Holiday Wishes

The Cave Clan wishes you the brightest of Holidays, and the rockingest of New Years!

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.

Phenomenal Focaccia Stuffing

I’ve been promising to share my focaccia bread stuffing recipe for years. But, I’ve been dragging my feet like a typical Neanderthal. Guess what? The wait is over! This stuffing is so good, we make it several other times during the year. Of course, it’s perfect for Turkey Day. So, the timing couldn’t be better. If you’d like, add sausage, bacon, mushrooms, leeks, dried fruit, apples, grapes, or just about anything to snazz it up. Though, the Caveclan likes to just go with this basic combination. By the way, this recipe can be used inside the bird or out. If you want both, you’ll have to double it.

INGREDIENTS

1.5 – 2 Large Foccaia Bread Loafs (1 Pound when turned into croutons)
1 Medium Sweet Onion
3 Stalks of Celery
1 Cup Water Chestnuts
4 Cups Vegetable Broth
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste

RECIPE

Slice focaccia loaf into small bite-sized pieces. Place onto cookie sheet and put into a preheated 350° oven for 10-15 minutes until cubes become croutons and are very lightly browned.
NOTE: You can make your own homemade bread. Though, the bakery at our local market makes an incredible “Italian Flatbread” that is absolutely perfect.

Place broth into a medium sized pot and heat until warmed. Do not bring to a boil.

Dice celery, water chestnuts, and onion.

In a large stock pot, heat olive oil. Add diced veggies and saute until onions become translucent. Turn off flame and add focaccia croutons. Gently stir until bread cubes are covered in olive oil. Then, 1/2 cup at a time, slowly add warm broth and stir together so that croutons become evenly coated. Once stuffing is sufficiently soaked (you don’t want mush, but your don’t want them too dry, either) you are ready to move on.

If you are going to cook your stuffing inside the turkey, loosely spoon it into the body and neck cavities of the turkey just before you start roasting. Be sure to cover both the bird and stuffing with a foil tent until the last hour of cooking. Stuffing is done when the center of it reaches 165°. The outside will have a nice brown crust, while the inside will be moist and flavorful. Spoon out all the stuffing into a serving bowl, cover, and let stand for about 7-10 minutes.

To make your stuffing outside of the bird, butter the inside of a large baking dish. Spoon in stuffing, and top with thin slices of butter. Cover the baking dish and place into a preheated 375° oven. After 25 minutes of baking, remove the cover and allow the top of the stuffing to brown for about 20 minutes. When done, remove from oven, cover, and let stand for about 7-10 minutes.

Now, serve your stuffing along side all your other Thanksgiving goodies, and enjoy!

Prep Time = 30 minutes
Cooking Time = 45-50 minutes outside of bird. When turkey is done and stuffing reaches 165° inside of bird.
Serves 8-12

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

A New Year’s Wish

From our Cave Clan to you and yours, a wish for a healthy, happy, and happening 2016!

Fondly,
The Avery Family

From our family …

… to you and yours, a wish for the very best this Holiday season, and always!

©2014 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.

From The Cave Clan …

… to you and yours, a wish for a healthy, happy, and rockin’ Holiday Season!

©2013 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.

Happy New Year!

The Cave Clan wishes you a happy and healthy New Year, and all the best in 2013!

©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.

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.

Happy Holidays 2011!

As previously noted on this cyber-rag, we like to have fun with our Holiday cards in the form of mocked-up magazine covers. We’ve spoofed such periodicals as People, Poker Player, American Angler, Photography and, last year, Bon Appétit. This year, after taking the trip of a lifetime to Alaska aboard the Disney Wonder, we felt that travel was the next “victim”. The result: Our 2011 version is a tribute to the well established trekking mag, Condé Nast Traveler! Yes, that’s really us standing in front of Mendenhall Glacier!!
We have much to be thankful for in the Cavehold this Holiday season: Our troops are coming home after 9 arduous years in Iraq. After several serious challenges this past year, our family appears to be happy and healthy. Our highly anticipated “C3TV” premiered to much fanfare and acclaim. And, we are surrounded by so many amazing and wonderful friends and family members!
Are things “perfect”? Of course, not … they rarely are. But, we always strive to see our proverbial glass as full as can be. So, please, take a moment this Holiday season to ponder the things in your life that bring you joy, happiness, and contentment. Give thanks for that which you do have, and aspire for that which you still seek to find it’s way into your life in the New Year!
The entire Caveclan wishes you and yours the best Holiday season, ever!

©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.

Cinco de Mayo Musings

When I was a kid growing up in So Cal, other than from some of my Mex-Am classmates, you hardly heard much mention of Cinco de Mayo – a voluntarily observed holiday that commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. But, while it is now observed with incredible gusto in the United States and other countries around the world as a celebration of Mexican heritage and pride, it’s basically ignored in Mexico. However, if you are a true Caveperson, you find any excuse you can to to make mucho merriment! With that in mind, I thought I’d recall a few Cave-faves that make perfect plates for your fifth day of May fiesta.

What celebration of our neighbors to the south would be proper without some Rockin’ Guac?!? Whether you are serving it as an appetizer with chips and margaritas; a topping to tacos, enchiladas or quesadillas; or a condiment on a torta, guacamole is a must! Make sure your avos are ripe and your ingredients fresh, and your guac will certainly rock!

Tacos. Everyone loves tacos! Well, almost everyone. But, if you have any affinity at all for tacos and happen to like shrimp, too, you will love these Texas Red Grilled Shrimp Tacos! What’s not to love??? They are quick, easy, and best of all, absolutely delicious. Plus, they are a bit different from your everyday street taco. Put some Mariscos on your Cinco menu to make it a fully flavorful fiesta.

The enchilada may be the quintessential Mexican dish. This is true south of the border comfort food. But, if they aren’t made well, there is little comfort afforded to those that partake. This recipe for Tasty Enchiladas, authored by the Cavewoman, will assure that you will be safe from sub-par samples of this soul-soothing dish. Plus, we offer both veggie-friendly and carnivore-cordial versions to make sure everyone at your Cinco de Mayo celebration is covered.

Whether you choose any or all of these recipes, or opt for other Mexican favorites, we wish you a fun, flavorful, and frolic-filled fete. Just be sure that if the Mezcal starts flowing to leave the worm in the bottle! 😉

©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.