Pork BBQ and Slaw

So I made a pork BBQ, more on the vinegar side than the
tomato side. And I had to add some slaw, though most slaws
I cannot eat because of the raw carrots (allergy) and because I
don't really like them. However, Mark has been having a craving,
soooo, I broke down.

I used pork tenderloin because the shoulder had too much fat, and
I didn't have time to do that right, and the pork roasts were too small.
So I browned up my tenderloins in olive oil, then added all my spice....
cumin, chili powder, oregano, garlic, S&P, more chili powder, some
cayenne, smoked paprika and some onion powder. I got all that nice
and toasty then added some molasses and tomato paste and put the
lid on for a bit. I cut up some onions and bell peppers and tossed
them in, then stuck then lid back on. Turned the heat down and let
it all simmer a bit while I made the slaw. After that, I added some
brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, a touch of BBQ sauce, a touch of
worchetershire sauce and some red pepper flakes that I ground up from
our hot pepper plants. Then I put the lid back on and let it simmer away
for a couple of hours.

When it was ready, we had it on nice soft rolls, toasted in the oven.
It wasn't bad for a vinegar suace, and I did put a little tomato in it
anyway. Yum Yum!

I'm sure you can add whatever you like to make the recipe sing for you-
Now on to the Slaw-

I put apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a large bowl. Dissolved some
brown sugar in it, whisked in some course brown mustard, S&P, parsley,
celery seed and dill weed. I set that aside to let it get yummy.
I julienned a red pepper and a jicama, thinly sliced some onion and
purple cabbage. Tossed all the veggies in the vinegar mix, touched it with
a small spoon of mayo, mixed it up and set it in the fridge till
the BBQ was done. I Loved It!!
(hear me singing, see me spread my arms to the sky)

It was the perfect accompaniment to the spicy BBQ. I even had seconds.

I hope you all enjoy! Remember, I'd love to post your dishes, changes to
my recipes or something totally new! Happy Eating-

Asparagus Quiche and Sprin Soup

I play a facebook game called Cafe World, and I recently
decided to try some of the dishes that are in the game's
cookbook...so here is my attempt at Asparagus Quiche (I added
the soup because quiche didn't seem like a well rounded meal).

First I prepared my pie crust.....by taking it out of the FREEZER!

I cooked some bacon till crisp, then removed it from the pan to drain
while I sauted some thin sliced sweet onion in the bacon fat.

Meanwhile, in a small steamer, I steamed a bunch of thin asparagus
cut into 1" diagonal pieces until bright green.

Then I mixed the crumbled bacon, sauted onion with the asparagus and
put it in the pie shell. I sprinkled a good bit of cheddar and swiss
cheese over all, beat 4 eggs with some s&p and nutmeg, and poured it
over the top.

I baked this in a 350 oven while I made my soup.

I peeled and trimmed some baby carrots, baby white mushrooms
and some green onion. I sauted the carrots till tender then added
the mushroom with some veggie broth and brought to a boil.
Then I reduced the heat to simmer. When the quiche was done, I added the
green onion slices and some baby spinach to the soup to wilt.

Viola! Dinner is served!
Adding a bit of Sauv Blanc to finish off the carrots would make
a lovely addition to the soup, but alas, I had none.
Of course, you can add any baby veggies to your soup; whatever looks
good, whatever is in your garden, whatever you like. A simple meal
chock full of healthy goodness-

PS- Be generous with salt and pepper in these dishes, but taste
along the way so you don't overdo.

Alicia and Helen's Veggie Casserole

My niece has an on and off relationship with meat.
At her off times, she has started cooking some dinners.
Here is one that she and her friend made one evening.

Saute 1 medium onion and 3 serano chilis, chopped, in some
olive oil. Add 1 cup of brown rice and saute till lightly toasted.
Add 2 cups of veggie stock and cook till just tender.

When the rice is done combine it with 2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese,
1/2 cup plain yogurt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup of your favorite salsa, 1/4 cup
minced fresh cilantro, 1/3 tsp chili powder, s&p.

Put all of this in a 1 1/2 quart prepared casserole dish, sprinkle
the top with a little more cheese and bake at 350 for 35 min or so.

To make this vegan, use soy based dairies.
to lower the fat, use fat free or low fat dairies.
To make hotter, add more chilis and hot salsa.
To make it cheesier, add more....well you know- mixing different
cheeses to give it a deeper cheesey goodness.

Have fun and enjoy. :)
Thanks Alicia!

Super Bowl Poppers

Of course, I didn't get to eat these lovelies,
but Mark took them to his boys night.

I chopped onions, peppers and hot peppers and garlic finely.
Then sauted them in a hot pan, Added ground beef, cumin, pepper,
oregano, chili powder and parsley...be generous with the seasonings.

I browned all that up, then added some cooked rice and tomato
paste. When that was well blended, I squirted in the juice of
one lime, turned off the heat and melted in some monteray jack,
cheddar and cream cheese.

Mark had cut a blend of sweet and hot peppers in half. Use the
peppers that are the size of jalapenos, and don't forget the
jalapenos themselves! Stuff with the filling and bake off in a
400 oven for 15 minutes.

Then sit back and enjoy! You can cool them off with a ranch dip
if you'd like.

Happy Football!

Cheesey Ham and Potatoes with Beans

My hubby has been asking me for years to make something
he remembers fondly from childhood. For lack of a better name
I am calling it Cheesey Ham and Potatoes with Beans, and as
the name implies, it is cheese, ham, potatoes and green beans.

Use your casserole dish and have at least an hour or more cooking
time. You start out slicing the potatoes (I actually cubed them
tonight). Layer them in a buttered casserole dish with sliced
yellow onion,cubed ham and blanched green beans. Make sure you
use plenty of pepper to season, but leave out the salt.

Then make your cheese sauce with roux and milk, a little
worchestershire and lots of shredded cheese.

Put it in a 400 or 425 oven and let it go to town.

Mark said it wasn't the same as his mom's because she used a whole
block of velveta....but I just couldn't bring myself to do that.

Grilled COP Salad with Stilton Steak and Cherry Dressing

I am in a book club. Not just any book club, a club where we
also try to cook a meal centered around the book we just read.

My sister and I are making up some club cookbooks for our group.
We thought that after 2 years of cooking we should immortalize
ourselves and our friends in this way. So Mary came over last night
to work on that project and I made this salad for us.

First I made the dressing. I put a large spoonful of black cherry
jam in a jar and added some cider vinegar, oregano, pepper, dijon
mustard and honey, then shook it up real well, till the jam dissolved.
Then I added some good EVOO and shook it up again. I set that aside so
the flavors could meld.

I then grilled some red onions, pineapple and halved black cherries
till they were nice and flavorful. I also grilled some pepper
seasoned beef fillets to medium, then let some stilton cheese melt
down on the top.

I filled two plates with washed salad greens, chopped yellow peppers
and halved cherry tomatoes. I scattered the grilled cherries, onion
and pineapple over top, sliced the steak and fanned that on top, then
dressed it up.

It was delicious!! Worthy of our new cookbook, but does not fit the criteria.
So I am passing it on to you all to eat and enjoy! Serve it with a nice
Cab Sauv.

National Spaghetti Day!

In honor of the day, I made a sweet and spicy
noodle dish with chicken and broccoli.

I saw a similar recipe online and thought it sounded good, so
I cooked some fettucelle noodles (I prefer chinese noodles, but not
Mark) and tossed them together with sauted chicken,
broccoli florettes, sesame seeds, red chili flakes
(which is our own blend of hot chilies, dried and ground),
and water chestnuts.

I coated them with a wonderful sauce made from
minced garlic, Olive oil, a touch of sesame oil, rice wine vinegar,
raw sugar, soy sauce and chili paste.

Yummy, spicy, goodness to keep you warm on the frigid January day.