What's For Dinner?

If you haven't yet tried this recipe for pork loin, you're really missing out on something!  It's absolutely my fave pork recipe and it's always a "go to" recipe when I don't have a clue what I'm going to fix for dinner.  Well, last night was one of those nights!  It was the last day of the month, which is always a busy time for mortgage bankers.  I realized around 4 o'clock that I hadn't taken anything out for dinner. 

Phew.....back in the back of the freezer was a pork loin!  Voila!  Dennis did the butterflying of the loin....like this:

I filled it and covered the top with the stuffing and placed it in the baking dish.  Then I surrounded it with cut red potatoes that I had tossed in olive oil and salt and pepper.  I added a few of the thyme sprigs and baked it in the oven.

I decided to make cabbage to go with the pork and potatoes....one of my favorite meat/vegetable combinations.....and I love cabbage!

My cabbage cooking technique comes from a dear friend and colleage, Tammy Long, a Realtor with Rose and Womble.  She is a fabulous cook......she entertains alot and I can't imagine anyone turning down an invitation to one of her events....not only for the fun and warmth they add to their gatherings, but for the fabulous food!!!  (I hope I have this recipe right!)

I start by chopping the cabbage...

and the garlic....

the tossing the cabbage with olive oil.

Add salt and pepper...

and saute' on medium until it starts to soften (sometimes I add a little water to help the softening process...it helps to steam the cabbage without it browning, which is yuk)...then add the garlic...

...and cook until done to your liking.

The pork loin turned out great!  The new butterflying method worked so much better!

Dinner was wonderful!  Thanks, Tammy and Dennis!!

Shrimp Shrimp.....

.....oh wait....with a side of lobster! 

The other day I walked into the kitchen to find one of my favorite cookbooks on the counter opened to a shrimp recipe. " Hmmm.......guess this is what he wants me to make with those shrimp that are defrosting in the sink.", I thought.  Then he walked in and said, "This is what I'm making for dinner tonight.".  What???  Did I hear you correctly??  YOU are making dinner?  Really?  Wow!  That's awesome!

I left the kitchen and he later appeared with my delicious dinner!  We both enjoyed it, but as we always do over a plate of food, we critiqued it....add a little this or that.  And since there were quite a few shrimp left, he decided to make it again a couple of nights later.....and this time I was there to document it for the blog!

I became his sous chef for the evening, doing all of his prep work.  I gathered all of the ingredients that were listed in the recipe, plus the two we'd decided to add (more on that later).  

Since there wasn't quite enough shrimp, and we had a lobster tail leftover from Valentine's Day, I chopped it up and added it to the shrimp I had peeled and deveined.  I also juiced the lemon, diced the green onions, shredded the parmesan

and minced the garlic!

Once everything was prepped, Dennis came in and set up his work area.....

...ummmm....yeah.....he prepped the drink!  He heated the pan and added his olive oil....then put in the shrimp and lobster...

....and sauteed them until just before they were done.....then he added the garlic, lemon juice and green onions.....

Ummm.....took a sip...or two....

...added salt and pepper, then cooked until done...

He then added the butter and allowed that to melt, poured it over hot pasta and topped with the grated parmesan cheese...

It was delicious and it took only about 20 minutes from prep to finish!

The recipe is from the Williams Sonoma "Fish" cookbook and is as follows:

Shrimp Sauteed with Lemon and Garlic

4 tablespoons of olive oil (Dennis found that he needed to add a little more)

1 1/4 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined (we had about a pound of shrimp and then added a small lobster tail, diced

6 cloves of garlic, minced

2 green onions, diced (we used more...about 4 or 5)

2 tablespoons chopped, fresh flat leaf parsley (we left this out)

1/4 cup lemon juice (about 1 whole, fresh lemon)

In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium high heat.  Add shrimp and cook until pink on one side, about 1 minute.  Turn the shrimp over with tongs, add garlic, salt, pepper to taste, toss.  Then add green onions, parsley and lemon juice.  Toss again and transfer to a warmed platter.  Serve.

Our Variations:  We added about 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter at the end of cooking, poured it all over hot pasta, then topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Quick, easy, delicious.......VOILA!

Running with the Devil......

.....yes, I love Van Halen, but this post really has nothing to do with him....or that song.  This is actually the finale to the "belated" birthday dinners.  The request?  Deviled Crab!  I have to admit that the stuff I've seen in the little foil fake crab looking tins has never peaked my interest.  Sure, I've eaten them, but I just don't remember eating them.....and usually that's a reason that I don't normally cook something.

Soooo, when he asked for Deviled Crab, I asked why.  He didn't have an answer....it was just the first thing that came to his mind.  So, since I was the one who forgot his birthday, I went along with it.  I searched the internet and every cookbook I had for recipes.....it's just that they all seemed to be variations of regular crab cakes, but with bell pepper.

I have always loved bell peppers, but why eat the green ones, when you can have the beautifully ripe red ones....so that's what I decided to go with.  And since I already had some roasted red peppers in the fridge.....done!

I got all of my ingredients together....diced onions, celery, garlic and the most beautiful crab I've seen in a while.  It was unbelievably fresh for this time of year.

I started by sauteeing the onions and celery in a half olive oil and half butter, later adding the garlic so it wouldn't cook too much and become bitter.  Then I added the peppers.  I set them aside to cool.

Meanwhile, I combined mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, mixed well and poured that over the crab.  Then I took two slices of fresh bread and ground it in my mini processor, then added all but about 4 tablespoons of it to the bowl.

Next add the celery, onions and pepper (called a Holy Trinity....at least it is with green peppers) and mix well.  I put the mixture into my single serving baking dishes.

I then melted about a tablespoon of butter in the pan I'd cooked the trinity mixture in and added the breadcrumbs....then put them over the crab mixture.

I baked them at 350 degrees until the tob was golden brown and they were cooked through.  We grilled asparagus that had been tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper and grilled.

It was a delicious dinner and he enjoyed it.  So when I asked what he thought?  "It tastes kinda like crabcakes!"  I agree!  But it was good!

Bon Appetit!

Hurry!!!! Chicken Curry!!!

Yep, I'm still making "belated" birthday dinners.....but I am getting there!  The other day I realized I had some chicken breasts that had been in the freezer for a while and needed to cook them.  I don't keep many meats in the freezer other than chicken and hamburger, although I will freeze steaks if I happen to get a great buy on my favorite cut (tenderloin...ahhh!), but I'm very careful to wrap them in plastic wrap very tightly and them place them in freezer bags.

Soooo.....back to the chicken breasts!  I went through several of my cookbooks (I do have a few!) and was drawn to several chicken curry recipes.  After having heard Dr. Oz say we should eat curry 2-3 times a week, I decided to start that day!

The first thing I did was slice my chicken into slices....it's easier to do if the chicken hasn't completely thawed.

Next I seasoned the chicken.  I had seen a couple of recipes that called for seasoning with Garam Masala seasoning, which I had discovered a few months ago.  I made some from scratch, but I have seen it in the grocery stores.  Here's the recipe, if you want to make your own:

2 tablespoons cumin seeds

2 tablespoons coriander seeds

2 tablespoons cardamom seeds

2 tablespoons black peppercorns

1 (3-inch) stick cinnamon, broken up

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon saffron (optional)

Put all but the nutmeg and saffron into a dry, heavy skillet over medium low heat.....stir occasionally as they toast....about 10 minutes.  Place them into spice mill, coffee grinder or food processor and grind to a powder, then add the nutmeg and saffron and stir.  It keeps for about 3 months covered in an airtight container.

I used about 2 tablespoons of the Garam Masala, and tossed it to cover the chicken and set aside for about 30 minutes.

Put about 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a hot skillet, then add the chicken and brown.

Set them aside and start to prep your vegetables.  I used 1/2 large onion, sliced, and some beautiful multi-colored tomatoes I had bought for a salad which I cut in half.  I also diced up 4 cloves of garlic and 3 medium sized red potatoes, diced.

OK....you noticed that there aren't any potatoes on that cutting board.  Truth?  It was a last minute thought....they were in a bowl on the counter and I couldn't resist cutting them up and throwing them in.....I wasn't sure they'd work too well, especially since I was putting all of this over rice.  Argh....alot of starch!  Soooo, I didn't take a picture....so I wouldn't have to tell you that it was a mistake.  Now?  It wasn't a mistake, but it wasn't fabulous either, although adding them did help to thicken the sauce.

So, back to the recipe.....I put the onion and diced/minced garlic into the pan with the drippings from cooking the chicken, just to soften. 

Then I added a cup or so of chicken stock and the potatoes, along with a teaspoon of curry powder.  (Hey look....I DO have a picture of the potatoes!)

While these were cooking (just too soften - be careful not to make mush out of the potatoes, which I do from time to time!) I made my saffron rice.  You're most welcome to "google" saffron rice, but I've been making Mahatma's Saffron Rice for years!  I'm not real sure my kids ever ate white rice, now that I think about it!

It's very inexpensive, easy to make....and so buttery delicious!

After the potatoes, onions and garlic have cooked, and the chicken broth has cooked down and thickened, add the chicken back to the mixture and toss...then add the tomatoes and toss lightly.

 Once the tomatoes are warmed, put the rice on a plate or in bowl, top with the chicken mixture and VOILA (I love the French language, even if I only know a few words!)

This might seem like it's a time consuming recipe, but it really isn't.  It's very quick to make and if you make plenty, you can have it again a day or two later....remember, Dr. Oz says you should have curry 2-3 times per week!  I guess I need another curry recipe.  I'll get back to you on that!

Loafin' Around.....

When the cold weather sets in, it always takes me back to my childhood comforts.....the flannel nightgowns trimmed in eyelet lace that my mother made for me, the soups on the stove, the fresh cannister of cocoa that always appeared in the pantry ready for cold, windy days, the cans of condensed milk ready for snow cream......and meatloaf!

I have to admit that I wasn't always a fan.....I'd have rather she used it to make plump, juicy hamburgers!  The meatloaf my Mom made was full of oats, breading and lots of onions topped with lots of ketchup....and I've never been a ketchup fan!

Well, the cold weather has set in and it seems that meatloaf has also conjured up some memories for Dennis.  He was craving meatloaf!  After requesting this entree (?) several times, I finally caved in and decided to serve it up.....my way!

I try very hard to stay away from carbohydrates (most of the time I fail!), so I went to work trying to figure out how I could pull off this meatloaf without it being so dry......and without the globs of ketchup (which lasts much longer around our house now that the kids are on their own).

I had some ground beef, but decided to make a run to the store for some ground pork to add to it.  I also scouted out what I had in the vegetable drawer of the fridge.....mushrooms, tomatoes, green onions and roasted red peppers from the pantry....score!  The vegetables should help keep the meatloaf moist versus using oatmeal!

Now....what to do about the ketchup!  While at the store scouting out the ketchup section, I noticed chili sauce....lots more flavor and not so sweet......score #2.

I used my food processor to grind up the veggies semi-fine and added them to the meat along with an egg. 
Then I formed it into a loaf on top of parchment paper on my baking sheet.....baked it until it was somewhat firm (nothing worse than firm, dried out meatloaf!) and served it up.  It was a hit!

Since I made so much, I decided to take half and freeze it.....NOT a score!

 There was plenty for dinner.......but, as I found out later, not enough for a meatloaf sandwich the next day (not for me, mind you.....remember, I TRY to eat bread only on special occasions....like weekends at Melinda's cabin and holidays!)

Since I'm not so much a meatloaf lover, I wasn't quite sure it was a hit until it was served.......it got rave reviews.....along with requests for more!  I have to admit, for meatloaf it was awesome.....the best I've ever had!

Prime Time!

In our family, we're pretty specific as to what proteins we eat at our particular holiday meals. Of course, we have turkey at Thanksgiving and prime rib at Christmas....tenderloin for New Years....ham at Easter! With the holidays just around the corner, I decide it was time to start posting about the foods I love to eat during the holidays. AND since prime rib is on sale at Farm Fresh right now, it seemed appropriate to start with that! So, here we go with Prime Rib 101:

I do NOT normally recommend purchasing a boneless rib roast, as roasting with the bones adds flavor, but tonight we had a boneless prime rib, which meant I'd have to work a little harder to add extra flavor!

I started off with making slits in the top of the prime rib....down far enough to add portions of cloves of garlic.

Then I drizzled the top with extra virgin olive oil and poked the garlic pieces I'd cut into the slits...

...add salt and pepper.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and bake for 1 hour (30-45 minutes for pieces under 5 pounds), then turn the overn down to 325 degrees and cook until your meat thermometer reads 135 degrees (medium rare).

I added some fingerling potatoes to the pan so they would reap the flavor from the roast.

While you're enjoying your meal, you'll get "bonus bites" when you have a slice that includes one of the garlic cloves......SCORE! If you're planning to make a prime rib during the holidays, check out this great website for added information on making yours the best ever! I hope your holidays are the best ever!!!

I also made some horseradish sauce to go with the meat.....delish!