Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Loin

 Yes, it is really still winter.  No, we don't want it to be winter, we want the 60 degree weather we had yesterday, not the 30 degree and slipping kind of weather we are having today - with snow flurries.  No, this weather is not my favorite and never will be.  Gray, gloomy days make me gray and gloomy if I am not careful.  Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny - still cold - but sunny.  That is a good thing.

Since it is still winter, we truly appreciate some good comfort food.  I describe comfort food as things that make you feel comforted, satisfied, and feel good.  Sunday evening, the Nashville family came over for dinner and I made this fabulous pork roast with a brown sugar glaze.  It is SOOOO good and really quite easy.  I also made parmesan chicken sticks for the kids which they simply devoured.  You can find the recipe on my blog.

We have six adults and five grandsons who live in town, and food preparation requires some considerations.  We have one really picky eater who happens to be the oldest grandson at 10.  We have a son in love with Celiac, so that is another consideration.  Now, our second daughter has to eat gluten free also.  In the end, we all benefit from gluten free to some degree I am sure, but do you know how many recipes contain gluten?  Way too many.  We don't want anyone falling ill or feeling bad, so we do our best to accommodate.  The good news is there are so many more gluten free products on the market and recipes available.  This recipe called for flour, but I simply substituted corn starch.  To make that accommodation, you simply use 1/2 the amount of flour called for and substitute corn starch.  The recipe called for 2 tablespoons of flour, so simply substitute 1 tablespoon of corn starch.  Easy peasy.

I had a five pound pork roast and knew I wanted to fix it for dinner.  The chicken sticks were easy, but I wanted a different, yet delicious, recipe for the pork.  I found a hum dinger on About.Com in the Southern Food section.  It was easy, I had all the ingredients, so it was a go.  Here is what you need:

1 4.5 to 5 pound boneless pork loin
4 large cloves of garlic, peeled and cut in half
salt and pepper

Glaze

1 and 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 TBSP corn starch
2 tsp Dijon mustard
3 TBSP balsamic or cider vinegar (I used cider vinegar)

Combine the ingredients in a saucepan, mixing well.  Cook over medium low heat until bubbly.  Stir and set aside.  You may have to reheat slightly before glazing the pork.  It becomes sort of crystalized, so I just spread it on with a spoon.  It will melt in the oven.

Pat the pork loin with paper towels to dry.  Cut the garlic cloves in half.  Make slits on the fat side of the pork loin and push the garlic cloves into the slits.  Lightly salt and pepper on all sides.  Place in a roasting pan, fat side up.  Heat the oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.  Roast the pork loin for approximately 2 hours.  Remove the pan from the oven and coat the pork loin with the glaze.  Return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes, occasionally spooning the glaze over the pork until the internal temperature on a meat thermometer is 145 degrees for medium, 160 for well done.

The rule of thumb is to cook 1/2 hour for each pound, therefore, 2.5 hours.  Remove from the oven and let rest for at least 5 minutes before carving.  Spoon all the remaining glaze over the pork.  You don't want to waste a drop of it.

The pork was so juicy and tender, it was amazing.  The glaze provides a wonderful sweet flavor to the pork.  Yum.  Yum.  Dan LOVED this and our daughter asked for the recipe.  Nothing better than successful recipe choices.

Tonight, I used some of the left over pork to make Carnitas.  They were wonderful!!  What a great way to use some of that delicious left over pork and they are super easy to make.

FYI, rinse your roasting pan as soon as you have spooned the remaining glaze over the pork roast.  That stuff sets up like concrete otherwise.  To make cleaning the pan easier if that happens (don't ask me how I know this), reheat the pan and pour the remainder out.  I'm just trying to make your lives easier.  Experience is a good teacher.

There are still a lot of cold days ahead.  It's about 60 days until spring - sigh.  There is lots of time for a lot of good "comfort food" meals.  Give this recipe a try.  I really think you will like it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Comfort food - food that reassures - is different things to different people.  David Tanis, A Platter of Figs and Other Recipes

Cold Weather Means Soup!

Happy New Year everyone.  I have finally rested and recouped from the holidays.  How about you?  Hope yours was as much fun as ours.  There were good friends, gifts, grandsons, and lots of fabulous food.  What more could you ask for?

We received a marvelous gift from our children that brought us into the present century - a flat screen television!   Yes, we still had a big old dinosaur television.  The funny thing is, we had bought one for ourselves as a Christmas gift to us the morning of Christmas Eve.  We decided it was time.  (Ya think?)  As our two daughters and I were preparing to put food on the table for Christmas Eve I casually said, "Hey, guess what we got today."  They both turned and looked at me and asked, "What?"  They had that look on their face.  You know the one - like something's up?  Anyway, I said a flat screen television.  They looked at each other and then looked at me and one of them said, "Well, now you have two I guess."  We laughed hysterically.  It was a truly funny moment.  Our second daughter said, "We waited until yesterday to get it for you because we were afraid this would happen.  When you hadn't gotten one by yesterday, we went ahead and got it."  Oops.  How did I know?  The good thing is, we took the one back that we had bought and now we can get something else with the money.  That, my friends, is a good thing.  We have a new television and a choice to get something else.  We're still thinking.

The other spectacular gift we received was a Keurig coffee maker.  We have really come into the present century, let me tell you!  Coffee on demand, one cup at a time and a flat screen television.  Could life get any better?

I suppose you all are experiencing the polar vortex (a new weather term for me) just like the rest of us?  Cold?  No thanks.  Not a fan at all.  It can leave and not return for the rest of the winter and it will not hurt my feelings in the least.  It  was 2 degrees this morning.  Ugh.  Hasn't been this cold in Nashville for 20 years.  It's supposed to be 60 on Saturday.  Now that's what I'm talking about!!  I'll take  all of that I can get.  Maybe a sweater in the evening, no heavy coats, hats, gloves, scarves, boots and whatever else you have to put on to stay warm.  I.  Am.  Over.  It.

In case it's not going to warm up that much where you are, I have a great soup for you that I made for dinner tonight.  To us, cold weather means soup - really hot soup.  Do you like your soup really hot?   Please, don't serve me luke warm soup.  Ew.  Hot.  Hot.  Hot.  The only way to eat soup.  Sorry, I digressed.  Actually, I could eat soup every day - even in hot weather.  I know.  I'm weird that way.

We had chili on Sunday and Monday, because I make lots of soup when I make it.  It gets better each day AND you don't have to cook again.  That is a super benefit for making a big pot of delicious soup. Tonight, I was going to make potato soup.  Yum.  One of our favorites.  I peeled the potatoes, and chopped an onion.  When I got the onion out of the fridge (yes, I keep my onions there), I noticed there was a pound of breakfast sausage that needed to be used.  Okay, I'll throw it in the soup.  So, I browned it up in a saute pan.  Oh, and there was a 10 ounce box of spinach I had thawed for another recipe that I didn't make.  It needed to be used.  Okay, I'll throw it in the soup.  Why not?

I didn't want the soup to be bland, so I added a can of Ro-Tel for a little zip.  Well, why not add some cannellini beans too?  Sure, drain and rinse a can of cannellini beans and throw them in.  Yes, there was a parmesan cheese rind in the fridge too.  Toss it in.  Add a box of chicken stock and enough water to cover everything.  Add a couple pinches of red pepper flakes, and let it all cook until the potatoes were done.   Dynamite!

When I was ready to serve the soup, I poured a drizzle of olive oil over the soup and added some freshly grated parmesan cheese.  For the coup de gras, we had big pieces of crusty garlic bread drizzled with olive oil to mop up that delicious broth.  If I do say so myself, it was one fantastic meal!  Yum.  Yum.

If you wanted to make this soup vegetarian, just leave out the sausage and use vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.  It is also gluten free for all of you who have to watch your gluten intake.  Don't you love one pot meals?  I sure do.  Here is what you need to make this soup.  I really don't know what to call it.  If you have an idea, let me know.

1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 TBSP butter
1 pound breakfast sausage, hot or mild, or 1 pound Italian sausage, browned
1 10 ounce box frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry*
1 14 ounce can cannellini beans (or you could use kidney beans)
as many potatoes as you would like, peeled and cut in chunks - I used about 2 pounds
1 32 ounce box low sodium chicken stock
1 can Ro-Tel
parmesan cheese rind optional

salt and pepper to taste
a couple pinches crushed red pepper flakes
olive oil for drizzling
freshly grated parmesan cheese

*If you don't want to use spinach, you could use chopped kale or swiss chard.  Either one would be delicious.  I used the spinach because I had it.


In a large dutch oven, melt the butter and saute the onions until translucent.  Add the minced garlic.  While you are cooking the onions, brown the sausage in a saute skillet and drain.  Add the sausage, cannellini beans, spinach, Ro-Tel, and chicken stock to the onions and garlic.  Use enough water to completely cover all the vegetables.  Add a couple pinches of crushed red pepper flakes.  Cook until the potatoes are fork tender.  Taste and season with salt if needed.  I used freshly ground black pepper in each bowl when served or you can add it to the soup pot.

When you serve the soup, drizzle a little olive oil over each bowl and grate some fresh parmesan cheese on top.    Serve with some crusty bread and ENJOY!

This soup was so hearty and delicious and really good for a "throw together" soup.  I really wish you could have shared a bowl with us because it sure hit the spot on this frigid arctic night.  And then, you should have seen what we had for dessert.  Oh my.  Come back tomorrow and I will show you and give you the recipe.  It's fantabulous.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire:  it is the time for home.  Edith Sitwell

Cheesy Macaroni With Chicken and Spinach

Do you have picky eaters in your family, especially children who are suspect of any food that has the color green to it?  Will they eat salad, or raw vegetables of any kind?  We were fortunate.  Our children were all adventurous eaters who loved crudite, salad, most every vegetable.  One of them didn't like green peas, and one of them didn't like lima beans.  Other than that, they would eat about anything.

Our grandsons on the other hand, do NOT fall into that category.  We have two who are pretty good eaters, two who are middle of the road, one who is only 18 months old and finding his way in the food world with a few texture issues and one who is suspect of any and everything that isn't "white".  Do you know what I mean?  He likes chicken, pasta, cheese, eggs, he will eat shrimp oddly enough, fish, turkey, rice - do you see the pattern here?  He just turned 10 and he has been like this since he was a little bitty fella.

I have seen him gag and retch at things his mother would make him taste and it was downright comical at times.  When he was about 4 his mother made him taste canteloupe during dinner.  I truly wish I had a video of his facial contortions, his gagging, shivering, and complaining.  Yes, he would literally shiver every time he got the canteloupe close to his mouth.  After probably 20 minutes, he finally licked it and I thought his dinner was going to end up on the table.  You know that "pre sound" that comes with regurgitation?  Yep, that's the one.  It still makes me laugh to think about it.  To our daughter's credit, she makes him try.  The pronouncement is usually, thanks, but I'll pass.

Their pediatrician said these are what they call "the white" kids who are suspect of colored foods and they think it is an evolutionary thing from the hunter/gatherer times when men did not always know which foods were edible.   Makes sense, but it does not make feeding such children easy.

All that was to say H will eat this dish AFTER he picks the spinach out.  He loved it otherwise and so did the other boys.  It is cheesy, and filled with chicken and pasta.   Perfect.  I added the spinach for some color and extra nutrition.  H is the only one who picked the spinach out, so you might luck out and get your family to eat it with the spinach.  You never know.

I made this dish using one of the herbed chickens I wrote about in my blog on August 19.  You can find the recipe there.  Or, you could use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery or cook the chicken breasts like in the recipe.  It is a great way to use leftover chicken.  The original recipe came from AllRecipes.com.  Here is what you need:

3 TBSP butter
salt and pepper
1/2 pound pasta (penne, fusilli, or bow tie, cooked al dente)
2 - 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts or leftover chicken from a rotisserie or roasted chicken
1/4 cup + 1 TBSP flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups milk
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella (I used one ball of fresh mozzarella from Aldi's)
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups fresh baby spinach

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook pasta in boiling water just until al dente, drain and put aside.

If you are cooking chicken breasts, season the chicken with some salt and pepper and put some olive oil in a medium skillet.  Cook the chicken until it is no longer pink.  Remove and let sit for about 5 minutes.  Slice thin.  Put aside.

In a medium pot, melt the butter and add the flour and garlic.  Cook about 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste.  This makes your roux for the sauce.  Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously until thick.  Stir in the cheese and whisk until melted and sauce is smooth.  Remove from heat and add the pasta.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and add the chicken.  Add the fresh spinach and stir to incorporate the chicken and spinach.

Bake uncovered for 25 - 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.  Remove from oven and serve.

This is soooooooooo good.  The sauce is amazing with the mozzarella and parmesan.  One of the best mac and cheese type recipes I have found.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.  The only thing I might add next time are some crushed red pepper flakes for just a little zing.   Feel free to leave the spinach out if you have eaters who are suspect of green things in their food.  Or, add some broccoli if they would prefer that, or green peas.   Spinach was just my addition and we loved it.  Next time, I might try another vegetable.

Serve this with a nice green salad and you have a complete meal.  Oh, maybe some crusty bread too.  Oh yeah.

This recipe is super easy to prepare, especially if you have some chicken on hand that is already cooked.  It reheats beautifully.  We had leftovers the next day and it was just as good as the first day.
Give this recipe a try.  I think it will be quite a hit.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Dude, macaroni and cheese if the food of the gods!  Haley James Scott

Everyday Donna's Grilled Cabbage

 What fun thing did you do today?  We met a friend for lunch and then checked out plants at the Farmer's Market and another garden center.  I came home with a few really awesome succulents, among other things.  Needless to say, I LOVE the weather we are having and am getting extremely excited to start filling all my planters.

In yesterday's post about the beer brined pork chops, I told you that I would post the recipe for this delicious grilled cabbage.  Do you like cabbage?  Did you eat it as a child growing up?  We did!  Every week.   And, you guessed it, it was usually boiled and it made the house smell terrible, but I always loved cooked cabbage.  Then, there is sauerkraut.  Yum.  Love it.  Dan hates it.  Also, there is the Indiana state vegetable, cole slaw, which is made from cabbage.  My friend that we met for lunch today called cole slaw the Indiana state vegetable years ago and it made me laugh so hard I have never forgotten it.  Our whole family refers to cole slaw as the Indiana state vegetable to this day.  Why did he call it that?  Because it is served at every picnic, pot luck, and restaurant in the state.  How much cole slaw have we eaten in our lives?  Waaaaay too much.

Ever tried kimchee?  It is also made from cabbage.  My research said that cabbage and bean curd are the two most used ingredients for cooking in China.  Wonder if they ever make cole slaw?

Cabbage is a very old vegetable, with cultivation beginning around 1000 BCE according to information I found.  Cabbage is a main ingredient in European cooking and Chinese cooking.  The most common use is by pickling, such as sauerkraut and kimchee.  Cabbage is really good for us.   It is full of anti-carginogens, beta carotene, and vitamin C.  Cabbage is related to broccoli, brussels sprouts, and cauliflower.  The reason many people don't like to cook cabbage in the house is because of the really strong smell that permeates the air.  Well, here is the perfect solution -- GRILL IT!  Cooking it out of doors keeps the smell out of the house.  Tadah!

Grilled cabbage is amazingly good, let me tell you.  It is easy to make also.  Here is how I made mine.

1 medium sized head cabbage, cut into wedges
4-5 slices bacon, uncooked
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the head of cabbage in half and then into wedges.  I got 6 wedges.  However many wedges you have, tear that many pieces of aluminum foil about 12 inches long.

Place a wedge of cabbage in the center of each piece of foil.  Lay the bacon strips on top of each other and cut into 1/2 inch strips crossways.  These are called "lardons" of bacon.  Lay some of the lardons on each cabbage wedge.  Now, chop the onion and put some on each wedge.

Cut the 1/2 stick of butter into very thin pieces and lay some on each wedge.  Sprinkle fresh parmesan over each wedge, sprinkle with a small amount of salt and lots of black pepper.

Bring the long ends of the foil together and roll tightly down to the enclosed cabbage.  Roll the ends up tightly, so that there are no holes where the steam can escape while cooking.

Light your grill on one side, leaving the other side unheated.  Place the foil packets on the unheated side.  They should cook about 45 minutes total.  Turn the packets over about 1/2 way through.  Remove from the grill, open and serve.  Yum.  Yum.  One of the best side dishes ever for summer grilling season!

If your bacon doesn't look really crisp when you open your packets, put the pieces in a microwave proof bowl and heat for about 15-30 seconds to crisp it up and redistribute over the cabbage.  Some of mine were crispy, a couple not as much as I would like.  So, when you turn the packets over, you might also want to rearrange them on the grill so the outside packets are closer to the heat for a while.  Just a little FYI.

We really enjoyed this super delicious cabbage with our beer brined pork chops and sour cream mashed potatoes.  Oh so good!

When you are planning a meal and want to know how much cabbage per person, one wedge is plenty for most people.  The flavor of the onions and bacon with the buttery cabbage topped with the parmesan is a perfect combination.  It sure beats the Indiana state vegetable for every meal any day of the week.

Give this recipe a try.  It's delicious.  You are really going to like it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education.  Mark Twain

Clam Chowder - One Of My Most Favorite Soups

Hello October!  Where is this year going?  Oh my.  It is Monday once again and I hope you all are having some lovely early fall weather.  It has been raining all day here in Nashville, but the leaves are starting to show signs of color changes which makes my heart happy.  The days have been somewhat cooler and the evenings have required a light sweater or jacket.  Yes, that is what I am talking about!  To me, this is the perfect time of year.  We don't have to bundle up yet, but we are also not baking in the hot, humid weather of summer.  Perfect.

I volunteered at the East Nashville CoOp Ministry today cooking lunch.  We made vegetable beef soup which was welcomed by all on this cool, rainy day.  Don't think I have lost my mind, that is NOT a picture of vegetable beef soup, but one of my all time favorites, clam chowder.  Yum.  Yum.  Yum.

Soup is something that I could eat every day, even on really hot days.  Soup is nutritious, delicious and you can make enough to enjoy for a second meal.   That way you don't have to cook something every time you turn around  - and that on one reason why soup is worth the effort!  It also tastes really, really good - even better the second time after all the flavors really meld together!  There are so many soups to enjoy, you could have a different one every week of the year.  Here is what you need for this clam chowder.

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
2 cups peeled and diced potatoes (I may, or may not, put a few more potatoes in the pot)
chicken stock in a box
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup half and half (I use milk, works fine)
2 6.5 ounce cans minced clams, drain juice and save
1.5 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
1.5 TBSP red wine vinegar
1 bottle clam juice
2 TBSP flour

Before we go any further, I double this recipe so that we do have left overs.  Now, how to make the soup.

In a large pot, place all the veggies and pour the saved clam juice on top.  Add enough stock to barely cover the veggies.  Simmer over medium heat until the vegetables are almost tender, about 5-10 minutes.

In a saucepan, melt the butter and add 2 TBSP. flour to make a roux by stirring the flour into the butter and cooking until the raw flour taste is gone.  Add the half and half (or milk) slowly, continuing to stir.  Cook until smooth and thick without letting the soup boil.  Add the sauce to the vegetables, then add the clams, bottled clam juice, salt and pepper to taste.   Serve.

I topped our soup with some chopped chives from my herb garden.  You could also make some nice croutons to go on top of the soup if you wanted.  Croutons with parmesan or cheddar cheese would be even better.  There are no set rules with soup.  It can be like an artists canvas, create as you will.

As the days continue to get cooler, ramp up your soup recipe repertoire.  Soup is lovely to share with friends and family.  Take some to your neighbors, they will love you for it!

I keep clams in my pantry just in case I get a hankerin' for clam chowder.  (Hankerin' is a southern word requiring dropping of the "g").  Clam chowder is quick and easy to make and is so, so good. Serve it with a salad or sandwich and voila, you have one great meal.   Give this recipe a try the next time you are in the mood for some really tasty soup.  You will love it.

Everyday Donna

Things to Remember:

Soup is a lot like a family. Each ingredient enhances the others; each batch has its own characteristics; and it needs time to simmer to reach full flavor. 
Marge Kennedy