My Fave Pork Marinade- Lemon, Herb & Gaaaahlic!

Hey y'all! IF you find a sunny day in between all these rainy days and you want to grill, I have a FABULOUS marinade that I use for pork tenderloin or chops. However, it would probably be equally as good on chicken or fish. Are there any Emeril Lagasse fans reading? BAM! I knew there would be! Well, Emeril used to have a bottled marinade called Lemon, Rosemary, and Gaaaaaahhhhlic, or something along those lines, that I LOVED. Naturally, it was discontinued. Sad and distraught, I moped around the kitchen for months, and grilling pork chops plunged me into such a funk that I could not even eat dessert after dinner! Realizing that the madness had to end, I created my own version of Emeril's bottled marinade masterpiece. Here it is:

Lemon, Herb & Gaaaaahlic Marinade

1/4 cup EVOO
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup OJ
1 1/2 Tbsp. chopped gaaaaaahlic (that's how Emeril says it.....)
1 lemon zested and juiced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried rosemary or a couple sprigs fresh (fresh is MUCH better)
1 Tbsp. honey
Salt & Pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients with a fork or whisk and pour over meat of your choice. For pork or chicken, I would marinate overnight. For fish, a few hours should be good.

Notes: If you don't have any OJ, no worries. It can be omitted. Just add a bit more honey. I use a juicer to juice the lemon. This recipe really depends on the lemon juice so get every drop. If you can do that with your brute strength, then OK. I have no upper body strength. Thus, the juicer- which i STILL fight with! If using fresh rosemary, take a big knife, turn it sideways and pound the rosemary a bit. Rosemary is very thick and woody. Pounding it will help loosen it up and release the flavor.

Lighten Up for Spring! Low-Carb Light Bacon and Cheese Quiche

Hey y'all! It's almost time to squeeze into bathing suits. I know... you aren't ready for THAT, are you?!? You've been looking forward to the warm weather and beautiful long summer days, but I bet you haven't thought about the dreaded bathing suit, huh? I most certainly have. I have been trying mine on at least once a week counting every fat roll and sucking things in until I nearly faint from lack of oxygen. So, even though my QR tag over to the right says, "No diets in 2013!"- I am dieting for summer. I'm trying to cut out gluten. You know, get rid of some of the junky carbs that puff you up like a blowfish. I told someone the other day I was eating gluten-free, and they asked, "Are you allergic to gluten?". I said, "Yes, I am. It makes me fat." LOL! OK, on to the new recipe. This is actually a low-carb crustless quiche recipe that I revised to also be light. Low-carb recipes are usually high in fat, and this one was no exception. However, my lightened up version was very tasty. The kids ate it, so that means it must have been good! Here it is:

Low-Carb Light Bacon and Cheese Quiche

8 large eggs
1 1/4 cups light cream
1 1/4 cups 2% shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup crisp cooked turkey bacon, crumbled
sea salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8x8 square glass pan with non-stick cooking spray. Beat the eggs with the cream. Add salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese and bacon. Pour into the pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until set in middle and lightly golden brown on top.

Note: If you don't have kids, you could throw almost anything in here: mushrooms, spinach, onions, asparagus, red peppers, leeks. Go crazy! Since I do have children.... I made creamed spinach for a side dish, a tossed salad and had this for a light, early weekend supper. I hope you enjoy.

Allergy Season Rescue! Chicken Tortellini Soup

Hi everyone! I hope you are surviving the pollen. My guess is probably not... You probably have a scratchy throat... watery eyes... stuffy runny noses... sneezing... and your entire family keeps saying, "I think I'm getting sick." Of course, they aren't really getting sick, it's just the pollen- probably. Now don't listen to me and totally ignore some major illness! They could have the flu or pneumonia or something. So, use your judgement, OK?

Now, on to the recipe! I have a great soup recipe for scratchy throats. Something warm and soothing is always good when you feel a bit under the weather, and the best part is that this soup is super easy to make. Hooray, no worries for the cook! Furthermore, unless you are feeding an army, there should be leftovers. Yippee, no cooking tomorrow! Let me add a note here before I give you the recipe: THE THING that makes this soup is the crunchy toasts. If you are planning to skip making the toasts, then don't make my soup! I mean it! Just stop. Go eat can soup. For those of you who ARE gonna make the crunchy toasts, here's the recipe:

Chicken Tortellini Soup

1 large package chicken tenders
1 package fresh or frozen cheese tortellini
2 32 oz. boxes chicken broth
2 cans diced tomatoes with garlic and olive oil
1 medium onion finely diced
2 Tbsp. EVOO
1 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 Tbsp. dried basil
4 cups water
2 chicken bouillon cubes
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
fresh shredded parmesan cheese
fresh baguette loaf
butter at room temperature ( REAL butter- Calm down! You are only using a little!)

In a large stock pan saute the onion in EVOO until translucent. Add a dash of sea salt and chopped garlic. Saute about 1 additional minute. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, water and bouillon cubes. Bring to a slow boil. Use kitchen shears to cut chicken tenders into bite-size chunks directly over pot. Add dried basil and fresh ground black pepper. Bring back to a boil and simmer about 15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Gently add tortellini and boil an additional 10 minutes. At this point, I turn off the heat and let the soup sit there. It thickens, and the tortellini plump up nicely while you make the crunchy toasts!

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Slice the baguette in 1/2 inch slices and spread with softened butter. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for about 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and crunchy (GBC). Let these GBC toasts rest for a couple minutes before eating. Also, I recommend taking these GBC toasts to the table. Otherwise, you are gonna wear yourself out going back and forth to the stove for more.

To serve the soup, ladle it into large soup bowls. Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese, and put the GBC toasts around the bowl. OMG! Y'all are gonna love those GBC toasts soaked in that yummy soup! Let me know what you think. Enjoy!

Recipe: Oyster Yum Yum Sauce

Hey everyone! Long time no post! Sorry. The holidays and new year and kids have had me quite busy. This new recipe I have for you is a good one for steamed oysters. I figured I better get it out while oysters were still in season! It actually would be good with any seafood, cooked any way, because it is reminiscent of Japanese Yum Yum Sauce- you know the mayo sauce at the Japanese restaurant that we all adore? Yes, well Oyster Yum Yum Sauce is a spin-off. I had it at an oyster roast recently. Someone there concocted it, and I fell in love. I literally stole the bowl. It's one of those sauces that you eat and all you can say is... YUM! Thus, the name. I always like to be surrounded by sauces at an oyster roast: melted butter with horseradish, cocktail sauce, ketchup with hot sauce, etc... Variety is the spice of life (let's limit this famous quote to food...). Unfortunately, I was shucking oysters and stuffing my face, so I didn't get the exact proportions. I have had to play with it some. This is the version I like best. However, feel free to adjust these 4 ingredients to your specific tastes. You almost can't go wrong. Hope you enjoy!

Oyster Yum Yum Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise (preferably Duke's)
1/4 cup ketchup (preferably Heinz)
2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp hot sauce (preferably Texas Pete / DO NOT USE Tabasco)

Mix all ingredients with a small whisk or fork until smooth. Feel free to adjust ingredients as you like. Cover and refrigerate. Serve chilled with steamed oysters or any seafood dish.

Here's the 411 on Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry sauce. Like fruit cake, it is the definitive sign of old age. I have never seen a young person eat cranberry sauce- at least not with gusto like old people. So, if you are struggling with the question of whether or not you are old it's really quite simple. Ask yourself this: Do I eat cranberry sauce? If the answer is yes, then you are old. If you prefer the jelly one that plops out of the can, you are REALLY old!

Cranberry sauce. You either love it or hate it. Some folks like the one in the can that plops out still looking like the can, rings and all (aforementioned). Some people like whole berry- still in a can. Some Martha Stewart Wannabes make their own.... fooey on them. I say buy it, and I know where! I have tested several brands and styles of cranberry sauce. I started eating it a couple of years ago. (Welcome to OLD AGE! Here's your cranberry sauce!!!) I realized that it's sweet, tart, yumminess is the perfect balance to the saltiness of the typical Thanksgiving meal. Only the mature, sophisticated palate can appreciate these culinary delights. That's what I tell myself while the young people are saying EWWWWWW!

The best cranberry sauce in our area hands down is at Kudzu Bakery. They call it Cranberry Relish. It's a chunky mix of whole cranberries, walnuts, raisins, and orange peel blended in raspberry preserves. With all this going on it manages to maintain the taste of the tart, sweet cranberries. It's fabulous. It is a bit pricey at $6.95 but definitely worth every penny to make your Thanksgiving meal delicious and memorable. You can find it in the refrigerated case at Kudzu.

This year I tried to break away from my old Kudzu habit and try something new- you know, since I have a food blog and all. Anyway, it was a complete disaster! I spent $3.99 on a jar of cranberry sauce from The Fresh Market, and it was... how can I say this nicely? Well, I did not enjoy it. It was a jelly sauce- blah! No chunks of anything and it had this overpowering taste of cinnamon. I only got a hint of cranberry taste after the cinnamon dissolved away, like an afterthought. Hello? Fresh Market, this is cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving, not cinnamon jelly! If you have purchased this concoction- fear not! I have a suggestion. Use it as a jelly for biscuits. It would be perfect. Or, if you have a big crowd for dinner, put the yucky Fresh Market cranberry sauce at the far end of the table with the people you don't really like. Then, get you some REAL cranberry sauce from Kudzu and put it at YOUR end of the table! :-) 

Divine Smothered Pork Chops

Hello my devoted followers! Smooches & hugs all around! I have a great new-old recipe for you. I call it a new-old recipe because that's exactly what it is- it's an old recipe that I am bringing back to life! Hooray! Resurrected smothered pork chops... I mean can you think of a better recipe to save from the very bottom of the recipe box? Tried and true, always tender and delish, let's make it! Actually, I have to confess that this recipe is not entirely mine. It was given to me many moons ago, in a galaxy far, far away, from a good friend named Harriett Cribb. So, my dearest Harriett, here is your most awesome pork chop recipe- revised just a bit- posted for my followers to try and enjoy!

Divine Smothered Pork Chops

6-8 pork chops (you can use boneless or bone-in. I prefer bone-in.)
1 can cream of chicken soup
3 tablespoons worchestershire sauce (yes, I spelled it right, you can check....)
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and pepper
EVOO

Brown the chops in EVOO in a large skillet. Remove the chops to a plate. Deglaze the skillet with the worchestershire sauce and the water using a heavy spoon to pick all the yummy bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the cream of chicken soup, ground oregano, garlic powder, and onion powder. Use a wisk to break it down until it's nice and smooth over low heat. Add the chops back to the skillet and cover them with the gravy. Bring it up to a soft boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for an hour and a half. Yum Yum Yum!

I serve this with roasted potatoes and something very bright. It's kinda bland and blah looking but it really tastes fabulous. However, you need to serve it with something that has a lot of color. Something green. That always makes the kids happy... Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!!!!

Ropa Vieja- Cuban Comfort Food

Hey ya'll! I have a new recipe for you, and I think it's one you are gonna love for two reasons. First, it's a slow cooker recipe, and we all love those for the simplicity. Second, it's a great fall comfort food. When the weather turns cooler, I always think of soups and stews, and this recipe is a meaty stew. It's a Cuban dish that is one of my all-time favorites. This dish really takes me back to a time in my childhood when my family lived in southern Florida. There was a small Cuban cafe near our house that we frequented, and their ropa vieja was my fave! I love, love, love Cuban food! Now, when we vacation in the Keys, I load up on plantain chips and mango juice, and I force my family to eat at Cuban dives. But, back to this recipe... ropa vieja is Spanish for "old clothes". This stew is made from shredded beef in a tomato base which resembles tattered or "old clothes". So, without further ado:

Tiffany's Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja

2 London Broil cuts (Trust me. Use 2. It's good and you are gonna eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner for like 3 days and be really sad when it's gone.)
1 15.5 oz can tomato sauce
2 15.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (Get creative here- use some of the new flavored varieties such as, fennel & spicy red pepper or basil, garlic, & olive oil.)
3 Bay leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
3 cloves chopped garlic (You can add more if you love gahhhhlic... My family does not!)
1 chopped onion
1 Tablespoon dried cilantro (I use dried because if I buy fresh I wont use the rest, but if you think YOU will, then by all means use fresh.)
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (You can add more if you like it spicy.)
Salt & Pepper

In the slow cooker, mix tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, cumin, chopped garlic, onion, dried cilantro, white vinegar, & red pepper flakes. Generously salt & pepper the london broil cuts. Cut them in half if you need to in order to get them in the slow cooker. Cover them with tomato sauce. Toss in 3 bay leaves. Cover & cook on high for 6 hours or until the beef is falling apart and shreds easily. Use a couple forks to shred the beef in the slow cooker. If you want the stew to be a bit thicker, stir in a can of tomato paste and continue cooking for 30 minutes with the lid off. Give it a taste to adjust any seasonings. Try not to eat the whole pot before dinner- that's always my problem. 

Serve this with yellow rice and black beans for an authentic Cuban meal. If you don't have any yellow rice, white or brown is just as good! Hope you like it!