This Week's Menu 7/30/12

Monday - Avocado-White Bean Wrap, Chips & Salsa

Tuesday - Mediterranean Chicken Pasta Salad

Wednesday - Grilled Chicken Salad with Gazpacho Dressing, Artisan Bread

Thursday - Roast Beef and Cheddar Roll Ups, Watermelon

Friday - Grilled Fish Tacos

Saturday - Chicken Souvlaki with Tzatziki Sauce, Fruit Salad

Sunday - Greek-style Spinach and Feta Burgers, Grilled Corn

Pork with Blueberry Sauce

My mama gave me a five pound box of blueberries last week, and I have been using them in a variety of ways.  We ate lots of handfuls, made a loaf of blueberry-lemon pound cake, a dozen blueberry breakfast rolls, blueberry compound butter, and froze a good bit.  I had just about a cup of blueberries left and wanted to make something savory with them.  I came across a recipe for Pork Chops with a Savory Blueberry Sauce. I made a few changes to include items I had on hand (onions and garlic rather than shallots); but, for the most part, I followed the recipe.  It was so good (and fast)! The blueberries are an unexpected tangy topping for the pork that you won't want to miss!

4 boneless pork chops
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
1 tsp. lemon zest
juice of a lemon
1 Tbs. butter
salt and pepper
fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Season both side of the pork with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in an oven-proof skillet. Brown the pork chops for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the pan from heat and place in the oven. Bake 10-12 minutes until pork is just cooked through. Remove from oven and let rest while sauce finishes cooking.

While the pork chops are cooking, heat 2 teaspoons of  olive oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Saute the onions until soft and lightly browned. Add the garlic.  Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often. Add the wine and water and boil for 2 minutes. Add the blueberries. When the skins begin to burst, add the lemon juice and zest. Boil the sauce until it is thickened.  Remove from heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pork. Top with fresh parsley.

Recipe from the Kitchn

Caramelized Onion Spread

Sometimes my mind drifts off to dishes past.  I was thinking about appetizers this week and remembered an onion dip that showed up at supper club meals, PTO meetings, and baby showers. It's a quick and easy dip with a cup of raw chopped onions, two cups of shredded Swiss cheese, and a cup or so of mayo. The mixture is then topped with cheese and baked.  It's one of those dips that people do everything but lick the dish clean.  Unfortunately, when baked (due to the cheese and mayo) a large oil pool forms on top.  I always wanted to grab a napkin and sop the mess off of the top!  That dip got me thinking about a new and improved version.  My version uses caramelized onions.  Caramelized onions can be made well before you need them, and the leftovers enhance a number of meals.  The sweetness of the onions is incredible in this dish.  I also set out to get rid of a good bit of the greasiness!  I switched to reduced fat mayonnaise.  I also upgraded the cheese. Gruyere has more flavor so less of it is needed.  A little rosemary, black pepper, and hint of garlic finish it out.  Perfect appetizer with a glass of wine on the deck tonight!

1 cup caramelized onions
3/4 cup light mayonnaise
3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded (plus additional cheese for topping)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp. rosemary, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. black pepper



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 1-quart baking dish. In a medium bowl combine all ingredients. Spoon mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with grated Gruyere cheese. Bake for about 25 minutes or until browned on top. Serve hot or warm with toasted baguette slices or crackers.

Notes:
Gruyere can be expensive, you can substitute Baby Swiss or Pepper Jack.
Instead of topping with Gruyere, Parmesan would be a delicious variation.
How to caramelize onions

This Week's Menu 7/23/12

Monday - Creamy Rotini with Zucchini, Tomato and Red Pepper

Tuesday - Pork with Blueberry Sauce, Grilled Polenta, Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday - Open Face Eggplant Sandwich with Mozzarella and Balsamic Tomatoes*

Thursday - Fried Okra Tacos

Friday - Sriracha Turkey Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Field Peas

Saturday - Fresh Tomato Sauce (No-cook!), Spaghetti, Artisan Bread

Sunday - Roasted Shrimp with Feta, Grilled Corn on the Cob

* I am creating the open-face grilled eggplant sandwiches in the kitchen this week. Recipe will be on the blog later this week.

Grilled Peach Honey Ice Cream

There is no better way to cool off on a hot summer day than with ice cream!  I have been keeping my ice cream maker busy this month.  I was playing around with my ice cream base and decided to substitute honey for the typical sugar.  I also had a couple of peaches laying around so I threw them on the grill and added them to the mix.  Turned out to be a delicious way to beat the heat!

4 egg yolks
Pinch of salt
2/3 cup honey
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup cream
2 ripe, but firm peaches

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks, honey, and salt. Set aside. Mix the half and half and cream in a medium saucepan. Heat to a simmer. Add one cup of the cream mixture to the egg-honey mixture.* Whisk until well mixed. Add the new egg-honey-cream mixture to the cream mixture in the saucepan, whisking constantly. Cook over medium low, constantly until thickened. Do not allow to come to a boil. Cook about 4 minutes. Remove the thickened mixture and allow to cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 3 hours or overnight. Cut the peaches in half and remove pits. Brush the cut halves with honey and grill until softened.  Cool peaches and cut into chunks.  Process the cooled cream mixture according to manufacturer's directions. Add the peaches during the last five minutes of churning. Spoon the ice cream into a freezer-proof container and freeze until firm.

Notes:
* - Adding the warm cream mixture to the egg honey mixture will bring the temperature of the egg mixture up closer to the temperature of the hot ingredients. It prevents the egg from "scrambling".

I used a Cuisinart 2-quart counter top ice cream maker. My favorite! I processed the ice cream for 20 minutes, added the peaches, and continued churning for 5 minutes more.

I have a grill as part of my stovetop. You can grill the peaches on a stove grill pan, a Foreman-type grill, or standard grill.  I like using the indoor types for small amounts of food.

This Week's Menu 7/16/12

Monday - Vacation!

Tuesday - Vacation!

Wednesday - Vacation!

Thursday - Sweet Corn Fritters with Tomato and Feta Salad

Friday - Cheeseburgers with Charred Green Chiles and Onions, Coleslaw

Saturday - Shrimp Tacos with Pickled Red Onion Salad

Sunday - Thai Grilled Steak Salad, Grilled Peach Honey Ice Cream

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. I am a strict observer of National Ice Cream Month and with National Ice Cream Day approaching on Sunday, July 15, I thought I'd share with you a few of my  favorite ice cream recipes. My family is crazy about Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream!  I have to admit that it's not my favorite, but this recipe just might convert me.  Instead of relying on mint extract for the flavor, I used herbal mint tea. I steeped the tea in warm milk to infuse the flavor. I think it has a  natural sweetness and freshness that works well with ice cream.

2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3 bags peppermint herbal tea
1 cup sugar
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat the milk in a saucepan over low heat. Add the peppermint tea bags.  Remove from heat. Steep  1-2 hours. Gently squeeze the tea from the bags. Discard the bags. In a medium bowl, mix the peppermint infused milk with the cream. Chill. Whisk in the sugar. Continue whisking until the sugar is dissolved. Pour milk mixture into an ice cream maker. Process according to manufacturer's directions. Add the chocolate chips to the mixture during the last five minutes of processing. Place the ice cream in a freezer-proof container and freeze until ice cream is firm.

Notes:
I used Celestial Seasonings Peppermint Tea.

I used a Cuisinart 2-quart counter top ice cream maker. I absolutely love it! I processed the ice cream for 20 minutes, added the chocolate chips and continued churning for 5 minutes more.

My oldest daughter insists that mint chocolate chip ice cream tastes better when it is green!  I added two drops of green food coloring to the milk before whisking in the sugar.

This Week's Menu 7/9/12

Monday -  Tequila Lime Chicken, Confetti Corn, Watermelon

Tuesday - Cold Pesto Pasta Salad, Grilled Peaches

Wednesday - Greek Mac and Cheese, Salad

Thursday -  Vacation!

Friday - Vacation!

Saturday - Vacation!

Sunday - Vacation!

Tomato-Basil Sauce

On Friday, I received an email from my favorite local farm letting me know that they were having a BOGO sale on tomatoes. Twenty-five pounds of tomatoes were on sale for $15 with a second 25 pound box free.  Fifty pounds of tomatoes for $15 is an absolute bargain!  I decided it would be a great way to make sauce for use throughout the rest of the year. Nothing beats fresh tomato sauce in the dead of winter! I canned 9 quarts of tomato-basil sauce. I froze an additional 4 quarts. I plan on using these throughout the year for pasta sauces, soup bases, etc,


12 lbs. ripe tomatoes, peeled*
3 Tbs. packed brown sugar
2 Tbs. kosher salt
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cups lightly packed basil, chopped
6 Tbs. lemon juice

Place a portion of the peeled tomatoes in the food processor. Process until desired smoothness. Transfer the pureed tomatoes to an 8-quart heavy pot. Repeat chopping the remaining tomatoes in batches in the food processor. Add all tomatoes to the pot. Add the brown sugar, salt, vinegar, and black pepper to the tomatoes. Bring to a full boil.  Reduce heat and simmer 1 1/2 - 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Cook until the sauce is reduced and thickened. Remove from heat, stir in basil. Spoon 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into each of six hot sterilized jars. Ladle hot sauce into the jars with lemon juice. Leave a 1/2-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims and adjust lids. Process filled jars in a boiling water canner for 35 minutes.  Start timing when the water returns to boiling. Remove jars from canner. Cool on wire racks.

Notes:
* Easy way to peel a large quantity of tomatoes.

The thickness of the sauce depends on the type of tomatoes used.  Roma tomatoes are not as juicy and yield a thicker sauce.  My tomatoes were a variety of summer slicing tomatoes and quite juicy. I doubled the ingredients above and and cooked the sauce about 2 1/2 hours until it was the thickness of a typical marinara.

I canned the majority of my sauce. I like the convenience of being able to open a jar and get dinner on the table quickly. The remainder of the sauce I froze.  To freeze the sauce, after removing the sauce from the heat and stirring in the basil, ladle the sauce into freezer quart sized bags. Squeeze any air from the bags and close.  Place in the freezer. Sauce will keep in the freezer for 6-8 months. To use the frozen sauce, thaw in the refrigerator overnight.

Freezer Blackberry Jam

Making blackberry jam is a great way to preserve that fresh summer flavor and enjoy it all year long.  If you're new to preserving, freezer jam is an easy introduction.  Prep takes just about 20 minutes and the only special equipment you need is a blender or food processor.  No special canning equipment necessary.

5 cups sugar
3 cups crushed blackberries (6 cups of blackberries processed in a food processor until smooth.  should yield about 3 cups crushed)
1/2 tsp. lime zest
1 pkg pectin (1.75 oz.)
3/4 cup water

In a large bowl combine the sugar and zest. Stir in the crushed blackberries. Let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Place the water in a small saucepan. Stir in the pectin. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 1 minute stirring continuously. Remove from heat. Add to blackberry mixture. Stir about 3-4 minutes until mixture is not grainy. Spoon the jam into half-pint freezer containers leaving a 1/2-inch headspace. Seal. Let stand at room temperature for 24 hours before storing. Store for 3 weeks in the refrigerator up to 1 year in the freezer.  Makes 4 half-pints.

Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens