Perfect Saturday Night

Last night in Sugar Land the weather was perfect! Slight breeze, no mosquitos, 70's..... perfect. The kids played in the courtyard after their bath while Grant and I cooked dinner together. This is one of my favorite things to do, because I love cooking... and I love spending time with Grant when it doesn't involve baseball or hunting. I had a pork tenderloin in the fridge that I had bought on sale this week and some fresh okra. I thought we might try grilling the pork, and for the okra, fried with tomatoes! It sounds weird but I was having lunch with a co-worker from Louisiana, and we started talking okra. smothered, fried, boiled....yummm! I did not have all the yummy ingredients she smothers her okra with so I tried it this way and it turned out amazing! Ava staked her claim in the remaining few bites left on the plate :)

Grilled Garlic Lime Pork:
I started with just your basic packaged pork tenderloin.

There are usually 2 in each pkg. I did a quick read on how to prep them since it is not a meat I usually cook with. Most info said to remove all fat. This was an incredibly tedious process, so I trimmed one and not the other.

(They tasted exactly the same as finished products, so I would save yourself the time) I made a quick marinade:
in a food processor combine- 8 cloves of fresh peeled garlic, juice and zest of 1 lime, 3T salt, 1/4 of a bunch of fresh parsley (b/c that's all I had... cilantro would work the same) and 5-6T of olive oil.

You can get creative if you have other flavors you want to use, I LOVE garlic and lime on the grill!
I put the marinade in a bowl with the pork and let it hang out until the grill was ready.

Grant grilled it for 15-20 minutes over direct medium heat. (not a crazy big fire)
It was sooooo GOOD! The pork held the lime and garlic flavors really well! A definete do again :)

Fried Okra and Tomatoes:
I started by cutting my okra into bite sized pieces, discarding the stem end and rinsing in a colander

(this helps the breading stay on) then I diced 10 yellow grape tomatoes in half (I think they are called sunburst tomatoes)
Make a dry batter in a large freezer bag using 1 cup cornmeal, 1/4c flour, 4T salt.
Put the cut tomatoes and wet okra chunks into the bag and shake.

Heat oil (anything but olive, it will burn on med high heat) to medium high heat. It's a seven on my cooktop. You will know the oil is ready if you drop a little corn meal in and it sizzles:) You need quite a bit of oil, because the cornmeal will absorb it.

Fry tomato and okra mixture in batches (you don't want to overfill the skillet or it takes forever) about 5-8 minutes each batch, just until the okra's crust turns golden and the tomatoes burst. Drain on a plate covered in towels and salt if needed.

Shrimp Boil

With Lent last week I couldn't help thinking about all my Baton Rouge friends and all the delicious Louisiana cooking I miss so much. I am not a cajun cook, however, boiled shrimp I can make:) Ava loves peeling and eating shrimp. So this is one of her favorite meals!

Shrimp Boil:
Start by filling a LARGE pot half full of water. Add 1 crab or shrimp boil seasoning packet. (2 if you want it spicy) I use the New Orleans brand, it's sold by the seafood counter.

Add 1 lemon cut into fourths, fresh or frozen corn on the cob, and potatoes dices into fourths if you want them. Bring all these items to a boil and continue to boil for about 15 min or until your potatoes get soft. Add 2lbs of raw, thawed peel on shrimp. (I buy mine in the freezer section of HEB) Turn heat off after 1 minute, and let shrimp sit for 20 minutes.

This will cook your shrimp. Then just drain and serve!

I usually serve mine with macaroni and asparagus.

Italian Pot Roast with Spicy Tomato Gravy

My cousin made a pot roast for our family last year and topped it with this amazing sauce. No one loves a good sauce better than me! So I was dreaming about it as I walked around Whole Foods and decided I would give it a go.

Pot Roast:
I always start with a bone in chuck or shoulder roast. I just think they tend to turn out more tender and juicy than other cuts. So this time I used a bone in shoulder. I tossed it into my crock-pot with 1/4c water. (I prefer to fix a roast on the stove in a cast iron skillet, but sometimes us working moms have to improvise:) You can use ckn broth or beef broth if you like instead of water... it just ensures it won't burn before all the fat melts off the meat. Ummmm.

I topped the roast with 3T kosher salt, 2T herbs de provence, (italian seasoning will work too) and a little fresh ground black pepper. I cut 5 tomatoes (full sized) in half and threw those in on top of the roast.

Pop the lid on, turn it low, and it should be ready in about 8 hrs.... or whenever you get home from work.

Spicy Tomato Gravy:
Once your roast is ready and it's almost time for dinner, break out the food processor and fish out all the tomatoes and 2 laddles full of pan juice. Blend into a puree' then add 1T of your favorite vinegar or a splash of red wine, 1 entire pod of fresh garlic (peeled), 1T kosher salt, 1t of red pepper flakes(if you want a little more kick) and 1/2 a bunch of parsley (I used flat leaf) Puree' again till everything is gravy consistency.

Top you roast beef with gravy and enjoy!

Parmasean Mashed Potatoes:
Start by washing 6 red potatoes and dicing into fourths. Boil about 10 minutes until peels are losening and potatoes are soft with a fork. Drain and return to the pan. Add 3T butter, 1/4c grated parmasean cheese, 1/8-1/4c heavy cream (depending on how creamy you want them) and salt and pepper to taste. Smash with a fork.

Baked Chicken Bites

It seems like once you have kids most of your meals revolve around chicken nuggets. I have eaten more chick-fil-a in the past 3 years than my entire life prior to kids. So... with so much of my time and money going to chick-fil-a I created a baked chicken nugget that Grant and the kiddos like. It's also super fast! My sister in law made chicken nuggets last Easter by coating them in Panko (japanese bread crumbs, sold by the seafood counter) and frying them. While they were super delicious, it was too time consuming. This is my version of her recipe.

Original:
Mix 1 egg, 1/4c of milk, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Add diced chicken breast to bowl and stir to coat.

(you can cut up your ckn anyway your family likes it.... strips, nuggets, etc) Pour in Panko and stir. (or pour Panko on a plate to coat chicken if that is easier)

Spread onto a foil covered baking sheet and spray with Pam or drizzle a little olive oil over chicken (this is what makes them brown and crispy) Bake for 20 minutes at 350*.

Honey Mustard:
Follow recipe above only add 2T dijon mustard and 4T honey to milk and egg mixture.

Smothered Pork Chops

Same as most men, Grant loves pork chops! Me not so much. So I have a quick, cheap pork chop recipe that works when he makes the request.

Smothered Mustard Pork Chops:

Start by frying up the boneless pork chops in about 1T of oil over med-high heat. I use the super cheap little breakfast chops, only $4 for a pkg.

They cook quickly (4-5 min on each side) Oh, and be sure to salt and pepper them before frying.
Remove from skillet and set aside.

With the same skillet on med-high heat saute' chopped onion and mushrooms (I used 3 slices of onion and 6 mushrooms) The pan should have a crust forming on the bottom from cooking everything at a high temp.... this is what you want b/c it gives your gravy a good flavor. Once onions and mushrooms are done, slowly pour in 1/2c chicken broth. This will deglaze your pan. (it takes all the yummy burned bits and incorporates it into your sauce)

Once the broth is simmering, add 2T of dijon mustard, whisk, then 1/2 c of half/half, or heavy cream. Lower your heat to low, return your chops until ready to serve.

I serve mine over rice. Hope you like them!

Valentines Dinner

So with the cost of a nice dinner, wine, babysitter, pizza for the babysitter, tip, valet, etc..... Grant and I put the kids to bed at 7 and made our own fancy Valentines dinner. We had more fun cooking together, drinking wine (that was not bought by the glass), and talking than we would have waiting for a table at a nice restaurant. So here are our recipes from last night.

Appetizer: Steamed Lobster Tail in garlic herb butter

I have never made lobster before, so this was an experiment as most things are in our house. Whole Foods had 2 Maine lobster tails on sale (frozen). I let them thaw in the fridge for the day.
Bring about 1 inch of salted water to a rapid boil in large pot. I used my vegetable steam basket, but you could use your spaghetti colander if you don't have one. Place basket over boiling water (the lobsters should not be touching the water, and cover with a lid. Steam for 5 mins. (Don't over cook)

I used my kitchen shears to crack them open and cut into bite sized pieces. I poured melted butter with salt, garlic, thyme, and oregano on top. They turned out amazing!! (and only $12).

Salad: Arugula, with dates, pecans, and brie
The salad is pretty self explanatory.... store bought Arugula, chopped fresh dates (which I am addicted to!) chopped pecans, and cubed Brie cheese (which is tricky since it is such a soft cheese. I tossed the whole thing with a store bought whole grain mustard vinaigrette. (I am usually super against store bought dressings and croutons.... however this worked well).

Dinner: Rack of Lamb with Roasted Veggies

Lamb marinade:
In a bowl: Peel and chop 1 whole garlic pod, coarsely chop 1 bunch of cilantro, juice from 1 fresh squeezed lemon, 3T Kosher salt, 2T pepper, 1/2c of olive oil ( you may need more or less oil depending on the size of lamb rack you buy, it just needs to coat the meat) Once combined put marinade in a large freezer bag with the lamb and toss it back into the fridge till time to cook.

Grant did the grilling.... we sat out the lamb about 30min before time to put it on the grill (it's a Grant thing, something about room temp, blah, blah) He seared the lamb over direct flames on both sides, then moved it into an indirect heat for 15min (for medium rare)

It was the most amazing rack of lamb I have ever had!! Hope it works out this weel next time :)

Roasted vegetable:
I just grabbed a few fresh asparagus spears and broke the bottom ends off (about an inch), peeled a few baby carrots, tossed with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper.

Roast for 35 minutes at 425*. Ummmmm! The carmalize and get sweet and crunchy!

COLD weather, HOT food

With all ice and below freezing temps here in Houston, I have been cooking up some hot and spicy food to keep us warm. Even though the ice ruined my girls weekend to Austin, I put on a smiley face and made Grant's 2 favorite cold weather treats.

Chicken Tortilla Soup:
compliments of Sharon Galvan

Puree in food processor: 6 cloves of garlic, 1 small onion, 2 fresh jalapenos (i remove the seeds) 1 can of Rotel, and 1 bunch of cilantro (i cut off the stems)

In a soup pot, bring 14-150z of chicken stock to a boil, stir in above puree, 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce, and 1T salt. Simmer for 1 hour.
Shred a rotisserie chicken and set aside. (or cook and shred your own ckn, I just think this is much faster)
Put tortilla strips or chips in a soup bowl, top with shredded ckn and sliced avocado.

Laddle broth over ckn and chips, top with shredded cheese, green onion, or sour cream!

Boneless Hot Wings
I prepare my hot wings a lot like fried chicken.
Cut Chicken into bite sized chuncks. Dip into egg batter (1 egg beaten together with 1/3c milk) then dip into flour.

All these battered little chickens get dunked into hot grease (super healthy I know) I use Crisco at 350* (if you use a deep fryer the temp can be set... if you use a skillet, I set it on med/high heat 8) They take about 5-7 mins. Place them on paper towels to drain the grease, then throw them in a bowl and sauce em'! I bought sauce this go round and it was super yummy, but you can make your own with just melted butter, garlic powder, and Tabasco.

Since my grease was hot and my kitchen a mess, I threw some potatoes into the food processor on slice mode, then tossed those into the grease for some homemade chips.