A Perfect Summer Night

It's already the 4th of July. How did that happen so quickly? We are in the thick of summer right now and I'm loving the long, lazy days with the kids (as lazy as a long day with kids can be, that is). I'm loving the late-night 8 pm runs when the sun is not even close to setting and families are still outside enjoying the end of the evening. I'm especially loving the abundance of my favorite veggies at the farmers market.

Earlier this week we went over to our friend's house for dinner (Kym, of Dumpling Soup). It was such a beautiful summer night. One of those moments where you just pause, breathe deeply and soak up the idyllic scene around you. Hanging out with close friends. Kids playing together happily in a freshly mowed, perfect backyard. The smell of food on the grill. Cold drinks in hand. We even got a little live acoustic performance from Kym's husband. A truly perfect summer night. God is good.

This meal is the epitome of summer in my eyes. Bright red tomatoes, meat on the grill, and fresh, pungent basil picked straight form the garden. Or in my case, stolen from my neighbor (thanks, Leslie). My basil didn't fare too well this summer but I have plenty of nice neighbors who let me come and steal some of their stash. :)

Tuscan Pork and Beans

Pork Chops

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1 can of Cannelini Beans

1 medium onion

couple cloves of garlic

cherry tomatoes (not pictured) but about 10 or so

lotsa lotsa basil

Earlier in the day I prepped a few of the ingredients so we would be ready to rock when we got to Kym's. Chopped the onions and garlic...

And the 'matoes

Put them in a baggy so they were ready to go

Added olive oil, salt and pepper to the pork. Don't get hung up on an amount, just enough to coat.

When we got there, Kym acted as the very talented hand model while I photographed. Do you even know mow much easier it is to photograph these meals with an extra set of hands?!

Cambria was the overworked basil picker... because as I stated above, you need lotsa lots of it.

Open the beans and drain 'em

Add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil to a sauce pan over medium heat

Add the tomatoes, onions and garlic and cook saute until the onions are translucent, stirring every so often. About 5 minutes.
In the meantime start chopping that basil If you roll it up and then chop it you get pretty little ribbons
Add the beans to the tomatoes, onions and garlic
Stir well
Add the basil
And salt and pepper to taste

That's done. How easy was that?!

Get the pork on the grill. I leave grilling to males so I'm not sure how long on each side. As long as it has grill marks, I'm happy.
now, VERY IMPORTANT. After you flip the meat, add fresh basil on top while the other side grills. You can shut the grill. This is why you need lots and lots of basil. I hope you have nice, basil-rich neighbors like I do!
Serve the grilled pork family-style over the beans. I thought this would be even better with a squeeze of fresh lemon over the top as well.
Perfect summer meal for the perfect summer night!

ROY G. BIV

I like this because its super easy and super colorful. You know how they say you should eat all the colors of the rainbow? This comes pretty close. You just need some BIV (blue, indigo and violet). Not sure how I would incorporate those colors though. :)

I used the Teriyaki sauce I still had from the Teriyaki Salmon in Foil. So if you're meal planning, both of these recipes are super easy and you can make double use of your ingredients.

Pineapple Pork

Pork Tenderloin (I only used 1 small loin here and really bulked up the veggies)
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
half a fresh pineapple or a can of pineapple chunks, drained
handful of baby carrots
teriyaki sauce
ginger (optional)
brown or white rice


Add a little olive oil to a skillet and stir fry the pork (sliced into strips). Once slightly browned, add in the veggies. Stir fry a few more minutes then add in about 3/4 cup (? I eyeballed it, enough to coat the veggies and pork) of the Teriyaki sauce.

Stir in the pineapples and let them heat through. Serve over rice. I like to add some crushed red pepper too because I like the combo of the spicyness with the sweetness from the pineapple.

Pulled Pork Part 2 of 3

So for Part 2 I kept it nice and simple. I took the pork that I had refrigerated and not yet shredded (see post below), and simply shred it up and added our favorite store bought BBQ sauce. I put it in the oven at a very low heat while I made the potato salad.


Lightened Up Spring Potato Salad

3-5 red potatoes, diced smallish
1 hardboiled egg
chopped celery and onion
peas (but really, whatever you have/like in your potato salad works)
2 tbl dijon mustard
4 tbl greek yogurt
dill
chives
salt and pepper

I cut up three red medium sized potatoes (unpeeled, thats where all the nutrients are!) and added them into a big pot of water and turned up the heat so it would come up to boil. I threw in my egg that I wanted to hardboil for the potato salad too. Season the water well! The potatoes absorb the flavor... salt, bay leaf, herbs, chicken broth, use whatever you want or have on hand.

While it boils, get your other veggies for the potato salad ready. I went with what I had on hand... peas (leftover from the Buffalo Chicken Salad, and I like peas because they're Springy), onions and celery.

So, my husband HATES mayonaise and while I don't hate it, I don't particularly love putting huge spoonfuls of it in my food. So instead of mayo I used 1-2 tbl of dijon mustard, and 4 tablespoons of greek yogurt (also leftover from the Buffalo Chicken Salad). It was soooo good. It was still creamy, but not nearly as heavy or dense as it is with mayo.

Toss in your spices, I used fresh chives and dill (happened to have these on hand for the deviled eggs I made over the weekend. Again you don't have to use these spices, but I will say I really liked the dill in this).

When the potatoes are done, drain and run them under some cold water and toss them in with your yogurt/veggie/herb mixture. Peel the hardboiled egg, omit the yolk, finely chop the whites and toss it in too. Fridge til ready!

And the final products... I worked really hard on the beans too (opened up a can and heated it up).

Pulled Pork Part 1 of 3

Okay, this series of recipes I'm going to post over the next few days utilize my absolute favorite things... using the crockpot (because it does all the work for you) and making several meals out of one. I LOVE THAT!! I feel like any subsequent meals you get after the first one are basically free.

I was really excited about this too because I got the pork shoulder from the Home Farm Store. It was $6.99 a pound which is definitely steep for pork shoulder, BUT I got three meals out of it, so it was totally justifiable.

Southwestern Pulled Pork Tacos

1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can of corn (drained)

2 pounds of boneless pork shoulder

1 jar of salsa

2 tbl of oregano

2 tbl of chili powder

2 tbl of unsweetened cocoa powder

Smother allll the ingredients (except corn and black beans) on the pork. I know... it looks kinda nasty. Now go away and let the crock pot work its magic for 6-8 hours on low heat.

When its ready, take it out, cut it in half and scrape off the seasonings from one half. Stick that in the fridge for another nights meal!!


Then shred what is left. Shred, rough chop, whatever you need to do to get the job done.

So it looks like this...

Then add the corn and black beans into the crock pot with the salsa-y goodness

Add the pork back in.... yummm
Serve it up in a corn or flour tortilla with your favorite taco toppings! (My personal fave, guacamole... avocados, lime juice, salt, garlic powder, onion, tomato, chopped fresh jalapeno and cilantro... mmmmm so good).
So I still had a TON of the pork leftover after we ate. I put what was left in a container and froze it and actually used it up tonight in Enchiladas. I'll post that too!

Vietnamese Pork and Noodle Soup

Two weeks ago, after our blizzard, I went to the Home Farm Store to get some meat for the month. I couldn't believe that they had absolutely no chicken when I went. Being the born-and- bred city girl that I am, my first emotion was annoyance at this enormous inconvenience. The more I thought about it the more it made sense - they were affected by the snow storm just like the Giants and Wegmans of NOVA. However for them it was even worse... supplying their store takes more than having a truck drop off some chickens that were butchered who knows where and who knows when! The snow affected every aspect of their supply chain beginning with the egg and ending with the nice, packaged boneless chicken breast I was there to purchase. It reminded me that being committed to eating local means not everything is available all the time... a luxury I know I have grown used to.

So on that note, I stocked up on some pork tenderloin because it was all they had at the time. The cilantro, scallions, tomatoes and jalapenos in this recipe are ALL things that grow in the summer and if I was really awesome, I wouldn't use them at all because I know that to thrive they had to have been grown in some warmer climate meaning they were shipped from quite far away...losing nutrients and wasting fossil fuels in the process.

This is just further proof that everything is easier in the summertime if you ask me. Anyone can say they support local food in the summer... its easy! Everything grows! Just like anyone can call themselves a runner in the summer. It takes a lot more dedication to wake up in the freezing, dark, cold of winter and force yourself outdoors than a nice, warm, sunny morning. I wonder if I could ever be as dedicated to eating seasonally as I am to running through the seasons.

This recipe is pretty easy and is the kind of thing you want to have when you're sick. The ginger and jalapenos would clear up your sinuses in a heartbeat! Kid friendly... not so much. But I used the linguine noodles in the soup to make them their own kid friendly pasta, so I didn't feel like I was making two totally separate meals.

Vietnamese Pork and Noodle Soup
(from Food and Wine magazine, with changes of my own)

1 handful of linguine
1 inch piece of ginger, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
6 scallions, chopped
1 pork tenderloin cut into strips (mine was about 1/2 pound)
2 tomatoes, chopped
2 tbl fish sauce (it really doesn't taste fishy in the soup)
1 tbl soy sauce
1 qt of chicken broth
bean sprouts
half a bag of spinach
juice from 1 lime
cilantro leaves chopped (or basil or mint)
chopped fresh jalapenos (optional of course, necessary if you ask me!)



Cook linguine separately. Heat olive oil in a soup pan. Add pork tenderloin (lightly salted), ginger, garlic, and scallions

Add tomatoes and jalapenos. Let cook down for a bit.

Add chicken broth, soy sauce, and fish sauce. Let it come to a boil, add spinach and reduce to a simmer.

Add bean sprouts, lime juice and chopped cilantro.

Before serving stir in the linguine noodles. A little goes a long way.

Yum Yum

Trying Again in 2010

I realize I've fallen off the wagon in the past month. Ive been a tad discouraged that my camera STINKS and makes the food I create look bland and not so appetizing when in actuality the dishes are much more appealing in person, I swear!! Well, no more excuses in 2010! You either get bland looking pictures, a picture stolen off the Internet, or no pictures at all, but I'll at least post some recipes!

Part of growing your marriage and family is combining each other's family traditions, as well as creating some new ones in the process that your kids will hopefully carry down to their families one day. I was thinking about that last night as I made tea sandwiches for Kevin and I and some friends we had over. My mom always made tea sandwiches and chocolate fondue on New Years Eve, and it seemed totally natural to be making that for my own family and friends now. A couple years ago Kevin and I started having grilled jumbo shrimp on New Years Eve as well. Then on New Years Day Kevin's family always has Pork and Sauerkraut. This dish is a tribute to Kevin's Grandma Fisher, who made this year after year on New Years Day for the Haddon family. I love that we are keeping her memory alive and teaching our kids a little bit about their great grandparents by recreating this dish on New Years Day.

So here is a hodge-podge of very simple recipes for you!

Tea Sandwiches
(a member of our running club made these particular sandwiches for us last week and I thought they were very yummy)

Wheat Bread, Chive and Onion Cream Cheese, Ham or Turkey
What Bread, Chive and Onion Cream Cheese, Sliced Cucumbers, Smoked Salmon

Spicy Grilled Shrimp

2 pounds of raw, tail on, peeled jumbo shrimp
Place in a shallow pan and cover with

• Worcestershire sauce (enough to cover top)
• About half a bottle of "Pick-A-Pepper" sauce (this is key - you can find it in any grocery store)
• One freshly squeezed lemon
• About 2 tbl olive oil
• Freshly grated pepper and Italian seasonings (basil, oregano)
• Chopped garlic
• A dash or more of cayenne pepper

Let marinate for at least one hour, skewer, and grill. We also did Scallops this year, which I think are done the best in the simplest form: toss in olive oil and salt and bake for 12 minutes at 425, then broil for 5 minutes on high. Serve your scallops and shrimp with salad, rice, or whatever accompaniment you like!

Pork and Sauerkraut

And finally, what is currently in my crock pot: People this couldn't be easier!
1.5 pounds of Crown Roast Pork Loin. Place in a crock pot with a half cup of water. Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. Throw on a bag of sauerkraut and let it cook all day!


Kate and I are about to head out for a nice long run to kick off 2010. Theres nothing better than getting back home around dinner time to realize that the house smells amazing, someone made dinner and its almost ready to eat! (Oh yeah, I did that hours ago in the crock pot...)

Happy New Year to All!! Do you have any New Years Eve or Day meals that are tradition in your family??

Fiesta, Fiesta!!

What better way to send a US Soldier off to Afghanistan than... Mexican food?! Well in my family, that makes total sense. A celebration is just not a celebration if there are no margaritas or salsa present!! This weekend we had a little last minute fiesta with about 15 family members for my wonderful, heroic cousin Luke. This week he will be headed to Afghanistan as a photo journalist, and we wanted to stuff him with food and drink before he leaves. I decided I had enough grilled chicken fajitas I could handle this summer, so I took a little different route. This was super easy for a party of people and everyone enjoyed it! (Or so they said) :)

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Carnitas

(serves 10-15)

2 4lb packages of pork shoulder (AKA pork butt - really can't say that with a straight face). I used 1 slow cooker per package.

In a small bowl mix 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp coriander, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp chile powder, salt and pepper. Rub dry mix over meat.

Layer a few bay leaves at the bottom of the slow cooker. Add pork. Pour about 1/2 cup of chicken stock around meat. Top with a bunch of fresh cilantro and the juice from 1 lime. Don't even need to chop cilantro - just throw it on top. Did you know the cilantro stems have the most flavor?

Let this cook 4-6 hours. When it is done, remove from the crock pot onto a cutting board and shred the meat. It will be so tender you hardly have to shred at all, just tear it apart. Remove and discard excess fat and bones.

Toss the shredded meat with about 1/3 or 1/2 of a 12 oz. can of enchilada sauce, and then before serving bake at 350 for about 20 minutes to crisp up the top.

Slacker's Mexican Rice

The night beofre I made rice with dinner so I was sure to make extra to convert into Mexican Rice. I made about 5 cups worth in the rice cooker and then stuck it in the fridge until I was ready. To make quick mexican rice -

Sautee garlic and white onions until translucent in olive oil over medium high heat. Add 1 can of diced green chiles. Add cold rice, and separate with your fingers if there are clumps. Add a bit more olive oil over rice to help it cook. Add 1 can diced tomatoes, and the remainder of enchilada sauce (my dad wasn't happy I cheated here, but a mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do).

Add about 1 tsp or so of cumin and salt to taste. Squeeze the juice from 1 lime over rice. Remove from heat and toss in fresh cilantro. Throw this in with the meat for 20 minutes to melt cheese (if you want on cheese on top) and again, crisp up the top.

The beans above are pretty self explanatory - but I do add almost an entire jar of salsa and a little enchilada sauce, as well as sauteed onions and garlic just to give it a kick. And top with cheese, obviously!

For less carnivorous guests, I also made some quick fajita veggies. Sauteed garlic, onions, green pepper, red pepper, zucchini and tomatoes in a simple fajita seasoning package were a good way to utilize some summer veggies and add some color to the meal.

And finally, what is a party without some beverages. I decided to use up the plethora of peaches I had in a White Wine Sangria. Beware, this is so delicious, it's easy to drink it like juice!

White Wine Sangria

1 bottle of white wine - I like Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio

Add whatever fruits you have on hand - but don't leave out the citrus (lemons, limes, oranges)! What I had and therefore used was peaches! As well as lemons. Squeeze the juice in first and then throw in the rind. Add 2/3 cup of sugar and stir. Fresh mint also gives this a nice flavor. Add about 1/2 a liter of club soda before serving to give it some sparkle.