School of Big Green Egg: Lighting the Grill

I have expressed my love for my Big Green Egg before. But I don't think you really understand the passion I have for my Egg. This is not just a grill. This is a smoker, an oven, and a grill that makes my food taste amazing. The best part......I get to take all the credit. 

Since I often express my love for my grill I get asked questions about it. I have decided to start a little series of posts teaching you how to use a Big Green Egg. In this section we are going to go over how to get your grill going. Now please excuse the condition of my Egg. It is old and has been used many, many, many times. It is going to get a makeover this Spring, but until then he is an old man. 

A Big Green Egg is a charcoal grill, but it does not use just any charcoal. Think of the Egg as a big cast iron skillet. The more you cook on it the more it seasons your food. Well because of this you want to use a natural lump charcoal. Now, you may think that you can just go get some regular charcoal and use it. And you could..BUUUUUTTTT.....do you really want your food to taste like chemicals? I know I don't. So natural lump charcoal! There is also an up side to using natural lump charcoal. I promise! It is reusable. Say what!!!! Yep, you heard right. Whatever you don't burn through during your cooking session, you can use again. Where can you buy said charcoal? Anywhere! Beware about some brands. Some don't even let you get through one cooking session before you burn through it. Big Green Egg dealers sell Big Green Egg charcoal and you can't go wrong with that! I have also used the Primo brand and I like that brand as well.

Okay, so look for that little 100% mark and you got yourself some charcoal. 

On to cooking! When you first open up your grill (unless it is brand new) it will look like this.  

                           
Take your trusty old shop vac and clean out the ashes. It is very important to start with a clean grill. If you leave the ashes in it keeps the air from flowing like it needs to. This will effect your temperature. You start your charcoal, not with lighter fluid, but with firelight's or firestarters. These help keep the flavor natural.

So you break your starters up and place them in the charcoal. Make sure your draft door is open all the way. Now light those firestarters and watch the magic happen.

It takes anywhere from 10 - 15 minutes and the coals will be ready.

Now that you can start the grill you are ready to go! Next week we will talk about how to control the temperature.

Have fun!

Pulled Pork BBQ Nachos

I love all things nachos. Almost every time we go out for Mexican you can count on me ordering nachos. It is a sad obsession that I have! Hey, the first step is admitting there is a problem. Right?! So tonight I needed something fast and easy for the leftovers from last night. Should we have pulled pork sandwiches? Nope, we have those often. Hmmm.......something different......and then it hits me, NACHOS! I raided my pantry and this is what I came up with. BTW, so yummy!

Pulled Pork Nachos:

leftover pulled pork

1 can of pinto beans

BBQ Sauce

White BBQ Sauce (find recipe here) 

Shredded Cheese (flavor of your choice, I used cheddar) 

Tortilla Chips

Feta Cheese (because Feta makes EVERYTHING betta)

jalapenos or other peppers

The first thing we want to do is warm up the pulled pork. You can do this in the microwave or on the stove top. I got home very late and was running short on time so I choose the microwave. I warmed it up for about 30 seconds. Go ahead and place your oven on broil so it can warm up while you assemble. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and then spray with PAM. Place your chips down and cover the pan. Next, place the meat over the chips. I don't like to see tortilla chip so I use a lot of meat. Now sprinkle the pinto beans, feta cheese, and your peppers. Take your shredded cheese and cover all of those peppers up. Pop the pan into the oven until the cheese is melted and gooey. Plate and top with both BBQ sauces. Enjoy! Super easy and quick and packed with flavor! 

Enjoy!

The Froggy Mom

Slow Goin' Pulled Pork

I work six days a week. Some days I want to come home and just pass out on the couch and let the family fend for themselves for dinner. If I know I am going to have a hard week or that I am going to be working late, I will make a big batch of pulled pork. Pulled pork makes my taste buds sing! It also goes a long way. I try to keep one of these in the freezer for when I know I won't be able to get to the store for a couple of days. I will slow cook it one day and we eat off of it for two or three days after! Talk about an easy dinner! This is the dinner that keeps on giving....it gave us dinner Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. You can make this in either a crock pot or in the oven. Personal preference, or the size of the shoulder can help finalize that decision. In my case the size dictated that I cook this one in the oven. 

Slow Goin' Pulled Pork:

2 - Apples (Doesn't matter what brand or color) 

5 - 8lb Pork Shoulder

2 - Cans of Root beer (A&W)

1 - Onion, quartered

2 - Tbs of grape jelly

1/2 Cup of BBQ Sauce

Salt 

Pepper

Meat Tenderizer

First thing's first, quarter your onions and one apple. Lay them down on the bottom of the pan so that you can lay the pork shoulder on top.  Take your jelly and scoop it out on top of the pork and rub it all around with your hands. Yep, you gotta get those hands dirty! Lay the pork on the apple and onion. Season with your salt, pepper, and meat tenderizer. Flip the pork over carefully and do the same to the other side. Now take root beer and pour it into the pan, both cans......don't be shy! Quarter your other apple and lay the pieces over the top of the meat. Pour your BBQ sauce on top and cover. Place the meat in a preheated oven at 200 degrees and let it cook for 6 hours. About half way through you want to come back and flip the shoulder and baste. When you pull this out of the oven it is falling apart! I put it on the counter to shred the meat and most of it was already shredded! Love it when the meat does all the work. Take two forks and shred all of the meat. Place all of your shredded meat into a large bowl and add a couple of spoon fulls of the remaining liquid from the pan over the top! Yummo! Ready, Set, EAT!!!!!!

 

Stop by tomorrow to see how we put the leftovers to good use! 

Enjoy!
The Froggy Mom

Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are a staple. Their recipes have been handed down from Mom's to Daughter's for years. I used to go through all these steps and ingredients to make my mashed potatoes. Here lately I have tried substituting some ingredients and there is absolutely no difference. And, these mashed potatoes are better for you than adding an entire block of cream cheese. (At least that is what I keep telling myself!) So because we have these every time we have meatloaf, chicken fried steak, BBQ anything, and whenever we get a craving I wanted them to be easy to whip up. I hope you enjoy!

Easiest Mashed Potatoes I Have Ever Made:

6-8 Yukon Gold Potatoes

1 Stick Butter

1/2 Cup Greek Yogurt (Trust Me!)

1/4 - 1/2 Cup Half & Half

Salt 

Pepper

Peel your potatoes, quarter them, and throw them into some boiling water. Let the potatoes cook for about 30 minutes or until you can slide a fork into them with no resistance. Drain the water and place the potatoes into a large bowl.

 Add your butter into the potatoes and let it melt. Now add in your Half & Half and start mashing. Pause for a second and lets talk about the entire mashing process. Mash with a hand masher, always mash by hand. I used to use a mixer and I would end up with mashed potatoes that looked like grits. Potatoes have starch in them and when you use an electric mixer it breaks that starch up and you end up with goo. So moral of the story, hand mash! OK, back to mashing. I only mash a little before I add in the yogurt, salt, and pepper. Now it is time to roll your sleeves up and get down to business. Mash until they are the consistency that you like. We like ours slightly lumpy, so when I get all of the big lumps mashed, I stop.

Look at that creamy, lumpy, goodness! YUMMY! 

 

See, the easiest way to make mashed potatoes! The longest part of making these is boiling them. Time to eat!

Froggy Mom

Homemade White BBQ Sauce - Thursday's Tip

I have a new love! White BBQ sauce! Heaven, super yummy, amazing! I recently went to a local BBQ restaurant and there I discovered white sauce! I came home determined to make my own version. The one at the restaurant was very good, but had a lot of vinegar. Here is my version of how to make white BBQ sauce. Enjoy!

White BBQ Sauce:

3/4 cup mayonnaise

1/8 cup water

1/8 cup white vinegar

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 tablespoon creole mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 garlic cloves, minced

This is the hardest part.....ready.....focus......mix it all together in a bowl. That is it! I made BBQ nachos and we used this over the top! YUMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!! I will post that recipe later. 

Breakfast Tacos

I grew up in San Antonio where you can find a breakfast taco on every corner. You take the amazing food for granted when you live in a place like San Antonio. I moved away about twelve years and man do I miss GOOD Mexican food! Here in Florida people look at me like I am crazy when I say "breakfast taco." I am often corrected and told it is a burrito and not a taco. Whatever! Just feed me one! :) 
Here is a quick and easy version of what I am missing in my life right now..........breakfast tacos! 

First thing is first, melt your butter in the pan. I know this is not very healthy but work with me here. When your butter is melter add in your onion and saute until the onion is clear. Once the onion is clear add in the minced garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Now we are going to add in the bell pepper and diced tomatoes. Cook this mix for another 3 minutes. 

 

Add in your spicy sausage and brown. Once the meat has fully cooked, put it in a large bowl and set off to the side. 

 

Leave all of the sausage drippings in the pan. Now it is time for your eggs. Crack your eggs in a medium sized bowl and add your half and half. Beat the eggs until the mixture blends well. Scramble the eggs until they are nice and fluffy!

Add the sausage mix into the egg mix and combine.  

Warm your tortillas on a plate in the microwave (covered with a paper towel of course) for no more than 2 minutes. Now plate the tortillas and fill them with the sausage mixture. Top them with cheese, salsa, and anything else that tickles your fancy!

These are easy to make and hit the spot when I have a breakfast taco craving! Enjoy!

Froggy Mom

Chocolate Chip Apple Cinnamon Pancakes!

I love to make breakfast for my family in the mornings! They are the first thing I want to see and this way I can give them a warm breakfast. Sadly, this does not happen often anymore. With work, school, work, and more school, we just don't have a ton of time in the morning. I love my family, but I am not waking up at o'dark thirty to make pancakes! This past weekend was a long weekend for us. Thus came the pancakes at nine am, an ok time for a non-morning person! My kids insisted on the chocolate chips and I had some sitting around. Instead of sitting at the table in shifts (depending on who gets up first) and heading off to watch cartoons, my kids and I had a wonderful breakfast date. I hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Grab your ingredients: milk, white vinegar, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon applesauce, chocolate chips, and your melted butter. In a medium size bowl combine your milk and white vinegar and let it sit until it starts to separate. It normally takes anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. When you look at it and say "ewwww" you know it is done. In another large bowl, add your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix these until they are combined.

 

In your milk/vinegar mix add your cinnamon applesauce, melted butter and mix well. Add this into the flour mixture. You don't want to over mix this, no lumps or bumps, and then stop mixing.

Spray your pan with non-stick cooking spray and get it nice a warm over a medium temperature. Pour your batter in. Now this was the kids favorite part, sprinkle chocolate chips over the top of the pancake. By saving the chocolate chips until last they don't all sink to the bottom of the batter. You now have evenly distributed chocolate chips.This prevents half a batch of pancakes with a small amount and the other half with so many you get sick eating your pancake. 

Sooooo good! 

Chocolate Chip Apple Cinnamon Pancakes:

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 cup flour

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce

2 tablespoons butter

1.  Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Mix well.

2.  In a medium sized bowl mix milk and white vinegar. Let sit 5-10 minutes.

3.  After milk separates, add in the cinnamon applesauce and melted butter.

4.  Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture. Mix well getting out all the lumps, being careful not to over mix.

5.  Spray pan with non-stick spray and heat over medium heat.

6. Pour the pancake batter in pan and sprinkle chocolate chips over the top.

7.  Let it sit until the bubbles are gone and flip to the other side.

8.  Enjoy with a big glass of milk!