Grilled Pork Chops

I do love to grill, and now that I have my dad's little Weber gas grill it does make it easy to fire it up any weeknight for a quick meal. I picked up a package of boneless center cut pork loin chops from Costco...so it was a big package and they were cut pretty thick. The last time I grilled chops I had the bone-in which tasted great, but a little hard to eat. So I went with the boneless, but I didn't want them to dry out so I tried using a marinade and I was very happy with the out come.


The marinade:

• 1/4 cup oil ( I used rice bran oil, but you can use olive oil)
• 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce ( I checked many labels)
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (I used white balsamic)
•  2 teaspoons herb de provence
•  1 teaspoon your favorite grill seasoning

Mix it all up in a large plastic sealed type bag, and add the chops. Marinate for 3 - 6 hours in the refrigerator. 

Heat up the grill and cook 6-9 minutes per side depending on how thick they are. I started out with a hot grill, got some good grill marks, then quarter turned to get another grill mark. Then turned it down to med heat and put the lid down. Flipped and finished cooking until done...they should feel firm or you can check the temp 145 - 150 degrees.

Remove from grill and let them rest under a foil tent for 5-7 minutes. Or turn the oven on for a minute and then off and let them rest there until everything else is ready to go!

They were very moist and tender, and I was happy with them. The flavor of the marinade was spot on perfect, and this recipe is a keeper.  I cooked up the whole package and threw some in the freezer, and took one for lunch the next day. They warmed up nice and tasty in the microwave. From the freezer I put the in a dry frying pan and covered it until warmed. They would be great for breakfast too!

Black-Eyed Peas with pork jowl

 New Year's Day we just had to have the southern dish to celebrate the day. It is suppose to bring you good luck and prosperity. Black-eyed peas with hog jowl and greens.

It was a beautiful day, clear sky in the 70s...I think we were the warm spot in the country. My husband was out jet skiing, my daughter had a friend over and they were trying out her new mini bundt baking thing...it makes pretty little cakes. I'll show you how they turned out later.

For the black-eyed peas I had picked up some smoked pork jowl that they had in the New Year's display case at our local supermarket, along with the peas, and greens. I trimmed it, diced it and rendered the smoked jowl. Then added, celery, onions, and garlic (all diced and chopped nicely). About a pound of the black-eyed peas that were frozen instead of fresh this year. Then some chicken broth that I had in the freezer, enough to cover the peas about an inch. or so. Seasoned with some savory, bay leaf, and peri-peri sauce (from South Africa) I didn't need to salt it much because of the smoked jowl is a little salty, but you can salt and pepper to taste. Cook for an hour or two until everything is tender and the right thickness that you like.

The hog jowl is a lot like bacon and you can use this or ham hock in it's place. It was a nice buttery texture that melted in your mouth when the dish was all finished. Right near the end add the kale, or the greens that you have and cover until tender.

We went out to walk the beach while they were cooking. There was no wind and it was so comfortable, and it was so beautiful at sunset. We came back to enjoy our New Year's meal.

Just as good as I remember, and everyone cleaned their plate.

 Have a great New Year everyone!

Hoppin' Skippin' John

For New Year's Day this year we had some black-eyed peas and greens, it took me a month to post it, man I even missed posting it for Chinese New Year. The problem is I didn't really go by a recipe (yes, I know that's not an excuse, but it's the best I have), but I went by several recipes plus with a little bit of this and a pinch of that...so it made it a little difficult to post. Living in the south the stores here have everything fresh, ready, and available for making black eyed peas and greens. they will evean wash and tear the greens for us in several differnt kinds to choose from. Then they put it on sale at a very good price so you really can go wrong. Eating this on New Year's day is believed to bring good fortune. I bought some fresh shelled black eyed peas and kale instead of turnip, or collard greens...just because I know my family will eat kale and enjoy it.

Never working with fresh black-eyed peas before I went by what it said on the package. So I boiled them for the amount of time on the package...if you were using dried you would want to soak them over night, and drain, then cook them is fresh water for twenty minutes or until tender..

I used and adapted from the recipe on the package and the Hoppin' Skippin' John recipe from Graham Kerr's Best cookbook.

ingredients:

1 pounds black-eyed peas (fresh or frozen)
or 1 cup dried
1 small onion,or large shallot (I used) finely chopped
1 celery rib, finely chopped
2 garlic clove, minced
2 bay leaves
4 whole cloves freshly ground
1 tablespoon loosely packed thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or Red pepper flakes to taste
freshly ground sea salt and black pepper to taste
3 cups water or broth
2 cups torn greens (collard or kale or what eve you like) washed and stems removed

Hot cooked rice

In a large deep skillet or Dutch oven or stew pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderate heat and cook shallot until soft about 3 minutes. Add celery, thyme, bay leaves, ground clove and garlic cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the peas, salt and pepper, red pepper flakes, and water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer till the peas are tender but not mushy, about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Add the greens and cook for about 5 minutes add more water if needed.Remove the bay leaves and squeeze a little lemon juice and you can add fresh parsley to top it off. Serve over rice.



I didn't use ham in my Hoppin' John, but I didn't make a pork roast to serve with it. Pork is also eaten on New Year's day. I seasoned it with a blend that I picked up at the German store. Cooked it until it reached 160 degrees. I still have to cook my pork all the way through, I know you can go less nowadays, but I just can't do it. Since this was such a lean pork loin roast I watched it carefully not to over cook it and have it dry out.

Of course this could be eaten anytime of year...and I always love the pan drippings over the moist meat, so full of flavor, better than any gravy!

Such a lazy day after dinner. Our neighbor's cat has adopted us (I think that's what cats do choose where they want to hang out) he will come in and make himself at home now instead of a quick walk through visit. He knows now that Tucker is so old he doesn't have to worry...

...he can walk right by him and not wake Tucker up. He is such a sound sleeper now that he can't hear much any more...it sucks getting old.

Aww...he must of fallen asleep on the futon in the bonus room after he unloaded the groceries and read the sports page...hehe

Neggie must of been going through some cookbooks on the couch in the living room before it wore him out...I wonder what recipes he is dreaming of? I hope he wrote them down...oh...to have such a rough animal's life

Lavender Pork Roast

Ahh...perfect weather for a roasted dinner....well maybe in other parts of the country. Here in south Florida if we waited for cold weather to use our oven it would not get too much use. So I use it all year round. This is actually a better time to use the grill because we can leave the doors open and not worry about the AC being on going in and out to the grill. We had a little bit of cool air for a few days before Halloween and it was in the upper 60's which is unusual to be that cold so early. It didn't take long for us to get back to normal. We are now a perfect 80 - 83 degrees, clear skies, but it seems too dry for me (I like it humid). I know...call me weird everyone else does, but isn't that why we live in Florida? I never complain about the heat either, just the bugs!

After making my lavender syrup and jelly... I had some lavender left over and thought hmmmm... okay maybe not hmmmm, just hmm...I'll bet there are some good savory dishes that I could use the lavender in. I did have a nice lavender dressing when I was in New Zealand, but I'm not big on making salads. Maybe a few...I do have an up and coming post of a chopped salad.


...anyway back to the main dish, Pork roast! I have a nice pork loin roast, a little too lean to cook in the crock pot, so into my Le Creuset French Oven it went!!


I went in the garden...well the rosemary is under the lemon tree and the other herbs are in clay pots on my front porch. Snipped some fresh herbs to go in with the dried lavender that I had left.

I cut it in half and flopped it over to add the chopped garlic, lavender, and fresh chopped herbs of sage and rosemary, and a champagne dijon mustard to hold it all in place. I probably should of cut it so I could roll it up rather than flop it over in place before tying it up....yay and I get to use more of my butcher's twine (you know I have a huge spool of it).


As I was preparing the meal I felt like I was being watched...turned and yes! Our neighbor's cat came over to take a seat on our kitchen window sill. I went out to get a photo, he looked so cute peaking around the corner...but jumped down before I could get a good shot.

... back to the meat! I tied it all up and browned the outsides. Topped with a whole grain mustard before baking...okay now I'm getting ahead of myself, I guess I better back up and give you the recipe:


Lavender Herbed Pork Roast

1 (2-3 lb) boneless pork loin
1 tablespoon or 2 sprigs of fresh minced fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage leaves
2 tablespoons culinary dried lavender flowers
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup dijon mustard
fresh ground sea salt and black pepper
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon olive oil for browning the meat

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, 375 if not browning the meat first.
You can use a pork tenderloin for this too, but the cooking times would be shorter of course.
After placing the herbs and garlic in the center of the pork roll together and tie with cooking string. Brown it first, then add or rub on the whole grain or dijon mustard to the roast. Place pork in a roasting pan and pour the wine in the bottom. Roast the pork for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until pork is done. Remove it from the oven and let the meat rest about 15 minutes before slicing.


I had some fresh mushrooms and potatoes that I added to the roast about halfway through the cooking time so they wouldn't get over cooked....


The meat is done and the potatoes fork tender.


After removing the meat (to let it rest) and potatoes, use the pan drippings. You can add a little more wine and dijon, or stir in a little half and half or cream. Make sure you skim off the fat, I usually do that first, add a little more sage and lavender if you like...
See this is the part that is always hard for me to write down because it all goes by looks and taste to how much of and what to add. I sure hope I am not confusing you at this point. Or better yet just call me (email me) when you make it and I'll talk you through this part. :) okay? :)


There it is just resting, waiting to be cut into...

...a little sloppy, but good.


Pour the yummy juice or gravy over the top just before serving and enjoy.


... don't forget to serve it with the herbed potatoes

It is supposed to be beautiful all through the weekend!

Chicken Larb Lettuce Wraps

I had some ground (minced) chicken that I wanted to use up, but my husband wanted to us to meet him and his brother (who is visiting from Michigan) to watch the Tampa Bay Lightning play-off game. If we went to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch it...we could also watch the Tampa Bay Rays play at the same time. Talk about stimulation overload. Anyway I thought I could quick make some chicken larb, a Thai dish that made with chicken or pork, and is often eaten cold and made into a salad, but I remember watching Giada De Laurentiis make turkey larb and made them into lettuce wraps. Perfect!

Ingredients:

1 lb ground chicken
juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup broth
1 shallot chopped
2 cloves garlic chopped
1 tablespoon lemongrass chopped (I keep some in the freezer)
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 or 2 tsp Thai, chili-garlic sauce (a sweet spicy sauce)
1 tsp coriander (optional I just thought is sounded good)
1 tablespoon toasted rice powder (I used it just because I had it)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped

Method:

Place chicken in a bowl and squeeze the lime juice all over it. While it is marinading heat some oil in a skillet or wok and cook the onions until soft, about 5-7 minutes, add garlic and chicken and cook until chicken is done Add oyster sauce, chili-garlic sauce, coriander, toasted rice powder, and broth. Cook until broth is absorbed. Stir in cilantro after you turn off the heat. Serve on leaf lettuce, or whatever lettuce you like.

I liked how the chicken larb was warm, wrapped in the cold crisp lettuce. When Maranda saw it she asked...oh can I have some of the appetizers? So that's what we had before we went out to meet everyone else. Their loss! I had the leftovers for lunch with some purple sticky rice!

Hope you all have a great hump-day!

Pork Satay with Peanut Dipping Sauce

There is just something about eating meat on a stick! It is fun and casual and always tastes better eating something from a stick! The dipping sauce doesn't dampen the fun either. The other day I found some thin sliced center cut boneless pork loin chops on sale. I figured slice that thin it would be a quick meal. Then when I got them home they were extremely thin so I decided to make satay and just sliced each one in half lengthwise, I loved how easy it was to prepare the strips.

For the marinade I used a combination of several recipes that I have run across over the years.

Marinade ingredients:

1 shallot (or you can use onion)

3 cloves garlic - smashed and chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon coriander

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon grated ginger

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon mirin (or any sweet wine you might have)

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon chili oil

2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice

dash of paprika and chipotle chili powder (optional)


I didn't use any sugar in the marinade...just my personal preference. I just used the mirin to sweeten it just a touch. I also didn't use peppers...my husband's preference. So if you like it spicy you can add some peppers or cayenne to spice it up.

Place the meat in the marinade and let it set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. Soak the bamboo skewers in water so they won't burn when grilling or broiling the skewers.

Run the skewers through the strips of meat weaving in and out. Place on a broil pan, and broil for 3 minutes per side, until done.

I don't have a gas grill so I figured it would be better to broil them, instead of waiting for the charcoal to be ready when they are on the grill for such a short time.

For the peanut dipping sauce you can make it several ways, but this is what I did.

Peanut dipping sauce:

1/2 cup organic natural peanut butter (homemade or store-bought)

1 small shallot chopped fine

1 clove garlic chopped fine

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 tablespoon dark soy sauce

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon lime juice

1/3 cup coconut milk

1 teaspoon garlic chili sauce (a spicy sweet sauce) I was able to sneak in a little heat :D

fresh chopped cilantro

With a little vegetable oil or sesame oil in a sauce pan and saute shallot and garlic until soft about 4 minutes. Add peanut butter and the other ingredients and heat through. Add some fresh chopped cilantro after removed from heat just before serving.

You can adjust the liquids depending how thick you like the sauce.

Enjoy as a meal or snack.




On Mother's Day we just enjoyed the morning at Sarasota Bayfront, where we had breakfast sitting outside enjoying the beautiful weather. We were back again today with my husband's brother and girlfriend that came down for a visit.

Tucker always like it because we can take him along with us when we go. Everyone treats him so nice and makes an old dog like him feel so special.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day and enjoyed it as much as I did...I know it's late. So if it's too late I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend this week!

My last post was dropped and I had a few comments that were lost as well. I might try to re-post it, but I know with the last weeks of school I am just looking forward to the summer! I'll have a lot more time to play around here!

Champandongo ~

I first discovered Kathleen and her blog Cooking in Mexico when she posted a comment on Steamy Kitchen . From her comment I had to check out her blog, and I love Mexican food so it was a win win for me. Kathleen is a delight and I love her blog with all the fantastic photos and her recipes are definitely worth checking out. When I first arrive on her blog this was the recipe I saw and just knew I had to make it. Living in southwest Florida we have easy access to Mexican and Latin foods. I used Mexican crema in the recipe instead of sour cream...I picked it up at Walmart, it was that easy to find. You can use sour cream, but I had this in hand so I wanted to use it up.

We can also get several brands of jarred Mole (pronounced with an accent on the first syllable: MO-leh)sauce, but she suggested this one Dona Maria. You can find this in the Latin section of your market, or I found it at Sav-a-Lot, they have a couple of aisles of Hispanic and Latin foods... I love it. I think next time I will check our Mexican Market to see if they have fresh made mole!

While I was doing some research on the recipe before I made it I ran across Hispanic Kitchen and a few others that all seemed to stem back to the book Like Water for Chocolate...where this recipe was from. Apparently this is a little known recipe, it is like a Mexican lasagna without the red sauce. Thanks to Kathleen's recipe I have discovered this new (to me) flavorful one dish meal. So like always... I made it the way I thought my family would like it, but stuck pretty close to the recipe. I skipped the dried fruit, I didn't think my daughter would like it.

Champandongo

1 lb. ground pork
7 oz. walnuts, chopped in small pieces (not ground)
7 oz. almonds, chopped in small pieces (not ground)
2 shallots, chopped
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 cup beef broth
1/4 cup molé
8 oz. queso fresco (or manchego or Monterey jack cheese), grated or thinly sliced
2 tsp cumin (more if you like)

1/2 tsp salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoon orange juice

1 cup fresh spinach leaves (OK I strayed here, but I had some on hand and like to sneak some veggies in when I can)
1 lb. tortillas about 9
1/2 cup Mexican crema (or sour cream thinned with milk)
Oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet heat some oil and sauté shallots, and cook the meat and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin. Once pork is browned, add broth, molé,tomatoes and nuts and squeeze the juice of the orange on top (add more or less to taste). Add more salt and cumin if you like.

I left the nuts a little large kind of a rough chop...which was nice for Maranda since she ended up picking them out. The almonds were slivered, because that's what I had.

That's why I added the spinach (I had it on hand), and you couldn't even tell I snuck it in there. I added some cilantro too, I thought it might brighten it up.

Add tomatoes, nuts, mole, cumin and beef stock.
Stir and simmer 10 minutes over medium heat, add more broth or water if it gets too dry or thick.

Meanwhile, heat tortillas in a little oil in a non-stick pan.

Spread a thin layer of the cream on the bottom of a large, glass casserole dish (I used my lasagna pan). Layer tortillas on cream, cutting to fit if necessary, then a layer of the meat mixture, then a layer of cheese. Repeat layers ending up with the cheese on top.

Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and finish baking until it is bubbly and the cheese is a little golden or the way you like it.

Top with sour cream and garnish with some chopped parsley or cilantro...

...or you could top with some more mole. (I really don't like chopping cilantro) just saying...

I enjoyed this dish, it was so different, and if you know me... you know that's why I had to make it. I like the mole, it really gave it a nice depth to this hearty dish. Of course with the cream and cheese....yum! I think when I make it again I will skip the almonds and use just 8 oz. of the walnuts, and make sure they are toasted first.

I sprinkled mine with a little chipotle powder on top...just to add to my chipotle kick lately! Wade liked it, you know he doesn't like things too hot and spicy. Maranda ate it all...except the nuts she picked out, and of course topped with sour cream her favorite topping. I froze the leftovers, just like I do with lasagna.

Crockpot BBQ Pulled Pork

When my parents were down visiting for a month they stay out on Siesta Key, just minutes from our house. It's nice having them so close. Of course it sometimes takes awhile to get over the bridge to go to their condo with all of the seasonal "tourists" traffic. The traffic on a warm sunny day can back up to US 41. This time of year us "locals" just have to time things a little differently....anyway they decided to have the Super Bowl Party at their condo this year. The friends where we usually go didn't have one this year so we crashed my parent's party. My mom had the menu planned and we all were going to bring something. She wanted me to bring some dessert and I was going to bring the Coconut Chocolate Bars...yes! easy peasy!

Then she asked if I would do the pulled pork and she would make the dessert since I had the crockpot. Sure! She bought the pork and I put in in the crockpot the night before to let it cook all night. That way I would know it would be done and ready for her party. I also brought some black beans and cilantro rice...which weren't on her menu. Oops! Well we loved the leftovers.

I saw this recipe on Deep South Dish and it sounded very good and not too sweet, and she had a large piece of pork like I did! Perfect. I adjusted it just a little from her recipe which she first saw on Food Network.

1 large sweet onion, sliced (I used a Florida sweet onion)
6 to 9 pound pork shoulder or( I used Boston butt roast)
sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tablespoon smokey chipotle powder or rub (there are many available now, I like Penzey's too)
1-1/2 cups of barbecue sauce - (I used a Memphis style I haven't perfected making my own yet)
1/2 cup of chicken broth
1/4 cup of mustard
2 teaspoons of hot sauce (I used peri-peri sauce)
Couple dashes of liquid smoke - optional (since I used the smokey chipotle I skipped the liquid smoke)

Season the pork with salt and pepper and rub the chipotle powder into the meat like anytime you apply a meat rub. If you are using a rub that has salt already in it you can skip adding more salt.

Scatter the sliced onions on the bottom of a 6 quart crockpot. Place the season pork on top with the fat side up.

In a bowl or large measuring cup mix the rest of the ingredients with a whisk and pour over and around the pork. Cover and cook on low for 10 - 12 hours, or on high for 6 hours until the meat is cooked through (160-170 on instant read thermometer) I did it overnight for twelve hours!

Carefully take the pork out of the crockpot and let it rest on a platter for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it cools enough to shred it by hand. You can use forks if you prefer, but I can feel the fat and remove it when I use my hands.

I decided to try using the remaining sauce in the crockpot. Carefully pour the juice from the crockpot into a saucepan, I used a fat skimming cup first to remove a lot of fat. Bring the mixture to a boil; boil until reduced by half and thickened, stirring regularly. I added a little Worcestershire sauce, hot mustard powder, ginger/garlic paste and a touch of honey, but you don't have to.

We picked up some little slider type buns, and served them with some extra sauce, and the sauce that I reduced from the crockpot. One was spice and the other a little more sweet...that way everyone is happy. The meat by itself was so full of flavor it was even good without sauce!

Everyone enjoyed it and said it was so moist and tender! They teased my mom saying how nice she could have the party "catered". They were all finished eating by the time I could get my camera out. I know...wild crowd huh? They were all full and ready for the game...


...they even invited some Steeler's fans!

My mom liked it too and thought I did a good job, whew!... and here I was worried because she kept telling me how my older sister did this for Christmas...I felt the pressure, then to find out she didn't have my sister's it was for the other side of her family!

I will definitely make this again....