Personal-Sized Calzones

Last Monday night's dinner was supposed to be a pizza braid, but that morphed into personal calzones since I was working with sticky dough and wasn't sure I could pull off the cuts and braiding. No worries, mate, it was still a tasty meal, and the best part was being able to personalize the fillings in each one. Tiny Tot #1 wanted cheese only, Tiny Tot #2 wanted pepperoni and cheese, and Buppy and I each had sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, sauteed onions, black and green olives and cheese. Lets just say the kids' calzones were much easier to seal than the adult ones.

The hardest part (if you can call it that) about this recipe is sealing the edges of each calzone. The dough didn't really want to cooperate, but I showed it who's boss, and only a little cheese managed to escape from one of the lesser-filled ones.

I used this pizza crust recipe made in my bread machine (does it get any easier?) to start with. Once it was done, I plopped out the dough, kneaded it a little (with oiled hands because it was sticky), then divided it into 4 equal portions. I rolled each portion out as best I could to look like a little mini pizza, then topped with sauce, each person's requested fillings and cheese. For a calzone, you basically just fill up half the mini pizza with your toppings/cheese, fold the empty half over and do your best to seal the edges. Hence Tiny Tot #2 calling dinner 'pizza folded over'. I did the 2 for the kids first, and while they were baking made mine and Buppy's. I made sure to poke a few holes in the first batch to allow some steam to escape, but that was unneccessary in the bigger ones because I tore the dough a bit. I'm gonna say I did it on purpose so I wouldn't have to go through the hassle of poking the holes. Believe what you want.

The first pan (which had 2 calzones on it) baked for 15 minutes. They were just slightly undercooked when we cut them in half, so we let the larger ones on the 2nd pan bake for 17 minutes; they were perfect.

Give calzones a try sometime. They're a nice twist on the original pizza and could easily be stuffed with whatever you want. Be careful with super wet ingredients though, because if too much water cooks out of something (i.e. raw veggies), your dough will get soggy. I suggest sauteeing fresh veggies before cramming 'em in.

Lastly, to those of you who have asked about finding inexpensive bread machines --- there were 3 at my local Goodwill last time I checked (2 weeks or so ago). Good luck finding one in your area!

*Linked to Miz Helen’s Country Cottage Full Plate Thursday, 4/28/11.

Another Go-Round with Pizza Dough

I sure can't thank my sister enough for purchasing a bread maker for $5 from Goodwill and donating it to me. You see, where she lives, she can buy things at GW and return them if they don't work. Same was true when I lived in Wisco. But not here folks. Big, bold print at the bottom of the receipt states ALL SALES ARE FINAL. Makes me leery about buying anything that might not work, because regardless, I'd be stuck with it. So here's a big shout out to my sister for my free bread machine! I'm making quite a habit out of using it!

The first pizza dough recipe I tried with the bread machine was from allrecipes.com and had great reviews. I really like it, but variety is the spice of life. I decided to go to the bread machine manufacturer's website and see what kind of recipes they have, and that's where this one come from.

Pizza Dough
Slightly adapted from the Regal Breadmaker Guide and Cookbook

7.5 oz. water (between 100F-110F)
3/4 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 tsp. garlic powder

Measure all ingredients and add to the bread pan in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the 'dough' setting and press the start/stop button. When the display reads 00:00, press the start/stop button again and remove the dough.

Preheat your oven to 425F. Pat dough into 2 greased cookie sheets to the thinness you desire. I'm a pretty thin crust kinda gal, but Buppy stops me short of turning it into a cracker. Prick the dough with a fork in various spots and pop into the oven for 3+/- minutes. I like this par-baking technique because it keeps my dough from being soggy. Once you remove one pan, repeat with the other sheet of dough. From here, top with your favorite pizza toppings and return to the oven for 10+/- minutes, until the cheese gets all bubbly and beautiful and golden. A word to the wise here: because of the short cooking time, things like fresh veggies don't really have much chance to cook through. Onions would probably still be rather crunchy, so if you have toppings like onions, mushrooms, green peppers, etc., I suggest sauteing them a bit first to soften them up. Or, if you like crunchy veg, by all means don't. The other reason this is helpful is so your pizza doesn't get soggy when all the veggies start to release their water. Totally up to you though.

My most recent creation, which looks surprisingly like a brain to me, was topped with turkey bacon, a small amount of pepperoni, some deli ham, green olives, black olives, onions, mushrooms, fresh spinach, sauce and cheese. Olives on pizza have really grown on me the last couple years; the saltiness they lend is the key. Mix it up, throw on whatever toppings make your skirt fly up and have some homemade pizza for dinner tonight. Enjoy!

Customized Nachos

Can we talk about my love for nachos for just a sec? I love-love-love 'em, and pretty much'll top 'em with anything I have on hand that sounds good at the time. Usually my homemade ones win out over the ones I try when out at restaurants, so I don't usually order them anymore. Why pay to be let down, I ask myself.

Well, the other night Buppy and I didn't eat dinner with the kids. I think it was late lunches on both our parts to blame, and after the kids went to bed, Buppy decided to make some nachos. He decided on cheese and some BBQ pork. Baked for a bit to melt the cheese and viola! Tasty, crunchy goodness. Unfortunely, I wasn't hungry when he made his batch, but after one bite of his (ok, maybe it was more like 2 or 3), I had to get my butt off the couch and make some for myself. They're so darn easy, how to could I say no to myself?

We had some bacon in the fridge, so I baked some of that. Yup, baked. First time baking bacon, and I have mixed feelings about it. I used a small broiler pan, and while the grease dripped away like I expected, the pan was kind of a pain to wash. I did the same thing for the rest of the bacon a few days later using a bigger broiling pan, and had the same issue. Hmmmm, is there a way to avoid a hard-to-clean pan? Prolly not. Bummer.

Ok, back from my tangent now --- I layered the bacon on some tortilla chips with black olives (that were so colossal I felt back cutting them up!), green olives and shredded cheese. Baked mine for a few minutes to melt my cheese and viola! My own steamy pan of goodness. I slathered on a little sour cream and was ready to get back to my movie watching. Lazy days and comfort foods are a stellar match.

Sausage & Spinach Soup

Tuesday night's dinner, which was actually supposed to make it's appearance last week, was sausage and spinach soup. While Buppy is leery of most dark green leafy veggies, I found out that it's usually when they're in cooked form, not fresh. For example, last night's garden salads had fresh spinach in them, and he enjoyed dinner. Now because I didn't have turkey Italian sausage on hand as the recipe suggested, my version isn't as figure friendly. With that being said, it still isn't bad for you. It's pretty much veggie soup with some sausage, and a tasty veggie soup at that. Read the recipe, then read my comment at the end. It's a real knee-slapper.

Sausage and Spinach Soup
Adapted from myrecipes.com

9-10 oz. hot Italian sausage
1 c. chopped onion
2 tsp. jarred minced garlic
1 (15 oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp. chicken bouillon (I favor Orrington Farms chicken flavored soup base by far)
2 c. water
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4-1/2 tsp. dried oregano
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, optional garnish
Garlic toast, optional

Remove sausage from the casings and cook in a large pot over medium-high heat until approximately halfway cooked. Break up the sausage while cooking if possible; you're looking for small pieces. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and continue to cook several minutes or until the onion starts to become tender. Stir in the water, chicken bouillon, beans, tomatoes and spices. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for approximately 10 minutes. Serve hot, sprinkled with freshly grated cheese with a side of garlic toast.

Ready for the fun part here folks? Did you pick up on the fact that my recipe has no spinach in it!??! Ah yes, Buppy found the bag buried underneath something else on our counter top as we were cleaning up after dinner. Silly, silly me. I remembered to buy it and even to pull it out when I pulled all the other soup ingredients! Now I'll have to try it again to see what it's really supposed to taste like. Oh well, it was still really good, healthy soup, so no complaints from anyone at our dinner table. For those of you questioning it, the spinach should be stirred in just prior to serving. Enjoy!

Chorizo & Pasta

Chorizo. It's one of those things where, if you grew up on the good stuff they served in Southern Texas, all else seems to fall short later in life. I've tried several brands purchased in both Wisco and here in MD, and neither is what I'd call good. The most recent stuff was alright, but didn't add much to the dish other than heat. No real flavor whatsoever. Yes, I know what chorizo is made of and no, I don't want to actually taste that flavor, but please man, throw some spices in there! Don't be afraid. On the plus side, it wasn't as bad as some stuff I've had in the past. One in particular tasted like straight chili powder. Blecky.

Since I've had some chorizo in in the freezer for several months, I gave good ol' BC a try and put it to use in a chorizo and pasta recipe.

Chorizo and Pasta
Adapted from Betty Crocker

15 oz. chorizo, casing removed
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 can (14.5 oz.) diced Italian tomatoes, undrained
2 tsp. chicken bouillon
2 c. water
4 c. classic egg noodles

In a large non-stick skillet, cook chorizo and onion over medium-high heat for approximately 8 minutes, stirring often, until chorizo is cooked and the onion is tender. Yes, I know it's hard to tell when chorizo is cooked because it doesn't really change color at all. Pay more attention to the onion if that's the case.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook approximately 10 minutes, stirring occassionally, until the noodles are tender. If the consistency is too thin, continue to cook a few more minutes without the lid to reduce the sauce. Then: eat!

Verdict: This was alright, but next time I'll probably use a different meat. As I said earlier, chorizo up North just isn't really worth eating (in my opinion, that is). I also think the addition of some other veggies (corn, black beans, wilted spinach, etc.) would probably make tasty, healthy additions. It reheats well, just to let you know, as I had some for lunch today and it was still good. Enjoy!

BBQ Pork

Paula Deen isn't someone I often go to for recipes. Sure, the stuff she makes looks good, but I can't justify making something that has 800+ calories per bite. Perhaps that's a bit of an exaggeration, but we all know it's not too far-fetched. Every now and then though, she knocks one out of the park in a not-full-fatty kind of way. Don't get me wrong, pork roast isn't exactly super lean, but I skimmed the fat off the liquid and pulled all the fat off the meat that I could after it finished cooking. Anywho, that brings me to this --- her BBQ pork sandwiches. I was on the bike the other day, watching some good ol' Food Network while workin' out, and the episode featuring this recipe was on. I know how much Buppy likes pulled pork/chicken/ . . . most things pulled, and I knew we had almost all the ingredients on hand. Sweet! It's a little bit of work to make because the dry-rubbing process is a lil' messy, but it's well worth the effort!BBQ Pork
Source: Adapted from Paula Deen

2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne
4 lb. shoulder pork roast
2 c. apple juice
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/2 c. white vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. liquid smoke
1/2 Tbsp. garlic powder

Mix the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl. Sprinkle dry rub all over the pork roast, pressing into the pork. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325F.

Combine liquid ingredients and the garlic powder in a medium bowl. Unwrap and place the pork into a large roasting pan and pour the liquid mixture over it. Wrap the roaster tightly with aluminum foil, then cover with the lid. Roast for 4 hours or until the meat shreds easily with forks. Baste with cooking liquid several times during the cooking process.

Remove from the pan and let cool slightly until it can be handled. Shred by hand or with forks into bite-sized pieces, then return to the cooking liquid. Serve on buns or over my homemade bread.

I can tell you that my recipe is a little different from Paula Deen's only because I didn't have exactly what her recipe calls for. Following her recipe exactly could only make things even better, which would be hard to do. I didn't have Worcestershire sauce (what!??!), which hers calls for. That would only be a stellar ingredient to add. I also didn't have enough apple cider vinegar to make the full 1 cup as hers calls for, so I subbed in 1/2 c. of the white vinegar. Using all apple cider vinegar could only make this more delish. Oh yeah, my cayenne addition was much less only because I used up what I had on hand. Check out her recipe, follow it, and use mine if you don't have everything on hand. I love that this was still fantastic even though I didn't have everything. Thank you Paula Deen ---- this bad boy is a keeper for sure! Enjoy!Sorry --- pic is super messy, but it was tasty nonetheless!

Menu Plan Monday - Nov. 8, 2010

I know it's already Tuesday and I'm just now posting our week's menu plan, but better late than never, right? Besides, then I can refer back to this post instead of my ugly scratched up list when I totally forget what I'm supposed to be making. Good times.

Monday: Garden salads (lettuce, tomato, cremini mushrooms, celery, scallions & shredded cheddar cheese) topped with blackened chicken

Tuesday: Chicken-fried steak & gravy

Wednesday: A spin on grilled ham & cheese pull-apart sandwich loaf. If the turkey in the fridge is still good, we plan to use that instead of ham. Also, I have to see what type of cheese I have in the fridge; I think we have several, so I might mix 2 together. And since it's just the 2 of us eating, I might use buns instead of a whole loaf of bread. No need to waste food, right? Lastly, I keep seeing this butter/worcestershire mix that other foodies are brushing on top of sammys before warming in the oven. I might try to find that recipe and brush it on our sammys, too. Who knows where this dinner will eventually end up!

Thursday: I'm usually by myself because Thursdays are Buppy's overnight, but I think my sister is coming into town on Thursday (to stay for the weekend, yay!), so I think I'll try Alfredo pizza. My sister loves Alfredo sauce, and since the pizza has lots of spinach on it, I'm not sure how Buppy will like it. If it's good, I can always make some for him another night.

Friday: Onion beef stroganoff

Saturday: We'll be at a friend's surprise birthday party, to which we're bringing a hot pizza dip (unless I change my mind before then). My sister will be at a show she came to town to see, so no need to worry about her either. I'm sure lunch will be sandwiches and/or leftovers.

Sunday: This is my free day. By the time it rolls around, I hope to have something in mind. As of right now, I'm completely blank. I guess we'll see if my sister has any ideas for something she'd like me to make. We'll see.

Slow Cooked Pork Goodness

Yesterday, I took a risk. Let me tell you how fabulously it paid off!

Awhile back, Buppy and I purchased part of a pig from a coworker of his. Whether we got ¼ or ½ of the pig, I’m not sure. We got bacon, sausage, loin, tenderloin and whole bunch of packages labeled “pork roast”. Hmmmm, how nondescript. While I’m familiar with cooking with different cuts of pork, it gets much more complicated if the package isn’t labeled and you have no idea what cut you’re working with. At least for me.

A month or so ago, I decided I wanted to make a garlic-oregano pork roast like my mom makes. I pulled out a “pork roast” from the freezer, cooked it like normal, and it was tough. Horribly tough. This particular pork roast is supposed to fall apart, and off the bone if there is one in the roast. It was such a struggle to try and get the meat off the bone, and it had almost no garlic-oregano flavor. Ick. Total let down.

While on vacation, I discussed the issue of my mystery cuts with my parents, and we decided that I should try to cook one in a slow cooker and see what happens. So earlier this week I pulled out another roast, thawed it and plopped it in the slow cooker yesterday morning before work. I added some water to the bottom, sliced up about ½ a large onion and threw that in, then rubbed all sides of the roast with hickory smoked salt. I sprinkled pepper on top, put the lid on, turned that baby on low and left for work.

Buppy didn’t get home much sooner than I did last night, and both of us agreed the house smelled very tasty. The meat was fall-apart tender. The onions were absolutely fabulous. I think I could cook a whole field of onions in that juice and call it a meal. Serious yum-age. While it didn’t have a whole lot of hickory smoked flavor, that was alright because we added some to our sammies. I was careful when I rubbed it on because I once-upon-a-time way over salted some pork chops with it. Good flavor, but it’s important to remember it’s salt and not seasoning.

I shredded the meat and we both had sammies on whole-wheat buns for dinner. Buppy mixed some BBQ sauce into his meat before loading it onto the bun, but I just built the sandwich with the pork, a little more hickory salt, some of the cooked onions and then added some of the juice from the meat. A side of fried potatoes and onions rounded out our meal; corn on the cob was scheduled to make an appearance too, but it had dried out and looked too pathetic to even attempt to cook.

So there you have it. Cook mystery meat in the slow cooker and you shall be rewarded. And don’t forget to add lots & lots of onions! Enjoy!

*Linked to Life as Mom’s Ultimate Recipe Swap today, 3/10/11, for slow cooker recipes.

Cheesy Sausage Zucchini Casserole

It all started when I bought 2 zucchinis at the produce market last week. I’m sure I had good intentions at the time, and probably even a recipe in mind. This week? Not so much. Nonetheless, I still had 2 zucchinis on my counter, waiting to be used.

So I allrecipe.com-ed it; I usually like their stuff, I think because I only use recipes that have good ratings thus far. I thought about a dessert, but figured since I have 2, one can be for dessert and one can be for an entrée.

I found this recipe and decided to give it a try, with my tweaking, of course. Check it out; it’s a good starting point.

I added more onion than they called for, and added some celery as well. The amount of tomato was probably less simply because I used up the last of an already-cut one and didn’t feel like choppin’ into the new one. I omitted the mushrooms too, and then I cried a little. I forgot to get fresh ones, and turns out we were outta canned ones too. Very bad stuff in my house since I’m pretty much a mushroom freak! But back to the story . . .

I added a bit of Mrs. Dash’s garlic & herb seasoning to the sausage/onion/celery mix while it was frying. And since the pork I used was so lean, I couldn’t drain it [nothing to drain]. I also used an Italian cheese mix because that’s what we had on hand and I wasn’t about to go to the store for Velveeta alone [darn, coulda got some 'shroomies if I had!]. I think I used about 6 oz. instead of 8, trying to be a little healthier and all. Buppy commented that he didn’t think it was very cheesy, but I thought it was fine with the 6 oz. He’s a pretty cheesy guy though, no pun intended. No oregano in mine since I added the Mrs. Dash’s seasoning. Hmmm, what else? Oh yeah, I had leftover breading from the chicken tenders we made the other night, so I added that to the top halfway through cooking. It gave it a little bite since there were crushed red pepper flakes in the breading mixture.

So really, I changed up the recipe a lot but didn’t measure out exact quantities of what I used. Oh well. Can’t replicate it, but it’s a pretty good recipe to start with; I just worked with what sounded good and what I had on hand, and what I came up with was even tastier than I’d hoped for [not a big rice fan and all].

There we have it. Check out the original, change it up to suit your tastes and you’ll be golden. Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday - July 26, 2010

Menu planning. Hmmm. Have had a hard time following through with things these past few weeks. We'll see if this week is any better.

Monday: Parmigiano & herb chicken tenders, baked sweet potato chips & honeydew melon

Tuesday: cheesy chicken zucchini casserole & green salad

Wednesday: BLTs, baked potato rounds with cheese & raw carrots

Thursday: home alone, so probably leftovers

Friday: Pampered chef party

Saturday lunch: grilled Boca burgers, fresh fruits/veggies on hand
Saturday dinner: grilled chicken breasts & healthified crunchy Asian slaw

Sunday lunch: sloppy Joes & fresh fruit/veggies on hand
Sunday dinner: pizzas & green salad

Those darn chicken tenders have been on our menu plan for 3-4 weeks now, and I'm making them tonight if it kills me [although I must be honest, I'm hoping it doesn't!] The cheesy chicken zucchini casserole is going to be a spin-off of a recipe I found on allrecipes.com, so if it's good, I'll share. If not, you'll never hear about it again! I tried to do things that require minimal effort this week to perhaps help keep me on track better. Here goes nothin' . . .

Sketti & 'Balls

Buppy really likes spaghetti. Me? I’m not much of a pasta person, although I do enjoy spaghetti sauce on toast or an English muffin [weird, I know]. I used to actually eat it cold with toast in college [even weirder, I know]. And while it seems like a hot time of year to dive in and make some sketti & ‘balls, I did it. I think I’ve only made this for Buppy one other time since I’ve known him, and that was with turkey [which was ok by him] and kale [not so ok by him]. What can I say, I was trying to add some more veggies into our diets. Didn’t really fly with him or the kids though.

Last Monday, since I had the day off, I figured I’d make homemade meatballs and jazz up some jarred sauce. It worked out well if I do say so myself, and the kids and Buppy totally devoured this. Had I not been trying to take care of him and the kids at the same time [because of his back problems], I might have been ambitious enough to make my own sauce from scratch. This, however, was a delicious stand-in.Sketti & 'Balls
Recipe by Bugaboo

Meatballs
1 lb. ground pork sausage
1 c. dried breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
½ tsp. Italian seasoning

Sauce
1 tsp. olive oil
4-5 lg. mushrooms, chopped
½ lg. onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. minced jarred garlic
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
1 [26 oz.] jar spaghetti sauce [whatever brand & variety you like best]

In a large bowl, combine breadcrumbs, cheese, pepper, garlic, egg and Italian seasoning; mix well. Crumble pork over the mixture and mix again to make sure all ingredients combine completely. Roll mixture into meatballs of desired size; I made mine about 1”.

To fry the meatballs, heat a non-stick skillet over med. heat. Add meatballs to the pan but do not crowd; I had to do mine in 2 batches. These cooked for approximately 5 minutes on each side or so; we like ours a little brown on the outside, but remember they’ll finish cooking in the sauce after being fried. Once one batch is done, remove to a plate covered with a paper towel to absorb some of the grease and set to the side until needed. Repeat with the 2nd batch once it’s finished frying.

To make the sauce, I first sautéed the mushrooms, onion, Italian seasoning and garlic in the teaspoon of olive oil in a large pot over med. heat. After approximately 10-15 minutes [once the veggies have become tender], I added the jarred spaghetti sauce. At this point, I added in all my meatballs as well so that everything could simmer together and the flavors could blend; I let this simmer for about an hour or so.

I made angel hair pasta to go along with this, although you can use whatever variety of pasta you like or happen to have on hand. Or throw it on a sub roll with some cheese for a meatball sub. I’ll tell you now, I could have easily used only ½ or ¾ of the meatballs this recipe produced for the amount of sauce I had; there’s much less sauce than normal, but since Buppy and I enjoy meatballs, it’s all good. With a sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese, this is a great spaghetti and meatball dinner! Enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday - June 21, 2010

It's that time again. Time to map out our meals for the week. Make sure we thaw what we need before the night we need it. Get any missing ingredients prior to attempting a recipe. Good stuff.

Last week was mostly on track with what I planned. We were thrown off mid-week because we didn't feel like making the ribs. Buppy loves ribs, but we got a bad 10 lb. box and are now just trying to use them up. We caved and ordered pizza one night, but then did the ribs the following night. They still weren't good, and after 1 rib, I was done. As I said, mostly on track though . . .

Monday: Leftover buffet / fend for yourself

Tuesday: Crab stuffed mushroom caps [no recipe yet, but I plan to devise my own]

Wednesday: Chicken in Poblano cream sauce [I love a restaurant version of this and am trying to recreate it]

Thursday: Leftover pork roast & sides from Sunday [my 1 night home alone]

Friday: Shrimp pizza

Saturday lunch: Tuna melts, fresh fruits and/or veggies we have on hand
Saturday dinner: Beef & broccoli stir-fry over white rice

Sunday lunch: BLTs with fresh fruits and/or veggies
Sunday dinner: Marinated grilled pork chops, baked sweet potato chips & green salad

Buppy's father & his wife are coming down from NY and should arrive Sunday afternoon/evening, so Sunday through the following Tuesday night will be meals with them. Good times!

Garlic-Oregano Pork Roast [Love you mom & dad!]

I blame my parents for this one; it's good, but not good for me! And I'd like to apologize right now for the lack of pork pictures, but I haven't made this in awhile. Instead, you can see pictures of my mom's wonderful pies, since I'm talking about her cooking anyway!Homemade pecan pie with pecans that grow on my parent's property in Texas. Definitely my favorite pie ever!

My parents are amazing in the kitchen. I know my dad's mom was too, but I'm not sure about my mom's mom. Both my parents cook, although my mom is definitely in the kitchen more than my dad. From my dad's chicken soup to my grandma's chili to my mom's pies, I grew up eating good stuff. I love them for many things, and that's definitely one of them, even if my love for cooking didn't blossom until a few years ago.Homemade cherry pie my mom made with sour cherries we picked the day before in Door County, Wisconsin.

This is a 'recipe' I got from them, although you can't really call it a recipe. And I can't give you exact measurements because, well, they rarely measure things [except in baking, but we all know that's pretty much mandatory!] I'll do my best to walk you though things though, because in the end, you'll thank me. And kiss my toes!

I can't quite remember what cut of meat I've used for this in the past, but I think a shoulder arm roast or a shoulder blade [Boston] roast would work well. Both are intended for roasting, which is what you want. Do not use any type of loin here. While I love pork loin and tenderloin, they have their own uses in the kitchen, and this ain't one of 'em. The whole point is to have the meat basically fall off the bone because it gets so tender. Loin will never do that for ya, nor should it.Garlic-Oregano Pork Roast
The recipe came from my parents, blame them for the vagueness!

Pork roast [shoulder arm or shoulder blade, preferably]
Garlic powder
Dried oregano
Salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400F. Season roast with garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper as desired. Place in roasting pan; add enough water to cover the bottom of roasting pan and bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn the oven down to 300F (somewhere between 275F-325F depending on your oven) and continue to cook for another 2+ hours or until roast basically falls apart.

Yup, that's all there is to this bad boy. Super yummy. I always make homemade gravy out of drippings because, well, I'm a gravy junkie. Funny story --- before Buppy met wonderful lil' moi, he'd never made homemade gravy. Always used the jarred stuff. I think he definitely appreciates my abilities in the gravy department nowadays! Thanks to my wonderful mom & papa for this recipe [and for teaching me how to make gravy]!My parents dropping me off at the airport as my vacay home [to Wisco] ended.

*This post is linked to Life as Mom’s Ultimate Recipe Swap for Favorite Cozy Foods. Stop on over for more great ideas.

Well, I won't get scurvy!

Buppy and I tried a new recipe from eatbetteramerica.com last night that sounded tasty and got pretty good reviews. I think the fact that we used pork loin chops instead of chicken breasts might have changed the outcome, but then again, some reviews did mention that it was extremely lime-y. I love lime, so this wasn't really a concern for me. My problem with last night's meal was that the cilantro was completely overpowered, to the point where I couldn't even tell there had been cilantro in the marinade. I love cilantro, so that made me one sad panda.

What follows below is the recipe I used. For the original with chicken, go here. If you try out the original, let me know how the chicken turns out.

Lime Pork
Adapted from eatbetteramerica

1/2 c. lime juice
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
3 pork loin chops, approximately 1/2 in. thick
1 tsp. olive oil

In a resealable plastic bag, mix lime juice, cilantro, salt and pepper. Rub pork with oil; place in same bag, turning to coat pork in lime mixture. Refrigerate at least 2 hours [I refrigerated it approximately 12 hours].
Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Cover and grill 4-6 inches from medium-high heat about 8 minutes per side or until cooked through and juices run clear.

I think this would be great wrapped up in a flour tortilla with some home-made guacamole and/or pico de gallo. Or on a tortilla with cheese, lettuce, tomato, black olives & sour cream. It definitely gives off that Tex-Mex vibe, but it needs fresh cilantro in my opinion. Enjoy!

Oriental Pork Cabbage Stir-Fry

This was dinner on Sunday night. The picture in the cookbook looked really tasty, so I had to give it a try. I tweaked the original recipe only slightly, and it turned out alright. The main thing I noticed, and I don't understand why this happened, was that the pork got tough. Buppy cut it into the appropriate-sized chunks, and I cooked it just as they directed, but it was tough. Tiny Tot #2 actually spit his out because it was too tough for him to keep chewing. He does that sometimes anyway with food, but this time I understood and knew where he was coming from. So odd. Good flavor nonetheless, so I think next time we'll try it with chicken or beef. Or tofu. Ha --- gotcha! No, tofu is not part of my diet except in hot & sour soup. Sorry folks, you won't catch me buyin' the stuff.

Oriental Pork Cabbage Stir-Fry
Adapted from Taste of Home's Light & Tasty Annual Recipes 2005
Jane Goldsmith, Bloomfield, IN

6 c. cabbage chunks [1-in. pieces] - I used Napa cabbage
3 tsp. canola oil, divided
1 extra large carrot, julienned
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
1 pork tenderloin [about 1 lb.], cut into 3/4 in. cubes
2 Tbsp. minced fresh ginger root
1 c. chicken broth, divided
1/4 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce
4 tsp. cornstarch
Hot cooked rice

In a large nonstick skillet or wok, stir-fry cabbage in 1 tsp. hot oil for 2 min. Add carrot and onion; stir-fry for 3-4 min. longer or until carrots are crisp-tender. Remove and keep warm.
Stir-fry the pork in remaining oil for 2 minutes. Add ginger and stir-fry for 2 min. or until pork is lightly browned. Stir in 3/4 c. broth and soy sauce. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 3 minutes or until meat juices run clear.
Combine cornstarch and remaining broth until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Return cabbage, carrot and onion to wok. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2-3 min. or until thickened. Serve over rice. Yield: 4 servings.

Like I said, good flavor in the dish overall, but I'll try a different meat next time. Enjoy!

Pork Carnitas --- Success!

Yes, we made pork carnitas for dinner on Wednesday night as planned [and blogged about] and they were really good. While the flavor of the meat was mild and I feel like I might want something more [although, to be honest, I have no idea what I'd add], this recipe is a keeper as is. And pretty simple too, which is always a bonus. It's not really fast since the pork has to boil for awhile, but I'd still say it's well worth the time.I used the recipe for the pork almost exactly as I found it here, at For the Love of Cooking. Well, to be honest, I'm not sure what cut of pork I used. We recently got half a pig from a co-worker of Buppy's and all it said was "boneless p. roast". Eh, it worked for me. And we didn't use the same toppings [all of them anyway] as she did, but still, the meat, the main part of this wonderful recipe, was the same.

Pork Carnitas
Adapted from For the Love of Cooking
Adapted from Noble Pig & Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

2 pounds boneless pork roast, cut into 1" pieces
2 tsp. jarred minced garlic
Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 c. orange juice
1/2 c. milk
Water

Flour tortillas, warmed
Homemade guacamole
Homemade pico de gallo
Shredded cheddar cheese

In a large pot over high heat, combine pork, garlic, salt, pepper, and 8 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, for 45 minutes. Empty into a colander to drain well.

In the same pot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add pork back to the pot, orange juice and milk. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has evaporated and pork has browned, approximately 8 to 12 minutes. The browning will take place after the liquid has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve the pork in the warmed flour tortillas with shredded cheese, guacamole and pico de gallo. Enjoy!
*Side note: to help keep the leftover pork moist, I stored it in some of the broth it had originally boiled in [I strained it into a bowl so I'd have that option]. I tried a bite yesterday and it's still pretty moist. I was worried because the pork didn't have much fat on it, and Pam [For the Love of Cooking] mentioned having some issues with hers drying out for that very reason. This seems like a good way to help with that.

Taxes, Carnitas & Easter Weekend

I did my federal taxes. Finally. This year I was more of a procrastinator than most, and I have no idea why. There were plenty of free sites to choose from, but I think since I'd buried all my forms in a massive pile on my desk, I was more avoiding cleaning and sorting said mess than the tax process itself. Still gotta do those state ones though, but at least all my income was received in one state this year. Last year, incomes from 2 separate states made for a sad-faced Bugaboo. Maybe this year *cross my digits* I won't have to pay in on the state end of things. Ok, enough tax talk.

I'm really here today because I'm bored. Lackluster. I went to bed at 10:30pm-ish, woke up at 1am to use the restroom and again at 2:45am. The 2nd time there was no going back to sleep. I tried twice, but to no avail, so I got in the shower at 5:15am and was to work by 7am. Traffic was surprisingly pleasant and I now get to leave at 3pm instead of 6pm as is my norm. Hurray for what'll seem like an early day for me!

I think we're going to make pork carnitas tonight. I'm a huge fan of them when they're done right, but haven't yet found a recipe I like enough when I make them at home. Boo. Since I'm also a big fan of For the Love of Cooking's recipes, I'm trusting that the recipe I found on her site will be tasty. She found it here, on Noble Pig’s blog, which apparently started out as a Martha Stewart's Everyday Food recipe. Martha, please don't let me down! Both blogs feature some really delicious food, so I'm confident dinner will be awesome tonight. I already have the makings for pico de gallo and guacamole at home ---- what more could a girl want?! I'll be sure to letcha know how it goes.

This weekend, Buppy will go to work and I'll be left alone for Easter. I think I might color some eggs, just for fun. Maybe eat a Starburst jellybean or two. I've considered going down to the Tidal Basin to check out the National Cherry Blossom Festival but am really just not sure what I'll be up to. I checked, and the 31st was the peak date for the blooms; a friend from Wisco was recently in DC, and apparently at the perfect time to enjoy the blossoms. I bet the Tidal Basin smells amazing! I just saw this crazy-tasty looking sammy on the Food Network at a place in Philly; maybe I'll go there to check it out this weekend. Well, at least I have options.

Recipe Critique: Rosemary Encrusted Pork Loin

Sunday night's dinner this past weekend was a new recipe Buppy and I tried called Rosemary Encrusted Pork Tenderloin. I found the recipe on Le Petit Pierogi and decided it was worth a try. Her photos made it look very appealing, and we have a rosemary plant that is completely weighed down with too many leaves. It was time to put it to good use. Originally we were going to use the recipe I blogged about here for Menu Plan Monday for a roasted pork loin that was somewhat similar but had a few key differences. Not to say that we won't try the roasted pork loin recipe sometime in the future, but I can easily say I'm very happy we used the one we did.

It's funny, but for awhile now I've thought that I didn't really like rosemary. Buppy is a huge fan and he's asked me at least 20 times since we've been together if I like it. He seems to forget he's already asked and that I've told him I'm not a huge fan. That, or he hopes I'll change my answer. Well honey, you're in luck!

About a year or so ago (give or take), Buppy decided I should try a rosemary and red wine marinated steak. They're a favorite of his. I obliged, thinking it wouldn't be too bad. It's wasn't, but the steak was a little old, a little over cooked (sorry Buppy, but I still love you!) and just not my thing. What I've come to realize with our recent kitchen trials is that it's not that I don't care for rosemary, it's that I don't care for the overpowering flavor of red wine or balsamic vinegar. Don't get me wrong, I'm not grouping them together to say they're one in the same, but they both can easily overpower dishes and make me think I don't like other ingredients when I actually might.

So back to the rosemary encrusted pork tenderloin.

Rosemary Encrusted Pork Loin
Adapted from Le Petit Pierogi

Pork loin (ours was about 1 1/2 lbs.)
Fresh rosemary (maybe 1 tsp.)
Rubbed sage (maybe 1/2 tsp.)
Minced garlic (maybe 1 tsp.)
Salt & pepper (enough to taste)
Olive oil (enough to make a paste when mixed with other ingredients)

Mix the oil and spices (herbs, whatever) together, then rub it all over the outside of the pork. Cook it in the rotisserie as per rotisserie instructions for pork loin. Viola!

To be honest, I was cooking praline apple bread and zucchini pizza casserole as Buppy made this for dinner, so I'm really just guessing at how much of each herb he used. Use whatever suits your taste and looks about right, ok? Or use the original recipe from Le Petit Pierogi! Our piece of pork was loin and just happened to be in the fridge (not tenderloin as the original recipe called for.) We had to substitute fresh rosemary for the dried and rubbed sage for the fresh. It was kind of backwards from her recipe actually. We didn't inject it as the recipe suggested since she made it clear that skipping this step wouldn't result in disaster. The simple mixture of rosemary, sage, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil rubbed on the pork turned out so flavorful; I thought it would be good but I was surprised at just how good it really was! And cooking it in the rotisserie made the outside wonderfully crispy, just the way we like!

This recipe is definitely a keeper in our book. And I'm so happy I found Le Petit Pierogi's blog; she has so many recipes I can't wait to try!

Recipe Critique: Easy Italian Spiced Pork

Last week on Menu Plan Monday, I blogged about how I wanted to make a recipe I'd found once upon a time for easy Italian spiced pork. The post with the recipe, for those of you who didn't catch it the first time around, can be found here.

Buppy and I made it for a late dinner this past Friday night. To be honest, we split one chop just mainly to try it and then saved the rest for left overs. We had made a batch of guacamole earlier in the evening for a snack and then ended up not hungry for a real dinner! Oh well, sometimes ya just gotta do it!

Back to the pork. While the recipe only called for 1/4 c. of balsamic vinegar, that seemed to be all I could taste in the chops. I guess you could say I'm not overly big on balsamic vinegar, although I do like to taste just a hint of it in dishes. It was, in my opinion, overwhelming. I couldn't taste the Italian seasoning at all, which really says something because there's an entire packet of Italian salad dressing mix (powder) as well as some Italian seasoning in it! Buppy didn't really think so and thought it had good flavor. I'm guessing this might be a recipe that he keeps on file and makes if I'm out of town. If you love balsamic vinegar, this is the recipe for you! I think next time I might cut it down to an 1/8 c. and see if I like it better.

Happy eating!

Menu Plan Monday --- Aug. 24th, 2009

First of all, I'd like to wish my dearest mom a happy birthday! I love her dearly and wish we lived closer than we do (I'm in MD, she's in TX). But so goes life. I hope she's having a fabulous day!

Now, onto the planning. This week Buppy and I have tonight (Mon.) and tomorrow night all to ourselves. Not that I don't appreciate having the kids, but some alone time every couple of weeks is nice. Wed. and Thurs., Buppy'll be at work but I'll be serving at the restaurant too, so no real plans will be made. I figure I'll most likely grab a bowl of soup while there, if it's not too busy, and call it a night. Fri. through Sun., we'll all be home. Well, they've asked me to work at the restaurant Fri. and Sat. nights too, but I'm not sure if I'm up for that. We'll see. I'll plan for dinners for all of us, and if it's just Buppy at home with the kids, he can still make whatever I've planned.

Monday: Cheeseburgers with sauteed mushrooms (I eat cheeseburgers about 2-3 times/year. We hardly ever have them. I don't eat ground beef very often.), fried potatoes with onions.

Tuesday: Hot wings, green salad.

Wednesday: Both Buppy & I work.

Thursday: Both Buppy & I work.

Friday: BLTs, some sort of steamed veggie and/or apple slices.

Saturday: Roasted pork loin (I found a recipe Buppy should love as it has rosemary in it and he loves the stuff. I'm not a huge fan but am willing to eat it once in awhile. Besides, our plant has a ton on it that needs to be used!), mashed potatoes with gravy.

Sunday: Homemade pierogi (I still haven't tried the recipe I wanted to try back on MPM 7/27/09!), slow cooked sauerkraut.

Last week wasn't my best effort at sticking with my menu plan, so this week we'll see if I can do a little better. The featured recipe of the week today? Let's do the roasted pork loin recipe I just found that I want to try pretty much all for Buppy. Geez, I'm such a nice girlfriend.

Roasted Pork Loin

Recipe from allrecipes.com

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. dried rosemary (I'm going to have to adjust for fresh)
Salt & pepper, to taste
2 lb. boneless pork loin
1/4 c. olive oil
1/2 c. white wine

Preheat oven to 350F. Crush garlic with rosemary, salt and pepper, making a paste. Pierce meat with a sharp knife in several places and press the garlic paste into the openings. Rub the meat with the remaining garlic mixture and olive oil. Place pork loin into oven for 2 hours, turning and basting with pan liquids. After 2 hours, remove roast to a platter. Heat the wine in the pan and stir to loosen browned bits of food on the bottom. Serve with pan juices.

I figure I'll make a few adjustments to the recipe, and might leave the wine out all together. If I do choose to add it, it'll be when I first put the roast in so it'll contribute to the pan juices. I plan to use a cornstarch/water mixture and make gravy out of the drippings instead of having a white wine pan juice. Just for my personal preferences, that's all. If you try it, let me know what you thought of it!

I'll be linking this post to I'm an Organizing Junkie's Menu Plan Monday. Stop by here for more great menu planning ideas!