Vanilla Glazed Sweet Potatoes

This is my favorite way to make sweet potatoes because it is way more flavorful than the marshmallow covered dish.  People who don't care for sweet potatoes, love this dish because it is different and very flavorful.  Please note, the picutre above is the uncooked dish, and my potatoes were runnier and mushier (is that a word?) than normal.  I'm hoping that the dish doesn't turn out too runny.  This is the first time this has happened.  Oh well, it will taste wonderful regardless of runniness.  Enjoy!

Vanilla Glazed Sweet Potatoes
2 cans sweet potatoes, drained
1/4 c butter
1/4 c brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 tsp salt
Zest from one orange
Juice from zested orange
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp vanilla
1 c pecans, chopped

In a small pot, melt the butter over low heat.  Add the brown sugar, salt, zest, orange juice, black pepper, and vanilla.  Allow to simmer until all the sugar is dissolved. 

Place the potatoes in a casserole dish and pour the sauce over them.  Sprinkle with the chopped pecans.  This dish can be made ahead of time without any hassles.  If you don't want to cook it now, cover and refrigerate until time to cook.

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place potatoes in oven and allow to cook until the potatoes are hot and the sauce is bubbling - about 20-30 minutes.  If the dish is cold, this will take about 15 minutes longer.

Enjoy! 

Ultimate Turkey Brine

Turkey is wonderful meat when it is not over cooked and dry.  I've learned that brining a turkey helps prevent the turkey from drying out when cooking, and provides it with additional flavoring.  It is simple to brine a turkey and definitely worth it.  Three warnings about brining turkey.  One, brined turkeys don't make as many drippings for gravy as a non brined turkey (the moisture stays in the meat), so make preparations for the gravy using something other than the turkey drippings.  Two, it takes about 30 minutes to an hour less time to cook a brined turkey, depending on the size of the bird.  Place a thermometer in the bird and watch it carefully when it starts nearing 180 degrees.  And three, if you plan to deep fry a turkey, be prepared for the skin to appear burned.  The sugar in the brine contributes to this.  Rest assured that the meat is not burned.  Also, if you deep fry a turkey, make sure you have completely dried the turkey before lowering it into the hot oil.  No one wants to become a Darwin Award winner!

Ultimate Turkey Brine
1 1/2 c Kosher salt
1 1/4 packed brown sugar
Zest from 2 oranges
1 tbsp black peppercorns
10 whole cloves
5 sprigs thyme
1 large sprig rosemary
4 leaves sage
4 cloves garlic (whole and peeled) - optional
64 oz apple juice
1 gallon iced water

In a pot, combine the salt, sugar, zest, pepper, cloves, rosemary, thyme, sage, garlic, and apple juice. 

Bring to a simmer.  Let brine simmer for about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

I like to funnel the brine back into the apple juice container and place it in the refrigerator overnight.  I think this lets the flavors mingle.

To brine the turkey, either in a brining bag, a 5 gallon bucket, or an insulated 5 gallon water container (like those seen at sporting events or construction sites), pour all the brine solution and 1 gallon iced water into the container.  Carefully add the turkey.  If you use a brining bag, make sure you place the bag in a roasting pan, or other large container, in case the bag breaks.  If you use a 5 gallon bucket, or the insulated container, and live where it is cold (but not much below freezing), place the covered bucket outside.  If you are using a brining bag, place the turkey in the refrigerator.  My in laws have a walk in refrigerator, and we place the turkey there.  Let the bird brine overnight, for no more than 12 hours. 

Before cooking the turkey, completely rinse the inside and outside of the turkey and pat it dry.  Cook as you normally would and enjoy!

Apple, Smoked Gouda, and Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops

I've never had stuffed pork chops until I made this recipe last night.  Most of the recipes I see use stuffing mix, like you may put inside a turkey, and that wasn't appealing to me.  When I found this recipe, I thought it looked interesting and since smoked Gouda cheese is one of my favorite cheeses, I decided to try it.  Normally, I wouldn't post a recipe here without making and tweaking it a few times first (which is why I don't have how-to pictures), but since so many of you wanted it, I'm going to go ahead and post it.  Feel free tweak it as you feel you need to.  I think a smoked mozzarella, Havarti, or blue cheese would all be good substitutes for the smoked Gouda.  Enjoy!

Apple, Smoked Gouda, and Bacon Stuffed Pork Chops
6 pork chops, or loin steaks
3/4 c smoked Gouda cheese, finely shredded
1/2 apple, shredded (it cooks better this way)
2 tbsp bread crumbs (I used Parmesan cheese flavored crumbs)
3 slices of bacon
1/2 tsp rubbed sage (ground would work also)
1/2 c flour
1 tsp poultry seasoning
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil

1.  Cook the bacon in which ever manner you desire, until crispy.  I prefer to microwave mine.  To do this, I fold two paper towels in half and place them on a paper plate.  Lay the bacon on the towels and cover with another paper towel.  I then microwave it for 3 1/2 min, or until it is crispy.  Let the bacon cool before handling it, then crumble it into small pieces.

2.  In a cereal bowl, combine the bacon, cheese, apple, bread crumbs, and sage.  Mix until blended with your fingers.

3.  To prepare the meat, place one steak on a meat safe board (plastic or glass, but not wood) and stand it up on the fatty side, or on the bone side.  Press down on the meat to make it easier to cut.  Using a sharp knife, slice down to the fat (but not through), or bone, but be careful not to slice through the ends.  You are basically making a canoe out of your steaks.  See the diagram below.  The arrow is the knife and the horizontal line is where you should cut the meat.

4.  Spoon about 2 heaping tablespoons of stuffing into each steak.  Fill all the steaks with stuffing before you seal each steak.  Once you've stuffed all the steaks, use wooden toothpicks to seal the steak openings closed.  Bring the edges together and weave the toothpick through both thicknesses of meat.  Make sure the seal is good so none of the stuffing oozes out during cooking.

5.  In a small bowl, combine the flour, poultry seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper.  Mix with a fork.  Dredge all the steaks in the flour mixture.

6.  In a skillet, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium low heat.  I like frying at a lower heat because the meat cooks through without burning on the outside.  Once the fat is hot, place the steaks in the skillet and let brown on one side before turning.  Cook until the juices run clear and there is no pink meat showing, especially on the sides of the steaks.  If you are cooking chops with bones, cook until there is no blood coming from the bone.

The original recipe called for grilling the meat.  I would have, but the 10 inches of snow on the BBQ grill, and the 18 inch drift in front of the grill prevented that.  If you choose to grill the meat, don't dredge them with flour, just sprinkle with the seasonings and grill until the juices run clear.  You can also bake the meat if you wish.  To do this, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a baking dish with cooking spray.  Season the steaks, but don't dredge in flour, and place them in the baking dish.  Cook uncovered for about 20-30 minutes, or until the juices run clear and the meat is browned.

Reed enjoyed the stuffed pork plain, without any sauce.  Elizabeth and I felt that the meat needed a sauce.  Next time I make this dish, I will make a balsamic vinegar reduction.  To do this, place about 3/4 cup of balsamic vinegar in a small sauce pan and reduce it to half the quantity over medium heat.  Remove from the heat and whisk in 2 tablespoons of cold butter, one tablespoon at a time.  This will incorporate the butter without having it separate from the liquid.  Serve as a side dipping sauce.

I hope you all enjoy these pork chops as much as we did.  They are filling and rich, so about 1 large pork chop per person, or two small loin steaks per person is plenty.  Enjoy!

Breakfast Casserole

I am not a casserole person at all.  I just don't like casseroles.  I think my dislike of casseroles stems from all the peas and other left over vegetables my mother used to put in her casseroles.  But this casserole is for breakfast and there aren't any leftovers, so I don't mind making it at all.

Even though it is a breakfast casserole, I don't think I've ever made it for breakfast.  I like making it for dinner because it is simple and quick to make, and it is filling.

Breakfast Casserole
1 package Jimmy Dean Sausage (I like the sage version myself)
2 medium shallots, or 1 large shallot, finely chopped

10 eggs

1/2 c milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 1/2 tbsp chives (I use dried)

8 slices of sourdough bread, from a long loaf, cut into quarters

1 to 2 c cheddar cheese, shredded

In a medium skillet, cook the sausage and the shallots until the meat is starting to brown.  Make sure to break the sausage into small pieces.

While the sausage is cooking, spray a microwave safe casserole dish (2 1/2 quart) with cooking spray.  Spread the bread onto the bottom of the casserole dish, making sure to cover the bottom of the dish as best as possible.  In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, salt, pepper, and chives.  Mix with a whisk until the eggs are beaten.

Once the meat has finished cooking, spread the meat over the bread, then cover the meat with half the cheese.  We like food cheesy around here, so I probably add more cheese than I should.  Then pour the eggs over the cheese, making sure to distribute the eggs throughout the dish.  I then add some more cheese for good measure!

Place the dish in the microwave and cook for about 15 minutes.  At the end of 15 minutes, if the center of the dish is still liquid, place the dish in the microwave for 3-5 more minutes.  Continue to cook until the center is firm and not liquid.

Serve the casserole with some fresh, or canned fruit for a filling meal.  Enjoy!

"Beef" Barley Vegetable Soup

I have recently learned the secrets of making decent soup - a good, hearty, homemade broth made before making the soup.  I'm not a big fan of soup, so when I make it, it has to be flavorful.  I decided to make the "beef" barely vegetable soup using antelope since we have some left in the freezer, and the cuts that we have left are a little too tough to use as steaks.  It was also cheaper than buying beef for the soup.

To make the soup, I started by browning about 1 pound of thawed antelope (any big game meat or beef would work) in a little olive oil until it was about medium.  To the meat, I added about 1/2 cup red wine to the browning meat and let it almost completely reduce.  Then I added a can of beef broth.  I wasn't sure about this, but I figured a little extra flavor would help - it did.  I then let the mixture come to a full boil.

Meanwhile, to my crock pot I added 1 onion roughly chopped, 2 carrots cut into about 1 inch segments (I didn't even bother to peel them), the tops of a bunch of celery (a couple stalks would work also), 1 tomato cut into fourths, 8 cloves garlic (leave them whole), 5 sprigs of parsley, 5 sprigs of fresh thyme, 1 tbsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp pepper corns (if you don't have peppercorns, about 1/2 tsp of black pepper would do), 1 tsp Italian seasoning, about 1 1/2 tsp salt, and for a little kick, about 3/8 tsp red pepper flakes (you can add more if you like).

 

I then poured the meat mixture over the vegetables.

Next, I added hot water up to about 1 inch from the inside top of the crock pot, set the crock pot on high and let it cook for about 12 hours (I did this overnight).

After cooking about 12 hours, the vegetables were cooked down and the flavors had been extracted from them.  The broth is done and is now ready to become a soup.

The next step was to strain the broth from the solids.  I did this using a strainer.  I also removed as much of the meat as possible from the solids, chopped it up and returned it to the crock pot along with the strained broth.

In a medium skillet I melted about 2 tbsp of butter.  I then finely chopped one onion and two carrots and added them to the skillet.  I cooked them over medium heat until the onions started to caramalize, then I added 6 cloves of finely chopped garlic.  I continued cooking the mixture until a majority of the onions were caramal in color.  Once you add the garlic, watch the mixture carefully and stir periodically to keep the garlic from burning.  I then added about 1 cup of water to the onion mixture and scraped the bottom of the skillet to get off any onions and caramalized vegetable pieces.  If you wish to add celery to the soup, you should cook it with the onion and carrots during this step.

I then poured the onion mixture into the crock pot along with a can of chopped up green beans, 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.  I then set the dial to high and let the soup cook for another 6 hours.  You can definately add more vegetables if you wish like tomatoes, corn, peas, etc.  One hour before dinner, I added about 1/2 of a cup of barley.

The garlic in this soup really stood out and provided a slightly buttery flavor to the soup.  Making the broth before creating the soup really helps create a depth of flavor that is missing when just making the broth as part of the soup.  I served the soup with some homemade sheepherder's bread.  Enjoy!

Sheepherder's Bread

This recipe was handed down to me from my grandmother.  How she acquired it, I'm not sure.  The original recipe makes a HUGE loaf of bread - enough, I assume, to serve several sheepherders throughout the day.  My grandmother made it to serve to her large family.  I finally got brave this last summer and made the bread from my grandmother's recipe, but cut the recipe in half and made it using my KitchenAid mixer.  It turned out perfect. 

I don't know what makes sheepherder's bread so special, but it has a rich, buttery, slightly salty flavor, and I think the cooking process adds to the uniqueness of the bread.  The texture of the bread itself is heavy, but somewhat airy.  It is truely a type of bread that you can't have just one slice.  It holds up well for a few days after being made, and is great slightly toasted.  My absolute favorite part of this bread is the crust.  I hope you all enjoy this as much as my family does.  

Sheepherder's Bread - the smaller version

1 1/2 c hot water

2 1/4 tsp yeast (or one packet)

1/4 c sugar

1/4 c butter

1 1/2 tsp salt

4 3/4 c flour

*To make the large loaf, double all ingredients.

In your mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups of hot (not boiling or too hot to touch) water, 2 1/4 tsp yeast (or 1 packet), and 1/4 c sugar.  Let the mixture set about 5-10 minutes until there is a good layer of foam.

To the foam mixture, add 2 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/4 tsp salt, and 1/4 cup melted butter.  Do not add the salt directly to the yeast mixture (it will start killing the yeast), add it on top of the flour. 

Using the mixing paddle, on speed 2, mix the ingredients until the batter is smooth. 

Then switch to the bread hook and add the remaining 2 cups of flour.  On low speed, mix until all the flour is incorporated and the sides of the bowl are clean.  This takes about 1 minute.  Then turn the mixer up to 2 and let the mixer knead the bread for 8 minutes. 

Remove the dough from the hook, place in the mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled.

Once the dough is doubled in size, completely cover the inside of 3 1/2 quart pot or similar size Dutch oven with aluminum foil and spray liberally with cooking oil.  If you are making the full recipe, use a 7 quart pot/Dutch oven.  Make sure the pot you use has an oven proof lid.

Remove the plastic wrap from the mixing bowl, lower the bread hook onto the dough slowly, and quickly turn on and off the mixer a few times.  Then turn the mixer on low for about 10 seconds.  Remove the dough from the bread hook and shape it into a ball and place the dough in the center of the aluminum foil lined pot.  Spray the lid with cooking spray and place the lid on the pot.

Allow the dough to rise until it lifts the lid about 1/2 of an inch.  This takes about 1 hour.  As soon as you see the lid starting to lift, pre heat the oven to 375 degrees.  Leave the lid on the dough and place the whole pot in the oven.  Bake the bread for about 35 minutes. 

The bread that you can see under the lid should be a golden brown. Remove the bread from the oven, remove the lid and lift the bread out of the pot.  Carefully peel off the foil and allow the bread to cool on a cooling rack for about an hour.  The bread cuts better if it is cooler.  Of course, if you want to serve the bread warm you can do so, just cut it slowly with a serrated knife.

My one BIG, HUGE suggestion is to serve the bread with real butter.  Not margerine, or I Can't Believe it's Not Butter, or any other butter substitutes.  If you're going to the effort to make bread, ignore the fat in the butter and treat yourself to a little slice of heaven.  Enjoy!