Slow Cooked Apple Cider Pork

My roomate used to make us this recipe but with chicken.  You could use either meat.  I adapted it a bit to cook slowly so the pork would be more tender.

Apple Cider Pork

Ingedients:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 of an onion chopped.
4 pork tender loins or pork chops
1 Granny Smith Apple peeled and diced
Enough apple juice or apple cider to cover pork (about 4 cups)
2 Tbsp. butter

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat and add pork chops a few at a time depending on the size of your pan.  I used my dutch oven and cook only cook two at a time.  Cook for 2 minutes on each side.  Place finished on a plate to the side until all are done.  Then in the same pan cook onion and apples until onion is translucent and apples are tender (about 3 minutes).  Then add garlic and cook for one minute.  Then put the pork chops back in the pan.  Pour on the apple juice until it covers all the meat.  Place a lid on your pot and cook on low for 1-2 hours until meat is tender.

Super Easy, Tasty Egg Rolls

I love egg rolls.  When I am pregnant I crave them for some reason.  Don't ask me why.  I have never attempted making them before because every recipe I come across has weird ingredients and seems to complicated but I found a super simple one with just a few ingredients.

Super Easy Egg Rolls

Adapted from a Taste of Home Recipe

Ingredients:
  1/2 pound pork sausage
  1/4 cup chopped green pepper
  1/8 cup chopped onion
  1 tsp. minced garlic
   one small package coleslaw mix
   1/4 tsp. pepper
   1/8 tsp. salt
   Package Egg Roll Wrappers (about 16)

Cook the sausage, green pepper, and onion over medium heat in a fairly large skillet.  When the meat is fully cooked add the garlic.  Cook for one more minute.  Drain.  Add the salt and pepper.  Now here you can combine the pork and coleslaw to make assembly easier or you can leave them separate.  I ended up with extra coleslaw so I'm glad I didn't combine the pork mixture and the coleslaw. 

For assembly have a small bowl of water in front of you, the sausage mixture, the coleslaw, and a large area to fold the egg rolls. 

Place about 4 Tbsp. sausage mixture and the same amount coleslaw in the middle of an egg roll.  Fold up bottom corner and then fold in the sides.  You can add a little water to the edges to make the stick better if they are being difficult.  Then fold down the top or roll up the egg roll.  Add a little water to that last seam just by dipping your finger into the bowl of water and dabbing on the egg roll wrapper.  You don't need a lot.

Assemble all egg rolls and then heat about an inch of your favorite frying oil in the bottom of a skillet or fryer.  It should be around 375 degrees or pop when you add an egg roll.  Cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side of the egg rolls depending on how brown you like them to be.  Drain on paper towels.  Serve with Sweet and Sour Sauce.

My package of egg rolls wrappers had more than 16 I think so I doubled the recipe to fill them all.  They store well.  You can even freeze them but reheat in the oven, not the microwave or they will lose their crunch and be soggy and grosse!

A Pie Disaster turns into a Yummy Crumble

I had a bit of a baking disaster the other day.  I was trying to make a gallette and while I was transfering it to the pan it fell apart.  It was a lovely peach pie turned peach crumble. 

Basil Cubes

Have a bunch of basil?  I do.  My neighbor grew a ton and has given me a whole pot!  So I've been making Basil Cubes.  Its really simple.  Just pull all the leaves off the stem and place them in a blender or food processor. Blend while pouring in water slowly until the desired consistency.  Pour into ice cube trays.  When frozen place them in a bag.  When cooking just add a basil cube.  Tastes so fresh!

Zucchini Brownies

I'm back from vacation and finally getting back into the groove of life again.  Here is a recipe I've tried recently.  Its a great mix of a brownie with Better Than Sex Cake and what's great is it was mostly an accident.

Zucchini Brownie with Chocolate Frosting

Adapted from Taste of Home’s Simple and Delicious cookbook

1 cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups sugar

2 eggs

½ cup vanilla yogurt or plain

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2 ½ cups flour

¼ cup baking cocoa

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 cups shredded zucchini

Cream together the butter and sugar.  Then add the eggs.  Add the yogurt and vanilla. 

Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.  Add slowly to the butter mixture.  Fold in the zucchini.

Bake in a 13x9 pan for 35-40 minutes at 350. 

When a toothpick comes out clean, take it out of the oven and pour on the frosting.  This will seep into the brownies and make them moist and delicious.  Just keep pouring.

Frosting

¼ cup butter

1 ¾ Tbsp. cocoa

1/6 cup milk

4 cups powdered sugar

½ tsp. vanilla

Combine the butter, cocoa, and milk in a saucepan and cook until the butter melts.  Cook for another two minutes and then add the powdered sugar and vanilla.

What to do with an Abundance of Zucchini... my Favorite Recipes

So, have your neighbors brought over some zucchini or have you grown some of your own and you don't know what to do with it all?  I think we all get in this situation at this time of year. 

My husband recently came home with three giants.  Its the equivalent of flowers for me.  I was so happy.  Here is what I used them to make...

Zucchini Cakes

2 cups shredded zucchini

1/2 cup bread crumbs (you can use any type but I prefer Panko bread crumbs)

1/4 cup mozzarella or some kind of combination of cheeses (Parmesan is also good.)

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 egg

salt and pepper to taste

Squeeze water out of shredded zucchini by placing it in between layers of paper towel and squeezing.  The dryer the better!

Mix the zucchini, bread crumbs, cheese, garlic powder, egg, and salt and pepper. 

Shape into thin patties while you heat up some oil in a frying pan.  Olive or canola oil work great.

Cook on medium heat for about two minutes per side.  Be careful to heat them all the way through.  I like them almost burnt.  I have a problem with them being raw in the center. 

Serve with any type of dressing- ranch, marinara sauce, or just eat them plain.  That's how I like em'.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs

1 c. oil

2 c. sugar

2 c. peeled and grated Zucchini

1 c. nuts (optional)

3 tsp. Vanilla

3 tsp. Cinnamon

¼ tsp. Baking powder

1 tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Soda

3 cups flour

            Beat eggs till foamy.  Add oil, sugar, squash, and vanilla.  Mix lightly but well.  Add dry ingredients.  Mix well and add nuts.  Place in 2 well-greased loaf pans.  Bake 1 hour at 350.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

½ c. margarine or butter melted

½ c. oil

1 ¾ c. sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 ½ c. flour

½ c. sour milk

4 Tbl. Cocoa

½ tsp. Cinnamon

½ tsp. Salt

1 tsp. Soda

1 tsp. Baking powder

2 c. grated zucchini

       

        Combine margarine or butter, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.  Alternate liquid, dry.  Add zucchini.  Put in cake pan.  Sprinkle with choc. chips, brown sugar, and nuts (3/4 c.).  Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes. 

If you have some little bitty zucchinis they are great too!  I love to just slice them thin and saute' in olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper.

Here is my new favorite though... my kids even ate them and my son said, "They just like chicken nuggets!"  I don't think you can get a better compliment about food than that from a five year old.

Fried, Breaded Zucchini

1 cup grated Parmesan (fresh is better)

1 1/2 cups Panko bread crumbs

1/2 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 cup flour

2 large eggs

2 small zucchini or yellow squash sliced into thin circles

Heat your favorite oil in a frying pan.

Stir Parmesan cheese, salt, and parsley into the Panko. 

Beat the eggs in another bowl.

Then put the flour in yet another bowl with a little salt and pepper mixed in.

I like to make a little assembly line with all the bowls and my squash.

First dip the zucchini slice in the flour, then the egg, and then the panko.

Place in the heated oil.  They only take about a minute on each side.  Watch carefully. 

Serve immediately.  They are so good warm!  My husband ate his with Marinara.

How To Make a Superman Cake

My son wanted a Superman cake for his birthday, so although most of my cakes belong on Cake Wrecks,  I think this is one of my better creations.  First, bake a cake, any size, any shape and print off a Superman symbol for that size of cake.  Then cut out the yellow parts.

Make some buttercream frosting.  I like this recipe.  Frost the cake blue and then put the symbol in the middle.

 Frost the relief parts of the symbol and put in the writing.

 Then pipe red frosting around the edges or put on licorice.

 Take off the paper and then pipe in what is left.

 And Walla.  My son was thrilled.  The frosting was pretty good too for being decorative frosting.