News...

I wanted to take and minute and thank you all for all of your feedback and encouragement!  I am having so much fun doing this and truly appreciate all of the support that I have received from all of you.  I never imagined that when I started this blog in January that it would become such a source of inspiration and motivation for me.  I was recently invited to become a contributing columnist for the online women's magazine Ask Miss A.  I am really excited about the opportunity to reach a broader audience and evolve as a blogger.  My goal is to always keep you all engaged and interested in the things that I am writing about, so please know I am always interested in your feedback!   The really good thing about this new column is that I am going to need to start taking pictures, which I know you all have been missing...they are coming sooner than later!

Here is the link below to my column this week, check it out...bacon wrapped dates...you want these, I promise!

Slow-Cooked Carnitas

Ah, pulled pork, what’s not to love?? My husband requested carnitas on Saturday night and decided to go the easy route and cook the meat in the crock pot instead of in the oven. I dug into my recipe archive and came across several recipes, but this one clearly stood out as the least time consuming. There are a lot of crock pot meals that I think I could live without, but this is not one of them. After 5 minutes of prep time and six hours of slow cooking, this pork fell apart on contact. It was wonderful not only in our carnitas on Saturday night, but on our bbq pizza last night too!

Slow-Cooked Carnitas 
Adapted from epicurious.com
Serves 6

2 ½ lb pork loin, cut in to 1 ½ inch pieces
1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 medium yellow onion, quartered
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Corn tortillas
Chopped cilantro
Sliced avocado
Hot sauce

Toss pork in bowl of slow cooker with salt, black pepper, cumin and dried oregano to coat. Place onion pieces atop pork. Cover slow cooker and cook pork on low setting until meat is very tender and falling apart, about 6 hours.

Using slotted spoon discard onion pieces. Using two forks, shred pork and then add the sugar and lime juice. Wrap corn tortillas in damp kitchen towel; microwave until warm, about 1 minute. Serve pork with warm tortillas, avocado, cilantro and hot sauce.

Bacon Pancakes

GENIUS is all I have to say about bacon pancakes. Fluffy pancakes with sweet maple syrup and salty crispy bacon...what is not to like?! I encountered this menu item on my recent trip to California while eating brunch at Hash House A Go Go (fabulously entertaining brunch spot that I would highly recommend when in San Diego). This is the only time in my life that I can say that I was thankful to be seated near the kitchen so that I could see every dish that came out! When I saw bacon pancakes I knew it was something that I would have to recreate at home.  To cut a corner just use a pancake mix, I think it will taste just as good.  I would put the focus on quality bacon and maple syrup.  I love these pancakes and cannot wait to make them again...next time with chocolate chips!

Bacon Pancakes
serves 4

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
 1 teaspoon salt
 1 tablespoon white sugar
 1 1/4 cups milk
 1 egg
 3 tablespoons butter, melted 
4-6 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped 

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk, egg and melted butter; mix until smooth.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or nonstick pan over medium heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. When bubbles start to form,  add the chopped bacon to the pancake, check the bottom side for a light brown color, when browned to your liking flip it to the other side and cooking until it is light brown in color. Serve hot with a sprinkle of crumbled bacon and hot maple syrup. 


*You can keep them warm in the oven on low heat covered with foil until ready to serve.

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Boneless pork chops can be difficult. They are not very forgiving once they are overcooked, but unlike some other cuts of meat, they have to be cooked through.  Some of my initial attempts cooking the “other white meat” yielded unpleasant results, so I can sympathize with those of you that “think” you do not like them.  If you are weary of the dry and flavorless pork chop, this is the recipe for you! I have made this recipe at least 20 times and I have never once been disappointed. These pork chops are far from flavorless with their beautiful brown crust that absorbs all of the gingered soy pan sauce!  I like to serve these with wasabi mashed potatoes or rice pilaf and steamed snap peas.  

Wasabi and Panko-Crusted Pork with Gingered Soy Sauce

Serves 2

adapted from Cooking Light

2/3 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 (6-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
2 tablespoons peanut oil (divided)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon bottled ground fresh ginger (such as Spice World)
1/3 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons sake or dry sherry
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon wasabi paste
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions

Place panko in a shallow dish. Place egg in another shallow dish. Dip pork in egg; dredge in panko.

Heat peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add pork. Cook for 4 minutes on one side, add more oil when flipping and then cook 4 more minutes on other side until done. Remove pork from pan; sprinkle with salt.

Reduce heat to medium. Add ginger to pan; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Combine broth and the next 4 ingredients (through wasabi) in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add broth mixture to pan, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in green onions. Spoon sauce over pork.

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

Pasta Carbonara is a traditional  Italian pasta dish that I consider to be special occasion food for its simple, yet indulgent ingredients.  In this rustic dish, starchy pasta, crispy bacon, sharp cheese, creamy eggs, garlic, and black pepper are combined to create a decadently rich dinner that can be made in only 15 minutes.  After experimenting with this dish I have found that there are only two things that you need to know about Carbonara.  First, it is crucial to use quality ingredients, so this is the time to splurge on good pancetta and Parmigiano-Reggiano because they are the stars of your dish.  Second, it is equally as important to get the timing right so that the pasta is hot enough to cook the eggs, but  not so hot that it "scrambles" them.  I think that Tyler Florence does a great job at instructing the proper technique that ensures a winning dish!  I highly recommended that you give this a try the next time you are trying to make a lasting impression without too much effort.  Affordable, simple and classic. Enjoy!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara

recipe by Tyler Florence

Ingredients
6oz dry spaghetti 

1/4 cup of reserved pasta cooking water
1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 large egg
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Directions
Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian "al dente.") Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.

Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.

Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin

Five-spice powder is spice mixture that is commonly used in Chinese cooking. This blend of spices is traditionally developed from cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise, and Sichuan peppercorns, but can sometimes include ginger or white pepper. Conceptually this mix  was created to deliver a “balance” of the five flavors: pungent, sweet, savory, bitter, and salty. I think it is wonderful!  In this recipe, that I found on the Whole Foods website, the five-spice is mixed with several other spices to create a rub for pork tenderloin. The dish is finished with hoisin sauce and green onions for added flavor and a pretty presentation if you ask me! My husband added this to his “favorites” after one bite!

Five-Spice Pork Tenderloin with Hoisin Sauce 
Recipe from Whole Foods Market
Serves 4

 Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin 
1 tablespoon five-spice powder 
1 teaspoon dry mustard 
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 
1/2 teaspoon pepper 
1/2 teaspoon salt 
2 tablespoons peanut or safflower oil 
1/3 cup hoisin sauce 
Sliced green onions for garnish

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. 

Put five-spice powder, dry mustard, ginger, pepper, and salt into a wide, shallow dish and mix well. Roll pork in spices to coat all over. 

Heat oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. Add pork and cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over. Transfer skillet to oven and cook until pork is just cooked through, about 20 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board and set aside to let rest for 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, warm hoisin sauce in a small pot. Cut pork into thick slices and serve hot, with a little hoisin sauce spooned over the top of each slice. Garnish with green onions.