Pork Roast with Herbs and White Wine

Gotta love parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme!  Can also throw in potatoes to roast.  We like this as an alternative to turkey or ham at the holidays, but it's also great in the summer when you have a surplus of rosemary in the garden.

3-4 lb pork roast

1 carton plus one can of chicken broth

1/2 bottle chardonnay

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tbsp parsley

1 Tbsp rosemary

1 tsp sage

1 tsp thyme

4 cloves chopped garlic

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Mix all ingredients in roasting pan and cook in 350 degree oven for 2-3 hours.  When done, remove roast from pan.  Strain herbs out of drippings and pour into a sauce pan to make gravy over medium heat, adding 2 Tbsp butter and 3 Tbsp flour to thicken slightly.

Tortilla Soup

On Saturday I made tortilla soup.  This is easy-peasy and really good---although a warning that it is on the spicy side.

1 can Mexican corn, drained

1 can black beans with jalepenos, drained

1 can diced tomatoes with chiles

2 cups chicken broth

2 cups water

2 teaspoons Maggi chicken caldo mix

1 lb chicken, cubed

lime juice to taste

Simmer for 2-3 hours, then serve with sliced avocado, tortilla chips, and sour cream and cheese garnish.

This is how sweet my little man is.  Here he is sitting on the couch reading his Bible and holding hands with his dad. I took a picture so I could remember this in a few years when he's an impossible teenager!

Update:  Low sodium version - instead of 2 cups chicken broth, 2 cups water, and 2 tsps Maggi caldo mix, use 4 cups low sodium chicken broth, 4 cloves minced garlic, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp oregano, and 1/2 tsp onion powder.

Lemon-glazed donut holes

This weekend I tried making this recipe from Sweet C Designs:

http://www.sweetcsdesigns.com/10-minute-baked-cinnamon-sugar-donut-holes/

The donut holes turned out great, but Sweet C and her family must like cinnamon *way* more than we do!  One of the things I loved about this recipe was that it called for lemon extract as well as vanilla (both of which I make myself), so the donut holes had a delicious light lemony taste.  My son loves anything lemon flavored, so I decided to put a lemon glaze on the donut holes instead of cinnamon, and it was awesome!  Here is the lemon glaze I used:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp lemon extract
2 tablespoons melted butter
1 Tbsp lemon juice

Mix the ingredients well, and then pipe onto the hot donut holes.  Yum!

Homemade, Home-grown Lavender Gelato

I've been craving lavender gelato lately, and I finally got a few blooms on my lavender plants after a long rainy summer, so I made Domestic Daddy's lavender gelato recipe this week, adding a little purple food coloring to pretty it up.  Wasn't sure if my tiny amount of homegrown French lavender would work, because it called for dried culinary lavender, but holy cow---if the lavender taste was any stronger it would knock you over! I will let my nine-year-old, Ian, (who amazingly enough loved it) give you the final verdict:

1.  Lavender gelato: sounds disgusting but it's not

2.  Respect it: it's awesome!

3. Respect the maker because it's homemade.

So there you have it folks: respect me, respect my gelato!   ;-)

Simple homemade granola yogurt topping

This was today's little experiment.  I wanted some plain granola, simple granola topping for my yogurt---no raisins, no nuts, just sweet toasted oatmeal goodness.  Couldn't seem to find it at the grocery store, so I bought some oats and decided to make it myself.  This makes just enough for a week's worth of breakfast toppings, but I assume you could double it if you wanted.

1 cup rolled oats (not instant, the real kind)

1 T flour

1/8 cup brown sugar

4 T apple juice

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cooking oil 

cooking spray (to grease cookie sheet)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Mix all the dry ingredients together with a fork until well-blended.  Then add all the other ingredients and mix well.  Spread in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet and cook for about 30 minutes or until just slightly browned.  Allow to cool and dry for 30 minutes, then store in sealed container.

Yummy yogurt goodness!   :-)

Pear Tart Recipe

 

Back in summer 2000 I spent 2 weeks in England.  There was a little bistro within walking distance of our B&B in Bloomsbury that was open late, and our study abroad group used to go there frequently in the evenings to have dessert and coffee after playing hard at being tourists all day.  They had the most wonderful pear tart, and I have since tried a number of times to recreate it but it just wasn't the same.  Then recently two things happened:

a) I found a recipe for French sweet pastry

b) I was talking to a friend who said he hated amaretto, and then the subject turned somehow to my pear tart recipe search.  The next day I realized, amaretto!  That's what would give the pear tart that almondy tang without resorting to almond paste, which I am not crazy about.

So, after 13 years of hit-and-miss (ok, it wasn't the only thing I was doing all that time), here is my long-awaited heavenly pear tart recipe!

Pastry

2 ½ cups flour

½ cup sugar

½ cup butter

1 egg yolk

4 Tbsp water

Dash of salt

Pear filling 

6 pears, cored, peeled and sliced thinly

1 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla

2 tsp amaretto

1 Tbsp butter

2 tsp flour

2 tsp corn starch

Heat butter in microwave for 15 seconds to soften.  Mix all pastry ingredients and roll into ungreased tart pan.  Brush with an egg yolk mixed with 2 Tbsp. water, prick bottom with fork tines, and cook in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until crust is dry and firm.

Simmer the pear mixture in a small saucepan on medium low heat until it begins to thicken and the pears start to soften, then pour into prepared tart crust.  Cook in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes or until pie crust slightly browned, pears are tender, and filling reaches desired thickness.

Fine by itself or dress it up by serving with vanilla bean ice cream, gorgonzola cheese, or fresh whipped cream.

Pimiento cheese recipe

Didn't take a picture of this, unfortunately, since I was just experimenting and didn't know if this would turn out ok.  This version of the old favorite is definitely tangy rather than sweet.

3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 4-oz jar pimientos
1/2 cup mayo
1/4 cup cream cheese
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
dash of pepper

Drain the liquid from the jar of pimientos and discard it and then chop the pimientos finely. Mix pimientos with cheese.  Mix in mayo, cream cheese, and Worcestershire sauce, then the dry ingredients.  Mix until all dry ingredients are dissolved, then chill for 1 hour or overnight.

Chelsea Ware and Shepherd's Pie Recipe

The prodigal daughter is back, after two weeks sick as a dog, two grandma visits, and being a "theatre widow" in charge of little man by myself while drama teacher hubby has a musical in rehearsal. My mom is getting nearly ready to retire and is trying to prepare to sell her big house, so she brought a bunch of very cool old stuff to hand down to me when she was here a few weeks ago. Here is great grandma's Chelsea ware:

She also brought me a bunch of old silver---or is it silverplate?---that she says she never uses.

Also this little vintage vase. Is that cute or what?

Possibly a little late for today, but if you're like the McGuire's you celebrate St. Patrick's Day on into the weekend, so for your dining pleasure, here is:

Kathy McGuire's Shepherd's Pie

5 medium red potatoes

1 lb ground chuck

about a tablespoon olive oil to coat the pan

1/2 medium onion

2 tablespoons margarine

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup beef broth

2 teaspoons of Worcestershire

2 tablespoons sour cream

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon mustard

dash salt

dash pepper

1 16 ounce cans of peas, drained

1 1/2 cups shredded Colby or cheddar cheese

1-2 green onions, sliced

Slice potatoes in a food processor and boil in water for 10-12 minutes until tender but not sticky. Drain and set aside.

While you cook the potatoes, brown the ground chuck in a frying pan on medium heat. When the meat is browned, add the onions and saute until tender. Reduce heat to warm.

In a separate small frying pan, melt the margarine and stir in the flour over medium heat for several minutes. Add the beef broth and the Worcestershire, and heat for a minute or so, whisking together, and then whisk in the sour cream. Add the sauce mixture to the meat mixture along with the parsley, thyme, mustard, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Stir in the peas gently.

Preheat the oven to 440 degrees. Pour the meat mixture into an iron skillet, and cover with a layer of potatoes. Sprinkle with cheese, then put on another layer of potatoes, then a final layer of cheese. Sprinkle some sliced green onions on top. Cook in a 440 degree oven for 20 minutes.

I'm posting this to Vintage Thingie Thursday.

Homemade Chili to Give

Needed some gifts for our several "Pay It Forward" campaigns (I've got one here and one one Facebook, and my husband has one on Facebook) plus for a couple of folks we (whoops!) missed at Christmas, so we made jars of homemade chili mix. The recipe is sort of a combo of Clint's favorite recipe, the one in Homemade, Best Made, and my frijoles soup recipe. And, yeah, that's right---I have a guacamole dish in the shape of a cactus. I'm originally from San Antonio, so I can do things like that. ;-)

In a quart jar:

1 small package dried kidney beans

In two small baggies:

Seasoning packet #1:

1 Tbsp onion flakes

1 Tbsp chicken boullion

1/2 tsp garlic powder

Seasoning packet #2:

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp thyme

2 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp red pepper

1 bay leaf

Put the following directions on an attached card:

Additional ingredients required: 1 lb ground beef, 1 can tomato paste, 1 can tomato sauce

Rinse and sort the beans; soak them overnight in water that covers the beans by about an inch and a half. Drain.

In a large stock pot, place the beans, 2 quarts of water, and seasoning packet #1. Bring to a rapid boil, then lower the heat to about medium and simmer for one hour. Add water gradually if stock boils down.
Brown one pound of ground beef in a skillet and drain off the excess grease. Add the cooked ground beef, seasoning packet #2, 1 can of tomato paste, and 1 can of tomato sauce to the pot of beans. Turn up the heat and bring once again to a boil, then lower heat again and simmer for 30 minutes or until the beans are soft. Discard the bay leaf and serve with grated cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Chicken Pot Pie

Another cold weather fave! If you are a purist, feel free to make the pie crust from scratch. I usually do make crusts from scratch for holiday pies, or if company's coming, but the rest of the time I'm lazier, and honestly, the rolled-up premade ones you buy at the store are so good I can hardly tell the difference. You can double this recipe if you need to feed a larger crowd than a family of three to four, but you will need to do a bit of cutting and shaping of the pie crusts if you use premade ones. Also, if you're trying to watch your fat intake, 2% milk and margarine taste just fine in this recipe!

Kathy's Pot Pie

1 stalk celery, sliced

4 baby carrots, slivered

3 red potatoes, cubed

3/4 pound boneless chicken, trimmed of fat and cut in cubes

2 Tbsp chopped onion

1/4 cup canned peas

1 can mushroom pieces and stems

1/3 cup butter or margarine

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup flour

fresh ground pepper

2 cups milk

1 rolled premade pie crust

Put the celery, potatoes, and carrots in a medium saucepan, cover with water and boil for 20 minutes. Saute the chicken and onions in a frying pan until the chicken is cooked and set aside. In another sauce pan, melt the butter, then stir in the flour, salt, and a dash or two of fresh ground pepper. Add the milk and stir constanly over low heat until thickened, then remove from heat. In a medium bowl, gently mix together the chicken, onions, celery, potatoes, carrots, and drained mushrooms and peas. Mix in the sauce, then pour into a 9x9 casserole dish. Cover with the pie crust, trimming off the excess. Cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

Homemade Minestrone Soup

A great recipe for a snow day! It's very easy to make, and inexpensive as well: our local dollar store has most of the ingredients (except the garbanzo beans.)

Kathy's Minestrone

1 can garbanzo beans
1 can diced tomatoes (or whole tomatoes, cut up)
1 can red kidney beans
6 cups beef broth
1/2 medium onion, sliced
2 stalks of celery, sliced
5 baby carrots, slivered
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 tsp)
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
dash of salt and pepper
1 cup medium shell pasta

Mix all ingredients except the pasta in a large stockpot (Do not drain the liquid from the cans of beans and tomatoes.) Cook for about 3 hours at a simmer, then bring to a full boil and add the pasta to the soup. Cook as directed on the pasta package. After the pasta is cooked, remove the soup from the heat and serve.

Here's a picture of the soup simmering on the stove (haven't added the pasta yet.) The whole house smelled great---just the way you want it to on a cold day!