Ja cię kocham…

I give you the final recipe from my Mother’s Day Dinner Menu!

Oh boy these were amazing.  I know these aren’t the healthiest version of green beans out there, BUT it is okay to indulge every so often!   The beauty of this recipe is that you can use as little or as much of the fattening ingredients as you would like.   If you are being cautious about your caloric intake you can make the proper adjustments (center-cut bacon, turkey bacon, Canadian bacon, reduced fat cheese, etc.) to meet YOUR needs.   You don’t have to follow the recipe exactly.   It still tastes good even if you use less cheese or omit the bacon.  I just thought that this was the perfect compliment to my Rosemary Pork Tenderloin.

Does my plate look good?  Trust me, it was amazing.  So make this meal, savor it, and then go relax on your porch, deck, or couch.  I went on my parents’ deck….

My husband, dad, sister, brother-in-law, and I all went to Temple University for undergrad so of course there is a TU flag at my parents’ house!  Even though my Mom and Uncle went to different colleges, they still have pride for the Cherry and White.

Just had to throw that out there

Nutty Green Beans with Bacon and Blue Cheese

Source: Claire Robinson of 5-Ingredient Fix
Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
2 pound green beans, trimmed (frozen are fine, just thaw them before using)
4 slices bacon
4 ounces blue cheese, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups toasted whole pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Have you ever made something that is so unbelievably fantastic that you don’t understand how you lived before trying it?   Something so good that you seriously consider putting on the list of things you would make sure to have if you were stranded on a desert island?

This dish is one of those things.  Honestly, if I had to choose only one thing that I was allowed to eat for the rest of my life, this would be a deep consideration.

Mom and I were preparing for Christmas dinner last year, and she came across this recipe by Tyler Florence.  Ever since she brought this gem into our lives, every person that has consumed it falls in love instantly and wants the recipe.  Now I have had a lot of incredible potato dishes in my life but this one by far surpasses every single one of them.

So what are you waiting for???!!!   Get crackin’ on some Gratin!

Scalloped Potato Gratin

Source: Tyler Florence
Serves 4-6

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 sprig fresh thyme
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Butter
2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch thick slices
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for broiling

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a saucepan, heat up the cream with a sprig of thyme, chopped garlic and nutmeg.

While cream is heating up, butter a casserole dish. Place a layer of potato in an overlapping pattern and season with salt and pepper. Remove cream from heat, then pour a little over the potatoes. Top with some grated Parmesan. Make 2 more layers. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Sprinkle some more Parmesan and broil until cheese browns, about 5 minutes.

My mom, sister, and I not only share DNA but a deep love for this dip.   My sister had a few wedding dress fittings and each time we were finished at the bridal boutique we went to the same restaurant for tea.  Each time we stared at our options on the menu, looked at each other and smiled as one of us inevitably said, “Do you want to split the pumpkin hummus platter?”.

OF COURSE WE DO!  It’s to die for!

This platter came with olives, pitas, and crudite.  Oh so good.  So we decided to make our own.  I decided not to use tahini (ground sesame seeds) in this hummus, and I’m happy to share that the flavor wasn’t negatively affected.   The consistency is different than that of a typical store-bought hummus.   This recipe is a little chunkier, but it definitely feels lighter and fresher.

I had to laugh because I come walking into my parents’ house with groceries and am so excited to get started on dinner when I realize that I brought absolutely nothing to dip into the pumpkin hummus.  Oops.

If it’s not a cake that I forget, it’s chips for the dip!  Geez!

Lucky for me my mom is a genius!  She whipped out some whole wheat wraps, did a little mommy magic and gave me some awesome pita chips for the hummus.   The pita chips were so stinkin’ easy that I made them last night for dinner.  I had three leftover wheat wraps in the fridge that were in there just long enough that I couldn’t fold them without them tearing.  I never thought of making chips out of them.  It seriously took less than 10 minutes from start to finish.  Gotta love that!

This whole hummus and pita recipe takes less than 10 minutes.   Just a little zip, zip of the food processor while your oven bakes and you have a fabulous appetizer.

Pumpkin Hummus withe Semi-Homemade Pita Chips

Source for Hummus: Libby’s Pumpkin Website
Source for Pita Chips: The Mommy

Serves 8

For Pita Chips:

Ingredients:

4 whole wheat wraps
cooking spray or 1 Tbs. olive oil
salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil.

With a pizza cutter or knife, cut wraps into 8 equal triangles and place on baking sheets.  Spray wrap triangles lightly with cooking spray or gently brush with olive oil.  Flip and gently coat other side of wrap with cooking spray or oil.  Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Bake for 5 minutes or until bottoms are lightly brown.  Flip them.  Bake for an additional 3-4 minutes making sure to watch them carefully because they can burn very quickly.  Take them out and let cool.

For the Pumpkin Hummus:

Ingredients:

1 can (15.5 oz.) chickpeas or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon water
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
sprinkle of paprika (optional)

Directions

Place chickpeas, pumpkin, lemon juice, water, garlic, salt and pepper into food processor; cover. Blend for 1 minute or until smooth.  Additional water, a teaspoon at a time, can be added if a smoother consistency is desired. Stir in parsley. Top with paprika.  Serve immediately or refrigerate in tightly covered container for up to 4 days. Makes about 2 cups.

I hope all of the Mommies in the food blog world had a FABULOUS Mother’s Day!!  I can envision your sweet, little children bringing you breakfast in bed or making a darling card out of construction paper and stickers and the grown up children giving you a phone call or paying you a visit that simply made your day.

You deserve it, Mommies.  You have worked so hard all of our lives to bring us the best that life has to offer and we thank you!

In case you didn’t already pick up on this – I absolutely adore my mom.  And honestly, she makes it very easy for us to love her.  The Mommy is such a giver and is literally the strongest, most loyal and loving woman that I have ever met.  Growing up she braided my hair, ironed my clothes, wrote me cute notes in my lunch box, drove me to dance lessons, cheered me on at field hockey games (which she still does even though I’m all grown up), and much, much more.  I don’t know what I would do without my mom.  I love you, Ma!  You’re the most beautiful woman on this planet, and I thank God for you each and every day!

Bearing this in mind, this Mother’s Day was very bittersweet this year because it was so exciting to celebrate the many accomplishments of my mom but we were missing another mother of equal importance.

My Mom and her Mom (Mom Mom) in 2007.

As you  learned from this post, our amazingly wonderful Mom Mom passed away less than a month ago.  In the few weeks since then we have been fortunate enough to have much to celebrate – my mom’s birthday and my sister’s wedding.  We are so thankful to have many joys in our lives at a time that can often be overwhelming.

Even though Mom Mom wasn’t physically present at our Mother’s Day Dinner we made sure to honor her by using her dishes.

Small things such as preparing a loved one’s favorite meal or using his or her every day dinnerware brings about a sense of comfort and love.

Are the dishes adorable?!  I think so!

This Mother’s Day, The Mommy and I made a simple but fabulous dinner.  It wouldn’t be a family meal without The Mommy and I in the kitchen cooking together!

Normally when I’m cooking a family dinner, I make a detailed schedule of when to prepare and cook each dish and inevitably wind up behind schedule for some reason like talking too much or forgetting something like BAKING A CAKE.  Yes, I forget to bake cakes.  I’m that bad.

Thankfully, this meal was very relaxed in terms of preparation and cooking.  Maybe I’m getting a knack for cooking family meals.

We made very low maintenance dishes that required few ingredients and minimal active prep time.  For once I didn’t have every last detail written down and wouldn’t you know it – everything came out PERFECTLY and ON TIME.

Sometimes I look back on past meals and wonder why I feel the need to make things so complicated.  I’m truly learning that less is more.  I know I keep saying that over and over again in this blog, but I cannot stress it enough!  LESS IS MORE!

I’m going to give you the run down of our menu and will post individual recipes in the near future.  I’m just too excited about this meal that I want to show you what we made!

————————————————————————————————–

Pumpkin Hummus with Semi-Homemade Pita Chips

————————————————————————————————–

Rosemary Pork Tenderloin

————————————————————————————————–

Scalloped Potato Gratin

————————————————————————————————–

Nutty Greens with Bacon and Blue Cheese

————————————————————————————————–

And we had vanilla bean ice cream with chocolate syrup for dessert!

————————————————————————————————–

It was delicious!  I loved being able to spend more time with my family without having to constantly pop into the kitchen to check on the food.  After dinner, we sat around with coffee and chatted around the table until 10pm!  It doesn’t get any better than that.

Yes, that is a homemade birthday cake.  And yes, I baked it.  And yes, it actually turned out!   At some point I will learn how to put icing on a cake, but right now I’m just excited that the cake itself wasn’t underdone.  Let’s just say that I was going for a rustic look.

Emmy, of Cleanliness is Next to Godliness, and I decided to throw The Mommy a fantastic birthday dinner that surrounded her with good food, family, and lots of laughter.  Being The Mommy means that she cannot stand by and let us have all of the fun in the kitchen.  She wanted to help cook, too!

The Mommy prepping the tomatoes for the Mediterranean-Style Stuffed Chicken

My sister was a good sport because she and I were supposed to cook everything together, but unfortunate circumstances (mainly traffic and last minute food purchases) led me to arrive a mere 30 minutes before dinner.  I manged to bake the cake and make the salad, but the majority of the work was done by my sister.  Thanks, Emmy!  Although, I don’t think she completely minded because normally we celebrate The Mommy’s birthday at my house and I do all of the cooking.  Now that Emmy has a house of her own and is getting married in LESS THAN A WEEK it was her turn to show off her culinary skills that she has mastered for her husband-elect.

Above: Please note the Birthday Wine glass on the table.  The Mommy uses it every year!

————————————————————————————

Emmy sauteing the chicken on her new stove!

————————————————————————————

Emmy did a fantastic job hostessing for the very first time!  Not only is it so exciting to have been there and shared in the joyous occasion, it is equally wonderful to share it with all of you!  Our (mainly Emmy’s) meal served 8 people and was incredibly inexpensive.  This feat in itself is something that should make Emmy proud.

————————————————————————————

And just because it’s fun: I bought The Mommy a pot of herbs from Trader Joe’s and we used it as a centerpiece.  It smelled fabulous as we ate!

So please take notes!  This is how you can prepare a charming and flavorful dinner for 8 people without having to break the bank but all the while being super proud.

————————————————————————————

Now onto the food!

Pea Pesto

Emmy made this fabulous Pea Pesto served with crostini and crackers.  (I’d like to note how simple it is!   A few ingredients can take you a long way!)

Source: Giada DiLaurentiis
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas, defrosted
1 garlic clove
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra for seasoning
1/3 cup olive oil

Directions:

Pulse together the peas, garlic, Parmesan, 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a food processor. With the machine running, slowly add the olive oil until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

————————————————————————————

Mediterranean-Style Stuffed Chicken

Source: Food Network
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

8 boneless, skinless breasts of chicken
3 cloves minced garlic
1-1 1/2 packages thawed, drained frozen spinach
1/2 cup white wine
4-6 ounces. Feta cheese, cut into 4 pieces
3 tablespoons Olive oil
3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2-3/4 cup finely chopped onion
2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions:

Cut a two inch pocket into the thickest part of each chicken breast. Stuff each pocket with spinach and feta cheese and seal with a tooth pick. Season each breast well with salt and pepper. Heat oil over medium high heat and saute the breasts until golden brown on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate and cover with tin foil.

Add onion to remaining oil in pan and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in white wine and bring to a simmer. Stir in tomatoes and basil. Bring to a simmer and return chicken to the pan and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes. Remove lid and season sauce to taste. Serve with butter noodles tossed with parsley.

————————————————————————————

Smashed Red Potatoes

I’ll have to double-check with Emmy about how she prepared this one!  I know it involved milk and red potatoes with the skin on it.  I mentioned preparing this first and then putting it in a crock pot while we prepared the rest of dinner.

If you are able to prepare anything and put it in the crock pot or in a warmer drawer of your oven, I highly suggest it!  It alleviates so much stress of having to make sure everything is served hot.

————————————————————————————

Steamed Broccoli

Ingredients:

3/4 c. water
lemon slices (optional)
minced garlic (optional)
2 small or 1 large bag frozen broccoli
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil (optional)

Directions:

This is how The Mommy makes her broccoli: Place water in a small pasta pot or large skillet.  Add lemon slices, garlic, and broccoli.  Place on medium heat and cover.  Turn broccoli every minute or so to make sure that all broccoli is getting adequate steam.  When broccoli is ALMOST done, turn off the heat, and drain.  The broccoli will keep steaming when you transfer it to your serving dish and cover it.  (If you wait until your broccoli is fully cooked there is a good chance that it will keep cooking and turn yellow and mushy.)

Season with salt and pepper, drizzle with olive oil, and gently toss when ready to serve.

This is how Emmy makes her broccoli: Place the water and broccoli in a microwave-safe casserole dish (she omitted lemon slices), cover it and heat in the microwave for 4-5 minutes.  Toss it if some broccoli remains frozen and heat for an additional 30 seconds to minute.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

————————————————————————————

The Mommy’s favorite Salad – Purple and Blue Crunchy Salad

Unfortunately I had already tossed the lettuce before taking the picture so you can’t see all the purples and blues that are hiding underneath!

We call this “crunchy” salad because The Mommy LOVES when her salads are very crunchy.  The radicchio and walnuts add the crunch that she considers to be a stress reliever

Ingredients:

dressing of your choice – mom likes balsamic or citrus vinaigrette*
2 heads romaine lettuce, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
half a head radicchio, chopped
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup walnuts
2 oz. feta cheese, cubed
salt and pepper to taste (we like LOTS of freshly cracked pepper)

Directions:

Place 1 Tbs. of dressing at the bottom of a large serving bowl, add remaining ingredients and gently toss.  Garnish with extra blueberries, walnuts, and feta.

————————————————————————————

Southern-Style Strawberry Cake

Source: Joy the Baker

Ingredients for Cake:

1 (18.5 ounce) box white cake mix (without pudding)
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry jello
1 Tablespoon self rising flour
4 teaspoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup fresh strawberries, finely diced.

Directions for baking cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the cake, combine to cake mix, Jello, flour and sugar in a large bowl.  Mix well.  Add the oil.  Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition  Add the water and strawberries and mix well.  Divide the batter evenly into three 8-inch round baking pans that have been oiled and floured.  Bake for 25-35 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean and the layers pull away from the sides of the pan.

Transfer the layers from the oven to wire racks.  Let them cool, still in their pans, for 10 minutes.  After 10 minutes, run a knife around the inside edge of each pan, then unmold each layer onto the racks to cool completely.

Ingredients for icing:

1 (8 ounce) block cream cheese, softened
2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
1 box (1 lb.)  powdered sugar
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
pink food coloring
4 sliced strawberries

Directions for icing:

To make the frosting, in a bowl combine the cream cheese and butter.  Beat until soft and pliable and no lumps remain.  Add half of one box of the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla extract.  Beat until incorporated.  Taste test it.  If it isn’t sweet enough, add the second half of the box and mix until incorporated.  If you would like a smoother consistency, and a slash of milk.  If you would like a thicker consistency, and a bit more powdered sugar until the desired consistency is achieved.

Put the coconut in a small bowl and sprinkle with two or three drops of pink die.  Mix with hands to distribute the color and wash hands immediately.  Once the cake is frosted, decorate the top of the cake with the shredded coconut and sliced strawberries.

————————————————————————————

After an amazingly satisfying meal, we sat and had coffee and chatted.

Starting in the front and going counter-clockwise: Emmy, Dad, my hubby (looking at the ceiling for some reason), Emmy’s husband-elect, Uncle D., Kitty, The Mommy.

————————————————————————————

The party didn’t stop there!  The Mommy loves the fact that Emmy lives in a prime location for walking to different parks, restaurants, and shops so we stopped at a local Mexican restaurant for drinks.

And if you haven’t noticed, I’m in absolutely NO pictures because (clearly) I’m the photographer.  Emmy took some photos as well and will be posting about this fabulous day so maybe she has some of me in my flour-covered Phillies t-shirt.

Anyway, thank you for stepping into the lives of Ja Cie Kocham and Cleanliness is Next to Godliness!  We certainly had fun together and hope that you can take something away from our charming and inexpensive birthday dinner!

As soon as these bad boys were done, I stacked them on my plate, added BBQ sauce (Jay added hot sauce), and started shoveling them in my mouth.  Half way through my piggy-fest I realized I didn’t take a picture!  So here you go.  I had to take a picture of Jay’s fries since mine were almost gone.

The reason for my extreme excitement was the fact that I am on a strict diet to get ready for my sister’s April wedding, and I am getting to eat french fries!  No, I’m not going extreme and eating 100 calories a day or eating only cabbage soup.  I’m just allowing myself to consume a certain amount of calories a day based on the metabolic testing I had done at the YMCA.  This testing determined how many calories a day I burn if I were to lay on the couch all day.  It also determined a healthy calorie range for me for to lose the unwanted pounds.  I started on Monday writing every single calorie that I eat and drink and am doing well.  I am refusing to get on the scale for the first few weeks because I don’t want to become either complacent with what I’ve achieved so far or disappointed with how much I still have to lose.

As Oprah has so wisely put it:

Weight isn’t a number.  It’s when you get to the size where you start strutting your stuff.

I want to strut.

So WHY am I making french fries if I’m trying to lose weight?!  Doesn’t that seem hypocritical?

First off, no one can take my french fries from me.  They are far too amazing to take them away so I just made my own and tweaked the recipe to meet my needs.  And they totally met my needs.  I love you, french fries.

Just so you know, organic potatoes seriously last for only a few days.  I JUST bought them this week, and by Friday I knew I had to use them or lose them.  It makes me wonder what is in non-organic potatoes to make them last weeks rather than days.

Okay, we won’t go there.

I have been making french fries for years always being slightly disappointed with the results.  No matter how long I soak them in water and/or sugar, they always end up mushy!  That’s not a french fry, that’s a mashed potato.  And no, I have never used a deep-fryer.  I don’t own a deep-fryer, and if I want deep-fried and greasy french fries (and I get these cravings often), I go to McDonald’s.

Well today I can proudly say that I conquered the squishy french fry!  I now have a recipe that gives me healthy, crispy, and delectable french fries.   I’m so excited.  No more mush, no more potatoes sticking to the baking sheet, no more “bleh” french fries.  Stand back fast food restaurants, I have found your replacement!

Perfect Oven Baked Fries

Source: Slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats and The New Best Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:
3 russet potatoes (about 24 oz. total), peeled and cut lengthwise into even sized wedges
5 Tbs. vegetable, grapeseed, canola or peanut oil, divided
¾ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 475˚ F.  Place the potato wedges in a large mixing bowl.  Cover with hot water; soak for 10-30 minutes.  Put 4 tablespoons of the oil onto a heavy, rimmed baking sheet.  Tilt the sheet side to side to evenly coat the pan with oil (a pastry brush can also help with this).  Sprinkle the pan evenly with the salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Drain the potatoes.  Spread the wedges out on layers of paper towels or on clean kitchen towels.  Pat dry with additional towels. Wipe out the now empty bowl so it is dry.  Return the potatoes to the bowl and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil.  Arrange the potato wedges on the prepared baking sheet in a single layer.  Cover tightly with foil and bake for 5 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake until the bottoms of the potatoes are spotty golden brown, 15-20 minutes, rotating the baking sheet after 10 minutes.  Using a metal spatula and tongs, flip each potato wedge keeping them in a single layer.  Continue baking until the fries are golden and crisp, 5 -15 minutes.  Rotate the pan as needed to ensure even browning.

When the fries are finished baking, transfer to a paper-towel lined plate to drain some of the grease.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.  Serve warm.

It’s a party up in here!  This time last year, I posted for the very first time and had no idea what was going to come of this blog.  Little did I know that I would have so many foodie friends (HUNDREDS of you!) and so much support!  Thank you!

And in celebration of Ja cie kocham’s birthday, I’m making chocolate covered pretzels – a boatload of them.   They are festive, easy to make, and I’m probably going to eat them all within a few days.

I’m also going to use this time to recap on some of my favorite recipes of the year:

Breakfast:

Peanut Butter and Banana French Toast – Heaven on a plate.  ‘Nuff said.

————————————————————————————————————–

Appetizer:

Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms – What a crowd pleaser!  Make sure to double the recipe because these will be gone in minutes!

————————————————————————————————————–

Pizza:

Pear and Blue Cheese Pizza – Wish I would have thought of this one sooner!  Seriously melted in my mouth.  I could have eaten the whole pizza by myself.

————————————————————————————————————–

Sandwich:

Grilled Vegetable, Herb, and Goat Cheese Sandwich – Perfect for a picnic and requires no refrigeration!

————————————————————————————————————–

Chicken Dish:

North African Grilled Chicken Paillards – Add ethnic flare to your chicken with a few pantry staples!

————————————————————————————————————–

Lime Chile Steaks with Pico de Gallo and Homemade Guacamole – Home run dish.  Bursting with flavor and super healthy to boot!

————————————————————————————————————–

Vegetarian:

Lemon Chickpea Stir-fry – AMAZING.  Nothing is more gratifying than making a very healthy meal that is so full of flavor.  I had several people ask for the recipe because they loved it so much.

————————————————————————————————————–

Pasta:

Linguine with Bacon, Baby Spinach, and Sage – I found this recipe on the back of the pasta box.  Always check the back of boxes for recipes.  They tend to be real winners!

————————————————————————————————————–

Side Dish:

Grilled Pineapple with Agave Nectar (or Honey) and Coconut – Elegant, healthy, delicious!

————————————————————————————————————–

Cookie:

The best Chocolate Chip Cookies EVER.  They were huge, fat, chewy, and absolutely sinful!

Thank you for spending time with me in my little corner of cyberworld this year.  Here’s to many more years together!

These ribs are always a huge hit with our family and friends, and I cannot take one ounce of credit.  These are made by my grill master husband, Jay.   If something needs to be grilled, he is always ready to go, beer and cigar in hand.  It’s so funny because on our teeny, tiny patio outside we have a huge Weber grill, a charcoal grill, and a smoker.  Do we have enough??  Apparently not because we’re thinking about getting a tailgate grill for when we go to sports events, too.  Ha.  We love our food in this house.

We pretty much always get our meats from the super wholesale store, Costco.  Their meats are outta this world.  Honestly, a lot of Costco’s stuff is pretty amazing.  (Their birthday cakes are unbelievable!)  If we don’t go to Costco, then we go to our local Amish farmer’s markets for meats.  They, too, have great stuff for great prices.  And I have to just give a shout out to Trader Joe’s because it’s my favorite grocery store.  I can’t talk about good food and prices without mentioning TJ’s.

So…. the superbowl is about a month away and you need a great recipe for a party, don’t you?  I suggest you try these ribs.  They can be cooked in the oven, on a grill, or in a smoker.  Does not matter.  We’ve done it all and they are always a huge hit.  HUGE hit.

My only critique is the price of the food to make this meal, but it is important to know before you get to the grocery store.  Bobby Flay uses 2 different types of chili powder both of which are expensive (and hard to find) in addition to a whole lot of maple syrup, which is also expensive. It’s totally fine to use any chili powder and syrup you have in the house.  Yes, the specific kinds that are chosen do make these ribs particularly yummy, but using any chili powder and syrup still tastes amazing and you will still rock the house in grilling.

For New Years we served these babies with Sauerkraut with Bacon and apples (recipe follows).  Mmmmmmm…..

Spice Rubbed Smoked Ribs with Maple-Horseradish Baste

Source: Bobby Flay

Serves 8

Prep Time: 15 min

Inactive Prep Time: 30 min

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 min

Ingredients:

Maple-Horseradish Glaze:

2 cups pure maple syrup
1/2 cup prepared horseradish, drained
2 heaping tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon ancho chili powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Ribs:

1/3 cup Spanish paprika
3 tablespoons ancho chili powder
3 tablespoons New Mexican chili powder
2 tablespoons ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
3 cups wood chips (hickory, mesquite, or applewood)
4 racks pork ribs (3 pounds each)

Directions:

Glaze:

Whisk all ingredients together in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Ribs:

Stir spices together in a medium bowl.

About 1/2 hour before cooking time, soak hickory chips in enough water to cover. Drain chips. In a covered grill, place slow burning charcoal in both sides of a drip pan. Sprinkle coals with wood chips.

Rub top side of each rack of ribs with about 3 tablespoons of the rub. Place ribs, bone side down, on grill. Close cover or place cover on the smoker. Grill about 1 1/2 hours, adding chips every 20 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of grilling, brush liberally with the Maple-Horseradish Glaze.

_______________________________________________________

SERVED WITH:

Image courtesy of Simply Recipes

Sauerkraut with Bacon and Apples

Source: Simply recipes

Serves 8-10

For Christmas my parents got me this awesome cookbook – Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler.  Now my Ma knows that I LOVE when my cookbooks have pictures to go with each recipe.  Lucky for me, these cookbooks tend to be less expensive than the ones without pictures.  Not sure why, but it works for me!

Perusing this book, I had no idea that it would be an inspiration for using up MORE of my leftover ham.  The recipe calls for pancetta, which is a dry cured meat that reminds me of bacon.  Instead of buying pancetta, I just used my Christmas ham.  Ham doesn’t create the same drippings in the skillet as bacon when you cook it, but a little olive oil solves that problem.  You still get the flavor, you just need a little assistance from the oil.

We had this salad right after church.  It hit the spot!  We wanted something light, but we wanted something that felt like a meal.  We served this salad with my homemade Ham and Cheddar Biscuits.  Home run, I tell you!  Never thought to warm wild mushrooms and place them on a salad.  Good call, Jennifer!

Warm Wild Mushroom Salad

Serves 4 for a meal or 6 for an appetizer

Source: Simply Salads by Jennifer Chandler, pg. 128 (& pg. 106 for salad dressing)

Ingredients:

Salad:

1/4 cup Sherry Vinaigrette – *recipe follows
1/4 pound pancetta, bacon, or ham ** if using ham, add 1-2 Tbs. olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1/2 lb. assorted wild mushrooms (I used oyster, porcini, and shiitake), ends trimmed
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 bag (8oz) Field Greens

Sherry Vinaigrette:

(I doubled this recipe for my salads)

1 shallot, minced
1 tsp. dijon mustard
2 Tbs. sherry wine vinegar (or red wine vinegar)
6 Tbs. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Prepare the Sherry Vinaigrette - In a small bowl whisk together shallot, mustard, and vinegar.  Slowly add the olive oil in a stream, whisking to emulsify.  Season with salt and pepper.  (Makes about 1/4 cup)

In a medium skillet, over medium-low heat, cook the ham (with olive oil) or pancetta/bacon without oil.  Cook until outside is crisp, about 4 minutes.  Transfer ham to paper-towel lined plate to drain, reserving the drippings in the pan.

Increase the heat to medium.  Add the shallot and cook, stirring often, until tender, 3-5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl.

Add the ham and pine nuts to the mushroom mixture and toss.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a large salad bowl, toss the Field Greens with the vinaigrette to taste.  Divide the salad among individual plates. Top with mushrooms.  Serve immediately!  (Otherwise the greens will get droopy!)

I have so much leftover ham from Christmas Dinner!  I could feed a family of 15 or 20 with the ham that I have left!  This means that it’s time to get creative.  Sure I could just reheat the ham and eat it, but that gets boring by the end of the second day.  I want to feel as if this is an entirely different meal and not just reheated leftovers.

The day after Christmas I made Jay and I homemade biscuits using left over ham.  Boy these were good.  I’m not exactly the best baker in the world, but I managed to bake biscuits while still throwing in ingredients allowing me to feel as if my personality shines through.  Normally when I do this with baking I end up with disastrous results, but not this time!  This time there was much success!!

Ham and Cheddar Biscuits with Lemon and Chives

Yields 12-14 biscuits

Mildly adapted from: Thibeault’s Table

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 Tbs. baking powder
1 Tbs. paprika (I used smoked paprika)
1-2 Tbs. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup milk, cream, or buttermilk*
*if using buttermilk add 1/2 tsp. baking soda
zest of 1/4 lemon
handful chives, finely chopped
handful cooked ham, cubed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Mix the flour with the baking powder, paprika and salt. Cut in butter until it resembles coarse sand.

Add lemon zest, ham, cheese, and chives.  Stir milk or cream in to flour mixture.  Mix quickly with fork until dough comes together. Using hands gently pat the ingredients together. Do not over mix. Pat out to about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick on a lightly floured board. Cut with biscuit cutters and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes.

Then you can make a delicious breakfast sandwich out of your biscuits using MORE leftover ham, cheese and eggs!