Quiet Evening for Supper

Our quiet evening included a BBQ Center Cut Pork Chop, 

puréed butternut squash, steamed snow pea pods

with sliced peaches, mandarin orange slice and pineapple.   

Bon Appétit and Enjoy 

YOUR Wonderful World!

Bar-B-Q Breakfast

Today's breakfast started yesterday with Heavenly Hog Bar-B-Q  located in Clinton , TN.   They have some of the best BBQ you have ever put to your lips.    Of course, my favorite is the pork but they also offer Sandwiches with  Pork, Brisket, Chicken and Bologna.  The ribs are fall off the bone good with their smoky sweet sauce.   Heavenly also offers a hot sauce...a little over the top for me.  

I brought home extra pork yesterday and decided to get a little inventive in the kitchen...after a couple of cups of Eight O'clock Italian Roast coffee.  

 

 I started with left over BBQ pork in ovenproof serving dishes.   Added the 

eggs and into the oven at 350F for 15 minutes.  

Cheese grits are a standard offering at breakfast.  

Eggs are perfect with the BBQ, grits and whole wheat toast.  

V-8 Juice to complete.  

The Morning Glories are still thriving and beautiful!

Bon Appétit

and 

Enjoy YOUR Wonderful World!

The Labor Day Picnic 2010!

As the summer season winds down, we still are having mid summer weather and lots of sunshine.   Seems like every holiday in East Tennessee, we have a thunderstorm of major proportions.   

One of my all time favorites is Apple/Walnut Cole Slaw.   I will let you decide the proportions since everything in this salad is to taste!  After making...be sure you get three to four hours in the refrigerator to chill thoroughly and the flavors combine!  

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Apple Walnut Cole Slaw

1  Granny Smith apple; peel, cored, diced
1  orange
1/2 head cabbage; chopped fine
1/2 c walnuts; toasted
  Slaw Dressing:
1/2 c mayonnaise; or more, as needed
2 tb heavy cream
2 tb Splenda Brown Sugar; or to taste
1 tb poppy seeds
  salt & pepper; to taste

Peel and chop apple.   Slice orange and juice over apple to prevent turning brown.   This acid does the same as lemon juice but the orange juice added needed sweetness.

Chop cabbage to your preference.  I prefer small dice...some like long strands to cabbage.   Toast chopped walnuts in a small skillet until golden, releases the oils in the walnuts and make them more fragrant.

In small bowl, combine mayonnaise, cream, Splenda, (or use  superfine sugar), if desired, poppy seeds.   Whisk until smooth adding a little more cream if necessary.    You may find you need a little more dressing...and you can add extra to your taste.

Add salt and pepper, to taste and refrigerate three hours or until flavors combine.

Notes:  WHStoneman

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Along with the Cole Slaw, serving Grilled Chicken 

and Baked Sweet Potatoes. 

And for dessert....tart shells filled with pistachio filling!

Wishing Y'all a wonderful holiday and looking forward to the 
Fall Season here in East Tennessee!

Apricot Glazed Pork Loin Chops

It was a good weekend shopping trip and Pork Loin Chops were on sale....my kind of meal, if I can get the good stuff on sale.  

One of my favorite sauces on pork is Madeira Apricot Glaze.   A good bottle of Madeira can be found at your wine shop and usually the price is around 15 and up for some of the more expensive varieties.  I stick with the reasonable priced bottles since I don't drink Madeira by itself...but always use it in cooking.    Poultry adapts nicely with a Madeira gravy.    The basic roux proportion with a cup of Madeira makes a very quick and flavorful sauce.   A couple of tablespoons adds great depth to a mushroom soup.  

My chops are in the brine for two hours and then to the grill.  It is a nice day so will be using the Weber Dome grill with indirect heat.  Really makes a perfect cooking environment for any type of roasted meat and/or poultry.  

Indirect Grilling in a Dome Weber

There are a few staples in the pantry including Smuckers Sugar Free Preserves.  The Raspberry and Blackberry flavors are great for pork and chicken.   I find the Apricot and Orange Marmalade flavor great also with ham and grilled fish.    I melt a half cup of the Apricot jam over low heat until melted.  Add a quarter cup of Madeira and stir to combine.   Baste on the loin chops during the last five minutes of the grilling period.   Also..I have discovered rather than standing over the grill,  I use a pair of tongs and dip the chops in the glaze, flip over...then return to the grill.  Saves basting and you don't end up with brush bristles embedded in the finished product. 

Apricot Glaze reducing by half

Beautiful Grilled Chop with a Wonderful Glaze

Bon Appetit!

Summer Heat Wave

OK...it is too hot to cook in the house...and been too hot and humid this week to cook on the grill.   What's for supper....and since we had a great sale on 3 pound chuck roasts, I had to buy four of them last week.  What to make...and San Antonino Beef came to mind.   I usually make this in the winter and in the oven.   It just didn't seem right to be running the oven for three or four hours heating up the house further with the A/C running non stop to keep it 72 inside.  

Nothing smells better than coming into the kitchen on a cold winter morning and smelling a great roast in the oven.   Time to become inventive and the crock pot came to mind.   I can do the same thing with the crock pot working outside on the bakers rack!

I follow the recipe close to the Brennen's intent, but today I added a few extra flavorings starting with hydrating an Ancho pepper for fifteen minutes in hot water.  To this I added two pints of tomatoes from last years bumper crop of tomatoes.   Time to use them up.  I am expecting more tomatoes with this year's crop  than ever in the past.

Hydrated Ancho Pepper

My sifrito of onion, celery, garlic and mushroom stems

I topped the roast with my version of sofrito and poured the ancho/tomato liquid over top.   Time to raid the refrigerator and located a dozen mushrooms that had past the fresh point for a mixed green salad...but had lots of flavor potential for the dish being created.  

A great Angus marbled chuck roast!

And we are ready for the cooking session!   Topped with tomato goodness and mushrooms...can't wait for this one tonight served with grilled asparagus and corn tortilla!

Ready for six hours!

Culinary Ideas courtesy of Sam Hoffer    Many Thanks, Sam!

This great idea was "borrowed" from Sam Hoffer living in the  Mountains of Western North Carolina!   She writes the most wonderful food blog and I look forward to very issue she creates.   This idea came from her last cookout at Lake Tellico, in Tennessee.

The Finished Plate....Beef, Mushroom, Whole Wheat Rotini and Grilled Asparagus

Summer Grilling

Nothing beats summer than outdoor grilling!....but some days, it is just too hot.   That is why I love my infrared indoor grill. 

Kabobs are a great thing to grill...but I find some choices just don't grill as well as they should.  Particularly, tomatoes that cook too quickly and the balance of the kabob is not ready to remove from the grill.      I try to combine "equal" cooking time on their individual skewer and then I can remove when finished and combine on the serving plate.  

Ready for the Plate!  

Today's presentation includes green pepper, onion, kielbasa and shrimp.   The shrimp I used to pay six dollars a pound have become ten dollars and up a pound with the oil issues we are experiencing.  We will continue to enjoy but the future looks iffy at best.   I marinated these kabobs with soy sauce, ginger, garlic and honey. 

This year we are enjoying beautiful plants.   Here is one of my favorites from this morning's garden stroll.  

   

Wishing you a very Happy Summer Day!

Memorial Day 2010

Welcome Summer, 2010!    It won't be long before this year is half over...where does the time go!!     While shopping last week...I looked at baby back ribs and then came to the country ribs.   Haven't made them is years, and they were reasonable priced.  That was the clincher on the entree!!    I did my usual dry rub and roasted on the Weber grill over indirect heat.   They came out just as good as I expected.  

Looked for something other than the regular potato salad.   While on the net, I found  Mark Bittman's Sweet Potato Salad and that had real possibilities.   Turned out to be a recipe that I will keep in the files.   Nice...different and full of great flavor and fiber.   A nice mescalin salad with fresh tomatoes and red onions with lemon vinaigrette completed the meal.   Of course, cantaloupe makes a great dessert topped with sour creme sweetened with a little Splenda Brown Sugar.  

  Wishing all a great Start to Summer Holiday.  

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BBQ & Steak Rub

Rubs

2 tablespoon chili powder
2 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Combine well and rub into your meat of choice. Chicken as well as pork and
beef work well. Let stand for a few hours before grilling over hot coals.

Yield: 1 servings and can be doubled without adjustments


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Embers Pork Chops!

The Embers in Mt. Pleasant was a mainstay of MidMichigan dining  for years.   I say was,  since the restaurant has closed a few years ago.    This restaurant was famous forever with their Embers Pork Chops.  Out of this world good!   The Dining Room was something wonderful with all the great smells.   They also featured Prime Rib that drew in tourists over the decades. 

I came across this recipe 20 years ago from a great friend who had "ties" to the restaurant.   The recipe slipped out but I still don't know if this is the EXACT recipe, but it sure is a good copy!   Hope you enjoy this as much as we do.   This recipe will accommodate 8 1 1/2" center cut bone in chops.    Get the best chop you can find...you won't regret your decision. 

The Chops are finished with the Marinating Sauce and ready for the oven 

Hot from the Grill served with Brown Rice and Salad

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Embers Pork Chops

meats, pork

      ----MARINATING SAUCE----
2 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
1 teaspoon salt
      ----RED SAUCE----
1/3 cup water
14 ounces ketchup
12 ounces Heinz chili sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry mustard

Combine all ingredients in marinating sauce.  Mix together and bring to a boil.  Let cool.  Put chops in a pan with bone side up.  Pour the sauce over the pork chops and let stand overnight in refrigerator.

Continuing, take pork chops out of sauce, place in baking pan and cover tightly with foil.  Put in 375F. oven and bake until tender about 2 hours.  While chops are baking, combine all red sauce ingredients in a heavy saucepan.  Dilute dry mustard, sugar and water together leaving no lumps. Bring all ingredients to a light boil. The red sauce is finished. After chops are tender, remove from oven and dip in the red sauce. Take chops after dipping and place in baking pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350F or until slightly glazed.

Marinating sauce and red sauce can be reused if brought to a boil and stored in refrigerator or frozen.

For extra flavor, keep at room temperature until you are ready to put on charcoal pit or grill.   Have grill as high as possible from coals, not a large bed of coals is needed.  Place finished chops on grill, let cook slowly, a little blacking does not hurt chops and grilling should not take more than 15 minutes.

Notes:  Embers Restaurant, Mt. Pleasant, MI

Yield: 6 servings


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Skirt Steak....and My Variations!

I just received the newest edition of Fine Cooking April/May 2010  !!   This magazine has become my inspiration and my food companion.   Every issue is  a relevant and productive addition to any kitchen reader.  

Their "Make it Tonight" section featured Skirt Steak Tacos with Spicy Sour Cream.   That  combination inspired me to create my own interpretation.   So ......here goes and enjoy!

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Skirt Steak Tacos With Spicy Sour Cream

Mexican

1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp. ground chipotle chile
  kosher salt
1 tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. ground cumin
  freshly ground pepper
1 lb. skirt steak (3/4 inch thick)
8  tortillas
2 c iceberg lettuce; shredded
2 medium tomatoes; chopped
1 medium avocado; pitted, peeled
1/3 cup red onion; chopped

Prepare a medium-hot charcoal or gas grill fire. Combine the sour cream, chipotle, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. Set aside at room temperature to let the flavors meld.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, cumin, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Rub this mixture on all sides of the steak. Grill the steak, covered, flipping once, until medium rare, 3 to 4 minutes per side.  Transfer the steak to a large plate to rest for at least 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, warm the tortillas on the grill for about 30 seconds per side.  Slice the steak across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Fill each tortilla with some of the steak, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and onion.  Drizzle with the sauce and serve.



Fine Cooking 104, pp. 22

Notes:  Adeena Sussman

Yield: 4 servings


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Cumin Marinating Strip Steaks

 

Strip Steak with Spicy Sour Cream 

I used the ingredients as written and  put the rub on NY Angus Strip Steaks.    Grilled until medium rare and placed the steak on a bed of lettuce, topped the steak with chopped tomato and sliced avocado.   Spooned the Spicy Sour Cream over top and ready to serve!!   As you know....skipping the tortillas is a smarter Sugar Busters thing to do.   

San Antonio Beef

I wanted to share this Sugar Buster recipe from Ellen and Theodore Brennan.  Mr. Brennan is Co-Owner of  Brennen's Restaurant in New Orleans.  I have made this in a Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven and I have also make in a crock pot.   Personally, I haven't been able to detect a difference...other than you can save money running your crock pot than an oven four hours.   Personally, I will go with the crockpot with a removable crock liner.  That can go directly to the table, if desired.    Nice to take to a BBQ...since this is reminiscent of a good beef BBQ.  

Seared Angus Chuck Roast

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San Antonio Beef

3 pound beef chuck roast
3 large garlic cloves; minced
3 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoon cooking oil
2 1/2 cup water
2 cup onion; finely chopped
1 1/2 cup celery; finely chopped
3/4 cup green pepper; finely chopped
3 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 325F.  

Pat the roast dry with paper towels. In a large pot heat oil and brown on all sides. Add remaining ingredients. Cover, place in oven and cook for 4 hours, stirring until the beef is easily shredded. Serve immediately.


This can also be made stove top...but in the summer, it just heats up the kitchen.  

Notes:  Sugar Busters Cookbook

Yield: 8 servings


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San Antonio Beef with Brown Rice and Butter Sauteed Lima Beans

Bon Appétit

and 

Enjoy YOUR Wonderful World!