Pork Chile Verde with Cilantro Lime Rice

Happy Monday! It's been a long time since I've posted anything here, for myriad reasons. I'm trying to get back on track and appreciate those of you who've stuck around.

This pork dish is completely addictive - from the time you start chopping the produce until it all comes together and hits the plate. Waiting the hour for it to simmer can be like torture if you're really  hungry. You must love cilantro, though. Parsley might work as a substitute, but I haven't and won't ever try it that way because we love it as-is so I can't guarantee it'll be any where near as good as the original.
Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin, approx. 1 lb., cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• ¾ tsp. kosher salt, divided
• ½ tsp. pepper, divided
• 2 tsp. canola oil, divided
• 10-12 tomatillos (about 1 lb.), peeled, rinsed and chopped into quarters
• 1 large sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
• 1 med green pepper, coarsely chopped
• ½ jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped, divided
• Zest of 3 limes, divided
• Juice of 3 limes
• Sour cream and additional cilantro for serving, optional

Method:

1. Combine pork, cumin, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. pepper and 1 tsp. oil.
2. Preheat large stock pot on med-high 2-3 min. Place pork mix in pan; cook 2-3 min to brown.
3. Place remaining 1 tsp. oil in pan, then add onions, tomatillos, and garlic; cook 3-4 min or until onions softened
4. Stir in zest of two limes and all of juice. Cover and reduce heat to med-low; simmer 60-65 min or until pork is tender.
5. Stir into pork: bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and ½ cup cilantro. Cook 4-5 more min or until peppers are tender.
6. Prepare rice following package instructions. Stir in remaining ½ cup cilantro, remaining ¼ tsp. each salt and pepper, and remaining zest of one lime.
7. Serve pork chili over rice. Top with a dollop of sour cream and additional fresh cilantro.

Lazy Pierogi

I love pierogi. I think potato and cheese is my favorite. (Of course I would love the pasta that is filled with potato!) Sauerkraut is good, too.

However, I've never cooked prepared pierogi at home and have never made them from scratch, which I understand is a labor of love. This lazy pierogi is equally loving, but with far less work. Satisfying, warm, and comforting...nice dish to nourish the soul. It made me wish Brian's Gramp was still living above Bri - I think he'd love it!

When Sue emailed us this recipe, she warned me that I would use every pot in the kitchen.
She was right! But it was pretty easy to put together after work on a week night.

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 oz.) can sauerkraut
• 1 box bow tie pasta (I'd only use half a box next time)
• 2 sticks margarine
• 2 onions, diced
• 8 oz. sliced cremini mushrooms
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. caraway seed
• 1 kielbasa, cut into bite sized pieces
• 2 low sodium beef bouillon cubes

Method:

1. Drain sauerkraut, rinse in cold water. Put in saucepan and add enough water to just cover
   sauerkraut and simmer 30. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cooking liquid.
3. At the same time, sauté onion in margarine until soft. (I found it was more like a braise than a sauté, because of the amount of margarine.) Add mushrooms and cook through. Stir in pepper and caraway seeds. Add kielbasa and combine well.
4. Dissolve bouillon in reserved pasta water. Stir into onion mixture.
5. Fold in drained sauerkraut and pasta. Mix well.
6. Serve hot.

Source: SuSu

Same recipe, different ingredients - Ham, mushroom, and scallion quiche

I'm trying to be better about this blog thing. More recipes, more posts, more often. Better pictures (how am I supposed to shoot in natural light if it's dark by the time I get home from work and get dinner on the table, eh?). More followers (that's where you come in).

So, I've been reading a bunch of posts from bloggers and blogging experts - both self-proclaimed and bona fide. Some of what they say makes perfect sense. Be yourself: don't try to be funny - or an expert on French cooking - if you're not. Post your photos even if they aren't perfect (thank god). Post something. Anything. Credit your sources. Don't type "utilize" when "use" will do. (Oh, wait, that one's a hold over from my work life.)

Yesterday I read a blog entitled "Ten Important Things I've Learned About Blogging." And
number 3 on her list was: never blog about the same top[ic] twice!

At first, I figured she must know what's talking about, since the Food Network built an entire show around her now-famous blog.

Then I remembered: be yourself. I do sometimes make the same recipes over again, often with different ingredients. And it can change the end result, at the very least it's different and at most it's better.

Case in point: Had I followed the advice of that well-respected, much-read blogger, we never would have pulled this culinary piece of art out of the oven tonight. What works great in a brunch quiche may not be hearty enough for a dinner quiche.

I've posted about the perfect quiche recipe before. And it definitely bears repeating. I made it again tonight (Brian assembled, let's be fair) and this time used:

• A 12-oz. ham dinner steak, medium diced
• 8 oz. Cremini mushrooms, medium diced
• 1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced, using only white and light green parts
• 1 1/2 C shredded Swiss cheese

The ham had been frozen prior, so it was pretty water logged. After sautéing the veggies in a little garlic olive oil and butter - maybe a tablespoon of each - I remove them, then tossed the ham in the hot pan. I sautéed it just until the extra water had cooked out.

It held together much better this time, after having quickly cooked out the moisture from the fillings. Will definitely keep that in mind in the future.

 

Moral of the story? I'll try not to bore you, but you just might see the same recipe on here twice...

Sausage Squares

Last week, I had some girlfriends over for drinks and appetizers after work. Not only was it a great chance to catch up, laugh, have some wine, and laugh a little more, knowing they were coming over helped ensure we finished all the decorating for Christmas. Can't beat that.

In addition to antipasto squares, I made these delicious sausage squares. They are entirely decadent - there is absolutely nothing about them that's the least bit figure friendly. And they are soooo very good. If you can't indulge during the holidays with good friends, when can  you?!

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg. Jones sausage, thawed (12 oz.)
• 1/4 C very finely minced onion
• Pinch black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 lb. Velveeta cheese, cut in small cubes
• 1 pkg. cocktail rye bread (sm. squares)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Fry sausage and onion in saute pan, then drain well.
3. Stir in pepper and garlic powder, stir to combine.
4. Continue to cook on low heat while slowly adding small cubes of cheese. Cook and stir until smooth.
5. Spread on cocktail rye squares and bake for 10 minutes.

Stuffed Pork Chops (Thanksgiving leftovers remake, take 2)

Even after using the leftover meat, potatoes, and gravy for the pot pies, I was still left with about two cups of stuffing. The first thing that came to mind was stuffed pork chops, something I love but had never made. Although I wouldn't say these were better than Thanksgiving dinner, it was a quick, tasty way to use up the last of the leftovers. Better yet, I put this together while the pot pie was baking, so I had dinner for the following night - all I had to do was bake the chops and steam some asparagus.

This is less a recipe than just a recounting of what I did - I would think you could adapt for as much or as little ingredients you have, pretty easily.

Ingredients:

• Prepared stuffing (I had about 2 C)
• Thick cut, boneless pork chops (the package I bought had 3)
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1/2 can milk

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Create as deep a pocket as you can in the side each pork chop, being careful not to cut all the way through.
3. Fill pocket with stuffing.
4. Season both sides of chops with salt and pepper.
5. Heat a little oil in a saute pan then brown chops on both sides.
6. Meanwhile, spread any remaining stuffing in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Mix soup and milk in a small dish and set aside.
7. When chops are browned, place in baking dish on top of stuffing. Pour soup mixture over chops and cover tightly with foil. (I then put the whole dish in the fridge and continued on the next night when we were ready to have them. Remember to increase cook time if you cook these from the fridge.)
8. Bake for about 25 minutes, until pork is cooked through and stuffing is hot.

Three-Ingredient Pulled Pork

This was quite simply one of the easiest, most delicious meals I've made in a long time. Thanks to my friend Erin, I can now serve up authentic Pulled Pork Sandwiches with just three simple ingredients (plus rolls, of course).

I love that you can use a lean, high quality pork roast for this. I trimmed the roast before cooking it and any fat that was left slid off easily when it came out of the crock pot.

Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2.5 lb. boneless, center cut pork roast, fat trimmed
• 12 oz. root beer soda
• BBQ sauce to taste (plus extra for serving, if desired)

Method:

1. Season roast all over with salt and pepper. Place in slow cooker.
2. Pour soda around roast.
3. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
4. Remove pork from slow cooker. Remove any remaining fat from pork.
5. Shred pork with two forks.
6. Place shredded pork into medium sauce pan.
7. Stir in desired amount of BBQ sauce (I used about 1 C) and 2 TBSP of the soda from the crock pot.
8. Heat gently until ready to serve.

Rosemary Roasted Pork Tenderloin

This was so good that I made it tonight for the second time in less than two weeks. It's a really quick and easy marinade that makes for a juicy, flavorful piece of pork.

Tonight I made it with a new Near East quinoa and brown rice with rosemary and olive oil that was delicous. I need to learn more about cooking with quinoa.

Ingredients:

1. 1/2 C apple juice concentrate
2. 1/4 C Dijon mustard
3. 2 T dried rosemary
4. 4 cloves garlic, minced
5. 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6. 1.5 lbs pork tenderloin

Method:

1. In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients; mix well.
2. Set aside 1/3 cup; cover and refrigerate.
3. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the pork and remaining marinade. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate overnight.
4. Drain and discard marinade from meat.
5. Place meat in a roasting pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.
6. Pour the reserved marinade on top.
7. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F.
8. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.               

Source: All Recipes

Game on!

Brian and I have been talking about making ribs for ages. I love the flavor of barbecue and my favorite is pulled pork; Brian has developed a taste for ribs. So, for our Super Bowl Sunday Funday, we invited his mom and dad over and decided to give barbecue ribs a try.

(I say "we" pretty euphemistically - I was definitely the sous chef for this meal.)

We went to Arnold's for the ribs and Brian spoke at length with one of the butchers about the best cut of meat and the best way to prepare them. We left with six pounds of spare ribs, freshly cut.

After speaking with the butcher and investigating different recipes online, this is how he prepared them...

First, a dry rub:

• 3/4c. brown sugar
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. paprika
• 3 Tbsp. kosher salt
• 4 1/2 Tbsp. black pepper
• 4 tsp. garlic powder,
• 4 tsp. onion powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. cayenne red pepper.

After rubbing spices in, place rack of ribs fat side up in a large disposable aluminum roasting pan.  Cover tightly with foil and marinate for 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300. Cook ribs covered in pan for 1.5 - 2 hours. Remove from oven, pour one bottle of the barbecue sause of your choice over the ribs, recover with foil, and roast for another 1.5 - 2 hours. Remove from oven, turn oven to broil, remove ribs from roasting pan and place on an aluminum-foil lined cookie sheet, and broil 10 - 15 minutes, or until caramelized. Watch closely so they do not burn!

The ribs were literally falling off the bone! In fact, as we moved them to a cutting board, some of the bones actually fell out...so delicious!  We each had 2 ribs and there were 4 large ribs leftover.

Brian's mom brough the most delicious cole slaw - soooo much better than the Boston Market variety I had considered buying!  Maybe if we ask nicely, she'll share the recipe with us...hint, hint...

My contribution to the feast were these Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits from another fun blog I've found. I've never eaten at Red Lobster, but if these gems are any indication of their food, I just might seek one out! I used the heart-healthy (aka low fat) Bisquick, fat free cheese, and fat free half and half. Anything made with Bisquick I've found to be heavy and dense - not so with these biscuits. They were fluffy and delicious. Blend just until all ingredients are combined - be careful not to over mix. I had one with soup tonight for dinner and it was almost as good as it was frest out of the oven.

We had a fun, finger-licking good time - great food, great company, and "my team" won the game!  Not a bad way to start the week!