The preparation from yesterday paid off. The roasted Ecuadorian pork was delicious tonight. I warmed 1/2 of it up with a few tablespoons of the juices and served it with warm tortillas, shredded cheese, guacamole, and salsa.
I also made more of the plantains from the other day. When they were cooked, I added a generous squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkling of salt and sugar.
It was a delicious combination and I'm looking forward to enjoying the pork for one more night.
Tuesday, May 8, 2007
Monday, May 7, 2007
Equadorian roasted pork
Today felt like a Monday. I did a big shopping (hopefully for the week, or at least most of it) and mentally prepared some menu ideas for the next few days.
Tonight I grilled 2 T-Bone steaks. I drizzled a little olive oil, some ground pepper and a few shakes of garlic salt. They went on a hot grill to sear the outsides, then I turned the heat down and flipped them to finish them off. When they're finished cooking, I bring them inside, and tent them with aluminum foil to keep them warm and juicy.
I also threw a few sea scallops on the grill. They were drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and a shake or two of Greek Seasoning. They literally take 2 minutes on the grill and were tender and sweet.
In addition to those, I grilled 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I prepared the same way as the scallops. I am going to use those for salads in the next few days.
Also... I bought an old Madhur Jaffrey cookbook that I found at a tag sale and found a great recipe for an Ecuadorian roasted pork. I didn't have a couple of the ingredients, so I substituted.
The recipe went something like this:
1/2 C. orange juice
1/2 C. lemon juice ( I didn't have lemons, so I used lemonade)
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbs. red wine vinegar ( didn't have that either, so I used balsamic vinegar)
the recipe called for sage, but I used 1 tsp. Greek Seasoning
5 cubes of frozen garlic
1 onion ( I didn't have it, so it got omitted)
Preheat an oven to 400. In a casserole pan ( I used a Le Creuset pot), make a bunch of little knife marks throughout the pork. Pour the seasoning over the pork and cook covered for 45 minutes. I added a cup of water at this point as it was looking a little dry, and continued cooking for another hour.
The pork is for tomorrow and I'm going to make plantains and/or roasted sweet potatoes with this.
Tonight we ate the steak and scallops as well as peas, strawberries and a little rice, which the girls weren't too interested in.
The kitchen is stocked with dinner for a few days. This is something I rarely do and hope that it all gets eaten.
Tonight I grilled 2 T-Bone steaks. I drizzled a little olive oil, some ground pepper and a few shakes of garlic salt. They went on a hot grill to sear the outsides, then I turned the heat down and flipped them to finish them off. When they're finished cooking, I bring them inside, and tent them with aluminum foil to keep them warm and juicy.
I also threw a few sea scallops on the grill. They were drizzled with olive oil, salt, pepper and a shake or two of Greek Seasoning. They literally take 2 minutes on the grill and were tender and sweet.
In addition to those, I grilled 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs that I prepared the same way as the scallops. I am going to use those for salads in the next few days.
Also... I bought an old Madhur Jaffrey cookbook that I found at a tag sale and found a great recipe for an Ecuadorian roasted pork. I didn't have a couple of the ingredients, so I substituted.
The recipe went something like this:
1/2 C. orange juice
1/2 C. lemon juice ( I didn't have lemons, so I used lemonade)
1 tsp. sugar
2 tbs. red wine vinegar ( didn't have that either, so I used balsamic vinegar)
the recipe called for sage, but I used 1 tsp. Greek Seasoning
5 cubes of frozen garlic
1 onion ( I didn't have it, so it got omitted)
Preheat an oven to 400. In a casserole pan ( I used a Le Creuset pot), make a bunch of little knife marks throughout the pork. Pour the seasoning over the pork and cook covered for 45 minutes. I added a cup of water at this point as it was looking a little dry, and continued cooking for another hour.
The pork is for tomorrow and I'm going to make plantains and/or roasted sweet potatoes with this.
Tonight we ate the steak and scallops as well as peas, strawberries and a little rice, which the girls weren't too interested in.
The kitchen is stocked with dinner for a few days. This is something I rarely do and hope that it all gets eaten.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Sunday in the City
I took the girls to New York today and spent as always, a fun and FULL day there. I picked up bagels at H & H and restrained myself from dragging my uncle through Eli's. It also helped that we took the train and I didn't want to lug food and children through Grand Central.
I timed the arrival of our train with the arrival of the Chinese food delivery man. I have my shopping list for Monday morning and hope to get a little inspiration for a few new recipes.
I timed the arrival of our train with the arrival of the Chinese food delivery man. I have my shopping list for Monday morning and hope to get a little inspiration for a few new recipes.
Saturday, May 5, 2007
Fire up the grill.
I brought my younger daughter with me this morning to do a cooking segment with me on WTNH. We had a great time and she was really comfortable helping. You can view the segment by visiting WTNH.com http://www.wtnh.com and clicking on the Good Morning Weekend Connecticut section.
We spent a great day with friends at the beach and decided (as we often times do) to share dinner duties. I brought up some frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs which I bought from Trader Joe's. I've used them a few times and they've turned out delicious each time. I also brought up a bag of frozen shrimp and a bag of edamame. My friend had the grill fired up and ready to go, I drizzled a little olive oil, salt, pepper, honey and rice wine vinegar on the chicken then popped them onto the grill. I covered them with the lid and let them cook for about 4 minutes before turning them. I let them cook for another 3 minutes, then took them off the grill and covered them in foil and finished them off in a 400 degree oven.
While those finished up, I grilled the shrimp which I had simply drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. They literally took 30 seconds on the first side and a minute on the second side. While they cooled, I made a dipping sauce for them with about 1/2 C. soy sauce, a teaspoon of Mirin, 1/4 C. of rice wine vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. They were delicious and so easy!
I boiled the edamame and we all enjoyed a simple meal from the freezer to the table.
We spent a great day with friends at the beach and decided (as we often times do) to share dinner duties. I brought up some frozen boneless, skinless chicken thighs which I bought from Trader Joe's. I've used them a few times and they've turned out delicious each time. I also brought up a bag of frozen shrimp and a bag of edamame. My friend had the grill fired up and ready to go, I drizzled a little olive oil, salt, pepper, honey and rice wine vinegar on the chicken then popped them onto the grill. I covered them with the lid and let them cook for about 4 minutes before turning them. I let them cook for another 3 minutes, then took them off the grill and covered them in foil and finished them off in a 400 degree oven.
While those finished up, I grilled the shrimp which I had simply drizzled with olive oil, salt and pepper. They literally took 30 seconds on the first side and a minute on the second side. While they cooled, I made a dipping sauce for them with about 1/2 C. soy sauce, a teaspoon of Mirin, 1/4 C. of rice wine vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. They were delicious and so easy!
I boiled the edamame and we all enjoyed a simple meal from the freezer to the table.
Friday, May 4, 2007
Friday already?
Where did this week go?! Yesterday's dinner was left to Kirk who took the girls down to our deli and bought them tuna and crackers. They also had watermelon. I had dinner with friends. Today was (surprise, surprise) another full day. School, play date, horseback riding, birthday party, and Bertucci's for dinner, even 15 minutes of cooking was too much for me!
This is where we go when we want fast food that is still remotely healthy. The healthy part we got, the fast was lost somewhere amongst the other bedraggled parents who adorned the booths around us. Needless to say, we made it through without spilling any drinks. This has become my touch point for a successful meal.
Am so looking forward to getting the girls to bed so I can prep for the TV show tomorrow morning and put my feet up!
Dinner tomorrow night... grilled chicken thighs, steamed edamame and couscous or rice.
This is where we go when we want fast food that is still remotely healthy. The healthy part we got, the fast was lost somewhere amongst the other bedraggled parents who adorned the booths around us. Needless to say, we made it through without spilling any drinks. This has become my touch point for a successful meal.
Am so looking forward to getting the girls to bed so I can prep for the TV show tomorrow morning and put my feet up!
Dinner tomorrow night... grilled chicken thighs, steamed edamame and couscous or rice.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
New veg night
I made taco's tonight with the girls and it was probably the most fun we've all had in the kitchen together. Emma is really into grating cheese so that was her job, Abby washed and sliced strawberries, and I made the ground beef and warmed the tortillas. I sliced a few tomatoes and opened a bag of the Trader Joe's Guacamole which, if you've never had it, is quite good.
While the beef cooked, I made plantains, which I found peeled at Trader Joe's today. Shopping there is a bit like rummaging around a tag sale, sometimes you come across some really good stuff. They were easy to make, I heated up about 1/2 C. of canola oil. I sliced the plantains on the diagonal and fried them in the oil until they were golden, about 4 minutes. I drained them on paper towels and sprinkled them with salt and the juice from 1/2 a lime. Abby loved them, Emma ate one and didn't complain, but didn't ask for more. Kirk wasn't over the moon about them, so Abby and I enjoyed them.
I try to on a regular (weekly) basis introduce a new vegetable or fruit to the girls. Even if they hate it, it's good for them to at least get used to trying new things.
We had fun all working together in the kitchen and I am bringing Abby with me on Saturday morning to do a TV segment with me. I 'm calling it Abby's 8 fruit tropical smoothie. Recipe:
This is a delicious, healthy non-dairy treat that can be drunk, eaten with a spoon or enjoyed frozen as ice pops. It's a great way to get your kids into the kitchen and a yummy way to get your kids to eat their fruit!
1/4 C. Goya passion fruit juice
1/4 C. Goya Guava juice
1/4 C. Goya coconut milk
1 kiwi -diced
1/2 C. mixed frozen berries- Strawberry, blueberry, blackberry
1 Dole fresh pineapple cup with juice
1 C. crushed ice
optional -(shredded coconut for garnish)
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
By the way, it was supposed to be Kirk's night for cooking, but he worked outside all day and was wiped out. He'll have to figure something out tomorrow night!
While the beef cooked, I made plantains, which I found peeled at Trader Joe's today. Shopping there is a bit like rummaging around a tag sale, sometimes you come across some really good stuff. They were easy to make, I heated up about 1/2 C. of canola oil. I sliced the plantains on the diagonal and fried them in the oil until they were golden, about 4 minutes. I drained them on paper towels and sprinkled them with salt and the juice from 1/2 a lime. Abby loved them, Emma ate one and didn't complain, but didn't ask for more. Kirk wasn't over the moon about them, so Abby and I enjoyed them.
I try to on a regular (weekly) basis introduce a new vegetable or fruit to the girls. Even if they hate it, it's good for them to at least get used to trying new things.
We had fun all working together in the kitchen and I am bringing Abby with me on Saturday morning to do a TV segment with me. I 'm calling it Abby's 8 fruit tropical smoothie. Recipe:
This is a delicious, healthy non-dairy treat that can be drunk, eaten with a spoon or enjoyed frozen as ice pops. It's a great way to get your kids into the kitchen and a yummy way to get your kids to eat their fruit!
1/4 C. Goya passion fruit juice
1/4 C. Goya Guava juice
1/4 C. Goya coconut milk
1 kiwi -diced
1/2 C. mixed frozen berries- Strawberry, blueberry, blackberry
1 Dole fresh pineapple cup with juice
1 C. crushed ice
optional -(shredded coconut for garnish)
Add all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
By the way, it was supposed to be Kirk's night for cooking, but he worked outside all day and was wiped out. He'll have to figure something out tomorrow night!
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Frozen Peas Please..
Tonight's dinner was straight out of the tired moms cookbook. I preach keeping certain staples in the freezer, and tonight was Cheese ravioli with sauce or butter and peas. For some reason my children will not eat peas if they are cooked, but if they are frozen, well that is a different story all together! I cooked peas for the grownups with a little pinch of salt and dot of butter, and the girls merrily popped the frozen morsels into their mouths as if they were chocolate chips.
We have officially eaten the last of our leftovers, have milked every possible way to turn something into something else, and thankfully, tomorrow is Kirk and the girls night to cook. I think they're making tacos from the ground beef I bought last week and had to freeze and thaw.
Am off to Trader Joe's to buy their guacamole and some lime, chili chicken burgers that looked interesting as well as some edamame shu mai that sounded good too. Will let you know how they are.
We have officially eaten the last of our leftovers, have milked every possible way to turn something into something else, and thankfully, tomorrow is Kirk and the girls night to cook. I think they're making tacos from the ground beef I bought last week and had to freeze and thaw.
Am off to Trader Joe's to buy their guacamole and some lime, chili chicken burgers that looked interesting as well as some edamame shu mai that sounded good too. Will let you know how they are.
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