BBQ Pulled Pork

Whenever I make a pork roast, I always make pulled pork the next day.  Peter very much looks forward to it and I just find that roast doesn't quite taste the same the next day.

This super easy, super quick way to "repurpose" your pork roast is sure to be a winner.



BBQ Pulled Pork


Pork roast leftovers
1 cup BBQ sauce (store bought or home made)
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup parsley (fresh)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili flakes
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Using your hands, tear chunks of pork roast into a medium pot.  Add all ingredients stated above.

Using tongs and a "grab and twist" motion, mix together all the ingredients with the pork chunks, try to maintain the integrity of the pork chunks, they will come apart later.

Cook on medium heat until it starts to simmer (about 5 minutes), stirring occasionally using the same "grab and twist" motion with your tongs.  Turn down the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes until the pork comes apart and the mixture is steaming hot, be sure to stir the pork occasionally to prevent it from burning.

   

Serve on a bun.

Enjoy!

Perfect Creme Brulee

I dream of creme brulee...  This luscious custard dessert is a perfect finish to any meal and a definite hit at dinner parties.  A lot of people are intimidated by the mere thought of such a "fancy" dessert, trust me, I used to be too.  But, once you actually try it, you realize how incredibly easy it is to make.  I hope you give this one a try, let me know how you make out.


Perfect (and easy) Creme Brulee

Serves 6

500 ml heavy whipping cream
8 egg yolks
8 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
5 tbsp granulated sugar (for topping)
kettle of boiled water (for water bath)

Preheat oven to 300F.

In a medium sized bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until slightly thickened (they start to turn a bit of a whitish yellow colour rather than the vibrant yellow of the yolks).  Set aside.

Heat the cream in a small sauce pan over medium heat until it barely starts to simmer, be careful not to let the cream boil.  Remove from heat.

Temper the eggs by pouring in about 1/4 of the whipping cream into the egg yolk mixture at a time until you have used up all the cream.  This slow addition of the hot cream prevents the eggs from "cooking".

Place 6 small ramekins into a baking dish.

Pour the custard liquid into the ramekins making sure that there is an even amount in each.

Pour the hot water into the baking pan (outside the ramekins) until the water is level with the height of the top of the custard inside the cups, this is the trick to properly cooking the creme brulee, it protects the custard from the direct heat of the oven.  To make things easier and prevent water splashing up and into the ramekins, I use a funnel to pour the water into the pan.

Bake the custard in the water bath in your pre-heated oven for 30-35 minutes, until the custard is set on the outside but jiggly in the middle (like jello).

Remove creme brulee from oven and carefully set the individual creme brulees in the fridge to chill for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).  To remove them from the hot water bath, use tongs with a good grip, if you're concerned about not gripping enough simply wind rubber bands on each of the "pinchers" on the tongs, the rubber will ensure a good grip.

Immediately before serving...sprinkle just less than a tablespoon of sugar onto the custard.  Move the dish around until there is a coat of sugar over the entire surface, shake off excess sugar.  Using a brulee torch (Yes, I used the heavy duty one...it makes me feel powerful in the kitchen, lol), slowly caramelize the sugar on top making sure to keep the torch moving at all times to prevent caramelizing one spot more than another.  If the sugar starts to bubble too much, pull the flame away and allow it to come back down, this helps prevent burning of the sugar.  Be careful, the edges of the ramekins will be hot.

 

:::If you don't have a torch, set your oven to "broil" and place the chilled creme brulees about 6-8 inches from the top of the oven for 4-5 minutes or until the sugar begins to bubble and turn golden brown.:::

 Serve within 5 minutes of creating the caramelized sugar coating.

Enjoy

Tartar Sauce (with a kick)

Oh how much I love when my fiancee, Peter, is inventive in the kitchen.  This tartar sauce is his own creation and it was beyond scrumptious!!!  It was definitely blog worthy and he agreed to let me publish it.  He realized just how much fun blogging can really be and "threatened" to start a new blog titled "The Natural Habitat of the Blogging Housewife", lol.  I blog, yes, but I'm not a housewife, no matter how much I would like to stay home, I think it would drive me nutty and I love my job...all 42 hours a week of it. :)  Peter makes my life so much more interesting, he is an amazing man.


Tartar Sauce (with a kick)

Makes about a cup of sauce

3 small pickles
3/4 cup mayonnaise 
1 tsp pickle juice
 1 tsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes

1/8 tsp garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste 

Finely chop the pickles, with skins.
 

Combine all ingredients (wet and dry) in a small bowl and stir until fully incorporated.

Serve with freshly cooked fish, like Pan Fried Perch.  

Enjoy! 

Pan Fried Perch

What do you do when your fiancee comes home with a smile on his face and this?...

Why...you have a fish fry, of course!!!


Pan Fried Perch

Please note that you can duplicate this recipe for other fish, bone in or out.


1/2 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
oil for frying


Combine the dry ingredients on a large plate or in a bowl.

Dredge the fish in the flour mixture.

Heat oil on medium heat.  Fry fish until golden brown on both sides and cooked throughout, the meat should be white and, if cooking bone-in fish, the meat will slightly start to come off the bones.

Put the fully cooked fish on a plate with a paper towel to absorb some of the oil.

Serve home made tartar sauce sauce and these... :)

 

Enjoy.

Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

I love a tasty breakfast and apple cinnamon pancakes happen to fit the bill.


Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Serves 4-6 (depends how much yours like to eat)

3/4 cup milk

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3 tbsp white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 apples (any variety)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg

2 tablespoons oil

Pam cooking spray

 In a measuring cup, measure out the milk, add the vinegar and set aside.  This sours the milk but that's exactly what you want.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl and set aside.

Peel the apples and grate them into a small bowl, be mindful not to grate the core. 

Whisk the egg and oil into the milk/vinegar mixture and then pour it into the dry ingredient bowl.  

Mix the wet and dry ingredients with a spoon, the batter should feel light and fluffy because of the reaction between the vinegar and baking soda.

When the mixture is smooth, add in the apples and mix until evenly incorporated.

 Heat a large pan (or two) on medium-low heat and coat with Pam cooking spray (or oil).  Pour in 1/3 cup of batter at a time to make fair sized pancakes.  

Flip when the pancakes start to appear slightly brown around the edges and the air bubbles appear on the surface.  

 

 Brown evenly on both sides.  

 

Serve with fresh fruit, whipped cream, maple syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar, or any way you like.  

Enjoy.

Pizza

In my house, there's really nothing like a freshly made pizza...from scratch.  It took a long time before I finally found the perfect pizza dough recipe and I have Chef Gordon Ramsay to thank for it.  We love his dough so much that there are never any slices of pizza leftover, probably a curse for the waistline...

You can find the original recipe on teh BBC GoodFood website at this link:  Chef Ramsay's Pizza Recipe  Please note that Chef Ramsay and I differ in a few techniques, the main one being that he uses flour to work with the dough, I prefer oil.


Now...here's the recipe for those who would rather read it here and not have to switch pages...


Pizza Dough

Makes 4 small pizzas or 2 extra large

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:  BREAD MAKER  (If you prefer the manual method, please refer the Chef Ramsay's recipe link above as it explains the entire process in step 1)

1 1/3 cups lukewarm water (NOT hot)

4 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp salt

4 cups bread flour (1 lb)

5 tsp bread yeast

 For one extra large pizza:
     1 cup spaghetti sauce (pizza sauces tend to be very acidic, spaghetti sauce is considerably milder)
     1 cup mozzarella cheese
     24 pieces pepperoni

 Put the ingredients into the pan of the bread maker in the order specified above.  Sprinkle the flour in bit by bit to make sure that it covers the water completely.  When you're ready to put in the yeast, make a well in the centre of the flour and put the yeast in it (this ensures that the yeast doesn't touch the water and activates it too soon).

When you have all the ingredients in the pan, set it gently into the bread maker, close the lid, and use the "dough" function to start the process.

Allow the dough cycle to run its course, including proofing (rising of the dough).

Lightly grease a tray, counter, or other surface.  Using a dough scraper or knife, split the dough into 2 or 4 pieces, depending on how large a pizza you want to make.

FREEZING INSTRUCTIONS:  If you would like, you can freeze some of the dough portions as such:  lightly grease your hands and pick up the dough, grease the entire dough ball and place into a freezer safe bag, freeze.  When you want to use the frozen dough, let it come to room temperature before working with it.

 When you're ready to make your pizza start by greasing your pizza stone (or baking pan) and sprinkle it with corn meal (or flour) to prevent sticking.  (Yes, my stone is well loved)

Preheat your oven to 400 deg Fahrenheit.  Lightly grease your hands and the dough ball and slightly stretch the dough ball in the air, only until it is like a thick, flat pancake.  Place the dough ball onto your prepared pizza stone (or pan) and, using the tips of your fingers, slowly flatten and stretch the dough until the desired size and thickness has been achieved.  Allow the dough to rest about 5-10 mins once stretched.

Top the pizza with the sauce first, then the cheese, and, finally, the pepperoni.  (Experiment with your toppings, that's half the fun of a home made pizza.  Use fresh herbs, different veggies, any sauces your heart desires.  I sometimes use Alfredo sauce instead of marinara along with chicken strips and mushrooms, makes for quite a treat.)

 

Bake in the preheated oven on the middle rack for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and slightly browned.

 (I'm sorry, I don't have a picture of the ready pizza, it was eaten before I got the chance to take one...lesson learned, lol.)

Allow to cool for 2 minutes, slice, and enjoy.

White Wine Chicken Thighs

This is my own little twist on coq au vin, a traditional French recipe.  The nutritional value of this recipe is approximately 211 calories per serving.  Please note that I have doubled the recipe in my kitchen (and photos).  I encourage you to add more mushrooms (or less), it's a matter of preference.  In addition, if you take away the bacon, you save yourself approximately 22 calories per serving.  I serve my White Wine Chicken Thighs with 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup of steamed broccoli.  This super easy recipe produces a gourmet taste, my family couldn't get enough.



White Wine Chicken Thighs

(Serves 4)

4 chicken thighs, skinless, boneless
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 slice bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
100g mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup white wine
Salt and pepper

Heat olive oil in a large pan.

Salt and pepper the chicken thighs and dredge in flour.

On medium heat, brown the chicken thighs on all sides, remove from pan and set aside.

Using the same pan, fry the bacon, onion, and mushrooms until slightly browned. (about 5 mins)

Add the chicken thighs back to the pan with the bacon, onion, and mushrooms.  Pour in a ¼ cup of white wine, sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper, cover, and simmer on medium-low heat for 30 minutes.

Place chicken onto a platter and top with the pan bacon, mushrooms, and onions.

Serve with a side of rice and your choice of vegetable.