Yellow Split Pea Soup

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2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 pound bag split peas, rinsed and picked through
1 1/2 - 2 pounds smoked ham hock
1 quart chicken stock
1 quart water
1 or 2 Tbsp Half & Half (optional)
Salt and black pepper
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  In a large dutch oven, saute onion, celery and carrots over medium-high heat. Add split peas (I liked the yellow ones) stock and water. Nestle ham hock into pot. Bring to a simmer and cook about 1 1/2 hours until soup is thick and peas have almost disintegrated and vegetables are soft. Season, to taste with salt and pepper. Remove ham hock and let cool. Pull meat from ham hock bone, shred and add back to pot and remove from heat. Stir in half & half. Garnish with bacon bits, croûtons or just nothing at all!

Beef Bourguignon

2 pounds stew beef
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
4 slices bacon diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups red wine
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tsp thyme
1/2 pound pearl onions, peeled (frozen is ok too)
6 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices
2 celery stalks, also cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 pound mushrooms, cut into quarters

Directions

Dry beef with paper towel. Salt and pepper the beef. In a large, heavy-bottomed pan on medium-high heat, brown the beef in batches with 2 to 3 tablespoons oil until browned on the outside and very rare inside, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside on a platter.

In the same pan, saute the bacon on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until browned and crisp. Remove the bacon and set it aside. Drain all the fat, except 2 tablespoons, from the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook on high heat for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add the beef, vegetables (except mushrooms), beef stock, tomato paste, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered on medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Add the mushrooms and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes.

With a fork mash 2 tablespoons butter and the flour into a paste and whisk it gently into the sauce. Simmer for 2 minutes to thicken.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately over noodles.

Pulled Pork

Preheat Oven to 300 F

1 (5 - 7 lb) Boned Pork Shoulder, trimmed
1 Large (2 Medium) Yellow Onion
I bottle Your Favorite BBQ Sauce
1 Tsp Kosher Salt
1 Tsp Black Pepper
1 cup water

Rub salt and pepper over entire roast. In a dutch oven (or roasting pan with aluminum foil tightly covering) place chopped onion and pork, fat side up. Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the water and blend. Pour over pork and onions.

Cover and braise for 2 hours. Remove cover and baste with juices and roast another 2 hours or so, uncovered. Pork is done when it shreds easily. (My 5 1/2 lb roast took 4 hours) Remove from cooking liquid, shred with 2 forks and add BBQ sauce to taste.

Pork is great on soft potato rolls with cole slaw on the side!!

Quick Marinara Sauce

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Medium Onion, chopped
2 Garlic Cloves
1 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
1 6oz Can Tomato Paste
1 cup Chopped Parsley
1 tsp Dried Oregano
½ tsp Dried Basil (or several fresh leaves)
1 Tsp Sea Salt
1 Tsp Pepper
1/8 Tsp Red Pepper Flakes

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook over medium-low heat until translucent (about 5 - 7 minutes). Add the garlic and stir for one more minute. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, oregano, basil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper and herbs.

Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 20 or 30 minutes.

Lasagna

1 batch Marinara Sauce (recipe to follow)

1 lb Sweet Italian Sausage (out of casing)

1 Box Lasagna Noodles
16 oz Ricotta Cheese
1 Extra Large Egg
12 oz Package Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese For Sprinkling At End

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and position the oven rack in the middle.

2. Lay lasagna noodles in a baking dish. Add boiling water to cover the noodles. Let sit for about 15 mins until noodles are pliable.

3. In a large skillet, brown the sausage until cooked through, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. When its done, pour in marinara.

4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the ricotta, the beaten egg, chopped parsley, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

5. Spread about one ladle full of sauce into bottom of baking pan. Then add approximately half the pasta (in one layer, cover the sauce with the noodles), half the mozzarella, half the ricotta mixture, and one third of the sauce. Add another single layer of noodles, mozzarella, ricotta, and the remaining sauce Sprinkle with the Parmesan.

6. Bake uncovered for 45 - 60 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling.

Let Lasagna sit at least 15 minutes before serving

Apple Crisp

This traditional dessert is so easy and sooooo good!!!!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Filling:
* 4 or 5 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
* 1/4 cup flour
* 1/4 cup sugar
* sprinkle of cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* zest of 1 lemon

Topping:
* 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
* 1/3 cup brown sugar
* 1/4 cup white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 stick chilled butter, cut into pieces
* 3/4 cup oatmeal (quick oats)


For the Filling:
Blend apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice and zest together. Place into baking dish. (I use a 9" x 12" rectangle glass pyrex)

For topping:
Mix the flour, sugars, cinnamon and salt in large bowl. Blend the butter (either using an electric mixer or pinch in if by hand) into the mixture until it forms pea size lumps. Stir in oatmeal and lay on top of filling.

Bake for 1 hour. Cool for at least 15 minutes.
Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Serves 4 generously!!

WELCOME to my blog!!

So... you've run out of ideas for what to make for dinner. It's OK, we've all been there. But instead of ordering expensive take-out, why not try one of my recipes?

In the future, I will be posting here with what I am making for dinner, along with the recipe and photos. I hope you enjoy them as much as my family has!

You'll be hearing from me soon,
Kirsten