Plate 'N' Playlist: December 2014

Saturday, December 27, 2014

Did You Hear What I Heard

A Year In Review!

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

As we turn the page to a new year, let's stop, reflect and celebrate the past year. There was a lot of great music, we had a lot of great food and drinks with old and new friends.

Today we are sharing some of our favorite music from 2014, along with one of our most popular "Plates" and cocktails from "The Bar". Enjoy the Jerk Chicken (perfect for your New Years) from our "Lively Up Yourself" post and Sugar Rum Cherry from "Christmas Cocktails".

So, thanks to all of you that have shared and visited Plate"N"Playlist (fast approaching 9,000 to date).

Now go out, get your party on and "clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth"!

The pots are on!

The Plate...

Jerk Chicken Wings (from the post "Lively Up Yourself")

You know you want the heat... the heat is good. Ok, no worries mon and no hurries. This gonna take a while. Not bad, just overnight. You know, good things come to those who wait.

Speaking of which, you might want to double this recipe. You're gonna want more. Every time we grill a variety of wings the Jerk wings are the first to go... just saying.

Again, I love some good "walk-around" food. This is great for that upcoming picnic, a day at the lake or just hanging on the deck. Easy and Awesome... that's the way we roll Mon. One love.

What you need...

5 lbs jumbo chicken wings

Smoking chips, soaked in water for 30 minutes
Limes and parsley for garnish

For the "Jerk Marinade" -
2 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 onion
8 cloves garlic
1 (1/2 inch) piece of fresh ginger, sliced
3 scallions, sliced
3 limes juiced
1 oz soy sauce
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1 Scotch Bonnet pepper
3 sprigs thyme
1/4 cup brown sugar

What you do...

Combine all of the ingredients for the Jerk Marinade in a blender and give it a buzz until you have a smooth puree.

Add the chicken pieces into a large resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade.

Put the bag in the fridge and leave overnight.

Ready to grill - preheat grill to medium high with coals all on one side. (hot side and cool side)
Soak wood chips and lay on coals.
Put chicken on cool side for 10 minutes to smoke then transfer to hot side.
Grill 5 minutes a side over hot coals.
Move back to cool side and continue to cook until internal temp reaches 165 degrees (about 10 more min).

Serve on a large platter and garnish with sliced limes and parsley.

Did You Hear What I Heard

A collection of great new music from this year (or at least the past couple of years that I discovered or that fellow music fiends shared).

Love love the ex Screamin Cheetah Wheelies vocalist, Mike Farris. Saw him live and never got over it. There was a lot of great music this year - Hozier, Ed Sheeran and others, but some of the old main stays had some cool stuff as well.

If you haven't seen the Foo Fighters "Sonic Highway" documentary on music across the country, you need to. "Something From Nothing" is their view on the Chicago music scene.

And, as 2014 slowly fades away remember the words of our friend Marty Nickel... "Time Flies" and Mike Farris... we could use a little "Mercy Now".

("The Playlist" runs on Spotify. Don't have Spotify?... Click here it's free )

The Bar...

Sugar Rum Cherry (from the post "Christmas Cocktails")

Perfect for your New Years festivities!

What you need...

2 oz Spiced rum
1 oz Cointreau
3 oz pomegranate juice
Sprite or 7-up to taste
Pomegranate seeds
Lime Sliced
Black Cherry Jello

What you do...
Fill your martini shaker with ice and pour in rum,
Cointreau and pomegranate juice. Shake, Shake, Shake.
Rim your martini glass with Black Cherry Jello.
Add in a teaspoon of pomegranate seeds.
Pour the contents from your shaker into your glass.
Top off with a little Sprite and garnish with a slice of lime.

So Here's To You & Yours...

Happy New Year!

Please... Day Drink Responsibly

&

Keep On Cookin'!

Saturday, December 6, 2014

Santa's Going South

Feliz Navidude!

(Scroll down to "The Playlist" and hit play before reading... works better that way!)

Happy Hula Days... we're headed south to St. Somewhere for Christmas! Wouldn't you like to spend Christmas way down south... maybe in the islands? Oh come on... it'll be fun.

Just think citrus glazed entrees with a cool island style libation and funky tunes. Well, maybe just a warm up for Christmas. It doesn't look like Santa's ready anyway.

So grab your "Sea Breeze" and flip flops... we're headed south.

The pots are on!

The Plate...

Orange Glazed Double-Cut Pork Chop

This is not your mama's pork chop. I promise. Forget everything you know about those old thin rubbery pork chops. This is real manly man stuff... Double cut, bone in and juicy. The orange glaze is just a little wow factor that we added.

First, I have to warn you that this is not a spur of the moment kind of meal. We are gonna start by brining the pork for three days. Yep, that's right three days. Trust me on this one... it makes all the difference in the world.

I think you gonna like this one. So let's get grilling.

What you need...

4 (8oz, center-cut/bone-in) Pork loin chops
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/3 cup orange marmalade
3 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp vegetable oil

The brine-

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 tbsp coriander seed

1 tbsp crushed red pepper flakes

1 rib of celery chopped

4 cloves of garlic

Enough water to cover the pork

What you do...

Mix all the ingredients for the brine and add to water in a large container.

Put pork in the container, seal and refrigerate for three days.

Day three- In a small bowl, mix together the orange juice and marmalade.

Set your grill to medium high (about 450)

Meantime mix orange juice and marmalade in a small pot.

Simmer low until the sauce is reduced and slightly syrupy.

Take the pork chops out of the marinade and pat dry.

Place on the "hot" part of your grill (about 5 minutes per side).

Transfer to the "cooler" part of the grill and baste with the Orange glaze.

Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes.

Plate your pork chops then drizzle with some of the sauce.

Now grab your cocktail and let's eat!

The Playlist...

Santa's Going South

Not your average Christmas playlist, but hey we're just getting warmed up for Christmas.

Blame it on Sammy and Toby, they're the ones that said Santa is heading south for Christmas. Sounds like a pretty good idea to me. Anyway, this is a nice selection to listen to while you're busy decorating the tree and hanging those lights.

I really like Los Lonely Boys on "Feliz Navidad"... cool updated version. Also check out Jack Johnson on "Someday at Christmas", nice laid back tune to get you in the Christmas spirit.

Lot's more... just don't ask where Santa is. I think he's busy.