Saturday, February 28, 2009

Another meal we can't live without....

This is one of my absolute favorite meals that No1here makes!!! We first found it on one of Emeril's shows, but changed it up a bit to fit our specific tastes. It's a bit time consuming - but oh, so worth it!!!



Carnitas
  • 3 pounds thick, meaty country style pork ribs, pork butt or pork shoulder
  • 2 pounds lard, or enough to cover the meat
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 orange, zest removed with a vegetable peeler in wide strips
  • 1 lime - cut into pieces
  • 5 cloves garlic, unpeeled
  • 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
  • 12 soft flour or corn tortillas
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Trim most of the fat from the meat, leaving a thin layer. Cut into 4-inch pieces.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the lard over medium-low heat. When it has melted but is not yet very hot, add the pork, water, orange zest, lime pieces, garlic, and salt. Cook at a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally so that the meat evenly cooks, for about 2 hours, or until the meat is tender. If the meat needs more time and all of the water has evaporated, add a bit more water and continue to cook until the meat is tender.

Once the meat is tender, raise the heat to medium-high. (Don't panic if the lard comes to a rolling boil - this will diminish as the water evaporates and will become small bubbles.) After the boiling lard changes to small bubbles, cook the meat for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until light golden brown and crispy all over. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon or tongs and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with the salt. When the meat has cooled slightly, pull the meat apart using 2 forks into shreds and smaller pieces and discard the bones.

To serve, make the tacos with the meat and warm tortillas, and garnish with pico de gallo. Servings: 4-6

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Another Family Favorite...

Paula Deen's Georgia Cracker Salad

  • 1 sleeve saltine crackers
  • 1 large tomato, finely chopped
  • 3 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 hard boiled egg, finely chopped

In a medium size bowl, crush the crackers, add all of the ingredients, mix well, and serve immediately. Prep time: 10 minutes Yield: 6 servings

* We usually have this with burgers in the summertime! Great poolside dish!!!
* You might add the mayo 1/2 cup at a time, to get just the right consistency. It can be a bit much - it depends on how rich you like your food!!!
* A little chopped celery might be nice added to this!

Monday, February 23, 2009

another recipe I can't lose!!!


Have you ever heard of Grady Spears? Well, he is a good ol' Texas cowboy, turned chef. He was the founding chef and co-owner of the Reata restaurants in Alpine and Fort Worth, Texas, and Beverly Hills, California. He also has several cookbooks, if you're interested!!!

I'm sure you've heard of the Coca-Cola cakes before, well if you're from Texas - it's all about Dr. Pepper!!! This recipe is one of my favorites.... (I've lost it a couple of times and decided I'd better get it on my blog before I lost it again!!!)


GRANDMA SPEARS' DR PEPPER CAKE
1 cup butter
1 cup Dr Pepper
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
  • Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan or three 8-inch pans.
  • In a saucepan, heat butter, Dr Pepper anc cocoa until boiling. Remove from heat, cool.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla. In another bowl, combine eggs, flour and sugar, mixing well. Combine all three mixtures until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake 1 hour or until done.
  • Remove from oven and pierce cake with fork to make numerous holes. When cool, frost cake.
FROSTING:
1 cup butter
3 tablespoons cocoa
6 tablespoons Dr Pepper
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • Combine butter, cocoa and Dr Pepper in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in sugar and remove from heat. Cool before spreading on cake. Enjoy!!!

Monday, February 16, 2009

Help with Brunch idea...


Okay everyone, I have CBS this Wednesday and I have to bring a breakfast item. The problem is - I only have about 20 minutes to cook something before I have to leave. So, I was thinking I could make up breakfast burritos the night before and wrap them in foil and heat up in the oven before I leave. Or I could make this heavenly dish up above the night before, and heat up before I leave. What do y'all think?

Right now I'm trying a breakfast casserole in the crockpot that would be good with tortillas and homemade salsa on the side. We'll see how this turns out before I decide. If it turns out - it would be perfect because it could cook all night and be ready right before I leave. The hot crockpot might be kind of hard to carry though. I'm truly at a loss this time!

I have tons of wonderful dishes to make - I'm just very short on time. Any ideas??? PLEASE HELP ME!!!!

Saturday, February 14, 2009

Kathy's menu - week 27 & 28

Saturday - Stacked Cheese Enchiladas, Beans, Spanish Rice, Chips
Sunday - Pasta Milano, salad, garlic bread
Monday - White Chili and all the yummy toppings
Tuesday - Taste Testing... Crispy Orange Beef, rice, egg rolls
Wednesday - Warm German Potato Salad w/ Kielbasa
Thursday - Baked Mexican Chicken
Friday - leftovers/take-out

Saturday - Garlic-Rosemary Lamb Pita
Sunday - No1here's Chicken, Mushroom and Rice Soup w/ Crusty bread
Monday - One-Pan Whiskey-Flavored Pork Chops, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls
Tuesday - Taste Testing... Beef Daube Provencal, rustic bread
Wednesday - Chicken Enchilada Soup
Thursday - Quick Beef Bourguignonne
Friday - leftovers/take-out

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Great with Chili...


Corn Cake Toppers

Jiffy Cornbread mix
sour cream
green onion, chopped
shredded cheese

Mix the Cornbread mix according to package, add a bit of sour cream, chopped green onions, and shredded cheese. Cook on buttered griddle like pancakes. Top your chili and enjoy!!! You can either add the cheese to the batter or put on top of your chili and top with the corn topper! Sometimes you might find that the cheese might make it a little bit stickier on your griddle. This goes great with my Chili recipe down below.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Recovering from a Heart Attack!!!

Man, I have been looking for this recipe for weeks!!! I have been so upset that I lost it, I've been asking everyone I could think of if I had ever emailed it to them. I could have kicked myself for never blogging about it! I mean come on - isn't that why we started this blog!?! ;) lol... Anyway, here is a wonderful recipe that is sure to make your "keeper" list and hopefully not clog too many arteries!!!

Warm German Potato Salad with Kielbasa

1 1/2 lb. red potatoes, sliced into 1/4"-thick rounds
1 T. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 lb. smoked kielbasa, sliced into 1/4"-thick rounds
1 T. olive oil
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 T. olive oil
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Dijon mustard
2 t. minced fresh thyme
1/2 cup celery, diced
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 450° with rack in lower third. Coat baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss potatoes with oil, salt, and pepper on the prepared baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer and roast for 10 minutes. Stir potatoes and continue roasting until browned and cooked through, about 10 more minutes. Saute kielbasa in 1 T. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown on both sides, about 5 minutes. Add onion and saute until soft and lightly browned, 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar, 2 T. oil, sugar, mustard, and thyme; simmer 3–4 minutes. Keep warm while potatoes roast. Add celery, salt, and pepper to kielbasa mixture just before potatoes are done—not too soon or celery will lose its green color. Drizzle warm dressing over potatoes and toss gently with a spatula to coat. Serve salad warm.

Good Day for Chili...

This is our absolute favorite chili recipe!!! It is out of this world and very easy too! It came from a Southern Living magazine of mine a few years back. I can't believe I haven't blogged about this until now?! Anway, give it a try - you won't be sorry!!!

Chunky Beef Chili

4 pounds boneless chuck roast, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (32-ounce) container beef broth
2 (8-ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 teaspoons granulated garlic - we use fresh!!!
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
Cornbread sticks (optional)
Toppings: crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped onion

Brown meat, in batches, in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove meat, reserving drippings in Dutch oven. Add chili powder to Dutch oven; cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste; cook 5 minutes.

Return beef to Dutch oven. Stir in beef broth and next 9 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender. Serve with cornbread sticks, if desired, and desired toppings.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Already back on the rotation...

I've made this meal sooo many times that Sandra truly does deserve an award for it!!! So, here you go girl...



(photo via Full Bellies)
Sandra's Garlic Swiss Steak is probably my favorite meal of all time!!! What comfort food!!! I feel like just putting her link in my menu and then leaving a comment did not do this dish justice!!! I don't think y'all really understood how wonderful it really was!!!

So, how 'bout that photo? Are you drooling? If not, you are crazy!!! For more awesome recipes from Sandra - go check out her blog Full Bellies, Happy Kids. I have never been disappointed with any of her recipes. My kids are now asking - is this another meal from Portugal!!! ;) LOL!!!!

Anyway, I did change some things in how I put it all together, but I did not change any ingredients except adding more garlic!!! Yumm!!! Enjoy...

GARLIC SWISS STEAK

1/3 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
1 1/2 - 2 lbs beef round steak, cut into bite-size pieces
2 T. oil
14-oz. can stewed tomatoes
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a gallon size bag. Add your meat to the bag and shake to coat all sides of the meat. In a large skillet, heat your oil over medium heat. Add your meat and cook until browned and a good crust has formed. Then transfer the meat (I didn't even drain the meat) to a lightly greased 9X13" casserole dish. Then add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet with the drippings. Saute until tender, then add your can of tomatoes. Give a good stir and then pour on top of your meat in the casserole dish. Stir a little to combine. Cover and bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours in a 350 degrees oven.

* I would start cooking this at 4pm to be ready for 6:30pm dinner time!!!