Pork Loins & Fear of Old Age

May 9, 2010 by

Emeril Lagasse bam So I tried Emeril’s recipe for Ginger Ale Marinated Pork Loin but adapted it for a single serving slice of pork tenderloin. I’m not ready for a whole roast yet; I already had a dream last night that a friend interpreted as fear of old age and I don’t need to add pork roasts to that list of scary things old people do.

I’ll just tell you because I know you’re curious now and reading about my subconscious fears is probably way more interesting than reading recipes. So in my dream, I was in a canoe and apparently ended up in England. I think this was work-related because we were holding one of our business events at the palace (ha-yeah right) but I got there early, thanks to my canoe, and offered to pull weeds for the Queen. I found this one plant that, when you touched it, made you grow old and big (like eating a mushroom in Wonderland). Strange.

So the other people who were pulling weeds noticed their hands were starting to swell and they were aging. I don’t think I was wearing gardening gloves, but I wasn’t noticing the effects, even though I thought I had touched the plant (which looked like a rectangular mushroom that grew in thin vertical sheets), so I was freaking out. Then they quarantined us in the palace and wouldn’t let us leave for fear we’d infect others. And that, we found out, was the reason the Queen never left the palace. In case you were wondering why she never, ever makes public appearances. Ha.

I posted the condensed version of this on Facebook and got this response:
“The canoe ride to England represents the adventure and wonder of becoming an adult. The queen represents big business and weed-pulling is obviously the dull work of everyday employment. Instant old age is the fear or, well, old age. [On growing big:] The easiest thing is to say that, with aging, problems become larger and more prominent. Or, at the very least, the fear of larger problems. Your whole dream is your fear of getting older. And the palace is simply the social fear of old people amongst the young who still yearn to maintain their youth.”

So maybe I should be more concerned about making healthy foods instead of avoiding “scary adult” foods like pork roast. But anyway, pork is fairly healthy right? Even if I did skip the veggies to save time so I could watch the Cavs in the play-offs.

I can’t tell you exactly how I cut this recipe down because I was basically winging it, pouring some ginger ale, some sherry (…OK some more sherry), some soy sauce, and, in the absence of honey, some molasses (which I justified is also sweet and sticky) and a few shakes of ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes into the baggie with the pork. I let it soak overnight then baked it at 350 for about 15 minutes. From there, I followed his recipe at least as far as directions go, still guessing on measurements.

It’s a forgiving recipe because it still came out delicious. I served it over rice and spooned the extra sauce over it, making a good balance of sweet, strong and spicy. Bam.

Filed Under: dinner recipes, Food, pork recipes

Brown Sugar Dijon Salmon Glaze

March 29, 2010 by

This is a great glaze I found for salmon, made of brown sugar, honey and dijon mustard. Thanks, Bobby Flay.

I cut the recipe in half, but only made a single filet, so I think the leftover glaze might also be good on chicken or shrimp. I did make shrimp to accompany the brown sugar glazed salmon, but I just fried them in the skillet with chopped garlic and seasonings and doused them with some lemon juice and sherry. Delicious.

I figured since I cleaned my kitchen this weekend — we’re talking mopping the floor and everything — I might as well make something fancy. This qualified, and it was also scrumptious.

Unfortunately, there’s no picture coming to help you visualize the meal. I scarfed it down before I ever thought about it.

But Bobby’s picture is much more professional than mine anyway, so feast your eyes on this:

Bobby Flay salmon with brown sugar and mustard glaze recipe

Filed Under: dinner recipes, Food, seafood recipes Tagged With: ,

Avocado Chicken

March 13, 2010 by

This is my super easy take on a recipe I found on cooks.com for “Chicken Avocado Melt”: http://bit.ly/bRWHCV

Pound chicken breast till thin. In one bowl, mix a couple tablespoons cornstarch to a teaspoon garlic salt. In another, beat an egg. In a third, pour a fourth a cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs. Dip chicken in bowls in order. Fry in olive oil in skillet, a couple minutes on each side. Place chicken in shallow baking dish. Top with thin slices of avocado and sprinkle with salt then a white shredded cheese, like provolone, mozzarella or swiss. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Would be good, and convenient, to fry remaining avocado slices as a side dish. (Coat in egg then breadcrumbs and fry.) Sprinkle with salt and dip in jalapeno ranch dressing.

Filed Under: chicken recipes, dinner recipes, Food Tagged With:

Fajita Spaghetti

January 31, 2010 by

One of my favorite recipes — if not my favorite — featured on the blog so far.

Fajita Spaghetti Recipe
8 oz spaghetti
1 lb chicken
1 tsp canola oil
1 onion
1 sweet red pepper
1 sweet yellow pepper
1 can green chile peppers
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup taco sauce
1 envelope fajita seasoning*
Instead of buying fajita seasoning, I used this recipe:
DIY Fajita Seasoning
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
Heat oil in skillet on medium heat. Cook chicken 4 to 5 minutes on each side until center is not pink anymore. Remove from heat. (Meanwhile, cook spaghetti according to directions.) Saute chopped onion and peppers in leftover oil till tender. Add chicken back in along with chiles, water, sauce and seasoning. Heat through. Toss with spaghetti.
Filed Under: chicken recipes, dinner recipes, Food Tagged With: ,

Chicken Francese

January 30, 2010 by

Every time I went to an Italian restaurant with my friend, he’d order chicken francese. So began the search for a recipe that would live up to the standard set by professionals.

This was my first attempt, and it was a little bland. I ended up adding a lot of garlic, salt and pepper once it was finished. So it’s a work in progress.

1 lb chicken, cut or pounded thin
1 beaten egg with parsley added
oil to cover bottom of pan
seasoned flour: 3/4 cup flour with equal amounts of garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper

Dip chicken in seasoned flour. Dip into beaten egg then place in hot oil. Saute until golden brown. Drain.

In a saucepan, combine ingredients for sauce:
2 tbsp melted butter
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp cornstarch
4 drops lemon juice

Place cutlets in sauce and simmer on low heat, covered, for 5 to 10 min. Serve with pasta.

Anyone else have a more successful recipe they’ve tried?
Filed Under: chicken recipes, dinner recipes, Food

Jambalaya-like Creole Shrimp

November 14, 2009 by

This jambalaya-like stew is delicious and hearty – perfect for chilly nights like tonight. I followed the recipe exactly the first time or two, but usually I’m throwing in whatever I have on hand. I always serve it over rice though. So, as it was called in the original recipe:

Easy Creole Shrimp:
1/2 cup each chopped onion and green pepper
1 T olive oil
1 can condensed tomato soup
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup salsa
1 T lemon juice
1/2 T fresh parsley
1 t chili powder
3/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t pepper
1/2 lb shrimp

Start preparing rice by recipe. Meanwhile, chop vegetables. Saute onion and pepper in oil for 6-7 minutes, until crisp-tender. Stir in other ingredients, except shrimp, and boil. Reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook 6-8 minutes. Add shrimp, cook uncovered for 3-4 minutes.

I sometimes add celery if I have it, which is what the original recipe called for. Or red onions. Tonight I added a couple hot peppers too, and it was great. Plus, I made a healthy decision to substitute brown rice for white, even though I’m not a fan.

Filed Under: dinner recipes, Food, seafood recipes Tagged With:

Scallops & Tomatoes

September 11, 2009 by
This similar scallop recipe from Epicurious was my inspiration for simplified scallops and tomatoes.
scallops and cherry tomatoes recipe

Photo by Maren Caruso for epicurious

Fresh Domestic Scallops + Tomatoes Recipe:
1/2 cup scallops – rinse, pat dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes – washed and halved
1/4 cup red onions – chopped
olive oil
lemon juice
garlic salt, ground pepper, cayenne pepper

To thaw frozen scallops, give them a bath of cold water, changing often. Warm a couple teaspoons of olive oil in skillet at medium-high heat. Add scallops. Saute until they begin to brown, then remove to plate and cover. Add a little more oil and onions to skillet. Cook one minute, add tomatoes. Cook several minutes and add scallops back into skillet with about a teaspoon lemon juice.

Would be great served over angel hair pasta.

Filed Under: dinner recipes, Food, seafood recipes Tagged With: ,

Peach Caprese

September 10, 2009 by

With my bountiful tomato harvest, I need to expand my palate beyond the basic Caprese.

Feeling a little fruity, I came up with this Peace Caprese (or “Capreachy”) Salad:
1/2 peach, peeled and cubed
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
3-4 mini balls of fresh mozzarella, halved
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp lemon juice
garlic salt and fresh ground pepper

Toss ingredients together.

Filed Under: dinner recipes, Food, salad recipes Tagged With: ,

Homemade Chinese Egg Rolls & Crab Rangoons

April 19, 2009 by


Egg rolls seem daunting – like they’d be much harder to make than they are. But they’re actually really easy, with room for creativity, and delicious in their crispy deep-fried fabulousness.

I have my mom to thank for teaching me how to make egg rolls, as I do most of the excellent recipes I end up with. Here’s how we do it:

Egg Roll Recipe
1/2 lb. sausage
1 small head green cabbage, chopped
chopped onion

Brown the sausage in a skillet and add onion. Then add the cabbage. It will seem like a lot but it cooks down. Let this cool while you prepare egg roll wrappers and a small dish of water. Place a wrapper in front of you like a diamond, with the mixture in a line straight across it. Fold up the bottom first, and then fold  both sides in, around the mix. Dip your finger in the water and wet the top corner of the diamond, then roll it up the rest of the way and seal with the wet edge. Heat oil in skillet on med-high and fry until golden brown.

That will make more than enough for two people, and it won’t use the whole package of wrappers. So, in a very experimental mood, I tried to make crab rangoons with the rest. They turned out pretty good — just enormous. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing because I could eat a whole stick of cream cheese. And a whole crab. So both ingredients in a deep fried package = ecstasy.

Crab Rangoon Recipe
4 oz cream cheese (half a package)
4 oz flaked crab meat (half a package, I found mine under the seafood deli counter)
a couple shakes each of Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped
chopped onion
ground pepper
Place a big spoonful of mixture in middle of egg roll wrapper. Pinch two opposite sides together (wetting with water to seal) and then the other two sides. Fry.

Both recipes are almost as good as takeout. Now fried rice…that’s something I haven’t mastered quite yet, and still opt for takeout.

Filed Under: dinner recipes, Food, pork recipes, seafood recipes Tagged With: , ,

Taco Pockets

March 29, 2009 by


This is a super easy recipe I stole – er, adapted – from my sister’s mother-in-law. The first time I visited her house, she made this family favorite Taco Ring. I reduced the recipe and renamed it Taco Pocket. At this size, it’s plenty for one or two people, especially with a side of Mexican rice.

1. Brown 1/3 lb ground beef. Season with salt and taco seasoning. Add chopped onions if you want.
2. Meanwhile, separate half of the triangles (4) from a tube of (8) crescent rolls. Place triangles into a star, of sorts, with the “bases” of the triangles pressed together in the center of your baking stone, pointing outward like a compass. Make sure you press the dough together in the center to seal seams.
3. Mound the browned ground beef in the center of the dough. Fold each point over to make a ‘pocket.’ (You do not need to seal all the side seams. I leave them open and just lay the dough loosely on top.)
4. Bake at 375 for 11-13 minutes, or until dough is golden brown.
5. Remove, cool, and cut in half. Serve with any desired taco toppings: cheese, lettuce, tomato, olives, sour cream, etc.

Filed Under: beef recipes, dinner recipes, Food Tagged With: