Dinners for a Year and Beyond: Pork

Showing posts with label Pork. Show all posts

Presenting my new cookbook.... Dinner for a Year!

UPDATE - My cookbook is no longer available for purchase. I am mulling over some new ideas to help you out when cooking in your kitchen so stay tuned....

I am so excited to announce that my new cookbook Dinner for a Year 52 Easy and Delicious Recipes to Spice Up Your Family Menu Planning has been published!! After many years of gathering my dinnertime recipes in binders, cookbooks and on my blog Dinners for a Year and Beyond, I have published my cookbook to help you add a little zip and zing to your weekly dinners.

Like most home cooks, I can fall into a rut of making the same dinners day after day and week after week. I decided to shake things up a bit by adding 1 new recipe a week to my dinner menu plan. It did not take much thought with all the amazing recipes floating around the internet, in magazines, in cookbooks, and in my head. It also did not take any more time as I was going to be making dinner for my family any way so why not spice it up a little bit.

So how will my new cookbook Dinner for a Year help you and your family??? Well, I have done the work of choosing one new recipe to add to your menu planning each week. The recipes are not difficult. They all use ingredients you can find at your local grocery store. And they are unique and will appeal to all memebers of your family.I arranged the recipes in the cookbook by the seasons to highlight the best ingredients available throughout the year.

The recipes fit into our eating styles at different times of the year with grilling recipes for the summer months and comfort food recipes for the winter months. I added a bonus chapter with 10 of my favorite desserts because no meal is complete without a sweet ending.

Also, I will be offering personalized and signed bookplates to download into your copy of Dinner for a Year in the near future. If you would like to have your copy of my cookbook signed just email me at amy@amycaseycooks.com and I will email back your bookplate to download in your copy as soon as it is available.

Honey Ham and Fresh Pineapple Pizza

Your Easter dinner was a success!

The guests ate and drank and ate and drank their fill of mimosas, honey glazed ham, twice baked cheesy potatoes, pineapple bread pudding, roasted asparagus, french silk pie and more peanut butter filled chocolate eggs than you can count.

Some of the leftover ham was sent home with your relatives, but there is still 3 pounds of the spiral cut beauty sitting in your refrigerator. After ham sandwiches, omelets filled with ham, and split pea soup with ham, what will you make with all that ham?

Honey Ham and Fresh Pineapple Pizza is what will be for dinner tonight. Flour tortillas stand in for the crust and are topped with a spicy marinara sauce, monterey jack cheese, diced ham and pineapple and a sprinkling of herbs. A few minutes in the oven is all that is need to melt the cheese and crisp up the crust.

Your family will never know you are serving "leftover ham," and there is no need to tell them ;)

Honey Ham and Fresh Pineapple Pizza

serves 4

4 (9-inch) flour tortillas
1/2 cup marinara sauce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1 1/3 cups shredded monterey jack cheese
1 cup diced ham
1 cup diced fresh pineapple
dried oregano
dried basil
chopped fresh parsley

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place tortillas on 2 large baking sheets. Combine the marinara and barbecue sauces and spread about 2 heaping tablespoons on top of each tortilla. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the cheese on top of the sauce followed by 1/4 cup each of the ham and the pineapple. Sprinkle with a little oregano and basil.

Bake in oven for 6 - 8 minutes or until the cheese is melted and slightly golden brown and the tortillas are crispy. Let cool 2 - 3 minutes before cutting in pieces and sprinkle with the parsley.

Thyme Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple-Shallot Sauce

Thyme Pork Chops with Apple-Onion Sauce

If you grew up in the 1970s, The Brady Bunch was required television viewing. It is the story of a lovely lady bringing up 3 very lovely girls who meets a man named Brady who was bringing up 3 boys of his own. They knew that this group would some how form a family and that is how they became the Brady Bunch. I have seen every episode at least 3 or 4 times and have a few favorites: the multi part episode when the Brady's vacation in the Grand Canyon and Bobby and Cindy smuggle beans and franks in empty flashlights for the Indian boy Jimmy, the suspenseful episode when Marcia breaks her nose and has dates with 2 different boys on the same night, and the musical episode when the Brady kids compete as "The Silver Platters" in a television talent show. Oh the memories........

One classic Brady Bunch episode that particularly stands out for me is the "Pork Chops and Applesauce" episode. Peter is testing out new personalities and does his best Humphrey Bogart impersonation while discussing dinner with Alice the housekeeper and his mom Carol.

Putting an updated twist on the classic Brady Bunch pork chops and applesauce recipe, I developed Thyme Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple-Shallot Sauce. Apples are one fruit which we always seem to have on hand at our house. Both crisp, tart Granny Smith and sweet and slightly soft Macintosh apples are two favorites that are readily available in the refrigerator fruit drawer. Pan sauteed pork chops are topped with a chunky apple and shallot sauce that gets a kick from Dijon mustard and Garam Masala (an Indian spice blend readily available at your local grocery store). A simple dish to prepare that packs a complex flavor wallop.

Sit down to a family dinner of Thyme Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple-Shallot Sauce and then watch an episode or two of the The Brady Bunch. You will fall in love with the vintage show all over again.

Thyme Rubbed Pork Chops with Apple-Shallot Sauce

serves 4

4 (6 - ounce) pork chops, center cut and about 1-inch thick each
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
salt and pepper
2 teaspoons olive oil

1 large apple, such as Braeburn or Rome, peeled, and chopped in large dice
2 shallots, sliced thin
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup white wine
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon Garam Masala

Sprinkle pork chops with thyme, salt and pepper. Heat a saute pan over medium high heat and add oil. Add pork and saute on each side for about 4 - 5 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm.

In the same pan, add the apple, shallot, and garlic. Saute, stirring occasionally, for 3 - 5 minutes or until the apples begin to just soften and the shallots are translucent. Stir in chicken stock, wine, honey, mustard, and Garam Masala. Continue cooking for an additional 3 - 5 minutes or until the sauce is slightly thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, top pork chops with apple-shallot sauce.

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Tenderloin

The combination of sweet, salty, and spicy has always been a favorite of mine. Add in grilled meat with a caramelized rub and tender crisp vegetables, and it is a perfect meal for me. Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Tenderloin is a quick fix meal which has all the bells and whistles for an unforgettable dinner.

If you are a fan of Asian inspired dinners and want something healthier than take out from your local Chinese restaurant, this is the meal for you. The dinner takes at most 20 minutes to prepare, and the cast of characters features pork tenderloin, snow pea pods and fresh bean sprouts. A host of seasonings give the dish a truly authentic Asian taste and include rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, soy sauce and Sriracha which is a Thai hot sauce.

Print out the recipe and pick up the ingredients at the grocery store today. You will be ecstatic when you make Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Tenderloin for dinner tonight.

Vietnamese Caramelized Pork Tenderloin

serves 4

for dressing --
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon Sriracha
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, sliced lengthwise and then into 2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons Sriracha (hot chile sauce)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons brown sugar

2 teaspoons sesame oil
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 of small onion, thinly sliced
2 cups snow pea pods
1 1/2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the dressing and set aside.

Heat a grill or grill pan to medium high heat. In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, Sriracha, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and brown sugar. Rub on pork tenderloin pieces. Grill pork for about 4 - 6 minutes per side or until pork is just cooked through. Watch closely so it does not burn. Remove from grill and place on a platter. Drizzle with the dressing.

In a saute pan, heat the sesame oil and add the red pepper and onion. Stir and cook for 3 - 5 minutes until tender crisp. Add the snow peas and bean sprouts and cook an additional 2 - 3 minutes. You want the vegetables to remain crisp but slightly tender. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat.

To serve, place some of the vegetables on each plate and top with the caramelized pork. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Baja Pork Stir Fry

I like to subscribe to magazines. Mainly food related magazines, but I also toss in a Real Simple or a Southern Living magazine into the pile to spice things up. Many of the recipes I prepare are inspired by the recipes in these magazines, and I cook them for my family and personal chef clients.

Stir frys are an easy dinner to make as it is a one pot meal. Add a pasta or rice and you will be eating dinner in no time at all. Some people think that there is a lot of chopping involved in making a stir fry. But once the ingredients are prepped, the actually cooking is a breeze. And stir frys are very forgiving in that you can throw in any vegetables you have on hand and change up the seasonings to suit your tastes.

Baja Pork Stir Fry is a recipe pulled from a recent additional of Cooking Light magazine. A little extra cumin, more chopped vegetables, and added heat from a whole jalapeno and dinner is ready. Or as in the case when I made it for my EAT! personal chef client, dinner is waiting in the refrigerator.

Baja Pork Stir Fry is easy and quick to make. Follow along with the recipe below and make it for your family tonight.

Baja Pork Stir Fry

adapted from this recipe in the Cooking Light, September, 2011 issue

serves 4

1/2 cup chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon cumin
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1 inch by 1/2 inch pieces
salt and pepper
olive oil
1 cup diced red onion
1 cup each thinly sliced red, yellow and green peppers
1 thinly sliced jalapeno pepper
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

4 cups cooked jasmine rice, hot

Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat and add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add pork and cook for 3 - 4 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove from pan.

Heat pan over medium high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add onion, bell peppers, and jalapeno and stir fry for 3 - 5 minutes. Return pork to pan along with chicken stock mixture and toss to combine. Cook for 1 minute until sauce coats all the ingredients. Stir in tomatoes and cilantro. Serve over jasmine rice.

Pork Chops with Fresh Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce

In a word ...... amazing!

Not only was Pork Chops with Fresh Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce simple to prepare, it was an entree that was both spicy and not too sweet - a favorite flavor pairing. I love the combination of pork and fruit and this dish adds a bit of flair to dinner time. Even my daughter who has a strict policy of no fruit and meat entrees (she is just a little odd that way) loved chili powder spiced pork chops topped with the blackberry sauce of mashed and whole berries.

The chops are quickly seared and then finish cooking in a covered pan. The sauce is a marrying of shallots, wine and fresh blackberries. A little butter adds just a touch of body to the sauce before topping the tender pork chops along with a few whole berries.  Sides of quinoa and creamed scallions rounded out the meal.

In a word ..... amazing!

Pork Chops with Fresh Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce

adapted from a recipe in Cuisine at Home - June 2010 issue

serves 4

2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 (6 -8 ounce) pork chops (3/4-1-inch thick, bone-in)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1/2 cup pinot noir
3 cups fresh blackberries (divided)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoons unsalted butter

Combine chili powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper and rub onto the chops.

Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the chops and saute 3 - 4 minutes on each side. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook 5-7 minutes.  Remove the chops to a plate and cover to keep warm.

Saute the shallots in the pan over medium-high heat about 2 minutes.  Deglaze the pan with the wine. Then add 2 cups of the berries, broth, and sugar.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 - 5 minutes.  Coarsely mash the berries with a potato masher or fork. Simmer the sauce until slightly thick - about another minute or 2.

Swirl in the butter into the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

Serve the pork chops topped with the sauce and the remaining berries.

Sweet and Sour Pork with Snow Peas and Carrots

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin with Snow Peas and Carrots

I loving getting mail and anxiously await the next magazine that arrives in my mailbox. Even with the endless supply of recipe websites and food blogs, I still prefer to thumb through a glossy magazine loaded with recipes, cooking tips and new product suggestions.

I received a subscription to Food Network Magazine this past Christmas and picked out several recipes to try from the January/February 2011 issue. The first recipe I prepared was for Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin with Snow Peas and Carrots.

It met many of my dinner requirements.

1. a fast prep time - about 25 minutes
2. most ingredients I have on hand and I only need to pick up a few items from the store
3. it is a cuisine I know my family loves - Asian
4. it is a one-pan dish loaded with vegetables
5. if there are any leftovers, the dish will reheat well

Not only was the entree beautiful to look at, it was delicious. The meat remains tender and the vegetables are slightly crisp. This variation of sweet and sour pork is a far cry from the sticky sweet version with deep fried pork from your local Chinese take out restaurant.

We have a winner!

Sweet and Sour Pork Tenderloin with Snow Peas and Carrots

adapted for this recipe from the January/February 2011 Food Network Magazine

serves 4

1 pound pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 1/2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
kosher salt
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari
1 tablespoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons ketchup
3 tablespoons sugar, plus a pinch
3 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups of mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, cut in matchstick size pieces
2 carrots, thinly sliced
3 scallions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 cups snow peas, cut in half
4 cups of cooked rice, kept warm

Toss the pork with 1/2 tablespoon vinegar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Mix the remaining 2 tablespoons vinegar, the soy sauce, cornstarch, ketchup, 3 tablespoons sugar, 1/3 cup water and 1/2 teaspoon salt in another bowl.

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add the pork and slowly stir until it turns mostly opaque, about 2 minutes. Remove the pork with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate. Discard the oil and wipe out the skillet.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon peanut oil in the skillet, then stir-fry the garlic with a pinch each of salt and sugar, 15 seconds. Add the mushrooms and red pepper and stir fry for 4 - 5 minutes. Add the carrots and scallions and stir-fry until crisp-tender, 2 minutes. (Add a little water if the garlic starts to stick to the skillet.) Add the pork, snow peas and soy sauce mixture; stir until the pork is cooked through and the sauce is thickened, about 3 minutes.

Serve pork and vegetables over warm rice.

Barbecued Pork Tenderloin Sliders

I have a confession to make. I don't like making dinner at dinner time. I want my dinner waiting for me instead of rushing around the kitchen to get supper on the table during the generally hectic 5 - 7 pm time slot each weekday. My Oldest is always starving when she comes home from a field hockey game. My Middle One usually asks what's for dinner even before she has had breakfast. And No Thank You Boy is looking for dinner as soon as he walks in the door from football practice.

My kind of dinners are the ones that are waiting for my family in the refrigerator and taste like they were just made. With a quick reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, dinner can be ready in no time. Barbecued Pork Tenderloin Sliders is one such meal.

My crock pot usually helps me make Pulled Pork Sandwiches and they are a crowd pleaser any time of the year. With sliders still a hot trend in the world of food, I updated my pulled pork recipe with a quick and just as tasty version. After a rub and a roast, pork tenderloins are sliced thin and slathered with barbecue sauce. Served on slider rolls (many bread companies are now making these mini rolls or pick some up at your local bakery) along with tangy cole slaw, these 3-bite sandwiches are great for tailgates, parties, or dinner.

Make a batch today. Dinner will be a no-brainer.

Barbecued Pork Tenderloin Sliders
Print recipe

makes about 16 sliders

for the sliders --
3 to 3 1/2 pounds of pork tenderloin
olive oil
Penzey's Galena Street Spice Rub or your favorite spicy grill seasoning
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce. I use Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce

for the cole slaw --
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
a few shakes of hot sauce
8 cups of thinly shredded green cabbage

16 slider rolls

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Rub the tenderloins with olive oil and generously sprinkle with the spice rub. Place the tenderloin on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 20 - 25 minutes or until the internal temperature is about 140 degrees. Remove from oven and let cool.

With a sharp knife, thinly slice the tenderloin and place in a pot over medium heat. Add the barbecue sauce and about 1/3 cup water and gently stir to combine. Heat the pork and barbecue sauce for about 15 minutes until it is hot and bubbly.

Meanwhile, make the cole slaw. In a large bowl, whisk the canola oil, red wine vinegar, sugar, celery seed, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Add the cabbage and toss to coat. Set aside.

To serve, open a roll and top with the cole slaw and the barbecued pork tenderloin. Place the top of the roll on the pork and serve.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pepper Jelly Glaze

Facebook is a curious thing. After signing up for the service, you connect with others who have also joined Facebook. Some people have only a few friends and others have 1,000s of friends. I find it hard to believe that anyone can have a 1,000 friends. How can you possibly keep track of that many people?

Some Facebookers are updating their status all day long. I need to limit my time on Facebook. It can suck you in and the next thing you know is it is 11:30 am and you are still in your pink fuzzy robe and the dogs need to go out and you can't let the neighbors see you are still in your pink fuzzy robe at 11:30 am.

I have 3 pages on Facebook. One is my personal page on which I "update my status." I usually chat about earth-shaking tidbits such as the robin's nest on my windowsill, what I am eating for breakfast when I should be exercising, or an article on organic foods I think others may find interesting. My second page is for my business - EAT! A Personal Chef Business. Updates on this page include menus I prepare for my clients, new services I offer, and the occasional podcast of a radio interview I do. My third page is for my blog which your are reading now. On this Facebook page, I recommend recipes for dinner and update what is cooking in my kitchen.

I have 270 friends on Facebook and I personally know about 90% of them. The ones I have not met are "famous" chefs or cookbook authors that I pretend are my friends, a few personal chefs from around the United States, and some of my blog readers who I feel like I know. One such person I "friended" lives in Texas and only knows me through my blog and Facebook. This person has left comments for me on Facebook and even sent me some of the jalapeno jelly she made from vegetables she grows on the family farm.

In this day and age, it is comforting to know that this person just sent me some jalapeno jelly for no reason other than to be nice. She didn't want me to link to her blog or mention her farm or anything. She just sent me some of her homemade jalapeno jelly to try.

I have enjoyed the jelly with brie and water crackers. And I have spread it on my morning toast for a little jump start to my day. I decided to try it in a recipe for dinner. Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pepper Jelly Glaze was delicious! No Thank You Boy commented that the spicy cherry pepper slices hit your taste buds and compliments the the sweetness of the glaze on the grilled pork. Whoa! This unsolicited review from a kid who usually says, "it's good" when asked if he likes what I have made for dinner. My girls passed on the hot cherry peppers and liked the slight kick from the pepper jelly in the glaze. The Husband came home late and tired from work. He ate dinner without much fanfare and few comments. I take it that he liked it.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pepper Jelly Glaze was served with sauteed spinach and roasted Parmesan cauliflower (florets drizzled with olive oil and tossed with seasoned bread crumbs and grated Parmesan cheese and roasted at 425 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes). This dinner is one that can be made ahead of time and reheated when ready to serve.

Thanks for the pepper jelly Camille! It is refreshing to know there are just nice people in the world. If I ever am in Joaquin, Texas, I am stopping by to say hi and I will be bringing you a few dozen cookies too.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pepper Jelly Glaze

serves 5

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 1/2 lbs
olive oil
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup pepper jelly - available at most grocery stores and specialty food markets
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
sliced hot cherry peppers - for serving

Heat a grill to medium high heat.

Meanwhile, heat a saute pan to medium high and add the butter. As soon as the butter is melted and foaming, whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Whisk in the wine and cook an additional minute. Add the chicken stock and pepper jelly and stir the glaze until the jelly melts. Stir in Worcestershire sauce and mustard. Remove from heat. Divide the glaze in half - half will be used to glaze the tenderloin while it grills and the remainder will be served with the sliced tenderloin. Reheat the glaze before serving.

Rub the tenderloin with olive oil and generously sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Place the tenderloin on the grill and grill for about 5 minutes. Since a pork tenderloin is basically tubular in shape, you will want to roll it on all four sides to cook evenly. The tenderloin should not stick when you roll it to the next side to be grilled. Roll the tenderloin and continue grilling for 5 minutes. As the tenderloin is rolled on the grill, brush the top side with the glaze. Grill for 5 minutes on each of the remaining sides and until the internal temperature reaches about 140 degrees. Remove tenderloin from the grill, tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

To serve, slice the tenderloin in medallions and pass the remaining glaze and sliced cherry peppers.

The Ribs

It is never too early to plan for a weekend barbecue.

With the Memorial Day weekend winding down, our family had one last barbecue before the sun set on Monday. Ribs have been on our minds lately so I made a grocery list of 2 items for The Husband and No Thank You Boy.

2 slabs of baby back ribs
6 ears of corn

I had planned a menu of baby back ribs, sauteed sweet corn, grilled yellow squash and peppers, and garlic bread and only needed a few items from the store.

Being that it was late in the afternoon on the last day of the start of the barbecue season, there were no baby back ribs to be found. My shoppers picked up a mammoth slab of Fred Flintstone-sized pork spare ribs instead. The preparation of the meatier spare ribs is just like that of the smaller baby back ribs so dinner prep did not have to be altered.

The ribs are simmered in a couple bottles of beer for 2 hours until tender. After being rubbed with spices, the ribs are grilled. One slab is slathered with barbecue sauce and one is left with just the peppery, salty, and slightly sweet rub. The fresh corn saute takes about 10 minutes to prepare (recipe in a future post) and the squash and peppers grill along with the ribs. A long loaf of bread is spread with butter and browned in the oven. The toasted bread gets a quick rub with a couple halved garlic cloves, and dinner is served on the deck.

We all loved the meatier ribs. As baby back rib devotees, this unplanned dining diversion was a success. I surprised that the ribs with just the spice rub were hit. Typically, we love our ribs all sauced up. With My Middle One and No Thank You Boy polishing off the loaf of garlic bread, I will remember to make a larger loaf next time so I get a slice.

Note about eating grilled peppers -- I picked up a dozen or so long hot peppers for the Shrimp Kebabs with Thai Ginger-Chile Marinade I made for a weekend party. With a handful left in my refrigerator, I had The Husband grill them along with the yellow squash. When dinner was served, the first thing he ate was a whole pepper. Big mistake. Colossal mistake. He can eat the hottest salsas and tops almost everything with hot sauce, but this pepper had him downing glasses of milk and chomping on endless ice cubes. With his mouth on fire and eyes watering, he almost couldn't enjoy our rib dinner because of the pain the pepper caused.

A friendly reminder to pepper lovers - a small bite goes a long way.

Barbecued Spare Ribs 2 Ways

serves 4

1 slab of pork spare ribs - about 4 pounds
2 bottles of beer
1 large onion, sliced

for rub --
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce such as Sweet Baby Ray's

Cut ribs into 2 smaller slabs with about 6 ribs each. Trim any excess fat. Pull off the membrane on the underside of the ribs.

Place ribs in a large stock pot and add the beer, onion and enough water to just cover. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for about 2 hours. The meat should begin to pull away from the bone but still be attached. Remove ribs from pot.

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the rub. Rub both sides of the ribs with the spice mixture. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium high. Slather one slab of ribs with the barbecue sauce while leaving the other slab with just the spice rub. Grill ribs for about 6 - 8 minutes on one side. Flip both slabs over and slather the sauced slab on the other side. Continue grilling for and additional 5 - 6 minutes. Remove ribs from grill and slice between the bones to serve.

Italian Meatloaf

I have not totally fallen in love with the digital age. I do have a cellphone, use my laptop daily, and I zip through my favorite tv shows without commercials because they have been recorded to my dvr. But I am still not convinced all of this technology that has invaded our lives is for the best.

I bristle when I see a little kid glued to a miniature video screen while at a restaurant with his family instead of caring on a conversation. I cringe at the sight of group of teenagers sitting on the couch and all are texting friends not even in the room. Talking on a house phone has become a thing of the past. No longer do my kids' friends call our phone - which actually hangs on the wall - to see if they can go to the movies or the mall. We are always accessible at a moment's notice and have grown impatient if we have to wait for a reply to almost any inquiry.

A favorite time of the month for me is when I cook for one of my clients that lives in a rural area. About 5 minutes before I arrive at their home, my cellphone goes dead. Cell service is very limited in the area so for next 4 or 5 hours no one can contact me. No calls. No text messages. Just me and my pots, pans, spatulas, and bags and bags of groceries. During this extended break from all things digital, I just concentrate on one thing - cooking.

Italian Meatloaf was on my client's menu this week. A cross between a traditional meatloaf and an Italian meatball, the meatloaf is loaded with sauteed onions, celery, and red peppers. The addition of shredded Parmesan cheese, basil, oregano, and fennel seed add the Italian twist. A slathering of tomatoey marinara sauce during the last half hour of cooking completes the satisfying and homey dinner.

It is refreshing to be a little inaccessible for a while. My kids learn to become more self sufficient and fend for themselves without relying on me for answers. I can retrieve messages off my phone from family, friends and clients when cell service resumes on my ride home and usually most of the messages could wait to be answered anyway.

Sometimes I think anonymity is good. A little mystery is intriguing. Being able to "disappear" for a few hours is gratifying. Unplug for an afternoon.

Italian Meatloaf
makes 1 large meatloaf - serves 6

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
4 chopped garlic cloves
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 pound ground beef, 85% lean
1 pound ground pork
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese plus extra for sprinkling on top
1 cup plain bread crumbs
2 cups of marinara sauce - either homemade or favorite purchased brand

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a saucepan to medium high heat and add the butter. When melted, saute the onion, celery, and red pepper for 6 - 8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for an additional minute. Add the basil, oregano, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and marinara sauce. Simmer for 4 - 5 minutes until thickened. Pour mixture into a large bowl and cool.

Add ground beef, ground pork, eggs, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs to bowl with the onion mixture and combine gently until the well mixed. On a rimmed baking sheet, form a loaf. Bake for about 30 minutes and then spread about 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the top and side of the meatloaf. Return to the oven and continue cooking for an additional 20 - 30 minutes or until the internal temperature registers about 170 degrees. Remove from oven and let rest about 10 minutes before cutting into thick slices. Serve with remaining warmed marinara sauce and extra Parmesan cheese.

Hash Brown Quiche

Our holidays are spent with family. Family that live almost half way across the country. For the past 9 Christmases, we have packed our car full of duffel bags, blankets, laptops with movies, snacks, gifts, and Christmas cookies and travelled to visit our 39 - give or take a few - family members that live 770 miles away. Most years, the drive goes smoothly, but occasionally we hit a bump in the road. One year we were stuck in a blizzard on the off ramp of a rest stop in Ohio. Not a good time for My Middle One to be wearing flip flops. Another year No Thank You Boy played in the stacks of tires at the auto repair shop as a new alternator was installed in our car. Even with with these diversions, we would never travel any other way to get to our Christmas destination.

Every year there is the list of events we attend. Christmas Eve mass followed by eating and drinking and present opening at one of my sister-in-laws' homes, Christmas Day spent eating and drinking and opening presents at my Dad's home, an afternoon of bowling and beer and cheese fries at the local lanes, an evening at the mega movie theater to see one of the latest blockbuster releases, and a semi-traditional Polish dinner with pierogies filled with mushrooms, slightly sweet farmers cheese, and potatoes, golabki stuffed with pork and rice and a sweet and sour tomato sauce, and the sharing of opatek. This year's menu also included my niece's Polish version of the tex-mex favorite of chili con queso made with Polish sausage.

But my favorite time of our trip is not even planned. It is each morning spent around the island in my brother and sister-in-law's kitchen. A hot pot of coffee, the morning newspaper, talk of the previous evenings events and the ones planned for the coming day, and breakfast fill the next hour or two. During these relaxed mornings, the only required activity is the reading of our horoscopes. Sometimes the talk turns political and other times it centers around the latest celebrity gossip, but usually the main conversation is about what to eat for breakfast.

One snowy, cold morning I made a couple of hash brown crusted quiches. Similar to a breakfast casserole, the savory pies are a good recipe to tuck away for blustery winter mornings. By using refrigerated hash browns, there is no need to worry about grating your fingers if you start to make this breakfast before the first pot of coffee is brewed. Tossed with a good amount of melted butter and pressed into waiting pie plates, the potatoes are ready to be transformed into a crispy crust in the oven. After enjoying your first cup of coffee and whipping up the eggs, diced ham, sliced green scallions, and shredded sharp cheddar cheese, the browned potato crusts are ready to be filled. Another short stint in the oven and a second cup of coffee is all that is needed to produce the eggy, cheesy, salty and hammy with just a little bite from the scallions quiche-like pies. If you can wait a couple minutes for the slightly puffy and lightly browned pies to cool, they set up nicely so wedges can be cut. Even if you can't wait, it will still taste delicious.

Try it. You know you will like it.

Hash Brown Quiche
adapted from this Paula Deen recipe

makes 2 (9-inch) quiches

8 cups refrigerated hash browns
1 stick butter, melted
8 large eggs
2 cups half and half
1 1/2 cups diced ham
1/2 cup thinly sliced scallions
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

In a large bowl, toss the hash browns with the melted butter. Place half of the hash browns in each of the 2 (9-inch) pie plates and press them into the bottom and up the sides plates to form a crust. Bake for 25 - 35 minutes or until golden brown and starting to get crispy. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in the same bowl, add the remaining ingredients and whisk to combine. Divide evenly between the browned hash brown crusts. Return to oven and bake for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the eggs are just set. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Top 10 Recipes on Dinners for a Year and Beyond

Last year during the Christmas season, I undertook a task that I thought was a difficult one but by no means unattainable. I decided to post my 12 Dinners of Christmas which is a collection of dinner recipes to make during the busy hustle and bustle of the month of December. Surely I would be getting dinner on the table for my family and why not help others do the same?

I started off preparing dinner and posting my family's reviews of the meals with a bang. With the first post for Dinner #1 on December 1st, the second dinner and post on December 3rd, and the third recipe and accompanying post on December 4th, there was no stopping me. Or so I thought. The posts came fewer and farther between as the month progressed and lo and behold I did not finish my 12 Dinners of Christmas endeavour until two weeks after Christmas on January 14, 2009!.

This year, I am giving myself a Christmas gift. Even though I love experimenting in the kitchen and cooking up new recipes, I will be serving my tried and true family and blog favorites for dinner this Christmas season. I will be putting my feet up and perfecting those recipes I know my family enjoys and my readers have commented on as their favorites.

Give one, two, or all of these recipes a try. They are easy to prepare and hopefully will become family favorites in your home too.

Happy cooking and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

Roasted Orange and Thyme Chicken Thighs with Crispy Parmesan Potatoes

Korean Barbeque Short Ribs

Pan Sauteed Chicken and Mushrooms with Garlic Spinach

Pan Roasted Salmon with Honey Mustard Brussels Sprouts

Chicken a la King

Hoisin Chicken Rice Bowls

Beef Kebabs with Roasted Red Pepper Dipping Sauce

Raspberry Hoisin Glazed Roast Pork Loin

Spicy Shrimp, Sausage, and Spinach Fettuccine

Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions with Apple Cider Sauce

Looking for a little something extra special for dinner? Maybe the family has been unusually good lately. Or the boss is coming to dinner. Or you want to empress the neighbors with your culinary skills. Or you just feel like trying a new recipe.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions with Apple Cider Sauce is that entree that will put the WOW! back in your dinnertime.

Pork medallions are wrapped in smoky bacon and sauteed to perfection.

The apple cider sauce is made in the same pan that the medallions were sauteed in making clean up that much easier. It would be even easier if you get someone else besides yourself to handle the clean up duties. The entree was served with Sauteed Maple Brussels Sprouts (post to follow) and baked sweet potatoes.

A perfect fall meal for a chilly night.

Bacon Wrapped Pork Medallions with Apple Cider Sauce

adapted from a Cuisine at Home Weeknight Menus recipe

serves 6

2 pork tenderloins (about 3 pounds total)
1 pound of bacon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/3 cup chopped shallots
3/4 cup apple cider
1 tablespoon spicy mustard
2 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the tenderloins into 1 1/2 inch thick medallions. Wrap each medallion with a strip of bacon and secure with a toothpick. Heat a large saute pan to medium high and add the olive oil. Saute the medallions for about 4 - 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Tip the medallions on their edges to brown the bacon, about an additional 3 - 4 minutes. The internal temperature of the pork should be about 140 degrees when the pork is finished cooking. Remove to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the drippings from the pan. Heat the pan back to medium high and add the shallots and saute for 3 - 4 minutes. Add the apple cider and scrape up any of the brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in the mustard and simmer for 4 - 5 minutes to thicken the sauce. Whisk in the butter until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Return the pork medallions to the pan and drizzle with the sauce. Serve immediately.

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Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pear and Apple Chutney

News flash! I have a confession to make. Our family has not sat down for dinner in days... er... I mean weeks. Here I am writing a blog about getting your family back to the dinner table, and I can't even get mine to all eat at the same time.

This past Sunday as dinner was ready, lo and behold, we were all home. We sat at our kitchen island with its new counter top and ate dinner together as a family. No Thank You Boy remarked that it has been eons since we all ate dinner at the same time. We have been eating in shifts lately because of the varied schedules of the 5 of us.

I must say that we all enjoyed each others company and had really forgotten how much we actually like to eat together. Not that they wasn't an argument or two about who knows what, we still lingered at the table not wanting to think about what was needed to be done for the upcoming week.

Sunday's dinner was Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pear and Apple Chutney. I used an old stand by recipe for roasting the tenderloin and added a sweet and slightly spicy chutney with pears, apples, red onion, sage, cinnamon, sherry vinegar and sugar. It tasted a little like a savory chunky applesauce and complimented the pork well. I also made mashed sweet potatoes and creamed spinach.

My Middle One ate 1 serving....2 servings.....3 servings of the pork tenderloin and, I don't think she had much of anything else. Is she trying to tell me that she is tired of the pasta, fried rice, and sandwiches I have been trying to pass off as dinner lately and just wants some....MEAT!? When I prepare the usual 2 and 1/2 pounds of pork tenderloin, we have at least a couple servings of leftovers. Not on this night. It was gone before I had the chance to package it up my my lunch the next day.

I will be making our family dinners more of a priority in the future. We may eat a little later than we like, but being able to spend some time together will be well worth it.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Pear and Apple Chutney
2 pork tenderloins, about 2 1/2 pounds total
salt
pepper
dried sage
olive oil

for the chutney -
1 apple, peeled and chopped
1 pear, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon sage
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sherry or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoon brown sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Rub tenderloins with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and sage. Heat a large, ovenproof saute pan to medium high and drizzle with olive oil. Brown tenderloins on all sides. Roast tenderloins in the oven for about 15 - 20 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees. Remove tenderloins from oven and tent with foil.

Meanwhile, prepare the chutney. In a small saucepan, combine all of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

To serve, slice the tenderloins and top with some of the warm chutney.

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Bacon and Swiss Meatloaves with Portebello Mushroom Gravy

Meatloaf in August?!!

Yes, meatloaf in August. This is one of my most requested meatloaf recipes by my personal chef clients. I have made them so many times that I think I could prepare them in my sleep. Well, not really because that would be kinda gross to make meatloaves in bed.

On this cookday, I made 6 Bacon and Swiss Meatloaves with Portebello Mushroom Gravy and paired them with Honey Glazed Baby Carrots. Here are the meatloaves I made all ready to be sealed and labeled. Wouldn't you love to come home to a refrigerator full of mini meatloaves. I know The Husband and My Oldest sure would. Maybe I could sign them up as clients.

The carrots are easy enough to make. Place one pound of baby carrots in a pot of boiling water. Cook for about 8 - 10 minutes or until just tender; you still want the carrots to have a little crunch. Drain and return to the pot. Add about 2 tablespoons of butter, a generous drizzle of honey, and salt and pepper to taste. I like my carrots with a little zip so I go heavy on the pepper.

As for the meatloaves, sauteed onions and celery are combined with seasonings, a couple eggs, breadcrumbs, and ground beef and pork. For one of my gluten-free clients, I make the meatloaves with rice flour breadcrumbs and they come out delicious ever time. A topping of additional Swiss cheese, crisp bacon, and rich portebello mushroom gravy completes the meatloaves.

If the weather is still too warm for you to enjoy this comfort food favorite, file this recipe away for the first chilly day. It will be here soon enough.

Bacon and Swiss Meatloaves with Portebello Mushroom Gravy
makes 6 mini meatloaves

2 tablespoons of butter
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
3 cloves of diced garlic
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 and 1/3 pounds ground beef - I like 90%
1 and 1/3 pounds ground pork
2 eggs
1 cup plain bread crumbs
12 slices of bacon cut in half and cooked until just crisp
8 slices of Swiss cheese

for gravy-
2 tablespoons butter
2 portebello mushrooms, diced
2 tablespoons flour
1 to 1 and 1/2 cups beef stock
salt and pepper to taste

For the meatloaves, preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Over medium high heat, melt the butter in a large saute pan and add the onions and celery. Saute for about 10 - 12 minutes or until the onions begin to caramelize. Add the garlic and saute for and additional minute. Add the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and stir to combine. Remove from heat and let cool.

Meanwhile, place both meats, the eggs, and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Dice half of the bacon and 5 slices of the cheese and add it to the bowl. Add the onion mixture and gently combine all the ingredients. Form into 6 mini meatloaves and place on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes or until a thermometer registers about 160 - 165 degrees. Remove from oven and immediately top with the remaining cheese and 2 half slices of bacon.

While the meatloaves are baking, prepare the gravy. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 5 - 7 minutes or until the mushrooms just begin to get tender. Still in the flour and cook for about a minute. Gradually add the beef stock and stir to combine. Cook the gravy for about 3 - 4 minutes or until thickened. Add more stock depending on how thick or thin you like your gravy. Serve warm over meatloaves.

Note -- the meatloaves can be prepared ahead of time and reheated in the microwave on 70% power for 1 - 2 minutes. Continue heating at 30-second intervals until they are heated through. The meatloaves can also be frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and heat according to the above directions.

Ginger Honey Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

Memorial Day signals the start of the summer party season. Having lived in the Midwest and now the Northeast, I have become accustomed to the unpredictable weather of the first weekend of summer. It can be either 50 degrees and drizzling or 95 degrees with 100% humidity. Do to the fickleness of the weather, I tweaked a couple recipes to come up with an entree that can be either roasted in the oven or cooked on the grill depending on if the weather cooperates or not.

Ginger Honey Barbecued Pork Tenderloin combines two of my family's favorite flavors: smokey barbecue sauce and gingery teriyaki sauce. As we would not be eating dinner until after No Thank You Boy's lacrosse game, I made the pork tenderloin, ginger honey barbecue sauce and Very Veggie Fried Rice (recipe to follow in the next blog post) in the late afternoon after getting home from cooking for my #1 client. The menu lends itself well to reheating so it can easily made well in advance of dinner time.

After returning from the lacrosse game (a 7 - 1 win), I quickly reheated the pork, barbecue sauce, and rice on 70% power in the microwave for about a minute and a half. Dinner is served!

"I love the ginger in the rice," said No Thank You Boy. And as so not to break his streak of avoiding anything green, he added, "But I wouldn't mind less vegetables and more rice."

I had to deter My Oldest from eating all the fried rice way before dinner time. She declared, "I could eat this meal every day. The pork is so tender."

Not really having any complaints about the meal was My Middle One. She did comment though that she would like to see a few more steaks in our meal rotation. Mooooo!!

The Husband was feeling a little under the weather. He was quarantined to his room, but surfaced for a bowl of fried rice after his afternoon of eating chicken noodle soup.

Next time I make this recipe, I will definitely grill the pork tenderloin for an added layer of smokey flavor. Also, I will triple the barbecue sauce recipe. Having a container of it on hand for slathering on chicken and even salmon would be nice. If you will be roasting the pork in the oven, make sure to line the baking sheet with foil. The baked-on sauce will reek havoc and you will end up throwing the baking sheet out instead of trying to chisel off the black gook.

Let's hope for warm temperatures and sunny skies for this weekend. Fire up the grill!

Ginger Honey Barbecued Pork Tenderloin

The pork tenderloin can be grilled instead of roasting in the oven. Grill until the internal temperature is between 135 and 140 degrees. Watch for flare ups. The sauce will burn because of the sugar content.

serves 5

olive oil
2 pork tenderloins, about 2 pounds total weight
Chinese 5-Spice seasoning
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons barbecue sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil and set aside.

To prepare the ginger barbecue sauce, in a small saucepan combine honey, teriyaki sauce, barbecue sauce, ground ginger, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 - 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Set aside.

Heat a large saute pan to medium high and add about a tablespoon of olive oil. Season tenderloins with the Chinese 5-Spice. Brown on all sides in the saute pan. Place tenderloin on the foil lined baking sheet. Brush the tenderloin with some of the ginger barbecue sauce. Roast tenderloins in the oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until a thermometer registers about 135 - 140 degrees. Remove from oven, place on a cutting board and tent with foil. Let pork rest for about 10 minutes.

To serve pork, slice into medallions about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and drizzle with the remaining barbecue sauce.

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Raspberry Hoisin Glazed Roast Pork Loin

Raspberry Hoisin Glazed Pork Loin

On some of my many trips to the grocery store while I am shopping for my persoanl chef clients, I usually pick something up for my own family's dinner. After planning menu after menu for my clients, I have the occasional brain cramp and am at a loss for what to make for dinner. Some weeks I can plan dinner menus in no time at all. But this week, my dinner inspirations seem to have gone on vacation.

On my latest trip to the grocery store, I gazed at the chicken legs and flank steaks and baby back ribs in the butcher case and nothing jumped out at me as an exciting dinner entree. Also the price tags on every cut of meat was higher than normal causing me to pick up many a packages of boneless chicken breasts, pork tenderloins, and skirt steaks only to return them to the refrigerated case. Lo and behold I spied a 2 1/2 pound center cut pork loin roast for $1.99 per pound. Bingo! That will be our dinner tonight.

After a long day of cooking for my Monday personal cheffing client, I decided on an easy recipe for my pork loin. Seared in an oven proof pan, roasted in the oven, and brushed with a spicy and sweet glaze just before it finished cooking, Raspberry Hoisin Glazed Roasted Pork Loin will now be added to my regular rotation of dinner menus. Served with roasted butternut squash, turnips, and parsnips and jasmine rice, the meal is easy to prepare with not much hands-on work.

The family loved the glaze, and I would suggest doubling the recipe so there is plenty to go around. Store any extra glaze in the refrigerator. The thick, rich glaze would also be delicious on grilled or baked chicken, salmon, shrimp, or scallops.

Take a little help from me and make Raspberry Hoisin Glazed Roast Pork Loin tonight.

Raspberry Hoisin Glazed Roast Pork Loin

Serves 5

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt
pepper
1 pork loin, about 2.5 pounds
1 cup red onion, chopped
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1/2 cup seedless raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large, oven proof saute pan, heat about 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season pork with salt and pepper. Sear pork loin over medium high heat on all sides until golden brown, about 8 - 10 minutes total time. Transfer pan with seared pork loin to the oven.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium high heat add 1 tablespoon olive oil and red onion. Saute, stirring occasionally until just beginning to brown, about 5 - 6 minutes. Add soy sauce, hoisin sauce and raspberry preserves and stir until the glaze is combined. Turn off heat and leave sauce on burner.

Roast pork loin in oven until the thickest part of the roast registers 135 degrees on a thermometer, about 45 to 60 minutes. About 10 minutes before the pork is done (it will register about 110 degrees on a digital thermometer), brush with the pork with some of the glaze. You will have extra glaze to serve with the pork.

Remove roast from oven and place on a cutting board and tent with foil for about 10 minutes. Slice the pork loin and serve with the extra glaze. Rewarm the glaze if it gets too thick.