Monday, August 30, 2010

Blackberries!


Here's a huge perk of living on 6 acres... blackberry bushes!! I've been meaning to go pick some for weeks and finally did today. I found tons and tons and will probably be picking them everyday this week to fill my freezer. I have visions of cobblers, muffins, breads, pies, cheesecake topping, and stained fingers in my near future!!

Homemade Granola

I love granola for cereal and for putting in my yogurt. There are a few brands that I buy and enjoy but they're kinda expensive... so, I figured there is no reason I can't make my own! This (and any granola recipe really) are so flexible because you can add and take out whatever you do or don't like. The combinations of fruits, seeds and nuts are endless and you should perfect it to your liking. This is just what I did...

Homemade Granola
Adapted from The Food Network

Ingredients

3 cups rolled oats
1 c mixed seeds (I did raw sesame and pumpkin)
1 c chopped mixed nuts (I used raw almonds and cashews)
1/2 c shredded coconut
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon
1 tsp vegetable oil
3 tbsp honey (I use agave nectar in place of honey)
2 c mixed dried fruit, chopped (dried apricots, cranberries, and raisins)

Directions

Mix oats, seeds, nuts, coconut and salt and cinnamon in a bowl. Toss with oil and honey. Spread on a large baking sheet and bake 25 minutes at 325 degrees.
Toss half way thru baking. When cool, add dried fruits and enjoy!

Mexican Pulled Pork

Jamie, one of my very dearest friends whom I met in college, made this for me when I visited her and her sweet husband, Justin, in Huntington Beach. It was so impressive and I thought it'd taken her forever. However, I was lucky enough to be let in on a little secret... it's probably the easiest thing you'll ever make. It only has 2 ingredients!! 2! You heard me correctly.

She and I served this with tortillas and all the burrito fixings you like. Because this is done in the slow cooker, you can make it on busy days or lazy Sundays.

Mexican Pulled Pork
Adapted from Jamie Bertain

Ingredients

1 pork shoulder (also called pork butt, or boston pork)
1 jar of your favorite salsa
Water
Salt and Pepper

Directions

Place pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in jar of salsa and maybe 1/2 c water.
Cook for however long you have... I did high for 6 hours but you can do whatever works for you.

When it's done, pull the pork out and shred with two forks.
I put my pork back into the juices which made it pretty liquid-y, so I would recommend you add a little of the juice back to the shredded pork as you see fit.
Then serve with your favorite burrito stuff: cheese, avocado, hot sauce, beans, rice, etc...

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Potato Leek Pizza

This pizza was so yummy! I love leeks and get excited when I find a recipe that uses them. They are in the onion family, but are so mild and delicious. You should try one! The bacon and cheese don't hurt this pie one single bit, either. It came out very impressive, I felt, so definitely put this on your list of must-try!

Potato Leek Pizza
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman Cookbook

Ingredients

Pizza Crust
1 tsp or 1/2 pkg active dry yeast
4 c all purpose flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 c extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling

Pizza
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
6 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
3 leeks, rinsed well to remove grit and thinly sliced
5 small red or Yukon gold potatoes, sliced paper thin
1 lb fresh mozzarella, sliced thin
4 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Black pepper

Directions

Pizza crust:
Pour 1 1/2c warm water in a bowl and sprinkle yeast over the water.
Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. With an electric mixer on low, drizzle the olive oil into the flour/salt mix until just combined.
In a separate bowl, gently stir yeast/water mix, then drizzle it into the flour/oil mixture.
Mix until the dough forms a ball. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl, toss dough into the bowl and over with oil.
Cover with a damp kitchen towel and place in a warm location for 1-2 hours. (You can store in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for two days or freeze for up to 6 months).

Pizza Toppings:

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.

Drizzle a baking sheet with olive oil to prevent the crust from sticking. Put the dough on the baking sheet and lightly stretch until it gets to your desired shape and size. Sprinkle lightly with salt.

Begin by placing the bacon in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the bacon until cooking but not crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and set aside.
Pour off most of the grease, but don't clean the plan. Return to the heat and turn to medium low. Add the leeks to the pan and saute over medium low heat until soft, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Using a sharp knife or a mandolin, slice the potatoes very thin. Do this just before you need the potatoes or they will turn brown. Yuck! Arrange the potatoes in a single layer over the entire crust, slightly overlapping the edges. Sprinkle the potato layer with salt.
Lay the mozzarella slices over the potatoes in a single layer.
Place the leeks on top of the cheese. Then the bacon layer goes on. Finally, add the goat cheese and freshly grated black pepper.
Bake for 8-11 minutes until the edges of the crust are brown and the cheese is melted. Cut and serve!


Beef Enchiladas

Those of you who know me, may know of my obsession with enchiladas... specifically enchilada sauce. Normally, I don't make enchiladas because it's labor intensive. I typically make a burrito and drench it in enchilada sauce... ta da! However, I found this recipe in my new Pioneer Woman Cookbook and decided it was time to do it... the whole enchilada!

This is a bit labor intensive and messy, but worth it! I was so thrilled with the results. And the bonus, it made lots of sauce and filling so I froze it and can now throw together enchiladas at my hearts desire!

Beef Enchiladas
Adapted from Pioneer Woman Cookbook

Ingredients

Sauce:
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 28oz can enchilada sauce
2 c chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (plus more for garnish)

Meat:
1 lb ground beef (if you don't dig ground beef, sub your fav)
1 medium onion, diced
2 4oz cans diced green chiles
1/2 tsp salt

Rest:
10-14 corn tortillas
1/2 c chopped black olives
1 c chopped green onions
3 c grated cheddar cheese

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the canola oil and flour. Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 minute. Pour in the red sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

While the sauce is simmering, prepare the meat. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the onions. Drain the fat, then add the green chiles. Add the salt and stir to combine. Turn off heat and set aside.
Heat the tortillas in the oven or microwave (whatever your style is) so they are pliable. Spread 1/2 c of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Dip each tortilla into the sauce. Set the sauce soaked tortilla on a cookie sheet.
Onto each tortilla, place some of the meat mixture, black olives and green onions. Top with cheese.
Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat as needed.
When baking dish is full, pour desired amount of red sauce over the top and top with cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle extra cilantro and green onions on top. Enjoy!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Bow-tie 'Lasagna'

This is another fabulous Pioneer Woman recipe. It was so easy and super yummy! It's a great weeknight dish and the leftovers would be perfect work lunch the next day. In the future, I might spice this up with some veggies too!

Bow-tie 'Lasagna'
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 lb ground chuck
5 c bow tie noodles
3 c spaghetti sauce (whatever your favorite is)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp italian seasoning
1/2 c mozzarella cheese (I used an italian blend)
1/2 c sour cream (I used plain greek yogurt cause I didn't have sour cream)

Directions

Fry the ground chuck in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I know the habit it to stir and mix around, but you want to break it up and then leave it. The meat should brown and get some tasty flavor. When it's done, set aside.
Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. When done, drizzle with olive oil and mix in your sauce. Then add the hamburger, italian seasoning, cheese and sour cream.
Stir together and cook on low for a few minutes if it needs to thicken up and melt the cheese then serve. Yummy!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce

Talk about a man-ly meal... this was totally it. I made these sliders because I'd been really wanting a cheeseburger. This is a super fancy delicious amazing burger. And if you have a burger loving person in your house, you should make it for them and they'll kiss the ground you walk on... okay, maybe they'll offer to do the dishes. But hey, don't be picky!

Mushroom and Swiss Sliders with Spicy Fry Sauce
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

For Shroom mixture:
1/3 c mayonnaise
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp cayenne pepper
4 tbsp butter
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
8 oz, white mushrooms, finely diced
1/2 c wine, white or red
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper

For burgers:
2 lbs ground meat
4 tbsp heavy whipping cream
4 dashes Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
pepper
Swiss cheese
8 dinner slider rolls

Directions

In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, ketchup and cayenne pepper. This is your spicy fry sauce.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add onions and cook over medium heat for five minutes, stirring frequently. Add mushrooms and toss around, then add wine, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Cook for several minutes or until all liquid has evaporated. Transfer mushroom mixture to a separate bowl, scraping all contents from the skillet.

Mix ground beef, heavy cream, Worcestershire, salt and pepper in a bowl. Use your hands to thoroughly mix ingredients. Form 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the meat mixture into patties, making an indentation in the middle of the patties with your thumb to keep the patties from plumping when they cook. In the same skillet as the shrooms cooked in, melt 1 tbsp butter over medium to medium-high heat. Add four patties at a time, indented side face up. Cook for 4 minutes, then flip. Spoon generous portion of mushroom mixture on each patty, then top with Swiss cheese. Place lid on the skillet and cook for an additional few minutes until burgers are cooked through and cheese is melted.

Meanwhile, toast the halved rolls in the oven. Spread with fry sauce and place patties on rolls. Enjoy!


Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Mini Meatball Sandwiches

This is one of those meals that you love but never order out because it's so messy to eat in public. Or at least that's why I don't... Aaaanyway...

There is this blog that I follow every day (it's that good) called Pioneer Woman and she posts funny ramblings about her life on a Oklahoma ranch every day; stories about her kids, Marlboro Man (her cowboy husband), their animals and other stuff. Included in that are a section for recipes, which is where I got this. I also bought her cookbook the other day and read it cover to cover. No joke... like it was a Nicholas Sparks tear jerker (without the sobbing).

K, so the moral of this story is you should make this. That's all.

Mini Meatball Sandwiches
Adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

1 lb ground chuck or ground beef
1/2 c bread crumbs (seasoned, plain, panko... whatever)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper to taste
1/2 c milk (whatever you drink is fine... maybe not chocolate though)
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 jar marinara sauce
12 slider rolls or dinner rolls
Italian cheese of some kind (mix, mozz, parm, etc)

Directions

Mix meat with bread crumbs, garlic, salt, pepper, and milk. Knead together with hands. Roll into heaping tablespoon sized meatballs. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 1 minute. Add meatballs between the onions and brown for 1 minute. (You might have to do this in batches depending on the size of your skillet. Or freeze some for later). Pour in a jar of marinara; shake pan gently to mix. Put on the lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

When ready to serve, cut each dinner roll in half. Place cheese on top and bottom. Spoon a meatball with sauce onto the bottom bun and top. Serve extra sauce on the side. Enjoy!