Feeding an Army

I liked the first Rachel Ray dish so much that I decided to try another. The recipe says that the prep time is 15 minutes and the cook time is 20 minutes, but somehow I ended up in the kitchen for an hour and a half. It was worth it though.

Spicy Stir-Fried Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 1/4 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
12 to 16 dried Thai bird chiles (or 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes)
3 medium pork tenderloins (about 2 1/2 lbs. total), sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 large bunch broccoli (about 1 1/4 lbs.) - cut into florets, stems peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick
1 1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup canned chicken broth
1 cup water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
4 cups, steamed jasmine or brown basmati rice

1. In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the oil, soy sauce, garlic, onion and five-spice powder. Lightly crush the chiles with the side of a large knife and add to the bag. Close the bag; shake to mix. Add the pork to the bag of spices and mix well; squeeze out the air and seal the bag. Chill the pork for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
2. Fill 2 medium saucepans halfway with water and bring each to a boil. Add the broccoli to one pot and cook for 3 minutes; drain in a colander and rinse with cold water until cool. Cook the sweet potatoes in the other pot, simmering until barely fork-tender, about 5 minutes; drain and let cool.
3. Preheat a large nonstick skillet or a wok over high heat. If using the skillet, add half of the pork and its marinade (if using wok, add all of the meat at once) and stir-fry until the pork is no longer pink (about 4 minutes per batch). Transfer to a bowl and cook the remaining pork.
4. In a bowl, stir together the broth, water and cornstarch until smooth. Add the broth to a large skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened and no longer cloudy, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved vegetables to the pan and cook, stirring often, until heated through. Add the pork and any juices to the pan and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with steamed rice.

My Notes: I used lite soy sauce to reduce the amount of sodium in the dish, minced garlic from a jar, and cayenne pepper instead of crushed red pepper flakes. I decided to use jasmine rice and it was a perfect match for the spicy pork stir fry. Most "spicy" dishes aren't quite as spicy as we like it so we topped ours off with some scorching chili paste. This dish was very tasty and one that we will have again. I didn't realize until afterwards that I had cooked a meal for 8 people so next time I will definitely cut this recipe at least in half.

Family Recipe

My husband's mother was a wonderful cook and she always had something tasty waiting on us each time we visited. One of the first meals that I had at her house was chicken and dressing casserole with homestyle green beans and her famous angel biscuits, a truly southern meal (the only thing missing was the sweet tea). It was heavenly! The following recipe is an adaptation of the original.

Chicken and Dressing Casserole (from the kitchen of Rebecca Morgan)

3-4 large, boneless chicken breasts
1 can mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
1 pkg. Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing mix
1 stick butter
3 cups chicken broth

Brown the chicken in a pan with olive oil and salt & pepper. Cut the chicken into small cubes. Place the cubed chicken in a 9"x 13" pan. Mix mushroom soup and sour cream. Pour over chicken. In separate bowl, put stuffing mix, melted butter and the broth. Mix well. Spoon over top of chicken. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

My Notes: In order to be a little more health conscious, I use low sodium mushroom soup, low sodium chicken broth, unsalted butter, and fat free sour cream. It never disappoints.

I had to do it

I was a Rachel Ray virgin until tonight. I've watched enough of her show to know that she annoys me, but she always seems to be cooking up something tasty and she's so darn quick and perky in the kitchen. No, I did not buy one of her cook books or magazines, but I did, however, copy a recipe from someone else's magazine. I am now a fan of her food (but her voice still irritates me). Without further ado, I give you...

Smashed Super Skins with Steak-and-Pepper Hash

4 large starchy potatoes, such as Idaho
Salt
3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 scallions, chopped
One 1 lb. sirloin steak, no more than 1/2 in. thick, trimmed and thinly sliced into pieces abotu 3 in. long and 1/4 to 1/2 in. wide.
Freshly ground pepper
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 poblano chile peppers (or red bell peppers, for less spiciness), seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2 to 3 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
1/2 c. sour cream or reduced-fat sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 c. milk, depending on how soft you like your mashers
One 10 oz. package shredded sharp cheddar cheese


1. Cut the unpeeled potatoes into large chunks. Place the potatoes in a pot and cover with cold water. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Uncover the pot, add salt to season and continue cooking the potatoes until they are fork-tender, about 12 to 15 minutes.
2. Place a small saucepan over low heat and add about 1 Tbsp. of the oil (eyeball it), the butter, garlic and scallions. Let the mixture melt together and infuse. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let stand.
3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Season the steak with salt and pepper, then add a Tbsp. of oil. The oil will smoke - don't freak out; just add the meat and start searing it. Brown the strips on all sides, then hit the steak with some Worcestershire sauce.
4. Push the meat to one side of the skillet and add another Tbsp. of oil, then the peppers and onion. Season the veggies with salt and pepper and toss them until the edges sear, another 1 to 2 minutes. Stir the meat and veggies together. Add the thyme and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, keeping everything moving around like a stir-fry. Turn off the heat and squeeze the juice from the lime wedges over the steak and veggies. Taste and season.
5. Drain the potatoes, then return them to the hot pot to evaporate some of the liquid. Add the reserved garlic and scallion mixture to the potatoes along with the sour cream and start smashing away with a masher. Add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of milk to get the potatoes to the desired consistency, then mash in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Pile up the mashed super skins in a bowl and top with steak hash.

My Notes: I used 7 red gourmet potatoes instead of Idaho's and I used red and green bell peppers instead of poblano's. The sweetness of the red bell peppers was a great compliment to the savory potatoes. I was all out of thyme so I left it out and didn't even miss it. I served this dish with a light side salad. The meal turned out great and my husband loved it as much as I did. Success! Thank you, Rachel Ray.

Men love it! And so do women.

At my bridal shower, the hostess asked everyone to write down a favorite recipe and then she bound them together for me. One of those recipes was "Pleasant Hill Shaker Village Meatloaf" contributed by my friend, Kathy. I found the broccoli rice cup recipe in a Kraft foods magazine.

Pleasant Hill Shaker Village Meatloaf (as written by Kathy)

1-1/2 lbs. hamburger meat
1/2 c. onions (chopped)
1/2 c. green pepper (chopped)
1/4 c. celery (chopped)
1 small can tomato juice (6-8 oz)
3/4 c. oats
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Mix hamburger, salt, pepper, green peppers, onion, celery & egg. Mix in oats & add tomato juice. Use fork to mix to avoid packing. Shape into loaf. Place on rack covered in aluminum foil with slits pricked to allow juice to drain into pan underneath. Bake at 375 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. Men love it!

My Notes: I made several changes to this recipe so my comments do not fairly reflect the actual outcome of the original recipe. I used 2 lbs. of beef instead of 1 1/2 lbs. I left out the celery and I substituted bread crumbs instead of oats. I also separated the mixture into two loafs (which cut the cooking time in half) and put them on a vented baking pan instead of wrapping them in tinfoil. The meatloaf was moist, but it was lacking in the flavor department. Next time I will probably add other spices and top the meatloaf with some sort of sauce.



Rice, Broccoli 'n Cheese Cups

1 c. Minute white rice, uncooked
1 c. chicken broth
1-1/2 c. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
2/3 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. ranch dressing
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare rice as directed on package, substituting chicken broth for the water. Place cooked rice in large mixing bowl; cool slightly. Stir in remaining ingredients until well blended.

Spoon mixture evenly into 8 greased muffin cups.

Bake 25 min. or until lightly browned.


My Notes: This is the second time I've tried this recipe. The first time it turned out in perfect little cups, but this time the cups weren't very firm. The taste was incredible, but all the cups ended up together in a bowl. I eyeballed the measurements so I'm guessing I just added too much moisture. I will definitely give this one another go.

What's for dinner?

Cooking is something I love to do so I'm always looking for new and exciting recipes for my husband and I to try. I really enjoy the whole process from making the grocery list to putting the food on the table and I take pride in preparing a delicious meal with a lot of love in every bite. The best part to me is taking my apron off and sitting down to enjoy the meal with someone I love.

I grew up in the south and southern women are not known for being health conscious cooks. They are known, however, for making soulful, savory dishes and I like to think that my cooking falls into that category, not the healthiest thing for you, but definitely tasty. To quote Paula Deen, " You have to understand, southern cooking comes from within. We show our love for someone through the kitchen, through food. We bake a pie or a cake as a welcoming gift or as a show of support in tough times. Southern cooking is comfort food. It's flavorful and filling and it makes you feel good." I decided to start this food blog as a way to share my love for good food. I hope you enjoy!