I do make my own crusts and find I can control what sort of ingredients are in there (or not in there). I couldn’t believe how easy it was too! I have one crust that I used for a bacon and egg pie that would be perfect for pot pies. It’s really quick too if you use a food processor (cuisinart). Takes only 3 minutes or so to measure and mix. Rolling is another few minutes. Good luck!
We got home from a friend’s house after 6 pm and I had only an hour before I had to go out. We’d been busy since 1 that afternoon so I hadn’t considered what I was making for dinner until the moment we got in the door. Luckily I had a full fridge (due to so much snow, I was prepared) so I knew I could come up with something.
I figured a pork loin is fairly fast to make, and I sped up the cooking by slicing it into one inch medallions and sautéing them. I had spread a thin layer of Dijon mustard on one side before I put them in the hot pan. 
While they were cooking I steamed spinach then added leftover broccoli to the pot to reheat. I turned the medallions over and also threw some leftover penne pasta into the microwave with an inch of water for one minute.
Then stirred and repeated to properly reheat.
Took the pork off the heat, let it rest and added beef broth (veal demi glace would have been preferable) to the pan. Brought that up to a boil and added white wine then cream, Manuka honey (New Zealand honey with distinctive flavor), and touch more mustard. 
Stirred that into a nice sauce, put the pork back in it for a moment, then served. 20 minutes from taking the pork out of the refrigerator to putting it on the table. 
The pork was superbly tender and tasty. I loved the extra dimension the Manuka honey lent to it. The boys liked it all but not the fact that the babysitter was coming. It was short lived once I promised them she’d give them ice cream regardless if they actually finished their meals!
Unless you purchase a corned beef already prepared (watch the nitrates/nitrites) it takes 2 days. The carrots, potatoes and cabbage take less than an hour (all depends on size you leave them).
Corned beef is usually poached in liquids on the stovetop at low temperature for a long time. Then strain the juices and chill (easier to cut the meat when it’s cold). Cook vegetables in juices next day. Right before they’re ready add back the sliced beef to heat. You can do it in a crockpot over two days too, that way you don’t need to stay home while it’s taking so long.
Btw, corned beef without all the preservatives will not be as red but brown.
Thank you so much! Actually having kids makes me do things I stopped doing long ago— like sledding. It’s still fun!
Eat well and be well.
This past week my kids have had a 6 days in a row without school (only 2 were actually snow days) and they’d just returned from the winter holiday break and had a snow day the week before. In the morning I will find out if it will be 7 days in a row. Luckily the inability to get to school has also turned our town into winter wonderland and without having to travel, the kids have had a blast sledding, making snow forts and just playing in the more than 2 feet of snow. If they stay inside too long they drive me and themselves crazy. Snow is such a great draw to play outside; it’s much more fun than rain!
When the first big snowfall of the year was falling I made a simple, quick yet delicious and nutritious meal using leftover roast chicken. We had chicken quesadillas, broccoli and cauliflower, brown and red rice, black beans and peas. Since the rice was left over from a previous meal it took only 10 minutes to cook/assemble the whole dinner.
I used pre-shredded cheese (Cheddar, pepper Jack and Muenster), chicken and chopped cilantro in the tortilla. My husband showed me how the Mexican cooks he works with cook their quesadillas by putting the filling inside one half then folding the tortilla over it.
I think it’s easier to flip. Once they’ve browned nicely and the cheese is melted you can cut into pieces and serve. I didn’t have any avocados for guacamole (and wasn’t going out in the snow) but did have some jarred salsa. I only had to heat the peas and beans (added oregano, 1/4 tsp chili powder, some chopped cilantro and garlic powder) and reheat the other veggies and rice.
The kids loved it and it was so little effort.
Funny thing about peas…My middle son said he had to “turn the plate around for the peas express” so it was easier to scoop up. My youngest said when he saw the plate, “I don’t want any. I don’t like them!” I just reminded him that peas are in snow peas and sugar snaps, which he loves, so he tried some. Minutes later when he’d finished all the peas on his plate, “Can I have some more?”
Braised Pork Roast: Oxymoronic? Redundant? Braise and Roast different or the same? Braising is basically roasting so the meat is in liquid (stock, gravy, sauce, etc.). Roasting is cooking it without added liquids; just maybe an extra bit of fat (olive oil). I had braised a pork “roast” and it was used in two different meals on two separate days. Well, my husband informed me after I’d done it, that I should have just roasted (dry) this cut of pork since it didn’t have much fat throughout it. Both dishes were good, but now I know how they could be better. The first was made into burritos/tacos and the second into the Thai Green Curry that I just posted.
There is something that might be unique to the US in that when we go over to friends’ for dinner we often bring a part of the meal— appetizer, main, dessert not just a bottle of wine. It makes for a creative night (may try something you’d never make yourself) but also when we’re watching our budgets, it’s nice to share the expense of feeding more than just your own family. I needed to bring some food to a friend’s New Year’s Eve Fiesta, so I threw the pork roast in the oven early in the day. I figure I could use half to bring and half for our dinner the following night as it was a good sized roast.
So, I used my trusty Dutch oven and sautéed a diced onion in olive oil. Added the pork (which I cut in half) to brown. 
Once each side was browned I added chicken stock (had no veal or pork stock), herbs (Penzy’s Mural of Flavor), and black pepper then covered it and put in 300F oven for 3 ½hours. 
I added about ½ tsp chili powder, just under ¼ tsp cayenne, ¼ tsp oregano, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ¼ tsp paprika, ¼ tsp cumin and sea salt to the half that became filling for tacos and burritos. It easily fell apart like pulled/shredded pork. I added a little of the left over liquid from braising and sautéed it all for a few minutes to open up all the spices. 
It wasn’t dry and made for delicious fiesta food. The fun of being with good friends made it even better.
Just wanted to say thank you for making this blog… I am new to cooking, and have been having fun trying recipes out but sometimes I feel so uncreative and stumped when it comes to deciding what to make for dinner. I’m trying to eat a variety of foods while pregnant to “train” my little one to enjoy a wide range of tastes. This blog will serve as great inspiration, I’m sure, as I continue my cooking adventures 🙂
Thank you! Best of luck. I enjoyed a couple of the videos. Reminds me that I need to get mine up there!
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Don’t think I’ll be grilling anything today. But if you’d be so kind to recommend this blog this tumblr tuesday, thanks!
I had braised a pork roast for several hours in the oven to use half for pork tacos/burritos at my friend’s New Year’s Fiesta. We had the other half left over so my husband and I decided to turn it into a Thai Red Curry; it’s a great quick meal. The flavors are so wonderful, but you might have to be careful of the heat from the spices for kids.
Thai Pork Curry
1 tsp red curry paste (or more for added heat)
1 can coconut milk
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (orange, yellow, green and/or red) (we used frozen peppers)
1 Tbsp oil (canola, safflower, sunflower, grapeseed)
1 tsp fish sauce
Tbsp soy sauce
handful fresh cilantro, chopped (or 2 frozen cubes)
Heat oil and add paste. Stir over medium high heat for a minute then add vegetables and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and simmer on low for 5 minutes. Stir in fish sauce and soy sauce. Add pork. Simmer for another few minutes. Finish with cilantro and serve over jasmine or basmati rice.
You can substitute chicken, shrimp or fish for the pork. If you add raw meats/fish do so before the vegetables and make sure it’s cooked through.
We served it with a side of snow peas finished with sesame oil and soy sauce. All three of my kids loved it, though I did give some extra rice for my spice-sensitive middle son. My eldest wasn’t too fond of the peppers so he ate around them, but still declared the meal, “Delicious!”
I’ll post the braising and taco part later.
