pork tenderloin with honey-mustard sauce and wilted garlic spinach

i had this tenderloin and didn't have anything yummy to stuff it with, so i just seared it made a mustard pan sauce. then i looked for some kind of roughage in the fridge and found only a bag of baby spinach. ta-da! dinner is complete.

to sear: heat heavy straight-sided pan (that has a lid) on medium-low heat for 5 minutes. turn heat to high one minute before putting in the meat and turn on the fan. coat the meat with vegetable oil NOT olive oil. (pouring it in the pan will cause excess smoke and scorching) and place in the pan, reduce heat to medium-high. don't try to move it, wait at least two minutes before turning, until it has a nice brown crust on it. repeat on all sides. reduce heat to med-low and put the lid on. let it cook for 20-25 minutes, until the internal temp is 160 degrees. remove from the pan and cover with foil. if the bottom of the pan looks black and burned, clean it out a bit before making the pan sauce.

honey-mustard pan sauce:
from bobby flay

2 shallots or 1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
salt and pepper to season

heat 1 tablespoon oil in the pan and add the shallots, cook until soft, 2 to 3 minutes. add the stock and lemon juice and cook, stirring and scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan, until reduced to 1 cup. whisk in the mustard and honey and cook for 2 minutes. add the parsley and season with salt and pepper. (i only had spicy dijon mustard and it was so tasty with it - henry even liked it)

wilted spinach with garlic:
1 bag baby spinach
1 or 2 cloves garlic - thinly sliced
1 - 2 tablespoons oil
1/4 cup water

heat the oil in a large pan (that has a lid - you can reuse the sauce pan after pouring out the liquid) and add garlic. fry just until it begins to brown. add the water and spinach, cover with the lid. let it steam about 3 minutes then remove the lid to let any excess water evaporate and the oil coats the greens and they look shiny. season with salt and pepper.

Springtime Risotto

Sorry--no picture for this one (I will explain why later). But, I had to post it because it was tasty and because it solves the stirring problem presented by regular risotto (using the crock pot).

1 TBS olive oil
3 TBS chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine (or chicken broth)
3 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 cup garden peas
1/2 cup asparagus tips
1/4 cup parmigiano cheese
2 TBS butter
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a small saute pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Cook the onions until soft, 3 min. Add garlic and rice and cook for 1 min. Add 1/2 cup wine or broth and cook uncovered until reduced by half, 8 min(didnt take me nearly that long). Scrape it all into your slow cooker. Add broth, peas and asparagus tips. (Warning, and this is why there is no picture, don't add the vegetables now, they get too soft. Add them when you have maybe 1/2 hour left or just saute them separately and add at the end).

2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Add butter and recover for butter to melt. Stir in cheese and season with salt and pepper.

The risotto part of this was SOOO good--smooth and creamy. As I said, just put the vegetables in later. Another good variation is to add fresh corn, tomatoes and basil at the end of cooking instead of the spring vegetables.

chicken oh-lay!

this one has the makings of mormon culture-lore all over it, but just like funeral potatoes, it's soooo tasty! and like all traditional mormon recipes, it contains both cream of mushroom AND cream of chicken. but don't let that turn you off (christanne) because this is one you will make over and over again. many thanks to my sister (in-law) neela for making this for the annual 4th of july festivities all those years ago. i haven't been the same since.

like most casseroles, this can be made in a crock pot or baked in the oven. today i had every intention of going the crock route, but between buying my eldest his summer wardrobe and playing with friends, there was no time for trifles like starting dinner early. so when i got home i threw it all together and tossed it in the oven. an hour later, voila! yummy cheesy yumminess. (i halved mine and it was plllllenty for all of us. the full recipe feeds about 87 people. not really, but you get the idea.)

chicken ole

1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 tablespoon minced onion (optional)
1 7 oz can green chile salsa (salsa verde)
1 cup sour cream
12 (or more) corn tortillas, torn into 10 pieces each
4 cups shredded chicken or turkey
1 lb (or however much you want) shredded cheddar cheese

lightly grease sides and bottom of slow cooker (or casserole dish and preheat oven to 450). combine soups, salsa, sour cream and onion in a bowl. start with a thin layer of cheese in the bottom of the dish - this gets browned and crunchy. it's the best part. then arrange alternating layers of tortillas, chicken, soup mixture and cheese. you can divide it into 3 or four layers. your final layer should be the soup mixture and then the cheese is added the last few minutes of cooking. cook 4 to 5 hours on low in the crock pot or covered for 1 hour in the oven. if you like crunchy browned sides, bake it at least an hour, checking after 45 minutes to make sure the sides aren't burning. when they are just the perfect brownness, remove from heat source and sprinkle with cheese. dish it up and love it!

dixie's chinese chicken salad

my mom has made this salad for as long as i can remember and it's always been one of my favorites. the dressing is so yummy and it's fun to fry the rice noodles. i think that was such an 80's thing, remember that scene in mr. mom? too funny. we always called them styrofoam noodles because when they are cooked they have that puffy, fragile feel. look for noodles that are just rice and water, as they have lots of different names - rice vermicelli and mai fun are the most common ones.

1 pack rice noodles

2 shredded chicken breasts

head of iceberg lettuce, chopped

oil for frying

dressing: combine all and mix well

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

2 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon sesame oil

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

to fry the noodles, heat canola oil 2 - 3 inches deep. to test if the oil is hot enough, throw in small pieces of the noodles. when they expand and float to the top IMMEDIATELY, the oil is hot enough. put noodles in the oil in batches. turn it to make sure all the noodles on the top are cooked. drain on paper towels. combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl and pour the dressing on top. mix well - the noodles will break and shrink and it will eventually all fit in the bowl! enjoy!

size before frying

size after frying

gumbo

gumbo is an addiction of mine, but unfortunately i've only been able to get gumbo worth eating at baby kay's in phoenix... it is k.i.l.l.e.r. and obviously i rarely get the treat anymore what with it being thousands of miles away. i often find myself daydreaming about it - the spicy broth, the, the chunks of meat, the trinity, and the french bread. my goodness, the french bread...heavenly days, it makes my mouth water. for quite some time i've been on a search for something close to baby kay's recipe and i think i've finally found something in the ball park. it will take some tweeking, but it's delish on it's own and i suggest you try it. just make sure you serve it with lots of heavily buttered, toasted french bread to soak up all the liquid. because really, that's the best part.

traditionally, gumbo begins with a browned roux, but this one omits that fat and browns the flour in the oven. of course you could always make the roux, but i thought it was fun to bake flour.

1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups sliced okra pods (i used frozen okra)
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper (i used orange because i think green peppers are evil)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup chopped celery leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons all that jazz seasoning (recipe below) or store bought cajun seasoning
2 teaspoons salt
8 garlic cloves, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
3 cups of any of the following or a mixture: cooked crawfish tail meat, shredded chicken, andoullie sausage, shrimp, lump crab meat (i used chicken andoullie sausage from tj's)
1 tsp hot sauce (optional - you won't need it if you used andoullie or if you don't want it too spicy)
6 cups hot cooked white rice

preheat oven to 350 degrees.
measure flour and pour onto a pie plate or sheet pan and bake until lightly browned, stirring frequently. (i spread mine out pretty thin and it only took about 5 minutes) cool on a wire rack.
heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium-high heat. add onion, saute 4 minutes. stir in browned flour, cook 1 minutes, stirring constantly. gradually stir in water and next 8 ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer i hour. stir in meat and hot sauce. bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 25 minutes. sprinkle with parsley, serve with rice and warm toasted french bread.

all that jazz seasoning: (i halved this)
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/4 cup onion powder
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon ground red pepper
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

recipe from cooking light

Black Bean Hummus

Last month on the food network, they featured a restaurant that served black bean hummus. It looked so tasty, I thought I would come up with my own version. I made it last night and --YUM. We had it with rice, cilantro and corn salad and chips and tortillas.

Black Bean Hummus

2 cans black beans, one drained and one with liquid

1-2 cloves or garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro, rough chopped

1 jalepeno pepper, rough chopped

1 TBS olive oil

Juice from one lime

salt to taste

Puree all in the food processor. Adjust seasonings--eat.

alida's chicken & parsnip fries

this recipe comes from my employer and protector aldia who mothered me and saved me countless times while i struggled to make a living in san diego. she is probably the most cultured, well traveled, and sophisticated woman i have ever known. this recipe reminds me her - bold flavors, simple ingredients, unpretentious.


2 large chicken breasts (i cut mine in half to cut down on cooking time)
1 cup cherry or plum tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives (pitted)
2 tablespoons capers
olive oil
thyme
balsamic vinegar


use the ingredients to your liking - more or less of whatever you like or dislike. don't be wary of the capers, they add a salty, vinegary flavor. a little goes a long way with them. alida never seared her chicken, but i do just because it looks better. if you want to sear it, heat a heavy pan over low heat for 10 minutes, then turn heat to high a couple of minutes before putting the chicken in. rub the chicken on all sides with the oil and add to the pan. don't try to move the chicken before it's cooked for about 4 minutes or it will just stick. once there is a nice brown crust on it, turn it over and repeat. when it's seared, put chicken in a casserole and add tomatoes, capers, olives and thyme. drizzle with a little more olive oil and splash on some balsamic. cook in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes, depending on the size of the cuts.

i served mine with steamed artichokes and parsnip fries. the fries were a new experiment and turned out sooo tasty. i just heated up some oil in a deep pan and fried them in batches. season them with seasoned salt and eat them while they're hot!

boeuf bourguignon with garlic toasts

this is one of my favorite dishes of all time. it's comfort food at it's best, especially on a cold winter night when your significant other is out of town and you just want to wrap up in a blanket and eat something warm and yummy while you watch a good movie. that's not to say you can't make this any other time, cuz it's delish any time! and another plus: it's even better second day. this is a (slight) adaptation of ina garten's recipe.

1 tbs olive oil
16 ounces bacon, diced
2 1/2 pounds beef chuck cut into 1-inch cubes
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 lb carrots, sliced diagonally into 1-inch chunks
2 yellow onions, sliced
2 tsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup cognac or brandy
3/4 bottle good dry red wine
2 to 2 1/2 cups canned beef broth
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tsp fresh thyme
4 tbs unsalted butter, at room temp, divided
3 tbs flour
1 lb shallots, bulbs separated
1 lb mushrooms, stems discarded, caps thickly sliced

preheat oven to 250 degrees.

heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven. add the bacon and cook over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the bacon is crisp. remove the bacon with a slotted spoon to a large plate.

dry the beef cubes with paper towels and then sprinkle them with salt and pepper. in batches in single layers, sear the beef in the hot oil for 3 to 5 minutes, turning to brown all sides. remove the seared cubes to the plate with the bacon and continue searing until all the beef is browned. set aside.

toss the carrots, onions, shallots, 1 tablespoon of salt, and 2 teaspoon s of pepper into the fat in the pan and cook over medium heat for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are lightly browned. add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute. ad the cognac, stand back, and ignite with a match to burn off the alcohol. put the meat and bacon back into the pot with any juices that have accumulated on the plate. add the wine plus enough beef broth to almost cover the meat. add the tomato paste and thyme. bring to a boil, cover the pot and place it in the over for about 1 1/4 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are very tender. remove from the oven and place on the stove.

combine 2 tablespoons of the butter and the flour with a fork and stir into the stew. in a medium pan, saute the mushrooms in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned, and add to the stew. bring the stew to a boil, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. season to taste. serve with toasted bread rubbed with garlic:

1 baguette, sliced diagonally
olive oil
1 clove of garlic

lightly brush one side of sliced bread with olive oil and broil until golden brown. cut the garlic clove in half and rub onto toasted side of bread. so yummy, so yummy!