Smoked Pork Loin

4 lb pork loin roast
1 oz apple cider vinegar
1 oz whiskey (it will cook off the alcohol)

Rub Recipe
1 Tbsp brown sugar

2 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp mustard powder

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

Make spice rub by mixing the brown sugar, smoked paprika, salt and pepper with the mustard and onion powders. 

Combine the apple cider vinegar and whiskey in a small glass container. 

Using the sharp end of a knife, poke a series of small holes in the outside of the roast.  

Rub the roast down with the apple cider vinegar and whiskey mixture.  

Coat the roast with the spice rub, making sure to get it everywhere.  

Smoke the pork loin roast for 2 1/2 - 3 hours at 225 degrees.

The roast should smoke until the internal temp in the thickest part of the roast reaches 145 degrees.  

Rest the roast covered with foil for 15 minutes before slicing it thin.  

Turkey Cherry Pasta Salad

This recipe comes to us compliments of Essential Everyday.  When you find yourself with leftover turkey, it's the perfect way to use it up in a non-traditional way.

1 (12 oz) package Farfalle pasta

6 oz Craisins

3 cups torn up leftover turkey

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup red onion, sliced thin

3/4 cup poppyseed salad dressing

1/2 cup chopped walnets (toasted) (optional)

Prepare pasta according to package directions.  Drain and rinse with cold water.  

In a large bowl, combine the cooled pasta, cranberries, turkey, celerly and onion.  Toss with dressing until well coated.

Refrigerate, covered, several hours.  Toss with walnuts, if desired, just before serving.  

This is really good, whether after Thanksgiving or anytime you may have leftover turkey.  It's a great summertime recipe for those hot days when you don't want to heat up the house. 

Roast Beef - Slow Roasted

 

This is one of my favorite recipes.  Who doesn't love a good roast beef?  

3 lb beef roast
3 tsp rosemary minced
3 cloves garlic smashed and sliced

3 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp olive oil

3 cups beef stock

Remove the roast from the refridgerator and let it reach room temperature before baking.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees

Slice the garlic and mince the rosemary.

Combine the rosemary, smoked paprika, salt and pepper with the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice and olive oil to make a paste. 

Using a small paring knife, poke small holes in the roast.  Insert the galic slices into the roast. Spread the spice rub on the outside making sure to cover the entire roast.  

Place the roast in a roasting pan with a rack and then pour the beef stock into the bottom of the pan.  

Place the roast in the oven for 15 minutes.  

Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  

Baste the roast with the pan juice every 30 minutes.  

Remove the roast from the oven and let it sit for 20 minutes.  Slice it into thin slices and sprinkle a bit of salt over the top before serving.  

Coconut Lime Poached Chicken

 

While this photo shows a salad topped with chicken, this is a really versatile recipe.  This can be used as a main dish served with a salad and veggies or used to top a salad.  It quickly became one of my go to recipes.

1 (14 oz) can of unsweetened coconut milk

The juice of one lime

The zest of one lime

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp salt

1 cup water

1 - 4 chicken breast (enough to feed your family)

In a 4 quart saucepan combine the coconut milk, lime juice, lime zest, sugar, salt and water.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  

Add chicken breasts.  They should not be layered.  Allow to simmer for 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes.  

Remove from the poaching liquid and let rest on a cutting board for five minutes.  

Shrimp Scampi with Spinach

 Looking for a dinner that will add some vitamins to your diet, but still be delicious?  Try this one.

For 4 servings:

12 oz linguine

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined

3 cloves garlic, pressed

Zest of 1 lemon

1 Tbsp fresh oregano, chopped

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup dry white wine

4 Tbsp butter

2 cups of fresh spinach

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Bring 6 cups of salted water to a boil in a large pan.  

Add the linguine to the boiling water and cook for about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a large bowl using tongs.  Add 1/2 cup of the cooking water and toss well.  Reserve the remaining cooking water.  

Add the shrimp, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, red pepper flakes and the olive oil to a frying pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cook over medium heat.  

Drizzle evenly with white wine and 1/2 cup cooking water.  Top with  4 Tbsp butter.  Allow to cook for a few minutes to let pasta absorb the flavor.  

Add the spinach and toss until it wilts.  Sprinkle with the Parm cheese until it melts.  

I LOVE SHRIMP!

 I LOVE shrimp!  That's a given.  I could probably eat it multiple nights each week and never get tired of it.  One of our finger foods for our Christmas get-together was homemade shrimp cocktail.  I've purchased shrimp trays and prepared plenty of my own, but this recipe was hands down the best I've ever had.  

1 lemon cut into 8 wedges

8 cups cold water

1 yellow onion sliced 

2 cloves garlic peeled and smashed

1 tsp dried tarragon

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

1 bay leaf

2 lbs raw shrimp (peeled and deveined)

In a large pot combine the water, lemon, onion, garlic, tarragon, peppercorns and bay leaf and bring to a boil.  

Prepare a large bowl of ice water.

Add the raw shrimp to the boiling mixture and cook for 2 minutes.  Shrimp should be bright pink.

Remove quickly and place in the ice water for 5 minutes before serving. 

Serve with Cocktail Sauce.  Find the recipe on this blog.  

This can be made a day ahead and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve.  

Bacon-Wrapped Smokies - Another one of our Christmas finger foods

 

Don't these look delicious?

These were another part of our 2020 Christmas "Finger Food" get-together.  It simply wouldn't be a party without them.  Not only are they delicious, they are super simple to make.  

2 (16 oz) Hillshire Farms beef smokies
1 lb classic cut bacon (cut into thirds)

1 1/2 cups brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Line two sheet pans with foil.  Spray with cooking spray.

Wrap each smokie with a piece of bacon.  Secure with a wooden toothpick and place on a baking sheet.

Repeat until all smokies are wrapped and on the baking sheet.  (Make sure they are not crowded.)

Sprinkle evenly with brown sugar.

Bake for 30 minutes or until bacon is browned.  

These are guaranteed to disappear first.

Drunken Cranberry Meatballs

 Christmas for our family was a little different this year.  It was the first time in my 59 years that I didn't spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with my parents and my sister and brother and families.  Emotionally, that was a little tough.  We didn't get together with all of our kids and grandkids (all part of our bubble) until the day after Christmas.  I figured by that time the kids and grandkids would all be turkey and ham dinnered out, so I decided we'd do finger foods for our get together.  These "drunken" meatballs were just one of many of the foods that rounded out our day of gifts, games and gluttony.  

1 (14 oz) can of Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce

3 sprigs of fresh Rosemary -- growing in my windowsill 

2 (26 oz) bags of Farm Rich Homestyle frozen meatballs

1  (12 oz) bottle of Eckert's Sweet Bourbon Glaze**

1/2 cup bourbon

Place all ingredients in a crockpot set on low.

Allow to cook for 3 hours before serving.

Stir once every 1/2 hour to coat the meatballs evenly. 

Set your crockpot to warm setting for the rest of your event.

These are bound to be a favorite!

** Each summer Eckert's opens a market at 141 and Manchester Road in addition to their orchards/farms in Illinois.  I make it a point to stock up on their Sweet Bourbon Glaze in addition to many of their sauces and dressings.  They are superb!  It's well worth the trip if you've never been there.  

Fresh Dill Cucumber Salad

For most of 2020 I attempted to grow herbs in my kitchen windowsill.  To say there were issues would be an understatement.  I replaced plant after plant.  Finally in September, I found the Aero Garden while beginning my Christmas shopping online.   

GAME CHANGER!!!

I now have fresh herbs on my counter top and I love it!  You'll notice that the dill (front right) and the mint (front left) are growing like mad.  There are two types of Basil, as well as Parsley and Thyme.  It's a pretty cool contraption.  You should check it out.

We had an over-abundance of cucumbers last summer and we ate them in every imaginable way.  This recipe was one of our favorites.

2 medium cucumbers sliced thinly (peeled or unpeeled)
1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh dill 
Fresh cracked black pepper

Place the sliced cucumbers in a colander 

Sprinkle them with the Kosher salt and allow them to sit on a plate for 15 minutes.

In a serving bowl, combine the rice wine vinegar and sugar.  Stir to dissolve the sugar.

Chop the dill, removing the stems.

Rinse the cucumbers and add them to the serving bowl.  

Season with salt and pepper and stir in the chopped dill.

Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Glazed Roasted Sweet Potato, Pear, and Onion

 Looking for a very tasty way to bring sweet poatoes to your dinner table?  Give this a try!  It uses a package of Fresh Success Sweet Potato & Yam Glaze.  You'll find it in the produce section of your local grocery store.  

2 Bartlett pears, cored and cut into 1" chunks

1 large sweet onion, cut into wedges

2 small sweet potatoes, cut into 1" chunks

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 pkg Fresh Success Sweet Potato & Yam Glaze

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp butter

Heat oven to 425 degrees.  

Toss the pears, onions and sweet potatoes in a large bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.  

Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.  

Spread the sweet potatoes, pears, and onions on the baking sheet.

Roast until golden brown and tender, 35 - 40 minutes.

While the fruit and veggies roast, place a small saucepan on the stove.

Add 1/2  cup water and the package of glaze mix.

Bring the mixture to a boil for 30 seconds, stirring constantly.

Remove from the heat and stir in the 2 tablespoons of butter.

Place the sweet potatoes, pears, and onions in a serving bowl and top with the glaze.  

Stir to evenly coat.  Serve immediately.

Delicious Strip Round Roast Beef

This recipe requires a bit of planning ahead, but it's well worth it!

1 (2 1/2 lb) Certified Angus Beef strip round roast                

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

2 tsp Kosher salt, divided

2 tsp cracked black pepper, divided

2 cups of beef stock

In a small mixing bowl combine Worcestershire, Dijon, vinegar, honey, Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp pepper to create a marinade.  Place roast in a gallon Ziploc bag and pour marinade over roast.  Close the bag, removing excess air and refrigerate overnight or at least two hours.  Turn it periodically to distribute flavors.

Remove roast from marinade and pat dry.  Discard marinade and season the roast with an additional      1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Place roast in a shallow roasting pan fitted with a rack.  Roast 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 325 degrees.   Add beef broth to roasting pan and roast approximately 80 minutes until roast reaches desired doneness.  

Remove from the oven and loosely tent with foil and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

For a little different flavor profile, use the following rub instead of the marinade:

2 cloves garlic minced

1 Tbsp rosemary minced

1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp mustard powder

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Evenly rub the sasoning onto the roast and place it in the refrigerator in a Ziploc bag overnight.  Remove from bag and place in roaster.  Roast as directed above.