This bread pudding's extra runny tonight.

One of the bosses at work brought in a grip of of bagels the other day, but, by the next day, they were pretty much hard as a rock.

The bagels, not the bosses.

There are 4 left so I figured I could figured something out to do with them, or they would just get thrown out to the birds at my house versus work. I brainstormed what to do with leftover, stale bread. I could make bagel chips, croutons, french toast, bread pudding, bread crumbs, stuffing, dressing, etc. I find that I like to use these sort of situations as a challenge.

Like how the DIY community looking solutions for the surplus Compact Discs that plagues our fair country.

I decided on a savory bread pudding. When I suggested it to Husband he remarked that he "didn't know savory bread pudding was a thing". I had never made on until this one so I was inclined to agree, but I figured I would try to make "fetch" happen.

Here is the recipe I came up with:

Cheesie-Veggie-Breadie Pudding
Ingredients:
The Dry (ish) Portion
Leftover  stale bread type things, diced into bit sized cubes - 1 pound
Sausage - 1 pound
Butter - 1 tablespoon
Onion - 1/2 onion, diced
Garlic - 2 cloves, minced
Mushroom - 1 cup, diced
Greens - 1 cup
Tomato - 4 Romas, de-seeded (personal preference) and diced

The Wet(ter) Portion
Eggs - 6 eggs, beaten
Cheese - 1 cup, grated
Milk - 1 cup
Greek yogurt - 1/2 cup
Mustard - 1 tablespoon
Thyme - 1 teaspoon
Rosemary - 1 teaspoon
Sage - 1 teaspoon
Salt and Pepper - to taste (1 teaspoon of each if you have a bad sense of taste)

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degree and well grease a 9X13 pan.
Line the greased pan with bread cubes.
On the stove top, brown the sausage, then put over bread.
In the same pan, melt butter and the saute mushrooms, garlic, and onion until tender and delicious smelling. Bonus: The veggies soak up more sausage yumminess.
Throw greens and tomatoes into wilt and tenderize after the mushrooms, garlic, and onions are about done.
Top bread and sausage with ALL THE VEGGIES.

Then mix the wetter-cheesie-custard-like-stuff:
Mix together eggs, cheese, milk, yogurt (please, don't make this dish if you are lactose intolerant), and mustard until well combined.
Then mix in the herbs and spices.
Pour over the Dry(ish) ingredients in the pan.
Bake in the oven until set, about 30 - 40 minutes.

I made this and took it to Alicia's house for us to nosh on while we handed out a Halloween Candy.

It turned out decent. Tasted a bit too breakfasty as I had used breakfast sausage versus a spicy italian. Everyone who had some liked it though. I will try this again for sure! 

In slightly more awesome news:
Here is a picture of Husband and I in our Halloween Costumes. Primarily Thrift Store put together pieces with a few alterations, there were still quite a few DIY delights in here.
I constructed Husband's Chimney sweep broom out of a Dollar Store broom, black spray paint, a floral foam cylinder, and a bit of black gaff tape.

I am SUPER proud of it. My hat was originally brown so it was spray painted and adorned with QUITE a bit of hot glue.  

I brought the umbrella from the Disney store and my carpet bag from Target a couple years ago. To say the least, this costume has been a long time coming.

**The title for today comes from National Lampoon's Vegas Vacation. Just one more reason I don't do buffets if I can help it. Well...except on a Disney Cruise ship. **

I always find that cheers me up.

Hot Chocolate Season!!!!!

Wait, what? You want an easy-to-make yet remarkable tasting hot chocolate recipe? Boy, have I got just the thing for that!

Seriously, this is amazing... Hot Chocolate Recipe: 

Ingredients:

1 can (14oz) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup of cocoa

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 

1/4 teaspoon salt

6-7 cup of hot water, depending on taste and consistency.

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together well over low heat.

Slowly, add the water, turning the heat up to medium. 

When you have reached the desired temperature, pour into pre-warmed mugs and top with whipped cream.

*Chef's note: This is a lot of hot chocolate. Husband and I have half a gallon chilling in the fridge, ready to be shaken and then reheated when the time comes. This is a very good recipe for entertaining, to be sure.

The BEST part of this recipe is that everything is in your cupboard, not the fridge. You can buy a few batches worth at the first whiff of cool weather and then be prepared to appear like Martha Stewart at a snap of your fingers.

A decadent treat for a couple episodes of How I Met Your Mother with Husband.

What is your favorite hot chocolate recipe?

**Today's title is from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Dumbledore prescribes the following to the Weasley family for post-traumatic stress of Ginny's possession: "Bed rest and perhaps a large, steaming mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up." **

I hates it.

Yesterday was the first day in awhile with Husband home as a house hubby.  Between Husband's late hours at work last week, the World Series (Let's Go, Cards!), and a bit of sickness on my part last week, coming home to laundry done and a clean house was a huge blessing. Over psychic paper (text messages) today, we talked about what to have to dinner this week. Considering we still have of pork loin, pork stew, chicken casserole (from my friend Taylor who came over for lunch), stuffed sweet peppers as well as curried carrot and apple soup, I am doing my best to make a little left overs as possible.

As Husband expressed the desire for lighter fare (the past week has been heavier than normal both at home and work), I decided on a Pinterest /Weight Watchers recipe that has been begging my eye as of late.

Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Ingredients:
9 Lasagna noodles, cooked (I only had 6)
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
15 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
salt and pepper
32 oz tomato sauce
9 Tbs mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup of sauce on the bottom of a 9X12 baking dish. (I used 2-3X8 pans)
Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry.
Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tablespoon of mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and back for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.
To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.

This was rather well received, I think. Husband and I discussed what it lacked and what we liked about it over dinner. I think that a bit of onion and maybe a tablespoon or so of red pepper flakes would have made it perfect in the world of our palates. Despite this, the flavor was light and appealing. The texture was spot-on actually, as I cooked the pasta very al dente. I liked the pasta-to-filling ratio and the presentation was simple and elegant. In summation, we would definitely enjoy this meal again though I would add a few more things to the filling.

** Today's title is from the 1980 classic, Popeye starring Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall.  "Bluto: So you don't like spinach? Popeye: I hates it." **

I would rather sit on a pumpkin...

 I love fall....back an hour daylight savings weekend. I get to feel like an old woman and go to bed at "9 pm" because my body thinks it is "10 pm". I wake up easily in the morning and get TONS of stuff done on a Monday morning. Most importantly, it means we are getting closer to Thanksgiving and then Christmas!

Getting to host Thanksgiving has always been a joy for my Husband since he began the tradition. He has made the Thanksgiving Turkey every year for the last 7 years. Our friends enjoy the pot-luck-ness of the event and then a few rounds of Rock Band (at least every year I was present).  This year's Thanksgiving is our first as a married couple. Husband proposed to me the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year so this holiday has become quite dear to me.

Normally, Husband does the Turkey, Stuffing/Dressing, and Taters; I do a Veggie Casserole (either corn pudding or cheesy broccoli), a Savory Pie (like an onion tart, a sweet potato pie, or last year's concoction - Brie, Apple, Onion Pie) and a Dessert Pie (either Kahlua pecan or whiskey chocolate). Friends then bring a salad, wine, beer, the Best Yams and Candied Nuts (I'm looking at you, Kim), a Solid Green Bean Casserole (Jessy), rolls, and a selection of what ever else tickles the fancy of the taste buds this year.

A slight curve ball (not a bad one, just a change of pace) has been thrown into the mix this year. My Poppa Bear and Care Bear (my nickname for his wife) are coming to town! This is very exciting for both of us, but I have explained to my pops how our holiday goes down. I am hoping that the Rock Band "Devil Music" won't upset him too much (I typed a bit tongue-in-cheek as he isn't that old).

My family coming to play is not the only change up this year. Husband and I moved out of his 500 square foot studio apartment with it's small one person kitchen, into our new two bedroom apartment with a kitchen were 2 people can be in without strangling each other. Unfortunately though, the oven in dinky. Like only 16 inches wide dinky. So for Thanksgiving Day, the only thing making it in the oven will be the Turkey.

Keeping this "dilemma" in mind, as well as that my family is coming, I plan on cooking my things a day or two ahead of time. Also, I want to look into dishes similar to what I have made in the past, but can be done either on the stove top or served at room temperature. That way, I can do things with my family, and not get in the way of the turkey chef.

So what I will be making this year for Thanksgiving:
Savory Pie: Brie/Onion/Apple (Tarts this year versus a whole pie, but can be served at room temperature)
Dessert Pie: Kahlua Pecan Pie (also can be served at room temperature)
Side Dish: Pearl Onions in Sauce (I will probably make Husband's Grandmother's recipe of them)
Also: Make Ahead COA Relish

Here is the recipe for my Cranberry Relish. It is based off of a recipe from Georganne Syler, my Step-Aunt, who is an amazing cook and teacher. It is a great make ahead recipe for this holiday. The additions from me are in Italics.

Cranberry, Orange, and Apple Relish
1 (12 oz) package of Cranberries
1 whole orange, de-seeded and quartered, but with the peel
1 apple, cored and roughly chopped, type and it the skin is left on is to your preference
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup of pecans, finely chopped (Optional)
Method:
Pulse the cranberries, orange, and apple in the food processor
Move into a saucepan
Add sugar and cinnamon
Cook over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring thoughtfully
Refrigerate until dinner time.
Stir in pecans, if desired, and serve.

I really enjoy this recipe, but I do have an affection for the canned stuff (Am I right, Kim?!?). The grooves are perfect for slicing and the consistency makes it possible for it to be a subtle flavor versus a whole berry concoction.

No matter what you like, I have to say that a Thanksgiving day spread is not completely without a bit of the red stuff.

(Not a personal photo, but I thought it was appropriate for my love of cranberries!)

** Today's title comes from the great Henry David Thoreau with the full quote reading: "I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion." A truer statement could not be made, especially in regards to a fall afternoon. **

BFMH: Grilled Cream Cheese and Berry Sandwiches

This morning, I took a suggestion for Pinterest yet again. There don't seem to be any set directions for the dish, but it seems pretty simple.

Grilled Cream Cheese and Berry Sandwiches:
Directions:
Thick cut bread (sourdough this morning) buttered on one side
Spread cream cheese on unbuttered side of bread slice
Apply with fruit (I use strawberry)
Toast
Enjoy.

You can't tell from this photo, but this was much more yummy than husband initally thought it would be. The only issue of this dish was that I used sourdough bread. Our guest this morning for breakfast said the following:

"I taste sourdough and I think 'ooo! lunch', but then I taste cream cheese and strawberry and I think 'oohh...breakfast'."

I didn't see it as an issue as I grew up eating sourdough for any and every meal, but I do completely understand that mentaility in other's taste buds. The issue for Husband was that it wasn't enough strawberry for him. The texture for me was a bit strange though the flavour was most enjoyable.

All in all, not the best breakfast I have ever made though it won't be the worst. Glad I tried something new, but not going to try this again unless it had french toast involved. Thank you, husband, for always giving it a try. 

I am an explorer of food.

I have always liked the idea of stuffed foods. I don't care for dressing that was actually in the turkey at Thanksgiving, but stuffed loin, breast, or vegetable, makes me pretty happy. So I decided to try the elusive sweet pepper stuffing. My friend Kim has gotten the formula down after a couple masterpieces so I took a page from her book.

Basic formula: seasonal veggies + Starch (ie Rice, quinoa, couscous) + cheese + pepper half + heat =  YUM

So I did just that. mine needed more starch, but was still very acceptable in the eyes of those who ate them and myself. I had left over rice from Jones Special as well as beef and onions. Those went into the food processor, plus a frozen Mexican Vegetables (corn, cauliflower, broccoli, red peppers), some Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, and ricotta. A few pulses of ye olde processor, throw then in the pepper halves, top with a bit more cheese, bake at 375 degrees until fragrant and cheese is bubbly.

They turned out good (plus they looked purty)! Husband and I agreed that there was no "wow" factor to them, but for mild mannered side/appetizer dish, they were solid. I think that some sort of drizzle on top (like a sun dried tomato or garlic infused oil or balsamic reduction) could have bumped it up to a 10, yet I am content that they were a 6.5.


** The title today comes from the American humorist, Erma Bombeck.  "I am not a glutton. I am an explorer of food." **

It's like a family tradition.

This week's menu was a bit hazy for me. I didn't do a proper sit down and think about it simply because Husband will working all week. This usually results in me not cooking and then immediately plating the food, but instead preparing food that it easily reheated as sometimes I am asleep when Husband gets home. I also find that I revert to comfort foods and family traditions when these sort of weeks come around.

Thus I present to you: Jones' Special!

I am not totally sure if it was my mother or my grandmother that came up with this simple yet delicious meal, but it is something that I don't just "enjoy", I crave it. I am pretty sure my brothers do as well.

It is simple. Rice, Ground Beef, and Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese. That is the core of the meal. 

I never said it was healthy...

As pictured above, you see that there are peas in the mix. Husband asked about a vegetable on the side when I told him what I was making, so I went with the original recipe which includes peas. My brothers and I never enjoyed eating any vegetable of a green color when we were children. I dare say that trait still remains for some of us.

I normally describe it as a "build-your-own-casserole" dish. I prefer to serve it family style with a big bowl of each ingredient and then maybe a salad or something on the side. On top of the rice, meat, and cheese, I like Worcestershire Sauce. My older brother prefers soy sauce. The world is your oyster, chose what makes this dish extra yummy for you. For example, I like to season the meat with Lowry's season salt as well as cook it with diced onion and minced garlic.

As mentioned in the title, It's like a family tradition. Figure out what makes you and yours happy. Then make it your own family tradition. I feel like my generation has a reverence to the traditions passed down to us from our parents and family. I have heard colleagues express their sadness over their lack of traditions for holidays and birthdays. I figure: Make your own. Make the choice to do something and do it. As long as you enjoy it and it holds meaning to you, it will be important to your family (be it just you and your partner or a whole brood of little ones) and to those around you. 

** Today's title is a William Shatner quote: My kids say if there's any family dinner that doesn't result in somebody crying, it's not a good dinner. They cry because it helps relieve them of a guilt or some onerous emotional burden. It's like a family tradition. **

Please bring me some coffee...

One week down of blogging! W00T!

Not only my first week of blogging, but actually posting something everyday!

While I feel accomplished as well as a bit proud of my hard work thus far, I don't think that I will be able to keep a home, work full time, as well as give proper attention to my husband and friends if I blog everyday. After a bit of reflection and going over menus of past weeks, I think that me promising to have a post for the Saturday BFMH Series and then 3 other posts will be reasonable. Mainly because I don't cook something different every night, let alone cook every night. The last thing I want to do is to get stressed out over something I enjoy.

Also, as I had originally planned, I do want this blog to be about more than just cooking. Halloween is coming. Might need to show off my costuming skills as well as my pumpkin carving skills.

In completely different news, there is an ice cream shoppe down the street from husband and my home. dipped half and half for me. Takes me back to the days of Ruby Begonia's in my hometown.

In even better news, my years of training at Starbucks have served me well! I figured out how to use my wedding present espresso machine. Husband loves a coffee so now I can make him all the lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos he could ever want.

Check out this foam:

**Today's title is from Abe Lincoln: If this is coffee, please bring me some tea. If this is tea, please bring me some coffee. **

A wonderful, magical animal! Pork: Part 2

Now on to the second half of my precarious pork escapades.

Unlike the pork loin debacle of 2013, this dish went much better.

I started out with the pork in the slow cooker with three quarters of a cup apple cider vinegar for each pound plus some salt and pepper. Had I not already cooked the onions earlier that week, they would have ended up in this pot of love. I let it sit on low for 12 hours. I pulled out the meat, shredded it with forks. If it were not hot, I could have done it with my fingers as the meat was so tender.

After shredding it, I halfway considered leaving some to the side for a couple pulled pork BBQ sandwiches though I ended up not doing so. After putting the meat back into the slow cooker, I began dumping in all the veggies I had been roasting over the week for other meals. Carrots, potatoes, butternut squash, onion, green bell pepper (wasn't roasted but was still yummy) and garlic as well as a can of each of the following: beef broth, creamed corn, and great northern beans (rinsed) plus 24 oz can of petite diced tomatoes with the juices. Then on stove top over medium heat, I combined a can of chicken stock with a quarter cup of dark molasses as well as a bit of flour to thicken the stew.

^Reminder: Mix the flour with a little bit of the chicken stock completely before adding to the stove top concoction or you will have no chance at getting rid of the flour clumps.^

I put the molasses/flour/chicken stock mixture into the slow cooker over everything else and then added half a dark beer. In this case I opted for a pumpkin beer as I had brought a folly of Blue Moon and neither husband or I can drink more than 3 "special-seasonal-food-flavored" beers a season. Turned out to be a great addition.

I then let it cook on low while husband and I went futon shopping and cleaned the house. 8 hours later, I served the stew to husband and our friend Kim and it was a hit!

Granted, I have a good 5 quarts of stew left over, but this doesn't bother me as stew is normally better as a left over anyway.

Score as it stands::
Cat: 1
Pig: 1

Pulled Pork Stew Recipe:
Ingredients:
Pulled pork:
2 -3 pounds of pork shoulder
1 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Stew:
First wave: I prefer all these to be roasted before putting them in to the stew, but it is not nessecary
1 large white or yellow onion,  diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper
4 carrots, diced
2 potatoes, diced
2 cups of butternut squash

Second wave:
4 stalks of celery, diced
2 cans of petite dice tomatoes, with juices
1 can of creamed corn
1 can of northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 can of beef broth
6 ounces of a dark or amber beer

Third wave:
1 can of chicken broth
1/4 cup of molasses
2 tablespoons of flour
1/2 tablespoon of  paprika
1 tablespoon of chili powder

Directions
In slow cooker, put pork and apple cider vinegar. Salt and pepper the meat. Cook on low for 12 hours, turning the meat about half way though.

Take meat out and shred it with forks, but retain the juices and apple cider vinegar in the slow cooker. Place the shredded meat back into the slow cooker.

Add the first wave of ingredients. I prefer to have all these vegetables lightly roasted in the oven before putting them into the slow cooker, but that is the chef's call.

Then add the second wave, and cover while you move to the stove top to prepare for the third wave.

For the third wave, take a small sauce pan and over medium heat, mix the molasses and half of the can of chicken broth with a whisk until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, paprika, and chili powder with the other portion of the chicken broth until well combined with no clumps. Combine flour mixture with the molasses mixture until well combined and then pour over the stew.

Let cook in slow cooker for 6 hours on low. Enjoy with crusty sourdough bread or corn bread.



** Today's (and yesterday's) title comes from a television legacy: The Simpsons, the episode entitled "Lisa the Vegetarian".
Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal! **

You didn't tell me you were gonna kill it!

This is Halloween!

This weekend was a low key weekend. Friday night I worked on costumes; then pumpkin carving Saturday with spooky games in the evening; then an impromptu Disney date (as seen above) to catch a little more Halloween time at Disneyland and California Adventure. Also, I purchased part of Husband's Thirtieth Birthday Present, but y'all will see that in a few weeks after he receives it.

I will post a few photos of my pumpkin (and husbands) after I get the lighting correct as I have to use a color gel and the tea lights are too week to shine through them. The best part about carving pumpkins is getting the seeds afterwards. Granted, it is a lot of work to get the seeds out of the pumpkin "brains," but we were watching Ghostbusters so I was able to do the tedious task with a bit of joy in my heart. Also, we had the innards of 6 pumpkins (though some were pretty small) so I didn't have to be too diligent.

I ended up gathering about 4 cups worth of seeds and I decided to do the bulk of them "savory" and a bit of the "sweet". Probably due to guests arriving, I did not succeed with the sweet batch. They pretty much were burnt to a crisp. (The pumpkin seeds, not the guests.) I will try again next year I suppose. I liked last year's batch of sweet quite a bit. The savory batch were pretty much the best pumpkin seeds I have ever prepared. Here is the recipe:

Cat's Savory Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
2 cups pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons garlic salt (if you like them REALLY salty, add some regular salt as well)
Method
Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
Get as much pumpkin gunk off the seeds and give them a really good rinse off.
Let the seeds dry a bit. I will rinse them in a mesh colander, then "stir" the seeds with a couple paper towels in hand, and let them sit for a little while.
In a mixing bowl, mix the butter and Worcestershire sauce well and then add the pumpkin seeds a little at a time while stirring constantly until all the seeds are coated.
Pour seeds out onto a pan and then evenly sprinkle the salt over the seeds.
Bake in a low oven for an hour and half.

Everyone who attended games were very happy with them and Husband commented "I like these more than I remember liking last year's". Keep in mind I have no clue what I did to last years, but I have happy to have that point of view on the pumpkin seeds.

I guess we will have to wait until I make Pumpkin Stew or next Halloween to look into trying my sweet recipe again.

In other news: here are my pumpkins I carved!

Until then: What is your favorite way to prepare (and/or eat) pumpkin seeds?


**Today's title comes from Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. Linus delivers this memorable line to his sister, Lucy, when she begans scooping out the innards of the pumpkin he brought. **

BFMH: Potato Pancakes

This past Saturday was the weekly installment of "Breakfast for my Husband". This weekend, I made an old favorite of mine, though I don't believe Husband had ever had my version of them: Potato Pancakes.

A brief history and a few cultural tidbits on this dish as paraphrased form Wikipedia:

A potato pancake is a shallow fried pancake of grated potato, flour, and egg, often with onion or garlic and seasonings. This dish is identified with many countries and cultures including, but not limited to: Czech Republic (bramborak), German (Karoffelpuffe), Polish (placki ziemniaczane), Scotland (boxty), while is the National Dish of Belarus (draniki). Potato pancakes are a traditional Hanukkah (latkas) dish for the Jewish religion. A variety of condiments are common for Potato Pancakes ranging from savory (sour cream or cottage cheese) to sweet (applesauce or sugar) to no garnish at all.

Cat's Recipe for Potato Pancakes

Ingredients:

3 cups frozen hash browns

2 tablespoons flour

1 small onion, grated or thinly chopped

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon parsley

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
Garnish: sour cream and Applesauce

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
2) Place frozen hash browns in a strainer, rinse with cold water until thawed. drain thoroughly; transfer to a large bowl. add flour, onion, eggs, parsley, and salt.

3) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop batter in 1/3 cupfuls into oil; fry until golden brown on both sides. Press lightly between paper towels to clear of excess oil. Place on a cooling rack on a baking sheet in the preheated oven to keep warm and crisp.
4) Serve with sour cream and applesauce.


I have always enjoyed these crisp, starchy cakes. So much so that they were one of the few dishes I would make in middle school as well as high school. Husband enjoyed them as well (surprisingly not to oily for him) and we enjoyed them Sunday morning as well. Another Success!

32 more breakfasts until our first anniversary. 

Readers, any suggestions?

Dad, those all come from the same animal...Pork: Part 1

I attempted my first ever pork cooking expedition this week.

My Poppa Bear loves pork. When he comes to visit in California, it's carnitas this and carnitas that.
When I'm home to visit him and his wife in Missouri, I feel like it is my duty to suggest we have pork steak BBQ and pulled pork sandwiches.

Due to these facts, I figured I should give it a try. While there were triumphs and failures, I am very happy with my choice of dishes as one was going to be hard to mess up (stew) while the other was certainly going to be hell on a roasting pan (pork loin). Here is how it went down:

While at the grocery store, I was looking at the options on pork. I knew from research that I wanted a shoulder as I was planning on making a pulled pork stew. I found a 5 pounder for 11 dollars and felt good about it. I brought it home and decided I would make the stuffed pork loin. That way, if I totally messed up on the pork loin, I could save face with the stew. I know I don't need to impress my husband, but I do like to ensure his palate and tummy's faith in me.

After searching for different recipes and seeing what I had in the pantry I decided on brie, apple, and honey stuffed pork loin. I managed to cut a nice flat square of meat and seasoned it salt and pepper.
I sliced up the cheese and apple, placing it on half of the cut followed by adding a bit of parsley and sage and then drizzling it all with honey.

The tricky part was rolling up all the yummy and tying it tight. a bit of salt and pepper on the outside, then *plop*into the roasting pan with two hasselback prepared potatoes (love these, give them a try sometime) as well as chopped carrots and potatoes for the stew that would be made later that week.

Began the roasting process and after the set time pulled it out. I was sad to see that it looked dry. I let it sit for the allotted 10 mins (the meat reabsorbs the juices inside and usually causes a juicer dish). After cutting into it, I found that the underside was still pink (husband and I were both under the impression any pink in pork was a bad thing). Double saddened, I put it back into the oven to finish cooking.

All in all, it was an edible meal. We had applesauce and apple/mint jelly to combat the dryness. While I had a basic recipe for this, I think I should have inquired with my superiors for tips. I had looked up 4 -5 recipes and figured that I had the information I needed to go along with my recipe. As it turns out, the recipes I had gleaned information from had left out a couple major things.

I inquired with my Mother in Love (not Mother in Law because I already love this lady) as well my Substitute Mother, Aunt Eileen (my mother past away when I was young, Eileen doesn't have any children of her own, hence our relationship).

Giving the meat a good brine could have saved me from this dry meat situation. Next time, I will have to leave enough time to do that. I learned turning and basting was very important with a thick cup pork loin like the one I had. Also, giving it a rub with olive oil and seasonings on the outside would have helped as well. Furthermore, putting it in a hot oven for 10 mins (425 degrees) and then turning it down to a medium oven (325 degrees). By doing that, the meat would have gotten hot and then by bringing back to low, would have kept the juices in. It is sort of like when you sear a piece of meat before baking it.

The long and the short of this dish is that I have lot to learn before I attempt this again and I will use a more encompassing recipe. When all else fails, consult the Mothers (and Alton Brown).

Hasselback Potato Recipe:
For one Potato:
Ingredients
1 potato
1 clove garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of salt and pepper, respectively

Method:
1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2) Wash the potato
3) With a pairing knife, slice thin slits into the potato, being careful not to slice it all the way through.
4) Slip a slice of garlic into every slit (or every other if that is too much garlic for you).
5) Drizzle with olive oil and season
6) Put into oven and cook for 40 mins
7) Allow to cool for 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven

Until next time...

Score as it stands::
Cat: 0
Pig: 1


** Today's title comes from a television legacy: The Simpsons, the episode entitled "Lisa the Vegetarian".
Homer: Are you saying you're never going to eat any animal again? What about bacon?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Ham?
Lisa: No.
Homer: Pork chops?
Lisa: Dad, those all come from the same animal.
Homer: Heh heh heh. Ooh, yeah, right, Lisa. A wonderful, magical animal! **

Take it or leave it.

Already two meals into the week menu and it has been a learning experience, to say the least.

So I started the meal plan out with the bow tie pasta with butternut squash, onion and goat cheese. It turned out very good.

Here is the original recipe I used:

Butternut Squash with Penne and Goat Cheese 

From Giada De Laurentiis

Cook time 1 hour

Ingredients

Vegetable oil cooking spray1 (2-pound) butternut or kabocha squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

1 onion, diced into 1/2-inch pieces

Olive oil, for drizzling

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound penne pasta

1 cup (8 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (see Cook's Note)

1 packed cup chopped fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan

Directions

Put an oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Spray a baking sheet, liberally, with vegetable oil cooking spray. Set aside.

Mix the squash and onion together and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

Bake for to 40 to 45 minutes until the vegetables are golden and cooked through. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash mixture is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Drain and reserve about 2 cups of the pasta water. Put the pasta, goat cheese and 1 cup of pasta water in a large serving bowl. Toss until the cheese has melted and forms a creamy sauce. 

Add the squash and onion mixture, the walnuts and the basil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with Parmesan and serve.

Cook's Note: To toast the walnuts, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven until lightly toasted, about 6 to 8 minutes Cool completely before using.

The changes I made and why:

To clarify, I didn't think this recipe needed to change what-so-ever. Normally, if I change something in a recipe, it is because I decide to substitute an ingredient as I have some of the substitute already in my kitchen or because I have decided I would prefer the taste of something else.

First of all, I halved this recipe and leftovers still remained after we were done eating. 

The other change was that I used dried basil (only 1/4 cup when all was said and done) simply as cost effective choice. 

I didn't toast the walnuts because I was on a time crunch.

I also didn't add Parmesan, but that was simply because I forgot to put it in.

Husband and my reactions:
Husband loved this dish as I served it. He has recently discovered that he has a weakness for goat cheese (much like me weakness for balsamic...anything). I think he is just stoked sometimes that I cook for him as well as cook in the same nature of his mother. Which, believe me, if you ever had ANYTHING his mother cooks, you would take that as a compliment.

I, on the other hand, saw some definite room for improvement. Don't get me wrong, it was still extra yummy on the yumminess scale, but I felt like it was lacking something. I realize in my reflection that what I lacked was the zing from the fresh basil and Parmesan. The toasted nuts, while they would definitely would have added a nice layer with the crisper texture and more fragrant aroma, weren't imperative to the dish. 

What I really wanted in the dish was a few roasted garlic cloves (but, really, that is a daily thing for me).  
I changed the type of pasta to what was conveniently in my pantry already, it works as it is a sort of small pasta with ridges (well, spikey edged in this case). Just don't make this dish with a strand pasta. 

In summation, I will definitely make this dish again, but stick closer to the original recipe. I have a habit of going off book on a regular basis which is a good and a bad thing. I make some reasonably "worth it" observations when I experiment and I fortunately have a life partner who understand that not every meal will be perfect or even good.

<Yes, I have made at least 2 meals that stomached, but didn't necessarily want to.>


**Today's title is a quote from Stephen Wright (comedian):
"My mom made two dishes: Take it or leave it." **

Why don't you just sprinkle some on me, honey?

As I promised myself the first week we lived together, I have been making a different breakfast for my husband every weekend since we got back from our honeymoon in June. I have been posting photos on my Facebook, but I decided to move them to here. So for everyone who has been wondering, here is the list thus far:

June 1st - Wedding Day!

June 8th -Still on our Honeymoon!

This weekend is Potato Latkes with applesauce and sour cream! 

Only 33 more breakfasts to go until our first anniversary...

Readers: Any suggestions?

**Today's title comes from Grant Morrison's rendition of The Joker in Batman: Arkham Asylum (see the photo from July 20th). Truly the words of a mad man: It's salt. Why don't you sprinkle some on me, honey? Aren't I just good enough to eat? **

The days are getting colder.

One of my favorite parts about having somebody to cook for is that I can get a bit of input and feed back on what I have offered. Furthermore, while putting together a cohesive menu for the week, I like to focus on it being full of fresh ingredients and at least one style of dish I haven't tried yet.

So this week, I changed it up. I asked Husband, instead of the typical "What do you want for dinner this week?" I inquired "What theme or feel would you like to dinners this week?". With that simply change, I finally got some direction on where to take my meal plan! Break through!

With a theme in mind, I sallied forth with all the determination I could muster. Here is what that "mustardetermination" came up with:

bow tie pasta with butternut squash, onions, and goat cheese

pork loin stuffed with brie, apples, and honey with potatoes and carrots

pulled pork stew with autumn vegetables

butternut squash risotto

And for the "breakfast for my husband" series: potato latkes with applesauce and sour cream.

I ran this by husband and he was stoked on it so...off we go!

** Today's title comes from a Calvin and Hobbes quote.The full quote reads thus: The days are getting colder. Yes, Bugs are dying by the truckload! Ha ha ha! Good riddance to 'em all!...I like fall. **

To begin at the beginning:

After a slightly depressing night of having no one to cook for (though an excellent night of reading), I thought to myself:

Hey Self! Why not try the whole "blog" thing again?

So I thought to that thought:

Hey Thought! Not a bad idea as I actually have time and the drive to explore things.

The conversation with thought and self continued for awhile longer and resulted in the decision to write a weekly blog about all the things I enjoy.

While it will be focused on cooking, it will, of course, also cover a selection my loves and dreams including, but not limited to: travel, cosplay, the arts, the crafts, etc.

So after the idea of possibly doing something this creative came into my brain thoughts, another little birdy (aka my twin brother) suggested a vlog. As I have never done anything personally pertaining to video making, I am not confident on such a venture, but figure I should give it a whirl. So thus begins My Pinterest Board: Live!

I hope you, the reader and future viewer, will enjoy the content and the deliverer of it.  

**The title of today's post comes from Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood, a 1954 BBC radio dram which later was adapted into a play orginated by Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. **