Nacho & Chorizo Meatballs

It's party time and you'd like an appetizer that would really wow your guests. So let me be honest....this recipe is a cheat. In fact, we should probably just rename the dish Lori Loughlin Meatballs. Maybe Lance Armstrong Meatballs. Alex Rodriguez Meatballs.

Why is this recipe cheating? Because you will be taking two of the most delicious flavors on earth and crafting them into a single Frankenball. Nacho Cheese Chips (ground up in a food processor) and Mexican Chorizo Sausage. A marriage made in heaven. And for supporting rolls in the wedding party....Mexican cheese, pickled jalapeño, cilantro...be still my heart. Then throw in some sour cream and salsa, guacamole and hot sauce for dipping. Winning!


Ingredients
1/2 pound fresh Mexican chorizo, casings removed
1/2 pound ground pork
1-1/4 cups Bisquick
3/4 cup finely ground Doritos (nacho cheese flavor) 
8 ounces shredded Mexican cheese blend
2 tablespoons finely chopped pickled jalapeña
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup prepared salsa


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. 
2. In a large bowl, combine together sausage, pork, Bisquick, Doritos, cheese, jalapeño, and cilantro until well blended.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, scoop and roll 1-inch balls and place 1-inch apart on prepared baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
4. While sausage balls bake, stir together sour cream and salsa. Serve sausage balls with sour cream-salsa dip, and if desired, guacamole and hot sauce.

Pairing: Pacifico

Grogs and Goldie, 1956

Grilled Chicken Breast

A boneless, skinless chicken breast is the white bread of the poultry world. Anyone who has ever eaten chicken will tell you that the skin is, by far, the tastiest part of the bird. And the bone gives flavor and retains the moisture in the meat.

I spend a lot of time on YouTube. Way too much time. Cars. Cooking. Music. This week I was checking out some new videos and came across a YouTube channel called "Cooking with Claudia". I started watching her stuff and damn if she did not drop one of the best chicken marinade recipes ever.

So grab yourself a pair of bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Head to your pantry and mix up a bowl of Claudia's chicken marinade and then light the charcoal in your grill. Cook this recipe and a little roasted corn and you will have yourself the perfect Memorial Day cookout!


INGREDIENTS

For Claudia's Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup brown sugar

For the Chicken
2 to 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts



DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly.
2. Pierce the skin side of the chicken breasts multiple times with a fork to create small pockets for the marinade to penetrate.
3. Place chicken breasts in a ziplock bag and add the marinade. Seal bag and refrigerate for at least 3 hours (skin side down).
4. After marinating, remove breasts from bag and pat dry with paper towels.
5. Prepare your grill for two-zone cooking (direct and indirect heat...coals only on one side of the grill).
6. Place chicken breasts over direct heat, skin side up. Cover grill and cook for 5 minutes.
7. Flip breasts (skin side down) over direct heat. Cover grill and cook for 4 minutes.
8. Move breast to indirect side of grill, skin side up. Cover grill and cook for 20-25 minutes.
9. Remove breasts from grill. Tent with foil for 5 minutes, then serve.

Wine pairing: Merlot

Grogs and Goldie, 1956

Crispy Roast Chicken Thighs

You want to select skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. The skin keeps the meat moist and gives you that delicious crispiness. The bones also protect the chicken from drying out. You'll start out on the stove to crisp up the skin and then slide your skillet into the oven for a high-heat roast. You're going to end up with a lot of delicious drippings in that skillet, which is perfect for a truly extraordinary pan sauce.


Ingredients
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (8 ounces each)
Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450º.
2. Generously season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper.
3. Heat the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat (cast iron or steel recommended...do not use non-stick). Add chicken to pan, skin side down. Cook for 10 minutes until skin is brown and crisp. Flip chicken thighs and cook for 6 more minutes.
4. Place skillet into the oven and cook for 15 minutes.
5. Remove skillet from oven. Place thighs on a cutting board and tent with foil. Let them rest 5 minutes, then serve.

Wine pairing: Merlot

Grogs and Goldie, 1956

Grilled Rib-Eyes with Shallot-Jalapeño-Tomato Butter

If you are a carnivore like me, grilled rib-eye steaks are at the very pinnacle of our bovine desires. Brimming with "oh-so-delicious" fat and huge beef flavor, no other cut of meat comes close. Couple that with an incredible compound butter....life just doesn't get any better. Just one caveat when making the butter...do not use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil...if you do the butter will not hold together.


Ingredients
2, 1-pound rib-eye steaks, 1-inch thick
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
4 ounces unsalted butter (1 stick)
3 tablespoons finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon freshly chopped fresh leaf parsley
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon smoked salt
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
Olive oil


Directions

1. Put the steaks on a rack over a large rimmed baking sheet. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels, and then generously season both sides with kosher salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature for up to 2 hours.
2. Prepare your grill for direct cooking over high heat. Meanwhile, using a silicone spatula, stir together the butter, tomato, jalapeño, shallot, parsley, zest, smoked salt and thyme in a small bowl until well combined. Transfer to a small serving bowl and set aside.
3. Lightly oil the grill. Pat the steaks dry with paper towels. Grill for 5 minutes, then flip and grill until the steak is done to your liking (4 minutes for medium rare). Transfer steaks to a cutting board and tent with foil, letting the steaks rest for 5 minutes. Top with some of the butter and serve, passing the remaining butter at the table.

Wine pairing: Malbec

Grogs and Goldie, 1956

Crab Toast

When it comes to shellfish, I'm partial to both lobster and Alaskan King Crab. But put them in a head-to-head shoot out, crab wins out every time in my book. That incredibly sweet meat from the legs of the Alaskan King Crab is so fantastic, it's just not a contest.

Costco is my "go-to" for crab. They sell enormous crab legs at $24.99 per pound. The stuff you find at grocery stores is typically small, pencil-thin stuff that doesn't hold a candle to what you find at Costco. I was thrilled when I found this recipe in the New York Times last week, as it gave me a whole new way to serve up some crab.

While you could certainly make the recipe with lump crab meat, Alaskan King Crab makes these slices of toast really special. All you need is a single crab leg, providing the leg comes with the knuckle attached. This makes for a great summer dinner when you serve it with a salad on the side.


Ingredients
2 ounces unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1 whole egg plus 1 yolk
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
12 ounces Alaskan King Crab meat
4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons minced chives
1 teaspoon sour cream
4 slices black pumpernickel, toasted


Directions

1. In a small sauce pot, brown the butter over medium heat, swirling the pot, until the butter is caramel-colored and has a nutty fragrance, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, scraping up all the milk solids from the bottom and sides of the pot while the butter is still hot, and let cool to room temperature.
2. Place the egg and egg yolk, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, a healthy pinch of salt and 1 tablespoon cold water in the bowl of a food processor. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the grapeseed oil. Once all the oil has been added, the mayonnaise should be loose yet emulsified. While the processor is still running, slowly drizzle in the brown butter and any toasted milk solids. Season to taste with salt and set aside.
3. For the crab salad, gently and quickly mix crab meat, olive oil, chives, sour cream and remaining 1 teaspoon lemon juice together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt.
4. Schmear each piece of toasted bread with the brown butter mayonnaise evenly — as we like to say, “wall to wall.” Divide the crab mixture among the slices, piling it evenly on top.

Wine pairing: Pinot Noir

(If you're lucky, a Benza Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley)

Grogs and Goldie, 1956