Pots and Pins

Beet Hummus...

The mister has a new hobby...it might even be called a sport because it's interactive...he displays a full range of motion and it's repetitive, loud, and it gets him all worked up!  He calls it setting.  Setting, while similar to sitting, is not the same...oh no...setting requires arm movement, pointing, eagle-eyed spotting, well, here, let me show you a few pics of the mister in action...

 

The mister sets in his chair on the deck in the evening and when a plane flies overhead or maybe just a finch, or if he sees an unusual cloud formation, he yells for me to come and see it, "Hurry up you're going to miss it!"  I drop whatever it is I'm doing, rush outside to see him pointing in one direction or another, and usually hear him snarl,  "You missed it."  He has way more fun setting than anyone I know.  He's quite taken with this new game - due to the beautiful weather we've been having, the mister has been outside setting every night for weeks...the monsoons can't return quick enough for me!

Occasionally though, I will join the mister for a round of setting.  As long as the mister has a full glass, he's happy to set, but me?  I need something more enticing...I need the crunch of salty chips or crisp veggie holding a nice scoop of Beet Hummus!  This is my new go-to-snack - it's not only delicious and healthy but it's dang pretty!! 

Beet Hummus - Pots and Pins

2 cans (15 oz.) sliced beets, drained (I opted to use canned beets to save myself the time it takes to cook and peel fresh beets - but if you've got time, use fresh!)

1 can (15 oz.) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained

2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced (if you want more of a garlicky taste, add more!)

juice from one large lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Put beets, garbanzo beans, garlic and lemon juice in food processor and process for 10 seconds.  With food processor still running, slowly add olive oil and process for about 10 seconds.  Season with salt and pepper to taste, pulse a few times, adjust seasonings if needed.  Makes a little more than 2 cups.  Serve with pita chips, tortilla chips, celery and carrots sticks and sliced cucumber.

Won't the mister be surprised when he see his Father's Day gift tomorrow?!?!  He wanted some Seahawks/Mariners/US Open paraphernalia...sad for him...he's getting a Crock Pot, which just so happens to replace the one he broke...karma, it's a #$%&!

Pork Tenderloin with Grape Gravy...

Before I get down to Bizness...I want to wish my dad a happy 83rd birthday!! 😜😄😄😄😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😜😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄😄

I love this time of year - cool days, cooler nights, and the Crock-Pot on the counter, filling our home with the most delicious aromas!  I may have mentioned this a time or two, but the mister is no barometer of taste, he loves anything bland and boring and is quick to pull a face when served something with actual flavor.  Every once in a while though, the mister will surprise me - like when he bit into this - he was mid-sentence, giving me the latest doom and gloom forecast for Global Headquarters (according to him, we are always swirling down the drain), when he lifted his fork to his pork-hole, took a bite, stopped his diatribe and said, "Wow, this is great!"  I was, as I said, surprised, because while I think this is truly wonderful and delicious, I didn't think the mister would enjoy it...of course, he then followed his nice comment with, "Did you make this?"  I bit my tongue, yet again, as I slowly moved my arm, ala Vanna White, around me - pointing out the obvious dirty dishes, pots and pans...why yes, Sherlock, I did!

 

 

Now before you turn your nose up at the sound of grape gravy...first, think of it as a sauce and second, allow me to point out that many people enjoy pork with apples and pork with cherries...fruit and pork marry well...but let me tell you straight, pork and grapes make for a celestial marriage!  I went looking for Concord grapes for this dish, I wanted the more robust flavor they would provide, but couldn't find them anywhere - was told I'm a bit early and they should be in the stores (those that carry them) within the next few weeks.  I discovered Niabell grapes which are indeed Concord-like!!  And they worked just as I had hoped!

   

 

 

 

 

 

Pork tenderloin usually comes two to a package, I just used one and when all was said, done and eaten,  regretted not using both - we scarfed it up way too fast and now we have no left-overs!  While the pork is browning, not necessary but it does add extra flavor, apple cider and grape juice is added to the Crock-Pot with the grapes, diced yellow onion and salt and pepper...the gravy in the making!

 

 

 

 

 

The tenderloin is added to the Crock-Pot where it cooks in the delicious grape mixtures for four hours - and your house will smell amazing!  After four hours (my Crock-Pot cooks on the slow side, even on high) the pork is removed and everything left in the Crock is blended till smooth...except for the grape seeds!  Concord and Niabell grapes have seeds so the sauce has to be strained.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After straining the sauce, you cook it on the stove top until it's reduced by half - allowing those flavors to really be enhanced...do your best to resist the urge to just put a straw into the pan and suck it all up - it's that good.

There's only one more thing left for me to say...CREAM.  Yep, cream...just a teensy bit is added to the reduced grape gravy - voila!  Beautiful color, beautiful taste - pour the gravy over the sliced tenderloin and wait for the oohs and aahs...this is the perfect fall meal - the sweetness of the grapes with the savory pork makes this the perfect company dish - for those you want to impress, and they needn't know it required so little of you.

Pork Tenderloin with Grape Gravy - Pots and Pins

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 lbs.)

1 cup apple cider

1/4 cup grape juice

1/2 large yellow onion, diced

1 lb. Concord or Niabell grapes, stems removed (save a few for garnish, which I forgot to do!)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil for frying

1/4 cup heavy cream

Turn the Crock-Pot on high and add the apple cider, grape juice, grapes and onion.  Using a potato-smasher, smash the grapes just a little bit to release their juice. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper.  In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and when hot add the tenderloin; brown on all sides.  Remove tenderloin to the Crock-Pot and nestle it in the grape mixture.  Put on the lid, and cook for four hours.  (As I mentioned above, my Crock-Pot seems to cook on a lower temp, even while on high, so check your tenderloin after 3 1/2 hours for doneness - it should be tender, without any pink.) 

When done, remove tenderloin to plate.  Using an immersion blender, blend the juices in the Crock-Pot.  (You can also use a regular blender, just process in small batches so you don't get burned!)  Once blended, strain the gravy into a saute pan.   Return the tenderloin to the Crock-Pot, turning heat to warm, to keep warm until ready to serve.   Over medium-high heat, cook the gravy until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.  Stir in cream, season with salt and pepper to taste.  Slice tenderloin into 1/2-inch slices, pour grape gravy over the top, top with some of the reserved grapes to garnish, then serve.  Serves 4. 

 

 

Baked Beef Stroganoff...

What to do for dinner when it's raining and cold outside in June??  That's the daily question around here...because it's always raining and cold...our summer doesn't officially start until July 5th...but if where you are is hot and sunny, then 1.  I don't want to hear about it and 2.  This can be your go-to dinner any day of the week because it can also be made in the crock pot so you won't have to heat up your kitchen!  For us in the Northwest, baking in June is a great way to keep warm without actually turning on the furnace, although ours was on last night!  This is the time of year when our weather gets depressing for me...it's summer everywhere else but we're still in the throes of WINTER!  I'll stop now, it's just making me more depressed to talk about it...but before I get to the stroganoff...

 

 

 

The Boy has a girlfriend...but I'm not allowed to talk about her.  I can't tell you how darling she is or how bubbly or smiley and happy she is and I certainly can't mention the 6-inch heels she wears that just put her up to The Boy's shoulders!  Nope, can't say a word about her or show you a picture...but I can show you the cupcakes she made for his birthday...these are just the remaining few and they tasted as good as they looked!  She worked a long time on these little beauties and he was duly impressed...I love the "water feature" - she used paper for the fountain!  Very clever! And while I'm at it I thought I'd show a few pictures from our birthday celebration dinner at Anthony's on Pier 66...out front there were a couple of hydro-planes...Seafair is just a little over a month away!!  It was raining - shock - but the view was still spectacular.  The Seattle waterfront has a new addition - a ferris wheel!!  Of course, I won't be going on it when it opens as it dangles out over the Sound, and I have water "issues", as you know, but if you come to visit I'll happily stand on Terra Firma and take your picture on the wheel...and possibly capture you as you fall into the drink!

 

 

 

The painter we had here a week ago, came in one morning and said he'd been to dinner with mutual friends and was served Baked Beef Stroganoff that was "out of this world!"  When a man raves about a meal he had the night before, that gets my attention.  So I emailed my friend and asked her for the recipe and when I read it I was shocked at how EASY it is!! And I wondered how it could be as good as the painter had said...well, turns out the painter knows his Stroganoff!!  It was DANG good!

 

 

 

 Everything is mixed right in the baking dish (or crock-pot)...chunks of beef, Cream of Mushroom Soup, one package of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, mushrooms and some red wine (or you could use beef broth...but why?!?)  And then it's all mixed together and baked for FOUR hours!  That's right...FOUR hours!!!  This can be assembled in about 5 minutes and then you can go about your day and return to dine on beef than melts in your mouth, coated in a Heavenly elixir that will have you licking your plate!

After it comes out of the oven, right before serving, the sour cream is stirred in...MY-OH-MY!!  You can serve this over egg noodles, which is what I did, or over rice or potatoes.  Warning:  This will not help you get into your swimsuit but if you live in the Northwest, swimsuit season is still a long ways off so make this soon!  I have another Stroganoff recipe that I love, I used to think it was the be-all-end-all-of Stroganoffs...but this one surpasses it because of how easy and fast it is to prepare...it's just down-home-good and it's company worthy, too...copy and print, you won't be sorry!

Baked Beef Stroganoff - Adpated Slightly From Carolyn Monaco via Ardith Hardy

2 lbs. top round steak (cut into chunks)

1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 can (10 oz.) Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (or more if you're a mushroom lover)

1/2 cup dry red wine (or 1/2 cup beef broth or beef consomme)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

8 oz. sour cream

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  (If using crock-pot, turn to high heat).  In a large casserole with a lid (or the crock-pot), combine all ingredients except sour cream.  Bake in oven (or crock-pot) for four hours, covered.  Just before serving stir in sour cream.  Serve over egg noodles, rice or potatoes.  Serves 4.  If you're smart, you'll double the recipe! 

Five Pepper Cola Pork...

When it's too hot to turn on the oven, or slave over the stove, it's time to get out the Crock Pot...not that I would know about it being too hot this time of year as summer doesn't arrive in the Northwest until July 5th.  I do love my Crock Pot though - I love plugging it in early in the morning before I leave for the day and coming home to the sweet smell of dinner!  And let me tell you, you will smell this dinner as you pull into the garage!  While still in your car with the windows rolled up!

 

 

 

Five peppers...red, green, orange bell peppers, Anaheim and Pasilla peppers, too...and if you want to get crazy, make SIX Pepper Cola Pork and toss in a jalapeno!  It all gets thrown into the Crock Pot, along with a pork roast (I like the shoulder blade cut) with a bit of seasoning and then a 12 ounce can of Coca Cola is poured over top.  That's it...set the dial to HIGH and let it cook for 4 1/2 to 5 hours...the aroma will make you drool...keep a bib handy.

It cooks down quite a bit and is bursting with flavor!  Here's the good part, you can eat the roast as is, sliced or shredded on sandwiches with the peppers or onions as toppings...or...for a flavor explosion, you can do what I do...remove those pepers and onions and put them into the food processor with some sour cream...it will make the most wonderful sauce/dressing you've ever tasted and then you can use it on your sandwiches, or over your Five Pepper Cola Pork Salad!

Five Pepper Cola Pork - Pots and Pins

3 1/2 to 4 lb. pork roast (shoulder blade or Boston butt work great)

1 large onion, sliced

1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1/2 orange bell pepper, seeded and sliced

1 Anaheim pepper, seeded and sliced (this is a very mild pepper with very little heat)

1 Pasilla pepper, seeded and sliced (this has just a bit more heat than an Anaheim, but not as much as a jalapeno so still pretty mild)

1 jalapeno - seeded and sliced, optional

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon sugar

3 large cloves garlic, minced

1 can (12 oz.) Cola, not diet

Put all ingredients in Crock Pot, turn setting to high, and cook for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.  Remove roast to a plate, cover with foil and let sit for 15 minutes.  (At this point you can either slice the roast or shred, whatever your preference.)  Using a slotted spoon, remove all of the onions and peppers.  Put in food processor, add 1 cup sour cream and process until smooth.  Taste for seasonings and add more salt and pepper if needed.  Serve sauce with pork roast over rice, noodles, pinto beans or on sandwiches.  Sauce is good warm or cold.  Serves 6. 

When Bad Things Happen to Good People - In Triplicate...

You all know bad things come in threes, right?  Yes! They do!  Especially plane crashes...and appliance failures - like the clothes dryer dying followed by the microwave sparking out of control after the refrigerator in the garage gasped it's last breath...appliances speak to each other via electrical circuitry, when one decides on a "productivity slowdown," the others join in, it's called appliance solidarity...feel free to quote me on that.  Also, IF I burn something while cooking then I know something else is going to over-flow right after something else is dropped...mark my words and start counting when you're having a bad day...after the third thing you can breathe easier!

 

 

 

 

 

Here's my latest run of bad luck...

No. 1...I needed to make French Nougat...something I've never done but I was asked to do this for a church party...having just come out of three days of candy-making, I thought, how hard could nougat be?  Well, let me tell you, candy-making is a SCIENCE and I FAILED science in school...miserably!  It's all about chemical reactions and boiling points and LACK OF HUMIDITY - something we never lack for in the Northwest!  So of course the French Nougat didn't set up...it was a pan full of gelantinous goo (pictured above on the left) that tasted good but didn't set...Plan B...run to the drug store to purchase 20 Look Candy bars - cut and put into little candy cups (pictured in the center above) so they can fool all of the  unsuspecting Non-French people at the party! 

No. 2...Jessica Seinfeld's Crock Pot Lasagna...What WAS I thinking?!?  I saw her on Oprah talking about her new cookbook and she demonstrated her lasagna - said it tasted great and saved time...well, with French Nougat to ruin I needed to save time!  I followed the recipe to the "T"...it was dry as the South of France!  IF you want to try it you can find her recipe here ... but if you want good tasting lasagna that isn't as dry as Provence, DON'T waste your time or your ingredients!

No. 3...The mister walked into the kitchen last night.  Yes, that's the third bad thing.  He waltzed through the door in rare form and said, "Did you make pie today?!"  He said that as he was shimmy-ing around the Christmas boxes that are waiting to be sealed and taken to UPS...all NINE of them...and when I told him there would be no pie for him, as I had been too busy shopping, wrapping and packing for HIS side of the family, he said, very matter-of-factly...."Well then, what do I pay you for?!?"  Seriously, can someone please tell me why homicide is wrong?!?  

But then, after three bad things happened, something good happened arrived: 

TWO Mary Englebreit Cookbooks!  I couldn't figure out why I had ordered them - or when - and then I looked inside and discovered I am a contributor to the cookbook!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(I love cookbooks that lay flat!)  Since it can take a couple of years for a book to be published I cannot remember how my participation in it came about!  But I do know they printed one of my all-time favorite recipes - my Cuban Pork Roast Sandwiches with Cilantro Aioli is in the book!!!  (This recipe has not been posted on my blog but I'll rectify that very soon!) And the books are both signed by Mary Englebreit herself - which more than made up for the mister's rude remark!  I'm keeping one book for myself and the other one is going to someone special...and if YOU would like one of these wonderful cookbooks you may order one by clicking here...it would make a great stocking stuffer!

12 days till Christmas!! 

 

Shredded Beef Tacos...

Who wouldn't like a piece of beef so tender it practically melts in your mouth?  And who wouldn't want a no fuss way of preparing it?  Tender, flavorful and super easy...grab yourself a can of V-8 and a crock pot 'cause that's whats for dinner tonight!

Frozen round steak is what I had on hand...no need to thaw.  You could use a chuck roast - whatever suits your fancy.  Put your meat in the crock pot, turn it on high and pour in a can of V-8 juice...then go about your business for 4 1/2  hours and let the magic happen.  And you'll know when it happens...you'll be able to pull the meat from the crock and shred it with a fork - it'll be like buttah....but-taaaaaah...then return the shredded meat to the crock, add a few spices and let it simmer for another 30 minutes in that wonderful elixir...and be still and know there is a God.

The boy loaded up on Shredded Beef Tacos before his big tourney...and so did the mister and me...strictly out of solidarity.  We cheered the boy on as he swung his clubs...time and time again trying to get out of the sand...

 

Chambers Bay Golf Course is something to see...right off the coast, south of Tacoma, WA...and only ONE tree on the entire course...that's it in the distance in the pic on the left.  But even though there aren't any trees to get in the way of the golf balls...there is plenty of sand - except for the greens the entire course is basically one big sand trap!  All in all, it was a great day - the mister and I managed to walk the back nine without the aid of a defibrillator and the boy was happy with how he played...can't ask for more than that! 

Shredded Beef Tacos - Me

2 1/2 lb. round steak (or chuck roast) trimmed of fat

1 can (12 oz.) V-8 Juice (do not use the low-sodium version)

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon chili powder

12 flour tortillas

Toppings - Optional:

green onion, chopped

lettuce, shredded

cilantro, chopped

cheddar cheese, grated

sour cream

avocados, peeled, seeded and chopped

tomatoes, chopped

Put the meat in a large crock pot set on high.  Pour in V-8 Juice.  Cover and cook for 4 1/2 hours, if meat is frozen.  If meat is thawed, cook for 3 1/2 hours.  After cooking time, remove beef from crock and shred with two forks.  Return beef to pot, add cumin, pepper and chili powder, stir to mix.  Cover and continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes.  When ready to serve, using a slotted spoon, remove shredded beef from crock to a serving plate.  Lightly brown tortillas on each side in a large skillet.  Top tortillas with beef and whatever toppings you like.  Makes about 12 large tacos.

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"Golf is a lot of walking, broken up by disappointment and bad arithmetic." ~ Unknown

Crock-Pot Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus...

You'll need a bib. Or a vat of napkins.  Or maybe you should just wear rain gear so when you drip, drip, drip all over the place your new white shirt won't be ruined.  But that's just me.  The mister called these slurpwiches and let me tell you, he did enjoy slurping them up - as did the boy.  They slurped their way through about 3 sandwiches a piece and even made themselves late-night snacks!

This is such an easy dinner to make...and so delicious you'll be tempted to only make this for special occasions...like the Daytona 500...yes, that's a special occasion around here...the mister always informs me that he'll be "tied up with Daytona" so I won't bother him with little details like unclogging the drain in our bathroom or cleaning the gutters over the front porch so the WATERFALL disappears...no, he can't do anything like that because for hours and hours he appears to be embalmed as he watches the most exciting event in all of racing...hit the gas pedal and turn left...repeated (yawn) 500 (yawn) times..oh I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you jealous!  Plug in the crock-pot, dump everything in at once (and you can even start with FROZEN meat!), and walk away for 6 hours.

 

Toasted buns topped with provolone cheese and then smothered with shredded beef so flavorful the au jus will seem superfluous...but trust me...you'll want to dip and dip again and I highly recommend you do...dip till your heart's content...dip till the last crumb is soaked through and through...dip-ah-dee-doo-dah-DIP!

Crock-Pot Beef Sandwiches with Au Jus ~ Pots and Pins

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 whole large white onion, chopped

1/2 cup Sweet Soy Sauce (available at most grocery stores or Asian markets - it's thicker and sweeter than regular soy sauce)

1 cup Port or beef stock

2 cups water

1 can (28 oz.) diced tomatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 to 4 lbs. chuck roast (if frozen allow for an extra hour of cooking)

12 buns

butter for buns

12 Provolone cheese slices

Place the 1st eight ingredients into the crock pot and mix to combine.  Add the meat, spooning onions over top.  Cover crock with lid and turn heat to high.  Cook for 5 to 6 hours (if meat is frozen cook for 6 to 6 1/2 hours).  Using two forks, shred meat in the juice, and allow to cook for an additional 30 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon or fork, remove meat to a serving platter, be sure to include some onions!  Keep juice in crock so it will stay hot.  Split buns in half but not all the way through, butter them, and toast them under the oven broiler.  Add a piece of provolone to each open bun, top with shredded meat and onions.  Serve with a small ramekin of au jus.  Serves 10 to 12.  (For an even BETTER sandwich/slurpwich, after the sandwich is made, dip the "spine" of the bun into the juices in the crock and still serve with au jus...it just doesn't get any better folks...trust me!

Garlic Fondue...

Riddle me this....what do you get when you combine a husband in the dog-house right before Valentine's Day AND a wife with a crippling headache (to elicit sympathy)?  You might call it a trifecta...a perfect storm...a guaranteed gift from someplace other than a gas station or a drug store.  I won't go into the details, they'd just bore you, or provide proof for a judge someday -  plus a gag order was issued...but I will say my "sorry" collection (otherwise known as jewelry that comes with a card attached saying, "I'm sorry") has grown...my headache has left...and the mister is out of the dog house.  For now.

Nanette of Freda's Hive mentioned having a Fabric Fairy...turns out I had one too!  Caesar Beezer The Wonder Dog is modeling my new fabric - which, after aging for a year, will be ready to be made into something in time for next Valentine's day...Okay, back to fondue...for all of you on the Atkins/South Beach/high protein diet, this one's for you...nothing but veggies/fat and protein...and fun - because really, who doesn't like "dip?"  And that's just what fondue is...cheese dip - warm, gooey and good - so good that it will make eating those veggies more fun than you can imagine!   

After a week of chocolate, veggies sounded good - and much better than what the mister had planned to serve for Valentine's dinner, since that's his day to cook.  Lightly steamed veggies, along with fresh tomatoes and celery, made the perfect dipping "sticks."  I also added some crusty French bread cubes and meatballs (from a package!) so the caveman wouldn't have to beat his drum.  Try this one night with the fam - the kids will eat whatever you give them as long as they get to dip it in this creamy cheese sauce!

Garlic Fondue

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons dry mustard

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated

any combination of veggies, cut into bite-size pieces and lightly steamed so they are still al dente:  broccoli, cauliflower, asparagas, brussel sprouts.  Serve these veggies fresh, and not steamed: carrots, celery, tomatoes, onion, cucumber, green/red peppers, etc.

cooked meatballs

crusty French bread cubes

Steam veggies or blanch them in 4 quarts of boiling water for 3 to 5 minutes, strain, rinse with cold water and set aside.  In the top of a double boiler combine milk, mustard, garlic, flour and salt.  Mix well.  Fill bottom of pan with about 3 inches of water, bring to a boil over high heat.  Insert top pan and cook over high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often.  Stir in cheese.  continue cooking another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and the mixture is smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a 1-quart crockpot or fondue pot (I don't have either of those things so I just put the fondue into small bowls, it stayed plenty hot for the duration of our meal and then some).  Serve with vegetables.  Makes about 4 cups of fondue, serves 6 to 8.

We dined in front of the TV so we wouldn't miss a second of the Olympics...go Apollo!  

Crock Pot Pork Roast Cooked in a Molasses Sauce...

The Tribe has spoken.  Actually verbalized, vocalized, yammered and yakked-de-yakkety-yakked...this is their new favorite way to eat pork roast.  No apples, applesauce, cider or any other derivitive of apples...this pork roast is cooked in a rich molasses sauce...different and divine!  I buy Brer Rabbit Molasses as much for the flavor as the picture on the label...I have always loved the stories of Brer Rabbit in the briar patch - he being a very clever trickster who loves nothing more than to torment his nemesis Brer Fox.  Brer Fox goes to great lengths to nab Brer Rabbit and teach him a lesson, he calls on his friends who live near the Briar Patch to help...Brer Bull Frog, Brer Tarrypin, Brer Bear and a host of other Brers who happen along the way...but Brer Rabbit is as elusive as he is clever...and he always has the last laugh.

Molasses is a "trickster" of sorts...it kind of lulls you in with all of it's rich, sweet stickiness...this is what a Brer Rabbit Molasses Cookbook from 1948 had to say about molasses: 

"As if dripping with the sunshine that warms the rich soil of its plantation home, New Orleans molasses gives spun-gold richness to fine, homemade gingerbread, cakes and cookies. Treasured by the fine cooks of early crinoline days, this special golden richness is yours today in Brer Rabbit Molasses.  Made only from southern plantation sugar cane, Brer Rabbit comes to you in natural liquid form, to insure a true molasses flavor."

All ya'll just go ahead and make this...ya'll be singin' and swayin' to beat the band in no time!  Heady with the aroma...giddy with the taste...Southern inside and out...yee-haw! Ya'll are goin' to love this one!  And friends...I'm giving this 5 Dangs...oh yeah, you read me right...it's definitely coma worthy.

Crock Pot Pork Roast Cooked in a Molasses Sauce - Me

3 to 4 lb. bone-in pork roast

1 cup carrots, chopped

1 cup celery, chopped

1/2 large white onion, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup molasses

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

Put pork roast in crock pot on high heat.  Add carrots, celery, onion, salt, pepper, cloves, thyme and stock. In a small bowl combine molasses and mustard, stir well.  Pour molasses mixture in crock and give it a quick stir.  Cover crock with lid and cook for 4 to 5 hours.  Remove pork roast and vegetables to a platter and serve.  Serves 6.  

For a great side dish, pour off the liquid from the crock pot into a sauce pan, adding additional stock or water to equal 4 cups of liquid.  Bring to a boil and add 2 cups couscous, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until couscous is soft and tender.

"Creativity is inventing, experimenting, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun."  ~ Mary Lou Cook 

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One year ago:  Plop, Plop, Fizz, Fizz...Thanksgiving is Over

Two years ago:  Bacon-Broccoli Quiche - Real Men Will Eat This

Crock-Pot Pork Chops With Apples...

Let's pretend I'm home with a long list of appointments and errands but before I head out the door I remember that I need to put the pork chops in the crock-pot...the clock is ticking...and I don't want to be late!  I have exactly 10 minutes...can I do it?  Remember I did say PRETEND...but in reality, no pretense is needed because that's exactly how long it takes to prepare this meal - aside from the actual cooking.

Pork chops and apples go together like diamonds and platinum...like sapphires and pearls...like rubies and gold...like dogs and fleas (I needed to snap out of it) and this is not your fancy-schmancy apple/chop recipe...this is basic and simple but so, so good. 

Chops are dredged in seasoned flour then browned on the stove top, 4 minutes on each side...while browning the apples are cored and sliced - no need to peel...crock turned on high, two minutes to spare...apple cider poured into crock, apples tossed in, chops set on top, more apples, lid in place...10 minutes and you're out the door!  4 1/2 hours later - when you've returned and you're ready to dine, your fabulous meal awaits...the house smells wonderful, the apples are soft and sweet, the chops have been infused with cider and they taste like they've been prepared in the finest kitchen...and they have been! 

Crock-Pot Pork Chops With Apples - Me

4 pork chops, 1-inch thick

2 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 apples, cored and sliced, peels left on

1 1/2 cups apple cider or apple juice

On a plate, combine flour, salt and pepper with a fork.  Dredge each pork chop in flour until covered.  In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add oil.  When oil is hot, add pork chops and brown on each side, about 4 minutes per side.  Meanwhile, place half the apples in the crock-pot and pour in the apple cider.  When chops are done, set on top of apples and place remaining apples on top of chops.  Put on lid and cook on high for 4 1/2 hours.  Serve chops with apples and some of the juice.  Serves 4. 

"Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination."  ~ Oscar Wilde

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One year ago today:  Severed Fingers