Rosemary Pork Chops

A pretty easy, savory and fast pork chop dish, made with rosemary, mushrooms, mirepoix, garlic and gravy.

• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 yellow onion, cut in 1/2 top to botton, cut side down and then sliced top to bottom
• 1 clove of garlic minced
• 3 ribs celery, sliced 1/4 across the rib
• 1 small carrot cut in 1/2 and then in 1/2 down the middle
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 2 pork chops
•  Savory salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 4 medium mushrooms, sliced
• 1 jar of pork gravy
• 1 sprig of rosemary, leaves removed and rough chopped

 I live the flavor that mirepoix adds to a dish, but I'm not a big carrot fan, so I cut the carrot in 4 big pieces. I could then saute it in the dish and get the flavor, but big enough so I could easily remove it and not eat it.

Seeing as I was trying to go for "fast" (get home late from work and cook up something good for dinner but not take all night) I used a jar of gravy from the store. But feel free to make you own! You can prep everything ahead, or cut as you go.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat and add the onion and start wilting it; while that is happening mince the garlic and throw it in, stirring it around. Cut the carrot and add it in, then chop the celery and add it. Sprinkle some kosher salt on the veggies. Let the onions and mirepoix saute till they are "mostly done". You want them to flavor the oil and get wilted/caramelized some, but they don't have to be cooked all the way. Remove them to a plate for later, hopefully leaving some flavored oil behind. Turn the heat up and get the skillet hot and then add the pork chops and brown them on both sides. When you add them sprinkle savory salt and pepper (to taste) on them while they are cooking. They don't have to be cooked all the way, but should be close. Probably 5 minutes or so on each side. Move them around if the skillet starts getting two browned. Remove the pork chops, add another tbls of olive oil and saute the mushrooms, getting them a bit browned if you like. Remove the mushrooms and deglaze the skillet with the gravy and add the rosemary. Add all the ingredients back into the skillet and spoon the gravy back on top. Simmer in the gravy for 10 or 15 minutes. Serve.

Given I didn't prep it all ahead, it probably took about 20 to 30 minutes to get it to the point where I let it simmer for 10 minutes. I think simmering for 15 would be good, but 10 works and I was hungry. :)

I ate this by itself, but it would go good with mashed potatoes or noodles, and another veggie if desired like brussel sprouts, cooked cabbage, etc. The recipe can be easily adjusted based on how many people you want it to serve. Just add more pork chops and other ingredients appropriately. If you add more than two pork chops, i.e., if you get the skillet pretty full, you might want to pour the gravy off after putting in the rosemary for a minute or two, and then put everything back in and pour the gravy over the top. Or if too many pork chops to do in one batch, you could put the pork chops in a bake pan (9x13, etc.), put the veggies on top, and then pour the gravy over all of it and simmer in the oven at 350 for the 10 or 15 minutes. Everything should be "mostly done" so you are just simmering to let all the flavors mix.

A Father's Love

[Reposted from FB. Easier to fine here and its good to go back once in a while and read stuff...]

So I'm txting one of my kids, because they are having a rough time right now. Breaks my heart. I'm not sure if there is anything I can do... but I just felt I should txt them and say "I love you, let me know if there is anything I can do." They are an adult and sometimes as parents of adults there isn't things we can do to "fix" something. But if I can... I want to. Anyway, as I'm txting that and thinking about how much I love my kid and how I wish I could fix it... if there was just something I could do to help, I heard the Holy Spirit say, "You know, that is how your Father feels too". WOW - wake up call! Put that in a whole new light for me. Sometimes God the Father is just watching from heaving thinking "Man, I just wish my kid would ask for some help. Yeah, they are a 'grown up' and want to fix it themselves... but if they would just say 'Father, I need help with this, could you take care of for me?'; then I could help them out.

Just the Holy Spirit reminding me; how I feel about my kids, the Father feels 100 times more about me. I know that, but never thought about the above in that light. Sweet... Thanks Holy Spirit! :)

Fire Roasted Salsa Verde

Tons of recipes on the web... but you know, had to just make it my own. lol. I use an immersion blender, so put this in a metal bowl, but you can use a food processor as well and put the ingredients into that bowl.

• 12 tomatillos
• 1 Anaheim chili
• 2 Sweet Banana Peppers

Hush and rinse the tomatillos. Roast the tomatillos, chili and peppers on the grill. Roast the tomatillos until the skins start to split - they don't have to be blackened. Roast the chilis/peppers until they are blackened.

The tomatillos will squeeze out of the skins. Squeeze them into the bowl. Remove the skins and ends and split the chili/peppers. Remove the seeds if you want the sauce milder. Chop and put in the bowl.

• 1/2 a small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 bunch of cilantro. Cut the stems below the leaves and then rough chop the leaves (you don't have to pull the leaves off - using that much of the stems is fine)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• Salt to taste

Add all that to the bowl and blend. I didn't use any liquid or cook it at all. Just immersion blended what had been fire roasted with the rest of the raw ingredients and it came out the right consistency. I'm a little wimping wrt hot food - so one Anaheim was enough for me... but you could add two or a hotter chili. But whatever you add, if they are big enough to roast, I'd do it. Just added a nice touch.

The Incredible Faithfulness of God

subtitle: I'm glad my plans & vision are not God's plans & vision for me!

So while this is a story I often tell, its one worth repeating...

This past week was a productive, but long week. Flew to Baltimore on Wed. Met all day in Baltimore on Thur then few to Indy, getting to the hotel at 1am; then meetings all day on Friday and flew home and back by midnight.

My alarm clock (my phone) automatically adjusted for DST, but somehow the alarm was set for 7:30 instead of 6:00. So I woke up late and was running late this morning. Still tired, rainy and blah out and running late. One of those "Man... I just don't *feel* like going to church, but I should." Had that feeling like worship was just going to be mellow... and well somewhat... mimicking my spirit/feeling I guess.

So I get to church about 15 minutes late and the worship team is already practicing. I walk in... and they are running through a song that I just really love. I'm immediately drawn in. Practice is great and we talk about some good things.

Then church starts and we start worship and its just *great*. Its passionate. His presence is there. It draws the passion out of me. I'm singing (with out a mic of course!) at the top of my lungs... doing my throaty growl voice... lol. Kind of Janice Joplin, Danny Wagner/Cosmo, mix of me back in the day singing American Band. I just want to burst out. Even when Adam brings the song down... the percussion just keeps going. It just feels right. God is so good. Awesome songs, awesome presence.

Anyway... a great morning of worship. And not at all what *I* was expecting, but totally what God knew was going to happen. I'm so glad he kicks my butt out of bed sometimes and says "Yes, you are going. Not get up there." Because He knows what is in store, even if I'm clueless. Thanks Father! I love you!

Chicken Jaime

Jaime, Ben and I ate at Carrabba's last night and Jaime got Chicken Bryan, one of her favorite chicken dishes. Sounded so good that tonight I whipped up something like it - but wasn't following any recipe... so I'll just call it Chicken Jaime :)

---

• 2 boneless/skinless Chicken Breasts
  
• 2 shallots, cut in half and sliced very thin
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 6 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
  
• 2 Tbs Capers
  
• 1/2 a lemon
  
• 2 Tbs Olive Oil
  
• Salt to taste
  
• 1 Cup Chicken Stock
  
• 2 Tbs alouette Garlic & Herbs soft cheese. (Or Boursin or something similar)

---

• Heat oil in a skillet or french cook pan that can be covered
  
• Add shallots and wilt
  
• Add garlic, 1/2 the capers and the garlic, stir for a minute or two
  
• Move the mixture to the side and brown the chicken in the oil in the middle, on both sides.
  
• Add in the chicken stock, juice of 1/2 a lemon and the remaining capers and cover and simmer for 6 minutes.
  
• Flip the chicken and simmer for a few more minutes.

---

At this point the chicken should still be moist but cooked all the way through and somewhat brown from simmering in the liquid. The other ingredients will have mostly reduced such that there is little liquid at this point.

Plate the chicken, spoon a Tbs of the cheese on top, spreading it a little; then cover with half of the other ingredients. This melts the cheese and it should run down the sides a little bit.

Nice moist chicken, rich sauce from the combination of the melted cheese (almost like a thick spiced cream) and the rich shallots and sun-dried tomatoes with some acid from the lemon juice and capers.

I served this with mashed sweet potatoes on the side, probably would have also done asparagus or something like that if it was more than just me or if I had been hungrier. One breast is a serving, warming the other one up tomorrow night. :)

Beef Stroganoff

This is a very simple, not everything from scratch, recipe. It can be finished in the slow cooker or left in an electric skillet for a few hours.

---

• 1.5 to 2lb beef w/o much fat: london broil, flat steak, top round roast
  
• 1 lb mushrooms
  
• 1 large and 1 small can Cream of Mushroom Soup
  
• 1/2 C Sour Cream
  
• Nutmeg
  
• Egg Noodles
  
• Lawry's Seasoned Salt
  
• Fresh Ground Black Pepper

---

• Slice beef in 1/8" (pretty thin) by 1/2" by 2" or so, strips
  
• Put beef in electric skillet at 350 degrees so that it can brown, season with seasoned salt and pepper.
  
• Clean mushrooms and slice each one in 4 or 5 slices (not quarters, but lengthwise). Add to beef as soon as they are sliced
  
• Once beef is browned, add Cream of Mushroom Soup and Sour Cream. I'm not sure if its 1/2 a cup or not. You just have to taste it and add enough till it doesn't taste like straight Cream of Mushroom soup and is sour enough. :) - But I think for that much soup, about 1/2 a cup should do.
  
• Add nutmeg... Maybe 1/2 tsp or so? I use fresh and just grate "some" on it.

---

At this point you can cover it in the electric skillet and let it simmer for a few hours; or if you're making this first thing in the morning then put in a slow cooker and leave it on low all day. The meat will be very tender by dinner time!

Server with egg noodles and some kind of veggie or salad!

Cream of Onion/Celery w/ Chipped Beef Soup

Wanted a simple cream soup, maybe celery... hmm and onions. But need some meat - hmm... chipped beef. Yeah!

---

• 1/2 medium onion, diced
  
• 2 stalks celery, diced
  
• 1/4 cup butter + 1 Tbs butter
  
• 1/5 cup flour
  
• 2 to 4 cups milk
  
• 10 rounds of dried beef
  
• Savory Salt
  
• Fresh ground Black Pepper

---

• Melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux, over med heat
  
• Season with Salt and Pepper - go light on the salt because the beef is salty
  
• Cook on low for about 5 minutes
  
• Add the mile, about 1/2 a cup at a time till the right consistency (it will thicken a little as you cook it)
  
• At the same time, in another pan, melt 1 Tbs butter and add the celery and onion
  
• Saute until wilted but not browned
  
• Add to the cream soup
  
• Soak the beef in warm water for a few minutes and then drain, rip into pieces and add to the soup

This is my standard base for a cream soup and I've made quite a few different soups with it. This one turned out pretty good!

Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs

Jaime sent me a recipe for slow-cooker ribs and I modified it a bit.

• 1 package (a little over a pound) country style ribs
  
• 1 can Northern Beans (small white beans)
  
• 1 Green Pepper
  
• 1 Medium Yellow Onion
  
• 1 Jar BBQ Sauce

---

• Rinse and drain the beans
  
• Julienne the onion and green pepper
  
• Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with some of the onion and green pepper
  
• Add the beans
  
• Add the ribs
  
• Cover with the rest of the onion and green pepper
  
• Cover with the jar of bbq sauce
  
• Cook on low

If you do this before you go to work, when you get home you'll have hot beans and ribs. :)

You can extend this by adding another can of beans and more ribs. I think the sauce and the onion/pepper would work for twice as much beans/ribs. I had 3 ribs and ate 2 of them... so doubling it would probably feed 3 people or so.

Love Wins - by Rob Bell

Rob Bell's book, Love Wins, is stirring things up. I heard about the controversy of the book before I ever heard about the book itself. "Wow - have you heard about this bad book"; or something like that. A week later my Pastor was discussing a number of books and held it up, "Here is a book everyone should read." (A little surprised to see him holding it up when I had jsut heard - "Make sure you don't read *that* book" - but given I trust him with my life; maybe something I should look into!) He posted his thoughts of it on FB,

I think every one of us at @[149977628397454:Castle Rock Bible Church] ought to read it, engage critical thinking, and dialogue about it. Remember- it is not the Bible. You won't lose your salvation.

And then a friend of his posted her thoughts on blogger.

I won't give a big review of it, its the middle of the night and I should be sleeping. lol. But I bought it, I read it in a few days, and I thought it was great. Is it all correct? I don't know... I don't really care. Like Pastor Mark said, I'm not going to lose my salvation over it... or even base my salvation on it. What I do know is that many things in it seem at odds with current "mainstream" Christian thinking... and resonate with me.

Life has never been about just "getting in". It's about thriving in God's good world. It's stillness, peace, and that feeling of your soul being at rest, while at the same time it's about asking things, learning things, creating things, and sharing it all with others who are finding the same kind of joy in the same good world.

Well said. I've *always* felt that. I've always thought/said, "It isn't about getting into Heaven! Yeah, that's cool and all - and a great side-effect. But what's it's really about is now." For me, following Christ brings with it the joy of entering into worship and having time cease to exist. Joining in with the angles and the believers and dancing before Him. And it brings with it the peace that, when I focus on it and let it wash over me, gets me through those days and times that I never thought I'd be able to face. Its feeling the presence of the Father, and knowing no matter *what* I do, feel or say; He loves me, is waiting for me, and takes joy in watching me dance before Him. And so much more... And that's so aptly stated in what Rob Bell said "Life has never been about just "getting in". It's about thriving in God's good world."

So yeah... is everything he said and feels spot on. No clue. That's not for me to know or judge. But I do know he totally gets God's love and what its all about "now". And because of that, its a book worth reading.

Asian Shrimp Cocktail

This is similar to my other shrimp cocktail recipe, but this is kicked up another notch. :) I added in Sriracha to spicy it up a bit, and then had some lemongrass and thought "what the heck" and added that as well. Took it to a cookout this afternoon and everyone seemed to like it, including a few who asked for the recipe. So this is my new style of making it, as I'll probably do it like this from now on. :)

---

• 2 lbs peeled and cooked 51/60 shrimp - remove the tails and cut across them in half.
  
• 1 yellow bell pepper, small dice
  
• 1/2 red onion, small dice
  
• 4 stalks celery, small dice
  
• 2 avocados, medium dice, not too ripe!
  
• 2 limes
  
• 2 tsp Sriracha
  
• 1 12 oz jar Heinz Chile Sauce (Chili sauce! not Cocktail Sauce)
  
• 3 "stems" lemongrass, minced
  

---

Prepare the shrimp and cover with juice of one lime and let sit while prepping other things.

Dice the avocado and cover with juice of other lime.

Prep all the other veggies and when almost done put the shrimp and avocado in a colander and let the excess lime juice drain. If you don't do this the "salad" will end up being kind of souping and will "bleed" after it sits for a bit.

Mix the Chile Sauce and Sriracha. Actually I don't know how much I used... I just squeezed some in... but I *think* it was about 2 tsps. Put some in, taste it and see if the flavor (spicy, heat, etc.) is right for you.

Put everything into a bowl and stir. Stir enough to coat but don't stir too much. You don't want the avocado getting mushy.

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That's it! Its important to use chili sauce because it is sweet and not spicy. The sriracha then gets it some heat, but its a Vietnamese/Korean kind of heat, rather than a horseradish flavor.

Vietnamese Grilled Pork/Beef

I used this marinated both on pork chops and on grilled steak. Adapted from a recipe I found on the web.

• Meat (see below)
  
• 2 Tbs minced lemongrass
  
• 3 cloves pressed garlic
  
• 1/2 Tbs grated fresh ginger
  
• 3 Tbs honey
  
• 1 Tbs soy sauce
  
• Juice of 1 lime
  
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  
• 1 tsp Sriracha
  

I made the marinade, put it into a gallon size zip-lock bag and then added the meat and let it marinade for about 30 minutes.

One night I used 2 inch thick pork chops. The other night I used 6 round steaks that were sliced very thin. They come 3 to a pack at King Soopers.

The pork chops I grilled for 5 minutes on the first side on high, turned the heat down and grilled them for 10 more minutes on the other side, then flipped them over again and finished them off. I basted them multiple times.

The steak I through on a hot grill and grilled them for about 2 minutes or less per side. They cooked very fast. Once done I sliced them into strips. I think I doubled the amount of marinade for the steak.

The fresh lemongrass, garlic and ginger are a nice combination and you bite into bits of them because they are minced. Might be nice to reduce the marinade a bit or add more honey; to get a sweeter/thicker glaze.

Italian Chicken/Sausage Stew

• 1 lb Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage, bulk (not brat style)
  
• 3 chicken breasts (single breasts), diced in bite size pieces
  
• 2 tbs olive oil
  
• 1/2 eggplant, cut in bite size cubes
  
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
  
• 1 medium onion, diced
  
• 1 19 oz can cannellini (white kidney beans)
  
• 2 28 oz cans diced tomatoes
  
• 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 2 tbs basil
  
• 1 tbs oregano
  
• 1 tbs italian seasoning
  
• fresh ground pepper
  
• 1 tsp or so of Savory Salt
  

I used Johnsonville Mild Italian Sausage because it really produces a nice flavor. You could use hot or sweet, or any Italian sausage whose flavor you really like.

Cook in a large soup pan over medium high heat. Break the sausage up and saute it until cooked, continuing to break up so that there are no chunks. Add chicken and cook until done. If there isn't much fat left from the sausage; add a few tablespoons of olive oil so that there is enough to cook the chicken. As the chicken is cooking, cut up the eggplant and add it; then cut up the onion and add it, then cut up the green pepper and add it. Cook until the veggies are mostly cooked.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, garlic and spices. Reduce heat and simmer until... done.

I've made this before, putting it all together and serving it as soon as the tomatoes were hot. This time when I made it for a church I let it simmer for about 1.5 hours, then took it to church and cooked on high in a crock pot for 2 hours. The flavors simmered together very well. So if you have time; let it simmer or crock pot for a while. But if not - you can serve it as soon as you need to.

Also - seasonings are approximate. I just "sprinkle it on till it looks right". :) - So play with them; but I think the above should work. You can add more chicken. I bought a pack of 4 breasts, but needed one for another meal. And you can play with the veggies. I thought about adding zucchini and yellow squash. I would have added just one of each. And mushrooms would have worked. But I was trying to keep it pretty simple because of a church potluck and not everyone likes mushrooms; etc. So basically - add whatever Italian style veggies you and your family like.

Curry Asparagus/Mushroom Risotto

I've been doing a 3 week vegan thing and so tonight I had some cooked rice and some veggies laying around. Threw this together - and then added the curry as it needed some extra flavor. This isn't *really* a risotto, as I made it with cooked rice, but it kind of has the feel. And it could be made as a risotto. Anyway, turned out pretty good and Tif asked for the "recipe", so here it is.

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• 1/3 bunch of asparagus, cut into 3rds - about 2 inches long
  
• 8 mushrooms sliced into about 4 slices (fairly thick)
  
• 1 stalk of celery minced
  
• 2 green onions sliced thin
  
• 2 cups cooked rice
  
• 2 cups vegetable stock
  
• 1 tbs curry powder
  
• kosher salt and pepper to taste
  
• 2 tbs olive oil
  

---

Saute the veggies in the olive oil for a few minutes along with salt and pepper. You want them to start to cook but not get to well done; just enough to let the flavors blend. Add enough stock to cover and let them cook a few minutes more. Add in the rice and some of the stock. At this point cook it like a risotto... Add some stock, let it cook off, then add some more. Do this until it gets "right". :) - You want it like a risotto. Not too soupy, but don't let all the stock reduce and the rice start to fry. I think I did this about 3 times. The 3rd time I added the curry powder, let it simmer for about 5 more minutes and then served it.

I know - like most of my recipes, pretty vague. Basically I sauteed some veggies, simmered some rice in it and threw in some curry powder. Had a nice flavor. The onion and celery were minced; with the asparagus and mushrooms being thicker because they were the "stars" of the dish. Also - given the amount of veggies and rice; this wasn't so much a rice with some veggies for accent; but really a dish with quite a bit of veggies and some rice. But simmering it like I did (probably about 15 to 20 minutes total), let it all blend together and still be very much a rice dish.

As always - if interested, give it a try and then adjust over time till it gets to be what you like! :)

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As an aside... The way I picture being a big chef and working for say foodtv or something... is that you get to come up with cool stuff like this; without really measuring or anything. You just make some really cool food and then your staff says "OK... we need to figure out the measurements, cooking times, etc. to get it to turn out like that." You just get to make cool stuff and someone else has to figure out how to put it into a cookbook. Would be sweet. LOL

Garlic/Green Onion Roasted Potatoes and Pork Chops

Recipe adapted from Ashleigh Bennett's FB post of "is making baked pork chops with green onions and garlic and roasted potatoes".

Home sick, not feeling well, nothing to eat. Read the above post and decided it sounded good. OMG it was very good. :)

I turned the oven on to 350, peeled and cut up (about 1 in thick) 2 potatoes, spritz them with olive oil and added sprinkled on some savory salt and pepper, through them in the oven and head to the store...

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• 2 Medium Potatoes, cubed about 1 inch thick
  
• Olive Oil
  
• Savory Salt
  
• Pepper
  
• Rosemary
  
• 2 Pork Chops - about medium thickness
  
• 2 Green Onions, sliced
  
• 2 Clovers Garlic, sliced
  
• 2 Tbs butter

---

Start the potatoes:

• Set oven at 350
  
• Put tinfoil on a bake pan
  
• Spread potatoes evenly
  
• Spray with olive oil (if you have a mister, or baste, etc.)
  
• Sprinkle with Savory Salt, Rosemary and Pepper

Bake for 30 minutes and then start the pork chops:

• Turn potatoes (they make stick) and group together, misting with some more olive oil
  
• Add pork chops, sprinkle with savory salt and pepper.

Bake for 30 minutes then turn:

• Slice garlic and onions. Do the onions in 2 batches, lower parts and upper parts.
  
• Turn the potatoes again and spritz with olive oil
  
• Turn the pork chops
  
• Spread the garlic and the bottoms slices of green onion over the potatoes and chops

Bake for 30 minutes then turn again. At this point the chops had been cooking for an hour.

• Turn the potatoes again.
  
• Remove the garlic and onion from the chops (just push it onto the pan) and flip them.
  
• Put the onions and garlic back on the top of the chops.
  
• Cut a few tablespoons of butter into little chunks and sprinkle around on the potatoes.
  
• Sprinkle the potatoes with the rest of the onion

Cook for another 15 minutes or so.

At this point the chops were done, the potatoes were nicely golden with a crunchy outside but tender inside and the garlic and onions were cooked into everything. I plated them and then added a tablespoon or two of sour cream to the top of the potatoes.

The green onion / garlic added a great flavor to everything; and the rosemary on the potatoes along with the sour cream really finished it off nicely. Not sure if it was just because I was sick or what, but wow - the first bite was awesome. :)

Italian Rustic Chicken Dinner

I made the following in 25 minutes; from the first slice of the tomato until I plated it. Fast, easy and very good. This does not have too much in the way of subtle flavors - its just a great tomato, garlic, olive oil and basil flavored dish. This makes a large serving for one of a Sauteed Chicken Breast, Fresh Tomato Sauce, Sauteed Italian Vegetables and Pasta.

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• 1 Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breast, pounded to about 1/4 an inch (buy at WholeFoods or make yourself)
  
• 4 Medium ripe Tomatoes, cut in half
  
• 1/2 a White Onion, julienned
  
• 1 small Italian Eggplant, sliced thin
  
• 1 small Zucchini, sliced thin
  
• 1/2 a Red Bell Pepper, julienned and cut in thirds
  
• 3 cloves of Garlic
  
• 5 Basil leaves, chopped
  
• Kosher Salt
  
• Black Pepper
  
• Fresh Pasta
  
• Parmesan Cheese - 1/4 cup or so

---

There are four separate dishes that are all cooked at the same time.

• Preheat the oven to 325
  
• Melt 1 tbs of butter in a skillet and saute the Chicken Breast on both sides, just until it is golden brown.
  
• Cut the Tomatoes in half, top half and bottom half and place in a french chef pan or another skillet and start cooking on medium high heat.
  
• Prep the Vegetables
  
• By this time the Chicken should be done; move it to a pan and place in the oven to finish cooking
  
• Add a few tablespoons of olive oil to the skillet the chicken was cooked in and start sauteing the Onion.
  
• By now the Tomatoes should be starting to break down; mash a bit with a potato masher right in the pan, turn them down to medium and let them continue to cook.
  
• Add the Eggplant to the skillet with the Onion and let them saute
  
• Add a few pinches of salt to the Tomatoes and two or three tablespoons of olive oil.
  
• Stir the Vegetables and let them saute until the onions start to caramelize. You should flip the eggplant so it cooks on both sides.
  
• Smash the garlic to remove the skins and throw the broken garlic into the Tomatoes.
  
• Add the zucchini and red bell pepper to the Vegetable mixture and continue to saute. Sprinkle with a teaspoon or so of kosher salt and some fresh black pepper.
  
• Stir the Tomatoes and add more olive oil if needed - if too much liquid has cooked out.
  
• Start a pan of boiling water for the Pasta. The pasta I had only took 1 1/2 minutes to cook. So I added it near the end.
  
• Add the chopped basil to the Tomatoes.
  
• Basically you are now stirring both the Tomato Sauce and the Vegetables - breaking down the tomatoes and forming a nice sauce, and sauteing the vegetables until they are done.
  
• At the end (this was about 20 minutes from start); put a few spoonfuls of the tomato sauce into the Vegetables and stir them around a bit to get some tomato and garlic flavor on them.

At this point everything should be done and you just have to plate.

• Pour the pasta into a strainer
  
• Spoon a few tablespoons of sauce onto a plate
  
• Place the chicken on the sauce and add some pasta next to it.
  
• Spoon sauce on top of the pasta and chicken
  
• Add vegetables to the plate
  
• If there is any sauce left spoon some on top of the vegetables
  
• Sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese and serve!

Savory Butternut Squash Soup

I made this for a Thanksgiving Potluck at work last week. I've made it a few times; but this time it turned out really well. Turns out this is vegan, without really trying. I used olive oil instead of butter (because I frequently do) and I used vegetable stock rather than a chicken stock because I didn't want the squash to get overshadowed by a meat stock. Not that vegan matters to me; but if you have vegan friends over for dinner; just another good reason to make this soup!

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• 3 medium butternut squash
  
• 4 stalks of celery
  
• 4 shallots
  
• 1 carrot
  
• 1 gala apple
  
• 1 box of vegetable stock. I forget the size... its the box :) - maybe a quart or so? And I forget the brand - but the ingredients were vegetables, seasonings and water. That was it. No MSG, etc.
  
• olive oil
  
• kosher salt
  
• white pepper
  

Salt and pepper are to taste... I never measure (just sprinkle some around) - but I *probably* used about a tablespoon of salt and maybe a few teaspoons of pepper. Its good to use white pepper both because of the flavor; but also that way you don't have any black flecks of pepper in the soup.

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Make a Mirepoix by dicing the celery, shallots (or onion) and carrots very small and the sweating in a few table spoons of olive oil in a soup pot. Basically you are sauteing them until they become translucent, but not browned. Add in the apple (skin removed and diced small) and saute it as well. Stir occasionally and once it starts getting a little soft add in the salt and pepper.

Cut several slits in the squash - just stab them with a knife a 3 or 4 times, cut the steam off and microwave them for about 15 minutes. Cut them in half and the flesh should be fairly soft. If it isn't; microwave them some more. All 3 may not fit at once so you may have to do one or two at a time. Remove the seeds and discard, and then scoop out the flesh into a bowl and mash with a potato masher. This is just to break it up some. Mashing with a fork or whatever would work as well.

While the squash is microwaving the Mirepoix/apple should have cooked enough. You don't want it to brown or stick, so once it is translucent/soft; you'll add in some of the vegetable stock. Just enough so its not quite covered. You then use an immersion blender to blend up the mixture and let it continue to simmer, adding stock once in a while to keep it a liquid and not drying out, sticking, etc.

As the squash gets down, mash it up and then add it into the soup base, blending it up and adding vegetable stock as needed. Once all the squash is added you'll have blended it several times and you'll also have used up all of the stock and need to add some water to get the right consistency.

I made the soup the night before, let it cool and refrigerated it. The next morning I put it back on the stove; warmed it up (blending it one final time) and then put it in a crock pot on low for several hours before the potluck. You don't want it in the crock pot all day or over night; because it will dry out around the edges, which will turn brown, and that will darken the soup.

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A few final comments.

• As noted, you don't have to use shallots, you can use a large onion
  
• Better to under season in the beginning; taste after its cooked for a bit and season some more if needed. I probably cooked this 2 hours before putting in the fridge, then another hour in the morning. Plenty of time to adjust the seasoning.
  
• I made this the night before, but I've also made it the same day and served it. This is the best its ever turned out; but I think that is probably more the marepoix (I didn't use carrot in the past I don't think) then letting sit over night
  
• You don't *have* to use an immersion blender if you don't have one. Using a blender or a food processor would work as well. I just do it in multiple stages, so an immersion blender works better. But you could make the marepoix, food process it; then food processor the squash as it is done and add it as well. Which might make it all "smooth" enough w/o having to do it multiple times. I just like to play while I cook. :)
  
• The texture is a personal choice thing. The immersion blender doesn't make it a total liquid. There is a bit of texture left. I blend it numerous times to get it very soft; but I've also made it with a little more texture, etc. So blend it, or food processor it; until it gets to the consistency that you think is right.
  

While it does take some amount of time to make this soup, it really isn't technically hard; and it has a very good flavor. Well worth the effort; plus the color is very cool at the Halloweeen/Thanksgiving time of year.

Backroad Pizza - Day 1 - Labor Day Trip to Tif's

Earlier this week I was watching Diners, Drive-In's and Dives and they covered Backroad Pizza in Santa Fe, NM. Since I knew I was coming down to Tif's this weekend, I decided to see if I could make it to Santa Fe (since I was leaving in the afternoon) and try it out. An adventure!

Trip south was pretty good, until I came up over the pass. Its always exciting to see what Northern NM has to offer. Sometimes the mountains stop the weather and you top the pass and its all clear blue skies. No such luck! I could see big storms in the south. The kind where you can see the rain falling to the ground in big black strips! But there was blue spots too and the road is all curvy, so you never know. I'd be heading for the storm, then head towards the blue, then back again. This kept up for about 30 or 40 minutes - and then I could see lightning and it was pretty obvious, by the cars heading towards me with their wipers going; that I was going to hit it. So when the first few drops hit; I pulled over and put my gear on...


OK... had to give those folks that know me a minute to recover. Yes - even though it wasn't *pouring* yet; I actually pulled over and suited up. Everything... helmet, pants and the jacket! Good thing too because in another mile or so it started raining. Not hard. Not the kind that makes you want to pull over and hide; but the kind that makes you glad you have a helmet on (so you can see) and a suit (so you are dry). The drops weren't too hard, and then the rain started hitting a little harder... That was when I noticed it was actually striking the ground and bouncing - and that it was little white balls. Yup - it was hailing. But not the golf-ball size stuff, more like peas. Not too bad really. Just enough to make you know you are alive! This lasted for 30 or 40 minutes... probably Springer down to north of Las Vegas. And from there it was clear all the way into Santa Fe.

As I got close to Santa Fe I toyed with the idea of heading into Albq.... but given I really wanted to try this place out, I decided better to stop while it was light out and I could actually rest up and stuff, rather than just pushing on.

So - I looked the place up online (yes laptops come in handy on the road) and it was about 10 minutes from my hotel. Woo hoo! I went there and it was pretty busy. I was standing in line with this family (grandparents, parents, little kids) and the dad says "I saw this place on food network so we decided to try it out!" and I said, "Me too!" and we talked a bit about Harleys and stuff. Then I ordered (walk up, not at your table) and went to sit outside and wait for them to bring me my food. I had my gear on and figured it would be warmer outside. Well... there was no place to sit. All 8 tables or so were full! I'm standing there looking around and this woman sitting at a table for four with her husband said, "Good luck!" and I said, "Yeah, looks like they are all full." The man then said, "You can sit with us if you want." And so I did!



Yes... more waiting for Kristi to recover from falling off her chair! ;)

So I sat with them and I asked them if they had ever eaten here before. "No, we say it this week on the food network!" Wow! :) The wait was probably 30 minutes or so at least; just because the place was so busy. So we just sat there are drank beer and talked. Their food came about 15 minutes before mine. They said the meatballs were very good - worth coming back for! I had a small pizza with homemade sausage (which has green chilies in it) and black olives. Plus a dinner salad and a Nut Brown Ale. It was all very good. And while the small was only 12 inches, and I hadn't eaten much since breakfast (other than some dill pickle sunflower seeds while I was driving down the road), it was hanging off the plate and so I brought 3 slices back to the hotel for breakfast! :) So - all in all I would definitely recommend this place. And because we had so much time to talk, they told me about 3 other good places:

• Horseman's Haven Cafe - little dive cafe with good breakfast in Santa Fe (just down the road from my hotel) if you like hot green chili. I'll probably pass since I'll be having pizza for breakfast!
  
• Buckhorn Tavern, San Antonio, NM - another little dive, with probably the best green chili burgers around - and they have good homemade fries too. Not on my trip on the way down to Tif's (since I'm taking 40), but definitely on the way on the trip back. And being south of Socorro... I might hold out and go there for lunch!
  
• Gabriel's - north of Santa Fe. Great Fajitas and they make the guac at the table.

So... I'm all set for Road Food in this area! Woo hoo!

And since Kristi gave me homework when I'm out on the road... info to prove I actually *talked* to these people and not just about food!

• Leroy and Melanie
  
• He is from this area (grew up here his entire life) and she is from South Africa
  
• They are going to their family cabin for the week
  
• He worked at Pizza Hut when he was in college
  
• He is a liquor salesman
  
• They go skiing at Wolk Creek and stay in Pagosa Springs
  
• They want to do a cruise to Alaska (not a motorcycle trip!)
  

There - I'm such the extrovert! ;)

Steak Diane - of a sorts

I was feeling like a steak dish - having just watched Alton Brown do an episode of Good Eats on sauces. I remembered a steak dish that Tina's brother Tony used to make. Basically sauteed steak with mushrooms and bell peppers. He called it Steak Diane. So I looked the dish up and found a version by Emril Lagasse. Totally different. This is a dish made with filet mignon medallions, quick seared on each side and then served with a sauce quickly made. This is many times cooked to order table side in good restaurants. Well I didn't want to use filet, I wanted to use the much cheaper (and tougher) eye of round steaks which were on sale. And to use that I figured I'd need to let it simmer for a bit to get it a bit more tender. Following is what I came up with - quite a bit different; but probably similar taste. I made extra sauce, so that I could let it simmer for a while and also because I served it with angel hair pasta and wanted some sauce to put on the pasta. As always - all amounts are approximations.

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• 6 eye of round steaks - 2.5 lbs in the family pack
  
• salt and fresh *coarse* ground pepper to taste
  
• 1/2 stick butter
  
• 1/2 a Leek - some from both ends
  
• 3 cloves of garlic minced
  
• about 8 mushrooms slice
  
• 1/4 C brandy
  
• 1/2 C heavy cream
  
• 3 tsp deli mustard (Batampte from the Broadway Deli here in the Springs rocks!)
  
• 3 or 4 "dashes" of Worcestershire sauce
  
• 1 C beef broth
  
• 1/4 stick butter
  

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We have a pepper grinder that is really coarse. This is great, if you like pepper, because the sauce ends up with chunks and almost has a peppercorn sauce type feel to it.

Melt the butter and saute the steaks until they are slightly browned. Move them to the edge and saute the leeks until wilted then add the garlic for a minute or two then the mushrooms until they are cooked.

Remove the meat and veggies and deglaze the pan with the brandy. (I tried to burn it off like Emril said; but I think the pan was hot enough and there was enough butter left that it didn't light. It was fine). Add in the cream, mustard and Worcestershire and whisk until smooth - let simmer for a minute or so. Add in the beef stock, whisk and reduce for maybe 10 minutes. This is similar to doing a Marsala sauce - just letting it thicken a bit.

Add the meat back in; cover with the veggies and let cook for 15 minutes or so. The idea here is to let the meat tenderize a bit and for the sauce to thicken even more.

Right before serving take the meat and veggies out; add the rest of the butter and whisk till melted. Serve the steaks with veggies on the top and side and then spoon some of the sauce on the top and across the pasta (if you serve it with pasta).

To me it didn't have a *strong* mustard or brandy taste; just a really nice rich cream sauce. All in all a pretty simple dish that was very tasty.

As I walk back up and down the stairs for the 2nd time in one minute...

While some are very irritated with the fact that as they get older they tend to forget things and have to keep walking back and forth between rooms for things they forgot... I tend to think of it as God's way of making sure we get *some* exercise as we get older.

Beartooth Pass

The accident show in this article happened a little before we passed by. There was a second truck there and it had about half the load cleaned up and reloaded. By the time we got there it wasn't slowing anything down too much; although we heard the road was closed for a few hours.

Twisties, great on a bike, not so much on a semi...