Category Archives: recipes

Pickled eggs: Variations

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Trying some pickled eggs today.  Being lazy, I used store bought hard boiled eggs, because I hate peeling them.  

First, sanitize a wide mouth, quart sized canning jar. Place the open jar and lid in a large pot and boil at least 5 minutes.  Remove and empty the jar, and fill with hard boiled eggs. All 12 eggs should fit easily in the jar with plenty of room for brine. Set aside.

Next, I whipped up a quick brine. 

  • 1 cup water
  • ½ cup white vinegar
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • Scant ¼ cup kosher salt (I would use less next time, maybe half)
  • 1 tsp Himilayan pink salt
  • 2 tbsp crushed garlic
  • 1 tsp dill seed
  • 1 tsp yellow mustard seed
  • 1 tsp celery seed
  • 1 tsp coriander seed
  • 1 tsp black pepper corn
  • ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Combine the brine ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer 5 minutes. Pour over eggs packed in the sanitized quart jar. Seal the jar and allow to cool. You may process the jar by boiling for 5 minutes of you plan to keep the eggs for more than a couple weeks. Refrigerate for 48 hours or up to 3 weeks. Flavor will improve with time.

Pork Chop Sauerbraten

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Who doesn’t love sour pork?

Ingredients

1 4-5 lb pork roast
2 med onions thinly sliced
2 Cups vinegar
2 TBS brown sugar
1/4 tsp pepper
1 clove minced garlic
6 whole cloves (1/4 tsp ground cloves)
2 bay leaves
2 Cups water.
leaves of 3-4 stalks of celery
flour
12 old fashioned gingersnaps – Ground

Directions

Roll or dust roast with flour; brown in shortening and place in crock pot, top with onion slices, garlic cloves bay leaves and celery leaves

Bring vinegar, brown sugar, salt, pepper and 2 Cups water to a boil. pour over pork roast and cook on low for 6 hours.

Remove pork from crock pot, strain so that you only have the liquid and bring the liquid to boil in a med to large sauce pan over med-hi heat. Cook down about 1/3 add ground ginger snaps and whisk until it is a desired thickness. (how thick do you like your gravy?) Shred or cut meat and serve the gravy on the side

Jimmy Dean copycat

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Original recipe from TSR: http://www.food.com/recipe/tsr-version-of-jimmy-dean-pork-breakfast-sausage-by-todd-wilbur-250325

INGREDIENTS

Sage

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 1 teaspoon salt No salt added if using Italian sausage
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon dried parsley
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon rubbed sage (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon MSG (such as Accent flavor enhancer)

Hot

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon rubbed sage
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon msg (such as Accent)

Maple

  • 16 ounces ground pork
  • 3 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1⁄2 teaspoon msg (such as Accent)
  • 1⁄4 teaspoon coriander

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients for the flavor of your choice in a medium bowl.Form the sausage into patties and cook in a skillet over medium heat until brown.

Classic Beef Stew (Pressure cooker edition)

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Who doesn’t love beef stew? Who doesn’t love the whole afternoon it takes to make beef stew for dinner when there’s a right proper Nor’Easter afoul? Assuming you still have power, this is a great pressure cooker adaptation of a traditional beef stew .

Beef Stew (Pressure Cooker)

Servings 4
Total Time 35mins
Prep 15 mins
Cook 20 mins

To make an easy Beef soup, omit the potatoes, add more water and a few boullions and serve with egg noodles or rice.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1⁄2 lbs rump roast
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large onion, cut up
4 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 celery ribs, peeled and cut into chunks
4 potatoes, cut into chunks
salt & pepper (to taste)
1 -2 teaspoon dried parsley
1 1⁄2-2 cups water
1 -2 beef bouillon cube (optional)

Directions

Cut the roast into chunks, about 1 inch (or larger if that is your preference). Heat oil in bottom of pressure cooker until hot and add the meat all at once (do not turn for at least 1 minute – you really want to let the meat sear – this gives the stew such yummy flavor.

Stir the meat, letting it brown on all sides. Add the chopped garlic, stir for 1 minute, then add the onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, salt, pepper, parsley, water and optional beef bouillon(the bouillon gives a stronger flavor – you can also wait to see how it comes out, and if you feel that it’s not flavorful enough, you can add the beef bouillon and boil the stew for a minute or so).

Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over high heat.

Cook 15 minutes.

Cool pot immediately and serve. ENJOY!

Optional ingredients – you can add some chopped tomatoes if you’d like before cooking, or after bringing it to pressure, you can throw in some canned mushrooms or frozen peas and heat thoroughly.

 

Margarita Grilled Chicken

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I whacked together this recipe as a marinade/glaze for grilled chicken. I was looking for something that would caramelize well over high heat, with a savory tang and residual sweetness. This particular recipe wants for cilantro, but I was fresh out that day.

  • 2 tbsp. mesquite honey
  • 1 tbsp gold tequilla
  • 1 tbsp triple sec
  • 1 tbsp sweetened lime juice
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Cilantro (subst. oregano)
  • 1 tbsp parsely
  • 1 tsp sage
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • dash salt
  • dash black pepper
  • dash jalapeño hot sauc

Yields about 3/4 cup marinade, enough to coat 2 boneless chicken breasts.  reserve portion of marinade for glaze, enough to brush on chicken.  Marinate 1-2 hours, grill 5 minutes per side over medium heat. Finish, brushing on glaze, and grill over direct heat 2 minutes per side until caramelized.  Serve over yellow rice with capers and red pepper.

 

Red curry veggie dip

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This is a fairly peppy, creamy vegetable dip.  It was too hot for my palate, so I cut it in half with 6 oz of reduced fat sour cream.  I would probably halve the pepper measures on future batches.

  • 3/4 c yogurt, plain, drained
  • 2 tsp curry powder (red? green?)
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp oil
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp hot sauce
  • 1 clove garlic, minced

Allow to stand 30 minutes before serving.