One Butt, Two Meals...at least

One of my favorite, most favorite comfort foods is slow cooked meat.  I'm sure I've mentioned that before.  I know I've had that dialogue many times with myself anyway.  So the other day, I pick up an 8lb Boston Butt.  Not exactly sure what I wanted to do with it, besides throw it in the oven and roast it low and slow for a few hours.  After about hour two, I started devising a plan to create a garlic shmeared Boston Butt scented candle so I could smell the aroma any time.  But then realized there would be no reward at the end. After about the fourth hour, I saved my butt from the gentle 325 degree heat of my "comfort food generator".

We let it rest and cool a bit, then we attacked the butt.  Can you tell I'm enjoying using that word? Anyway,   my sous Chef, Sidda, and I cut and trimmed the meat, ate a little, trimmed some more, ate a little more, ruined our dinner and threw it in the fridge until I decided what to do.  Of course the next day, the kids and I continued to snack on the pork, straight from the fridge.

I still have a small baggie full of butt in my fridge but so far we've made Cuban sandwiches with sriracha mayo (accompanied by broccoli cheese dipping soup). And later that evening, we cleaned out the fridge and made Pork Lo Mien.

Cuban Sandwiches with sriracha Mayo:

 Ingredients:


1/4 cup mayo
srirachi sauce to taste
1 tsp of lemon juiceLarge Loaf of Cuban bread
Olive oil to brush on bread before pressing
Roasted pork (or pork deli meat)
Thinly sliced deli ham
Swiss Cheese
Dill pickles, sandwich sliced
Yellow mustard

1. Combing first three ingredients adding srirachi to taste. 
2. Heat Grill pan or panini press
3. Spread mayo on one side of bread and mustard on the other
4. Assemble rest of ingredients onto the bread.
5. Brush both top and bottom of sandwich with olive oil and place on panini press or grill pan
6. If using grill pan, place a heavy bottom pan on top to press sandwich. Press until flattened and cheese is melted.

 Remember this?  My panini press :)

Pre-Press

Post-Press








"Clean out the Fridge, Pork Lo Mien"

Ingredients:

Sauce
1 Cup of your favorite teriyaki marinade ( I love soy van products)
1 tbs rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup water
pinch of red chili flakes to taste
2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro

Lo Mien:
Oil to coat pan
1/2 medium onion chopped
One Carrot shredded
1/2 red pepper julienned
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 cup chicken broth to deglaze pan
1 Cup pork
1 box soba noodles or thin spaghetti noodles
Scallions and/or cilantro to garnish
Chopsticks

Instructions:
1. Mix all ingredients for sauce and set aside. 
2. Cook noodles according to package directions to al dente
3. Head oil in saute pan over medium heat
4. Add onions and cabbage and cook until cabbage is a bit wilted, maybe about 3 minutes
5. Add pork and saute until a little crispy and heated through
6. Splash a bit of chicken broth in the pan to scrape up the delicious pork bits
7. Add red peppers and carrots right before you add the noodles to help keep their crunch
8. When noodles are al dente, drain and add to veggie/pork mixture and toss to combine
9. Add your sauce and quickly toss to heat everything together
10. Garnish with chopped scallions and or reserved cilantro
11. Divide into separate bowls, add chopsticks and enjoy the chopstick/noodle entertainment.

New Years Day Breakfast Sandwich...... aka...hangover grub

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  for those of you reading this ON New Years Day, I'll be a little quieter ;).  For those of you reading this New Years Eve, go NOW....to the grocery store to get the stuff for this sandwich!   It is my favorite breakfast to have after a night of, well...too much celebration.  It's full of good fats as well as tons of vitamin, minerals and antioxidants.

Sooo, anyway, before I begin my celebration and am unelable to tipe ane furhtirher, hear is thea reciiepe for my favrite breasktfast sandwchins......<------ just kiddin........

Ingredients:

Sourdough bread or other hearty bread sliced thick
Egg
Avocado
Tomato
Arugula
S&P

Spray small non stick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium low heat.  Once heated, fry egg, overmedium.  Meanwhile, toast bread.  Slice tomato and Avocado, set aside.

Once egg is overmedium (yolks runny, whites solid) place egg on toast.  Poke the yolk so it breaks slightly.  Shmear avocado on other side of bread.  Add one to two slices of tomato on egg and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add arugula and place second slice of break with the avocado shmear.  Cut in half and serve with a tall glass of orange juice and 2 aspirin :)

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup with Fresh Mozzarella/Pesto Grilled Cheese

While I like to make most things on my own, I have no problem throwing up the surrender flag when I taste something that I don’t think I could make better.  We used to have a grocery store (oh..don’t worry it’s still there, but we’re not)  anyway this grocery store made some of the BEST tomato basil soup I’ve ever had.  I have done pretty well recreating it. BUT I’m not a fan of peeling a ton of tomatoes, nor do I heart blending things, especially hot things.  Yep, you’ve caught me.  Two things I try to stay away from: 1) deep frying anything, it’s just a mess and a waste of oil and 2) dragging out bulky appliances like the blender.    So what am I to do?  Come up with a shortcut that’s equal to, if not better than the one I bought oh so long ago in the deli section of that far away store. 2 out of 2 Wilson children agree with me and Sidda even did a happy dance!!!

And by the way, if it drives you crazy to read passages with random  ……..’s (whatever those things are called), ßparentheses, commas and other punctuation thrown in just turn away now.  Because my writing will make you climb the wall. Not sure why it’s taken me so long to throw that disclaimer in there, but better late than never.

Ingredients

Creamy Tomato Basil soup

3 Tbsp. EVOO

4 cloves of garlic chopped

Pinch red pepper flakes

1 jar your favorite spaghetti sauce~ I recommend Bertolli  Garlic and Olive Oil

1/2 cup chicken broth

2 Tbsp. basil ripped

3/4-1 cup heavy cream

Fresh mozzarella/pesto grilled cheese

Sliced sourdough bread ~Stands up better to pressing, or in my case, squashing with a heavy pan J

Fresh mozzarella sliced

Jar of pesto

EVOO

Cooking instructions:

For the soup:  In heavy bottom large saucepan heat 3tbs EVOO over medium low heat.  Add chopped garlic and crushed red pepper.  Cook for 2-3 minutes, just long enough to infuse the oil with the flavor.  Add your spaghetti sauce and stir.  Stir in chicken broth. You can add more or less depending on how thin/thick you want your soup. Cover and cook over low heat while you make the sandwiches.

Brush one side of each slice of sourdough bread with EVOO. On the other side (the side without the evoo) spread a thin layer of pesto and layer on slices of fresh mozzarella.  Cover with other piece of bread, EVOO side up.  This will keep the sandwich from sticking as well as give it a crunchy golden crust. I like to make mine on a grill pan and since I don’t own a Panini press, I’ll put another heavy bottomed pan on top to press that sandwich down.  Cook sandwiches on medium for about 4 min on each side.  Keep an eye to make sure the sandwich isn’t cooking quicker than the cheese is melting. 

While your sandwiches grill, tear the basil and add it as well as stir in cream.  Remove soup from heat and cover until sandwiches are done.  Ladle soup into dippable bowl, Cut and plate sandwiches and start dunking!!

<------- My panini press ;)

<-------Dunking