Sweet Suppertime

heavy on the butter and sugar...

Disneyland Bengal BBQ (copycat)

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If you hang around our family, or this blog, long enough you will have no trouble figuring out that we are Disneyland fans.  Let me think of a stronger term…fanatics.  We love Disneyland.  We have often talked about how Disneyland takes us to another land and it’s the land of our childhood.  Raising six kids with Disney movies and trips to sunny California (thank you soccer and baseball trips), we have created more than a few memories inside the park. 

I remember on one trip, we had been inside the park so often and had completely satiated our need to ride the rides.  One morning at the hotel my oldest pulled out a map of Disneyland.  He tore the map into “lands”.  The family brainstormed a game we could play together.  In the end, we all put our names in a hat and drew out teams.  Two people per team.  The rules were a simple game of hide-and-seek.  Once we had our teams, each team drew a folded “land” from the torn-up map.  Each team had to start in their land, ride one ride and then they could move about the park in any manner they chose.  If you found another team you took a photo of the team and sent it to the group.  That team was then “out”. The last team standing received some prize and I don’t think any of us could tell you what the prize was. 

I’ll never forget hiding behind a large tree near The Haunted Mansion with Michael and us both looking at our phones only to see a photo of our backsides as we hid behind the tree.  We had come out of hiding long enough to stand in a line to get a pass of all passes during the year of a million dreams.  We knew the risks.  We accepted them and we paid the price. If I’m not mistaken, Tod and Keven won The Game that day.  In all fairness, Tod had his wallet and he and Keven got new shirts and hats to go full incognito.

I don’t know when our tradition of stopping at The Bengal Barbeque started, but it was around this time.   Often, now, you will hear one of us say “hey, I am stopping at The Bengal BBQ for a banyan, I will catch up to you”.  Just as often that person is followed by several others to grab a skewer of meaty and saucy deliciousness.  We all have our favorites.  So much so that Lacey stopped at Town Hall and requested the recipe.

Earlier this week we celebrated Katey’s birthday.  For a family who is on a Disneyland Diet (due to Covid-19), it seemed appropriate to celebrate in Bengal Barbeque style.  Lacey has made a few adjustments to the recipe because that is what we do. It was delicious! As we reminisced about Disneyland and Katey we played music from the Tiki Room and Indiana Jones and hoped that some of those present would be able to use their season passes soon.

Here’s to family memories, holding out hope, great memories still to be had, season passes, and a family who is always game to be a child again.  Oh—and to the creation of The Game which will stand in Balser history forever.

Hope you have fun whipping up these magical skewers and don’t forget to turn on the tiki music.

Chieftain Chicken Skewers

Serving Size:
6-8
Time:
15 minutes
Difficulty:
easy

Ingredients

  • 6 whole cloves
  • 2 T. red wine vinegar
  • 1 C. ketchup
  • 1/2 C. crushed pineapple
  • 1/2 C. brown sugar
  • 1/2 C. soy sauce
  • 1/4 C. orange juice concentrate
  • 3 T. water

Directions

  1. Simmer cloves in red wine vinegar for 5-10 minutes
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 5 minutes
  3. Brush on grilled or baked chicken skewers

Bengal Beef Skewers

Serving Size:
6-8
Time:
15 minutes
Difficulty:
easy

Ingredients

  • 1 C. teriyaki sauce
  • 1 C. soy sauce
  • 1 T. red wine vinegar
  • 1 C. brown sugar
  • 1/2 C. sherry cooking wine
  • 2 whole bay leaves
  • 1 T. ground black pepper
  • 2 T. fresh ginger
  • 1 T. fresh garlic

Directions

  1. Add all ingredients to a sauce pot and simmer 5-8 minutes
  2. Brush over sirloin steak skewers

Banyan Beef Skewers

Serving Size:
6-8
Time:
15 minutes
Difficulty:
easy

Ingredients

  • 1 C. soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 C. water
  • 1 T. ground black pepper
  • 3 T. sesame oil
  • 1 t. ground red pepper
  • 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
  • 1 t. fresh garlic
  • 1 T. corn starch

Directions

  1. Mix all ingredients except corn starch, and bring to a boil
  2. Add enough water to the corn starch to make a bit of a paste, add it to the boiling mixture and remove from the heat once it is thickened.
  3. Brush over sirloin baked or grilled steak skewers

Bandit Style Steak and Baked Bean Nachos

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copycat bandits steak nachos, steak nachos

You’re right.  You don’t really need a recipe for this.

However–you just might love having the idea of the flavors that make this appetizer a winner.  My family tried a nacho appetizer like this one at a nearby restaurant and we LOVED it so much that we knew we would have to put together our own version.  The combination of sweet baked beans with the savory steak just hits home.

This delicious dish is one reason that I like to have frozen slices of flank steak available in my fridge.  It only takes a few minutes in my cast iron skillet to get it ready for the nachos.  While it’s cooking I warm up the baked beans, slice up the onion and avocado and grate the cheese.  I like using a couple of different layers of cheese.  I firmly believe that no tortilla chip should come to this mouthwatering party undressed.

Lay down a layer of chips and cover them with a handful of grated cheese.  Put it in your oven or microwave just long enough to get the cheese starting to melt.   Add baked beans by spoonfuls on top of the cheesy chips and toss on your cooked steak bites.  Now throw on another handful of cheese and pop it back in the oven or microwave until that top layer of cheese is melted.  I usually use my microwave oven and this is why I like the fine grated cheese for this recipe–it doesn’t have to hang out in the microwave very long to melt.  Top with onions and avocados, a dollop of sour cream and a drizzling of salsa or picante sauce.   (I’ve been known to carmelize onions for this dish too–if you have the time it’s worth the taste).

Serve it to the waiting masses…. in my case that’s Keven, my adorable son.  He’s had these three days in a row for his after school snack.

steak nachos, bandit steak nachos

**if you are using canned baked beans, do yourself a favor and drain them really well, add a couple of tablespoons of brown sugar and warm them on the stove top to get rid of the “tin can” taste.

Bandit Style Steak and Baked Bean Nachos
 
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These make such a great appetizer for any party or gathering. Currently my son loves them as his after school snack...
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Cuisine: Appetizer
Ingredients
  • tortilla chips
  • 1 cup shredded cheese, divided
  • 1 cup baked beans ( This recipe tastes best when the beans are a bit sweeter than usual. If I make them from scratch, I add a little extra sugar to my recipe. If I buy a can I add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to the prepared beans and bake the beans again to make sure that they are nice and thick. Runny beans just won't do for this recipe.
  • 1 chopped green onion
  • 1 avocado cut into chunks
  • a dollop ofsour cream
  • 1 cup thinly sliced flank steak
  • salsa or chopped tomatoes
Instructions
  1. Saute steak with salt and pepper in olive oil until desired doneness
  2. Place tortilla chips on a large platter in a single layer.
  3. Top with ½ cup cheese and place in the microwave or conventional oven until just melted.
  4. Add baked beans, by spoonfuls, on top of the cheese.
  5. Add cooked steak.
  6. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup cheese.
  7. Place in the microwave just long enough for the cheese to melt. This takes my microwave about 2 minutes on 70% power.
  8. Top with sliced green onion and avocado chunks.
  9. Add a dollop of sour cream garnished with sliced green onions and cheese.
  10. Finish with salsa or chopped tomatoes and serve immediately.

 

Buffalo Wing Perfection — crisp and juicy

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buffalo wings, perfect buffalo wings Since being introduced to this delicious appetizer/main dish I haven’t quite decided if our family likes it as an appetizer or as a main dish.  I think it actually depends on how many wings I make.  If they fill up on wings… it was a main dish.  If they are still hungry after they eat them all then it was definitely only an appetizer.  My family loves buffalo wings and they love them with a myriad of different sauces.  But in the long run they love the wings because they are neither dried out not too rubbery.  That skin can get awfully chewy if you drown it in too much sauce too soon.  So…. this is the way we do wings at our house.

Let’s say here that I love having a meat thermometer.  It makes me feel all safe and secure when I am feeding wings to the masses.  I cook the winglets (love that word) until the center is at 165°.  From there I keep an eye on the skin until I see it at a dark golden brown.  This can be accomplished in the oven, in a deep fryer or,  my newest favorite kitchen appliance, an air fryer.    This is ending up a little backwards but I wanted to get that whole inner chicken temperature out of the way.

I like to buy my winglets fresh.  I’ve done them from a frozen state and they work fine too, I just prefer the fresh winglets.

wings purchased These lucky dudes are about to become delicious.  Take them from the package, give them a rinse to give them a fresh start and them pat them dry with a paper towel.  Lay them out on a plate and give them a shake with your favorite seasoning.  Around here we like to use McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning.    Below my wings are hanging out in the basket of my air fryer.  It’s awesome.  I have to say that whenever I fry large batches of anything–be it fries or wings I usually work outside, so I took my fryer to the garage when the aroma of chicken wings frying could drive my dog insane.

buffalo wings, best wings Okay– if you are going to cook yours in the oven you will want to line a baking sheet with foil, shake on your spices and bake them in a 400° for about 40-45 minutes.  Make sure they aren’t pink or better yet test them with a thermometer.  If you are going to fry them in delicious oil you have choices.  You can deep fry them (which I love to do) or pan fry (which I think gets pretty messy).  Either way you want your oil to heat to about 375° and you are going to fry them for about 12-15 minutes, turning them and watching for that perfect color and doneness.  They will need to be turned in order to achieve an even browning.  Now we have arrived at why I love my air fryer.  I shake those spices on.  I stick them in the fryer and set the timer for about 18 minutes.  I walk away and don’t think about them for another 10 minutes.  I go back and turn them over and forget about them again.  I guess it just depends how interactive you want to be with your wings on any given day.  Make no mistake–I love hanging out by the oil vat in my cute apron wielding a pair of metal tongs and fussing over my wings, but I love the carefree nature of the oil fryer.  I guess it depends on how busy I am at the moment.  I’m so lucky to have choices!  You don’t need an air fryer to make these, they turn out great any way you make them!

However you decide to cook your winglets, when you have them cooled only slightly, toss them in a plastic bag and add 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce or sweet and spicy wing sauce and toss them around to coat them.  I find that 1/4 cup of sauce will easily cover 15-20 wings this way.

buffalo wings Now… this is where I develop an attitude.  About now when I look at my wings they look a little pasty and the skin looks a little, well, flubbery.  I am against flubbery wing and so…. this is where I put them on a baking sheet or back in my air fryer for about 3-4 minutes or until the lightly covered wings have literally had that delicious sauce baked right in to them, no burning.   Don’t throw them in your oil fryer.. I don’t think I need to explain 🙂

This is how they turn out!  Beautifully coated, speckled with seasoning and ready to drench in additional buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, bleu cheese dressing, sweet wing sauce….. it doesn’t matter, they are ready to party!

buffalo winglets, wings, superbowl food

buffalo wings, chicken wings

Buffalo Wing Perfection -- crisp and juicy
 
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The perfect buffalo wing... add a little extra time in the oven after they are cooked and coated with sauce.
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Ingredients
  • Chicken Wings (winglets)
  • McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning, or your favorite seasoning spice
  • Buffalo Sauce
Instructions
  1. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towel.
  2. Sprinkle with McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning
  3. Fry, or bake according to your preference, until the inside of the chicken reaches 165° and the outside of the wing is a dark golden brown.
  4. Place in a bowl or plastic bag once they have cooled only slightly.
  5. Add ¼ cup your favorite buffalo sauce to the bag of cooked wings and toss to coat. I find that ¼ cup of sauce will cover 15-20 wings the way I want them coated for the second round in the oven.
  6. Lay coated wings on a baking sheet covered with foil.
  7. Bake at 350° for 3-5 minutes until the sauce bakes into the wings.
  8. Remove from the oven and serve with your favorite sauces.

Fiesta Dip

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Fiesta Dip Sweet Suppertime Header Ya.  It’s a bean dip. It’s subtle in its difference to other bean dips and specific in requirement.  Don’t use a can of re-fried beans and hope to get the same result as that expensive can of Frito Lay.  Skip the added mayo at your own risk.   These two ingredients along with an abundance of taco seasoning make this dip more of a fiesta that a mere dip.

Making this recipe brings back soooo many great memories for me and the fam.  Through the years we have had hordes of teenagers in our home.  We believe that the party should be at our house.  It’s great to know where your kids are and who they are with.  The unexpected benefit to this?  After all the late nights and all the money you spend on food to keep them coming back you end up with kids who stop by to say “hi” even when your kid isn’t home.  Or maybe they stop by to have a nap on your comfy couch.  Better still is when they stop by to visit because they just need a bit of advice.  Doubly good for you is if you are in the middle of bringing home groceries and a few of them pull up and start grabbing bags and putting things in the cupboards and in the fridge because they are that familiar with your home and they really want to help.

I have to say that I have the most awesome kids and they have the most awesome friends.  This dip is one that the kids and their friends request whenever they are planning a party or a game night.  There has been a lot of tortillas sacrificed on the alter of this bean dip over a game of Cataan or in between takes of a teenage movie making or watching night.  Have I mentioned how much I love my kids’ friends?  I do.  These are people who know where I sit at the football game 10 years later and come to find me, give me a hug and show me the latest addition to their family.  Was it all in the dip?  Maybe…..

Spread a can of Frito Lay Bean Dip in an even layer on a platter.  My plate is about one and one-half the size of a regular dinner plate.  Mash a ripe avocado and carefully spread it over the bean dip.  Okay.  I have tried a can of re-fried beans to cut the cost back on this, but the fact it I just love the little can of bean dip.  It comes in a variety of “hot”.  I love them all.   I watch for it to go on sale and I buy several at a time because, well…, it starts this little party.  Frito Lay did not pay me to say that.

Beans and Avocado Sweet Suppertime Fiesta Dip Mix 2 cups sour cream with 3/4 cup of mayonnaise and 2 1/2 to 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning mix.  Blend together well and spread over the avocado and bean layers.  I love what a bit of mayonnaise does to this recipe.  Straight sour cream gets a little tangy for me.  And I love going a bit heavy on the taco seasoning.  It’s the star of this dip to me and it’s what people ultimately start digging around for.  There was a time that I had to sneak the mayo out of the fridge and toss it in because I have a daughter who hates  despises mayonnaise and all of its creaminess.  I have to say that I smothered more than a few snickers ( not the candy bar) when I watched her eat this dip and love it!  Is that mean?

7 layer bean dip, bean dip, fiesta dip Okay, let’s bring it home.  Top your lovely platter of deliciousness with 1/2 cup of cheese,

Cheese Fiesta Dip Sweet Suppertime 3 sliced green onions, one Roma tomato chopped and a handful of black olives sliced.

7 layer bean dip, bean dip, fiesta dip, super bowl dips Now hurry and put this in the fridge to let the flavors blend before your 15 year old runs in and does this to it…

7 layer bean dip, bean dip, fiesta dip just to see if it “tastes good”.  I love you Keven.  Seriously.  It wasn’t anything the other kids haven’t done.

7 layer bean dip, bean dip, super bowl dips Refrigerate for about an hour before serving.  Enjoy and make sure you have plenty of chips!

Fiesta Dip
 
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Making friends has never been so easy...
Author:
Recipe type: Dip
Ingredients
  • 1 can Frito Lay Bean Dip--you decide how spicy.
    I have tried them all and loved them!
  • 1 ripe avocado, smashed
  • 2 cups sour cream
  • 2/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 2½ - 3 tablespoons taco seasoning mix.
  • ½ cup finely grated cheese.
  • 3-4 green onions sliced
  • 1 large Roma tomato, chopped
  • a handful of black olives, sliced
Instructions
  1. On a medium sized platter (mine is about the size of one and one-half dinner plates), spread the bean dip.
  2. Mash avocado and carefully spread on top of the beans.
  3. Mix sour cream, mayonnaise and taco seasoning together.
  4. Spread the sour cream mixture on top of the avocado layer.
  5. Sprinkle with cheese, sliced onions, chopped tomato and sliced black olives.
  6. Refrigerate one hour before serving to allow flavors to blend.
Notes
I go a little heavy on the taco seasoning. That middle part is what everyone is digging for.
I prefer the Mexican Blend cheese.

*** Dustin, Blake, Rob, Tom, Tanner, Tanner, Tanner, Andy, Spencer, Dustin, Elvis, Joe, Joe, Levi, Adam, Eddy, Brady, Brandon, Caleb, Josh, Josh, Luke, Harrison, Jake, Eli, Isaiah, Elvis, Jake, Danny, Michael, Keven, Kate, Lacey, Marcus, Rebecca, Maverick, Alta….stop by, I’ve got the fixin’s.

Holiday Meatballs

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We’ve been serving up these festive meatballs for years at our family Christmas Eve Party.  The main players in this yummy dish are: chili sauce, cranberry sauce and sauerkraut.  I know what you are thinking, “who in their right mind would mix those ingredients together and call them festive?”  Try it…you will go home with an empty, sticky pan.
This dish is delicious served by itself or you can take along a bowl of rice.  Last year I forgot the rice and as I was lingering in the kitchen I heard several people ask where the rice was.  I guess that means that even a humble bowl of rice has become a Christmas tradition.  I’ve made this recipe starting from scratch with homemade meatballs, homemade cranberry sauce and homemade chili sauce and I’ve made it the easy way with precooked meatballs, canned cranberry sauce and purchased chili sauce.  It’s great either way!
Holiday Meatballs just before I pop them in the oven
sauerkraut, brown sugar, chili sauce and whole-berry cranberry sauce
all those yummy sauces with spices stirred in

Holiday Meatballs
 
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You will love the unqiue combination of flavors and the absolute beauty of this dish!
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Ingredients
  • 1⅓ cups whole-berry cranberry sauce
  • 1½ cups chili sauce (the chunky kind)
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1½ cups sauerkraut
  • 1 cup water
  • ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp. garlic powder
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • *two dozen meatballs {already cooked}
  • Fresh/Frozen cranberries to toss on top just before cooking
  • Cooked rice if desired
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl combine cranberry sauce, chili sauce, brown sugar, sauerkraut, water, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, and cinnamon.
  2. Stir until well blended and pour evenly over meatballs.
  3. Top with a handful of fresh or frozen cranberries sprinkled across the top.
  4. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes.
  5. Serve as an appetizer or over a bowl of rice.

The Best Fresh Salsa

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This Christmas Eve, as our family gathered around the table, we felt the all too familiar absence of one of our brothers. Over the past eight years they’ve been scattered from California to Ukraine serving two year LDS missions. While a two year absence is never easy, it becomes especially poignant around holidays, birthdays and other events like championship baseball or football games. This Christmas marked the first of two Christmases without Danny who is serving in Mexico City.

He called us via Skype from a small internet café and we got to see his face for the first time since we sent him off in June. He looked handsome and happy, and it was fun to hear more details about the stories we’ve read in his emails. So in honor of Danny we switched up one of our traditions this year. Instead our of usual Christmas Eve dinner we went with a Feliz Navidad theme. We made bean dip, guacamole, rice, delicious taco chicken, and topped it all off with our favorite fresh salsa.

This salsa is a weekly staple. It can be altered a bit depending on your tastes. Sometimes we’re feeling super spicy, other days we’re a little more mild. Whatever your preference this recipe delivers delicious {and beautiful} results every single time.

In this recipe we use a combination of canned and fresh tomatoes. In this batch we ended up with some gorgeous heirloom grape tomatoes that added beautiful color to the salsa. However we’ve used everything from romas to beefsteaks and its delicious every time.

In a food processor blend the fresh tomatoes with 1/2 of sweet onion and 1/4 of a purple onion and jalapeno pepper.  To make our salsa more salsa-ish and less like pico de gallo, we blend the drained, stewed tomatoes in the blender before adding it to the fresh tomato/onion mix.

Next add cilantro, salt, pepper, garlic, and cumin. You can squeeze in some fresh lime juice here if you’d like.  Try and resist opening a bag of tortilla chips for about 20 minutes to let the flavors blend.  Pour into your favorite fiesta bowl and enjoy!

The Best Fresh Salsa
 
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This is such a quick and delicious salsa! I find if I have salsa in the fridge, I have the beginning of a meal.
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Ingredients
  • The BEST Fresh Salsa
  • 1 C. of fresh tomatoes
  • 1- 12oz can of stewed or diced tomatoes, drained
  • ¼ of a medium sized jalapeno pepper
  • ½ of a sweet onion
  • ¼ of a purple onion
  • 2 tsp minced garlic
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • 1½ tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • ¼ C. chopped, fresh cilantro
Instructions
  1. Add fresh tomatoes, purple onion, and sweet onion to food processor and pulse to desired consistency.
  2. In a blender, blend drained stewed/diced tomatoes until smooth.
  3. Combine with the fresh tomato-onion mixture.
  4. Add garlic, cumin, salt, pepper, and chopped cilantro.
  5. Allow flavors to combine for 20-30 minutes before serving.