Spicy Shredded Pork

My husband really loved this meal! The pork was very tasty and the flour tortillas, lime, and sour cream add a really nice Mexican style touch.

Spicy Shredded Pork

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

4 - 7 lb pork shoulder
1 onion
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp garlic
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 -2 tbsp salt
pepper
1 -2 tbsp olive oil
2 -3 tbsp white wine vinegar 
flour tortillas

lime wedges

Directions

1. Rinse the pork shoulder and pat dry. Place pork in a roasting pan. Combine all marinade ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth  (I used a blender). 

2. Pour over pork shoulder and rub it in thoroughly. Add about 1-2 cups of water. Cover tightly and roast pork at 300 for several hours until pork is fork tender.  After 3 hours, remove cover and cook at 450 for an additional 15-20 minutes.

3. Shred with two forks. Pour the juices over the meat, sprinkle lime juice on top, and serve with warm tortillas, sour cream, salsa, or anything else you like.

Crispy Yogurt Chicken

Crispy Yogurt Chicken

Source: The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

Chicken - drumsticks, tenderloins, chicken breasts, etc.
2 c Plain, Unflavored Yogurt
2 cloves minced garlic
Handful, minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Juice from 1 lemon
Kosher Salt
Butter (optional)
Panko Bread Crumbs

Directions

1. Mix yogurt, garlic, parsley and lemon juice until combined. Thoroughly rinse chicken and salt well.

2.  Into another bowl, pour 2 c of bread crumbs - you may need more bread crumbs as you go along). Add salt and pepper.

3. Grease a small-medium baking dish and set aside. 

4. Begin by dipping chicken into yogurt mixture, then into the bread crumbs, making sure to evenly coat each piece. Lay chicken in baking dish, (place a tbsp of butter on each piece - optional), then cover with foil. 

5. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour, then remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes or  until the pieces are golden brown.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

These muffins are absolutely delicious!  I am not a big pumpkin person at all, and this recipe has officially brought me over to the other side.  I made these for a brunch we went to this morning, and these are a definite keeper - a great fall treat, and the cream cheese center will impress (although its so easy, and not impressive at all really... lol).  This recipe is from Annie's Eats.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins

Yields 24 muffins

Ingredients

For the muffins:

3 cups flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tbsp and 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

4 eggs

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

2 cups pumpkin puree

For the filling:

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

For the streusel topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup and 1 tsp flour

4 tbsp butter, cubed

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Directions

To prepare the filling, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip until smooth.  Form into a log on plastic wrap or foil, making sure that the diameter is small enough to fit into the well of a muffin pan.  Wrap the log up tightly and freeze until slightly hardened, about 1-2 hours. (The direction to freeze is really just to make the cream cheese easier to work with.  If you are like me and accidentally put it in the refrigerator instead, don't panic! Its okay - just more difficult to work with.)

To make the muffins, combine the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda in a medium bowl.  Mix well and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs, vegetable oil,sugar, and pumpkin puree.  Mix until well combined.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined.  

To make the streusel topping, combine all the ingredients into a small bowl.  Mix together with a pastry blender or with two forks until crumbly.

Preheat the oven to 350.  Line two muffin pans with paper liners.  To assemble the muffins, fill each muffin well halfway with batter.  Remove the cream cheese log from the freeze and slice into 24 equal slices.  Place a slice in each muffin well.  Divide the remaining muffin batter evenly among the muffin cups, on top of the cream cheese.  Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of the batter.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.  Let cool completely before serving.

Steak Sandwiches

I love this meal (my husband's favorite word... long story...lol) because its so easy.  I wanted something really simple with minimal clean-up... and this is it.  Its very tasty and an all-around easy weeknight favorite!

Ingredients

Steak of your choice, grilled and sliced (I wouldn't waste a really good steak on a sandwich, so I used a london broil. I've also used tri-tip before - really whatever is on sale is good for this.)

1 French baguette

1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced

2 slices of jack cheese, or to taste

Lettuce

Garlic salt

McCormick steak seasoning or spices of your choice

Mayonnaise, if that is your thing

Mustard (I used honey dijon)

One thin slice of butter

Directions

1. Sprinkle garlic powder and McCormick steak seasoning over the steak. Grill the steak until medium or personal preference.

2. While the steak is grilling, melt the thin slice of butter in a small frying pan on the stove over medium heat. Saute the sliced red bell pepper and onions over medium heat until slightly soft.

3.  Assemble your sandwich according to what you like!  

Lakshmi Mahadevan's World Famous Masala Recipe

This was my first time making Indian food, and it was a hit!  This dish was absolutely delicious.  In July, I went to a friend's Indian wedding in Lake Tahoe.  Her favor was her mother's "world famous Masala recipe" and "super secret masala spice."  I decided to finally attempt this dish tonight.  It was so flavorful, and not to mention, spicy!  I used chicken in this dish, though you can use chicken, shrimp, tofu, or garbanzo beans.  Mrs. Mahadevan says pork and beef does not taste right in this dish.

Ingredients

2" x 2" fresh piece of ginger, shredded

3-4 cloves of fresh garlic, crushed then minced

1-2 jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise (use according to your spiciness preference!)

1 medium sized red onion, minced

olive oil

3 fresh roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 of a large can of crushed tomatoes

protein of your choice (chicken, fish, shrimp, tofu, garbanzo beans)

1 tablespoon on Lakshmi's super secret masala spice *Ok, so, I am pretty sure they sell "masala" in the spice section of your grocery store, or specialty grocer

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

pinch of sugar

fresh cilantro, washed, destemmed, coarsely chopped *I omitted the cilantro 

fresh lemon, cut into wedges

Directions

1. Combine the garlic and ginger into a paste (use food prep, blender, mortar & pestle.... the only thing I have is a blender, and it didn't work well, so I just smashed it into a paste as best I could!)

2. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic/ginger paste and jalapenos, and saute for 2 minutes.

3.  Add the onions and cook until they are translucent.

4.  Add the roma tomatoes, cook for one minute. Ensure heat is not too high and stir tomatoes so they don't scorch on the bottom.

5. Add half the can of crushed tomatoes.  Stir all the ingredients and cover.  Simmer for 4-5 minutes.  Monitor the heat to prevent scorching.  If you want more tomatoes, add additional crushed tomato throughout the cooking process, by the tablespoonful.

6.  Add the garam masala, turmeric, and salt.  Stir.

7. Add your protein and stir.  Add another tablespoon of olive oil and fold the olive oil into your masala.  Cover and allow the ingredients to simmer for 2-3 minutes.

8. Add a pinch of sugar - this takes away the acidity of the tomatoes.

9. Allow your curry to stew for 20-25 minutes, depending on what type of protein you have chosen.  Stir regularly.

10. Right before serving, stir a handful of chopped cilantro into the curry.  Garnish the dish with cilantro.

11. Squeeze 1-2 wedges of fresh lemon over the dish, and enjoy!

Serving suggestions

1. Serve the masala over freshly cooked basmati rice (I used brown basmati)

2.  As a side dish, mix cubed cucumber with mint, cilantro, and yogurt.  Garnish with paprika.

3.  As a side dish, shred 2-3 large carrots.  Combined with one finely chopped serrano or jalapeno pepper.  Squeeze the juice of one lemon into the mixture - this is spicy!

French Toast Casserole

We were invited to brunch today at a friend's house, and I wanted to bring some type of breakfast casserole.  This french toast casserole was amazing.  It is very rich and decadent, and best of all, everyone loved it.  This would be especially great for Christmas morning when the entire family is there for breakfast.  This recipe must be made the night before. It is very simple and fast, and is well worth it!

Obtained from A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen

Ingredients

Serves 8

5 tablespoonfuls of unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 loaf of sourdough, brioche, or challah bread, cut into 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole milk * I used 1/2 cup 2% milk, and 1/2 cup of half-and-half

1 tablespoonful pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup chopped pecans

confectioners sugar to sprinkle on top

Maple syrup to taste

Directions

1. Combined the melted butter and sugar in the bottom of a large baking dish.  Spread the mixture out evenly to cover the bottom of the baking dish.

2. Arrange the bread slices on top, squeezing into place.

3. Whisk the eggs and add all the remaining ingredients except the pecans. Pour evenly over the bread, letting it soak in.

4. Top with the pecans and cover with plastic wrap. * The casserole will not look very moist, but I promise it will be when you eat it!

5. Keep refrigerated for at least 3 hours, or overnight

6. Set out at room temperature for at least 20 minutes before baking.  Heat oven to 350 and baked for 35-40 minutes.

7.  Sprinkle confectioners sugar on top. Serve hot or warm with maple syrup.

White Bean Chicken Chili

This is another delicious recipe from Cate's Blog. Again, mine looks a little different, but at least this time, I cooked the beans correctly!  This was a very flavorful chili, not too spicy, just right. Great for cold fall and winter nights!  I'll definitely be making this again.

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

10 medium tomatillos, husks removed, rinsed, and chopped *I used 8 

3 jalapenos, stems removed, and chopped *I used 1 to be on the safe side for spiciness

1 tsp salt

pepper to to taste

1 1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

3 cups cooked white beans, drained *I used 2 cans of white beans, drained

2 tbsp tomato paste

1/2 cup frozen corn

Directions

1. In a dutch oven, heat the oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and garlic, cook for several minutes until the onions are soft.

2. Stir in the jalapenos and tomatillos, cook, stirring for 2 minutes.

3. Add the cubed chicken, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and cayenne pepper.  Stir well.

4. Stir in the broth and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink on the outside. 

5. Stir in the beans and tomato paste, turn down the heat slightly, and simmer partially covered for about 2o minutes.

6. Just before serving, stir in the frozen corn and heat for about 5 minutes.

7.  Serve with sour cream or sprinkle cheese on top.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are so delicious! My new favorite chocolate chip cookies.  I was telling my husband I should send some home with my friend who is coming over, and he told me "NO!" LOL.

Source: Baking Illustrated, found in the Price Family Blog

Ingredients

2 cups plus two teaspoons of unbleached, all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled until warm

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 - 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower middle positions and heat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or spray them with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl, and set aside.

3. Either by hand or with electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended.  Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips to taste.

4. Roll a scant 1/4 cup of the dough into a ball.  Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves.  Rotate the halves 90 degrees and with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough's uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, jagged surface up, spreading them 2 1/2 inches apart.

5.  Bake until the cookies are light golden brown and the outer edges start to harden, yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time.  Cool the cookies on sheets, remove the cooled cookies from the sheets with a side metal spatula.

*I just used a tablespoonful of dough and baked for 14 minutes, or until as described.

Chicken and Corn Chowder

Delicious and hearty soup, great for cool fall and winter nights.  

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma FoodMadeFast: Weeknight

Ingredients

Bacon, 4 slices, chopped

Red bell pepper, 1 large, seeded and chopped

Fresh or frozen corn kernels, 4 cups

Yukon gold potatoes, 3/4 pound, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

Chicken broth, 3 cups

Dry white wine, 1/2 cup

Skinless boneless chicken thighs, 3/4lb, cut into 1/2 inch chunks

Green (spring) onions, 6, white and pale green parts, thinly sliced

Fresh thyme, 3 tablespoons (I did 1 tablespoon of dried)

Half-and-half, 2 1/2 cups (I did two cups half-and-half and 1/2 cup 2% milk)

Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, fry the bacon until crisp, about 5 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain.  Pour off all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings.

2. Add the bell pepper, corn, and potatoes to the same pan over medium heat.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the peppers are just softened and the corn and potatoes are lightly tinged with gold, 4-5 minutes.  Add the both and wine, bring to a boil, cover, and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the chicken and cook, covered, until opaque throughout, 5-7 minutes.

3. Stir in the green onions, thyme, and half-and-half.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce the heat to medium low, and cook, uncovered until heated through - about 3 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle with bacon.

Sausages with White Beans

My husband's favorite food is sausage! When we were in Germany, I think he ate sausage variations several times a day for several days straight.  Its fatty so I'm not too big on it, but decided it would be a nice dinner for him.  Well, this dish turned out delicious!  It is so flavorful and the flavors blend together so nicely.  Okay, so, its kind of hard to make sausage LOOK appetizing (especially when its covered in beans!) ... but, trust me.  You won't regret it! (By the way, I am terrible at making beans. I think it has something to do with my terrible stove, because they always get mushy... even that couldn't ruin this dish though!)

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma FoodMadeFast: Weeknight 

Ingredients

Hot or sweet Italian sausages, 8 small or 4 large (I used 5 mild)

Dry white wine, 1 cup

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Yellow onion, 1, finely chopped

Red bell pepper, 1 large, chopped and seeded

Garlic, 2 cloves, minced (I used 5)

White beans such as cannellini or Great Northern, 2 cans, drained and rinsed

Fresh oregano, 2 tablespoons, minced (I used 1 tablespoon of dried)

Chicken broth, 3/4 cup

Salt & pepper to taste

Arugula, 2-3 cups (can substitute escarole or raicchio if needed)

Directions

1. Prick the sausages in a few places with a fork and place them in a large frying pan with a lid.  Add 1/2 cup of the wine.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 5 minutes.  Uncover the pan, raise the heat to medium-high, and cook the sausages, turning occasionally, until well browned, 8-10 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

2. While the sausages are cooking, in a separate large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil.  Add the onion and bell pepper, stirring occasionally until softened and beginning to brown - about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir continuously for 30 seconds.  Add the beans, oregano, the remaining 1/2 cup of wine, and the both.  Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer uncovered until half of the liquid has evaporated, about 4-5 minutes.

3. Add the sausages to the pan with the beans and simmer for about 1 minute until warmed through.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  

You can either (or both) use the arugula in step 2 and add it to the peppers and onions, or you can serve it on the plate beside the beans and sausage.

Mac and Cheese

This was my first time making homemade macaroni and cheese.  It is a low(er) fat version than usual, but it was still pretty tasty! I borrowed it from Cate's blog. Hers came out a lot more yellow than mine, which is weird because I followed the directions exactly!  This recipe makes about 4 servings.  Next time, I will probably add some garlic and butter, and maybe some breadcrumbs to top.  I served it with roasted broccoli.  We will make this again!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups uncooked macaroni

1 cup 1% milk (I used 2%)

2 tbsp all-purpose flour 

1 1/4 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta in a medium saucepan according to pasta directions

2. Transfer to a colander 

3. In the same saucepan, combine the milk and the flour over medium heat, stirring with a whisk

4. Cook, stirring constantly until thickened - about 2 minutes

5. Add cheese, salt, pepper, and continue whisking until all cheese is melted

6. Turn of heat, stir in pasta, and let sit for a few minutes.

Banana Bread

I had several overripe bananas I needed to use, so I decided to make some banana bread.  This is the first time I've made this recipe and I chose to this recipe because it got really great reviews on Allrecipes.com, and I had all the ingredients on hand.  It's very most, delicious, and has a great banana taste. It's perfectly sweetened, and is not too sweet like some other banana bread recipes can be.  I split the recipe into two 8x4 loaf pans instead of one 9x5, and it worked out great.

Ingredients

2 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

2 1/3 cups cashed, overripe bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan

2.  In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt.  In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar.  Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended.  Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten.  Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

3.  Bake in preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loan comes out clean.  Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Cooking in Monterey

Ever since I moved from San Diego to Monterey, cooking and especially baking has been a challenge.  I love the fresh farmer's markets in the area, and the produce is generally better since we are so close to farm country.  I love cooking, and when I moved, I stocked up on brand new cook books and even a new apron... so, you're probably wondering, "what's the problem?" Well... the problem lies with my stove and my oven.  

My stove and oven is like something straight out of 1965.  After many months of burning meals (I also had to get used to using gas for the first time in my life), the oven died, and our landlord bought us a new stove/oven. I was excited at the prospect of actually being able to cook on a real stove/oven that wasn't so darn old and fidgety.... except, if you know anything about Monterey, you know that the landlords here don't really care what they throw in their rentals, as long as it "works"... and whether it works or not... well, that's all relative.  My 1965 oven was replaced by an exact, but current replica of the same basic, bare bones oven that retails for about $400 - just so you know what I am working with here. 

After many burnt meals (especially baked goods), I figured out that you actually have to use 25 degrees less than what the recipe calls for, and cut the cooking time short by 20 minutes in most cases - at least with baking.  I've finally got it figured out, but, oh, what I would give for a REAL kitchen! (oh, and a dishwasher would be nice, too!)

The purpose of my blog is to share recipes with friends & family... and good books.... good movies... my latest travel destination... basically, just a combination of things! I guess I didn't think I'm busy enough as it is, what with finishing my last semester of grad school and starting to learn Chinese in an intense, year and a half long language training school...