Each year we get a 1/4 of a pig to put into the freezer, and there are times that I want to find a new way to cook some of that pork.

I found a great resource for tips and recipes for people like me!  So, I thought I’d share it with you.

Head over to TheOtherWhiteMeat.com and download some (or all) of these great .pdf’s on pork!  I think I’m going to try out the one for the Pork Tenderloin this week…

Enjoy!

This is a great quiche to make when you don’t have a lot of time and don’t have an pie crust laying around. This one makes it’s own crust while it is baking.

Feel free to substitute your favorite veggies.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• olive oil
• 2 bunches rainbow chard or spinach
• 1 stick butter
• 1-1/2 cups milk
• 3/4 cups bisquick
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• pepper
• 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
• cinnamon
• 1/3 cup crumbled feta
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheese

Fill a medium saucepan with water and put it on to boil. Preheat the oven to 400F.

Put 2 Tbsp. butter into a 10-inch pie plate or a deep-dish pizza pan and put it into the oven to melt.

In a saute pan, drizzle some olive oil and warm over medium heat. Chop the chard stems and put them into the saute pan. Add the diced onion and minced garlic and cook until the onion is translcent.

Roll the chard leaves up like a cigar and slice across it so that you have ribbons of chard. Blanche them in the boiling water for about 1 minute, and add them to the garlic and onion. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Add 1 Tbsp butter to the pan.

Melt the rest of the butter.

In a blender, add the milk, bisquick, salt, eggs and the rest of the butter. Add some pepper, nutmeg and a dash of cinnamon to taste. Blend until this is frothy.

When the butter in the baking dish is melted, pull it out of the oven carefully and pour the veggies into the bottom. Sprinkle the feta and shredded cheese over it and pour the milk mixture over everything.

Put it into the oven and bake at 400F for 30-35 minutes, or until puffy and browned.

Allow to rest for 10 minutes.

This is a great recipe to make a day early and serve at any temperature! The flavors will continue to blend the longer it sits. It is also good right out of the oven.

If you like it, serve it with a dollop of sour cream – yum!

Yes, we seem to have created a tradition in our house that Friday is pizza and movie night. Not sure how it started, but it seems to be the norm these days.

While we do occasionally cop out and do the Papa Murphy’s thing (that spinach bacon and artichoke delight is so good!) we have also been known to have a “Make your own pizza” night pretty regularly.

Since I have been making sourdough a couple of times each week, I usually have a healthy amount of starter laying around wanting to get used. This comes in very handy around 4:30 on Friday night. Very handy indeed.

While browsing one evening I came across a recipe for sourdough pizza crust that is a definite winner.
It takes about an hour start to finish to have a 9″-12″ pizza each for 4 people. His directions are pretty complete, so I would duplicate it here, but I will add that you should make sure to poke the dough with a fork all over before baking it the first time to keep it from puffing up too much. I also like to place a pan under my pizza stone (at one edge) to put some ice cubes into so that the oven has some steam. Make sure you replace the ice cubes as they melt and evaporate.

Now that you have the dough, what do you top it with?

Let’s start with the sauce:

• 1 small can tomato paste
• 3 cloves garlic – minced
• finely chopped onion – about 1/8 cup
• 1 can of warm water
• ground oregano and basil

Saute the garlic and onion in a small saucepan and add the tomato paste and water. Add the crushed herbs and let it cook on low for a bt while you get the other topping ready.

The girls like cheese pizza – yep, nothin’ but cheese and sauce. Or pepperoni.

For those with a broader pallet, here are some thoughts:

• chicken, spinach, bacon & feta
• chicken, potato, rosemary
• tomatoes, basil and fresh mozzarella
• pepperoccini, tomatoes & herbs

These are just a few ideas that have come from our oven… tonight was blue potatoes, bacon, onion, chicken, spinach and feta.  Yum!

And no, I didn’t get a picture… it was just too good!  I’ll try to do better next time.

Keep in mind that since this crust is just flour, water, salt and oil, you can make a vegan pizza pretty easily.  Lots of veggies, a pesto sauce… too bad I’m full already, that sounds good too

So, next time pizza sounds good, remember that homemade is easy too!

While I was raised occasionally on the blue box, when my first daughter was born, she wouldn’t touch the stuff. At all. So, since she loved cheese and noodles, we started making our own macaroni and cheese, and trust me when I tell you that it beats the boxed stuff hands down.

• 1 package noodles – radiatori, bowties and penne all work well
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small sweet onion, diced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 small can sliced mushrooms, drained & chopped
• 1 Tbsp crushed oregano – more or less according to taste
• 1 Tbsp crushed basil – more or less according to taste
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
• fresh cracked black pepper
• shredded cheese – at least 2 cups, more or less to taste

Preheat oven to 325F.

Boil the noodles according to package directions. Heat the oil in a saute pan, and cook the onions until translucent. Add the garlic, carrots, red pepper (if using) and mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes.

Drain the noodles and set aside.

In a 9″x12″ baking pan, spread a layer of noodles and cover them with 1/3 of the veggie mixture. Sprinkle with a layer of shredded cheese, and repeat. Sprinkle the oregano and basil over the 2nd layer of cheese, and add another layer of noodles and veggies, as space permits. Lightly cover with a layer of cheese.

Put into the oven an bake for approx. 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and starts to brown.

Serve and enjoy!

For the big party last weekend I made the meat sauce… but I also made a vegetarian sauce for those that don’t eat so much meat. As today is Tami’s birthday, and she requested the recipe, here it is!

• olive oil
• 1 med. sweet onion
• 5 cloves garlic – minced
• 6 roma tomatoes
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with basil OR garlic and onion
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 large-ish zucchini
• 4 mushrooms
• 8 carrots
• fresh basil & oregano – to taste

Put some water on to boil in a small saucepan. Set up a small bowl to one side of it with ice water in it.

Drizzle olive oil in a large saucepan. Finely dice the onion and saute until translucent. Add the garlic and cook until the onions begin to caramelize.

When the water begins to boil, add the tomatoes, one at a time. Blanche them until the skin begins to crack. Move them from the boiling water to the ice water, and transfer them into another bowl or your cutting board. The skins should peel right off.

Dice the tomatoes and add them to the onions and garlic. Let them cook down for about 3 minutes and then add the 2 cans of diced tomatoes and the crushed tomatoes.

Peel and chop the carrots and add them to the pot. Quarter the zucchini and add it to the sauce as well. Chop the mushrooms and add them in.

Roll the oregano and basil up like a cigar and slice the roll thinly. Add these to the pot.

I usually crash some black pepper in as well, and a pinch of salt.

Serve over pasta al dente!

**if you leave out the crushed tomatoes, this will almost work as a ratatouille dish, or serve it on top of sliced baguettes for a new spin on bruschetta!

I grew up making spaghetti sauce in a large pot. You make a big batch, because that’s how you can get all of the good stuff in. Then you freeze the excess. My husband calls my sauce “Spaghetti for 40 people” because I make such a big batch. But he can’t deny that it is good!

So, if you are having a large group of people over and need something to feed them all, or you are planning ahead and want to have a yummy, meaty sauce on hand for busy school nights, this is a recipe for you.

Give yourself plenty of time too. This sauce needs to be made a day in advance so all of the flavors can have a party together and really mix it up. I usually pull the sausage links and ribs out to serve either as a side dish or for a completely separate meal.

And yes, it is FILLED with meat and veggies! The way it should be.

• olive oil
• 2 medium onions – diced
• 1 medium bulb garlic – minced
• flour
• 1 package stew meat
• 1 package mild Italian sausage links
• 1 package ground hot Italian sausage
• 1 small package ground turkey
• pork ribs

• red wine
• balsamic vinegar

• 12 roma tomatoes
• 4 – 28 oz cans of crushed tomatoes (with basil is a bonus!)
• 2 small cans of tomato paste
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with garlic, onion and basil
• 10 mushrooms – sliced
• 8 medium carrots – chopped
• 2 medium zucchini – halved and chopped

Herbs – to taste

• oregano
• basil
• savory
• white pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• rosemary

Yes, there are LOTS of ingredients in here.

I generally use a large saute pan at this stage, and pour everything into the large stock pot as it is browned.

Drizzle enough olive oil in your stock pot to just cover the bottom when warm. Put it on low heat.

In a large saute pan, drizzle olive oil and saute onions until translucent. Add the minced garlic and caramelize the garlic and onions. Deglaze the pan with a little balsamic vinegar or red wine. Pour this into the stock pot.

Add 1 can of crushed tomatoes to keep the onions from further browning. Fill the can with warm water and use a spatula to make sure that you get all of the tomato off of the sides. Pour this into the stock pot as well. Do this with each can you use.

Add a little more olive oil to the saute pan. Fill it with sausage links. While those are browning, dredge the stew meat in the flour to coat it. I generally cut the sausage links in half at least once they are browned. It depends on if you are planning to pull them out or not. If you are leaving them in, cut them into coins (approx. 1/2-inch wide slices) and brown the insides. When they are browned, pour them into the stock pot.

Deglaze the pan again.

In a medium saucepan, bring some water to a boil. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and set it aside.

Add some more olive oil and brown the stew meat. When all sides have been browned, add them to the stock pot.

Your water should be boiling now. Dip your roma tomatoes into the boiling water for about 30-60 seconds, or until the skin begins to split. Dunk them immediatly into the ice water. Move them to an empty bowl – the skins should slip right off. Discard the skins.

Brown the ribs, keeping them on the bone. These will be pulled out later and used as a separate dish. Trust me, it’s good. Toss them, bone and all, into the stock pot. Deglaze the pan.

While the ribs are cooking, dice the tomatoes and add them to the stock pot with 2 more cans of crushed tomatoes.

Combine the Italian sausage and ground turkey together in the saute pan, and brown them. Remove the excess grease and add them to the sauce. Deglaze the pan one more time to get all of those good browned bits off of the bottom.

Add the rest of the tomatoes, taking care to mix the tomato paste in well, and wash the sides of the cans, adding the tomato-y water to the sauce.

Add the chopped carrots and mushrooms to the pot and stir them down in. You may need more or less, depending on your preference.

Toss in the bay leaves. Using the palms of your hands, crush the oregano, basil and savory into the sauce. Cover the top of the sauce with a thin layer of pepper. Stir them all down in. I like to add a small sprig of fresh rosemary to the sauce, and pull it out with the bay leaves just before serving.

Let this cook down a bit before adding the zucchini. I usually leave in on low overnight to give the flavors the best chance to combine.

Add the chopped zucchini about 2 hours before you plan to serve it. If you have picky eaters, you can shred the zucchini to add the flavor, but no one will complain about it being in their sauce.

Taste it to see if you need to add any more salt, pepper, etc.

Before you serve it, make sure you pull out the ribs. If you plan to leave the meat in, remove it from the ribs now and add the meat back in. Make sure you get ALL of the bones out. Take out the bay leaves and rosemary sprig as well.

I usually serve the sausage links – cut into thirds – in a bowl at the side for those that may want them.

Boil your noodles of choice – penne, radiatori, farfalle, etc. – and serve with shredded cheese!

A meat lover’s dream sauce. Just don’t tell them that there are also veggies in it!

extra virgin olive oil
3 thick cut pork chops
fresh ground black pepper
1 early red onion
1 early sweet onion
3 sprigs rosemary
1/3 cup water

1/3 cup balsamic fig vinegar
3 Tbsp. fig jelly

In a large skillet, heat 2 Tbsp. oil. Sear both sides of the pork chops – about 2 minutes per side. Grind some pepper onto them while they are browning.

Thinly slice the onions into rings. Early onions are rather small – these need to be 1.5 – 2 inches in diameter. When both sides of the pork chops are seared, add the onion slices and turn the pork chops so that the onions are under them. Place 1 rosemary sprig on top of each chop and add some water to the pan. Cover and allow it to cook for approx 15 minutes.

When the chops are cooked through, remove them to a plate and place them in a warm oven. Using the balsamic vinegar, de-glaze the pan, using all of the browned bits and onion slices. Onve the pan has been de-glazed, add in the fig jelly and stir to dissolve. Allow the sauce to thicken slightly, and pour over the chops.

Serve immediately, garnishing with a couple of extra sprigs of rosemary if desired.

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Wow, these came out good! We had some chops laying around, and I have had a bottle of balsamic fig vinegar sitting around for a while… then the idea came to me! This is a dark, slightly sweet glaze to pour over the pork, and they really complement each other well.

I served it with a “quick” vegetable biryani, and the combination was pretty good.

One word of caution… don’t let the pork sit too long in the oven, as it will toughen the longer it sits.

This was one of the dishes I made to during me vegeterian challenge week – I just didn’t have a chance to add it!

2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 onion (I prefer sweets)
1 tsp. minced garlic, or more to taste
1 zucchini – peeled & sliced
2 carrots – peeled & sliced
1-3 cups cooked rice (leftovers work great!)
4 pieces fried tofu, cut in bite-size chunks (I buy these at the Asian Market)
black pepper – to taste
pinch of salt
spicy oregano (mexican oregano works well) to taste
3 eggs

Heat olive oil in a large skillet, and cook the onion & garlic until translucent – about 3-5 minutes.  Add the carrots and zucchini and cook for another 3 minutes.

Add the tofu, rice and spices and cook until warm – about 3 minutes.

Crack the 3 eggs into the pan and stir to coat everything.  Allow the egg to cook, stirring occasionally – around 5 minutes.

Serve and enjoy!

Adding more rice will make it go further, less rice will get you more veggies & tofu in each bowl.  I usually just use whatever leftover rice I have on hand.

BTW, my 6 & 7 year old kids LOVE this!

This is a version of Greek Spanikopita that our family loves.

phyllo/filo pastry
1 package frozen spinach – thawed & drained
1 package crumbled feta cheese (plain or seasoned)
1/4 medium sweet onion
3 slices leek -minced
2 tsp. minced garlic
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. crushed oregano
1/2 Tbsp crushed basil
1/8 tsp crushed tarragon
butter
olive oil

In a frying pan, heat up 2 Tbsp. olive oil. Chop the onion, leek and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the spinach and feta cheese and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggs and stir to mix them into the spinach mixture. Cook for about 5 minutes longer.

In a 10-inch round baking pan (I use stoneware), spread butter to grease the bottom and sides of the pan. Lay the phyllo pastry in layers (around 5 layers is good).

Pour the spinach mixture into the pan, and spread around to fill the pastry. Lay 3 layers of phyllo pastry, drizzling with oilve oil between layers. Fold the corners towards the center of the pan.

Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, or until browned.

Slice like a pie, and serve with tzaziki sauce or sour cream.

I call it baked spaghetti for the kids, but you can use any pasta noodles that you have on hand!

Ingredients:
1 pkg. pasta
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 large sweet onion – finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic – minced
2 Tbsp. minced leek
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes with basil
basil & oregano to taste
2 cups shredded cheddar

In a large pot, boil 6 cups water. Boil the pasta according to package directions.

In a small saucepan, heat oil. add the onion, leek and garlic and saute until translucent. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil and oregano and stir together. simmer for 10 minutes.

In a 9″x12″ pan, spread the cooked pasta and sprinkle with 1/3 of the cheese. Pour the sauce over the noodles and cheese, and spread around to cover. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake in a 325F oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese in nicely melted.

Serve with bread – French, sourdough or garlic.