Tonight we're going back to our Chicago food heritage and having Chicago style beef sandwiches... actually what's called a combo with the beef with Italian sausage with provolone cheese. . Some fries and coleslaw. Tomorrow, ribs, corn on the cob and the usual sides. Diet and big gym session on Tuesday.

Not dinner, not tonight (OK, I might still some). I have been hard at it in the kitchen for 4 hours for tomorrow's 4th of July get-together.

My uncle is having a pool/cookout 4th party, and he's supplying the burgers, brats, hotdogs, and pork chops.

Potluck kind of thing.

I'm bringing a few things.

1st on the list is burger sauce, both regular and spicy.

2nd is Hawaii Macaroni salad.

3rd Japanese potato salad.

4th is what I call red, white, and blue potato salad. The dressing is based off Alabama white bbq sauce, but it has more brown sugar, and acv in it.

ARman

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Originally posted by KevinCW:

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Originally posted by MRBTX:
Chicken & Dumplings...

That looks AWESOME.

Please send me that recipe. My grandma used to make one like that and I never had a chance to write it down before she passed.

I am also interested in a recipe. I know my grandma’s recipe but the dumplings do not look like a biscuit in any way. You add the raw dough in small chunks at the last 10-15 minutes. I love it, but my wife hates it so I never get to make it. She might like it if the dumplings are a little more biscuit like. That is the way it seems at least from the picture.

Crockpot cooked a rack of baby back ribs, tried the MW version of corn-on-cob (see other thread), and wife mixed up store-bought Cole slaw mix with Duke’s slaw dressing.

Forgot to take pictures as I was starving. For the first time ever I slow smoked my skirt steak for beef fajitas. It came out really good. I cooked them at 220 degrees for 1 hour and used a 50/50 mixture of lime juice and beer to spray on them every 15 minutes as I flipped them to keep them moist.

Tomorrow night will be brisket beef hamburgers.

Since this is the 4th of July, I am grilling 1/4 lb. Nathan's hotdogs with onions and mustard. Potato salad and baked beans for sides. Will finish it off with a piece of Key Lime pie!! Happy 4th to all.

I made some bacon jam this weekend. This stuff is off the hook and a nice departure from the usual condiments. Endless uses. Great on any sandwich or just by itself on some toast or a English muffin. I made it to put on some burgers Saturday. Gave away a few small jars to the neighbors.

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bacon jam

recipe?
Man that looks and sounds great.

I am making a homemade arrabiata from tomatoes and peppers from the garden. I've also home made meatballs. Spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight.

Yesterday was the cul-d-sac firework extravaganza. I smoked a tri-tip and paired it with smoked yukon gold potatoes and cucumber & tomato salad.

Pork ribs.

Bacon jam recipe? Man that looks good.

This is the recipe I been using for bacon jam. There's lots of recipes out there but this is the best to my liking. Lots of ways to riff on this I also started adding a teaspoon or two of bourbon. Also use the best quality maple syrup you can find.

No pics, but dinner was chicken and spinach enchiladas. Love them as left-overs.

We did smashburgers on the new Blackstone. Used brioche buns and 'Murcan cheese (freedom cheese, baby!) and they turned out great...

No pics, consumed too quickly.

wife was off on a 'girls only retreat' so I had a nice Angus NY STrip, cooked rare over charcoal, and some roasted brussels sprouts,
washed down with a few fat tires

Shrimp scampi rolls, and holy crap were they good!

Last night... it was a nice little dry-rubbed pork tenderloin on the grill.

Amazing as it seems I've never done a whole beef tenderloin before. I've done fillet mignon aka Chateaubriand but never a whole tenderloin. I picked up 5lb unpeeled one last week on a whim and took it up to the lake with me. Prepared it yesterday. Took a little crash course on how to clean cut and tie them with butchers twine also a first for me.

Turns out it was the neighbors 46th wedding anniversary so we had them over for dinner. 46 years is a long time we are only a few years behind them. Only pic I took was after the trimming cutting and tying was done.



Top is the head of the tenderloin. Bottom left is the tail portion. This was actually cut in two pieces then one stacked on top of the other before being trussed. Bottom right is the fillet mingnon. Dry brined overnight and then smoked it to about 122 then seared over the open wood fire and rested for twenty minutes. Turned out absolutely heavenly! Served with smoked potatoes and carrots, shrimp seasoned with Saigon 21 rub from Oak Ridge BBQ cole slaw, fruit and bbq beans. We were trying to clean out or fridge as long as we had a couple extra mouths helping out!

Topped off with the neighbors desert of fresh raspberry cream cheese cake with a ginger bread crust. Amazing!

From the past week and a half or so.
Lasagna, fish tacos-tilapia, and gumbo.

Monday was my birthday. Friends came over for supper who just returned from a fishing trip to Alaska. They brought Sockeye filets with them that were instantly cut and flash frozen. I’m sorry I didn’t photograph the filets; they were beautiful, a brilliant red-orange. I charcoal grilled them with applewood and they terrific. Down here, sockeye is not a favorite of mine. Turns out, I’ve never HAD sockeye.