Carniata and Then Some

Sprinkle one 4-4 ½ pound pork loin roast with Adolf’s tenderizer. Place in roasting pan and pour 12 ounces salsa verde over. Sprinkle with 1 cup finely chopped onions, 3-4 finely chopped jalopenos and 4 cloves finely minced garlic. Roast at 325 for 4 hours, or until fork tender. Shred with two forks and place back into juices in roasting pan.

Serve with taco shells and condiments such as guacamole, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced black olive, black beans and chopped jalopeno.

On the Side:
Spanish Rice
Saute ½ cup chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic in 2 Tblsp butter and 1 Tblsp olive oil. When onion is tender, stir in 1 cup uncooked white rice. Cook and stir until rice is milky and opaque. Add ¼ tsp each cumin, turmeric, oregano, and salt. Stir in 2 cups chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is done.

Next Day:
White Lasagna

Sauce: Melt one stick of butter with one can cream of mushroom soup. Whisk until smooth. Stir in ½ cup sour cream, 1 can chopped green chilies and ½ cup shredded cheese. Stir in 1 ½ cup leftover Carnita meat.
Cook six lasagna noodles according to package directions.
In a greased or sprayed lasagna pan, spread a layer of sauce. Place three noodles over sauce. Top with a thin layer of leftover Spanish rice. Scatter a few black beans and sprinkle with ½ cup shredded four-cheese Mexican blend. Repeat layers, ending with sauce. Bake in 350 oven 20-25 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with 8 oz shredded pepperjack cheese and bake 10-15 minutes more. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Note: This could also be made with leftover Thanksgiving Turkey.

Shift Work Bowls

Since Nellie’s dayjob requires her to work the swingshift (3-11), she finds herself looking for ways to create meals for one at noon as well as use up the leftovers generated by the folks who are feeding themselves in the evening.

Inspired by some chain restaurants that are marketing “bowls” of various flavors and mixtures, Nellie has come up with a few of her own. She bakes them in a moderately hot (375 F) oven for 20-45 minutes, depending on the density of the ingredients.

Here are the basics:
Start with an oven proof soup or cereal bowl or a single serve Pyrex bowl. Spray with cooking spray or grease with butter or bacon fat.
The amount of each ingredient will depend on the size of your bowl. You’ll want to keep the amount of food in the bowl to stay at a quarter to half inch below the rim.
Base: something starchy such as cubed bread, cooked rice, cubed, cooked potatoes, frozen (thawed) hash browns, etc…
Small amount (about ½ cup) of a binding ingredient. Nellie uses one egg beaten with 2Tblsp milk OR ¼ can of cream soup. If using egg mixture, cover and refrigerate overnight or while at work.
Main ingredient: Meat
Other add-ins: Cheese, finely chopped onions, roasted garlic, roasted peppers, shredded carrot, etc… anything goes!
Toss the above together and place in the bowl. Bake until heated through. Top with more cheese and place in oven until cheese is melted.
Extra toppings: 2 eggs cooked your favorite way, a dollop of sour cream, Ranch dressing, etc….

Here are some of Nellie’s favorites:

Southwest I:
Leftover cornbread crumbled into the bowl. Toss with taco meat, shredded cheese, chopped onions, diced jalopeno and green chilies. Bake at 375 F for 20-30 minutes until heated through. Sprinkle with cheese and place in oven until cheese is nicely melted. Add two eggs sunny side up.

Southwest II
Toss cooked rice with chicken fajita meat, shredded Pepperjack cheese, green chilies and ¼ can cream soup (chicken, celery, mushroom – your personal favorite.). Melt more Pepperjack on top and serve with sour cream & salsa.

Mexicali:
Rice, tossed with refried beans, cream of chicken soup, taco meat, julienned roasted Poblano and shredded cheese. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Top with more cheese and place back into oven until cheese melts. Add a dollop of sour cream and salsa.

Breakfast:
One slice cubed bread tossed with bacon bits or ham or browned sausage and shredded cheese. Beat one egg with ¼ cup milk and pour over mixture in bowl. Cover and refrigerate over night or while at work. Bake at 375 until eggs are done. It should be firm to the touch and have a nicely browned - but not burned – crust on top. Melt some more cheese on top.

Reuben Bowl:
One slice cubed rye bread tossed with diced corned beef, sauted onion strips, ¼ cup sauerkraut, and shredded Swiss cheese. Beat one egg with ¼ cup milk and pour over mixture in bowl. Refrigerate overnight or while at work. Bake at 375 until heated through, about 20 minutes. Melt some more Swiss over the top and drizzle with 1000 Island dressing.

Veggie Bowl:
Toss cooked, cubed potatoes with a sauted mixture of sliced mushrooms, shredded carrot, diced celery, onion, roasted red peppers, chopped spinach or broccoli florets. Stir in ¼ can cream of mushroom soup. Place in bowl. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Check back next week for some more ideas.

Smokey Bean Dip

Well, if we can’t win, we might as well eat good while we’re watching.

Mix well:
1 can refried beans OR 1 ½ cups leftover homemade refritos
1 cup smoked pork loin, grated, or finely chopped or ground
½ cup sour cream
½ cup grated four-cheese mix
2 minced jalopenos
1 can diced green chilies
1 minced clove garlic

Serve warm, room temp or chilled with tortilla chips or Fritos scoops.

Gringa’s Stuffed Poblanos (Redneck’s Chilies Rellenos)

Marinade: ½ cup lime juice, ¼ cup tarragon vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, 1-2 cloves roasted garlic, minced; 2 finely chopped jalopeno peppers. Marinate chicken breasts (or beef steaks) in marinade at least 2 hours or overnight, turning occasionally. Grill over hot coals until done. Slice into thin strips. Set aside. In a medium sauce pan, saute 1 finely chopped onion in a little oil until soft. Stir in 1 can cream of mushroom soup, ¼ cup sour cream, 1 can diced green chilies, 2 tsp cumin, ½ tsp turmeric and ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Reserve 3/4 cup of this sauce and set aside. Stir chicken strips into pan and heat through.

Roast 4 Poblano peppers as follows: place whole peppers over hot coals or under broiler. Roast thoroughly, rolling them around so that the skin on all sides burns and turns black. Immediately place in Dutch oven and cover with tight fitting lid. Let stand 15-20 minutes. Wearing gloves, cut off the stem end of each pepper and scrape off the burnt skin.

Fill each pepper with chicken filling. Place in casserole, drizzle with reserved sauce and heat in 350 oven 20 minutes. Sprinkle with ½ cup Jack cheese and heat until cheese melts.

Serve with refritos, guacamole and tortilla chips.

Nellie has a new smoker

Here is how she inaugurated it:

Beef Brisket

Lightly sprinkle all sides of one 4-6 pound brisket with Adolph’s tenderizer. Combine 2 Tblsp each sugar, pepper, paprika, chili powder with 2 tsp each onion powder, garlic powder and Cookies seasoning salt. Rub the spice mixture liberally all over the brisket. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap let stand in refrigerator for 45 minutes to one hour. Prepare the smoker with water pan, charcoal briquets and mesquite chips. Bring smoker to 225 degrees F. Smoke the brisket for 6-8 hours. Wrap in foil, allow to cool to room temp and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, slice brisket to desired thickness and place in oven proof skillet or casserole. Cover and warm in a 350 degree oven until no longer pink, 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness of slices. Serve over crisp Texas Toast with your favorite barbecue sauce on the side.
Side dishes: Broccoli Slaw and Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Peach crisp with ice cream for dessert

Pork Loin

Lightly sprinkle all sides of one 2-4 pound pork loin with Adolph’s tenderizer. Rub all over with Nellie’s Southwest Seasoning: 2 Tblsp chili powder, 2 Tblsp paprika, 1 Tblsp coriander, 1 Tblsp garlic powder, 1 Tblsp salt, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried oregano. Let stand 45 minutes to one hour. Prepare smoker with water pan, charcoal briquets and mesquite chips. Bring smoker to 225 degrees F. and smoke the loin for 6-8 hours. To serve, slice or shred and serve on toasted Hoagies with your favorite barbecue sauce on the side.
Side Dishes: Potato Salad and corn on the cob

Nellie’s smoker has two racks, so she smoked both the brisket and the pork loin at the same time.

Note: It's only been two days and the leftovers are almost all gone. Good stuff.

American Onion Soup

For 2 main course servings or 4 first course servings:
Peel, halve and coarsely chop one large Vidalia onion. Saute in bacon fat 20 minutes until it begins to soften. Sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar and continue cooking until it is quite soft and caramelized. Add 3 cups chicken or turkey stock and two mashed cloves of roasted garlic, 1 tsp chili powder and ¼ tsp celery seed. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Meanwhile, shred 2 cups Velveeta or American cheese and fry 4 slices of bacon. Crumble the bacon. Preheat broiler. Fill a serving bowl with Texas Toast croutons and ladle soup over. Spread a generous amount of shredded cheese over and sprinkle lightly with chili powder. Add crumbled bacon and broil until cheese is melted and beginning to brown around the edges. Serve immediately. (For an extra kick, use pepperjack cheese and garnish with chopped jalopeno instead of bacon. C’mon – I dare you.)
Suggested side dishes: Tossed Salad, fresh fruit for dessert.

Suggested next courses: Grilled steaks, sweet corn on the cob, loaded baked potato.

More Spam R & D

Spam Parmesan
For two servings:
Lightly brown four slices of Spam on both sides in a little oil in an oven-proof skillet. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl, mix 1/3 cup each plain bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add 2 Tblsp melted butter and work into a crumbly paste. Put two thin slices of Roma tomatoes on each slice of Spam in the skillet, sprinkle a pinch or two of dried basil over the tomatoes and spread with the cheese-crumb mixture. Broil until cheese-crumb topping is golden brown. Serve hot with garlic mashed potatoes.

Spam Alfredo
Julienne a 7 oz. can of turkey Spam. Brown the strips lightly in a skillet. Set aside.
To make the sauce, melt ¼ cup butter in a saucepan. Stir in 3 Tblsp finely chopped onion, 4 cloves roasted garlic, and salt & pepper to taste. Cook and stir over medium heat until onion is soft and garlic is incorporated. Stir in ¼ cup flour and whisk until smooth and bubbly. Slowly whisk in 2 cups half & half (or milk) and cook and stir until sauce thickens. Remove from heat, stir in 1 cup Parmesan cheese and the Spam strips. (Add more milk, a little at a time if sauce seems too thick.) Heat through. Serve over spaghetti or noodles, with freshly made French bread.

Kabobs
Cube one 12 oz can Hickory smoked Spam. Thoroughly soak wooden skewers. Thread Spam cubes and alternate with fresh pineapple chunks, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and Vidalia onion wedges. Broil or grill until Spam is lightly browned and vegetables are slightly soft. Drizzle with honey-mustard sauce. Serve on a bed of buttered white rice with more honey-mustard for dipping.
Sauce: Whisk together until smooth ½ cup Dijon mustard, 1 Tbslp Tamari, 2 Tblsp brown sugar and ½ cup honey.