Amazing Recipes

I have decided to collect 30 amazing recipes that are as good or better than restaurant meals.  Hopefully this will encourage us to eat at home more, and less at restaurants.  I love good food, and am often tempted by the promise of a different chef.  But this is part of our attempt to live more frugally, in order to achieve our goal of early retirement.
1.  Kahlua Pork (see below)
2. Paula Deen's Texas Ribs
3. Roast whole chicken
4. Chicken coconut milk curry
5. Roasted Coconut chips
6. Banana Bread
7. Zuppa Toscana
8. Sweet Potato Casserole
This post will remain in progress for a little while.

Watermelon Party Cake

    I am sharing a beautiful picture of a 4 tiered watermelon "cake."  Yes, it is paleo, as long as you eat melons.  I plan to make this for my next party.  And it makes so much sense.  Sweet, beautiful, delicious. Her blog post is actually about making the garland you see in the picture, which is also beautiful.  I have been searching crafting blogs for fun ideas this weekend - Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat, and it is time for me to sit inside my warm house and craft.  And while I don't think I will be making any garlands this year, I found paleo cake gold in her pic.


Two Girls Being Crafty: Circle Circle Dot Dot Garland Tutorial:

Slow Cooker Kahlua Pork

    I took a break from cooking for a few weeks, after all that is the point of freezer cooking.  Pork shoulder was on sale today for $1.69 a lb. Freezer cooking can help you save money, by encouraging you to buy larger quantities when things are on sale.  I aim to stock up for 3 months at a time because  sales prices often go on 3 month  cycles.  I bought 3 roasts (and immediately froze 2 uncooked)  because I expect to make 1 each month, and freezing individual portions after it is cooked.
    I am back today with a ridiculously easy recipe - Kahlua Pork.  There is no Kahlua in this recipe, it is a Hawaiian luau dish.  Instead of building a pit and cooking it in the ground, I will be cheating w/ a slow cooker.  This is my go-to recipe for pulled pork.  Serve it with a salad and sweet potatoes. You will be amazed by how good something so simple can taste.

Kahlua Pork

5 lb pork shoulder, butt roast or picnic roast
1 Tbsp liquid smoke
1 Tbsp Hawaiian sea salt (I used smoked sea salt)

Place pork in crockpot, pour liquid smoke and sea salt on all sides of pork.  Cook on low for 16-20 hrs. 

So easy and so good!  I will post some pictures in about 16 hours!

A Flub

It is a chilly gray winter day here in Albuquerque.  One of the reasons I moved here was the weather - Albuquerque is sunny.  The sunniest place I've ever been, with an annual rainfall of about 8 inches.  We don't know gray - and all of my family starts complaining and heading to our beds when the clouds come in.  Today seemed perfect for a cup of tea, and a muffin (paleo of course.)
  I got out my Everyday Paleo cookbook (by Sarah Fragoso) and started to make Apple Muffins, and that is where the trouble began.  This is a great cookbook, my favorite cookbook even.  I am sure her recipe is excellent - when followed.  First off, can't find the muffin tin.  Oh yeah, I think I gave it away a year ago.  After all, I don't bake anymore. A cake pan will work.  I added all the wet ingredients, then reached for the almond flour.  No almond flour.  Huh?  I have had adequate almond flour for 2 years, and now I don't?  Are you crazy?  Well, I guess I'll add in 2 Tbsp almond butter and a cup of coconut flour.  Oh wait - it's cement.  Add some more water to thin it out.  And more, and more.
Final resul - not postworthy.  I'm just going to go to bed.

Thanksgiving leftover Zuppa Tuscana

I know,  I know.  Tired of turkey, still have a fridge full of food.  No -  There will be no turkey soup.  Instead, Zuppa Toscana is on the menu.

Zuppa Toscana

1 lb ground sausage (take out of casings)
2 pc bacon, chopped
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves
stock (I used the rest of the gravy, stock and water)
2 sliced potatoes (I used the rest of the mashed potatoes)
1 c coconut milk
1/2 bunch kale
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
salt & pepper

Fry sausage, bacon, onion, and garlic until onion is soft.  Add stock, kale, and potatoes and bring to a low boil.  When kale and potato are soft (approx 15 min) add coconut milk, cayenne pepper, and salt and pepper.  Enjoy.

Now, what can I do with cranberry sauce?

What to do with the Rest of the Turkey?!? Or the best broth ever.

20 lb bird cooked and served.  Mission accomplished, go take a nap.  After you are done napping, hobble back into the kitchen.   Label your freezer baggies with your sharpie.  Then attack that bird.  Cut, pull or shred all the muscles in the bird, marvelling the whole time at the amazing design of your turkey.  Portion up the bird into multiple ziplocs, give each baggie a generous dollop of gravy (or soup stock.)  This will ensure moist meat when it is defrosted.  Refrigerate until cold, then place in the freezer.  Refrigerating first increases the likelihood your turkey will not get freezer burn.

   Next step - turkey bone broth.  Find your crockpot in the fridge, remove the last serving of kahlua pork and wash the crockpot.  Hmm, maybe I should go eat that pork right now.  Mmm.  Love me some kahlua pork.  Okay - must dispatch the turkey bones.  Place all the turkey bones, cartilage, organs etc in a plastic bag.  I use a walmart bag then triple bag it.  Go find your hammer, go outside to the driveway and beat it until it feels like you've mashed all the big bones, or your bag is ripping too much.  Pull it out of the bag fill your crockpot half full then add water.  You can add garlic, onions, carrots - whatever.  I usually don't bother.  Put the rest in a ziploc and freeze until you want to make more broth.  Cook on low 24-36 hrs, adding water if necessary. 

 When done, strain, cool stock and place in baggies.  Freeze for your next soup.  It is so worth the effort.

  I like to keep all my bones in a plastic bag in the freezer until I am ready to make stock.  This works well w/ chicken, pork and beef bones.

Sweet Potatoes

My fav dish this year was...  the gravy.  But #2 was definitely the sweet potatoes.  They were delish, and paleo.  I guess I better learn how to take better photos!

Baked Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 or 3 quartered sweet potatoes
1/4 c canned coconut milk
2 eggs
cinnamon, salt, cardamon to taste

Cook the sweet potatoes however you want - microwave whole, boil quarters, bake etc.  Mash potatoes, mix with coconut milk.  Beat eggs well - at least a minute or 2 then mix w/ potatoes.  Add spices.  Cardamon is completely optional, but I have been on a cardamon kick recently, so it is in everything I make right now.  You can also add pecans on top.
Bake in a 350 oven until top is slightly browned.  (Took me an hour.)

Nom Nom Nom.  I love coconut milk, but it doesn't work for me in mashed potatoes, sweet or otherwise.  The eggs cut the coconutty taste, and give it more of a buttery flavor.  Plus, there is nothing wrong w/ adding a little protein to your carbs.