Mom's Newest Favorite Coleslaw

So what to do with that leftover steak fry sauce from Mare's blog? Make dressing for your bagged coleslaw mix!

I had about 1/3 cup of the sauce (sour cream, sweet chili sauce and Sriracha) left over, to that I added about 1/3 cup of mayo, 1 TBSP honey and 1 TSP cider vinegar. Whisk all together and add just enough milk to thin it out a bit.

Add about 1/2 a bag of coleslaw mix (green and purple cabbage and carrot)for this amount of sauce and toss till well coated.

We had the leftover pork roast on toasted buns with a little of Papa's BBQ sauce and this coleslaw. Really delicious with a great subtle kick!

Enjoy!

I love you guys! xo

Valentine's Dinner 2014 Dijon Crusted Pork Tenderloin

Dijon Crusted Pork Tenderloin, Marin's Steak Fries and Roasted Asparagus

I used a small 2 lb pork tenderloin rubbed it with EVOO , salt and ground pepper,  and about 1/4 cup of coarse dijon mustard, wrapped it in plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for an hour or so.

Preheat oven to 425 F

Mix 1 cup of panko (any  bread crumbs will do) 2 TBSP KAF Pizza Seasoning (if your bread crumbs aren't seasoned already) and 1/4 cup parmesan. 

Unwrap the roast, drizzle with boiled cider, then roll in the breadcrumb mixture, thoroughly coating it. Drizzle with EVOO before putting in oven.

Place on rack in baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, check internal temp - should be 160 Deg F when done. Remove if at temp and let sit for 10 mins before slicing. It should still be pink inside.

I baked the steak fries (see Mare's blog) and roasted the asparagus (coated with EVOO, s&p and drizzled with lemon) while the pork was baking. I took Mare/Jake's sauce suggestion but mixed the ingredients all together- sour cream, sweet chili sauce and Sriracha to dip the fries in. If there is any sauce left - keep it! See my next blog :)

While these were all in the oven I carmelized some sweet onions on the stove, along with a couple of apples, cored and sliced but not peeled and served those on top of the pork.

For dessert we had Key Lime Creme Brulee (a really easy mix - you just add cream and whole milk and microwave for 6 minutes!) Dad did the carmelizing of the sugar. It was yummy!

Enjoy! I love you guys xo

Creamy Bacon Risotto

Ingredients:

½ lb	Thick Cut Bacon, coarsely chopped
1	Large Shallot, minced
¼ tsp	Fine Sea Salt
⅛ tsp	Freshly Ground Black Pepper
½ cup	Dry White Wine
1 cup	Arborio or Caraoroli Rice
4 cups	Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth
¼ cup	Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, plus more for serving
2 Tbsp	Dry Sherry
½ cup	Frozen Baby Green Peas

Directions:

Cook bacon in a large saucepan over medium heat until crisp, stirring occasionally. Transfer to paper towels to drain, leaving drippings in pan.
Add shallot, salt and pepper to drippings, then stir 2 minutes. Add rice and stir 4 minutes. Add wine and stir until liquid has evaporated. Add one ladle of broth. Cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Repeat with remaining broth, one ladle at a time. When rice is tender and all liquid is absorbed, add bacon, cheese and sherry. Taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Remove from heat and gently stir in peas. Serve immediately with additional cheese.

Vietnamese Bouillabaisse

Mom's take on Jim's.......


I heated a couple tablespoons of EVOO, added a heaping teaspoon of minced garlic and about 1/2 cup of roughly chopped leeks (but you could use scallions or onion) sauteed for  a couple of minutes, then tossed in a couple handfuls of coleslaw mix (green and purple cabbage and carrot) and continued to saute for a couple more minutes before adding about 8 cups of seafood stock* (I made it a while ago and had it in the freezer)  and as much chili pepper sauce or paste depending on how much heat you want (I used about a tablespoon of Sambal Oelek chili pepper paste that I had on hand). Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.

When ready to serve - either ladle out a couple cups of the soup (or use water) into a pan, bring to a boil and add a handful of rice noodles, cover and turn off the heat. Let them sit  3-5 minutes to al dente, stirring once to separate them. While these are softening toss  the seafood (shrimp, scallops, fish, mussels - whatever you want) into the simmering soup. It won't take long for the seafood to cook. (I would cut the shrimp in half next time. They look nice whole but it seems like you have more if they are in smaller pieces :)

 Put as much of the noodles as you want in your bowls and top with the soup. Serve with crusty roll or bread.

That's it!

Mare - please chime in here with any tips you have from watching Jim make it or when you made it yourself!


*To make the seafood stock simmer in water left over shrimp peels and mussel shells with some onion, celery and carrot for a couple of hours, then strain.

I love you guys, xo Mom

Turkey or Chicken Pie with Biscuits

2-3 cups cooked turkey or chicken ( a roasted chicken works great for this!)
(I used 2 large turkey thighs and baked them, skin on. Then I used the pan drippings to help make the gravy.)
1 cup diced onions
2 cups dices or shredded carrots
1/2 bag frozen peas
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 cups turkey stock or water
3 TBSP flour

Saute the onions and carrots in the turkey drippings for a few minutes then remove and make the gravy. To do this you add a little stock to the drippings and heat till boiling, then add more stock and the cream of chicken soup. Stir with a whisk to make smooth, it will be thin. Stir 3 TBSP of  cold stock or water into the 3 TBSP of flour, I used Gluten Free Flour so Marin could eat it but all purpose flour is good, and stir until smooth, use more stock if you need to - you want to be able to pour it in amd not be too thick. Slowly whisk the flour mix into the hot gravy stirring until thoroughly mixed, thickened and smooth. Add the sauteed veggies, turkey or chicken and peas and simmer till bubbly.  Season with steak seasoning or just salt and pepper. Pour into a baking dish so it is about 2/3 full.

 I usually put the baking dish with the gravy etc into the oven at 400 deg F till bubbling then put the raw biscuits on top and bake until the biscuits are cooked.

Store bought uncooked biscuits will be fine unless you want to make your own. (Follow the directions on the can for temp and cooking time. It may call for baking them at a higher temp which is fine) Remove from oven when biscuits are cooked.  Let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving.

If you want a good biscuit recipe let me know and I'll post one!

Cranberry sauce and bread and butter pickles are great with this!

xo Mom

Chicken Enchiladas

Mexican Spice Mix

2 tsp cumin

3 TBSP chili powder - i used chipotle pepper chili powder

1 tsp garlic powder

Filling

2 boneless chicken skinless chicken breasts or a small roasted chicken
s & p
1 cup combination of chopped red/yellow bell pepper and hots

1 red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes

16 corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, - recipe to follow
1 cup shredded cheeses of your choice


Preheat large skillet with EVOO. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brown chicken over medium heat, 5-6 minutes each side or until no longer pink. Sprinkle with Mexican Spice Mix before turning. Remove from pan and let cool before shredding. (Tom's job!)

Saute onion, garlic and peppers in same pan until tender. Add corn and black beans.  Mix well to deglaze the chicken drippings. Add tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes, then add the shredded chicken. At this point I think you could make this filling into Tortilla Soup by adding chicken stock and a jar of salsa! I'm going to try it soon.

Enchilada sauce - so much better than canned :)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon flour (I used gluten free flour)
3 TBSP  chili powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup finely chopped combo bell/hot peppers
1 cup chicken stock
1 28 oz can diced, whole or crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a medium saucepan heat oil, saute chopped peppers briefly, add flour stirring until mixed. Cook for 1 minute. Add chili and garlic powders and cumin. Cook for 30 seconds. Add stock, stir so the flour mixture doesn't  lump.  Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken. If you want a smooth enchilada sauce, run it through the food processor after it cools or blend with an immersion blender. Next time I'm going to use Chipotles in Adobo for the hots.

Microwave tortillas on high for 30 seconds. This softens them and makes them more pliable. Coat the bottom of 2 (13 by 9-inch) pans with a ladle of enchilada sauce. Using a large shallow bowl, dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Spoon 1/4 cup chicken mixture in each tortilla. Fold over filling, place 8 enchiladas in each pan with seam side down. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree F oven until cheese melts. Garnish with cilantro, scallion, sour cream and chopped tomatoes before serving.

Mom's Latest Favorite Pizza!

Now or Later Pizza Dough (recipe from KAF)

•  1 3/4 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
• 1 1/4 cups semolina*
• 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Pizza Dough Flavor (optional, but delicious)
• 1 teaspoon instant yeast
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons to 1 1/4 cups lukewarm water
• *Use 3 cups all-purpose flour OR 3 cups Perfect Pizza Blend in place of the all-purpose/semolina mixture, if desired

I start with a cup of fed sourdough starter in place of 1 cup of flour, then add the other ingredients and mix in my stand mixer with the dough hook but it can easily be done by hand. I usually make the  dough in the morning, put the dough ball in a big plastic bag sprayed with nonstick spray, and close the bag loosely at the top with a twist tie. Give it plenty of room to expand as it rises!  I leave the bag of dough out at room temp for 45 mins or an hour then stick it in the fridge till 1-2 hours before I want to use it. 

Dough: Mix all ingredients together well and knead for 7 minutes; the dough should be smooth and quite soft.  If kneading by hand, mix the ingredients, then let the dough rest, covered, for about 30 minutes; this will give the flour a chance to absorb the water, which will make kneading easier.

Divide the dough in half. Note: for thick, Sicilian-style pizza, leave the dough in one piece, and press it into a rimmed half-sheet pan (18" x 13"). I make the Sicilian style and double the recipe if I want to make 2 big pizzas.

Working with one piece of dough at a time, plop it in the middle of a greased pizza pan or cookie sheet, sprinkled with a bit of semolina if you like, I do :) Put a little EVOO on your hands and go to work spreading (pushing) the dough out from the center to the side of the pan. If it the dough creeps back let it rest for 5 or 10 minutes and try it again till you can get the dough spread out to the crust. 

Brush the dough with a little EVOO and let it rest while you heat your oven to 450°F. For thickest crust, let your pizza rest/rise for 30-60 minutes before baking.

Baking: I bake the 'naked' crust for about 6 minutes then take it out and top it with EVOO and your favorite toppings. For this pizza I used a spicy red sauce, (pesto is good too), pepperoni, onion, peppers, mushrooms, arugala, kalamata olives, parm or asiago and then torn pieces of fresh mozzarella. I sprinkled  a bit of the KAF pizza seasoning on too before baking.  Lately I've been chopping all the veggies in the food processor so there are just little bits of them all over the pizza, really tasty.  I didn't do that with this one though :) This is what it looked like topped before finishing the bake:

Bake for 6 minutes for a thinner crust or for up to 8 minutes for a thicker crust or until the cheese is golden and bubbling.  Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before slicing.