Cavey’s Holiday Helper

Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, New Years … they’re all approaching fast. Which means you should be preparing for your Holiday feast. What’s that? You’re not ready?? Not sure what to make??? Never fear … Caveman is here! Just read on for some suggestions on how to make your celebratory spread highlight your time with friends and family.

Of course, nothing piques an appetite quite like some sumptuous appetizers. You could throw a bowl of nuts on the table and call it good. Though, at C3 we take our pre-meal hors d’oeuvres pretty seriously. A recent favorite of the Cave crowd has been Cavey’s Colossal Shrimp Cocktail. These giant seafaring crustaceans are plump, succulent, delicious, and relatively easy to make. Plus, you can make them ahead of time, and then plate them just before your guests arrive. Other tasty starters include our Baked Brie with Peach Sauce; Lamb Wontons, Teriockeye Salmon Wontons, or – if you are feeling fancy – our incredible King Crab Wontons.

With Hispanic influences solidly embedded into California cuisine, it is no surprise that Tamales are a savory Christmas tradition that we have heartily embraced in the Cavehold. While we are solidly in the Gringo category on the census questionnaire, we will hold our Killer Chili Rojo (Red Pork) Tamales and Killer Queso (Cheese) Tamales up against any competition from South of the border. The masa (dough) in these two recipes is smooth, almost creamy, with a fantastic flavor all on it’s own, while the fillings are so scrumptious and hearty. A perfect blend that makes for a fiesta for your taste buds. While they are labor intensive recipes, it really is a very easy dish to pull off. Besides, if you gather your masses together for an assembly line when it comes time to actually fill and roll the tamales, it goes by very quickly.

Side dishes are always a key to making any Holiday meal a memorable gathering. 2x Baked Potatoes are always a welcomed Holiday treat. Yes, they are truly the “angioplasty special”. But, you aren’t starting your New Year’s resolutions for another week or so! Besdies, it’s the Holidays … live it up!! If you need to tone it down a bit, you could always opt for our Roasted Red Balsamic Potatoes for a tasty tater alternative. Other sides you might consider are our Sauteed Asian Veggies, Caramelized Red Pear Salad, and our annual must-have Super Spinach Soufflé. You can’t go wrong, no matter what you choose.

The main course usually goes one of two ways for the Holidays: turkey or beef. Since we recently enjoyed a T-day Turkey Brined bird over Thanksgiving, along with some Phenomenal Focaccia Stuffing, we are opting for our world renowned Glazed Teriyamic Prime Rib. Whether you call it Prime Rib, Standing Rib Roast, or a bone-in Ribeye Roast this is one recipe that is full of flavorful nuances. It is a delectable dish that will have everyone at the table silent, save for the occasional mewl of palatable pleasure.

A sweet treat is always the way to end a marvelous meal. Unfortunately, the Cavewoman does most of the baking and dessert making around here, and the vast majority of her incredible recipes have yet to make it onto this cyber rag. However, we do have a few posted up that might merit consideration. At the top of the list are her Hand-Dipped Holiday Cookies and other treats. These are an easy way to take some of your favorite store-bought cookies and turn them into something special to cap your Christmas-Hanukkah-Kwanza-New Year’s soirée. Plus, you’ll see that you also get to make pretzel/nut clusters, as well … my personal favorite. Some other temptations include our Pumpkin Whoopie Pies, Easy Peasy Cherry Crumble Cake, or simply top some ice cream with either our Cognac Marinated Mint Strawberries or Candied Kahlua Pecans. Any of these will certainly put the finishing touches onto your Holiday bill of faire.

I know! I know!! I’ve given you so many options to choose from. But, isn’t that better than being stuck in menu limbo like you were before you read this post? Yeah … I thought so! Besides, you could always just celebrate ALL the Holidays … it will give you an excuse to make more than one Holiday meal! 😉 Let us know how it goes.

The entire Cave clan wishes you a happy, healthy, and delicious Holiday season.

©2016 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Passover Primer

With Passover quickly approaching, we thought it might be a good time to remind you of some of the dishes that will grace our Seder table as we munch on matzoh while telling the story of the Exodus from Egypt. Granted, we are cutting it a bit close, but all of these recipes are doable in time for the “first night” to help make your Seder spectacular.

While a beef brisket is the traditional dish found on most Passover menus, we like to bump it up a notch with a prime rib instead. To make sure it is tender and full of fantastic flavor we turn to our Glazed Teriyamic Prime Rib. Whether you call it Prime Rib, Standing Rib Roast, or a bone-in Ribeye Roast this is one recipe that is full of flavorful nuances that will have you and your guests mewing with delight. It’s simple, too! Just put together some Teriyamic Marinade, marinate it overnight, and then roast or grill it to perfection. Give this a try if you are looking to break away from tradition … at least as far as the main course is concerned! 😉

While we get a bit iconoclastic with the above recipe, we are truly traditionalists at heart. Especially when it comes to the rest of what graces our Seder dinner plates. And, nothing is more traditional than Haroses (aka Apple-Walnut Relish)! Whether you call/spell it haroses, charoset, charoses, haroset, charoseth or haroseth, it is all the same basic dish – an apple and walnut relish that is a staple of the Passover Sedar. It is meant to symbolize the mortar ancient Jews used to build the pyramids while enslaved in Egypt. But, Haroses isn’t just for Passover, anymore! At least in the Cavehold. We will also use it as a side-relish or topping for fish, chicken, and even pork chops (I can just hear the cries of “Sacrilege!” from the Kosher crowd as I type this 😉 ). This one is easy, too (what else would you expect from this site). All you need are some apples, walnuts, Concord Grape wine, honey, cinnamon, and a food processor, and you are good to go! Really good!!

Another Seder staple is Horseradish. It not only belongs on the traditional Seder plate, it is also a requisite part of the modern “Hillel Sandwich” where it is combined with Haroses and matzoh just before the main meal is served. While we use shavings from a Horseradish root for display and eating purposes, we also like to have plenty of Prepared Horseradish on hand, as well. It goes great with everything from the Hillel Sandwich, to Gefilte Fish, to the Teriyamic Prime Rib (or brisket, for you folks who just can’t break any traditions). Again, it’s very easy to make with just 4 ingredients and a blender or food processor being the necessary components. The only problem may be locating some Horseradish root … we had to go to four stores before we found some! Also, I want to warn you to keep your face away from the blender/processor when you remove the lid. Unless, of course, you enjoy the tears you get when chopping onions … in that case, this will be quite a rush for you! 😆

What Passover repast would be complete without some succulent sweets to top off the meal? Of course, anything with flour and/or yeast is verboten. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t have some delicious desserts waiting for you after the last prayer is offered and the last song is sung. One of our all-time favorites is a slew of Mouthwatering Macaroons! These, too, are simple to make and always a crowd favorite. What’s not to love, coconut, vanilla and sweet condensed milk (aka “nectar of the Gods”)? Plus, if you want to take them to the next level, as we tend to do around here, dip them in some dipping chocolate (as seen here). We serve them both, dipped and undipped. Though, I have to say, the dipped ones always seem to disappear first!

These are just a few of the dishes we will be enjoying while regaling the Passover tale. I must say, though, that Passover reminds me of the old joke: What is the definition of every Jewish Holiday? They tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat! We hope that you and yours enjoy the upcoming Holiday weekend, whether you celebrate at the Seder or Easter table.

©2012 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Super Bowl Chili Anyone?

I know what you’re saying. “Hey! Cave!! What’s the deal?!? You haven’t posted anything since last year!!!”. Well, a) It’s only been a month since last year, and b) you’re right!
BTW, can you believe January 2011 is already gone??? Impossible, right?!?
But, I digress. I promise to get back on the horse. Right now! In fact, I have two new recipes I will post up in the next few days. However, before we get to something new, we have to resurrect an old favorite in honor of the impending Super Sunday (one of the few silver linings I find in January’s demise). And, what Super Bowl gathering is truly complete without some award winning homemade chili? The question is rhetorical, of course, since the answer is unquestionably obvious.
So, we’d be remiss if we didn’t offer up this reminder of what our 2+2 Tequila Chili is all about. According to most, it’s all about the “yummmmmmmmmmmm!”. If you like two kinds of meat; plump beans; sauteed onions; and a multitude of seasonings, sauces, and herbs combining to make a flavor explosion in your mouth, then you are likely to agree. It’s easy to make, and even better the next day. Allowing you to make it ahead of time and enjoy more of the big game festivities, rather than be enslaved to the kitchen when the big play (or killer commercial) is on the screen. Besides, don’t you want your Super Meal to look something like this:

‘Nuff said? 😉 ENJOY!!

©2011 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Winner, Winner! Organic Beef Dinner!!

We are extremely excited to announce the winner of our very first giveaway promotion on the C3 site. Erin Neu of New York has won Rocky Mountain Organic Meats “Good Cooking Bundle” – 20 pounds of RMOM’s grass-fed Organic Beef including Sirloin Steaks, Eye of Round Steaks, Cube Steaks, Ground Beef, Ground Beef Patties, Stew Meat, Kabob Meat, Fajita Meat, Chuck Roast, Beef Brisket Roast and London Broil that will be shipped directly to her. Congratulations, Erin!
We also want to thank everyone for the hundreds of entries we received. The response to this giveaway was greater than we ever expected for our first online promotion. THANK YOU! Since so many people enjoyed participating, we are already working on our next giveaway. Stay tuned for it sometime after the 4th of July weekend – especially if you like to eat!
Speaking of which, the Cave family will be taking a summer road-trip shortly. So, recipe posts will be few and far in between for a couple of weeks. But, be sure to stop by while we’re gone, as I hope to post from the road about some of our adventures … culinary and otherwise.

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Gnarly Cali Combo Burgers

Mission: Take Poppa Mike’s Legendary Gnarly Burgers to the next level.
Mission Status: Accomplished!

INGREDIENTS

1 Poppa Mike’s Legendary Gnarly Burger Patty
1 Hot Dog (any brand is fine … as long as it’s Hebrew National)
1 Hamburger Bun
1 Slice Cheese
1 Slice Fresh Tomato
1 Slice Sweet Onion
1/4 Avocado, sliced

RECIPE

Prepare one Poppa Mike’s Legendary Gnarly Burger patty.

The great thing about these burgers is that if you make too many, and if you aren’t having a dozen hungry people over you will make too many, you can freeze them and throw them directly onto the grill another time. Hence, the use of some hockey-puck-hard burgers here.

Throw burger onto the grill and cook as usual. Just before you flip your burger, put the hot dog on the grill.

Just before the hot dog is completely done, butterfly-cut it lengthwise. Place onto grill, center-side down.

Place cheese onto burger (any type is fine, but there is something to be said about the flavor combo the good old American slice gives this burger). As cheese begins to melt, cut dog in half crosswise. Place hot dog halves side by side on top of cheese and leave on grill until cheese is sufficiently melted.

Place combo burger onto bun prepared with avocado, tomato, and onion slices. Add condiments to taste.

SIDE NOTE: Chances are, when you are having a BBQ with burgers and dogs, you are going to have, at least, one of each. So, why not combine them into one great sandwich? You won’t miss the extra bun, and the flavor combination will make you wonder why you haven’t tried this before. The only downside is that everyone who is having a plain burger or dog will want a bite!

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cook Time = 10-12 minutes
Serves 1

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Want Beef? Giveaway

We are extremely excited to announce our very first giveaway promotion on the C3 site. We have teamed up with Rocky Mountain Organic Meats, purveyors of the finest Certified Organic pasture-raised grass-fed beef and lamb in the country, to offer one lucky winner Rocky Mountain’s “Good Cooking Bundle” – a $138 value! It’s 20 pounds of RMOM’s grass-fed Organic Beef including Sirloin Steaks, Eye of Round Steaks, Cube Steaks, Ground Beef, Ground Beef Patties, Stew Meat, Kabob Meat, Fajita Meat, Chuck Roast, Beef Brisket Roast and London Broil that will be shipped directly to you from Rocky Mountain Organic Meats.
Entering is easy-peasy, as all you have to do is reply to this post with the words “I Want Beef” and you will receive one (1) entry into the grand prize drawing. Want more chances to win? We’ve got that for you, too! You can receive an additional single (1) entry by following Caution: Caveman Cooking on Twitter, and another single (1) entry by following Rocky Mountain Organic Meats on Twiitter (you must have a Twitter account to follow and receive these entries). An additional two (2) entries are available for anyone who subscribes to the Caution: Caveman Cooking “Entries RSS Feed” or “Email Subscription” (yes, you may subscribe to both for a total of 4 more entries). Another two (2) entries may be earned by browsing the Rocky Mountain Organic Meats website, copying the URL/page address of your favorite cut of meat they offer, and pasting it in your comment/reply here. Finally, another two (2) additional entries may be earned if you subscribe to the Rocky Mountain Organic Meats Newsletter, available only through their website.
A maximum of 11 entries are available to each visitor to the C3 website who choose to enter. Please, be sure to mention on your comment/reply which additional entries you are seeking to qualify for so that we may follow up and credit you accordingly!
The entry deadline for this promotion is 11:59 PM PDT on Friday 5/28/2010. At that time we will draw the winner at random from all verified entries received before the deadline. The winner will be announced within seven (7) days of the promotion’s end.
We hope everyone enjoys the “Want Beef? Giveaway”, and we thank you for visiting C3!
Please, read the rules!

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Freezer Food Fest #12

It’s official! We’re moving!! So, I have been given a “request” by the Cavewoman to empty the freezer before we hit the road. The pressure is on!

No, I haven’t forgotten about this icy quest. Between the Super Bowl, Valentines Day, house-buying (40 miles away), packing, and all the other daily endeavors we all face it has just been put on hold. But, with D-day now less than three weeks away it was definitely time to get busy on creating complete vacancy in the ice box.
So, it was with great delight, that I found the leftovers from the Holiday dinner Cavemom had made for us almost two months ago (where does the time go?!?). While there was no Chopped Liver, homemade Apple Sauce, Cole Slaw, and other festive dishes were nowhere to be found in the oversized plastic bag, there was enough of her traditional Hanukkah faire of Beef Brisket and Potato Pancakes to feed the Cavekids and me one more time.
My mom has always given her brisket a double dose of flavor by first dry rubbing it before cooking it, and then adding a special slightly sweet yet tangy sauce to go over it after slicing. It is always a hit with family and friends. However, as good as the meat is, it is her Latkas that are the chef d’oeuvre everyone clamors for. They’re made with shredded spuds, onions, apples and a host of other ingredients that combine to make a delectable tuber disk that you just can’t get enough of. The good news is that when Cavemom made this batch, I helped, took pics and jotted down the recipe … so, I’ll be sharing it in the next day or so.
But, for this redux of this fabulous meal, all I had to do was throw the foil wrapped packets of meat and potatoes into a 375° oven for 25 minutes and zap the sauce for a minute. I have to admit, I am not a big fan of frozen/reheated brisket because it tends to dry out a bit. Such was the case here, though it was still very flavorful. The potato pancakes, on the other hand, came out almost as delicious as the day we made them. Topped with a little apple sauce, they were MmmmMMMM gooood!!!
Now, back to the home-purchase insanity and the house-packing lunacy! 😮 If my head spontaneously combusts, you’ll understand!!

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at http://cavemancooking.net authored by Caveman. This may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

Marty’s Burgers

If you’ve lived in or visited Southern California you’ve probably heard of or even patronized an Original Tommy’s Burgers … and, hopefully, experienced a late night Chili Burger run to THE original location at Beverly and Rampart near downtown LA. It’s definitely worth trying in order to get a taste of some legendary street food, and great people watching, in the City of Angels.
But, if you are in search of the BEST Chili Burger in town, then you have to head to West LA, before 6 pm, and order up a Double Chili Cheese Burger from Marty’s Burgers.
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Poppa Mike’s Legendary Gnarly Burgers

These burgers are so truly “Gnarly” that you have to pronounce the “G” when you say the word!

INGREDIENTS

1lb. Ground Beef
1lb. Ground Lamb
1lb. Ground Turkey
2 Tbsp. Dried Chopped Onion
1.5 Tbsp. Worchester Sauce
1.5 Tbsp. Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 Tbsp. World Spice Merchants “Montreal Steak Spice“* (UPDATE: now referred to as “Le Quebecois Steak Spice“)
1 tsp. World Spice Merchants “Chipotle Chili Powder”
2 tsp. Finely Chopped Garlic
1/4 tsp. Ground Pepper

RECIPE

Combine all ingredients in large bowl.

Knead meat mixture and other ingredients together, mixing very well. Grab baseball sized handfulls of mixture and form into patties.

Place patties onto sheets of wax paper. It keeps the burgers from sticking together. Plus, it makes freezing any leftover burgers a breeze.

Just add some cheese, and BBQ or griddle cook as you please. Enjoy!

HINT: My Grandfather, who taught me this recipe, used to use ground Veal. I just don’t do the Veal thing, so I substitute the Turkey instead. Ground Pork can be used, too.
HINT #2: If you freeze these, just throw them straight onto the grill when you’re ready to chow ’em down – no defrosting necessary.

*I highly recommend you get this from World Spice Merchants. Their version the Montreal seasoning is the best I have ever used. Plus, it has very little salt, especially compared to most of the commercial versions available.

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cook Time = 10-12 minutes
Makes 12 Burgers

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.

2+2 Tequila Chili

With the air crisp and Bowl season on the horizon, thought I’d share my award winning Chili recipe.

INGREDIENTS

2.5 pounds of stew beef, cubed bite-sized
2.5 pounds of ground beef
2 – 15 oz. cans of Tomato Sauce (any brand is fine, as long as it’s Hunts)
2 – 15 oz. cans of kidney beans, well drained
2 shots of gold Tequila
4 tbls. Olive Oil (NOT extra virgin – it burns too easily)
1 15 oz. can of Ketchup (any brand is fine, as long as it’s Heinz)
1 medium/large Red Onion, chopped
4-6 cloves of Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. World Spice Merchants “Ancho Chili Powder”
2 Tbsp. World Spice Merchants “Chipotle Chili Powder”
1 Tbsp. Red Crushed Chili Pepper
1 tsp. Ground Pepper
1 tsp. Garlic Salt

RECIPE

In a large bowl, mix tomato sauce, ketchup (just fill one of the empty tomato sauce cans for a measurement), kidney beans, pepper, garlic salt, chili pepper, chipotle chili powder, and only ONE tablespoon of the ancho chili powder. Set aside.

Chop onions and mince garlic. Set aside.

Bone and trim beef well, then cube into bit sized pieces. Set aside.
HINT #1: Just about any type of stew meat will work well, though I prefer a 7 Bone Roast. Sirloin Steak works well, too.

Take one chili pot and one large skillet, split oil evenly, and heat. Split garlic and onions evenly and saute until onions are translucent.  Add cubed beef to chili pot and ground beef to skillet. Split remaining ancho chili powder and sprinkle evenly on meats. Add salt and pepper to taste. Brown well.

Once all meats are browned, add contents of skillet to chili pot. Also add contents of mixing bowl and Tequila.

Stir well. Reduce flame, cover and slow simmer for 2 hours – stirring occasionally.
Here’s the trick: Remove from flame for one hour or so. Then return to simmer for another two hours – stirring occasionally.

Serve in bowls topped with fresh grated cheddar cheese and warm bread (homemade, if possible).

HINT #2:If you can make this a day ahead of time, it is even better the next day! Just reheat it VERY slowly, covered, over a low flame. Sometimes you may need to add a touch of water if it reheats too thick.

Prep Time = 30 minutes
Cook Time = 5 total hours
Serves 7-10

©2009 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.