browning and throw it in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes.  The flavor in this dish is incredible!

Chef Jason's Red Eye Gravy

Chef Jason's Ham/Pork Chops and Red Eye Gravy!

I made Red Eye Gravy for the first time tonight, it's very similar to what my father called Brown grease which my son loves on ham.  Basically it's the drippings from the ham and pork chops combined with a tablespoon of butter, 1 tsp. of honey, 1/2 tsp of brown sugar (light or dark), 1 Tbsp. of white cooking wine and 1 cup of fresh brewed coffee.  Ok this is a little amped up version of the old southern staple.  It was a bit too bitter so I added some sweet and a little vinegar touch with the wine, dip the meat in this gravy and you end up with a blooming burst of flavor for your pallet.

Till Next Time,

ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Spinach Souffle'

Chef Jason's Spinach Souffle'

Servings 9-12 according to how you cut it.

Ingredients:

2 bags frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
3 XL eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 tsp. fresh minced garlic
1 Tbsp. Basil Pesto

Pre-Heat oven to 350 degrees

In a small saute pan add butter and oil and heat over medium heat till butter is melted.  Add garlic, onion and pesto and saute about five minutes or until slightly caramelized. 

In a medium mixing bowl add eggs, milk, Parmesan, salt, pepper and saute's onion misture.  Mix well and then fold in the spinach.

Add mixture to a square baking pan that's been sprayed liberally with non-stick cooking spray and spread evenly.

Bake 20-40 minutes or until set (fork should come out clean in the center, just like checking a cake).

For Sandra Hines here's the budget break down ;)

Eggs .60
Parmesan .50
Salt and pepper .05
Milk (got half gallon for .75) .10
Spinach (got two things out of clearance freezer section .69 each) 1.38
Cooking Spray, butter and olive oil .20
onion, garlic and pesto .50

Total  $3.33 (I guessed on a lot of these rounding up, it's probably actually less than 3.00 to make if you can find the right sales).

Do this kind of meal a few times and you'll have money for that Lobster ;), lol.

This dish is wonderfully amazing, a real treat for the taste buds.  And it's good for you :)

Till Next Time,
ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Spicy Chorizo Meatloaf w/Siracha Ketchup

I made the Siracha Ketchup and added 2/3 of it to the Mirepoix, bread crumbs, Beef Chorizo and ground pork.  These are really spicy but really tasty as well :)

Till Next Time,
Enjoy!

Chef Jason's Green onion Chipped beef and Gravy

I would say more here but my mouth is full of this absolutely wonderful, stick to your ribs goodness.  Ahhh..   I can die happy now.

Till Next Time,
Enjoy :)

Chef Jason's Green Pico Degallo

This is a Tomatillo version of my normal pico, extremely good :)

Chef Jason's Beer Battered Pollack w/ batter recipe'

Chef Jason's Beer Battered Pollack w/batter recipe'

Long John Silvers, eat your heart out!

This is the lightest fluffiest and one of the most delicious low cost recipe's you can do. 

* Note to home cooks like me, make sure to use a temp gauge and set your deep frying oil to 350 degrees. Fahrenheit.

Take and cut up into reasonable sized chunks your pollack and pat dry.

Batter:

1 1/2 cup flour (all purpose or self-rising makes no difference, Hell use gluten free or rice flour if so desired.

1 egg

1/4 cup buttermilk (whole, not that low fat crap, we're real food lovers here)!

1 Tablespoon of Old Bay Seasoning

1 Teaspoon of Creole seasoning of your choosing.

1 can 12oz. Budweiser or other cheap American crappy beer!  Hell use PBR!

*NOTE:  Main utensil needed to do this recipe' is a WHISK, if you can't beat it then BEAT IT!  You don't belong in my Kitchen!

Whisk the Devil out of that batter, you want foamy bubbles from heaven before starting to throw that cheap old pollack in.

Coat each piece well and place in the deep fryer allowing about 5 seconds between pieces before adding the next (this prevents them from sticking all together).

Cook for about 5-7 minutes each or till a nice golden brown *not too dark cause that means you've kilt the fishies*.

And that's it!  Now go grab a beer, some tarter sauce, some of those nice hand cut fries and home made slaw that you made to go with them and... You know the drill!

Till Next Time,

 

ENJOY!

Chef Jason's Cajun Fried Buttermilk Catfish

I served this great tasting pan fried catfish with hand cut french fries and serano pepper slaw.  The kids devoured it!  No leftovers to put away, which around here is a GREAT thing.

 

Till Next Time,

Enjoy

Chef Jason's Baked Cod with Tomatoes and Feta

Chef Jason's Baked Cod w/ Tomatoes and Feta

I served this delightful dish with Lemon/Orange Orzo and steamed asparagus.  The finishing touch of fresh oregano, fresh parsley and Feta cheese made for a wonderful flavor.  This one I made for my wife, we'll see what she plans for me next.

Till Next Time,
ENJOY!

A few pictures to try to catch up!

I've been extremely busy after the move so not much time for taking pictures and posting but the following will give you something to look at for now.

Chef Jason's "The Ritz" appetizer

 

Chef Jason's Home Made Meatballs

Chef Jason's Smoked Pork Chop and Bean Soup

Chef Jason's Big Breakfast

Chef Jason's Filet Mignon

Chef Jason's Stuffed Pork Chops

Till Next Time,
ENJOY!