Pulled Pork

Everyone has a recipe for pulled pork, but this rub is fantastic! The recipe came from somewhere online and I've looked for it since and haven't been able to find it. I feel bad I can't pay the original source credit. The recipe had an accompanying sauce, but why would I use that when I can buy Kansas City's own Gate's BBQ sauce at my local grocer? I've actually had this recipe since last summer. I've been holding out on you. Mostly because I haven't taken a decent picture of it yet. Finally today I decided to rip a picture off from our Memphis trip instead of waiting again until the next time we make this. I'm such a fraud. (Stephanie- you asked about nachos. Here's what I would do: I would layer the chips on the bottom, put the sauced pork on top of that, add cheese on top or queso dip (I have one I can post soon), and jalapeno slices (from the jar) on top of that. Stick them in the oven for 10 or 15 at 250 or 300. Oh that sounds delicious right now.)

The recipe makes a lot of rub, so you'll have enough to make this three or more times.

Pulled Pork

3-5 lbs pork butt
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cups dry rub
Gate's original bbq sauce (you can get this at hyvee)

dry rub:
1/4 c cumin
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 paprika
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper, ground
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic

Pulled pork: Day 1. rub pork with dry rub. Place in a baking dish and cover with plastic. Refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours. Day 2: remove the pork from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temperature for an hour. (I always forget to do this.) Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat oil in a large frying pan and sear the pork on high heat on all sides ( a few minutes on each side). Place pork in a baking dish lined with foil. Cover with foil and bake for four hours. Remove from oven and remove fat and connective tissue and any bone. Shred the meat with forks. Pour desired amount of sauce over the pork and serve hot.

Herb-Marinated Loin of Pork

Pay no attention to the crappy pictures. I could blame my camera, but the fault really lies with me. If I don't take the time to get a decent picture, it's because I'm so ready to eat! This recipe is perfection! Enjoy.

Herb-Marinated Pork Loin
from Barefoot Contessa's Back to Basics Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 lemon, zest grated
• 3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (4 to 6 lemons)
• Good olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic (6 cloves)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Kosher salt
• 3 pork tenderloins (about 1 pound each)
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, mustard, and 2 teaspoons salt in a sturdy 1-gallon resealable plastic bag. Add the pork tenderloins and turn to coat with the marinade. Squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Marinate the pork in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.

When you're ready to cook, build a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill. Brush the cooking grate with oil to prevent the pork from sticking. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and discard the marinade but leave the herbs that cling to the meat. Sprinkle the tenderloins generously with salt and pepper. Grill the tenderloins, turning a few times to brown on all sides, for 15-25 minutes (depending on the heat of the coals) until the meat registers 137 degrees (I may have let it go a little longer - 145, 150) at the thickest part. Transfer the tenderloins to a platter and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Allow to rest for 10 minutes. Carve in 1/2- inch thick diagonal slices. Season with salt and pepper and serve warm, or at room temperature with the juices that collect in the platter.

Pork and Lemon Orzotto and Caesar Salad Dressing

I've been slightly obsessed with orzo lately, and also wanting to try some risotto recipes, so this recipe jumped out at me. While we were in Springfield, we stopped at a Salvation Army and I grabbed Giada's "Everyday Pasta" cookbook for a measly three dollars! I was not disappointed at all. Very tasty little dish, but something tells me that mushrooms would make a nice addition to the little party that is Pork and Lemon Orzotto.

Pork and Lemon Orzotto
from Every Day Pasta by Giada De Larentiis

Orzotto
3 1/2 cups reduced- sodium chicken broth
3 T unsalted butter
3/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 lb. orzo pasta
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Herb Vinaigrette
Zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs chopped fresh basil
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs chopped fresh thyme
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
pinch of cayenne pepper

Pork chops
3 Tbs olive oil
4 boneless pork loin chops, about 2 inches thick (although my pork chops were barely 1 inch thick)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth

For the orzotto, in a medium saucepan, bring the 3 1/2 cups of broth to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cover the broth and keep hot over low heat.

Melt 2 Tbs of the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and stir to coat with the butter. Add the wine and simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the simmering broth and stir until almost completely absorbed, about 2 minutes. Continue cooking the pasta, adding the broth 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition of broth to absorb before adding the next, until the pasta is tender but still firm to the bite and the mixture is creamy, about 20 minutes total.

Meanwhile, combine all the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar or tight-sealing plastic container. Shake well and set aside.

For the pork, heat the olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, carefully place the pork chops in the skillet. Remove the pork from the pan and cover loosely with foil to rest. Pour off the excess oil from the pan and return it to medium heat. Pour the 1/2 cup of chicken broth into the skillet and, using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Turn off the heat.

To finish the orzotto, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the broth from the pork skillet, the Parmesan cheese, the remaining tablespoon of butter, and the salt and pepper.

Spoon the orzotto onto a serving platter (or onto individual plates). Slice each chop into 1/2 inch thick strips and arrange the meat on top of the orzotto. Drizzle with the herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Caesar Salad Dressing
adapted from Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa Parties!

I love this salad dressing so much. It's become a bit of a problem. I don't have any in the house right now and just preparing this blog post and thinking about it is literally causing my mouth to fill with saliva. I just might go make some when I'm finished here. It is that good.
nocoupons

• 1 extra-large egg yolk at room temperature*
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 2 large cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups good mild olive oil
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

For the dressing, place the egg yolks, mustard, garlic, anchovies, lemon juice, salt, and pepper into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Process until smooth. With the food processor running, slowly pour the olive oil through the feed tube (as though you were making mayonnaise), until thick. Add the grated Parmesan cheese and pulse 3 times.



For dessert on this particular night, I thought the kids might enjoy ice cream sundaes. They did, and so did I unfortunately. For three days, it was all I could think about. Uh-oh, is it just me or does an ice cream sundae sound amazing right now? Everything we used was store-bought except for this delicious hot fudge sauce.

Salsa Verde Carnitas

I've been craving Mexican for a long time and I found this recipe on Simply Recipes. It was delicious! I used bottled salsa verde and thought it tasted great. I didn't bother with the cabbage because I didn't feel like making another trip to the store. We were able to make three meals out of this. The first night I ate alone because Bobby had an impromptu dinner with his classmates. Two carnitas tacos and a diet coke really hit the spot!

• 3 1/2 pounds pork butt (pork shoulder)
• 2 cups salsa verde, bottled, canned, or homemade
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
• 1 Tbsp fresh chopped oregano (or 1 teas dried)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Salt

• 12 to 16 corn tortillas, heated and softened
• 1/4 head of cabbage, very thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon seasoned rice vinegar (if you only have unseasoned, add 1/4 teaspoon of sugar to it)
• Salt and pepper
• 1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 1/2 cup crumbled Cotija Mexican farmer's cheese, or some grated Monterey Jack cheese
• Crema fresca, crema Mexican, or sour cream
• Chopped cilantro leaves for garnish

1 Trim the excess fat from the roast. Put the meat in a large casserole or Dutch oven with salsa verde, onion, stock, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and oregano. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat, cover, and simmer until meat is very tender when pierced, about 3 hours.

2 Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove meat from liquid in pot and put the meat into a roasting pan. With 2 forks, tear meat into large shreds. Roast meat for 15 to 20 minutes until parts are brown and crispy.

3. While the meat is roasting, skim and discard fat from liquid in the casserole pan. Boil juices, stirring, until reduced to 2 1/2 cups, 8 to 10 minutes.

4 Return the meat to the Dutch oven. Stir in chopped cilantro. Season with salt.

Christmas Eve

We've been spending Christmas Eve with my Mom's brothers and sisters for as long as I can remember. It's a long-standing tradition that I really look forward to and enjoy. It's usually held at either my aunt Gayle's or aunt Cindy's house. Since Cindy and Gayle worked so hard hosting the Sant Christmas Party (a party that my Mom has been hosting since the 80's), I offered to host Christmas Eve with my Dad at his house.

It's a pretty laid-back party. A nice dinner is served and we have a gift exchange and just hang out and visit into the night. I decided to serve a roasted pork loin with my Mom's Swiss cheese potatoes, homemade rolls, and a raspberry cheesecake. Gayle brought artichoke dip and her famous creamed corn. Cindy brought one of her fabulous salads. (She really makes the greatest salads.) And my Dad made his signature Christmas dessert, rice pudding, which he whipped together in record time as the party was starting. It all came together nicely and my sister Annie and I had a fun time getting everything ready together. She basically cleaned the whole house for the party while I cooked. Here's some pictures of the food.



I was really happy with the cheesecake. Cheesecakes often give me trouble. I always end up with huge unsightly cracks in the top from baking too long- which is why I always serve it with this raspberry topping. This time I made sure that the top still jiggled just a little bit in the middle when I took it out. Worked like a charm.

Here's some more pics from Christmas Eve.
Here I am with my aunt Gayle and aunt Cindy. I love both these women so much.
Here's Julia dipping into the rice pudding. Oh yeah.
And here's the kids table. My Uncle Lauren has four small kids all very close in age and Franny was in heaven! She can't stop talking about them even now.

Roast Loin of Pork with Fennel

2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs kosher salt
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup dijon mustard
1 3 lb boneless pork loin, trimmed and tied
3 small fennel bulbs, tops removed
10 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced diagonally
10 small potatoes, quartered
2 onions, thickly sliced
4 Tbs good olive oil
4 Tbs butter, melted
salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

With a mortar and pestle or in the bowl of the food processor fitted with a steel blade, grind together the garlic, salt, and thyme leaves. Add the mustard and combine. Spread the mixture over the loin of pork and allow it to sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes.

MEanwhile, cut the fennel bulbs into thick wedges, slicing through the core. Toss the fennel, carrots, potatoes, and onions in a bowl with the olive oil, melted butter, salt, and pepper.

Tranfer the vegetables to a large roasting pan and cook for 30 minutes. Add the pork loin to the pan and continue to cook for another 30 to 50 minutes, or until a meat thermometer inserted in to the middle of the pork reads exactly 138 degrees. Remove the meat from the pan and return the vegetables to the oven to keep cooking. Cover the meat with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 15 minutes. Remove the strings from the meat and slice it thickly. Arrange the meat and vegetables on a platter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

(I didn't take the time to tie up the roast and I thought it was great. I also left all the vegetables out this time.)

Cheesecake
This is my FAVORITE cheesecake recipe. Any flavored cheesecake I make is a variation on this. It tastes delicious and I wouldn't think about trying any other recipe! I took 1 1/2 baskets of fresh raspberries and tossed it with about 1 cup of heated raspberry preserves. I also made a raspberry coulis to go with it.

Crust
5 Tbs butter, melted, plus 1 Tbs melted butter for the pan
8 whole graham crackers (4 oz), broken into rough pieces and processed in a food processor to fine, even crumbs
1 Tbs sugar

Filling
2 1/2 lbs (5 8oz packages) cream cheese, cut into rough 1 inch chunks, at room temperature
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup sour cream
2 tsp juice from 1 lemon
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks, plus 6 lare eggs, at room temp

1. For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the lower middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9 inch spring form pan with 1/2 Tbs of melted butter. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl; add 5 Tbs of the melted butter and toss with a fork until evenly moistened. Empty the crumbs into the springform pan and press evenly into the pan bottom. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around the edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while making the filling.

2. For the filling: Increase the oven temp to 500 degrees. In the bowl of a standing mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium-low speed to break up and soften it slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape the beater and the bottom and sides of the bowl well with a rubber spatula; add the salt and about half the sugarand beat at medium low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; beat in the remaning sugar until combined; about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the sour cream, lemon juice, and vainlla, and beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the egg yoks and beat at medium-low speed until throughly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the bowl; add the remaining eggs, two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, scraping the bowl between additions.

3. Brush the sides of the springform pan with the remaing 1/2 Tbs of melted butter. Set the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour the filling into the cooled crust and bake 10 minutes; without opening the oven door, reduce the oven temp to 200 degrees and continue to bake until the cheesecake registers about 150 degrees on an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center, about 1 1/2 hours. (Might take longer) Transfer the cake to a wire rack and cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Run a paring knife between the cake and the pan sides. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours.

4. To unmold the cheesecake, remove the sides of the pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and the bottom of the pan to loosen, then slide the cake onto a serving plate. Let the cheesecake stand at room teperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges.

Swiss Cheese Potatoes

This is my Mom's favorite potato recipe for Christmas dinners. I totally blame this dish alone for the eighteen pounds I gained in one month when I was pregnant with Franny. I was home for Christmas and there was plentiful amounts of this leftover in the fridge. It's good stuff.

2 c. milk
1/2 c butter
salt and pepper
3 lbs. baking potatoes
6 cloves garlic
1 c heavy cream
1 c grated Swiss cheese

Combine first four ingredients in large pan and bring to a boil. Peel potatoes and slice them really thin. Drop into hot milk. Blend in garlic and cream. Return to boil, simmer for 15 minutes. Potatoes should be 1/2 done. Pour liquid and potatoes into a buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Sunday Dinner

I thought these flowers were too beautiful not to share.

Even though she can't pronounce it right, my sister Annie loves schnitzel. She's never been a big eater, but she can really put away the Wienerschnitzel, so I decided that's what we would have for Sunday dinner. Click here for all our favorite schnitzel dinner recipes.

I served Macaroni Grill bread with it. Bobby calls this "the best bread ever" and any recipe that makes my husband say that is definitely a keeper. I'm so grateful for the lady that posted this recipe on her blog. We have this all the time. It tastes great with balsamic vinegar and olive oil.


Annie and Bobby both requested my grandma Carole's sour cream cookies with buttercream frosting. These are my favorite sugar cookies ever! She has been making them for as long as I can remember and when I think of traditional recipes in our family, these always come to mind.

Sour Cream Cookies

1 c sugar
1/2 c shortening

Cream together and add:

2 eggs
1 c sour cream
1 tsp vanilla

Beat until smooth, then add:

3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Let stand in refrigerator for an hour. Add more flour when rolling out for the first time (soft and sticky dough.) Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. These cookies should not get brown.

I frost these with a buttercream frosting.

1 softened cube of butter
3 1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup milk

Beat first three ingredients with handmixer. Add milk and beat until smooth. Add milk if needed. Add food coloring.

How cute is he? Here he is modeling my sour cream cookies. I asked him what color he wanted the frosting to be and he said, "seafoam." See on top of the cabinets we finally have a place to show off a sample of Bobby's metal lunchbox collection. Yeah!! I've always loved that he collects these.