This has been a very odd week. Nothing that I have planned to do has come to fruition because so much other stuff has been getting in the way. Wait a minute–that’s kind of  like every other week.  Let me start over.

This has been a very normal week.

My internet service was down for over 24 hours. An entire day! I’m kind of disturbed at how much that fact bothers me.  Being a former computer geek, of course I took matters into my own hands. We have an extensively daisy-chained network in our house from the phone-cable box, to the cable modem, to the cell phone signal booster, to the wireless router. In a nutshell, we have many points of failure, and a whole lot of cross-over cables strewn about.

If you understood any of that, then you win a Gold Star.  Whenever I get a little network-geeky, my BFF Julie says “Oh my GOSH! I can’t believe all the stuff is coming out of YOUR mouth!”

I’m pretty sure that she means that as a compliment.

A nice gentleman named “Maverick” at our cable company’s call center apologized for my inconvenience, and assured me that my internet service would be restored today, if I would just mind holding for another 6 or 7 transfers on the line. After I was transferred to “Madonna,” I hung up.

Then I fixed the problem myself.  I’ll spare you the gory details, but rest assured that the problem was in the house, and I didn’t have to dig up the cable line outside.  Although, at several points, I seriously contemplated the idea. I figured that if nothing else, it would make me feel better.

So here we are…

I am really ready for the weather to be consistently warm, and for the school to be out for the summer. I’m seriously thinking about selling petoskey stones or cupcakes to tourists at the beach all summer. OK, not really.  But I am ready to spend the summer at the beach.  Let me re-phrase that: I am ready to spend the summer at the beach once the water gets warmer than 50 degrees (F).

I just realized that all I ever show y’all of the 45th parallel is pictures of the rolling countryside, and the beaches. That’s cool and all, but I live in the woods. The woods are equally beautiful, so “woods”  has just been added to my list of things to show you at some point.

After starring at the leftover chocolate chip cookie dough filling from my earlier cupcake romp, I thought it would be fun to make truffles out of it. You can only eat so much cookie dough with a spoon, eh?

And guess what?! Cookie dough truffles totally Rock! Son #1 was so inspired by the truffles that he styled this plate for me as a surprise. He said that I just had to post the recipe on my blog. He took the picture, too. I told him that his slave labor job this summer was to be my personal food stylist and assistant.

And seriously, of all the times I’ve made Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes, I have no idea why I didn’t think to make truffles out of the leftover filling. Duh!

You really need to make cookie dough truffles–it’s a nice quickie recipe.

Grab the leftover cookie dough filling from the refrigerator.  Grab a small cookie scoop while you are at it. OR! You could make just the filling portion of the cupcake recipe, turn that into cookie dough truffles, and skip the cupcake and frosting parts. You decide.

Roll the chilled dough into a ball.

Place the dough balls onto a plate lined with waxed paper. Do as I say, not as I do. I forgot the waxed paper & those little things were firmly adhered to the plate.  Freeze the dough balls for 45-60 minutes, or until very firm.

In addition to the leftover cookie dough filling, you’ll need about 1 cup of miniature chocolate chips, and 1 teaspoon of shortening.  The shortening will give the chocolate a slight glossy sheen when it dries. Pretty. Heat chips & shortening in the microwave on 70% power for 1 minute. Stir. If the chips still haven’t melted, then continue heating on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.

Plop a frozen cookie dough ball into the melted chocolate. Gently roll the dough ball around until it has been fully coated.

Lift the coated dough ball out of the chocolate with a fork. Tap the fork against the side of the bowl to shake off the excess melted chocolate.

Place the truffle onto a different plate that has been lined with waxed paper. As you can see, I forgot the waxed paper, and the truffles stuck to the plate. Learn from my mistakes–put the truffles on a sheet of waxed paper.  As you can see, my truffles were fairly rustic looking. If you want to get all fancy-pants, then melt a little white chocolate to drizzle over top. Or sprinkle on some crushed nuts. Or a little sea salt. Or…you get the idea. Have  fun with it!

The recipe below is for cookie dough truffles, assuming that you use a full batch of the cupcake filling. Cut the chocolate/shortening portion of the recipe in half, if you are using cupcake filling from making the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

http://comfortablydomestic.com

About 18-24 dozen truffles

For the filling:
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
6 tbsp. light brown sugar, packed
1 cup plus 3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
7 oz. sweetened condensed milk (about ¾ cup)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

For the coating:

1 ½ C. miniature semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 ¼ tsp. shortening

To prepare the truffle filling:

1. In a small bowl, cream the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. (About 2 minutes.)
2. Add the flour, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla, mixing until fully incorporated and smooth.
3. Stir in the miniature chocolate chips.
4. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. (About an hour.)
5. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough. Roll a scoop of the dough into a ball, and place it on a plate or baking sheet that has been lined with waxed paper. Continue with the remaining dough. Freeze the dough balls until they are very firm. (About 1 ½ hours.)

To prepare the truffle coating:

1. Heat the chocolate chips & shortening in the microwave on 70% power for 1 minute. Stir. If the chips haven’t completely melted, then continue heating on 50% power in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until the chocolate is melted and smooth.

To assemble the truffles:

1. Remove the cookie dough balls from the freezer.
2. Take the dough balls, one at a time, and gently roll them in the melted chocolate, turning to completely coat.
3. Use a fork to lift the coated truffle from the chocolate, gently tapping the fork against the side of the bowl to shake off the excess chocolate.
4. Place the coated truffle onto a plate or baking sheet that has been lined with waxed paper.
5. Repeat with the remaining truffles. Be careful to keep the coated truffles from touching, or they will stick together.
6. Let truffles dry at room temperature, until chocolate has hardened. (About an hour.)
7. Store truffles in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

But there had to be a better way.  I was doing it all backward. Before I could effectively rely on my instincts to cook, I needed to learn how to cook with a recipe.  I decided to learn how to cook my favorite family recipes, which naturally brought me to my Grandmother’s kitchen.  Grandma cooked some of my most favorite meals, and I was determined to learn to make them.

We talked for hours over tea and cookies. I hung onto her every word, all the while I diligently scribbled her recipes onto index cards. I thought I was very thorough.  However, when Grandma mailed the recipe cards to me–I had a habit of leaving things at her house–her corrections jumped out at me.

So much for hanging onto her every word.

Banke Kod (pronounced bunk-ke-kurr) was my favorite dish that Grandma cooked. The traditional Danish meal consisted of thin slices of lightly seasoned beef, slow roasted in au jus until it falls apart, and served over mashed potatoes.  It’s super simple, with few ingredients, and easy to make. Consequently, Banke Kod was the first of Grandma’s recipes that I attempted.  I served it up to Hubby with a huge grin of anticipation on my face.  I wanted him to love it as much as I did.

It was abysmal.

I sliced the meat too thick, I forgot to add the beef broth, and I cooked it for 3 hours on high heat rather than 8 hours on low heat. The result was a dry, chewy mess that closely resembled beef jerky. Only not as tasty. Blech!

Lucky for us, I was tenacious and tried again a few days later. That time, I followed the recipe to the letter.  That was the whole point of this journey, after all.

The second attempt was perfect.  Hooray!

Banke kod started as my family’s favorite, but quickly became our family’s favorite.  Hubby requests it almost as much as meatloaf.

Start with a 3-4 pound eye of round roast. Now the preparation of the beef takes a little time, but only because the beef has to be mostly frozen in order to get ultra-thin slices. I usually pop the roast into the freezer for two or three hours before slicing.

Use a large bread knife to thinly slice the semi-frozen beef into very thin slices–between 1/8th and 1/16th of a inch thick.  The serrated edge will help cut through the frozen meat.

Once all of the beef has been sliced, put it into a gallon sized storage bag and pop it in the refrigerator overnight, so that the meat can thaw.

The next day, drizzle a teaspoon of olive oil in a large skillet (or spray with with cooking spray) and heat it over medium-high heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, add several slices of beef to the pan. Make sure the slices have a little wiggle room–we don’t want them to feel crowded, so work in batches.

Sprinkle on a little kosher salt and black pepper.  Sear the beef for about 30 seconds, or until the beef is browned on one side. Flip it over, and sear for an additional 20 seconds to brown the other side.

Place the seared beef into the crock of a slow cooker, then brown the remaining beef.

With all that browning going on, the pan will look like an epic disaster when you are done. No worries. There is a lot of flavor in that crusty brown stuff.

Pour some beef broth into the pan, and heat it over medium heat until it begins to steam.  The broth will deglaze the pan, which means it will loosen all of the stuff that is adhered to the bottom of the pan.

Scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula to loosen all of that brown goodness, and pour the mixture over the seared beef in the crock. Toss in a couple of dried bay leaves before placing the cover on the crock, and putting it in the slow cooker.  Cook on the low heat setting for 7 to 8 hours.

The Banke Kod will easily break apart with a fork when it is done.

Serve Banke Kod over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or spaetzle.  Don’t be shy with that au jus, either!  Ladel that juicy goodness all over the place!

Banke Kod

(pronounced bun-ke-kur) Danish Roast Beef

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Serves 8-10

4 lb. eye of round beef roast

1 Tbs. olive oil or cooking spray

16 oz. beef broth

Salt and pepper to taste

2 dried bay leaves

1. Freeze eye of round roast until not quite frozen. (About 2 hours.)
2. Using a large bread knife, thinly slice the nearly frozen beef into very thin slices. (about 1/8^th to 1/16^th of an inch thick.)
3. Place slices in a gallon sized plastic zippered bag and store in the refrigerator until beef has thawed. (OR freeze for later use.)
4. Once thawed, spray a large skillet with cooking spray, or 1 Tbs. olive oil, and heat it over high heat until very hot.
5. Working in batches: place slices of beef in a single layer in the hot pan, being careful not to crowd the pan.  Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper over the beef. Sear for 30 seconds, or until browned on one side.
6. Flip the slices over and sear the other side for an additional 20 seconds, or until browned.  Once browned on both sides, move slices to the crock of a slow cooker.
7. Repeat the process until all of the meat has been seared and seasoned.
8. Reduce the heat to medium.
9. Pour the beef broth into the skillet, and heat until steaming.
10. Once the broth is hot, deglaze the pan by scraping the browned bits loose from the bottom of the pan.
11. Turn off heat, and pour the broth and bits over the seared beef in the crock.
12. Cover and cook on the low setting of the slow cooker for 7-8 hours.  Beef should break apart easily with a fork, when done.
13. Serve ladled over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or spaetzle.

I mean, really. I ask you: what is not to love about a pancake that is almost a crepe, and is as big as your plate? Nothing. The answer is nothing is better than a thin & chewy pancake the size of a dinner plate.  We joked that Son #2 would be born and skip nursing all together, and go straight for those pancakes.

I was perfectly content to wait in the sometimes hour long line at the Original House of Pancakes to get my 49er Flapjack fix. Until they changed the recipe to include peanut oil. Peanut oil that would now contaminate every cooking surface of the restaurant. That was a deal breaker since ingesting peanut oil would send Son #2 into anaphyllactic shock.  Kind of ironic that the very thing that I craved while pregnant with him was something I could no longer eat.

I think you know where I am going with this…naturally, I had to find a recipe to make the Swedish style pancakes at home. Lucky for me, Mary Ostyn had a similar recipe that I was able to tweak in her book Family Feasts for $75 a Week.   I’ve mentioned recipes from her book a time or two. If you haven’t yet looked into Family Feasts…you should.

In her book, Mary has a recipe for her Aunt Edie’s pancakes. With a few alterations, the revised recipe tastes almost identical to my beloved 49er Pancakes.  They are a Sunday brunch staple at our house. I highly recommend them.

Start by preheating the oven to 200 degrees (F). Place a half-sheet pan into the oven to warm. Then measure the flour into a large bowl.

Toss in some kosher salt.  Don’t worry. The printable has actual measurements. I just have a habit of measuring small amounts of seasonings with my hands.  I blame it on my grandmothers.

Of course, since we are making crepe-like pancakes, a little brown sugar is in order.

Crack open the eggs, and pour in the vanilla along with the milk.

Then whisk the mixture within an inch of its life, or until smooth and blended. Since that batter is more crepe-like than pancake, you have to be sure to break up the lumps of flour.

Add the melted butter, and whisk to further combine.

If you are a kitchen-gadget-dork like me that happens to be a tad on the lazy side, then you’ll bust out your stick blender to do the work for you. The stick blender does an excellent job of breaking up the flour clumps.  You could also try using a regular blender.

Once the batter is ready, heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Peel back the wrapper on a half stick of butter.

Once the pan is good and hot, swirl the stick of butter around the pan to give it a good greasing.

Pour in a little batter, then

pick up the pan and tilt it is all directions to spread the batter around the pan. You will have to work quickly because the batter starts to cook immediately upon hitting the hot pan.

Cook the pancakes for about a minute or so until the edges dry out and start to curl. Run a spatula around the edges of the pancake to loosen.

The get the spatula under most of the pancake, and give it a quick flip.  If you’re like me, you’ll have to practice with the first few pancakes before you flip one without folding it on top of itself, like an omelette. It happens.

Continue cooking the pancake for another 30 seconds or so, so it has a chance to brown on the other side.

Flip the pancakes onto the warmed sheet pan, and use the stick of butter to smear butter on the tops of each pancake. At this point, you can sprinkle on powdered sugar and roll up the pancakes, OR lay them flat so that they can be stuffed & rolled later. Put the sheet pan back in the oven to keep the pancakes warm. Repeat this process with each pancake.

Once you are done making the pancakes, keep them warm in the oven while you make the fruit sauce.

For a quick and easy fruit sauce, plop a cup of fruit preserves or jam into a bowl. In this case, I used my homemade blueberry jam.

Add a few tablespoons of water to thin out the jam to the desired sauce consistency. For easy application, serve the sauce along side the pancakes, in a gravy pitcher or squirt bottle. (I make this type of fruit sauce to garnish all sorts of desserts, pancakes, or waffles.)

Usually, I just serve Swedish pancakes open face, with a dollop of Greek Yogurt and a little fruit sauce.  That’s how the Original House of Pancakes served them.

My boys are partial to having their Swedish pancakes rolled up with powdered sugar and fruit sauce. I make them have a little yogurt–for added protein. Because I’m a big meanie.

However, since these pancakes are just slightly thicker than a crepe, they are also wonderful filled with a variety of accouterments, such as:

1. Nutella & bananas
2. Fresh fruit
3. Yogurt
4. Chocolate chips & vanilla yogurt
5. Wilted spinach and feta cheese

Play around and have fun with it! Add whatever sounds delicious at the time. Just be sure to make these Swedish pancakes the next time you are craving brunch.

Swedish-Style Pancakes with Easy Fruit Sauce

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Serves 6

For Pancakes:

3 C. all-purpose flour

¾ tsp. kosher salt

1 Tbs. brown sugar, packed

4 C. milk

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. butter, melted

Powdered sugar for dusting

For Fruit Sauce:

1 C. fruit preserves or jam (blueberry, raspberry, and cherry are nice)

2 Tbs. (or more) water

For the Pancakes:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (F) and place a half-sheet pan into the oven.
2. In a large bowl, measure flour, salt, and brown sugar. Whisk to distribute.
3. Add the eggs, vanilla, and milk to the flour mixture.  Briskly whisk until smooth and blended.
4. Pour the melted butter into the batter, and whisk to further combine.
5. Heat a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Once skillet is hot, swirl a half stick of cold butter around the pan to coat.
7. Pour about ¼ cup of batter into the greased pan. Tilt the pan in all directions to evenly distribute batter.
8. Cook pancake for about a minute or until edges dry and begin to curl upward.
9. Run a spatula around the edges of the pancake to loosen.
10. Get the spatula under most of the pancake, and flip it quickly, trying to keep it from folding.
11. Continue cooking the other side for about 30 seconds, or until slightly browned.
12. Remove pancake and put it on the warmed sheet pan. Run the stick of butter over top of the hot pancake to butter it, and then put the sheet pan back in the oven to keep it warm.
13. Repeat the butter/batter/cooking/flipping/warming process until all of the batter has been used.

For the fruit sauce:

1. Place the preserves/jam into a small bowl.
2. Pour a few tablespoons of water over the preserves, and then whisk to combine.
3. More water can be added, depending on the desired consistency of the sauce.
4. Place sauce in a gravy pitcher, or plastic squirt bottle and serve alongside pancakes.
5. Pancakes can be served sprinkled with powdered sugar & rolled up, filled with fruit, or flat with a dollop of Greek yogurt and fruit sauce.

Additional filling ideas:

1. Nutella & bananas
2. Fresh fruit
3. Yogurt
4. Chocolate chips & vanilla yogurt
5. Wilted spinach and feta cheese

Meatloaf and I have never been friends.  I never understood the appeal.  I mean what is a meatloaf if not a Glam-Rocker turned wanna-be Opera singer turned wanna-be Apprentice? That I can get behind. But a big mass of ground beef? Not so appealing.

Oh, if you know anything about me at all, you know that I am the totally kind of gal to make a Meatloaf-the-singer reference in correlation with meatloaf-the-loaf-of-meat post. Like totally.

Silliness aside, I’ve never been a fan of meatloaf–henceforth and heretofore referencing the loaf of meat, not the singer.  The meaty loafiness has never been very appealing. Hubby, on the other hand, is a huge fan of meatloaf.  Every time I write our menu and run short of ideas, I ask Hubby for dinner suggestions. And every time I ask, he replies:

How about meatloaf?

Every. Single. Time.

Sometimes I ask Hubby questions knowing what his answer will be, just so that I can giggle when he answers.  I ask. He answers. I giggle.  Then he chases me around the house and gives me a wedgie.  We’re real mature that way.

So one night when I asked Hubby what he wanted for dinner, he replied meatloaf, I laughed, and he gave me a wedgie. Then I asked him why he always wants meatloaf.  His answer was simple:

Because you never make it. And it’s good. 

Oh. Oops.  Clearly it was time to make friends with meatloaf.

In order to come up with a meatloaf recipe that I liked, I first had to deconstruct what it was that I didn’t like about it. From my meatloaf exposure, I knew that : it is mushy, it has huge chunks of nearly raw onion in it, it has a ton of sloppy ketchup on top.  Yuck. Yuck. And oh, wait…yuck.

Thus began my quest for a meatloaf that Hubby loved, and I found palatable.  I likened the task to a marital sacrifice.

It took awhile, but eventually I came up with a meatloaf that I not only tolerated, but eventually began to crave. Me. Craving meatloaf! Who knew?!

The resulting meatloaf is different than most–it is moist without being mushy, with a slight sweetness that appeals to me.  My family loves it. I hope that you try it, and that you love it too.

You’ll need: ground beef, olive oil, onion, garlic, tomato ketchup, brown sugar, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, salt, ground black pepper, 2 egg whites, rolled oats, and fresh parsley.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil, or spray it with cooking spray; set aside. Then slice the onion in half–root to tip.

Peel back the onion skin. Make a series of small cuts across the grain of the onion, being careful to not cut through the root.

Cut onion into a small dice by making cuts along the grain, and perpendicular to the first cuts.

Pour a few teaspoons of olive oil into a skillet, and heat it over medium heat.

Saute the onions over medium heat until they soften and become translucent.

Toss in a little salt and pepper.

Stir in some minced garlic and continue to saute until onions have caramelized and garlic has slightly browned.  Set aside.

Pour the ketchup into a medium bowl. The ketchup will help make the meat more malleable.  There’s something I never thought I would say.

Separate the eggs, and add the egg whites to the bowl.  The egg whites will bind the whole she-bang together so that the meatloaf doesn’t end up being crumbled beef instead.

Dump in the oats, to retain moisture while cooking,

the brown sugar for sweetness,

and the cinnamon, and ginger for a hint of spice. Don’t worry, the savory seasonings in the caramelized onions will balance out the sweet imparted here.

Stir the mixture together with a fork until well combined.  Try really hard not to think about what it looks like–it’ll be fine!

Stir the caramelized onions and garlic into the mixture. They don’t want to be left out of the party.

Pour the mixture over the ground beef. Squeeze and knead and knead and squeeze with your hands until everything is fully incorporated and happy. Try not to think about how it feels in your hands. That’s what I do.

Dump the meat onto the prepared pan, and form it into a loaf, approximately 9 x 4 x 1.5 inches.

Now because I have four sons that consider ketchup to be their meat condiment of choice, (much to my dismay,) I drizzle a few additional teaspoons of ketchup on top of the meatloaf.

Spread it around with a basting brush. The purpose of the “sauce” on top of the loaf is to seal moisture into it, while caramelizing a bit during the cooking process. If I didn’t live with four ketchup hounds, I would probably substitute a steak or barbecue sauce instead.

Bake at 350 for about an hour, or until meatloaf is done. If you’re like me, you’ll get all caught up in your boy’s compound fraction homework and forget to set the timer. Then, you’ll cook the meatloaf for an extra ten minutes or so until it cracks. Don’t be like me.

Let the loaf stand for 10 minutes before slicing, then serve it up with your favorite sides.  Then, you too, can make friends with meatloaf.

Friendly Meatloaf

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Serves 6

2 lbs. ground beef (chuck)

2-3 tsp. olive oil

¼ C. onion, minced

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

½ C. ketchup

1 Tbs. packed brown sugar

¼ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground cinnamon

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. ground black pepper

2 egg whites

½ C. rolled oats

2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

About 2 Tbs. additional ketchup (or BBQ or steak sauce) for drizzling over meatloaf

1. Preheat the oven to 350 (F) degrees. Spray a broiler pan with cooking spray; set aside.
2. Place the ground beef into a large bowl, and set aside.
3. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until hot.  Sautee onions in oil until beginning to soften, then add garlic and continue sautéing for one more minute.  Remove from heat; set aside.
4. In a small bowl, whisk ketchup, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper, egg whites, oats, and parsley together until well combined.
5. Stir the sautéed onions and garlic into ketchup mixture.
6. Pour ketchup mixture over ground beef. Knead with your hands until mixture is fully incorporated into the meat.
7. Shape meat mixture into a 9 x 4 x 1 ½  inch loaf on the prepared broiler pan.
8. Drizzle about 2 Tbs. of ketchup over top of meatloaf, brushing with a basting brush to evenly coat.
9. Bake at 350 degrees (F) for 1 hour, or until done.
10. Skim any fat surrounding the loaf, and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing.

First, a basic pork roast that is anything but boring.

Later, mouth-watering pork carnitas.  Perfect for a weeknight Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Seriously. Those carnitas are a force to reckoned with. I must have been pretty excited about them, because not only did I not take a cast shot, but I didn’t photograph mixing the spice rub, or rubbing it on the pork roast.  Hmmm…I’ll have to work on that. I’m going to trust that you can do all that without a pictorial, ‘kay? Thanks.

Some days I suck as a food blogger.

Start by making a spice rub with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt.  Then rub that spice mixture onto every surface of the pork roast.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until really hot. Place the roast into the hot skillet, and sear on one side for about a minute, or until very brown. Flip the roast and continue to sear on all sides, until the entire roast is very brown.

Searing is perhaps the single most important thing to do to any meat before putting it in a slow cooker. Browning the meat on all sides seals in the juices, which helps keep the meat from getting too dry during the cooking process.

Spray the inside of a slow cooker crock with olive oil or cooking spray.

Put the pork roast into the prepared crock.

The second most important thing to do when slow cooking meat, is to add a little tasty liquid to the mix. The liquid will also help keep the roast moist, and steep in a little punch of flavor in the process. I poured in a touch of apple juice, because apples and pork are made for each other.  Put the lid on the crock, and roast on low heat for 5-6 hours, or until done.

Once the roast is done, remove it from the crock and let it rest for few minutes.  The resting period will keep those tasty juices right where they belong–in the roast. While you are waiting, try not to drool over that spicy crust! That’s some serious flavor, right there!

Slice the roast, and serve with a great salad and some crusty bread.  OR

Chop or shred the pork and serve carnita style in a warm corn tortilla. I like to top my carnitas with guacamole, Cherry Republic’s Organic Chipotle Salsa, shredded cheddar, a dab of Greek yogurt, and a little cilantro.  Sass ‘em up any way that you like! The world is your carnita!

And if you do decide to make these carnitas, think outside the Corona when you think beverages. Serve ‘em up with NanaBread’s Mexican Martinis.

Here’t the handy printable:

Basic (Slow Cooker) Pork Roast and Carnitas

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Serves 6-8

2 ½-3 pounds pork tenderloin roast

2 tsp. chili powder

3 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)

¼ tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. olive oil

1/3 C. apple juice

1. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and salt.
2. Rub dry spice mixture onto all surfaces of the pork roast; set aside.
3. Pour olive oil into a large skillet. Heat skillet and oil over medium-high heat, until very hot.
4. Sear the pork roast in the hot oil until browned, about 1 minute. Turn the roast and continue searing on all sides.
5. Spray the crock of a slow cooker with olive oil or cooking spray.  Place the seared roast into the crock.
6. Pour the apple juice around the sides of the roast.
7. Cover and cook on low heat for 5-6 hours, or until done.
8. Slice and serve roast.
9. Leftover roast make excellent pork carnitas: chop or shred pork, and serve in warm tortillas with cheese, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or your favorite toppings.

That is not to say that I don’t indulge in modern conveniences. I just try to look at the convenience items that I use the most, and decide if making my own is worth the time and effort required the cost savings.

Making my own chicken and/or vegetable stock is a fast and easy way to save money because of the minimal time and effort involved. A quart of organic, low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock runs around $4 each.

I am able to make 4 quarts of stock at a time for free. Yep, you heard me…for free. My blogging pal Valerie has some good ideas on minimizing the cost of food. My favorite idea of hers is saving all of the fresh vegetable scraps leftover from meal prep, and freezing them later for use in stocks. Sheer genius!

So thanks to that tip, I am no longer wasting perfectly edible vegetables by boiling the life out of them for stock.  Instead, I save my veggie scraps which would have been tossed in the trash, and re-purpose them. I do the same with chicken bones.  When I have enough of both, I make 4 quarts of stock in about 30 minutes, for a savings of $16 per batch. Or a total savings of $32 when I make a batch each of chicken and of vegetable stock.

Can you say efficient use of time?

Here’s how to do it:

Freeze your leftover vegetable scraps from salads, stir-fry, etc. in a zip top freezer bag. I usually fill a quart sized bag to add to chicken stock, and a gallon sized bag for vegetable stock.

Then I remind myself to stop letting my 5 year old pick out my nail color. I think this particular color must be called Baby Puke.

Chicken bones with a bit of meat left on can also be frozen in zip top bags.  I also freeze the carcasses from store-bought rotisserie chickens. Those are a valuable convenience item, because when they are on sale, I can feed our family dinner for around than $5.

For chicken stock, fill a stock pot with 4-5 quarts of water, and add the chicken bones or carcass.

Then dump in a quart size bag of veggie scraps. For straight vegetable stock, add the larger bag of veggie scraps to a pot full of water.

Heat the pot over high heat until it comes to a rolling boil.  Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the stock for 20-30 minutes.

After the stock has simmered, turn off the heat, and scoop out all of the chunks of vegetables and/or chicken bones.

Then pour the stock into a large bowl or measuring cup, through the mesh strainer to get any residual debris.

Look at that beautiful golden color! Leaving the skin on yellow onion scraps helps to give the stock this rich color. At this point, you may taste the stock, and season with salt and pepper. I usually leave my stock unseasoned so that I can better control the seasoning in the recipes for which it is used.

Pour the stock into quart sized containers, and cool completely before freezing. I like to use the round, quart sized Ziploc brand containers with the screw on caps. I was out of those when I made this batch of stock, so I thought I would be slick and use some glass canning jars that I had laying around. I do not recommend using glass jars. Although I let the stock cool completely, and froze it in the jars without the caps on, 3 of the 4 jars cracked in the freezer. Moral of the story: stick with plastic freezer containers.

If you are tight on freezer space, pour a quart of the cooled stock into a gallon sized zip top freezer bag, squeeze all of the extra air out, and seal the bag. Repeat with the remaining stock. Freeze the bags flat, then once frozen, stand the bags on end, as you would file books on a shelf.

As much as I was ready for winter to go, springtime begets a whole new set of circumstances. Circumstances involving 3 of 4 children participating in 5 different sports, with Hubby & I each coaching different teams in different seasons. It all seemed very do-able on paper, with sports seasons that historically did not overlap much, but now are apparently going to overlap quite a bit.  Welcome to my Fall ’10, Part Duex.

Which means that the best case scenario puts Hubby & I going different directions 5-6 days per week, assuming his work travel schedule doesn’t take him out entirely of the equation. If that happens, you find me here, blogging from my happy place, snarfing down molten chocolate cakes like it’s nobody’s business while wishing it would all just go away. It’s a legitimate coping mechanism.

Let’s just hope that doesn’t happen, because my hiney might not appreciate the extra jiggles. No amount of laps around the soccer field can make up for downing multiple molten chocolate cakes in on sitting.  Even if I am chasing a small herd of 5 and 6 year olds.

‘Tis the season.

Oh, and that self-imposed moratorium on caffeine that I have been toying with for the past two months? I’m so over it! That foolishness ends tomorrow morning with a colossal mug of leaded chai.

In addition to copious amounts of caffeine, the key to my sanity during busy seasons comes down to one other thing: menu planning.

While I realize that the whole idea of planning a written menu may seem a little over the top, it really helps to maintain a level of calm within the storm because it is the one thing that I don’t have to think about while trying to help with homework/getting kids in their respective gear/synchronizing Swatches with Hubby/cooking dinner all in a 60 minute time frame.

That, and it keeps us from eating carry-out pizza six nights a week.  Besides, restaurant and take-out meals are always generally more expensive and less healthy than home cooked meals. With a little forethought, we can eat well for a lot less money than would be spent on a comparable restaurant meal.

For those of you who are a little intimated at the thought of planning a menu, or fear the commitment of planning too far in the future–fear not! Menu planning is really easy and takes a lot less time than you think.

1. Make a list of all of your “family favorites.” These are the meals that everyone loves, or at the very least, meals that most of the family will eat. For years, our family favorites list was our menu plan. In fact, I have a friend that has a two week meal cycle of family favorites, that she repeats each month. Same meal, same night of the week for two weeks. Repeat. That’s what works for them.
2. Write a list of ingredients necessary to prepare the family favorites. This will serve as your base shopping list for the menu.
3. Take a peek in the refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to see what food you already have on hand. Cross of any on-hand items from the base shopping list. I know this step seems a little self-explanatory, but I can’t tell you how many times I have skipped it, and come home from the store with an item, only to find that I had 3 of them in the cupboard. It happens.
4. Browse the circular for the local grocery store and see if anything on your list is on sale. If it is, make a note of it on the shopping list, and consider stocking up, if you have room to store the extra items.
5. Plan your menu on the same night each week so that it becomes a habit. I plan and/or review our menu plan on Sunday night.
6. Get out your calender, and plan meals based on what is scheduled for each day of the week. For example, if I know that I have a busy day, and won’t have time to cook one night before running out again in the evening, then I might plan a slow cooker meal for that night so that I can throw dinner in the crock pot in the morning. If I have a bit more time on another night, then I will plan a meal that takes a bit more time to prepare on that night. If Hubby will be travelling one night, then I may let the boys choose what we have for dinner that night, etc.
7. Start small. If the thought of sticking to a menu plan for an entire week seems daunting, try planning 2-3 days at a time. You can always work up to more days, and eventually you will find the number that works for you.
8. Plan for a “buffer” night. I typically plan our meals for 10-14 days at a time. In that plan, I allow for one or two buffer nights to maybe try a new recipe I ran across, or for a “Leftover-Palooza” to eat any leftovers that might be piling up in the fridge. Or sometimes I just don’t feel like cooking so we eat cereal for dinner. Think of the buffer night as a free space on your Bingo card. Plan for a little flexibility, but not so much that the menu plan disintegrates.
9. Shop for your meals, and stick to your plan! I look at the menu plan each night before bed to make sure that if we are having chicken for dinner the next night, that I moved the chicken from the freezer to the fridge to thaw.

That’s it! A super easy way to eat well and retain some sense of sanity through menu planning.

Oh! Another thing: I found these great FREE menu planning spreadsheets online. You can plan for a week, two weeks, or a month at a time. I love them because they make the whole menu planning process much easier.

http://www.vertex42.com/ExcelTemplates/meal-planner.html

For those of you that plan your meals: what do you do differently than I do?

If you have never planned a menu: Try it, and let me know what works for you.

After making homemade maple flavored syrup, you had to see the pancakes coming, right?  We do pancakes at our house a lot.  In fact, whenever I ask for suggestions for the dinner menu plan, my boys invariably shout out “PANCAKES!!”

In fact, they pretty much request pancakes for any meal of the day. Unless they ask for steak. Which is their other favorite.

Boys are so easy to please.

But being that my boys are pancake aficionados, I’ve gone through a lot of pancake recipes over the years, before finally coming up with our “go to” recipe. This recipe is the fruit of that labor. The pancakes come out thick, fluffy, and melt in your mouth.  Miles ahead of anything that comes out of a boxed mix.

The recipe makes about 16 medium sized pancakes.  The extras can be wrapped and kept if the fridge to be re-heated for breakfast during the week, or frozen for later. I’ve also included a few of our favorite flavor variations with the printable recipe. Are you in, yet?

Great! Let’s get a mixin’ and a flippin’!

You’ll need:  all-purpose flour, 100 % white whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, ground cinnamon, 2 large eggs,2% milk, buttermilk, brown sugar, canola oil, and vanilla extract.

Measure all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl–that’s the flours, baking powder, salt, brown sugar, and ground cinnamon. Whisk the dry ingredients to combine. I like to make our pancakes more nutritious by using half 100% white whole wheat flour. 100% white whole wheat flour is a whole grain flour with a lighter taste than traditional whole wheat. If you don’t have any, go ahead and skip the whole wheat, and just use all-purpose flour.

In another bowl, beat the eggs until they fluff up a bit. Pour in the milk, buttermilk, vanilla, and canola oil, and whip it all to emulsify.  The acid in the buttermilk will rub elbows with the baking powder to really make the pancakes moist and fluffy. I highly recommend using it. However, if you are Jones’n for pancakes and you don’t have any buttermilk, just use all 2% milk, and add a tablespoon or so of white vinegar to sour it.  The flavor will be a little different, but it’ll do in a pinch.

Pour the wet stuff into the dry stuff.

Then stir it all together with a fork. Yes, a fork. Sometimes the simplest tool  is the best tool for the job.

Notice that bent tine on my fork? Several of the forks in our house have turned up with this affliction, and yet none of my boys know how this could have happened. Just one of Life’s mysteries, I guess.

Sometimes my tine-bending boys beg me to toss a handful of chocolate chips into the batter.  They say please-oh-please, Mom!  Then I say that I will if they tell me how all of the tines on my forks got bent. Then they say they don’t know, and that I seem a little cranky. Then they suggest that perhaps a little chocolate would make me feel better. Then I throw some chocolate chips into the batter.

I’m a real toughie.

Preheat a griddle over medium heat, or around 225-250 degrees on an electric griddle. Grease the griddle with a pat or two of butter so the batter doesn’t stick, then pour the batter by 1/4 cup-fulls for each pancake.

Let them cook for 2-3 minutes, or until bubbles begin to appear on the top, and the edges begin to dry. Then flip them over.

Cook on the other side for another minute or two, or until both sides are golden brown and pancakes are cooked through.

Serve ‘em while they are hot with a little more butter, plenty of maple syrup, and your favorite breakfast meat. Or if being a short-order cook is not your thing, place the pancakes onto a baking sheet, and keep them warm in a 175 degree (F) oven until all of the pancakes are done.

Nothing is better on a lazy morning than hot,  fresh pancakes.  Make them this weekend.  If you are feeling a little sassy, try one of our favorite variations at the end of the recipe.

Quick Tip Alert!

Use a pizza cutter to cut strips across the pancake.

Turn the plate, and cut strips perpendicular to the first strips.

Ta-da! Quick and easy bite-sized pancakes!

Thick and Fluffy Pancakes

http://comfortablydomestic.com

15-16 large pancakes

1 C. all-purpose flour

1 C. 100 % white whole wheat flour

2 Tbs. baking powder

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground cinnamon

2 Tbs. brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 C. 2% milk

½ C. buttermilk

¼ C. canola oil

½ tsp. vanilla extract

Butter for greasing the griddle

In a large bowl, mix the flours, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon; whisking until well blended.

1. Whisk eggs in another bowl until fluffy.
2. Pour in milk, buttermilk, vanilla, and canola oil and whisk until well combined.
3. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and stir with a fork until incorporated. Batter will be a little lumpy.
4. Allow batter to rest for a few minutes.
5. Preheat the griddle over medium heat (or electric griddle to 225 degrees F.) Preheat the oven to “warm” setting (175 degrees.)
6. Grease griddle with a pat of butter, and wait for butter to sizzle.
7. Pour batter by ¼ cup portions; allow to cook on the hot griddle until bubbles appear on top, and the edges start to look dry (about 2-3 minutes.) Flip the pancake over and allow to cook for another minute or two, or until pancake is golden brown on both sides, and cooked through.
8. Place cooked pancakes onto a baking sheet, and put in the oven to keep warm.

10.  Repeat until all batter has been used.

11.  Serve with more butter, warmed maple syrup, or jam.

ALTERNATE FLAVORS:

• Apple Cinnamon Pancakes: Peel and grate 1 large apple. Stir the grated apple into the batter along with 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon.
• Bacon Pancakes: Cook 2 strips of bacon until crisp. Crumble bacon, and stir into batter.
• Blueberry Pancakes: Stir ¾ C. fresh or frozen blueberries into the batter.
• Banana Pancakes: Stir 2 mashed bananas into the batter.
• Chocolate Chip Pancakes: Stir in ½ C. mini-chocolate chips into the batter.
• Pumpkin Pancakes: Stir in 1 C. of pumpkin puree and 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice into the batter.

A big favorite in our house is spaghetti and meatballs. I serve it to cheers and accolades from my boys, every time. The snarf it up as if I haven’t fed them in a week. They LOVE spaghetti and meatballs! But herein lies my dilemma. It seems that if I try to serve their beloved spaghetti and meatballs for a second night, my boys’ cheers are absent, leaving only the sound of crickets chirping. They won’t touch leftovers. My boys, it seems, can be fickle.

Enter the Meatball Slider. My boys will eat just about anything in presented in “mini” form, like these mini sandwiches.  Dilemma: solved.

The entire batch makes enough to serve around 12 people. But don’t freak out on me, here! If you are cooking for less than 6, this recipe is easily halved, and/or freezes beautifully. Or go ahead and make the whole batch and invite your friends and neighbors over for dinner. You’ll be the most popular person on the block!

Here’s what you will need:

2 quarts of Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce (or your favorite store-bought sauce)

2 pounds ground beef

¾ C. plain breadcrumbs

¼ C. grated parmesan cheese

2 egg whites

2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. black pepper

¾ C. milk

½ C. chopped onion

2 Tbs. olive oil

For Spaghetti:

1 pound dried spaghetti noodles

For Sliders:

12 Cornmeal rolls (or other small dinner rolls)

Cheese slices (optional)

Confession: I wasn’t planning to share this recipe at the time that I was making it. I was just thinking about getting dinner on the table, man. Then Son #1 came in and asked what was for dinner. When I told him, he replied “YES! You should TOTALLY blog about that! It’s awesome!” Now how could I argue with that logic? So pretend that I did a cast of characters shot, and took pictures of the meatball mixing process, ‘kay? Thanks.

Add the meatball ingredients to a large bowl: that’s ground beef, breadcrumbs, grated parmesan (Kraft in the green can is fine for this application,) egg whites, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and milk.  Knead everything together to thoroughly combine. Then, if you happen to have a small cookie scoop, grab it to portion the meat into large tablespoons. Gently roll the meat between both of your palms to make a meatball. Put the meatball onto a clean plate, and continue until all of the meat mixture has been rolled into meatballs. I typically get about 60 mini-meatballs per full batch.

Pour a few tablespoons of olive oil in a Dutch oven, and heat it over medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the onions and cook for one minute. Working in batches, nestle the meatballs in a single layer between the onions and cook until brown on one side. Turn the meatballs to brown on the other side. The meatballs won’t be cooked through, and that’s alright. They are going to finish off in the sauce.

Once meatballs have browned, remove them to a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining meatballs. When you are done, reduce the heat to medium.

Once the meatballs have been browned, the pan will be a big ol’ mess of browned bits. It may not be attractive, but that’s tasty stuff in there! So let’s deglaze the pan and use those tasty bits in the sauce.

Pour a quart of sauce into the pan, and whisk the bottom of the pan for a minute or two, to loosen the brown bits.

Gently lay the meatballs back to the pan, and pour the second quart of sauce over top. Give the pan a shimmy-shake to make sure that all of the meatballs are covered in sauce. Continue to cook and stir gently over medium heat until the sauce comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the meatballs in the sauce for about 20 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

Now if you are going the Spaghetti and Meatballs route, boil the noodles according to the package directions. Drain them, and scoop noodle portions onto serving plates. Ladle a healthy dose of the meatballs and sauce over top.

If you opt for the Meatball Sliders route, split a couple of dinner rolls (per person,) and toast the insides right quick on a dry griddle over high heat. Toasting the insides of the rolls keep them from getting soggy from the sauce. Because soggy bread = gross. Obviously.

Scoop out 2-3 meatballs and put them on the bottom half of a toasted roll. Top with cheese (if using,) and then press the top half of the roll on top of the saucy meatballs. These sliders are messy–just like any self-respecting slider should be. If you don’t mind the mess, feel free to ladle a little extra sauce over the meatballs before adding the toppers.

Serve either version to a table full of hungry boys, and they will squeal with delight!

Spaghetti and Meatballs OR Meatball Sliders

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Serves 12 (2 separate meals for 6)

Recipe can be halved

2 quarts of Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce (or your favorite store-bought sauce)

2 pounds ground beef

¾ C. plain breadcrumbs

¼ C. grated parmesan cheese

2 egg whites

2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced

½ tsp. Italian seasoning

1 tsp. kosher salt

½ tsp. black pepper

¾ C. milk

½ C. chopped onion

2 Tbs. olive oil

For Spaghetti:

1 pound dried spaghetti noodles

For Sliders:

12 Cornmeal or other dinner rolls

Cheese slices (optional)

1. In a large bowl, combine meat, breadcrumbs, cheese, garlic, seasonings, and milk– kneading with your hands until well blended.
2. Using a small cookie scoop, portion meat mixture into tablespoons. Roll meat into balls between your palms. Set meatballs on a clean plate until all of the meatballs are rolled.
3. In a large Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add onions and cook for 1 minute.
4. Working in batches, add meatballs to the onion mixture, and sear for about a minute per side to brown on all sides.  Remove browned meatballs to a clean plate. Add more olive oil between batches, if necessary.
5. Once all meatballs are browned and resting on a clean plate, reduce the heat to medium and add the first quart of sauce to the pan.
6. Whisk the brown bits from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
7. Gently lay meatballs on top of the sauce.
8. Pour the second quart of sauce over the meatballs to cover.
9. Continue heating on medium until mixture comes to a boil, stirring gently.

10.  Reduce heat to low, and simmer meatballs in sauce for about 20 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.

For Spaghetti:

1. Boil 1 pound dried spaghetti noodles according to package directions. Whole wheat noodles work beautifully.
2. Drain pasta, and serve with meatballs and sauce.

For Sliders:

1. Split 12 Cornmeal or other small dinner rolls in half and toast the halves on an ungreased griddle.
2. Move toasted rolls to a dinner plate—2 rolls per person.
3. Scoop 2-3 meatballs out of the sauce, and place onto the bottom half of the toasted rolls.
4. Add a half slice of cheese, if desired, and top with the other half of the roll.

Recipe Notes:

1. Once the meatballs have browned, they can be placed in a slow cooker with the sauce and simmered all day on the low heat setting.
2. This sauce freezes beautifully! Cool completely and pack into freezer containers for another day.

John McCann’s is probably the most common brand. Bob’s Red Mill and Hodgeson Mills also market steel cut oats to most grocery stores.

But my real, current obsession with steel cut oats began after Mads posted her recipe for Bananas Foster Oats. She came up with the recipe in a jasmine infused moment of brilliance one morning in the shower.  Amazing what kind of clarity can come from a good, hot shower, eh?

I promise after you make Bananas Foster Oats, you will most definitely share my obsession. The buttery, caramel-ish sauce warms the ripe bananas just enough to bring harmony to the oats, and your morning. This is good in an indulgent where-have-you-been-all-my-life sort of way. Very similar to the Bananas Foster ice cream topping, but without the alcohol and drama of the flambe.  You’ll never crave “plain ol’ oatmeal” again. I can’t thank Mads enough for planting the seed on this one.

Decadent and whole grain, it’s a winning combination for my comfort food lifestyle.

Bananas Foster Steel Cut Oats

4 C. water

1 C. steel cut (Irish) oats

Pinch of salt

4 Tbs. butter

4 Tbs. packed brown sugar

Dash of cinnamon

Pinch of salt

Bring the water to boiling in a medium saucepan. Add the oats and stir. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until oats are soft; stirring occasionally.

This is after 20 minutes. The oats are not quite soft enough, and still a bit watery.

After 25 minutes, the oats should have softened, and much of the water will be absorbed. If you like your oats a bit thicker, then cut down the water in the recipe by about 1/2 cup. Cover the oats to keep warm while preparing the sauce.

SHORTCUT NOTE: If you are like me and don’t have 25 minutes to make oats in the morning, you can jump start the process the night before.  Heat the water and oats to boiling.  Once the mixture boils, turn off the heat, and cover the pot with a lid. Refrigerate the pot overnight. In the morning, reheat the pot to boiling, reduce the heat, and simmer the oats for about 10 minutes, or until oats are soft; stirring occasionally.

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a skillet over medium heat, stirring periodically.

Peel and slice the bananas into fairly thin slices–about 1/4 inch thick. This recipe is an excellent way to use over ripe bananas, and a nice alternative to making banana bread or smoothies.

Once the sauce melts and starts to bubble, add the bananas, a dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Stir the sauce to combine. Continue heating the sauce for 1 minute, or until bananas are warm, but not mushy.

Ladle the cooked oats into serving bowls.

And divide the banana sauce evenly over the oats.

Be prepared for a euphoric breakfast experience.  I’ve served this on several weekends, and each time our boys have run “victory laps” around the house due to their excitement over the upcoming meal. It’s just that good.

Bananas Foster Steel Cut Oats

(My version of Mads brilliance.)

Serves 4

4 C. water

1 C. steel cut (Irish) oats

Pinch of salt

4 Tbs. butter

4 Tbs. packed brown sugar

Dash of cinnamon

Pinch of salt

2 very ripe bananas

1. Bowl the water in a medium saucepan over high heat.
   Add the oats and stir.
2. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring periodically,  until oats are soft. Remove from heat, and cover to keep warm.
3. Melt butter and brown sugar in a medium skillet, stirring constantly.
4. Peel and slice bananas.
5. Add bananas, a dash of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to the brown sugar mixture. Stir to combine. Warm bananas in the sauce for one minute.
6. Ladle the oats into bowls.
7. Divide the bananas and sauce equally among the bowls of oats.
8. Serve immediately and experience breakfast bliss.

Note: this recipe can be sized up or down to meet your needs. My general rule is:

1C. water, ¼ C. steel cut oats, 1 Tbs. butter, 1 Tbs. brown sugar, and ½ banana per person.

I don’t typically give anything up for Lent. Instead, I like to do things to enrich the spirit, and bless others. This year, my focus is on blessing my family and friends.

Allow me to back up a bit. As many of you know, in July of 2009, we were blessed with Son #4, who will now and forevermore be called the Baby. Even when he’s bigger-and-stonger-rougher-and-thougher than his Daddy. He will always be the Baby to me.

Besides all the hormonal surges and re-acclimating to discover the new rhythm of daily life, another thing occurs in our house after a baby enters our lives: disorganization.  When we have a baby, especially one that awoke multiple times per night for 15 months, the hidden areas of the house get incredibly disorganized. Some call it Sleep Deprivation. I call it Survival Mode.

The common areas stay clean and organized, but if it is behind closed doors–look out! And I do mean that literally. Closet Chaos has set in. Open a cupboard or closet door, and something is liable to fall out. It Happens.

We can’t find anything, and everyone is very frustrated with getting bonked in the head with random objects during the search. What better way to bless my family during Lent than to organize our home? Operation Closet/Cupboard Clean-Up has begun.

We tackled a few key areas before Christmas: bedroom closets, and the dreaded closet under the stairs. We purged much. This week, after having a plastic pitcher fall on my head for the 5th time, I decided that it was time to tackle the main floor. I took everything out of the kitchen cupboards and laid it on the dining table. The computer cabinet, the buffet, and the TV armoire got the same treatment. It was about this time that Hubby walked in for a teleconference.

He chuckled. ”Wow. You are ambitious today.” My mission was clear.

Every cupboard was wiped clean, then contents were re-arranged to improve the work flow. Instead of having art/office supplies in three places, the have been consolidated to one.  I found approximately 167 Sharpies, so if you need one, let me know.

Spring cleaning has come early to the 45th parallel. I couldn’t be more relieved.

So in the midst of my cleaning frenzy, I did a little blog clean-up as well. The recipes listed on the Comfort Food Recipe Index have been updated to reflect my new format of pictorial illustration, followed by the text recipe.

Did you know that in less than a year, I have shared over 65 recipes? Crazy.

Updating the recipes was like a walk down memory lane. I spent some time with the first recipe that I ever shared on Comfortably Domestic: Basic Roasted Chicken Breasts, followed soon after by Bourbon Soaked Tenderloin, and Yankee Sheet Cake. Although I am far from an accomplished food photographer, it was nice to see some definite progress from the earliest days of this blog. Good Times.

I plan to complete the main floor scrub down today. I have to–it’s cuttin’ into my blogging time, man! I’ll be back around this weekend with a new morsel or two. It’ll be my little reward in between the dreaded Linen Closets Clean-Up.

In the meantime, take a stroll down memory lane and browse the Comfort Food Recipe Index tab. I’m positive that you will find a new recipe to bless your family with this weekend.

Naturally, when Fat Tuesday comes early in the form of an entire month, drastic measures must be taken. My drastic measures took the form not of Paczki, but of stew.

Yes, stew! Sausage and Lentil Stew. While it isn’t exactly photogenic, it is very delicious. I love it because it feels naughty, but isn’t  the least bit bad for you. Because you shouldn’t have to sacrifice comfort food to eat healthfully. Besides, a big bowl of this stew is much better for you than a calorie-laden Pazcki. One 1 1/2 cup serving is around 300 calories. Did I mention the sausage?

Whenever I ask my family for dinner ideas, Son #1 shouts “Sausage and Lentil Stew!” It’s been his favorite since he was a toddler. And because it is Son #1′s favorite, I asked him photo document the process with my Blackberry. I let him tell me when to pause so that he could take the pictures. When I mentioned that he took a lot fewer photos than I usually take, he replied “Mom, it’s a simple soup. You don’t need a lot of pictures.”  Indeed. He’s pretty thrilled to have helped me blog.

Sausage and Lentil Stew (adapted from Taste of Home Light magazine)

1/4 lb. fully cooked turkey kielbasa, thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (I use 4—cloves of garlic)

2 tsp. Canola oil

3 C. water

1 3/4 C. chicken broth

1 C. dry lentils, rinsed & drained

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 can (15 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (4 oz.) green chilies

Heat the canola oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Saute the carrots, celery, and onion in the hot oil, until the vegetables are almost soft–about 5 minutes.

While the other vegetables are cooking, peel and dice the potatoes, and garlic. Thinly slice the sausage. The original recipe called for a full pound of turkey kielbasa, but that was a ton of sausage. I cut the amount back to 1/4 pound, and I slice the kielbasa in half, then thinly slice the halves. That way, you get a little sausage in each bite of stew, but not so much that it is overwhelming.

BTW–this recipe is also a great way to use leftover brats from your summer barbecues.

Pour the water into the softened vegetable mixture…

…followed by the chicken broth. Yep, it’s store bought. I’ve been a little lazy busy. Give the pot a quick stir.

Stir in the garlic, sausage, and potatoes into the pot.

Pour in the rinsed lentils, salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper. I only put a smidge of cayenne, but if you can stand the heat, by all means, add more!  Bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it boils, reduce the heat. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Stir in the tomatoes and chilies, and heat through.

The aroma of this stew is amazing. If you have enough will power not to dive right in, then I recommend letting it cool, and refrigerate it over night to let the flavors get to know each other better. When you are ready, reheat the stew on the stove top, and ladle it into bowls. Whenever you serve it, be sure to serve it with a big hunk of crusty bread. And by all means, feel free to add the toppings of your choice. We like sour cream, cheddar, diced avocado, or chives.

As a side note: I’m proud of my eldest boy’s first attempt at food photography. I may have to put him to work more often!

Sausage and Lentil Stew

(Adapted from Taste of Home Light magazine)

Serves 8

¼ lb. fully cooked turkey kielbasa, thinly sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced

2 celery ribs, sliced

1 medium onion, chopped

2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced (I use 4—cloves of garlic)

2 tsp. Canola oil

3 C. water

1 ¾ C. chicken broth

1 C. dry lentils, rinsed & drained

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (4 oz.) green chilies

In stock pot, cook kielbasa, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in oil until vegetables are almost tender, about 5 minutes.  Stir in water, potatoes, garlic, broth, lentils, salt, cumin, and cayenne: bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.  Add tomatoes and chilies and heat through.

I’ve mentioned on several occasions how much the Bacon Slayer and I like to eat out. Enjoying a great meal that was served to me, with someone else cleaning up is a little slice of heaven. But with babysitting running about $10 per hour, we tend to do “in house dates,” instead.

In house dates usually go a little something like this: feed kids, get kids in bed, cook an incredibly decadent meal with dessert, then dine like adults and enjoy a real dinner conversation.

No fielding of endless questions, no cutting of anyone’s food but my own, no reminders of proper table manners, no fart jokes. Pure dining bliss, without the fat check and babysitting fee at the end. LOVE it!

Our most recent date night consisted of this:

Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo. *Swoon*

I’ve been in love with all things Alfredo since my very first bite of Michaelina’s frozen Fettuccine Alfredo in college. That was high livin’ college grub. But nothing compares to the real deal.

Food Dork Trivia: How did Fettuccine Alfredo get it’s name? Well, I’ll tell ya! Fettuccine Alfredo is named for Chef Alfredo di Lello who originated the pasta dish in the 1920′s. The dish typically consists of fettuccine enrobed in a rich cream sauce with butter, parmesan cheese, and lots of cracked black pepper.

My fettuccine Alfredo consists of fettuccine enrobed in a rich cream sauce with butter, 4 types of cheese, and about 4 times the usual amount of cheese. Because cheese is my life. Then just for fun, I work in cajun spiced chicken and tomatoes. Kind of kicks the whole arrangement up a few notches. I think Alfredo would approve.

Cajun Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Good stuff going on here: boneless skinless chicken breasts, Cajun blackening spice, butter, olive oil, garlic cloves, grape tomatoes, dry white wine (or chicken broth,) heavy cream (or half-and-half,) good quality, freshly grated cheeses like a blend of Asiago, Parmesan, Fontina, and herbed goat cheese, spices.

Are you in, yet? Good!

Cook fettuccine according to the package directions for “al-dente.”  Pour pasta into a large colander. Immediately rinse the pasta with hot tap water to rinse off some of the excess starch so that the pasta doesn’t turn into a sticky, clumpy mass. Drain.

Rinse the chicken breasts in cool water, and pat dry with a paper towel.

Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap onto a clean surface, and place a chicken breast on top.

Lay another large sheet of plastic wrap on top of the chicken breast, and gently pound and flatten to an even 1/4 inch thickness. I have found the most effective way to flatten a chicken breast without completely obliterating it is to start from the center of the thickest part, and pound while working outward.

Sprinkle a hefty amount of cajun seasoning on each side of the flattened chicken, pressing to adhere. I like Chef Paul Prudhomme’s brand of blackened steak seasoning. Don’t be shy with the cajun seasoning! It’s adds a nice punch flavor that helps cut through the richness the Alfredo sauce.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Also, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

The skillet is hot enough when the butter just begins to brown.

Place chicken in the pan and sear one side until it is very brown, about 3 minutes.  I had 4 flattened chicken breasts, but only 3 would fit in my pan. That’s OK. I just worked in batches. If you need to do the same, and the pan seems dry before you are done, add a touch more olive oil and let it get hot.

Once the first side of the chicken is very brown, flip it over and cook the other side until very brown–about an addition 1 1/2 minutes.  When the chicken has been seared on both sides, transfer it to a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, or until chicken is done, and no longer pink in the middle.

Oh! Don’t forget to turn off the heat under the skillet when you are done with it.

Slice the chicken against the grain, into thin strips. I think the longer thin strips make for a more dramatic presentation.

But since we decided to share this decadent meal with our sons, I sliced the strips again cross-wise to make bite sized pieces. It’s not as dramatic, but it did save me from eating cold pasta because I spent so much time cutting up their chicken. Win-win.

Set the chicken aside.

Give the grape tomatoes a quick rinse, and slice them in half lengthwise. Set those aside while you chop the garlic.

My quick tip to mince garlic: peel the garlic and place a knife on top of the clove.

Hold the knife handle steady with your dominant hand. Then give the blade of the knife a quick whack with your other fist. Carefully now! Nothing ruins date night faster than a trip to the Emergency Room.

The garlic clove should be nice and flat. Smashing the garlic will also bruise it so that it can readily release its oils. Garlic oil is a very good thing.

Give the smashed garlic a quick chop.  I end up running the knife across the smashed clove twice for a nice quick mince.  Reheat the skillet over medium-high heat.

Pour in the white wine, and deglaze the pan by whisking all of the delicious brown bits off of the bottom of the pan. If wine is not your thing, or if you are like me and in your overzealous attempt to remove the cork you shattered off the top of the wine bottle, then chicken broth will do nicely.

Add the tomatoes, minced garlic, and salt & pepper to the pan. Stir and saute the mixture for a minute or two to lightly caramelize and soften. Smash the tomatoes a bit with the back of a wooden spoon.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, and pour in the cream. Give it a quick stir.

Then just for fun, add another tablespoon of butter. Continue to stir the cream mixture as it simmers for 3 to 4 minutes. The sauce will reduce slightly during this time.

Now it’s time for the best part…the cheese! Turn off the heat under the skillet, then add all of the cheeses to the pan. I like a cheese blend very similar to that used in my lasagna recipe–Asiago, parmesan, fontina, and herbed goat cheese.

The Asiago and parmesan are obvious choices for an Alfredo sauce, but I like the creaminess the fontina adds, and the complexity of the herbed goat cheese. You can go with my blend, or all parmesan, or parm & Asiago.  Bottom line: use what you like, just be sure to use a full 2 cups of it. Stir the cheese into sauce until the cheese is completely melted and smooth.

For all that is good and right with the world, please, please, please grate your own cheese! Pre-shredded cheeses are coated with anti-caking agents such as cellulose or other things, which not only keep the cheese from clumping too much in the bag, it also hinders the cheese from melting smoothly in the sauce. 

Voila! Alfredo sauce! Now if it were up to me, I’d rip off chunks and crusty bread and use it scoop up the sauce, and call it dinner.   But since I was feeding others, I went the more traditional route.

Pour the cooked fettuccine into the Alfredo sauce.

Toss the chicken on top of the fettuccine.  By now the soon-to-be-recipients of this deliciousness are hovering in the kitchen. Tell ‘em to shoo! We are almost done.

Copyright Kirsten/ComfortablyDomestic.com. Written permission is required prior to use of this photo in any way.

Use a pair of tongs to toss the pasta and chicken in the Alfredo sauce until everything is evenly distributed.

Woo! Done! It’s time to eat! Use the same thongs to fill pasta bowls, and serve it up with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and a hefty pinch of nutmeg. Yes, nutmeg.  A nice tossed salad, and a glass of Pinot Grigio would be the ideal accompaniments. Cajun Chicken Alfredo is the perfect date night meal. It makes Hubby a very happy man.

But, I’m going to be honest with you. Your kitchen at the end of this meal will be completely trashed. Completely! As if a tornado went through with laser-like accuracy and targeted your cupboards. But don’t let that stop you–it’s totally worth it!

Because chances are, your well fed and happy spouse will clean up the mess for you. Bacon Slayer was so thrilled that he couldn’t wash dishes fast enough so that I didn’t have to do it! Which made me very happy, too.

Cajun Chicken Alfredo

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Yields 6 Servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes, Cook Time: 30 Minutes, Total Time: 1 hour

4 small boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ¼ lbs.)

1 ½ Tbs. Cajun blackening spice (like Paul Prudhomme’s brand)

2 Tbs. butter, divided

1 Tbs. olive oil (or more if needed)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 C. (1/2 pint) grape tomatoes, halved

¼ C. dry white wine (or chicken broth)

1 ½ C. heavy cream (or half-and-half)

1 ½ C. good quality, freshly grated Italian cheeses (I like a blend of Asiago, Parmesan, and Fontina.)

3 oz. herbed goat cheese, crumbled

1 tsp. kosher salt (or more, to taste)

1/2 tsp. ground black pepper (or more, to taste)

1 pound cooked fettuccini

Pinch of ground nutmeg, for serving

Chopped parsley, for serving

1. Cook fettuccini “al-dente” according to package directions, stirring often. Drain, and rinse with hot tap water, to keep pasta from sticking. Drain again.

For Chicken:

1. Rinse chicken breast in cool water, and pat dry.
2. Pound each chicken breast flat with a flat meat mallet or rolling pin, between two sheets of plastic wrap. Set flattened breasts on a clean plate.
3. Sprinkle a heavy amount of blackening spice on both sides of each chicken breast, pressing to adhere.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
5. Heat 1 Tbs. of the butter, and the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, until butter begins to brown.
6. Place chicken in the pan, and sear on one side, until it is very brown, about 3 minutes. Flip chicken and sear the other side until very brown, about another 1 ½ minutes. Work in batches so as not to crowd the pan.
7. Place browned chicken onto a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 10 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and no longer pink inside.
8. Remove chicken from the oven and thinly slice against the grain; set aside.

For Sauce:

10.  If the skillet looks dry, add a bit more olive oil. Re-heat the skillet over medium heat.

11.  Pour in the dry white wine (or chicken broth) into the skillet to deglaze the pan—whisk all of the delicious brown bits off the bottom of the pan. (1-2 minutes)

12.  Add the garlic and tomatoes to the pan and sauté to soften and lightly caramelize, stirring occasionally. (1-2 minutes)

13.  Reduce heat to medium-low and pour the heavy cream to the pan with the tomato mixture, stirring constantly for 1 minute.

14.  Add the salt, pepper, and the remaining tablespoon of butter.

15.  Continue to stir the cream mixture while it simmers for 3-4 minutes. The cream will reduce slightly.

16.  Remove from heat. Add the grated cheeses, and goat cheese to the cream sauce. Stir constantly until all the cheese has melted, and sauce is smooth. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings.

17.  Pour the fettuccini onto the sauce, and top with the sliced chicken.

18.  Toss the pasta and chicken into the sauce with tongs, until well combined.

19.  Turn tossed pasta into a large serving bowl.

20.  Sprinkle with a pinch of nutmeg, and a bit of chopped parsley.

21.  Serve immediately.

A day in which you don’t want to limit your choices to just one of anything?

Or even two? Because, on this day, it really is all about you.  Why pick and choose?

Why limit yourself?  Because today, there is no room compromise or sensible choices.

Today. You. Want. It. All.

Are you picking up what I’m throwing down?

Excellent! Because today, I am feeling a little bit saucy:  Hot Fudge, Salted Caramel, and Marshmallow saucy, to be exact. Forget the store bought stuff. Store bought is so ordinary. Stand out from the crowd. Make your own dessert sauces. It really couldn’t be easier–and I’m just the gal to show you how.

First up: a classic Hot Fudge Sauce.

12 oz. evaporated milk

2 C. (12 oz.) dark chocolate chips

½ C. granulated sugar

1 Tbs. butter

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

Pour the evaporated milk into a medium saucepan.

Add the dark chocolate chips to the milk. Dark chocolate chips make the sauce incredibly rich. You can substitute semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips, if you prefer.

Pour the granulated sugar over the chocolate chips, and heat on the stove over medium heat. Stir constantly until everything has melted, and mixture is boiling. Whenever I am heating sugar on the stove top, I like to stir it constantly so that it doesn’t scorch on the bottom of the pan. Burnt sugar = not very tasty.

Turn off the heat. Stir in butter and vanilla until blended. Try not to eat the hot fudge directly from the pot with a spoon. Serve immediately over ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate sheet cake, or brownies. Or drizzle it over fresh fruit. Or pound cake. Or…you get the idea.

Then make some Salted Caramel Sauce:

1 C. granulated sugar

¼ C. water

2 Tbs. light corn syrup

¾ C. heavy whipping cream

4 Tbs. butter

1 ¼ tsp. salt

In a small sauce pot, heat the sugar, water, and corn syrup over high heat until boiling; stirring occasionally.

Increase heat to high, and boil until sugar mixture turns a deep amber color; stirring occasionally. (Between 6-8 minutes total.)  This is after 5 1/2 minutes–it’s light amber, but it’s not quite dark enough.

This is almost 7 minutes, and it’s a perfect medium amber. Stop here. If you are not sure of the difference between light and medium amber, err  on the side of caution, and turn off the heat.

Because if you let it go even a minute longer, this happens. A dark, burnt amber. Burnt is the key word. This is at 8 minutes: the caramel burned, and I had to start over. Believe me, you don’t want the smell of burnt sugar lingering in your kitchen.

So when the caramel is a medium amber color, turn off the heat and stir in the butter, salt, and vanilla. Allow sauce to cool completely before serving, as it will further thicken as it cools. Serve over ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate sheet cake, or brownies. Or drizzle it over fresh fruit. Or pound cake. Or frozen cappuccino cups. Or…are you seeing a theme, here?

Put a major emphasis on drizzling salted caramel over Frozen Cappuccino Cups. Major emphasis. It’ll make your heart sing.

Of course, putting an emphasis on Salted Caramel Brownies isn’t such a bad thing, either. You really can’t go wrong.

But before you get too involved in drizzling salted caramel, be sure to make a Marshmallow Sauce:

2/3 C. granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

¼ C. water

3 Tbs. light corn syrup

2 C. mini-marshmallows

1 tsp. vanilla extract

In a medium saucepan, heat and stir the sugar, salt, water and corn syrup over medium heat, until boiling. Once boiling, reduce heat to low, and simmer for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Turn off heat, and add the marshmallows and vanilla extract to the pan. Stir the marshmallows continuously, until they have completely melted. Serve sauce warm over ice cream, cheesecake, chocolate sheet cake, or brownies. Or drizzle it over fresh fruit. Or pound cake. Or…you know the rest.

Or you can drizzle a bit of hot fudge on a graham cracker, then drizzle on a bit of marshmallow sauce for a really gooey s’more. Or if you are the patient type, you could wait for both sauces to cool completely so that you can spread them on the graham crackers with a knife.

I could have done that, but that wouldn’t have been nearly as much fun to watch son #3 try to eat it without getting sticky hands.

Because today was all about me, and I’m saucy like that.

Hot Fudge Sauce

Makes 1 ½ pints

12 oz. evaporated milk

2 C. (12 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips

½ C. granulated sugar

1 Tbs. butter

1 ½ tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, heat milk, chocolate chips, and sugar until boiling; stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat, and stir in butter and vanilla until blended.
3. Serve warm, or transfer to a storage container to cool completely.
4. Cover and refrigerate.
5. To serve: uncover sauce and reheat in the microwave for 30-60 seconds on high, or until warm and pourable.
6. Serve over ice cream, brownies, cheesecake, chocolate sheet cake. Or eat with a spoon right out of the fridge. (I’m only kidding. Kind of.)

VARIATION: For a Mayan style fudge sauce, stir in 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon, and a hefty pinch of chipotle chili powder. Seriously good stuff.

Salted Caramel Sauce

Makes 1 ½ Cups

1 C. granulated sugar

¼ C. water

2 Tbs. light corn syrup

¾ C. heavy whipping cream

4 Tbs. butter

1 ¼ tsp. salt

1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water, and corn syrup.
2. Heat over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a boil, stirring occasionally.
3. Boil over high heat until mixture turns a medium amber color, between 6-8 minutes. Watch carefully, because mixture goes from light amber to dark amber/burnt very quickly. I usually end up heating the caramel for about 7 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat, and carefully whisk in heavy cream, butter, and salt. The caramel will bubble up and hiss when you add the other ingredients, before relaxing. This happens when adding cooler ingredients to hot sugar. Just be careful to keep your hands/arms as far away from the steam as possible when adding, to avoid a steam burn.
5. Allow the caramel to cool to room temperature before serving.
6. Serve over ice cream, cheesecake, brownies, chocolate sheet cake, grilled fruit—just about anything.

Marshmallow Sauce

Makes 1 scant pint

2/3 C. granulated sugar

Pinch of salt

¼ C. water

3 Tbs. light corn syrup

2 C. mini-marshmallows

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. In a medium saucepan, heat sugar, salt, water, and corn syrup to boiling; stirring constantly.
2. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 3-4 minutes; stirring occasionally.
3. Turn off heat.
4. Stir in marshmallows and vanilla until well blended and smooth.
5. Serve warm over chocolate ice cream.
6. Allow any leftover sauce to cool, and store covered in the refrigerator.
7. Sauce is spreadable right from the refrigerator, or it may be reheated. To reheat leftover sauce, uncover sauce and microwave on high heat for 30-60 seconds, or until warm and pourable.

So when it came time to write the menu, I pulled up the Marlboro Man Approved section from the cooking section of The Pioneer Woman’s website, and asked Hubby to plan the menu. A great idea, considering that all of the food in the MM section would be stuff that all the men in my life would eat without question, and I knew that it could be put together rather quickly. I also knew that a lot fried stuff and potatoes would be involved. But I didn’t dwell on that because if I was going to be sick, I really needed a slam dunk week in the food department. If I was going down, I wasn’t going to be feeling very creative. I would need help.

BTW–what kind of weirdo control freak schedules being sick into the routine? Um…that would be me.

When I woke up Monday morning, the crud had set in, as anticipated. I did the only thing I know how to do when faced with that type of situation:

I made Salted Caramel Brownies. Of course I made a gargantuan mug of chai to go with them. For medicinal purposes, naturally.

Then I hit PW’s website and printed off a slew of Hubby requested recipes. A local restaurant in our town does a cookbook series a few times each year, where they cook only meals from a selected cookbook. So consider this my version of a cookbook series, except I gleaned our weekly recipes from The Pioneer Woman Cooks.

Please Note that ALL of the links and photographs from the Pioneer Woman are from The Pioneer Woman by the Pioneer Woman. Ree is the recipe genius and photographer here, not me! I sure hope she doesn’t mind my little homage to her saving my week.

First up, Cajun Chicken Pasta. Spicy, creamy and delicious! I liked all the veggies involved. My boys liked all of the heavy cream involved. And the gobs of parmesan cheese that they heaped on top. Definitely a winner.

The next night I was feeling exceptionally crappy, so we kept it simple with Egg-in-a-Hole and sausage.  Son #1 did all of the cooking, bless his sweet little heart. The only thing I have to say about egg-in-a-hole, is holy-moley-where-have-you-been-all-my-life? I could eat those every day forever–and I just might.

Wednesday wasn’t much better, so we opted for leftover pasta or a few extra pasties that I had ferreted away in the freezer. (Note to self: never sandwich one of your marginal photos in between two of PW’s awesome ones.)

The next night I was starting to feel a bit more reasonable, thus I could put forth a bit more effort on the cooking front. This was the night that Hubby had been looking forward to: Fried Round Steak and Crash Hot Potatoes. Just the thought of frying a steak made my arteries hurt, but I persevered. I am so glad that I did, because the resulting steak was simple, delicious, and tender.

But the potatoes were the real star! I could eat crash hot potatoes everyday of forever, too. My family wouldn’t complain a bit–they scarfed ‘em up like crazy.

So when I was looking for a side dish for the next night, guess what I made? More crash hot potatoes, of course! Along with:

Ranch Style Chicken. This one really reminded me of the Alice Springs Chicken from Outback Steakhouse, only without the mushrooms. Which is a good thing if you are  a weirdo like me that doesn’t much care for mushrooms. The bacon and cheese were great additions to the chicken, but it was the marinade that really made this dish stand out. A nice sweet & tangy blend of grainy mustard, honey, and spices. My boys loved it so much that they forgot to ask for ketchup! That’s huge. This marinade will definitely make repeat appearances in my kitchen. I think it would be lovely on grilled chicken kabobs with lots of veggies and pineapple.

Thankfully, I am feeling rather human today and I can think again, so I’m back to doing my own thing in the kitchen. But I did make one more PW recipe for dessert.

Frozen Cappuccino Cups. Oreo cookie crust, coffee ice cream, with chocolate chunks mixed in. Fact: none of that sucks. The recipe calls for chopped semi-sweet chocolate to be mixed in with the softened coffee ice cream, but since I happened to have hoarded saved a bit of the butter toffee that I made last week, I chopped that up instead. Then I may or may not have eaten one of these cappuccino cups before it had a chance to hit the freezer to firm up. It was blissful–and I don’t really like the taste of coffee. But it was divine.

To wrap up:

1. I felt like crud this week, but the Pioneer Woman saved my hiney in the cooking department with her easy, comforting, and tasty recipes.

2.  My boys only want me to make PW recipes from now on.

3.  I’m not quite sure how to take that.

4.  I can’t believe I just wrote an entire post about everything that I cooked this week. I blame it on the cold medicine.

5.  I can’t believe that you just read an entire post about everything that I cooked this week.

6.  Thank you for reading an entire post about everything I cooked this week.

7.  I am going to need to do approximately 5 hours of yoga per day for the next 2 weeks to burn off all of the calories that I consumed.

8. As soon as I’m done writing this post, I’m going to finish the rest of the package of oreos that I didn’t need for the cappuccino cups with a huge glass of milk. Then I’m going to do a lot more yoga.

I hope y’all are having a great weekend!

While the history of the pasty is heavily debated in the state of Michigan, it is widely believed that Cornish Miners brought the recipes from England to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula when they came to work in the copper and iron mines in the 1800′s. A pasty (pronounced passtee) is a meat and vegetable filled pastry, similar to a pot pie, but without the gravy. A culinary rivalry existed between miners of various nationalities as to which ethnic group originated the pocket pie, and which ingredients and seasonings made the “best” pasty. Although really, you can’t go wrong with hearty comfort food that fits in the palm of your hand.

The pasty is designed to be portable, and eaten by hand.  The design was ideal for miners because it was a complete meal wrapped in a crust that kept the filling warm for hours. The stiff ridge around the edge serves as a handle in which to hold the pie without contaminating the food with dirty hands. This was essential due to the high arsenic content in the interior of the mines.  The ridge around the edge of the pasty enabled the miners to eat without ingesting high levels of arsenic from the dirt on their fingers. The crusts didn’t go to waste, though. Miners are said to have tossed them over their shoulders as a way to appease the “ghosts”  in the mine.

I have it on good authority from several Yooper friends that pasties should be eaten cold, with ketchup.  I prefer mine fresh from the oven, eaten end to end, so that the filling doesn’t fall out.  I’ve even been known to enjoy a pasty with (gasp!) gravy–a culinary faux pas, of sorts. Because I’m a permafudge troll that doesn’t no any better. That’s my excuse, anyway.

Hubby is a big fan of pasties, having eaten his fill while visiting friends on the Keewanau Peninsula. I’ve made several versions of a pasty over the years, but it was never quite “right.” I had kind of forgotten about it, until an old high school friend, now living in the Pacific Northwest, emailed and asked if I could point her toward a good recipe so that she could impress her west coast family. (Hi Beth!) That was just the nudge I needed. Operation Pasty was on like Donkey Kong.

So Beth, here’s the recipe! I sure hope your family loves you for it. As for the rest of you–make these pasties. Like now. You’re families will love you for it, too!

Pasties

1 recipe Flawless Pie Dough, or 40-Minute Pizza Dough

1 beef bouillon cube
1/2 cup hot water
5 cups diced potatoes
2 medium carrots, diced
1/3 C. finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced turnips (or substitute rutabaga)
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

1 Tbs. water

All of the pasty recipes that I have seen call for a pie pastry, so I linked the recipe for Flawless Pie Dough in the ingredients section above. If you want to be uber-traditional, then use a pie pastry. That said, I much prefer a pasty made with 40-Minute Pizza Dough. (That recipe is also linked in the ingredients section.) I find that pizza dough is easier to work with and tastes better for this application.

So go ahead and get the 40-Minute Pizza Dough going–it’ll take less than 10 minutes to throw together–before tending to the filling.

Dissolve the beef bouillon cube in the hot water.

Peel and chop the carrots into a small dice.

Chop the onion rather finely, too. Since we only need 1/3 cup of diced onion, about half of a small onion should do the job.

To get a quick dice, I slice an onion in half. Then with the half, make several thin width wise slices, keeping the slices together.

Then I flip all of the slices on their sides, in a stack, and make smaller cuts against the grain of the rings, which gives a small dice. I know that this is much different that you see all the celebrity chefs telling you how to dice an onion, but in my opinion, you get a smaller dice more quickly. Please don’t tell any real cooks that I do it this way. And whatever you do–be careful with sharp knives! This ends my public service announcement.

Peel the potatoes and give them the small dice treatment, too. The veggies should all be in tiny cubes because they are a compliment to the meat filling, not the main attraction.

When I was researching the pasty for this post, I discovered why my previous pasty attempts fell a little flat–I didn’t included any turnips. Every recipe that I found for pasties called for either rutabaga or turnips. The turnip, a root vegetable family member of the radish, adds a very subtle sweetness to the pasty that is essential. If you can’t find turnips, then rutabaga will do just fine–just don’t skip it!

Dice the turnip much like you did the onion and potato.

Brown the ground beef  and ground pork in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking apart as it cooks. This is another deviation of  from a traditional pasty recipe, as every single recipe I found did not cook the meat before filling the dough. I just couldn’t wrap my head around stuffing dough with raw meat, so I cooked it. You should, too.

Season the meat well with salt and pepper. This is key to having a tasty filling. No one likes a bland pasty.

Stir in all of the diced vegetables, and simmer for 3 more minutes or so, or until the vegetables begin to soften. Don’t worry if the meat isn’t completely cooked through at this point, because it will finish cooking in the oven. Pour in the beef bouillon water into the skillet, and simmer over low heat for 8-10 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a couple of baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper.

By now the dough should be ready. Turn the dough onto a clean, well floured surface. Roll it loosely into a long rectangle-ish blob. Then cut the dough into 8 equal pieces with a bench scraper or sharp knife.

Use your hands to roll the pieces of dough into balls.

Take each dough ball, and roll or stretch it into a 6-inch diameter circle. Place finished circles onto a prepared baking sheet. I can usually get four finished pasties per baking sheet.

Plop a hefty scoop of filling into the middle of each dough round. (About 3/4 cup.) Don’t feel like you have to stuff absolutely all of the filling into the dough rounds. You’ll probably have a little filling left over, and that’s OK. I’ll show you what to do with that later.

Fold the dough round in half, over the filling, pressing the edges to seal. Then take the bottom side of the dough, and pull it up and over the top, about 1/4 inch, folding and crimping the edges as you go.

Since those veggies inside are full of water, use a sharp knife to cut 3 small (1-inch) slits in the top for steam to escape during the baking process. This will help ensure a crisp crust.

Whip the egg with a tablespoon of water to make an egg wash to brush the tops of the pasties. Egg wash gives a nice sheen and golden brown color during baking.  Bake in the 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. or until golden brown. Men from miles around may flock to your doorstep, lured by the smell of red meat and fresh bread. If this happens to you, invite ‘em on in–there is plenty to go around!

Remove pasties from the oven and allow to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to completely cool. If you are going the traditional route, let the pasties cool completely and serve them with ketchup.  Being that I am not from the Upper Peninsula so I don’t know any better, I like to serve the pasties piping hot from the oven.  The filling is so moist that you don’t really need any gravy, but if you want to whip up some gravy to go over top of your pasty, go right ahead! No judgement, here! (Mix equal parts cornstarch and cold water. Stir that into some beef stock, and heat/stir until it thickens.)

Oh, wait! Remember that little bit of filling that you had leftover? No worries!

I heated that leftover filling the next morning, and served a couple of fried eggs on top. Hubby asked me to marry him all over again, because it was the best hash n’ eggs that he’s ever eaten. True story!

Lower Peninsula Pasties

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Makes 8

1 recipe Flawless Pie Dough, or 40-Minute Pizza Dough

1 beef bouillon cube
1/2 cup hot water
5 cups diced potatoes
2 medium carrots, diced
1/3 C. finely diced onion
1/2 cup finely diced turnips (or substitute rutabaga)
1 pound lean ground beef
1/2 pound lean ground pork
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

1 Tbs. water

Make Pasty dough of choice and divide into 6 or 8 portions. Roll portions into balls and set aside.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a couple of baking sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.

Brown the beef and pork in a skillet over medium heat, (breaking apart) until half way cooked. (About 5 minutes.) Season with salt and pepper.

Saute the diced onion, carrots, potatoes, and turnips with the browned meat, until the vegetables begin to soften, and meat is cooked through, but not dry. (About 5 more minutes.) Drain

Dissolve beef bouillon cube in hot water and add it to the meat mixture in the skillet. Gently stir until combined. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes.

Scoop 1 1/2 cups of vegetable filling with a slotted spoon, and place toward the side of each rolled dough circle, being sure to leave ½ inch of dough visible around the edges. Fold the dough over and seal by folding bottom edge up and crimping edges together with your fingers. Makes 2 or 3 small slits in the top of the pasty to allow steam to escape during cooking.

Place pasties onto a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown; remove from oven.

Can be served warm, but or cold. Pasties freeze beautifully!

With four boys, we don’t get out to eat as much as we once did. But sometimes, I want dinner to feel like we did. I make this when I am short on time, but I still want to set the mood of a fancy restaurant meal at home.  Chicken with Carrots and Roasted Garlic gets its slow roasted flavor from hanging out all day in a crock pot. That it is a crock pot meal just means it a snap to make on a weekday, but the flavor hints at hours of preparation. Perfect when Valentine’s Day falls during the week. Or heck, make any day like Valentine’s Day and serve this whenever the mood strikes.

Here’s what you’ll need:

8 bone-in chicken thighs

4 medium carrots

12 cloves of garlic

½ C. dry white wine (or chicken broth)

1 tsp. Herbes de Provence (a blend of rosemary, thyme, and marjoram)

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. water

Spraying the inside of the crock of a slow cooker with olive oil or cooking spray. Set it aside for a few minutes.

I like to start by peeling all of the garlic. All 12 cloves. I know that sounds like a lot of garlic, and it is, but it will slow roast all day in the crock pot, and will mellow into a sweet, soft nuttiness that will be divine. To peel garlic quickly, separate the cloves, and rest a large knife on top of the clove.

With the heel of your hand, carefully whack the top of the knife resting on the garlic clove. You shouldn’t have to be too forceful here, the skin should crack, making it easier to peel the clove. This method also helps to bruise the garlic a bit, which will allow the oils to mingle in the cooking liquid. That is a very good thing.

Peel the carrots and thinly slice them on a diagonal, also called a bias. Set them aside for a few minutes to we can attend to the chicken.

I realize that some markets will skin your chicken thighs for you, but where is the fun in that? Besides, when you buy the chicken thighs whole, they are quite economical.

The thing about chicken thighs, is that the skin is very easily removed. Just life the skin to expose the connective membrane.

Gently run the knife along the membrane to break it. Chicken thighs only really have the connective membrane on the edges, so the rest of the skin hangs a little loosey-goosey. I can totally relate.

Once the membrane is broken, you should be able to open the flap of skin like the cover of a book. Then run the knife along the connected edge to remove the skin. Put the newly skinned thigh in the prepared crock.

Then grab a little dry white wine. But don’t drink it! It’s for the sauce, and it’ll mingle well with the carrots and roasted garlic. If wine is not your thing, then chicken broth is a delicious substitute.

Pour a little bit of wine, half a cup or so, over the top of the chicken thighs.

Sprinkle the garlic cloves over top of the chicken. Try to keep them fairly evenly dispersed so that the garlicky goodness permeates every inch of chicken.

Add the carrots, then sprinkle the salt, pepper, and Herbes de Provence over everything. Herbes de Provence is just a blend of thyme, rosemary, and marjoram.

If you don’t have any Herbes de Provence on hand, just thyme or rosemary would be fine. Cover the crock, and cook the chicken on low heat for 7-8 hours, or until the chicken is done, and very tender.

Turn the slow cooker to the high heat setting. Remove the chicken, carrots, and now roasted garlic from the crock with a slotted spoon and onto a serving platter.

Cover the serving platter tightly with aluminum foil to keep everything warm. We are on to more important things–like the gravy.

Dump the cornstarch into a small glass, and add an equal amount of cold water.

Stir the mixture with a fork, until smooth. We don’t want lumpy gravy.

Pour the mixture into all those lovely juices in the crock pot, and give it a big stir. (Remember, at this point the heat should be turned up to high.) Allow the juices to thicken for 15 minutes, stirring every few minutes along the way.

Once the gravy has thickened, it’s time to plate up! Place a chicken thigh (or two) on a plate, and scoop a bit of the carrots and roasted garlic on top. Then ladle on a little gravy, just to improve the outlook of things. Doesn’t that look nice?

But I’m in the mood for a little bit more than nice. I’m in the mood for something a bit more delightful. So I did what any self-respecting person would do–I made mashed potatoes. It’s the right thing to do when there is gravy involved. Then I heaped them on the plate with the chicken and veggies, and poured gravy over all.

Now that’s delightful!

Chicken with Carrots and Roasted Garlic

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Serves 4-6

8 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed

4 medium carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

12 cloves of garlic, peeled

½ C. dry white wine (or chicken broth)

1 tsp. Herbes de Provence (a blend of rosemary, thyme, and marjoram)

½ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

2 Tbs. cornstarch

2 Tbs. water

1. Spray the inside of the crock of a slow cooker with olive oil.
2. Place the chicken thighs, roasted garlic, and carrots into the crock.
3. Pour wine, (or chicken broth,) over the mixture, and sprinkle with Herbes de Provence, salt, and pepper.
4. Cover the crock with the lid, and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours, or until chicken is tender, and no longer pink inside.
5. Remove the chicken, carrots, and garlic with a slotted spoon, onto a serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
6. Increase the heat on the slow cooker to high.
7. Combine the cornstarch and water in a small cup, stirring with a fork until smooth.
8. Stir the cornstarch mixture into the juices in the crock pot. Allow juices to thicken on high heat, for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
9. To serve, place 1 or 2 chicken thighs on a plate with a scoop of carrots and roasted garlic. Ladle gravy over all.

I think the best way to entertain a crowd is with a lot of delicious food that can be made well ahead of time, so that all you have to do is pop it in the oven for a few minutes, or pull it out of the refrigerator to serve. That way, you don’t spend the entire night in the kitchen and miss all the fun with your guests.  Easy entertaining, while still making life easier. LOVE it!

Try the Sundried Tomato and Artichoke Dip. You can’t have a party without cheesy dips–it just wouldn’t be right. This dip can be made several hours ahead of time–just pop it in the oven 30 minutes before kick-off.

Another great hot appetizer that can be made ahead of time is Holly’s Layered Taco Dip. Assemble the layers, and refrigerate until you are ready to heat it up. You don’t have to feel too guilty about this one, because it has lots of vegetabley goodness inside. And it is another way to shovel in warm, gooey cheese.

If you are craving more vegetables, why not whip up a batch of hummus? Homemade hummus is a great vehicle to get more veggies in your diet, and it’s packed with protein. Try making your own, and you’ll never buy store bought again. I promise!

But if its more chips that your craving, then some fresh guacamole is never a bad thing.

Besides, guacamole is a must have with Shredded Chicken Tacos. The ingredients for these tortilla wrapped bundles of love can be tossed into the crock pot in the morning, and shredded right before your guests arrive. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Pulled Pork is also a crowd favorite, and a snap to throw together. Oh! You could *really* impress your friends with “dueling crock pots” and serve pulled pork and shredded chicken. Think of the possibilities! It could be a shredded meat extravaganza! The men will smile. Trust me, I live with 5 of ‘em.

Whatever your Super Bowl plans, stay safe, have fun, and for gosh sakes, be well fed!

Pulled Pork is definitely one of my favorite dishes to serve a crowd. My Grandma used to make it when our extended family got together because it was easy, and everyone loved it. Thanks to a trusty slow cooker, it takes almost no time to put together, and your guests will be thrilled. This dish is great to have with friends after an afternoon outdoors, or while watching football or hockey. No guests? No problem! The finished pork freezes beautifully!

Here’s what you will need:

3 lbs. boneless pork tenderloin roast

Pinch of salt and pepper

2 C. of your favorite BBQ sauce (or more or less, to taste)

Hamburger buns

Coleslaw, optional

Cheese slices, optional

Spray the inside of the crock with a little olive oil. Yes, I am wearing blue nail polish. My 5 year old picked it out–he’s my stylist.

My experience with pork tenderloin roasts is that they are very lean. If yours has a layer of fat on one side, trim most of it away. Leave a little for moisture & flavor. Place the pork roast into the prepared crock. Sprinkle on a pinch of salt and pepper.

Lay a large sheet of aluminum foil on top of the crock.

Put the lid on the crock, and fold the foil loosely up over the lid. Grandma always did it that way, but I’m guessing the foil helps radiate the heat back down to roast the pork, which helps seal in moisture in the roasting process.

Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. When you are done, there will be a lot of yummy juice at the bottom of the pot.

Grab two forks and start pulling the pork. Pierce the meat with the forks right next to each other, then pull them apart in opposite directions. You’ll know the pork is done when it easily falls apart when you shred it with the forks.

When you are done, you will have a pile of tender pork. Stir the pork shreds around the crock so that it absorbs all the juicy goodness in the bottom of the pot.

Start pouring on the barbecue sauce, and give it all a good stir. I usually add about 2 cups of barbecue sauce, but you can add more or less, depending on your preferred sauce factor. I’m a medium-sauce kind of gal.

Put the lid back on the crock, and let it simmer in the barbecue sauce for at least 30-60 minutes before serving. Now would be an excellent time to make the cole slaw.

Grandma always served pulled pork sandwiches with coleslaw on top.  I’ll admit that for years, I just asked whomever was passing a KFC on the way over pick up some of their cole slaw. KFC cole slaw is sweet and delicious. But this summer, I wanted to try a lighter, tangier slaw, so I decided to make it myself. It was darn tasty, and has all but replaced the KFC variety on our pulled pork sammies.

Quick Cole Slaw

1 pound shredded cole slaw mix (or cabbage)

For Dressing:

3 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, peeled & minced

½ tsp. kosher salt (or more to taste)

1/8 tsp. freshly cracked pepper (or more to taste)

½ tsp. cumin

¼ C. olive oil

Juice the lemon(s) into a small bowl, to measure 3 tablespoons of juice. I’m kind of lazy, so I juice lemons over a small strainer so I don’t have to fish out the seeds later.

Add the salt, pepper, cumin, and minced garlic to the lemon juice. Give it a quick whisk to combine.

Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, and whisk briskly at the same time to emulsify the oil into the dressing. Taste, and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Place the cole slaw mix into a large bowl. Cole slaw mix can be found with the prepackaged “bag” salads at the grocery store. It’s usually a mix of shredded white cabbage, with a little shredded purple cabbage and carrots thrown in for color. Toss the cole slaw in the dressing until well coated. It may seem like there is not enough dressing, but hold tight. The cole slaw will compact a bit in the dressing as it sits. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hours so that the flavors can get happy and have a chance to permeate the slaw.

Pulled pork makes an awesome sandwich, but you could roll it in tortillas for a change of pace. Grandma liked to layer half of a hamburger bun with the pork, and add a bit of cole slaw on top. It was her opinion that pulled pork sandwiches “are much nicer open-face,” and eaten with a knife and fork. That was her Danish heritage shining through.

In my house, we toast the buns, pile on the pulled pork, a slice of cheese, add a little cole slaw, and plop the other half of the bun on top. We eat them with our hands. We don’t care how shamelessly messy these sandwiches are–They’re worth every bit of mess that they create.

Please don’t tell Grandma.

Just be sure to make pulled pork for your next gathering, and watch the excitement on your guest’s faces when you tell them what you are serving.

Pulled Pork with BBQ Sauce

http://comfortablydomestic.com

(Crock Pot)

Serves 8-10

3 lbs. boneless pork tenderloin roast

2 C. of your favorite BBQ sauce (or more or less, to taste)

Hamburger buns

Coleslaw, optional

Cheese slices, optional

1. Spray the inside of crock pot with cooking spray.
2. Trim most of the fat from pork tenderloin roast.
3. Place pork roast in the crock, and cover top with aluminum foil.
4. Put lid on crock, and wrap any foil hanging out from under the lid around the top of the lid.
5. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
6. Remove lid and foil.
7. Shred pork roast by piercing roast two forks near each other, then pulling forks away from each other in opposite directions. (Thus, “pulled pork.”)
8. Once pork is shredded, stir into any juices in the crock.
9. Pour on BBQ sauce, and stir to combine. Add more or less sauce, to taste.

10.  Serve on toasted buns, with coleslaw and cheese on top, if desired.

I admit that my first reaction was, “Are you out of your mind?!” Seriously. I make most everything from scratch. I’m not easily intimidated in the kitchen. I will even try to make something just to learn from the process. But yogurt? Yogurt has always been intimidating. I find the idea of homemade yogurt absolutely charming, but I could never bring myself to do it.  I guess I wasn’t that charmed, after all. Besides there was all that buying of enzymes and probiotics, the special yogurt cooker equipment–way to fussy for life.

But then I read Cathy’s post about the virtues of fresh yogurt, and you know what? It looked easy! Just a gallon of milk, a little Greek yogurt to act as a starter, a thermometer, and a big ol’ pot. Nothing at all fancy required. I instantly went from “Are you out of your mind?!” to ”I am SO going to do this!!”

I tend to multiply my end punctuation when I get emphatic.

But you know what? I saw how Cathy B. made yogurt, and I knew it would be a piece of cake. Truly it was. I’ve made several batches in the past couple of weeks, because we appear to be inhaling it almost as fast as I can make it.

Friends, homemade yogurt is delicious. It doesn’t have the acidic bite of regular plain yogurt, but rather it is smooth, creamy, and lusccious. The best part is that homemade yogurt is economical and ever so versatile. Homemade yogurt can be served a multitude of ways.

Chai Spiced Granola is an obvious choice. Add a little drizzle of real maple syrup or a spot of jam = breakfast of champions.

Or perhaps stir in a bit of Greek yogurt in your next batch of muffin batter to moisten the deal.

Or better yet, adorn Spicy Pulled Pork Carnitas, or Shredded Chicken Tacos with a dollop of your homemade goodness, and watch your family sigh with delight.

The possibilities are endless! So think about it.

Mull it over.

Take a deep breath.

Then go for it!

You too can make Greek style yogurt from scratch. Then be sure to thank Cathy B. for showing you how.

Being that my Grandma was Scandinavian, she was very thrifty and clever in her homemaking sensibilities. Coupled with the fact that my Grandpa grew up during the Depression, they was very frugal, and nothing went to waste.

Now growing up, I was fortunate to be able to spend every other weekend at my Grandma’s house. Once there, we would invariably end up with a crowd of cousins playing games on Saturday night, or at the very least, have Sunday Dinner together.  With 5 children, and (at the time) 9 grandchildren, she was used to feeding a crowd and making ingredients stretch. I learned a lot watching her work.  Her mac & cheese recipe started as a good way to use leftover ham, but quickly became a family staple. It still is.

Over the years, I’ve tried to fancy-schmancy up the ingredients, but something about making it the way Grandma did just feels like home.

I hope you think so, too! You’ll need:

8 oz. small pasta

½ lb. cubed ham

For sauce:

4 Tbs. unsalted butter

3 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt (to taste)

1 tsp. dry mustard

3 C. milk

1 ½ C. shredded Italian cheese

¾ C. grated parmesan cheese

For the topping:

2 Tbs. butter, melted

¾ C. dry breadcrumbs

¼ C. grated parmesan

Start in the usual way, by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a 2.5 liter casserole dish with olive oil. If you don’t have one, a 13 x 9 baking dish will work just fine.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling water, until the pasta is al dente: or soft, but still has a slight “bite” to it. You don’t want it overdone, because it will finish cooking in the oven later. Drain the pasta.

Measure the flour, dry mustard, and salt into some sort of containment vessel. Getting all of your ingredients measured & ready before assembly is called “Mis en Place” or “everything in it’s place.”

If you are ever on a useless trivia show with a million dollars on the line–I am totally your phone-a-friend.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Stir in the flour mixture.

Cook and stir the flour/dry mustard/salt/butter for two minutes. This will help cook off some of the flour-y taste. And it’ll be neat and bubbly.

Pour in the milk, all at once, and whisk until smooth. Stir it up and cook for a few minutes longer, until it begins to thicken slightly.

The sauce will just start to coat the spoon. Now, you might remember a time or two when I harped on politely asked you to grate your own cheese. Because it tastes better, and isn’t sprayed with chemicals to keep it from clumping. Remember? Well forget I said that just this once. OK? Good.

Because Grandma said it was a-O-K to use the pre-shredded Italian cheese blend. But only if you bought it on sale. So we’ll need 1 1/2 cups of Italian cheese. And are you ready for this? You know what else Grandma used in her famous mac & cheese?

Yep. Seriously.

Don’t go being all judge-y here. This grated 100% parmesan in a can was Gram’s secret ingredient. It works here. She only used 3/4 cup in the sauce. I’m sure it was what she had on hand. Fortunately for us–it’s delicious!

Warning: this is not the last you will see of the grated parmesan-in-a-can.

Dump in the cheeses, and stir the sauce until the cheese is melted. Then stir the sauce some more, until it has a chance to thicken up a bit–about 2 more minutes.

Stir the pasta and ham into the cheese sauce until every thing is nicely coated. I like using penne pasta for mac & cheese because the pasta really gets enveloped by the cheese sauce. Who wouldn’t want to be enveloped in cheese sauce, really?

Spoon the mac & cheese & ham mixture into the prepared casserole dish. We’re almost done!

Melt 2 Tbs. butter in a small bowl in the microwave. Add the breadcrumbs. I used Panko style because I like the crunch. Grandma would have made her own.

Pour in 1/4 cup of the grated parmesan-in-a-can. I told you it would be back.

Stir the breadcrumb mixture with a fork until it’s all moist and clumpy.

Spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top, and pop it in the oven until the breadcrumbs are toasty brown, and the cheese is bubbly–about 20 minutes.

Sigh! II love the smell of mac & cheese baking in the oven. It smells like having dinner at Grandma’s house every time I make it.

Scoop it into bowls, and serve it to your loved ones. They will love you for it.

Grandma’s Mac & Cheese

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Serves 8-10

8 oz. small pasta (elbow macaroni, penne)

½ lb. cubed ham

For sauce:

4 Tbs. unsalted butter

3 Tbs. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. dry mustard

3 C. milk

1 ½ C. shredded Italian cheese (parm, Asiago, fontina—a blend is best)

¾ C. grated parmesan cheese* (Kraft in the green shaker can)

For the topping:

2 Tbs. butter, melted

¾ C. dry breadcrumbs (Panko, if you can find it)

¼ C. grated parmesan* (see above)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray a 2.5 liter casserole dish with olive oil; set aside.
2. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water, until soft but with a slightly firm bite. (al dente); drain pasta; set aside.

For the sauce:

1. Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat.
2. Stir in the flour, dry mustard, and salt. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
3. Whisk in the milk, until smooth.  Cook and stir until sauce thickens. (About 5 min.)
4. Add the Italian cheese, and parmesan to the pan, stirring until cheese melted.
5. Continue stirring and cook until sauce has thickened.
6. Mix the cooked pasta and ham into the cheese sauce.
7. Pour pasta mixture into the prepared dish, and level with a spoon.

For the topping:

10.  Melt 2 Tbs. of butter in a small bowl in the microwave.

11.  Add the breadcrumbs and parmesan to the melted butter, and mix with a fork until combined.

12.  Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over the pasta mixture.

13.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.

Seems like Jack Frost is blowing wintry weather across the country. And in some unusual places, too. Snow is no stranger to we Northerners. I welcome it–dare I say, relish it! If for no other reason than it forces the creepy crawlies to either freeze or hibernate, and keeps the local wildlife from feasting on my plants. While I don’t mind the snow, I hate to be cold. I’m a complicated woman.  That’s why as soon as the temperature dips, my soup pot wakes from it’s summer slumber. There is just something about a hot bowl of soup that warms you heart and soul.

So naturally, we have a soup & bread night several times a month. It’s just the right thing to do during the colder weather.  Turkey meatball soup is wonderfully flavorful and hearty without being heavy. Perfect to take the chill off, or to make a sick family member feel loved. And it’s on the lighter side. But you don’t have to tell anyone if you don’t want to. Your secret is safe with me.

Soup’s on!

1 pound of extra lean ground turkey

¼ C. plain dried breadcrumbs

2 Tbs. water

1 egg

¼ C. finely grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

8 C. chicken broth (or more)

1 C. sliced carrots

1 C. orzo or other mini pasta

4 C. (packed) chopped bok choy (Asiatic vegetable in the cabbage family)

Beat the egg and water together until frothy. Stir in the breadcrumbs and let them hang out a bit while we assemble the rest of the meatball ingredients.

Put the ground turkey into a large bowl, and add the chopped parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.

Finely grate some parmesan cheese.

Throw the cheese  into the mix.

By now the breadcrumbs have absorbed the egg/water, and has become kind of paste like in consistency. Pour that into the bowl, then knead, squish, and squeeze everything until it’s distributed throughout the meat.

Wet your hands and pinch off a small amount of the meat mixture.

Roll it around between your hands to form a bite-sized meatball. Repeat.  Again and again…to infinity.

Only kidding. If the meat mixture starts to get to sticky, wet your hands again, and keep rollin’.  I usually end up with around 60 meatballs, or so. That sounds like a ton, but remember–these are bite-sized meatballs at only 1/2-inch in diameter.  Put the bowl o’ meatballs in the refrigerator to chill out for a bit while you assemble the rest of the soup. (At least half an hour.)

By the way–if you are an out-of-the-box kind of thinker, these meatballs would be absolutely delish in pasta sauce!

Pour the chicken broth into a stock pot, and heat it over high heat.

Grab the bok choy. Bok choy is an Asiatic cabbage. The ribs have a similar texture to celery, but without the strings. It’s lovely in soup.

Lop off the bottom end of the bok choy, and remove the outer leaves. They can be a bit fiberous.

And being that things like greens tend to hang on to dirt between the layers, give it a good rinse with cool water. Be sure to inspect both sides of the leaves and rub off any visable dirt with your fingers under running water.

Split the leaves in half by running a knife through the center of the rib to the end of the leaf.

Even cut in half, the leaves are pretty huge. Roll the leaves around the rib a few times to make them easier to cut.

Chop the leaves in 1/4-inch pieces.

Aren’t they gorgeous?

Give the carrots a good scrub, and slice them into thin coins.

By now, the chicken broth should be boiling. Reduce the heat to medium. Dump in the carrots, and pour in the orzo. Orzo is just a tiny, rice shaped pasta. If you can’t find it, any tiny pasta will do.  Simmer for about 7 minutes, or until carrots are soft.

Plop the meatballs in one by one. Once they are all in there, gently stir the pot. Continue simmering for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, stir in the bok choy. Allow the soup to simmer for about another 5 minutes, or until the meatballs are done, and the bok choy is soft. Then grab your ladle and get ready…

…for love in a bowl, my Friends. Love. In. A. Bowl.

Turkey Meatball Soup

http://comfortablydomestic.com

Serves 6

1 pound of lean ground turkey

¼ C. plain dried breadcrumbs

2 Tbs. water

1 egg

¼ C. finely grated parmesan cheese

2 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley

2 garlic cloves, minced

¾ tsp. kosher salt

¼ tsp. black pepper

8 C. chicken broth (or more)

1 C. sliced carrots

1 C. orzo or other mini pasta

4 C. (packed) chopped bok choy (Asiatic vegetable in the cabbage family)

1. Beat the egg and water well in a small bowl. Stir in the breadcrumbs, and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. Place the turkey in a large bowl with the parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.
3. By now the breadcrumbs have absorbed the egg & water, and has thickened to a paste-like consistency. Add the breadcrumb mixture to the rest of the meat ball ingredients. Mix and knead with your hands until well blended.
4. Wet your hands, pinch a small piece of the turkey mixture, and roll it between your hands to form small, bite sized meatballs. I usually get between 55-60 meatballs. Chill the meatballs in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Pour the chicken broth into a large stock pot, and bring it to a boil over high heat.
6. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the carrots and the orzo. Simmer for about 7 minutes or until carrots are soft.
7. Add the meatballs, one at a time, and continue simmering for 10 minutes.
8. Stir in the chopped bok choy, and continue to simmer until meatballs are done, and the bok choy is soft; about 5 more minutes.
9. Taste and add additional salt & pepper, to taste. This is a thick soup. Add more chicken broth to thin it out, if you like.

10.  Ladle soup into bowls and serve with crusty bread.

1.  My 5 year old suddenly appeared with a huge chunk of hair missing out of his bangs. He insists that he didn’t cut his hair. He’s fairly sure that someone came into his room and did it while he was sleeping.

2.  I baked and baked and baked. Big surprise, eh? The Gooey Butter Cakes were not the usual dessert that I’d bring to a party, but were a big hit!

3.  My oldest son experienced a right of passage.  He is old enough to babysit. He has been begging to watch over his brothers for years. This Saturday, we let him babysit 2 of his brothers for a few hours, while we were a few houses away (with the baby.)  He was so earnest, conscientious, careful, and responsible. He was positively beaming when we came home. Today, he keeps bringing it up in casual conversation. “Yeah, it’s kind of cool that I’m old enough to babysit.” or “It’s kind of hard to believe that I’m finally old enough to babysit.” So cute.

4.  I’ve been on a meatball kick. As in, I’ve been making various kinds of meatballs all weekend long. Several hundred of them, in fact.

5.  This is what happens when you try to bake meatballs and forget to line the baking sheet, first.  That’s what I get for trying to avoid pan-frying them in hot oil. Seeing as I am genetically predisposed to forget to wear an apron, hot oil has ruined more of my shirts than I can count. Next time I will be sure to line the pan with non-stick aluminum foil. And if you think for one minute that I didn’t chisel off some of that crispy deliciousness and eat it with a fork, you would be wrong.

6.  All’s well that ends well, right?

7.  Speaking of ending well, I experienced an amazing presentation about a company called Freeset, which is so, SO much more than just a company. They help women and girls escape the sex trafficking trade in India by teaching them to sew, and pay a fair wage along with health benefits and retirement. What an amazing ministry.

And the bags that they make are absolutely adorable!

I hope you all had a great weekend! Check back tomorrow for one of the meatball recipes!

A few months after Hubby & I began dating, I met his family on Thanksgiving. Boy, I was so nervous! But my (then future) in laws were so friendly, that they put me at ease right away. At the end of the evening, we left with hugs, and cries of “See you for lasagna on Christmas Eve!”

Wait. What?! Lasagna on Christmas Eve? I’d never heard of such a thing. Ham? Sure. Kielbasa? Of course. Turkey? Sometimes. But lasagna? Never.  I had to get to the bottom of it. I mean, I really liked this guy, but if there were weird food things going on…that would just be…weird. As soon as we got in the car, I asked Hubby about it.

“So what’s with lasagna on Christmas Eve?”

What do you mean? We have lasagna on Christmas Eve. (He says looking at me like I’m the nutty one.)

“But why lasagna? Why not ham or something?”

I don’t know. We just have lasagna. (Now laughing at me.)

Huh. Okay, then. Lasagna.

I still thought it was a bit odd, but I went with it. I’m flexible like that.  But you know the thing about lasagna on Christmas Eve? It’s good. Really, really good.  Everyone in the family has their own recipe. Here is mine. I’ve made friends and influenced people with this lasagna recipe. True story!

You can, too!

1 ½ quarts Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce (or use your favorite sauce)

1 (9 oz.) package Barilla brand lasagna noodle sheets

2 Tbls. chopped flat leaf parsley

½ tsp. Kosher salt

¼ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

8 oz. ricotta cheese

4 oz. herbed goat cheese, crumbled (Boursin is great!)

1 ¼ C. freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

1/2 C. freshly grated Asiago cheese

1 large egg, lightly beaten

8 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grab a 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking dish, and set it on the counter. We’ll be needing it soon.

Put the ricotta and the herbed goat cheese into a large bowl. Break up the goat cheese into small chunks. One of the things that make this lasagna so good is the herbed goat cheese. Consider it a super-secret ingredient–it gives an interesting depth to the flavor that no one will be able to pinpoint. It’ll keep ya wondering, and wanting another bite.

Toss in 1 cup of the parmesan, the Asiago, and the freshly chopped parsley. I usually use a flat leaf parsley, but I used curly parsley this time. Just trying to shake it up a bit. Fold the parsley into the cheeses until combined. Save the remaining 1/4 cup of parmesan for the end of this recipe.

Pour in the beaten egg. Sprinkle the kosher salt and freshly cracked pepper over top.

Fold it all together until the egg is incorporated. Set the cheese mixture aside.

Ladle 1/2-3/4 cup of fire roasted tomato sauce into the bottom of the 13 x 9 x 2 baking dish.  You can use your favorite sauce, but please, please, pretty please make sure that you add 1/2 pound of cooked sweet Italian turkey sausage.  Just cook it up like you would brown ground beef, then stir it into your favorite sauce. The turkey sausage is another component that makes this lasagna special. Don’t skip it.

Layer pasta sheets in the bottom of the pan, being sure to have a slight overlap. I like Barilla brand because of their “no boil” total coverage.

Add a half of thinly sliced, fresh mozzarella. If you can find it, the fresh mozzarella is an important component of the lasagna. Fresh mozzarella is very soft, flavorful, and slightly wet–very unlike it’s rubbery, pre-shredded counterpart. I accidently bought a brand of fresh mozzarella that came pre-sliced. Hooray for happy accidents! If you need to slice your fresh mozzarella, use a very sharp knife, and freeze it for 20 minutes or so to firm it up a bit, first.

Spread half of the cheese mixture over top of the fresh mozzarella.  I like to use my fingers because it just works best. And it’s fun!

Ladle a bit more sauce to seal in the first layer, and spread it evenly to the edges.

Repeat the layering one more time. Start with the pasta sheets…

Then the rest of the fresh mozzarella…

The last of the cheese mixture…

And some more sauce.

Remember that 1/4 cup of parmesan that we were saving for later? It’s later, so sprinkle it over the top.

Layers, baby. Bake it off in the preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Once done, allow lasagna to sit for 10 minutes before cutting to serve. Crusty bread is a necessary accompaniment–you don’t want any of that luscious sauce to go to waste.

Additional Notes: this lasagna can be made several hours ahead of time and refrigerated. Just allow lasagna to come to room temperature on a counter for 30 minutes before baking as directed above. It also  freezes beautifully! In fact, I often make 2 lasagnas at a time: 1 to bake, and 1 to freeze. Just wrap the assembled lasagna tightly in plastic wrap, then again with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to a month. To bake, thaw lasagna for 2 days in the refrigerator, let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before baking, then bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. It’s cooks a few minutes longer to compensate for the cooler starting temperature from the refrigeration.

I hope that you try my lasagna. It really is one of our very favorite recipes. And you certainly don’t need to wait for Christmas Eve to make it!

Now, 15 Christmas’s later, I can’t imagine not eating lasagna on Christmas Eve.  I wonder what my four future daughters-in-law will make of it? They’ll probably think we are a bit nutty, too. But I’m not sure that lasagna will be to blame.

Christmas Eve Lasagna

http://comfortablydomestic.com

(adapted from Ina Garten’s recipe in Barefoot Contessa Family Style)

1 ½ quarts Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce**

1 (9 oz.) package Barilla brand lasagna noodles

2 Tbls. chopped flat leaf parsley

½ tsp. Kosher salt

¼ tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

8 oz. ricotta cheese

4 oz. herbed goat cheese, crumbled (Boursin is great!)

1 ¼ C. freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided

1 extra large egg, lightly beaten

8 oz. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, goat cheese, 1 cup grated parmesan, the egg, parsley, ½ tsp. salt, and ¼ tsp. pepper. Set aside.
3. Ladle ¼ of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 x 2 inch baking pan.  Then add the layers as follows: 3 sheets of pasta, half of the mozzarella, half of the ricotta mixture, ¼ of the tomato sauce.  Repeat with 3 sheets of pasta, the rest of the mozzarella, the rest of the ricotta mixture, ¼ of the tomato sauce. Top with 3 more sheets of the pasta and the remaining tomato sauce.  Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup of parmesan cheese on top.
4. Bake lasagna for 30 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese has melted.  Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing to serve.
5. The lasagna may be refrigerated for several hours before baking.  If made ahead, allow to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.  Bake for 40 minutes until bubbly and cheese has melted.

**See recipe, or use your favorite red pasta sauce, but be sure to add the cooked & crumbled sweet Italian turkey sausage.

***This lasagna also freezes very well. Tightly wrap uncooked lasagna with aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. To cook, thaw for 2 days in the refrigerator. Allow to come to room temperature, then bake as directed.