Ingredients.....Give me Input!

So I was thinking...one of the most common comments I get from friends and family members regarding my cooking is something about how they would have never thought to try a certain ingredient  (or try to make a recipe because of an ingredient in it) .... or that they are too afraid to try it or they would never know what to even do with it. (Whatever "it" happens to be)

I'm not entirely sure where all of my gusto for cooking comes from, or my willingness to experiment. I know that I owe a lot of it to my mom. Growing up, we did not go out to eat hardly at all. So she cooked a lot! As I was older I noticed more and more how she entertained and loved to have people over and I started to observe how much food is a part of people's lives. Admit it. Even if you aren't a "cook", you love to eat! And if you don't love to eat, or don't want to admit it, then I think you have a whole separate problem. Perhaps my problem is I love to cook AND love to eat. Sigh....okay I digress.

Another aspect that makes up my love for cooking and my willingness to experiment is the shows I watch on Food Network. Yes, I mean those 30 minute, sometimes (okay most of the time) cheesy shows that are just about people cooking. Most people can't stand shows like that. I happen to love them! I recently realized the correlation between my cooking risks and my TV watching. You see, a lot of the fear behind not trying to use an ingredient or use a certain cooking / preparation technique comes from the unknown of it all. But once you see people on TV doing it over and over again, you realize it's not too hard. Some things are a bit tough still, but at least I've seen someone doing it rather than just reading it on a page and thinking "that sounds too hard". So, I've learned a lot from Food Network. (hmmm do I have to pay them for that? Perhaps they should pay me for that shameless plug....)

So now I've come to the main reason I started this post in the first place. I want to hear from YOU! Yes.....the small handfull of you who actually read my blog. Or maybe there are more of you who are silent readers. Well.....please don't be silent anymore :) I want you to leave me a comment and tell me the ingredient that you are most afraid or cautious of using. Whether it is because it seems scary, or you just don't know what the heck to do with it, or maybe it's a cooking technique that you aren't sure about. Tell me! What I'm thinking is I can pick some of the ingredients you all mention and either give you ideas of ways I've used them before....OR if I've never tried them, then maybe I will and then I'll post my experience for you to see.....then it won't be so bad for you to try after all. :)

I can't wait to "hear" what you all have to say!

Fresh from the garden!

Short and sweet, but basically I am just so happy! My little babies, all grown up.

From this:

To THIS:

I put these in my Pork & Hominy Stew tonight and it was delicious. My yellow squash are just about ready to start picking also....and I was peeking tonight and there's already 2 more zuchini ready to pick and some red tomatoes! Yum....

:)

Dinner Time - Pork & Hominy Stew

This was another one of those recipes I consistently flipped past in one of my favorite cookbooks. It didn't have a picture. Plus it had words like "Hominy" in it. I had used Hominy once before but overall I was just never drawn to make this recipe. Something changed this week....and I thought I'd give it a whirl. Maybe it was the word "Stew" and the looming weather reports threatening clouds and rain. (which by the way, I saw the clouds, but no rain, and um...it was kind of warm...?) Didn't turn out to be stew weather. Getting done with a work out, being hot, tired and sweaty....the thought of making and eating stew was the last thing I wanted. But I had to do it! The 2 lb pork loin was already fully defrosted so I had no choice.... (some of you cooks out there understand the dilema of the already thawed meat that you just have to use....don't you? I know I'm not alone....) 

So, I'll start with the recipe. Then I'll tell you what I added to make it my own. ;)

INGREDIENTS

1 large onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup water

4 garlic cloves, peeled

1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless pork loin, trimmed & cut into 1 inch pieces
3/4 teaspoon salt

3 carrots cut into 1 inch pieces

1 (14 1/2 oz) can reduced sodium chicken broth

1 (15 oz) can white or yellow hominy, rinsed and drained (So Hominy, if you aren't familiar with it, is almost like a corn kernel. It's a bit more dense but it's almost like a starch in a way, like a bean texture? It adds a mild but delicious flavor and texture. You can find it in most mexican food isles. You just rinse and drain it like a can of beans. Don't be afraid to try "Strange" ingredients!) Below is a pic of it draining after I rinsed. You can see that it does look like little corn - but it does not taste like corn so don't let that fool you!

OKAY: So here's the thing. I forgot to buy cilantro at the store this weekend! I was very disapointed because I love cilantro. So, I had to leave it out. It ended up being just fine though!

Also - I was itching for a way to use my fresh zuchini from my garden so I cut up 2 medium sized green zuchini into chunks and put it in after the carrots were soft (see recipe steps further down). It was yummy!

Last - I also added a can of drained and rinsed black beans at the simmer step (YUM) and another 1/2 to 3/4 of a can of chicken broth for extra liquid since I was adding more veg with the beans and zuchini. Turned out perfect I dare say. :)

COOK

1. Puree onion, cilantro, water, garlic, oregano and cumin in a blender; set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a nonstick dutch oven (or large stock pot), add pork and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned. About 4 minutes. Add carrots and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften. About 2 minutes. (here is where I added zuchini)

3. Add reserved onion mixture and the broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer (added beans here and also extra broth), partially covered, until poark and carrots are fork tender. About 30-40 minutes. Stir in the hominy and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

~~I decided to slice up some corn tortillas and toss them in olive oil, salt, garlic powder, a pinch of chili powder and pinch of cumin and put them on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degree heat for about 20 minutes (check every so often) until crispy. Whala! Instant tortilla crisps for topping.

~~I topped my soup with the tortilla crisps, some avocado and that was all I needed. I suspect when Caleb comes home he will probably add sour cream. You could also add some chopped tomatoes or green onions. The cilantro would sure come in handy. I did miss it personally but I don't think the recipe lacked without it at all. It was very filling, full of protein, low in fat, easy and fast to make. I was very surprised at how good it was, and the pork in a stew was a nice change from the usual suspects of beef or chicken.

Here are some pics, I know the one below of it simmering doesn't look terribly appetizing....but I put it up there anyways so that ... a) you can see I actually do make this stuff and b) to use as a guide in case you do make this, you can see if yours looks like mine or not. Maybe that's good or maybe that's bad, who knows.... :)

Turkey Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries

Last night was home made turkey burgers & home made sweet potato fries for dinner. Super easy, healthy, and yummy. :) I put Caleb in charge of mixing up the meat. No specific recipe for this one - I always change it up with whatever I have in my pantry or fridge. Any flavors I feel like, but I just make sure to put enough flavor since it's very lean ground Turkey .... and I always put an egg in to mix up. It acts as a great binding agent to hold the burgers together while cooking. You can also add a little bit of bread crumbs with the egg for extra umph. So, this is what Caleb came up with, for the most part.

Salt

Pepper

Dried Cranberries

Trader Joes "Soyaki" sauce

Egg

"21 Seasoning" (See pic)

And I'm not sure what else. Seems so simple, if that really was it then that's awesome. I wasn't home to watch him do it either...so we'll just take his word for it.

Mix it up really well, then form into patties. I got 5 patties out of about 1 lb of ground meat. I cook them on the stove top in a skillet but if you want to BBQ then go ahead! :) Roughly 4-5 minutes per side, I can tell when they are done by pushing slightly with my spatula on the top of the patty and when the juices run clear that's a good sign it's done.

We topped our patties with fresh spinach leaves, tomatoes, and I put ketchup/mayo and Caleb used BBQ and Dijon Mustard. The burgers were really juicy though! And as odd as the dried cranberries may seem.....just add them. They add a great slightly sweet little pop of flavor and you're not even sure what it's coming from until you remember what's in them. For buns, we are big fans of the super thin "orowheat" brand, or I think I bought another brand that was on sale (check out the picture) .... less bread so I know it seems like you're getting jipped. But it's a bit healthier and you still get the feeling of eating bread with a burger. Just our preference :)

NOW - for the sweet potato fries. I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweet potatoes. A lot of people get confused. Sweet potato. Yam. Sweet potato. Yam. They are different! Very different! A yam for instance, dark skin and bright orange flesh. This is that thing that you get served sliced open with butter and brown sugar dripping from it.(yummmy by the way) It's also the thing that people bake with marshmallows on top for Thanksgiving meals. HOWEVER.....a sweet potato is actually with the consistancy of a potato. Skin looks like a regular potato skin. The shape is normally longer than a normal baking potato shape and it tends to be irregular and funky looking. Here is a great article on sweet potatoes http://www.sheknows.com/articles/803254/sweet-potato-nutrition-cooking-sweet-potatoes

So what I like to do is peel the sweet potato then slice it in a way that it resembles french fry shape. Personally, we prefer the thicker "steak cut" fry shape. Then you can kind of season how you like, be creative! I like to mix them up with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic powder. Play around with dried herbs too though, I have had these fries with herbs in restaurants and it was good!  Then I bake at a very high heat, 400 or so, for about 40 minutes until they are good and crispy. Or less time if you like them a bit softer. Anyways, they are tasty, and good for you! A great substitute for regular potato fries. Try it :)