a fuzzy bunny.

I gave ham a whirl this year for Easter. We typically always have Honey Baked ham because it is so good and not cooking a meat totally changes Easter day - you get some much time back to relax with family and friends. We celebrated Easter on Saturday this year as Vance worked Sunday. The ham was good - but next year, I think we're back to Honey Baked; it's just nice to have a short cut!

sweet & hot glazed ham

3 tablespoons honey mustard

2 tablespoons brown mustard

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2-3 tablespoons warm water

20 cloves

Mix all ingredients except cloves and set aside. Place ham in baking dish, stick in cloves, cover tightly with tin foil. Follow instructions for baking ham (likely 350 degrees for about 1 and 1/4 to 1 and 1/2 hours). When ham is warmed all the way through, remove from oven and paint on glaze. Turn up the heat to 475 degrees - return uncovered ham to oven for about 10 minutes until glaze just starts to darken in some areas. Remove from oven, recover and allow to rest for 20 minutes.

In keeping with tradition, we started with deviled eggs - I can't get enough of these. Vance made fuzzy bunny cocktails that were delicious.

 

fuzzy bunny

1 part lemonade

1 part vodka

dash or so of grenadine

float soda on top

garnish with a lemon slice

or

 fuzzy bunnarita

1 part tequila

1 part lemonade

dash or so of grenadine

shake with ice and pour into salted glass, float soda on top and garnish with lemon

 



B.L.E.W.T.

bacon, lettuce, egg, waffle & tomato open-face sandwich

White Cheddar Waffles

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 large eggs
2 cups whole milk
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (about 5 ounces)

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl to aerate and break up any lumps; set aside. Place the eggs in a second large bowl and whisk until just broken up. Add the milk and, while whisking constantly, slowly pour in the melted butter until evenly combined. Add the cheese and stir until combined. Add the milk-cheese mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until the flour is just incorporated and no streaks remain (the batter may have a few lumps); set aside. Heat a Belgian waffle iron to medium according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once heated, fill it with batter, close the lid, and cook until the steam starts to diminish (open the top and peek for doneness after a few minutes). Remove to a plate. Repeat with the remaining batter. When ready to assemble sandwiches, pop the waffle in the toaster for a few minutes until warm. Layer, waffle, lettuce, tomato, bacon with egg on top. Enjoy!

These waffles are also delicious on their own - try with a bowl of soup or cut up for appetizer with a dip. So tasty!

pork. cilantro. lime. ginger.

1/4 pound linguine

1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil

1 pork tenderloin (about 3/4 pound), cut into small strips*

6 scallions including green tops, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger

2 tomatoes, chopped

3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 quart chicken stock

1/4 pound bean sprouts

2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 lime), plus lime wedges for serving

1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into thin slices

1 cup lightly packed mint, basil, or cilantro leaves, or a combination 

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain the pasta. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly. Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the pork, scallions, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, fish sauce, salt, water, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pork is just done, about 10 minutes. Stir the cooked linguine, bean sprouts, and lime juice into the soup. Ladle into bowls, top each serving with some of the cucumber and herbs, and serve with the lime wedges. *I had about half of a leftover pork loin that I used for this recipe. It had been roasted so I cubed it up and stirred it in with tomatoes and broth. Great use for leftover pork.

This soup is fresh and delicious and was something different to try.

ham & cheese (at its finest)

Nothing beats a ham 'n cheese pairing...whether in between two slices of bread or inside warm crepes (with asparagus and topped with cheddar 'n béchamel). I gave crepes a whirl last week - takes a bit of time to get the knack on these. When I was in school, and we would bring food into French class (for cultural immersion day), I used to always volunteer for crepes with strawberries and whipped cream. Which meant I really volunteer my mom to make crepes. She would be up late (or up very early) making beautiful crepes for me to take to class. I had no idea how much work that was...so Mom, this is a terribly belated thank you!

Crepes

1 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon canola oil

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more, to taste

8 teaspoons butter, plus more for brushing pan

1 lb. ham steak, sauced and then thinly sliced

½ lb. asparagus, blanched and sliced

8 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

S&P

Bechamel

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/4 cups milk, heated

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Pinch of nutmeg 

Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the paste cooks and bubbles a bit, but don't let it brown — about 2 minutes. Add the hot milk, continuing to stir as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from the heat and stir in nutmeg. Set aside.

Now the crepes, in a blender, combine the milk, egg, flour, oil and the 1/2 teaspoon salt and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. In a crepe pan over medium heat, melt 1 teaspoon of the butter to coat the pan evenly. Lift the pan at a slight angle and pour 2 tablespoons of the batter into the center, tilting the pan to spread the batter to the edges. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the crepe is golden underneath, 1 to 2 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the crepe over and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate and cover. Layer a crepe, then foil or parchment to prevent sticking. Repeat with the remaining batter to make 8 crepes. To assemble, lay a crepe flat and arrange a bit of sliced ham and asparagus on the crepe and top with a bit of cheddar. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the crepe into quarters and assemble into a misted shallow baking dish. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. Top with béchamel sauce and a bit more shredded cheese. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 35 minutes or until top is slightly golden.

"you could call the blog...loaf."

This is blog is about meatloaf. There's nothing clever about it. Two loaves - two varieties of baked deliciousness.

Spicy Sausage & Turkey Meatloaf

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup of minced onion

1 celery stalk, minced

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1 carrot, minced

1/2 cup of minced green onion, including the onion greens

2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2/3 cup ketchup, divided 1/3 and 1/3

1 1/2 pounds of ground turkey (or beef if you'd prefer)

3/4 pound of spicy ground spicy sausage (I used pork, but you could use chicken, etc.)

1 cup bread crumbs

2 large eggs, beaten slightly

1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. In large pan, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until translucent, add celery, carrot, garlic and green onions. Saute for about 8 minutes until all vegetable are soft. In large bowl mix slightly cooled vegetables and all remaining ingredients. Mix well with your hands. Mold into a loaf and place in a misted baking pan. Bake for about an hour and test (should be 155 degrees internally) - may take another 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes and slice. We enjoyed our meatloaf with spiced sweet potato mash and garlic-broccoli rage.

BBQ Black & Pinto Bean Loaf

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small red onion, diced
1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained well
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained well
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chili peppers, hot or mild, drained
1 cup whole kernel corn, unsweetened
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Kosher salt to taste
  ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup breadcrumbs

1 egg slightly whisked with about 2 tablespoons water
1/3 cup BBQ sauce
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet add oil, turn to medium-low heat and sauté onions until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the carrot and celery and saute for another 5 minutes. Add kidney beans, black beans, green chili peppers and corn, continue to sauté until beans soften up, about 3 minutes (use a wooden spoon to slight smash some beans). Add oregano, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, salt and cayenne pepper, stir to combine.
Combine in a large mixing bowl bean mixture, egg/water and bread crumbs  Lightly spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray, add bean mixture, shape into a loaf. Bake for 30 minutes, add barbecue sauce and bake 1 additional minute. Remove from oven and allow to set 5 minutes. Cut into 8 slices and carefully remove each slice with a spatula.

This loaf can be a bit odd. It is serious bean city...but it is quite good on a toasted bun in sandwich format.

 

a cold dinner for a cold night

Even though a nice warm meal is typically just the thing to beat the chill on a cold night, some nights it's nice to have room temp or cold dinner option (especially if your husband is getting home from the hospital at 11:30 p.m. and will be raiding the fridge). Enter - Asian noodles & spring rolls. I have shared a pork spring roll recipe before - these were pretty similar. Shredded pork, carrot, bell pepper, lettuce, little soy and some spicy peanut sauce.

Spring rolls are so delicious, Vance and I can't get enough of them! Next time will be shrimp and veggies. The unexpected star of last night's dinner was adapted from The Pioneer Woman's Sesame Noodles, adjusted to serve a very hungry couple or three normal adults.

6-8 ounces, whole grain angel hair pasta, cooked and drained
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, minced
1-2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
2 whole green onions, sliced thin
(little vegetable or canola oil if the flavor is too strong for your palette)

Whisk together all ingredients except noodles. In large bowl, pour dressing over noodles and toss. Try not to choke as you inhale this delicious and simple dish. This would be great with some sauteed shrimp, veggies, chicken, old sneaker, tire...anything.

And when I said it was cold here...I meant like 7 degrees cold, almost a state of emergency for Nashville.

"I've never done this with a girl here before."

Vance was on vacation last week, although it certainly didn't feel like it! He had been studying for a big exam and writing a grant proposal. Not the relaxing week he had hoped for (and needed), but we celebrated Thursday with a great pork dinner. When we hit the hay the night before his test, we were drifting off when he said, "I've never gone to sleep with a girl in my bed the night before a big exam." I assured him that I would be no bother and we zonked out.
Pork tenderloin is a serious go-to in my culinary repertoire. Marinate, sear, roast, rest, slice - it is ready fast and can be fixed in a variety of ways, plus leftover pork is great.

Maple-Dijon Pork Tenderloin with Braised Red Cabbage & Sweet Potato-Kohlrabi Mash

Mash

2-3 small kohlrabi, peeled and cubed

1 large sweet potato, peel and cubed

small or half of a large crisp apple, peeled and cubed

1 teaspoon butter

1 teaspoon cinnamon

EVOO

S&P

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Toss kohlrabi, sweet potato and apple cubes in a bit of EVOO with a generous amount of S&P. Spread in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for20 minutes - turning after 10 to ensure all sides bake well. When tender, place in a large bowl of food processor with butter and cinnamon. Pulse until everything is mashed to the consistency of your liking.

Maple-Dijon Pork

Prepare marinade - this recipe makes about 12 or so ounces. I used some for the pork marinade, and jarred the rest for salad dressing.

In blender, combine:

1/4 balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup good maple syrup

1-2 tablespoons dijon mustard

2 garlic cloves, minced

generous amount of Kosher salt

ground black pepper

1/2 cup EVOO (adding slowing while blending or periodically to create emulsion)

In shallow baking dish, pour some marinade over two pork tenderloins (with some additional S&P). Ensure all pork is covered and marinate overnight. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Roast pork for about 15 to 18 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes and slice thinly.

 Pork & Vegetable Spring Rolls

I wanted to use up leftover pork on Sunday so I made some delicious spring rolls with dipping sauce. Great recipe on Macheesmo - directions on spring rolls wrapping too. I added some fish sauce, soy sauce and a jalapeno pepper to the peanut dipping sauce - needed a bigger kick of flavor.

Leftover pork tenderloin is great for pork fried rice, Cuban sandwiches -- or just eating cold with some cheese - yum! Enjoy!