That's Not My Pumpkin

Happy Friday!  We've been searching for the perfect pumpkin...  

too heavy...

no stalk on these...

or these...

found it!

and the perfect recipes to go with the new VIC Specials:

• Boston Butt Pork Roast -- $0.99/lb.  (I don't know what Boston Butt is nor have I ever tried it in a recipe so this could be a little challenging)
• Eye Round Roast -- $3.49/lb.
• Chuck Roast -- $2.49/lb.
• Lean Stew Meat -- $3.49/lb.
• Bertolli 24 oz. Pasta Sauce -- $1.97 or $1.47 if eVic member
• Broccoli Crowns -- $1.69/lb.
• Brussel Sprouts (1 lb. bag) -- 2 for $5
• Asparagus -- $3.79/lb.

Back soon with the meals!

Let's Hear it for the Bacon

I'm sorry to say that I don't have new recipes this week.  I did notice there are a lot of buy one, get one's -- HT chicken breast, Smithfield Whole Pork Tenderloin, Turkey Breast Tenderloin, London Broil, and Oscar Meyer's bacon -- so it is even more of a shame that I didn't take advantage. In honor of bacon, and to keep from being completely empty handed I found this little nugget at I Suwannee.  For all you bacon-heads out there... 

Bacon is Good for Me (if the video link doesn't work)

and the remix with Kevin Bacon...

Bacon is Good for Me (Remix)

and fyi, I think the title in the remix version is a little harsh and do not condone calling anyone fat. 

These Streets Will Make You Feel Brand New

We’re back from NYC and although we had an absolute blast, I wouldn’t exactly describe my current self as feeling brand new.  I feel quite the opposite.  Those streets wore me out, and the big lights fooled me into staying up way too late.  We found our way from the Upper West side to Ground Zero, stopped on Canal Street to bargain (Colin really wanted a watch), wandered through the West Village and Soho, window shopped in Midtown, daydreamed along the Upper East side, sampled a street dog, strolled through Central Park and managed to find our way back to the Upper West Side in time to go back downtown for a night out enjoying New York's finest.  So much fun, but I was slightly bothered by the corner merchants constantly singling me out.   Why didn’t they assume I was a New Yorker?  Wonder if it was my ready to walk all over NY outfit or the map that gave me away? It wasn’t exactly the most stylish outfit I own, but it’s not like I was wearing a fanny pack.  I would have loved to brighten up NYC streets in this Jules Reid ensemble. 

Maybe I can make it to a Fleur trunk show before our next trip to better blend with the locals.  Colin, my self-proclaimed non-designer jeans wearing husband, had no problem doing so in his black Sevens!!!  Thanks Carolyn and John for showing us the City.  Let’s hear it for NY, NY, NY!!!!

Return of the Crock Pot

I'm always a little nervous each Wednesday.  What will be on special?  Will I be able to find recipes for the blog?  Wednesdays present somewhat of a challenge.  I'll admit I was a bit stumped after seeing the specials this week.  Despite what you might think I do not have a vast repetoire of recipes I've mastered and perfected.  This blog is a learn as you go thing, but it is fun and allows me to venture out of my kitchen comfort zone to try new recipes.  Before I probably had a 6 meal rotation I would spread over a 2 week period and fill in with the occasional Bertolli or frozen pizza.  It was fine, but I got the feeling Colin was tiring of the every other week tetrazinni, enchiladas and spaghetti (maybe it was more like a 3 or 4 meal rotation).

So on Wednesday when I found these specials waiting for me in my inbox, I was excited to see:

• HT marinated, boneless pork tenderloin - $5.99 or $3.99 for eVic members
• Sargento shredded mozzarella - Buy one, get one
• 93% lean ground beef - $2.98/pound
• HT 10 oz. bag curly spinach - 2 for $4
• Fuji or Gala apples - $1.79/pound
• Hot House tomatoes - $1.99/pound
• Romaine Hearts - 3 count pkg. - 3.49
• Classico Pasta Sauce - 24 oz. Tomato and Basil or 15 oz. Alfredo - 2 for $4
• Hunts whole tomatoes - 28 oz - $1.79

But what was I going to make?  The pork tenderloin is an easy solution for one night, but what about the rest of the week?  And that doesn't require a recipe, so does it really count?  My co-worker then forwarded me an email she received from Cooking Light, subject line "16 Best Slow Cooker Recipes," and I was inspired.  Thanks Laura Fauver!

Monday - Crock Pot Chili
Although the Cooking Light email mentioned above introduced several new crock pot recipes, this one comes from Jenny Jordan by way of Make it Easy.  Jenny's directions at end of the ingredient list sum up why I love a crock pot... 

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 pound hamburger meat, browned
• 2 packages taco seasoning
• 2 packages ranch dressing
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cans white corn
• 2 can diced tomatoes
• 1 can Rotel mild tomatoes

Put it all in the crock pot and let it cook all day on low. 

I think it would be delicious served with Smitten Kitchen's Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits (you'll also see her recipe for chilli, but how amazing are her pictures???!!!). If you aren't that ambitious or too strapped for time, Pillsbury Grands are buy one, get one.  These don't look too difficult, but they do require a biscuit cutter...wonder if the Halloween/ghost shaped cookie cutters my son received as a party favor would suffice?  My kitchen lacks biscuit cutters.

Sour Cream and Cheddar Biscuits
I take zero credit for this recipe and commentary.  It is adapted by Smitten Kitchen's Deb, from Gourmet.  They remind me of cheese biscuits my mom used to make.  I'll have to get that recipe from her for future posts.

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits 
• 1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 1 1/2 cups)
• Drained and chopped pickled jalapeños, to taste (I used about 2 tablespoons)
• 1 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 425°F. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Either cut the butter pieces into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or rub them in with your fingertips until well-combined. Stir in the cheddar, jalapeños and sour cream until the mixture forms a sticky dough. Pat it out to a 1/2-inch thickness on a very well-floured counter and use a 3 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut six rounds. Bake on an ungreased (or parchment-lined, if your baking sheets are as “weathered” as mine are) for 15 to 17 minutes, until golden on top.

Do ahead: If you’d like to serve them over a couple days, I recommend freezing already formed but unbaked biscuits until you are ready to bake them — you can bake them directly from the freezer, adding just a minute or two to the baking time.

Tuesday - Chili Leftovers...

Wednesday - Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms
I found this recipe on the Cooking Light email Laura sent.  It uses two of my favorite culinary items: a crock pot and no boil lasagna noodles.  I've always been curious about lasagna that cooks in a crock pot.  Could be interesting, but I'm relying on its 4 out of 5 star rating.

Bagged spinach, Sargento shredded mozzarella and Classico tomato basil pasta sauce are all on special!

Cooking Light's Pesto Lasagna with Spinach and Mushrooms

 Thursday - Lasagna Leftovers or Pork Tenderloin
The pork tenderloin is pre-marinated so all you would need to do is throw it on the grill or in the oven.  Since the bagged spinach is 2 for $4, you can use what's leftover from the spinach lasagna for a Spinach Salad.  The posts gives two options for dressings.  If doing the spicy dressing, I'd omit the strawberries.

And because apples are on VIC special and we've been talking about a crock pot, I wanted to share this Overnight Apple Butter recipe. It was also included on the Cooking Light email.  As the recipe says it would be a great spread for breads and even pork or poultry, but if mine looks anything like that picture, I see myself eating it straight from the bowl.    

Rouge and Lipstick

I don't know what it is, but the past two meals I've made -- the Plantation Barbecued Chicken and the Pork Loin-- cooked more quickly than the recipes prescribed.  The chicken was done within an hour and 10 minutes instead of the full two hours.  Could it be the oven?  It's not the newest or the prettiest appliance we own.  As Colin's stepfather put it, our kitchen just needs "rouge and lipstick" -- new cabinets being the rouge and a new oven being the lipstick.  But, I don't want to completely rag on the oven.  It has provided many a meal for the Perrys (and I'm sure the last 3 owners of our home).  What's so wrong with needing rouge and lipstick anway?  I require rouge, lipstick, concealer, bronzer, etc. on a daily basis.  Maybe the generic aluminum foil used to cover the casserole is to blame....

Fall is here!

I'm loving this weather.  But after experiencing such a brutal Summer, I’m in disbelief over the cooler temps as evidenced by my son’s attire this week.  He was the only one in “school” in shorts, and because I did not dress him accordingly, I found him donning a hooded starter jacket from the clothes closet when I picked him up.  Oops!

With the turning of the seasons we'll be dining alfresco. 

Colin couldn't be more excited about it!

This Fall weather calls for Fall recipes, so I'll be taking advantage of the following VIC Specials...

• Center Cut Boneless Pork Chops - $2.99/lb (regularly $5.29/lb)
• Split Chicken Breasts - $0.99/lb (regularly $1.99/lb)
• Pork Loin - $1.99 (regularly $3.99/lb)
• Prosciutto - $3.99 (regularly $6.99)

to use in these meals...

Monday - Fastest Prosciutto Pasta 

Mondays are always a little frenzied, so a fast pasta dish is right up my alley. This one comes from Kimberly Mize, co-creator of the famed Make it Easy.  Looks delish and uses many ingredients we already have on hand. 

• 5 slices prosciutto
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 T. butter
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 c. bread crumbs
• 1/2 t. red pepper flakes
• 1/2 box spaghetti, cooked and drained (HT brand is BOGO)
• Parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Saute chopped prosciutto in skillet with olive oil, butter and garlic for 2 -3 minutes.  Add bread crumbs and chili flakes to taste.  Serve over cooked and drained pasta with chopped parsley.  

Tuesday - Plantation Barbecued Chicken

I love this chicken.  I found it in Take the Tour for a Taste of Colonial Edenton.  It takes no time to make the sauce and then bakes in the oven for 2 hours.  If you'd prefer, you can transfer to the grill after an hour of cooking.  I'm not sure exactly how long it needs to stay on the grill...the first time I made it, I forgot to cover it in the oven so it didn't stay on the grill for too long.  Maybe 15 or 20 minutes???  We were doing a lot of testing with the fork.

• 3 lbs chicken pieces (I'll be using the split chicken breasts)
• salt and pepper
• 6 T. ketchup
• 4 T. vinegar
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 4 T. Worcestershire
• 6 T. brown sugar
• 3 T. water
• 2 T. margarine
• 2 t. salt
• 2 t. prepared mustard
• 1 t. paprika.

Preheat oven to 350.  Salt and pepper chicken; place in casserole. Combine remaining ingredients in saucepan over medium heat. Thoroughly blend and simmer to boiling.  Pour sauce over chicken and bake, covered, for 2 hours.  Can be grilled after one hour of baking. 

Another note -- when I made this the second time, we opted to cook it in the oven for the full two hours rather than throw it on the grill after the first hour.  I checked on it after it had been in the oven for an hour and 10 minutes, and it was done!  You may want to do the same.

Wednesday - Pork Chop Casserole

I've been waiting for cooler weather to try this.  It will be easy to make the night before so all I'll need to do on Wednesday is throw it in the oven once I get home.  It is another Make it Easy recipe and was submitted by Martha Seaman.

•  4 - 6 pork chops
• Red or white potatoes
• Onions
• Cream of mushroom or cream of celery soup
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325.  Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper.  Put in 9 x 13-inch casserole.  Slice potatoes and layer over chops.  Slice onion and layer over potatoes.  Cover with soup.  Cover dish with foil and cook for 1 1 /2 hours.  

Thursday - Pork Loin with Wine

My mother-in-law gave me this recipe years ago.  Colin and I were trying to think of something to make one weekend night, and she suggested this.  We had to try it after Colin's dad said, "It's so good it will make you cry."  

• 1 pork loin, about 6 lbs. 
• 1 t. pepper
• 1 t. dried thyme
• 3 t. salt
• 2 onions, quartered
• 4 - 6 carrots, peeled and cut into medium pieces
• Potatoes (optional)
• Garlic cloves, several
• Fresh parsley to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 c. white wine (I've also used red)
• 1 c. beef bouillon

Preheat oven to 450.  Mix together pepper, thyme and salt and rub evenly all over pork.  Place in large roasting pan.  Surround pork with onions, carrots, potatoes, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, white wine and beef bouillon.  Cook uncovered for 20 minutes.  Turn oven down to 350. Take out and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Bake for 20 minutes a pound (including the first 20 minutes).  Serve with rice to soak up the "so good it will make you cry" broth.

You may want to check on it the beginning of the last 20 minutes to see how much more it needs to cook.  I overcooked ours the last time.

Thursday - I think we'll be having pork loin leftovers for a while...

Sorry Otis

we had the baby back slow cooker asian-style ribs tonight.

otis really wanted a bite.

he waited patiently and

was very optimistic,

 but we didn't save him any.

 he was not amused.

what a great meal!  the meat was super tender and fell right off the bone.  we can't reach a verdict on the cabbage though. colin thought it was a good accompaniment, but i may limit my cabbage intake to eggrolls.   

Chicken Legs

Telling someone they have chicken legs is not exactly a compliment.  Take it from someone who has said legs and has heard the comparison more than a few hundred times.  I've even been asked, "Are those your legs or are you riding the back of a chicken?"  Really.  After the countless mix-ups you would think chicken legs and I would have more of a connection.  But, I must admit I wasn’t exactly thrilled when I saw chicken legs were on special. I would have been much more excited about split chicken breasts or even chicken thighs.  In search of recipes, I googled “chicken legs” and happened upon delicious new blogs that led me to not 1, but 2 recipes. I figured 2 chicken leg variations would make up for the repeat bone-in pork chop meal.  Thanks for understanding!  I've just been craving grilled pork chops and know no better way to do them!

Monday – Chicken Legs

Two variations to choose from....

Thai-Style Chicken Legs from Smitten Kitchen.  I love this blog.  Wonderful recipes, commentary and magazine worthy pics.  Although I do have a confession.  When I first looked for chicken recipes I couldn't find any...I would advise you to check under the "poultry" category before lodging any formal complaints.

Want to try something a little more low maintenance? Saw these mentioned on two blogs – they must be good!

Baked Chicken Legs as seen on Chaos in the Kitchen and Dine and Dish


Sorry to not include the actual recipes here....do you mind having to click?  I know it's a departure from the norm, but I thought you would enjoy the blogs.

Tuesday - Grilled Pork Chops

This is a repeat recipe, but I love it.  Mix garlic powder, kosher salt and pepper together to make a rub for the pork chops.  Then plop them on the grill and cook to your liking.  You could also bake in the oven if the weather is not cooperating, the gas grill is out of gas or you don't want to deal with charcoal.  Divine!

Wednesday - Baby Back Ribs

I love ribs, but have never cooked them.  I usually leave that up to my dad or father-in-law.  My brother's aren't too shabby either.  But, I found this recipe which involves a crockpot and had to try.  You know I love a crockpot.  Compliments of Real Simple...
Slow Cooker Asian Short Ribs  This recipe uses short ribs, but as I learned today, short ribs are beef and baby backs are pork.  I'm pretty sure baby backs that have been in the crockpot all day will be just as good...hope so anyway!

Thursday - Leftovers or alternate chicken leg recipe!