The Grateful Spread

Pork & Pasta

autumnkeeton — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 21:53:04 +0000

I don’t make a lot of pasta. I think of pasta as one of those dishes that just tastes better when someone else makes it. Preferably someone that works in a restaurant kitchen. And then some friendly waitress brings it to your table. That’s pretty much exactly how I like my pasta…

Until I tried this! It tastes very much like a restaurant dish. It’s that good, truly.

I don’t have a lot of time to muse over all my feelings about this recipe. (It’s easy, tasty, and quick.) (Oh, and I do want to point out that there are banana peppers in the sauce. It’s a weird ingredient, I know. But TRUST me. It’s a wonderful, creamy sauce you are going to LOVE!) Baby is napping and I only have about 20 minutes left. I’m just gonna throw it at ya and let you decide. Here goes:

Pork & Pasta

See, I don’t even have time to come up with a clever name for this pasta dish. It’s pasta. With pork. Period.

And absolutely no time to take a photo. Next time, I promise.

for the pork marinade:

3/4 cup jarred sliced pickled banana peppers (cut the stems off)
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey
4 (1-inch thick) center cut boneless pork loin chops
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the pasta:
1 lb. pasta of your choice (I used spaghettini)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons reserved marinade
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup chopped parsley

In a blender or food processor combine banana peppers, mustard, and honey. Blend until smooth. This is your pork marinade. Set aside 3 tablespoons for the pasta sauce.

Pour the remaining marinade into a re-sealable plastic bag. Season the pork with salt and pepper and add them to the bag. Seal and distribute the marinade equally on the pork. Marinate at least 2 hours.

Preheat the grill (or a grill pan) over medium-high heat.

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta in the boiling water about 12 minutes.

Remove the pork medallions from the marinade. Place on the grill or grill pan. Let cook 4 minutes per side or until cooked through. Remove from the pan and allow meat to rest.

In a medium saute pan on medium heat, heat the oil. Add the onions. Season the onions with salt and pepper, and sweat until tender (about 5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add reserved marinade and stir. Once combined, add the heavy cream and stir until slightly reduced and thickened, about 8 minutes. Stir in the grated Parmesan, and parsley.

Drain the pasta and add to sauce, coating well. Serve alongside pork.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

autumnkeeton — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:51:03 +0000

This chocolate bread pudding forces you to close your eyes and moan a deep ‘mmmm’ from the moment you spoon it into your mouth. It’s sweetened with brown sugar and deep, rich chocolate. The bread remains just a slight bit crisp on the edges from toasting for a little buttery crunch. Top with sweetened whipped cream.

Chocolate Bread Pudding

1 cup whole milk
6 Tbs. packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. table salt
1 oz. (2 Tbs.) unsalted butter
5 oz. crusty bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (4 cups)
4 oz. milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate, broken into small pieces or chopped

Heat the broiler on high.

Melt 1 Tbs. of the butter skillet over medium heat. Add the bread and cook, tossing often, until toasted and golden-brown in spots, about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, whisk the milk, brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt. Add the bread to the milk mixture, toss to coat, and let soak for at least 5 minutes.

Melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter until just browned and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Pour into bottom of baking dish (or, if using an oven safe skillet, just use it). Spread the soaked bread mixture out evenly in the pan. Nestle the chocolate pieces into the bread. Cook until the pudding is browned around the edges and just set in the center, 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and broil until golden-brown on top and completely set, 1 to 2 minutes more. Scoop the bread pudding into bowls and serve warm.

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

autumnkeeton — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:42:22 +0000

You’ve had this pie a million times. Your grandmother and aunts probably have this recipe clipped off a cream cheese package from a thousand years ago. It was good then, and it is good now. Not to mention easy-greasy. The phrase ‘simple as pie’ probably got it’s meaning from a recipe just like this one. It’s creamy with the slightest hint of tartness, but sweet as the canned cherries dobbled on top. It’s a sure-fire crowd pleaser.

Cherry Cream Cheese Pie

2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

2 cans (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup lemon juice

1 Tbs. vanilla

1 can cherry pie filling

1 graham cracker crust

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in sweetened condensed milk. Add lemon juice and vanilla and beat until smooth and creamy.

Pour into a prepared graham cracker crust.

Dollop cherry pie filling over top of pie and refrigerate for at least 8 hours.

* If you use a store-bought graham cracker crust, you may half the recipe to fit the smaller crust.

Creamy Braised Chicken with Garlic & Mushroom Spaghetti

autumnkeeton — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:27:38 +0000

We love garlic.

This recipe calls for 10 cloves, which is about a whole head of garlic. Braising it this way mellows and slightly sweetens its flavor. Allowing it to simmer in the broth for several minutes after the quick saute tenderizes the cloves and lends flavor to the mushrooms and broth. This is really quite an easy and hearty supper and a perfect late summer meal.

Creamy Braised Chicken with Garlic & Mushroom Spaghetti

2 Tbs. butter

1 Tbs. olive oil

1 onion, chopped

10 garlic cloves, halved

1 carton fresh button mushrooms

2-3 chicken breasts, pounded thin and chopped into bite-sized pieces

1/2 cup white wine

1 cup chicken broth

12 oz. dried spaghetti

1/2 cup cream

1/3 cup parmesean cheese

chopped parsley

Heat butter and oil in a skillet over medium heat until butter has melted. Add onions, mushrooms, and garlic and cook until softened. Add chicken pieces and cook until begins to brown.

Add the wine and simmer until reduced by half. Add chicken broth and bring to simmer. Allow to simmer and reduce for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti until desired tenderness. Drain.

Stir cream into chicken and mushroom mixture. Stir and cook until mixture thickens slightly. Add cooked pasta and toss. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle cheese and parsley over dish and serve warm.

Quick Egg Breakfast

autumnkeeton — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 15:13:28 +0000

I woke up a little early yesterday morning and thought I would be a nice little wife and make my husband breakfast and coffee before he left for work. June Cleaver would be proud!

While turning the egg for this quick little breakfast sandwich I suddenly had the realization that in my very near future this task would no longer be a spur-of-the-moment nicety to amuse my husband, but one of the many daily responsibilities of a mom.

Breakfast. Everyday. Expected. From me. For the next 18 years.

In homage to all those breakfast-makin’-mommas out there I offer up a couple of quick eggy recipes to get your kiddo’s off to a tasty start.

Egg-in-the-Hole

1 slice of whole wheat bread

butter

1 egg

salt and pepper

cheese, optional

Heat butter in a skillet. Press out and remove hole in the center of bread with a biscuit cutter or cookie cutter. Lay bread in skillet to toast. Immediately crack egg over hole. Toast for several minutes.

Turn bread to toast opposite side until golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle cheese over top of bread to melt.

Egg Sandwich

1 whole wheat english muffin

pat of butter

1 egg

1 slice cheese

couple of fresh spinach leaves

1 slice tomato

2 slices bacon, cooked crisp

Cook bacon until crisp. (I like to bake bacon. It’s easier for me. I always seem to get splattered by hot grease in the eye when frying it in a pan. And that’s no fun.So I just bake it – 400° for about 20 minutes until crispy.)

Heat a little butter in a skillet. Split and toast english muffins until golden brown.

Fry egg to your liking (We like the yolk a little runny).

Assemble sandwich. Layer spinach and tomato over bottom of muffin, then bacon, egg, and cheese. Top with other half of muffin. Dig in.

Garden Salad

autumnkeeton — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:27:43 +0000

This was one of the best salads I’ve had in a long, long time. It’s pretty hardy. Egg, red onion, mushrooms, bacon, raisins, sunflower seeds, tomatoes, cheese, and ranch dressing. (I just used a Hidden Valley Ranch packet, but it would be worth a trip to Mazzio’s to pick up some of their mind-blowing tasty dressing! They know how to mix up some ranch, baby!) Just adjust the salad ingredients to your liking and serving size.

Hearty Garden Salad

There is no photo. Who knew a ‘clean out the fridge’ salad was gonna be so great?!?

Spring greens

hard boiled egg

red onion

sliced, fresh mushrooms

cheddar cheese, shredded

feta cheese

raisins

sunflower seeds

cherry tomatoes

grilled chicken

crispy crumbled bacon

For the ranch dressing, I used a packet of Hidden Valley, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/2 cup buttermilk, and about a cup of mayonnaise.

Sugar Cream Pie

autumnkeeton — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 15:07:35 +0000

If you are planning to wear a bikini ever again in your future, just skip this post.

This pie is so yummy. It’s a sweet and creamy filling like a custard with a buttery top layer of crunchy, toasted cinnamon sugar. It’s great pie for family get-togethers (mostly so it gets gobbled up and you don’t have leftovers to torture you the next morning). And it’s one of the easiest little pies in the world to make. Just dump everything in a bowl, give it a whisk, and pour it into a pie crust. Piece of cake. Er, pie.

Sugar Cream Pie

2 cups cream

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup whole milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1 (9 inch) pie crust

1 Tbs. butter

1 tsp. cinnamon-sugar

Preheat oven to 350°

Combine heavy cream, flour, brown sugar, white sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.

Fit crust into a pie plate and dot bottom with butter. Pour filling into crust, over butter. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar in a light layer over the top of filling.

Bake pie until set and center is firm, about 1 hour.

Sour Cream Pound Cake Cupcakes (with blue vanilla buttercream)

autumnkeeton — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 18:26:46 +0000

A couple of weeks ago my husband, Jasper, and I were convinced there was a rosy-cheeked baby girl in my tummy.

So convinced that we had slowly accumulated a closet brimming full of frilly, cutesy, little girl things.

We went for our 20-week sonogram to confirm our little pink suspicions. And there on the screen were, well, let’s just politely call them ’little boy parts’. The full anatomy was completely visible and wholly in-tact. There was no mistaking.

Summoning every ounce of self-control I had not to burst into a river of tears, I laughed nervously (and loudly) through the remainder of the appointment. I spent the rest of the day attempting to keep it together and repeating the mantra “We are just happy it’s healthy” with a fake smile plastered to my face.

It’s not that I don’t like little boys. I was just so sure we were dealing with sugar and spice and everything nice. How could I be wrong about a living being growing in my womb? How could my body betray me this way? I know nothing about tractors or trucks or bugs or ‘frogs and snails and puppy dog’s tails’. And I’m really not a fan of dirt.

So, I made it through the day. And finally got home. And to bed. And my husband went to sleep. And I quietly pulled the quilt over my head and cried until morning.

And, then surprisingly, I woke up totally, fully, utterly over it. Excited even… A boy.

A sweet, fresh-faced, innocent, giggly, little baby boy that is soon to be the center of our life. His name is to be Graham. To say I can’t wait to meet him is a gross understatement.

A few nights later, we were driving home from a friend’s house and Jasper and I were singing in the car and Graham started fluttering. Fluttering a lot. I stopped singing and he stopped his moving. I began singing again and he fluttered around wildly again. Jasper and I laughed and continued this ‘sing-song-stop’ with little Graham playing along all the way home. We took the long way. This amazing first interaction made for the most marvelous drive of our life.

So I decided to celebrate this exciting new gift in the way that makes the most sense to me.

Cake.

Cupcakes.

Sour Cream Pound Cake Cupcakes stuffed with Vanilla Cheesecake Mousse and Vanilla Buttercream icing, tinted blue, with jade colored sparkly sprinkles, to be exact.

If this baby is half as sweet as these cupcakes… I’m a goner.

Sour Cream Pound Cake Cupcakes

18 cupcakes

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 (8oz.) block cream cheese, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 (8 oz.) container sour cream

Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Beat in sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to creamed butter mixture alternately with sour cream, beating until well blended. Spoon batter into lightly greased muffin tins.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool completely.

Vanilla Cheesecake Mousse

2 cups heavy cream

8 Tbs. powdered sugar

8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

8 oz. white chocolate candy melts, melted

1/2 tsp. shortening

1 vanilla bean scraped, or 1 tsp. vanilla

pinch of salt

Beat cream until soft peaks form. Stir in powdered sugar.

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add melted white chocolate candy, vanilla, and salt. Beat again.

Fold whipped cream into cream cheese mixture.

To fill cupcake: Cut an inverted cone shape out of the top of the cupcake. Pull out cone and saw off the cone shape, leaving only the top circle. Fill hollowed cupcake with mousse mixture. Top with circle.

Vanilla Buttercream

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 small (3 oz.) package cream cheese, softened

2 tsp. vanilla

1 (16oz.) package powdered sugar

3-4 Tbs. milk

Beat butter, cream cheese, and vanilla until creamy.

Add powdered sugar and milk (to desired thickness and consistency) until smooth.

I read this recipe from Joy the Baker recently and decided I’ll give this buttercream recipe a try next time…

Vanilla Whipped Buttercream Frosting with Rose Water

makes enough to fill and frost one 8-inch layer cake or frost 24 cupcakes

from Organic and Chic

2 sticks (1 cup) organic unsalted butter, softened

1 cup organic cane sugar

1 cup organic whole milk

1/4 cup sifted organic all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tablespoons organic vanilla extract

1 teaspoon rosewater

Cream the butter on medium speed, 3 to 5 minutes, in a stand mixer, or with a hand mixer until soft, adout 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat on high speed until light and fluffy, 5 to 7 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.

In a small saucepan, combine 1/4 cup mil with the flour and vanilla extract. Whisk together until there are no lumps. Over medium heat, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cups milk, whisking constantly and cook until the mixture comes to a low boil.

Reduce the heat to low and continue mixing until the mixture starts to thicken slightly.

When the mixture starts to thicken, immediately remove the pan from the heat but keep stirring. After you have removed the pan from the heat, the mixture will continue to cook for a minute or two on its own.

If you overheat the mixture and find that you have some lumps, try to whisk them out with a little elbow grease, or pass the mixture through a fine mesh strainer. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Place the mixture in the freezer for a few minutes to speed up the process.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour the milk mixture into the butter and sugar mixture. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the frosting is light and fluffy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the rose water during this final mixing.

Coffee Smoothie

autumnkeeton — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:23:07 +0000

My husband, Jasper, has been so busy with work and projects around the house lately, I feel like I’ve barely seen him. He made a promise to do “nothing” last Saturday so that we could just lounge around and have a long overdue lazy-day weekend together. I believe the only task accomplished all day was making a yummy breakfast, and that was fine by the two of us! I toasted up some breakfast sandwiches (I’ll share that ‘recipe’ at the end of this post) and whipped up some tasty little coffee smoothies. If you’ve been digging deep for five bucks to purchase a frappy at the coffee shop, maybe you should throw this in the blender next time you get the cravin’… you probably already have the ingredients in your pantry anyway!

Coffee Smoothie

serves 2

1/2 cup coffee, brewed strong or 1 Tbs. instant espresso

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup milk

2 heaping tsp. instant vanilla pudding

1-2 tsp. sugar, to taste

1 cup ice cubes

Add all ingredients to the blender and pulse until thick.

Optional Add-ins:

I used caramel and whipped cream!

1/2 banana

2 tsp. chocolate syrup

2 tsp. caramel sauce

whipped cream

cinnamon

any extract: mint, almond, coconut, banana

Breakfast Sandwich

Again, for two. Easily multiply for your serving size.

2 eggs

4 slices bacon

2 whole wheat english muffins

butter

2 slices colby-jack cheese

fresh green spiniach

2 slices tomato

Heat a little butter in a skillet. Split and toast english muffins until golden brown.

Fry egg to your liking (We like the yolk a little runny).

Assemble sandwich. Layer spinach and tomato over bottom of muffin, then bacon, egg, and cheese. Top with other half of muffin. Dig in.

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadilla

autumnkeeton — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:25:21 +0000

I’ve not wanted to step foot in the kitchen lately. I’ve got plenty of good reasons if you’re willing to listen to me whine.

#1: I’m pregnant.

#2: It’s really, really hot outside and any additional exposure to heat sounds like torture.

#3: Lately, when I get hungry, I’m HUNGRY right then, and all the thawing, prepping, and lengthy cooking times just make me grumpy. (See: ‘good excuse #1′).

I remember the days (about 5 1/2 months ago) when I would go grocery shopping and think; ‘Why on earth would anyone buy all these packaged, just-add-water type dinners when slow-cooked, homemade meals are so much better?’. Well, I get it. Folks are hot. Folks are tired. Folks are even with child. But, folks still gotta eat.

So, when I do venture to cook, it has to be quick & easy.

Pioneer Woman posted this recipe on her blog recently and it sounded pretty painless. Mrs. Ree added barbeque sauce to her grilled chicken. I’m not a big barbeque fan, but go for it if it tickles your taste buds! With or without, it is so, so good. We had these spicy, sweet, and cheesy quesadillas twice last week!

Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas

photo: Ree Drummond

2 chicken breasts, pounded thin

fajita or creole seasoning

pineapple rings

jalapenos

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled (optional)

2 large (burrito size) tortillas (or 4 small taco size)

Heat grill. Season chicken (pounded very thin) with fajita or creole seasoning. Place chicken and pineapple rings on the grill and cook until heated through and pineapple has gentle char marks.

Heat about a teaspoon of oil in a large skillet (save yourself some dish duty and use a skillet large enough to toast the tortilla after you saute). Saute onion, jalapenos, and green chilies until onions are translucent. Transfer to small plate.

Arrange chicken, cheese, onion/pepper/jalapeno saute, bacon and grilled pineapple on the bottom half of a large tortilla. Fold the top half over and place in the skillet over medium-low heat. When toasted, turn the quesadilla to toast opposite side.

Serve with sour cream & salsa.