Sunday Funday, Champagne and Cooking

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Champs and art in window-Here is that kitchen window sill again!  It is dreary outside on this Palm Sunday afternoon in ENC, but it is bright and sunny in my kitchen.  I am armed with ample goods from a Sam’s Club stop after church this morning.  So, champagne in hand I am cooking for my nephew who is in MBA school in Georgia.  I will be seeing him next weekend, so I decided to make a couple of things for his freezer.  He is certainly not anticipating that I will arrive with a stocked cooler, so I can’t wait to witness that huge grin of his!  I’ll try to capture it and add it to this post after next weekend!!  To energize myself for the marathon cooking afternoon I first made myself one of my fav sandwiches…the Bleu Cheese Veggie.

Bleu Cheese Veggie Sandwich

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Bleu Cheese Veggie Sandwich8 slices of Health Nut bread (Arnold’s brand)
3/4 cup bleu cheese dressing (I like Naturally Fresh brand)
4 large lettuce leaves
8 slices Jack cheese
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
1 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts

Spread bread slices with dressing.
Top 4 slices of bread with 1 lettuce leaf, 2 slices cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocado slices, and alfalfa sprouts.
Top with remaining 4 slices of bread.
Slice sandwiches in half.

Serves 4.

This is adapted from Southern California Cooking from the Cottage. Jane and Michael Stern. 2004

Pulled Pork Sandwich/Appetizer Sliders

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Entree Pulled PorkI had never tried making my own BBQ until I came across a recipe recently that is similar to the one you see below.  I tweaked it a bit to make it more to my taste.  I have always preferred my BBQ pulled or shredded, rather than chopped as we find it in most BBQ joints.  This recipe uses only the lean meat of the tenderloin and surely no chopped skin, gristle, or other unknown parts!!  Licking my lips…yum.  Here is a fun read about B’s Barbeque, one of ENC’s most beloved BBQ joints.  Life in the South is grand.

2 one lb tenderloins
12 oz Pepsi
9 – 12 oz BBQ sauce*
8 hamburger buns, split and lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 210°.
Place tenderloin in a casserole dish.
Pour root beer over meat.
Cover and cook 6 hours.
Remove from oven and drain.
Shred tenderloin using 2 forks to pull meat apart in strips.
Pour on BBQ sauce and stir well.
Serve on toasted hamburger buns.

Serves 8 for sandwiches.
OR makes 20 appetizer sliders using Sister Schubert’s Parker House style yeast rolls, cooked according to package instructions.  Of course you can always forgo the bread and have a lean BBQ dinner, just adding a vegetable or two.Sandwich Pulled Pork

Appetizer Pulled Pork Sliders*I prefer a vinegar based BBQ sauce. There is my home made version, but it needs to be made 7 days in advance. I don’t usually plan my dinners that far ahead of time!  For simplicity the most authentic homemade tasting sauce that I have found is Guy Fieri’s Carolina #6 Mop and Slop BBQ Sauce and Marinade.

Shockingly each sandwich has a mere 150 cal of pork, 30 cal of BBQ sauce and 120 cal of hamburger bun!

Waldorf Salad Sandwich*

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Sandwich Waldorf SaladBreast meat of 1 roasted chicken, cut into pieces
4 stalks celery, diced
1 small red delicious apple, diced
2 Tbs chopped walnuts
2 Tbs Hellman’s light mayonnaise
2 Tbs yogurt
1/8 t nutmeg
1/8 t cinnamon
6 lettuce leaves
12 slices raisin bread, toasted

Combine chicken, celery, apple, walnuts, mayonnaise, yogurt, nutmeg, and cinnamon in medium bowl.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight to allow flavors to blend.
To serve, place lettuce on slice of bread.
Spoon chicken mixture over lettuce leaf and top with another slice of bread.
Repeat to make 6 sandwiches.
Chicken mixture will keep up to 4 days in refrigerator.

Serves 6.
*Naturally, you may use this as an entrée salad rather than making it a sandwich. It is delicious both ways.

Leggett Farm Organics/Garden Club

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Leggett Farm House

pulled from Leggett Farm Oraganics’ web site

Leggett Farm

Yesterday I had the pleasure through my Garden Club to spend a delightful two hours at this beautiful farmhouse, home to Leggett Farm Organics owner, and then take a brief tour of the farm. The crops are in their infancy now but we all got quite thrilled about our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) boxes that will begin delivery mid April.  Ben is extremely knowledgeable, passionate about his organic farm and produce, and passionate about spreading the word here in ENC.  Check out his amazing website and scrumptious recipes.  He is truly living the life!  Oh…and did I mention he is also raising chickens?!  Fun times!

White chickensIMG_1375

Homemade BBQ Sauce

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Dressing Bet's BBQ sauce1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup Hot Shot! (red and black pepper blend)
1/2 gallon Cider vinegar

Pour 1/2 cup of vinegar out of the vinegar container.
Add salt and Hot Shot! to vinegar.
Let it stand a minimum of 7 days before use.
Shake daily.

*This can easily be doubled, using a gallon of vinegar.  It keeps for months.

The Opera!

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TomsWhen were you last able to go to the opera in sweat pants and Vans?  Well, I just accomplished that last night in ENC (as we affectionately call Eastern North Carolina).  Our local Carmike has the HiDef feed from the Metropolitan Opera, albeit, not the live stream that  NYC folks receive; but it is fantastic none the less!  A child’s combo of popcorn, beverage, and gummy treats and I was raring and ready.  It was a double billing of Cavalleria Rustican and Pagliacci.  Just marvelous!  And since “it ain’t over til the fat lady sings” (quote attributed to Ralph Carpenter), I decided to give her a Lemon Yogurt Loaf for her sweet tooth!

Dessert Lemon Yogurt Loaf Icing

Lemon Yogurt Loaf

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New Lemon Yogurt Loaf

1 Tbs all purpose flour for preparing loaf pan
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 t baking powder
1/2 t kosher salt
1 cup sugar
Zest of 3 lemons, divided
3/4 cup whole milk Greek lemon yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1/2 t vanilla extract
Fat Free Cool Whip, or Lemon Glaze ingredients below

Preheat oven to 350°.
Coat an 8” x 4” loaf pan with cooking spray.
Sprinkle 1 Tbs flour in pan and dust it all around, tapping out excess.
In small mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
In medium bowl, mix together sugar and zest of 2 lemons, rubbing it with your fingers to moisten sugar.
Add yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla to sugar mixture.
Whisk to blend.
Gently fold in dry ingredients, just to blend.
Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake until top of loaf is golden brown, approximately 50 minutes.
Allow to cool on wire rack 15 minutes.
Invert onto wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Garnish with cool whip and remaining lemon zest.

May also use the following glaze.
Lemon Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 Tbs milk
1 t lemon extract
Stir all together until smooth.
Drizzle over cake prior to slicing.

Dessert Lemon Yogurt Loaf Icing

Horseradish Mashed Potatoes

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Starch Horseradish Potatoes

This is just wonderful with meatloaf, pork tenderloin, steak, chicken, or by itself! When I have been feeling in a funk I have simply made a bowl for myself in the middle of the afternoon!  HA!

You will need:
Instant mashed potato flakes (I like Idaho Spuds Classic Mashed Potato Flakes)
1/2 cup horseradish
1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup sour cream
Preheat oven to 350°.
Prepare instant potatoes according to package directions for 10, and add an extra 1/2 cup of flakes to what the directions call for.
(This is because they will become too loose when you add other ingredients.)
When potatoes are cooked, add horseradish, sour cream and butter.
Spoon into casserole dish or individual ramekins.
Bake for 15 minutes.

Serves 8 to 10.

Author’s Notes: I use potato flakes rather that real potatoes because it saves lots of time and labor. The flakes are made from real potatoes that are peeled, prepared, and then dehydrated. The only preservative is sodium bisulfate, which is considered more sulfur than sodium and is not a salt. It is a combination of sodium, hydrogen, sulfur and oxygen. It meets the FDA’s definition of a natural product. It is used in almost all dried foods such as dried fruits, trail mixes and so on. When you add water and/or milk back to the flakes you rehydrate them back to their original state. All of this is to explain that using flakes is the perfect time saver. Enjoy!