Crockpot Carnitas

The recipe is:  you rub the spices on the pork roast, put it in the crockpot with citrus juice squeezed on top, and let it cook.  That's it.  It's minimal work for maximum flavor...enjoy :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

1 tablespoon each of your favorite dried mexican spices.  I use:

cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and dried oregano.

2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon pepper 

one 5-pound pork butt (trim excess fat but leave some for flavor and juice)

1 large onion, quartered

1 bay leaf

the juice of 2 oranges and 3 limes (plus extra limes for the finished carnitas)

small, street taco flour tortillas 

Toppings:  chop radishes, cilantro/parsley, jalapeno pepper, green onions, fresh limes, cotija cheese

Combine all spices in a bowl and rub all over your pork roast--sides and bottom, too.  Place in the crock pot on top of the quartered onion with bay leaf.

Squeeze the juice of oranges and limes over and around the pork.

Cook for 5 hours on low or 7-8 hours on high.

When it's done, take pork out of the crockpot and place in large pan, with the slices of onion that have cooked down.  Shred with forks.  NOW YOU HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE:  do you leave it as is, a pan of juicy, citrusy meat or place it under the broiler to get the pork browned and crispy on the edges?  I have done both, but usually leave it as is because that garlicky, sour orange juice that runs down your hand when you take your first bite is heaven.

(if you choose to brown the meat, place it on a sheet pan under the broiler for approximately 5 minutes until the edges become browned and crispy)

No matter what you decide, sprinkle some finishing salt over the meat before serving--

Warm tortillas in oven if you used it to brown, or in microwave if you didn't

Place meat and toppings in your tortilla and enjoy! 

TIP #1: a squeeze of fresh lime puts it over the top--sour heaven!

TIP #2 because I love you:  these taste even better the next day.

Dinner Salad: roasted butternut squash, chicken, and toasted walnuts

 

I like dinner salads to be substantial, with the lettuce being just one of many ingredients, not the whole of it.  This salad is perfect for that and covers all the bases:  equal parts protein, cheese, dried fruit, chewy grain, roasted vegetable, toasted nuts, and lettuce—any combination of your favorites will do.  Sometimes I use chicken and squash, other times flaky tuna and tomatoes, or beef and asparagus.  Sometimes Arugula, other times Kale or romaine.  Use what you like and switch it up, you can’t go wrong 😊

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

 

The amount of ingredients depends on how big you want your salad, you decide

This is a quick, weeknight meal if you let the grocery store help you:

 

cubed butternut squash (I buy it already cut up in the produce section)

½ cup (when dried) cooked barley (would also be good with couscous, quinoa, or farro)

walnuts

dried cranberries 

cooked chicken, shredded (a rotisserie chicken from the deli is perfect here)

arugula (I buy it triple washed and ready to use)

swiss cheese, cubed

vinaigrette

olive oil

red wine vinegar

(maybe) 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

salt/pepper

• Cook your barley according to package directions and set aside to cool slightly.
• Make your vinaigrette:  I like ¼ cup vinegar, 1/8 cup oil, and a teaspoon of mustard.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper and mix.  

When the barley is cooling, add a few teaspoons of the vinaigrette and mix, so it soaks up some of the flavor.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lay out your squash on a cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil.  Mix with hands to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast in oven.  In the last 7 minutes of cooking, add the walnuts to the pan to toast.

 Let squash and nuts cool slightly; if walnuts are whole, chop them roughly and assemble your salad:

 Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl.  Dress with some (or all) of the vinaigrette.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.   

Simple Flirtini

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

   ~ Leonardo da Vinci

You likely already know how to make this drink, and if you don’t, you should.  It’s bubbly and festive and equally welcome in the twinkling lights of the holidays as it is in the fluttering firefly lights of summer. These four simple ingredients can create a night of endless possibilities, whatever time of year.  I’ll drink to that :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

your favorite vodka (not flavored)
pineapple juice
Prosecco
fresh pineapple or maraschino cherries for garnish
ice
cocktail shaker, chilled martini glasses

One part vodka (1/3 cup) and 2 parts pineapple juice (2/3 cup).  Fill cocktail shaker with ice, add vodka and pineapple juice.  Shake hard for 45 seconds so that thin shards of ice break off in your drink.  Pour into a chilled martini glass approx 4/5 of the way full and top off with prosecco.  Garnish with maraschino cherry or fresh pineapple

* originally posted 12/2015

Emily's Visit: the "in-between" sandwich

"What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. And Brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me." 

~ Erich Segal, Love Story 

Emily wasn’t 25, she was 23.  And she WAS beautiful and brilliant.  And she loved my brother-in-law.  Like crazy.

One day when Emily was 20, she saw a tiny white bump on her leg.  No big deal.  Finally one day she asked her Dermatologist about it.  It turned out to be a form of Cancer so rare that the National Health Institute did a study on her.  She was 21 by then and every few weeks for about a year she’d make the trip from Shelby, Michigan to Bethesda, Maryland so they could monitor her and attempt to treat the disease.

In the middle of all this, she and my brother-in-law Corey took a short trip to Naples for some relaxation.  Out of the car stepped this 5’7”, 127 pound gorgeous girl, tan skin with long blond hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen.  It looked like she’d been kissed by the sun, and if I didn’t know any better, she appeared to be the very picture of health.  Golden girl, with a personality to match.

She was wearing a silky maxi dress that looked amazing on her lithe figure, and a credit to her age, she had a trendy colorful band wrapped around the middle of her arm that matched her outfit.  I later found out the dress was to hide her legs which, by this time, had been covered in big white bumps, and the wrap was special medical tape that hid the portable IV in her vein.

While Corey was doing things in town, she came over to say hello.  Realizing in the middle of the day that she had not yet eaten, I offered to make her a sandwich, but had not been to the store.  I always, however, have the ingredients on hand for the “in-between sandwich.”  That’s the sandwich I make myself while I’m cooking holiday dinners because it’s small, quick, and easy and you can eat it standing up while you’re stirring gravy.

It’s cheddar cheese, the juiciest tomato you have, lots of cold mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, salt and cracked black pepper, on a toasted sourdough English Muffin.  And because the English Muffin is hot, the mayonnaise and the mustard get kinda liquidy, mix with the tomato juices, and run down your arm.  It’s really good.  

Emily and I had a great visit that day.  Corey picked her up and they left for Epcot the next morning.  I never saw her again.  The last time she went to Bethesda, they told her there was nothing more they could do for her. She died a few months later.  She was 23.

I make this sandwich for myself every holiday and always think of Emily when I do.  Young, beautiful, and hopeful, as only a 23 year old girl could be.

This holiday season, please take the time to enjoy your family with a loving and grateful heart. It’s the things you have, not the things you don’t.  And give yourself a big hug from me…you know I love you :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

Tomorrow, when you're elbow deep in mashed potatoes and stuffing in the kitchen, this sandwich comes in pre-tty han-dy so you don't fall over from starvation before dinner...

  

1 English Muffin

1 tomato (doesn't matter what kind as long as it's ripe and juicy) 

cheddar cheese

mayonnaise

dijon mustard

salt/cracked black pepper

Toast English Muffin really well so that the heat melts the cheese and condiments, and also so that the bread doesn't get soggy from the tomato

Spread both sides liberally with mayonnaise and mustard.  Add cheese, then thick slices of tomato and salt and pepper on top.  Close sandwich and eat.

* originally posted 11/17

Homemade Croutons

Homemade croutons are such a luxury.  They're deceptively easy, and so versatile--use them in soups, salads, or as a snack, and your ingredients will depend on you.  At their simplest, the base is olive oil, salt, and pepper but I have added parmesan, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, and rather than a baguette I've used pumpernickle, which is really good for caesar salad--

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

1 crusty baguette, cut or torn into bite-size pieces

your favorite olive oil

salt/pepper

optional:  garlic powder, chopped fresh parsley (I use both)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place bread cubes in a large bowl.  Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with seasonings, and toss to coat.

Place on cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes, until they are crispy and golden brown.

When done, remove from oven and sprinkle chopped parsley over while still hot.

Roasted Acorn Squash

Fall means one thing in my house: acorn squash.  We wait all year for the first day of Fall and no matter what day it lands on, I always make the same thing...a garlicky pork loin roast with an herb crust, white and wild rice, crusty rolls, and roasted acorn squash.

Too many people don't make any of the squashes (acorn, delicata, butternut, spaghetti squash. etc) because they simply don't know how.  But don't let a vegetable scare you--I'm here to help. You'll be surprised at how easy they are, and they look impressive, too. Try something new--you AND your family will be glad you did :)

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WHAT YOU WILL NEED:

1 acorn squash serves 2 people (so buy as many as you have guests)

butter

light brown sugar

salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cut squash in half.  Each half serves one person.

Scoop out the seeds and scrape clean, like you would a pumpkin (you can also roast them like you would pumpkin seeds)

scape out seeds on the right to resemble cleaned half on the left

Place each half in a large roasting pan

In each half, place 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon brown sugar.  Fill pan with approx.  1 inch of water so the squash will steam while cooking and won't dry out

Roast 1 hour on 350 degrees

ready for the oven

When finished, spoon a little of the brown sugar liquid on the edges of the squash and sprinkle lightly with salt

melted butter and brown sugar, right out of the oven

Place squash in a bowl for individual servings alongside each plate.  This way, the squash will remain upright when eating 

 

(originally posted 9/14)

Fish Fry

Labor Day weekend is upon us.  No doubt you'll be feeling the fun gathered with family and friends, going to cookouts, etc.  How about when everyone comes to YOUR house though, you do something a little unexpected...like a fish fry!  Ya?  Awesome...

It's the freshest fish, fried all at once in batches, then laid out for your guests to help themselves to some crispy, cornmealy, hot, flaky goodness.  Doesn't that sound good? And once your friends try it and thank you all over the place, you'll be the star of the show.  Doesn't that sound even better?  :)

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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)

Get yourself a fryer.  They're affordable and easy to use, and way less messy than a cast iron skillet.  I bought mine (DeLonghi) for $80

fresh fish filets, trimmed and cut into large pieces.  
(They should be a firm white fish.  I used black grouper and mahi)  
oil for frying (peanut or canola, for its high smoking point)
cornmeal
all-purpose flour
cornflake crumbs
milk
eggs
hot sauce or sriracha
Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper
optional condiments:  tartar sauce, cocktail sauce, lemon

How much of everything you use depends on how many people you are having.  Adjust accordingly, you'll know--

Make the coating for the fish:
Use equal parts flour and cornmeal, then half that amount of cornflake crumbs
For instance: 1 cup each of flour and cornmeal, and 1/2 cup of cornflake crumbs, plus a few shakes of cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Combine in large zip lock bag

Make egg wash:
Whisk together 2 eggs, a little milk, and some hot sauce in a bowl.  

egg wash and coating

Place some fish in egg wash, then shake in coating, then fry according to your fryers instructions.
Drain on newspaper covered with paper towels, and sprinkle a little salt on top
Do this in batches until all the fish is cooked.

** I serve this fish with jalapeno corn bread and a cool spicy mango salsa.  If you want to try it, I've included the salsa recipe for you.  The cornbread is just my favorite boxed mix with jalapeno slices on top.

 my jalapeno plant

MANGO SALSA:

2 or 3 mangos, diced
1/4 of a red onion, diced
1 handful fresh cilantro, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
juice of 1 lime
1 red bell pepper, chopped

Stir all in bowl and chill in refrigerator.  Before eating, stir and season with a little salt and pepper to taste.

* first published 9/17