March 30, 2016

Pulled Pork Shoulder

laura.smoak@gmail.com Freezer Friendly, Grill, Pork 3 Comments

I’m absolutely giddy with excitement about today’s post. Giddy giddy giddy. Let the floodgates open because after today I will be coming to you regularly with recipes for how to use your pulled pork shoulder (or butt). Friends, once you break into the “I smoke/roast/whatever my own pork shoulder” club, the possibilities are endless. Pulled pork Cubans, pulled pork quesadillas, pulled pork burrito bowls, pulled pork sweet potato skins, pulled pork barbecue salad, pulled pork loaded potatoes, pulled pork nachos, pulled pork pizza and of course, duh, pulled pork sandwiches with barbecue sauce. Byeeee guyzz, Miss Foodie Two Shoes is gone, and pork freak has taken over.

I probably shouldn’t say this – being from NC and all – but I’m really not much of a “barbecue” kinda girl. I’m a “pulled pork” girl *winks*. Please don’t kick me out! Thankfully this is my blog, and I get to make the rules around here, so…this recipe isn’t for your standard barbecue with sauce. Sure, you can add sauce in any way, but this is the building block for so many other things you can do – plenty of which involve sauce – but this is just the base. The star here is the dry rub. It’s got just enough cayenne pepper to be able to call it spicy without it being so overwhelming that kids can’t eat it. You can cut the recipe in half for just one shoulder, but I usually just make the amount given and have one less step the next time we’re ready to make one (<–lazy girl life hack right there, friends).

Whether you cook this outside/inside or completely inside, pork shoulders (or butts) are great for feeding a crowd or for stocking your freezer. We probably make about 3-4 per year that we eat ourselves. I simply freeze it in heaping two-cup portions, and we’ll pull a bag out as the protein for a variety of dinners (see exhibit A above). I usually get 6-8 bags for the freezer, and each bag gives us dinner and lunch for Andy the next day. Yes, you need time for this one, but when you get that many meals out of it, I think it’s worth it. Most recently we made a pork shoulder for a family birthday party for Anna Ruth. We did sliders with traditional sauce and slaw, and had a few other sides. We fed 15 people and had plenty of left overs.

There are two main ways (in my book) that you can go about doing this:

Start the pork on a charcoal grill with woodchips of your choice then finish in the oven.
Sear the pork on the stove then cook completely in the oven.

Both options come out really good, and TBH if I’m the one cooking I’m 100% oven girl because I’m just not comfortable grilling. Andy, however, loves any opportunity to use charcoal and woodchips because the bulk of our grilling happens on our gas grill. The main difference is that cooking over woodchips gives you a smoky flavor, which is key for some people when they imagine pulled pork. Either way, you can’t go wrong, so just do what feels right. However you cook it, the shredding process is the same. I found these meat claws on Amazon last year, and bought them for Andy and my father-in-law as stocking stuffers for Christmas. At first I just thought they were hilarious, so obviously worth the $8.80, but they actually work really well! Forks get the job done, too, but then you miss out on shredding like a bear would. Need a guy to shred a ton of meat? Give him these claws and let him go to town.

I need to comment on the “optional” apple juice mixture you’ll see below in the ingredient list and cooking instructions. My fil introduced us to the method of injecting the juice into the pork last summer, and we can’t go back. It’s more or less a brine from the inside out. If you don’t have an injector, don’t worry – this will still turn out really good. The juice just adds even more juiciness to the finished product.

One note on the cook time: it will vary depending on how big your cut is. The key here is to make sure the pork gets to 190-195 degrees. Yes, people generally say pork needs to get to 160, and while this is true, it will not shred the way you want it to until it has reached that 190-195 mark. Trust me on this. I did the research several years ago when we had a shoulder that was several pounds over what was called for in the recipe I was using.

I’m including cooking instructions for both starting on the grill (smoking) and starting on the stovetop, but the pictures are from the grilling method. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

5-7 lbs bone-in pork shoulder (or 4-6 lbs boneless)
Injection Mix (optional):

¼ cup apple juice
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp salt
1 ½ tsp EACH: soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce

Dry Rub*:

2 tbsp EACH: cumin, brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, salt, pepper
2 tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp onion powder
1 ½ tsp garlic powder

Directions:

The night before you plan to make this, combine the dry rub ingredients, and rub all over the pork. Place in a baking dish, cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight or at least 8 hours.
Remove pork from the refrigerator and allow to rest at room temp for one hour.
(Optional) using an injector, inject the apple juice all throughout the pork. You won’t use the entire amount. You’ll know you’ve done enough when the juice starts to run back out.
Prepare the grill: soak the wood chips in water for 20-30 minutes. Heat charcoal.
Grill over indirect heat (coals on one side, meat on the other) for 3 hours, turning every hour.
Wrap the shoulder in foil and finish cooking in the oven at 250 degrees for 1.5-2 hours, or until it reaches 195 degrees.
Once out of the oven, allow to rest for about an hour then use meat claws to shred the pork. Serve with barbeque sauce or use in any other way you choose! Enjoy!

**Indoor cooking instructions**

Follow steps 1-2 and 4 above.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
In a large dutch oven* or frying pan heat two tbsp vegetable or canola oil and sear the pork on all sides over high heat. Turn the heat down if it starts to smoke a lot.
Wrap the shoulder in foil and place in an oven safe dish.
Bake for four hours, or until it reaches 195 degrees.
Same as above – let rest then use meat claws to shred the pork and enjoy!

*I generally use about half of the dry rub, and keep the rest in a mason jar until we’re ready to make another shoulder.

March 23, 2016

Salmon with Mango Lime Salsa

laura.smoak@gmail.com Seafood 0 Comments

Salmon with Mango Lime Salsa. Your life is about to get 10 times better. This is one of the easiest recipes I think I’ve ever made, yet also one of the tastiest. What we have here is five ingredients that come together in 15 minutes to create the most colorful, flavorful dinner you’ll want to eat every night. Not kidding even a little bit.

Let’s break this down. First you have the salmon – fresh, wild-caught salmon. Yes, it’s pricier than farm raised, but fresh is the sustainable choice and it also tastes way better. I just season it with salt, pepper and a little dried parsley and it’s ready for the oven. (TBH the parsley is totally optional, but it just looks pretty.) While the salmon is cooking, you’ll prep the salsa: peel and dice the mango, combine with chopped cilantro and lime juice and then wait for the salmon to finish. Once the salmon is done, place it on a platter on a bed of peppery arugula and top with sriracha and the mango lime salsa. Dinner is literally done in 15 minutes (well, 20 counting time for your oven to preheat). And doesn’t it just make such a pretty dish?! The picture below is the entire cut of salmon and salsa – I just love how it looks, and have fun serving from a platter on a random weeknight. It feels fancy, but really no extra work.

If you don’t have much experience with cutting/dicing mango, here’s a handy little video that can help you out. I use a combo of his second and third techniques: I use my mango splitter and then dice it right in the skin.

But wait – there’s more! You guys, I’m giving you a bonus recipe within a recipe this week. I mentioned putting the salmon on arugula. This part’s optional because the salmon with the salsa is great on its own and works really well with other veggies. However, the salmon with salsa on a bed of arugula with the dressing I’m about to give you is all you need in life. Simply mince (like really, really finely mince) half of a shallot, add 2-3 tablespoons each of olive oil and lime juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, then whisk (or shake in my case) until well blended. <– This dressing, friends, is so fresh and poppy that I want to eat salads all day every day just so I can have more. The BEST salad I’ve had lately was this dressing, arugula and oven roasted veggies – cauliflower and sweet potatoes to be exact. The hot veggies slightly wilt the arugula, which somehow brings out more of its peppery kick.

Go now and add this salmon with mango lime salsa to your meal plan for the week. At the same time, just go ahead and pencil it in for dinner every week forever and ever. The recipe below is the amount Andy, Anna Ruth and I eat (smaller portion of salmon and no sriracha for AR), so consider the number of servings to be 2-3.

Ingredients:

Wild-Caught Salmon (about 1/3 lb per person)
1 mango
1 small handful cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Sriracha

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the salmon skin side down. Season with salt, pepper and dried parsley flakes. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork.
While the salmon bakes, peel and dice the mango. Rinse and chop the cilantro, and combine in a small bowl with the mango and lime juice.
When the salmon is done, top with sriracha to taste and serve with the mango lime salsa. Enjoy!

March 16, 2016

Tea for Two Birthday Party + Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones

laura.smoak@gmail.com Freezer Friendly, Life, Sweets 7 Comments

This past weekend we celebrated Anna Ruth’s second birthday with a Tea for Two party. The original plan did not involve a theme, but then I saw the idea on Pinterest and knew I wanted to run with it. Being a small child’s birthday there wasn’t much emphasis on actual tea, but we made up for it with proper tea party food…mainly tea sandwiches and chocolate chip oatmeal scones, but more on the food later.

Décor was easy. We started with a few banners and garlands, and decorated the food table with white doilies and flowers in gold tea pots and cups. I found the invitations and other personalized printables on Etsy, and printed them out myself on cardstock. I’m generally not into everything being so matchy matchy, but when spread out throughout the party, it really just made it feel cohesive and not over the top. We had little children’s tables scattered in the living room for eating and coloring, and covered those with white cloth. My favorite part of the décor, however, was a window frame with painted wood letters spelling “Tea for Two.” My mother-in-law made it, and it was exactly what I had in mind. If you ever need anything crafty, call her. She loves doing it and is really good at it.

The only “activity” we had was coloring. My friend Katie from The Blissful Willow drew these pages for me, and they were perfect! We went with a tea pot, tea cup and bow tie. Check out her website – I love the custom family illustrations, but really everything she draws is beautiful.

Now onto the best part – the food! Our menu was as follows:

Sandwiches

Ham and Swiss on Puff Pastry
Chicken Salad on Croissant
Cucumber with Lemon Dill Spread

Savory

Crackers and Cheese (sharp cheddar, Colby jack, pepper jack)
Mini Quiche

Sweet

Berry Cups (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries)
Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones
Cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate)
Birthday Cake (chocolate)

Drinks

Citrus Infused Water
Sweet Iced Tea
Sweet Tea Sangria

It seems like a lot of food, but it was just a bunch of small bite type things, and it was really easy to pull together. My favorite part, hands down, were the scones. I had never made scones before because I’m really not much of a baker. I always thought they would be really involved, but these were super easy. My friend Catherine came over two nights before the party, and we made three batches in just over an hour. The recipe below is based on an oatmeal raisin scone recipe by Nick Malgieri, but I tweaked it by adding cinnamon, vanilla and heavy cream, and swapping raisins for mini chocolate chips. (I can’t find a link to his recipe because it was from his cookbook, “How to Bake”.) Don’t get used to this. I don’t plan to do much in the way of creating recipes for baked goods. It’s too daunting to think that an extra tablespoon of an ingredient can totally throw the whole thing off. I prefer eyeballing too much for that 😉

I’ve said this about other parts of the party, but another favorite thing was the favors. I originally planned on not having favors, but then saw this cute idea on Pinterest, and I love how they turned out!

I can’t believe my baby is already a two-year-old. The time has truly gone by in the blink of an eye…and now I need to go cry. I’ll leave you with the recipe for my Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Scones, but let me know if you have questions about anything else (food or décor).

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup all purpose flour
1 ½ cup rolled oats
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
8 tbsp (1 stick) cold unsalted butter
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup milk (I use 1%)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and set rack to middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Combine dry ingredients (flour through salt) in the bowl of a food processor and pulse at 1-second intervals until combined (make sure brown sugar isn’t in big clumps).
Cut the stick of butter in half lengthwise, then into smaller chunks (about 16 total). Add to the food processor and pulse 12 times, until the mixture resembles a fine meal.
Combine milk, heavy cream and vanilla in a small bowl. Add mixture to the food processor and pulse 3-4 times to form a soft dough.
Transfer the dough into a bowl and gently stir in the mini chocolate chips, making sure not to overwork the dough.
Generously flour your work surface, turn the dough out onto it and fold over itself 3-4 times until it is less sticky.
Divide the dough into two equal parts and press each into a disk. Using a pizza cutter, cut each disk into six wedges.
Arrange the scones on the prepared pan. Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake for 15-18 minutes until just starting to brown on top.

March 9, 2016

Baby Pea Guacamole

laura.smoak@gmail.com Appetizer, Dips, Vegan, Veggies 0 Comments

Today’s post is named as is for two reasons. Reason one is for the actual ingredient I use in my guacamole. Yes, you just read that right. And I probably just lost half of you. Wait wait wait! Just hear me out. By now it’s no secret that I add veggies in anytime I see an opening, so why not with guacamole? Guacamole in and of itself is already all veggies and pretty healthy, but avocados really do make the calorie count soar. My answer? Stretch it out by adding baby PEAS –> oh yes I just did. I will admit Andy was suuuuper skeptical the first time I mentioned I would be adding peas to our guacamole, but then he ate it and couldn’t even taste them. Literally, he thought I had changed my mind about using them.

Reason two for the name of this post is to give a nod to the fact that my own Baby Pea is turning TWO on Friday, and I. Can’t. Deal. How in the world has it already been two years??? I had no trouble when she turned one (probably because I was still in the hazy fog that is having a child under one), but for some reason I am so emotional about this next birthday. I guess it’s probably that the first year seemed so hard, and we were just grateful to get through it, but now we’re pretty comfortable with this whole parenting thing. I don’t know. They say it goes fast, and you believe them, but you don’t really, truly get it until it’s your own little nugget. If you need me on Friday, I’ll be crying in my office. How much she’s grown in the year since this picture was taken…*sobs*

For the last several years anytime we make guacamole we just use pico de gallo mixed with mashed avocados. I thought I was GENIUS, but then saw the Pioneer Woman has the same method, so I’m not alone….but that does mean that I’m totally twinsies with Ree, so yay for us and our awesome guac making ways!

I’m half and half on the pico. Sometimes I’ll make it fresh and other times I just buy it fresh from the store. No shame. If you want convenience, definitely go for the store bought. If you have a little time, though, making it yourself gives you that awesome feeling of accomplishment because 1) it’s healthy and 2) I MADE THAT FROM SCRATCH(!!). If you haven’t made it this way in the past, please try it. I don’t use all of the pico in the guacamole, so I wind up having two dips made entirely of veggies. Ummm, yes please.

Back to the recipe twist: baby peas! I guess you could do this by just mashing the thawed peas, but a food processor makes quick work of it. I should share now that I love love love my food processor. I rearranged most of the lower cabinets in my kitchen just to have it easily accessible. I use it ALL the time. I have a lot of kitchen gadgets, but I will say that this is one that will remain in the event that I ever fall under a major purging spell. I can’t find my exact model, but this is similar to the one I use. They can be pretty pricey, but I can’t tell you how many good things come from it, and it is something I use at least twice a week. Quick sauces, hummus, shredded brussels sprouts and cabbage, nut butters <– all things easily made in the food processor. Really, do yourself a favor and get one, then make this veggied up guacamole. You won’t be sorry.

For the Pico:

5 vine ripe tomatoes
1 jalapeno
1 onion
1 large fistful cilantro
2 tbsp lime juice
Salt and pepper to taste

For the Guacamole:

2 avocados
1 cup pico de gallo (homemade or store bought)
1 cup frozen baby peas – thawed
1 tbsp lime juice

Directions:

Prepare the pico: dice the tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and cilantro. Combine veggies in a bowl with lime juice and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to combine. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.
Pulse the thawed peas in a food processor. (They won’t be smooth, but almost crumb-like.)
In another bowl, mash the avocado to desired consistency. Mix in peas, pico de gallo and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

March 2, 2016

Creamy Potato and White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale

laura.smoak@gmail.com Freezer Friendly, One Pot Dishes, Soups and Stews, Veggies 0 Comments

I’m back with another mouthful of a recipe name – shocker. The only other name that came to mind that would truly make sense is Winter Bliss Soup, but I am not that obnoxious with my recipe names just yet. This Creamy Potato and White Bean Soup with Sausage and Kale feels like giving yourself a hug from the inside out, so “winter bliss” could totally be an appropriate name if that’s what you want to call it. Friends, I don’t even feel like I can give you an adequate description of how delicious this soup is, which is very sad for a food blogger. I’ve tried and just can’t come up with the words that express it well enough. Seriously, though, this might be the best soup I’ve ever made or eaten. There’s not one thing that makes it what it is. It’s everything combined that just makes it so perfect. Literally, I’ve had people taste this and offer to actually PAY me to make a batch for them. Personal-ish chef? Me? *Blushes*

Something you’ll learn about me is that I’m a raging soup enthusiast. Obsessed. Literally, if I ever open a restaurant it will be called Laura’s Bisquetro and serve soup year-round, which is why I will probably never open a restaurant because I am likely the only person that still wants soup when it’s 90+ degrees outside. I love love love making soup – maybe even more than eating it, okay fiiine it’s a tie. I have several quick and easy recipes, but there’s just something about spending a little time here and there on a long, lazy Saturday that makes me so happy (probably because I have so few long, lazy Saturdays 😉 ). This soup is somewhere in between quick and easy and long and involved. It’s pretty hands on from start to finish, but really doesn’t take more than about 45 minutes. Here’s the gist: cook sausage, cook shallots and potatoes, add beans, puree, add sausage and kale. Dunzo bunzo.

Now that I’ve said “dunzo bunzo” twice now, I have to explain. This is something my sweet little niece started saying a couple of years ago, and it stuck around the Peascoe house. Here is a pic of my perfect little Abigail. She just loves Anna Ruth to pieces and the feeling is mutual, which makes my heart happy happy happy. If you ever see AR holding a toy like a phone, ask her who she’s calling and she will say Abby or Jack 99% of the time. (Jack is Abigail’s brother/AR’s cousin-twin, and he’ll definitely show up later on!)

This creamy potato and white bean soup with sausage and kale is everything your freezing self ~~wants~~ needs during the winter. All with fresh, cozy ingredients. The potatoes, white beans and heavy cream puree into the creamiest, silkiest soup base ev-er. I’m generally not one that goes for heavy cream in recipes, but it just adds so much to this soup that I can’t forgo it. I don’t peel the potatoes (duh, all the nutrients, and ->LAZY GIRL<-), so the combination of that with the white beans gives it an earthy taste, which isn’t bad, but just needs to be mellowed out by a little cream IMO. Made as is this soup has a good kick of spice, so if you’re making it for kids I would suggest either leaving out the red pepper flakes and/or using a mild sausage. Side note: I’m interested in making this with turkey or chicken sausage, so let me know how it turns out if you do it first! Guess what else I love about this soup…it freezes beautifully! <– You probably knew that was coming, right? I’m so typical. I’ll admit I was a little skeptical about how the kale would handle it, but it comes out of the freezer and is 100% as good as the fresh version. Just make sure to let it thaw out completely in the fridge before reheating. Enjoy!

Serves 8 (435 calories per serving)

Ingredients:
1 pound hot Italian sausage
1 tbsp butter
1 large shallot – diced
2 cloves garlic – minced
1 tsp each salt and pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
8 cups chicken broth
3 large russet potatoes – diced
2 (15.5 oz) cans cannellini beans – drained and rinsed
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
1/2 -1 bunch kale – stems removed and leaves rough chopped or torn

Directions:
1. In a dutch oven or large stock pot over medium heat, cook sausage until done, using a wooden spoon to crumble as it cooks. Remove from pot and set aside*.
2. In same pot melt butter and add shallot and cook until soft. Add garlic, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if using) and stir until fragrant – about one minute. Add broth, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom and then add the potatoes.
3. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. During the last five minutes of cooking time, add the beans.
4. Use an immersion blender to puree the mixture until smooth. Stir in heavy cream.
5. Return the sausage to the soup, then add the kale a couple handfuls at a time. It will look like it’s too much, but kale wilts down a lot, so keep adding!
6. Serve with crusty bread (if desired) and enjoy!

*I use sausage that doesn’t render much fat, so I just leave what’s left in the pot after scooping it out. If your sausage renders a lot of fat, spoon most of it out and leave 1-2 tsp.