July 9, 2011- Country Style Pork Ribs

Yesterday afternoon I started making Country Style Pork Ribs for Kate and Spencer to have for dinner.  Ben was the first one to prepare them in our house, and he did a great job documenting the process in the following post: http://duckywhit-whatsfordinner.blogspot.com/2011/02/monday-2212011.html.  In order to get out the door for our date last night, I turned the preparation over to Spencer at step #8 in the directions.  We made enough so that we could have left overs for our dinner tonight.  I reheated the pork in the microwave, smothered with more bbq sauce.  I reheated corn on the cob from last week's PEPS potluck for our side dish.

June 28, 2011- Chicken Alfredo and Corn on the Cob

It was our turn to host our PEPS group tonight.  Usually I make something from scratch, but decided I just couldn't add that to my schedule this week.  I opted to purchase chicken alfredo with penne noodles from Costco for our main dish.  It was delicious and super easy.  Preheat oven; bake for an hour; serve.  How nice not to be stressed about getting the food done in time!

We also served corn on the cob for the first time this season.  I think Katie ate 1.5 ears of corn!  The other families brought a green salad and Klondike bars:)

Saturday, 9/4/2010

Our dear friends Karen and Michel invited us all, Matt, Jenna, Braelyn, Ben, Katie, me, Jennifer, and Spencer, over to their home for dinner tonight.  Jennifer is in town to celebrate Spencer's birthday tomorrow.  They had a lovely spread of veggies, crackers, cheeses, cured meats, fresh berries, and wine ready when we arrived. 

For dinner, they roasted potatoes and carrots, had mixed salad greens and a variety of dressings, jalapenos bread, corn on the cob, and roasted pork tenderloins.  Everything was delicious!  At the end of the evening, we enjoyed a fantastic birthday cake for Spencer.  

Michel got the cake at a local French bakery.  The cake was chocolate; the filling was chocolate mousse; the outer frosting was unlike anything I have had before.  Without knowing for sure, I would say it was a French buttercream.  I think it was made with shortening, instead of butter.  All I know for sure is that it was fantastically delicious.  Ben had to share quite a bit with Katie...she loved it too!  Not only was it wonderful to the taste, but it was beautiful too.  I just love the lettering on the cake. 

Friday, 9/3/2010

Tonight Ben and I barbecued chicken drumsticks for Jenna and Matt.  I rubbed the drumsticks with our standard bbq rub.  Ben used Pendleton bbq sauce, because we were out of Jack Daniels.  It was a pretty good substitute.  We boiled several ears of corn to go along side the drumsticks. 

Ben and I stayed up late tonight so that we could watch The Blind Side.  What a fantastic movie!  It is definitely one we will own someday.  I don't remember the last time I saw a movie starring Sandra Bullock in which I forgot she was the actress.  I believe she earned the Oscar she won for that role.  Ben and I only have one more movie to watch that was nominated for the 2010 Best Motion Picture of the Year Academy Award--An Education.  I should make sure it is near the top of our Netflix queue.

Sunday, 8/22/2010

For a brief moment this evening we considered ordering pizza. We got a late start on grilling our pork tenderloin and kind of hoped that it would be much faster to order a pizza. But, when we finished adding up the grill heat up, cooking, and resting time it would only take a few minutes longer than it would take for a pizza to arrive. So, we grilled our pork tenderloin. It was our first time trying a Farmland Extra Tender Boneless Southwest Peppercorn Dry Rub Seasoned Pork Tenderloin. All three of us really enjoyed it. We had corn on the cob as a side dish.

Katie couldn't wait for dinner, so she had a watermelon and cheese appetizer.  What a good corn eater:)

Wednesday, 8/11/2010

Tonight I made the Southwest salad I planned to make last night.  It turned out just okay.  I tossed romaine lettuce, shredded rotisserie chicken, and corn in Briannas Chipotle and Cheddar dressing.  I had high hopes for the dressing, but actually think it was a bit too sweet and was definitely lacking heat.  Instead of breaking up tortillas into the salad, I decided to eat them separately so that I could down some salsa;)  Previously, we used Marie's Creamy Chipotle Ranch for this salad and loved the dressing.  I went to three grocery stores this week and can't find it anymore.  Maybe there is still hope, since it is still shown as a product on Marie's website. 

Saturday, 7/31/2010

What a great day we had today. Not only were my parents visiting, but my best friend from college, Jamie, and her son Harlon came over to spend a couple days. Harlon was born just 9 days before Katie. Boy did those kids have fun. They still don't really play with each other, but they are super cute being near each other. They both took their turn being drug around while holding onto our cat's tail. Sooner or later he will learn that he doesn't have to let them get that close;)

Tonight I performed with my Trillium Soul friends Bron, Betsy, and Irene in a concert at our church. Mom helped me out by fixing dinner for our family and our house guests. I picked up a box of Whole Grain Helper- Lemon and Herb Chicken. Surprisingly, it had great flavor. Usually, we find that boxed meals are pretty bland. Along with several ears of corn, it was just enough to feed five adults and two toddlers.

Thursday, 7/22/2010

The house smelled delicious ALL DAY LONG today. I prepared a pork roast in the crock pot last night and Ben started it cooking at 6:00 this morning. YUM! Here's the fail proof recipe.

BBQ PULLED PORK

INGREDIENTS:
1 Boston Butt or Shoulder Pork Roast, 2-4 pounds
Garlic powder
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
1 large white onion

1 cup of your favorite bbq sauce (we like Longhorn BBQ sauce)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1-2 teaspoons of liquid smoke (optional)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Liberally coat the bottom of your crock pot with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Then, rub the same three ingredients over the entire roast. Quarter the onion and place the separated chunks on top and around the roast. Cook on the Low Heat setting for 9-11 hours.
2. Remove the roast from the crock pot and shred the pork with a couple of forks.
3. Clean out the crock pot.
4. Return the shredded pork to the crock pot. Combine the three liquid ingredients together and mix into the pork. Cook on High Heat for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve on toasted buns.

We enjoyed our pulled pork on toasted Oroweat Sandwich Thins with corn on the cob. Katie wouldn't touch the pork, but did well with her corn.

Tuesday, 7/13/2010

Ben went out for a run as soon as he got home from work today. Katie didn't seem like she could wait to eat, so I started to boil water for corn early. I thought she would gobble it down, based on how much she corn she has eaten in the last couple of weeks. Nope, not tonight. She nibbled at it a bit, but I think she didn't want to eat alone. When Ben got home, we started up the grill and put a marinated flank steak on. I also put corn in to boil for Ben and me. I marinated the steak in Grill Mates Brown Sugar Bourbon marinade. This was our first time using that flavor. We really enjoyed it. Now, if only I can find it in the store again! These marinade packets seem to come and go quickly on the shelves.

Once Ben and I sat down at the table, Katie was ready to eat. She kept opening her mouth wide, like a baby bird, for more steak and water. She really likes to drink from Ben's water glass, as long as it has ice in it:) She still didn't eat her corn, but at least she ate something.

Sunday, 7/11/2010

Today was our "catch up from vacation" day. Ben processed and posted the photos we took during the Moser family reunion. I seem to have accomplished making a mess of the house. Guess I'll have to clean up tomorrow;) We still didn't have much to eat in the house, so we ended up stopping at KFC for dinner. We ordered fiery grilled wings to share, Katie had a hot dog, and Ben and Katie had corn on the cob. The wings were really good! Katie ate all but two bites of her hot dog, so I think she liked it:)

Katie's corn cob was a bit hot. We told her she would have to wait to eat it until it cooled down, that it was "hot". When we finally gave it to her, she said "hot, hot" and then blew on it. Each time she went to touch it, she would say "hot". We are now confident that she understands what hot means. Score one for the parents!

Wednesday, 7/7/2010

We had a really tasty chicken dinner tonight. The chicken breasts were cooked in some kind of yummy soup/sauce--maybe cream of chicken? We had fresh corn on the cob and a cheesy potato dish to go with it. Katie has really taken a liking to corn on the cob. She does a really good job of biting down into the kernels, and doesn't leave much on the cob when she declares she is done and wants more. I would say she had two-thirds of a cob tonight. She wouldn't have any of the potato dish, but ate some of the chicken.

For dessert we had ice cream with chocolate sauce. We gave Katie her own bowl and spoon. She ate everything in her bowl:)

Saturday, 7/3/2010

My parents joined us in Redmond today. We hooked up the swing on Grandma Jennifer's porch and let Katie swing away. She LOVES to swing!!!


Whenever we are in Redmond for a weekend, there is always at least one trip to the grocery store. We went to Fred Meyer and ordered lunch from the deli there. Then we split off to shop for tonight and tomorrow's dinners. After several ideas were thrown out for tonight's dinner, we settled on steaks--which Ben grilled, corn on the cob, and a caesar salad. For dessert, my dad baked fresh chocolate chip cookies. What a great way to start our vacation!

Wednesday, 6/16/2010

Katie is now officially 18 months old! We had a fun day together. She woke up early, so I took her out for breakfast. We tried Endolyne Joe's, but it was not open yet. We ended up sharing a breakfast sandwich and mini chocolate donut at Starbucks instead. It was a nice way to start the day:)

After lunch, we colored with crayons and danced to Casper Babypants- More Please. For dinner we had left over Impossible Taco Pie with delicious young, white corn on the cob. Katie couldn't wait for dinner; so, she happily munched on cheese and blueberries until dinner was ready. I was pleased that she still ate all of the pie that I prepped for her. It was fun watching her figure out how to bite into the corn cob!

Tuesday, 6/15/2010

PEPs was at Jackson's home tonight. Jen and Andy made grilled up delicious jalapeno cheese burgers with grilled buns. I heard Jen say the recipe came from a Weber cookbook. They also had a few small, unseasoned cheeseburgers for the kids. There was a big bowl of potato salad, which Katie liked, and corn on the cob. For dessert, we had warm brownies with vanilla ice cream. YUM!

Highlights from the evening included Ari and Katie giving each other fist bumps. Katie, Ari, and Ronan did some dunking at the basketball hoop. All of the kids taking turns on the wooden rocking horse. Boy, can they rock!

Wednesday, 6/9/2010

Tonight, I was in the mood for Ben's left over steak. I was a bit worried that reheating it would make it tough, but it ended up being really tender! In addition to the steak, I fixed a box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain and Wild Rice, Original Seasoning, and corn. Katie didn't each much of the steak, but she did gobble down the rice and corn. I don't think I have fixed that variety of rice before. It was really good.

Sunday, 4/4/2010

HAPPY EASTER!




















Christ the Lord is risen today. Let's celebrate with FOOD!

Our Easter menu today: Pork Roast, Mini Potatoes with Brie and Smoked Bacon, Grilled Asparagus, Corn & Carrot Muffins, Peppercorn rolls, Lemon Cake, and wine:)

I am blessed to have had my loved ones and friends with me today to share this meal: Ben, Katie, Jennifer, Spencer, LeeAnne, and Ken. Thank you all for helping to prepare it!

PORK ROAST
1 Boston butt or pork shoulder roast (anywhere from 2-6 pounds)
1 large onion, quartered and layers separated
Kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder

Coat the bottom of a crock pot with a generous amount of salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Set the pork roast inside and apply a generous sprinkling of the same three ingredients to the other sides of the roast. Don't worry, it would be hard to put too much on. Cover the roast with the onion layers. Set the crock pot to cook on low for 9-11 hours.

Pull out of the pot and enjoy! Just try to get it to the table without having a nibble;) This is how we start our bbq pulled pork. We just stopped before we added the sauce and cooked for another hour.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS
Preheat grill to Medium.

Prepare asparagus by cutting off the ends of the stems or by popping them at the natural break points. Wash and then toss in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook on Medium Direct for 8 minutes, turning to avoid burning. A little charring is ok.

MINI BAKED POTATOES W/ BRIE AND SMOKED BACON
kosher salt
20 new potatoes (we learned that new potatoes are not a certain variety, they are just young potatoes that have thinner peels)
5 slices thick-cut bacon
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 cup spring onions, chopped
4 oz. Brie
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425. Place a thin layer of kosher salt on a baking tray. Place potatoes on top and cook for 30 minutes.
2. Allow to cool slightly. Slice off the tops of the potatoes lengthwise, and scoop out the middle with a teaspoon or melon baller.
3. Dice and fry bacon. Remove bacon, add diced onions to the pan and cook until soft, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients, including the reserved bacon, to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes. Mix in with scooped-out potato.
5. Spoon into shells. Serve warm.

We were actually a bit apprehensive about this recipe. Ben and I have never been fans of Brie. But, we were willing to give it a shot. It was a recipe Ben's mom found in People magazine. It is an Irish dish made at the Clarence Hotel in Dublin, owned by U2's Bono and the Edge. The potatoes looked beautiful when done and were not bad, but lacked the strong flavors we expected. The Brie definitely wasn't a problem.

We had two breads and two wines with our meal. I bought peppercorn foccocia rolls and Ken and Lee Anne made yummy carrot and corn muffins. We opened another bottle of the Bogle Petite Sirah. And, Ken and Lee Anne brought a delicious bottle of 2003 Rosé of Sangiovese by Barnard Griffin. They said it was supposed to pair well with pork. We were all very thankful that it did!

And for dessert, a Lucious Lemon Daisy Cake. The recipe came with a beautiful Daisy Bundt Pan we received as a wedding gift. It has cream cheese in it which makes the cake very moist and creamy. The whole cake is glazed with a sugar, lemon juice, butter drizzle.

Happy Easter!

Saturday, 4/3/2010

We ran a couple errands in Tukwilla this afternoon and stopped at Duke's Chowder House Southcenter for dinner. We've been to that location twice and so far we have not had to wait to be seated. That is a really good thing when dining with a 15 month old. All four of us, Ben's mom and brother joined us, had a fish & chips & chowder combo. Ben and his mom had halibut and his brother and I had the cod. His mom had a cup of the Dungeness Crab & Bourbon Chowder while the rest of us had the Cajun Chicken Corn Chowder. Those chowders are delicious. We only wish we had the time to figure out how to make them. YUM!

We ordered chicken fingers for Katie with a side of ranch dressing. She seems to really like dipping her food into sauces and purees, so I thought it would be fun to let her dip her chicken in it. NOT a good idea in a restaurant setting. First the hand holding the chicken was dipped in so far that her fingers were coated with it. And when that wasn't good enough, the empty hand was plunged in. Thankfully we brought a washcloth and were able to get her cleaned up and the ranch removed before she made a real mess of the place.

If you live near Seattle and like chowder, I highly recommend you check out Duke's. The chowder truly is the best I've ever had.