Tonight for dinner I needed something in a hurry so I pulled a pork butt out of the freezer that I had gotten on sale. I think it was less than $15. I couldn’t decide how to cook it so I threw it into a crock pot and poured a bottle of Stubb’s Bar-B-Q Sauce over the top and put in on low cook. Five hours later, my kitchen was filled with an unbelievable smell. I opened the lid of the crock pot and the pork was falling apart in the sauce. I took two forks and pulled the meat apart in strands and let it soak up the barbecue sauce. I used Stubb’s because it has 40 calorie in 2 tablespoons, 0 fat and 7 grams of sugar. Most importantly, it is delicious. The next step is to cut up large pieces of french bread and make a barbecued pulled pork sandwich. I served the sandwiches with carrot and celery sticks with yogurt ranch dressing and for dessert served low fat pudding with low fat whipped topping and 6 M&M’s on top.
For More of Wendy’s life stories and lifetips please visit her column at womensforum.com.
Tonight I feel like steak however I am looking for something to cook in 30 minutes. I also LOVE spices so here is a recipe that I will try that will give me both.
Rachael Ray’s Sliced Steak with Jalapeno Chimichurri
- 12 Slices good Smoky Bacon
- 1 ¼ pounds Flank Steak (at room temp)
- Steak Seasoning (great one at Costco in spice aisle just called Steak/Poultry Seasoning)
- Course Salt and Pepper (I use sea salt and a good pepper, be careful on salt and seasoning together)
- 1/3 Cup Olive Oil
- 4 Jalapeno Chili Peppers Seeded
- 1 Shallot or ¼ Red Onion (finely chopped)
- 2 Large Cloves Garlic
- 1 Cup Loosely Packed Cilantro
- 1 Cup Loosely Packed Flat-leaf Parsley
- 2-3 Sprigs Marjoram or Oregano, or 1 Tsp dried
- 1 Lime, juiced
- 2 Tbsp. Sherry Vinegar
- 8 Slices Whole Grain or White Bread Toasted
- 1 Large Tomato, thickly sliced
- Preheat the oven to 375degrees. Arrange the bacon on a broiler pan and bake until crisp, 15 to 18 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat a cast-iron skillet or griddle over medium-high heat. Season the steak with the steak seasoning and salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Grill the meat, turning once, for 8 minutes for medium-rare. Remove from the heat and let rest, then thinly slice on an angle against the grain.
- Using a food processor, pulse 1/3 cup Olive Oil, chilies, shallot or onion, garlic, cilantro, parsley, marjoram or oregano, lime juice and vinegar into a chimichurri sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- To serve, arrange the sliced steak on the toast. Top with arugula, watercress, or lettuce, bacon, tomato , and lots of chimichurri and the remaining toast.
My suggestion:
Serve on a plate with sliced naval oranges, skins on, drizzled with olive oil and black pepper and a nice Shiraz.
For more Lifetips and Lifewithwendy stories please visit http://bit.ly/womansforum
- 8 Oranges Peeled and Chopped
- 1/4 cup Orange Juice
- 1 Package of Fresh Cranberries 12 ounce
- 1 3/4 cup of Sugar
- 1 Large Golden Delicious Apple (peeled and chopped)
- 1/2 cup Golden Raisins
- 1/4 cup pecans (chopped)
- 1T Apple Cider Vinegar
- 1/2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer stirring occasionally for 5 to 8 minutes or until cranberries are bursting. Chill until dinner time.
In California, Mexican food abounds and it is good Mexican food. The only problem is the 1
h for the football team. When I walked into my new friend Denise’s house the smell of green chili’s wafted through her kitchen. Something was delectable and I had to have the recipe.
She not only opened her home to the entire team, she was kind enough to prepare a Chorizo and Chili Strata that was layered with eggs, spicy chorizo, green chilies, and cheese that was “to die for.” Here is her fabulous recipe.
Chorizo and Chili Strata
- 4 C sourdough bread cubes
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 tsp dry mustard
- 1/2 c. milk
- 3 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- 3/4 to 1 pound chorizo or linguisa
- 1 7 ounce can diced green chilies
- Sour Cream
- Green chili salsa
- Scatter bread cubes in a buttered shallow 3 quart casserole, lightly beat together eggs, mustard and milk.
- Pour over bread cubes and sprinkle evenly with the cheese.
- Remo0ve sausage casings, crumble meat into a fry pan. Cook until browned, discard fat. Mix meat with chilies.
- Spoon meat over bread mixture. Cover and chill for 8 to 24 hours.
- Bake covered 350 degrees until hot in center- 45 minutes.
- Spoon out 2 tsp servings with sour cream and salsa. YUM!
More Lifewithwendy parenting tips and stories please visit http://bit .ly/womensforumlww
Last night was a really nice time. We gathered together and watched the movie The Legend of Bagger Vance with big bowls of popcorn on an old television. By the end of the day I was slowly acclimating to my surroundings. All the items on my never ending to do list were slowly fading away. Today I had some highlights. One was lunch. Maureen the caterer at Bucksteep Manor brennanscatering@yahoo.com, made delicious guacamole. 
She was kind enough to share her recipe that she made for 40,which the twenty of us devoured along with big bowls of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and vinaigrette.
Maureen Brennan’s Guacamole 2 Avocados
- ½ c Red onion minced
- 1-2 Serrano chili’s minced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ tomatoes pureed remove seeds and pulp
Blend in food processor. Serve with chips. My second highlight was after lunch when I was heading from the main house to the barn. My friend Daniel and I were chatting about how much he wanted to see Bobo the bear when In the middle of our chat, the two of us looked up and stopped in our tracks. There in front of us was our friend Bobo. We both stood in shock not knowing what to do. I did the smart thing and took his picture and then did what I wasn’t supposed to do and ran like hell before I became as tasty as the guacamole. 
The other highlight for me was our evening venture when several of us trekked to Lenox and walked the quaint streets of my beloved little town before heading to The Gateway Inn, one of my favorite Inns in town where we sat at the long piano bar listened to music and ordered a delicious STEAK sandwich smothered with caramelized onions, and a glass of Merlot While we were there we ran into Olympia Dukakis who was starring in Shakespeare’ & Company production of The Tempest. Apparently this was the place to be. Tomrrow would be the last day and the talent show that I was hosting. I would miss this and miss my friends that I had become so close to over the course of the last week’s activities. For more adventures with Wendy visit http://bit.ly/womansforum.
Today I went to my friend Shelagh’s house in the UK for a cooking class. When I duplicated the dish for my family they went crazy for it so I thought I would share.
Lemon and Garlic Chicken with a Yogurt and Garlic Sauce
#1) Pick an organic chicken. What I didn’t realize was that chickens take on flavors based on what they were fed, so if they were fed seafood they would taste a bit fishy. Spending the money was well worth it.
#2) Rinse chicken and put in a roasting pan. Squeeze large lemon over the top of the chicken and put the lemon in the cavity of the bird.
#3) Take about 5 or 6 garlic cloves and crush them on a cutting board. Take fresh Rosemary, 1 large twig, and remove the leaves from the branch fanning backward on the stalk so leaves come off easily. (I found out that you cannot use the branch with fresh rosemary however you can with other herbs like coriander or parsley. It depends upon how thick the “branch” is.)
#4) Take about half a stick of butter which ideally has been softened and a sprinkle (about 2 teaspoons) of Kosher Sea Salt (Malden is best if you can get it.) Take your knife and chop all ingredients together and then using the side of your knife smear all ingredients across the cutting board to make a paste.
#5) Lift the skin off the chicken and gently insert the butter/garlic paste underneath the skin while keeping the skin in tact.
#6) Drizzle olive oil (2 tablespoons)over the chicken.
#7) Put 2 stalks celery chopped into 1 inch pieces inside cavity of chicken with one peeled onion, cut in half.
#8) Take additional cloves of whole garlic and stuff 3 or 4 into the cavity with skin removed and then take 3 or 4 more and tuck them under the legs and wherever else you can on the bird.
#9) Sprinkle dried rosemary, and some more salt and pepper over the top of the bird.
#10) Put the chicken into a hot oven (220 in the UK or 400 in states) for 10 minutes which crisps the chicken and locks in the juices.
#11) Turn the heat down to 180 in UK or 350 in State and cook an additional 40 minutes or until juices run clear.
#12) Take one cup of Greek yogurt and mix with 4 cloves crushed garlic.
#13) Cut chicken arrange on plate and spoon juices from the chicken over the meat and then cover with the yogurt and garlic sauce.
Here is a great recipe for American Chili from the Woman’s Day Magazine’s June issue!
All American Chili
Makes: 6 Prep: 10 minutes Slow Cook: For 4 hours on HIGH or 6 hours on LOW
Ingredients needed:
1 ½ pounds of lean ground beef
2 onions, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15.5 ounces each) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can (8 ounces) no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
1 box (8.5 ounces) corn bread mix, prepared according to package directions (optional)
Directions:
- Combine beef, onions, pepper, garlic, beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce, broth, 2 tablespoons of chili powder, and ½ teaspoon each of cumin and the oregano in slow cooker. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours.
- Remove the cover of the slow cooker and stir in remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder, and ½ teaspoon each cumin and oregano and salt. Serve with corn bread, if desired.
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Per Serving:
350 calories, 7 grams of fat (3 grams saturated fat), 35 grams of protein, 37 grams of carbs, 13 grams of fiber, 710 mg of sodium, 71 mg of cholesterol.
Here is a salad recipe from Better Homes and Garden Magazine’s July issue that will satisfy the sweet and salty craving you have.
Grains & Fruit Summer Salad
Start to Finish: 35 mins
Ingredients Needed:
1 cup lightly packed fresh basil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups cooked grains (quinoa, wild rice, brown rice)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
4 cups mixed salad greens (spring mix)
2 cups of blueberries
1 cup of cantaloupe cubes
1 cup of yellow cherry tomatoes (halved)
1 small zucchini, cut lengthwise in narrow ribbons
1/2 cup of walnut pieces, tossed
4 oz. smoked salmon, flaked (optional)
1/3 cup of snipped or shredded fresh herbs (dill, basil, and/or mint)
Directions:
1. For basil dressing, in a blender or small food processor, combine the 1 cup of basil, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Cover and blend or process until nearly smooth, stopping to scrape down sides as needed; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl stir together cooked grains and green onions. Stir in about 2 tablespoons of the basil dressing to coat.
3. For the salad, line a large bowl with greens. Top greens with grains mixture, blueberries, cantaloupe, tomatoes, zucchini, walnuts, and if desired, salmon. Drizzle with half the remaining basil dressing; toss gently. Sprinkle with fresh herbs. Pass remaining dressing. Makes 8 side-dish or 4 main-dish servings.
Here is a great Potato Salad recipe from Woman’s Day Magazine’s July issue for your next picnic!
Creamy Potato Salad
Prep Time: 20 mins Total Time: 30 mins Serves: 12
Ingredients Needed:
3 lbs of small potatoes (about 24)
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup low fat sour cream
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
3 Tbsp of white wine vinegar
4 stalks of celery, thinly sliced
1 bunch of radishes (about 6) thinly sliced
3/4 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1/4 cup of fresh tarragon, chopped
Directions:
1. Place the potatoes in a large pot. Add enough cold water to cover them and bring it to a boil. Add 1 tsp of salt, and reduce heat until tender, approximately 15 to 18 minutes. Drain the water and run the potatoes under cold water to cool them. Then cut the potatoes into quarters.
2. While the potatoes are boiling, in a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayonnaise, vinegar, and 1/2 tbsp of each the salt and pepper. Add the potatoes, celery, and radishes and the parsley and tarragon if you are using them.
3. Once the dressing is made and the potatoes are boiled, mix them both together.
Here is the quick and easy recipe for your next family picnic!