Pulled Pork

I’m still getting into the swing of things with my new crock pot and decided to make pulled pork. If you don’t know by now, I’m a huge fan of any type of pork…just check out all my recipes for it. Once in a while I get a wild craving for BBQ and considering it’s been cold and raining like a shower here lately I thought I would give the crock pot a good workout and try a new recipe. This recipe is quick and easy and turned out pretty darn good. I think next time I will cut down on the sugar, as I thought it was a bit too sweet. You could also use a butt roast for this recipe if you can’t find the boneless country style ribs, just don’t use a pork loin as it would dry out and not be very good after cooking for so long.

Pulled Pork

4 Pounds Country Style Boneless Pork Ribs
1 Onion, skinned and quartered
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled
2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard
2 Teaspoons Salt
1 Teaspoon Ground Pepper
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Cup Ketchup
¼ Cup Worcestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons Liquid Smoke
2/3 Cups Cider Vinegar
1 Cup Brown Sugar (I would recommend starting with half this amount and adjust to taste)

Liberally salt and pepper the pork on both sides. In the bowl of a food processor combine the onion, garlic, mustard, salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, and olive oil; process until very smooth. Combine the onion mix in a small saucepan with the ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, cider vinegar, and brown sugar. Cook over medium heat until just bubbling. Pour enough sauce to coat the bottom of your crock pot. Place one layer of the pork into the crock pot, then sauce, then another layer, then the rest of the sauce. Cook on high heat for 4 hours or on low heat for 8-10 hours. Remove the fat from the top with a spoon and discard. Remove the pork and shred with two forks, place back in pot with the sauce and stir to combine, serve alone or on a hamburger bun for a pulled pork sandwich.

I saw this beautiful magnolia tree in my neighborhood and had to snap a few pictures, spring may actually be coming soon!

Baked Scallops & Asparagus

I had some scallops hanging out in my freezer and thought I would finally rescue them and make a really easy and quick dinner. Do you ever have those days where you just don’t feel like cooking but can’t stand the thought of take-out? If so, this is the meal for you, as it only takes a few minutes. I baked the scallops at the same time as my asparagus and had dinner within about 15 minutes from start to finish.

Baked Scallops & Asparagus

12 Ounces Scallops
1 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs
1 Cup Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Bunch Asparagus
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees. Pull out a large baking sheet, and place asparagus on one side of it. Drizzle a little olive oil over the asparagus and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Next mix together the bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Drizzle the scallops with a little olive oil and then roll around in the breading to coat, place on the baking sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes, then turn on the broiler and continue baking for just a couple minutes until the scallops become golden and crisp. Serve immediately.
Serves 2

Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken

I have been wanting a slow cooker for over a year and finally decided that it was time to take the plunge and make that happen. I was so excited when the UPS truck showed up at my house with my new slow cooker. I immediately opened it up and checked it out, then found a home for it in my basement on one of my metro racks. I have never used a slow cooker, so I had no idea what to make first. My mom, who is so thoughtful sent me a couple of cooking magazines and I got inspired by a dish I saw in one of them and came up with this delicious Moroccan Chicken recipe. I have read many reviews on slow cooking chicken, and thigh meat turns out the best due to the amount of fat it has, as breast meat will get too dry when it’s cooked too long. As a base for this dish I made a yummy couscous which I made last as a side dish with Moroccan Tagine Chicken.

Slow-Cooker Moroccan Chicken

12 Chicken Thighs
2 Onions, coarsely chopped
1 Green Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Cup Chicken Stock
1 14-Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes
5 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
12 Ounce Jar Mango Chutney
4 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons Yellow Curry Powder
1 Tablespoon Garam Masala
2 Teaspoons Sweet Paprika
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable Oil

Garnish

1 Granny Smith Apple, diced
1 Mango, diced
½ Cup Sliced Almonds, toasted
1 Cup Coconut, toasted
2 Tablespoons Flat Leaf Parsley, chopped

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a very large skillet, over medium high heat add just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 10 minutes, remove to a plate. When chicken has cooled slightly, remove the skin and discard. Place the chicken into the slow cooker insert.
Remove all but 1 Tablespoon fat from the skillet and return to medium high heat. Add the onions, bell pepper, and ½ teaspoon salt and cook until vegetables are soft. Add the broth, tomatoes, and tomato paste, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Simmer until thick and smooth, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chutney, garlic, curry powder, garam masala, paprika, thyme, and cayenne. Pour mixture into the slow cooker, turning chicken to coat in the sauce.
Cover and cook on low until chicken is tender, about 4 hours. Turn off slow cooker, stir sauce, replace lid and let stand for about 15 minutes to thicken sauce.
Serve over couscous or rice and garnish with the apple, mango, parsley, almonds, and toasted coconut.

Spanish Rice

I don’t know why I call this “Spanish Rice” except for the fact that it has similar ingredients as my yummy Seafood Paella. I’m not sure if it is Spanish, Mexican, American, or Span-Mexi-Merican? What I do know is that it has a lot of flavor, its vegetarian, has a beautiful color combination, and I want to make it again very soon! I made this dish to serve along side of my Chicken Mole, as I thought just plain white rice might be a bit boring. The recipe is quite simple, it starts with an annatto infused oil, your basic sofrito, and then rice and chicken stock. It has enough flavor and heartiness to be its own meal, or you can use it as a side dish like I did.

Spanish Rice

1 Tablespoon Annatto Seeds (also called achiote seeds)
3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Large Onion, diced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced Fine
1 Red Bell Pepper, diced
2 Cups Long Grain White Rice
4 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Tablespoon Salt
2 Cups Frozen Peas, thawed
¼ Cup Cilantro, minced (or parsley if you don’t like cilantro)

In a 4 quart sauce pan heat the annatto seed and oil over medium high heat until small bubbles start to form, turn off heat and let sit until the oil turns a bright red, saffron color. Using a slotted spoon or strainer, remove all annatto seeds and throw away. Next, add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook over medium heat until just tender, about 5 minutes. Add rice and continue to cook until all the rice is coated in oil and has a “chalky” coating on it, just a few minutes. Add the chicken stalk and salt, and bring to a boil, stir and cook for a couple minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add thawed peas and cilantro and stir until well combined, serve immediately.

Hearty Beef Stew

I have posted a couple other versions of beef stew on here the last couple years, but this is my favorite recipe so far. I keep changing ingredients and trying to make it better and better and this batch came out pretty darn good. What did I do differently with this recipe? Well, I added a few things that I haven’t in the past, stewed tomatoes and wine. It’s a very simple recipe and all you really have to be careful with, is browning the meat. Just do part of it at a time so you get a good sear on the meat and also collect those golden nuggets of flavor on the bottom of the pan. Like most stew’s you do need to let it cook for several hours for all the flavors to meld together and for the meat to get tender. I always buy a chuck roast for stew and cut it into pieces instead of buying pre-cut stewing meat. This way I can trim the excess fat and know that I’m getting a good cut of meat.

Hearty Beef Stew

3 Pound Beef Chuck Roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 Large Onions, chopped
3 Cloves Garlic, minced
6 Stalks Celery, chopped
6 Large Carrots, peeled and chopped
6 Red Potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 Cup Red Wine
1 28 Ounce Can Diced Tomatoes with juices
1 28 Ounce Can Tomato Sauce
6 Cups Beef Broth
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme
1 Tablespoon Dried Rosemary
4 Bay Leaves
Oil, for browning the meat

In a large heavy stock pot (at least 6 quarts or larger) over medium high heat add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan, heat until just smoking. Liberally season the meat with salt and pepper. Working in batches, brown half of the meat stirring occasionally until a dark crust forms, remove from the pot, add more oil if necessary and finish browning second half of meat and remove from the pan. Next add the onion and garlic and cook until just starting to get tender, a few minutes. Add the celery and carrots and continue to cook until they are slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Next, deglaze the pan with the wine, scraping up all browned bits that have formed on the bottom of the pan. Add the potatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, beef broth, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaves and bring to a boil. Turn heat down and simmer on low stirring every 30 minutes until beef is tender, about 3 hours. Remove the bay leaves and serve with fresh chopped parsley as a garnish if desired.

Indian Spice Stuffed Eggplant

Eggplant is one of my favorite veggies, but I hardly ever make it unless I’m whipping up some Indian food. This is such an easy recipe, your essentially stuffing the eggplant and throwing it into the oven. It is full of flavor and goes so well with the tomato sauce. It’s a little sweet, because of the peanuts, but has tons of flavor from all the yummy spices. I often double the recipe and make this as a main dish for dinner. I always serve it with Naan Bread and Basmati Rice.

Indian Spice Stuffed Eggplant

Eggplant
12 Aubergines, Indian Eggplant the size of a golf ball
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds
2 Tablespoons Ground Coriander
2 Tablespoons Ground Cumin
½ Teaspoon Salt
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
½ Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
2 Tablespoons Sugar
¼ Teaspoon Garam Masala
1 Tablespoon Peanuts, roughly crushed
2 Garlic Cloves, finely minced
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro

Sauce
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
½ Teaspoons Mustard Seeds
14 Ounce Can Chopped Tomatoes
2 Tablespoons Chopped Cilantro
2/3 Cups Water

Preheat the oven to 375 Degrees. Make slits in the eggplant.
Mix all the ingredients for the stuffing together in a small bowl. Carefully stuff the eggplants with the spice mixture.
Heat the oil in a pan and fry the mustard seeds for 2 minutes until they begin to sputter, then add the tomatoes, coriander and any leftover stuffing, together with the water. Simmer for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Add the eggplant, cover and bake for 30 minutes, or until soft

Chicken Mole

I love Mexican food, but don’t make it that often. My friend Andy, who makes the most amazing Mexican food recommended that I buy a cookbook by Rick Bayless. Well I did just that several months ago and have neglected to actually use the book. I finally pulled it off my bookshelf, blew off the dust and decided to try out the Mole recipe. I must say that I was really impressed by the amazing flavor, aroma, and complexity of this dish, it was superb! It was a complicated recipe with many steps, so if you are not an experienced cook, you may want to skip this recipe. If you are like me and enjoy hanging out in the kitchen all day, then you should definitely try this out. I changed a few things from the original recipe, and it turned out just perfect, and all my friends raved about how good it was. I might recommend cutting this recipe in half as I ended up with about 6 quarts of mole sauce. It does freeze well, so if you do make the whole recipe, just use half of it and keep the other half in the freezer for later.

Chicken Mole

5 Ounces Tomatillos (3-4), husked and rinsed
1 Ounce Sesame Seeds
½ Cup Lard
12 Dried Ancho Chiles (6 Ounces), stemmed and seeded
4 Cloves Garlic, peeled
2/3 Cups Pine Nuts
2/3 Cups Dried Apricots (4 Ounces), coarsely chopped
8 Cups Chicken Broth, 2 quart sized boxes
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon, freshly ground
¼ Teaspoon Black Pepper, freshly ground
1/8 Teaspoon Cloves, freshly ground
¾ Ounce Mexican Chocolate, roughly chopped
1 Slice White Bread, toasted dark brown and broken into several pieces
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoon Salt
1 Whole Chicken, cut into 8 pieces
Vegetable Oil, for frying

First set out all prepare and set out all ingredients.
Spread the tomatillos on a baking sheet and roast them 4 inches below a very hot broiler until darkly roasted and blackened in spots, about 5 minutes. Flip over and roast on the other side for 4-5 mintes more, until slightly blackened and soft. Set out two large bowls, scrape the tomatillos, juice and all, into one of them.
In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring constantly, until golden, about 5 minutes. Scrape them in with the tomatillos.
Measure the lard into a large dutch oven (7-9 quarts) and set over medium heat. Tear the chiles into flat pieces, and when the lard is hot fry the chiles, three or four pieces at a time, flipping them continually with tongs, nuntil their interior side has changed to a lighter red color, about 20-30 seconds, don’t fry so they smoke or the mole will be bitter. As the’re done, remove them to the empty bowl, driaining as much fat as possible back into the pot, continue until all chiles are fried. Cover with hot tap water and place a small plate on them to keep them submerged. Let stand for 30 minutes.
With the pot still over medium heat, fry the garlic, stirring regularly, until browned and soft, about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place into the bowl with the tomatillos. Add the pine nuts to the pot and stir until they’re lightly toasted, 1-2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and add to the tomatillo bowl. Add the apricots as well.
Use tongs to transfer the rehydrated chiles to a blender. Add 2 ½ cups water. Blend the chiles to a smooth puree, adding a little extra water if necessary to keep the mixture moving through the blades, place puree back into the bowl
Without washing the blender jar, scrape the tomatillo mixture into it. Add 1 cup of the broth along with the cinnamon, pepper, cloves, chocolate, and bread. Blend to a smooth puree, place back into the tomatillo bowl.
Check the fat in the pot; If there’s more than a light coating over the bottom, pour off the excess; if the pt’s pretty dry, film the bottom with a little more lard. Set over medium-high heat. When quite hot, scrape in the chile puree and stir nearly constantly until the mixture has darkened considerably and thickened to the consistency of tomato paste, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the remaining chicken stock to the pot and stir to combine. Partially cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 45 minutes. Check the consistency: the mole should be thick enough to coat a spoon, but not too thickly. If it’s too thin, simmer it over medium-high heat until a little thicker.
Taste and season with salt and sugar, it should be a delicate balance of salty, sweet and spicy. Add more salt or sugar to taste.
To prepare the chicken: In a skillet large enough to hold all pieces of chicken, heat enough lard to cover the bottom of the pan over medium-high. Fry chicken, turning occasionally until nicely browned. Reduce heat to low and cover chicken with ½ of the mole sauce, turn to coat. Cover with a lid and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through and very tender, about 2 hours. Sauce will continue to thicken and turn a very dark deep red color. Serve chicken with the mole sauce, garnish with a little fresh cilantro.

Cream Wafers

I remember these cookies growing up and to this day they are still my favorite. My mom and dad came through town this last week and my mom brought these and a homemade loaf of banana bread. It was really funny because I was just talking to a co-worker the week before about these amazing cookies that my mom always made me growing up. I couldn’t remember the name of the cookie, nor describe how they taste, besides delicious. I handed them out to a few of my co-workers and it was a universal thumbs up for this recipe, and no one could find the right words to describe them because they are so different than anything you have ever tasted. They are light, fluffy, buttery, sugar, and amazing, and that’s about the only way I can think of these delicious treats. You can color the frosting with any color of food coloring, but my mom always made it pink or a light peperminty green, enjoy!

Cream Wafers

Cookies:
1 Cup Butter, at room temperature
1/3 Cup Whipping Cream
2 Cups Flour
Granulated Sugar

Filling:
¼ Cup Butter, at room temperature
¾ Cup Powdered Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Food Coloring

Cookies: Mix thoroughly butter, cream, and flour. Cover and chill.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll about 1/3 of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thick on a floured board. Cut into 1 ½-inch circles.
Transfer rounds with spatula to a plate filled with granulated sugar; turn each round so that both sides are coated with sugar. Place on an ungreased baking sheet. Prick rounds with a fork about 4 times.
Bake 7 to 9 minutes or just until set but not brown; cool.
Filling: Cream together butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and fluffy. Tint with a few drops food color.
Assemble cookies by placing a thick layer of filling between 2 cookies.
*Recipe from Betty Crocker Cookbook