Dinner and a F$#@!& Up Movie has moved!

So, yes, it was hard to do this on tumblr, so we've moved Dinner and a F$#@!& Up Movie!

The Human Centipede and Greek Chicken with Caterpillar Potatoes!

Latest installment into "Dinner and a F$#@!& Up Movie!"

I've started a new food blog!

I've started a new food-type blog since this is supposed to be mainly my "Professionl Wine Blog." I noticed that I had hardly any wine on here lately and a lot of recipes, so I decided I'm going to seperate the two.

Thus was born, "Dinner And A F$#@!& Up Movie!"

Ron (my other half) and I watch a ton of really odd-ball movies, and I make dinner every night, most often from my own recipes. It made perfect sense. If you want my recipes, and don't mind a movie review in there as well, come on over to Dinner and a F$#@!& Up Movie. That's where all my recipes will be from now on, and I'll keep End of the Vine more booze-centric.

Cheers!
Dani

Peanut Chicken a la Dani!

Sorry about the lack of chili recipe... it didn't turn out quite the way I wanted and I wanted to tweak it a bit before I give you all the recipe. I had to do A LOT of doctoring while it was cooking to get it right. I'm gonna replicate it before I pass it on to you.

Anywho!

I made a pretty fantastic marinade this morning, and wanted to share.

I've seen a lot of chicken recipes calling for peanut butter, either as a sauce componet or in a marinade, and I've never tried one... until this morning.

I looked at a couple recipes and then whipped up my own.

Peanut Chicken

1 cut-up whole chicken (I use the whole cut-up chickens most of the time. That way everyone can get the piece they want, and they are usually REALLY cheap. I pay about $4-$5 for a chicken this way! You also get the awesome neck and back pieces for stock later.)

3/4 cup natural chunky peanut butter
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup veggie oil
2-3 minced garlic cloves
3/4 cup hot terriyaki sauce (you can use regular, this is just what I had in my pantry)
1 Tbs chili lime sauce (I used Cholula)
A few shakes of chili flakes
2 tbs lime juice

Add everything, except chicken, to a gallon-sized, zip-top bag and mix well. The peanut butter won't incorporate completely, but squeeze it around and give the bag a few good shakes (while closed, of course!), and then add your chicken. Give the bag a few more good shakes and toss in the refridgerator until you're ready to cook. I put mine in at 9am, and I'll make dinner around 6ish. So, overnight or a few hours, it should be fine.

I'm going to bake mine at 425 for 35-45 minutes. My oven runs hot, so it's usually closer to 35 minutes. You can also do ti at 350 for an hour, if you prefer.

But this marinade tasted so yummy. I always taste my marinades before I put the item to be marinated in them. I don't care if it's just oil and rosemary, if it doesn't taste good when you make it, it's not going to make whatever you're cooking taste good... So taste your marinades!

I'm going to make a similar version of this marinade for a sauce. I'm going to reduce it down and add a little coconut milk, it'll be yummy as a dipping sauce and over rice as a side.

Enjoy!

OK OK... I know it's a few months later than I said it would be, but here's a new post. CHILI!

I know I have a venison chili recipe just a few posts down, but this is a hybrid of my Mamma's chili (which my dad swears is the greatest food ever) and my normal, non-venison, chili. I just got started with the prep work, when I get everything in it and get it simmering, I'll put up the full post. The chili has about a 5 hour cook time, so writing the blog post will help pass the time.

See y'all in about 5-6 hours!

Cheers!

I'm back!

After a year-long hiatus, I'm back. Look for new posts soon! I'm making tacos tonight so there may be a post about that later.

Cheers!

Going Camping? Having a Party? Make These Alcohol (and Flavor!) Infused Goodies!

Most of you know that I just got back from Bonnaroo! This is my annual venture into the heart of music, where I listen, laugh, play, dance and try my hardest to stay cool in the blazing Tennessee sun for four days.

This year I said "No More!" to luke warm beers barely sasiating my parched, numb-from-singing "So Whatcha Want," throat! Oh no! This year I brought Watermelon Tequila Balls and Stoli Dole Spears! And, yes, I was the hit of the campsite... if I do say so myself.

These are simple little concoctions that anyone can whip up on short notice. Now, they do get better if you let them sit, but by no means, let that deter you from making a batch of these alcoholic yummies.

Watermelon Margarita Balls

1 watermelon - SEEDLESS!!!
tequila
watermelon pucker
pomegraneat liquor
margarita mix

There are no measurements. This is not an exact recipe. My rule of thumb is to make the margarita mixture and THEN pour it over the balls when you have made something that you would be pleased sipping along side some fajitas.

So, take your watermelon and ball it. Get an 1" melon baller and go to work. This takes a while, but it is so so so worth it. Once again, make sure it is the seedless kind...

Once you get all your balls together, put them in freezable containers and set aside.

Mix up your watermelon margarita mix. The way I make mine is:

3 parts tequila
2 parts watermelon pucker
1 part pomegraneat liquor
3 parts margarita mix

Mix this and add to as needed until you make something yummy and drinkable. It's easy, you know what you like. If you like it more tequila-y, add more tequila, etc.
Now, make sure you make a pretty big batch of this. You will need at least one bottle of tequila for a whole watermelon, so make your pitcher of margarita accordingly.

Once you have this mixed, pour over the balls until covered. Seal the tubs and pop in the refrigerator or freezer until needed. That's it. Ball a melon, make some margarita, cover the balls with the margarita and let set.

Enjoy!

Oh, and don't throw out the juice... you drink that stuff when the balls are gone, it's got booze in it!

Stoli Dole Spears are even easier... I have the recipe for "Knockout Martinis" somewhere on this blog... but yes, this is just a "Knockout" that hasn't been blended.

Pick up a big round container of fresh pineapple spears. Cover with good vodka and let sit. Yep. Keep this cold until you need it, don't freeze it though, pineapple doesn't like to be frozen. When you are good and ready, eat the spears and drink the juice!

Take a batch of either of these to your next cookout, party, bonfire... and watch as everyone becomes instantly cooler and a lot more fun to be around.

Venison Chili

We had a friend give us a ton of venison this season. Wonderful! Venison is a richly flavored, extremely healthful meat... But, what to do with it all? My mom ran across a recipe for venison chili in Field and Stream magazine and passed it on to me. After a few slight modifications, we ended up with, seriously, the best chili I've ever eaten.

I'll give you the unadulterated version of the recipe with my modifications in parentheses.

Venison Chili (adapted by me, from Field and Stream Magazine)

2 pounds of venison (I used 1 pound of stew meat in 1" chunks and 1 pound of ground meat)
1/4 pound of thick cut bacon diced (I used closer to 1/2 pound)
2 medium yellow onions diced
1 medium red onion diced
2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
1 yellow bell pepper seeded and diced
1 green bell pepper seeded and diced (I left this out, I just don't like green peppers and I used really large red and yellow peppers)
1/2 of an 8oz can of chipotle chilies chopped fine (my store was actually out of chipotles, I used a 4oz can of fire roasted green chilies instead)
3 cloves of garlic minced (I used 6)
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon black pepper
1/4 cup honey
1 tablespoon molasses
1 bottle Guinness or other stout (I used Guinness extra stout, yum!)
1/2 cup good red wine
1 24oz can whole plum tomatoes
1 24oz can crushed tomatoes (I used 2 24oz cans of San Marzano whole tomatoes, I like my tomatoes to break down into the chili)
2 cans of black beans (I used 1)

I also added 8oz of sliced mushrooms and 1 can of corn with peppers.

Method:

1. In your heavy-bottomed stew pot, brown the venison. You may have to do it in batches. I browned my stew meat first and then my ground meat. Set aside the browned meat.



2. In the same pot, cook the bacon over med-lo heat. You want all the fat to render out and the bacon to brown. Set the cooked bacon aside with the venison. mmmmmm... bacon!

3. In the same pot with the bacon fat, cook the onions, chilis and peppers. The water from the vegetables will loosen up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Stir the vegetables frequently and scrape the bottom of the pan as you do. Cook until soft, about 5-10 minutes.


Add the garlic and vinegar and cook another 3 minutes. Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper and cinnamon. Stir the spices into the vegetables and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the bacon and venison and cook for another minute. (This is when I added the mushrooms.)Make sure you coat the meat and all the veggies in the spices and let it cook for a few minutes.

4. Add the honey, molasses, beer, wine and tomatoes. Stir well and bring to a boil then reduce heat to a low simmer.


5. Cook at a low simmer, stirring frequently, uncovered for an hour. As the chili simmers, the tomatoes will break down, but feel free to smoosh them against the side of the pot to help them break apart.

6. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

7. Add the beans (this is when I added the corn) and let simmer for another 15-20 minutes or until the chili is thick enough for your liking. I also added a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar right before serving, it really brightens the flavor.

Garnish with chopped onion, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, tortilla chips... anything that you would normally like on chili.

Yum!

We really enjoyed this chili, it has a smokey, sweet flavor that develops into a rich spicey-ness as you savor it. I would enjoy a hearty Zin or one of the extra Guinness you have in your fridge with this dish.