It's that time of the year.....

So I won't be writing more resolutions about posting more blog posts.  We see that didn't quite work too well in 2013.  Resolutions for this year????  Let's just say to organize my clutter a bit better.  I've already started with a christmas wrapping paper organizer!!  No more random rolls of paper rolling around- YEA.  Seriously, organize my recipes so I can post more blogs....and throw out the recipes that tanked like the crockpot lasagna soup. Oh and I was just reminded that at midnight last night we decided to go with a meatless day in our house.  However, meatless includes seafood....

After cooking up a storm for the holidays I took a break...see last post of last year- if that didn't induce a heart attack we are all lucky.

January 1st is always full of putting away the christmas decorations and football.  We must get it all done before the Rose Bowl starts.  So football food: NACHOS.  Whoever is coming to my house of superbowl will definitely be eating these nachos as well as my favorite wing recipe.

Loaded Nachos

Adapted from: Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 whole Yellow Onion, Diced
1 pounds Ground Beef
1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
1/2 teaspoon Paprika
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 teaspoon Pepper
1 can (14-5 Ounce) Pinto Beans, Chili Beans, Or Ranch Style Beans
1/2 cup Hot Water
Tortilla Chips
2 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
Pico de Gallo
Guacamole
Sour Cream

Directions
1. In a skillet over medium-high heat, half the onion and the ground beef.  Cook the meat until it's totally browned, then drain the fat.
2.  Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Add the beans and hot water and stir. Reduce the heat to low and simmer  until most of the liquid is evaporated.
3.  The key is the layer the ingredients so that every chip has a little taste of everything.  Place a layer of tortilla chips on a platter or plate. Top with a layer of the beef/bean mixture, then add half of the cheddar cheese. Add another layer of chips, another layer of the beef/bean mixture, and the other half of the cheese.
4.  Microwave in 45 second increments until the cheese is melted and bubbly. (You may also place the platter into a 325 degree oven if it's heatproof. Just leave it in until the cheese is melted.)
5.  Top with plenty of pico de gallo, guacamole and sour cream.

Enjoy!

Bacon Wrapped Turkey

Need I say more.  Anything with bacon tops my list.  We spent Thanksgiving away this year so I missed out on the hoopla that was Thanksgiving.  I did think that 2 cups of butter was a bit over the top.  While I love butter, we do have high cholesterol in my family.  The bacon kept the turkey moist.  I served it on the side, but ended up having left over bacon since everyone filled up on turkey.  I chopped up the bacon the next day and threw it in an omelette.

I worked at carving the turkey this year as the gourmet sites say you should.  I cut out the breast on each side and then sliced it.  Then I took both legs and thighs off.  I sliced of the dark meat off the thigh.  All in all I think for the first time it turned out beautiful and pretty easy.  p.s. mine was not as beautiful as martha stewarts....


Adapted from: Get Crocked

Ingredients:

Before roasting

1 (13 lb) whole turkey (uncooked)
1 cups butter (softened)
1 1/2 ounces fresh sage
1 lb or more of bacon (uncooked)
1 onion
1 garlic clove
salt (to taste)
pepper (to taste)

After roasting remove the foil

Directions:
1.  Pre-heat oven to 325°F
2.  Remove giblets and neck from Turkey. Rinse turkey with cold running water and drain well. Blot dry with paper towels.
3.  Chop Onion and Garlic and mix together. Once chopped and mixed, stuff the Onion and Garlic mixture into Turkey.
4.  Tie up the Turkey’s wings, legs, and drumsticks with Kitchen Twine as desired.
5.  Chop Sage and mix in with softened Butter.
6.  Rub Sage/Butter mixture under the skin and over the skin of the Turkey.
7.  Salt and pepper Turkey to taste.
8.  Place uncooked, Bacon slices all over the skin of the uncooked Turkey. They will stick onto the buttered Turkey.
9.  Place Turkey in a roasting pan and use Foil to tent the uncooked Turkey.
10.  Remove foil tent for last hour of cooking Turkey.
11.  Continue to let bacon cook on Turkey for an additional 15 minutes, then remove. (OPTIONAL – Bacon can then be chopped and placed in a separate dish of your choice).

The finished product

12.  Remove Turkey from oven once 160 degrees is reached internally in the Turkey.
13.  Allow Turkey to rest for 20-30 minutes, then carve (during the rest period, Turkey will continue to cook to 165 degrees).

Grilled Korean Short Ribs

Who says it is too cold to grill.  Our grill operates 365 days a year.  More than the post office.  Rain, Sleet, Snow.... The flavor in this steak will have you drooling for more.  Beware the short rib is no filet.  Be prepared for a little gristle. It is what makes the meat flavorful.

Recipe from: Epicurious

Ingredients:
1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cupmirin (sweet Japanese rice wine) or sweet Sherry
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/4 cup oriental sesame oil
1/4 cup minced garlic (about 15 cloves)
2 large green onions, chopped
5 pounds Korean-style short ribs (beef chuck flanken, cut 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick across bones; about 20 pieces)


Directions:
1.  Combine all ingredients in a ziploc bag for 6+ hours.  I like to do this overnight.
2.  Take the meat out to room temperature 30 mins before grilling.  Prepare the grill on med high heat.
3.  Grill 3 mins per side.  Less if you want to see the pink.  Any more and you well have chewy well done steak.

Snickerdoodle cookies

Soft chewy cookies

 These are a hit and definitely on my top 5 cookie of all time list.  I'm a huge fan of cookies that are chewy and stay fresh for a few days.  I hate the cookies that are soft and chewy out of the oven and then after a day are crispy and crumby (not sure that is a word, but you know what I mean).


Ingredients:
1 cup butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 3/4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar
 3 teaspoons cinnamon



Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Wet ingredients - Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl.
3. Dry ingredients - Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.
4. Mix the wet and dry - Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture.
5. Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge.  Don't skip this step.  I think it is key. Unless you want flat cookies
6. Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.
7. Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture.
8. Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture.
9. Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes.
10. Remove from pan immediately.

Italian Sausage Soup

One dish meals. Need I say more.  On a rough day like today where the world is shut down due to snow.  This is the perfect soup to fuel the crew. It is super quick to pull together and doesn't require tons of simmering before eating.

Ingredients:
1 pound Italian sausage
1 clove garlic, minced
2 (14 ounce) cans beef broth
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes
1 cup sliced carrots
1 (14.5 ounce) can great Northern beans, undrained
2 small zucchini, cubed
2 cups spinach - packed, rinsed and torn
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1.    In a stockpot or Dutch oven, brown sausage with garlic. Stir in broth, tomatoes and carrots, and season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes.
2.    Stir in beans with liquid and zucchini. Cover, and simmer another 15 minutes, or until zucchini is tender.
3.    Remove from heat, and add spinach. Replace lid allowing the heat from the soup to cook the spinach leaves. Soup is ready to serve after 5 minutes.

Hundred Corner Shrimp Balls

I served these little shrimp balls at the wine party in 2011 and just recently for a New Year's party.  This year I was able to use two of my new kitchen toys.  I used the Vitamix to process the shrimp and my deep fryer to cook up the shrimp balls. Honestly this recipe sounds hard, but it's terribly easy for something that tastes so good! Shrimp with a little crunch from the water chestnut and the crunchiness from the fried panko on the outside. MMmmmm.  I will have to make these again soon.  They make a great entree or appetizer and they do reheat well - not that there were any leftover.

Adapted from Epicurious



Serve with Apricot Dipping sauce below


Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb large shrimp (30), peeled and deveined
8-oz can water chestnuts (1 cup), rinsed and finely chopped
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons finely chopped chilled fresh pork fat
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine or Scotch
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion greens
2 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
3 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
About 8 cups vegetable oil


Directions:
1.  Preheat oven to 425°F.
2.  Pulse shrimp in a food processor/Vitamix until finely chopped.
3.  Transfer to a large bowl, then stir in water chestnuts, egg white, pork fat, rice wine, ginger, scallion, salt, and cornstarch. Beat shrimp mixture vigorously with a wooden spoon and throw it against side of bowl until combined well and compacted.
4.  Wet your hands with cold water and form teaspoons of shrimp mixture into balls, arranging in 1 layer on a wax-paper–lined tray. Coat balls, 1 at a time, in panko, then arrange in 1 layer on another wax-paper–lined tray.
5.  Heat oil and fry balls in 4 batches, turning, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes
6.  Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.

Apricot Dipping sauce
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups apricot jam
2 tablespoons soy sauce, or to taste
3 tablespoons finely chopped scallion greens
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, or to taste
Dash of Tabasco, or to taste
Directions:
Melt jam in a small saucepan. Stir in remaining ingredients with salt and pepper to taste and serve warm.

Cook Once. Eat Twice. Pulled Pork

We spent most of July 4th weekend at the pool and we definitely eat dinner there every night.  By the 4th night I was struggling to make something that was set it and forget it.  I picked up some pork shoulder and decided I wanted easy to make pulled pork.  I searched..."Slow Cook Pulled Pork."  I know very creative. I found this recipe.  Seemed easy enough however, I didn't follow the last part of the recipe where it makes it's own sauce.  I ventured to the targeee (aka Target) and got two sauces, Mustard Vinegar and Sweet Smoky Sauce.

Day 1: Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Ingredients:
3 TBSP light brown sugar
2 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 3-to-4-pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
3 TBSP tomato paste
potato buns or sandwich thins
Barbecue sauce and prepared coleslaw, for serving

Directions:
1. Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar, the paprika, mustard powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork.

2.  In my multicooker I set it to Brown/Saute and heated the vegetable oil; add the pork and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, 5 minutes. Remove the pork and transfer to a plate; whisk 3/4 cup water into the drippings in the multicooker.

3.  Add the vinegar, tomato paste, the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 cups water to the slow cooker and whisk to combine. Add the pork, cover and cook on low, 8 hours.

4.  Remove the pork and transfer to a cutting board. Roughly chop half the pork. I re-heated the pork in a pan on the grill while the corn cooked on low.  Store the other half of the pork without the juices for Day 2.

5.  Serve pulled pork on buns with accompanying sauce and coleslaw.


Day 2: Santa Taco Stew 

Pork Stew

1 TBSP Vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 package of low sodium taco seasoning
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
1 15 ounce can pinto beans rinsed and drained
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
1 cup beef broth
1 lb shredded pork
Sour cream
Tortilla chips/Flour Tortillas

1.  In large dutch oven heat oil and add onion and garlic powder.  Cook over med-heat 2-3 mins until onion is tender.
2.  Add taco seasoning, tomatoes, beans, corn and chiles, mix well.  Add the meat and stir.  Bring to a boil uncovered over med-high heat for 30 minutes and stir frequently.
3.  Serve with Tortilla chips and dip or in flour tortillas like a taco.

Note: These taste better the day after making it.