Swedish Apple Pie

It's Dinner Divas time and once again it was my turn to make dessert.  The theme was Swedish food which is not the easiest to work with but I was able to find a Swedish dessert thanks to Stacey Snacks!  This was easy enough that I was able to make it and not worry too much about it being perfect.  It is a very simple rustic dish that everyone seemed pleased with....even though I forgot to peel the apples! Talk about rustic!  If you ever find yourself with an abundance of apples you've got to give Swedish Apple Pie a try. 



Swedish Apple Pie
Source: Stacey Snacks


Ingredients:

5 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sugar (for sprinkling)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves

Topping:

1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks)
1 egg


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9" pie pan and fill with sliced apples & walnuts.

Mix the 1/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon and cloves. Sprinkle over apples and coat well.

Melt butter and add remaining ingredients (flour, sugar and egg). Pour the batter over apples and spread with a rubber spatula.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden.

Swedish Apple Pie

It's Dinner Divas time and once again it was my turn to make dessert.  The theme was Swedish food which is not the easiest to work with but I was able to find a Swedish dessert thanks to Stacey Snacks!  This was easy enough that I was able to make it and not worry too much about it being perfect.  It is a very simple rustic dish that everyone seemed pleased with....even though I forgot to peel the apples! Talk about rustic!  If you ever find yourself with an abundance of apples you've got to give Swedish Apple Pie a try. 



Swedish Apple Pie
Source: Stacey Snacks


Ingredients:

5 medium apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup sugar (for sprinkling)
2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp. cloves

Topping:

1 cup sugar
1 cup flour
3/4 cup butter (1 and 1/2 sticks)
1 egg


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter a 9" pie pan and fill with sliced apples & walnuts.

Mix the 1/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon and cloves. Sprinkle over apples and coat well.

Melt butter and add remaining ingredients (flour, sugar and egg). Pour the batter over apples and spread with a rubber spatula.

Bake for about 45 minutes or until golden.

Cracklin' Cornbread

There were a lot of firsts this weekend and you know fried chicken was one of them. Cornbread was another one. I've never made cornbread from scratch. In fact, I've only ever used those little jiffy boxes and made corn muffins. They aren't very good actually. When I brought up my theme idea to my beeps (bakespace peeps - I know, I know, we're corny) they immediately had a ton of suggestions for me. One of them was cornbread and then to make it even better DD of DDPie's Slice suggested cracklin' cornbread. As soon as I saw that I knew it had to be on the menu. What is cracklin' cornbread you ask? Well, corbread with bacon in it, of course!

I followed the recipe that DD gave me and next time I'll only make two slight changes. The first would be to use the full amount of sugar. The recipe suggests 2-4 tsp and DD suggested that if I use the bacon I may not want it to be as sweet. I think I'd like the taste of sweet and salty together so I will try the full amount (I only used 2 tsp) next time. Keep in mind that cornbread isn't supposed to be as sweet as a corn muffin but I just like it sweeter. The second change I would make would be to take out the bacon and mix it with the batter and then pour it into the cast iron skillet. All the bacon stayed on the bottom and I imagined it throughout the cornbread. That's it. It was very moist, tasty and easy! Thanks DD!



Corn Bread

By: DD of DDPie's Slice

Ingredients:

1 cup Quaker or Aunt Jemima Yellow or White Corn Meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F

Place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir together. In a seperate bowl, whisk together milk, egg and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture. Stir together quickly.

Pour into a greased pan and bake in hot oven for 20-25 min until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For Cracklin' Corn Bread:

I always use my iron skillet for corn bread. I dice then fry about 3-4 pieces of bacon until crispy. I pour off excess grease, leaving only about 2 tbsp of the bacon grease in the pan with the bacon. Mix corn bread according to directions and immediately pour into the HOT skillet containing the bacon. Place in oven and bake accordingly.

FYI- if you are making regular corn bread, the key is the hot skillet. So when I'm doing "plain" cornbread, I put the skillet in the oven with a couple of tbsp of melted shortening in the skillet and let it get hot while mixing the corn bread. Then pour it into the hot skillet.

Cracklin' Cornbread

There were a lot of firsts this weekend and you know fried chicken was one of them. Cornbread was another one. I've never made cornbread from scratch. In fact, I've only ever used those little jiffy boxes and made corn muffins. They aren't very good actually. When I brought up my theme idea to my beeps (bakespace peeps - I know, I know, we're corny) they immediately had a ton of suggestions for me. One of them was cornbread and then to make it even better DD of DDPie's Slice suggested cracklin' cornbread. As soon as I saw that I knew it had to be on the menu. What is cracklin' cornbread you ask? Well, corbread with bacon in it, of course!

I followed the recipe that DD gave me and next time I'll only make two slight changes. The first would be to use the full amount of sugar. The recipe suggests 2-4 tsp and DD suggested that if I use the bacon I may not want it to be as sweet. I think I'd like the taste of sweet and salty together so I will try the full amount (I only used 2 tsp) next time. Keep in mind that cornbread isn't supposed to be as sweet as a corn muffin but I just like it sweeter. The second change I would make would be to take out the bacon and mix it with the batter and then pour it into the cast iron skillet. All the bacon stayed on the bottom and I imagined it throughout the cornbread. That's it. It was very moist, tasty and easy! Thanks DD!



Corn Bread

By: DD of DDPie's Slice

Ingredients:

1 cup Quaker or Aunt Jemima Yellow or White Corn Meal
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 large egg, beaten
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425F

Place all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and stir together. In a seperate bowl, whisk together milk, egg and oil. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and add the milk mixture. Stir together quickly.

Pour into a greased pan and bake in hot oven for 20-25 min until golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

For Cracklin' Corn Bread:

I always use my iron skillet for corn bread. I dice then fry about 3-4 pieces of bacon until crispy. I pour off excess grease, leaving only about 2 tbsp of the bacon grease in the pan with the bacon. Mix corn bread according to directions and immediately pour into the HOT skillet containing the bacon. Place in oven and bake accordingly.

FYI- if you are making regular corn bread, the key is the hot skillet. So when I'm doing "plain" cornbread, I put the skillet in the oven with a couple of tbsp of melted shortening in the skillet and let it get hot while mixing the corn bread. Then pour it into the hot skillet.

Creamed Peas and Southern Style Green Beans

As you already know I made Southern themed dinner for my group The Dinner Diva's on Saturday. I wanted to go traditional with the sides without it being too heavy and hopefully I achieved that. I really liked the peas more than the green beans. The peas are basically cooked in a bechamel sauce which is very tasty. Thank you to my friend Carolyn from bakespace for helping out with this recipe! My issue with the beans are that they are sweet and sour. I like sweet and sour meatballs but not my veggies. I should have remembered that I made spinach this way once before. It just didn't appeal to me but the girls liked it...well, at least they said they did!


Southern Style Green Beans

Courtesy of Rachael Ray

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

Cook green beans in 1-inch simmering water, covered, for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside. Return skillet to stove and set burner to medium high. Add bacon and brown. When fat begins to render, add chopped onions to the pan and cook until tender with the bacon. Add cooked green beans to the pan and turn to coat in bacon drippings and onions. When the beans are hot and bacon crisp at edges and onions translucent add vinegar to the pan and season with beans with sugar. Allow the vinegar to evaporate and the sugar to combine with pan drippings, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve.


Creamed Peas

Courtesy of Carolyn - posted on bakespace.com

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk*
about 2 cups fresh or frozen peas

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and salt, stir well until combined add milk and bring to a boil. Stir until slightly thickened. Stir in cooked peas. Serve over mashed potatoes if you wish.


*Michele's Note - If the roux becomes too thick when you add in the peas just add a little more milk and it will thicken up again.

Creamed Peas and Southern Style Green Beans

As you already know I made Southern themed dinner for my group The Dinner Diva's on Saturday. I wanted to go traditional with the sides without it being too heavy and hopefully I achieved that. I really liked the peas more than the green beans. The peas are basically cooked in a bechamel sauce which is very tasty. Thank you to my friend Carolyn from bakespace for helping out with this recipe! My issue with the beans are that they are sweet and sour. I like sweet and sour meatballs but not my veggies. I should have remembered that I made spinach this way once before. It just didn't appeal to me but the girls liked it...well, at least they said they did!


Southern Style Green Beans

Courtesy of Rachael Ray

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 slices bacon, chopped
1 small onion, minced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons sugar

Directions:

Cook green beans in 1-inch simmering water, covered, for 6 minutes. Drain and set aside. Return skillet to stove and set burner to medium high. Add bacon and brown. When fat begins to render, add chopped onions to the pan and cook until tender with the bacon. Add cooked green beans to the pan and turn to coat in bacon drippings and onions. When the beans are hot and bacon crisp at edges and onions translucent add vinegar to the pan and season with beans with sugar. Allow the vinegar to evaporate and the sugar to combine with pan drippings, 1 to 2 minutes, then serve.


Creamed Peas

Courtesy of Carolyn - posted on bakespace.com

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk*
about 2 cups fresh or frozen peas

DIRECTIONS:

Melt butter in saucepan. Add flour and salt, stir well until combined add milk and bring to a boil. Stir until slightly thickened. Stir in cooked peas. Serve over mashed potatoes if you wish.


*Michele's Note - If the roux becomes too thick when you add in the peas just add a little more milk and it will thicken up again.

Fried Chicken Fears - Extinguished

I have a confession to make. This normally fearless girl in the kitchen has been freaking out about making fried chicken. I chose a southern theme for my Dinner Divas dinner group this month and thought it would be fun to tackle fried chicken. Fun idea but it really scared me. I actually had dreams about it. I kept visualizing myself starting a fire. I've never dealt with that much hot oil before and I all I could do was picture the worst. I woke up early Saturday morning to clean the house and prepare for the dinner. I stalled for as long as I could until I realized I only had an hour before the girls would arrive. I took out my le creuset but then I thought it wasn't deep enough and pictured the oil boiling over. I decided to use the largest, deepest pot I had, my All Clad pasta pot (I know, I'm a kitchen label whore).
I had two containers of peanut oil (waaay too exepensive by the way) and that didn't even fill up the pot halfway, so I added in canola oil until the oil was about halfway up the pot. That was a lot of oil and it took a long time to come to temperature! Good thing my buddies over at bakespace recommended a deep frying thermometer or I would have been in big trouble. Ever put a piece of meat or veggies into a pan of oil that's not hot enough? Yuck! The meat will absorb all the oil and you'll end up with a greasy, soggy, mess. I followed the directions on the recipe exactly and was thrilled with the result. The chicken was perfectly moist and crisp! I was soo excited about it! I don't have to be afraid of deep frying ever again! I'll be honest though, I won't be in a rush to do it again because not only is it fattening but two days later and my house still smells like a fast food joint.

Here's the recipe that I used. Paula uses 1 whole cup of hot sauce. That seemed a bit excessive so I used about half that. Turns out I couldn't taste the spice at all. A friend said that since it was being deep fried it wouldn't really be that spicy if I used it all. So next time I'll add more. This recipe is guaranteed not to fail you, so if you ever get up the nerve to deep fry some chicken this is the recipe to try!


Paula Deen's Southern Fried Chicken

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup hot red pepper sauce
2 cups self-rising flour
2 1/2 pound chicken, cut into pieces

Directions:

House Seasoning, recipe follows

Oil, for frying, preferably peanut oil
Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep pot. Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil.

In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange (about 1 cup). Season the chicken with the House Seasoning. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the flour. Place the chicken in the preheated oil and fry the chicken in the oil until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer than white meat. Approximate cooking time is 13 to 14 minutes for dark meat and 8 to 10 minutes for white meat.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
To make the House Seasoning, mix the ingredients together and store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months.

Tip - Have a cookie sheet lined with a supermarket paper bag and a cooling rack ready to go. As you remove the chicken place it on the rack so it stays crispy but the excess oil is removed. The brown bag is for clean up, it makes your pan easy to wash, no greasy mess to deal with.

Do not throw oil down your drain, you husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, whoever will KILL you! Seriously, it will clog the drain. I was wondering how I was going to get rid of this oil and I had one of those lightbulb moments. You know the ones where you feel really stupid that it took you so long to figure out. I just used the empty oil containers. A funnel would be really handy for that. If you don't have empty bottles just use a coffee can. Make sure you wait for the oil to cool!!!

Fried Chicken Fears - Extinguished

I have a confession to make. This normally fearless girl in the kitchen has been freaking out about making fried chicken. I chose a southern theme for my Dinner Divas dinner group this month and thought it would be fun to tackle fried chicken. Fun idea but it really scared me. I actually had dreams about it. I kept visualizing myself starting a fire. I've never dealt with that much hot oil before and I all I could do was picture the worst. I woke up early Saturday morning to clean the house and prepare for the dinner. I stalled for as long as I could until I realized I only had an hour before the girls would arrive. I took out my le creuset but then I thought it wasn't deep enough and pictured the oil boiling over. I decided to use the largest, deepest pot I had, my All Clad pasta pot (I know, I'm a kitchen label whore).
I had two containers of peanut oil (waaay too exepensive by the way) and that didn't even fill up the pot halfway, so I added in canola oil until the oil was about halfway up the pot. That was a lot of oil and it took a long time to come to temperature! Good thing my buddies over at bakespace recommended a deep frying thermometer or I would have been in big trouble. Ever put a piece of meat or veggies into a pan of oil that's not hot enough? Yuck! The meat will absorb all the oil and you'll end up with a greasy, soggy, mess. I followed the directions on the recipe exactly and was thrilled with the result. The chicken was perfectly moist and crisp! I was soo excited about it! I don't have to be afraid of deep frying ever again! I'll be honest though, I won't be in a rush to do it again because not only is it fattening but two days later and my house still smells like a fast food joint.

Here's the recipe that I used. Paula uses 1 whole cup of hot sauce. That seemed a bit excessive so I used about half that. Turns out I couldn't taste the spice at all. A friend said that since it was being deep fried it wouldn't really be that spicy if I used it all. So next time I'll add more. This recipe is guaranteed not to fail you, so if you ever get up the nerve to deep fry some chicken this is the recipe to try!


Paula Deen's Southern Fried Chicken

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:

3 eggs
1 cup hot red pepper sauce
2 cups self-rising flour
2 1/2 pound chicken, cut into pieces

Directions:

House Seasoning, recipe follows

Oil, for frying, preferably peanut oil
Heat the oil to 350 degrees F in a deep pot. Do not fill the pot more than 1/2 full with oil.

In a medium size bowl, beat the eggs. Add enough hot sauce so the egg mixture is bright orange (about 1 cup). Season the chicken with the House Seasoning. Dip the seasoned chicken in the egg, and then coat well in the flour. Place the chicken in the preheated oil and fry the chicken in the oil until brown and crisp. Dark meat takes longer than white meat. Approximate cooking time is 13 to 14 minutes for dark meat and 8 to 10 minutes for white meat.

House Seasoning:

1 cup salt
1/4 cup pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
To make the House Seasoning, mix the ingredients together and store in an air-tight container for up to 6 months.

Tip - Have a cookie sheet lined with a supermarket paper bag and a cooling rack ready to go. As you remove the chicken place it on the rack so it stays crispy but the excess oil is removed. The brown bag is for clean up, it makes your pan easy to wash, no greasy mess to deal with.

Do not throw oil down your drain, you husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, mother, whoever will KILL you! Seriously, it will clog the drain. I was wondering how I was going to get rid of this oil and I had one of those lightbulb moments. You know the ones where you feel really stupid that it took you so long to figure out. I just used the empty oil containers. A funnel would be really handy for that. If you don't have empty bottles just use a coffee can. Make sure you wait for the oil to cool!!!

Pork Medallions with Wine Sauce and Toasted Almonds

A little over a year ago I attended a dinner party at the home of my friend Lindsay. This was the first dinner of many for our dinner group but still I haven't forgotten that dish. I haven't cooked pork that often and before today I only made a pork tenderloin one time. Problem is my boyfriend "The Boss" thinks that he doesn't like pork. Funny because he eats Ham, Prosciutto, Pancetta and bacon. "I don't eat white pork" he claims. His reason...it's too dry and flavorless. Well, when I tasted this dish at Lindsay's house I knew it was one I would have to try. I put it in the vault for the day that I become brazen enough to cook something that I very well know my honey won't eat. Ha ha! Well, let's say that I feel like I've earned the right to make foods that I like and he only semi likes or doesn't like. Relationships are about compromise, right? So tonight I went into the vault and pulled out Lindsay's recipe. It came from Food and Wine magazine and I'm not sure if she followed the recipe completely but I will give it to you in it's original form. The changes I made are very slight and only because I don't believe in running out to the store for silly little items that aren't (in my opinion) going to make a world of difference.

Here are my changes.

The recipe called for Riesling...too bad The Dinner Divas just drank the last bottle of Riesling on Saturday night, so I used Chardonnay instead. The recipe stated golden raisins and I have TWO boxes of regular (regular? not sure what else to call them) raisins so I'm not buying another box until at least one gets used up, of course, I used those. Lastly, I was supposed to use fresh thyme. I always have some fresh herbs on hand but this week thyme isn't one of them so I used dried and used about half of what the recipe called for. Dried herbs are much stronger than fresh, especially thyme. It could ruin a recipe if you overdo it. Hmm...guess what? I just took another look at the recipe and it doesn't specify if it's fresh or dried. It says "chopped thyme" I assumed that meant fresh but it may not. Sorry, I'm rambling. Just use half of the thyme, taste it and add more to your taste. That makes sense, right? One last thing. The recipe states that the pork only needs to be cooked for 4 minutes when browning and then an extra minute in the sauce. This is not enough. Unless I misread the recipe or it just isn't clear, it needs longer. I cooked it in the sauce for about 5 minutes but it still could have been cooked longer. I understand that pork can be pink in the middle but some of the pieces looked dark pink, like medium rare steak. So, just cook it a little longer to be safe.

Before I show you the recipe I want to tell you what I served with it. I followed Lindsay's lead and made yummy creamy mashed potatoes which tasted delicious with the wonderful gravy on it. I also made some french string beans because you have to have your greens in there, especially since this recipe has plenty of butter in it.

Oh and in case you're wondering what The Boss though of it...he actually enjoyed it! So pork may be showing up on the menu more often. Great things can happen when you take a chance!




Pork with Sweet Riesling Sauce and Toasted Almonds
Recipe by Bruce Aidells

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch-thick medallions
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup late-harvest Riesling
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/3 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme

Directions:

1. In a small skillet, toast the slivered almonds over moderately high heat, tossing occasionally, until they are golden, about 2 minutes; let cool.

2. Season the pork medallions with salt and pepper, then coat in the flour. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the olive oil. Add the medallions and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned on both sides and just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until softened and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Riesling, stock, raisins, vinegar and thyme and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 2 minutes.

4. Return the meat to the skillet and simmer until hot, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter to the sauce and cook over moderate heat, swirling, just until the butter is melted. Pour the sauce over the pork, garnish with the toasted almonds and serve.

Pork Medallions with Wine Sauce and Toasted Almonds

A little over a year ago I attended a dinner party at the home of my friend Lindsay. This was the first dinner of many for our dinner group but still I haven't forgotten that dish. I haven't cooked pork that often and before today I only made a pork tenderloin one time. Problem is my boyfriend "The Boss" thinks that he doesn't like pork. Funny because he eats Ham, Prosciutto, Pancetta and bacon. "I don't eat white pork" he claims. His reason...it's too dry and flavorless. Well, when I tasted this dish at Lindsay's house I knew it was one I would have to try. I put it in the vault for the day that I become brazen enough to cook something that I very well know my honey won't eat. Ha ha! Well, let's say that I feel like I've earned the right to make foods that I like and he only semi likes or doesn't like. Relationships are about compromise, right? So tonight I went into the vault and pulled out Lindsay's recipe. It came from Food and Wine magazine and I'm not sure if she followed the recipe completely but I will give it to you in it's original form. The changes I made are very slight and only because I don't believe in running out to the store for silly little items that aren't (in my opinion) going to make a world of difference.

Here are my changes.

The recipe called for Riesling...too bad The Dinner Divas just drank the last bottle of Riesling on Saturday night, so I used Chardonnay instead. The recipe stated golden raisins and I have TWO boxes of regular (regular? not sure what else to call them) raisins so I'm not buying another box until at least one gets used up, of course, I used those. Lastly, I was supposed to use fresh thyme. I always have some fresh herbs on hand but this week thyme isn't one of them so I used dried and used about half of what the recipe called for. Dried herbs are much stronger than fresh, especially thyme. It could ruin a recipe if you overdo it. Hmm...guess what? I just took another look at the recipe and it doesn't specify if it's fresh or dried. It says "chopped thyme" I assumed that meant fresh but it may not. Sorry, I'm rambling. Just use half of the thyme, taste it and add more to your taste. That makes sense, right? One last thing. The recipe states that the pork only needs to be cooked for 4 minutes when browning and then an extra minute in the sauce. This is not enough. Unless I misread the recipe or it just isn't clear, it needs longer. I cooked it in the sauce for about 5 minutes but it still could have been cooked longer. I understand that pork can be pink in the middle but some of the pieces looked dark pink, like medium rare steak. So, just cook it a little longer to be safe.

Before I show you the recipe I want to tell you what I served with it. I followed Lindsay's lead and made yummy creamy mashed potatoes which tasted delicious with the wonderful gravy on it. I also made some french string beans because you have to have your greens in there, especially since this recipe has plenty of butter in it.

Oh and in case you're wondering what The Boss though of it...he actually enjoyed it! So pork may be showing up on the menu more often. Great things can happen when you take a chance!




Pork with Sweet Riesling Sauce and Toasted Almonds
Recipe by Bruce Aidells

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons slivered almonds
1 1/4 pounds pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch-thick medallions
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, very thinly sliced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup late-harvest Riesling
1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/3 cup golden raisins
3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped thyme

Directions:

1. In a small skillet, toast the slivered almonds over moderately high heat, tossing occasionally, until they are golden, about 2 minutes; let cool.

2. Season the pork medallions with salt and pepper, then coat in the flour. In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the olive oil. Add the medallions and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned on both sides and just cooked through, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3. Add the onion to the skillet and cook over moderate heat until softened and just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the Riesling, stock, raisins, vinegar and thyme and bring to a boil. Cook over high heat, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the liquid has reduced slightly, about 2 minutes.

4. Return the meat to the skillet and simmer until hot, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter. Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter to the sauce and cook over moderate heat, swirling, just until the butter is melted. Pour the sauce over the pork, garnish with the toasted almonds and serve.

Sicilian Sweet and Sour Meatballs and The Dinner Divas

If you ever moved to a new state you know how difficult it is to make new friends. It's hard enough on children but eventually they make friends in school, during sports and other after school activities. If you're an adult it's even harder. There really isn't anywhere to meet people if you have moved to a state where you don't know more than one person. This was my problem when I moved to New Jersey with Steve. I decided to be brave and reach out to people on the Internet and join some groups. I'm a busy girl these days. The group that is closest to my heart is "The Dinner Divas". We are a group of young women who get together once a month and eat wonderful homemade food that we have made. Each month one of us hosts a themed meal of our choice and the rest of the members contribute an appetizer, dessert or wine. I've made some great friends through this group and I hope it's something that we'll continue for years. I'd like to take this time to thank my Dinner Divas friends, you guys are great! I truly appreciate the commitment that everyone makes to the group each month and always look forward to seeing my friends!

If you have any questions about how to start a dinner group in your own area feel free to email me at myitaliangrandmother@hotmail.com.

This past weekend Janet hosted a Sweet and Savory themed dinner. My job was to make an appetizer so I decided on Sweet and Sour Meatballs. A friend's mother used to make these but I never made them myself and didn't have a recipe. I looked it up online and found a recipe from Sicilian Home Cooking. Check it out. I have adapted the recipe to meet my tastes which was my basic meatball recipe with some raisins and pine nuts mixed in to continue the sweet and savory theme and used their directions for making the sweet and sour onions. I made them Swedish meatball size but of course they can be made larger.

The result was awesome! I'm really excited about this recipe and I plan on making this more often! So, without further adieu, here is my recipe!

Sicilian Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1 lbs ground beef (85% lean)
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup milk
1 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup bread crumbs
Garlic powder and onion powder
1 handful raisins
1 handful of pine nuts

Sweet and Sour Onions:

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra virigin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

Sprinkle beef with garlic powder and onion powder. Just enough to lightly cover meat. Then add all ingredients, mix to combine. Form meatballs and fry in olive oil. Set aside and drain on paper towels.

Add onions to pan and season with salt and pepper. Sauté onions in extra virgin olive oil on low heat until they become tender. Do not allow them to brown.

Stir in vinegar, sugar and water.

Return meatballs to pan and gently toss in sauce. Let them cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and cool. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!

Sicilian Sweet and Sour Meatballs and The Dinner Divas

If you ever moved to a new state you know how difficult it is to make new friends. It's hard enough on children but eventually they make friends in school, during sports and other after school activities. If you're an adult it's even harder. There really isn't anywhere to meet people if you have moved to a state where you don't know more than one person. This was my problem when I moved to New Jersey with Steve. I decided to be brave and reach out to people on the Internet and join some groups. I'm a busy girl these days. The group that is closest to my heart is "The Dinner Divas". We are a group of young women who get together once a month and eat wonderful homemade food that we have made. Each month one of us hosts a themed meal of our choice and the rest of the members contribute an appetizer, dessert or wine. I've made some great friends through this group and I hope it's something that we'll continue for years. I'd like to take this time to thank my Dinner Divas friends, you guys are great! I truly appreciate the commitment that everyone makes to the group each month and always look forward to seeing my friends!

If you have any questions about how to start a dinner group in your own area feel free to email me at myitaliangrandmother@hotmail.com.

This past weekend Janet hosted a Sweet and Savory themed dinner. My job was to make an appetizer so I decided on Sweet and Sour Meatballs. A friend's mother used to make these but I never made them myself and didn't have a recipe. I looked it up online and found a recipe from Sicilian Home Cooking. Check it out. I have adapted the recipe to meet my tastes which was my basic meatball recipe with some raisins and pine nuts mixed in to continue the sweet and savory theme and used their directions for making the sweet and sour onions. I made them Swedish meatball size but of course they can be made larger.

The result was awesome! I'm really excited about this recipe and I plan on making this more often! So, without further adieu, here is my recipe!

Sicilian Sweet and Sour Meatballs

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1 lbs ground beef (85% lean)
1 small onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
¼ cup milk
1 eggs
salt and pepper, to taste
½ cup bread crumbs
Garlic powder and onion powder
1 handful raisins
1 handful of pine nuts

Sweet and Sour Onions:

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons extra virigin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons water

Sprinkle beef with garlic powder and onion powder. Just enough to lightly cover meat. Then add all ingredients, mix to combine. Form meatballs and fry in olive oil. Set aside and drain on paper towels.

Add onions to pan and season with salt and pepper. Sauté onions in extra virgin olive oil on low heat until they become tender. Do not allow them to brown.

Stir in vinegar, sugar and water.

Return meatballs to pan and gently toss in sauce. Let them cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and cool. Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy!