Showing posts with label pork. Show all posts

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes

Pre-kid weekends looked a little bit different than our weekends do now. We used to sleep as late as we wanted (which, truth be told, was never past 8 am), often headed out to run together, and then spent our days doing whatever it is that we wanted. For me, that usually involved spending multiple hours in the kitchen, often taking advantage of the extra time I had and preparing more labor-intensive meals that I'd normally pass on during the week. Nowadays we're up earlier, which is actually something we love...and don't hate me, but we are sometimes up before Brecken on the weekends!, we try to coordinate workouts around naptimes, and I'm soaking up every spare minute with Brecken after missing her all work week long. Occasionally I'll strive to make a more complex recipe, but most of the time the "30 minute weeknight recipes" are showing up on our travel on the weekends too.

This particular skillet gnocchi dish was hastily prepared on a Sunday night, in between a trip to the playground and a miniature concert in the living room with Brecken's electronic piano. I added spinach to the original recipe to get some greens in and turn this into a one-dish meal. There are a ton of flavors of sausage and chicken sausage out there so you can easily use your favorite; I believe the ones I used for this were sundried tomato and basil flavored. Note that while the recipe serves 4, since it was the only thing we ate that night there was only a tiny bit left for lunchtime leftovers...but maybe we're just pigs!

One Year Ago: Mexican Calzones
Two Years Ago: Banana Oatmeal Cookies with Candied Ginger & Chocolate Chips
Three Years Ago: Connecticut & NYC
Four Years Ago: Sautéed Cabbage, Apples, and Zucchini
Five Years Ago: White Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

Bacon Parmesan Shortbread

We’ve entered this new era in many of our friendships where the days of 8 pm dinners or trying new cocktail bars before and after dinner just isn’t feasible. Many of us have kids, which has introduced not just a much earlier dinner and bath and bed routine, but also the desire to stick a little closer to home and soak up quality family time. So how are we maintaining a social life? Happy hour! More specifically, happy hour IN!

It’s the perfect solution for us. Ryan loves to play bartender, I’m always up for trying new appetizers, and it means we can hang with friends and still get Brecken in bed (and let’s be honest, us too) on time! These bacon parmesan shortbread were part of the spread at a recent happy hour with friends and they’ve definitely moved to the top of my list to include at future gatherings. You make the dough ahead of time (in a food processor) and then just slice and bake the day (or even the day before) you plan to serve them. They’re not health food, with plenty of butter and bacon and cheese, but happy hour is all about enjoyment and these are definitely enjoyable!

One Year Ago: Pork Chops with Charred Vegetable Puree and Chocolate Brownie Cookies
Two Years Ago: Baked Lemon Buttermilk Donuts and Feta, Mustard Greens, and Tomato Chutney Pizza
Three Years Ago: White Bean and Spinach Bulgur Salad with Bacon, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, and Blue Cheese and Chocolate Ice Cream Cupcakes
Four Years Ago: Candy Bar Cookie Bars and Corn Dip

Simple Green Italian Salad

When I’m making a salad, I almost always lean toward the sweeter ingredients…things like fresh or dried fruit, or a sweeter vinaigrette. One evening we had my brother-in-law and sister-in-law over for dinner, and Erin brought the most amazing Italian-inspired salad chock full of savory ingredients. It was a refreshing change of pace, and that weekend I found myself craving it again.

Working with what I had on hand, I whipped up my own version of a savory salad. Although my version is posted below, I encourage you to incorporate some of your own favorites into it. I would’ve loved this with the addition of pepperoncini or roasted red peppers in addition to the artichokes and olives I included. Thick shavings of Parmesan graced our greens, but there are a number of cheeses that would work here. The highlight was definitely the spicy salami, which bulked the salad up, making for an excellent Saturday lunch.

Next time you’re craving salad, opt for savory and give this one a try!

One Year Ago: Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Parsley Brown Butter and Turkey Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions, Apples, Bacon, and Cheddar
Two Years Ago: Goat Cheese, Apple, and Lentil Salad and Beet and Mango Salad with Goat Cheese
Three Years Ago: Spinach and Apple Salad with Crispy Almonds and Rosemary Garlic Paste and Olive Oil
Four Years Ago: Kahlua Brie Appetizer and Asian Tuna Salad

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

When in doubt, add cheese to it. Right?? Unless you're vegan, in which case, you probably aren't reading this blog anyway! I found myself with an extra package of miniature peppers on hand and while the health conscious thing to do would be to slice 'em up and eat them plain or even with hummus, I decided something more fun was in store!

With two kinds of cheese (cream cheese and mozzarella), these are absolutely delightful. I kept the rest of the filling simple--just bacon, green onions, and a few spices--in part because I already had these ingredients on hand, but also because for an appetizer like this, less is more. These can be prepped ahead of time and then baked just before serving!

As with a lot of my recipes, make these your own. Skip the bacon and wrap them in prosciutto (dang it! why didn't I do that?!). Add your favorite cheese. Use different spices. The come back here and tell me what you did so that I have some inspiration next time I get overzealous buying mini peppers!

One Year Ago: Barbacoa Tacos and Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread
Two Years Ago: Chewy Peanut Butter Butterscotch Cookies and Slow Cooker Indonesian Chicken with Peanut Sauce
Three Years Ago: S'Mores Ice Cream Pie and Spinach Artichoke Flatbread Pizzas
Four Years Ago: Spring Greens Dinner Salad and Peach Amaretto Upside Down Cake

BLT Salad with Sriracha Ranch Dressing

One of the best parts of maternity leave, besides hanging with Brecken of course, is being around during the day. Do you have any idea how much easier it is to run errands or go to the grocery store on a Wednesday at 10 am vs. after work?! Another bonus? Lunch dates! Lunch at work consists of scarfing down whatever I've packed in about fifteen minutes before getting back at it...a far cry from the leisurely lunches I've had at home or, better yet, out with friends.

Twice since I've been on leave, I've gone to Half & Half restaurant. I had previously been for breakfast (review here) and now it's one of my new favorite lunch spots. The first time my sister and I went and fell in love with a chicken salad that I still plan to recreate. More recently, my friend Maggie and I went and I ordered the arugula BLT with sriracha ranch. It won me over and not a week later I was making my own version at home!

I used mustard greens rather than arugula because I already had them on hand and I figured they were a decent substitute, but if you're making, I would go with the tender arugula (or whatever your favorite green is!). The salad is simple, much like a classic BLT, but the sriracha ranch dressing makes it something special. Even better, I made my dressing with a Greek yogurt, instead of mayonnaise, base to try and keep things on the healthier side. The only change I'd make next time would be to add some homemade croutons, like the ones in my panzanella caprese.

Since my maternity leave is up in a few short days, I'll have to stick to recreations of my favorite lunch dates...and this salad will definitely make the list again!

One Year Ago: Green Salad with Honey Lemon Vinaigrette and Southwestern Lentil and Rice Stuffed Peppers
Two Years Ago: Arugula Salad with Browned Butter Vinaigrette and Turkey Burger Sliders
Three Years Ago: Breakfast Tortilla Strata
Four Years Ago: Whole Wheat Baguettes and Pasta and Shrimp Primavera

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

One month ago today Brecken was baptized at our church. It was an incredibly special day, and we celebrated the event with a luncheon at our house after the service. The menu included a variety of our favorite dishes, including Ryan’s smokedpork, his dad’s famous brisket, this salad, and several other things, but the highlight of the day for many was this pasta salad.

Some people, like my sister-in-law Erin, went so far as to say that it was the best pasta salad she’d ever had in her life! Considering how many pasta salads she’s likely tasted at church potlucks and picnics in the park, I believe this to be quite the compliment. If you like broccoli salad, you’ll love this, which is very similar but with the addition of farfalle pasta. Like most pasta salads, this is easily made ahead of time…just be sure to wait and add the bacon and pecans just before serving to ensure maximum crunch!

One Year Ago: Banana Cream Pie and Spiced Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Kale Pockets
Two Years Ago: Tiramisu Ice Cream and Favorite Spring Dishes
Three Years Ago: Stacked Roasted Vegetable Enchiladas and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies
Four Years Ago: Make Ahead Lasagna and Breakfast Bulgur

Molasses and Coffee Pork Chops

Today is Brecken's two month birthday. While every day is a new adventure and I love seeing her learn and grow and wake up (she was a very sleepy girl at first!), a part of me is already nostalgic for what was. She has been just the sweetest baby and I truly did cherish each one of those newborn days!

To be honest, we've settled into this new life quite well. Part of this is because we've had a very easy baby. For the most part she's eaten well, slept well, and has a very happy demeanor. However, I think the biggest reason for our success, if you want to call it that, is because of our marriage. One of my favorite things about Ryan and I is that we make such a good team, and this hasn't been proven more true than in parenting! We've managed to keep stress levels low and spirits high because we're so willing to help one another. There's no keeping score when it comes to diaper counts or nights out with friends. If one of us isn't pulling equal weight, the other picks up his or her slack and it all eventually balances.

This is working for us, not just when it comes to caring for Brecken, but in all aspects of running our household. This meal is the prime example of that. I had prepped it earlier in the day and set it to marinate in the fridge and when dinnertime came, we traded off holding Brecken, grilling the pork chops, and finishing the rest of dinner, chatting about our days and eventually getting dinner on the table. Teamwork at its finest!

These pork chops were a nice change of pace from our usual meat-centric meal, which typically features poultry of some sort. My favorite pork chops are probably still these with their fresh nectarine salsa, but I liked the tangy, savory flavor of these, especially when the marinade turned glaze was added at the end. Even if you don't have a teammate in the kitchen, these are a breeze to both prepare and cook!

One Year Ago: Spiced Peas with Cilantro and Lime and Spinach and Cheese Stuffed Shells with Marinara Sauce
Two Years Ago: Stove Top Macaroni and Cheese and Buttermilk Coffee Cake
Three Years Ago: Lemon Ginger Scones and Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars
Four Years Ago: Green Monster Smoothies and Cinnamon Rolls

Cheesy Chorizo Pinwheels

Whenever I think appetizer, my mind immediately goes to dips. If you look at my archive of appetizer recipes, you'll see about 50 dips on the list! However, sometimes it's nice to serve something other than a dip, especially if people are going to be standing or walking around and eating and don't want to be bothered with carrying a drink and a plate AND trying to dip their crackers or bread or crudités in something.

These cheesy chorizo pinwheels are an ideal appetizer in that case! They can be eaten with one hand, and even in one bite. If you're hosting, you can make them ahead of time and bake them just before your guests arrive...ensuring that they'll be biting into the warm, buttery puff pastry oozing with melted cheese and spicy chorizo.

Chorizo not your thing? Stuff these with chopped bacon or crumbled spicy sausage instead! These are definitely a new go-to party food in our house, and I can't wait to try several different variations!

One Year Ago: Grilled Sourdough Flatbreads
Two Years Ago: Caramelized Onion Hummus and Black Bean & Corn Burgers
Three Years Ago: Birthday Cake Batter Ice Cream Cake and Pesto, White Bean, and Spinach Soup
Four Years Ago: Tilapia Zucchini Skillet and Buffalo Chicken Wraps

Butternut Squash Soup with Greens and Bacon

Butternut Squash Soup with Greens and Bacon

The relationship between weather and soup in our house is as follows: the colder the temperature, the more soup made in our kitchen. Given that this has been one of the worst winters I can remember, there has been a lot of soup eating here in recent months. We're enjoying a lot of our past favorites, but I've also had fun discovering new soups (maybe the only upside of this dreadful weather?!).

Butternut squash isn't a stranger to our soups. We love the curried butternut squash soup and butternut squash and kale minestrone, and now this one! The squash is actually cooked and pureed, serving as the brothy base which is then chunked up with beans, veggies, and chunks of bacon. The finished soup is full of texture, flavor, and, most importantly, warmth!

P.S. Did you win the Smart Balance giveaway? Winner announced here!
One Year Ago: Zesty White Bean Burgers and Peanut Noodles with Chicken and Vegetables
Two Years Ago: Buffalo Wing Hummus and Yellow Butter Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Three Years Ago: Best of 2011-Five Bistro and Cranberry, Almond, Orange Biscotti
Four Years Ago: Apple Cheddar Turkey Burgers and Schulz's Guacamole Salad

Pea, Feta, and Crispy Prosciutto Salad

I really like peas. I love the sugar snap kind that you eat raw, but I'm also totally okay with bags of frozen peas (I've even been known to munch on them frozen). Thing is, they far too often get overshadowed by trendy vegetable faves (cough-beets and kale-cough) and I rarely make a recipe that features them. In fact, I think the only time they've starred in a side dish was in this Spiced Peas with Cilantro and Lime last April.

Now there'll be two pea side dishes to choose from if you too love 'em. Here they're paired with crispy prosciutto and feta, both of which add a nice saltiness to the rather bland peas. I'm sure you could use bacon if you don't have any prosciutto on hand, but I loved how thin and crispy the prosciutto was. I know you have a bag of peas in the freezer that you use for an ice pack, but save that for the frozen corn and make this instead!

One Year Ago: (Black Bean) Chili (Sweet Potato) Fries and Spinach Artichoke Egg Paninis
Two Years Ago: Lemon Ice Cream Cake with Vanilla Wafer Crust and Recipes for World Nutella Day
Three Years Ago: Cheddar and Sage Crackers and Curried Chicken Saute
Four Years Ago: Steak Fajita Pitas and Crockpot Lentil Soup

Broccoli Mac and Cheese with Bacon

Ryan and I have a favorite little friend, Edward, who is the three year old son of some of our good friends. We've known him since birth (celebrated his first birthday with ice cream cupcakes!) and have loved watching him grow up into the sweetest little boy. If this baby kicking away in my stomach is a boy (and I suspect it is), I want him to be just like Edward!

Edward's favorite meal is mac and cheese, so I couldn't help but think about him as I prepared this for dinner one evening. It's a bit of a sophisticated take on the kid-friendly classic. There's still plenty of cheese, but also bacon and thyme and green veggies (the peas were my addition, and I loved them in there!). The Worcestershire and mustard add a savory tang that even my mustard-skeptical husband was a fan of.

Cooking Light nailed this recipe, both in taste but also preparation method. It comes together quickly on the stovetop and is a great one-dish meal! Next time Edward comes over, I know what I'm making him!

One Year Ago: Finding Time in 2013-Rooster Cafe
Two Years Ago: Dark Chocolate Cranberry Almond Quinoa Cookies and Hot Ham and Cheese Sandwiches
Three Years Ago: Scotch Oatmeal Soup and Baked Vegetable Egg Rolls
Four Years Ago: Puppy Chow and Mexican Pot Pie

Inside Out Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

For three semesters, my little sister Renatta has been living in St. Louis and attending St. Louis University. I’m fortunate enough to have my two sisters-in-law as well as my sister all living within minutes of me, and having Renatta so close at hand has been icing on the cake! We usually see each other at least once a week and while her motivation might our chauffeuring services and the baked goods I pawn off on her, I’m more than happy to oblige.

This semester she’s off on the adventure of a lifetime—studying and living in Spain with a few of her best friends, a college experience I never took advantage of and will forever wish I had! I’m thrilled for her (and thrilled to be the keeper of her nail polish collection while she’s abroad), but of course missing her all the same. Although I would’ve loved to take advantage of her baby whispering skills come February, what I’ll most miss are the simple nights of just hanging out with her and Julia, essentially continuing the patterns we established growing up, albeit now four and a half hours south.

These inside out grilled cheese sandwiches were the star of one such evening. We huddled in my kitchen one Friday night a few months ago, swapping stories from the week and gossiping about Jennifer Lawrence’s haircut (consensus: big fans!) while I prepped these sandwiches. The occasion may have been ordinary, but the sandwiches certainly weren’t! The insides are spread with a marmalade mustard mixture, and then stuffed with pickles, ham, and cheese. The goodness doesn’t stop there, however, because the outsides of the bread are then coated in parmesan cheese. The result is a cheesy, crusty exterior that gives way to tangy, gooey innards.

The other great thing about sisters, besides the obvious? They’re always willing to split another sandwich with you, when you’re simply too full for another but they’re too good to resist a few more bites!

One Year Ago: Candied Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies
Two Years Ago: Beef Roast with Mushroom Bourbon Sauce and Kale and Brussels Sprouts Salad
Three Years Ago: Life Cereal Snack Mix and Chicken Curry Soup
Four Years Ago: Crockpot Roasted Cauliflower Soup with Curry & Honey

Pork Tenderloin with Date and Cilantro Relish

I really like pork tenderloin. It's relatively inexpensive, easy to cook, and a good, lean source of protein. Furthermore, it's basically a blank canvas for however you want to season or flavor it! Previously our favorite pork tenderloin was this bourbon-marinated one that is grilled. While that's still near the top of the list, I think the fact that I've now made this particular recipe twice in the last month speaks for itself! Ingredients and process wise, it couldn't be easier. The pork doesn't need to be marinated. Rather, you sear it in a pan on the stovetop, then transfer it to the oven to bake. Pan drippings are added to the relish, which is a simple combination of orange juice, dates, and cilantro that's just bursting with flavor.

This is certainly 'fancy' enough to serve to company, despite how easy it is. I'll admit, however, that both times I've made it, it's been just Ryan and I, and we were perfectly okay with not having to share the leftovers! Bon Appetit hit a home run with this tenderloin recipe, and you're sure to impress whoever you serve it to!

One Year Ago: Thai Turkey Salad
Two Years Ago: Double Chocolate Peppermint Cookies and Slow Cooked Smoky Chipotle Brown Sugar Chicken
Three Years Ago: Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls and Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels
Four Years Ago: Tortilla Black Bean Pie and No Bake Granola Bars

Smoked Pulled Pork with Tangy BBQ Sauce

Can I gush about Ryan for a little bit today? I’ll be brief, I promise, but it’s his birthday and it’s well deserved. I married up. As in all marriages, there are plenty of his quirks that I could gripe about (as he could about me!), but those pale in comparison to his constant acts of selflessness.

Take this pulled pork. We’d been talking about using our smoker again, ever since the ribs were such a huge success. With my friends coming to town, it was the perfect excuse to smoke a giant piece of meat! Ryan took complete control of this recipe, from start to finish. The night before he prepared the rub, making an extra trip to the store for ingredients. He woke up at 7 am on a Saturday to get the pork in the smoker (and then spent the day staining the back porch railing, I might add!). He made BBQ from scratch, even after I assured him our store-bought stuff would be just fine. He pulled all 7.5 pounds of the pork, trimming away any excess fat. AND he scrubbed the smoker before putting it away that night, ensuring we wouldn’t return to a sticky mess the next time we pulled it out.

His efforts were much appreciated, as was evidenced by the insane amount of pork the eight of us polished off for dinner that night. Although the photograph shows the pork on buns, we soon discovered it was best sans any bread, which distracted from the wonderfully smoky meat and the tangy BBQ sauce. The spice rub and sauce recipes came from ExtraordinaryBBQ, my go to blog for anything BBQ-related. It’s no surprise they’re blowing the socks off of judges in BBQ competitions—this was some of the best BBQ we’d ever had!

Happy Birthday Ryan, my hard-working, servant-hearted dream of a husband!

One Year Ago: A Very Special Birthday
Two Years Ago: Snickerdoodle Scones
Three Years Ago: Chicken, Mushroom, Asparagus Bread Pudding

menu bar

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Skillet Gnocchi with Sausage, Spinach, and Tomatoes

Friday, June 13, 2014

Bacon Parmesan Shortbread

Wednesday, June 4, 2014

Simple Green Italian Salad

Friday, May 16, 2014

Bacon and Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Friday, April 25, 2014

BLT Salad with Sriracha Ranch Dressing

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Broccoli, Grape, and Pasta Salad

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Molasses and Coffee Pork Chops

Monday, March 10, 2014

Cheesy Chorizo Pinwheels

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Butternut Squash Soup with Greens and Bacon

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Pea, Feta, and Crispy Prosciutto Salad

Monday, January 27, 2014

Broccoli Mac and Cheese with Bacon

Monday, January 13, 2014

Inside Out Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

Monday, December 16, 2013

Pork Tenderloin with Date and Cilantro Relish

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Smoked Pulled Pork with Tangy BBQ Sauce