It's Barbecue Season: Smoked Pork Roast

Smoked pork roast can be done in a smoker, or on the grill with a few smoking chips. Soak the wood chips in water for an hour, then strain them out and place in an aluminum can with holes poked in the sides. Cover top of can with foil and set deep into the charcoal or next to the gas burner. *

This 5 lb loin roast was rubbed with spices and olive oil, then smoked on low heat for 4 hours with hickory wood chips.  Baste with barbecue sauce every hour.  Pork should be cooked to an internal temperature of 160F.

Grilled veggies are easy with aluminum foil! Place veggies on a greased double-layer of foil.  Top with another greased double-layer, then fold the edges tightly to seal.

Summer veggie bake: zucchini, yellow squash, red bell pepper, and onion, with olive oil and salt and pepper. 

Soft veggies only need about 30 minutes on low heat, flipping once.

Slow cooking a pork roast is so rewarding because the meat turns out so juicy compared to other cooking methods.  Spend only a few minutes on prep, then just turn and baste hourly.  Check with a meat thermometer, then carve and serve with extra barbecue sauce. 

*(more on smoking next time)

I didn't eat the onions, but they add a lot of flavor so I cooked them in anyway. Garlic is an appropriate substitute.

It's Barbecue Season: Ribs & Potato Wedges

If it seems tricky to get good ribs, remember this one and only rule: cook slowly. You can use any  kind of dry spice rub or marinade or sauce, and any type of ribs. Just cook them on low heat for at least a couple of hours, depending on thickness.

These are country ribs, which means there is only a small bone at one end but they are mostly all meat. I have rubbed them with dry spices and some olive oil, and then put them on a piece of foil with holes poked in it on the grill on low heat for three hours since they are thick cut.  Baste and turn them only once or twice during the entire cook time.


Potato wedges are easy too!  Use red potatoes - they don't need to be peeled.  Slice in half lengthwise, then slice each half into 4 or 5 wedges.  Put into a plastic zipper bag with olive oil and spices and shake until well coated. I used a packet of dry italian salad dressing spices and parmesan cheese, but you can use any spices or simply salt and pepper.

Spread wedges into single layer in a baking pan. I line my pan with foil and spray with butter flavored baking spray. Bake for 1 hour @425, stirring gently every 20 minutes.

Easy & Excellent Lime Mousse

I have previously avoided recipes for mousse; they seemed to have a ton of finicky ingredients that needed to be handled 'just so' in order to get the right texture.  This mousse recipe is quick and easy and the result is addictively tasty.  Additional bonus - if served with fruit, this is a Gluten Free recipe.

The key to this or any recipe with a fluffy texture is to use a multi-speed mixer.  I have a Kitchenaid (thanks to my mom!) and it is wonderful, but any mixer will work as long as it has both a low and high speed setting. 

Beat 8oz cream cheese until fluffy.
Add 1/2 cup powdered sugar, the zest from two limes, and a pinch of salt.  Mix on low to blend, then on high for one minute.
Blend in 1/4 cup lime juice on medium until soft peaks form and lumps are blended away.
Fold in 1/2 cup sour cream.
Refrigerate 2 hours.

Serve with strawberries. Strawberries and cream are already awesome together, but the touch of lime makes the strawberries seem exceptionally sweet; its a wonderful flavor combo.

My dear friend Sarah serves this with pound cake chips, which are incredible but I have not been able to replicate hers.  Sarah is much more of a gourmet than I am, so perhaps she has a special touch. If you want to try it: put slices of pound cake on an ungreased cookie sheet @350 for about 20 minutes. Sarah's come out like fancy croutons - crisp on the outside but still chewy inside. Mine come out either all crispy or all soft, but... its pound cake. Its still going to taste good!

The Easiest Lemon Pepper Chicken Wraps Ever!

Boneless chicken breast - into crockpot with two bottles of Kens Lemon Pepper Marinade (should cover chicken)
Heat on low - all day if frozen chicken; 5 hours if defrosted.
Shred cooked chicken in serving dish.  There! That was easy!

- Serve as make-your-own style with shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, ranch dressing, fajita wraps, and chips.
- Optional Secret ingredient - prepare one package Near East Garlic & Herb rice pilaf; use as base layer in wraps.
- Depending on your crockpot size, this can be made in any quantity for any size guest list.

Variations:
- I also frequently make this as Fajita Wraps too, using a giant bottle of salsa in the crock with the chicken. Serve with taco sauce, sour cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce, and cheese. If feeling like doing a little bit of work, slice green pepper and onion into thin strips and saute.
- Another option is to use barbecue sauce in the crock, and serve with shredded cheddar and sauteed onion.


Onion, being a vegetable of singular putridness, is mentioned for academic purposes only. I am sure that some will ignore the warning and include them, but I cannot guarantee the results :P

Wicked Easy Ham Sammich Roll!

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust (don't get the thin crust; it doesn't roll well)

8oz sliced deli ham (or...could use any kind of deli meat)

6oz sliced swiss cheese (other kinds of cheese leak out of the roll too much)

- Unroll the crust onto a greased (I use butter flavor Pam) cookie sheet.

- Sprinkle with a little parsley if you have some.

- Bake @ 400 for 6 minutes. Should be dry on surface.

- Remove from oven; cover to edges with alternating layers of meat and cheese to about a half inch thick.

- Can spread a little mayo or mustard or barbecue sauce on top if desired.

- Start from one short side; roll like a jelly roll.  No need to lick it to stick closed :)

- Lay on baking sheet with seam side down.

- Bake @ 400 for 8-10 minutes.  Will brown from cooking spray left on outside.

Suggestions:

- Don't add veggies.  They introduce too much moisture which causes dough to break apart.

- Slice to serve.  I like to put slices of tomato and lettuce and mayo with it on the plate.

- Serves 2 grown humans with normal appetites.  Serves 1 if munchies or super hungry.

- Can drizzle slices with barbecue sauce or mustard, or if feeling adventurous, try making a white sauce with a little mustard powder.  

- Other kinds of deli meat work also, but beware of any that contain a lot of moisture like roast beef. Try pressing the meat slices between a layer of paper towels to absorb excess water.

here's the deal...

... I don't like to work hard.  But I do like to eat well.  I also don't like to pay hugely inflated prices at restaurants for food that I can make at home.  So, I take shortcuts... lots of shortcuts :)  I make ordinary food. Not intentionally healthy food, and nothing fancy.  No haute cuisine here, just regular stuff that is easy to make and has passed the "testing" of my small but fanatically devoted beta group.  Sometimes I get on a theme and experiment with numerous variations of a common idea; some ideas come from someone else's recipe, and some come from those conversations that start with "what else can I put in this?"

I plan to post a new recipe every week or so.  Some will even have photos! (by hobby I am a nature photographer so I still have to learn a lot about indoor lighting; bear with me if some of the food shots are not great).  Summer menus involve a lot of barbecue and cold dishes; fall & winter = football season so expect recipes that involve a crock pot or slow cook method that allows me to feed my visitors without missing the game myself.

All recipes will give suggestions for serving and presentation; please feel free to post questions, suggestions, or experiments of your own.

Good Eating!