Recipes

Ingredients
1 cup brown sugar
2 pounds bacon, cut in half
1 pineapple, cut into small pieces, or 2 cans pineapple chunks, well drained

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F. 

2. Put brown sugar in a shallow bowl.  Press each side of a piece of bacon into brown sugar.  Place piece of pineapple on one end of piece and roll up.  Secure with toothpick if desired.  Transfer to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet.  Repeat process until pineapple and/or bacon is gone. 

3. Bake for 25 minutes, or until bacon looks brown and crispy.  Allow to cool before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from Tasty Kitchen and I had very high hopes for it!  Sadly, it was not all that I was hoping it would be.  What a bummer!  If I try to make these again, I’ll omit the brown sugar and just wrap the bacon around the pineapple without the added sweetness.  I’ll also probably halve the recipe and just use half of a pineapple and one package of bacon.

If you wish to spare your dishwasher, remember to line the baking sheets with tinfoil before putting the wire racks inside of them!  Sorry about that, Lance.

Internet - Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients
3-5 pound pork loin, trimmed

Rub for the Pork Loin:
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 teaspoons garlic powder

Pineapple Barbecue Sauce:
2 cups pineapple juice
2 inches fresh ginger, minced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and minced (I just used one and the sauce was nicely spiced for my tastes.)
¹⁄₄ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon molasses
3 tablespoons vinegar (I used pineapple balsamic but apple cider or even white would work.)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions
1. The night before you plan to eat, mix together all rub ingredients and spread rub all over pork loin.  Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

2. The morning of the day you plan to eat this, unwrap pork and place into slow cooker.  Cook on LOW for 8 hours.  Remove pork to bowl and shred with two forks.  Discard accumulated liquid from slow cooker. 

3. During the last half hour of slow cooking, bring pineapple juice, ginger, garlic, jalapeno and cilantro to boil in medium saucepan.  Boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sauce is reduced.  Add ketchup, brown sugar, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire, salt and pepper.  Reduce heat to low and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

4. If desired, pour sauce over pork and stir well before serving with rolls.  Otherwise, serve pork and sauce separately. 

Note: If you like a very saucy barbecue, consider doubling sauce ingredients. 

Comments
This recipe is from Simple Comfort Food and I can say without a doubt that it’s a keeper.  The flavors were all wonderful, not a hint of bitterness that I’ve had with past slow cooker barbecue recipes.  The sweetness of the pineapple in the sauce was fantastic and Art wished that I had made even more of the sauce than I did.  The amount of sauce in the recipe was the perfect amount to coat a 3 pound pork loin, so if you want a bit extra, you should make more.  This was seriously a fantastic dish.  The guys both had two sandwiches.  Yum.

Internet - Simple Comfort Food

Ingredients
1 pound loaf bread, something crusty that won’t get mushy (I used “Como” bread from my local Safeway)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3-4 large tomatoes, or some combination of large and small tomatoes, cut into cubes
¹⁄₂ pound fresh mozzarella, cubed
1 cup basil leaves, chopped

For the dressing:
¹⁄₄ cup olive oil
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
¹⁄₄ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400*F.  While it’s heating cut bread into 1-inch cubes.  Toss cubes with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread cubes out on rimmed baking sheet and place in oven.  Toast for 10-20 minutes until slightly crispy but not hard.  Remove from oven and let cool on the sheet. 

2. Combine bread cubes, tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil in a large bowl. 

3. Whisk together all dressing ingredients, or combine with a hand blender.  Pour dressing over salad and toss well.  Let flavors meld for 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from The Hazel Bloom and I was super excited to try it out! I love panzanella and I love caprese, this salad seemed like a great combination of both.  And it was.  Even Lance enjoyed it and he prefers his food to be hot.  The dressing had great flavors which tied all the traditional caprese ingredients together very well.  

Shown here with Horseradish-Crusted Beef Tenderloin.

Internet - The Hazel Bloom

Ingredients
1 beef tenderloin, about 2 pounds
Kosher salt
3 tablespoons panko bread crumbs
1 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 ¹⁄₄ teaspoons ground black pepper
1 small shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₄ cup prepared horseradish
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, minced
¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
1 small (6 ounce) potato, peeled and grated on large holes of box grater
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons mayonnaise
1 ¹⁄₂ teaspoons Dijon mustard
¹⁄₂ teaspoon powdered gelatin

Instructions
1. Sprinkle roast with 1 tablespoon salt, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour or refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400*F. 

2. Toss bread crumbs with 2 teaspoons oil, ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon pepper in skillet. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl and toss with shallot, garlic, 2 tablespoons horseradish, parsley, and thyme.

3. Rinse grated potato under cold water, then squeeze dry in kitchen towel. Transfer potatoes and remaining cup oil to skillet. Cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until potatoes are golden brown and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer potatoes to paper towel-lined plate and season lightly with salt; let cool for 5 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon oil from skillet and discard remainder. Once potatoes are cool, stir into bread crumb mixture, crushing the potatoes as you stir.  

4. Pat exterior of tenderloin dry with paper towels and sprinkle evenly with remaining teaspoon pepper. Heat reserved tablespoon oil in skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Sear tenderloin until well browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to wire rack set in rimmed baking sheet and let rest 10 minutes.

5. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons horseradish, mayonnaise, and mustard in small bowl. Just before coating tenderloin, add gelatin and stir to combine. Spread horseradish paste on top and sides of meat, leaving bottom and ends bare. Roll coated sides of tenderloin in bread-crumb mixture, pressing gently so crumbs adhere in even layer that just covers horseradish paste; pat off any excess.

6. Return tenderloin to wire rack. Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of roast registers 120 to 125*F for medium-rare, 25 to 30 minutes.

7. Transfer roast to carving board and let rest 20 minutes. Carefully cut meat crosswise into ¹⁄₂-inch-thick slices and serve.

Comments
This recipe is from the 2009 Cook’s Illustrated Annual. Lance and I were both pretty sad that we had to save a few slices for lunch the following day as well as for Art to try when he returned home. Lance and I might have been able to devour the whole roast in one meal since it was just that delicious.   I’m not sure if the coating was supposed to be crunchy or not, I need to go and read the write up of the recipe in the book to find out. Regardless of what it was supposed to be, it was fantastic as it was.

Shown here with Caprese Panzanella.

Cook’s Illustrated 2009

Ingredients
2 teaspoons wasabi paste (I used 2 teaspoons wasabi powder and 1 teaspoon water.)
1 tablespoon honey
¹⁄₄ cup rice vinegar
¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil plus 1 cup for frying
¹⁄₂ cup sesame oil
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced (I used two since they were small.)
1 red onion, chopped
¹⁄₂ cup carrots, thinly sliced
2 cups Chinese cabbage, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¹⁄₂ pound angel hair pasta, cooked until tender and tossed in 1 tablespoon olive oil
4 (6-ounce) tuna steaks
Creole seasoning or Emeril’s Essence
16 wonton wrappers, thinly sliced

Instructions
1. Combine wasabi, honey and vinegar in a small large bowl.  Whisk well.  Slow drizzle ¹⁄₂ cup vegetable oil and sesame oil into bowl, whisking until the dressing emulsifies.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in cilantro. 

2. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add bell pepper and onion.  Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.  Add carrots and cabbage.  Cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.  Transfer to bowl with dressing and stir in garlic.  Add pasta to bowl and stir well.  Season with salt and pepper. 

3. Season tuna with Creole seasoning and heat remaining tablespoon olive oil in the skillet over medium heat.  When the oil is hot, sear the tuna for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan.

4. Heat remaining cup vegetable oil in medium saucepan over high heat.  When hot, fry sliced wontons until crisp. Remove to paper towel-lined plate to drain.

5. To serve, place salad in center of plate.  Top with tuna and friend wontons.

Comments
This recipe is from Emeril of the Food Network and it was probably the meal I was most looking forward to in the week’s meal plan. And it was an awesome dish even with subpar quality tuna!  I think that salmon would work just as well in the dish, so if you have better access to that than to tuna, go ahead and make the substitution. 

Sadly, it reminded me that honey falls under the fructose malabsorption umbrella, so I’ll need to substitute sugar for the honey next time I make it.

Internet - Emeril Lagasse

Ingredients
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1 ¹⁄₂ pounds sirloin steak tips, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 ¹⁄₂-inch chunks
³⁄₄ ounces dried porcini mushrooms, rinsed well
1 ³⁄₄ cups beef broth
Salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound white mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, halved and sliced thin
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
¹⁄₂ teaspoon fresh thyme, minced
4 teaspoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions
1. Combine soy sauce and sugar in medium bowl. Add beef, toss well, and marinate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour, tossing once.

2. Meanwhile, cover porcini mushrooms with ¹⁄₄ cup broth in small microwave-safe container; cover with lid, and microwave 30 seconds. Let stand until mushrooms soften, about 5 minutes. Lift mushrooms from liquid with fork and mince. Strain liquid through fine-mesh strainer lined with paper towel into medium bowl and reserve.

3. Sprinkle meat with ¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until smoking. Add meat and cook until well browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to large plate.

4. Return skillet to medium-high heat and add remaining tablespoon oil, white mushrooms, minced porcinis, and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until all liquid has evaporated and mushrooms start to brown, 7 to 9 minutes. Scrape pan to loosen any fond.  Add onion and ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt; continue to cook, stirring frequently, until onion begins to brown, 6 to 8 minutes longer. Add garlic, thyme, and flour; cook, stirring constantly, until vegetables are coated with flour, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 ¹⁄₂ cups beef broth and porcini soaking liquid, scraping bottom of pan with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, and bring to boil.

5. Place steak pieces into mushroom and onion mixture and add any accumulated juices to skillet. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until steak registers 130*F on instant-read thermometer, 3 to 5 minutes, turning beef over occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with parsley, and serve. 

Comments
This recipe is from the 2009 Cook’s Illustrated Annual and it seemed like a good way to use up some of the sirloin tip that was hanging out in my freezer.  The dish reminded us all of stroganoff in some ways and we like that the chunks of meat were still a bit pink in the middle.  The recipe develops quite a few layers of flavor and all the layers came together deliciously.  I served it with egg noodles but rice would work well too.

Cook’s Illustrated 2009

Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₄ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons shallots, finely chopped
¹⁄₄ cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped

Instructions
1. Season both sides of pork with ¹⁄₄ teaspoon each salt and pepper. 

2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until almost cooked through.  Remove from pan and keep warm. 

3. Return pan to medium-high heat.  Melt butter in pan.  Add shallots and sauté 3 minutes of until tender and translucent.  Add broth, bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute.  Stir in mustard, syrup, and remaining ¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt.  Cook 1 minute or until beginning to thicken.  Return pork to pan and cook 1 minute on each side or until fully cooked and heated through.  Serve pork with sauce.  Garnish each serving with parsley. 

Comments
This recipe is from Cooking Light via the blog Culinary Covers.  We’re not big pork chop lovers, but I had a few in the freezer that needed to be used up.  While I’m still not a lover of pork chops, I did think this was a tasty recipe.  The sauce was flavorful and I might use it in the future for other cuts of pork. 

Shown here with Roasted Acorn Squash.

Cooking Light

Ingredients
3-4 pound whole chicken
1 whole bulb garlic, broken into cloves and peeled
1 large lemon
3-4 pounds potatoes, cubed
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Handful fresh thyme
2-3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
6-8 strips bacon

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F. 

2. Bring large pot of salted water to boil.  Tie garlic cloves in a piece of cheesecloth.  Add garlic, lemon, and potatoes to boiling water and cook for 12 minutes.  Drain and allow to steam dry for 1 minute.  Transfer potatoes into roasting pan. 

3. Rub olive oil over chicken and season well with salt and pepper.  Carefully cut the lemon 5-6 times and place in the chicken’s cavity along with thyme and garlic.  Put chicken into the roasting pan and cook for 45 minutes. 

4. Remove chicken to a plate.  Add rosemary leaves to potatoes and stir well.  Make a gap in the center of potatoes and return chicken to pan.  Lay bacon slices over chicken breast and cook for 45 more minutes or until the chicken and potatoes are cooked.  A meat thermometer should read 170*F. 

5. Remove bacon from chicken and crumble it over the potatoes.  Remove lemon and garlic from chicken.  Mash garlic and stir into potatoes.  Carve chicken and serve with potatoes. 

Comments
This recipe is from Perry’s Plate and it was delicious.  The chicken was fantastically lemony, the potatoes were extremely flavorful, and everything was lovely.  I’m still never quite sure why I used to be intimidated by roasting whole chickens when it’s really a very simple thing to do.

Internet - Perry’s Plate

Ingredients
Crust:
1 ¹⁄₄ cups all purpose flour
¹⁄₂ cup powdered sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ cup unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

Filling:
2 eggs
¹⁄₂ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
¹⁄₂ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
2-4 cups pecans, chopped (I used 4 cups, the original recipe called for 1 ¹⁄₂ cups…)

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Line a 9 by 12-inch baking dish with aluminum foil. 

2. Combine flour, sugar and salt in food processor.  Add butter and process until coarse crumbs form.  Transfer mixture to dish and press into a smooth crust.  Poke several holes in the crust with fork.  Bake 18-20 minutes or until light golden brown. 

3. In a large bowl, beat eggs and add sugar, corn syrup, butter, vanilla, and salt.  Mix until smooth.  Add pecans and stir until pecans are well coated.  Pour filling into pre-baked crust and bake for 20 minutes or until filling is set. 

4. Cool on rack until completely cool, about 1 hour.  Use foil to lift bars out of dish and cut into squares. 

Comments
This recipe is from My Story.  The original recipe called for a mere 1 ¹⁄₂ cups of pecans which just did not cut it for me.  I ended up using the entire bag I had, which was a whopping 4 cups.  I’m so glad I made that change because these were perfectly pecan-y.  I had initially planned on taking these to share with choir friends, but, at the last minute, I decided that I didn’t want to share.  They’re just that good.

Internet - My Story

Ingredients
2 pounds vacuum-packed gnocchi
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¹⁄₂ cup Gruyere cheese, cut into small pieces
¹⁄₂ cup creamy Havarti cheese, cut into small pieces
¹⁄₃ cup Parmesan cheese, shredded or grated
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375*F.

2. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions and drain. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Transfer gnocchi to skillet and cook, stirring, until starting to brown, about 10 minutes.  Place gnocchi in a single layer in a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. 

3. Melt butter in pan (either the skillet or the pot used to boil water) over medium heat.  Add garlic powder and stir for 30 seconds.  Add flour and stir until smooth and bubbly.  Gradually add milk, stirring constantly.  Continue to stir 3-5 minutes, or until mixture thickens.  Add mustard, Gruyere, and Havarti, stirring until cheeses are melted.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste. 

4. Pour sauce over gnocchi and stir to combine.  Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  Bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.  Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving. 

Comments
This recipe is from The Happy Life of a Happy Wife.  Her story about selling it to her husband is an amusing one that I can sympathize with!  I changed the recipe slightly because I didn’t want it to be too cheesy and I wanted the gnocchi to be a bit firmer – therefore I doubled the amount of gnocchi and sautéed them to give them a bit more texture.  There was quite a bit of grease on top of the casserole after baking, which I removed with some paper towels.  I guess that was a function of the cheeses used.  Any combination of cheeses wou ld work well for this, so feel free to experiment!

Shown here with AB’s Meatloaf.

Internet - The Happy Life of a Happy Wife