For the carnivores among us…

Like burgers? My favs are from Whataburger (Texas, yea!), Smashburgers from In-And-Out, and Five Guys.

The Secret Ingredient to Fast Food-Style Smash Burgers (Psst—You Already Have It)

Whataburger is coming to South Carolina with 10 stores (about time)

Five Guys doesn’t have any freezers!

What were the most popular recipes of 2023?

Braised Short Ribs

Tender cooked ribs in a delicious, rich sauce, served over creamy mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
3 carrots, chopped
8 whole beef short ribs
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup dry red wine (such as Cote du Rhone or Pinot Noir)
2 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid, heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Remove veggies to a plate.
Season the ribs with salt and pepper and coat on all sides with flour. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pot and turn the heat to high. Add ribs and brown on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove to a plate.
Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bites of flavor. Bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.
Add beef broth, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in tomato paste. Taste broth and add additional seasonings, if needed.
Add ribs, veggies, and (whole) sprigs of thyme and rosemary to the pot.
Cover with the lid and place into the oven. Cook at 350 degrees for 2 hours, then reduce heat to 325 degrees and cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes. Ribs should be very tender, nearly falling off the bone.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow rest for 20 minutes, with the lid on, before serving. Skim off any fat that has risen to the top of the liquid, before serving.
Serve ribs over mashed potatoes with a spoonful of gravy from the pot.
Store leftover short ribs in a sealed container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days depending on the freshness of your ingredients.

Slow Cooker: Follow steps 1-4 of the recipe and then transfer everything to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Instant Pot: Turn the IP to sauté setting. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the pot. Once hot add onion and carrots and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Remove veggies to a plate. Season the ribs with salt and pepper and coat on all sides with flour. Add 2 more tablespoons of oil to the pot and turn heat to high. Add ribs and brown on all sides, about 45 seconds per side. Remove to a plate. Add the wine to deglaze the pan. Scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bites of flavor. Cook 2 minutes. Add beef broth, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in tomato paste. Taste broth and add additional seasonings, if needed. Add ribs, veggies, and (whole) sprigs of thyme and rosemary to the pot. Cook on Manual/High pressure for 45 minutes. Allow the pressure to release for 15 minutes before removing the lid.

Chile Colorado

Ingredients

9 New Mexico dry chiles – washed, with stems and seeds removed
3 cups water
5 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cups beef stock, or as needed

Directions

Gather all ingredients.
Place chiles and 3 cups water into a medium stockpot, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and steep for 30 minutes to soften.
Strain into a bowl, reserving the cooking liquid.
Place chiles and some of the liquid into a blender, and purée until smooth. Add more liquid as necessary to form a smooth sauce.
Pass sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove any seeds or tough skins; set aside.
Cut beef into 1- to 2-inch chunks. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Dredge beef chunks in the seasoned flour; set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté onion until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add beef chunks a few at a time, so as not to overcrowd the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Remove seared meat, and continue browning the remaining meat. Return reserved seared meat to the pot.
Stir in puréed chile mixture. Add beef stock just to cover beef chunks, or to personal preference. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to lowest setting, and simmer for 3 hours, or until meat is tender. If necessary, adjust with more stock during cooking.
This is a traditional Mexican-style dish. If you decide to add beans, do it after the chile is finished. Serve with chopped onion, sliced green onion, shredded Cheddar cheese, and sour cream.

Char Siu (Chinese BBQ Pork)

Ingredients

½ cup soy sauce
⅓ cup honey
⅓ cup ketchup
⅓ cup brown sugar
¼ cup Chinese rice wine
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons red bean curd (Optional)
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (Optional)
2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins

Directions

Gather all ingredients.
Stir soy sauce, honey, ketchup, brown sugar, rice wine, hoisin sauce, red bean curd, and five-spice powder together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until just combined and slightly warm, 2 to 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, slice each pork tenderloin lengthwise into 1 1/2- to 2-inch-thick strips. Place pork strips in a large, resealable plastic bag.
Pour marinade into the bag with the pork. Squeeze air from the bag, seal, and turn the bag a few times until pork is well coated. Marinate in the refrigerator, 2 hours to overnight.
When ready to cook, preheat a charcoal grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
Remove pork from marinade and shake to remove excess liquid. Set aside the remaining marinade for basting.
Rake the hot coals into two equal piles on opposite sides of the charcoal grate. Add a small container of water to the grate. Place pork strips in the center of the grate for indirect cooking.
Cook pork over indirect heat, turning regularly and basting as desired, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reads at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C), 30 minutes or long

Lowcountry Stew Chicken

from Serious Eats

Ingredients
● 1 ½ pounds (680g) bone-in, skin-on chicken drumsticks and/or thighs
● Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
● 3 tablespoons (45ml) neutral oil, such as vegetable or peanut, divided
● 1 medium (8-ounce; 225g) yellow onion, thinly sliced
● 1 to 2 ribs celery (1 ½ ounces; 40g), thinly sliced
● 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour (½ ounce; 16g)
● 4 cups (1L) homemade or low-sodium, store-bought chicken stock (see note)
● 1 teaspoon garlic powder
● 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
● 1/4 teaspoon ground dried sage
● 1/4 teaspoon ground dried oregano
● 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
● Cooked rice, grits, or buttered pasta, for serving

Directions
1. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper. In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons (30ml) oil over
medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken, skin side down, and cook until well browned,
about 6 minutes. Using tongs, turn chicken and cook on opposite sides until browned, about 5
minutes longer. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to a platter. Set aside.

2. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and celery, and cook, stirring to prevent scorching, until
softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon (15ml) oil along with the flour and
cook, stirring constantly, until peanut butter or darker in color, 5-10 minutes. While stirring
vigorously, slowly add the stock. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, then boil until
slightly thickened, about 1 minute.

3. Reduce heat to medium, then stir in garlic powder, onion powder, ground sage, ground oregano,
and smoked paprika. Add the chicken pieces and return liquid to a simmer. Reduce heat to
medium-low, cover, and cook, gently stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until
chicken is cooked through and beginning to fall from the bone and the sauce is reduced to a thick
and silky texture, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

4. If desired, break apart chicken and remove bones. Serve over rice, grits, or pasta.3.

Chicken Noodle Soup

Making your own soup is a good way to regulate your sodium intake. Canned chicken soup is very high in sodium. One can of Campbell’s condensed chicken noodle soup, the kind I grew up with, has 2290.55 mg of sodium. Progresso’s traditional chicken noodle soup has approximately 1360 mg of sodium per can. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day and an ideal limit of no more than 1,500 mg per day for most adults, especially for those with high blood pressure.

Fried Rice

I do enjoy Chinese takeout, even though I know it isn’t very Chinese, more like American Chinese. Here is a recipe for fried rice. BTW, I don’t eat bacon, so I leave that off. I also cut the recipe in half, since there are only 2 of us most of the time.

Ingredients

2 large eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
4 cups cooked rice
1-1/2 cups frozen stir-fry vegetable blend
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup diced cooked chicken
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (fresh is better, go to Food for video)
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions

1. Combine eggs and salt. In a large skillet or wok over medium heat, scramble eggs in 1 teaspoon oil, breaking eggs into small pieces. Remove from skillet and set aside.
2. Add remaining 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons oil to skillet. Stir-fry rice over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Add vegetables, onions and garlic; stir-fry for 5 minutes. Add chicken; stir-fry until heated through, 3-5 minutes. Combine soy sauce, broth, pepper and ginger. Add to rice; stir to coat. Add bacon and eggs; heat through.

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