Just a few highlights

I wanted to share with you a few highlights in my cooking adventures in 2012.  If you want the recipes or are curious about how they tasted just leave me a comment and I will get back to you.

Think of this like David Letterman's Top 10 (but unfortunately I only have 8).

8.  Chicken and Mushroom Soup

 7. Blueberry Yogurt Mini Tarts

6. Shredded Crock Pot Chicken

5. Pioneer Woman's Easy Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf

4. French Apple Tart with Caramel Sauce

3. Smoky BBQ ribs

2. Garlic Parmesan Home Style Fries

1. Apple Pie Cheesecake

As with everything I make, may it bring you happiness, fulfillment and contentment.  Enjoy.

Three little pigs...

So tonight I decided to cook up a pork tenderloin I had in my fridge.  

I am calling this post Three Little Pigs as a play on how to serve this delicious dish.  The first is the basic recipe that could be build on with just a few additions or tweaks.  Use your best judgement and taste buds.  

Using my trusted Le Creuset pot I melted a little butter just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan.  I trimmed off the silver skin and excess fat lining the top of the loin.  Seasoned it with some salt and pepper, then seared the tenderloin on all it's sides and ends.  Once there was a light crust on the loin I topped it with a bottle of Kraft Honey BBQ sauce and 1 cup of water.  I simmered it on low for 4 hours.  At the end of that I shredded it with a fork and let it continue to simmer for another hour or so.  With all of the slow cooking it was so very tender and tasty.  

So here is the first of the three little pigs.

Here is the second little pig.  A morsel of deliciousness.  Some shredded pork with a bit of cheese on a sweet yeast roll.  A pulled pork slider with cheese.

And finally, the last of the little pigs.  Shredded BBQ pork loin with smashed sour cream potatoes.

As with everything I make, may it bring you happiness, fulfillment and contentment.  Enjoy.

Feeding the soul

So after giving it some great thought I have decided to transition my blog from the randomness of life with the occasional smattering of oddities. Into something of some substance.

I want to share what has become a passion of mine and that is cooking.  I dream that I am the next Julia Childs or Ina Garten but in reality I am a woman with a passion for cooking with a kitchen that wouldn't be featured on Food Network or HGTV.  I don't know when this passion started but it has been with me for as long as I can remember.

The fun part of it all is that my husband will let me experiment with cooking food and thankfully he will eat just about anything (or at least give it his best to try it).

So in this new blog adventure I will share some of my favorites with cooking; both in recipes and the whimsy in the kitchen...



To start I want to show off my pride and joy... my Mushroom Risotto.

Below I will so some images of the steps and stages of the process.  Keep in mind this recipe is not for the faint of heart or who has a lot of distractions.  This dish will keep you stove side for a least 2 hours.

So here goes..

You need to saute about 2 quarts of mushrooms with 2 tbsp of butter you don't want to add to much liquid or the mushrooms will become mushy (I prefer the white button and baby bellas).  Once these have been saute'd remove from the pan and place on the side for addition later.  In the same pan saute one small onion and three stalks of leaks. With the leaks I cut about a half and inch from the root base up about 5 inches where the stalk starts to spread apart.   You will need to saute the onion and leaks in 4 tbsp of butter until tender, salt and pepper to taste.  While this is happening you will want to be heating up in a separate pot about 5 cups of Chicken Stock or Vegetable stock (I prefer Mushroom) for vegetarian recipes.

 You will then add 1 1/2 cups of Aboria rice, this rice is the best for Risotto.  Mix the rice with the onions and leaks then add 1 cup of a dry white wine.  If you don't like the taste of the wine in the bottle you don't need to use it.  I like a dry Chardonnay, it ends up in total being about a cup and half in the pot and a glass for me. :-)  Reduce your heat to low/medium low.

Once the wine has been mostly absorbed you will need to add one cup of simmering chicken stock.  You will repeat this process of adding 1 cup or 1 ladle of stock into the rice.

Just before you add the remainder of your stock you will want to stir in 1 cup of finely grated parmesan cheese and the saute'd mushrooms.  This will transform your risotto to a creamy texture.  Once the parmesan cheese is mixed in add the remaining stock.  I would reduce heat to low or turn off your burner and cover.

Your end result should look like this.  I simply served it with a baked chicken breast and topped with slivers of Parmesan cheese.  It was delicious.

My husband kindly informed me that this was the best meal I had cooked for him in our entire marriage.  I just laughed.

Well I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I had making it.

There will be more to come as my mind seems to always be creating new recipes, even when I am sleeping.  The notebook on my nightstand is proof alone.

Enjoy!