Spicy Pulled Pork

This is the face of the man I love eating PW's Spicy Pulled Pork.  What you don't see is that he was finishing his second sandwich.  What you don't see is that for lunch today, we finished up the rest of the pulled pork.  What you don't see is that he had two more sandwiches, and finished up the leftovers in the container.  THAT'S how good this pulled pork is.  And it's so easy.  PW's recipe calls for a 5-7 pound pork shoulder, but the roast I used was almost 2 pounds.  You'd be feeding the neighborhood with 7 pounds...maybe you want to do that.  I'm not really neighborly.

Here we go:

Pork shoulder (anywhere from 2-7 pounds...)
1 onion, cut into quarters
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 c brown sugar
4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tsp dried oregano (I used 2 tsp accidentally...can't imagine you'd notice...more is more!)
2 tsp ground cumin
1-2 Tbsp salt, to taste (I did 2 Tbsp and I thought maybe next time 1 would be good)
Ground black pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp vinegar

In a blender or food processor, combine the onion, all the spices, olive oil, and vinegar until completely blended.  It will look like a sauce.  It is fantastic.
In a roasting pan or Dutch Oven, pour the sauce over the pork and turn it to coat.  Cover and roast 6-7 hours (my small roast took 3-4 hours) and shred.

We sauced our own sandwiches with BBQ sauce, but you could use this on pizza, nachos, soft tacos...or just eat it straight out the container.

Broccoli slaw (with homemade dressing...don't buy expensive coleslaw dressing!  DIY!) and 8 napkins, and you have yourself dinner.

Chicken Pot Pie

I grew up eating frozen chicken pot pies (I cooked them first, though.)  This pie is nice, without a bottom crust, and you can share the calories with someone you love.
I previously blogged that ain't nobody got time to make homemade pie crust.  But PW has a couple recipes for pie crust, and I was determined to do it.  This one was very easy.  With stock in shortening, you'll have an easy go-to pie crust (chuck the other one in the freezer.  Then when you want to be lazy, you can just use that one.  I call it "Multi-Tasking for the Suzy Homemaker that Would Rather Be Watching Mad Men...or Downton Abbey...or The Walking Dead.")

As for the filling, I bought a rotisserie chicken to use.  Don't bother getting the hot ones...Hannaford sells them cold in the deli section...and depending on the time of day, they can have a $1 off coupon attached.  $4.99 for a whole cooked chicken is a sweet deal.

Ok, here we go:

PW's Perfect Pie Crust and Chicken Pot Pie (original recipe found here and on page 126 in her first cookbook)

Crust:
3 c all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c shortening
1 egg, slightly beaten
5 Tbsp cold water
1 Tbsp white vinegar

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.  With a pastry cutter, gradually work the shortening into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add cold water and white vinegar. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.
(You can cut the dough into half or into thirds, depending on how thick or thin you'd like your crust.  I cut mine in half.)  Put the crust into the freezer until ready to use.
When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) If the dough is sticking to the countertop use a metal spatula and carefully scrape it up and flip it over and continue rolling until it’s about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.
With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge.

Pie Filling:
3 celery stalks
3 carrots
1 large onion
1/2 stick butter
1/2 c frozen peas
2 c. cooked chicken
1/4 c flour
2 c chicken broth
1 chicken bullion cube
1/4 c. white wine (optional. I left it out.  I know, can you believe it??)
1 c heavy cream
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
Pepper, to taste

Chop the celery, carrots, and onion into small pieces (a fine dice) and add them, plus the peas, to a large pot or Dutch oven which has the butter melted in it.  Saute until the veggies start to turn translucent.
Add the chicken and stir to combine.  Sprinkle the flour over the pot and stir to combine.  Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring gently.
Pour in the chicken broth, stirring constantly.  Stir in the bullion cube and wine (if using.)  Pour in the cream and stir to combine.  Allow the mixture to cook over low heat, thickening gradually, for about 4 minutes.  Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.
Pour filling into pie plate (I had a small tupperware container of filling mix leftover that wouldn't fit...Andrew took it the next day for lunch.  Who needs crust??)  Place crust over filling and crimp edges, or leave rustic.  However you want it to look.  Cook in a 400 oven for 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly (in a preemptive stroke of genius, I put a cookie sheet under the pie plate.  Was that filling bubbly!!)

I chose "rustic" crust...

Let the pie sit for 10 minutes or so, then dig in!

Milk as a side dish is completely mandatory

 

Nervous Thighs

I bought an eight-pack of boneless, skinless chicken thighs last week at Hannaford for $3.11.  Manager's Special (that's the only way I buy meat...Manager's Special, or if it has a coupon on it.) 

The thing is, thighs make me nervous.  I have two of my own and I can barely handle them.  But that buy was such a good deal...I was determined to find a way to cook them that was easy and tasted good.  I knew they wouldn't be chicken breasts, and I was just going to have to be ok with that.

After trolling the Pinterest, I found this recipe that sounded delicious, and had ingredients which I was sure I had at the house.  But the cooking directions said that the thighs would be broiled.  See, broiling makes me nervous.  The only thing I use my broil setting for is garlic bread.  What if the thighs weren't done?  What if the smoke alarm went beserk?  What if I had some more irrational worries?

I opted to cook these in the skillet, and they turned out delicious.  I didn't even need a glass of wine or a Klonapin to cook them.

Here we go:

Honey Glazed Spicy Chicken Thighs

4 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (I used McCormick's Red Pepper Shot, because that's what I had.  I was going to opt for red pepper flakes, cause I had that, too.  Use what you like or what you have.)
Olive oil
6 tablespoons honey
2 teaspoons vinegar

In a large bowl or large ziplock bag, combine the spices.  Add chicken thighs and toss to coat.  Heat non-stick skillet with olive oil and add the chicken thighs.  While the chicken thighs are cooking, mix the honey and vinegar (I eyeballed the honey because measuring honey is a pain...)  Once the thighs are cooked through, add the honey mixutre.  It will bubble and get all delicious.  See below.

Underestimated the size of my pan...so one little thigh got cooked by its lonesome...and then was tossed into the leftover sauce

Shannon and I feasted on this and salad, then tucked into Season 2 of Downton Abbey.  Andrew had a piece once he got home.  All votes were in favor of thighs.

I will never show you how much Ranch dressing I put on my salad to make it edible

PW and Angie

The Pioneer Woman is my obsession.  Partly because she cooks like weight gain isn't a side effect.  Partly because she gets to stay home and cook and rear (REAR!) her children.  Partly because she's married to a cowboy (Andrew is nothing to scoff at, but I don't know if he'd ever wear a cowboy hat for me.)  I don't get the cable, so I've only managed to catch her show once, but I've been an obedient follower of her website, and thanks to my generous m-i-l, I used my Christmas gift card to buy both of her cookbooks.  Now, seeing as I already own one mile of cookbooks, I was determined to make something of these books.  More than just show.  Put them to use!  (Also, putting my cookbook holder to use...it's hard to cook from a hardbound cookbook, y'all.)  So my plan is to cook through (or nearly through) both of her cookbooks.  Tonight, we start with her recipe for Scalloped/Au Gratin potatoes.  You can find her original recipe here, or if you have her new cookbook, it's on page 226.  Original recipe pasted below is from PW's website...italicized words are my own.

PW's Scalloped/Au Gratin Potatoes

4 whole Russet Potatoes, Scrubbed Clean (this makes so much!!!!)
2 Tablespoons Butter, Softened (I didn't use all the tablespoons...maybe 1/2-1 tbsp)
1-1/2 cup Heavy Cream 
1/2 cup Whole Milk 
2 Tablespoons Flour 
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced (the cookbook only calls for 3, so I used that and it was perfect for us)
1 teaspoon Salt 
Freshly Ground Pepper, to taste 
1 cup Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Freshly Grated (I used 2 cups, unfreshly grated, because more is more)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Smear softened butter all over the bottom of a baking dish. (I used a 9x13 glass pyrex dish.)
Slice potatoes, then cut slices into fourths. (For future makings, I would cut the potatoes down smaller.  They cooked okay in fourths...I think it's just a psychological thing that I wanted the chunks to be smaller.  You could also dust off your mandolin and make paper thin slices.  Don't have a mandolin?  You can borrow mine.  But you'll have to dust it off yourself.)
In a separate bowl, whisk together cream, milk, flour, minced garlic, salt, and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
Place 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the cream mixture over the potatoes.
Repeat this two more times, ending with the cream mixture. (The cookbook directions just have you chuck the potatoes in the dish and pour the cream mix over the potatoes.  That's how I did it.  I always favor lazy over more work.)
 Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are golden brown and really bubbling. (I stirred up the potatoes that were on top because they weren't swimming in the delicious scallop/gratin sauce and I wanted to make sure they got their bath.)
Add grated cheese to the top of the potatoes and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Allow to stand for a few minutes before serving by the spoonful. Delicious! (Agreed!)

Potatoes are in the upper right corner, in case you mistook it for the salad

Sweet Heat Chicken Stir-fry

I never ate stir-fry before Andrew was tricked fell in love with me.  I was never one to gobble down rice, and with my as-is stomach, I'm bound to go all bird-on-a-wedding-day if I eat too much of it.  But I've come to accept the stir-fry for what it is, much as Andrew has come to terms with how the rest of his life will play out (read: full of cookies.) 

I'm not opposed to bottled stir-fry sauce.  It's how I make ours most often.  But I was lazy and didn't want to go to the grocery store after work yesterday (I had already been to the Bangor Post Office, which is like a perpetual Wal-Mart check out line)...I just wanted to go home.  So I found a recipe for sweet and sour sauce and we made some homemade stir-fry.

Please don't let the lack of a wok deter you in making this mighty, non-Asian dish.

Here we go:

2 chicken breasts, cut up into smallish chunks or slices
Olive oil
Red pepper flakes
1 bag stir-fry veggies (frozen)
1/2 c. vinegar
1/4 c. brown sugar
Pineapple chunks and their juices (I can't remember the size of the can I used...it was smallish, maybe 3 or 4 rings worth of pineapple?  You could use fresh pineapple, but you'll want some pineapple juice for your sauce)
1 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water
Prepared rice (we went instant, because why should this meal have any nutritional value?)

In a large frying pan (or a wok if you're going old-school traditional on me), swirl a bit of olive oil in the pan.  Heat to med-medium high and add the chicken, cooking until browned on both sides.  I gave a shake or two of red pepper flakes at this point.  Totally optional if you don't have a fire-breathing dragon at home.  Add the veggies.  Cook until the veggies have started to heat through.  If you don't want to be lazy, you could heat the sauce up in a separate saucepan and then add to the stir-fry.  But let's just go my way, shall we?  Add the can of pineapple and all its juices, vinegar, and brown sugar.  Make your cornstarch slurry by mixing the cornstarch and water and add it to the stir-fry.  Give everything a stir and cover, reduce heat, and cook until sauce is thickened and the veggies are heated through.  I put the red pepper to it again, but don't feel like the heat is mandatory.  You can just have a sweet stir-fry, and no one will judge you.  I find that eating really hot food makes me eat less of it.  More room for snacktreats later on in the night.  Serve over rice.  Or not, if you have pigeon stomach.  On that note...

Take that, Oriental Jade!