Spring is in the Oven

I’m still sitting here tracking fiber. Fiber fiber fiber. Enough of th oats give me some sweet fruity goodness. This is simple, fast and ready in 30 minutes notice, just long enough to send your partner in crime out for some ice cream.

Triple Fruit Bake with Streusel

• 2 Nectarines
• 1 large peach
• 1 pint Blueberries
• 1/2 stick of butter cold cut into cubes
• 1/2 tsp ginger (freshly ground)
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp cardamon
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 375

Cut fruit into bite size pieces, combine all of the ingredients into a non reactive baking dish. Set aside for 15 min to let flavors meld.

Streusel

1/2 stick of cold butter

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Combine ingredients in food processor. Sprinkle on fruit mixture , spreading evenly.

Finally place in oven for 30 minutes or until  it is bubbly & streusel is set.

Now real smart booty comments today I have a child screaming Mama every 2 seconds over a Barbie Wii game.

 

2 months and 20 lbs ago

6 short days after the last post I was back in the hospital another round of diverticulitis. I spent a week there asking God for the first 3 days to take me to glory or get me well. That is where he brought in my Puminologist. He saw me walking the hall with an iv poll.( #1 thing no matter how sick you are in the hospital get up & walk even if its assisted with a walker or nurse. You will get better faster and not die of a blod clot.) Well Dr. U saw me and goes “Lucy, why are you here?” I explained to him. He immediately knowing my genetic condition said ” You need a surgeon”. Most Dr’s beyond surgeons and pulminologist know little about AAT Deficiency. It affects the whole body and when something goes wrong it goes bad.. That afternoon I met with DR. R and we made a plan to gradually get me eating again ( It had been 4 days w/ only ice chips) then to get me home wait a few week check things out and then schedule surgery. That all went to heck in a hand basket 2 days later when the Flu hit the hospital hard. I was immediately discharged not that I was complaining,Surgery was 3 weeks later on January 31, where Dr R removed 8 inches of my Sigmoid Colon ( yes this does hurt) ( A LOT). 5 days later I was home and for the first time since I was a kid I could eat without an upset stomach afterwards. Since the surgery I have barely been cooking it will probably be a few more weeks. I’m still not allowed carbonated beverages, to lift more that 10 lbs, & no red meat for a while longer. Cruciferous vegetables are also still a ways off yet. Sorry for so much delay in recipes as you can see life took over.

I’m left now 20 lbs lighter than was which is now 140lbs stretched out over my nearly 6 ft frame. ( Call me Skeletor Baby) I have 4 holes and a bikini line incision. This summer I plan to wear a bikini & tell folks I got shot up in my gang bangin’ days. Hey ya gotta have a sense of humor about it all. Hopefully soon I’ll get back out my pots & pans and get to making some great foods again soon.

Braised Pork with Maple Apples & Pears

Since I have a few followers that are not local let me say it was not by choice to not be able to cook the past month. The Wednesday after Thanksgiving I fell ill. Thinking it was a bad piece of pizza from a warehouse store I trudged on. Big Mistake! That Friday night I was admitted to the hospital with a serious intestinal & a good deal of lost blood, Saturday followed with several not so fun procedures. Finally on Monday I was allowed to come home on a strict promise to stay in bed and take some wonderful antibiotics. I wish I had stayed in bed instead I took my daughter to gymnastics against my hubby’s advice. The next 2 days I could not leave my bed without assistance. That weekend a chest cold took hold and by the next weekend I had pneumonia once again. Finally, I have recovered! Some days I still struggle with energy and eating, we are getting there though. I’m still me just a little paler & thinner.

My wonderful husband until the past week cooked every meal washed every dish and fulfilled both of our roles in the home while work 60+ hours a week from home. He is amazing to say the least. Tonight I am cooking him one of his favorite meals to make up for this past month although I will never be able to Thank him enough. I also have some pretty amazing neighbors who took care of our girl while I was in the hospital and continued to help my family in every way they could.

Braised Pork with Maple Apple Pear Sauce

• 2 lb Pork Roast ( I have tried every pork roast there is they all work well)
• 2 Bartlett Pears peeled and cut into 8ths
• 2 Granny Smith Apples peeled and cut into 8ths
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 1/8 tsp cayenne powder
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 TBSP apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup Riesling ( tonight I have Moscato on hand so Moscato I go)
• 1TBSP Maple Syrup
• 4 TBSP unsalted butter
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Heat oven to 280 Degrees

1. Salt and pepper pork set aside
2. Heat EVVO in Dutch Oven on med hi heat
3. Sear pork on either side till it releases and has a pretty brown crust on each side
4. Remove pork set it aside
5. Add in apples and pears
6. brown apples & pears
7. Mix the other ingredients together except for the butter and pour over the apple & pears stir scraping up and bits on the bottom of the pot.
8. Lay pork across the apples and pears
9. slice butter and lay on top of pork
10. Place cover on the pan. Place in oven for 1 hour turn roast then return to oven and roast until tender another 60-90 minutes
11. Remove from oven place roast apples and pears into a serving dish
12. Simmer liquid down over med heat into a glaze pour over pork
13. Let roast rest 5 minutes before slicing.

Tonight I am serving this with roasted dutch potatoes thinly sliced and seasoned with butter & herbs.

Roasted Paper Taters

• 1 pound thinly sliced Dutch potatoes or fingerlings ( use my food processor for this job)
• 4 tbs butter
• salt
• 1 TBSP fresh minced parsley
• 1 TBSP fresh minced oregano

1. Heat oven to 375 I do use a convection oven
2. Line jelly roll pan with parchment paper
3. Melt butter add herbs
4. In a bowl salt potatoes then add herb butter coating all the taters evenly
5. Lay in 1 even layer on papered pan
6. Roast until golden brown and crispy about 30-35 minutes
7. Try not to eat all of them before you get to the table

In everything that happened I had just accepted some cooking jobs and was going to start my Personal Chef business back up. Currently that is now on hold until I feel comfortable with my health. Since June I have done 12 rounds of antibiotics and a few other nice medications to complement them. As much as I want to and am hopeful that one day I can return to the kitchen full time right now is not the time for that. For now I will continue spoiling my family, neighbors, and friends.

A Thanksgiving Day Treat

Every family has their must have dish at Thanksgiving. Whether its the ever famous Green Been Casserole or the 5 Cup Salad every family has one. My husband actually has one all of his own homemade Cranberry Relish. I’ll make him write the next blog all about it. Tonight’s blog is about Fried Corn.

The first restaurant I ever worked in was in Madison a little section of Nashville, TN I was 14. I was hired to wait tables at Daniel’s Diner during summer break for the lunch crowd. It was a tiny Meat & 3 that served whatever they found at the Farmer’s Market that morning. The cook’s were a group of black women from Belle Meade that had the summer off. Remember this was the early 90′s in Nashville somethings were still a bit not what they should have been at that point. These ladies were wonderful & loving. One even helped me through my first migraine and these ladies taught me how to experience food. The texture, the taste, the methods of which to cook season, & savor. They taught me all the knew about food in 2 short months.

One day about a week into working there I went in the kitchen on a slow day & began asking questions. The cook in charge was short staffed and had me babysit her Fried Corn. “Keep that pan moving and don’t let it sit. Its heavy cause it’s cast iron.” The rest of my summer was spent making shucking corn & making Fried Corn. The memories of the my first kitchen experience are some of my happiest ones. The ladies were so sweet to me and treated me as a granddaughter.  He’s a recipe of love.

 

Fried Corn

• 4 TBSP of butter
• 2 TBSP Flour
• 4 Ears of Corn removed from the cob( I prefer white corn cause that’s what we used)
• 2 tsp sugar
• Salt to taste

1. Melt the butter over med – med hi heat in a heavy saute pan
2. In a bowl mix together the rest of the ingredients once the butter is melted & hot add the corn. It will get that nice frying sound. Now remember keep that corn moving stir constantly.
3. Once it is all brown and crusty remove & serve immediately.

 

Note* This dish is not to be made with frozen or can corn. It relies on its own starches that are useless in frozen & canned it must be fresh.  Also this is the absolute last dish I make before dinner is served. While it is good as a left over the crunch is lost quickly.

 

Salted Caramel oh how I Love Thee! You big ol’ Jerk!

Caramel, Caramel, Caramel, if it sounds like Marsha, Marsha, Marsha then we’re good. Caramel is a love hate relationship with my friends and we love to eat it but hate it on our hips.  This is the recipe I use very simple very non stir (till the end) & sinful. You might be in confession for a week after a batch of this hits your lips.

I’m going to tell you how to make it 2 ways.

Simple Caramel

•     2 cups Sugar
•     1 cup Water
•     1 cup Heavy Cream
•     1 large pinch of kosher salt although some people prefer flaky maldon sea salt
•     unsalted butter (optional only if your butter gets too dark)
•     1 TBSP Bourbon (optional)

1.     In a large heavy bottom sauce pan over med high heat add water, add sugar directly to the center of the pot.
2.     DO NOT STIR
3.     When all of the sugar is dissolved turn heat up to high
4.     DO NOT STIR
5.     When most of the water has evaporated you’ll notice the bubbles will get tighter together.This will be about 8-10 minutes PUT THE WHISK DOWN NO STIRRING YET
6.     Heat the Heavy Cream in the microwave on high for 1 minute
7.     Now wait the caramel will go through several shades of brown we want dark golden. Smell it does it smell like caramel a a sugar smokey smell good. Now pick up that whisk.
8.     Remove from heat
9.     Slowly add the heavy cream while whisking it is going to foam up like you added bubble bath to the dishwasher, this is also why you use a DEEP Sauce pan
10.     Once the cream is added add in your salt. Let cool for 30 minutes before transferring to a glass jar or plastic bottle.

Second Method is the same as above except using Natural Cane Sugar. With the cane sugar the flavor is better but you have to purely trust your nose as you will not be able to see the color. It will also be a bit more liquid than the other immediately after making but will firm up. Also in this formula I add a teaspoon of Vanilla paste (Found at Williams-Sonoma).

My Version of Southern Style Pork Chops

Food Blogs are way more interesting with pictures I know. Lets just say the name of my business was Not from Concentrate for a reason. I can cook. I cannot cook and take photos. Lame but it’s true.

Lucy’s Braised Pork Chops

• 6 thick cut pork chops
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1 C white wine
• 1TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 TBSP oil
• 2 TBSP unsalted Butter

 

1. Turn Oven to 280 degrees
2. Salt and pepper Pork Chops
3. Mix together mustard garlic & flour
4. Dredge pork in flour mixture, discard unused flour mixture
5. Heat Oil on med heat in a dutch oven add dredged pork chops brown on both side
6. Remove pork to plate
7. Add in wine and vinegar scraping up all crusty bits on the bottom
8. Remove from heat add pork back to dutch oven
9. Add butter
10. Place in oven for 2 hours
11. Remove rest 5 minutes before serving

Lookie there! While there are no pictures there is a Lucy Original Recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

Um hehe hi there…

Where have I been? Cooking shall resume shortly I’ve been experimenting lots & lots. Pictures haven’t been taken I need to get back on track.

August found us on a cross country trip via our Prius C. The C stands for compact & after 3,000 miles in it over 2 weeks I was sore. July & August saw a peak to my arthritis in my hip & foot. School starting & Ru struggling with it with us doing extra homework to help her stay caught up.
September’s first weekend brought us our first niece Miss Rhyleigh , my little elf was born on Labor Day. The 2nd week brought volunteer week at school. The 3 week Jason my sweet hubby got the gift of bronchitis while I picked up the flu. Week 4 & now the 1st of October sees me with pneumonia.

That catches us up to now. I’m so happy September is over. I miss my Elfing who is now a gnome with chubby cheeks n all.

October please be a kind healing month. Ru’s birthday is at the end of the month. I’m planning the annual street Halloween party & this months Bunco. Whew still with me? In addition to being Ru’s class Pride Parent. One might think I’m nuts for taking all this on & reading it I think you’re right!

Please note this was by iPhone & under medication.