Author Archives: wadennis42

My New Favorite Ham Recipe

Easter is one of the holidays that I host for my family and I have the menu down pat…At least, I thought I did! Not that anyone has complained, but there will definitely be a few changes to the menu this next Easter!

For one thing – no more spiral cut ham. Why? Because, upon trying out a new thing or two on the Cook’s brand bone-in butt end ham (6.4 pounds) I recently picked up on sale, I am realizing that the spiral cut, while making serving easier, is not conducive to keeping all of the moisture and flavor in the meat.

I actually had a lot of fun with this ham.

Retro Ham!

Yes – those are pineapple rings. So 50’s. 🙂 I did the crisscross scoring, poured a bit of gingerale over it, stuck a bunch of cloves in and added the pineapple slices, mixed about 1/4 cup brown sugar with the canned pineapple liquid and poured that over it all, and finished up with freshly grated nutmeg (1/4 tsp) along with some cinnamon (1 tsp) and ginger powder (1 scant tsp). I am guestimating on the measurements I used…Click HERE for the link to the original recipe from which I was working.

After 3 hours at 325 covered tightly with foil:

Just out of the oven!

Once removing from the oven, I lifted the rack and spooned the liquid in the pan over it and let it sit, loosely tented in the foil, for about 1/2 an hour or so before transferring to the carving board.

The artsy shot. 🙂

I should have take a picture of it after it was carved. It looked as moist and tasty as it tasted. I was afraid that I had overdone the spices, etc. but this was just wonderful.

I served it with roasted yukon gold potato chunks and an amazing sweet potato and red cabbage (!?) recipe that totally rocked. Click HERE for that recipe. And, here is the regular potato recipe:

I cut the potatoes into approximately 2 inch chunks and started them 1 1/2 hours into the ham baking process so they would have 90 minutes at the 325 degrees. Basically, I just cut potatoes into 2 inch chunks, toss with a bit of olive oil, freshly ground pepper, and salt, and add maybe 1/3 – 1/2 cup liquid (in this case, liquid from the ham that was already part-way cooked) cover tightly and bake until soft. Then (optional) continue baking uncovered until more crisp on the outside.

Along with switching to this ham type and recipe, I am thinking I will also replace the baked mashed potatoes I have been serving on Easter with roasted potato chunks. Always good to make a change before one gets too stuck in tradition. 🙂

Fresh Pressed Olive Oil

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I guess I could be considered a food snob or foodie, or both. Why? Because I pay a chunk of change, like $90 plus the shipping, every three months for three very modestly sized bottles of olive oil from Fresh Pressed Olive Oil. But, you know what? The flavors of these olive oils that have been pressed recently from all over the world taste…out of this world.

Green was the first word I used to describe the flavor of the first olive oil I received from the club, and that descriptive has worked for all subsequent olive oils I have received. Very green and fresh. Some even have a bit of a bite – something not usually associated with olive oil. And each batch does have its unique taste. And so far, they have all tasted just heavenly.

Here is the latest. The color is amazing. Never mind the flavor.

Mind you, I don’t cook with the hi-test! Steve and I enjoy it predominantly as a dip for bread – sometimes with some red pepper flakes and/or freshly ground black pepper added to the oil. I always add a bit of this wonderful olive oil to just cooked pasta, and also use a splash of it when appropriate to finish off a soup, stew, or sauce after it is cooked. And, of course, when summer is with us, I use only the fresh pressed olive oil with the fresh mozzarella cheese and just picked tomatoes and basil.

Another view. Hard to really show the wonderful green color!

Yeah – I know it is an extravagance. $360+ a year for a small amount of olive oil. But then again, there are expenses that other folks see as necessities for them that I would never consider, so I guess it is all relative. Whatever, it works for me! And, it may just be worth a try for you. 🙂

Doctoring the Sauce :)

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I usually make my own pasta sauce these days. If I am in a hurry, I will at least add some fresh herbs from plants that I bring indoors for the winter and a fresh tomato or two to a jar of sauce and give it at least a bit of a simmer. But the other night, I REALLY wanted homemade sauce but ran out of time. So, off to Farmland I went to see what I could find.

One of the reasons I like to make my own sauce from canned or “frozen from my summer gardening” tomatoes is because I have control over the sodium level. I look for canned tomatoes with little or no sodium, 15-30 grams per ½ cup, versus the usual 200-300 mgs or so.

And, goodness knows I like to support charities, as does buying the Newman’s Own™ brand, but Newman’s sauces, as tasty as they are, are all on the higher end of sodium levels, with an average of 600 mgs sodium per ½ cup. I have often bought Classico ™ since it tastes pretty good and some flavors come in at350-450 mgs per ½ cup.

But, imagine my surprise when I discovered Pastene’s ™ Chateau Marina Sauce coming in at 190 mgs sodium per ½ cup, and my even greater surprised when I tasted it right out of the jar. It is REALLY tasty!

I was totally surprised at how good this sauce tastes!

Bright is the word I would (well, did, I guess!) use to describe the flavor. That and fresh. I highly recommend it as is. But of course, I seldom leave jarred sauce well enough alone. <grin> And, what I discovered was a way to create an amazing, truly homemade, all-day simmered tasting sauce in under two hours. I will add that the sauce tasted so good from the beginning that I didn’t even bother to add additional dried or fresh herbs.

When at Farmland, I bought 2 sweet and 2 hot sausages, a bit over ¾ lb. ground sirloin, 6 medium fresh mushrooms, and two 24 oz. jars of the Pastene ™ Chateau Marina Sauce.

When I got home, I immediately sliced the sausage crosswise about an inch in thickness (4-5 slices per sausage) and also cut a big fresh red bell pepper into very thick slices. I mixed in about 3 Tablespoons of EVO and popped it all into a 350 degree oven, uncovered, with the timer set to check them at 45 minutes.

Then I made some meatballs – just a very basic recipe – there are a million online. I added chopped onion, dried oregano, marjoram, and thyme, an egg, breadcrumbs, and oatmeal to the ground beef. I just realized that I did NOT add freshly ground black pepper! That was probably a first. I put that in just about everything!

Once the meatballs were formed, I set them aside in the fridge while put the jarred sauce in a pot and over a medium flame to get it up to heat. Then I chopped up an onion and a green bell pepper, sliced the mushrooms, minced a few cloves of garlic, and sautéed the lot in some olive oil until tender. After putting the sautéed veggies in the sauce, I added a bit more olive oil to the frying pan and browned the meatballs. That was a little messy and the meatballs did not stay round, but once in the sauce, the looks didn’t really matter. J

Once the meatballs were well-browned, I added them to the sauce, and added the baked sausage and red pepper when that was nicely browned and sizzling a bit – 50 minutes, I think it was. I did NOT add any of the remaining fat in either pans to the sauce.

I then let the sauce simmer on low for about 45 minutes. And that was that. It was scrumptious!! I will still make my own sauce when I can get an hour or two earlier start, but this worked for me in a relative pinch.

When done, I tossed the pasta with fresh pressed olive oil and also complicated the meal with a wonderful multigrain flaxseed bread from Farmland and more of that fresh pressed olive oil. Sometimes, it doesn’t take hours and hours or a ton of money to create a little heaven on earth.

I forgot to take a picture until it was almost all gone. 🙂

[NOTE: Next time I may bake or broil the meatballs if the timing works out. Although, I have seen recipes that say to just form the meatballs and pop them right into the sauce to simmer until done. If baked sausages is also used, perhaps there is no need to get the extra flavor from browning the meatballs and a step can be saved.]

New product recommendations!

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I have still been too busy to take photos and post recipes, but I can recommend three kitchen products that I have purchased recently. For product details, click HERE.

Here is the scoop: I got one of those Misto stainless steel olive oil pumps. I LOVE it! You pump it up by hand so it does not use propellants, etc. and you are not throwing out a container when it is empty – just add more oil. It works just as well as those spray cans you can buy for one-time use. The only difference is that you pump, rather than “hold and spray.”

The Misto can be used for other types of oil as well. I just ordered another one to use for canola oil. That one I will keep in the fridge.

There is less expensive Misto made of aluminum which is probably just fine since oil does not react with that aluminum.

Next item: A ceramic coated cast iron heat defuser. WOW. Unbelievable! I LOVE it! I got a 7 inch one and, along with saucepans of that and a bit larger diameter, it worked well with my 10-inch saute pan when I used it cooking breakfast sausages. But the clincher is that twice, I used it when reheating stews and forgot them to the point of boiling for a bit. NO burning. NONE.

The added bonus is that it retains heat, so it also functions as an energy-saving device. Once it is up to temperature, you can lower the burner a bit and it will still keep things hot. And, it will last WAY longer than those tin ones. A winner all around!

And finally – soup socks! So, Steve was a bit confused when I told him I ordered soup socks. And, it may sound weird, but theses are handy mesh bags in which you can put any veggie, meat, or bone items that you want to strain out of your stock or soup after cooking. I just used one when making chicken/veggie stock. I put all the veggies into it, tied a loose knot, and, once the simmering (well, I actually used my pressure cooker) was done, I pulled out the bag, let it cool, and then could easily squeeze all the extra liquid into the stock.

These “socks” can also be used for chicken bones, herbs and spices, or anything else you want to keep from infiltrating whatever it is you are cooking.

They are not very expensive, so some folks treat them as disposable, but I washed mine out and will re-use until the fall apart. Why not? 🙂

Exploding glassware warning from Consumer Reports

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I have been SO very busy… but do hope to get back in the habit of posting here soon! I am currently planning on doing my New Year’s Day Open House, so that will get me cooking up a storm.

In the meantime, I wanted to share this warning from Consumer Reports. It seems that Pyrex and other top American brands switched materials to one that is more sturdy when exposed to the bumps and bangs when they are being cleaned and put away at room temperature. However, changing the material may not have been the greatest idea. European companies still use the original material and those, along with old American Pyrex of the original material, stand up better in cooking situations. You can check out the Consumer Report video by clicking HERE.

Easy Apple Crisp for Two or Three

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I recently started scanning in recipes from my Mom’s recipe box and came across her Apple Crisp recipe. Now, I have made apple crisp a number of times, but somehow it always seemed to be more work than it should have been. But, I knew it would be wonderful as a dessert to follow one of my new favorites, Harvest Pork Stew. Plus, my Mom’s recipe had proportions for as few as 3 apples, which made me realize that I did not need to make a huge batch. THAT saves on time spent slicing apples!

I also did an Internet search just to see what else I could find and came across what the author, a young man named John, calls The Best Apple Crisp Recipe.

Between the two, I came up with my own version. I used the ingredient portions from my Mom’s recipe except I substituted butter for the margarine. And, from the other recipe, I added lemon juice to the apple slices and used the mixing technique for the butter. I also planned to add nutmeg, cinnamon, and walnuts, but I found sunflower seeds and used those for the nuts and totally forget about the spices! And, you know what? It was great even without the spices.

Well, I did remember, halfway through the baking time, that I had forgotten the spices and, while I couldn’t find my cinnamon at the time (I DID find it later!) I did grate a little nutmeg on it, but not that much. ANYWAY, here is the recipe, with spices listed as optional*. 🙂 Note: you can easily double or more the size of this recipe!

Easy Apple Crisp for Two or Three

3-4 apples, depending on size, sliced
1-2 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/3 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cold butter
1/8 or a bit more sunflower seeds or 1/4 cup walnuts or pecans
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional*)
1/4 tsp nutmeg – fresh ground if you can! (optional*)

Slice apples to 1/4 to 3/8 thickness, discarding core. Peel if desired, but the skin is good for you!
Use at least one Granny Smith for tartness.
Place apple slices in a bowl and toss with lemon juice.
In another bowl, combine oatmeal, brown sugar, flour and any spices.
Slice cold butter and cut into the oatmeal/flour/sugar mixture using two forks or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly.
Add nuts, if using.
Grease a 9 inch pie plate or equivalent, spread the apples in it, and top with the crumbly mixture.
Ready for the oven!
Cook for 35-40 minutes in a 350 degree oven until apples are soft and it is browned on top.

And that is that. So easy! And really good. And, thanks, Mom. ❤

P.S. (I keep forgetting to take pictures after the recipes are cooked! I guess it is because they look so good that we eat them right away. <grin>)

Harvest Pork Stew

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I bought a lovely butternut squash from Farmer Dave at the Wakefield Farmer’s Market and, while I love butternut squash any which way – roasted, smashed, in a pie, etc., I was in the mood to try a new recipe. So, I searched around the Internet and found a recipe featuring butternut squash called Harvest Pork Stew.

I hit the jackpot.

This is really good, really easy to make, and can be done in an hour or so before dinnertime, or be started off early to cook in a crockpot. In addition, since it also calls for apples, onions, potatoes and carrots, it provides the perfect opportunity to highlight all kinds of fresh fall produce. With the flavors of sage, rosemary, and bay leaves topping it off – this makes for a perfect meal for an autumn evening. For the perfect complementary dessert, try my simple but delicious Apple Crisp recipe.

I pretty much followed the recipe I found on Allrecipes.com verbatim. Here it is with any of my changes or clarifications in brackets. [ ]

Note:
To prepare from fresh squash, see How to EASILY Peel Raw Butternut Squash!

Ingredients
•    2 tablespoons butter or oil
•    1 1/2 pounds boneless pork, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
•    2 cloves garlic, minced
•    1 medium onion, chopped
•    3 cups chicken broth
•    1/2 teaspoon salt
•    1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed [I doubled this amount]
•    1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage [I used two fresh leaves]
•    1 bay leaf
•    3 cups frozen, cubed butternut squash   [I used a bit more of fresh squash]
•    2 MacIntosh apples, cored and cubed [I used 1 1/2 big Macs]
•    2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed (optional) [I used two medium potatoes]
•   2 cups carrots, peeled and diced (optional)   [I only used two small carrots]
•   [I also added ground black pepper to taste, maybe 1/2 teaspoon]

Directions
1) Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork and cook until lightly browned on all sides. Stir in the garlic and onion, and continue to cook until the onion has softened, and the pork is firm, and no longer pink, about 5 minutes.

Onion and garlic just added to lightly browned pork, with pork still a bit pink.

Pork, with onion and garlic cooked until just tender

2) Place the pork and onions into a large saucepan. Pour in the chicken broth, and season with salt, rosemary, sage, and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Instead of dried, I minced two fresh sage leaves and crushed dried rosemary in my suribachi to make 1/2 a teaspoon.

Ready for the first 20 minute simmer

3) Stir in the butternut squash, apples, potatoes, and carrots. Return to a simmer, then cook, uncovered until the squash and apples are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Three HEAPING cups of cubed squash. The rest went into the fridge.

Two HEAPING cups of cubed apple. I saved the rest for later.

Two HEAPING cups of potato

Just a cup of diced carrots

Ready for the last 20 minute simmer

Slow Cooker Method – I have not tried this, but I bet it is just as good!
Lightly brown the pork in the butter or oil and cook until firm and opaque. Add to the slow cooker along with remaining ingredients. Cook on High for 1 hour, then reduce heat to Low and simmer 4 hours, or until tender.

This recipe was truly a winner. Steve and I both loved it, it stretched the meat, and was full of tasty and nutritious vegetables. Next I am going to try it with chicken. And, I bet the slow cook method would be good with beef. Post a message if you try the chicken or beef before I do!

Update – If you are in a big hurry, buy the peeled squash halves at the grocery store. The folks at America’s Test Kitchens recommend such in a pinch, but they do NOT recommend the peeled and cut up product. However, from a local market that does it themselves, such as Wakefield MA’s Farmland, it is a totally acceptable choice, in my opinion. 🙂

How to EASILY Peel Raw Butternut Squash!

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FINALLY, an easy way to peel butternut and other winter squash!

If I am going to mash the squash, I’ll halve it, remove the seeds, and roast face down in a shallow pan for about an hour at 400 degrees then cool a bit and scoop out the cooked squash. (By the way, the roasting gives the squash a wonderfully intense flavor.) BUT, what if you want to cook cubes of squash? Here is how to do it, courtesy of a person going by the screen name chromadome-ga who posted on this Google Answers thread in 2006.

Bring a pot of water big enough to hold the squash to a boil
Put the whole squash into the pot of boiling water and simmer for a few minutes until you can easily pierce JUST the skin with a toothpick or folk. If you start smelling an aroma of cooked squash, it will be ready.
Cool for a bit, cut into a few pieces, and peel.
Note the small ring around the edge from parboiling briefly.
Remove seeds and cut into cubes or chunks as needed, and cook as directed in recipe.

P.S. (If anyone knows who chromadome-ga is, let me know! I’d love to be able to thank him or her directly!)

A Simple, Delicious, and Healthy Breakfast or Dessert – by Steve!

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This morning, I was asking Steve about breakfast since I am stuck on crutches and having to keep my foot elevated for another week or so. (Kind of fun in one sense: Honey, what’s for breakfast?? A turn of events since it has become habit for me to do most of the cooking, etc. at our home.)

WELL, I think I should ask him to be in in charge of more meals even when I am better. Check out what appeared when I asked for a dish of yogurt:

This was a lovely surprise. Thank you, honey! And a big thank you to Paul Faler for letting me come pick blueberries the day before my surgery. Those blueberries were hand-picked by me in Wakefield MA!

Steve is keeping the stove cleaner than I do, too. Hmmm. I’m liking this! Maybe I’ll be singing a different tune when it has been close to the two months on crutches and the situation wears on the patience of us both. But, in the meantime, this is turning into an opportunity in which we are both being remind of, or are discovering new things we appreciate about each other. For example, he has been commenting often as to the time it takes to keep up with just the day-to-day chores that I usually do, and I am delighted by his attention to detail when preparing and serving meals and snacks. There are also Breton Electric-related issues that have come up and my needing help with volunteer committments I made before the surgery was scheduled. Steve has been very patient and gracious about everything.

The best news is that we have been finding a lot to laugh about during what could be a very trying situation. Thanks, Steve. I think I’ll keep ya. So…what’s for dinner? <smile>

Surgically-induced hiatus

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Hi folks – I was busy getting my ducks in a row before being laid up, and I’m now limited to using my laptop for a number of days since I need to keep my left foot elevated after surgery. While I can (and do!) use the free version of LogMeIn.com to access my desktop computer in my study, with all my downloaded photos, etc., pain meds are making it a bit challenging to deal with creating final recipe posts right now. Never mind that I can’t cook right now. 😦

I do have a number of recipes almost ready to post, though: A wonderfully easy yet exquisitely tasty salsa courtesy of my friend Denise Mallen, my Mom’s picnic chicken recipe, and….oh, I can’t remember right now and my files are in my study and I am on the recliner in the living room and fuzzy from pain meds. So, I’ll have to keep you in suspense.<grin>

Check back later – or sign up to get notified when I post. In the meantime – if in the area, don’t miss the Wakefield Farmer’s Market each Saturday 9-1 at Hall Park (I unfortunately had to miss it, today) and do your best to shop locally every day of the week!