BBQ Pulled Pork in the Slow Cooker

I had a friend joke the other day about how I was going to continue my cooking now that I was starting a new job.  With my kids' school schedules, their sport schedules and now my own work schedule to contend with, how was I possibly going to keep up on my regular routine of cooking?  Well, miss you-know-who-you-are, the simply answer - preparing ahead and for today, using my slow cooker while I'm at work.

I love using my slow cooker for so many dishes, but nothing makes it more worthwhile than to be able to have a meal cooking while I'm not home.  When I walk in the door, all I need to do is prepare my side dishes, pull my pork and I'm done.  So here, friends, is a delicious recipe for those who don't have the time to stand over something all day long!

Ingredients

5 lb boneless pork shoulder roast (I use a loin from time to time as well)

2 red onions, sliced

2 green onions, sliced into rings

3/4 c BBQ sauce (I like to use a honey bbq)

1/4 c chicken broth

For the spice rub:

2 Tbsp sea salt

2 Tbsp brown sugar (I use a little more if I'm not using a honey bbq sauce)

2 Tbsp chili powder

1 Tbsp black pepper

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine all your spice rub ingredients and rub generously on the roast or loin until completely coated.  Place the pork into the crock pot AFTER you've added your onions, green peppers, bbq sauce and stock and mixed.  Place it on top of the mixture.  Cover and cook in slow cooker on the lowest heat setting short of WARM (mine has 5 different settings and I use the 10 hour low cook setting).  After about 7-8 hours pull pork from slow cooker and pull apart with a couple of forks.  Return pork to liquid in crock pot and stir well.  If you like you can add about another 1/2 cup of bbq sauce as well at this point and serve!

Shepherds Pie - Perfect for a cold night!

Baby, it's been c-c-cold here in Michigan lately!  Where did all the glorious warmth go?  Well, in the absense of the warmth I have been making heavier, warm meals of late.  Not always fantastic on the waistline, but as always, I use fresh ingredients and watch my portion control so that's gotta count for something.  Right?

So I actually made my pork piccata for dinner tonight and whipped up a Shepherds Pie for dinner a couple of nights ago, so now I'm going to take the time to post this delicious, and SIMPLE recipe!  It's a crowd pleaser and you can make it in smaller ramekins for personal pies, a casserole dish or a nice big 13x9 rectangular dish.  This recipe is good for a large casserole dish (like corning wear).  If you're looking to fill that 13x9 dish, then you're going to want to - at the very least - make extra potatoes so you can cover it completely!

Ingredients
For Potatoes:
4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3/4 c milk
3 Tbsp butter

For Meat Part:
1-1/2 lb ground beef, turkey or venison
1 med-large onion, diced (you can use leeks too, those are yummy!)
3 cloves garlic, put through the garlic press or minced
1 large carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, sliced evenly
3/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
2/3 c frozen peas
2 Tbsp fresh chives, chopped
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp cumin
1.5-2 c brown gravy (you can use turkey or chicken gravy in a pinch)
Sea salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Make your mashed potatoes and set aside.  Brown meat and drain the fat, all but a 1/4 cup which you need to reserve.  Place fat back in pan along with onion, carrot & celery and saute for 5 minutes.  Then add garlic, mushrooms and peas.  Saute 5 more minutes.  Return beef to the pan an add remaining ingredients and cook on low-med heat 2-3 minutes, just enough to marry the flavors - the rest will happen in the oven!  Place meat mixture in your casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes.  What I like to do is put my mashed potatoes in a gallon sized storage bag and cut a hole in one corner and use it like a disposable pastry bag.  Then I make peaks of mashed potatoes until the meat mixture is covered.  If you don't feel like being so fancy, then just slap them on and make your own peaks with the back of a fork!  Bake 30-40 minutes on center rack until potatoes are golden brown on top.  Let cool 5 minutes and then serve! 

This is an easy meal, and what's more, you can add different veggies to your liking (like corn, broccoli, peppers, etc).  Use fresh and be creative and you can't go wrong!

Pork Piccata

I was at the store the other day getting some heres and theres when I saw the most beautiful cuts of pork.  The sirloin cutlet - already sliced thin so no pounding, and lookie here!  On sale to boot!  So I put it in my basket and for the last couple of days have been thinking about what I want to make with them.  Do I want to grill?  Do I want to roll them with goodies inside and bake?  The possibilities were becoming endless to the point that I could not decide what I was going to make for dinner.  And then, while at the grocery store today I found my key ingredient to help mold the rest of my meal around:  Capers.  If you haven't had capers you're missing out.  They're salty, flavorful and a key ingredient to piccata.  And a little trivia, they're from a flower.  Ah ha!  I'll make pork piccata!  And a recipe was born..

Ok, here is the epitomy of a simple meal that tastes like you slaved over it for hours.  The sauce is light and buttery and the capers give it the added salt without putting it over the edge.  And let's not forget the delicious citrus zing of lemon!  The picture is actually chicken piccata because I have not had an opportunity to take a photo of a finished pork piccata.  That will be remedied tonight when I'm done making dinner.  This dish is excellent with all poultry, so if you have turkey, chicken or pork, you're half way there. 

Traditionally I serve this meal over a bed of angel hair pasta and a side of asparagus or broccoli.  In the summer, grilled zucchini brushed with a little olive oil and salt and pepper is amazing with it.   

Ingredients
4-6 pork sirloin cutlets (chicken or turkey breasts work too) pounded to about 1/4"
1/2 c flour
1/2 c panko bread crumbs (you can use any you like but I really like these in particular because I don't seem to lose the breading off them as easily)
3 Tbsp olive oil
4 Tbsp butter
1/2 lemon, juiced (if you dont' have a citrus squeezer, you really need to get one!)
1/2 c white wine (I like using Piesporter because it has a sweet note to it with a little zing)
1/2 c chicken broth (I like to use fat free)
3 Tbsp capers, rinsed
2 green onions, chopped
Sea salt and pepper to season

Once your pork is pounded flat, season cutlets with sea salt and pepper.  Mix together your flour and panko in a storage bag and shake cutlets until well coated.  Let your cutlets sit while you begin to warm your pan.  Add your olive oil and 2 Tbsp butter in pan over medium heat until melted.  The butter is going to make this cook faster as it gets hotter than the oil itself.  Give your pan a swirl to mix the two together.  Add your cutlets and cook until golden brown, about 2-4 each side, flipping only ONCE.  Remove from pan and cover to keep warm while you're making the sauce.  Add your wine, lemon, chicken broth and capers to your pan drippings and stir over medium heat until sauce is reduced (in about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and add the green onions and remaining butter.  Stir in until melted and pour sauce over pork cutlets.

One thing I should mention, be very careful when adding your wine!  I learned once the hard way that a hot pan, with oil and butter drippings and adding wine to it without taking from the heat is never a good idea.  I think I still have red wine faint stains on my kitchen ceiling that didn't come out when I was preparing another dish.  Who knew how far that would splatter?  I found out the hard way, so I pass this along to you.  Maybe you'll want to add your broth or lemon juice before the wine.. just sayin. 

Not Gonna Slide Off the Noodle Lasagna

For years I have tried perfecting my lasagna recipe.  And with so much trial and error, one definite fix I needed to make was that fall off the noodle lasagna.  You know the kind.. no matter how long you let it set after pulling it out of the stove, you cut it and after the first piece is served the ingredients all begin slowly oozing from between the noodles.  Epic fail! 

There is one thing I have learned over the years though - and that is all about moisture content in cooking.  So here are a couple of tips.  First, if you're making a fresh veggie lasagna, keep in mind how much moisture there is in those fresh vegetables.  When varying recipes that have proven tried and true in the past, we often forget that certain ingredients will change the texture completely.  It's important to modify our recipes accordingly.  That being said, what sauce and cheeses we use will also change the consistency of the lasagna too. 

The common errors are typically in the vegetables and sauce.  If you're making your own homemade sauce, make sure it's thickened with some tomato paste.  To cut down on the liquid content, use nice, beefy tomatoes, like a beefsteak or roma.  And be sure to clean out the seeds. 

Veggies that will make your lasagna more wet are squash, eggplant, and zuccini. When I use these vegetables in particular, I modify my cheese mixture to hold it together better.  It's easy once you play around with it a little.  I like to make spinach and mushroom variations of this recipe as well. 

One other trick to keeping your lasagna from getting to wet is not cooking the noodles completely.  And that means, not quite al dente either.  If I am making a homemade sauce for my lasagna in the summer with all the fresh veggies, I make a point not to cook the noodles fully so when cooking they soak up some of the extra moisture and finish cooking. 

Another consideration to make is your cheese.  If you're using an oil-based cheese, you're going to have a runny mess!  Try to keep it to low moisture cheeses. 

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, turkey, venison (or omit if going veggie only), cooked and drained

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 small onion, minced

1 egg, beaten

1 container ricotta cheese (I use low fat versus part skim because it's less fat and calories)

2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

2 cups mozzerella cheese, shredded

1 cup parmesan, shredded

Sauce (either fresh or jar is fine)

1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

5 basil leaves, chopped

8 spinach leaves, chopped

Lasagna noodles

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Brown your beef, adding onions and garlic about half way through the browning.  Once meat is no longer pink, drain thoroughly and set aside.  In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, 1 cup of mozzerella cheese, 1 cup of cheddar cheese, 1 cup of parmesan, chopped spinach and basil and combine well.  Add beaten egg and blend completely. 

Cook your noodles al dente (or a little less if you're using homemade sauce or have loads of veggies), drain and set aside.  Add your veggies to your sauce as well as your drained beef and stir well. 

Layers:  Place a bit of sauce on the bottom of your pan before starting your first layer.  Then place noodles evenly and spread cheese combination over first layer then drop sauce over cheese layer and begin noodle layer again.  Repeat for desired number of layers.  I like to have at least 4 layers in a 9x13 inch dish, and a 5 or 6 layer lasagna in a larger pan.  After last layer is down, top only with sauce mixture and the remainder of your cheeses.  Bake covered for 40 minutes, taking foil off the last 10 minutes.  Let cool 5-10 minutes before cutting so it has a chance to set.  Enjoy!

Chicken Marsala with Portabello Mushrooms

The Portabello Mushroom.  Gorgeous, isn't it?  So flavorful and meaty.  It's one of my favorite mushrooms.  It's for this reason I like to use them in my Chicken Marsala recipe.  And if I can't find these beauties, I always substitute with the baby bella. 

Chicken Marsala is always a hit and because you've pounded your chicken breasts nice and flat, you can make a quick meal for your family or make a delicious dinner for many guests in very little time.  It's simplicity is a wonderful thing.  It tastes so vibrant and takes minimal time to make it.  Served with (or over) linguine noodles and a side of steamed asparagus, this dish is sure to please!

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breasts

1 c. flour

1 Tbsp garlic powder

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp sea salt

1 c. marsala wine

1/2 c. cold water

1.5 Tbsp cornstarch

Olive oil (enough to coat the pan)

3 sliced portabello mushrooms

2 green onions, chopped for garnish

It's important for evenly cooked chicken that when you flatten your chicken breasts, they are all about 1/4 inch thick (1/2 will work if you can't get it to flatten without the chicken falling apart).  I will place my chicken in a gallon size storage bag, unzipped, to pound them flat.  It keeps the chicken from contaminating my walls, countertops, and anywhere else it may land.  You can also try laying down saran wrap, then chicken, then another piece of saran wrap on top if you don't have any bags. 

Mix your flour, garlic, salt & pepper and then dredge the chicken breasts in it until coated completely.  In a heated pan with olive oil (enough to nearly cover the bottom of the skillet), brown chicken on both sides on medium heat.  This will only take about 5 minutes each side.  Set aside chicken and drain excess olive oil out of pan (if you used the right amount you shouldn't have any left).  With the browned bits left in the pan, add the marsala wine and heat until brown bits are smooth.  Add your cornstarch TO YOUR COLD WATER, mix well and add to marsala.  Add your mushrooms and stir over a low heat until sauce thickens.  If your sauce is too thick you can add a little water at a time (say a Tbsp) to thin it out.  Since you're using portabello mushrooms it will make your sauce a little darker than you may have had in your favorite Italian restaurant.  Place your chicken breasts atop your linguine noodles and pour marsala sauce over.  Garnish with chopped green onions and serve with your favorite veggie.

Stuffed Pepper Soup

I remember the first time I had stuffed green pepper soup.  It was at a local restaurant and when I saw it as a special I thought, now there's an idea!  I love stuffed peppers so the soup had to be good.  And it didn't disappoint.  That's when I started thinking how to go about making this delicious soup.  It wasn't that hard after I worked with it a little.  And the recipe below can be adjusted to your own tastes - maybe some ground turkey or lamb instead of ground sirloin or maybe even nixing the meat altogether to make a delicious flavor filled vegetarian soup.  Sometimes I use venison burger when my husband has had a successful hunting season.  Manipulating a recipe to make it your own if often rewarding when you create a new spin on an old favorite.

Ingredients

1 lb ground sirloin

2 cups green pepper, diced (about 2 peppers depending on the size)

1 small onion, diced

2 cups of long grain rice, cooked (this is the cooked amount, not the dry amount which is normally 1 cup of rice to 2 cups of water)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups of beef broth

2 cups of tomatoes, diced

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp basil

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I always lean towards healthy choice brand)

Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Start by preparing your rice.  You can use white rice in this recipe if you choose or if that's what you have on hand, I like the long grain wild rice in it for healthier eating.  In a large skillet, brown your meat, green peppers, onions and garlic (adding garlic about 1/2 way through the browning process) until meat is not pink and drain.  Once cooked through and drained, combine the rest of your ingredients in one soup pot and simmer for about 45 minutes on low heat.  This will allow the flavors to marry. 

Its a quick and easy recipe and if you make a lot of it, you can certainly freeze it and bring it out for an easy reheat on another day.   

It's All Abourt the Herbs

It's another gorgeous day here, and that means I'm going to barbecue.  So since everyone knows how to flip a burger, I'm going to ramble on today about the importance of herbs in cooking. 

Growing up, seasoning was basically salt and pepper for everything.  Don't get me wrong, salt and pepper work great as seasonings, but as I got older and out on my own, I wanted to try all these great looking herbs I saw in the produce section.  What was that stick with what looked like pine needles on it?  Or a bunch of thyme used for?  I know that smell!  It smells like the poultry seasoning that went on our Thanksgiving turkey.  And what the heck is cilantro for? 

Fennel, Sage, Parsley (isn't this just for decorating the plate?), Ginger, and more.  Once I started researching what all these herbs were for, I dove right in and started using them when at all possible in my cooking.  I started slow.  I had used garlic many times over, even fresh, but what would happen if I were to combine that, along with some Rosemary and Thyme and some salt and pepper?  I had a fantastic rub for a turkey or chicken, that's what! 

Using herbs can be confusing.  How much should I use?  How do I know what will taste good together?  What balances out what?  It's all trial and error, people.  Live and learn.  Sometimes you end up with a wonderfully aromatic dish that tastes as good as it smells and other times.. well, you don't.  Today I'm going to talk about different herbs, staples really in my own cooking and why.

Basil  ~  The first thing many people think of when they hear basil is pizza.  Basil is, in fact, a very popular herb in Italy and is used in many, many dishes.  There are many varieties of basil, but I prefer and often use sweet basil in my cooking.  Basil has a pungent scent and sweet taste, though not overpowering.  I use it in my red sauces for pasta dishes as well as chopped and tossed with some olive oil, mozzerella balls, cherry tomatoes and penne pasta for a refreshing, light dish.  And don't forget about pesto sauce.  Basil is the key ingredient for this delicious green sauce.  If I have a bunch of basil fresh and want to save it, the best thing is to puree it with just a little bit of water and put it in an ice cube tray and freeze.  The individual cubes pack the freshness I'm looking for in sauces and melt right into them.

Cilantro  ~  Believe it or not, cilantro is part of the carrot family!  It has a very distinct smell to it.  When buying cilantro, if you smell it and it doesn't have a strong odor, it isn't going to have a strong taste.  I mainly use cilantro in my salsa, guacamole and fattoush salad.  Personally, the more cilantro, the better.  But it seems to be one of those herbs that you either love or hate.  My salsa cannot go without it, otherwise it just doesn't taste the same.  If I don't have any when making guacamole, I can suffer through, or even use coriander ground up since coriander is nothing more than the seeds of cilantro.   

Dill  ~  Another of my favorites!  Dill is fanastic in dips, on fish, in eggs, and key in making pickles.  When you smell dill, you should be able to smell strongly the scent of pickles in the making.  When using it in cooking, 3 heads of fresh dill weed equal a tablespoon of tried dill.  The heads are the bushy part at the ends of the stems.  Just the other day I did a recipe for salmon with fresh dill.  It seems to go hand in hand with all types of fish, especially when coupled with lemon.  And pickles?  Well they wouldn't be dill pickles without the dill.

Garlic  ~  Garlic is used widely in cooking and also medicinally for centuries.  To choose a good head of garlic, make sure the papery looking outside is tight and not shriveling or pulling away.  Make sure the garlic is firm as well.  Garlic is used in many a saute.  I use it all the time, in olive oil, in butter, no matter to me.  The important things to remember are not to overcook the garlic because it will turn bitter, and when cooking in butter, butter heats much hotter than oil.  When you're making a sautee with other ingredients like onions or mushrooms, always start with those ingredients, adding the garlic at the end.  Minced garlic typically takes about a minute to be done.  To easily clean your cloves or garlic, lie the clove on your cutting board and lay the flat part of your knife perpendicular with the board and give it a little whack (seriously, not too hard otherwise you'll have mashed garlic everywhere AND it'll still have the skin on it) and the garlic will slide right out of the skin.

Juniper Berries  ~  I touch on the juniper berry because it is used in many dishes.  It is most excellent for taming the taste of wild meat like venison, rabbit or pheasant and is used in many German dishes and stews.  The trick with juniper berries is not to crush them until you're about to throw them in the dish, because much of the aromatic flavor goes into the wind, so to speak.  And you only need 2-4 berries total for a dish.  After all, you don't want to overpower your dish with just one flavor!  And it's been said that juniper berry tea is an excellent fix for a hangover, though I've never actually tried it myself.

Lavender  ~  Yes, lavender.  While I don't use it often, I do experiment with it from time to time.  Lavender is sweet and has citrus notes to it.  If you dry it out it's much more pungent and you have to be careful otherwise it'll taste like your grandma spilled her perfume into your dish.  On the rare occasion I run out of rosemary I will use lavender in it's place.  It has a similar taste when cooking.

Lemongrass  ~  Lemongrass is bulbous like a scallion and it cut the same way, using the bulb for the cooking.  You'll see lemongrass in many chinese dishes and may have even mistaken it as a green onion.  The stalks can be used in teas and soups as it holds its flavor well and doesn't turn bitter when cooking for long periods of time. 

Mint  ~  I really only have one dish I use mint in, and that's my fattoush.  I love the balance it gives this particular salad.  There are several types of mint available in your produce section too, even spearmint.  Mainly those could be used with chocolate desserts and I like to put some fresh mint leaves in lemonade to cut the sweetness a little bit.  It also is great to break the leaves and put in a potpourri dish with some water for a great room freshener.

Rosemary  ~  Rosemary is a pine needle looking herb on a stick to simplify.  It has a fantastic odor and is used in many entrees and side dishes.  One of my favorite uses for rosemary is with red potatoes.  I boil them in water, some butter and rosemary.  This is a delicious herb with potatoes, poultry, fish and sauces. 

Thyme  ~  Thyme is a member of the mint family.  Thyme is a commonly used herb.  When you smell it, you'll again think of holidays or turkey dinner.  It's great in stews, soups, roasts and can be used with meat and poultry.  When making my Irish Stew, fresh thyme is one of the herbs that really bring out the heartiness of the meal.

Those are the basics in my kitchen, though from time to time, depending on the dish I'm making, I use many other ingredients.  Don't be afraid to try something new.  After all, you never know, it may just end up being your new favorite dish!

Corned Beef Reubens and Red Potato Colcannon

I love St. Patrick's Day food!  So many delicious meal options.. Irish Soda Bread, Corned Beef and Cabbage, Potato and Leek Soup.. ah the list goes on!  So why am I doing a simple Corned Beef Reuben with a Red Potato Colcannon?  As I may have mentioned before, I have a family I cook for, and sadly they do not care for the traditional Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner.  So I still get two of my favorites making this excellent sandwich and side dish.  Corned Beef.  And Cabbage.  Just separate dishes this time around.

So you can go two ways with your Reubens.  I do a classic Reuben for my husband and I and the kids opt for the Corned Beef sandwich.  They can't appreciate what the sauerkraut does to the taste of the entire sandwich or the Russian Dressing.  Someday I'm sure they will, but for their ages it's all about the visual and making up their minds that they DO NOT like something, even if they haven't tried it.  That's ok, it's more for us, for now and we'll take it!

Do you want to cook your own corned beef and slice it up hot?  Go for it!  For me, I'm making it simple.  After all, they didn't want the cooked version of corned beef and cabbage so off to the deli counter I go.  The only "real" cooking I'll be doing for this meal is the Colcannon.

Ingredients for Corned Beef Reuben Sandwiches
1 lb thinly sliced corned beef
Rye bread (I like to use marble or light rye) a 1/2" thick
Unsalted butter for the bread (I like unsalted because the corned beef has plenty itself)
Sauerkraut of your choosing, drained
Russian dressing (see recipe below) OR you can use Thousand Island Dressing in a pinch, but the fresh made dressing will knock your socks off!
Swiss cheese (about 2 slices per sandwich depending on how big your bread is)

When making my Reubens I build as I go.  Butter side down bread on a medium heated skillet, corned beef, cheese, sauerkraut, dressing, butter side up bread.  Grill it nice and toasty brown on both sides or to your liking.  You can add your dressing after you cook it too if you're not wanting to make too big of a mess of your pan.

Ingredients for Russian Dressing
1 cup real mayonnaise - Don't use Miracle Whip, it will NOT be the same
3/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp dill juice (from a pickle jar) or you can throw dill relish in there if you have it on hand
1/2 small onion, minced finely
1 tsp sweet pickle relish
1/4 tsp minced garlic (you can use powder if that's what you have)
1/2 tsp lemon juice (fresh is best)
1/2 tsp balsamic vinegar
Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate.  This makes about 2 cups of dressing and can be stored in a tightly sealed container to use for other dishes.

If you've never had Colcannon, you've been missing out.  I make a more healthy version, cutting out the heavy cream that many recipes you'll find of this call for.  You can get creative with this recipe as well if it suits you.  Colcannon is high in fiber, potassium and calcium and very low in cholesterol as well as calories. 

Ingredients for Red Potato Colcannon
1 pound small red potatos, scrubbed and cut in half
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup skim milk
6 cups thinly sliced cabbage (you'll use about 1/2 a head of cabbage)
1/2 bunch green onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced fine (yep, only one, you're not trying to overpower, just marry flavors)
Sea Salt and Pepper to taste

Steam your cleaned and cut potatoes for about 15 minutes.  Have you ever tried those veggie steamer bags?  Those work wonders and cut the time down about 2/3!  As your potatoes are cooking, slice, chop and mince your other ingredients and get your butter melting in a large skillet over medium heat.  Careful not to burn the butter!  Add onion and saute them about 2 minutes then add garlic, and cabbage and cook until cabbage begins to brown in about 5 minutes.  Stir in your milk, salt and pepper and reduce heat to the low setting and cover for 8 minutes or until cabbage is tender.  Add entire cabbage mixture to potatoes and mash to desired consistency.

Even the pickiest eaters love these potatoes!  And you didn't have to slave over an oven all day long to make a meal with traditional St. Patricks Day food!  Erin Go Bragh!

Grilled Lemon Dill Salmon on Cedar Planks

So I woke up this morning and the sun is just radiating.  If you live in Michigan you know how rare it is to have this kind of sunny weather as frequently as we have lately so early in the year.  So today when considering my dinner options I decided a nice grilled salmon was in order, and hey, I'm going to do it on cedar planks too! 

If you've never used cedar planks before, you're missing out on a savory treat.  Cedar planks are sold in local markets, and as we learned last summer when up at my in-laws' house, in other unsuspecting places.  We brought a beautiful piece of salmon up with us and meant to bring our own cedar planks, but in the end I forgot to pack them!  Since my in-laws retired, they moved "up north" - a term used widely in my home state of Michigan to describe anywhere north of big cities.  This means there's one grocery store, one fast food restaurant and the rest, well, it's definitely country living.  It's not as if they live in the boondocks, but the nearest Walmart is not a quick jaunt to the store.  It's a planned trip with a list of things because you know you won't want to be travelling there again just because you forgot one thing. 

After realizing I had forgotten the planks (and here I was all ready to show off cooking with them with this glorious piece of salmon) I went on a hunt, with my mother-in-law telling me to basically not get my hopes up in finding a store locally that carried them.  So after checking the grocery store and drugstore, I went back to their house and we proceeded to call the local butcher, party store, etc.  And finally, we called a hardware store.  This was no ordinary hardware store, it's one of those "up north" ones that literally has a little of everything.  And they carried them, with one set left, so we had them set aside and hubby and I ran up real quick and got them.  The moral to this story?  You can find these planks just about anywhere!

Plank grilling is not just for fish (though that's mainly what we like to use it for).  You can use it with all meats and poultry.  It gives the food on it a nice smoked flavor that goes well with so many grilled foods.  Even marinated veggies on a skewer are fantastic on the planks.  I digress..

The important thing to remember when cooking with planks is that they MUST be soaked, and I'm talking completely submerged, for 4 hours so the planks are good and wet.  This will keep them from burning in the grill.  You'll probably have to weigh down your planks as it's wood, and hey, wood floats!  We used soup cans up north and it did the trick, but left a ring on the wood, which is no big deal, but made me wonder about what metals I had just put into the wood.  When I'm at home I use a plastic down weighed down with a bag of rice inside, though you can use anything really with weight to it.  The point is to get those puppies submerged and let them soak. 

Once your planks are soaked properly and ready to go, get a spray water bottle ready in case you get some hot spots when grilling and need to spray down the edges of the planks.  I find that if you've soaked them long enough this is a non-issue, but better safe than burned food! 

Ingredients

Salmon (how large and how many pieces are up to you and how many planks you have room for on the grill)

1 bunch fresh dill, some whole, some chopped for sprinkling (if you use dried, use less it's more pungent)

1 lemon per plank you're using, 1/2 cut into thin slices

2 Tbsp olive oil

Sea salt and pepper to taste

Optional garlic powder 

Your grill should be preheated and then turned to a high setting.   While you're getting your salmon ready, place the soaked plank(s) on the grill and close cover.  You'll keep it in there until it gets smoky (about 5 minutes).  Then turn down your grill to a medium setting though depending on how thick the salmon cut is, you may opt for a low-medium setting for thinner, and a flat medium for thicker. 

To season the salmon, simply brush the olive oil on both sides.  Before you place on the planks, arrange some dill fronds on the plank as well as thin slices of lemon.  The side that will be on the plank should be seasoned with sea salt and pepper before settling onto the dill and lemons.  Once you have done that, take the other 1/2 of your lemon and give it a squeeze over the salmon, then take some chopped dill and season as you like, along with salt and pepper.  Then place lemons slices on top.  Close the grill cover and let cook about 15 minutes or until flaky and opaque.  If you want to check the internal temperature, 130 degrees in the thickest part is the proper temperature. 

Grilled asparagus is a nice compliment with some brown rice if it's in season.  If not, I like to do grilled veggie skewers too with what is in season.  Just brush a little olive oil on the veggies, a little salt and pepper to taste and grill!

Once you've used the planks you can start making other great concoctions with it!  Happy Grilling!  

Homemade Meatloaf and Whipped Sour Cream and Chive Potatoes

It was starting to look like Spring was on it's way in here in Michigan where I live.  Temps were in the high 50s and today when I woke up, it was damp, windy and much cooler.  So when thinking about my meal for the evening, I went for the comfort food that is Meatloaf and Potatoes.

Good ole meat and potatoes.  A true comfort food that warms you just smelling it.  This is one meal that my family of five all enjoy and go back for more.  And it's something that when the weather does finally break for good, we won't see around until the weather chills again.  So this may just be the last hurrah, meatloaf, so don't fail me now!

Is there anything better than a well held together meatloaf that isn't heavy with tons of taste in every bite?  I typically throw together this recipe without measuring but have made the effort to pay attention to the measurements this time so you can try it yourself.  I make my meals to feed 6, so keep that in mind when making your recipes!

Ingredients for Meatloaf

1.5 lb ground round (round or sirloin is best as it isn't as greasy when cooking)

1.5 lb ground turkey (the leaner the better)

4-5 slices of french bread, toasted and ground to crumbs (fresh really does make a difference but you can use a 3/4 cup of store bought bread crumbs if that's what you have on hand)

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup beef broth

1/2 cup ketchup (you can use tomato sauce instead if you like)

1 Tbsp chive, chopped fine

1/2 tsp parsley, chopped fine 

1/2 tsp thyme, chopped fine

1 small onion, minced

1/2 a green pepper, diced small (this is optional)

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely minced (the garlic press comes in handy for this)

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees while you're mixing all your ingredients.  After you've diced, chopped, minced, beaten and ground all your ingredients, mix them together with the meat in a large bowl until well blended.  Remember, if you are using dried spices instead of fresh, use a little less as they are stronger.  Once it's all mixed well, put into a 13x9 shallow baking dish, uncovered in your preheated oven for about 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes.  If you like ketchup baked on top of your meatloaf, put about 2/3 of a cup on top the last 15 minutes of baking.  Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. 

Ingredients for Sour Cream and Chive Whipped Potatoes

5 large potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 tsp sea salt

6 oz sour cream

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup chives, chopped (green onions work great with this too in a pinch)

3 Tbsp butter

salt and pepper to taste

A key to making good creamy potatoes starts with cold water.  Make sure you're putting your peeled and cut potates in cold water, along with the 2 tsp sea salt.  Cook about 15 minutes once it comes to a soft boil on med-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Take a fork to check for doneness.  Drain and put back into pot for mixing.  Add butter and milk and begin to mash potatoes with hand mixer on a low setting.  Once they are just blended, add the remainder of ingredients and whip on medium speed for 1 minute.  Serve.

A delicious comfort meal, served nicely with green beans, snowpeas or carrots.

Easy Peasy Guacamole

I am all about the ease in cooking.  But more, I'm all for the health benefits of my ingredients I use when I cook.  Did you know that avocados are full of 20 vitamins - like vitamin E & C and potassium?  And even better, they are cholesterol and sodium free.  Yes, this creamy fruit (yes, I said fruit) packs a nutrient rich punch when you find that perfectly ripened morsel.

So how do you know it's ripe?  There are two good ways to test when you're in your produce section.  Is there still a stem on the end of that avocado?  If there is, give it a wiggle and see if it comes out easily.  If it comes out with a little tugging effort then it's ripe.  Too easily and it's overripe.  If there's not a stem to check with, it's time to let your fingers do the work.  Palm the avocado and give it a squeeze.. not too hard though, you'll learn the hard way when one is overripe!  Been there, done that - ack, it's not pretty.  So obviously if it's squishy, move on to the next one.  If it's hard as a rock, it's probably not quite ripe yet.  And if you get one that has a little give then you've landed on the ripe avocado.  Once it's passed your squeeze test, give it a once over and make sure there's no scarring or bruising. 

Let's say you can't find any that are ripe, but all rocks.  If you're not making your guacamole the same day you can ripen them am home with a brown paper bag and an apple.  Put them in the bag together and fold closed.  Believe it or not, the gasses in the apple will help ripen the avocados.  Overnight should do the trick!

Once you've picked out all your fresh ingredients (dried works in a pinch but fresh is always best) get your trusty potato masher and a flat bottom dish and let's make some guacamole!

Ingredients
4 medium sized avocados
2 limes, juiced
1 roma tomato, diced (I like roma because they're meaty when you can't get your hands on a beefsteak)
1/4 cup green onion, chopped (red is good too, but I just love green onions!)
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (or use a garlic press)
1/4 tsp cumin (if you don't have cumin use some chile powder instead)
2-3 chopped and deseeded jalepeno or serrano chiles (this is optional)
Sea salt and pepper to taste (trust me on this, you can't go wrong with sea salt)

You can peel and pit the avocados, but I think it's easier to just cut them in half around the pit and pop the pit out with a spoon.  Then I spoon the "meat" of the avocado out and mash it all up by hand.  If you don't have a potato masher, you can use the back of a large fork.  After it's mashed up good, you simply add the rest of the ingredients and mix them thoroughly.  You can serve immediately or let those flavors marry and put it in the fridge, covered for an hour. 

If you're making your guacamole a day or so after you've selected your avocados, it's important to remember:  DO NOT PUT THE AVOCADOS IN THE FRIDGE.  If you do, you'll have brown avocados.  Just leave them on your kitchen counter until you're ready to use them.  Until you've mixed that acidic lime juice into your mashed avocado, it'll go brown every time. 

If you want to spice it up, there are many variations out there for guacamole.  Just put a little aside and add flavors here and there and before you know it, you'll have created your very own recipe!

And In the Beginning...

..there was one.  One perfect meal.  One perfect dish.  One perfect compliment to an already delicious dish.  And it all started with food and knowledge.  I have taught myself so much about food through books, tv shows, and most importantly, trial and error. 

I love to cook.  That's the bottom line for me.  I rarely get frustrated by the need to cook and often look for reasons to cook.  It's so much more than a creative, healthy meal for me, it's art for the senses.  Is there anything better than roaming through produce and smelling that aromatic cilantro?  Or feeling your way to the pefectly ripened avocado?  For me, there is nothing better.  The search for ingredients is just as much fun as the cooking itself.  Have you ever gone into the produce section not having a clue what you're going to make for dinner and stumbled across the most fantastic looking bunch of rosemary?  And then planned a meal around that one ingredient?  I have.  I do.  Often.

I've created this blog in the internet world of many, for my friends, my family and myself.  I'll post the delicious meals I make for my family and if from time to time, some of my favorite recipes, photos, and kitchen tips.  Cooking should be enjoyed - from start to finish.  Let the cooking begin.