Archive for the ‘summer sandwich’ Category

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As a Southern Girl, there will always be a special place in my heart for BBQ. That is why this recipe is great- it’s super easy to make, and uses a leaner cut of meat so it is a little healthier too. While this recipe is very easy, it does require a good 2.5-3 hours of time in the oven so make it when you plan on doing some stuff around the house- like on a weekend .

Pulled Pork Sliders with coleslaw and red stripe beer.

Buy a pork tenderloin from the grocery store – this will usually equate to being about 3 lbs or so, and when you take it out of the package it is actually 2 pices of meat. So, if each piece is sold separately, it will be about 1.5 lbs each.

Here’s your ingredient list:

• 3 lbs pork tenderloin (see notes above)
• 1 cup cider vinegar
• 1 tblsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 tblsp. brown sugar
• salt
• pepper
• 1 tblsp. smoked paprika
• water or yeast rolls ( a pack of 6 or more)

Preheat your oven to 275 degrees and start making your vinegar sauce.

Make your sauce:

Bring 1 cup cider vinegar, 2/3 cup water and red pepper flakes to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let cook for about 15 minutes. While simmering, add the brown sugar.

Meanwhile, rub the pork in olive oil, grated sea salt, fresh ground pepper and smoked paprika. (Just grate the S/P) on top of the meat and add the tablespoon of paprika all over…)

Once the oven has preheated, put your pork in a casserole dish and cover with 1/4 of the sauce. (remember to save about 1/8 of the sauce to serve at the end if you want). Cook with a cover on- this will help steam the meat with the sauce and it will also cook more quickly.

Every 30 minutes, baste the pork in the sauce and add a little more sauce every time. Flip the pork every so often so it gets basted in the juices adequately on both sides.

You will be keeping an eye on the pork as you will be basting quite often over the cooking period. Once the pork starts looking shriveled and water logged, test it out with a fork. If you can easily pull the pork off with a fork so that it shreds, it is most likely done. If you can do this throughout the meat you are ready to go and pull it out of the oven. If it seems to be taking too long, You can push the oven temperature up to 300 degrees.

Once ready, shred the meat and pour the remaining sauce in and mix throughout. As the pork will already be quite vinegary, I don’t serve it with more vinegar based sauce.

While the pork is baked and basted in a vinegar based sauce, it is tangy for some so I reserve the sauce for those who want to try it and also put out my favorite store bought sauce- Stubbs. Stubbs spicy chipotle BBQ sauce is my favorite.

I serve with my chipotle cilantro coleslaw on water buns. A great addition is tater tots or sweet potato fries. For the sake of easiness, the sweet potato fries can be bought frozen and heated up are always good and usually turn out better for me than making them from scratch!!

Your friends will love this dish and it is great when you have people over because it will make a lot of food and the leftovers are even better the second day!!

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Lobster mac n' cheese with arugula

This recipe is enjoyable due to it’s simple yet complex nature; lobster mac and cheese is a pure comfort food with a little luxury thrown in. Ladies, if you make this meal for significant other, he will fall in love with you. Men, make this meal for your ladies and expect to get lucky. The final product is so divine you will grunt in satisfaction not once, but multiple times while consuming.

A consolation prize of sorts, I was admittedly acting a little crazy the week I chose to make this little piece of heaven for my fiance. I believe my stars were out of alignment or my biorhythms were quite off, but whatever the reason, I needed a redeeming dish that said “I’m sorry. Please forgive me for acting a little crazy lately.”

Let the Moaning begin:

ingredients:

• sea salt
• olive oil
• 1 lb .elbow macaroni
• 1 quart milk
• 1 stick butter (if reading out loud, say this in a Southern accent in honor of her buttery goodness- Paula)
• 1/2 cup all purpose flower
• 4 cups ***gruyere cheese
• 2 cups extra sharp cheddar
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper (more is always better!!)
• 1 1/2 lbs. cooked lobster meat (approximately 2 medium tails, 3 small tails), sliced into small pieces- (toss in 1/4 teaspoon old bay if you have it- this is optional)
• 1 1/2 cups panko (Japanese bread crumbs)

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Cook your pasta according to directions, about 6-8 minutes.

This dish is simple but is does create a lot of dishes. All in all, you will need 1)  a small saucepan for heating the milk, 2) a large pot for boiling the pasta, 3) a saute pan to cook the lobster, and 4) another medium sized pot for the cheese/mixture – the final pot used for putting everything together.

While the pasta cooks, heat the milk in a small saucepan on medium/low and DO NOT LET BOIL. In a large POT, melt 6 tablespoons (all but 2 tblsp. of the stick) and add the flour (essentially, you willl make a roux and then add milk). Stir with a whisk while cooking over LOW heat, slowly adding the milk and whisking at the same time until the mixture thickens and you have poured in all the milk. Heat another medium saute pan and drizzle with olive oil. Saute lobster in olive oil while the separate pots of cheese and pasta cook according to directions.

Take the rouxoff the burner and add the cheeses, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir gently to remove the lumps, then add the pasta and lobster and stir into a uniform mixture. Transfer into a casserole baking dish. You can also divide into 6-8 individual casserole/gratin dishes.

Melt the remaining 2 tblsp of butter and add the panko bread crumbs. Once toasted, add to the casserole dish (es). Bake for 35 minutes or until the casserole has browned and begins bubbling!

As Julia would say : “Bon Apetit!”

Lobster mac n' cheese is much more fun with fish pot holders.

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Sirloin Sliders, aka Mini Hamburgers

sirloin sliders- much more fun than your average burger!!

Well, this is not rocket science but it puts a fun spin on your standard hamburger. The mini burger idea is appealing because it is so versatile, depending on the occasion and setting. While one can make sliders as the main course, they are also a fun appetizer for entertaining and are great for tailgating as the burgers cook quickly due to their diminutive size. These are a low commitment burger- you get to satisfy your craving for a burger, but you still have room to sample a hotdog, eat large amounts of dip, and drink large amounts of beer. You may even have room for a guinness float afterwards.

Here’s a fun idea for your next gathering: make a “slider-bar”.

Cook the burgers (I prefer sirloin meat obviously) with various cheeses (cheddar, american, pepper jack) and some without; serve with toasted rolls- the kind that look like mini hamburger buns that you buy in the bakery at the grocery store.

Put out a variety of toppings for Southwest burgers, philly burgers, you name it:

• jalapenos
• guacamole
• salsa
• blue cheese
• bacon
• pepperoni
• various mayos- sriracha mayo, garlic mayo, etc
• arugula
• tomatoes
• grilled red onions
• roasted peppers
• (mustard, ketchup)
• pickles
• banana peppers
• sundried tomatoes

 The opportunities are endless and this puts a fun spin on your traditional cook-out. Happy Grilling and Happy eating!!!

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Well, it’s that time of year folks! It’s S-U-M-M-E-R and that means outdoor picnics, barbecues, camping and pool parties. If you have a boat, that means you’re doing any of latter, except substitute saltwater for the pool.

This is a light yet SUPREMELY SATISFYING sandwich, while also being good for you and a nice alternative to your traditional ham and cheese (BORING!).

Ingredients:
Focaccia Bread, ciabatta or french bread/baquettes (enough for 4 sandwiches)
1 jar (13-15oz) of roasted red peppers
1 small container of goat cheese
1 jar olive tapenade
3+ cups of arugula (I LOVE THIS STUFF!)
handful fresh basil

Directions:
Slice the bread lengthwise in halves. Spread olive tapenade on both sides generously. Next, spread the goat cheese liberally on top of the bread, on top of the tapenade. Drain the jar of roasted red peppers and cut them lengthwise into manageable pieces to fit on the sandwich. Layer the peppers and then add fresh arugula, basil, and large amounts of freshly ground pepper.

Additions for the omnivore:
This sandwich is also great with the addition of Italian sausage, capicola or salami, or Aidells sausage (these are great added to anything! )

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