CHRISTMAS DINNER!

Well here is the Christmas spread of 2010!  

For quite some time now our Xmas tradition is Prime rib and crab legs.

We do both because my mom is not a meat eater, and we like her a little bit.

Look at all the Ghee!  Holy butter, RIGHT?!

Luckily for my waistline most of that was still there after dinner also. 

Yorkshire pudding (which is the bread like thing in the top left corner of the table) is also a Xmas staple.

I was in charge of sides this year, so all of the sides were from the blog.

And they were all delicious.  

The mushrooms were the only new recipe that I used.  

I also made the glazed carrots and horseradish mashed potatoes, which I've already blogged about here and here.

So here is the mushroom recipe...

Sauteed Mushrooms with Thyme

2 T butter

1 T olive oil

1 small shallot, minced

1 1/2 lbs small white mushrooms, halved

S&P

1 tsp minced fresh thyme

1/4 cup dry red or white wine...or water(I used red)

In a skillet over med-low heat melt butter with oil.   Add shallot; cook, stirring until soft about 5 min.

Raise heat to medium and add mushrooms; season with S&P.  Cook, covered until mushrooms release their liquid, 5-6 min.

Uncover; raise heat to high.  Cook tossing until liquid evaporates and mushrooms are browned, 3-5 min.  Add thyme and wine.  Cook until skillet is almost dry, 1 min.  

Serves 4.

MMMMMM Prime rib by uncle Dug!

Crab legs!

There were many more...this was after we dug in!

And last but DEFINITELY not least...Yorkshire pudding...this stuff is incredible and always reminds me of the holidays at HOME!

Paige Rating: Mushrooms-****

 

One last catch up...

 I forgot about this one...but how could I?  Look at it, it looks incredible! 

Well as you well know, blogging has not been on the top of my list as far as priorities go lately.

Shame on me, I KNOW!

But I wanted to give you all one last catch up meal, before a share our Christmas meal with you all. :)

So this was a fantastic meal that I made...oh..probably...3 weeks ago..WOW thats sad.

But really it was awesome.

It was the last of our steaks that we received from Logan's mom,

and boy did those go out in style.  This parsley sauce is a great accompaniment to an already great piece of meat and the sweet potatoes were to die for!  I didn't even use any ketchup....

THAT SAYS A LOT!

Ok thats all I remember...

ENJOY!

Flank steak with Parsley Garlic Sauce

2 flank steaks (1 1/2 lbs each)

S&P

1/4 cup plus 1 T olive oil

2 garlic cloves

1 bunch fresh slat leaf parsley, leaves picked from stems (about 4 cups)

3 T fresh oregano leaves

3 T white wine vinegar

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

2 T water

Pat steak dry.  Season with S&P.  Heat 1 T oil in skillet over med high heat.  Cook steak 5-8 min per side, turning once for med rare. (remember if you have a thinner steak, it will take less time).  Transfer to a cutting board, let rest, covered loosely with aluminum foil.  Repeat with other steak if you are cooking for 4.

While steaks rest; pulse garlic in food processor until finely chopped.  Add parsley, oregano, vinegar, red pepper flakes, remaining oil and water.  Pulse until herbs are finely chopped; season with salt.

Thinly slice steak against the grain and serve with sauce.

Serves 4. 

Sweet Potato Wedges

3 sweet potatoes

2-3 garlic cloves, unpeeled

4 tsp olive oil 

1/4 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)

salt

Preheat oven to 400.  Cut sweet potatoes in half crosswise and then into 1 in wide wedges.  Crush garlic cloves in their skin.

On a large baking sheet, toss potatoes with garlic, olive oil, thyme and red pepper flakes; season with salt.  Spread in a single layer, roast until potatoes are fork tender, turning halfway through, about 30 min.  

Serves 4.  

Logan Rating: ****

Oh and I think I have forgotten to clue you guys in...this will be the last Logan rating for quite some time.

He will be in Choteau, MT for the winter working as a ski patrol at Teton Pass. 

You will have to trust MY judgement from now on...Scary I know.

Leftover 2

Here is the second installment of the pork leftovers.

I really liked this a lot, because I love new salad ideas.

Logan thought it was really good also, but expressed to me that he was sick of pork...

how could he be sick of it?

We only had it 3 days in a row!  

Anyway...this is the last of the pork...

and now that Logan has been living in a motel for the last 2 weeks,

I bet he would love some pork right about now.

This dressing is really awesome and really easy and could be used for a lot of salads. 

You could make this salad without the pork and/or with chicken if you wanted also...

TRY IT!

ENJOY!

Chopped salad with Pork and Buttermilk dressing

1/2 cup buttermilk

3 T mayo

2 scallions, trimmed, white and green parts separated 

1 garlic clove, crushed

S&P

1 head romaine lettuce, trimmed and chopped

1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 package frozen corn kernels, thawed

2 oz pepper jack cheese, cubed

3/4 pound roasted pork loin, from previous recipe, room temp

Whisk together buttermilk, mayo, white parts of scallions and garlic; season with salt and pepper.

Add romaine, tomatoes, corn, cheese, scallion greens, and pork to the bowl.  Toss to combine with dressing and serve immediately.  

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: **

Twist on a club...leftover #1

Hopefully someone is reading this...

and you all haven't abandoned me.

This is a really good lunch option...and is the first of two things I did with the pork roast leftovers. 

Remember the pork?  It was a while ago, but only a couple blog posts back...check it out...I promised leftover recipes, so FINALLY here they are.  Again, Sorry!

I absolutely loved this.

I never really make leftovers into anything, I tend to just eat them, how they are for lunch.  

I would have just eaten that pork with the fig sauce for a lunch if it weren't for this handy cookbook and the leftover ideas that it offers me.  

One of the many amazing things I love about these cookbooks!

Very easy and very quick and definitely a filling and delicious lunch.

I used turkey bacon...I know what your thinking but this kind is really good, I'm not lying I swear...

but don't take my word for it, try it yourself!

ENJOY!

Roasted Pork Club with Scallion Mayo

8 slices bacon 

1/2 cup mayo

4 scallions, minced

S&P

12 slices whole wheat bread lightly toasted

3/4 lb roasted pork loin, sliced (from previous meal)

1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced

1 cup alfalfa sprouts (skipped this)

8 thin slices swiss cheese (used white cheddar)

Dill pickles for serving.

Makes 4 sandwiches. 

Cook bacon and drain fat.  Mix together mayo and scallions; season with salt and pepper.

 

Spread one side of each bread slice with mayo.  Layer 4 bread slices with pork and avocado; layer another 4 slices with sprouts, bacon and cheese.  Stack layers, then top with remaining bread.  Half with a serrated knife, if desired.

Serve with dill pickle if desired.

Logan Rating: ****

Back! For now...

I'm a lazy blogger.  

I want to apologize again to all that read this blog.

I get so sad when the blogs that I read religiously haven't posted in a while...

So I know how you feel.  And I am very sorry.  I don't mean to make you sad.

I've been in MN now for almost a week and I wish I could say I have been busy,

but that wouldn't be true at all.

I've just been lazy.

So now, with the parents off to work, I'm taking some time to catch you all up.

I honestly have not cooked in a while...almost two weeks...

can you believe it?  I CAN'T!

With Logan gone for the winter, it just hasn't been much fun cooking for one.

And now at home, well we have been doing a lot of eating out...

Which is terrible...there will be more cooking soon...I PROMISE!

Just last night we made some baked chicken, roasted asparagus and mushrooms, and boiled potatoes...

pretty delicious, but none of the recipes were from this challenge.  

SORRY!

So what I will do is catch you up on some recipes that I made prior to Logan leaving for the winter...

I know it was a long time ago, but won't you forgive me, PLEASE??

ENJOY!

Chicken with Prosciutto and Sage

1/4 cup flour

S&P

4 fresh whole sage leaves, plus 4 minced leaves

4 chicken cutlets

4 slices thinly sliced prosciutto

4 tsp olive oil

3/4 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup chicken broth

1 T cold butter

Stir together flour, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper.  Set aside.

Lay 1 sage leaf on each cutlet, then wrap in prosciutto around the middle of each cutlet.  Flatten with the palm of your hand to help prosciutto adhere.  Dredge chicken in flour and tap off excess.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp of oil over med high.  Cook 2 at a time until golden brown and cooked through, 3-4 min per side.  

Add wine and broth to skillet; cook over high until reduced by 3/4, about 2 min.  Remove from heat and let cool 1 min.  Add butter and minced sage; stir until butter is melted, about 30 seconds.  Spoon sauce onto plates, top with cutlets.  

Serves 4.

Yeah, I put ice cubes in my white wine!

What of it???

Sauteed Spinach with Golden raisens

1 T olive oil

1 1/2 lbs spinach

1/4 cup golden raisens

S&P

(I had regular raisins so I used those...also sorry I have no pics of this one.)

Warm oil in skillet, cook spinach in 3 additions, letting first batch wilt before adding more.  Toss often until completely wilted, 3-4 min total.  Stir in raisins.  Season with salt and pepper.

Serves 4.

I served this with left over rice pilaf...delicious!  Love me some pilaf!

Logan Rating: ***

Hiatus

I am very sorry faithful followers for this ridiculous hiatus!  Logan moved up north for a job about a week and a half ago and I haven't cooked SINCE THEN! :(  I know...pathetic!  Well it is just no fun to cook for one.  But I promise, I have updates for you...I'm off to MN in the morning and will hopefully have some time to update you all SOON...now that school is out for the semester! 

Again sorry...and I leave you with this...Logan's new look...not so sure about this one.  I guess it's a ski patrol thing! 

...drool...

I feel like Homer Simpson looking at a doughnut when I look at this picture.  Oh man, this meal was fantastic!  Pork with a fig sauce and a great rice pilaf recipe.  

This was one of those recipes that I cook and it makes me feel like I'm a chef in a popular restaurant. 

Yes I do fantasize about those things while I cook, what of it!? 

So I was unable to find fresh figs, ANYWHERE, disappointing, I know.

BUT, I used dried and it was still KILLER, so its good to know that either works, 

however if you can find fresh, use fresh.

Also, while I LOVE drinking wine, I know very little about it...

so when I couldn't find a port wine at the store I just bought a regular old bottle of red wine...whoops

It was still really good, but I could see how port would really round out the sweetness/taste of the sauce.

I'm admitting my faults so that you all can succeed, so PLEASE let me know if you try this and if you like it.  

I bought a huge pork roast at the store, ON SALE, which was awesome.

However it was big enough to feed an entire baseball team, so we had a lot of leftovers.

A subsequent post will be all about what I did with those leftovers, so stay tuned. 

In the mean time, MAKE THIS, I'm serious, OR ELSE.

I will come to your house and yell at you....

A LOT!  

Seriously, I know where you live!

Well maybe that isn't true, but I could find out...I only have 16 followers remember! 

Ok chill, I won't harass you

merely for fear of restraining orders... :)

ENJOY!

Pork Loin with Figs and Port Sauce

1 T olive oil

2 boneless pork loins (1 1/5 lbs each)

S&P

1 shallot, finely chopped

1 T all purpose flour

1 cup port wine

1/2 lb ripe fresh figs, stemmed and halved

Preheat oven to 450.  In a medium ovenproof skillet heat oil over med heat.  Pat pork dry and generously season with S&P.  Cook on the stove top until browned on all sides, 8-10 min.  Pour off all but 1 T fat.  ( I don't have an oven proof skillet, so I just transfer it to a roasting pan after it is browned).

Transfer skillet to oven (or to roasting pan) and continue to cook until a thermometer reads 145.  (The time will depend on how big your pork loin is...so check it out.)  Transfer pork to plate and cover loosely with tin foil.

Place skillet over med heat; add shallot and cook until softened, 2-3 min.  Add flour; cook, stirring 30 sec.  Gradually whisk in port; cook until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 2-3 min.  Add figs; cook until warmed through, about 1 min.  Slice pork and serve with figs and port sauce. 

Rice Pilaf with Toasted Almonds

1 T unsalted butter

1 small onion, minced

1/4 tsp ground coriander

S&P

1 cup long grain white rice (I used brown rice)

1 can chicken broth

2 T coarsely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley 

1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

In a med saucepan, melt butter over med heat.  Cook onion stirring occasionally until golden brown, about 8 min.  Add coriander; season with S&P.  Add rice, cook stirring 2 min. 

Stir in broth.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat.  Cover simmer until rice is tender and has absorbed all liquid, about 15 min.  (Takes about double the time for brown rice, FYI).  Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 10 min.  Fluff with a fork, stir in parsley and sprinkle with almonds.

Serves 4. 

Side note....This is now what our dog does every time we turn the oven on, as a result of many fire alarm episodes, which apparently she is not keen on.  

Yes, that is my closet...and yes she has hidden herself behind my dresses...

Oh the things we sacrifice for good food! 

Poor Rylie!

Logan Rating: *****

Brown rice pasta

I shouldn't blog on an empty stomach...my mouth is watering!

So have you ever tried brown rice pasta?  I hadn't until this and I must say I really liked it!

It was a little different, but it had a great heartiness to it, I didn't feel like I was just eating a huge pile of empty carbs...and isn't it all about making myself feel better about eating the things I love!?? :)

Well you should try it...and let me know what you think.  They are a little more expensive, but I kind of think they are worth it...what do you think?

Anyway this pasta was DELICIOUS!  

I really think you can't go wrong with pasta, it should probably be its own food group...

But this one was exceptional.

In fact I wanted it so bad, I busted out the inside grill pan just to make it.

I served it with an awesome salad with a buttermilk dressing, that will be in one of the next blogs.

The picture doesn't do it justice, but this was SO good.  

ENJOY!

Grilled Tomato Linguine 

3 lbs plum tomatoes cored and halved lengthwise

5 T olive oil

1 T chopped fresh thyme or 1  tsp dried

S&P

1 lb linguine

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan

Heat a grill to high.  In a bowl, toss tomatoes with 3 T oil and thyme; season generously with S&P.

Starting with cut sides down, grill tomatoes until soft and charred 8-10 min per side.

Return to the bowl and cut into coarse pieces with kitchen shears.

Meanwhile cook linguine, drain and return to pot.

Add remaining 2 T olive oil, the parmesan and grilled tomatoes.  

Serve with more parm if desired.

Serves 4.

Logan Rating: ****

Done catching up!

I've discovered something about myself. 

I love meals that require me to put everything into one pan and throw that pan in the oven.

Well don't actually throw it...come on you know better!

But really, don't you all love that too?  

It feels so quick and easy even if you do have to wait a while for it to cook.

This is one of those meals, so naturally, I LOVE IT!

It also tastes pretty good, which doesn't hurt.

I was very surprised that I liked this actually, because I'm really not a big artichoke person.

Especially out of a can.

Because canned vegetables kind of freak me out.

But this recipe is really good, and while Logan did not touch the chokes, I ate almost ALL of mine!

Thats a good sign people, that means even if you are not a HUGE choke person...artichoke that is...

You might still LOVE this meal!

The herb sauce was such a great finishing touch to this one, don't skip it, or you will be sorry.

ENJOY!

Salmon with Potato Artichoke Hash

8 new red potatoes, scrubbed and sliced 1/4 in thick.

1 can artichoke hearts in water, halved

1 T fresh thyme leaves, or 1/4tsp dried

1 tsp olive oil

S&P

1 1/2 lbs skinless salmon fillet, cut into 4 pieces

1 T dijon mustard 

1 T white wine vinegar

1/2 cup packed coarsely chopped flat leaf parsley

1 T water

Preheat oven to 475.  Toss together potatoes, artichokes, thyme, 1/2 tsp oil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper into a roasting pan.  Push vegetables to side of pan.  Arrange salmon in center of pan, and gently press them together to form one long piece.  Coat with remaining 1/2 tsp oil and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper.  Roast, turning vegetables once until lightly browned and tender and salmon is opaque throughout, about 20 min.

Meanwhile, make sauce; stir together mustard, vinegar, parsley and water; season with salt and pepper.  

Gently separate salmon pieces.  Serve on top of hash, spooning parsley sauce over fish.

Serves 4. 

Logan Rating: ***

More Pork!!!

This is the second showing of the stuffed pork, I told you we liked this recipe!

This time I served it with some glazed carrots and some Cashman favorite potatoes.

Well they have actually only been a Cashman fave for like 6 months, but still!

My dad actually taught me this recipe...if you know my dad, you know how incredibly ridiculous that sounds.

But really, he did...he had it at my Aunt and Uncles cabin and loved it.

Luckily it had less than 5 ingredients and really doesn't take any skill...this is why my dad was able to teach it to me.  

You have to try this potato cooking method...I'm serious, they are so moist and tender you will never go back to plain old boiling, EVER.  Unless you're crazy...

I'm not going to put the pork recipe on here again, because you can look back at the previous post about it, but I will share the carrots and potatoes with you all...

Also there will be no Logan rating, because as you all know he's a creep and doesn't eat cooked veggies...so I will give you all MY rating! :)

ENJOY!

Glazed Carrots

9 carrots, quartered and cut into 2 inch lengths

1 T sugar

2 T butter (I used less)

1/2 tsp coarse salt

fresh ground pepper

In a skillet bring carrots, sugar, butter salt and 1/2 cup water to boil.  Reduce heat and simmer partly covered, 6 min.

Cook uncovered, over high heat, tossing often until tender, 3-4 min.  Season with pepper.  

Serves 4. 

Paige's Potatoes

Ok Ok so they aren't mine, but it sounds good doesn't it???

1 lb baby red potatoes, whole (I quartered mine because they were NOT baby)

1-2 cups chicken broth

S&P

Place the potatoes and chicken broth into a deep skillet.  Use enough broth to almost cover the potatoes, you might need more than 2 cups.  Cook on med-high heat, covered, until broth is completely evaporated.  (about 10 min...I'm guessing...)  Now let the potatoes sautee in the pan (add some olive oil if you want) until lightly browned.  Season with S&P and any other herbs you like with your potatoes like rosemary.  

Paige Rating: Carrots ****

Logan and Paige rating for Potatoes *****