Pork Carnitas

I love it when I find a meal to make where I can utilize my Dutch Oven.  You know it's gonna be good if you break out the Dutch Oven.

Give yourself a little time to make this meal, you won't be sorry.  The meat just falls apart and is SO flavorful.

This was my first attempt at making Pork Carnitas but I'm thrilled with how it turned out. Luckily I found the recipe with enough to get dinner on the table, but that was pure luck.  Allow yourself about 3.5 hours from start to finish.  There aren't a lot of steps and it's very easy to put together.  That slow cooking time is essential for tender meat.

My husband loved this one!

Pork Carnitas

Recipe from My Kitchen Escapades

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 whole onion, peeled and halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 cups water
• 1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves

Directions

1. preheat the oven to 300º, adjust your oven racks so your Dutch Oven will fit in the lower half. 
2. In a Dutch Oven, add all of the ingredients including the used orange halves. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat with the cover off. 
3. Put the cover on and place in the oven for about 2 hours or until the meat is falls apart when you pull at it with a fork. 
4. Remove from the oven and turn the broiler on. 
5. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and place on a foil lined jelly roll pan or a cookie sheet with sides. 
6. Discard everything else that was in the Dutch Oven except for the cooking liquid. 
7. Return the Dutch Oven and the cooking liquid to the stove top and boil on high heat until the liquid thickens and you have about 1 cup of it. 
8. Meanwhile, use two forks to pull eat meat chunk into three pieces.  Place under the broiler and cook until the edges begin to get crisp, then flip the pieces over and follow the same process until that side has begun to crisp as well. 
9. Once the meat has crisped up and the liquid has reduced you can combine them together and serve. 
10. I served mine over brown rice. It is more traditional to serve in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings. 

Southern Style Boiled Peanuts

Boiled Peanuts are one of the things I had never heard of when I moved to the South. Why would you boil a peanut, I would ask.  While down in Louisiana visiting family, I saw that boiled peanuts were everywhere!  Like, at every gas station. So, I tried one.  And I hated it.  I mean, they're soft.  Aren't peanuts supposed to be hard?

OK, fast forward to years later when I was out on the lake with my friends.  There was a boat on the lake that was a concession stand, basically.  But onboard they sold boiled peanuts, and everyone was buying them.  What is wrong with these people, I silently wondered.  Ok I'll try one.  You know what? It wasn't that bad.  So eventually I started to even like them.  They are soft, but they are salty and sometimes spicy and pretty darn good.

Nowadays I just make them myself.  I don't hang out at the lake like I once did but that doesn't mean that I can't have some boiled peanuts. They are somewhat time consuming so plan ahead.  The good news is that I've also made these in a crock pot so at least you've got options.  The cooking time will be the same in the crock pot if you cook it on high. Just test them every so often for the saltiness you like and or spice.  The nuts should be soft but not mushy.

I might have had slightly more then 5 pounds, so I added about 1/2 cup more salt and cooked for about 30 minutes longer.

Southern Style Boiled Peanuts

Recipe from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 5 lbs raw, unsalted peanuts in the shell
• 1 cup salt
• 5 tsp cayenne pepper
• 5 cloves garlic, peeled

Cooking Directions

1. Add the peanuts and all of the remaining ingredients to a large pot. Cover with water.
2. Bring to a boil and cover, lower heat and let boil for 3 hours.
3. Taste the peanuts and add more salt if desired or cook longer if they are not soft enough for your taste.

Hashbrown, Bacon, Mushroom and Cheese Breakfast Bake

I know I may get some haters for what I'm about to say, but I can feel spring in the air here in the South.  I know a lot of you are still buried in snow but we've had two nice days of weather and it's got us all thinking about spring.

I learned from some neighbors just a couple of days ago that there is an old saying in the South.  10 days after a thunderstorm there will be snow.  Guess what we had Saturday?  Right, a thunderstorm.  So just to see if this old wives tale is accurate I put the date on my calendar and if it's correct, we'll have snow on the 20th.  Fun experiment and I'm actually hoping we DO get snow.  Those are my Montana roots coming through.

Before I break out the sunscreen and umbrella straws I have to show you my new (sort of) obsession.  Breakfast bakes.  You can literally add anything you want so I've been experimenting so see what my family likes best.  Really it's just my husband and I since my daughter refuses to eat eggs.  This latest version is one of my husbands favorites.  He loves it because it's full of bacon, I love it because it's pretty easy and very tasty.

I'm pretty sure you have the items you need in your refrigerator or pantry right now to make your very own breakfast bake.  The only essential ingredient is eggs, a dozen would be best but I made this one with only 8 so it's doable.

Hashbrown, Bacon, Mushroom and Cheese Breakfast Bake

From Alissamay's kitchen

Ingredients

• 6 small yukon gold potatoes
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 lb bacon, chopped
• 1 (8 oz) package mushrooms (baby bella or button) sliced
• 8 oz sharp cheddar, grated
• 8-12 whole eggs, beaten
• splash milk or half & half
• salt and pepper to taste (or seasoned salt)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º
2. Grate the potatoes' (skin and all) into the bottom of a 9x13 inch dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Spread the potatoes out in an even layer. 
3. In a medium frying pan fry the bacon pieces until they are crisp, then remove to a paper towel lined dish.  Discard the oil from the pan but do not wash the pan. 
4. Add the onions and mushroom and cook until they are beginning to get tender, remove to a separate dish. 
5. Spread the bacon over the hashbrowns and then add the onion mushroom mixture.  
6. Add the grated cheddar on top. 
7. In a bowl crack all the eggs and add a splash of milk or half & half and whisk together.  Add the salt and pepper and whisk again. Pour the egg mixture over the top of the other ingredients. 
8. Bake in a preheated oven for about 20-30 minutes or until the eggs are puffy and beginning to pull away from the sides of the dish. 

Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs

I've already started daydreaming about fall.  Are you with me or are you all dreading summer's end? I need some cool air in my life again.  I need sweats and sweatshirts (yeah I really class it up).

I'm trying to push summer out by making fall recipes but it's not working.  It just makes my kitchen hot.

As I'm sure you've guessed by now I'm a cheese lover.  All cheeses, I don't discriminate.  We decided to make these meatballs filled with mozzarella cheese but I think you're favorite cheese would work great in here.  I think next time I'll use a sharper tasting cheese, maybe even blue cheese.  You really can't go wrong here.

Start by making your meat mixture.  As a side note, if you're watching your carbs you can replace bread crumbs with crushed up pork rinds and it works just fine.

Flatten out a piece of ground meat in your hand and fill with the cheese. 

The key here is to close the meat completely around the cheese.  It might still melt out a little but that's OK.

Brown the meatballs on all sides until they are golden brown.

Serve with your favorite marinara sauce.  Obviously if you're not watching your carbs this would be delish over some pasta also.

If you try this with some different cheeses let me know which one's you use!

Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs
Modified from "Taste of Home Contest Winning Recipes 2011" page 111

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cup crushed pork rinds
1/4 cup prepared Italian Salad Dressing
2 Tbsp minced fresh parsley
2 garlic cloves,  minced
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1 pound ground turkey
1/4 pound ground beef
3 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 jar marinara sauce

Mix all of the ingredients EXCEPT the oil, cheese and marinara sauce.  Dice up the cheese and set aside.  Heat the oil in a large fry pan over medium heat.

Start by making a small round flat patty in your hand.  Place a cube of cheese in the middle and wrap the sides up over the cheese and then form the meat into a ball around the cheese.  Place them aside until you have enough to put in the fry pan without over crowding.  Make sure to turn the meat regularly so that all sides get golden brown.

Repeat with any remaining meatballs.

Serve with Marinara sauce.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers

Low carb is the theme in this house lately.  I found a great blog that has a bunch of low carb recipes and I'm loving it.  Great ideas!  It's hard for me to eat the same things over and over so variety is exactly what I need. I'm not doing the low carb thing as hard as my husband is but I'm trying to be better about my carb intake.  

The fact that I don't consider cake and brownies a carb might be a problem. Just kidding, sort of. 

Anyway, I can't do ALL carb free in this house since my little girl will pretty much ONLY eat pasta of some kind.  We're working on her too. 

Saute some mushrooms and onions.

Cut the tops of the bell peppers and take out the seeds and membranes.  Chop the steak into bite sized pieces.

When the mushrooms and onions have caramelized add the meat and cook until warmed through.

Line the bell peppers with a piece of provolone cheese.

Fill each pepper with the meat mixture.

Top each pepper with another piece of provolone cheese.

Bake until the cheese is nicely melted and golden brown.

My husband and I really enjoyed these stuffed peppers.  Next time I might add some cheese to the meat mixture as well so it's gooier.  I'm all about gooey.  I'll be adding these peppers to my dinner rotation.

Wait, I don't have a dinner rotation.

Whatever.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers
Recipe modified only in serving size peaceloveandlowcarb

2 orange bell peppers
1/2 small onion
1 medium to small clove of garlic, minced
4 porcine mushrooms, sliced (you could use button mushrooms too).
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil.

Begin by melting the butter and olive oil together in a large frying pan.  Add the onion and mushrooms and cook on low until caramelized.

Add the chopped meat and cook until warm.  While that is warming, cut the bell peppers.  I cut the tops off mine but the original recipe says to cut in half length wise.  I'm sure it doesn't matter how you cut it. Remove the seeds and membranes.

Put a slice of Provolone cheese in each pepper.  Fill the pepper with the meat mixture and then top the peppers with another slice of provolone.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden brown.

Pepperoncini Shrimp

Lookie what we had for dinner last night! I have to say that I'm a big fan of this recipe. I love pepperoncini's so when I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. My husband has recently started a pretty strict diet and can't eat very many carbohydrates so this recipe was perfect. 

I didn't have 48 large shrimp like this recipe calls for but I didn't change anything and it still turned out fantastic.  The recipe below is just as it's written.

. 
Start by making the pepperoncini oil.  Lot's of flavor in this oil.  You could use the leftover oil in a dressing if you wanted to.

Coat the shrimp in the oil before cooking. Add the coated shrimp to a skillet and cook on each side (for about 2 minutes on each side) until they turn pink.  Don't overcook, you don't want rubbery shrimp.

After cooking; add the cooked shrimp back in the bowl with the leftover pepperoncini oil to coat again.

I thought the flavor was perfect, it didn't overpower the taste of the shrimp but still have it a nice little tang. This would even be good served over a salad.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Pepperoncini Shrimp
Found in Giada De Laurentiis Cookbook "Giada's Family Dinners"

48 large shrimp
4 tsp pepperoncini oil (recipe below)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix 4 tsp of pepperoncini oil with the uncooked shrimp in a medium sized bowl.  When covered with oil, place the shrimp in a skillet over high heat.  Cook for about 2 minutes on each side.  When pink, remove the shrimp from the pan and place back in the bowl with the leftover oil and coat again before serving. Salt and pepper to taste.

Pepperoncini Oil
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped pepperoncini
1 Tbsp minced garlic
salt and pepper to taste

In a medium skillet over medium heat add the oil, pepperoncini and garlic.  Cook for a couple of minutes until the oil is aromatic.  Season with salt and pepper and let cool to room temperature.

Cheeseburger Salad

Some of the restaurants around here will let you order one of their burgers on a salad instead of a bun and I think it's a great idea.  I've only had it out once but knew it would be something different to try at home. I have fallen deeply in love with this salad.  I've eaten twice this week already.  I think it's because you can make it different each time, the possibilities are endless.  Basically any kind of burger you've ever liked in a restaurant you'll like this way too.

I'm not saying this is a healthy salad, but if you're trying to cut back on carbs this is a great idea!  You can top this with all the things you would top your burger with, like ketchup and mustard or whatever.  You can also just use your favorite salad dressing.

Here's what I used, but this is more of a suggestion than a recipe.

1/4 pound of ground beef, cooked.
2 slices of cheese, one for on top the burger and one to cut up in the salad.
1/2 medium tomato, diced
1 baby dill pickle, diced
1 slice of onion, kept round
handful of your favorite lettuce

Place the lettuce first on a plate or dish.  Top with all your toppings, it's best if they are diced.  Cover with the cooked burger and dress with condiments of your choice.

Asian Lettuce Wraps

Looking for something light and easy for dinner.  You gotta try these!  Totally delicious and full of flavor.  You will need to have some Asian condiments on hand but after you taste these you'll go back to making them over and over.

The recipe is the P.F. Chang's recipe that seems to be all over the Internet.  I just chose one that had most of the ingredients I already had. :) You can have these babies on your table in less time then it would take to get them at a restaurant.

Some of the cast.  Sorry that I didn't take very many pictures for this post.  Things moved along pretty quickly and I wasn't as prepared as I (usually) try to be.

I didn't use any Chili Pepper Sauce because I was hoping my daughter would give these a try (she didn't). My husband it's a huge fan of ground chicken but even he found these delicious! Yay!

Recipe found here

Boston, bibb or butter lettuce leaves
1 pound ground chicken breast
1 large onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Asian chili pepper sauce (I didn't use this)
1 can (8 ounce size) sliced water chestnuts, drained, finely chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil


Rinse the lettuce and let them drain.

Cook and break apart the ground chicken.  Add onion, garlic, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar and chili sauce and mix well. Cook until the meat is fully cooked, brown and well broken up. Add the water chestnuts and green onions and cook until the onions begin to wilt.

Stir in the sesame oil last and remove from the heat.

Serve by placing a spoonful of filling into the center of each lettuce leaf and eat like a taco.  Enjoy!

Lenny J's Barbecued Beef

A while back I asked my brother in-law Lenny to send me his recipe for sloppy joes.  I was corrected and told that his family calls this recipe barbecue beef.  Sorry Lenny (and Lenny's family). I do remember eating this at his house many times and loving it each time.  I pains me to say that.  I mean Lenny and I have an agreement never to compliment each other. ;-)
I am very glad to be in possession of this recipe now as I do enjoy it immensely.  Its a quick and easy weeknight meal or great for a large crowd.  Usually served on hamburger buns, I just didn't have any.

Start by browning some hamburger and then adding chopped celery..

Crisco shortening, or oil

Ketchup

Onion, vinegar, water, brown sugar and dry mustard.

Cook just until the celery begins to soften.

Serve on a hamburger bun, or some toasted bread (like me) and enjoy!

1 1/2 lb hamburger
2 C celery - chopped
1 C ketchup
1 Tbsp Crisco shortening or oil
1 1/2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 C water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp onion - chopped (I used more like 1/4 cup)
1 tsp dry mustard


Brown the hamburger and then mix in the remaining ingredients.  Cook until the celery has begun to soften.

Sausage, Peppers and Onions

This isn't really a recipe, as much as it's a dinner suggestion.  It's quick and easy and has ton's of flavor.  Use whatever kind of sausage you like and there are a lot of low fat variations on the market now too.  This is one of my hubby's favorite meals.

What you'll need:

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Pkg sausage of your choice.  I used Sweet Sausage above. 
1 Bell Pepper - cut into pieces that are on the larger size.
1 Onion - cut into pieces about the same size as the bell pepper.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Par boil the sausage in a pan where the water comes about half way up the sausage for about 10 minutes on each side.  The sausage will start to look sort of gray in color.
Cut the par boiled sausage into bite sized pieces.  Now put some Olive Oil in a large skillet or dutch oven and add all the sausage and veggies at once.  Cook over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes or until the sausage is nicely browned and the veggies are slightly tender.  You still want the veggies to have bite to them.
Salt and pepper to taste.  My husband and I eat this alone but it would be yummy served with some mashed potatoes.  Just sayin.

Chicken Cordon Bleu

Now this might be one of those dishes you reserve for special occasions or dinner guests; sure that's OK if that's what you want to do.  This was pretty easy, and quick, and delicious so maybe you want to give it a go on a Tuesday night?? I'm just sayin. 

This recipe calls for six chicken breasts, but it's just my hubby and I so I only used four with hopes of having some leftover for lunch the next day.  I always give my chicken a good rinse before use.  Makes me feel better about them, as chickens.

Use a really sharp knife and butterfly these (that means cut them open from the side) making sure not to cut all the way through. 

The recipe says to use Swiss cheese; and I would have if I'd have had some.  I used provolone cheese and thin sliced deli ham.  For the smaller pieces of chicken I had to roll the ham and cheese a little so they'd fit inside the chicken.  You're also supposed to seal the cut side closed with a toothpick, but guess who didn't have any toothpicks.  Yep, me.  Some of the cheese melted out of  mine, don't let this happen to you.  Use a toothpick.

Here is one chicken breast that is already filled.  The idea is to try to tuck the filling inside so that none is sticking out.  Here's where toothpicks would have come in handy.

Melt 6 Tbsp of butter in a pan large enough to hold all your chicken.  Heat on medium high heat so you can get a nice golden brown on the chicken when you add it.

Get a bowl and mix your flour and paprika.

Now dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure to coat all sides.

Fit the chicken in the pan with the melted butter and cook on each side about 5 minutes, or until you get a nice golden brown crust on each side. 

When the chicken is a nice brown color, add in the wine and the chicken bouillon, reduce the heat to simmer, cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until the juices are no longer pink.

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pan (remove the toothpicks too) and add the cornstarch/cream mixture.

Stir until the mixture begins to thicken.

See how it takes a second for the sauce to cover over the whisk mark on the bottom of the pan?  That's perfect, now remove from the heat and pour over the chicken.

Now, dig in!  This is a very good choice for low carb diets since there is very little flour.  I had this again the next day for lunch and it was just as yummy as the first night.  It's a nice way to get out of the hum-drum of plain ol' chicken.  I hope you'll try it.

Here's where you can find the recipe: Chicken Cordon Bleu