The Pajama Chef

Update: 11/24/2012 – giveaway is closed. Winner is Alice, who said “Im following your blog!” Congrats! Please email me back with your contact information.

So remember a couple weeks ago when I shared the recipe for Pollo alla Poggia Alloro [aka the best roasted chicken I ever had] and reviewed the cookbook A Family Farm in Tuscany by Sarah Fiorini?

Well, today I am happy to announce that I was given one [1] copy by the publisher to give away to one of my wonderful readers! Yay! I know you are going to love it just as much as I do. You can check out my previous post for more details about the book and it’s lovely photography, amazing recipes, and fabulous story of life on an Italian farm. If I could live there, I would in a heartbeat. Even though I’ve never been to Italy. Ha! 🙂

There are up to five entries for this giveaway. Please be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry so it is properly counted.

Here’s how to enter:

Mandatory entry: leave a comment about your favorite Italian dish. That’s all.
Optional entry: Visit the farm’s website and come back and leave a new comment about something you learned or were interested in or would want to do there. Could be as simple as telling me what kind of wine you’d like to try if you got to visit.
Optional entry: start following Sarah Fioroni and me on Twitter, then tweet about the giveaway [include the link to this post and mention both of us in your tweet]. Come back and leave the link in a new comment.
Optional entry: share this giveaway on Facebook, and then come back and tell me you did so in a new comment.
Optional entry: start following my blog via email or RSS [links at the right] and come back and leave a new comment telling me you’re a follower.

Entries will be accepted until Friday, November 23, 2012 at midnight Eastern time. One [1] Winner will be selected randomly through Random.org and will be contacted via email on Saturday, November 24, 2012. The winner will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address before an alternate winner will be chosen.

Giveaway open only to residents of the United States.

Thanks and good luck!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this cookbook to try and review, and a second copy to giveaway to a reader. I was not compensated to publish positive comments. My opinions are my own.

Main Dishes, Pork, Recipes

Pork, Apple, and Ginger Stir-Fry

November 14, 2012November 18, 2015 Sarah

So, on Monday, I shared the fabulous recipe I use for Carnitas. It makes more than any couple or family could reasonably eat for one meal, or even for one meal plus leftovers. Seriously, this makes a ton. Thank goodness it’s so tasty!! But you know what I think possibly could be tastier?

If you guessed Pork, Apple, and Ginger Stir-Fry, then you would just so happen to be RIGHT! [Bet you didn’t see that one coming from a mile away, huh?]

I usually shy away from combining various ethnic-type foods in a single dish. Habit, I suppose. But this meal takes a bit of Mexican food [carnitas] and adds in a bit of Asian food/preparation methods to come up with something really special. To add to the culture confusion, the combo of pork and apples is classic Americana [yes?]. Hold that thought. Just googled it… and apparently pork and apples is a classic dish for many of European descent, including the British and the Danes. Who knew?

Regardless of heritage, blending traditional flavors of many cultures in a stir-fry may seem a bit weird, but give it a chance. The sauce alone–sweet, salty, deep–is worth giving this recipe a shot. The way it coats the tender, tender pork and the substantial veggies… oh man! You will want to drink it with a spoon, I tell ya! And just wait til you get a bite with some fresh ginger. Absolutely amazing! Since the ginger is grated, it’s not too intense of an experience, but it does make an ordinary leftover-remake dinner a pretty awesome meal of its own. Enjoy!

Pork, Apple, and Ginger Stir-Fry

Servings: 4
Time: 20 minutes
Print

adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 pound cooked shredded pork [leftover Carnitas]
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger root
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup onion, diced
4 cups vegetables [I used half carrots and half lima beans]
hot cooked rice, to serve

Directions:

Preheat wok or large skillet set over medium heat.

In a small bowl, whisk together hoisin sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, and applesauce. Set sauce aside.

In another bowl, toss together pork and cornstarch. Set aside.

Add oil to wok, then add ginger, garlic, and onion and saute until soft. Then add vegetables and cook until tender. Add pork and sauce and stir to combine. Cook until hot, then serve over rice.

Main Dishes, Pork, Recipes

Carnitas

November 12, 2012November 12, 2015 Sarah

Carnitas, literally “little meats,” is a braised or roasted pork dish that is typically something you’d find on the menu at your local Mexican restaurant. But did you know that you can easily make Carnitas at home in the crock pot? Well, you can! [Duh. Otherwise this post would be a lie. HA! :)] They miiiight not be quite authentic, but they are tasty. Ben even prefers them to the carnitas available at our favorite Mexican restaurant in town.

I’ve been making this recipe for about three years now, and it’s pretty much your easiest crockpot recipe: add ingredients to crockpot, cook, shred, and serve. There aren’t many seasonings [just pepper, oregano, and onion], so it might not sound impressive, but the simplicity allows the natural goodness of the meat to shine through. You know that my meat loving husband adores that!

Every single time I have made this, the results have been a perfect juicy and tender pork. It makes a ton, so after eating our fill of several meals of soft Carnitas tacos, we usually freeze some, enjoy some with rice a la burrito-bowl-style, and experiment with different leftover techniques. Later in the week I’ll be sharing the stirfry of our dreams, but first you need to make this awesome pork so that leftovers are possible. 🙂

For your first go-round, I highly suggest making a good guac and investing in some fresh soft tortillas for the ultimate Carnitas experience. Then you can go hog wild with toppings if you want, but I think that sometimes simple is best so try it that way first. Enjoy!

Carnitas

Servings: lots
Time: 8 hours
Print

from Good Cheap Eats
Ingredients:

3-4 pound pork shoulder roast
freshly ground black pepper
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Place pork roast in crockpot and season with pepper. Cover with onion and oregano, then pour water on top of everything. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 [though I haven’t tried that].

Meat should be falling apart, so shred with a fork and serve with soft tortillas and guacamole.

Notes: Freezes well.

Menu Plans

Menu Plan

November 11, 2012 Sarah

Week of November 12

Monday: leftovers from the weekend
Tuesday: crockpot chicken quinoa chili [didn’t make last week]
Wednesday: chicken enchilada pasta
Thursday: leftovers
Friday: breakfast for dinner
Saturday: skillet chicken with apples & cranberries [didn’t make the past two weeks… sigh]
Sunday: autumn risotto

Breakfast, Recipes, Spreads

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

November 9, 2012November 9, 2012 Sarah

At the beginning of October, Ben and I were at Walmart late one Sunday night. We were coming home from a church event and desperately needed a few things for our lunches the next day. Typically I avoid Walmart like the plague, especially in this town because it’s always so busy and it stresses me out… but sometimes it just can’t be avoided. We walked past the cream cheese and I saw the Holy Grail of cream cheese: Philadelphia Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese. PUMPKIN SPICE!! I couldn’t believe it. I got so excited. But for reasons unbeknownst to me, I decided I would get it “later.”

Why? I’m not sure, because I’ve regretted it ever since. Especially during every one of the three visits I’ve made to Walmart since that time looking for that stinking cream cheese has been met in failure as they have been out. 😦 And none of the grocery stores I’ve looked in have carried it at all. 😦 😦 😦 After entering into a state of depression and realizing that I may never get to experience the glory that is Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese, I decided that something must be done. I had to make it myself!

Guess what? Though I’ve never tasted the original, I don’t miss it one bit. The four ingredient version I whipped up in a couple of minutes in my food processor is slightly sweet and is absolutely heavenly.

Opening the jar is a delightful sensory experience as the unmistakable warm fall spices just jump out, waiting to be enjoyed. Plussssss, though I can’t say this for certain, my version uses real pumpkin puree for an authentic pumpkin taste–not some combination of natural and artificial flavors. How bout just some natural flavors? Sounds good to me, for sure.

This Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese is perfect for spreading on bagels, for dipping apples or graham crackers, and for snacky spoonfuls. I suspect it would be glorious along with some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins too, but I can’t verify yet. What could be wrong with double pumpkin?? Nothing much that I can tell. I’ll need to try that ASAP. 🙂 To make it more of a dessert spread, use a little more sugar–but I truthfully found it flavorful enough without lots of added sugar. If you make this after trying the original, do let me know how they compare, because I’m curious. From what I can tell, the original is more of a spread, and this version is slightly more airy and whipped, but that’s all I know for now. But alas… I know this is good. Really good. And for that, I am happy… even though it took several Walmart excursions to make it happen. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese [adapted from Better Homes & Gardens]
click to print

Ingredients:

8 ounces cream cheese, softened [I used Neufchâtel]
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in deep bowl and beat on high with hand mixer for 2 minutes. Alternatively, you can use a stand mixer or whisk. Taste and adjust seasonings and sweetener as desired. Refrigerate for at least one hour before using for best taste, then use within a week.

Time: 10 minutes + time to chill.

Yield: ~ 1 1/2 cups.