Chilaquiles

 

I've had this post sitting in my draft folder since June 25, 2016. It's been a long time coming, just waiting on me to hunt down the pictures and get some graphics ready. The photos were taken with my iPad. Tyler Florence shot a whole cookbook with one...so, a blog post now and then is okay, right?

Up until about a month ago I'd never heard of Chilaquiles. I'm not sure how I've lived this long without knowing what they were, but I'm glad I know now! Here's the story...

I was sitting in my living room watching a new to me show (Guy's Grocery Games) when a contestant decided to make a batch of Chilaquiles. He had this really touching story about his Mom. He said that all her life she was always cooking whatever people wanted to eat. He said that he appreciated her cooking, but that the fact that she cooked what they loved really meant a lot to him. He got all teary when he explained that the last thing his Dad asked his Mom to make was Chilaquiles.

With a story like that, I figured these things MUST be good. So, I watched him make them. I watched the judges rave about them. And then I started seeing them everywhere. One of my favorite food bloggers made a batch, but used canned enchilada sauce. I wanted the REAL deal. Her post convinced me that I COULD do it and that I HAD to.

So, I scoured the internet for recipes and having never tasted them in m life, decided to take a stab at it. I used a combination of these three recipes to get the finished product that I had in mind. I can officially say that I LOVE CHILAQUILES!!!! And I hope you will too.

 

Ingredient gathering is super simple. Canned tomatoes, jalapenos, onion, garlic, cilantro (or not), chicken broth, salt, oil, corn tortillas, and whatever toppings sound good to YOU are all it takes.

It's not as complicated as you might expect. This is one of those 30 minutes or less dinners. You make your sauce, you fry your tortillas (or use pre-made chips), and then you make a heaping mess on your plate and stuff your face.

They're goooood, I tell ya!

Chilaquiles

SAUCE
1 (28 oz) can whole tomatoes
2 jalapenos, charred, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup cilantro, chopped (I had to leave this out because my store was OUT, yes OUT. I'll start with about a 1/2 cup and then add more according to taste and color. I suggest you do the same!)

1 Tbsp. veggie oil

1 tsp. salt
1 cup chicken stock

Place tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, onion, and cilantro into a blender. I used a Vitamix and blended it until it was nice and smooth.

Heat oil in a sauce pan over med-high heat. Add the sauce to the pan being aware that it will start bubbling and spitting right away. Be careful and start stirring. You'll want to boil it for about 7 minutes, stirring very often.

Reduce heat to keep things at a gentle simmer and stir in the salt and the chicken stock. Let it continue to simmer while you work on your tortilla chips. The sauce just keeps getting better the longer it cooks.

When you're happy with the way your sauce tastes, prepare the tortilla chips OR use pre-made tortilla chips. If you go that route, skip to the assembly step.

TORTILLA CHIPS
20 (6 inch) white corn tortillas, left out for a day or so and cut into 8 triangles each
oil for frying
salt

Place tortilla pieces into hot oil. I could give you a temperature, but you'll know it's hot when you put your tortilla in and the oil starts to fry it. Cook until golden brown on each side.

Remove chips to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle hot chips with a little salt.

Continuing frying the chips until you've got enough to go around. You'll have to work in batches.

ASSEMBLY
All the recipes say to put the chips directly into the sauce pot. That's not how I work....

Place some sauce into a bowl or a small pot (I went the bowl route). Add chips, add more sauce, and stir until the chips are thoroughly covered.

Transfer your chip mess to a plate, being sure to pour the excess sauce that was left in the bowl onto the chips. Top with shredded cheese, onion, cilantro, lettuce, sour cream, and whatever else your little heart desires.

Repeat until everyone has a plate and DIG IN! These are traditionally a breakfast dish meant to use up old, dry tortillas, so feel free to top them with a fried or scrambled egg if that sounds good to you.

That's it! That's all there is to it. I REALLY like the way they turned out, but I've got plans to play around with different combinations of chiles (3 dried ancho chiles and 3 serrano chiles were recommended in one recipe) and I'd like to try to make it with fresh tomatoes (2 medium tomatoes OR 5 small tomatoes and 5 tomatillos) once as well.

Store the extra sauce in the fridge until you're ready for seconds. You can also do like I did and use it to make a batch of enchiladas. It's ESPECIALLY good for making cheese enchiladas, but that's a story for another day. 

What's a food you've recently discovered?

Have you tried to make recreate it in your own kitchen?

Chai Tea Lattes

Back in 2014, I reviewed a copy of Joy the Baker's second cookbook. One of the first recipes I made from it is one that I am finally going to share with you today! At the time, I wasn't sure if I was "supposed" to, but enough time has passed that I'm SURE Joy would love for you to have the recipe even if you haven't bought the book. 

Chai is something that has gained a lot of ground in the culinary world. We put it in cakes and cookies. We love the flavors so much that we try to find places for them in all kinds of baked and brewed treats. 

My sister and I have a thing for chai just like so many other people do! When we have the opportunity to try out a new coffee shop, we'll give them the chai test. We'll order one (or two) and see how their version measures up against Joy's and the one at the coffee shop that we both used to work at. How well they do can determine whether or not we'll be back. 

Since moving to this city, we've actually made it our goal to visit all of the shops JUST to try their chai. It's been a fun tradition and I think we'll keep it up wherever we go. It's less about the test and more about the time with my sister for me at this point, but it is still a lot of fun. 

On the best days, I'll head to the kitchen and make us a batch of Joy's to remind us what a GOOD one tastes like. Our friend Aubry has joined in on the craze now. I may or may not have sent some with her "to-go" on a few occasions. 

There is a secret to this recipe that MAKES this the best. I can pretty much promise you that you'll enjoy it more than any coffee shop version you've ever had.  

The secret is simply this: you brew your tea in milk. Of course, having a really good tea helps too. Our favorite is "India Spice Chai" by Celestial Seasonings. 

Joy's version calls for quite a bit of sugar. And coffee. I like the coffee, but my sister doesn't, so I cut the sugar way back (about 1 1/2 Tbsp) and only add the coffee to mine (about 1/3 cup). I'm putting our version of Joy's recipe below and I want you to feel just as free as I did to adjust it to YOUR tastes. 

To achieve the frothy coffee house style foam, simply twirl a whisk by rubbing your hands together (like a boy scout trying to start a fire). You'll want to do this during the reheat section of the recipe, just before you pour it into your mugs. 

Chai Tea Lattes

adapted from "Homemade Decadence" by Joy Wilson

serves 2

2 cups milk

3 Tbsp. sugar

2 chai tea bags

3/4 cup hot coffee

Heat milk and sugar over medium high heat, stirring constantly until very warm. This will take about 4 minutes.

Turn off heat, add the tea bags, and cover. Let steep for 15 minutes.

Remove tea bags from milk and reheat this milk tea mixture if necessary.

Split the coffee between two mugs and top each mug off with the milk tea.

Enjoy!

NOTE:

You can use white sugar, brown sugar, or a mixture of the two. 

My favorite tea to use is "India Spice Chai" by Celestial Seasonings.

If you choose to omit the all of the coffee,  simply add an extra 3/4 cup milk and reduce sugar to 1 1/2 Tbsp.

I know it's been a long time since I've shared a recipe around here. I hope you enjoy this one! If you decide to make it, I'd love to hear about it. It's perfect for rainy days, winter days, and any day you've got some time with the ones you love! 

Do you take your chai with or without coffee?

What's your go-to drink to "judge" a coffee shop by?

Oven Baked Carrots

Week night dinners consist of a main dish and two sides at my house. I like sides that come together quickly and easily. After seeing a lot of posts on baked vegetables, I decided that this was something I wanted to try for myself.

The way we fix carrots around here is to slice them, boil them just until they are soft, drain off the water, and then toss them with a little brown sugar and butter. I had a feeling that baking them might just result in a different texture and would do a better job at bringing out their natural sweetness. So, I gave it a go....

The first thing you do is wash, peel, rinse, and slice your carrots. I like my slices to be nice and thin.

Next up, toss them with a some salt. At this point you could play around with other seasonings too.

Add some olive oil, and make sure you stir them so that they are evenly coated.

Spread your carrots out in a single layer on a foil lined cookie sheet. Make sure the foil is lightly greased. I'm using a pizza pan here, but that's because my cookie sheets are at the other house.

Bake them until they are JUST tender. I made this batch of carrots to go along with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. During the last half hour of baking, I slipped these into the oven right along with the meatloaf and everything came out perfectly!

Transfer to a serving dish and ENJOY!

This olive oil and salt version is definitely in the savory category. Baking the carrots does bring out their sweetness, but if you're used to a butter and brown sugar version you may find that this one takes some getting used to. 

I enjoyed it enough to share with you, so I think you'll enjoy it too!!!

Some other combos I've been dreaming up are: adding garlic, using coconut oil instead of olive oil, and of course, going the brown sugar route and skipping the salt. This is truly a recipe you can play with!!!

Oven Baked Carrots
serves 4

4 carrots
2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp salt


Preheat oven to 350F .  Prepare a cookie sheet by lining it with foil and lightly oiling the foil.

Wash, peel, rinse, and slice carrots into 1/4 inch thick rounds.

Toss in a medium bowl with salt and olive oil.

Spread carrots in one even layer on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or just until tender.

Transfer to a serving dish and ENJOY! 

What are some of your favorite weeknight side dishes?

Do you ever bake your veggies? 

Dinner Fit For Winter

Every family has their list of favorite dinners. They are usually indulgent. They might require a bit of planning ahead and maybe even a little more effort in the preparation department. As I write this post I happen to be listening to The Shirelles' song "Mama Said" on repeat and thinking back to the January day my 19 year old self copied this recipe down into my recipe book.

The recipe I'm sharing today is for those winter days when you want comfort food, but need it to be quick and easy. I've been making it for years and I think it is responsible for helping my sister to come around when it comes to stuffing.

It's a weird combo, but you've got to try it at least once. Trust me.
 

You can go one of two ways with this recipe! You're going to need three things: 4-6 pork chops, one can OR one recipe of apple pie filling, one box OR one recipe of stuffing. That's it!!!

Whether you choose to go the easy route or the homemade route, you'll get no judgment from me because I've done both.

My Mom taught me everything I know about cooking. One important lesson I learned from the years I spent shadowing her in the kitchen is to pace yourself. If you need to take shortcuts, take the shortcuts. My Mom is one of those women who doesn't apologize for every little thing. She just goes for it. That's what this recipe is about: if you've got time, go for it. If not, go for the shortcut.

The first and most important step is to trim and debone your pork chops. Everything is layered and melds together as it cooks. Those bones will disappear into the stuffing and you DO NOT want to have to deal with that.

So, trim the fat and remove allll the bones from those chops. Then, lay them in the bottom of your crock pot so that they are touching.

Next, scoop your prepared stuffing out onto the pork chops. You want to keep as much of it ON the pork chops as you can. Easy, right???

Then, you'll scoop your apple pie filling out onto the stuffing, put the lid on the crock pot, and set the timer for 3 - 4 hours. My crock pot only has a low and high setting, so I end up cooking them for about 3 hours on high.

The key is making sure your pork is DONE, but not overcooked. If you do this recipe right, you will have the tenderest pork chops EVER.

Here you have it, your pork chop dinner alllll ready to dig into! I serve it straight from the crock pot so that everything stays nice and toasty, but you could separate each layer in individual serving bowls if you wanted to. By the time the food makes it onto my plate, I separate it out. My sister, on the other hand, likes hers to stay all piled together! 

The best family dinners include CHOICES. This is one of those from start to finish.  

 

When I made this a few weeks ago, I challenged my family to take pictures of their plates. ^ Here ^ is my sister's prize winning picture! I told you she likes hers in one big heap. :)

Special thanks to my brother for jumping up from his homework to take some pictures over my shoulder for me!

Ready for the recipe?

Crock Pot Pork Chop Dinner
adapted from cooks.com serves 6

4-6 pork chops, trimmed and bones removed
1 recipe stuffing, prepared
1 recipe apple pie filling, prepared


Layer pork chops in the bottom of the crock pot so that they are touching. Cover with stuffing. Top with apple pie filling.

Place lid on crock pot and set the timer for 3-4 hours, just until pork is cooked through and still tender. My crockpot only has high and low, so I end up cooking mine for about 3 hours on high. 

Remove lid and dig in!!!!

If you need stuffing and pie filling recipes, click HERE.

What are some of your family favorites?

What's one piece of cooking advice your Mom taught you?

 

Peppermint Syrup Recipe

When I was in high school, I worked at a coffee shop. The thing about working behind the coffee counter is that you learn things about people. There are the demanding people who know EXACTLY what they want and expect you to have magically known that they were coming and have their drink ready moments before they even walked through the door.  There are the usual people who come in everyday around the same time and order the same thing. These are the people who are about as carefree as they get and they're always up for a chat (unless they are in a hurry, in which case they apologize profusely and promise to see you tomorrow). There are the confused people who know that they have a "usual" but who have no idea what it is or what it tastes like and they look at you pleadingly to either know what it is or to somehow figure it out. Then you have the adventurous people. These are the ones who have no idea what they want or what they are in the mood for and are up for ANYTHING.

The adventurous people were the fun ones. I concocted all sorts of drinks for them and they're the ones I think of when I get the urge to create a coffee shop version of a beverage at home. Some of them turned into regulars whose visits (and orders) I could count on. Some of them stayed adventurers and that was okay too.

I learned a lot spending my afternoons (and then my mornings) working at that coffee shop. I learned how to spot these different types of people, how to please them, and how to keep a smile on my face no matter what. My years behind the coffee counter were some of the best lessons in learning to serve others and yet every single customer ended up serving me too. I know, we all say that about everything, but maybe we say it because it's true.

My latest kitchen success took me back to those days. I wanted a DIY version of one of THE most popular winter drinks and I think I achieved it. Whether you're Demanding Dan, Usual Ulysses, Confused Connie, or Adventurous Adam...If you're a fan of peppermint in your drinks, I think you'll love this at home version!

Ingredient gathering is SIMPLE. Basically, we're making a simple syrup infused with peppermint. It goes like this: sugar, water, extract. DONE.

 

First up is the sugar. Any kind of white sugar is what you're after. I happen to use pure cane sugar, but that's just me.

We're going to add the water and get a syrup going over medium heat. Basically, we're just disolving the sugar. Keep your eye on it, stir it occasionally, but don't stress. It's easy, it goes quickly, and it gets HOT because there is sugar involved. The longer you simmer, the thicker your syrup will get.

Once your sugar water has turned into syrup, add in your peppermint extract. Less is more when it comes to extracts, so go easy at first knowing that you will be able to add more if you want to. You can simmer it for a few more minutes, but you don't need to.

When you're happy with the syrup, remove it from the heat and let it cool in the pan until it has reached room temperature. Pour it into a little jar and store it in the refrigerator. To use, simply add about a teaspoon to your coffee or hot cocoa and you're all set! In case you're wondering, the cane sugar is the reason for the unsightly color of this syrup. Once it's stirred into your drink you'll have forgotten all about that strange looking specimen jar sitting in the back of you fridge. I promise.

Now...Go make some!


Peppermint Syrup

1/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
1/4-1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Simmer sugar and water over medium heat until they reach a syrupy consistency (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.

Add peppermint extract (I added just shy of 1/2 tsp to mine). May simmer for a few more minutes or you may remove from heat to cool down.

Once your syrup has reached room temperature, transfer to a small jar and refrigerate. Add 1 tsp to your favorite beverage for a peppermint kick.

Do you have a favorite at home coffee shop beverage?

What's your coffee ordering personality type? 

Pumpkin Bread

When October rolls around, I have finally given into fall and I start craving comfort food. This fall has been no different. My oven has been on. Dinners have started to include warm vegetables and gravies and slow roasted meats. In the mornings, I find myself reaching for something warm and spicy and filling. 

After looking high and low for a pumpkin bread recipe that wasn't loaded with seeds or topped with some kind of streusel crumble or maple glaze, I gave up and decided to develop my own. With the confidence given to me by my research (aka pouring over my favorite quick bread recipes), I decided that I was ready to take the leap and give it a go. 

I wrote out a recipe. I gathered ingredients. I got out the measuring spoons and mixing bowls. When I went to take the bread pan out of the cupboard, I realized that my bread pan was at the other house. At that point, I did what every desperate baker would do. I went over to the neighbor's house and asked Don if I could borrow a bread pan. He assured me that I certainly could IF he could find one. He looked and looked and then gave up, but told me that if he found one in the next ten minutes he would bring it over.

That's when I trudged back across the street in defeat. I was going to be making the pumpkin bread, but if Don couldn't find a pan I had to decide whether I would try another neighbor or make a quick trip to the store to buy one. Thankfully, about six minutes later, Don rang the doorbell with the look of victory on his face!

Now that my bread pan saga is out of the way, let's get baking! Gather your supplies. If you don't have a bread pan, you know what to do! 

We begin by mixing all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl. I use a wooden spoon, but you can use whatever you prefer. Make sure that all of the clumps of brown sugar are nice and broken up, then set the mixture aside.

Once you've got your dry ingredients together, you're ready to start working on the wet stuff. Crack your egg in a small bowl and whisk it until it is smooth.

Add in the rest of the wet ingredients. This was the trickiest part of the recipe. Pumpkin is moist on its own, but when you deal with pumpkin you still need to add quite a bit of extra liquid.

Now, we add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. And...

 STIR. Remember what I said about baking with pumpkin? If your batter looks too dry, add a bit more milk. Don't be shy about it. You can handle this adjusting thing!

Pour your batter into your your neighbor's greased bread pan that he so kindly let you borrow and pop the bread into the oven for about 55 - 60 minutes.

When a knife comes out of the bread clean, your loaf is ready to come out of the oven! Place your bread onto a cooling rack. Or, in the case of my current hodge podge kitchen, an upside down muffin tin (which I did NOT borrow from Don). Let your loaf rest for about 10 minutes, then run a knife along the edges before removing the bread from the pan. Once it is completely cool, wrap it in plastic.

I was going to keep this bread stored on the counter, but decided that it might be better off in the fridge. When I want a slice of pumpkiny goodness, I cut a piece off of the loaf, put it under the broiler for about five minutes and then give it a nice bit of butter.

If you happen to be into putting nuts or raisins (or even chocolate chips) into your quick breads, I would tell you to GO FOR IT! This recipe has all kinds of room for adaptations!

I really should have called this bread "You Can't Stop Me Pumpkin Bread", because despite countless obstacles, it came together exactly as I hoped it would! Let this be a lesson to all of us. No recipe? No problem. No bread pan? Borrow one. No cooling rack? Improvise.

Happy Baking!!!

Pumpkin Bread

DRY
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
pinch nutmeg (less than an 1/8 tsp.)

WET
1 egg
1/4 c. cooking oil (peanut, vegetable, melted coconut, it's up to you)
1 c. pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp. buttermilk + 1/2 c. milk

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease loaf pan.

Combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, making sure all the clumps of brown sugar are broken up. Set aside.

Whisk egg in a small bowl. Add the rest of the wet ingredients and stir until smooth.

Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients, stirring until combined. Adding more milk if necessary (it doesn't need to be buttermilk).

Pour batter into greased loaf pan and bake for 55-60 minutes or until knife comes out clean. Allow to cool on a rack for about 10 minutes before running a knife along the edges and then removing the loaf from the pan.

Once completely cool, store the bread wrapped in plastic. Whether you leave it on the counter or pop it into the fridge is up to you!

Enjoy!!! 

Do you have a favorite quick bread recipe?

Do you have any funny baking stories? I'd love to hear about them. 

 

My Idea of Comfort Food: A Recipe For Salisbury Steak

Getting dinner on the table for a family of five can prove to be a challenge. Add busy schedules to the mix and sometimes you find yourself cooking said dinner only to eat it by yourself. Oh, they'll eat the food, it just might be a few hours. That's the season we're in right now.

It used to be that dinner was on the table most nights somewhere around 5:30. Everybody would show up and eat and then one lucky person would find themselves on KP duty. We'd go around the table talking about our day or quizing each other on some kind of trivia or mental math. If somebody couldn't make it to dinner, so be it, but most of the seats were always filled.

Now that my younger brother and sister are at the height of their teenage years, family dinners look a lot different. Lately, we've been eating sometime around 4 so that we can have the kitchen tidied and be on our way out the door to rehearsals with plenty of time to get there.

The point to all of this is: people need to eat. I believe in fixing full meals and sitting down to enjoy them. Sometimes you chat with people, sometimes you read the newspaper, and sometimes you plunk down in front of the tv. I like food that tastes good, fills you up, and begs you to take your time with it.

Salisbury Steak is a main dish I put on my list of foods to master last year. It's one of my favorites and whenever I make it, I feel so accomplished even though it is super simple. I like to serve it alongside mashed potatoes and green beans heated with one beef bullion cube (my Mom's secret to THE best green beans). This whole meal can be on the table in about 30 minutes.

Salisbury Steak
adapted from allrecipes and Taste of Home

Steak
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 egg
1/2 c. fine dry bread crumbs
1 tsp. Lipton Onion Soup Mix, reserve rest of packet for sauce*

Mix meat with all the ingredients above and form into about 7 patties. Patties should be about 4ish-inches long and oval shaped.

Brown patties on both sides in a skilled over med-high heat. Remove from skillet.

Sauce
1/2 pkg. mushrooms, washed and sliced
1 TBSP. butter
2 TBSP. flour
2 c. water
Remaining Lipton Onion Soup Mix*
1/4 c. ketchup
1 TBSP. worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. ground mustard

Brown mushrooms in about half of the butter over med-low heat in the skillet you used to brown the steaks.

Add the rest of the butter and then sprinkle with the flour, stirring until the flour is absorbed.

Add the water and stir.

Add soup mix, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and ground mustard, stirring to combine. Turn up the heat to get a simmer going. Continue stirring.

Once your mixture begins to look like gravy, turn down the heat, add the steaks, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. Enjoy!

*I have made this without Lipton Onion Soup Mix. Before starting the recipe, I mixed the following spices together in a bowl: 1 1/4 tsp. onion powder, 1/4 tsp. dried parsley, 1/8 tsp. paprika, 1/8 tsp. pepper.

I used about 1/4 tsp. of this mixture in the steak and then used the rest in the sauce. I added 1 tsp. of Beef "Better Than Boullion" when I added the water to the sauce and found that the ketchup needs to be reduced to about 2 TBSP. with this rendition of the recipe.

*   *   * 

Just in case getting everything on the table at once is not your thing, I've added my tips to the recipe page. The process of preparing this meal and then sharing it with the ones you love is pretty much exactly what I have in mind when it comes to comfort food!

What's your idea of comfort food?

What season are you in when it comes to family dinners? 

Summer Style Pork Roast

This summer, I put together a four week long meal plan that we've been using more often than not. I tried to come up with recipes that were heavy on seasonal fruits and veggies, the use of the grill, and the meats I already have stored away in the freezer.

I have plans to tell you more about building your own plan, but for now, I've got to share this recipe that is PERFECT for summer before any more of it gets away from us!

When it's hot out we want to avoid heating up the kitchen. We want food that fills us up and yet feels more like a snack than a full on feast. I love putting a hunk of meat into the crock pot and deciding what to do with it later - you can shred it up and wrap it in a tortilla OR put it in a bun OR just serve it up with a few sides and you're good to go. The thing is...I've never actually used a recipe or turned out a PERFECTLY juicy roast. That is, until Tracy showed me the ropes.

I'm calling this summer style pork roast because that's exactly what it is. During the summer, I lean more towards pairing my pulled pork with BBQ sauce, buns, coleslaw, and beans. When the weather cools back down, I might heat up the oven to make  cornbread or I might change up the seasonings and turn on the stove top for mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, and the whole Sunday Dinner style roast. 

It's summer and we know what we want! Let's get it cooking!

When one of your favorite food bloggers tells you this recipe begins with a rub...You listen up! Grilling has taught me that rubs can accomplish A LOT. This roast is no different. Make the rub.

Garlic and onions are two things I've ALWAYS paired with crock pot cooking. They're going to go in first. Big chunks are just fine, you won't be serving them up with the meat. 

Onion and garlic are in. The roast is rubbed. Take a moment to admire your work!

Here's the SECRET: MORE THAN 3/4 CUP OF LIQUID. For whatever reason, I've had it in my head that 3/4 cup is enough...It's not. I'm telling you, you'll be taking this roast out with tongs because it's going to be soooo tender that it will literally be falling apart. That's exactly what we're going for.

Up the liquid. You'll be glad you did!

Last but not least, diced tomatoes are going to add a lot to this dish! Diced tomatoes are something I've added to my pantry over the last year or so. I've only been using them for pizza sauce and now this roast, but that's enough to warrant having them on hand!

We put the lid on. Set the temperature to LOW and the timer for 6-8 hours. Then, we walk away and feel the freedom that comes with knowing that dinner is already going!

The roast comes out pretty and nice and ready for a million possibilities. Slice it or shred it. Eat it the way it is or dress it up with a favorite sauce. Serve it with fresh melon, your go-to salad, beans, rice...Whatever you're in the mood for!

Tracy says to save the stock you've created, but I'm a little unsure of what to do with it. I redenered off the fat and stuck the stock in the freezer. I'm thinking a mexican soup would be PERFECT, but I'm not sure if I can bring myself to add chicken to it. I'll keep you posted!

In the mean time...I've got a bit of the meat left over and it's going to be turned into pork fried rice tonight.

Summer Style Pulled Pork
slightly adapted from Tracy Benjamin

2 1/2lb pork roast
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
smidge of ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
3 c. chicken broth (more if you have a larger roast)

Combine salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, paprika, and garlic powder. Rub all sides of the meat with this rub.

Place the pieces of garlic and onion into the bottom of your crock pot. Set the roast on top of them. Pour the tomatoes and the chicken broth into the crock pot, avoiding the meat itself and making sure that everything is evenly distributed around your roast.

Place the lid on the crock pot and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours. (If your roast is larger, you may need to cook it longer. Tracy cooked her 4 lb. pork shoulder on HIGH for 8 hours.)

Take the roast out of the crock pot and process the meat however you want. Shredding it with two forks and topping it with BBQ sauce is my personal favorite. You can also skip the shredding and serve it in slices if that's more your style!

Skim the fat off of the cooled stock and use as a base for soups.

What's your summer cooking style?

What are you favorite ways to use a roast?

Strawberry Shortcake: A Memory And A Recipe

When I was growing up, an older couple befriended our family. Years went by and all of a sudden, we realized that they were just like grandparents to us. You've heard them referred to here as Ron and Julie. They mean more to me than I ever could have guessed when Ron replaced Vickie on my bus route or when Julie would scoot the pencil cup I was stretching to reach over to me at the library.

I loved (and still do) going to Ron and Julie's house for dinners, birthdays, and camp outs. I always looked forward to whatever Julie had dreamed up for dessert. Julie is the kind of entertainer I strive to be. She goes all out and makes it appear as though it took exactly no effort at all. One summer Julie got hooked on Schwans' shortcakes. That summer, I got hooked on them too! I tasted them and took note of them in my mind hoping to recreate a homemade version someday.

I recently came across a recipe for shortcakes at King Arthur Flour. During a big grocery shopping trip, my Mom declared that she was craving strawberry shortcake. Just like that, someday came!

This shortcake recipe is PERFECTION. It turns out shortcakes that are not quite cake and not quite biscuit. They have a smidgen of sweetness to them.

The strawberries are on right now and you've just got to make them!


Strawberry Shortcake
slightly adapted from King Arthur Flour
  
SHORTCAKES

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup butter, COLD
2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk (Or my trusty substitute: 1Tbsp lemon juice and enough milk to make 1 cup.)


Pre-heat oven to 425F.

Mix dry ingredients, cut in cold butter. Whisk together wet ingredients and then add them to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough begins to come together. You may add a little extra milk if your dough seems too dry. Don't add too much or you'll turn your shortcakes into biscuits.

Turn the dough out onto a pastry mat or floured counter, kneading just until the dough looks ready to press out. About 4 or 5 times.

Gently pat the dough out until it's about 1/2 inch thick. Cut dough into shortcakes with a biscuit cutter. Place shortcakes onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I like to use a pizza pan), so that the edges are touching. Brush the tops with a little milk and sprinkle with a little extra sugar.

Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and let cool before serving. If you like your shortcakes warm, just wait about 15 minutes. We like ours at room temperature, so I waited a lot longer.

(KAF says you'll get about 9 shortcakes. I think I got about 12.)


TOPPINGS

1/2 pound fresh strawberries
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 to 2 Tbsp sugar

1 pint heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar


Wash strawberries, remove stems, and cut them into bite sized pieces.

Mix strawberries with about 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice and 1 to 2 tablespoons of sugar. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Just before serving, place heavy whipping cream into a glass bowl. Beat with a hand blender on high speed until it begins to thicken. At this point, add about 1/4 cup of powdered sugar, continuing to beat until it reaches the thickness you desire.

What foods hold a special memory for you?

Do you have a favorite strawberry recipe?

I'm linking up with The Quiet Place for their Around The Table Link Up!

Breakfast Nachos

The latest hit to happen in our kitchen was Joy the Baker's Breakfast Nachos. I made them last Monday night because I was in the mood for something hearty, quick(ish), and that didn't require going to the store. I've had my eye on this recipe ever since I read Tracy's post last fall.

The recipe for Breakfast Nachos comes from Joy's second cookbook, Homemade Decadence, which I've talked about before. The cookbook is FULL of perfect recipes for any craving you have.

If you're looking for a dinner or lunch that's simple to make and will have people begging to dig in, go ahead and make this one!

You can view the original recipe HERE.

Here's my take:

Breakfast Nachos
adapted from Joy the Baker's Homemade Decadence

3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
4 good sized potatoes (or in my case, one JUMBO)
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb. Italian sausage, browned
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 slices American Cheese
2-4 Tbsp milk

TOPPINGS:
salsa
sour cream
green onions
avocado


Preheat oven to 425F. Line a baking sheet with foil, spray with PAM or spread a little cooking oil to barely cover the bottom.

Slice potatoes into very thin slices (about 1/4 inch thick). Arrange on baking sheet (you may need two sheets) in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne over potatoes. Bake for 30 minutes, turning once. You may turn on the broiler for a few minutes at the end to achieve a nice crunch.

Meanwhile, brown your Italian sausage, adding the onion, fresh garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes towards the end of the cooking time.

Tear the American cheese slices into pieces no larger than 1/2 inch squares. Place them into a cereal bowl and top with a little milk. Microwave for 30 seconds at a time until melted, stirring in between each cooking time.

TO SERVE: Place potatoes in a circle, leaving a little room in the middle for the meat. Add your scoop of meat. Top with the cheese sauce and whatever toppings appeal to you!
BONUS: Joy and Tracy both recommend adding a fried egg to the top. If that's your thing, go for it!

What was your latest kitchen success? 

Do you have any favorite food bloggers?

Around the Table: Classic Lemon Bars

Today I'm excited to team up with The Quiet Place to bring you this month's Around the Table link up! Around the Table is a monthly link up dedicated to recipe swapping. Each month there is some kind of theme to give everyone some help in decided what they might choose to share!

Our theme this time around is Desserts. You've got until next Thursday to link up with us. Bonus points if your recipe includes LEMON. 

So...I'm sharing my recipe for Lemon Bars which happens to be one of the desserts that is most popular at my house! It's super simple, fun to make with kids, and perfect for spring

Ingredient gathering. If that's not a sign of the ease that's in store, I don't know what is!

The first step involves making a lovely shortbread to serve as the base of your bars. You'll begin by creaming your butter and powdered sugar.

Here's a tip...I almost never remember to give my butter time to come to room temperature. If you're making cookies or a frosting or a shortbread (or something else that calls for soft butter), unwrap the butter and pop into the microwave on a plate for roughly 15 to 20 seconds.

Next you'll beat in the flour and salt just until the shortbread dough comes together.

Now it's time for my favorite part. Use your fingers to gently work this airy dough all around the bottom of a greased 8x8 inch baking pan. Make sure it's in a pretty even layer.

Pop into your oven and bake it for 18-20 minutes until the edges are just golden brown. Let it cool on a wire rack while you work on the filling.

Your filling begins with one cup of regular sugar and two eggs. Beat them until smooth. After this, you'll be swapping the beaters with a spatula, so make sure it's nice and smooth!

Stir in your lemon juice.

Another tip - I love using fresh lemons, but I also love the short cut that ReaLemon lemon juice provides! Sometimes I go to the store and buy the lemons, but usually, I reach for the big green bottle that's already in my fridge!

Very gently fold in your flour. It might clump up a bit, but work quickly and stay gentle. The texture of the filling is going to blow you away! It's like you're mixing up a cloud in your kitchen.

Pour your filling over your slightly cooled shortbread and pop it back into the oven for 17 to 20 more minutes. This time around, the filling is going to cook and set up.

You can remove it from the oven as soon as the filling doesn't really jiggle when you give the pan a slight shake.

This is the ugliest batch of lemon bars that I've ever removed from the oven. I'm convinced it knew it was going to be on here and was throwing a fit about it. Okay...Maybe not. BUT, I wanted you to see that dark spots and all, this dessert is super forgiving.

If yours comes out of the oven looking like mine did, don't even sweat it. There's powdered sugar going on top and it will take care of it ALL. Trust me.

This is the hardest and most important step. Once the bars have COMPLETELY cooled, cut them into squares (I do 9, because if I'm going to eat dessert, I want dessert. You can do more, or less, if you want!) and remove them from the pan. Sprinkle generously with powdered sugar.

Prepare to watch them disappear off of the cooling rack or be ready to swat the hands trying to get at them. They're really that good!

See how easy that was?

Classic Lemon Bars
slightly adapted from Joy of Baking

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt

1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup ReaLemon juice
2 Tbsp all purpose flour

extra powdered sugar for dusting


Preheat oven to 350 degrees, place oven rack into the middle of the oven, and grease an 8x8 in glass baking pan.

To prepare shortbread crust: Beat butter and powdered sugar in a bowl until creamy and smooth. Add flour and salt and beat just until combined.

Press into bottom of pan in an even layer and bake for 18-20 minutes, or just until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool while you prepare the filling.

To prepare filling: Beat eggs and granulated sugar until smooth. Add lemon juice and stir to combine. Fold in flour.

Pour filing over shortbread and bake for 17-20 minutes, or just until filling has set. Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

Cool completely, cut into squares, and dust with a generous amount of powdered sugar.

If you have any bars leftover they keep for several days covered in the refrigerator. (We store ours on the counter, but the original recipe says to put them in the refrigerator...I don't want to make anyone sick, so we'll go with that. We've never had a problem, but I'll let you make the call!)

   

    http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=507411" title="click to view in an external page.">An InLinkz Link-up

   

ps - It's already been a month since our last round of Ask & Answer! I'm taking questions for this month's post, so please be sure to leave some in the comments. Remember, questions can be serious or silly. This series is a fun way for us to learn more about each other better!