Love my crock pot – put random stuff in and I get deliciousness out.
3 – 3 1/2 lb. boneless pork butt 1 -2 sweet onions; cut into large cubes 5 tablespoons minced garlic Zest and juice of 2 limes 2 tablespoons dried oregano 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes Salt and pepper 1 cup olive oil 2 cups orange juice
Place the onion in the crock pot – combine the garlic, lime zest and juice, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a bowl and mix thoroughly
Place the pork butt on top of the onions and rub with the garlic mixture
Pour the orange juice all around the meat, careful not to wash the garlic mixture off – cover and cook on low for 8 hours
When its done shred the meat and store it in its juices in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave.
(this is what the meat looks like before it’s cooked)
The shredded meat is great on the obvious stuff like rolls or in tacos with some slaw but I made a Cuban salad with it.
Mixed greens like baby kale and arugula topped with the shredded pork, rosemary smoked ham from the deli, shredded Swiss cheese, diced avocado, diced mango and a dressing made with
lime olive oil and grapefruit balsamic from the Ancient Olive in Winter Park
(seriously if you haven’t tried this place you have to – they have ridiculous olive oils and balsamic vinegars and you can taste them all and they have tons of other spreads and drink mixers its a really cool place on Park Ave in Winter Park.)
1 bag of mini gold potatoes 6 slices of thick cut bacon 2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese 1/2 cup chopped chives or green onion 2 cups grape tomatoes 4 oz cream cheese; softened 2 cups non-fat plain greek yogurt 1/4 cup good Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 1/4 of a Vidalia onion; grated Salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 475 and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil then spray it with cooking spray
Cut the potatoes into bit sized pieces and spread them out on the baking sheet. Lay the 6 pieces of bacon over the potatoes.
Bake in the oven at 475 for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are tender and the bacon is almost cooked. Change the oven to broil and broil the bacon and potatoes until the bacon is crispy – about 8-10 minutes. Then remove the bacon and drain it and continue to broil the potatoes about another 5-10 minutes or until they are browned and crispy.
Remove from the oven and let cool.
Mix the cream cheese, yogurt, mustard, vinegar, grated onion, salt and pepper in a bowl. Taste. If it needs more bite add a little more vinegar.
Cut the grape tomatoes into thirds and combine with the shredded cheese, and chives or green onion in a bowl.
Break the bacon into bite sized pieces and add to the cheese and tomato mixture. Add the potatoes and the dressing. Combine everything.
Chill until ready to serve. The dressing can really thicken up in the fridge so you might want to loosen it a little with a little more yogurt. Let it rest at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving too.
Nice little twist – instead of potatoes use tater tot crowns. Just cook them longer than the package suggests so they are really crispy then toss them with everything else. But mix this and use it. The tater tots will completely lose their crunch if you make it ahead of time and refrigerate it.
I’m really into making some kind of meat on Sunday and using it all week in sandwiches, on salads, in tacos, or on flatbreads. I usually take something like a pork butt and rub down good with some awesome spices and what not then crockpot it for 8 hours. Shred it and use it all week. But I wanted to try something different so I decided to make different kinds of meatballs. These were my favorite.
I used ground turkey for two of them. I didn’t get the super lean 97% kind I got the 94% or something like that. It has to have some fat in it or it won’t have any flavor and will be dry. Then I added all kinds of stuff.
Asian Meatballs – ground turkey, grated onion, shredded carrots finely chopped, yellow bell pepper finely chopped, cilantro finely chopped, minced garlic, grated ginger, and hoisin sauce
Mix all the ingredients for each meatball in separate bowls. Then make golf ball sized meatballs – pack them loosely. Place the balls on an aluminum foiled lined baking sheet that’s been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray and bake them for 20-25 min at 375. Until slightly browned. Don’t over do it you don’t want them to be dry.
I stored mine in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Just zap them in the microwave for about 30 seconds to warm them up and get the juices going again.
For the Asian Salad
Put a pile of mixed greens on a plate – whatever kind you like, I like baby kale or arugula
Add some shredded raw broccoli, avocado, and chopped peanuts
Then top with Chinese Lo Mein Noodles – cooked and drained according to the package that have been tossed with shredded carrots, finely chopped cilantro, red pepper pickles and an Asian dressing (recipes follow).
Add the meatballs and drizzle with a little more dressing.
Red Pepper Pickles:
1 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon Anise
2 cups julienned red bell pepper, in a heat proof bowl
Heat the sugar and vinegar in a pan over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Add the anise and salt, taste to make sure it’s not too sugary not too vinegary – adjust accordingly. Then pour the mixture over the bell peppers in the bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Asian Dressing:
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
2 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons prepared Ginger Dressing
Combine all of it and toss with the prepared noodles, shredded carrots, cilantro, and red pepper pickles
The beautiful picture above and all those below were taken by my awesome daughter-in-law. Follow her blog at crotchetandcroptops.wordpress.com and on Etsy.
Buying presents for people for the holidays is really hard. I really really believe it’s the thought that counts. When someone takes time to pick out something you love. That they have listened to your ideas and what you like long enough to find something you like. Not something they like. That’s easy and really kind of pointless. If you want to buy something you like then buy it for yourself. Don’t pretend you were thinking of the other person when you bought it. Price isn’t the point either. A really cool $15 multi-colored skull bracelet or super gingery ginger-ale in cool bottles are way more me than diamond earrings. So I try really hard to think of the person I”m buying or making for. Sometimes its easy – a young couple setting up a house for the first time – they need lots of things. But when you’ve been around for 40 or 50 years you kind of have enough stuff. You know.
So I made baskets.
I picked themes I thought each person would like but kept it reasonable. I can sometimes go crazy with details than stress myself out. Well maybe more than sometimes.
So I made a plan.
Wrote down my list of basket recipients then started to list items I thought they would like. I started with making sure each basket had a bread, a cookie, a jam, etc. then tried to use similar ingredients in different ways to keep the cost under control. I made the freezeable items a week ahead the jams a few days ahead and the fresh items then night before (keep those to a minimum you will always have a crap load of stuff to do at the last-minute so don’t over load yourself)
Once the list is done and the grocery list is done. Start saving old jam jars, pesto jars, cool spaghetti sauce jars, really any kind of container you use. If it’s cool remove the label, use goo gone to remove the sticky mess under the label. Run it through the dishwasher to sterilize it then you’re good to go. But keep in mind you have to refrigerate what you make, you can’t re-seal reused jars.
Then assemble baskets, ribbon, swatches of fabric, and tags. You can make your own tags from cool Xmas cards. Buy them after the holidays on sale then cut the front off the card and cut it to form a tag. Add ribbon. Go to a craft store like Micheals and get rolls of real ribbon not the plasticy kind you curl on packages. Real ribbon makes a huge difference and they have every pattern and color you can imagine. Micheals also has cool packaging containers. Little paper cups to hold truffles or cellophane to wrap the whole basket in.
Now make your stuff. Jar it, wrap it, put a ribbon on it. Hand it over with a big smile.
So back to the point… Yuletide Baskets. Here’s what I made.
Italian Basket
Clockwise starting at the star
Apricot and Rosemary Tapenade 2 cups apricots 1 large bunch rosemary salt and pepper 1 clove garlic 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar Olive oil
Put the apricots, rosemary, and garlic in a food processor and process until very small pieces. Add the vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Add enough olive oil to bind it all. Fill 2 jars, cover, and refrigerate.
Marinated mozzarella with peppers and pink pepper berries 3-4 medium fresh mozzarella balls 1 bay leaf 1/2 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves 1 red bird’s-eye chili pepper; sliced in half zest from 1 lemon 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 clove of garlic, peeled and halved 1 teaspoon pink pepper berries Extra virgin olive oil
Combine all in a large jar. Keep refrigerated.
Italian quick bread with prosciutto, parmesan, and Italian herbs 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs; lightly beaten 1 – 8oz carton plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup canola oil 1/4 cup milk 2 tablespoons Italian herb mix 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella 4 very thinly sliced pieces of prosciutto
Preheat the oven to 350; grease a loaf pan. Combine the flour, sugar, black pepper, baking powder, baking soda, and Italian herbs in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Combine the eggs, yogurt, oil, and milk; add to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in the parmesan, mozzarella, and prosciutto. Add to the pan, drizzle the top with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes until lightly golden.
I don’t make bread – I don’t have the patience to wait for the yeast to rise then knead it and all that. I love this bread because you just mix it and bake it and can change the ingredients to any kind of theme.
Bellini jam with peaches and Prosecco 1 cup sugar 1 cup finely chopped, peeled ripe peaches 1/4 cup Prosecco 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1/8 of a 6oz package of liquid fruit pectin
Combine sugar, peaches, Prosecco, and lemon juice in a medium pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until the sugar dissolves. Quickly stir in the pectin and return to boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat, skim off foam. Add to jar and refrigerate.
Southwestern quick bread with cheddar and jalapeno 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs; lightly beaten 1 – 8oz carton plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup canola oil 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 1 jalapeno finely chopped and seeds removed
Preheat the oven to 350; grease a loaf pan. Combine the flour, sugar, black pepper, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Combine the eggs, yogurt, oil, and milk; add to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in the cheddar and jalapeno. Add to the pan, drizzle the top with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes until lightly golden.
Candies jalapeno with blackberries 8 jalapeno; most seeds removed (more seeds more spicy) and chopped 2 cups sugar 1 green apple; shredded juice and zest of 1 lime 1 cup blackberries
Combine the jalapeno, sugar, apple, and lime juice in a medium pan and simmer on medium until the jalapeno start to break down. Add the blackberries and cook until a thin jam consistency. Fill and jar and refrigerate. This is great on cream cheese with crackers or with chicken or on sandwiches.
Coconut and lime macaroons 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk 14 oz bag of coconut; shredded 2 extra-large egg whites; at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla pinch of salt zest from 1 lime 15 dried cranberries (soak in warm water to reconstitute)
Heat oven to 325 and line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. Combine the condensed milk, coconut, vanilla, and zest. Whip the eggs and salt until medium peaks form; fold into the milk mixture. Drop teaspoon sized cookies onto the baking sheet and top each with a cranberry. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
(the chocolate is dark chocolate with chili – the spices are from Spice and Tea Exchange)
Southern Basket
clockwise from star
Brown sugar chocolate chip cookies 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 sticks softened unsalted butter 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 bag Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips
Heat oven to 375 and line a cookie sheet with a silpat or grease. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside. In a stand mixer combine the butter, brown sugar, and sugar. Blend until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Slowly add the flour mixture. Using a spoon stir in the chocolate chips. Drop onto the cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool 1 minute then transfer to rack to cool completely.
I learned how to bake from my grandmother Pat “memaw”. She made the nestle toll house cookies from the recipe on the bag. Over the years I’ve messed with it until it came out just the way I like it. The brown sugar gives it a richer flavor. The butter also adds more flavor than the original Crisco. Sometimes I add instant espresso powder (or turkish ground espresso) or cinnamon.
Southern quick bread with cheddar, bacon, and caramelized onion
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon sugar 1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 eggs; lightly beaten 1 – 8oz carton plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup canola oil 1/4 cup milk 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 4 slices of crisp cooked bacon; chopped 1/2 cup of caramelized onions (chopped then cooked over low heat until golden)
Preheat the oven to 350; grease a loaf pan. Combine the flour, sugar, black pepper, baking powder, and baking soda, in a bowl and make a well in the middle. Combine the eggs, yogurt, oil, and milk; add to the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in the cheddar, bacon, and onion. Add to the pan, drizzle the top with melted butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 45-50 minutes until lightly golden.
Dill and pink pepper berry pickled cucumber, carrots, and peppers
2 cups apple cider vinegar 3 teaspoons pickling salt 8 garlic cloves; peeled 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes 4 teaspoons dill seed 2 teaspoons pink pepper berries 2 teaspoon black peppercorns 4 pickle sized cucumbers (I like the english minis); sliced in quarters 8 baby carrots with the tops on; sliced in half lengthwise 8 mini bell peppers in various colors; sliced in half lengthwise
Combine the vinegar, 2 cups water, pickling salt in a pot and boil. Divide the garlic, red pepper flakes, dill seed, pink pepper berries, and black peppercorns among 4 jars. Divide the cucumbers, carrots, and bell peppers among the jars. Allow the brine to cool slightly then pour over each jar until almost full. Cover and refrigerate.
Tomato and onion jam
5 plum tomatoes; diced 1/4 cup Vidalia onion; finely chopped 2 cloves garlic; minced 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1/4 cup roasted red peppers; drained and chopped
Combine all the ingredients in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the liquid is reduced to a syrup. Allow to cool completely then fill 4 jars and refrigerate.
Pimento cheese with bacon and onion
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese 1 – 8 oz block of cream cheese 1/2 onion; grated 4 slices of crisp bacon; chopped 1 teaspoon hot sauce salt and pepper
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl until well blended. If it’s too thick add a little non-fat greek yogurt to thin. Put in 2 jars and refrigerate.
(the spices are from Spice and Tea Exchange – the jar with the tag is local honey)
English Basket
We have afternoon tea every holiday at The Grand Floridian’s Gardenview Tea Room in Walt Disney World. My grandmother, “Rana” had tea in the afternoons it was simple heated sweet tea in a mug and captain wafers with sliced cheddar cheese. Nothing fancy but so awesome. I really miss her. My mom and I really love tea so this was part of a bigger basket. Most of it was purchased. Teas, candies, lemon curd, etc. Here’s what I made…
Cranberry orange scones 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup sugar 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter; cold and cut into small pieces 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla zest of 1 orange 1 cup fresh cranberries; chopped heavy cream and sugar
Heat oven to 400 and line the cookie sheet with a silpat. Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour. Add the cranberries and orange zest. Add the vanilla and buttermilk. Mix with your hands until blended. Pat onto a floured surface and shape into a long rectangular log. Cut into triangles and place on the cookie sheet. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown. Makes 12 scones.
Combine the almonds, plums, apricots, honey, orange zest, cinnamon, anise, and nutmeg in a food processor and process until a sticky ball forms. Make walnut sizes balls and roll in the coarse sugar. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Makes 20 balls.
These are so cool. Everyone’s heard of sugar plums but have you ever made them or even eaten them? Love the idea of such a traditional sweet for Yule.
I make the cake etc for some of my niece’s and nephew’s birthdays. My niece Alex asked for anything chocolate and strawberry. I don’t have a particular recipe I love for chocolate and strawberries so I Googled it. I found the food babbles – keeping life sweet blog. She had a Chocolate cake with balsamic strawberry whipped cream that used the chocolate cake recipe from Sweetapolita – whipping up a sweet life blog. I took the chocolate cake recipe and made cupcakes then added the dark chocolate ganache to the top of each cupcake using the Barefoot Contessa’s technique of dipping the tops of the cupcakes into the ganache. Much tidier. Then I followed Food Babbles recipe for the balsamic strawberry whipped cream and used an ice cream scoop to top each cupcake with the whipped cream mixture. Topped each with a strawberry and sprinkled with espresso sugar from the Spice and Tea Exchange in Winter Park. Went like hotcakes –
For the cake
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour 2 cups sugar 3/4 cup cocoa powder – extra dark and unsweetened 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt 2 eggs at room temperature, lightly beaten 1 cup strong, hot, black espresso 1 cup buttermilk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2 cupcake pans with 24 cupcake liners. Brush the top of the pans with oil so the tops of the cupcakes don’t stick if they rise higher then the top of the liner while baking.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle, add the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; mix just till blended.
While the mixer is running on low add the eggs, espresso, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla; be careful the mixture will be very liquidy.
Pour into the cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake for 25 minutes; let cool 5 minutes then remove from the pan and cool completely.
For the Ganache:
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream 8 oz high quality dark chocolate – at least 72% cocao; finely chopped
Instructions:
Heat the cream in the microwave until steaming but not boiling
Put the chopped chocolate in a small mixing bowl; pour the steaming cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth and shinny
For the Whipped Cream
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups strawberries, tops removed and quartered Strawberries for garnish; tops removed and sliced 1/3 cup sugar 2 tablespoons espresso balsamic vinegar (you can buy this at The Ancient Olive ) 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 1/4 cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons powdered sugar Espresso sugar (you can find this at Spice and Tea Exchange)
Instructions:
Put 1 1/2 cups strawberries, sugar, balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan and simmer over low heat until the berries start to break down and the mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. It will thicken even more as it cools
In the bowl of a stand mixer place the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla, whip with the whip attachment until stiff peaks form
Add the strawberry mixtures and whip on low once or twice; then remove the bowl and carefully fold (not stir) in the strawberry mixture until blended
Using a medium sized scoop put a scoop of the whipped cream on each cupcake, top with a strawberry slice and sprinkle with espresso sugar. Voila!
After making the strawberry whipped cream I realized how easy it would be to make any kind of jam-whipped cream combo. You could make your own jam and whip it in or whip in store bought jam. Peach Bellini jam whipped cream on top of a cake with blackberries! Raspberry whipped cream and chocolate orange cake. Blueberry jam whipped cream and lemon poppy seed cake. Orange marmalade whipped cream. And it’s so easy.
Plus you could mix peanut butter with some powdered sugar or Nutella or Biscoff spread then fold them into the whipped cream. Will definitely post something like that soon.
DAGNY | the g is silent but I am not 