As a rule I don't care for pizza that is too far from the traditional Italian style, but this pulled pork pizza is an exception.
Barbecued Pork
3 lbs. pork roast
2 cans of beer
barbecue sauce of choice
I usually use a pork loin roast, but any kind of pork roast will work. I've also used boneless country style pork ribs. The roast can be larger than 3 pounds, use what's on sale or available. Put the roast in a crock pot and put enough beer into it to cover. Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When done, remove roast and allow to rest until cool enough to handle. Using two forks, shred the pork. Put pulled pork in a large bowl and add your favorite barbecue sauce and mix well. Reserve some of the barbecue sauce for later.
Pizza Crust
Use a prepared crust, a crust mix or use this recipe for home made pizza dough. Put dough in round pizza pan. If using raw dough, pre-bake for 10 minutes at 425.
Take remaining barbecue sauce and with a basting brush paint a thin layer of sauce on the dough. Sprinkle sauce layer with a little garlic powder and pepper. Add pulled pork in an even, thin layer. Sprinkle top with chopped red onion and drizzle a little barbecue sauce on top. Add a mixture of cheddar and monterey jack cheese evenly over all. Bake in a 425 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
There's nothing any more satisfying than a home made macaroni and cheese casserole. It's not a difficult dish to make at all, and it can be made ahead of time and put into the oven about 30 minutes before mealtime. This recipe has a little cream along with the milk to add some richness. It definitely is not a low calorie - low fat food, but it's great for a once in a while splurge.
Macaroni and Cheese
3 cups cooked shell macaroni
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cream
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
salt to taste
Set oven to 350 degrees and preheat. Cook the shell macaroni, drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add flour and whisk together. Let cook for a minute or two until mixture begins to bubble slightly. Do not cook over high heat as this will burn the butter and darken the sauce. Add the milk and cream, whisk until the mixture becomes thick. Do not boil. When mixture is thick, add 2 1/2 cups of the cheddar cheese and stir until cheese melts. Add macaroni shells and gently stir until shells are covered well with the cheese. Grease a casserole with butter or oil and put shell/cheese mixture into it. Dot the top with butter and add the remainder of the cheese. Put into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven when cheese is just starting to brown and is bubbly. sprinkle with parsley flakes and serve.
First of all, hats off to Lacy and her blog New York City Eats where I first saw this recipe. She's got an impressive blog you need to visit with tons of great recipes.
I've seen chefs on Food Network brining turkey for Thanksgiving but never tried it. People who have, swear by the method as it makes the turkey more flavorful and juicy. I saw this recipe at the above mentioned blog and thought I'd give it a try for myself. Trying it with a chicken is easier than with a big turkey anyway. After making a few changes to the recipe, I found that brining the chicken with tea did make it very juicy and flavorful! So give it a try, either version of the recipe, and I'm sure you'll agree.
Original brine recipe
3 Twinings Lapsang Souchong tea bags
1 quart + 1 cup water
1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons kosher salt
1/4 cup + 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
(for brining 3-4lb chicken)
My alternative recipe
3 Twinings African Rooibos Red Tea bags
1 1/2 quarts water
1/2 cup pickling salt
1/3 cup brown sugar
(I was brining a 5 pound chicken)
So why the changes? A bigger chicken for one thing, plus I couldn't find the Lapsang Souchong tea locally. I picked the African Red tea just to be different, and I didn't realize until I got home that it is an herbal tea. But sometimes you just have to run with what you've got. I used pickling salt instead of kosher salt because it's what I had. Like I said, run with what you've got...
Whichever recipe you use, bring the water to a boil. Take off the heat and put in the tea bags. Let steep for 20 minutes, then add salt and sugar. Let mixture cool, then put chicken in a gallon zip-seal bag and pour brine into it. Seal bag, put in a large bowl (just in case it leaks) and refrigerate over night. Next day, remove chicken from brine, place in a roasting pan and roast in a 375 degree oven until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
The chicken comes out of the oven a reddish-brown color and the skin is delicious. I didn't put anything on the chicken when I roasted it and it needed no salt at the table. After it rested for 15 minutes, it was very tasty and juicy. I'll definitely be doing this again using a different kind of tea to see how it affects the flavor.
Not just any home made noodles, but noodles that have flax seed meal in them. Flax seed is high in soluble and insoluble fiber, anti-oxidants, and Omega-3 fatty acids. flax seed meal can be found in the supermarkets. If you get some, be sure to store it in an air tight container in the refrigerator. It should be used within two months after opening.
Home made noodles are pretty easy to make, it just takes a little extra time to do it.
Noodles
2 3/4 cup all purpose white flour
1/4 cup flax seed meal
4 eggs
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP cold water
1/2 tsp salt
Put all ingredients into large bowl, mix and knead until loose dough forms. Gather all the dough and press it into a ball shape and knead for a few minutes. Again make the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes. Separate dough into halves, roll each half into a large rectangle, making sure to keep dough well floured. When dough is the thickness desired (remember that the noodles will get thicker when cooked) start at one end and roll up the dough like a jelly roll. With a sharp knife, cut thin noodles along the whole length of the roll of dough. Noodles will unroll after cutting if enough flour was used. Heat a large pot of water to boiling that has a little salt and olive oil added to it. Cook noodles until tender, about 5 minutes. Check noodles often while cooking as fresh noodles cook faster than dried ones.
Casserole
1 26-ounce can cream of mushroom condensed soup
3 5-ounce cans tuna packed in water
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 regular sized package frozen peas
pepper to taste
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
cracker crumbs
In a large sauce pan, combine soup and tuna with all the water it is packed in. Add garlic powder and cook over medium heat until hot. Add frozen peas and cook a few minutes. Drain noodles thoroughly and put in large bowl. Add soup mixture and combine thoroughly to cover all the noodles. Stir in pepper to taste. Place noodle mixture in a 13 x 9 baking pan. Sprinkle cheese and cracker crumbs on top. Place in a preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cheese and cracker crumbs are nicely browned.
A great meal that is not hard to make and tastes really good. Serve with a salad and Italian bread for a complete meal.
1 TBS olive oil
1 pound turkey bratwurst out of casing
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 rib celery, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
3 (15 1/2 ounce) cans Great Northern Beans
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp thyme
pepper to taste
2 cups washed and dried fresh spinach or chard
Heat a pot large enough for all the ingredients and add olive oil. When oil becomes hot, add sausage, carrots, onions, celery, garlic and onions. Cook over medium heat until sausage is done, stir to break up sausage into small pieces. Add the rest of the ingredients except spinach. simmer until mixture thickens, stir occasionally. After mixture thickens add spinach and when spinach is cooked through, serve.
In this part of Northern Illinois when the weather gets hot and we get at least a minimum amount of rain, the tomato plants go into full production. With the odd spring we've had (hot, then cold, hot then cold) the tomatoes took their sweet time producing anything. But with the two plus weeks of high heat and humidity in August, they finally took off. I've only got three plants, and I picked a bucketful yesterday and in a few days I'll have another bucketful.
So after the initial blush of tomato eating and after your mouth gets sore (literally from the acid in the things) what do you do when they keep producing? There's only so many you can give away. Well, some folks can them. That's what my Mother did, and with a family of seven kids it made sense. I remember her canning the darned things, always in the heat of summer in a kitchen with no air conditioning. it's a hot job to say the least. Or you can break out the food mill and make some tomato sauce. Another hot, nasty job cooking the tomatoes down. When I make my tomato sauce I don't use a food mill to remove the seeds and skin. I use a Squeezo.
It's a great tool that separates the pulp and juice from the seeds and skin, all with the turn of a handle. You can freeze or can the pulp and juice as-is and cook it down later, or to save room in the freezer or canning jars you can reduce it down immediately. I like to add chopped onion, garlic, celery, oregano, salt and pepper and cook it down. I put it up in plastic containers that are about as big as commercial jars of sauce and freeze it. That way it's ready to go when I want to use it for spaghetti or pizza.
You can also freeze tomatoes whole. I like to do this and use them for chili, stew, soup. It's the easiest way to preserve some of those tasty tomatoes for later in the year. Before freezing them , the skins need to be removed. All you need for that is a sharp knife, an ice water bath and a boiling water bath.
First, wash all your tomatoes under cool running water. DON'T CORE THEM, just wash them well. With each tomato, you want to make two cuts in the blossom end (or bottom) of the tomato in the shape of a cross. Place a deep pan (such as a dutch oven) half filled with water on the stove to boil. Fill a large bowl half full of ice and water and put it on the counter near the boiling water. When the water is boiling,VERY CAREFULLY lower 3-5 tomatoes at a time into the boiling water with a large spoon or strainer. Leave in the boiling water 15-20 seconds, then lift them out with the large spoon and put them into the ice water bath immediately. The sudden change in temperature will cause the skins to loosen from the tomato and they will easily slip off.
When you get all of the tomatoes peeled, you can then core them and cut the tomatoes in pieces any size you want, or freeze them whole. They'll add a lot of flavor to soups and stews, and be perfect for making a big pot of chili on those cold winter night.
For those times when you'd like something a little different for breakfast, try a fluffy omelet! A fluffy omelet is light and airy, but not as much as a souffle.
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup finely diced ham, cheese, or both
2 tablespoons oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Separate egg whites from the yolks and put into large bowl, yolks into medium bowl. Be careful not to get any yolk in the whites. Beat whites with mixer until light and airy. Add the rest of the ingredients to the yolks and combine thoroughly. Slowly fold yolk mixture into the whipped whites. Go slow and make sure you mix thoroughly.
Heat an oven-proof skillet on the stove. I use a #10 cast iron skillet. When the skillet is hot, add 2 tablespoons oil. Pour in egg mixture when oil is hot, and cook until bottom of eggs start to set, about 2-3 minutes. Place skillet in preheated oven and bake. Depending on your oven, this could take 7-10 minutes. The best way to check when the omelet is done is to shake the skillet gently and see if it is set on the top. You can also insert a toothpick in the top and see if there is any uncooked egg on it when you remove it. After the omelet is cooked, I put it under the broiler for a few seconds to give it a light brown color on the top.
Remove the skillet from the oven, run a blunt knife around the edges of the omelet to loosen and turn it out onto a large plate. Serve with some cinnamon bagels or any other breakfast accompaniment you wish.
A light and simple salad that is very refreshing on a hot summer's day. A great way to use up those cucumbers from the garden!
3 medium sized cucumbers
2 carrots
1 medium onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
red wine vinegar
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Peel cucumbers. Slice thinly with a knife, or a mandolin. Peel carrots, and slice thinly. Slice onion into thin rings. Peel and finely dice garlic and put into glass bowl that has a lid. Add some salt to the garlic and blend together with a fork while pressing mixture to the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add cucumbers, carrots, onions and dill. Add 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Blend together with vegetables and add salt and pepper to taste. Add more vinegar if desired, and always add twice as much olive oil as vinegar. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.
Rice wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar can be substituted for red wine vinegar. Each one has its own flavor. Other raw vegetables can be added such as green peppers, celery, etc. If you find that this salad is too sour for your taste, add a teaspoon of sugar to it to cut the acidity.
Who doesn't like a chicken salad sandwich for lunch on a hot summer's day, or any other day for that matter! The key to making good chicken salad is to begin imparting flavor all the way through the making of it. My recipe is just as much about method of cooking as ingredients:
Split chicken breasts with skin, on the bone
2 celery stalks, one halved the other diced
1 medium onion, quartered
6 small carrots
1 clove garlic or garlic powder
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 small dill pickle finely diced
1 small bunch grapes cut in half
1 small apple, roughly chopped
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
mayonnaise or Miracle Whip salad dressing
salt and pepper to taste
Place chicken breasts, carrots, one stalk of celery, 1 clove garlic or sprinkle of garlic powder, and onion in stock pot. Cover with water and simmer until chicken is completely cooked. Take out chicken breasts and place them in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. When breasts have cooled, take the skin off the meat and de-bone.
Place apple, diced celery, halved grapes chopped green onions, pickle and walnuts in a bowl. Rough chop three or four of the chicken breasts and add. Use enough mayonnaise or salad dressing to make the salad the consistency you want, add salt and pepper to taste.
This salad goes well with most any kind of bread that has some body to it. A home made whole wheat bread or crusty french bread is ideal. The cooking method of simmering in a pot with vegetables not only gives great flavor to the chicken, but it also gives the added bonus of the water the chicken was cooked in, which of course has been transformed into chicken broth! Strain it and use it to make chicken soup or stew.
An easy way to draw out the flavor of vegetables is to oven roast them. Most root vegetables cook up using this method very well. The vegetables caramelize and develop a pleasant depth of flavor. I use a variety of vegetables in combination. Some of the possibilities are:
Onions Celery Carrots Sweet potatoes White potatoes Rutabagas Parsnips Turnips Zucchini Winter squash such as acorn
The vegetables should be roughly cut up into medium sized pieces. I don't peel white potatoes, but everything else I do peel. When using zucchini, cut them into larger pieces than the other vegetables as they take less time to cook. Put all the vegetables onto a shallow baking pan. A jelly roll pan works well. Sprinkle olive oil over vegetables and mix them well to cover. Add pepper, salt and garlic powder. Roast in a 400 degree oven for about an hour, turning vegetables over once about halfway through the cooking process, until vegetables are browned and soft.
They make a great accompaniment to roast chicken, pork or beef.
Salt curing will reduce the size of the fish and concentrate the flavors. As long as the fish is rinsed very well with plenty of cool water after it is cured, it won't be overly salty in flavor.
Combine salt and sugar. Place half of the mixture onto a large piece of plastic wrap, making sure to spread it out to a size as large as the piece of fish. Put fish on top, place rest of salt and sugar mixture on top of fish. Wrap the fish with the plastic wrap and place in a large plastic bag. Place bag ont oa plate and put in the refrigerator and let cure for at least 24 hours.
After fish is cured, remove from bag and unwrap over the sink. The plastic will be full of liquid that has been leeched out of the fish by the salt. The fish will be dry and hard when it is properly cured. Rinse repeatedly under cool water to remove as much salt as possible. Don't skimp on the water, take your time and make sure all the salt is removed or the fish will be too salty and spoil the dish.
Mince garlic and place in the bottom of a large bowl. Chop the Napa cabbage up and place in bowl along with garlic and toss until mixed. Cut up green onions fine and dice the Roma tomatoes. Add to cabbage in bowl. Cut up salmon into thin strips and add to bowl. Add the juice of the lime and a little black pepper, toss until all ingredients are well mixed.
There's hardly anything better for a side dish than pan fried potatoes. I like to cut the potatoes in varying thicknesses. That way there is a variety of textures to the dish, as the thinner cut will cook quickly and almost melt away while the thicker cut will cook slowly and become mealy on the inside and golden brown on the outside.
This is a great dish to cook in a cast iron skillet. Cast iron distributes the heat more evenly and doesn't cool down as much when food is put into a hot pan.
Pan Fried Potatoes
5 or 6 medium to large sized russet potatoes
1 large or 2 medium onions
2 teaspoons garlic powder
6 pieces of bacon or Canadian bacon
3 TBSP butter
3 TBSP olive oil
Peel potatoes and onions. Slice both into varying thicknesses, keeping in mind the thicker the piece the longer it will take to cook. A mandolinworks great for this, but I use my poor man's mandolin (pictured to the left). Strictly low-tech, but it gets the job done. I have no idea where I got it, but it works quite well. It's adjustable and can slice very thin to very thick. And it may look innocent enough, but the blade on the thing is very sharp.
Heat large skillet. Dice bacon and fry until crispy. If using Canadian bacon, it won't take as long to cook. Drain all or some of the bacon fat out of pan,put in olive oil and butter. When butter and oil have heated through, put in potatoes and onions. Cover potatoes and onions with the oil and butter by turning the potatoes. Add garlic powder, salt and pepper, and turn over potatoes some more to mix. Let potatoes cook over medium high heat, turn every five minutes or so. don't have the heat too high. Really good fried potatoes can take awhile to cook, depending on the thickness of them. When potatoes start to get brown and are cooked through, serve immediately.
A great from-scratch recipe for waffles that can also be used for pancakes. Buttermilk adds a unique flavor to these waffles. Traditional buttermilk was the liquid that was left over after churning butter, but modern cultured buttermilk is made by the addition of lactic acid bacteria. This bacteria thickens the milk and gives it a tart taste. Modern cultured buttermilk is much thicker than traditional.
Whole Wheat Buttermilk Batter
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup regular flour
2 cups scalded and cooled buttermilk
2 eggs beaten
1/4 cup regular milk
1/4 cup salad oil
2 TBSP sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
In a large bowl, combine buttermilk and flours. Beat until well blended. Let sit for 30 minutes, or cover and place in refrigerator overnight.
Beat together eggs, milk and salad oil. Add to flour mixture and stir until blended. Combine sugar, salt and baking soda. Stir into batter until well blended and let stand for 5 minutes.
You know the scene after a typical Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner. Someone cleans all the meat off the turkey bones and saves it for sandwiches. Then all the bones and skin gets tossed out. Don't do it! A delicious and versatile stock can be made quite easily out of the bits and pieces that can be used to make turkey soup.
Put all ingredients into a large stock pot. Add enough water to within an inch of the top of the pot. Heat to just below boiling, then turn fire down to a low simmer. There will probably be a foam that forms from the vegetables, skim this off the surface until no more forms. Try not to let the water reach a full boil, as this will cause some of the bones to break down and give the stock an off flavor. Simmer for 2-4 hours with the lid off. You want some of the water to evaporate so the stock will be more concentrated in flavor. After it's done simmering, strain the liquid and put it into a large bowl. Place it in the refrigerator overnight to cool. After it has cooled, all of the fat will have congealed on the surface of the stock. This seals the stock and helps to keep it fresh for up to a week. You can skim as much of the fat off that you do not want, and either use the stock immediately or freeze it.
This stock is great for turkey noodle soup, turkey stew, and any other recipe that uses any kind of
poultry stock. The stock will be a gel when it is cold, which signifies how rich and flavorful it is. The more it has gelled, the better it is!
You may have noticed that I use no salt when making this stock. I prefer to season the stock when I use it. If you put salt in it when you make it, it can be hard to judge how salty it will be when it reduces.
You can use this recipe to make stock from roast chicken leftovers too. And don't just eat turkey on Thanksgiving! Turkey is one of the healthier meats you can eat (as long as you don't overdo it with the skin and fat!) and it is very versatile too.
2 cloves garlic chopped fine, or 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/3 cup whole grain cracker crumbs
Cook noodles or pasta per directions on the package. When done, drain. Add butter and olive oil to pan big enough to hold and mix the cooked pasta. Put on medium heat to melt butter. When butter is melted, add cooked noodles. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.
It is hard to find better culinary companions than pork and apples. One of the finest cuts of any kind of meat is pork tenderloin. When cooked well, it is tender, succulent, and lower in fat than you might think. This recipe roasts a pair of pork tenderloins with an apple stuffing. Any firm, tart apple works best for this recipe. Honeycrisp is my favorite apple to eat out of hand and to use in cooking, and it works very well in this recipe.
Take a pair of pork tenderloins(many times they are sold in pairs, about 4 pounds per pair) separate them and make a groove in each half of the tenderloin for the stuffing. Set aside.
Stuffing
1 medium apple or 1/2 large apple, Red Delicious or Honeycrisp, peeled and cubed 4 pieces whole wheat bread, toasted and cut into small cubes 1/4 medium onion, chopped 3 tablespoons brown sugar 1 tablespoon cooking sherry 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper
Sprinkle tied tenderloin with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place on a rack sitting in a jelly roll pan that has been sprayed with cooking oil. Roast in a 375 degree oven until the internal temperature of the meat is 170 degrees. When meat is done, take out of oven and let rest for at least ten minutes.
Excellent served with mashed potatoes, baked potatoes or yams. Add a vegetable and the meal is complete.
An easy dish that really sticks to your ribs. Teenagers especially like this dish. Take advantage of that and teach them how to cook it for themselves.
1 to 2 lbs hamburger
1 regular size can of red kidney beans
1 regular sized can of yellow corn
1 large can of pork and beans (28 oz.)
1 onion, diced small
1 or 2 ribs celery, diced small
1 small green pepper, diced small (optional)
1 clove garlic, (or more if you like garlic)
Brown hamburger in a large skillet, drain off excess fat. Add the onion and celery (and green pepper if you're using it). Let cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic, yellow corn, kidney beans and pork and beans. Stir until well mixed and cook on low for 20 minutes. I don't add any salt to this recipe. Doesn't seem to need it taste wise and there's for sure enough salt in the canned items used to make it. Some ground black pepper is good though, or if you want some real heat in it use your favorite hot sauce.
Served with cornbread, this dish is a meal in itself. There's all kinds of variations you can make on it, such as putting in barbecue sauce or salsa for added flavor, using canned butter beans or Lima beans instead of kidney beans. It can also be made with sausage, ground turkey, or a combination of ground meats. It's also good as a leftover. You can freeze it for heating up in the microwave too.
As a rule I don't care for pizza that is too far from the traditional Italian style, but this pulled pork pizza is an exception.
