carnitas

 This carnitas recipe from Recipe Tin Eats was an easy weeknight crockpot dinner. I cut the recipe in half and we still had a bit of leftovers. 

Ingredients

• ▢ 4 lb pork shoulder (pork butt)
• ▢ 2 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 jalapeno, deseeded, chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 3/4 cup juice from orange (2 oranges)

• RUB

  • ▢ 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • ▢ 2 tsp ground cumin
  • ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• Instructions

1. Rinse and dry the pork shoulder, rub all over with salt and pepper.
2. Combine the Rub ingredients then rub all over the pork.
3. Place the pork in a slow cooker (fat cap up), top with the onion, jalapeño, minced garlic (don't worry about spreading it) and squeeze over the juice of the oranges.
4. Slow Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. (Note 2 for other cook methods)
5. Pork should be tender enough to shred. Remove from slow cooker and let cool slightly. Then shred using two forks.
6. Optional: Skim off the fat from the juices remaining in the slow cooker and discard. 
7. If you have a lot more than 2 cups of juice, then reduce it down to about 2 cups. The liquid will be salty, it is the seasoning for the pork. Set liquid aside - don't bother straining onion etc, it's super soft.

TO CRISP:

• Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a large non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over high heat. Spread pork in the pan, drizzle over some juices. Wait until the juices evaporate and the bottom side is golden brown and crusty. Turn and just briefly sear the other side - you don't want to make it brown all over because then it's too crispy, need tender juicy bits.
• Remove pork from skillet. Repeat in batches (takes me 4 batches) - don't crowd the pan.
• Just before serving, drizzle over more juices and serve hot, stuffed in tacos (see notes for sides, other serving suggestion and storage/make ahead).

baking powder biscuits

These easy, delicious homemade biscuits from Sugar Spun Run were a Sunday lunch hit. With only pantry staples, I'm sure we'll be making these again. I doubled the recipe and it made 15 biscuits

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 cups all purpose flower
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon baking powder
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 3/4 cup whole milk

Instructions

• For best results, chill your butter in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before beginning this recipe. It's ideal that the butter is very cold for light, flaky, buttery biscuits.
• Preheat oven to 425F and line a cookie sheet with nonstick parchment paper. Set aside.
• Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.
• Remove your butter from the refrigerator and either cut it into your flour mixture using a pastry cutter or (preferred) use a box grater to shred the butter into small pieces and then add to the flour mixture and stir.
• Cut the butter or combine the grated butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Add milk, use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until combined (don't over-work the dough).
• Transfer your biscuit dough to a well-floured surface and use your hands to gently work the dough together. If the dough is too sticky, add flour until it is manageable. 
• Once the dough is cohesive, fold in half over itself and use your hands to gently flatten layers together. Rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold in half again, repeating this step 5-6 times but taking care to not overwork the dough.
• Use your hands (do not use a rolling pin) to flatten the dough to 1" thick and lightly dust a 2 3/4" round biscuit cutter with flour. 
• Making close cuts, press the biscuit cutter straight down into the dough and drop the biscuit onto your prepared baking sheet.
• Repeat until you have gotten as many biscuits as possible and place less than 1/2" apart on baking sheet. 
• Once you have gotten as many biscuits as possible out of the dough, gently re-work the dough to get out another biscuit or two until you have at least 6 biscuits.
• Bake on 425F for 12 minutes or until tops are beginning to just turn lightly golden brown.
• If desired, brush with melted salted butter immediately after removing from oven. Serve warm and enjoy.

apple coffee cake

We had some extra apples from Sutter's Ridge that the family didn't love for fresh eating and I wanted to make something other than a millionth apple crisp. This apple coffee cake from foodnetwork.com was perfect and the kids always love dessert for breakfast. 

Ingredients

Cake: 

• 1 stick plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups peeled, cored and chopped apples

Crumble Topping:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Brown Sugar Glaze:

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish with 2 teaspoons of the butter.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the remaining stick of butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after the addition of each. In a separate bowl or on a piece of parchment, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, alternating with the sour cream and vanilla. Fold in the apples. Pour into the prepared baking dish, spreading out to the edges.
3. To make the topping, in a bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and mix until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle the topping over the cake and bake until golden brown and set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes.
4. To make the glaze, in a bowl, combine the sugar, vanilla, and water and mix until smooth. Drizzle the cake with the glaze and let harden slightly. Serve warm.

cranberry walnut bread

In an attempt to recreate my favorite sweet bread from Whole Foods, I tried this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. I followed all instructions exactly and it got a bit overdone, but was still delicious. I've adjusted the instructions below to hopefully account for my oven and prevent overcooking.

Ingredients

• 3 cups + 2 Tablespoons (390g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands
• 2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Red Star Platinum yeast (instant yeast)
• 3/4 cup (95g) chopped nuts (I like walnuts or pecans)
• 3/4 cup (105g) dried cranberries
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (about 95°F (35°C))

Instructions

1. No need to grease the bowl.* Stir the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl. Stir in the warm water. The dough will be pretty sticky– don’t be tempted to add more flour– you want a sticky dough. Gently shape into a ball as best you can. Cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Set on the counter at room temperature (honestly any normal room temperature is fine!) and allow to rise for 12-18 hours. The dough will double in size, stick to the sides of the bowl, and be covered in air bubbles.
3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and, using lightly floured hands, shape into a ball as best you can. Doesn’t have to be perfect! Transfer dough to a large piece of parchment paper. (Large enough to fit inside your cast iron dutch oven)
4. Using a very sharp knife, gently score an X into the top. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap and leave alone for 30 minutes.
5. During this 30 minutes, preheat the oven to 450°F . (Yes, very hot!) Place your dutch oven (with the lid) or heavy duty pot inside for 30 minutes so that it’s extremely hot before the dough is placed inside. After 30 minutes, remove the dutch oven from the oven and carefully place the dough inside by lifting it up with the parchment paper and sticking it all– the parchment paper included– inside the pot. Cover with the lid.
6. Bake for 20 minutes with the lid on. Carefully remove the lid and continue baking for 8-10 more minutes until the bread is golden brown. Remove pot from the oven, carefully remove the bread from the pot, and allow to cool on the counter for 30 minutes before breaking/slicing/serving.
7. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 1 week.

sweet caramelized pork with rice

Because I'm tired of cooking all the same recipes during the Covid-19 pandemic, we tried this new recipe from berrymaple.com and it was an overall success. I did keep the vent fan running after the fish sauce was added to help keep the house from smelling completely like anchovies. Gage wasn't a huge fan, but everyone else had seconds.

Ingredients

• 2 lb pork butt or boneless ribs
• 1/2 onion
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 1-2 cups water )start with 1 cup and than add more if needed)
• 2 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tbsp gluten free sauce
• 1 tspn olive oil
• cooked white rice
• green onions for garnish

Instructions

• Chop the onion and cut pork in small pieces. Heat olive oil in a large WIDE skillet and cook onions and pork for about 5 minutes until the meat is well browned.
• To the same skillet add water, soy sauce, sugar and fish sauce, bring to a light boil and simmer for the next 30 minutes to 1 hour ( or until almost all the water will become a thick, brown caramel like sauce)
• Stir it and serve your caramel pork over rice with some green onions for garnish.

carrot cake coffee cake

With a continued abundance of carrots from the garden, we decided to incorporate them into breakfast too with this Pinch of Yum recipe.

carrot cake coffee cake

INGREDIENTS

Carrot Cake Coffee Cake:

• 2-4 large carrots
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup Butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Streusel Topping:

• 4 tablespoons Butter, melted
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• pinch of salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and grate the carrots (I use my food processor). You should have about 1 1/2 cups.
2. Cake Batter: Whisk sugar, melted butter, and eggs. Stir in carrots. Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon. Mix until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
3. Streusel: Mix ingredients for the streusel until you get a texture that looks like pebbles (sometimes I use my hands to mix it all together).
4. Bake: Spread batter into a greased 9-inch round baking pan (see notes). Sprinkle with streusel. Bake for 30 minutes, until the center is just set.

vanilla bean cheesecake

Kory wanted a sweeter cheesecake for father's day and this recipe from allrecipes.com was a winner. It definitely made more batter than would fit in my springform pan, so I made a small batch of cheesecake bars with graham cracker crust in a loaf pan on the side and just added them to the oven about 20 minutes after the cheesecake.

Ingredients

• 1 (18 ounce) package vanilla sandwich cookies (I used Vanilla Jo-Jos from TJ's which come in a 20 oz pack. I let the kids eat some, but next time would use the extras for a crust for the cheesecake bars on the side)
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 1 ½ cups white sugar  
• 5 eggs
• 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise and seeds scraped
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ½ cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and lightly butter a springform pan.
2. Place the sandwich cookies into a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Drizzle the crumbs with melted butter and stir to combine. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan, and set aside.
3. Place the softened cream cheese and sugar into the work bowl of an electric mixer, and beat for about 3 minutes on Medium speed, until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next one. Add the scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans, the vanilla extract, sour cream, and heavy cream, and beat on Medium-High speed for about 1 minute, until the mixture is blended and smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into the cookie crumb crust, leaving about 1-1/2 inches of space from the top of the pan for the cake to expand as it bakes.
5. Place a baking dish onto the bottom rack of the preheated oven, and fill it halfway with boiling water. Place the cheesecake onto the middle rack, above the pan of boiling water, and bake until the cheesecake is mostly firm, but only the center inch or two still jiggles slightly, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
6. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool down inside the oven for 1 hour. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Rhubarb crisp

This incredibly simple recipe is a combination of our favorite filling (from spendwithpennies.com) and favorite crisp topping (from Kory’s grandma’s apple crisp recipe).

Filling Ingredients

• 6 cups chopped rhubarb (sub up to two cups with strawberries)
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping Ingredients 

• 3/4 cup softened butter 
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cup brown sugar

Instructions 

1. Mix all filling ingredients and spread in a sprayed/greased 9 x 13” pan. 
2. Combine all topping ingredients, massaging butter into powdered ingredients. Sprinkle on top of filling.
3. Bake 35 minutes at 375°. 

A great quarantine baking project from allrecipes.com. I didn't add the nuts at Kory's request

Carrot Cake

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1 ¼ cups vegetable oil
• 2 cups white sugar  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 cups grated carrots
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Instructions Checklist

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan.
• In a large bowl, beat together eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots. Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
• To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.

sweet potato fries

With lots of sweet potatoes in the house, sweet potato fries were an obvious choice. These Mark Bittman fries were good, but could have used an extra five minutes in the oven to crisp up.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• PREPARATION
• Heat the oven to 400.
• Cut the sweet potatoes into sticks 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide and 3 inches long, and toss them with the oil.
• Mix the spices, salt and pepper in a small bowl, and toss them with the sweet potatoes. Spread them out on 2 rimmed baking sheets.
• Bake until brown and crisp on the bottom, about 15 minutes, then flip and cook until the other side is crisp, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.

onion rings

We have a ton of root veggies thanks to an accidental double order from driftless direct, so we decided to try homemade onion rings. We started with a recipe from allrecipes.com and added in some extra seasoning.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk
• 3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
• seasoned salt to taste
• 1 quart oil for frying, or as needed

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
2. Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside. In a small bowl or gallon plastic bag, stir together the flour, baking powder, and seasonings.
3. Dip the onion slices into the flour mixture until they are all coated; set aside. Whisk the egg and milk into the flour mixture using a fork. Dip the floured rings into the batter to coat, then place on a wire rack to drain until the batter stops dripping. The wire rack may be placed over a sheet of aluminum foil for easier clean up. 
4. Spread the bread crumbs out on a plate, shallow dish, or in a gallon plastic bag. Place battered rings one at a time into the crumbs, and scoop the crumbs up over the ring to coat. Give it a hard tap as you remove it from the crumbs. The coating should cling very well. Repeat with remaining rings.
5. Deep fry the rings a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with seasoning salt immediately upon coming out of the oil, and serve.

peanut butter oat breakfast bites

A quick and easy breakfast/snack based on a recipe from allrecipes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups oats
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/3 cup honey

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients well.
2. Roll into about 1 inch balls.
3. Store in the refrigerator at least 8 hours before enjoying!

chocolate beet cake

Another COVID-19 root veggie recipe that turned out to be a new favorite. The beets really didn't add any earthy flavor to the cake, but kept it incredibly moist. We'd definitely make this recipe, based on one from food.com,  again even without a surplus of beets in the house.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1⁄2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups shredded fresh beets
1/3 cup dutch process cocoa powder

DIRECTIONS

• Heat oven to 350 °, grease and flour 13x9 baking pan.
• Beat eggs, sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
• Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
• Add to egg mixture and mix well.
• Add vanilla and beets.
• Beat for 1 minute on medium speed.
• Pour into pan, bake for 45 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean.

sweet potato biscuits

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we ordered a box of root veggies from Driftless Direct. To our great benefit, they accidentally sent us a second box for free. We now have so many beautiful veggies, but I have to find creative ways to use them in recipes the kids will happily eat repeatedly. The perfect answer for several sweet potatoes were these yummy biscuits from Once Upon a Chef. The kids happily ate these two days in a row with lunch-- Kory and I enjoyed them too!

Sweet Potato Biscuits 

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup cooked mashed sweet potato (from one medium sweet potato)
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup whole milk, as needed
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off with back edge of knife
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the mashed sweet potatoes and 1/3 cup milk. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; process for a few seconds to mix. Add the chunks of cold butter, then pulse a few times until the mixture resembles coarse meal with some pea-size chunks of butter within. (If you don't have a food processor, this can be done by hand with a pastry cutter or your hands.)
4. Transfer the flour mixture to a medium bowl, then add the sweet potato mixture and fold gently to combine. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons milk a little at a time until the dough is just moistened and holds together (you may not need all of it).
5. Sprinkle a small handful of flour on a work surface. Turn the dough out onto the surface and knead lightly 2 or 3 times with the palm of your hand until the mixture comes together. Pat the dough into a 3/4-inch round. Using a 2-1/2 inch-round biscuit cutter or glass, cut the dough into biscuits. Gently press the scraps into another round and cut out more biscuits. Place the biscuits onto the prepared baking sheet and bake until golden on the bottom and firm to the touch, 12-14 minutes. Serve warm with honey butter.

pomegranate chicken salad

A delicious lunch recipe from a neighborhood blogger, Everyday M&K.

Pomegranate Chicken Salad

Prep Time10 mins

Course: Main Course

Keyword: chicken salad, pomegranate chicken salad, quick lunch

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 cups shredded (rotisserie) chicken
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1/4 cup celery (peeled and chopped)
• 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
• 2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

• Mix all of the ingredients except for a few pomegranate and pumpkin seeds in a large bowl.
• Serve in lettuce cups, on crackers, or toast.
• Garnish with remaining pomegranate seeds and pumpkin seeds.