Two Cobblers That are Lip-Smacking Good and Lightened Up!

 

Tis' the essence of summer...

 

Cobbler!

 

Toast the New Year with a Champagne Margarita!

This cocktail combines
two of my favorites ~
Margaritas and Tequila!

For a non-traditional take on the bubbly, combine Cointreau, tequila, simple syrup, and lime juice, top it off with champagne and make a toast!

Spicy Roasted Pork Tenderloin

Here’s the scoop:  

crispy on the outside, 

juicy and tender on the inside, 

packed with savory spices!  

Pork tenderloin is great ~ it's healthfully lean and reasonably priced at our local Jewel grocery store, making it affordable for a meal any day, and it's hard to mess up. 

Spicy Garlic-Lime Shrimp with Grits

Remember what Bubba Gump said?

"Shrimp is the fruit of the sea. 
You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, 
bake it, sauté it. 
There's uh, shrimp-kabobs, 
shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. 
Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried."

And then there's this dish that has all the right ingredients: ~ Spicy Garlic-Lime Shrimp!

A Taste of the Islands, Cuban Mojo Pork Loin Roast

Here you go, 
if you’re craving a spicy taste 
of the islands…

Most Cuban’s make Cuban pork roast, Lechón Asado con Mojo, by roasting a whole pig that has been slow-coked in a pit or a Caja China over charcoal, with skin that is nice and crispy. 

For most of us, it is much easier to use a smaller cut of pork, such as the traditional pork shoulder or picnic cut and roast it in the oven.  

I went even further and swapped the fatty pork shoulder with a boneless pork loin roast to cut the large amount of fat and roasted it on a roasting pan rack in the oven.  

The flavor here comes from the mojo, the citrusy sauce, marinade…  

This mojo is a great combination of tangy and savory flavors.  It’s a mishmash of several different, similar recipes I saw while surfing the internet ~ basically citrus juices, spices and oil.  

It’s Cuban mojo pork loin roast with unbelievably tender meat and crisp, crackly skin!

Make Cuban sandwiches out of the leftovers!

Yield: 4-6 servingsAuthor: Pam

Cuban Mojo Pork Loin Roast

Try this pork recipe for a taste of the islands.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 pounds boneless, pork loin roast
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
• 3 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 teaspoons lime juice
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• ¼ cup sherry

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place pork roast in a zip top bag.
2. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients, pour mixture over pork.
3. Marinate in refrigerator for a couple of hours, or overnight.
4. When ready to roast, place meat in roasting pan or rack, reserving marinade.
5. Roast until completely cooked (145°), about 1½ hours, basting occasionally.
   Let roast rest for 10 minutes, then slice.
6. Serve

Enjoy!

Mojo de Ajo

 I am hooked on this stuff!

A while back, I was watching “Mexico – One Plate at a Time” on PBS when Chef Rick Bayless of Frontera Grill in Chicago, along with his daughter, made Mojo de Ajo.  The title of the show was “Liquid Gold” and believe me, it is!

If you are crazy about garlic infused olive oil and haven’t made it yourself, now is the time!  This is soooo good!  Rick says that he always has a jar of it in the refrigerator and from now on I will also.  It can be used to sauté about any meat, vegetables, pasta dishes or even on pizza.

Mojo de Ajo (garlic sauce) keeps in the refrigerator for 3 months.  It is easy to make and definitely worth its weight in gold. 

Here are some suggestions for using it:

• Dipping sauce for bread.
• Spread over pizza crust and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.
• A brushetta topping.
• Add it to soups.
• Toasted French bread.
• Brown a roast in it.
• Add it to salad dressings.
• Over most meats:  steak, chicken, pork.
• With vegetables:  roast potatoes slathered with mojo de ajo.
• Add it to pasta sauces.
• With fish and seafood, such as shrimp scampi.
• Marinades.
• On popcorn!

You can use it for practically anything.  If you really like garlic the way I do, you have got to try this!  In Rick’s words:  “take it out of refrigerate and enjoy some deliciousness.” 

Mojo de Ajo
(Garlic Mojo or Liquid Gold) 

Ingredients:

4 large heads garlic 

OR 10 ounces (about 1¾ cups) peeled garlic cloves
2 cups fruity olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup lime juice

Method:

Heat oven to 325 degrees.

Break the heads of garlic apart, then mash each clove (a fist against the side of a knife is what I do) to release the clove from its paper skin.

If using already-peeled garlic, scoop the cloves into a heavy recloseable plastic bag and use a rolling pin to mash them slightly.
Stir together the garlic, oil and salt in an 8x8-inch pan (make sure the garlic is submerged).

Slide it into the oven and bake until the garlic is soft and lightly brown, about 45 to 55 minutes.  (Mine browned in 40 minutes.)

Add the lime juice and return to the oven for 20 minutes for the garlic to absorb the lime and turn golden brown.

Using an old-fashioned potato masher or large fork, mash the garlic into a coarse puree.
Pour the mixture into a wide-mouth storage container and refrigerate it until you’re ready to use it.
This mojo will keep for up to 3 months in the refrigerator as long as there’s enough oil to keep the garlic covered.

When you want to use it, you can let it come to room temperature (because the oil solidifies in the fridge) or just use scoops of the solid oil, which melts when it starts to heat up in the pan.

Makes about 3 cups 

If you really like garlic the way I do, you have got to try this!

Be sure to visit my friend Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Cuban-Style Roast Pork

I like Cuban food so when I see a recipe for it, I am attracted like a moth to a flame. This pork recipe definitely has a Cuban flair and delivers a succulent roast with a punch that is adapted from a recipe in the Chicago Tribune a while back. 

This is a full flavored-combination of garlicky citrus-infused pork that becomes fork tender after roasting.  Although I made this in the oven since it has been so chilly and rainy here for grilling, it would be just as good (better?) if done on the grill.  Then I let it marinade at least 4 or 5 hours and hand it over to Bill who is the master of our grill.  

By the way, are any of you familiar with pork roast supreme?  I’ve roasted a lot of pork over the years but this is the first time I’ve ever seen a “supreme” roast.  The butcher told me that it is similar to a loin roast but has more fat which keeps the meet from drying out.  He was right; it was very moist and tender.

This is not really food related but I just want to share with you a photo of the lilacs I picked from one of our lilac bushes yesterday.  They are definitely one of my favorite flowers and now their intoxicating smell drifts through the house just like it’s clinging in the air outside.  To me there is absolutely nothing like the heavenly scent of lilacs in the spring time!  Here’s hoping you too can take time to smell the lilacs!!!

Cuban-Style Pork Roast 

Ingredients:

1-1/3 cups lime juice
2/3 cup orange juice
1½ teaspoons ground dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons black pepper
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 pork roast supreme boneless, about 3 pounds
1 onion, sliced into rings

Method:

Mix all the ingredients except the pork, onion and garlic sal
in a bowl.
Using a long think knife, make deep gashes all over the flesh.
Season the pork with garlic salt and place in a deep bowl.
Pour marinade over the pork, spreading onion rings over the
top.
Cover well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 
hours.
Remove pork from marinade and transfer to a baking dish.
Place the marinade in a saucepan and add the onions.
Heat to a boil, cook 2 minutes.
Remove from heat and arrange onions over roast and spread
some marinade over the roast.
Reserve remaining marinade for a basting sauce.
Place roast in 350 degree oven.
Baste every 15 minutes or so.
Bake for 1 hour or more until meat thermometer registers 150
degrees.  (The meat temperature will rise another 10 degrees while it rests.)
Slice and serve.

ENJOY!!!

Be sure to visit my friend Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Fiery Cranberry Sauce

Are you filled with joy when you hear the squishy sound of the jellied cranberry sauce oozing its way out of the can and then seeing all the ridges?  Or are you a victim of the canned whole berry sauce? 

It’s the endless thing here, some insist upon the whole berry and for others, only the sauce will do.  I have to please them all and end up serving both varieties as I can’t imagine the turmoil if I didn’t.

However; the fact is, the essential cranberry dish is the simplest of Thanksgiving dishes to prepare.  I like to spike them with some heat, so I fused the traditional cranberry sauce with hot jalapeno jelly, crushed red pepper flakes and a couple of cinnamon sticks.  It’s easy and delicious!  And then, the next day ~ topping off my turkey sandwich with a little of this fiery cranberry sauce.  Ummmm!  Good!

Harvesting cranberries

Fiery Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

1 bag cranberries

1 cup water
½ cup brown sugar (I use Splenda)

¼ cup hot pepper jelly

2 cinnamon sticks

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lime juice

¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Method:

Place cranberries in colander and rinse.

Bring water and sugar to a boil in saucepan.

Add cranberries and return to a boil.

Add remaining ingredients.

Reduce heat to low.

When cranberries pop remove from heat immediately.

Remove cinnamon sticks

Let cool.

So do you go for the canned or are you a fresh cranberry person?

Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Roasted Pork Loin with Citrus and Onions

I feel like I’m Dorothy in a scene from the “Wizard of Oz!”  There is nothing magical about this storm front passing through “Chicagoland” though.  The wind is howling and the only good thing is that it is not frigid cold ~ it’s in the high 50’s with wind chill in the low 40’s; our first wind chill reading since April.

I’m used to this area being a little windy, especially regarding Chicago politics, but yesterday was a little too much and more strong wind is in the forecast for today with sustained winds of 40 MPH with gusts of 65 MPH.  The barometric pressure readings were the lowest ever in a non-tropical storm in the mainland United States.

There were times yesterday when I thought our house would be carried away.  Tornado warnings abounded and fortunately no tornadoes touched down in this area; however, our subdivision looks like a war zone.  Trees are down, large branches are everywhere along with debris.  And then there are the power lines.  We were without power for most of yesterday and you don’t realize how vital that is until you don’t have it!

Dinner last night ~ no electricity, no cooking ~ so it was fast food.  We had this savory roasted pork loin Monday evening.  The recipe was in our local newspaper, The Northwest Herald a while back and it is outstanding to say the least!  The onions and citrus juices were the perfect combination and I have a feeling I will be making this again soon!  Wonder if I should go back to cooking with gas…

Roasted Pork Loin with Citrus and Onions

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large white onion, diced medium

1 head garlic, cloves peeled and medium chop

1¼ cups orange juice

1/3 cup lime juice

Salt and pepper

1 teaspoon oregano

1 (3-4 pounds) pork loin roast

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.

Add onions and garlic.
Cook until onion begins to soften, about 4-5 minutes.

Pat pork dry with paper towels.

Season with salt and pepper generously and place in a roasting pan.

Pour onion mixture on and around pork, leaving some on top.

Ladle onion and juices over pork.

Cook covered until an instant-read thermometer reaches about 160 degrees, about 2-2½ hours.

Baste frequently and spoon onions over top.

Remove lid near end of cooking time to brown further, if desired.

To serve, skim fat from cooking juices and spoon sauce over sliced pork.

This is delicious!!!

Do you prefer gas or electric ranges?

Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Sautéed Chicken Breasts with Mushrooms in Bourbon Jelly

Sometimes you just need a little bourbon!  

We were near Louisville, KY, in bourbon country, a while back and I saw a jar of bourbon jelly on the sideboard at the bed and breakfast where we were staying.  I enquired about it and was told how delicious it is on biscuits, pancakes, etc. so of course; I bought a jar of it.  He was right, it is!

Last night while I was sautéing chicken breasts, I looked in the refrigerator for something to complement the chicken and saw the bourbon jelly sitting there.  So, I grabbed it and the bottle of Nellie & Joe’s Lime Juice.  (If you’ve never used it, it’s the best!)  Then mushrooms were added, a little garlic powder, salt and pepper and dinner was about ready.

Since the jelly was a little sweet, I counteracted this with the lime juice.  They blended great together and along with the tomato salad, dinner was a delicious thing!

Now, I hear that there is Cherry Bourbon Jelly….

Sautéed Chicken Breasts Mushrooms in Bourbon Jelly

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 or 4 chicken breasts, skinless, boneless

1 pound mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup bourbon jelly

1/3 cup lime juice

1 tablespoon garlic powder

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil.

Add chicken breasts and cook for 10 minutes.

Add mushrooms and sauté.

Whisk together jelly, lime juice and garlic powder, add to chicken.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cook until chicken is tender and done.

Yum!!!

Strawberry Daiquiris for Your Valentine

 

We all know that cards, candy, flowers, and a gourmet meal, or maybe a table reserved at your local White Castle,  finishing with a fantastic dessert are the customary things on Valentine’s Day.   However, how about surprising your Valentine with a sinfully soothing cocktail at the end of a perfect day? 

Daiquiris always include rum, sugar and lime or lemon juice, but they can also have other typed of liquor, such as tequila.

STRAWBERRY DAIQUIRIS

Ingredients:

2 ½ ounces light rum

1 ounce lime juice

½ ounce Triple Sec

½ teaspoon superfine sugar

1 cup ice

5 strawberries

Strawberries for garnish

Method:

Mix all ingredients in a blender for about ½ minute at high speed until smooth.  Pour into a tall glass and garnish with strawberry.

Serves 2

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO YOU!