Making pulled pork sandwiches would be a heck of a lot easier if I used a slow cooker and started the process in the morning. But since my slow cooker is packed in a box somewhere in the attic I decided to prepare tonight’s dinner on the stove top using a heavy duty pot with a lid.
Instead of braising the pork in my favorite bbq sauce, I decided to try something different. I found a dry rub recipe for Kansas City barbecue ribs on About.com. I adapted the recipe ever so slightly and massaged the rub into the large cubes of pork. I decided not to sear the meat but instead added water and a couple chicken bouillon cubes to the pot and let the pork first come to a boil reducing the heat to a low simmer for two hours. Two hours later I grabbed a few pieces of the pork with metal tongs and was very happy to see the pork pull apart so beautifully.
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Having mom live here has its privileges. For instance, she hold holds me accountable to get dinner going around 5 p.m. instead of 6:30 p.m. because she knows if I haven’t started by 6:15 p.m. there is a strong probability we will either be eating out or having eggs, pancakes, and bacon for dinner -which isn’t a bad option if you ask me.
Flying home from Atlanta late Sunday night I hadn’t taken inventory of the food situation in our kitchen yesterday and was a bit panicked about what I could muster up for dinner. Thank goodness for the two partially frozen chicken breasts in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. Yesterday was the only instance I could remember in a long time where I was actually glad the bottom fridge drawer was acting like a confused freezer. However, the partially frozen mozzarella balls I found down there grossed me out. The sliminess around each ball of goop screamed stomach flu to me, so I said goodbye to the cheese and embraced the chicken. [click to continue…]
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There is no question of whether or not Fall has graced Seattle with her glorious autumn presence. The leaves of Japanese maple trees once full of lush dark tones of amber, deep saturated yellows, and various shades of green are changing with the addition of bright copper red edging and golden warm tones. Last night I embrace the seasonal change with a comforting meal of roasted chicken and polenta using recipes from blogger Pour Girl Gourmet – Amy McCoy’s new cookbook, Poor Girl Gourmet: Eat in Style on a Bare-Bones Budget
. Her recipe for roasted chicken legs with olives was a beautiful reminder how simplicity can not be underestimated and outdated.
The aroma of oven roasted chicken lingered throughout the house signaling to our family dinner was almost ready. Seasoned with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper, and fresh thyme. the chicken itself only reaffirmed what I often evangelize here – salt and pepper is all you ever really need to season food to be good and wholesome. And wholesome our meal was. [click to continue…]
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One of my favorite easy weeknight dinners is chicken marsala. Made with sauteed mushrooms in a marsala wine sauce, this dinner has become a regular in our household for years. Typically I buy two chicken breasts and split them to make four pieces. This is a great method to stretch a few pieces of chicken out to feed more people. By pounding the chicken out, it also shortens the cooking time making this dinner a doable meal under 30 minutes from start to finish. [click to continue…]
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in my carry-on bag. I received her cookbook in a bag of goodies from an all-day food blogging workshop in Pam’s summer home. While soaking in all the beautiful photos and recipes in her latest book, I started to make mental notes of which recipes I wanted to try first. I plan on writing up a formal review in a post soon, but for right now all I can say is this book is gorgeous and practical – my kind of book. I’ve already cooked out of it three times and I’ve only been home for a few days!!
