A Worthy Repost: The Other White Meat

We ran into some JAG friends on the hike and got a family pic other than a selfie - WIN!

 So we have been exploring a bunch this summer and it has been great!  (However, while I write this I am sitting on my couch, possibly still in my PJs because we are taking a knee this weekend!)  A few weeks ago we went for a family hike to Dark Hollow Falls in Shenandoah National Park.  It is a short hike down to the falls but it feels twice as long heading back up ALL THOSE STEPS.

Not Pictured: two teenage girls striking poses in bikinis for their father who was smoking an e-cig.  It was so amazing.

 
Owen has become quite the little hiker and only complained a little bit.  Ever seen "The Jerk?" He is my little Steve Martin because he insists on bringing along the treasure de jour on every adventure.  On this particular day it was a bug catcher and binoculars. 

He said he thought he saw *something.*

Am  I the luckiest girl or what?

Now for the food.  Oh the food.  We have been grilling a bunch this summer (doesn't everyone?) and one of my favorites is this tasty pork tenderloin from my BFF Ina.  I made this Herb-Marinated Loin of Pork from Back to Basics via the oven back in 2010 and blogged about it - I was actually wearing the same Kansas t-shirt in that post - HA! (check it out here!) and it was delish!  But I have worked out the kinks and it is so much better to grill as all the heat is outside and Jeremy does all the heavy lifting!  The key is marinating it overnight!  But I will pat my own back and let you know that I did in fact make this recipe on a girls weekend and did all the grilling to perfection.  Girls grill too!

Herb-Marinated Loin of Pork
~Serves 6~

{Ingredients}

1 lemon, zest grated

3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)

Olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)

1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each - I only used 2 loins to feed my fam of four)

Freshly ground black pepper

{Instructions}

1) Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1 gallon resealable plastic bag.  Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade.  Squeeze out the air and seal the bag.  Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.  I cannot stress this enough, DO IT OVERNIGHT.  It makes all the difference.

2)  When you are ready to cook, build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill.  Brush the cooking grate with oil to prevent the pork from sticking.  Remove the tenderloins from the marinade discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat.  Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper.  Grill the tenderloins, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 15-25 minutes (depending on the heat of the coals) until the meat registers 137* in the thickest part (and that, my friends, is the magic number - we always use this as our temperature gauge and it makes for perfect pork tenderloin!). 

3) Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Carve in 1/2" thick diagonal slices.  The thickest part of the tenderloin will be quite pink (its just fine!  Don't be scared of the pink!  It is SO MUCH BETTER PINK) and the thinnest part will be well done.  Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect on the platter.  

Bon Appetit my friends!

Philly Foody Fun!

Footie jammie picture!

 We met some seriously amazing people when we were living in Arlington.  We are so blessed to be able to maintain those friendships - especially now that we are on the East Coast and are able to visit in person!  Four kids and five moves later, we finally were able to get together with our dear friends the Andersons.  Liz and Walter led our small group for two years and were such a blessing as leaders and friends.  I miss our weekly get-togethers!

This was the summer we met the Andersons and the rest of our wonderful small group.  Here's to a reunion this summer!  (Not pictured: the Andrews!)

Sometimes I wish we could all just move to the same cul-de-sac (maybe the one the Andersons live on?) and pick up where we left off.  Sigh.  Maybe in heaven??

Elliott and the Polar Bear at the Philadelphia Zoo in sub-zero weather.  Just kidding, it was 32*.

The Andersons took us the Lancaster Farmers Market where we had a very traditional lunch of hotdog pretzel rolls - AMAZING.  Seriously, delish and I kind of want one right now.  And we bought the goods to make Philly Cheese Steaks for dinner!  Philly Food is so up my alley!  But before we got to make the cheese steaks, we had quite the adventure at the Philadelphia Zoo in rather frigid weather!

Owen taking in the Polar Bear exhibit with is bear mittens.

 All-in-all, amazing weekend and I can't wait for our next visit - hopefully in this Summer!

Now for the cheese steaks!  Liz said she has only seen this particular meat:

i.e.: super thinly sliced, in Philadelphia area meat markets...I have yet to look for it here in Cville, but my next trip to the butcher shop I will take a look.

So, what you need is one green bell pepper and one white onion thinly sliced.  Start sauteing those bad boys in a big pan with a little EVOO until they are just tender.

Then you will just start adding the very thinly sliced meat to the pan on top of the peppers and onions. 

Give the meat a stir until it is browned.  Add a little salt and pepper to season the meat at this point.

Then start layering the provolone on top - yum.  Seriously, yum.

Then give it a good stir so the meat/onion/pepper mixture is good and provolone cheesy.  Then pour the mixture onto a cutting surface and chop it up a bit as it will be easier to load up the sandos.

Toast some delish deli rolls (apparently the rolls make all the difference and you want to get "good" rolls...) and stack them full of the cheese steak mixture.  DELISH!!

While Liz was cooking and I was taking some very poorly balanced pictures, Elliott thoroughly enjoyed the show in his bouncer.  This bouncer, I might add, I got from the "pass it along table" at my MOPS group.  Yay for free things!

Thank you Liz and Walter for teaching us the finer points of Philly Fine Dining!  Can't wait to do it again!

Make this. Make this NOW.

I have gotten fully lazy and a bit disheartened regarding taking foodie pics with my fancy pants camera.  I recently got "Plate to Pixel" (food photog book) but have yet to set aside time to learn how to take mouth watering pics.  Alas, I have resulted to my phone.  And sometimes they actually turn out better.  What? 

I also got the "Smitten Kitchen Cookbook" - I have a link to the blog to the right.  The cookbook adds several new recipes and a few I've tried from the blog (salted brown butter crispy treats!).  For the J Man's birthday I made my first recipe out of said cookbook and it was TO DIE FOR.  My new foodie friend here in Cville not only recommended the cookbook but swore up and down that the Balsamic and Beer-Braised Short Ribs with Parsnip Puree were amazing.  HOLY CANNOLI.  It was not amazing.  It was AMAZING. Finger licking good.  Except that you shouldn't eat said beef with your fingers.  Go ahead and use your fork.

For Jer's birthday, he got to use our "You Are Special" plate.  I got it as a shower gift from my sister; we grew up with a "You Are Special" plate and I love continuing the tradition with my family :)

This was seriously super easy peasy and made our home smell spectacular!  And the birthday boy was please as punch with this little treat!  I made the recommended parsnip puree and it was also ridiculously easy.  This is the perfect meal to make if you are trying to impress someone (like the love of your life, your boss, new foodie friends, etc.) or just want to be a weeknight gourmet!

Balsamic and Beer-Braised Short Ribs
~ Serves 4 to 6 ~

{Ingredients}
5 pounds bone-in short ribs (English style - i.e. separated, about 6 large or up to 10 smaller ones) at room temperature, trimmed of excess fat
 Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
2 tablespoons tomato past
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar (Have you tried the Whole Foods 365* Aged Balsamic?  Fantastic!  It was rated very highly and doesn't break the bank - plus, Deb states that you don't need to use your best aged for this recipe)
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (I love saying "Worcestershire.")
2 bottles (24 ounces) dark beer, such as black lager (I only had one bottle so I added a Yeung Ling and I honestly have no idea if that was a mistake or not because it tasted just fabulous.)
2 to 3 cups beef stock
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley to serve (optional)

{Instructions}
1) Prepare the Braise:  Season the short ribs generously and on all sides with salt and freshly ground pepper.  Heat a large Dutch oven (7 to 8 quarts) over high heat, and add enough olive oil to coat the bottom.  Once the oil is hot, brown the short ribs on all sides in batches.  Deb takes her time on this stage, making sure to get a nice brown sear on all six sides.  A singe batch can take 10-15 minutes to brown.  Transfer the browned ribs to a plate and then repeat with remaining ribs.

2) Braise the Ribs:  Preheat your oven to 325*.  Once all the ribs are browned and removed from pot, turn heat down to medium-high and pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil and fat.  Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened and a little brown, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic cloves, and saute for 3 minutes more.  Add the tomato paste, and cook for another few minutes, until thickened; then add the vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and beer, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom.  Return the browned ribs to the pot.  If you can, arrange them with their meatiest sides face down.  If there are too many ribs and not enough surface space, stand them up on their sides, with the bones vertical.  Add enough beef stock to just cover the ribs.  Bring the liquid to a simmer, then turn off heat.  Cover the pot tightly with foil, then with a lid.  Deb said that if you don't use foil, the liquid evaporates too much in the oven, leaving the ribs exposed and a bit dry.

3) Bake the Ribs:  Bake for 3 hours, or until the meat can easily be pierced with a knife or pieces can be torn back with a fork.  If the bones look as if they don't want to stay in much longer, that is another good sign.  Remove from the oven and let the ribs rest for 15 minutes, uncovered.  Skim as much fat as you can off the top.  At this point you can pop them in the fridge for up to one day.  The advantage is that it will be super easy to remove the fat from the dish as it will separate and firm up.

4)  To Serve:  Serve with a sprinkling of chopped flat leaf parsley and a side of parsnip puree!

Elliott turned 5 months the day Daddy turned 34 years old :)

 Parsnip Puree

{Ingredients}
2 pounds parsnips (about 6 medium), peeled, sliced into medium-sized chunks
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish sauce or freshly grated horseradish
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper

{Instructions}
In a large, heavy pot, combine parsnips with enough cold water to cover.  Place over moderately high heat, cover and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, about 20 to 30 minutes, then drain.

Puree hot parsnips, butter, heavy cream, horseradish, salt, and freshly ground pepper until smooth.  (As a side note, I though the parsnip puree needed more salt!)

I know this was a long one, but TRUST ME, totally worth it!!!  And it is much easier than the length of this post indicates!

Twenties

 

Yay for baby number two at 20 weeks!  This little nugget is rocking my world!  He or she is kicking up a storm these days.  And Jeremy finally got to feel the kicks - my favorite part!  B2 is still set to enter the world on or about August 28th - my gram's b-day along with a dear friend :)  If B2 is just a few days early, he/she will share a b-day with my cousin.  August is a popular month!

And here is my other August baby- at 20 months!  This was his first experience with dandelions - he doesn't quite have the lung power to blow on them yet...

Belly at 20 weeks - just like last time, it is taking some serious time before I pop!  I have *slightly* more of a bump with round two, but not much:

Well, let me take that back - definitely more a bump with round two!  Maybe it all the delicious food we've been making lately?!

Now then, this recipe really has nothing to do with 20, except that it took about 20 minutes to prep - so easy!  Yesterday I marinated a flank stake in a fairly simple marinade, J grilled it, and we made these amazing Vietnamese Sandwiches!  The leftover flanks steak = steak fajitas for dinner tonight!  I love when I can find a great use for leftovers - in generally I LOATH leftovers.  Jeremy usually ends up taking them to work because I want them out of of my house.  But this one we must share, so good!

Vietnamese Steak Sandwiches

Adapted from Great Food Fast
~Serves 4~

Flank Steak Lime Marinade

1/3 cup fresh lime juice (about 4 limes, or 2 super juicy (or "jui-she" as Owen says) ones like I had!)
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 scallions, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
2 tbsp minced, peeled fresh ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2 pounds flank steak
Veggie or Olive Oil
Coarse Salt and Ground Pepper

1.  In a resealable plastic bag combine the lime juice, soy sauce, scallions, ginger and red pepper flakes.  (I added Veggie Oil because all of my steak marinades call for oil and it helped with the grilling.)   Add the steak and seal the bag, place it in a dish to catch any leaks.  Marinate the steak in the fridge, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes.  (I marinated mine for at least 6 hours - what is 30 minutes going to do?)

Heat the grill to high; lightly oil the grates (which is not necessary if you splashed a little oil in the marinade).  Remove the steak from the marinade, letting excess drip off, toss marinade.  Season the steak with Salt and Pepper (we omitted and didn't miss!).  Grill to desired doneness (6-8 minutes for med-rare, turning once).  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Sammies

1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp rice vinegar
2 carrots, grated
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
1 avocado (not called for, but totally worth it)
4 hero rolls (I used whole wheat)

1.  In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, sugar, red pepper flakes, rice vinegar, and 1 tbsp water.

2.  In another bowl, toss together the carrots, scallions, and cilantro leaves.  Toss with half the vinegar mixture.

3.  Slice and lightly toast the hero rolls.   Layer with the carrot mixture and steak.  (I added avocado - yum!)  Drizzle with the remaining vinegar mixture, if desired.

DELISH, and super easy...NOT Owen tested :)

Giving the Beef a Break

Oh my, these boys melt my heart every time!  Aren't they just the cutest?  My mom bought them little knives at Sur la Table (don't worry, they are for kids and are more blunt than a spoon!) so they can help her cook!  They had a ball chopping lettuce and mushrooms - and Owen also enjoyed snacking on the mushrooms.  My little herbivore.  Love that kid!  Anyfood, the little men like helping in the kitchen.  While adorable, it can take 5x longer to get a meal done!

My latest Weeknight Gourmet meal involved lamb.  I am NOT a lamby fan.  At all.  J loves the little sheep.  It tends to be too gamey for me, so I leave it to J to order it from a restaurant as I will not cook it.  However, a friend of ours from DC raved about Ina's lamb kabobs.  Like 3 years ago.  And I finally looked it up - partly because I wanted to give it another shot, and partly because I'm beefed out.  Holy cow (haha), have I been missing out!!!!  This little lamby was DELISH!!!  Maybe it was because I marinated it for 2 days, or maybe because it was cooked perfectly by the Jman.  Either way, I am a convert.

Lamb Kabobs

Barefoot Contessa at Home - Serves 8-12 (I modified it for 2)

Ingredients

4 pounds top round lamb (I had some issues procuring some top round lamb.  I ended up with lamb stew meat which was perfect as it was already cubed.)
2 tablespoons minced garlic (4 to 5 cloves)
2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary
4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup mild olive oil
1/2 cup dry red wine
4 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Kosher salt
4 small red onions
4 pints cherry tomatoes
Skewers


Directions

Cut the lamb in 1 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 40 cubes. Combine the garlic, rosemary, thyme, olive oil, red wine, vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a medium bowl. Add the lamb cubes, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days. Toss occasionally.

Heat a charcoal grill with coals. Spread the coals in 1 tight layer on the grill.  (We followed our Weber gas grill directions for lamb and it was perfect!)

Cut the red onions in quarters and separate each quarter into 3 or 4 sections. Loosely thread 3 or 4 pieces of lamb alternately with sections of onion on skewers. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb with salt and pepper. Next place 4 or 5 cherry tomatoes on skewers, threading them through the stem of the tomato. Rub the tomatoes with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. 

First, place the lamb skewers on the hot grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, until the lamb is medium rare. Approximately 5 minutes before the lamb is done, place the tomato skewers on the grill, turning once, until seared on the outside but still firm inside.

We ate it with Zov's rice pilaf - TO DIE FOR.  I will share this recipe later as I am currently sitting in my hotel bed in Denver and don't have my cookbook with me :)

Bon Appetit!

Everybody Loves Meatballs!

So I've been making my own baby food, which is easy peasy - and so much cheaper!  But now that O has graduated to chunkier food, I sometimes struggle with what to feed him.  And every day is a new adventure: what he loved on Monday, he most assuredly WILL NOT love on Tuesday.  So making enough for several servings can totally backfire on me.  Thus the black beans and chicken that I busted out on Friday have been languishing in my fridge and will most likely form the base of my salad for lunch!

I've discovered that O goes nuts, I mean, SERIOUSLY NUTS, for turkey meatballs.  When he first started gobbling (haha) them down, he only had room in his cheeks, I mean stomach, for two.  Now, he can pack in about five.  I don't know where it fits as he is a skinny little man!  There is one draw back to feeding O meatballs every day: he smells like my dad after eating raw onions.  Seriously, little man had THE WORST breath - so we space it out a bit!

O is rocking a University of Michigan jersey - love it!

The best part about these meatballs are that they are pleasing to my pallet as well!  And Jeremy declared me the "best wife" because I suggested we make meatball subs for the baseball game - who knew he was so easy to please???

Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:
1 large egg
1/3 cup milk
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2/3 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 pound ground turkey (preferably 93% lean)

Instructions:
In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, 1/ 1/4 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper with a fork.  Stir int he onion, breadcrumbs, cheese and parsley.  Add the turkey and mix until combined.  Form the mixture into 1 1/2 inch balls.

Bake at 400* for 20 minutes.  This is variable depending on the size of the meatballs.

Where's the beef?

Ha! So we bought 1/8 of a cow this summer. Actually, we just got it about a week ago, but we have already consumed 3 of our 81 pounds...I am positive that NO ONE in the Stephens abode is anemic at this point! I always wanted to buy a share of a cow, so when a friend of ours from small group mentioned that his parents were slaughtering a cow and wanted to sell it, we jumped on it! I think we are set with beef until the cows come home, bahahahahahahaahaha!


We got chuck, stew beef, tenderloin, cube steak, strip, etc., but as you can see from the first picture we got a ridiculous amount of ground beef. I busted out my America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook and started reviewing my ground beef options. Up until this point, I have been a ground turkey kind of girl, and all I've really made is one of the following: 1) tacos, 2) meatballs, or 3) hamburgers. So with about 40 pounds of ground beef it is time to mix it up!


First up: Tamale Pie! DELISH. Now, it sounds a bit comfort foodish, and it sort of is, but it was fairly healthy and we will be making it a bunch because it was SO GOOD.

Tamale Pie
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound (90% lean - although I have no idea what the percentage is on our beef) ground beef
1 onion, minced
1 jalapeno chile, stemmed, seeded and minced (now, if you don't want your skin under your fingernails to burn, or your eyes (if you are like me and rub your eyes EVERY TIME you cut jalapenos), either wear gloves, or do what I did and use a vegetable bag as a glove as you cut, seed, etc.)
Salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes (I used Rotel Original - nice and spicy!)
1 cup fresh or frozen corn
Pepper
2 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup coarse cornmeal
4 ounces (1 cup) Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I used Pepper Jack - we like it hot in this house. Although I tried to feed O some of the cooked meat with the jalapeno and he was having NONE of it.)

* My mom said she grew up with Tamale Pie and my Gram always added olives - we love olives, so I think we'll throw a can in next time for a little saltiness.)

Instructions
1) Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375*. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up large clumps, until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes.

2) Stir in the onion, jalapeno, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, oregano, and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the beans, the tomatoes and their juice, and corn and simmer until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside.

3) Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt and then slowly pour in the cornmeal while whisking vigorously to prevent clumping. Turn the heat to medium and cook, whisking constantly, until the cornmeal thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.

4) Stir the cheese into the beef mixture, then scrape into a deep-dish pie plate (or other 3-quart baking dish). Spread the cornmeal mixture over the top and seal against the edge of the dish. Cover with foil and bake until the crust has set and the pie is heated through, about 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Bon Appetite!

So Kansas is the Sunflower state if you weren't already aware of that fact. And that name is WELL deserved - at least in the Little Apple. We randomly have no less than four sunflower stalks that came up all on their own in our front yard, and they are COVERED in sunflowers! Alas, the heat of the summer was worth it :)

Meat and Potatoes

Okay, so this picture was taken last summer on the old camera - so it isn't really capturing how freaking amazing this meal was!! On a whim, I treated my new groom to Filet of Beef au Poivre with Matchstick Potatoes...it was wonderful! Although, we totally set the smoke alarm off multiple times whilst frying the taters...I cannot wait until we own our own place and can disable the smoke alarm. Just kidding! Maybe.

Filet of Beef au Poivre

Serves 6 - Barefoot in Paris

6 filets mignon, cut 1 1/4 inches thick

Kosher salt

2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper

3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (take the "unsalted" seriously - I erroneously used salted when it called for unsalted and it was a disastrous mistake!!)

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

3/4 cup chopped shallots (3 to 4 shallots)

1 cup canned beef broth

1/2 cup good Cognac or brandy

1. Place the filets on a board and pat them dry with paper towels. Sprinkle the filets with salt and then press the black pepper evenly on both sides. Allow to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter and the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat until the butter almost smokes. Place the steaks in the pan and lower the heat to medium. Saute the steaks for 4 minutes on one side then for 3 minutes on the other side for medium rare. (I cooked my filets 5 on one side and 4 on the other = v.v. medium rare...) Remove the steaks to a serving platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil.
3. Meanwhile, pour all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the saute pan. Add the shallots and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the beef broth and cook over high heat for 4-6 minutes, until reduced by half, scraping the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the Cognac and cook for 2 more minutes. Off the heat, swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Serve the steaks hot with the sauce poured on top.

Matchstick Potatoes

Serves 4 - Barefoot in Paris

Peanut or canola oil

2 large oval Idaho potatoes, peeled

Sea salt or kosher salt

Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour at least 1 inch of oil into a deep pot and heat it to 350 degrees.
2. Slice the potatoes into thin matchsticks (1/8 inch thick) with a vegetable slice or mandoline, dropping them into a bowl of cold water as you cut. Drain the potatoes and dry them thoroughly with paper towels. Drop the potatoes in batches into the hot oil and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from the pot with a wire basket skimmer or slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Place on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, and keep warm in the oven while you cook the rest of the potatoes.
3. Sprinkle the potatoes with parsley, if desired, and serve hot.

Smokey Joes

I'd like to meet the cook who saw these little guys and came up with this little gem of a dish! Seriously, I doubt I would have perused the deli aisle and said, "Yum, tiny little wieners all mashed together in some juices, I need to get me some of those!" But someone clearly did. And then they added bacon. Be still my heart, I'm in love. And I'm happy to report, that I now am not afraid of aesthetically unpleasing food :)

I've used this recipe for brunches and cocktail hour - its great for both. In fact, I made them for a baby shower for my girlfriend Julie (who just asked for the recipe and is now living in El Salvador - not sure where she'll be getting the smokies unless there is some sort of commissary...) and they were a hit!

Get some tiny little wieners and some bacon and get wrapping!

Little Smokey Wraps
Serves alot - although I usually double the recipe...

Ingredients
1 pound little smokies
1 pound bacon
3/4 box brown sugar
toothpicks

Instructions
Slice bacon into thirds. Wrap sliced bacon around each smokey. Secure wit a toothpick. Place on a 2 piece broiler pan (I usually get the disposable aluminum foil pans as this recipe makes a giant mess that I am unwilling to clean up - if you still want to go with the broiler pan, at least line the bottom with aluminum foil). Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 2 hours at 250*.

Bon Appetit!

A Fishing We Will Go...

Jeremy went fishing on our very first camping trip!  These babies are 35 pounds a piece.  Nice, right?  I'd like to say that he actually caught one of these suckers and we served it up for dinner around the camp fire, but that would be a lie.  Jeremy was not so lucky to catch one of these suckers.  In fact, he didn't catch a thing.  These babies were caught off a fishing boat - they just happened to be downloaded at the pier right by where we were sun bathing, so we came to inspect these fine specimen.  Have you ever watched professional fishermen in action?  Um, what an interesting species.    

Anyfood, we went on our very first camping trip!  This was big for two reasons: 1) there was no TV and 2) I've never been camping without a motor home (except once, and I was with extremely experienced campers that had all the fancy gear).  So we had to fend for ourselves around the campfire and camp stove.  I would say it was a raving success!
The first night we had dogs and corn...the corn took about 4 hours.  Seriously, the fire simply was not hot enough.  At Virginia State Parks, you aren't permitted to bring in your own fire wood - you are forced to buy their damp, moldy wood.  So it burns slow, low, and smokey (Jeremy was baffled that I knew this - however, even though I grew up in a motor home, we camped every single summer and Easter Break until I graduated from high school.  I did learn a thing or two about camp fires!)  Anyfood, the dogs were delish, however they were covered in a wee bit of smoke and char which I wasn't too excited about.  The corn, once it FINALLY cooked was delish!
The first morning, J fired up our brand new camp stove!  It took a bit for us to figure out that the stove was actually lit...apparently the caps over the burners prevent us from seeing the flames.  Good to know.  Anyfood, we had turkey bacon, flat fried eggs, cantaloupe, and watermelon.  We also tried out our new percolator - YUMMY coffee.  For serious.  However, we ground our coffee a little too fine so there were some grounds in our joe.  If you look close enough you will notice a picture of yours truly on the coffee mug - I think I might have been about one or two in that snap shot.  For my 16th birthday my ever-so-thoughtful parents took me and a group of friends camping at Doheny - the party faves were pics of each of the girls on their own mug.  My mom had contacted their parents ahead of time to get the pics.  She recently sent my mug to me, and I thought it was fitting that I use it on this trip.  We'll have to get one for the J man!
Night number two I made burritos!  My cousin JJ and her husband are avid campers and highly recommend burritos.  OMG, fabulous!  A must for our next trip.  Piece of cake to chop up some bell peppers, red onions, and 1/2 a jalapeno; heat up some refried beans (vegetarian kind - no lard for me thanks!); toss in some taco meat that we used earlier this week and ta-da!  SO GOOD.

Great trip, great company, and great food!

Lasagna to end eating of all other Lasagnas

I'm not even kidding. Cooking any other lasagna is just pointless. Much like the pumpkin chili, this lasagna has ruined me for anything else. It must be the "shower of cheese" (see the "J Man Cooks Too" post) that does me in...or the yummy spicy turkey sausage and fresh basil, or the fresh mozzarella, or the whole kit and caboodle (did you guys have have "caboodles"??? My sister and I totally had one and it was excellent. Especially when we needed to pack up all of our makeup in the 5th grade and head to grandma's house. Except we didn't use it for makeup really-we kept all of our beads in it! If memory serves me correctly, it still serves as a bead-keeper in the toy closet at my parent's house...)

Anyfood, this recipe is from my girl Ina out of "Barefoot Contessa Family Style." Get it already!!

Lasagna with Turkey Sausage

(Serves 8)

Ingredients

2 tbsps olive oil

1 cup chopped yellow onion (1 onion)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed

1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes in tomato puree

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, divided

1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound lasagna noodles

15 ounces ricotta cheese

3-4 ounces creamy goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling (I used Romano and it tasted great!)

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 pound fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced (Tip: freeze the mozzarella for 30 minutes, it makes it easier to slice)

Instructions

1) Preheat the oven to 400*.

2) Heat the olive oil in a large (10-12 inch) skillet. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. Add the sausage and cook over medium-low heat, breaking it up with a fork, for 8-10 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tbsps of the parsley, the basil, 1 1/2 tsps salt and 1/2 tsp pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 15-20 minuets, until thickened.

3) Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and allow them to sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain. (Different - isn't it? Totally works great!)

4) In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup of Parm (or Romano if you are me), the egg, the remaining 2 tbsps of parsley, 1.2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. (My cousin JJ and her hubby recommended adding a few pinches of red pepper flakes for some heat and few shakes of nutmeg - I'm not sure what it does, but it does something and it makes my taste buds sing.)

5) Ladle 1/3 of the sauce into a 9 x 12 x 2 inch rectangular baking dish, spreading the sauce over the bottom of the dish. Then add the layers as follows: half the pasta, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce. Add the rest of the pasta, mozzarella, ricotta mixture, and finally, sauce. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of Parm. Bake for 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling. (You can totes make this one ahead and refrigerate it - buts be sure to bake a little longer, 35-40 minutes, or until bubbly.)

**The recipe doesn't say this, but I would advise showing some restraint and letting the lasagna sit for at least 5-10 minutes to let the cheese set. I showed absolutely no self-control when we ate this the other night and the cheese shower was a bit of a mess all over my cook top...lesson learned. Have a snack before dinner so you aren't ravenous, or plug your nose before you pull the lasagna out of the oven so you are tempted by the decadent scents emitting from the lasagna!!

An old family friend was in town from Nicaragua visiting schools and he joined us for a meal and a great snow storm! Good luck with grad school Brian!

The J Man Cooks Too!

It's true, he does.  (Doesn't he look cute?  I tried to get him to wear an apron but that was a no go.)  Lately the J Man has been dabbling in the kitchen and creating some absolute masterpieces!  This is just one of many delightful little treats he has whipped up for me.  Can you see the steam coming off the pasta?  And can you see the fabulous pasta bowl??  

This recipe is out of Tyler Florence's "Dinner at My Place."  My sister got it for the J Man as a birthday gift and inscribed it stating, "Jeremy, we thought it would be fun for you to invite Megan over to 'your place' for dinner."  And that he did!  Yummo!

Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes, and Peas

Ingredients

4 links spicy Italian sausage (always on a quest to cut fat/calories but not flavor, we substituted the sausage for spicy turkey sausage)

1 pound dried penne

EVOO

1 mediume onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 28 ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes (do not skimp on this one - totally get the San Marzanos!!  They were delish!  I looked them up on Wikipedia and they are grown in the San Marzano valley in Italy and chefs swear by them - and I do too!  We got them at our local Italian store.)

1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups peas blanched

1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving (we used Romano cheese b/c that is what we have in the fridge...)

Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Instructions 

1)  Preheat oven to 350*F.  Place the sausages in roasting pan and roast in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden and just cooked.  Cut sausage at an angle into bite-size pieces.  (We've never cooked sausage with casings this way before but it turned out fine.)

2)  Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil.  Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm (al dente).

3) Set a large, heavy-based pot over meidum heat and add a 2-count of olive oil (about 2 tbsps).  Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent and fragrant.  Add tomatoes and basil; season with salt and pepper.  Simmer for 15 minutes, then fold in cream and continue to simmer until rich and creamy.  Add sausage, blached peas (I LOVE PEAS), and Parm.  Fold together and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flaves to come together.  Serve topped with a shower of cheese (don't you just love that description: "a shower of cheese" - I want a shower of cheese), and garnish with basil.

TIP: To blanch the peas, submerge them into boiling water for 2 1/2 minutes (1 minute for frozen peas), then strain them and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process.  Strain them againad set aside.

The finished product.  Doesn't it look amazing?  J Man did an amazing job!  Bravo!  (And again, how cute is that pasta bowl??  Thanks Cindy!)

Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater

If there is one thing I could say that I like about snow, its the insatiable desire to cook yummy comfort food like Pumpkin Chili!! I know I posted a pumpkin recipe earlier this year - but this one is totally different despite the the common denominator of 100% solid pack pumpkin.

I will admit, I have become immune to the delights of regular old chili - I have been spoiled by this yummy, healthy, pumpkin filled option. My mom got this recipe from the people of Libby's Solid Pack Pumpkin. She called the 1-800 number one day and asked what else she could use pumpkin in and the fine people of Libby's sent her a whole cookbook of delightful recipes. Stay tuned for more to come!

Ingredients

2 tbsp veggie oil (I use EVOO)

1/2 c chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper (I always use one whole bell pepper)

1/2 cup diced green bell pepper (ditto - and sometimes I mix it up a bit and throw in an orange or yellow bell pepper)

1 pound ground turkey or lean ground beef

3 1/3 cups (2 14.5 oz cans) Recipe Ready diced tomatoes - undrained (I never use the same thing twice as far as the toms go - I've used Rotel to spice it up, or Italian recipe stewed toms, etc.)

1 3/4 cup (15 or 16 oz can) Libby's Solid Pack Pumpkin (be careful you don't get the pumpkin pie mix!!)

1 3/4 cup (15 oz can ) Tomato Sauce

1 1/2 cup (15 1/4 oz can) kidney beans, drained

1/2 cup (4 oz can) diced green chiles

1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn (I always use one can of sweet corn, drained)

1 tbsp chili powder

1tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Toppings (totally optional - I never use any toppings - it is so amazing on its own!)

Instructions

HEAT oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and bell peppers; cook for 5-7 minutes or until tender. Add ground meat; cook until browned. Drain. (Note: if you are using turkey, entirely unlikely that you will have anything to drain...)

ADD tomatoes and juice, pumpkin, tomato sauce, kidney beans, chiles, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cover; cook gently for 30 minutes. Serve garnished with toppings, if desired.