Cowan Cowboy Chili (aka: Escalante Beans)

Recipe by: Karen Griffin

I'm hoping not, but I might possibly be murdered for posting this recipe for anyone to see. I wasn't told this was a secret recipe so hopefully I'm not divulging a family secret...
These are sooooooooooo good. I make them for Finn's birthday party every year, and they are, to my knowledge, made every year for the Escalante 24th of July Liston-Pollock-Meisenback-Griffin-etc family party.

You will need:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 lb bacon
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2, 15 oz cans Pork and Beans
- 2, 15 oz cans Ranch Style Pinto Beans
- 1 cup ketchup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 T liquid smoke
- 3 T white vinegar
- 1 small can diced green chilies


Directions:
In a skillet, cook bacon, remove and break into pieces. In same skillet, brown ground beef and onions in bacon juices. Put all in a slow cooker with beans.
In a small bowl combine ketchup, brown sugar, liquid smoke, vinegar and green chilies. Add mixture to ingredients in slow cooker.
Stir well, cook low to warm up. Remove lid after heated to let thicken up.

EVERYBODY loves them. Seriously.

Baked Ham and Cheese Sandwiches

This is a recipe from Sunny Anderson's new food network show Made in America. When Jacob and I saw the lady make these sandwiches we new we had to try them. Incidentally, these sandwiches won a $25,000 contest and are Paula Deen approved :)

Yields 12 sandwiches
cook time: 40 minutes total, including prep.

You will need:

• 1 container (8 ounces) cream cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives
• 1 pinch dried thyme
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons freshly grated onion
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 package (12 count) Hawaiian rolls
• 8 ounces Black Forest deli ham, thinly sliced
• 8 ounces gruyere, grated

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, chives and thyme. Mix until well combined and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together the butter, onions, Parmesan and Worcestershire sauce. Set aside in a warm spot to keep the butter from solidifying.

Cut all 12 rolls in half. Place the roll bottoms in a 9- by 13-inch pan. Place equal amounts of ham (about 3 slices) on each roll. Top with the gruyere. Spread a generous amount of the chive and cream cheese on the roll tops. Place the tops on top of each sandwich bottom.

Pour the butter mixture over the top of the sandwiches. Cover with foil and bake until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes to toast the buns.

Sweet Corn and Bacon Empanadas

These are great for two reasons: they are yummy, and you can make them up ahead of time and freeze till ready to bake. Love them for brunch, lunch or dinner parties. They also make great midnight treats!


You Will Need:
- 2 anaheim chile peppers
- 3 strips bacon
- 2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn kernels
- 1 1/2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup diced scallions

-your favorite pie dough, either homemade or store bought

Directions:
Have your pie dough made up and ready to go.
Roast chile peppers over a gas burner or in a hot oven until they're blackened and blistered. Wrap chilies in damp paper-towels for about 10 minutes, until cooled off and skin peals off easily. Peel chilies; discard skin. Slit chilies lengthwise, scrape out and discard seeds, remove stem, and dice chilies. Should yield about 1/2 cup diced chilies.
Fry bacon in a saute pan over medium-high heat until crisp. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pan; add corn; saute over medium-high heat until edges of corn begin to brown, about 8 minutes. Stir in bacon, chilies, cheddar, and scallions. Chill filling thoroughly.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Roll out pie dough on a work surface, lightly floured if necessary. Using a 3 1/2 " biscuit cutter, cut circles from dough; repeat with remaining dough, rerolling scraps once. Arrange dough rounds on prepared baking sheet.
Place 1 T filling in the center of each round. Fold rounds in half, pinch to seal, then crimp edges with a fork. (Freeze if desired.)
Blend one egg yolk with 1 T water; brush over empanadas. Sprinkle empanadas with smoked paprika; then bake until golden, 15-18 minutes.

Rosemary & Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Apple-Cherry Relish

And I Quote: "This hearty dish highlights a combination of sweet, sour, and savory flavors."

I found this recipe in the October 2009 issue of Cuisine at Home Magazine. They recommend serving the pork with a toasted barley and orzo pilaf, which I did when I made it the first time. It is delicious together, it comes together very quickly, and eating it all provided me an out of body experience. Better than the best restaurant.

For the relish:

- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 2/3 cup dried tart cherries
- 1/2 cup diced tart apple such as Braeburn or Granny Smith
- 1 Tbsp. minced shallot
- 1 Tbsp. minced sage leaves
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

For the Tenderloin:

- 1/4 cup sweet orange marmalade
- 1 Tbsp. frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
- 1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary leaves
- Dash of red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 pork tenderloin, trimmed (18 oz)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.
Heat vinegar in a small saucepan until vinegar boils. Pour vinegar over cherries in a bowl; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in apple, shallot, sage, sugar, and olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Done! Set relish aside.
Melt marmalade in a bowl in the microwave oven. Add orange juice concentrate; stir to combine. Stir in rosemary, pepper flakes, and salt.
Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season tenderloin with salt and pepper. Place pork in skillet; brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Remove pork from skillet and place on the prepared baking sheet. Baste pork with marmalade mixture.
Roast pork for 5 minutes; baste again with marmalade mixture. Roast until an instant read thermometer registers 150 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of pork, about 5 minutes. Remove pork from baking sheet, tent with foil, and let meat rest 5 minutes (tenting meat and allowing it to rest will give it opportunity to reach necessary internal temp of 160 degrees). Serve pork with relish.

Leek, Potato and Bacon Casserole

Our lovely friends Andrea and Ben came over for dinner on Sunday night. We had a delicious bruschetta made by Andrea (yummm, bruschetta is one of my favorite things! I could eat it all day long.) We also had COUNTRY STYLE SPARE RIBS (recipe here), fruit salad, and this leek, potato and bacon casserole. When I read the recipe for some reason I thought it would turn out more like au gratin potatoes. I obviously didn't read it very closely. It was delicious, and not totally weird as a dinner side, but if I make it again it will be for breakfast or brunch I think.

Leek, Potato, and Bacon Casserole:
Cook time: 1 hour 30 min, serves: 4
Recipe from Foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

- 2 leeks, white and light green (about 6 ounces)
- 6 slices smoked bacon
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus for brushing the pan
- 3 teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 2 medium red potatoes, diced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
- 2 cloves smashed garlic
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 large eggs, beaten
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- 6 ounces Jarlsberg Swiss cheese , grated (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:Preheat the oven 325 degrees F.
Butter an 8-by-8-inch square glass casserole dish. Halve the leeks lengthwise, and then cut them crosswise into half circles (There should be about 1 3/4 cups.). 

Put the cut leeks in the basket of a salad spinner, or a colander set in a bowl, and fill with water. Swish the leeks around to flush out any grit. Lift the basket from water--don't pour the water off or you will pour any grit right back over the leeks.
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and fry the bacon until crispy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate to cool, then crumble. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the pan drippings, add the butter and leeks, and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and some pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the potatoes in a small saucepan with the garlic, thyme, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and water, to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, then drain. Discard the thyme and garlic and add potatoes to the leeks.

In a medium bowl whisk together the eggs and half-and-half, then stir in the leek mixture, 1 cup of the cheese, the bacon, and nutmeg. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and some pepper. Transfer the mixture to the prepared dish:

cover with foil and bake until just set but still moist, about 55 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. Position a rack in the upper part of the oven and preheat the broiler. Scatter the remaining 1 cup cheese over the casserole and broil until the cheese browns, about 3 minutes. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Unmold or serve from baking dish.

Larene's Country Style Pork BBQ Spare Ribs (in the crock pot)

Here are the BBQ pork spare ribs I made for Sunday dinner with Andrea and Ben. It is my mother-in-law Larene's recipe, but I made a couple small changes. Jacob loves these ribs, and growing up this was one of his top birthday dinner requests (along with macaroni and tomatoes, which I will NEVER make, because it is gross.)

Country Style Pork Spare Ribs
Cook time *(including prep): 4 hours and 15 minutes, Serves: 4 to 6

- 1 14oz bottle Chili Sauce or Ketchup (I ALWAYS use Chili Sauce)
- ½ cup Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tsp Chili Powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Mustard
- ½ cup Brown Sugar (plus...and sometimes I add 1/4 cup molasses)
- 1 med Onion, cut any way you prefer. I like big slices.
- ½ tsp Lemon Juice
- 1 cup Water
- Beef Bouillon Cube to yield 1 cup broth
- Tabasco Sauce to taste
- About 8 Country Style Spare Ribs (I usually do 4 with bone, and 4 w/out)
- Optional: 4 to 6 Tablespoons Cornstarch
Optional prep: Season ribs with salt and pepper, dredge in flour and shake off excess, then braise ribs on all sides in hot skillet before placing in crock pot. (Braising will seal in juices and create a nice crust that otherwise wouldn’t form in the crock pot.)

I don't braise them every time, but if you do you will find it adds extra flavor and the flour helps to thicken the sauce.

If you choose not to braise then simply season the short ribs with salt and pepper and then add along with the onions to a crock pot. Mix together all other ingredients (except cornstarch) to create your sauce and poor over the onion and ribs. Cook for 4 hours on high setting. You can serve them at this point, or...

Optional: Remove Ribs from crock pot and set aside. Ladle some of the liquid (about 1 cup) into a small bowl and to it, add 4 to 6 Tablespoons of cornstarch. Whisk until there are no lumps. The liquid in the bowl should have begun to thicken quite a bit. Add this liquid back to the crock pot and whisk to combine. Add ribs back to crock pot and allow to cook for about 15 more minutes, or until the sauce has thickened up to an almost gravy like consistency. Serve over Buttered Noodles with Lemon, Shallots and Chives.

Navy Bean Soup

Scoff if you will, but I am taking seriously the charge given me by Zonya Focco (author of Water with Lemon, and acclaimed motivational speaker). She says that if I eat a serving of beans 4 times a week I will lower my risk of heart disease by 19%!!!! And Zonya knows all.

I wonder if she is factoring in the enormous dollop of sour cream I always add, and the fact that most bean soups call for bacon or some other salty pig product...

I know she doesn't mean just soups, but I've gotta start somewhere. I'm not the type to just throw together a salad (yet), so let me get to that point first before you have me adding those disgusting red kidney beans to the top of it.


Recipe from: Foodnetwork.com
Cook time: 2 ½ hrs, serves 8

Ingredients: 
-1 pound navy beans , picked over, rinsed and drained
-10 sprigs parsley
-2 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
-1 bay leaf
-2 large smoked ham hocks, about 1 1/2 pounds
-1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
-1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
-8 cups of cold water
-1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
-Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
-Butter for garnish (or sour cream, or olive oil)

Directions:
Place the beans in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 2 inches. Bring to a boil and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes; remove from the heat, cover, and let sit for one hour. Drain and reserve.
Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf together with kitchen twine. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven combine the beans, herb bundle, hocks, onions, and garlic with the water. Bring to a boil, cover, and adjust the heat so the soup cooks at a gentle simmer. Cook until the beans and hock are completely tender, about 1-1/2 hours. (Mine took quite a bit longer than this, about another hour.)
Turn off the heat and remove the hocks. Cool slightly. Remove the meat from the hocks, discarding the bones, fat, and skin. Cut the meat into small cubes. Remove the herb bundle and discard.
Puree about 3 cups of the beans with some of the liquid in a blender. (For a smoother soup puree all the beans.) Stir the puree and diced meat into the soup. Heat the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt and pepper.
Pour into heated bowls, place a small pat of butter on top of each soup, and serve.
(Or, instead of butter, place a drizzle of olive oil, and a heaping scoop of sour cream. Bam!)

Pork Chops with Fennel and Caper Sauce. (10/6/2009)

Isn’t it amazing how you can get on the computer and all of a sudden it’s three in the morning? You end up wide awake and the only thing on T.V. is an MTV episode of True Life, I’m in a Polyamorous Relationship. I can’t believe there is a P.C. term for an every night three-way. I also finally took the time to figure out how to disperse my images throughout the text. Finally. Lazy Carissa.
Tonight I cooked up something especially delicious. This recipe includes 2 of my three favorite foods- capers and fennel. (Nutella, my third, would have tasted a little strange on the pork…) As I was telling my friend Jon, capers are like a little taste bomb exploding in your mouth! After trying them for the first time I found myself looking for ways to use them in everything I could. When getting dinner together tonight I made the rookie mistake of not checking the cooking time for the brown rice, and starting it about 20 minutes late. Everything still turned out delicious, and the pork stayed moist waiting for the rice to catch up. Few.


For this recipe you will need:
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 4 boneless (2-inch-thick) pork chops (about 2 pounds total)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning meat
- 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning meat
- 2 fennel bulbs with fronds, thinly sliced (about 8 ounces or 2 cups)
- 2 large shallots, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, plus 1/3 cup
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with their juices
- 1/2 lemon, zested
- 2 tablespoons capers

In a large, heavy skillet heat the olive oil over high heat. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork to the pan and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes each side. Remove the pork from the pan, cover loosely with foil, and set aside. Add the fennel, shallots, and 1/3 cup parsley to the pan and cook over medium heat until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

Add the wine. Using a wooden spoon, scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and stir. Add the pork back into the pan, nestling the chops between the fennel and tomatoes so they are mostly submerged in the pan juices. Cook until the fennel is tender and the pork is done, about 12 to 15 minutes.

Place the pork on a serving dish. To finish the sauce, add the lemon zest, remaining 1/3 cup parsley, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Spoon over the pork chops and serve immediately.Like I mentioned above, I served the pork with brown rice and it was really tasty. The last time I made it we had it with mashed potatoes, but tonight I thought I would keep it a little healthier and easier. (Obviously the easy part was what really mattered – since when do I care about healthy? Never.)

Apple Butter Pork Tenderlion, Thanks Andrea and Ben! (10/2/2009)

I worked tonight so I didn’t make anything for dinner, but our sister-in-law Ashley and her intended, Jake, took us all out to lunch at the Cheesecake (thanks to mama Larene’s credit card)! Thanks Larene! I love my virgin margaritas! Anyway, tonight I will be posting Andrea and Ben’s recipe for Apple Butter Pork Tenderloin. I had it over at their house a few Sundays ago and it was so good! I hope you try it.

You will need:
- 2 (1 ½ lb) pork tenderloins (NOTE: Pork Loin is not the same as pork tenderloin)
- salt and pepper to taste
-2 cups apple, raspberry or crane-raspberry juice
- ½ cup apple b-utter (or plum butter, or something similar)
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Place tenderloins in a baking dish (9x13) or roasting pan and pour apple juice over the pork, then cover your dish with a lid or aluminum foil.

Cook for half hour.

While meat is cooking, mix apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon and cloves together.

After the half hour remove the tenderloins from the oven and spread the apple butter mixture over them.
Re-cover and return tenderloins to the oven for an additional 45 minutes or until fork tender.

Andrea sent me the link to the original recipe, here it is:http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Butter-Pork-Loin/Detail.aspx

Today’s news, Finn is finally officially in a big boy bed! Thank you Jacob!

Cajun Chicken and Kielbasa Sausage Alfredo (9/20/2009)

So tonight I am cheating. Kind of. Jacob and I actually got invited out tonight! We are so cool and popular! With, like, two couples…

Our wonderful friends Andrea and Ben had us over and made the most delicious apple-butter pork tenderloin! Yumm… She looked up the recipe on a website that I will get from her and post, because it sounded really cool. In the mean time, however, I will post a recipe for a pasta dish I made this last Wednesday.

Every Wednesday my brother in law Grayson comes over for dinner. My new little guinea pig. I love having him over, although Jacob turns into an even bigger pervert when he’s here. Hard to believe, harder to be around… But anyway, this recipe is one of Grayson’s favorites. My man-friend Jason and his girlfriend Claire also made it the other day, and I think they really liked it too, though they said it made a ton of food, which is true. So maybe consider cutting the recipe in half, and give yourself plenty of prep time because there are a ton of vegetables.

You will need:

-4 oz dry farfalle pasta
-½ cup evaporated milk
-¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
-1 egg yolk
-1 tsp.Cajun seasoning (try to find salt free…)
-½ lb boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into bite size chunks
-1 tble spoon olive oil
-8 oz turkey kielbasa, sliced into half moons
-2 cups sliced button mushrooms
-1 onion chopped
-1 red bell pepper chopped ( I like more…)
-2 cloves garlic minced
-¼ cup reserved pasta water
-1 cup frozen peas
-Kosher salt to taste
-Sliced scallionsParmesan cheese to top

Start by preparing your vegetables.
Boil the pasta.
Wisk together evaporated milk, ¼ cup parm cheese and egg yolk in a bowl and set aside.
Coat chicken in Cajun seasoning. Saute chicken over medium high heat in LARGE sauté pan until meat is browned and fully cooked (about 4 min.). Remove the chicken and set it aside.
Add olive oil to this same pan. Over medium high heat add kielbasa, mushrooms, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the warm olive oil. Cook until kielbasa browns (4-6 minutes).
Deglaze pan with the reserved ¼ cup pasta water. Reduce until the water has nearly evaporated. Add the chicken, cooked farfalle pasta, and peas. Add the evaporated milk mixture, stirring until thickened.
Season with salt to taste, and garnish with scallions and Parmesan cheese. (It looks really cool if you use a potato peeler to shave off ribbons of Parmesan cheese.)

This recipe is from Cuisine Magazine. It is a really neat magazine that is all recipes and cooking tips. There are no ads, and no random articles. There is a companion website with demonstration video clips that I have used before and found very helpful (http://www.cuisineathome.com/).

Love it? Hate it? Let me know! I'll be eating mint chocolate chip ice cream and watching Zac Efron movies...