Pork Roast Supper

I thought of my friend, Scott, who's adept at making pork roasts, when I recently made dinner plans. I picked up a pork roast at the store, looked in the spice cupboard for some interesting seasonings, sprinkled away and placed the pork roast in the oven for a few hours. I'm a rice and gravy kind of gal so I used some of the pan drippings, added some flour and a few turns of the pepper mill and voila, we have gravy!

Pork Roast

one 3 lbs. pork butt

1 T. Penzey's Ozark Style Seasoning

1/2 t. garlic powder

Pre heat oven to 350F. Place pork butt in a baking dish. Combine the Ozark Style seasoning and garlic powder. Rub all over the pork butt. Roast for 2-3 hours, testing for doneness. Remove from oven and let sit for 15 minutes before carving into thin slices.

Club Sandwich

One of my favorite sandwiches is the BLT or Club (enhanced BLT). It's especially good during the summer when you can grab veggies from your garden to assemble this savory delight!

Club Sandwich

3 slices whole wheat, lightly toasted

2 tsp. mayonnaise

dash of Penzey's Sunny Paris seasoning

assorted field greens

4 tomato slices

3-4 slices Benton's smoked country bacon, cooked to desired doneness

2 slices Boar's Head lower sodium turkey breast

2 slices Boar's Head lower sodium ham

Spread each slice of whole wheat toast with mayonnaise and sprinkle with Sunny Paris seasoning; set aside. Layer one slice of whole wheat toast with assorted field greens, 1-2 tomato slices, 1-2 pieces of bacon, a slice of turkey breast and a slice of ham. Top with a piece of whole wheat toast and layer the remaining ingredients and top with the last piece of whole wheat toast. Slice into triangles and enjoy!

Served here with a side of Conn's Potato Chips!

Open Faced Egg Sandwich

One of my favorite things to make for breakfast is an open faced egg sandwich. I learned to make hobo eggs from my friend, Kim, years ago. This is a slightly healthier version since I toast the whole wheat bread and then layer with a slice of sweet ham and fried egg. Today's version was topped with some grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese and a bit of parsley. Mix it up on other days with sliced proscuitto, applewood smoked bacon, Serrano ham, lox on toasted Challah, English muffin, cornbread, focaccia, French bread, Cuban bread ... you get the idea.

Shrimp and Grits (Cakes)

I met Chef Samantha Enzmann at a Whole Foods Low Country Favorites cooking class. She's a wonderful chef (check out her place The Mercantile) and does a great job teaching. I love shrimp and grits so the class was right up my alley. I learned to make a lovely shrimp broth that's used to finish the saute of bacon, shrimp, tomatoes, corn and okra. The grits cakes included cream and grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese, which is a wonderful sharp white cheddar type cheese.

I made this dish for my family and the only change that I made was that I used Benton's Smoked Country Bacon that gave this dish a wonderful dimension and heartiness. The meal was a big hit. My husband took some to work the next day and as he re-heated it, his co-workers said that it smelled like a restaurant in the office.

Chinese New Year

Each Chinese New Year, we set out the obligatory citrus fruit bowl to welcome the new year. It's filled with Chinese grapefruit, oranges, tangerines and the like.

We enjoyed dinner with family and friends and it included a little bit of "everything" such as roast duck, roast pork, bbq pork, chicken, steamed veggies and rice. We made pork and shrimp spring rolls using bean curd sheets which yield a light crispy exterior reminiscent of phyllo. The spring roll filling is made of chopped pork and shrimp, bamboo shoots strips seasoned with oyster sauce and sesame oil. At one end of the diamond of the bean curd sheet, roll a small handful of the pork-shrimp filling, folding the sides in as you approach the other end of the diamond and seal with egg wash. Heat canola oil in a deep pan until hot but not smoking. Deep fry for a few minutes until golden brown.

Vegetable Korma

I tried a Korma sauce from Seeds of Change Foods, which was quite tasty but it won't keep me from going to my favorite local Indian place (Moksha) to enjoy their wonderful Vegetable Korma dish.

This was an easy way for me to duplicate Vegetable Korma at home. I sauteed some chopped onion in olive oil until translucent and then added 2 cups of chopped cauliflower and 1 large carrot diced. I sauteed for a minute and added the jar of Korma sauce along with 1/2 jar of water to dilute the sauce a bit since it was quite thick. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Then add 1 can of chick peas drained and a small bag of frozen petite peas; cover and cook until hot (about 5-10 minutes). Serve over hot Basmati rice and a side of Indian bread (naan or fried plain puppodums from Tiger Tiger).

Beef Tenderloin with a Mushroom Cognac Sauce

One family night after the holidays, I served beef tenderloin medallions with a mushroom cognac sauce. My mother loves mushrooms and we had cognac on hand. I consulted my copy of Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking for inspiration and technique. Thanks to the recent movie Julia and Julie, there's a renewed interest in the alumna of my alma mater.

Beef Tenderloin Medallions with a Mushroom Cognac Sauce

1 3-5 lbs. beef tenderloin, sliced into 2"-3" thick pieces

magic salt*

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pkg. sliced mushrooms

1 can beef consomme

1/3 c. cognac

1 c. heavy cream

dash of nutmeg

chopped parsley

*My boys call the Chinese seasoned salt, magic salt, because it's magical how it makes everything taste better! This salt is prepared in a skillet over medium-high heat and infused with 5 spice powder. Heat for a while until the seasoned salt becomes fragrant, stirring often. Let cool and store in a jar with star anise.

Preheat oven 400F. Place a 9"x13" pan in the oven and heat for 10 minutes.

Using the magic salt, season each beef medallion. Set aside. Over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil in your dutch oven for a minute. Add the beef tenderloin medallions, avoid crowding, and brown all sides for 1-2 minutes. Set aside in a hot 9"x13" pan. Place the pan in the 400F oven and roast the beef medallions for 10 minutes for medium. Remove from oven when done.

Lower the heat to low-to-medium heat, add the onion and garlic to the dutch oven and cook until the onion is transparent and slightly carmelized. Add the mushrooms and cook several minutes until soft. De-glaze with a can of the beef consomme, scraping the small bits of beef and bring to a gentle boil. Add the cognac and stir for a minute, which releases the alcohol. Add the heavy cream and nutmeg; lower the heat if necessary to cook the sauce gently. Reduce until slightly thickened. Pour the sauce over the beef medallions and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.

Serve with your choice of starch. Rice pilaf is a favorite in our household.