Tuscan Pork Roast

Tuscan Pork Recipe courtesy of Allrecipes.com

    1 (3 pound) boneless pork loin roast
    3 garlic cloves, minced
    2 tablespoons olive oil
    1 tablespoon fennel seed, crushed
    1 tablespoon dried rosemary, crushed
    1 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients; rub over pork roast. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Place roast on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 1-1/2 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees F, basting occasionally with pan juices. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

Why the strikethrough?  Because I can never follow directions. It's both a blessing and curse really. I made the paste and did let the pork roast sit overnight.  Then, I threw it in the slow cooker.  Slow cookers are made JUST for people like me.  I have no idea really what I am doing.  A few hours into cooking, I threw a little chicken broth and white wine in. 

I wish that I had a smell-o-blog because this house smells divine.  There is no way that this isn't going to be fabulous. 

Cheers!

Chicken Curry

We felt a little spicy on Saturday, and that called for Chicken Curry and Apple Curried Cous Cous!

Chicken Curry

Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 pounds chicken breast filets, cut into strips
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried ginger
- Red pepper flakes to taste
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ cup chicken stock (or broth)
- 1/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
1. Heat butter in a heavy skillet over medium high heat until the foam from the butter subsides. Add the chicken and cook until browned, 5-7 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
2. Lower heat to medium-low, simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Slowly add the heavy cream and simmer (do not let the mixture come to a boil) for 3-4 minutes.
3. Transfer chicken and the sauce to a serving plate and serve immediately.

Cook’s Notes: Be careful not to let the sauce boil after you add the heavy cream. If you are looking for the “Curry Powder,” it is the mix of cumin, coriander and ginger. Finally, the more red pepper flakes you add, the spicier you meal will be. Enjoy this meal with rice or cous cous.

Now, the Curried Apple Cous Cous recipe:

Curried Apple Cous Cous
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium apples, cored and chopped
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried coriander
- ½ teaspoon dried ginger
- 3 green onions, washed and chopped
- 1 box Near East Cous Cous
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup pine nuts
- small handful of mint

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add 3 tablespoons of the butter, cumin, coriander and ginger and cook for a few minutes until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the chopped apples and cook for 3-4 minutes, enough time for the apples to soften up and absorb some of the spices. Scoop the apples from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

In the same pan over medium-high heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Stir in the green onions and cook them until they are soft. Add the water and bring to a boil, then stir in the cous cous. Cover and remove from the heat. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, then use a fork to fluff up the cous cous. Stir in the apples, pine nuts and chopped mint.

Serves 6

Sunday Pot Roast

    1 (4 -5 lb) beef roast, any kind

    1 (1 1/4 ounce) package brown gravy mix, dry

    1 (1 1/4 ounce) package dried Italian salad dressing mix

    1 (1 1/4 ounce) package ranch dressing mix, dry

    1/2 cup water

Directions:

    1    Place beef roast in crock pot.

    2.  Mix the dried mixes together in a bowl and sprinkle over the roast.

    3.  Pour the water around the roast.

    4.  Cook on low for 7-9 hours.

Cooks notes.

I am a tweaker.  With the water, we added a little red wine.  We added vegetables - potatoes, a turnip, and carrots and put them in after the the beef had cooked for about two hours.   About 4 hours into the cooking, we added some beef broth.  Oh, and a little more wine.   In retrospect, I don't know that we really needed it.

In the end - magnificent.  It was delicious.  Meat was delectable and the veggies, just right.  Hmmmm....  help yourself.  Please share any tweaking you do.  :)

Read more: http://www.food.com/recipe/to-die-for-crock-pot-roast-27208#ixzz1ahoqNHvE

CROCK POT BAR-B-Q

 I have the lead on our Sunday slow cooking.  In the fall, we use the crock pot every Sunday.  I am  a BIG fan of crock pots. 

Here's what is on the menu for tomorrow courtesy of Allrecipes.com. 

CROCK POT BAR-B-Q   
1 fresh pork picnic or pork shoulder
2 c. vinegar
2/3 c. Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp. salt
2 tsp. crushed red pepper
2 tsp. thyme
6 tbsp. prepared mustard
Few shakes of hot sauce to taste

Remove as much fat as possible from meat before cooking. Mix sauce ingredients and pour over pork in crock pot. Cook 12 hours (all night on low setting).

The next morning after cooking, remove meat from crock pot and cool until able to handle. Spoon fat from top of sauce in pot. When meat has cooled, separate all fat from meat and cut into pieces. Put meat back in sauce and cook over low setting until dinnertime.

Follow up on Monday!  Happy eating. 

Post-Ex on the Yummy Honey Chicken Kebobs

I made the Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs last night and I am happy to report that this recipe was a home run. I marinated the chicken for about 24 hours, occasionally shaking the Tupperware container that was holding the chicken and the marinade. I cooked the kabobs for about 14 minutes and they were done. One thing I will probably do differently the next time I make this recipe is to place the chicken and veggies on their own kabobs. The chicken needs to cook a lot longer than the veggies need to cook. This recipe is a keeper.

Yummy Honey Chicken Kabobs

I found this recipe on the website www.allrecipes.com. I am going to make this for dinner tonight. Updates to follow as conditions warrant.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup honey

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

8 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cloves garlic

5 small onions, cut into 2 inch pieces

2 red bell peppers, cut into 2 inch pieces

skewers

Directions:

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, honey, soy sauce, and pepper.

Before adding chicken, reserve a small amount of marinade to brush

onto kabobs while cooking. Place the chicken, garlic, onions and

peppers in the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator at

least 2 hours (the longer the better).

Preheat the grill for high heat.

Drain marinade from the chicken and vegetables, and discard marinade. Thread chicken and vegetables alternately onto the skewers. Lightly oil the grill grate. Place the skewers on the grill. Cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until chicken juices run clear. Turn and brush with reserved marinade frequently.

Mustard Marinated Flank Steak

I needed to create a marinade for a flank steak and I was limited to what I had on hand at our cottage. Below is the marinade I create with the ingredients in my cupboard.

Mustard Marinated Flank Steak

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

2 tablespoons coarse mustard

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Place all the ingredients into a zip-lok bag and let the meat marinate overnight.

Prepare a fire in a grill. Remove the steak from the back and discard the marinade. Place the steak on the grill and cook for 10-12 minutes (medium rare). Turn the steak once while cooking. Remove from the grill when done and place on a cutting board.

Cover the steak with foil and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. Cut along the grain of the steak and serve at once.

Cook's Notes: This was a very good marinade. I cooked the steak for ~12 minutes, turning it once after about 6 minutes.