#EVOOChallenge: Winter Salad with Shallot Balsamic Vinaigrette

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

It’s day 2 of the #EVOOChallenge. This challenge, in which we make foods with the only cooking fat being olive oil, was issued by Spartan Olive Oil. The goal is to highlight the benefits of using olive oil over its less healthy counterparts, I’m looking at you butter and vegetable oil. Search the hashtag on social media to see more great recipes!

While both olive oil and vegetable oil have 120 Calories and 14 grams of fat per tbsp, olive oil has 10 grams of monounsaturated fat (the good fat) whereas vegetable oil has only 3 grams of monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is actually good for your health; it reduces bad cholesterol and provides vitamin E. (Source: American Heart Association)

This unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil is made from the olives of 700 year old trees in Sparta, Greece. The flavorful oil has a rich golden color and smooth texture. I wanted to highlight the nutty, fruity flavor of the oil in my recipes this week.

Shallot Confit for the #EVOOChallenge from Sew You Think You Can CookOne of the cookbooks I got for Christmas is The Chef Next Door by Amanda Freitag. While flipping through it for the first time we came across a recipe for Shallot Confit. I knew I just had to try it for this challenge! The recipe calls for a mix of olive and canola oils, but as that would go against the rules I omitted the canola oil. I was a little nervous about omitting the canola oil and didn’t think substituting was the right way to go either. I opted with using fewer shallots than called for. And it worked.

These shallots would be incredible as a pizza topping, would add a little something extra to a sandwich, and could even work well in an onion dip. I decided to add them to salad. And as a bonus I used some of the oil in a vinaigrette!

The shallots will keep up to two weeks in the oil.

Winter Salad with Shallot Balsamic Vinaigrette 

Ingredients:

  • 4 whole shallots, peeled and trimmed
  • 1 C + 1 tbsp olive oil, divided use
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tsp peppercorns
  • 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 oz balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
  • mixed baby greens (I used spinach, swiss chard, and arugula)
  • crumbled Feta cheese
  • cooked, crumbled bacon
  • pear, sliced

Steps:

  1. Make shallot confit: Place shallots in a small saucepan with 1 C oil to cover. Add the thyme, peppercorns, and S+P. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, reduce heat to low and cook 25 minutes until shallots are easily pierced. Allow shallots to cool. Store in fridge, covered.
  2. Roast chickpeas: Lay chickpeas out on a clean towel and pat dry. Remove any lose skins. Leave chickpeas out until completely dried, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Lay chickpeas out on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 40 minutes, or until crunchy. Toss roasted chickpeas in 1 tbsp oil. Add the garlic powder and a little salt to taste.
  3. Make dressing: Put 3 oz of the shallot confit oil in a jar with the balsamic vinegar, Dijon, and S+P. Shake until combined.
  4. Assemble salad: Top greens with Feta, bacon, pears, chopped shallot confit, and roasted chickpeas. Drizzle with vinaigrette.

*The shallot recipe is adapted from The Chef Next Door*

*The chickpea recipe is adapted from Debbie at http://www.madefrompinterest.net/roasted-chickpeas-recipe/*

Winter Salad with Shallot Balsamic Vinaigrette for the #EVOOChallenge from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Disclaimer 1: By participating in this 5 day challenge I received a bottle and pouch of Spartan Olive Oil. 

Disclaimer 2: This post contains affiliate links. 

#EVOOChallenge: Olive Oil Crackers

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Today marks day 1 (of 5) of the #EVOOChallenge. This challenge, in which we make foods with the only cooking fat being olive oil, was issued by Spartan Olive Oil. The goal is to highlight the benefits of using olive oil over its less healthy counterparts, I’m looking at you butter and vegetable oil. Search the hashtag on social media to see more great recipes!

While both olive oil and vegetable oil have 120 Calories and 14 grams of fat per tbsp, olive oil has 10 grams of monounsaturated fat (the good fat) whereas vegetable oil has only 3 grams of monounsaturated fat. Monounsaturated fat is actually good for your health; it reduces bad cholesterol and provides vitamin E. (Source: American Heart Association)

This unfiltered extra-virgin olive oil is made from the olives of 700 year old trees in Sparta, Greece. The flavorful oil has a rich golden color and smooth texture. I wanted to highlight the nutty, fruity flavor of the oil in my recipes this week.

To kick off I’m sharing Olive Oil Crackers. As I was rolling out the dough my husband jokingly asked if I was making gingerbread crackers, after all it had finally snowed! I said that actually wasn’t a bad idea and pulled out an airplane cookie cutter that I’ve had for 6 years and never used. My 18 month old had fun helping me press the cutter into the dough. Unfortunately, that first batch ended up burnt so I ended up with less than 10 airplane crackers. (The majority of the dough was cut into squares because it was much less time consuming!)

Originally, I followed the recipe directions to sprinkle the herbs over the crackers before they go into the oven but they simply didn’t adhere. My husband had another good idea to roll the herbs into the dough. It definitely worked and tasted better, too! Having the herbs and salt baked in the cracker brought out the beautiful flavor of the olive oil.

These crackers are perfect for dipping in hummus!

Olive Oil Crackers

Ingredients:

  • 3 C flour
  • 2 tsp Kosher salt, divided use
  • 1 C warm water
  • 1/3 C olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried thyme

Steps:

  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook combine the flour and 1 tsp salt. Slowly add in the water and oil while mixing at medium speed. Mix dough until it comes together, it will be a little tacky.
  2. Divide dough into 8 balls, cover and let rest 45 minutes.
  3. In a small bowl combine oregano, thyme, and 1 tsp Kosher salt.
  4. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
  5. Roll each ball dough out as thinly as possible, cut crackers, poke with a fork, and place on prepared cookie sheet. Options: Sprinkle cut crackers with seasonings or roll seasonings into the dough before cutting.
  6. Bake 8 minutes until crispy – keep an eye on them, they’ll burn quickly.

*This recipe is adapted from Lacey at http://www.asweetpeachef.com/snack/olive-oil-herb-crackers/*

Olive Oil Crackers for the #EVOOChallenge from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Disclaimer: By participating in this 5 day challenge I received a bottle and pouch of Spartan Olive Oil. 

SRC: Garlic Parmesan Sauce & Caesar Dressing

~ lk529 ~ 18 Comments

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It’s Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the Secret Recipe Club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

With the new year I have switched groups and will now be posting with Group C on the 3rd Monday of the month instead of the 4th. (I did this so I can continue participating with #MuffinMonday!)

My first assigned blog in Group C is Kirstin of Loving Life! Kirstin and I have quite a lot in common: having both lived in FL and OH; her father was in the military and my husband is currently serving; and browsing the internet and window shopping are skills we both share, too.

I enjoyed searching through Kirstin’s blog and ended up making not one, but two of her recipes! I was this close (imagine me holding up my thumb and pointer finger really close together) to finally braving a cauliflower pizza crust but then I saw her Copy Cat recipe for Buffalo Wild Wings Garlic Parmesan Sauce. I had just tried B-Dub’s Caesar Salad which is topped with garlic Parmesan coated chicken and couldn’t stop dreaming about it. (Until I can go back to my Spicy Garlic wings post breastfeeding this Caesar salad will be my new B-Dub staple.) Conveniently Kirstin also had a Caesar dressing in her recipe index, too.

Instead of wings, I used chicken thighs to top our salads because that’s what I had in my freezer. I will definitely be making this dish again. The wing sauce was an exact match to the one you get at the restaurant. I know because the following week I found myself back at BWW ordering that salad. I might have a problem… Thank you Kirstin for fueling this new addiction.

Copy Cat: BWW Garlic Parmesan Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 C mayonnaise
  • 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tbsp corn syrup
  • 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp basil

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place garlic cloves on a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil, fold up and place on a baking sheet. Roast garlic 25 minutes, or until tender. Set aside to cool.
  2. Whisk the remaining ingredients until smooth.
  3. Mash the cooled garlic and add to the sauce. Refrigerate.
  4. To use: toss cooked wings in sauce or baste roasted chicken in the last 10 minutes of cook time.

*This recipe is adapted from Kirstin at http://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2015/02/mock-buffalo-wild-wings-wing-night.html*

Caesar Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 3/4 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 C mayonnaise
  • 1/2 C olive oil
  • 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese

Steps:

  1. Whisk together the lemon juice, garlic, mustard, Worcestershire, and pepper. Add the mayo and whisk until combined. Add the olive oil while continuously whisking until smooth. Stir in the cheese. Season to taste with salt.
  2. Keep refrigerated up to 2 weeks.

*This recipe is adapted from Kirstin at http://troyerslovinglife.blogspot.com/2009/01/recipes-top-ramen-salad-yummy-quiche.html*

bww salad

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

BBQ Kale Chips

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

10313804_10103445114255281_4038587599929197876_nI have reached a new point as a busy mom of two trying keeping up a household and a blog. This post is being written from the WordPress app on my phone while I kid myself that I’m going to bed “early.”

Last week was the first week back to reality from the holidays. And it was a rough one! My husband started his final quarter of his Masters program and is working tirelessly on his thesis. The boys had doctor appointments 3 of the 5 days which made getting a rhythm of Dad back at work a little more difficult. Both naps and bedtimes have been difficult which means if I want to get any blogging done it’s not until after 11 or 12 and that means I crawl into bed at 1 am (with the hopes and prayers that both boys will sleep solidly until 7).

So now I’m trying out this app to see if I can gain multi-tasking time in snippets during late night feedings and moments when the kids fall asleep while out running errands.

Good thing I’m trying this post out on an easy recipe! Kale chips. These kale chips are dusted with barbecue seasoning after baking which makes this crunchy healthy snack a little addicting.

BBQ Kale Chips

Ingredients:

  • bunch of kale, stems removed
  • 1/8 C paprika
  • 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground mustard

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 275 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Tear kale into bite-sized pieces. Place on prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.
  3. Bake kale chips 18-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until crispy.
  4. Make barbecue seasoning: combine all the spices and brown sugar.
  5. Sprinkle seasoning over the kale chips after removing from the oven.

*This recipe is adapted from Jeff Mauro, Food Network Magazine January/February 2015*

BBQ Kale Chips | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Blogger CLUE: Citrus Shrimp

~ lk529 ~ 24 Comments

blogger CLUE

After a month of endless desserts and party foods the Blogger CLUE crew and I are on the hunt for healthy foods to bring in the new year.

This month I was tasked with searching through Wendy’s blog, A Day in the Life on the Farm. As her blog name suggests, Wendy lives on a farm where she and her husband are fairly self sufficient. They raise chickens, turkeys, and pigs for meat, have hens for egg laying, and have fruit trees and gardens on their 12 acres of land. I’m exhausted just thinking about it! Isn’t retirement supposed to be relaxing?!

I am very familiar with Wendy’s blog as I have worked with her in many events and blogging clubs. Surprisingly though I’ve not actually cooked anything from her recipe box. (She’s ambitiously tackled my Busia’s recipe for pierogi for a Secret Recipe Club post.)

I really wanted to return the favor of celebrating Polish cuisine and make her recipe for beet soup. I was pretty excited about it, too, and I don’t tend to get excited about soup. I went to the grocery store on a Sunday (something I tend to avoid). Kroger was packed! Post-holiday fridge-restocking was on everyone’s mind that afternoon many items were out of stock (I snagged the last carton of organic whole milk!). The missing ingredient that threw me into a tizzy was beets! How was I to make beet soup without beets!? Granted, there were some golden beets that looked pretty sad. I pushed my cart to a corner of the produce section, trying to be as out of the way as possible, and frantically searched through some of the other recipes I’d book marked from Wendy’s blog: between grilled mahi mahi, cranberry chicken, and spicy citrus shrimp, I decided on the shrimp.

This shopping curveball was a huge blessing in disguise. This shrimp dish is incredible! I served it over rice as dinner. It’s a perfect weeknight meal that I will be returning to. I had to swap the mango for pineapple due to allergies and the pineapple was my favorite part. I liked that the fruit wasn’t cooked with the shrimp, it was simply warmed through from the sauce, a perfect compliment to the flavors.

Citrus Shrimp

Ingredients:

  • 12-14 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • juice of 1 orange
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/4 – 1/2 tsp chile paste (I used Gourmet Garden)
  • 1/2 C diced pineapple
  • 1 scallion, sliced

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Pat shrimp dry and toss in the flour. Place in a glass baking dish.
  3. In a small bowl whisk together the orange juice, lime juice, salt, and chili paste. Pour over the shrimp.
  4. Bake shrimp for 7 minutes. Flip the shrimp and bake another 7 minutes.
  5. Add the pineapple and scallions to the shrimp and toss to combine, thickening the sauce.
  6. Serve over rice.

*This recipe is modified from Wendy at http://adayinthelifeonthefarm.blogspot.com/2015/02/triplesbitesspicy-saucy-sexy-bites-for.html*

citrus shrimp for blogger clue from sew you think you can cook

Here’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

Enchilada Dip

~ lk529 ~ 2 Comments

Are you invested in the National Championship game tonight? I think it would be incredible if Clemson could keep their undefeated season but they have their work cut out for them, Alabama is a tough powerhouse to take down.

It’s hard for me to watch football without some sort of dip to snack on, especially if we have company over! Earlier this year In November my brother-in-law and his girlfriend now fiance (finally!) came to meet Treat. They are both also Auburn grads so there wasn’t any fight over which game we’d be watching on Saturday. It was the Georgia game and we knew it’d be a tough one, so good food was a must!

I’d been eyeing this dip on one of my Pinterest boards for a good while and was anxious to finally give it a shot! With enchilada flavors and real cheese it’s a step up from the usual favorite game day dip. It’s a thicker dip that’s pretty dang close to being called enchilada chili! Firecracker enjoyed the dip as well and I was happy to let him eat as much as he wanted – we could do a lot worse than beef, cheese, and veggies.

Enchilada Dip

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 1/2 C enchilada sauce
  • 1 can (15 oz) fiesta corn
  • 1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese, divided use
  • 1 1/2 C shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided use

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease oven-safe casserole dish.
  2. Brown ground beef in a high sided skillet over medium-high heat until cooked. Drain the fat.
  3. Add the enchilada sauce and corn to the skillet. Mix in 1 C cheddar and 1 C Monterey Jack cheeses, stirring until melted. Season to taste with S+P.
  4. Transfer dip to prepared baking dish. Top with remaining cheeses.
  5. Bake 5-10 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.
  6. Serve with tortilla chips.

*This recipe is modified from Chungah at http://damndelicious.net/2013/10/21/beef-enchilada-dip/*

Enchilada Dip | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Spanish Spice-Rubbed Steak with Steak Sauce

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

Today is my husband’s birthday and in his honor I feel compelled to share a steak recipe! This particular one is from his favorite chef, Bobby Flay, and a dish that he prepared. It was quite delicious! We did have to take some liberty with the ingredients due to availability and cooking method due to weather.

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

Honestly, I almost didn’t blog this recipe. I’m simply not happy with the photographs. (I didn’t even take the time to edit them, there’s simply no hope for them.) Even as I’m typing this I’m second guessing my decision to continue with the post! I think we’ll just have to make it again and update the photos…. oh darn!

Spanish Spice-Rubbed Steak

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp ground mustard
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 4 (12 oz) steaks (boneless rib-eye, NY strip, or filet mignon)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

  1. Make rub: combine paprika, cumin, mustard, S+P.
  2. Bring steaks to room temperature, about 20 minutes.
  3. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.
  4. Brush steaks with oil. Season liberally with the spice rub. Cook 5 minutes on each side, or until desired done-ness is reached.
  5. Allow steaks to rest 5 minutes before serving with steak sauce (recipe below).

Steak Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1/4 C red wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp horseradish
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Steps:

  1. Turn on broiler. Brush bell pepper with a little bit of vegetable or canola oil. Place under broiler until charred, rotating to get all sides. Place pepper in a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes. Peel the skin, remove the seeds, and rough chop.
  2. Place peppers and remaining ingredients in a blender. Process until smooth. Season to taste with S+P. If too thick, add up to a tablespoon of water. Serve at room temperature.

*These recipes are modified from Bobby Flay’s Grill It!*

IMG_6750

Updated November 2017: This blog post was recently linked to Fuss Free Flavours blog post Quick and Easy Stilton Steak Sauce. I was then reminded of the horrendous photograph shown above. It did bring a laugh though as I told my husband the story and asked if he remembered those photos taken in Ohio at night in the winter. Surprisingly, he did! Immediately, this recipe returned to our menu and I’m so glad it did. The steak sauce doesn’t taste like bell pepper, for which I’m thankful, and it doesn’t taste like horseradish, for which my husband is thankful. It is a perfectly balanced steak sauce that pairs nicely with the smokey Spanish spice rub. Without further ado, here is an improved photograph of a steak dinner.

Spanish-Spice Rubbed Steak with Steak Sauce | Sew You Think You Can Cook

 

#FoodieExtravaganza: Croissants

~ lk529 ~ 22 Comments

foodieextravaganza-300

January 30th is National Croissant day and that’s what the #FoodieExtravaganza crew is celebrating today! This month’s host is Kathleen from Fearlessly Creative Mammas.

I wasn’t going to participate this month due to holiday travels but then there was a sign from the cooking gods that I was indeed intended to party with the foodie crew.

For Christmas my brother gave my husband Bobby Flay’s newest cookbook, Brunch at Bobby’s. We have already made three recipes from this book, if you love breakfast as much as we do I couldn’t recommend adding this one to your collection enough!

Last week as I was getting ready to prepare a jalapeno pesto, my husband flipped open the book to Almond Croissant French Toast. He ogled at the photos and I decided that I (well, actually, my husband ended up being the chef while I kept a hungry 2 month old content) could easily whip up that brunch on Sunday giving me plenty of time to type up this blog post and edit the photos. All I had to do was buy 4 large croissants. An errand that acted as a win-win. I took the boys out of the house and traveled to a market with a wonderful bakery 30 minutes from the house, allowing my husband some peace and quite to work on his thesis.

Funny story, too! I spent more time in the parking lot than I did inside the market. Both boys had fallen asleep on the drive and because I was trying to keep them out of the house I decided to fuel my Candy Crush addiction while I waited for Firecracker to wake up. (Treat would remain in his car seat so that wasn’t a limiting factor.) Upon returning to the car with our purchases Treat was hungry. When I need to nurse while out and about I allow Firecracker to “drive.” He just LOVES being in the front seat turning the steering wheel and pushing all of the buttons. He was climbing up into the driver’s seat as I was climbing into the back to retrieve Treat from the car seat while an older gentleman was walking by. He gave some funny looks and I got a laugh out of it. When he returned to his vehicle I was up in the passenger seat nursing Treat and Firecracker was happily standing in the driver’s seat doing his thing. The confusion on the gentleman’s face amused me greatly. (He probably thought I was another kid left in a vehicle; he probably couldn’t see the 2 month old.) He sat in his car a while on his phone and I honestly wouldn’t have been surprised if the cops arrived having received a report of unattended children in a vehicle.

This French Toast makes for a decadent brunch! One croissant and some fresh fruit is plenty to satisfy. We actually made the Almond Syrup a couple of days earlier for some pancakes and discovered that the almond extract was really strong so we omitted it* from the custard. If you want to serve your French toast with plain syrup do not omit the almond extract; I’ve declared it as “optional” in the ingredient list. Another component of this dish is using clarified butter – a task my husband ambitiously took on. It’s a step I would not skip either. I think if these croissants were fried in regular butter the butter flavor would be too strong; there’s butter in the syrup and croissants are buttery, too!

Almond Croissant French Toast

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 1/4 C heavy cream
  • 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional* – see comment above)
  • 4 fresh large croissants
  • 1 stick butter

Steps:

  1. Make clarified butter: Over low heat, melt butter until a foam forms on the top of the butter. Remove from heat and skim off the foam – discard. Pour the butter into a dish, being sure to leave behind any butter solids -discard those, too.
  2. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. In a wide bowl whisk the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until smooth. Whisk in the cream, extracts, and a pinch of salt.
  4. Cut the croissants in half lengthwise. If it’ll fit in your skillet, leave the croissants butterflied instead of fully cut.
  5. Heat 2 tbsp clarified butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Soak one croissant in the custard from Step 3 for 10 seconds on each side. Add to the skillet and cook 1-2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Place on the prepared baking sheet and keep warm in the oven.
  6. Repeat Step 5 until all 4 croissants are cooked. Serve with Almond Butter Syrup (recipe below).

Almond Butter Syrup

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 stick butter
  • 1 C pure grade B maple syrup
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract
  • 1/4 C almonds, coarsely chopped

Steps:

  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat melt the butter. Add the remaining ingredients and cook until warmed through.
  2. Leftover syrup can be stored in the fridge, the butter will separate so heat again before using.

*These recipes are adapted from Brunch at Bobby’s*

Almond Croissant French Toast for #FoodieExtravaganza from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Be sure to check out more ways to celebrate National Croissant Day on January 30th:

Beefy Green Chile Braid by Fearlessly Creative Mammas

Pain Au Jambon by Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Pain Au Chocolat by Making Miracles

Sausage, Egg and Cheese Croissant with Maple Dijon Sauce by Tara’s Multicultural Table

Cinnamon and Apple Croissant Bread Pudding by The Freshman Cook

Chocolate Croissants by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Croque Monsieur Croissants by Caroline’s Cooking

Bacon Fig Dippers for Melty Cheese by Cooking with Carlee

Triple Meat Croissants Breakfast Casserole by Cookin’ and Craftin’

Coronation Chicken Horns by Food Lust People Love

Breakfast Croissant Ring by Our Good Life

Baked Cinnamon Raisin Croissant French Toast from From Gate to Plate

Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.

#SundaySupper Month Kick-Off

~ lk529 ~ 24 Comments

I mentioned on New Year’s Day that this January is the first ever National Sunday Supper Month. It’s incredible that this movement is making a difference in families all over the country. Take the pledge this year and gather around the table as a family just once a week.

Enjoying dinner together as a family doesn’t have to be reserved for holidays or fancy meals, but I am sharing a show-stopping main course today. This Mustard-Crusted Pork Roast is what we had for Thanksgiving this year instead of turkey.

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With Treat being less than a month old we had a smaller Thanksgiving than usual. My husband’s parents drove up from Alabama to celebrate with us and the four of us enjoyed a less-than-traditional meal gathered around the table. I decided on pork instead of turkey or some other poultry because Firecracker was willingly and voluntarily eating pork. Unfortunately he wasn’t interested in the beautiful roast – I can’t even remember what he ended up eating that night.

Mustard-Crusted Pork Roast

Ingredients:

  • 1 C Kosher salt
  • 6 tbsp sugar
  • 6 tbsp gin
  • 7 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 2 tbsp peppercorns
  • 1 tsp whole allspice
  • 5 1/2 – 6 1/2 lb pork French rack (I had two separate roasts)
  • 1 C panko
  • 4 tbsp butter, at room temperature
  • 2 tbsp dried parsley
  • 2 tsp dried thyme
  • 3 tbsp Dijon mustard

Steps:

  1. Brine the pork: In a pot large enough for the pork roasts (I used my stock pot) combine salt, sugar, gin, garlic, bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice with 4 C water over medium heat, stirring, until both the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add 8 C of ice and stir until brine is cool.
  2. Pierce the pork with a paring knife all over. Place in the cooled brine and refrigerate overnight.
  3. Place a roasting pan on the lowest level in the oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Remove the pork from the brine and pat dry, allow pork to come to room temperature while the oven and roasting pan preheat. Bring 3 C of the brine (and spices) to a boil.
  4. Pour hot brine in the bottom of the preheated roasting pan. Place the pork roast(s) on the roasting rack fat-side up. Roast 40 minutes.
  5. Make the crust: In the bowl of a food processor pulse the panko, butter, parsley, and thyme with a pinch of salt until combined.
  6. Remove the pork from the oven. Brush the roast(s) with the Dijon mustard and top with the panko mixture. Return pork to the oven and roast another 50 minutes.
  7. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F and roast until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes. Allow pork to rest 20 minutes before carving.

*This recipe is modified from Food Network Magazine, Dec 2014*

Mustard-Crusted Pork Roast for #SundaySupper from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Appetizers and Soups

Main courses

Side dishes

Desserts

And more

 

Help us celebrate National Sunday Supper Month by entering the Idaho® Potato Let’s Poutine recipe contest, sponsored by the Idaho Potato Commission, with prizes of $500, $200 and $100, plus a ticket for each winner to Food and Wine Conference 2016. All the rules and conditions for entry can be found on our Sunday Supper Movement website.

Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat.

To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out our Pinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Countdown to 2016: Sunday Supper

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

countdownto20162016 is finally here and it’s the last day of our countdown. Sarah at Fantastical Sharing of Recipes has left this final day to be a collection of our choosing. To see what other bloggers are celebrating scoot on over her her page.

In early 2015 I joined a fantastic blogging community – Sunday Supper. 2016 is their 5th year and it’s going to be a milestone. This January is the very first National Sunday Supper Month! That is why I am sharing my favorite Sunday Supper recipes of 2015.

If you want to join The Sunday Supper Movement click here: Sunday Supper Movement. And take the pledge to gather around the table with your family.

Buffalo Macaroni Salad

Copy Cat: CPK’s Thai Salad

French Onion Soup Twice Baked Potatoes

Oven Baked Tilapia Tacos

Salmon in Puff Pastry

Sweet Potato Alfredo

Whiskey Bacon Baked Beans

2015 Sunday Supper Countdown.jpg