Porchetta

I feel the need to repeat a post. I know I've mentioned before my seasonal approach to eating. There are certain times of the year that I crave different foods. In the summer I always seems to want fresh produce, grilled everything, and lighter fare all around. In the fall I crave root vegetables, pumpkin, and holiday food. In the winter I crave citrus, soups, stews, heavy foods, and warmth. In the spring I crave spinach, asparagus, strawberries, and salads. There are a few things, however, that transcend my seasonal stirrings. Pierogies, potatoes, bread, cheese, and porchetta are just a few of those things. I know I've mentioned porchetta in a previous post, but since I've started photographing some of my exploits I'd like to show you a picture. Now, I realize that I've shared how I'm trying to eat healthier, but sometimes I'll reward myself with a splurge meal if I've done well all day. Porchetta isn't necessarily unhealthy, but I've yet to find it's nutritional merits. The best way to serve it is the way I have pictured: crusty buttered french bread, lots of pork juice, and a thick slab of extra-sharp cheddar. We also have adapted the porchetta to make it a "cuban sandwich", including dill pickles, ham, swiss, and spicy mustard. Please trust me, if you make this, you will love it and crave it during any season the way I do.




Porchetta
pork butt
1/4 cup olive oil
3 T herbes de provence
1 T garlic powder
2 T kosher salt
lots of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup water

1. Marinate the meat by sprinkling dry spices and drizzling olive oil over the top of the meat [for at least five hours].
2. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for at least three hours.
3. After removing the meat from the oven, shred into desired chunks. Top a buttered crusty roll with a good portion of meat and a good portion of the juice.

A Fun Weekend For All

I am not a big fan of winter. The exception to that rule is when it snows. I love the beautiful white starkness (before the salt and plows make it yucky and gray). Rob is fanatical about weather. He regularly reads weather blogs and when there is a forecast for snow, he checks accuweather obsessively. Our kids are finally to the age where they can actually enjoy snowstorms. In years past the amount of time to dress each child greatly outnumbered the actual time they played outside once dressed. Thankfully there are able to dress themselves and undress themselves (in the laundry room, where we promptly dry the snowclothes in the dryer, energy efficiency be darned!).

Here on Randolph Drive, our actual accumulation was 27 inches. The kids were able to construct tunnels, play with friends, and in general, get some fresh air and exercise (it's hard to walk in snowdrifts when they reach your waist!). On Friday night we "switched kids" with friends and the final tally was that we had three girls at our house and they had three boys at their house. Sunday the kids played outside a good portion of the day and then we went to a superbowl party.

On Saturday night we had a "blizzard party". Basically we invited a few neighbors and enjoyed some snacks and conversation. It seems we don't interact quite as much with the people we live so near, especially in cold weather. We enjoy being outside so much more in the summer and consequently see each other more often. It was nice to be able to catch up and usually my social life is centered around the bus stop (pretty sad).

While the rest of my family enjoyed the outdoors, I was quite content in my kitchen. Rob was busy all of Saturday (9-5) clearing neighbors' driveways and part of Sunday clearing the ends of the snowplowed driveways. On Saturday night I made:
apple pie, carrot cake cupcakes, a veggie tray with a cheese-ball, and pepperoni rolls. For the superbowl party I made: molasses cookies and lemon squares. In my quest to eat lighter I failed pretty miserably in the cheese-ball challenge. I'm not sure if I've shared this before, but I'm not a dessert person. I mostly make desserts because my family loves them. I, however, am perfectly content with a second helping of dinner or something savory.





Three-Cheese Ball
1 80z pkg softened cream cheese
1 small finely chopped onion
2 T worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (I used buttermilk blue)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar (I used "buffalo wing" smoked cheddar)

with a hand-held mixer, combine ingredients and chill for at least four hours (I then topped mine with salted pumpkin seeds)



Carrot Cake Cupcakes
adapted from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (freshly ground is the yummiest)
3 cups shredded carrots
1 cup raisins

1. Mix sugar, oil, and eggs until well-blended.
2. Mix in remaining ingredients and beat for three minutes.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center remains clean. makes 24

cream cheese icing: 1 8oz pkg softened cream cheese, 1/4 cup softened butter, 2 tsp milk, 1 tsp vanilla, 4 cups powdered sugar


Molasses Cookies
adapted from The Pioneer Woman
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup crisco
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking soda

mix all ingredients, roll each cookie in sugar and bake at 370 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the tops are cracked


Pepperoni Rolls
Using your favorite pizza dough or favorite bread dough recipe, (I used the recipe from simplekneads.blogspot.com, thanks Abbie!) cut small strips of dough, wrap several matchstick-sized pepperonis and allow to rise on a cookie sheet in a warm place. Sprinkle with garlic salt, herbes de provence, and parmesan cheese. Bake at 390 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden. Dip into your favorite marinara sauce




Lemon Squares
adapted from Betty Crocker's New Cookbook
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp lemon peel
2 T lemon juice
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs

1. Mix flour, butter and powdered sugar. Press mixture into 8x8x2 inch baking dish, building up 1/2 inch edges.
2. Bake crust at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
3. Beat remaining ingredients on high speed for 3 minutes or until light and fluffy.
4. Pour over hot crust and bake for an additional 25-30 minutes or until no indentation remains when lightly touched in center.
5. Dust with powdered sugar and cut into 1 1/2 inch squares (25 squares total).

I'm Trying Really Hard

Allow me to begin by stating the obvious: I am obsessed with food. I think about food from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep at night. I do not understand people that "forget to eat". I have been blessed with a pretty decent metabolism. I am not delusional enough to believe that I will ever weigh 112 lbs again. I also realize that at 5'5" I probably should weigh a little more than 112, but that was my weight before my first pregnancy. I do maintain a fairly active and healthy lifestyle, but my weight is not ideal for me right now. I am trying really hard not to eat as much as I normally do. My appetite is voracious. Seriously. I eat way more than anyone I know, including my husband. I have never forgotten a meal, lost weight while sick, or lost my appetite. On a normal day I would gauge my calorie count to be around 2500-3000 calories.

I haven't been counting calories, but I have been trying to eat less and to include more fruits and vegetables. The result: I'm starving. All. The. Time. Now, thankfully, my goal weight is only about 10lbs away. I've been pretty faithfully reducing my food intake every day for about 10 days and also including yoga in my daily exercise routine. I love to run, but I'm currently taking a break in the hopes of losing some weight and creating some leaner muscle tone before I start running again (and hopefully we'll have some warmer weather). Last year I ran two half-marathons and I hope to do at least that many this year as well.


I have made a few changes to my every day eating and not all of them have been very tasty. I hate the idea of losing my love of food, I'm just trying to reign my self-control. I'm trying to change my portion size. I've tried different ways to make myself feel fuller, but I won't eat anything I don't like. I think that is a wrong way to change my lifestyle. I truly believe that we have been blessed with certain joys in life and I won't deprive myself in that way. I really want to like this 10-grain cereal, but it's really kind of disgusting. And, I tried to fill myself with this shake mix, but I referred to it as my "repulso-shake". Even with coffee, skim milk, and ice, it still tastes artificial.


I'm trying to create a healthier lifestyle and I know it will take time. I have had a few successful breakthroughs. I try to have soup every day as a way to fill up (something about a hot meal) and also to include vegetables. I also made a pretty yummy "bread salad". There have been some failures, though, for instance this hideous cod dish. I had high hopes, but there was no flavor whatsoever. I guess you can't win them all! I look forward to a hot chocolate made with skim milk every afternoon and even if I don't lose my ten pounds I'm still very thankful for a healthy body, no matter what it weighs!


Minestrone Soup
2 T olive oil
1 small onion, chopped coarsely
2 large carrots, chopped coarsely (I haven't been peeling mine)
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
2 medium zucchini, chopped coarsely
3 cups sliced kale
1 small can tomato paste
1 can chicken broth
1 can small white beans, undrained
parmesan cheese for topping

1. Saute onion and carrot over high heat in olive oil until golden. Add zucchini and garlic and saute until browned. Add kale and stir until slightly wilted.
2. Add the can of tomato paste and then fill the can with three helpings of water.
3. Add the chicken broth and beans and simmer for 35 minutes to allow the flavors to meld.
4. Top with cheese, if desired and serve
**I didn't have to add any salt because the broth and beans were already salted**


Tomato and Bread Salad
1/2 small red onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 T butter
1 T olive oil
1/2 pt cherry tomatoes
1 cup cubed french bread
2 T roasted red peppers
1 T finely chopped fresh parsley
ground black pepper
ground parmesan
1/2 T balsamic vinegar

1. Saute garlic and onion in butter and olive oil on medium-high until golden. Add tomatoes and saute until browned.
2. Add bread and saute until bread is toasted. Add peppers, parsley, and balsamic vinegar.
3. Remove from heat onto plate and top with black pepper and parmesan.
**You could also add olives, cucumbers, different cheese, and different herbs...I just had these things on hand**

I Recycle

For any of you that know Rob and I really well, you know that we're not green. We're so not green we're practically purple. We don't buy the twisty lightbulbs, I drive a huge SUV, and we trust Al Gore about as far as we can throw him. It's not that we don't believe in being good stewards of the beautiful Creation that we've been given, we just hate being told what to do. I guess it's because we're both quite strong-willed people, firstborns, and rebels at heart. For me, being rebellious is sometimes a struggle, I know it's a pride thing. As I was growing up, I kept looking to the day when I could do whatever I wanted. I get a thrill from not following the status quo, breaking the rules, thumbing my nose at "the man".

But, I recycle food.

In most areas of my life, I am more than happy with mediocrity and keeping my life as simple as possible. For some reason, I am a contradiction in terms when related to food preparation. My motto is: if in doubt, make it yourself. To prepare most things homemade requires planning, organization, creativity, and an investment in time and resources. I realize that food is my passion because I am willing to make the investment in preparing almost everything we eat. Part of the willingness derives from my love of serving my family and the other part is simply that I love to create. I am certainly not a perfectionist, but this is the only area of my life that I consistently challenge myself. Every year my parents would go to school conferences and hear, "Your daughter is extremely intelligent, if only she would live up to her potential". I was simply satisfied with mediocrity until I found my love for food.

Back to the recycling. I really enjoy using my creativity to make more than one meal from leftovers. If I have lots of food left over from a meal, I'll freeze some of the ingredients to use in a future meal. Last week the stomach bug hit our household and the night after I made meatballs. Let's just say that no one was really into eating and I stored the meatballs in the freezer for another time. When I saw the recipe for meatball soup on the Pioneer Woman website, I knew I had a use for them. Of course, being the rebel that I am, I made my own recipe. With the soup I made cheesy buttermilk biscuits. They have been in our refrigerator for quite a few days, so today I made "croutons" for my tomato soup [for lunch]. I'm going to try to make breadcrumbs with the remaining biscuits and see if I can make passable chicken tenders for dinner. We had friends for dinner on Friday night and we had beef tenderloin with a mushroom sauce. I used the leftovers for beef stroganoff.



Here are the recipes from my recycled food:

Meatballs

1 lb ground round
1 egg
1 cup slivered fresh spinach
1/8 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp garlic salt
1 small can tomato paste
1 small onion, finely chopped

1. Mix all ingredients and form into bite-sized meatballs. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
2. Brown meatballs in saute pan on two sides.
3. Bake browned meatballs at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Top with marinara sauce or keep for use in soup.

Meatball Soup

2 T olive oil
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped coarsely
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
2 medium-sized zucchini, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cups fresh spinach, sliced
1 pt cherry tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
2 cans chicken broth

1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, saute carrots and onions for 2 minutes. Add zucchini, garlic and spinach, and cherry tomatoes and saute for an additional 3 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste, stir and add broth and at least two "can-fuls" of water using the tomato paste can.
3. Add the meatballs, desired amount of salt and pepper and serve. The thickness of the soup is to your liking, add more water if soup is too thick.

Cheesy Buttermilk Biscuits
1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 T sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp garlic salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese

1. With a pastry blender, combine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Stir in buttermilk (you may need to add water to make the mixture "stir-able") until dough leaves the sides of the bowl.
3. Turn dough onto a slightly-floured surface. Knead lightly 10 times.
4. Roll to 1/2 inch thick. Cut with a floured cookie-cutter.
5. Place onto ungreased baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes.

Beef Tenderloin with Mushroom Sauce
whole beef tenderloin (about 6lbs)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup burgundy wine
salt, pepper
3 large portabello mushrooms
1/3 stick butter
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup blue cheese
1/2 cup light cream

1. Marinate tenderloin at least four hours in olive oil, wine, salt and pepper.
2. Grill on high heat until both sides are seared. Roast at 400 degrees for an additional 45 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees for medium-rare.
3. Allow meat to rest. Slice and cover with mushroom sauce.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Saute mushrooms in butter over high heat until browned. Reduce heat to medium and deglaze pan with red wine, allow wine to "cook off" for about 2 minutes. Add blue cheese and cream and stir until combined. Top sliced tenderloin with sauce.

Beef Stroganoff
leftover beef and mushroom sauce
2 T butter
1 pkg button mushrooms, sliced thinly
1 medium-sized onion, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 T flour
1/4 cup red wine
1/2 cup chicken or beef broth
1/2 cup sour cream
cooked egg noodles

1. Slice beef and portabellos into bite-sized pieces.
2. In a large saute pan, brown mushrooms, onion and garlic over medium heat for about 2 minutes.
3. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir. Slowly add red wine and stir. Add broth and stir until thickened.
4. Add beef and portabellos, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.
5. Right before serving, add sour cream and stir until combined. Top buttered egg noodles with stroganoff.

Chocolate Cupcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Buttercream Frosting (makes 24)

1/2 cup cocoa
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

mix all ingredients and beat for 2 minutes. Place into cupcake papers and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center emerges clean.
Let cool and top with chocolate buttercream frosting. I put my frosting into a ziploc baggie, snipped a small corner off of the end and piped the frosting in circle on top of the cooled cupcake.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
6 T softened butter
1/2 cup cocoa
4 T milk
1 tsp vanilla
6 cups powdered sugar

Using a hand mixer, combine ingredients to achieve the consistency you desire. I use these measurements as my baseline and add more milk/cocoa/10x sugar as needed.

Holiday Jam Chicken

I love roasting a whole chicken. My friend, Whitney, gave me a jar of Stonewall Kitchen "Holiday Jam" and I was planning on making roast chicken for dinner. The Holiday Jam is a fresh jam made with cranberry, raspberry and pear with orange liquer. I had remembered seeing a recipe a few years ago that included cornish game hens and a cranberry glaze. I did a little internet surfing to gather some ideas and set to work with the ingredients I had on hand.

I'd love to say that this picture is the result, but alas, I scarfed down the chicken so fast that I forgot to take a picture. I usually assemble our dinner plates before I announce that "dinner's ready". On this night, after I made the announcement my family wandered into the kitchen to find me standing by the counter and literally cleaning all of the scraps off of the chicken carcass. The chicken was crispy, juicy, sweet, flavorful and addictive. The fact that the ingredient list is so small and so versatile makes this a recipe I'll use for years to come. You could certainly use any flavor of jam that you prefer, I happen to like the consistency of the Stonewall Kitchen jams and jellies. I also love that their ingredient list is easy to pronounce and that every product is high quality. I love their products as much as I love SmartWool socks, and that is my highest endorsement!

And, since we're pretending here, I'll also share the recipe for the acorn squash that happens to be displayed beside the chicken. I first had acorn squash prepared this way during a trip to Wegman's. If you've never gone to the "takeout" section of a Wegman's, you've never lived. The quality and choices of the foods showcased is something I've never seen before, not in a restaurant, and certainly not in a grocery store setting. We were in between games during a soccer tournament and Rob and I split up and surprised each other with our choices. He surprised me with this acorn squash and it was so delicious and simple that I was sure I could recreate it at home. With a few simple ingredients, it makes a healthy and delicious side dish.


Holiday Jam Chicken
1 whole "fryer" chicken (about 5lbs) "we" ate every bit of ours :)
5T Stonewall Kitchen Holiday Jam
2 1/2 tsp Stonewall Kitchen Bourbon Molasses Mustard
3 T softened butter
1 tsp garlic salt
2 clementines, quartered
4 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped
cracked black pepper
kosher salt

1. Loosen skin and spread butter on the meat of the chicken, replacing the skin after spreading the butter.
2. Mix jam, garlic salt, and mustard in a small bowl.
3. Stuff the chicken cavity with smashed garlic cloves and quartered clementines.
4. Spread the jam mixture on the chicken skin.
5. Drizzle whole chicken with olive oil, cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.
6. Uncover, raise heat to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until chicken is fully cooked.




Acorn Squash Wedges
2 whole acorn squash
olive oil
kosher salt
cracked black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
4 T maple syrup

1. Slice acorn squash into wedges. Remove seeds and place onto cookie sheet.
2. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.
3. Top acorn squash with freshly grated nutmeg and maple syrup and roast for an additional 15 minutes or until browned and "glazed".

****The chicken in the picture is grilled balsamic bbq chicken, equally delicious. Also pictured, roasted red pepper and asparagus quiche.****

Laura Ingalls I am not.....

Is it totally lame that I read my second-grader's library book this weekend? I am a sucker for the "Little House on the Prarie" series. I just find something so romantic about this period in our nation's history. The courage of pioneers to travel westward and simply set down roots is so awe-inspiring to me. I have made very plain my eventual goal to move to rural Iowa on a fully sustainable farm. With every visit to this beautiful part of our country I cannot help but miss the roadside produce stands that crowd York county. The gorgeous fields of Iowa seems to, instead, be filled with subsidized acres of genetically engineered corn and soybeans. My dream is to bring fresh fruit and vegetables to the rural areas of whatever little town we decide to settle in. I dream of growing produce, raising several animals (for eventual butchering, milking, egg harvest, etc.)

So, anyway, as I was reading "On the Banks of Plum Creek" I was, frankly, a little jealous of the Ingalls family. I mean, they were surrounded by plum trees of every variety (naturally occurring, apparently) and they were able to catch their dinner in Plum Creek. The pioneer life appears so idyllic until you factor in: grasshopper plagues, an 8 and 9 year old walking three miles to school each way, deadly blizzards, relying on crops for income, and the lack of modern conveniences.

Now, I consider myself a pretty low-maintenance girl. My one qualification, however, is cleanliness. To think of bathing once a week would be unfathomable. At the risk of sounding indelicate, I need a shower. Every. Day.

We traveled to our cabin this weekend, leaving on Saturday night. I arrived dead-tired after a long day of cooking (120 crabcakes, two cheese platters, fruit tray, veggie tray, 100 sandwiches, and spinach-artichoke dip). After I delivered my food I came home to pack and after 30 minutes of literally throwing things into suitcases and boxes, we were ready to leave. We stopped at Wendy's for a completely disappointing meal (a little tangent: this is why I can't work full-time...I fed my family Wendy's) and finally arrived to our cabin around 9:00pm. As we were getting ready for bed I realized that I had completely forgotten mine and Rob's suitcase. No clothing. No toiletries (including contact case/solution/glasses for Rob). I don't even want to tell you what I'd thrown on to wear on our trip. It was so bad I made Rob go through the drive-thru because I was embarrassed to be seen in public. At Wendy's.

Thankfully, I have a wonderfully generous husband. He drove me (actually I drove, long story - we got contact solution at the closest grocery store) to the nearest "big town" 40 minutes away and bought me a new pair of jeans at Tractor Supply! (it was the only retailer we could find with clothing). I continued to wash out my undergarments and t-shirt every day just to feel a little cleaner, but still, I felt so dirty wearing the same clothes for two days. I would not make a great pioneer.

Because this is a cooking blog, here is a dinner I made a few weeks ago that seems a little rustic. We'll call it "Pioneer Chicken Pie". Not really. It's a simple recipe that pleases each member of our family. It's hearty and filling. A perfect choice for a cold winter night.

Chicken Pie

1 small whole chicken, cut up (less than 4lbs)
4 large potatoes, peeled
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 bag frozen peas (I forgot to add them in this batch)
1 pie crust (I have recently started using lard in place of shortening...I'll fill you in at a later time)

1. In a large stockpot, place chicken, celery tops, carrot tops, onion peel and plenty of water. Simmer for at least 1 1/2 hrs or until chicken is fully cooked. Reserve 2-3 cups liquid for recipe. Keep the remaining in freezer for additional uses.
2. Shred chicken from bone.
3. Place potatoes, onion, celery, and carrots in large pot and boil until tender. Drain, add peas, and pour into 9x13 baking dish.
4. Pour 2-3 cups chicken broth over vegetables. Add shredded chicken.
5. Cover mixture with prepared pie crust. Cut slits into the crust and bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until crust is fully baked and golden brown.