Popovers!

I recently found out that not everyone has had the pleasure of eating a popover! When I registered for my wedding (circa 2001) I had to have a popover pan. However, I think you can make popovers in oversized muffin tins as well. This recipe is so easy. The best part is that the top puffs up so much that you can pull off the top and serve a veggie inside (surprise!) or fill it with soup or just serve it all by its delicious self.

The Ingredients:

2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt

How To:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Spray your popover tin with cooking spray. Blend eggs, milk, flour, butter, and salt. Bake for twenty minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake for an additional 20 minutes. The kids love to watch these grow and grow and grow so I always let them cook in my bottom oven. Enjoy!

Potato Salad and Pulled Pork

Certain days of the week are busier than others so I love to have some meals that can be prepared ahead of time and ready when my hungry children run through the door.  Today I threw some boneless spareribs in the crockpot as I headed out to preschool, poured a small can of coke and half a bottle of barbecue sauce and turned the temp to low.  I didn't look at the pork again until dinner.  Before we left for soccer practice I peeled and boiled some potatoes and left them to cool so they would be ready for a quick potato salad when we got home.  This really turned out to be a very easy and incredibly delicious weekday meal!

Pulled Pork Spareribs

Boneless spareribs (or any cut you like to use for pulled pork)
Small can of coke
1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce (save the rest for the end)

Combine in a crockpot.  Turn to low.  Cook for 6 to 8 hours.  At the end, skim off any fat, add remaining barbecue sauce and pull apart the pork with two forks.  It will really fall apart easily.  Serve in sandwiches or on its own.

Potato Salad

5 or 6 potatoes (about 1 per person)
1 stalk celery, diced
1 thick slice red onion, finely diced
1 small handful of parsley, chopped
1 to 2 tablespoons deli mustard (Grey Poupon or Boar's Head, for example)
1/4 cup (approx.) mayonnaise
1 hard boiled egg (optional)
fresh ground pepper

Peel and chop potatoes to the size you prefer.  Put potatoes in cold water and heat to boiling.  Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are fork tender, but not falling apart.  Drain and set aside.

Usually, even if I have no plans to make the potato salad until much later, I chop my other vegetables while I have the cutting board out.  Chop the celery, parsley, and red onion and set aside until later - it will make your salad prep super simple!  You can make this potato salad warm or cold.  When you are ready, combine all the ingredients.  Season with fresh ground pepper and serve with your favorite summer meal!

These days, since I have been buying my eggs by the flat through my veggie buying group, I always seem to have an extra hard boiled egg or two sitting in my fridge just waiting to be eaten.  Chop up the egg and add it to the potato with the other ingredients right before you mix it together.  My kids love it!

Creamy Horseradish Sauce

I had planned to write this post about the delicious popovers I made tonight and filled with a creamy asparagus and bacon sauce, but I really need to mention the delicious horseradish sauce I made yesterday to accompany my corned beef and cabbage dinner.  At first I was concerned that I had made too much of it, but today, as I was eating fresh asparagus dipped into this sauce, I realized that there is no such thing as too much creamy horseradish sauce.

The following recipe is truly multipurpose - we used it to dip fresh veggies and then poured it over our hot corned beef at dinner.  It would also be great with mashed potatoes or on a leftover corned beef sandwich.  Many, many choices!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
3 to 4 ounces prepared horseradish
a few quick zests of lemon
generous amounts of black pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients.  Add more horseradish depending on your taste.  I bought a 5 oz. jar of prepared horseradish - located in the refrigerated section somewhat near the yogurts at my grocery store.  I probably used about 80% of the jar.  Prepared horseradish is just made up of horseradish root, vinegar, and water - pretty simple.  This sauce is delicious.  Refrigerate any leftovers!

Green Sticky Rice

I recently started getting some eggs, meat and produce as part of a "buying group" of local Charlotte mommies.  About every two weeks we submit a bulk order and gather at our friend's home to divvy up the spoils.  The experience has been excellent!  It feels great to support local farmers and I feel like I am challenged to use ingredients I might not normally cook with.  For my last order, I decided to try yellow sticky rice from Clyde Valley Farm in Morganton, NC.  The following recipe was my first, yet incredibly delicious, foray into the world of sticky rice!  Yum!  Although I used sticky rice, I wouldn't hesitate to try the following recipe with regular white rice.

Green Sticky Rice

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1/2 cup parsley

1/2 cup cilantro

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup chicken stock

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 1/4 cup sticky rice

1 2/3 cup chicken broth

Directions:

Saute onion and jalapeno in the olive oil for a few minutes until they are tender.  Add the parsley, cilantro and garlic.  Saute for an additional couple of minutes.  Add in salt and cumin.  Stir well.  Transfer these ingredients to a food processor.  Add about 1/3 cup of chicken broth or stock and puree.  Set aside.

In saucepan, heat another tablespoon olive oil.  Add the sticky rice.  Coat well with oil.  Cook for a few minutes - stirring constantly over medium heat.  Add back in the pureed herbs and about 1 2/3 cups of chicken stock or broth.  Heat to boiling - reducing the liquid a bit.  Reduce heat to low.  Cover and cook for about 20 minutes.  Uncover and let stand for a few minutes.  Stir well and serve.  

Unfortunately, I only made 1 1/4 cups of rice - next time I will probably double the recipe - or at least go to 2 cups.  There was absolutely nothing left of this!  Delicious!  

Broccoli Potato Soup

This soup was definitely a huge hit at the dinner table tonight!  I served it with garlic bread - super easy weeknight meal!  My friend emailed me this morning to tell me that the weekly special at our local Earth Fare was a 5 lb. bag of potatoes free with any purchase.  Who can say no to free produce???  The day was so dreary that I instantly thought of SOUP as an easy dinner to whip up later in the evening.

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons butter
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
2 cups chopped broccoli (about 1 crown)
4 cups chopped potatoes (peeled)
2 Tablespoons corn starch (or use flour to thicken)
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups skim milk
2 cups sharp cheddar, shredded
1 cup Italian blend cheese, shredded
salt and pepper

Directions:

Saute garlic, onion, celery, carrots, and broccoli in the butter.  Cook for about 10 minutes until the veggies are all soft.  Add the corn starch and stir well.  Scrape the bottom repeatedly.  Add the broth, milk, and potatoes.   Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes while the soup thickens.  Add the cheese.  Stir well.  Season with salt and fresh ground pepper.  Enjoy!

Freeze it!  This batch makes so much soup it is the perfect way to cook once, eat twice.  Take the remaining soup and pour it carefully into a freezer bag.  Push out all the air and seal well.  Place that bag into another freezer bag and, when the soup is completely cooled, put it in the freezer.  When you want to serve it for dinner again, allow the soup to completely thaw in the refrigerator - about 1 day or so - and then dump into a pan.  Heat the soup over a medium flame, but try not to let it boil.   

Almost Homemade Tortilla Chips

My older daughter LOVES tortilla chips.  If she could only eat one thing for the rest of her life, it might be nachos.  This weekend the kiddos made a trip to Grammy's house and poor Mommy was left home all alone. :)  However, in spite of all my freedom this weekend, it did not cross my mind to actually go to the grocery story so when they arrived back home today I realized I had absolutely nothing in the house to feed them!  Fortunately, I found a package of corn tortillas in the fridge so we were able to stave off preschooler starvation for a bit by making our own quick snack.

Making homemade tortilla chips is incredibly easy.  I have made them a few different ways and there really is no wrong way to make them.  You can brush the tortillas with olive oil or, as I prefer, spray each side lightly with Olive Oil Pam.  Cut the tortilla into eighths, spread on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with Crazy Salt, kosher salt, Creole seasoning, lemon pepper, or even cinnamon sugar!  Cook them in the oven at 375 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes.  Enjoy!