Smoked Jarlsberg Cuban Burger with Sweet Plantain

My sincerest apologies to the vegetarians reading this. As I’m sure you can tell, this week’s Smoked Jarlsberg Cuban Burger with Sweet Plantain is not for you. Honestly, there are probably a few omnivores who are a little taken aback. But I assure you, this burger is extra for a good reason. I created this burger in the spirit of Jarlsberg’s Burger Recipe Contest. And although my interpretation of the theme features two different kinds of animal protein, that doesn’t mean yours has to. All that is required is that you create a dream burger that integrates Jarlsberg in a surprising and delicious way. Veggie burgers are more than welcome.

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Beer Can Chicken Nachos

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Today’s recipe is a twofer. Yes, these Beer Can Chicken Nachos are obviously nachos, but you’re looking at two meals here if you live in a two-person household. Bae and I ate roughly half of the beer can chicken with a few sides one night and a mountain of nachos the next. Yes, we know we are incredibly hard done by. The best thing about this recipe is it is very much a choose-your-own-adventure kind of deal. Not so much about nachos, just make the chicken. Nacho-loving vegetarian? Forget about the chicken and double down on the pinto beans. Whatever your heart desires, today’s recipe has it…provided your heart wants Tex Mex.

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Street Corn Stuffed Portobellos

Street Corn Stuffed Portobellos

There was a time in my life when I didn’t know mayo on corn was magic. A time when I didn’t know to add cheese or cilantro or chili to that mayo. A time when I didn’t know about elotes also known as Mexican Street Corn. But these days I know this portable, messy wonder of a snack like I know my Grandmother’s tea biscuits. I’ve had it a few blocks from my house, a few miles from my house, and a few countries away. But although I recognize the simple genius of this street snack and delight in playing with its flavor profile – today’s Street Corn Stuffed Portobellos are a prime example – I never would’ve thought to make it.

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Apricot Stuffed Pork Chops with Wild Rice Salad

Apricot Stuffed Pork Chops with Wild Rice Salad

Some of my earliest memories are centered around meat and potatoes. Every Sunday my family would pile into the car and head over to my grandmother’s house for dinner. Without fail she’d always serve a roast alongside a mountain of mashed potatoes. My sister was a roast beef kind of girl, but I was in it for the roast pork. I loved that roast pork not because it was brined or smoked to rosy pink perfection. My grandmother wasn’t that kind of cook. She grew up on a farm, fussing was not in her DNA. No, what I loved about her roast pork was the applesauce that accompanied it. It was one of the first times fruit and meat crossed paths on my dinner plate and it was certainly not the last. Today’s Apricot Stuffed Pork Chops are just another by-product of a food obsession hatched in my formative years.

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