Slow Cooker Pork & Polenta

Posted in Dinner, Slow Cooker by

Slow Cooker Pork and Polenta3

I have a problem. I may have to find a SCA (Slow Cooking Anonymous) meeting.

I just bought my 5th slow cooker.

To be fair, I run a baking business out of my home kitchen and my ovens are nearly always on, and filled with biscotti, breads, or scones. This makes it very hard (at times) to get dinner on the table at a reasonable hour – so I have turned to slow cookers to fill the needs of my family (Do they really need a home cooked meal every night?) and the needs of my business. It’s a delicate balance, and five slow cookers seem to be the magic number – or at least I’ll keep telling myself that.

I have scoured all the normal resources for slow cooker meals, and let me tell you – there is a lot of bad stuff out there. There is nothing worse than letting a meal cook away, yummy aromas wafting through your kitchen, only to find soupy and dry (how does that happen anyway?!) slop on your plate and wrinkled noses on your children’s faces.

This. THIS, however, is a dish that has a  thick sauce, tender meat*, and even contains a starch that is neither mushy (no pun intended!) or tasteless at the end. Here is the kicker – it is SO good you don’t even need the meat. Make this without the pork and you have a wonderful and tummy-filling  Meatless Monday.

 

* This meat dish is the most tender if you use pork shoulder (also called Boston Butt). If you are in a pinch, or don’t want to break up a large pork shoulder, country style boneless pork chops can be substituted.

Cooking Time 5 1/2 hours to 7 1/2 hours

Ingredients

8 ounces slices white mushrooms

1 cup chopped onion

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

0.4 ounce package dried portobella mushrooms, chopped

2 tablespoons instant tapioca

salt and pepper

2 pounds pork shoulder

18 ounces (1 tube) cooked polenta (also called cornmeal mush here in the midwest)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

 

Preparation

Combine white mushrooms, chopped onion, tomato paste, olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Microwave 2 1/2 minutes, stir, then cook for another 2 1/2 minutes. Drain.–

Slow Cooker Pork and Polenta1

– Place drained cooked vegetables, dried portobella mushrooms and instant tapioca in slow cooker and stir until combined.

– Slice pork shoulder into 2 inch cubes. Lightly salt and pepper. Nestle pork into vegetable mixture in slow cooker.

– Set slow cooker on high for 5 hours (or low for 7 hours).

– When 5 hours (or 7) have expired, slice polenta into 1/4 inch rounds and shingle over top of pork filling. Top with Parmesan cheese.

– Set slow cooker on high for an additional 30 minutes, letting the cheese melt and polenta warm through. Serve.

 

I think it is nearly impossible to take a good picture of a crock pot dish…. Please note – I did not use all the polenta called for in the recipe and regretted it. Use it all, and shingle (overlap) more than I did here:

Pork and Polenta4

Spreading the Baking Love, Part 2

Posted in Desserts by

I am fresh off my first ever culinary class where I was on the other side of the counter. All fourteen sets of eyes looked at me with expectation, wonder, excitement and (thank goodness) friendliness. There were all walks of life there. Five ladies, two of whom frequent nearly every class Jungle Jim’s offers (that wasn’t intimidating. at all.), two college aged foodies, a man with his mother – he gave her the class for Mother’s Day (yes, we all collectively ‘ahhhed’ when we found out), a mom and daughter team, and a single man who had never baked before. Ever.

JJ Baking Class 2

Two sous chefs, Ellen and Debbie, prepared a lovely spread of cheese, meat and fruit for the class to nibble on. See that salami in the foreground? It’s imported from Italy. I think I ate my weight in it – they may have to send me a bill.

JJ Baking Class

Ellen and Debbie also had everything set up for me when I arrived. This was a partial hands-on class, so the students got to make their own scone dough at the stations you see here. We sent the dough home so they can either bake it off right away, or freeze (all or some of it) for whenever they get a hankering for Raspberry Lemon goodness!

I then demonstrated making Chocolate Almond Biscotti and Scottish Shortbread.

JJ Baking Class 3The students had great questions, did a fantastic job making the scone dough and were so warm and friendly that I simply can’t wait to do this again! Now if I can only talk Ellen and Debbie into coming over to help me bake for Bites of Nostalgia…

Warning: Shameless Plug Ahead

My next class at Jungle Jim’s will be on August 16th – I hope to see you there!

Here is the blurb…

…You will make her classic Apple Crumble with Walnuts – ready to take home, bake and fill your home with the aroma of freshly baked goods! She will demonstrate her pie dough and make a strawberry pie. Learn great tips from this talented baker!

On the Menu

  • Hands-On: Apple Crumble (with walnuts)
  • Demo: Family Secret Pie Dough
  • Demo: Icebox Strawberry Pie
  • Demo: Custard Tartlets with Fresh Blueberry Topping

Saturday, August 16 | 11:00am – 1:30pm | $65.00 per person

 

Spreading the Baking Love

Posted in Desserts by

Shortbread

I am very excited to be teaching a baking class at Jungle Jim’s Cooking School this Tuesday, June 10th. One of my favorite recipes I’ll be teaching comes from my friends R&S and is a twist on the traditional British Shortbread Cookie.  Buttery, crunchy, and a little surprise in the texture – it is quite addicting.

Since I can’t indulge in these anymore (I have been diagnosed with Celiac Disease) I am working on a gluten free version, and it is Oh. So. Close.  As soon as it is perfected you will be notified! In fact, I am working with Jungle Jim’s on offering a gluten free baking class in the fall!

Best Buttermilk Waffles

Posted in Breakfast by

Waffle

A long week exploring National Parks. Our packs were prepared and Mystery Man and I were on our way out for a day-hike along the Yosemite Valley. First, breakfast. We sat in a dining hall that would give Harry Potter’s Hogwart’s a run for its money. The windows looked out onto slabs of granite and pristine vistas. The weather was perfect.

Waffles, among other standard breakfast fair, where placed before us and we dug in. Loading up on calories for the hike was essential since we planned on a light lunch and late dinner back here, where we started. Barley speaking to one another because the views were too much to comprehend, we ate.

Tea at Yosemite

I always save the waffle for last, like a morning dessert. Pushing the edge of my fork through its surface, my attention snapped from the rocky beauty and brought to my plate. This waffle was not the standard hotel batter from a bag. It crunched with my fork, but the interior was light and fluffy. The bite was full of flavor, a tang of buttermilk, a crunch came from an unknown source, and it was far from heavy. There was nothing artificial about it and I was intrigued. These were the best waffles I had ever had. My eyes met Mystery Man’s and he was chewing and grinning at the same time, seemingly reading my mind.

We finished up and headed out. The hike was gorgeous, and after doing a little scrambling to get to the top of Nevada Falls we settled down to take in the view and crack our packs for lunch. With our breakfasts still sustaining us, we ate little, but stayed a while for the views that changed as the clouds moved across the sky and the light played on the valleys, trees and mountains.

Yosemite

The second half of our walk joined with the John Muir Trail and while we shared our morning hike with many others, this section of the trail we found pleasantly deserted. The only sounds were of our own breath, an occasional breeze through the trees and small, scattering wildlife. Our boots crunched with every step and my mind slowly let go of the things we left back home. Jobs, commitments, adult responsibilities, they all melted away. With the clearing of my head came an idea. Crunch. The crunch of my boots reminded me of the waffle and I put the recipe together. Corn meal. That had to be what they used to get the texture. Whipped egg whites. That is how the waffles stayed light and never settled into rocks in our stomachs.

Finally returning back home, I set to work right away recreating the taste of Yosemite. Once I got it right, there was the same chew and grin combination on Mystery Man’s face. I hope your crunch into this waffle will result in a moment of release, no matter where you might be.

 

Best Buttermilk Waffles

Yields about 10 waffles, this recipe can be halved.

 

Ingredients:

2 large eggs

2 egg whites

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose four

1/4 cup corn meal

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

 

Preparation:

• You will need two medium bowls, plus a stand mixer/bowl (or hand mixer) for this preparation.

• In the first medium bowl beat together the two whole eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla, set aside.

• In the second medium bowl whisk together the flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk these dry ingredients to the first bowl of wet ingredients, in small amounts at a time, until incorporated with few lumps remaining. Set aside.

• In the third bowl, preferably for an electric mixer, place the two egg whites. With the whisk attachment, beat until soft peaks form.

• Carefully fold the fluffy egg whites into the batter. Try to retain the air in the foam of the egg whites and stop folding once they are just barely incorporated.

• Use this batter in your waffle iron per the manufacturer’s instructions. My waffle iron time is five minutes, exactly. Yours may differ.

Cheese Ball

Posted in Sides, Starters by

Cheese Ball 1

Around 1983 Mom and Dad took a huge step into the electronic age. The T.V with fake wood grain, knobs, and a temper, was replaced with a sleek black beauty complete with a remote control. Beneath that beautiful television was our very first VCR hiding behind the glass of a shiny new stand. In the kitchen sat a box with a door, window and touch-pad. Yes, a microwave!

I don’t quite remember how or why we ended up with all of these new things at once. Maybe Dad won the drawing at the American Legion in town again. It might have been the reward of a big catering job, or perhaps just good old fashioned puttin money in the bank. Whatever it was, my sister and I were excited at the idea of making dinner in less than five minutes and eating on the couch while enjoying a movie.

One weekend soon after our new purchases, they came home with the Star Wars movies. I had never seen them even though I had an Ewok stuffed animal. Mom laid out snacks on the coffee table. Microwaved popcorn, cheese ball and beef roll-ups. We gathered our drinks and sacked out on the couch for an evening of fun. I am pretty sure we watched all three movies that weekend. But at the age of six, my attention span was not very long, so I missed pieces here and there and probably snoozed through some too.

The evenings of snacks and movies were few and far between. In fact the only other two I can recall were Top Gun a few years later and Dirty Dancing a year after that. But in all the time that passed in between, one thing was constant. Mom always made the same snacks.

In my college years the Star Wars movies were released in theaters one more time. My friends were movie buffs and some of them found it neces­sary to dress in costume for the big release nights. We stood in line for hours on the night of the first showing, and once inside we had our bags of popcorn and enormous sodas by our sides.

The theater went dark and the crowd clapped and screamed in excitement. The famous yellow words scrolled up the star-studded screen into space. The music boomed in our ears and I reached for my first bite of popcorn. Suddenly, I was over­come by a familiar craving. I needed a Cheese Ball.

UPDATE

Just last week we took the family to Star Wars Weekend at Disney World. Some things never change – I still wanted a cheese ball so I came home and made one.

Cheese Ball Post

Chipped Beef Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

1 – 8 ounce package cream cheese

1 medium onion

6 oz  thinly-sliced corned beef, chopped into ¼ inch squares (you can use a Buddig 2 oz package)

Preparation:

• Soften the cream cheese (leave at room temperature for an hour, or unwrap and microwave 15 seconds at a time until softened).

• Place the onion in a food processor and blend for about thirty seconds. Transfer to a mesh strainer over a bowl and press the juice out with a rubber spatula. You will need 2 tablespoons of juice.

Cheese Ball Onion Step

• Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment (or a hand held mixer), combine the cream cheese and onion juice until it is smooth and completely integrated – about a minute on medium speed.

• Reserve 1/4 cup of the chopped beef and set aside

• Add the remainder of the chopped beef to the cheese mixture and combine – about ten seconds on medium speed.

• Form the mixture into a ball using a rubber spatula. Turn out onto serving platter, or plastic wrap if serving later.

• Cover the surface of the ball with the reserved chopped beef.

• Cover and chill for up to two days.

• Serve with assorted crackers.

NOTES: I usually double this recipe for a crowd and make one large ball.

Chocolate Souffle and Espresso Creme Anglaise

Posted in Desserts by

I am risking something big.

Right now.

I am risking revealing something about myself that some of you might not know. I am exposing that I am spoiled. Rotten. I am confessing I am a food snob.

And spoiled.

Mystery Man and I have eaten at a five diamond restaurant in Orlando for every single anniversary. Named Victoria and Albert’s located at the Grand Floridian Re­sort at Disney World. The first year was a mistake of sorts. We were originally at Disney to skate an Inline Marathon. It happened to be scheduled during our anni­versary so we made a vacation out of it including dinner at V&A’s.

Year number two was the same story, only this time we brought friends, the mara­thon was rained out, and we scored the Chef’s Table.

“Chef’s Table?” You ask?

Literally in the kitchen. Where the Chef cooks for you.

and only you.

and comes to you and describes the dish in detail.

toasts you with Champagne.

and it is Heaven.

Year three the Marathon was no-more so we had no plans to travel to Orlando. About a week prior to our anniversary Mystery Man turned to me and asked where I would like to go, or what I would like to do for our anniversary. I playfully replied “ummm, duh. V&A’s.” He played along and said he would be game if I could find air­line tickets for a-hundred bucks.

I did.

We literally flew in, enjoyed our dinner, and flew out the next morning. That’ll teach him.

Year four we repeated year three. Yes, I am the master at finding air fare deals.

Year five we returned with another set of friends. The Chef’s Table was again at our disposal. It. Was. Wonderful.

And then there was year six. Oh, year six.

We just had our son three months prior and the plan was to stop the V&A’s trip at year five. After all, we should really branch out, right?

Mystery Man had a conference in Ft. Lauderdale the week of our anniversary, so the little one and I were going along to relax at the sunny resort while he worked. Sounded just fine to me.

I boarded the plane, sat down, and struggled to adjust the baby and a seat belt. I settled in and took a look at the stranger sitting next to me, waiting to get a look of “oh great, I have to sit by a baby…”  I found it was no stranger. It was my Mom.

“What the….!”

She handed me a piece of paper and snatched the baby out of my arms. The paper was an itinerary for a side trip to Orlando while Grandma watched the baby. A res­ervation confirmation for V&A’s was included. Mystery Man had pulled a fast one.

The years go on and on and yet we still return to taste the chang­es in the menu, the small tweaks in recipes and the newest fads in fine dining.

But, enough about how spoiled I am because you are about to benefit, and benefit big my friends. How do you feel about making a five star restaurant dessert right in your kitchen with all the steps laid out in front of you? “Bring it on!“ You say? Fine, but I don’t ever want to hear you talking behind my back about how rotten I am.

This is a souffle that I have created with helpful tips from the Pastry Chefs I have hounded in numerous restaurants, mainly V&A’s. I have this way of asking questions, mainly about method since I can usually tinker with ingredients in my own kitchen. It’s a wonder they don’t lock their doors when they see me coming. But, lucky for you they still take our reservation.

Chocolate Soufflé

Ingredients:

Unsalted butter and sugar for preparing dishes
8 oz bittersweet chocolate – chopped (the best you can find!)
6 large eggs (separated)
1/8 t. salt
½ t. cream of tarter
¾ c. sugar (divided into ½ c. & ¼ c.)
1 t. vanilla extract or 1 T. Cointreau

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, and preheat  400 degrees. 8 1-cup soufflé ramekins and dust the bottom and sides with sugar. Cut strips of parchment paper long enough to wrap around the ramekins and two inches taller than ramekins. Make a sleeve using chef’s twine around each one. Place on a large cookie sheet.

Melt the chocolate by placing in the top of a double boiler nested over barely simmering water (not touching). Heat, stirring often, until the chocolate melts. Remove from the water and set aside to cool slightly. (Or melt in the microwave in 30 second increments.)

BY HAND:

In a large, clean bowl, whisk together the egg whites, salt and cream of tarter with a balloon whisk until soft peaks form. Slowly add ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.

OR

BY MIXER:

In a large bowl, using a stand mixer fitted with the whip/wire attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg whites, salt and cream of tarter on medium high speed until soft peaks form. Slowly add ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff, glossy peaks form.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks until thick and pale in color. Whisk in the remaining ½ cup of the sugar and the vanilla.

Using a rubber spatula add small amounts of the chocolate to the egg white mixture and fold until completely combined and no white streaks remain. (Stirring will deflate the whipped egg whites and will result in a heavier souffle.

Spoon into the prepared dishes until nearly level with the top of the dish. When the souffle rises the parchment sleeve prevents overflow and encourage height for a light and fluffy souffle.

Bake the soufflé until set, puffed, and the center still jiggles when the dish is gently shaken. 8-12 minutes.

Using tongs, place souffles on cool dishes, remove string and parchment paper.

Serve immediately! With Espresso Creme Anglaise.

 

Anglaise1

 

Espresso Crème Anglaise

Ingredients:

2 c. heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
½ c. sugar
1 tablespoon instant espresso (Jessica’s Note – or use a double shot of straight espresso)
1/8 t. cinnamon
2 T. brandy
1 t. vanilla extract

Bring the cream to a gentle boil in a heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until slightly thickened and  lemon-colored. Slowly whisk ½ c. of the hot cream into the egg mixture – careful not to cook the eggs. Whisk in the coffee and cinnamon. In a slow, steady stream, gradually add the egg mixture to the pan of remaining hot cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon or reads 170 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.

Put mixture through a fine mesh strainer, if needed.  Add the brandy and vanilla and mix well. Serve with Chocolate Soufflé immediately.

Note:

To use later, press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent skin forming. Refrigerate.

 

Guacamole

Posted in Sides, Starters by

Guac

She showed up at Swing Night just about the same month as I did. Her porcelain white skin, pearly white teeth, spunky curly hair and youthful smile made for an evening of never ending dance partners. Plus, she was good, and always looked like she was having a blast without ever breaking a sweat. I admired her from a distance and our interactions were brief for weeks, until one particular night when Mystery Man  and I were working on a few steps off to the side of the dance floor.

The Charleston basic was proving difficult for me and my frustration level had hit an all time high. I secretly wondered why I was even trying, why I cared so much, and why I shouldn’t just leave and find some other hobby. But, he was being kind and offering tips, so I couldn’t just up and go without seeming very rude. So there I was struggling through it. Then Spunky Girl walked up. She watched for a minute.

“Oh, you mean like this?” she chirped, and banged out the step right then and there.

There are times in life when you make a choice.

For a split second I considered gathering my things, muttering something like “go ahead you two, knock yourselves out” and leaving, never to return.

I am so glad that split second came and went, and I stayed put. That was seventeen years ago. Spunky Girl became my Homey and together we have danced miles on the same floors (including the Charleston), met our husbands, graduated, started careers and had our children. My admiration for her started on the dance floor and continues to this day.

She likes to bring this Guacamole to our gatherings. I hope you have Homey you can share it with, too.
Guacamole
Ingredients:
3-4 very ripe avocados
1 small to medium red onion, finely diced
1 Anaheim chile, finely diced
1 lime, squeezed, (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 lemon, squeezed (about 1 tablespoon)
cilantro to taste (about 1 tablespoon, chopped)
salt to taste
tortilla chips

Preparation:
•    Slice the avocados all the way around and pull apart. Scoop out the flesh and place in a food processor. Reserve the pits.
•    Add diced onion and chile.
•    Give the food processor two one-second pulses.
•    Add the lime juice, lemon juice and cilantro.
•    Pulse the food processor in one-second increments until the guacamole is the texture you prefer.
•    Remove from bowl with rubber spatula into a serving dish. Add the pits to the guacamole (this keeps it from turning brown so quickly).
•     Adjust cilantro to taste.
•    Serve with tortilla chips.

Notes:
This also can be made by hand in a large mortar and pestle set.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Restaurant Style Garlic Bread

Posted in Sides by

Garlic Bread

I can’t help it. I am a sucker for garlic bread. When I was a kid it was a big deal to go a ‘fancy’ restaurant. Not only was Red Lobster or The Olive Garden a good forty five minute drive, but the money just wasn’t there for us to enjoy such things regularly. There is a side of my family that gatherings were not the norm and although Grandma Louise had a healthy appreciation for good food, a cook she was not. So, her birthday usually meant a trip to The City for her celebration – and these eateries always had a bread basket.

I would try to recreate the garlic breads at home, but the ingredients we had on hand at the farmhouse (Nickel’s White Sandwich Bread and garlic powder) where less than sufficient, so I stuck to the good stuff under the linen napkins whenever I had the chance.

In 1999 Mystery Man and I were on the last leg of a road trip from Atlanta when the topic of discussion turned to food, as it did often.  I admitted my life long obsession with garlic bread and he eagerly suggested we hurry to Cincinnati so I could try LaRosa’s Pizzaria garlic bread.  Both of our eyes turned to the clock on my dash board. Calculating the miles per hour, I quickly determined we could make it before they closed. If we hurried.

I pushed that little gold Saturn sedan to it’s limits, and we slid into the bright red booth with big grins and minutes to spare.

____________________________

Being diagnosed with Celiac Disease, my passion for garlic bread was kicked to the curb for a short while. But, where there is a will, there is a way. You can use this same method on a ‘normal’ loaf of Italian bread from your local grocer, or go gluten free like me.

CHEESY GARLIC BREAD
Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

5 cloves garlic , grated
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 teaspoon water
1/4 teaspoon Table salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 gluten free baguette  (18- to 20-inch), sliced in half horizontally
1 1/2 cups cheese (shredded Italian blend)

Preparation:

  • Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees.
  • In a small nonstick skillet, saute garlic, 1 tablespoon butter, and water over low heat, stirring occasionally, until straw colored, 7 to 10 minutes.
  • Mix hot garlic, remaining butter, salt, and pepper in bowl and spread on cut sides of  bread.
  • Sandwich bread back together and wrap loaf in foil. Place on baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
  • Carefully unwrap bread and place halves, buttered sides up, on baking sheet.
  • Bake until just beginning to color, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set oven to broil.
  • Sprinkle bread with cheese. Broil until cheese has melted and bread is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
  • Let cool for five minutes.
  • Transfer bread to cutting board with cheese side facing down. Cut into pieces.

Notes:

Serrated bread knives can pull off the cheesy crust. To prevent this, place
the slightly cooled garlic bread cheese side down on a cutting board. Slice through the crust
(rather than the cheese) first – this will keep the cheese in place.

Deviled Eggs and Green Beans

Posted in Sides by

Deviled EggsMy father’s side of the family had gatherings galore. It may have been just the Grandparents and a few aunts, uncles and cousins. Or it may have been the whole shootin match including second cousins of whom I would routinely forget the names.

There were birthdays at the Cousin’s house with baseball in the side yard and playing ‘fort’ in the tree-less tree house.

There were retirement parties with volleyball nets in the back yard of the Great Uncle where I learned diving on your knees is for athletes, with knee guards.

There were Christmases with rousing games of Uno and Pit card games in Grandma’s dining room.

There were Easter Egg hunts at Great Aunt’s house where I said hello to my first snake in a huge pile of wood stacked for the winter.

We ran, played and explored until dark and sometimes into the night chasing lightning bugs and playing flashlight tag through the corn fields. Mom and Dad would give many fair warnings when it was time to go home but we always whined and cried when the minutes ran out. Wide awake and promising we were not tired, we were forced into the car. By the time we arrived home they would have to carry our sleeping bodies to bed.

No gathering was complete without an enormous meal. If you wanted to come to one of our gatherings, you’d better have a dish in your hand to get through the door. We were all about the potlucks. Gone was the belief that one maternal member of the family was to slave away in the kitchen, only to slave away again cleaning up afterwards. Each person had their specialty dish and I looked forward to each one.

My talented mother walked through the door with two, and sometimes three dishes in hand. Deviled Eggs and Green Beans were the ‘expected’ dishes and sometimes, if she had time, there would be a pie or cake in tow.

The next time you find yourself going to a houseful of family I hope you reach for these recipes, I promise they are crowd pleasers. Who knows, maybe you will have so much fun someone will have to carry you to bed. ­­

Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

12 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and rinsed {how to hard boil eggs}

1 cup Miracle Whip divided into 2 – 1/2 cup measures

1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon prepared mustard

Pinch salt

Preparation:

• Carefully slice the eggs in half and put yolks in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer or a bowl suitable for a hand mixer. Place the egg whites on a serving platter to be filled later.

• In a small bowl mix 1/2 cup Miracle Whip with vinegar, sugar and mustard. Let stand for five minutes and stir again.

• Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat the dry egg yolks along with the salt for about thirty seconds. Add the Miracle Whip mixture to the beaten egg yolks and whip until smooth, about thirty seconds.

• Add the remaining Miracle Whip and blend until uniformly mixed.

To fill the eggs:

• Scoop egg filling into a pastry bag using a large tip, or a quart-sized zip plastic bag with the corner snipped off. Fill the reserved egg white halves to the inner rim. Once all eggs are filled, use the remaining filling to top off each egg.

• Garnish, if desired. (Good garnishes are: paprika, parsley, sliced olive, pimento, etc.)

• Refrigerate until ready to serve. Make up to two days in advance.

How to Hard Boil Eggs

Put the eggs in a single layer in a saucepan, completely cover with cold water. Turn the burner on high and bring the water to a boil. As soon as the water starts to boil reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for twelve minutes. Remove the eggs with a slotted spoon and place them into a bowl of ice water (or strain the water from the pan, fill the pan with cold water, strain again, fill again, until the eggs cool down). Let eggs cool until easily handled with bare hands. Refrigerate for up to four days or proceed making deviled eggs.

Hints – Fresh eggs can be hard to peal, so buying them a week before the event is a good plan. If eggs are still hard to peal, try refrigerating them for a few hours (if you have time) and try again.

Mom’s Green Beans for a Crowd

Ingredients:

1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 can (8 pound, 5 ounce) cut green beans

salt to taste (about ¼ – ½ teaspoon)

pepper taste (about ¼ – ½ teaspoon)

Preparation:

• In a large, deep pan fry the bacon until crisp. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel. Set aside.

• Pour the bacon grease from the pan, but to not wipe it clean. Leave the bits of bacon in the pan and a small amount of grease. Discard or refrigerate the remaining grease for other recipes.

• Drain the green beans, reserving 1 cup of the liquid.

• Pour the reserved liquid in the pan used to fry the bacon. Bring to a boil and stir to loosen the stuck-on bacon pieces.

• Salt and pepper the resulting broth to taste.

• Add the drained green beans to the broth in the pan. Carefully stir, coating the green beans with the seasoned broth.

• Salt and pepper the green beans to taste, if needed.

• Place in a warm oven or transfer to a crock pot set on low until ready to serve.

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Posted in Sides by

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

The House

They were living in the church parish house and decided it was time to get a place of their own. Down the country road stood an old farmhouse on an overgrown lot among acres of field owned by the neighboring farmers. The house was built in the mid 1800s and in its heyday it boasted a spring house, smoke house, shed, large stable barn with a hay loft, the creek, and land as far as the eye could see.

The fields were sold off to other farmers over time and the only thing left was the house on about one-and-a-half acres and the shed – all in abandoned condition. The large stable barn still stood, but a fence now separated it from the house, sold with the neighboring parcel.

My parents bought the fixer-upper with great excitement and a vision of a house of their own. They already had a toddler girl, and this house had the space they needed for their growing family.

The interior had plaster and lath walls, burn marks above most every electrical outlet due to fires, and the previous owners housed sheep in the basement. This was the project of all projects.

One of the first jobs on the land was to clear it. The grass was more than head high on the entire lot and it all needed cut back and taken under control. Mom and Dad gathered machetes, hack saws, and mowers. The hard work resulted in a beautiful treasure. They found numerous young pine trees hiding there. Planted in rows with care by an owner long before.

Over the course of nine months they gutted the walls, hung new ceilings, and ran new electric. My mother, pregnant with me, used cinder blocks stacked along the back property line for an outhouse – adding more blocks the more pregnant she became.

Farmhouse before and after

Finally, the indoor plumbing was finished, drywall hung, and sub-flooring laid. Just in time for my birth in the fall. The winter brought the great blizzard of 1978.

Thankfully my parents had a wood burning stove, and an abundance of wood from clearing the land, to keep us warm. The county sheriff heard news of a baby at our address and came on snow mobile to deliver milk and essentials.

With the house nearly finished, attention was turned to the land again. The pine trees had been nibbled on by sheep, but they transplanted them to the back of the property for a wind break and each one recovered nicely. They ordered fruit trees and Mom tells the story of the planting…

“Your father had the holes already dug for the trees. We received the trees by UPS and then it began to rain, filling up the holes with water. Finally after a week of rain we decide to plant on Saturday, even if we had a monsoon. Monsoon it was and we were outside planting trees with you and your sister looking out the windows. What a bonding experience! We were wet, muddy, and tired, but the trees were planted. Every tree lived and after that every time we planted something large, we dug the hole and filled it with water!” 

There was a lovely flat area – three thousand five hundred square feet – just between the apple tree line and the back corn field. The garden was so big our friend Jeff brought his field tractor to turn the soil. With three quick swoops the first turn was done. It would have taken days with the two-wheeled rototiller my Dad shared with my Uncle.

Garden plow day

The garden’s longest side contained blackberry bushes, strawberries and asparagus patches. Walk along the rows and you would find potatoes, onions, corn, green beans, lettuces, broccoli and an occasional Tonka™ Truck. My sister and I loved making roads, mountains and creeks amide the pathways. We harvested throughout the growing season and either canned or processed by a blanch-and-freeze method for the winter.

The asparagus patch is still there. In a few weeks the first spears will be peaking through the soil and I will beg my mother for some – as I do every year. To anyone else it might just taste like asparagus, but to me it tastes like home.

 

Bacon Wrapped Asparagus

Ingredients:

Asparagus, one bunch (about 1 1/2 to 2 pounds)
Bacon, one pound
Cheese – Parmesan or Mozzarella, shredded

Preparation:

  • Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
  • Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and nest a wire rack inside.
  • Wet a paper towel with olive oil and rub generously on the rack.
  • Working with one asparagus spear and one slice of bacon at a time, snap an inch or two off the cut-end of the spear. Wrap spear with one slice of bacon.
  • Place on rack, leaving about 1/2 inch gap in between. Do not allow them to touch.
  • Once all the spears are wrapped, place in oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the bacon is to the crispness you desire.
  • Remove tray from oven and use tongs to transfer spears to a serving tray.
  • Sprinkle with cheese and serve.