Poblano Dogs

How was everyone's weekend?  I hate the fact that it's Monday, but I guess we've got to get through Monday to get through the rest of the days of the week to get to the weekend! 

Blood Orange Vodka Martini won Friday's poll, so check back later on this week for a recipe!  It was mighty tasty!

I'm super excited because tomorrow we get to check out our venue and potentially book it!  I've decided to go with an "Asian" theme for the decor.  My sister is the super creative one, so I'm leaving most of the design up to her!  I trust her, so I'm sure she'll bang out something great.  And plus... less stress on my part, right?

Anyway, we had a super lazy weekend.  Saturday actually marked one year from when we got engaged!  I'm just amazed how fast time flies and I know I'm just extremely antsy to be a Mrs!  One step at a time though.

But let's get to the food, why don't we?!  These dogs are different from your average ketchup and mustard dog.  These have a little Latin flare to them, and I'm definitely lovin' it!  And hey, keep these in mind for your upcoming Superbowl parties, too!

Ingredients:

Couldn't help it, I just needed a bite.

Adapted from Bon Appetit's recipe

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 poblano chile, seeded and cut into small strips
1 onion, sliced thinly
4 angus hot dogs
1/2 cup salsa verde
small handful cilantro, chopped
4 hot dogs buns 
shredded Pepperjack cheese
crumbled Cotija cheese

Heat olive oil in a large skillet under medium high heat.  Add poblano peppers and onions.  Cook until the peppers start to soften, about 10 minutes or so.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

In same skillet, add hot dogs and 1 cup of water.  Cover pan and cook dogs for about 5 minutes, or until heated through.

Turn oven broiler to high and move rack to middle position. (If you've got an in-oven broiler, that is.  If you've got the average below the oven broiler, this is not necessary).

In a small bowl, mix cilantro and salsa verde until combined. 

Place hot dogs in buns and sprinkle pepperjack cheese on top.  Place each hot dog on a baking sheet and broil until the cheese is melted and slightly golden, about 2-3 minutes.

Top hot dogs with pepper and onion mixture, cotija cheese, and salsa verde.

These were quick and easy, just my kind of lazy meal.  And different enough to make you think that a hot dog can be somewhat classy.  If you've got kids, this is a good way to introduce them to new and interesting flavors, and if you've got no kids, not to worry... we don't and we loved them!  Definitely thinking about coming up with a mini version to serve at our Superbowl party (where we'll be cheering for neither team, of course).  Have a great Monday guys!

Bratwurst Sliders

I love bratwursts. I love mini-cheeseburgers. So why not combine the two to make a bratwurst patty slider? Seems like a good idea in hind-sight, but I don't necessarily think I executed it very well. Andy still ate them, but I think it was just missing something. Recipe was adapted from the Bon Appetit Oct 2009 issue recipe for Homemade Bratwurst Bites.

Ingredients:

1 & 1/4 lbs country style pork spareribs, cut into small cubes
1 package bacon, cut into thin slices
1 & 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage
1 & 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup lager beer, divided

I think my first wrong turn in this recipe was using the bacon to replace pork fat in the original recipe. I think the bacon really overpowered the pork and made it taste like breakfast. Now breakfast isn't a bad taste, but it's not really the taste I personally wanted in a burger/slider. And I know that bacon IS pork fat, but I think using an uncured pork fat was what this recipe needed.

Freeze the bacon and the pork cubes in the freezer for about 30 minutes. It should be partially frozen. Then, in batches, place half the bacon and half the pork in your food processor and pulse until you get a good ground consistency. If you have a meat grinder, it would work as well, but I know most people have food processors that could do the same job.

When all done, place mixture in bowl and mix in sage, salt, mace, pepper, coriander, and sugar. Stir in about 1/4 cup of the beer. Cover mixture and refrigerate overnight.

Next day, form mixture into slider sized patties. Heat patties (I did about 6 at a time in a large frypan) under medium heat for about 5 minutes, until browned on the bottom. Then add remaining 1/2 cup of beer (you may need more beer than above if you want to continue this step, because there was enough of the mixture to make TONS of patties, or you could just brown both sides and still be fine). Cover with lid slightly ajar and cook until beer is almost all evaporated, maybe 10 minutes or so. Flip patties over and cook until brown on other side and cooked through, about 5 more minutes.

I used Hawaiian Sweet Bread Rolls for my buns (which I absolutely LOVE), and topped my burgers with swiss cheese, spicy brown mustard, and carmelized onions. Andy didn't want swiss, so he put Velveeta on his. Dress your sliders accordingly and enjoy!

Like I said, these weren't BAD, it just seemed like something was missing. Maybe you guys could play around with the recipe and find a way that works for you! Or who knows, maybe THIS way works. Enjoy!