Dinner Tonight: Fat Boy Bacon Risotto

October 17, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Creamy Risotto kicked up a few notches with Bacon

You know how I like Bacon (just like every sane human on the planet). So I was thinking, what if I put a pound of perfectly fried bacon into a nice creamy risotto? I'll tell you what, this is some good eatin' right here. The wonderful salty goodness of the bacon really helps bring out the flavor and creaminess of the risotto and the nutty flavor of a good parmesan cheese. This could easily be done with quinoa as well for those of you that have problems with rice. This one is going into regular rotation at our house.

Dinner tonight: Beef and Pumpkin Stew

October 15, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Nothing like a nice thick stew on a crisp Fall evening!

Fall is here in force, and while we are enjoying crisp weather I also like to enjoy nice warming soups and stews. October is the time when great squash starts coming available, and I love using pumpkin and other squashes in savory stews in place of potatoes. Enjoy this little piece of Fat Boy Heaven with a nice dinner roll to soak up the broth.

Dinner Tonight: Slow Cooker Pork Loin Roast with Apple Cranberry Rice

October 9, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Pork loin cooked in the slow cooker with Apple-Cranberry rice

I picked up a Pork Loin roast at the local grocer on sale the other day, and was looking for a new way to prepare it. It would have been easy to cut it into chops and fry them, but I'm always looking for a new way to cook something, especially if it includes my crock pot.

Dinner Tonight: Apple Cider Braised Slow-Cooker Pork

October 7, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Pork shoulder slow-braised in apple cider, served tonight with roasted fall vegetables

I wanted some comfort food tonight, and found Pork Shoulder on sale at the local grocer. Since we are solidly in Fall here in the Pacific Northwest I decided to go with a nice preparation method that I've used often: Slow-cooker braising.

Product Review: Sistema Microwave Rice Steamer

October 5, 2013 Drew Fleisher

We make a lot of rice here at Fat Boy Heaven, and this is supposed to cut cooking time in half.

This week I was sent this Microwave Rice Cooker from Sistema, and we decided to give it a try tonight. The cooker claims to save more than half of the cooking time for steamed rice, and anything that reduces prep time in my kitchen is a good thing.

Dinner Tonight: Slow-Cooker Beef Stroganoff

October 1, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Few things say comfort on a fall day like a nice creamy stroganoff

This morning it looked like it would be another blustery day, so I decided to try cooking my son's favorite dinner in the slow cooker instead of on the stove top. I am extremely happy with the results, and I think you all will really enjoy it as well.

Dinner Tonight: Tomato, Basil, and Cheese Soup

September 29, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Nothing says fall like a big bowl of rich and creamy Tomato soup

One of the things I look forward to all summer is the start of Fall and all of the rich and warming soups that it brings around our house. I particularly love a nice tomato soup with grilled cheese sandwiches. The combination of the tart tomatoes and rich creamy cheddar cheese are one of the ways I define comfort foods feel.

Dinner Tonight: Bourbon, Beer, and Beef Stew

September 24, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Beef, Bourbon, and Beer.....how can that go wrong?

Bourbon Heritage Month is nearing an end, but how can you go wrong on a blustery Oregon fall day with a nice thick beef stew. With nothing better to do with my time than craft this today in between laundry, shopping, reviewing electronics, beta testing and reporting on the results, and helping our daughter with her school work I decided to take the time and do this right.

Dinner Tonight: Croque Monsieur Casserole

September 20, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Growing up my Dad did a version of this with plain white bread instead of french.  He called it quick soufflé and it was always a favorite. — Growing up my Dad did a version of this with plain white bread instead of french. He called it quick soufflé and it was always a favorite.

When I was a kid we had a tight budget. Like "we're broke until payday and that's next week" poor. One of the ways Dad used to stretch out food from the pantry was a variation on this recipe that he would make with all of the stale bread that was left at the end of the month. While I don't need to stretch my grocery budget that far anymore, I decided to give this a try made the way I always dreamed of eating it as a kid.

Dinner Tonight: Bourbon Cherry glazed Meatloaf with Creamy Cheddar Mash

September 9, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Bourbon Heritage Month continues with a bourbon and sour cherry glazed meatloaf

Bourbon Heritage Month has had me looking for creative new ways to use bourbon in my cooking this month, and I decided that I was in the mood for meatloaf when I woke up this morning. I didn't know how I was going to tie the two together until I realized I could do a nice glaze with bourbon instead of the standard ketchup fair I grew up with.

Dinner Tonight: Bourbon Braised Beef Short Ribs with Honey-Fig Mac and Cheese

September 4, 2013 Drew Fleisher

I decided that in honor of Bourbon Heritage Month I would cook recipes this month that showcase bourbon in some way. I stumbled across this recipe via Pinterest and knew it was the perfect start to the month for us.

Dinner Tonight: Salmon with Dill Sauce and Quinoa Sauté

August 31, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Carrie was looking at the web the other day and found a recipe from Jaime Oliver for salmon that looked good to her. He served it with bulgar wheat, but we prefer quinoa so made some adjustments.

Dinner Tonight: Shrimp and Grit Tacos

August 29, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Shrimp and Grits, a southern staple is updated as street food in these tacos

I was looking for dinner ideas for the week and stumbled across this article at Serious Eats. Now as you all should know if you've been visiting this site for any length of time, I LOVE grits. One of the things that has stuck with me from my time spent in the south (along with a love for sweet tea, bourbon, and gulf shrimp). Shrimp and Grits would be dinner every Friday night in my house if I didn't have this website to write (and my kids didn't revolt at the mention of shrimp). This new way of changing it up by adding salsa and serving it in a taco caught my attention, and I am glad it did.

Dinner Tonight: Summer Veggie Beef Stir-fry with Rice

August 27, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Summer squash, zucchini, and sweet bell peppers stir-fried with ground beef.  A nice, Light dinner. — Summer squash, zucchini, and sweet bell peppers stir-fried with ground beef. A nice, Light dinner.

A quick, easy week night dinner. Add your favorite summer vegetables to make it your own!

Dinner Tonight: Sweet-Hot Slow Cooked Beef Short Ribs

July 20, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Sweet, Spicy beef short ribs are easy from your slow cooker with very little effort.

We were looking for something with little prep time that we hadn't had in a while, and I decided to try and come up with a new Short Rib recipe. We had rice, so I decided to take things slightly asian with a sweet-hot flavor, and we were all happy with the results.

Dinner Tonight: Gluten Free Pork Tenderloin Diablo with Fat Boy Mashed Potatoes

July 17, 2013 Drew Fleisher

Pork Diablo - a sharp zesty pan sauce over sweet and tender pork

I was looking for a recipe for dinner tonight and stumbled across this great idea in an email from All Recipes (a great source of recipe ideas). The great thing about this website is that it has encouraged me to experiment with new flavor combinations that I never might have tried before, and this was definitely one that I would not have come up with on my own. A great gluten-free meal.

Dinner Tonight: Steak Pizzaiola with Pasta

July 15, 2013 Drew Fleisher

I love italian food, but it is hard when trying to eat gluten free. One of my favorite italian dishes has always been Steak Pizzaiola, the perfect way to prepare any cut of beef. Beef slow cooked in marinara until it is so tender that it flakes apart, then topped with provolone cheese and broiled. It can be prepared many ways, but I love it in the crock pot since I can just set it and forget it. When served over Gluten Free pasta it is one of the perfect meals.

Dinner Tonight - Mixed greens with grilled chicken

July 12, 2013 Drew Fleisher

We wanted something lite and simple for dinner tonight, so we did a salad. A simple bed of mixed greens and baby spinach topped with chicken and French-fried onions. I garnished mine with croutons and raisins.

Fat Boy Heaven Korean Beef

June 3, 2013 Drew Fleisher

We love asian food at our house, and I was in the mood to try something different, so I came up with this recipe. It is fairly simple to cook delicious asian food at home, as the flavors are easy to mix to make something delicious.

FatBoy Southwest Potato Salad with Beef

June 1, 2013 Drew Fleisher

My Southwest Potato Salad is a great summer dish, as a side or with meat as a main dish

I spent all day Friday making chicken and Southwest Potato Salad for the Saturday meal at The Pantry at Rock Creek, and there was a fair amount left over so I dressed it up for dinner Saturday night at home.