Bacon-etti

1 pound spaghetti
1/2 pound bacon cut into 1 inch pieces
1/2 cup olive oil or bacon drippings
1/4 cup minced onion
6 to 8 beaten eggs
1/2 to 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese (I will actually use green sprinkle cheese for this dish.)
Garlic to taste (fresh or powder)
Salt and pepper

In large pot, heat enough water to cook 1 pound of spaghetti. While water is coming to a boil, fry bacon until very crisp. Remove onion from pan with a slotted spoon. Add onion to the drippings in the pan and brown. Once the onions are well caramelized, remove them from the bacon drippings with a slotted spoon and reserve them with the bacon which you have set aside. Add spaghetti to boiling water. Cook until spaghetti is cooked al dente. Drain spaghetti, and add olive oil or bacon drippings. (Bacon drippings will be more flavorful.) Stir well  to keep noodles from sticking.

Pour beaten eggs over spaghetti noodles while the noodles are still very hot and stir until egg is cooked from the residual heat of the noodles. Add grated Parmesan cheese, garlic, salt and pepper to taste, and last of all the bacon onion mixture. (saving the bacon and onion for last makes a prettier dish.)

Makes four generous main dish servings, or six generous side dish servings. Kids usually love this. If the kids don't like onions, make sure you brown them very well. Once they are caramelized, kids will usually eat them just fine. Of course, you can just leave them out.

Amy's Chile Verde

2 jalapenos

2 anaheims

2 lbs tomatillos (papery outside peeled off.)

5 cloves garlic

1 onion, minced

3 cloves garlic, pasted

2 lbs cubed pork, sprinkled with salt and pepper

Oil for sautéing onion, garlic, and pork

1 bunch cilantro

2 cans (4 cups) chicken stock

Palmful of oregano

Dash of ground cloves

Roast first four ingredients till outsides char.  Brown onions and garlic in oil, add salted and peppered pork chunks and fry till brown.  Blend cilantro and all roasted vegetables.  Add to the pot.  Add chicken stock, oregano, and cloves.  Simmer 2 hours or until liquid reduces by 1 inch.  Serve with chips, rice, or tortillas, topped with sour cream, cheese, etc.  You can also use this to smother burritos, etc.

Pulled Pork

1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled
1 pickled jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons of Chipotle chile powder
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/3 cup ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Salt
3 lbs of pork butt shoulder roast, trimmed of excess fat

Put all of the ingredients except salt and roast in blender and puree to create sauce. Put sauce and pork into a large pot and add 1 quart of water. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, turning frequently, for 2 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Remove from heat and cool pork in the sauce. When cool, remove the pork from the sauce and shred into small pieces. Set aside. Reduce the sauce by two thirds. Add the pork back to the sauce. Salt to taste. Serve hot on hamburger buns or ciabatta rolls.

This can be made in a crock pot by omiting water and cooking on low for 8 hours. (Pork will give up enough liquid for cooking in crock pot.) Shred pork, and if necessary reduce on stovetop before salting to taste and serving.

Serves 6 to 8.

Maple & Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin

I made this the other night when Carolyn and the kids were here.  The sauce turns out yummy.  I served it with oven-roasted potatoes, which were also good with a little of the sauce dribbled on.

• 2 pork tenderloins, about 1 pound each
• salt and pepper
• 1 small clove garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard or country-style
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar
• (I used Champagne Orange vinegar)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup or Maple Sugar Seasoning
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Wash and trim the pork and pat dry; sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Place pork in the slow cooker. Combine garlic, mustard, honey, brown sugar, vinegar, thyme and maple syrup; pour over the pork. Turn pork to coat thoroughly. Cover and cook on LOW for 7 to 9 hours, or on HIGH for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.

Remove pork to a plate, cover with foil, and keep warm. Pour the juices into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, or until reduced by about one-third. Combine the cornstarch and cold water; whisk into the reduced juices and cook for 1 minute longer. Serve pork sliced with the thickened juices

Pulled Pork

1 large onion, chopped
6 garlic cloves, peeled

1 pickled jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped

2 teaspoons of Chipotle chile powder

1 Tbsp tomato paste

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

3/4 cup distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon paprika

1/3 cup ketchup

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup light brown sugar

Salt

3 lbs of pork butt shoulder roast, trimmed of excess fat

Purée all of the sauce ingredients. Put sauce and pork into a large pot and add 1 quart of water. Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, turning frequently, for 2 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Remove from heat and cool pork in the sauce. When cool, remove the pork from the sauce and shred into small pieces. Set aside. Reduce the sauce by two thirds. Add the pork back to the sauce. Salt to taste. Serve hot on hamburger buns or ciabatta rolls.

Serves 6 to 8.

Big Samwich

1 loaf French bread, sliced in half lengthwise

6 oz meat (salami, ham, pastrami, or pepperoni)

Sliced cheese (American, Swiss, Cheddar, or Mozzarella)

¼ cup mayonnaise

2 tbs. Prepared mustard

Caramelized onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers

Spread mayonnaise on both sides of bread, squirt mustard on bread and mix with mayo till it's a uniform color.  Place sliced meat on bread, top with cheese.  Add caramelized veggies and then place “lid” on the sandwich, wrap well in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  You can cook it in the microwave if you prefer, but bread will not be crusty and overall the results are not as good.  Remove from oven and slice into serving-sized pieces.  Garnish with sliced tomatoes if you like.  Variation: and add a small amount of pesto to the mayonnaise-mustard mixture.  

(To caramelize the vegetables, slice them thin and saute in a small amount of olive oil until they brown nicely.)

Chili Verde

This is just a jumping-off point.  Chili Verde is different each time I make it.

3 cups cooked pinto beans (canned is fine; 2 cans drained)

2-3 lb. Pork roast

3-4 cups water

2 cloves garlic

1 tbs. Cumin

2 tbs. Chili powder

1 tbs. Salt

1 tsp. Oregano

1 small can green chilies, diced

1 small bottle green chili salsa

1 cup chopped onion

Juice and zest of one lime or lemon

Tomatoes (canned or fresh)

Bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)

Banana peppers or pepperoncini or pepper rings to taste

If I have any cans of green enchilada sauce I want to use up, I'll add that too.

Put all ingredients in large slow-cooker and cook on low all day.  Take out pork roast, break up with fork and return to cooker.  Simmer a while longer if you like.  To serve, fill bowls with crushed chips, top with chili verde and garnish with any or all of the following:  shredded lettuce, chopped green onion, cheese, diced tomatoes, sliced olives, sour cream, guacamole, salsa.

3 Cheese Macaroni and Cheese with Country Smoked Bacon

8 oz. package small pasta shells

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

1 pinch garlic salt

3 tsp. butter 

1-1/2 cans (11 oz.) condensed cream of cheddar cheese soup

1/3 cup shredded havarti cheese

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

3/4 cups shredded white cheddar cheese (reserve a 1/4 cup cheese to top casserole)

4 strips thick-sliced country smoked bacon (or regular bacon), cut into 1/2-inch pieces

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Bring a large pot of lightly-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes, then drain. Transfer the pasta to a casserole dish. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Stir the butter into the pasta mixture until the butter melts. Add the cheddar cheese soup, havarti cheese, parmesan cheese, and 1/2 cup of white cheddar cheese; stir well. Bake for about 25 minutes. While the mac and cheese is baking, fry the bacon in a skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Top casserole with crumbled bacon and reserved cheddar cheese. Place under broiler for about 10 seconds until the cheese melts. Serve hot.

Susie's Awesome Sausage Lentil Soup

One of my all-time favorite restaurants is Carrabba's. And one of my favorite things to eat there is the Sausage Lentil soup. I have searched all over the internet and found about 6 recipes for it, none are identical so I took bits and pieces of all six of them and created my OWN recipe out of the lot of them. And it tastes JUST like that soup, so now I don't have to wait till we go out for dinner, I can make it whenever I am craving it. Of course, it makes a pan big enough to feed an army so we'll be eating it all week, but since it seems like everyone in the whole family likes it that shouldn't be too difficult. In case anyone is interested, I'll post it here. You may want to cut it in half to make a more reasonable sized pan full. (This recipe, as posted, makes a HUGE pot, about 8 quarts.)

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbs. Olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 ½ cup grated carrot (I use one package pre-grated, which is more)
• 4 stalks chopped celery
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 2 lbs bulk Italian sausage, spicy hot
• 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 3 quarts chicken stock (stronger than broth)
• 2 lbs lentils, rinsed and picked over
• 2 tbs. vinegar
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 ½ tsp. salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp fennel seeds

Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Add onion, carrot, celery, garlic, and sausage to the pot. Saute, stirring often, until sausage is cooked through. Break up sausage into small bits as it cooks. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Remove bay leaves. Puree slightly with stick blender. If no stick blender is available, remove 1/3 of soup and puree in blender and return to pot.
Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese and serve with a thick slice of crusty bread.