Pineapple Pork Roast

Yummy, tender, and even Michael, the hater of pork roasts, liked this.

3 lbs pork roast, I used a boneless loin, but any will work
1 15 oz can crushed pineapple with juice
¼ c packed brown sugar
¼ c soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 tbs cornstarch dissolved in ¼ c cold water (to thicken the sauce after cooking)

To prepare the sauce, mix all the ingredients (except roast and cornstarch slurry) in a bowl.
Place roast in a crock pot and pour the sauce on top. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.
Remove roast from crock pot when done, set on a heated platter. Prepare the cornstarch slurry, being sure that all of the cornstarch is dissolved (no one likes lumpy sauce). Whisk the slurry into the sauce in the crock pot to thicken.
Add the roast back to the crock pot and let cook on high for about 15 min more.
Remove roast from crock pot and slice to serve, spooning sauce over sliced pieces.

Chili Blanco

Sorry, no photo this time. Even though the calendar says spring, the feeling outside is more winter-like! Enjoy a healthier version of white chili.

2 poblano chilies
½ teaspoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
4 large garlic cloves, minced
¾ pound chicken breast cut into chunks
½ pound white mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
½ teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can small white beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained
1 ¾ cups chicken broth
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ tablespoon fresh lime juice

1. Preheat the broiler. Line a baking sheet with foil; place the chilies on the baking sheet. Broil 5 inches from the heat, turning occasionally with tongs, until lightly charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chilies to a bowl, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Peel, seed, and chop the chilies. Set aside.

2. Heat the oil in a nonstick Dutch oven (or a large pot) over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the chicken, mushrooms, cumin, coriander, and salt; cook until the chicken is no longer pink and the mushrooms begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Add the beans, broth, and chilies. Cover and cook until flavors and blended, about 8 minutes. Uncover, reduce the heat, and cook until thickened, about 7 minutes longer. Stir in the cilantro and lime juice.

Makes 6 servings. Per serving (about 1 cup): 196 cal, 4g fat, 1g sat fat, 34mg chol, 845mg sod, 26g carb, 8g fiber, 22g protein, 87mg calcium

I’ve been known to cheat and use canned green chilies instead of roasting the peppers. You can lower the sodium by using reduced or no sodium beans. You can also use 3 to 3½ cups of any combination of cooked beans, such as pinto, navy, or red kidney, in place of the small white beans and Great Northern beans. This may alter the color of your chili. If you don’t have coriander, you can use chili powder, though the taste will be different.

Smashed Potatoes

This really isn't the best picture, but these are the best potatoes!

2 lbs red potatoes (about 16 small to med; 2 inches in diameter), scrubbed
1 1/2 tsp salt, divided
1 bay leaf
4 tbs unsalted butter, melted and warm
½ cup cream cheese (4 oz), room temperature
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
3 tbs chopped fresh chives or 4 ½ tsp dried (optional)

1. Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with 1 inch cold water; add 1 teaspoon salt and the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until a paring knife can be inserted into the potatoes with no resistance, 35 to 45 minutes. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water, then drain the potatoes. Return the potatoes to the pot, discard the bay leaf, and allow the potatoes to stand in the pot, uncovered, until the surfaces are dry, about 5 minutes.

2. While the potatoes dry, whisk the melted butter and softened cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth and fully incorporated. Add ¼ cup of the reserved cooking water, ½ teaspoon pepper, the chives (if using), and ½ teaspoon salt. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a wooden spoon, smash the potatoes just enough to break the skins. Fold in the butter-cream cheese mixture until most of the liquid has been absorbed and chunks of potatoes remain. Add more cooking water 1 tablespoon at a time as needed, until the potatoes are slightly looser than desired (the potatoes will thicken slightly with standing). Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper; serve immediately.

Notes: White potatoes can be used instead of red, but reds are so much better. Try to get potatoes of equal size; if that’s not possible, test the larger potatoes for doneness (using a paring knife). If you only larger potatoes, increase the cooking time by about 10 minutes. I usually end up using all of the reserved liquid, it will look a little loose at first, but after standing for five or so minutes, the potatoes soak up all the excess.

Eggnog French Toast Bake

This may not be a recipe that you should make often. When you see the amount of eggnog in this recipe, you'll understand. We frequently make this for breakfast on Christmas morning. Rich, yummy, delicious, and calorie filled.



1 loaf French bread
1 c butter
2 c brown sugar
2 tsp corn syrup
6 eggs
1 ½ tsp vanilla
2 c eggnog or milk (if using milk, add a dash of nutmeg)
¼ tsp cinnamon

1. Slice bread into one and a half-inch slices (I don’t use the end pieces). Place bread in a 9x13-inch pan, layering as needed.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup over medium heat. Cook until all ingredients are combined, stirring constantly. After the butter and sugar have melted, they will be separate. Be sure you keep it on the heat and stirring, it will combine. Pour syrup mix over bread.
3. In a large bowl, beat eggs, eggnog, vanilla, and cinnamon with a whisk. Pour over top of bread and syrup. Cover with plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick spray.
4. Place dish in fridge with weights*. Refrigerate overnight.
5. Bake uncovered at 375° (350 if using a dark or non-stick pan) for 40-45 minutes, or until eggs are set and tops of bread looks crystallized. Serve with additional syrup (although I never do).

*This step is a must. If it isn’t weighted, some bread won’t get saturated and burns, while other pieces are soggy. I usually put another 9x13 pan on top and then use whatever is in the fridge to add extra weight, just make sure it’s even. Be especially sure to watch the liquid level so you don’t end up spilling the egg mix over the sides.

Five-Chip Cookies

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 cup old fashioned oats
2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup each milk chocolate chips, semi-sweet chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, vanilla chips and butterscotch chips **Of course you can add what you want, cherry, mint, caramel, Heath bits, left over Halloween candy, etc**

Preheat oven to 350.

In a mixing bowl, cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

Combine flour, oats, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in chips.

Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks.

Super Saturday Creamy Tomato-Basil Soup

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 pounds tomatoes - peeled, seeded and quartered*
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 quart chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
8 sprigs fresh basil for garnish

Directions
1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onions and garlic and cook until tender. Mix in tomatoes and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the chicken broth, reduce heat to low, and continue cooking 15 minutes.
2. Transfer soup to a blender (or use an immersion hand blender), and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and gradually mix in the heavy cream. Garnish each serving with a sprig of basil.

*If using canned tomatoes, use 48 oz of whole tomatoes, being sure to seed and quarter them. You may need to add up to 2 tbs of sugar.

Notes: When I make this for someone other than my family, I stick to this recipe. If I make it for us , I add a little spice. When heating the butter and olive oil, I add a little crushed red pepper (maybe less than 1/8 tsp). Be very careful when blending the soup, only fill the blender half full. When putting the lid on, don't seal the feed tube (the little hole in the lid), just lightly hold the cover on.

Chicken and Pesto Fettuccine

Sorry, no picture! This is one of our favorites, and is normally gone before I think to get the camera out. This dish looks different, but tastes so good. If you use the pesto recipe below, it makes more than this recipe calls for. If you don’t have another use for the left over pesto, cook a full pound of pasta, increase the cream to 1 ½ cups and use all of the pesto. If you don’t want to make the pesto (trust me, you want to make the pesto), Bertolli has an okay jarred pesto (usually next to pastas and sauces). The jar has enough for two batches.

12 oz fettuccine (lots of other pastas work in this recipe, just use what you already have in your cupboard)
1 ¼ cup light cream
1 tbs olive oil
⅓ cup prepared pesto
1 lb chicken breasts, cut into strips and seasoned with salt and pepper
½ tsp salt
7 oz jarred roasted red pepper drained and chopped

1. Cook pasta until al dente then drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil; add chicken. Cook, stirring frequently, until chicken is thoroughly cooked, and slightly browned.
2. Add roasted red pepper; cook one minute. Add cream and simmer until thickened, about five minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pesto and salt.
3. Toss pasta and sauce. Sprinkle with fresh, diced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese if desired.

Pesto Sauce

This needs to be made with fresh basil. If freezing, add the nuts and cheese after thawing. The recipe calls for a food processor. A blender will work; just make sure to give it a stir by hand and pulse a few more times before serving. Use it immediately or store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to a week. This works well with the above recipe but can also be used as a dip, instead of a red sauce for pizza, alone with pasta, and a lot of other ways.

2 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
⅓ cup pine nuts
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium garlic cloves
salt and ground black pepper

1. Process basil, nuts, garlic, and Parmesan to a rough paste in a food processor.
2. With the machine running, slowly pour oil through the feed tube. If the sauce seems dry (it should be a thick paste), add a little more oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.