I couldn't resist buying some sweet corn even though I know I'll be overwhelmed with it shortly from my CSA. This sweet corn is double sweet since I used some of the honey butter I made the other day for the honey buns.
Spicy Sweet Corn
2 ears of sweet corn
1 tbsp honey butter
1/8 tsp ground Ancho Chili Pepper
1/8 tsp parsley
Rub corn with the honey butter and place in aluminum foil. Sprinkle evenly with the Ancho chili pepper and parsley. Make a pouch with the foil and bake on the grill for 15 minutes or for 30 minutes in the oven.
I've been wanting to try a new fruit with pork chops since I enjoyed the ones I made with apple butter bbq sauce so much. Today I chose peaches since I have quite a few frozen on hand and they also complimented the chops nicely.
Peachy Pork Chops
2-4 pork chops
2 cups slice peaches
1/4 cup peach juice
1 tbsp dark brown sugar
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp raspberry vinegar
Cook the pork chops, lightly seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper, until the internal temperature reaches 145°. Remove from pan and allow to sit while you make the peace sauce in the same pan with the drippings. Add in the peaches and mix into the remainder of the ingredients. Stir until completely combined and then cook until reduced. Pour over the pork chops and serve immediately.
Due to my rain delay to the great outdoors yesterday, I also made this sweet honey rolls in addition to the spicy mashed sweet potatoes. I normally don't bake bread very often in the summer but I was glad for an easy breakfast because all these needed was a quick brush of raspberry jam and I was off and running.
Honey Rolls
1 cup warm water
2 tsp quick active yeast
3 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp sea salt
2 3/4 cups bread flour
Combine warm water and yeast and allow to sit for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, pour in yeast water and stir in oil, egg, honey and salt. Fold in flour gradually. When it's all combined, knead for 10 minutes and then return to the bowl and pour a little more canola oil on top, turn and make sure it's all coated, cover with a clean dish towel and let sit in a warm place for 2 hours. Turn out on a lightly floured board or countertop and divide into 16 equal pieces. Place in a greased pan and allow to rise again until doubled at least. Bake for 15 minutes at 350°. Remove from oven and brush honey butter on top (recipe below) and return to the oven for an additional 3 minutes.
Honey Butter
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp honey
Mix together and use for bread topping and many other things.
It's a rainy day here in the valley. A thunderstorm rolled through two hours ago and it doesn't want to leave. I decided to make some sunshine in a bowl using the sweet potatoes I had on hand.
Spicy Mashed Sweet Potatoes
3 sweet potatoes, pared and cubed
1/3 cup sour cream
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Boil sweet potato cubes until tender. Drain and mash with a potato masher. Add in sour cream and all of the spices. Stir until all blended and serve.
I tried to photograph showing some beautiful pottery that I found on Etsy but I'm afraid that I did not do it justice. Visit the site ~ you'll be happy that you did because she has so many beautiful pieces ~ http://www.etsy.com/shop/onewintrynight
Summer is here and the heat is intense. These peas have a little heat in them but nothing like what is outside. There is more than heat though, lots of flavors blended together to make these the perfect side to whatever you're serving.
Tuscan Peas
1 1/2 cups peas, fresh or frozen
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & freshly ground pepper
1/8 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp butter
Romano cheese, grated
In a saucepan, heat olive oil. When fully heated, add in garlic and cook for one minute. Add in peas, spices and butter. Cover and heat until fully cooked. Put in a serving dish and top with grated Romano cheese
Happy 4th of July! Today is a day about celebrating with family and friends so I'm just posting an easy to make and family friendly beverage. It's getting really warm outside now and amazingly no rain in sight here. I hope everyone reading has good weather (and are mosquito free).
Blackberry Lemon Water
7 cups water
1/2 cup honey1 cup blackberries
4 thin lemon slicesPour 6 cups of water into your favorite pitcher. Heat 1 cup of water
with the honey until it has completely dissolved, cool and add to the
pitcher.Add the blackberries and slice the lemon and add to the pitcher.
Allow to cool and the fruit juices to release into the water.
It's so hot that I have no desire to be outside grilling. Plus a slight sunburn from the weekend has me retreating indoors to figure out what to do with a pound of ground beef. I went down to the pantry and saw my squiggly pasta from Eataly, aka fusilli, and a plan formed...
Taco Spaghetti
1 pound ground beef
1/4 cup onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp taco seasoning (mine is homemade and salt-free)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste1 cup beef broth
1 - 8 ounce can tomato sauce
4 oz cream cheese - I used the leftover 4 oz of Neufchatel from the grape salad
3 cups cooked small spaghetti
1 cup Marble Jack shredded cheese
1/2 cup broken Fritos
sour cream (optional)
Brown hamburger. When almost cooked through, add in onions and garlic. When onions are translucent, add in beef brothe, tomato sauce and cream cheese. Stir until cream cheese has blended into sauce. Pour over cooked pasta in a greased pie plate. Place in oven at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with cheese and Fritos. Bake for another 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream if desired.
