Slow Cooker BBQ Pork

This was excellent! Serve on a bun and with a side salad.



Slow Cooker Pulled Pork (AllRecipes.com)

"Using root beer to season slow cooked pork tenderloin makes a novel, yet tasty preparation method guaranteed to win applause."

INGREDIENTS:
1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin ( I used a 4 lb)
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle (used 2 cans)
root beer
1 (18 ounce) bottle your (used 2.. or maybe less. I just did it by taste)
favorite barbecue sauce
8 hamburger buns, split and
lightly toasted

DIRECTIONS:
1. Place the pork tenderloin in a slow cooker; pour the root beer over the meat. Cover and cook on low until well cooked and the pork shreds easily, 6 to 7 hours. (mine was on low for 8 hours) Note: the actual length of time may vary according to individual slow cooker. Drain well. Stir in barbecue sauce. Serve over hamburger buns.

Apple Crisp

I had some HUGE apples to use up, so I made this. I halfed the recipe and other changes noted below.




Apple Crisp II (AllRecipes.com)
This large 9x13-inch crisp is made hearty with cooking oats mixed into its sweet crumbly topping. Underneath are all the lovely things that compliment apples -cinnamon, brown sugar and butter. Serve warm with rum raisin ice cream or a big dollop of freshly whipped cream."
INGREDIENTS:
10 cups thinly sliced apples
1 cup white sugar ( I used brown sugar)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese

This chicken turned out really well and was delicious. I served it with a potato, onion, and mushroom mixture, but it would go well with anything.



Chicken Breasts Stuffed with Garlic and Herbed Goat Cheese (Cooking Light Oct 2007)

Roasting the garlic mellows its bite and gives the stuffing a subtle hint of flavor. Stuff the chicken breasts up to a day ahead, refrigerate, and cook them just before guests arrive. Garnish each plate with a rosemary sprig.


1 whole garlic head
1/3 cup (3 ounces) goat cheese with herbs, softened (I used feta with chopped sage)
6 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I used cayenne pepper and added garlic powder to season)
2 teaspoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350°.
Remove white papery skin from garlic head (do not peel or separate the cloves). Wrap head in foil. Bake at 350° for 1 hour; cool 10 minutes. Separate cloves; squeeze to extract garlic pulp. Discard skins. Combine garlic pulp and cheese, stirring well; set aside.

Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff about 4 teaspoons cheese mixture into each pocket. Sprinkle chicken evenly on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken to pan; cook 3 minutes or until lightly browned. Turn chicken over. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a thermometer registers 165°; let stand 5 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 stuffed chicken breast half)

CALORIES 238 (31% from fat); FAT 8.1g (sat 3.3g,mono 2.9g,poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 37.3g; CHOLESTEROL 101mg; CALCIUM 46mg; SODIUM 292mg; FIBER 0.2g; IRON 1.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 1.9g

Cooking Light, OCTOBER 2007

Pumpkin Muffins

I made these pumpkin muffins. They were good, but not the best I have ever had. However, the ingrediants are ones that you will most likely have on hand.



Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Allrecipes)
Submitted by: Donna
Rated: 5 out of 5 by 232 members Yields: 12 servings
"These muffins use canned pumpkin, spices and chocolate chips. They can be made any time of year, but are especially good during Autumn."
INGREDIENTS:
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate
chips
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pan or use paper liners.
2. Mix sugar, oil, eggs. Add pumpkin and water. In separate bowl mix together the baking flour, baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt.. Add wet mixture and stir in chocolate chips.
3. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full with batter. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Crab Rangoon

I love crab rangoon! This is so simple to make and its delicious. Be sure to seal the wontons well and push out all the air pockets.

1 pkg Wonton Wrappers (Adapted from Our Sweet Life Blog)
1 can crab meat
1 8oz package of cream cheese softened
4-5 chopped up green onion
cayenne pepper to taste.
1 egg white (for sealing wontons)

Mix Crab, cream cheese, green onion and chili paste until well combined. Cover your work area with wax paper to reduce stickiness. Lay several wonton wrappers out on the wax paper. Spoon about 1 tsp of filling onto each wrapper.

Cheese Fondue

Sorry for no picture, but I made this Cheese Fondue for a dinner party last weekend. It was wonderful! I doubled the amount of cheese, and then added wine as needed. I also add a couple dashes of dry mustard.

Cheese fondue (Gourmet | February 2005)

Emmental and Gruyère are the most commonly used cheeses in a classic fondue, but Appenzeller, Comté, Beaufort, Tête de Moine, and Hoch Ybrig — all relatively low in moisture — also work fine. Not every fondue recipe calls for cornstarch, but we find it keeps the cheese and wine from separating.
As an additional treat, when you're almost done eating the fondue, leave a thin coating of cheese on the bottom of the pot. Lower the flame and allow the coating to turn into a brown crust, then break it into pieces and share it with your guests. The crust is considered a delicacy in Switzerland.
Makes 6 servings.

1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons kirsch (optional)
1/2 lb Emmental cheese, coarsely grated (2 cups)
1/2 lb Gruyère, coarsely grated (2 cups)

Rub inside of a 4-quart heavy pot with cut sides of garlic, then discard garlic. Add wine to pot and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.
Stir together cornstarch and kirsch (if using; otherwise, use water or wine) in a cup.
Gradually add cheese to pot and cook, stirring constantly in a zigzag pattern (not a circular motion) to prevent cheese from balling up, until cheese is just melted and creamy (do not let boil). Stir cornstarch mixture again and stir into fondue. Bring fondue to a simmer and cook, stirring, until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to fondue pot set over a flame.


I served it with bread, potatos, and apples. In the future, I would skip the potatos.

Pumpkin and Sage Pasta

Forgive the crappy photo. Its very hard to take pictures of food and I don't have the setup many bloggers have. So these pictures will have to do. I'm still catching up on recipes that I made last week before I started this blog. Last week I made a Pumpkin and Sage Pasta that a friend of mine recommended. It turned out really good! My only advice is to use a small onion. I used what I considered a medium and it was way too much. Otherwise, enjoy!




Pumpkin and Sage Pasta, from Rachael Ray's Everyday Magazine

1 pound penne with lines
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 pound bulk sweet Italian sausage
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
1/3 cup heavy cream
10 leaves sage, cut into thin slivers
1 14-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 cup shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (eyeball it)
1 bunch chives, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat a medium, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO and brown the sausage, breaking it up with the back of a spoon. Transfer sausage to a paper towel-lined plate, and add the onion and garlic to the pan. Cook over moderate heat until tender but not brown. Add the wine and return the sausage to the skillet, continue to cook a couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock, heavy cream, sage and pumpkin. Bring up to a bubble and simmer until thick, a couple of minutes. Add the pasta and cheese and season with the nutmeg. Toss to coat the pasta with the sauce. Taste and check seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the pasta garnished with a sprinkle of chives.

Chipolte Salad and Scones

Importing from old journal, originally made on 9/7/2006.

I made this salad from cooking light. It was really good!


Chipotle Chicken Taco Salad

The creamy dressing mellows the heat from the chiles. Add a spoonful of adobo sauce for a spicier salad. Kidney or pinto beans also taste great in this dish. Total time: 34 minutes.


Dressing:
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2/3 cup light sour cream
1 tablespoon minced chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salad:
4 cups shredded romaine lettuce
2 cups chopped roasted skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 2 breasts)
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup diced peeled avocado
1/3 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (8 3/4-ounce) can no-salt-added whole-kernel corn, rinsed and drained

To prepare dressing, combine first 7 ingredients, stirring well.

To prepare salad, combine lettuce and remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Drizzle dressing over salad; toss gently to coat. Serve immediately.


Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 1/2 cups)

CALORIES 249(30% from fat); FAT 8.2g (sat 2.8g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 23.3g; CHOLESTEROL 50mg; CALCIUM 106mg; SODIUM 650mg; FIBER 7g; IRON 2.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.1g
Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006



I also made a batch of scones from a recipe I found on a blog I read.


Saturday Morning Scones
Adapted from Baking with Julia, written by Dorie Greenspan
Makes 6-8 large triangular scones

3 cups AP flour
1/3 cup sugar
2½ tsps. baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
6 ozs. cold butter, cut into small pieces
½ cup Nestle Coco Evap milk + ½ cup whole milk mixed with 1 T vinegar or
1 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.



They were very good but way too plain. I don't think I will make plain scones again.

Double Chocolate Soufflé with Warm Fudge Sauce

Importing from old blog, this was originally made on August 11, 2006.

I was checking out the cooking light website a couple of weeks ago and they had an article about making souffles. I've been wanting to make a chocolate souffle for awhile, so I thought I would give this recipe a shot.



The souffle looks kinda gross in the picture above, but it tasted pretty good. I think the sauce was a bit too thick and a little too bitter. The souffle itself was good, but I messed up a bit by not beating the egg whites enough. However, it still turned out well. An added bonus was that I could freeze the extra souffles and just pop them in the oven when I wanted to bake them. That was wonderful since all souffle recipes make at least 4 servings. I would make this again but I will try out other recipes first.

Here is the recipe:

Double Chocolate Soufflés with Warm Fudge Sauce

You can prepare the ingredients ahead, spoon the batter into soufflé dishes, cover, and freeze until you're ready to cook them. They can go straight from the freezer to the oven. Make the sauce ahead, too, and simply warm it before serving. This recipe received our Test Kitchens' highest rating.


Soufflé:
Cooking spray
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups fat-free milk
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg yolk
6 large egg whites

Sauce:
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup fat-free milk
1/2 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Position oven rack to the lowest setting, and remove middle rack. Preheat oven to 425°.

To prepare the soufflés, lightly coat 6 (8-ounce) soufflé dishes with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.

Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 3 tablespoons cocoa, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring with a whisk. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk; remove from heat. Add 3 ounces chocolate; stir until smooth. Transfer mixture to a large bowl; cool to room temperature. Stir in vanilla and egg yolk.

Place egg whites in a large mixing bowl; beat at high speed with a mixer until stiff peaks form (do not overbeat). Gently fold one-fourth of egg whites into chocolate mixture; gently fold in remaining egg white mixture. Gently spoon mixture into prepared dishes. Sharply tap dishes 2 or 3 times on counter to level. Place dishes on a baking sheet; place baking sheet on the bottom rack of 425° oven. Immediately reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove soufflés from oven). Bake 40 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in the side of soufflé comes out clean.

To prepare sauce, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, and 1 tablespoon flour; stir well with a whisk. Gradually add 1/2 cup milk, stirring well with a whisk; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute or until slightly thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add 1/2 ounce chocolate, stirring until smooth. Serve warm with soufflés.


Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 soufflé and about 2 tablespoons sauce)

CALORIES 315(26% from fat); FAT 9g (sat 5.1g,mono 1.8g,poly 0.3g); PROTEIN 9.1g; CHOLESTEROL 41mg; CALCIUM 79mg; SODIUM 153mg; FIBER 2.9g; IRON 1.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.8g
Cooking Light, APRIL 2006

Chocolate Chip Irish Cream Pound Cake

Importing from my old journal.... originally made 3/28/2007.

I made this cake on Sunday and it was excellent! I used 1/3 fat cream cheese since I didn't have fat free in the house.

Chocolate Chip Irish Cream Pound Cake

From Cooking Light
Category Finalist, Desserts. "This cake is even better on the second day." --Anna Ginsberg, Austin, TX


1/4 cup semisweet chocolate minichips
1 teaspoon cake flour
2 3/4 cups cake flour (about 11 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup fat-free cream cheese, softened
10 tablespoon butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3/4 cup Irish cream liqueur
Baking spray with flour
2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 325°.
Combine chocolate chips and 1 teaspoon flour in a small bowl; toss.

Lightly spoon 2 3/4 cups flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.

Place cream cheese and butter in a bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed to blend. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla; beat until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time; beat well after each addition. Beat on high speed 1 minute. With mixer on low, add flour mixture and liqueur alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour batter into a 12-cup Bundt pan coated with baking spray. Bake at 325° for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Sift powdered sugar over cake.


Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 308 (30% from fat); FAT 10.1g (sat 5.9g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 5g; CHOLESTEROL 59mg; CALCIUM 60mg; SODIUM 231mg; FIBER 0.6g; IRON 2.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.9g

Cooking Light, APRIL 2007

Pumpkin Bread and Panko Wasabi Pork

Last night I made pumpkin bread and it turned out really well. Its a Cooking Light recipe, so its somewhat healthy (although it does have a bit of sugar in it!).

Spiced Pumpkin Bread (From Cooking Light)

This recipe makes two generous loaves. Freeze one, or give it as a gift. The bread is also delicious toasted and topped with Baked Apples.

3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces)
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2/3 cup canola oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 7 ingredients (through nutmeg) in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine canola oil, eggs, and pumpkin in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk until smooth. Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in currants.

Spoon batter into 2 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pans coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool loaves in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool loaves completely.

Yield: 2 loaves, 16 servings per loaf (serving size: 1 slice)

CALORIES 150 (31% from fat); FAT 5.2g (sat 0.5g,mono 3g,poly 1.5g); PROTEIN 2g; CHOLESTEROL 20mg; CALCIUM 18mg; SODIUM 170mg; FIBER 0.9g; IRON 0.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.4g

Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005


Tonight, I made Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce. I served it over simple mashed potatos and with a side salad. I double the sauce because I like lots of sauce and even then I will make some more for the leftovers. This is another Cooking Light Recipe. Its really delicious!




Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce (Adapted from CL)

2/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 large egg white, lightly beaten (I used the whole egg)
4 - 4 ounce boneless center-cut loin pork chops
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
1/3 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons sake ( I skipped this since I didnt have any on hand)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Take each pork chop and dip in the beaten egg white then dredge in the panko breadcrumbs.

In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, add oil and add pork. Cook for 4 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pork from pan and sprinkle with salt.

Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger to pan and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. In a small bowl, whisk together broth, sake, soy sauce, sugar and wasabi paste. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in green onions. Spoon sauce over pork.