Pork Roast with Apples & Onions and Wild Rice

I came across this recipe on The Pioneer Woman's blog.  It's different from anything we normally cook, so I figured I'd give it a try.  I never cook with apples so I thought we'd try something new! 

We really liked the flavor of the pork roast and it was so easy to make.  I would definitely make it again.  I tried the apples but I just wasn't crazy about hot, mushy apples with my pork.    To me, just the pork alone was great.  A word of warning about the recipe, if you print it from her blog.....it calls for beef broth, but no where in the instructions does she say to add the beef broth.  I nearly forgot and then my hubby said "what's this in the microwave?" right before it was going in the oven.  (I had heated a cup of water w/a beef boullion cube to make broth).  This is not the first time I've run into this issue with her recipes (even in the cook book), so I try to remember to read through before I really get going.  (also, she does not say anything about rosemary and thyme in the list of ingredients....but when you get to the bottom of the recipe, she says add them if you have them...just FYI.)  I added these things to the recipe below.

Now, about the wild rice.  I have never made wild rice.  I can't even think of the last time I even ate it.  We were not crazy about it and if I make the pork again, I will do a different side.  She says to boil until all the water boils out...but she doesn't specify how long this will take.  It took FOR-EV-ER!!  Seriously....like an hour and a half!  I don't know if that is a function of the wild rice or what.  Never had this issue with regular rice.  We kept checking it and checking it and checking it.......all the while the roast itself is no longer hot and we are starving!  It was not worth the wait for us.  But, if you like wild rice, just be sure you start it with PLENTY of time left (the roast cooks for 3 hours).  Or maybe we did something wrong?!

And, Darby pointed out to me the other day that PW has her 2nd cookbook coming out in the spring!  Can't wait!!!  Has anyone watched her cooking show on the Food Network?  I wish she'd done some never-before-seen recipes, but I really enjoyed it anyway.  If you don't follow her blog much and haven't been through the cookbook, then I guess the recipes would be new.  I really just enjoyed watching her with her family!

Ok, here's the link and recipe....

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/11/pork-roast-with-apples-and-onions/

Pork Roast with Apples & Onions and Wild Rice:

Ingredients

PORK:
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 whole Pork Shoulder Roast (also Called Pork Butt)
Salt And Pepper, to taste
4 cups Apple Juice
1 cup Beef Stock
3 whole Apples, Cored And Cut Into Wedges
3 whole Medium Onions, Sliced
1 whole Bay Leaf
fresh thyme and/or rosemary (optional)

WILD RICE:
2-1/2 cups Wild Rice
4 cups Water
3 cups Chicken Stock
1/2 stick 4 Tablespoons Butter
1/2 cup Chopped Pecans

Preparation Instructions

OPTIONAL: Saute onions until brown. (Or you may just add them raw to the roast.)

To make the pork roast, heat olive oil in a large pot over high heat. Salt and pepper pork roast, then sear on all sides to give it some color. Reduce heat to low. Add apple juice, apple slices, beef broth, onions, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for 3 hours. (Or you may place in a 300 degree oven if you prefer.)

Toward the end of the cooking time, make the rice: melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add pecans and saute for a couple of minutes. Add wild rice and liquid, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until all liquid is cooked out.

When the roast is done, remove the roast, apples, and onions to a platter. Raise heat to medium-high (to high) and boil liquid, reducing it until thick and rich.

Spoon thick sauce over the roast, then cut the roast into slices. Serve with apples, onions, and wild rice.

(Note: add fresh thyme or rosemary to the roast before cooking if you have it on hand!)

Fettuccini w/Shrimp, Tarragon & Cream (pg.173) and Quick Cheesy Breadsticks (pg.166)

I love shrimp + pasta dishes....and this one was delicious!  This is the first time I've ever cooked with (or even seen) tarragon.  I've heard of it but just never used it.  When I was mincing it, I thought it smelled a little funny....like licorice, actually.  I thought maybe my sniffer was deceiving me (b/c I'm pregnant), but have to admit I was a little worried that my pasta was going to taste like licorice (which I hate).  But, as I already said - it was delicious and did not taste like licorice at all!  (sidenote:  I looked up tarragon on Wikipedia of course, and it turns out that I am not crazy....it does have "an aromatic property reminiscent of anise" which has a licorice-like flavor.  So, I was right - it does smell like licorice!)

I used their suggested method of not cooking the shrimp all the way (initially) as it will finish cooking in a covered bowl while you finish the rest of the dish.  They were perfect!  We will definitely be making this one again.  (and it did take me a bit longer than 30 minutes but that extra time involved prepping the shrimp).

(camera flash washed this picture out - it is way more appetizing than it looks!)

I served this with the quick cheesy breadsticks on page 166.  We did like these but I need to do a few things differently next time I make them.  It calls for one pound of pizza dough, rolled out to 1/2 inch thick.  My husband (who does the grocery shopping - huge blessing!) brought home two cans/rolls of the Pillsbury pizza dough and each one was 11 ounces.  I didn't think we'd need both, so I just used one.  I was lazy and did not re-roll the dough to get the proper thickness of 1/2 inch, so my breadsticks were thin and a bit crunchy (although I cooked them for less time than it said).  Next time, I will make them the proper thickness so they should be more soft and bread-y.  I think I might alter the cheese a little too....maybe add more or a different kind (shredded instead of grated parmesan, maybe?) b/c I did not think they were cheesy enough.  I also think they could use some garlic!  I do have a question for anyone reading this.....is there another kind of pizza dough besides the kind that comes in the can/roll (the kind packaged like biscuits)??  Not sure if we used the right kind.

and the two together - it was yummy!

Almond-Crusted Chicken Breasts w/Cranberry-Orange Relish (pg.201) and Skillet Green Beans (pg.233)

Hmm...where to start? Let me first just say that overall, we liked both of these dishes. I did have a few issues, though!

The chicken: This is not something I would normally choose (b/c of the fruity relish) but what appealed to me was the almond crust. I love chicken and love finding new ways to cook it, and we've never done an almond-crusted chicken so I went for it. My main issue with this dish was the fact that my chicken breasts were way too thick (and one was thicker than the other). I had a feeling this might be an issue but I didn't even start thinking about this meal until probably 30 minutes before I was about to cook it...and the only chicken I had thawed were the really thick ones so I had to use them. The recipe says to cook it in the skillet for a total of 6-8 minutes, browning both sides. Honestly, I didn't keep track of exactly how long I had to cook mine but it was WAY MORE than 8 minutes! I used a meat thermometer to test the temp in the thickest part after 8 minutes and it was only around 100* and it needed to be 165* (according to my thermometer recommendations-this did not come from the cook book). So, I kept cooking it a bit more making sure to turn every few minutes b/c I was afraid it was going to burn. I don't know how much more time passed b/c I was getting a little frazzled that I would not have dinner ready in time to leave for small group (and I was working on the green beans and dealing with my 19-month-old, ha!), but I finally decided that I would put it in the oven to cook the rest of the way while I made the relish. Unfortunately, I had been turning the chicken so much that the crust was beginning to break and as I moved it to a wire rack over a baking sheet to go into the oven, one half of the crust just fell off. oops! Anyway, as it finished cooking in the oven, I made the relish (in a separate, smaller pan b/c I only made a 1/2 recipe). I was very leery of this relish b/c the thought of putting cranberries and orange marmalade on top of my chicken just did not sound right. Not much to say about the actual cooking process of the relish - it was straightforward and I didn't have any issues with it (except my hubby bought orange juice w/mango instead of just plain orange juice-oh well!). So, overall the verdict is: I really liked the chicken alone but did not care for the relish. I tried one bite with it and that was it. The almond crust (which has panko bread crumbs in it) was delicious. There is also cinnamon in the crust (which I thought was kinda weird). Since I only made a 1/2 recipe, I needed just 1 teaspoon, but we're not really crazy about cinnamon so I just used 1/2 teaspoon. I could just barely taste it and thought that was the perfect amount for us. My husband ate his with the relish and said that it was "not bad." He liked it more than he thought he would. Overall, my vote would be to make just the chicken again and skip the relish...AND, use thinner chicken breasts so there's no issue with cooking it through w/in the 30 minutes!!

The greenbeans: these were super easy and tasty. I was rushing so much to get dinner on the table that I accidentally skipped the last step of seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. When we started eating it, I thought they were missing a little something and commented that I thought it odd that the recipe did not call for salt and pepper. I checked the recipe again and realized that I'd left it out - oops! Overall, these were good and I'd make them again just b/c they were so easy and quick.

This entire process took me 1 hour and 15 minutes. Next time, I think I can get it done much quicker now that I've done it once and learned some lessons!


Here is my plate, minus the relish...



Hubby's plate with relish...



And a closeup of the relish (looks weird, huh?)

Easy Mashed Potatoes ~ page 239

These were good. I did lower the butter amount from 8 tablespoons to 5 tablespoons, and used milk instead of half and half, and I thought they tasted plenty rich enough. I even put my girls to work on peeling the potatoes...took them almost the whole 30 minutes to peel 5 potatoes! :) I used a ricer which I love using, but usually I'm making such a large batch of potatoes that it is too time consuming to use. But this was the perfect amount of potatoes for a ricer. The recipe says salt and pepper to taste, which I usually don't mind in a recipe when it needs a sprinkle of each, but potatoes kinda need alot, so I think they should have given an amount. I used 3/4 teaspoon and even sprinkled a little extra on top at the table. And I used 1/2 teaspoon of pepper. I will make these again, because they were fast and I didn't have to pull my mixer out, perfect amount for our little family. --Carissa

Skillet Macaroni and Cheese Pg. 145

I didn’t time this one, but it was quick and easy. I used a mixture of Colby, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar because that’s what I had in my fridge. I thought it was very good. I cut this recipe in half because there are only two of us and I didn’t want to make too much then not eat it if we hated it. The recipe said to add water if you needed, but I wanted a richer flavor so I added a little extra evaporated milk. It was extremely cheesy to me, but J (the husband) said it didn’t have enough. To be honest I think he was hoping for a more Velveeta-style texture but he said it was good and he would like it again.


I also used salted butter because I didn't read it right. Ohh well!
I would definitely make this again, and maybe even try it with the broccoli and garlic suggestion. We served this with chicken strips and some veggies.
 
BTW- I used an 11" pan for the half recipe.  Just to give you an idea how much that made.

Tuscan Roasted Chicken & Parmesan Mashed Potatoes. Pg. 262 & 210

For dinner tonight I made the Tuscan Roasted Chicken (and veggies) with Parmesan mashed potatoes for the side. 

We were not impressed with the main dish...at all.  It all has a light lemon flavor from the chicken and the rosemary helped give it a little more but otherwise it was just not our cup of tea.  The potatoes were good, but they weren't anything special. 

If anyone else makes this -- I hope you enjoy it more than my family! :)

Garlic Fries

I agree with the other reviews....these were yummy! My kids and husband gobbled them right up. I would definitely make these again! --Carissa

Garlic Fries Pg. 265

My husband is addicted I repeat, addicted to potatoes.  He has a problem. 

As I was tired of mashed/bundles/roasted/baked and otherwise I decided to give this a try! 

I got a little happy with the baking and over cooked these slightly but when I went back to the kitchen to get some more...I found my husband standing over the stove chowing down.  Needless to say, there were none left.  We'll be making these again!

I served this with oven roasted pork chops.  Yum!

Garlic fries (p265)

I really liked these fries. I served them with Spicy Buffalo Wings & homemade Cool Ranch sauce (the recipes for the wings & sauce were from Southern Living). I ended up dipping my fries in the ranch --> one bad & one good cancel each other out, right? I used garlic powder instead of garlic cloves & I think it was just fine that way. Oh, and a tip, make sure you don’t cut the potatoes too thin, or if you do, don’t keep them in the oven as long. I had a couple that were a little too skinny.

Crispy Chicken Fingers with Honey-Mustard Sauce (p. 200) and Parmesan Mashed Potatoes (p. 262)

Well, this is going to be my first somewhat negative review on a couple of Ellie's recipes. I loved the idea of the crispy chicken fingers, and I will be trying them again, but NOT with Corn Chex. Maybe I did something wrong, but they were not crispy at all (even though I let them sit on the baking sheet as the recipe suggested) and we just didn't like the taste of the Corn Chex. As for the parmesan mashed potatoes, they really didn't seem that different from regular mashed potatoes to any of us. I'm not sure that 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese is really enough to make an impact on the taste buds. On the upside, the honey-mustard sauce was excellent! Sweet and tangy from the mixture of the dijon and the honey - definitely worth throwing together for dipping or as a sandwich spread!!

Sesame-Teriyaki Chicken Thighs p. 209 and Maple-Mustard Chicken Thighs p. 212 as well as Sugar Snap Peas with Miso Sauce p.247

I had lots of chicken thighs in my freezer so was looking for recipes to use them up - with hurricane season upon us, you never want too much stuff in your freezer!!

Made the teriyaki sauce from p. 197 which was really easy as was the chicken recipe. We all liked this chicken and I would make it again.

The sugar snap peas with miso sauce were really good and I will make these again and again. The most difficult part is finding the white miso paste - don't carry at my local Krogers so I headed off to my local asian market - H Mart on Blalock. Of course they had about 15 different varieties of miso paste and since I don't really read Japanese I just picked one! I think it was $4.95 for the smallest package and it is a lot of miso paste! Need to find more recipes that call for this but it definitely had a great taste with the snap peas - don't think you should skip this ingredient!


The maple-mustard chicken was super easy but not a repeat recipe. Didn't like the maple taste with the chicken and my kids did not like the looks of the grainy mustard! I served with sweet potato fries and edamame radish salad.



My daughter and her bestie wanted to be photographed for the blog! For some reason they feel they are famous when their picture appears on this blog - how could I say no?

Twice Baked Potatoes

After finding that my cousin is allergic to potatoes I went home and made all things potato.  I needed to eat some and thank the good Lord I have no potato allergy.  I simply love potatoes as does the hubs.

I must confess I had a friend in HS whose mom made the best twice baked potatoes I have ever had.  So, going into this recipe I had my doubts.  No one could beat Matt's moms recipe.  Her's had a creamy goodness that made my heart melt.

(sorry about the shadow, it was taken in haste!)

I ended up having to doctor PW's up.  I hate admitting that but they just didn't do it for me.  I ended up whipping out my mixer and adding some cream cheese into the mixture to add a bit more flavor and still I wasn't impressed.  I don't know what was missing, but these did not do much for me. 

They weren't bad, just not great.  I don't know that I would make these again. 

Pinto Beans

These were very yummy. I was wondering if the reason alot of my beans were split was because I didn't soak them before hand. To get them to cook in the time PW says, you have to simmer them while they are bubbling, which probably makes them split open more. I didn't mind alot of the beans split, and they certainly tasted good. They made the house smell great!
--Carissa

Potato Bundles (PW Blog)

I forgot to take a photo so forgive me, but I tried the potato bundles on PW's site.  Super-duper easy! And tons of different variations you could do with this.  Plus, easy clean up. (Easy clean up makes me happy.)

* Use non-stick foil if possible or just spray your foil with cooking spray!
* Don't skimp on the onion, the onion gives the potatoes a fantastic flavor but then again, I'm an onion lover.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/07/potato-bundles/

Here is the photo from PW's site:

Mac and Cheese (with Veggies!)

I made a modified version of this recipe. My granddaughter, Evelyn, is spending the week with me...and not eating any of her veggies...so I added the steamed broccoli and cauliflower she had rejected the past couple days! I figured both of those veggies go well with a cheese sauce.

It is impossible to cook without Evelyn pulling up her stool and insisting on cooking too! This is one cooking girl, believe me! She can hear things happening in the kitchen from across the house, and she comes running to "help cook!"

When it came time to eat though, the enthusiasm just was not there...

She did take a bite--ONE bite!

Grandpops and Grandmother loved the dish! And I thought the veggies were great in with the mac and cheese!

But baby bear's mac and cheese with veggies remained untouched after the first tester bite....Oh well, Mom, sorry-- I give it my best try to feed your daughter!

Skillet Cornbread

This was really good! It was moist, but firm enough to spread butter on without crumbling everywhere. I will definitely make this again. Only change I made was to add 2 pinches of sugar, although I couldn't really taste it in the end. The husband gave it two thumbs up also. We loved the crunchy edges the best. I used a small skillet that is 9 inches across the bottom, I have a large and a small, she doesn't state the size, just thought I'd pass that on. -Carissa

Fried chicken, twice-baked potatoes, and buttermilk biscuits with honey butter

This was the first time I made fried-chicken and didn’t burn the first piece! I was so proud of myself! A tip for the chicken: do not underestimate the amount of flour that you will need. For the potatoes, I was trying to be conservative with the amount of oil I used on the outside of the potato and apparently I was too conservative. Because there wasn’t enough oil the skin didn’t become shell-like and I could only salvage the inner portion of the potato (arguably the best part of a twice-baked potato!) I wasn’t a big fan of the buttermilk biscuits (most-likely because I forgot I put them in the oven and they baked too long), but I did like the honey butter.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes, Peach Crisp, & Snow

Tonight, I made yum steak dinner with a side of PW's creamy mashed potatoes. I got a little heavy handed with the salt but they were still very good.   As you can see they were attacked by hungry people before I got a chance to grab the camera!

I also made PW's Peach Crisp.
I can not tell you enough about the Peach Crisps except it is amazing. It is utterly amazing. I took a bite to see if it was done right out of the oven with out the maple cream. Mmm, the tartness of the peaches along side the sweetness of the crisp. What an amazing combination. (I won't lie; I love fruit in my desserts especially tart apples or peaches.) Then for good measure, I took another spoonful with my maple cream. HOLY BATMAN! I was done.
-- As you can see, my cream didn't exactly turn out white in color. I think that was due to me not having actual maple syrup so I used regular syrup with a few dashes of maple extract. As you can see from my above statements it was still incredible.
 
**I am also attaching a few photos of Richmond snow that Carissa requested... the first is of our townhome with a mound that was about 6' tall.  The second is out my front door. 
BTW- they are calling for more tomorrow (Sunday and Monday).
 

 

 

Meatloaf and Macaroni and Cheese

How come I have never thought of wrapping meatloaf in bacon? I mean really, does it get any better than that?! For the meatloaf I halved the recipe and it was plenty for 2 people. I couldn’t bear to mix the ingredients with my hands though, it does not look appetizing. I didn’t include the hot sauce in the sauce for the topping. I loved her alumni foil trick; it made clean-up very easy. For the macaroni and cheese, I pretty much followed her recipe with the exception of not using whole milk. I loved step number 15, because by the time this came out of the oven, “hungry humans” were ready to dig in!

Meatloaf (page 150) and Macaroni and Cheese (page 96)

Skillet Cornbread and Onion Strings

Hi :) Darby invited me to join in with all of you since I am cooking my way through PW as well. So, thanks for letting me share!

Saturday I decided to go easy since we were snowed in again and I didn't have but so many ingredients in the house. (I didn't honestly believe we were going to get snow again and decided against a trip to the store)
I made onion strings for munchies, and although they were rather tasty both my husband and I determined next time I will need to add more breading.

Saturday night I made my homemade chili and made the iron skillet corn bread for a side. It was delish, however if you are looking for a sweet corn bread, this is not going to be it. I will also add that I had some left over’s on Sunday and I think it was almost better the following day. It still had a great moist texture and I felt the flavor stood out a bit more. One thing I noticed was that this corn bread was not overly crumbly either which was great.