Pork, Potatoes & Tomatoes

I guess, some days I just feel like making beans & weenies and some days I want to be adventurous and make things I've never tried before.  I found a new recipe on facebook for pork tenderloins and pinned one for mash-potatoe-cakes.  So I decided to try them both and add in some Parmesan tomatoes.  None of these were my own recipes, I copied straight from the original posters.... so here's the links & few things I've added or changed: 

Pork: 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10152095376843179&set=oa.435060669935746&type=1&theater

I made the pork according to the directions - however, in the end I wanted more 'sauce'.  So I mixed in the cooking juices along with a blop of brown sugar and a good squirt of yellow mustard.  It was not as thick as I wanted it, but it was delicious way to top the pork!

Mashed Potato Cakes:

http://ideascute.net/cheesy-leftover-mashed-potato-pancakes.html

The ONLY thing I changed here was that I used panko bread crumbs to the mixture instead of some flour.  It gave it a good crunch and seemed to hold it together better.

Parmesan Tomatoes:

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/baked_parmesan_tomatoes.html

The one thing different I did with these is I don't bake them, as it says.... I just pop them under the broiler until they look crispy and done.  YUMMY!

Everything turned out wonderful and tasted delicious.... I just wish it wasn't all sort of, the same color.  I know you've heard me say it before.... my food may not always LOOK correct or great, but it tastes good.  LOL. 

Enjoy!

Camping: Breakfast Burritos

I've read many, many blogs.... posts.... pins about what to make when you go camping.  Lots of them were directions on how to make breakfast burritos.  Yum!  So I've combined what I liked most about each one and made them!  They were delicious!  

Make Ahead:

Brown 1 lb your favorite ground sausage (I added in 1 can of black beans at the end)

Make 1/2 bag of hasbrowns (season as desired)

Bake 18 scrambled eggs, add chives & seasons as desired

** Roll the burritos together and wrap in tin foil before you go **

Sausage

Hashbrowns

Eggs

Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

Once you're camping and it's time for breakfast, just throw them on the grill.

Ours got a bit black, but it added to the flavor.  

YUMM!!

I used a whole bag of cheese & made 7 burritos... I think, I'd use more cheese in the future, so it 'glues' everything else together a little better.  You cook, you learn.  

=)

ENJOY!

Spinach Artichoke Dip

There's something quite annoying yet entertaining about Guy Fieri.  I like him, but he does bug the mess out of me sometimes.  My oldest boy and I can sit for hours, watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on any normal day.  Today, however, I saw him on another show - Big Bite, where he made a Swiss Chard & Artichoke dip.  I thought that looked amazing and wanted to replicate it, however my grocery store did not cooperate.  So I was forced to make a few alterations, yet it still turned out wonderful!! 

INGREDIENTS:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
2 tablespoons minced garlic
4 slices thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, diced
8 cups (lightly packed) roughly chopped spinach
One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, roughly chopped
1/4 cup fire-roasted tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for topping
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Tortilla chips, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the bacon and cook until crispy and browned, another 5 minutes.

Add the spinach and cook until wilted, stirring occasionally, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the artichoke hearts and tomatoes and heat through, 1 minute.

In a deep pot, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until golden, 2 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium and slowly pour in the milk while whisking; cook, whisking constantly, for 5 minutes. Add the sauce to the spinach mixture.

Stir in the ricotta, cream cheese, mozzarella and Parmesan. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Transfer the mixture to a greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Sprinkle with some grated Parmesan and bake until golden brown and bubbly, 20 minutes. Serve warm with tortilla chips for dipping.

~ ~ 

I would have liked to use the swiss chard that Guy suggests but it was nowhere to be found in my little town.  Sad face.  So spinach was the best call replacement.  It turned out great!!  Even my picky eaters ate it! 

Hope you like it, as well! 

Trinidad Food

So... it's holiday season and our good friend is from Trinidad.  He is so far from home, missing his family and their food.  We have him over for supper time to time and he keeps talking about how wonderful trini food is, so I thought I'd do my research and see what I could find.  I actually came across quite a few yummy looking recipes websites - so I decided to invite our friend over for another supper and surprise him.

I will say - - I did NOT deviate from any of the recipes, because I had no clue what I was doing, and I wanted it to be authentic as possible.  So here's the website where I got all the recipes.  I've tried a few other of her recipes, as well, they are wonderful!!!

http://www.cookingwithria.com/

Here is the plate of food I made.  It ALL turned out absolutely wonderful!!

On the plate: 

Jasmine Rice (on bottom)

Callaloo (green stuff)

Stewed Chicken (on top)

With... Macaroni pie (This was MY FAVORITE!!)

I also made (but didn't get a picture of....)

Mango Chutney (with bits of croissants to act as a pholourie) 

Sawine for dessert - - super yum!!

Fig punch to drink (in Trinidad they call banana's figs, who knew?)

Again... I got all of the recipes from that wonderful lady, in the link I shared above.  I suggest you use that page if you want authentic recipes, because our friend almost cried when we handed over a plate of trinidadian food.  He said, "Just like my mom makes....."  That almost made me cry!!!