Umbceats's Blog

This delicious sandwich was an “on a whim” creation that turned out to be sooo delicious! It is a twist on your run of the mill turkey sandwich.

I purchased a pack of Butterball sandwich meat that had a combination of turkey ham, turkey salami, and white turkey.

1. Before you place the cheese on the bread, spread a little bit of butter on the inside of the bread (the side that faces the cheese). I find that this helps the cheese melting process. Take two slices of cheese—whichever cheese makes you happy—and place one slice on each slice of bread.
2. Then, in a small frying pan, I cooked up some bacon.
3. Once the bacon is done, I sliced up some onion and green peppers and sautéed them with some vegetable seasoning.
4. Place the sauté mix and bacon on the cheese on one slice. The other slice should have a slice of cheese and a slice of each type of meat.
5. Put the two slices together and place the sandwich on a large skillet. Make sure the heat is on low so the bread doesn’t burn.
6. After five minutes, carefully flip the sandwich over to other side to toast the bread and melt the cheese.
7. Place your delicious sandwich on a plate and slice down the middle or diagonals, just the way you like it.
8. Add a glass of your favorite drink and a side of your favorite fruit or vegetable and that is an amazing meal!
9. Enjoy!

WELCOME SUMMER VACATION!

The best way to reel in the summer is to have a fun BBQ with your closest family and friends. 

I decided to have a BBQ this past Memorial Day weekend. My most popular food item was KEBOBS! I made three types of kebobs: Pineapple Rum, Honey BBQ, and Garlic & Herb. These are the recipes I came up with to marinate the kebobs.

Pineapple Rum Marinade

• Pineapple juice
• Bacardi Rum
• Kikkoman’s Triple Ginger Teriyaki Sauce
• Minced garlic
• Olive oil
• Meat tenderizer
• Vinegar
• Soy sauce
• Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning
• Adobo

Honey BBQ Marinade

• KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce
• Honey
• Meat tenderizer
• Garlic
• Canola Oil
• Onion powder
• Adobo

Garlic and Herb Marinade

• McCormick GrillMates Garlic and Herb seasoning
• Meat tenderizer
• Olive oil
• Vinegar
• Curry powder
• Adobo

Marinade for meats!

So once you get those marinades prepared in separate dishes, add your preferred meat (chicken, beef, steak, or pork) into each marinade. Your meat must be cut into cubes that are no more than one inch thick.  Mix the meat into the marinade well. Place the meat in the marinade into the fridge over night.

The next day, soak your skewers in water for 30 minutes or more. You must do this because, if not done, then the skewers will burn and start a fire on the grill.

Don't forget to soak your skewers!

While the skewers are soaking, dice up some colorful bell peppers and red onions. They should be thick enough so that they will not burn quickly on the grill.

When the skewers are done and the peppers are diced, take the meat out of the fridge. You can arrange the meat, peppers, and onion mix in any order you prefer. I did it in this order: meat, onion, pepper, meat, onion, pepper, etc.  I did only three sets of the combination on each skewer. It’s important to take your time so you won’t get splinters or broken skewers.

Delicious Kebobs!

I recently ventured out to Corolla, North Carolina for a relaxing break at the beach. If you know anything about the Outer Banks, you know that this time is still technically pre-season. Many stores are closed and very few people are around. This is perfect for relaxing purposes, but when it’s time to eat…It’s time to eat! So my first night there, I made my own make shift version of an Indian meal.

To make this meal, you need:

• Chicken (leg quarters, thighs, drumsticks, breasts…whatever you prefer)
• Patak’s Indian Cooking Sauce (http://pataksusa.elsstore.com/view/category/1428-sauce—in—glass/) There are a large variety of flavors. I chose Jalfrezi Sauce and Butter Chicken Sauce.
• Black pepper
• One red onion (sliced)
• Onion powder
• Adobo
• Salt
• Garlic powder
• Garlic and herb seasonings
• Potatoes (sliced like potato chips) If you don’t want potatoes, you can also use basmati rice or naan. Either way, it will be delicious.
• Vegetable of choice (I chose cabbage)

1. First preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2. Place potatoes in a deep oven-safe dish. Add some of your sliced onions, adobo, salt, black pepper, onion powder, and garlic and herb seasonings. With your hands (because it’s fun), mix all the ingredients so that the potatoes have an even coating of seasonings. Cover dish with foil and place in the oven. When the potatoes are almost ready, remove the foil so they can get a little bit crisp.
3. Use a fork to punch little holes in your chicken pieces. These holes should not be large noticeable holes because then your chicken will lose its tenderness.
4. Place all the chicken in a large mixing bowl. Add onions, salt, adobo, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and garlic and herb seasonings. Pour a little bit of olive oil or canola oil on top. Once again, use your hands to rub in the seasonings and evenly coat each chicken piece. *Though seen as unhealthy, leaving the skin on chicken whilst it’s cooking helps it retain its moisture and tenderness. If you can, leave some on there and take it off when consuming.*
5. Evenly place all chicken pieces in large oven safe tray. Make sure there is space between all pieces so that none of the parts will be left uncooked. The pan may need to be sprayed if it is an aluminum pan but glass trays (preferred) do not need to be.
6. Your preferred vegetable can be placed in the oven to steam. Just place them in an oven safe dish and sprinkle some salt and black pepper. Add a little bit of water and cover tightly with foil. Place in the oven when chicken is halfway finished and they will be steamy delicious by the time the chicken is done.
7. Lastly, for the Patak sauces, follow the instructions on the jar on how to heat them. I heated my sauces in a skillet with a little bit of the “juice” from the chicken. The drippings from the chicken adds a little bit more flavor to your sauces and connects the two flavors. Generally, you heat them up for about 15 minutes on medium heat in the skillet.

Now you can set up your table and enjoy this delicious meal with family and friends!

*Note-

Notice I didn’t put exact measurements for seasonings. That is because the seasonings listed are really fail proof seasonings. The only ones that you could put too much of are salt, adobo, and black pepper.

Also it is important to use your own judgment when determining the doneness of the chicken. Because the chicken parts used can vary, times may also vary. Boneless chicken breasts take a lot less time to cook than whole leg quarters.