Ham

I made this ham for dinner last Sunday, and everybody was a little worried because I was experimenting again, but it was so good!

Bake a ham as the instructions say. (It would be best to buy a spiral sliced ham, so then you don't have to cut it yourself)

Then mix the following in a bowl:

1 c. sugar

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground clove

1/8 tsp. paprika

dash of ground ginger

dash of ground allspice

Sprinkle the mixture onto the cooked ham all over it. Then use a blow torch with medium flame and caramelize the sugar. Wave the torch back and forth so the sugar browns and bubbles but doesn't burn. Continue all over the ham until it is well glazed. Then serve it right then or you can put it in the oven to reheat it some more.

Tamales

This is my cousin Doreen (my dad's niece). She taught me how to make tamales today so I thought I'd share it! It was so fun to visit and catch up on our family! Thanks Doreen!

TAMALES:

Meat Mixture:

Cooked/shredded beef and pork roasts

Old El Paso Mild Enchilada Sauce (Las Palmas works too!)

Jar of Salsa (or can)

Spices - chili powder, garlic, cumin, salt, pepper , etc.

(She didn't really measure - just to taste)

Masa Dough: (we tripled this today!)

1 1/3 c. lard (don't use shortening)

4 c. Masa Harina (it all says instant)

2 t. salt

sprinkle a little chile powder in

3-4 c. warm broth (use chicken bullion to make broth)

Mix lard, and dry ingreds. with hands until mixed well (like pie crust) - add liquid until right consistency to spread (like sugar cookie dough)

Soak corn husks in warm water (about 30 minutes) then spread dough on husks, add meat, wrap and steam.

Freeze any leftovers and then reheat in microwave or on your woodburning stove! (That's what she did as a kid!)

Mixing the meat mixture (she used beef, pork, turkey and venison. I don't like venison but I couldn't tell it was in it.

Showing us how to spread the masa dough on the husks. Make about a 4" long. Spread a thin layer clear to one edge and about 1/4" from other edge. Put a spoonful of meat in the center of the dough then fold like a tamale! (one edge over to 1/4" of other edge - seal and fold up ends)

"Many hands make light work!" It's a great friend/family project!

Ready to steam (I'm sure we made over 100!)

In the pan to steam (she put a layer of jar rings on the bottom to hold the rack off the bottom - then layered the tamales on top criss-crossing each layer -Put the lid on but not tight. Cook for about 30 minutes. You can tell when they're done by unwrapping one and they should fall off the husk easily.

Apricot Pork Tenderloin

I forgot to take a picture of this before we ate it (day after photo wouldn't do it justice), but it was mighty yummy (and super easy)! I got this recipe from Jed's aunt Denise.

2 TB. olive oil

Mix Together -
1 1/2 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Glaze - Mix together
2/3 c. apricot preserve
4 TB. worchestireshire sauce
1/2 tsp. ground ginger

Line pan with foil (makes for easier clean up). Put tenderloin in pan and rub the olive oil over it. Mix the thyme, salt and pepper together and sprinkle (or rub) all over. Spoon half of the glaze over tenderloin. Cook at 425 for 15 minutes. Remove and cover with remaining glaze. Cook an additional 10-15 minutes (or until pork reaches 160 degrees). Remove from oven and cover with foil. Let it sit for another 10-15 minutes to finish cooking. I actually had to cook mine for a bit longer than this, but that's not surprising in my oven!

Random Things

Here are some random things I have tried and loved this past week:

Sisters' Cafe Sweet Pork salad-so good! Shara was right, the sweet pork was delicious-I happen to like my sweet pork not as sweet as most, I cut the sugar in half-it was still PLENTY sweet! I made the whole meal and it was fabulous! Steve especially liked the rice. He said he doesn't usually like Spanish Rice, but this one was really good! I will definently make it again and again anytime I make Mexican food.

Here's the rice recipe:

Cilantro Lime Rice
3 c water
3 c Minute rice
4 cubes chicken bouillon
4 tsp garlic, minced
1 Tb canola oil
2 Tb fresh lime juice
1/2 bunch of cilantro
1/2 onion
1 can green chilies

Blend cilantro, onion, and chilies in food processor. Bring water to boil and add all ingredients, simmer covered for 30 minutes or until rice is cooked. *I hate Minute Rice and never buy it - you can substitute regular rice, just adjust the water to rice ratio accordingly.

I also tried Honey-Lime Chicken Enchiladas from Sister's Cafe. They were yummy, too. The chicken was sweet, and the sauce just right to with it. They were easy to make, too.

(Sorry, no picture)

Next, I tried Lace Cookies with Milk Chocolate Drizzle from Stephanie's Kitchen. These were so good. Hard to stop snitching in to. They were a hit around my house! (We ate them before I got a picture, Sorry!)

Grilled Pork and Asparagus with Kay's Roasted Potatoes

Here is the Valentine's Day dinner I made for us, except Jason did the grilling. The recipe is called Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Asparagus with Peanut Dipping Sauce. I got the recipe from the Family Fun May 2008 issue. I used pork chops instead of pork tenderloin. The marinade was really good. I didn't care for the peanut dipping sauce (it was too tangy for me) but Jason liked it. The potatoes are called Kay's Roasted Potatoes and the recipe came from The Pioneer Woman Cooks! blog. The potatoes were absolutely delicious and I have made them twice since this dinner. All of my kids loved them as well.

Here are the recipes:

Grilled Pork Tenderloin and Asparagus with Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil

2 tbsp. honey

1 tsp peeled and grated fresh ginger (I used ginger powder)

2 cloves garlic minced

1/2 tsp. lemon pepper

1 lb. fresh asparagus, rinsed and snapped

1 pound pork tenderloin

1/2 c. peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

Make the marinade by whisking together the soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, honey, ginger, garlic, and lemon pepper in a bowl, and reserve 1/2 cup of the mixture in a separate container.

Place the asparagus in a Ziploc bag and pour in 1/4 cup of the marinade from the bowl. Work the bag gently with your fingers to distribute the marinade. Do the same with the pork tenderloin using a second Ziploc bag and the remaining marinade from the bowl. Let the meat and vegetables marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium-high, and oil the grates. Add the peanut butter to the reserved marinade and whisk the mixture until smooth.

Grill the tenderloin for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, rotating it a quarter turn at a time, until the internal temperature registers 145 degrees in the center. Remove the meat from the grill and let it rest for about 5 minutes (the internal temperature will rise to 150 degrees). Meanwhile, grill the asparagus spears for 2 minutes per side.

Slice the pork diagonally into 1 to 2 inch slices. It should be juicy and slightly pink inside. Serve the meat and the asparagus with the peanut dipping sauce. Serves 4.

Here is the link for Kay's Roasted Potatoes

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/12/kays-roasted-potatoes/

Great Pork Chop Bake

6 pork chops
1 TBS. vegetable oil

1 can cream of chicken soup

3 TBS. ketchup

2 TBS. Worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

4 medium potatoes cut into wedges

1 medium onion cut into rings

In a skillet, brown pork chops in oil. Transfer to a greased 13x9 pan. In a bowl, combine the soup, ketchup, Worchestershire, salt and pepper. Add potatoes and onion, toss to coat. Pour over the chops. Cover and bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Apple Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

He was thrilled about the picture

I do most of the cooking in my house, but sometimes Aaron will get this urge to make something. Most of the time he saw someone cookin something on TV or he had something at a restaurant and wants to imitate it. The other day when I was at work, he saw something on TV and got an idea! Now, my husband is very funny, he doesn't stick with the easy stuff. Most everything he cooks is like gourmet/fancy stuff, food I probably wouldn't even try. This time it was Apple Stuffed Pork Loin Roast, and it turned out great. He looked up a recipe on-line, but sort-of did his own thing. I'm going to post the recipe he looked up.

Apple Stuffed Pork Loin Roast

2 garlic cloves minced

1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (didn't have any of this)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 boneless center cut pork loin roast (4-5 pounds) (We just got a pork loin roast, don't know if it was center cut)
1 Tablespoon butter
2 large tart apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 medium onion, cut into thin strips
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 cup apple cider or apple juice
Stuffing (we used Williams and Sanoma Foccacia stuffing - not cooked) (the stuffing wasn't part of the original recipe.)


1. Prehead oven to 325. Combine garlic, salt, rosemary, thyme, and pepper in a small bowel. Cut roast lengthwise almost, but not through the bottom. Open like a book. Rub half of glaric mixture onto cut sides of pork.

2. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples and onions, cook and stir 5-10 minutes or until soft. Stir in brown sugar and mustard. Aaron mixed this with the stuffing and then moistened it all with some apple juice/chicken broth mixture. Spread the mixture on the middle of the roast. Close roast with kitchen string. Rub outside of roast with garlic mixture. Pour apple cider over roast.

3. Roast, uncovered, basting frequently with pan dippings for 2-2 1/2 hours or until thermometer reads 155. Remove roast from oven and let stand 15 minutes before sliced. (internal temerature will continue to rise during standing time.)

Cut and enjoy! It was a yummy dinner for General Conference weekend!

Maple Glazed Ribs

The picture isn't that great but these are soooo good! I was a little worried at first because when you cook the sauce it smells really strong. But by the time your done cooking them it's not strong at all.

Pork Spareribs (I used the boneless kind)
1 c. maple syrup (I used homemade syrup, so I don't know if store bought would taste different)
3 TBS. orange juice concentrate
3 TBS. ketchup
2 TBS. soy sauce
1 TBS. Dijon mustard
1 TBS. Worcestershire sauce (I had no idea that this is made with anchovies, but if you look on the ingredients it's made with them, weird)
1 garlic clove minced
1/2 onion, minced

In a large skillet, brown ribs in a little bit of oil then add 2 c. water and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 1 and 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, combine the other ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and let simmer for 15 min. stirring occansionally. After the ribs are done drain the water then add the sauce and cover and simmer for 30 min.

BBQ Pork - better than mine!

We had lunch at our friends' house today after their son's baptism. They had delicious BBQ pork sandwiches that tasted way better than mine. I asked Tamara how she did it, and she said the trick is to not cook the pork with the BBQ sauce. Add it at the end. And here's what else she did that made it so delicious and tender:

For every 3 lbs. of pork (they cooked a pork shoulder) cook it with:

1 C. of Ginger Ale
1/2 to 1 onion cut up

Cook overnight in crockpot on low. About 1 hour before eating drain liquid. You can throw out the onions, or leave them in depending on your preference, shred pork and mix with BBQ sauce. So forget my old post saying to cook your pork with BBQ sauce!
I don't have a picture of the pork sandwich I ate today, but here's a picture of a baby pig instead (taken on a preschool field trip last year)! So cute and innocent - never heard of BBQ sauce yet!

BBQ Pork and Coleslaw Sandwiches

My friend Mindy told me about this recipe a few weeks ago, and I just got around to trying them tonight. We loved them! I never would have thought of putting coleslaw on my sandwich, but it was great. I cooked a pork roast in the crockpot on high one hour, and on low the rest of the day with BBQ sauce (I just dumped a bottle of it in, I don't think it matters how much because you can always put more on your sandwich later.) Alli's coming over in a while to eat one, so we'll see if she agrees!

I love Grandma's coleslaw recipe because it is so juicy and the juice in it is thin.

Grandma’s Famous Coleslaw

4 C. cabbage, finely chopped
1/8 C. carrot, shredded
¼ tsp. salt
1/6 C. sugar
1/8 C. milk
¼ C. mayonnaise
1/8 C. buttermilk
¾ Tbsp white vinegar
1 ¼ Tbsp. lemon juice
1/16 tsp pepper

Combine sugar, salt, pepper, milk, mayonnaise, buttermilk, vinegar and juice. Beat until smooth. Add cabbage and carrot. Let flavors blend at least 2 hours. Makes 5 servings.

Chili Verde

3 lbs pork roast
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup beef broth
2 cans chilies
1 can jalapenos (or more if you like it spicy)
A little flour with water to make it thicker (I never have to make mine thicker)

Seer roast first and season with salt and pepper. Cook in crock-pot with a little bit of water to cover the bottom. When it's done shred roast and combine ingredients. Put in tortillas with cheese and if you want, cover with more chili verde and cheese. This also freezes really well.

I made this yesterday and we love it. It is one of our favorites. It makes a lot so I put it into baggies and freeze it, which makes for a really quick meal the next time!

Stuffed Pork Chops

Jed prepared and grilled these last night. They were delicious!

Pork Chops (We used boneless since they seem to be a bit thicker, better for slicing)

Provolone

Prosciutto

Pepperoni

(Amounts depend on how much you want to stuff inside.)

Slice the Pork Chop through the middle not quite all the way through. In the middle, layer provolone, prosciutto, and pepperoni. Close and season on both sides. We used Salt, Pepper & Season Salt. Grill until cooked all the way through. Yummy!

Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops

Marsha and I made these a couple of months ago when she was visiting. I made them again for dinner tonight. They were great both times. This picture is actually from when Marsha was here in June.

Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops
by Amy

½ C. packed brown sugar

½ C. Italian salad dressing
¼ C. pineapple juice

3 Tbsp. soy sauce
6 pork chops

1 Can sliced pineapple, drained

In a 2 Cup measuring cup, combine the brown sugar, salad dressing, pineapple juice and soy sauce. Pour 2/3 cup into a large re-sealable plastic bag; add the pork chops. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate chops for at least 3 hours or overnight. Cover and refrigerate the remaining marinade for basting pork chops and pineapple. Drain and discard marinade from pork. Grill, uncovered, over medium heat for 8 minutes on each side. Place pineapple slices on grill. Baste pork and pineapple with reserved marinade. Grill 5-8 minutes longer or until meat juices run clear. Place a pineapple slice on each chop if desired.