Fettuccini Carbonara

A bowl of Fettuccini Carbonara

Fettuccini Carbonara
6 servings

What you need:

5 teaspoons olive oil
4 shallots, diced
1 pound bacon, cut into strips
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 (16 ounce) package fettuccini pasta
3 egg yolks 
½ cup heavy cream
¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

What to do:
Heat olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Saute shallots until softened. Stir in bacon, and cook until bacon is evenly browned. Stir in garlic when bacon is about half done. Remove from heat.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain pasta, then return it to the pot.

In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, cream, and shredded Parmesan. Pour the bacon mixture over the pasta, then stir in the cream mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle fresh basil on top for garnish.


Maple-Garlic Pork Tenderloin


Maple-Garlic Pork Tenderloin
6 servings

What you need:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
fresh ground black pepper to taste
1 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 pounds pork tenderloin

What to do:

Combine mustard, sesame oil, garlic, pepper, and maple syrup. Place pork in a shallow dish and coat thoroughly with marinade. Cover, then chill in the refrigerator at least eight hours, or overnight. Preheat grill for medium-low heat. Remove pork from marinade, and set aside. Transfer remaining marinade to a small saucepan, and cook on the stove over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Brush grate with oil, and place meat on grate. Grill pork, basting with reserved marinade, for approximately 15 to 25 minutes, or until interior temperature is 165 degree F . Avoid using high temperatures as marinade will burn.

Cherry Cobbler

May 17 is Cherry Cobbler day

Cherry Cobbler
12 servings

What you need:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup milk
2 cups pitted sour cherries
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the butter in a 9×13 inch baking dish, and place in the oven to melt while the oven is preheating. Remove as soon as butter has melted, about 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup of flour, 1 cup of sugar, and baking powder. Mix in the milk until well blended, then pour the batter into the pan over the butter. Do not stir. Rinse out the bowl from the batter, and dry. Place cherries into the bowl, and toss with the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour. Distribute the cherry mixture evenly over the batter. Do not stir. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown. A toothpick inserted into the cobber should come out clean.

Pesto Shrimp

May 9 is National Shrimp Day!

Pesto Shrimp Over Linguine
8 servings

What you need:

1 pound linguine pasta
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup home- made pesto — See May 11 post on Pesto Recipe
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined

What to do:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add linguine and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente; drain. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in cream, and season with pepper. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir Parmesan cheese into cream sauce, stirring until thoroughly mixed. Blend in the pesto, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until thickened. Stir in the shrimp, and cook until they turn pink, about 5 minutes. Serve over the hot linguine.

Pork Carnitas

Cinco de Mayo is almost here.

Pork Carnitas
24 servings

What you need:

6 pound pork butt roast
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chile powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup orange juice
1 onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, diced

What to do:

Trim excess fat from pork butt; cut pork into 2-inch cubes and transfer to a bowl. Combine salt, oregano, cumin, black pepper, chile powder, and paprika together in a bowl. Rub pork cubes with spice mixture. Coat seasoned pork cubes lightly in olive oil; place in pressure cooker. Cover pork cubes with orange juice, onion, and garlic. Place lid on pressure cooker and lock; bring to full pressure over medium heat until pork is no longer pink in the center, about 60 minutes. Let pressure come down naturally, about 15 minutes. Remove pork from pressure cooker and shred meat. Serve the carnitas with warm, fresh tortillas and salsa.

Pigs in a Blanket

April 24 is National Pigs in a Blanket Day.

Pigs in a Blanket
4 servings

What you need:

8 all beef hot dogs
8 slices of American cheese
1 10oz. package refrigerated biscuit dough

What to do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Wrap cheese around each frankfurter then the biscuit around that. Put on cookie sheet with the overlap of biscuit faced down, so you don’t have to use tooth picks. Bake in preheated oven until biscuits are brown, about 10 to 15 minutes.


Butter Honey Ham

Easter is just right around the corner!

Butter Honey Ham
20 servings

What you need:

12 pound bone-in ham
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup whole cloves

What to do:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut 1 inch deep criss-crosses into the flat side of the ham. In a small bowl, mix together the butter and honey. Slather onto the ham, making sure to get in the crevices too. Insert cloves into the ham. Place in a roasting pan. Bake for 4 hours in the preheated oven, or 20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should reach 160 degrees F. Baste every 20 minutes with the drippings. Remove, slice, serve, savor.

Cinnamon Rolls

April 10 is National Cinnamon Rolls Day.

Cinnamon Rolls
12 servings

What you need:

3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup margarine, softened
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant yeast
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine, softened

What to do:

Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it bubbles, then remove from heat. Mix in margarine; stir until melted. Let cool until lukewarm. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar and salt; mix well. Add water, egg and the milk mixture; beat well. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. When the dough has just pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Cover the dough with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, softened margarine. Roll out dough into a 12×9 inch rectangle. Spread dough with margarine/sugar mixture. Roll up dough and pinch seam to seal. Cut into 12 equal size rolls and place cut side up in 12 lightly greased muffin cups. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until browned. Remove from muffin cups to cool. Serve warm

Flourless Chocolate Mousse Cake

April 3 is National Chocolate Mousse Day!

Flourless Chocolate Mousse Cake
12 servings.

What you need:

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
7/8 cup margarine
7/8 cup white sugar, separated
6 eggs, separated

What to do:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Melt chocolate and margarine together in a saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Beat half of the sugar and egg yolks together in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Stir in chocolate mixture until just combined. Beat egg whites in a separate bowl with an electric mixer until foamy. Gradually add remaining sugar, continuing to beat until stiff peaks form. Spoon 1/3 of the chocolate mixture onto beaten egg whites using a rubber spatula. Gently run spatula around the edges of the mixture lifting the bottom up and over the center, repeating until well incorporated. Add remaining chocolate mixture, folding just until batter is smooth. Pour 3/4 of the batter into a 9-inch square pan. Bake in the preheated oven until edges are puffed and surface is firm, about 25 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack and allow cake to cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. Spread remaining batter over cake. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 30 minutes or more.


Slow Cooked Ribs

March 27 is National World Whisky Day.

Slow Cooked Ribs
4 servings

What you need:
5 lbs. regular pork spare ribs
1 pkg au jus gravy mix
1 pkg dry ranch dressing mix
¼ cup butter, cut up

Whisky Gravy:
1/4 cup whiskey
1 tbs hot sauce
3 tbs cornstarch
¼ cup water
1 tsp Kitchen Bouquet

What to do:

Place ribs in crock of at least a 5 quart slow cooker. Mix the ranch dressing mix and the au jus mix in a small bowl. Place the butter over the ribs, trying to distribute it evenly, then sprinkle the mixed dry ingredients evenly over all. Cover on LOW for 6-8 hours (times are approximate). When ribs are done, remove them to a platter and cover to keep warm. Turn the slow cooker to HI and add the whiskey and hot sauce, stir. Mix the cornstarch and water. While stirring liquid, pour in only enough of the cornstarch mixture to thicken gravy to your personal preference. Let the gravy cook about 5 minutes. Place the ribs back in the crock pot in the whisky gravy for 5 minutes with the crock in LOW or warm. Serve ribs with some gravy on the side.