Carnitas for Cinco de Mayo

 Tomorrow is May! Yea! Time to think about Mexican themed food for Cinco de Mayo. The May 5 holiday is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, but in the U.S. it is a good time for celebrating with Mexican flavors whether you have Mexican heritage or not. 
This recipe for Beef Carnitas is now a favorite of ours. Carnita means 'little meats' and is traditionally done with pork. But we love our beef and this recipe from Chef Alli is easy to get to the table or will wait until all the cattle workers get in. Since I started using my Electric Pressure Cooker, I won't cook a beef roast any other way! Cutting it into chunks and browning it not only makes it cook quicker, it improves the flavor ('brown' is a flavor as well as a color). And I've just discovered a quick thaw trick - put frozen roast in the refrigerator overnight (it starts thawing, but will still be frozen in the morning), then a quick microwave 'defrost' for ½ pound, followed by a short time sitting in a heavy cooking pan (still wrapped) with another pan sitting on it. There is some trick about the metal drawing the cold out! The roast will soon be thawed enough to cut into smaller chunks. 

Happy Cinco de Mayo

Big Bold Beef Carnitas

Ingredients:

3 lbs. chuck roast, cut into 3-inch chunks, trimmed if needed

2 Tbs. olive oil

1 Tbs. kosher salt

2 tsp. ground cumin

½ tsp. smoked paprika

1 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. oregano flakes

1 tsp. chipotle sauce or minced chipotles in adobo

1 yellow onion

3-4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 cinnamon stick

Zest of 1 orange

½ cup orange juice

½ cup lime juice (can use lime zest too, if you want)

Directions:

1.    Set electric pressure cooker (EPC) to sauté setting; add oil, salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano, and chipotle sauce; when mixture is nicely hot, add cubed beef. Brown beef in batches, removing to a plate as you work. 

2.    Return all beef to EPC pot; add onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, orange zest, and juices; cover pressure cooker, lock EPC lid into place. Choose High Pressure setting for 45-50 minutes. When times sounds, use a full natural release to allow protein fibers to fully relax. 

3.    Remove EPC lid and transfer beef to a large cutting board; shred beef apart. Add shredded beef to a preheated, oiled cast iron skill set over high heat. 

4.    Sear beef over high heat just until it gets a good ‘crisp’ on the outside, watching carefully so beef doesn’t bur, adding cooking liquid from pressure cooker, a little at a time, as needed. 

5.    Serve beef with warm corn or flour tortillas, salsa fresca, sour cream, cilantro, and shredded cheese, as desired. 

Scones for Spring

Scones are a popular treat at bakeries and coffee shops now. Although they sound very English, Scones are believed to have originated in Scotland between 1505 and 1515, and are named for the Stone of Destiny (or Scone), the place where Scottish kings were once crowned. We in the U.S. are now enjoying this crusty and tender quick bread as a royal treat with our tea and coffee. Our local coffee shop makes a wonderful scone with white baking chips and dried cranberries, it is my favorite. 

Making scones is similar to stirring together biscuits. They have similar ingredients - flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, milk, butter, and eggs. Scones can be loaded with add-ins for a boast in flavor. 

Some tips for scones are:
* Make sure the butter, eggs, and milk are cold. The cold fat gives baked products flakiness. 
* Work the butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like coarse sand with some larger particles, similar to pie crust dough. 
* Eggs add richness and help the dough rise. If your recipe doesn't include an egg, just add one and omit ¼ cup milk or cream in the recipe. 
* Juicy fruits can make the scones soggy. I like to use slightly frozen fruit and lightly dust it with flour. 
* Don't overmix, this can make the scones tough. 
* A new tip for me, and I tried it - Freeze the pan of scones for 30 minutes before baking to relax the gluten and enhance the flakiness of the fat. 

This recipe from the National Festival of Breads is good and can be adapted to be savory or sweet. I used ½ cup dried cranberries and ½ cup white chocolate baking chips. 

Signature Scones 

(makes 12 scones)

Ingredients:

1 cup white whole-wheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ cup chopped dried or chopped fresh fruit

2 tablespoons granulated sugar or agave nectar

½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt, any flavor

¼ cup vegetable oil or olive oil

¼ cup 2% low-fat milk

1 large egg, slightly beaten

Directions: 

1.   Heat oven to 350 degrees

2.   In large bowl, combine all ingredients, stirring just until dough clings together. (Mixture will be sticky; if using fresh fruit, extra tablespoons of flour may be needed)

3.   On lightly floured surface, knead gently for a few turns. Divide dough in half; pat dough into two 6-inch circles. 

4.   Cut each circle into six equal wedges. Place 2 inches apart on a parchment paper-lined or lightly greased baking sheet. Brush surface with milk; sprinkle with sugar. 

5.   Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until lightly golden. The interior will be fully baked but not doughy, just a bit moist. Transfer to a wire rack; serve warm or at room temperature. 

A Sign of Spring - Asparagus!

The first asparagus of the season is one of spring's signals. It is now appearing at the grocery's produce department even though I've not found it in my roadside patch yet. I will check daily as I'm always surprised when I find an 18-inch spear where I didn't see anything a few days ago.



Asparagus is a tender vegetable and pairs well with cheese. This easy and quick recipe will go with anything and is a favorite at our house. Thanks to Taste of Home for this spring recipe.


LEMON-PARMESAN BROILED ASPARAGUS

¼ cup mayonnaise

4 tsp. olive oil (I used lemon-infused olive oil)

1 ½ tsp. grated lemon zest

1 garlic clove, minced

½ tsp. seasoned salt

½ tsp. pepper

ready to go under the broiler.

1 lb. fresh asparagus, trimmed

2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions: 

1.    Preheat broiler. In a bowl, combine first 6 ingredients.

2.    Spread asparagus in a single layer on a foil-lined 15x10-inch pan. Spread above mixture over asparagus. 

 

3.    Broil 5-6 inches from heat until tender, about 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. 

Asparagus goes well with anything - especially steak! 

Upgraded TaterTot Casserole

TaterTot casserole is a kid-pleaser. It has been a favorite for generations and this upgraded version will appeal to the whole family. I changed Chef Alli's recipe a bit (reduced bacon and cheese and omitted onions). Also, instead of tater tots I used corn nuggets, a similar frozen product made with corn kernels instead of potato bits. We liked it and it was eaten quickly!

TaterTot – Bacon – Cheeseburger Casserole

Ingredients: 

1 ½ pounds ground beef

6 slices bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

10.75 oz can condensed cheddar cheese soup

16 oz. sour cream

32-oz package frozen tater tots (will have some left over)

Instructions: 

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2.    In a large skillet over medium heat, cook beef until nicely browned and no pink remains; drain fats well. 

3.    In a mixing bowl, combine cooked beef, crumbled bacon (save some for garnish), 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese, soup, and sour cream; spread prepared mixture into a greased 8 x 8-inch baking dish. Top with tater tots; placing them in even rows over the filling, then gently spray tater tots with nonstick baking spray. 

4.    Bake, uncovered, on center rack for 40-45 minutes, or until filling is hot and bubbly, and tater tots are golden brown. Garnish with cheese and chopped bacon. Serve at once. 

More Lemons

Lemons taste like sunshine! And we are so ready for sunshine and warm days. These Meyer Lemon Cake Bars are tart, moist, and buttery-rich. They seem like a cross between a brownie and a lemon bar, lemony-sweet perfection. Also from the Meyer Lemons my friend gave me.

MEYER LEMON CAKE BARS

Cake Bar Ingredients:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter (room temperature)

1 ½ cups sugar

4 eggs

1 tablespoon Meyer lemon juice

2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest 

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Glaze Ingredients: 

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice

2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest

Directions: 

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inchx9-inch baking pan and set aside. 

2.    In a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. 

3.    Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition

4.    Add lemon juice and lemon zest and beat on low speed just until combined. 

5.    In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

6.    Pour the flour mixture into the butter/sugar/egg mixture and blend. 

7.    Spread the mixture into the baking pan. 

8.    Bake 30 minutes until the cake bars begin to turn golden brown around the edges and are set in the middle. 

9.    Cool for 20-30 minutes. 

10.  Whisk the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over the top of the cake bars. 

Look what a rich yellow color the farm-fresh eggs make! 

Sliding past St. Patrick's Day

St. Patrick's Day was this weekend but we think anytime this month (or other months) is a good time to enjoy Reuben sandwiches. Sometimes it is 'iffy' to order at a restaurant - is the meat tough or in big hunks? Is is too greasy? Is the favor just the right balance of tang and savory? This recipe for Reuben Sliders hits all the right answers. And it is quick and easy to make. As with the other sliders I've made I like using Hawaiian style dinner rolls. I cut the pack of twelve into 2 halves of 6 rolls each before slicing horizontally to make separating the top and bottom easier. Also I like to brush the melted butter topping mixture on with a pastry brush and I think you could cut the topping ingredients in half for 12 rolls. 

REUBEN SLIDERS         

12 dinner rolls

8 oz. corned beef, thinly sliced

8 oz. swiss cheese

⅓ cup thousand island dressing

1 cup sauerkraut, squeezed dry

Topping:

¼ cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

½ teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)

Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2.    Whisk together topping ingredients in a small bowl. 

3.    Cut the rolls in half separating the top and bottom. 

4.    Place the bottoms of the rolls in a 9x13-inch pan (spray with cooking spray or line with parchment paper for easy removal). 

5.    Spread dressing on rolls. Top with a layer of cheese, sauerkraut, corned beef and another layer of cheese. 

6.    Top with the other half of the rolls and gently spoon or brush the butter mixture over the tops.

7.    Bake about 20 – 25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tops are lightly browned. Serve warm.