Misadventures with Tori

DH requested some chocolate chip ice cream… so I made it last night! Same recipe as the vanilla… but I added 4oz of chunked chocolate. mmmmm :) 

We love hosting a customer and friend picnic each year…. For this year’s picnic, I made vanilla bean ice cream to go with the peach blueberry cobbler that my MIL made…. Both were amazing- and stupid me forgot to take pictures!

Vanilla Ice Cream (recipe from Cuisinart, photo from Google Images)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup whole milk (well chilled)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream (again, well chilled.)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
tori addition : 1 vanilla bean, split in half and scraped- throw it ALL in! Remove whole beans before serving.) 

DIRECTIONS
Mix milk and sugar in a bowl with a hand mixer until sugar is dissolved. (1-2 minutes)
Add heavy cream and vanilla.
Pour into machine and turn on. Let mix until thickened and freeze!

Warning : this melts FAST. Even after being frozen for 24 hours, it STILL melts almost instantly! 

Peach Blueberry Cobbler (image and recipe courtesy of Martha Stewart.com)

INGREDIENTS
3 to 4 ripe peaches (1 1/4 pounds), cut into eighths
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 large egg
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Pinch of table salt
1 teaspoon baking powder

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine peaches and blueberries in a bowl.
Whisk together 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch.
Add to fruit; toss to combine.
Set aside. Combine egg, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and cream in a bowl; whisk with a fork.
Set aside.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and remaining tablespoon sugar.
Make a well in center of dry ingredients, and pour egg mixture into well.
Using hands, slowly draw dry ingredients into wet ingredients, and work dough until just mixed together.

Divide fruit mixture among four 8-ounce ramekins.
Gently pat dough into 4 disks just big enough to fit on top of ramekins.
After placing, brush dough with remaining melted butter.
Place ramekins on a baking sheet.
Bake until juices bubble up and crust is golden brown, 15 to 17 minutes.
Serve hot, with ice cream if desired.

I made these on Sunday night…. before my poor laptop died They were fantastic! Its from allrecipes.com.

INGREDIENTS
4 (3/4 inch) thick pork chops (we used 2 1″ thick butterflied chops.)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (I skipped and used pam)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced
3 tablespoons pecans (optional)

NOTE: I doubled everything in bold to make more sauce as recommended by one of the reviewers. I recommend doing this!!

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 175 degrees F (80 degrees C).
Place a medium dish in the oven to warm.
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Brush chops lightly with oil and place in hot pan.
Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning occasionally, or until done.
Transfer to the warm dish, and keep warm in the preheated oven.
OR grill them. I did this, and it took about 10-15 minutes.
I cooked my sauce while they were cooking and the timing worked well!

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, salt and pepper, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Add butter to skillet, and stir in brown sugar mixture and apples.
Cover and cook until apples are just tender.
Remove apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of chops.
Continue cooking sauce uncovered in skillet, until thickened slightly.
(You might want a bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
Ours got a bit runny after it had cooled.)
Spoon sauce over apples and chops.
Sprinkle with pecans if desired.

I got this great fajita recipe from AllRecipes.com . We tried it yesterday and it was FANTASTIC! 

INGREDIENTS
1 (1 1/2-pound) beef flank steak (we used sirloin b/c it was cheaper.)
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion, undrained
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, sliced (we used 1/2 the onion.)
1 medium green pepper, julienned (1/2 the green pepper)
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned 
1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons cornstarch (skipped it as everything was too soft )
1 tablespoon water
12 (6 inch) flour tortillas, warmed
3/4 cup fat-free sour cream
3/4 cup salsa

DIRECTIONS
Thinly slice steak across the grain into strips*; place in a 5-qt. slow cooker.
Add tomatoes, jalapeno, garlic, coriander, cumin, chili powder and salt.
Cover and cook on low for 7 hours**.
Add onion, peppers and cilantro.
Cover and cook 1-2 hours longer or until meat is tender.

Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into slow cooker***.
Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until slightly thickened.
Using a slotted spoon, spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture down the center of each tortilla.
Add 1 tablespoon each sour cream and salsa.
Fold bottom of tortilla over filling and roll up.

* : I did 1/4″ slices. They were WAY too thin. The meat just FELL apart. I’d recommend 1″ strips for easy removal.
** : We cooked for 6 hours and added the fresh ingredients. 7 hours total was more than enough.
*** : We didnt bother with this. Everything smelled so good we just dug in. One warning- if the meat is too small, it becomes VERY hard to pick things out. (It becomes a very tasty mush.) If the ingredients were larger, I would have done this. The fajitas were VERY runny, but SOOOO good. 

The beans were really easy too. DH really enjoyed them, but they were too spicy for me. (and I only put 1/2 the spices in!)

Another AllRecipes.com find! 

INGREDIENTS
1 pound dry pinto beans, rinsed (I did 2 pounds/cans of Bush’s beans - one pinto, one black.)
2 tablespoons minced garlic, divided (I did one)
1 medium tomato, diced (skipped)
2 tablespoons ground cumin (1 TBSP)
1 tablespoon chili powder (1/3 TBSP - I’m a wimp!)
2 tablespoons olive oil 
salt to taste<

DIRECTIONS
Place the undrained beans in a large saucepan.
Place over high heat, and bring to a boil.
When the beans have come to a boil, stir in 1 tablespoon of garlic, the tomato, cumin, and chili powder.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to low, and simmer until the beans are very soft, about 20 minutes.

Once the beans have cooked, mash them with the remaining tablespoon of garlic, the oil, and salt to taste; use additional water as needed to achieve desired consistency*.
Place over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve.

* : I slow cooked them over 30 minutes on the stove. They were nice and mushy by the time they were done!

This was inspired by a post on the WC board… and the leftovers in the fridge. I took what I had and hoped it worked.. it was great! I made it twice… and forgot to measure BOTH times. (sorry!)
Here are rough directions…..

INGREDIENTS
tater tots (about 15)
leftover steak (if its been seasoned great, if not, add a seasoning of some sorts. about 1/2-3/4 cup diced pieces)
5 eggs
optional : other meats or veggies. (make sure to add enough egg to cover if you’re adding more to the bake!)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Pam loaf pan.
Microwave tots for a minute or so so they’re soft.
Cut/break them up and arrange them in the bottom of the loaf pan.
Don’t pack them in.. leave a bit of space for the eggs to get in there!
Chop up your steak and layer it over the tots in the pan.
More is better here- the steak really gives it the flavor since its the only seasoned thing in here.
Crack and scramble your 5 eggs in a separate bowl and pour over the top.
Stick it in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. (If it wasn’t done, I microwaved it for about 2 minutes to complete the cooking. I’m impatient.)

This served the two of us… but we both needed more… so serve with sides! (we did fruit salad.)

This recipe came from the lovely Nestie Gomela (aka Rachel of Culinary Kicks) and we enjoyed it! It was good the first day, but great the second!

INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground beef
1 large can Bush’s baked beans (any canned baked beans work fine)
1/2 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp mustard
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
whole wheat hamburger buns (we used white… shhh!)

DIRECTIONS
Brown the beef and pour off fat.
Add the beans to the meat and mix well.
Add ketchup, mustard, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
Cook until hot and bubbly.
Serve on hamburger buns.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloin - courtesy of AllRecipes.com

One of the reviews used boxed stuffing, so that’s what I did! 

INGREDIENTS
1 box Stove Top stuffing for Pork
4 celery ribs, chopped (I used two)
1/2 apple, diced
or
4 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 apple, diced
1 small onion, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
6 cups cubed day-old bread
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

2 (1 pound) pork tenderloins (mine was 1.3 lbs, so I cut it in half)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS
In a small skillet, saute celery and onion in butter until tender.
In a bowl, combine the bread cubes, celery mixture, apple, salt and pepper; set aside.
If you’re using boxed stuffing, prepare according to box and let sit.
While its resting, cut the apple and celery.
IF you dont care for crunchy celery, saute it a bit.
Mix everything together.
Cut a lengthwise slit down the center of each tenderloin to within 1/2 in. of bottom.
Open tenderloins so they lie flat; cover with plastic wrap.
Flatten to 1/2-in. thickness.
In a large skillet, brown pork in oil on both sides over medium-high heat.
Spoon stuffing onto one tenderloin.
(If you use box stuffing, you’ll have a bit less than 1/2 left. We heated it back up and ate it as a side.)
Top with the second tenderloin; tie with kitchen string. (I didnt have any and it sucked! I had to use toothpicks… not as pretty… and it was hard to get apart.) 
Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan (or Pyrex).
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 50-60 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into meat reads 160 degrees F.
Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

This is great… if you eat it all together. The pork on its own is a bit bland. I’d recommend a mild marinade for the pork before cooking.

Pork pre-slicing - it looks RED! I thought I’d seriously botched something up.

A friend of ours made this for us at the Dragon… and it was GREAT! I seem to have botched it up… its more mild and only okay… the potatoes took forever, and the shrimp got a bit tough. Next time, I’ll have to add something to make it better. (the flavor is good, just REALLY mild.) 

Shrimp Boil (ala Deborah)

4 TBSP of salt (we used sea salt) 
1 box Zatarain’s Crab and Shrimp boil (I kept the bag closed, I’d recommend opening it.)
1 pound shrimp (we used pre-cooked because it was cheaper… but whatever works.)
1 pound crab (recommended, our market was out, so we skipped it.)
5 potatoes (we used white and quartered them. I’d recommend using SMALL ones and cutting them into bite sized chunks so they cook faster.)
3 ears of corn (I broke them in half)

The box’s directions-
Boil 3 quarts of water and add 4 TBSP of salt.
Once it’s at a rolling boil, throw your shrimp in and let them boil for a minute.
Add everything else and let simmer in water until cooked.
(ours took about 20-30 minutes.)

I’d recommend starting your potatoes first, then adding your corn and shrimp a few minutes before its done. 
Also, let it sit in the water a few minutes… this made the flavor much stronger! :) 

no recipe even needed! homemade burgers +fries… mmmm

Here’s some TacoBake for you!
Enjoy!