Arrollado con Dulce de Leche

This cake is my new excuse to keep a couple of cans of Dulce de Leche on hand. In an earlier post I explained how nicely our little school cookbook came out. The recipes sounded so mouth watering, I started to try some right away. The Mexican Style Shredded Pork was so fantastic that I will definitely be making it again. One of my coworkers makes this cake roll, a traditional Spanish treat, and brings it in for her students. The other day I got my first taste of it and decided that it would be the next recipe from our cookbook to try. I made this cake in 20 minutes, that included mixing, baking and rolling! I went out to run some errands and by the time I got home it was cool enough to slice and plate. My new quicky dessert. It is so pretty and decadent, your friends and family will think that you spent all day.

Arrollado con Dulce de Leche
1 cup self rising flour
1 cup sugar
6 eggs (separated)
1 t. Vanilla
One can dulce de leche, 13.4 ounces

Beat egg whites until fluffy add sugar until soft peaks form, then add egg yolks, flour, and vanilla. Line an 11x15x1 inch jelly roll pan with wax paper, be sure a little over laps to assist with rolling later. Spray lightly with Pam. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until golden and cake springs back when touched. Remove from oven and while still hot, drop spoonfuls of dulce de leche over top of cake. Wait a minute then spread evenly. Grabbing the long end of the wax paper start rolling the cake toward you while pulling the wax paper free. Once rolled tight, wrap with the wax paper and let cool. Once cooled slice and place on pretty platter and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serves 10-12.

Note- If you do not have self-rising flour then to one cup of all purpose flour add 1/2 tsp. kosher salt and 1 tsp baking soda.

Biology With Food

In many of my biology lessons I use food as models, examples, and lessons in order to make some difficult or "boring" lessons exciting for my students. What's not to love? I have combined my love of food and biology to make class fun for the students. And me, because there have been times I have bored myself to sleep, so I keep it fun for me too. Last week we studied blood. To read it from the book is too two dimensional for me and I like three dimensional lessons, lessons that leap off the page, so we made our own blood. After doing some research online I had all the answers I needed.

The picture above is a scale model of 250 grams of homemade blood. You should have seen the kids faces when I announced, "Kids, next Wednesday we are making blood then drinking it." They thought I was going all vampire on them! But it kept them interested and excited for their lesson. There was some math involved then the fun part; weighing and mixing the ingredients. Here is the break down just in case you are itching to have your own blood model. Plasma makes up 55% of our blood while the cells make up 45%.

Blood 250 grams
Plasma
126 g Karo syrup- water: 92%
11 g colored ball sprinkles- fats, proteins, ions, sugar, amino acids, waste: 8%

Cells
112 g red hots- red blood cells: 99%
1 g mini marshmallow (one) and about 3-4 grains white rice- white blood cell and platelets: 1%

So doesn't it all make sense now? Look at how many red blood cells there are. Put simply, that is why our blood is red. And how about that one lonesome white blood cell? If this model represented infected blood there would be many more marshmallows. Pretty cool huh? The students thought so too, but no one was game to take a drink! Ice cream topping anyone?

Italian Pot Pie

This is not a satellite picture of the surface of Mars, it is the view of the comforting dish I call Italian Pot Pie which has way more life and flavor than Mars at this point. Be warned, this is not gourmet and the recipe even calls for canned crescent rolls, gasp! I know, I know, chemicals in a can with artery clogging hydrogenated oils. So now that I made it all sound so appealing, I must say it is a tasty dish and when brought to a potluck a disappearing dish. Italian Pot Pie is a quick and simple dinner and when served with a great big garden salad and some fresh fruit it is just great. Everyone loves a good pot pie, don't they? Give this one a try in place of the usual chicken pot pie. Change can be good. Oh and when they do find life on Mars, snicker, those little green guys are all tuning in to the Big RK for the best recipes this side of earth.

Italian Pot Pie
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
2-3 cups favorite pasta sauce
1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 can crescent rolls, gasp!
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning for sprinkling

In a 9x13 inch baking dish spread ground beef. Pour sauce evenly over beef. In a medium bowl mix sour cream,Italian cheese blend, and Italian seasoning. Spread evenly over meat and sauce. Open crescent rolls, unroll and place over the entire dish trying to pinch seams together. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little Italian seasoning. Bake in 350° oven for 20-25 minutes or until crescent rolls have browned and cheese is bubbly. Serves 6-8.

Ranch Dip/Dressing

Been keeping a low profile in the kitchen this weekend. After the three day long bake sale I am all cooked out, so I have been sticking to some old standbys for our lunches and dinners. Today I made a simple lunch of Easy Mac and Cheese and a platter of raw veggies with some homemade Ranch Dip/Dressing, and fresh cantaloupe. As I had stated in an earlier post, I am enjoying homemade versions of salad dressings and this Ranch Dip is a family favorite. My Pacific-Northwest hubby says that this dip reminds him of Uncle Dan's, a brand of ranch dip he grew up with. While I am waiting for my fresh herbs to come in strong, I used dried herbs with great success and convenience. When I am mixing up a batch of this dip I go ahead and prepare two more "dry" mixes to save for future use. I use the smallest containers I can find (see lower right corner in picture) and place the dried herbs in them to mix later with the mayonnaise, sour cream, and buttermilk. These mixes also make nice hostess gifts with a pretty instruction label attached.

Ranch Dressing/Dip
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup buttermilk, only 1/4 cup if making dip
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 t. dried chives
1/2 t. dried parsley
1/2 t. dried dill weed
1/4 t. garlic powder
1 t. dried onion flakes
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. ground black pepper

Whisk all together and chill for at least 2 hours. This can be used as a dressing or a veggie dip.

Note- To use fresh herbs, triple the amount called for, keeping the salt and pepper the same.

Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

For my birthday, I received the KitchenAid Citrus Juicer Attachment and could not wait to try it out. I had a few oranges and grapefruit in my refrigerator and immediately juiced them up. Mmm, mmm. What flavor. On Thursday I went to the restaurant supply store and purchased a case of oranges and a case of grapefruit. That's 56 oranges and 40 grapefruit, yeesh. Right away me and Zuzu, my middle boy, washed and cut in half 12 oranges and set up our production line. I juiced and he took pictures. It took some time as 24 halves is a lot plus my hand hurt but it was worth it. Look at how orange that juice is. I thought orange juice was yellow, obviously I had only drank it from the carton, so this was a revelation. The juice also had the consistency of apricot nectar, very sweet, thick and almost syrupy. Zuzu does not like OJ but said that this was the best he had ever had and to only make it homemade from now on, mom, ok? Umm, at 3 times the cost of the carton, no. It will be a treat now and again but not a daily occurrence.


So here are the particulars. Twelve oranges made 42 ounces of juice. I did strain the juice as we are not a pulpy family, yes we have texture issues. If you are interested, as my financial planning hubby was, it would cost $9.54 to make 1/2 gallon of the liquid gold. Was it worth it? Every sip was heaven, very worth it, and for Zuzu to love it, priceless! By the way, the grapefruit juice is fantastic as well, very sweet.


Memorial Day: We will always remember...Thanks Dan, Dad, Uncle Jimmy, Dave, and all our Army friends for serving our great country.

"Old Fasioned Bake Sale"

Another great success. The "Old Fashioned Bake Sale" went wonderfully and we raised over $200.00 again! The home baked goods were beautiful and delicious too. The children had a great time trying decide what to purchase as the variety was plentiful. I personally loved the Pineapple Shortcake and will have to haunt the lady who made it for the recipe. We also put together a little teacher cookbook of all our favorite recipes and wow, what a great little book it turned out to be. We have many different nationalities represented on our staff, so the recipes varied from Irish, Jamaican, Indian, Spanish, and North and South American. All in all, it included 29 recipes, formatted into little booklets and slipped into a greeting card envelope that we sold for $3.00 each and boy they were a hit! So that is what is going on in my little world this week. I can't wait to blog about my birthday gift, it had to do with food of course!

Cupcake Monday

Today was the first day of our bake sale raising funds for our school's Drama Club. All three of my kids are in this year's play, Pinocchio. Yes I am the beaming Momma but will probably be a nervous wreck the night of the play. Will they remember their lines? Will they cry if they don't? Will they be loud enough? Will they get the giggles? Will the little one have to pee just in time for her line?

Today was Cupcake Monday which meant that we only sold cupcakes. We received 6 donated batches of cupcakes (from parents), about 115 cupcakes, and sold them for $2.00 each or 3 for $5.00 and guess what? We kicked tail. We made over $200.00! The cupcakes were delicious and beautiful. We had fudge marble, strawberry, banana, yellow, and white cupcakes all with frosting displayed beautifully on cake stands. We let the kids choose which cupcake they wanted and then add their own sprinkles at the Sprinkle Station. We also gave them a paper umbrella that one would find in a tropical drink. We all love those umbrellas don't we? It was a colorful, sticky, and wonderful success.

Tomorrow is an "Old-Fashioned Bake Sale" in which we will be selling a huge variety of home baked items. Folks donated cakes, many different cookies, granola bars, coffee cake, and dessert bars that we cut or divided into single portions and wrapped them in plastic wrap first then individually in really pretty multi-colored cellophane bags. All the items are displayed on cake stands, in baskets and colorful bowls, and large white platters. We felt that everything should be wrapped nicely and displayed well to increase sales. (A pet peeve of mine is a sloppy looking bake sale and terribly wrapped goods.) Everything will be sold for $1.00 each or a baker's dozen for $10.00. Oh we will have a Lemonade Stand as well and we are all going to wear aprons. Cute huh? I'll let you know how it all goes.

Note- Prior to the sale we set up the cupcakes on the stands and needed a way to cover them with plastic wrap (so they would not dry out) without ruining the frosting. The umbrellas were perfect for this job. I think I will use umbrellas from now on in place of the toothpicks! Much cuter.

Quick Crustless Quiche

Quick Crustless Quiche...Quick Crustless Quiche...

Say that fives times real fast. Bet you can't. This quiche is an old stand-by in our home. I have served it numerous times for dinner over the years. I have done many variations as well. It is truly quick and easy and great as breakfast or any other meal with a salad, nice bread and some fruit. The cheese makes a chewy (good chewy, not bad chewy) crust on the bottom while the butter and flour float to the top to make a super thin and delicate, crispy and golden coating. Most of the ingredients are always in my pantry or refrigerator making this a quick oven to table meal.

Quick Crustless Quiche
7-8 slices Muenster, Swiss, or Provolone Cheese
6 slices of crispy bacon, crumbled
4 eggs
2 T. dried minced onions
1/2 cup flour
2 T. Butter
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c milk
Dash of Pepper

Line the bottom and sides of a greased 10 inch pie plate with cheese. Sprinkle with bacon. In a blender, blend the rest of the ingredients for one minute. Gently pour over bacon and bake in 350° oven for about 30 minutes or until golden and set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serves 6.

Note- The quiche in the picture is made with ham. You may also substitute sausage, kielbasa, or leftover vegetables in place of the bacon.

Oatmeal Cake

This cake is an old recipe from my mother-in-law, Marilou. She got it from her next door neighbor, June Johnson, in 1963. June got it from...I have no idea. I have been making this recipe for a few years now and it is a delicious way to use up leftover oatmeal. It is a very moist cake, almost gooey, nothing wrong with that. I made a big platter of it for my lady's group today, hope they like it. Here is the recipe just as Marilou typed it out in an email to me back in August 2002. I love hand written or typed recipes written in the way someone would talk, not all formal-like.

Oatmeal Cake
Oatmeal Cake 1963 from friend next door (June Johnson)
1 1/4 cups boiling water over 1 cup quick cooking oatmeal. Let stand 20 minutes. Or use 1 cup left-over oatmeal.

Cream together: 1 cube butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
Add: 2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Add oatmeal mixture and 1 1/3 cups flour, 1 tsp soda.
Bake 350 degree oven 30 minutes in 9x13 greased pan.

Top with topping and return to oven 10 minutes or
until brown.
Topping: 4 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup coconut
4 tablespoons cream
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans are GREAT)

Enjoy. This is very moist cake, great with coffee and friends. I'm sure you could take alot of the fat out by substitution.

have a great week.
Mom


PS- I really like my mother-in-law! Aren't I a lucky person to be able to say that? She has been a great blessing to me over these last 15 years. A mentor, mother, and friend. Now go and call your mother-in-law and tell her you love her even if it might kill you. Then go and make this cake, it will make you feel good. Really.

Apologies- Mexican Style Shredded Pork

Oh boy she is apologizing, what did she do now? I did not do Mexican Style Shredded Pork justice when I blogged about it a few days ago. I embedded this poor recipe in some cockamamie story about sailing just because the dumb pot in which I cooked it reminded me of Dad's Mirror Dinghy. And to top it all off, my Dad said I exaggerated the story. Excuse Me! I'm an artiste and student of the English language. One doth not exaggerate, she embellishes, accessorizes, and weaves a wondrous tale, but never exaggerates. When Pi Patel, in "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, asked the Japanese investigators which version of his adventure they liked best, they picked the embellished story, not the real story. His embellished version was a form of coping, just as my embellishing is a coping mechanism for the mundane. Hopefully my accessorizing of prose will get me places (not jail.)

What if the blog read, Dad got some blue sail boat and sailed it a lot, then punched my brother in the head and then tried to drown him when the boat tipped over and it was the center board that broke not the rudder? Yadda, yadda, yadda, blah, blah, blah. Boring right? Go and read the better and truer, just prettied up version here.

But please, do make this amazing and delicious Mexican Style Shredded Pork, from my son's second grade teacher, Mrs. Brown, for the best darned carnitas this side of Texas. Even if you do not eat pork due to religious or culinary reasons go ahead and make it anyway. Just say 3 Oh Brothers and drink 5 Bloody Mary's and call me in the morning. I have an in with the Big Guy and can get you a "Get out of Jail" card free. I am not exaggerating when I say this meat rocks. Oh and skip the chicken broth and go right for the beer, it makes the dish. My kids panicked when they heard that beer was an ingredient. "Don't worry," I told them, "the alcohol cooks off." But not the flavor and the spice is just right...and the mouth-watering aroma while it's cooking...and all that drippy, flavorful juice... and the phone calls from Food Network...and the James Beard award for best dish...and Julia beckoning me from the other side.......

Hosting Book Club

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderly again.....

In my book club, we have read some books that have been challenging (boring), fascinating, unforgettable, emotional, and adventurous. Sometimes we are able to serve some of the foods that are described in the book as our snack for the evening. For “Princess Bride” we ate plenty of chocolate and a chocolate “ball” that represented the “pill” that was made by Miracle Max for Westley to get him well again. For “A Day No Pigs Would Die” we snacked on bacon, crackers and cheese, and chocolate cake with nuts on top (you’ll have to read the book to figure that one out! Ewww…!) And for “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” we sampled cotton candy, popcorn, fruit kebabs, lemonade and other boardwalk goodies. However, this time we read the gothic romance and thriller, "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier, a gripping and suspenseful read.


We dined on tea items reminiscent of Manderly, the looming mansion described in the novel. Here was our menu and if you click on the highlighted words you will find the recipes...

On page 24 of "Rebecca" the protagonist is sipping her citronade explaining her unusual name to Mr. de Winter. Therefore we sipped lemonade and of course hot tea as well. Page 187 describes the visit the new Mrs. de Winter makes to her husband's grandmother and with great joy it was "watercress day." We joined them with these delicious (best egg salad I have ever had) Watercress and Egg Salad Sandwiches only I added 1/2 tsp. curry powder and served them closed. Early on in the book a foreshadow occurs describing the relationship between the soon to be Mrs. de Winter and Mr. de Winter while eating a sour tangerine. I transformed the sour dish into a sweet dish of St. Joe's Oranges, recipe to follow. On page 10 the narrator describes how she is served ill carved ham due to her lowly status. We nibbled nicely carved Ham and Cream Cheese Pickles, a tasty finger food treat where salty meets creamy and crunchy. And then came the chocolate mention on page 87 and chocolate must always be copied. "Chocolate Bars, the easiest dessert and the most appreciated." Susan, a fellow book club member and I blurted that little saying out at the same time. Jinx! But it is true, do not fuss over dessert, simply set out an array of chocolate bars on your prettiest plate and you will have happy guests. Plus it is du Maurier's birthday today so chocolate was in order.

After each member discussed her thoughts on the book we had a little contest naming the un-named Mrs. de Winter. She is the narrator of the story and our low self-esteemed protagonist who does posses an unusual, lovely and fitting first name, but the author chose not to reveal it. We took it upon ourselves to reveal the poor gal's name and here it is: Emilia. From this day forth the second Mrs. Maximilian de Winter is hereby Emilia de Winter. Has a nice ring, don' it?

St. Joe's Oranges
6 oranges, peel and pith removed
olive oil
fresh cracked black pepper

Slice oranges and arrange on pretty plate. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with pepper. Serves 6-8.
Note- The above version is the sophisticated version. Here is how we make them most of the time. Leave the peel on and slice, then drizzle with vegetable oil and sprinkle with sugar. Everybody digs in and goes to town. They love peeling the "wheels" while eating. The name of this dish comes from my cousin Joe of California who created it.


I hope this has inspired you to either read "Rebecca", join/start a book club or both. Happy Reading!

PS I'm in 2 book clubs- so much time, so little books.

Honey Lime Chicken

Last weekend we enjoyed "Cheeseburgers in Paradise" as the theme for our Gourmet Club at Eddie and Sabrina's. Surprisingly, the whole week before the club I heard Jimmy Buffet songs everywhere, which made me more excited for Gourmet Club. Once Saturday came, we all adorned our floral print designs, sipped piňa coladas, and chowed down on the best Paradise food this side of Paradise. We started off with Honey Lime Chicken and moved on to the fattest, juiciest burgers with sides of coleslaw, oven fries and incredible coconut shrimp. Of course the whole thing ended with a few slices of Key Lime Pie to line our bellies. We listened to Buffet, watched the Kentucky Derby, and ate until we about busted.

I want to share the chicken recipe with you. It is sweet and spicy all at once and so juicy and tender that you will have everyone ask for seconds. At the party we had them as wings but I made them as thighs because I didn't have wings in the house. I served the Honey Lime Chicken with jasmine rice, fresh pineapple, and homemade lemonade.

Honey Lime Chicken
1/4 cup honey
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
juice of one lime, about 2 T.
zest of one lime, about 1 T.
18 whole chicken wings, tips removed or 10 boneless, skinless thighs

1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. season salt, optional
oil for frying

Mix the first six ingredients together. Place the flour and salt in a zip top bag and add chicken. Shake well until chicken is coated. In a large iron skillet heat about one inch of vegetable oil to 325°. Add chicken about 5 pieces and fry for 4 minutes on each side. Remove to a paper towel lined plate. Fry the rest of chicken. In a large bowl toss chicken with honey lime sauce. Serve immediately. Serves 5-6.

Note- I doubled the sauce so that there would be extra for the rice. I also heated the sauce with 3 T. water and 1 T. cornstarch for a thicker glaze. Cook sauce until clear, shiny and slightly thickened. If you get it too thick just thin it with a little water. If you do not want to fry, then skip the flour dusting and bake in 450° oven for about 15 minutes then toss in glaze.

Mexican Style Shredded Pork

I know its long but read it, it will make you smile. I promise.

My robin egg blue 7 quart enameled cast iron Dutch Oven arrived the other day and when I placed her on my cooktop that robin egg blue against my red kitchen reminded me of the color scheme of my father's Mirror Dinghy sail boat. She is robin egg blue with the telltale red sails that are distinctive to Mirrors. Her inner hull was done with a natural finish to bring out the teaky tones of the marine plywood. She was and still is a beautiful little vessel that we have many fond and funny memories. I think because of that little dinghy I have always been drawn to the robin egg blue and red combination.

On his lunch breaks, Dad would frequent the James Bliss Marine store in downtown Boston and dream of someday building his own Mirror from a do-it-yourself kit the shop had in its display. Many of his engineer coworkers were weekend sailors and listening to their stories about sailing on the Cape spurned this Texan to sail. So one day one of his coworkers was selling his sail boat and Dad just happened to ask what kind and to his delight it was the coveted Mirror Dinghy.

"How much do you want for it?" the wannabe sailor asked.
"How does $400.00 sound?" the seasoned sailor said.
"Sold!" said Dad, the newest member of the weekend sailors.

His maiden voyage with her, I just found out, was with his father, my Papaw, and just conjuring up that image of two country bumpkins in a Mirror Dinghy on a New England lake brought me close to hysterics. Dad laughed too as he described the voyage to me this morning. He said that when they finally got her up and running they realized that they were sailing backwards.

When I was older and living in NJ, Dad took us sailing on the Mullica River and we got pulled over by the Coast Guard for using an unregistered motor. What? Its as big as an electric razor, register it? Let me fill you in on the motor. It was a 1.5 hp Sears Roebuck outboard piece of junk. It was about the size of a milkshake machine one would see used in a diner and when Dad did sell the little piece of poop of a motor the buyer asked if it would mix bar drinks.

*Note- It is sometimes good to have a motor just in case you are becalmed. Rowing the length of a river or lagoon can be quite exhausting but probably faster and safer than using that bloody motor. Read the following story.

We had just moved into our Jersey Shore house when one day Rob and I were swimming. I was 9 and he 7. It was a windy day and a gust came through and took down the lagoon with it his Batman floaty. Devastated, little Robbie went after the floaty and got to the end of the lagoon before finally catching it. But now swimming against the current and wind, Robbie became exhausted and had to be rescued. I screamed for Ma, who could not swim, who then screamed for Dad who jumped into the Mirror Dinghy to rescue his exhausted little boy. Instead of rowing he tried to fire up the 1.5 hp engine-that-couldn't and didn't. He finally reached the tired boy by the lagoon's current and pulled him and the floaty to safety. The motor now had to be started as Dad did not have time to throw the oars in the boat prior to the rescue. So Dad pulled. And pulled. And pulled. And pulled. When alas, on the final successful, but powerful pull, (with a few good Texan expletives thrown in), my brother had leaned in for a closer look, just in time for Dad's fist to make contact with his little head knocking him across the dingy onto its floor. Ma and I saw the whole thing and so did the nosy neighbors who had gathered on their docks to watch the fiasco. It was a while before Robbie got up but when he did we all cheered and cussed that bleeping motor. Good riddance.

There was only one other time my father tried to murder Rob while in the Mirror. They had a great morning sailing off the beach at the end of Radio Road in Mystic Island, when a storm came across the Great Bay. Dad figured they had time for a few more passes when the storm out ran them and took them and the dinghy for the ride of their lives. Dad yelled to Rob that he better get his life jacket on (um this should have been on already?!) and to hold on that Dad was going to turn her around. More like over. They capsized and if I can remember right broke the rudder in the process. Through some miracle they made it back to a very angry, screaming- mimi Italian woman who cursed Dad for the rest of his life for trying to kill her only son. All the crazy stories aside, we have had a ball in that little Mirror Dinghy.

Here is a picture of a Mirror Dinghy from the website ukmirrorsailing.com This little dinghy has a yellow spinnaker in the front as you can see but I believe ours has just the mainsail and jib. Go to this website and see the gallery of these little British beauts in action. Dad hopes to have the Mirror Dinghy sailing again soon as he and mom just moved to Smith Mountain Lake here in VA. I am still wondering if sending my children out sailing with him would be a good idea. Wink.


Here is what I am making for the Maiden Voyage of my new Dutch Oven, now fondly called the Mirror Dinghy. It is a to-die-for delicious recipe from my son's second grade teacher, Mrs. Brown.

Mexican Style Shredded Pork
Saute in olive oil in Dutch oven (Mirror Dinghy!):
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 large flat chili, chopped (she used cubanelle but any mild chili will do)

In a plastic freezer size bag, mix:
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon cumin
2 teaspoons powdered chipotle
1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

Place 3 pounds of pork tenderloin (can also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts) in bag and mix to coat meat. Place meat on top of sauted mix in Dutch oven (Dinghy!) and brown. Add 12 oz. bottle of beer or 12 oz. chicken stock. Bring to boil, then cover and cook over low heat 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until tender. Shred pork. Serve with flour tortillas and other favorite toppings. If you have leftovers, make a barbecue sauce and serve as BBQ pork sandwiches.

Creative Idea- Candy Necklace Stemware

Abig toast to all moms this Mother's Day! My friend Melanie and I are co-coordinators for the Hospitality Committee of our women's group called MOPS- Mothers of Preschoolers. It has been our great pleasure creating a welcoming and relaxing environment for all the moms who attend. We have really enjoyed coming up with creative center pieces, Candy Bars, and Italian Soda Bars for the ladies to share. Our mission was to do the little extras that would make the (very tired, worn out, haven't had a hot meal in weeks, or a shower alone) moms feel special plus be ideas that they could easily reproduce themselves. Everyone likes a good idea right? Especially a simple one.

Many of the ideas Melanie and I used this year in MOPS were taken from Risa's site, The ParTea Planner. One could look in her photo gallery for hours. What a talented and giving hostess she is. There is so much "WOW" on her site and luckily for us, much of it can be reproduced on a smaller scale. Have fun viewing Risa's many talents and beautiful ideas.


Note- Plastic stemware are wrapped in candy necklaces surrounding a pretty bottle of sparkling Italian Soda for our MOPS Mother's Day Toast. Idea from Risa's site, The ParTea Planner.

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin

This recipe comes from my brother who got it from his friend who is also a friend of mine. I often get a good chuckle over just how small the world really is, especially the foodie world when it comes to sharing recipes. When I ask for a good recipe from a friend it is usually from someone else I know too. Some of my favorite recipes are the hand written type on kitchy recipe cards with scribble in the upper right hand corner from whom the recipe comes. Just think, some of the recipes in my box could have originated from someone famous! I just wonder where the friend of my brother's got this recipe and so on? Well anyway this is a great pork tenderloin recipe and if you have a hankering for a feel good, la-di-da dinner this then is it.

Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
Marinade:
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
2 T Cider Vinegar
2 T Honey
3 Garlic Cloves
1 T chopped fresh rosemary
1 T Dijon Mustard

Meat:
One 1-1 1/2 pound pork tenderloin

Blend marinade in blender or food processor until rosemary and garlic are finely chopped. Place pork in zip-top bag. Pour half-marinade over pork (refrigerate remaining marinade for another use, such a roasted root vegetables.) Seal bag and refrigerate pork overnight, turning occasionally. Preheat oven to 375°. Drain pork; discard marinade. Place pork in a seasoned iron skillet and brown on all sides over med-high heat. Place in oven and roast until internal temperature reaches 150°, about 25 minutes. Slice pork thinly and serve.

Note- This marinade works well with lamb and can be used on chicken. Heck I bet it would be great on beef too.

Another Note- If you are a saucy person like we are then a sauce can easily be made by removing cooked meat from the skillet to a platter and cover with foil. Meanwhile place iron skillet with meat juices over med-high heat and loosen brown bits at bottom of pan with 3 tablespoons wine (I had a good red on hand.) Add 2 cups of good chicken broth and bring to a simmer. To 2 tablespoons of cold water add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Whisk the cornstarch mixture into the simmering sauce. Cook until thickened stirring constantly. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cream Cheese Cookie Bars

More fun with cookie dough! Last week I made a double batch of Toll House's Choc-Oat-Chip Cookies. Two dozen cookies were baked up immediately for my kids' school lunches, five dozen cookie dough balls were made up and frozen for future use, three of which were used for the Cookie Dough Cupcakes last Friday, and last but not least, I put aside three cups of cookie dough to make Cream Cheese Cookie Bars. These cookie bars are a popular treat in our home. The recipe is so simple, it may be good for beginner bakers as the little ones will surely love pressing cookie dough into the baking dish. The bars are also great for potlucks and usually bring many recipe requests. Make some this week with your favorite cookie dough. I think the possibilities may be endless.

Cream Cheese Cookie Bars
1- 8 ounce brick cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 egg
3 cups chocolate chip cookie dough

Preheat oven to 350°. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, mix the first four ingredients until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes on med-high speed. Into an 8x8 inch greased baking dish, evenly press 2 cups cookie dough. Pour cream cheese mixture over top and spread to edges of dish. Break the remaining dough into small pieces and sprinkle over top of cream cheese mixture. Lower oven heat to 325° and bake bars for 35-40 minutes or until tester comes out (almost) clean. Let cool completely out on the counter before cutting into 16 equal pieces. Chilling in the refrigerater for one hour before removing cut bars prevents breakage. Refrigerate leftovers (if any!)

Note- I baked my bars for about 38 minutes. Although the tester came out with a little cream cheese mixture on it, I still removed the bars from the oven and they set up nicely once they cooled. I did this to avoid overcooked edges.

Honey Dressing

For the last few months I have been collecting and trying various homemade salad dressings. I, like most, like a good salad, especially a classic like the Caesar, Chef, or Cobb. But I have been disappointed in bottled dressings. I have found homemade dressings to be livelier than their bottled relativesCan one even begin to read and understand the ingredients list? My favorite Ranch dressing brand contains MSG which enhances umami, but I am rendered a useless migraine wreck after it's indulgence. I have been working hard to decrease artificial preservatives and chemicals in my family's diet which has led me to make my own salad dressings. Homemade salad dressing is not as hard to make as it may seem. Many of the ingredients are in one's pantry and the ingredient amounts can always be altered to adapt to one's tastes. I have found homemade dressings to be livelier than their bottled relatives and improve even the most drab salads. Honey Dressing is one I have been enjoying for a few seasons. The sweet honey coats the vegetables nicely while the lime gives it all a pleasing tang. The celery seed is a special surprise as it gives a savory, vintage taste to this dressing.

Honey Dressing
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. paprika
1/4 t. Kosher salt
1/2 C. honey
2 T. fresh squeezed lime juice
2 T. cider vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil, olive oil works well too
1 t. celery seed

In a small bowl add the first seven ingredients. Blend with a immersion blender until smooth and thickened. Stir in celery seed and toss with favorite salad or citrus fruits. Makes 1 1/4 Cups.

Cookie Dough Cupcakes

What would it be like to put my favorite cookie and favorite dessert, the cupcake, together? The answer is wonderful, amazing, delicious. Try this out yourself. Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full (or 30 grams) with your favorite cake batter, drop your favorite cookie dough (1 T.) into the cupcake batter and bake 15-17 minutes in a 350° oven. Top with buttercream frosting, chocolate shavings and a chocolate chip. Two great desserts in one.