Succulent Slow Cooked Swine

This seems like a good night for slow cooked pork. So a package were purchased. These are thick and perfect for our crock pot meal tonight.

This is a variation of a favorite recipe, but instead of using Worcester sauce, this features Hoisin sauce & ginger for just a hint of something different. It still makes the most wonderful gravy, so rice with mushrooms rounds out this filling meal.

Ingredients:

2 lbs pork steaks (sliced pork butt)

1 large can condensed cream of chicken soup

2 yellow onions

4 tbs hoisin sauce

½ tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground garlic

Directions:

I always suggest you do the cutting the night before when fixing a meal for the crock pot. This meal will take 7 hours so just count back from when you plan dinner. (5 O'clock dinner means start the slow cooker by 10AM)

Any time you use a mandolin slicer PLEASE use the food holder! It cuts far too quickly and easily.

The morning of the meal:

Lift out the slow cooker, wipe it out well and spray it with cooking spray. I always set it on low with the lid on the empty pot to let it warm while the meal is prepared. (that way silly slave does not forget to turn it on!)

Sprinkle the onions with 2 Tbs paprika and put half of them in cooker to form a light bed for the meat.

 

Trim the pork of extra layer of fat. It will just make the pot greasy.

Warm some oil on high heat in a large skillet and brown the edges of the pork. You want it to sizzle when in touches the pan. This will only take about 4 – 5 minutes per side. This just starts caramelizing the exterior proteins on the meat for optimum flavor as well as making it look more appetizing.

While that browns, mix the soups, sauce and seasonings in a large bowl with a whisk to combine.

Note: if the bowl is too full: twirl the whisk between your fingers to mix it up. That way you wont slouch it all over the place.

Arrange the meat on the bed of onions and cover with remaining slices and rings.

Smooth the soup mixture over the top with a spatula to cover well.

 

 

Let this cook on LOW for 7 hours. Much more than that and the meat will start to fall apart!

At the 6 and a half hour mark, Rinse and slice the mushrooms. Add oil to a large skillet and heat. Stir in the mushrooms and sprinkle with 3 Tbs of flour. Stir, let the mushrooms start to turn a nice crusty brown. Ladle out about 1 cup of cooking liquid from the slow cooker and add to skillet. Stir well and let thicken to a nice gravy-like texture. You want them to cook but not turn to mush.

Remove from heat.

Use this time do fix your rice and side vegetable.

Carefully remove the pork from cooker. It may be falling apart. Cut into bite sized chunks and add with the onions to the skillet of mushrooms and sauce. Serve over a bed of rice with the vegetables on the side.

A wonderful feast that cooks by itself, 'cuz you have other things to do! Wink Wink!

For our music, how about: https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=LlLsbL2LJKw

Feels so good to have the honor of serving my Master Indy

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet

 Recipes by Dan White

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Puebla Poseidon Pasta

 This pasta dish calls for an avocado based dressing, which makes it extra creamy. Whole-wheat pasta and fresh vegetables lighten up this healthy salad that you'll be making all summer long. The name derives from the Mexican city of Puebla. Well known for the production of wonderful avocados, and of course “Cinco de Mayo”. Poseidon was the Greek god of the sea to honor the taste of lobster. He is now also the god of salads.

It’s hard to think of a better pasta dressing for you. Avocados are packed with healthy fats, fiber, and vitamin K. Avocados help the body to absorb two key antioxidants—lycopene and beta-carotene. Just add some avocado or this dressing and your body will soak ’em right up.

The healthy avocado fats and yogurt helps the digestive tract, helps keep inflammation down and help to lower the risk of heart disease. You can't say the same thing about mayonnaise!

Ingredients

10 oz imitation lobster meat

8 ounces whole-wheat pasta(about 2 cups)

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 cup sliced celery

1 cup cubed colby jack cheese

2 green onions, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Dressing*:

1 ripe medium avocado

5oz nonfat yogurt

zest of a lime and its juice

½ tsp dried minced garlic

1 Tbs cilantro

¾ tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

*This makes a great salad dressing, a sauce for roasted vegetables, even a dip. You can use it in place of mayonnaise in chicken, ham, or egg salad.

Directions:

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions. While that cooks, do your cutting: chop the onions, bell pepper, and celery.

When cooking pasta please note that if it were to be served hot, you want it to be cooked to “al dente” or slightly firm – then not rinsed. However for pasta salads, it is served cold. So please cook it 2 minutes PAST “al dente”, then rinse well under cold water. For the kitchen scientist, look up the process called retrogradation, otherwise: just do it and take the compliments!

Drain, rinse pasta with cold water; drain again. Transfer to a large bowl. Add bell pepper, celery, green onions and cilantro.

Stir in the lobster meat. Cover and place in refrigerator for an hour to blend flavors.

Cut the lime in half first, then cut the avocados.

 

  

 

 

Cut into the avocado down to the pit.  Run the knife around from top to bottom, remove pit and scoop flesh into a food processor. Add yogurt, garlic, cilantro, lime zest and squeeze some juice in.

Process until smooth. You want a thick dressing. Taste to adjust with salt & pepper.

Just before serving, add the avocado dressing to the large bowl with the salad and stir until well coated. Keep salad covered to slow any browning of the avocado.

Serve with some bake-it-yourself bread. Perfect summer fare.

For our music: https://www.yout-ube.com/watch?v=05w5ch9l6zI Mas que Nada

What a treat for my Master Indy.

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Chuck Roast 5.0

Slow cooking at low heat is what melts the tough connective tissue between the muscle fibers, leaving you with tender meat that pulls apart with your fork.

Look for cuts that are well marbled with fat.

Let the roast sit (wrapped) for two hours outside of the refrigerator to come to room temperature before cooking.

A 4 pound roast takes roughly 4 hours, not including time taken to sear the meat and saute the onion and garlic. By adding the vegetables about halfway through the process you will get a nice tasting yet not mushy mouthful. Here it is served home-style with mashed potatoes and a mixed vegetable on the side.

Ingredients

• 4 lbs chuck roast

• salt and pepper

• olive oil for searing

• 2 medium sweet yellow onions chopped

• 4 large garlic cloves minced

• ¼ cup balsamic wine vinegar

• ½ cup beef broth

• cornstarch enough to lightly coat meat on all sides

• 24 ounces about 4 cups baby carrots

• 2 stalks celery, sliced to match the carrots

• ½ tsp old bay seasoning

Beef is about 60 to 70% water (the rest is protein and fat). So by keeping the heat very low and the pot tightly covered, the beef will release water as it cooks, and it will cook in its own juices. This makes a deeper beef flavor. The key is keeping the temperature low and making sure the lid is tight fitting! If your pot's lid doesn't fit tightly, cover the pot first with foil, then secure the lid over it.

Instructions

Remove the meat from refrigerator and let sit covered on counter for between 1 to 2 hours before cooking.

Do your cutting. Cut the onion in thick slices, chop the garlic, put in a microwave safe bowl and mix in the old bay seasonings.

In another bowl place baby carrots and chop the celery to match the size of the carrots.

Heat the onions & garlic in the microwave for 3 minutes.

Lightly season meat on all sides with salt and pepper. Sear well in a heavy bottomed pan with a small amount of olive oil - preferably in an enameled cast iron dutch oven. Make sure all sides are well seared.

Remove meat from pan, sprinkle all sides with cornstarch and set aside.

Turn heat down to medium and add the onion and garlic with any juice. Add a little more olive oil if needed. Saute until fragrant and beginning to caramelize, about 5 minutes.

Mix the vinegar & broth in a bowl and pour in to the pan to de-glaze. Scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon until all the bits are released into the broth. Bring to a light simmer.

Place meat back into pan, turning once so all sides are wet.

Cover tightly and roast at 225 degrees on center rack for 1.5 hours.

Remove from oven and carefully remove roast from pan. Heat the carrots and other vegetables together in the microwave for 2 mins before adding them and stir to coat well. Add vegetables to pan and stir to coat well.

Return meat to pan (upside-down), cover tightly, and continue roasting for an additional hour until meat and veggies are fork tender.

After adding the vegetables is a good time to start boiling the potatoes for mashing!

When you remove the roast, keep covered while you macro-zap the green vegetable.

Hearty and sustaining, this meal is a keeper!

For our music tonight: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fE4_8b0490

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

Brunch Pasta With Eggs

Got the idea for this dish from a website for Greek cooking! I made a few changes and it turned out so well, I had to share it. Brunch is a great tradition that was nearly lost during the recent unpleasantness. Now restaurants are opening back up and the wait staff are as hungry as the patrons to get back to work. Please tip well!

Here is a fancy brunch dish to serve with an assortment of fresh fruit and a side of a dark green vegetable. Perfect for conversations, something to sip on and enjoy being out of the house.

Ingredients:

1 Lbs spaghetti

4 sunny side up fried eggs

3 slices bacon

1 cup grated Gruyere cheese

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the spaghetti. Cook according to the package.

While that cooks, do your cutting. Chop the green onion and grate the cheese.

In a large skillet fry up the bacon until it releases its grease and is fully cooked but not hard. Remove to paper towel and chop.

When the spaghetti is cooked, drain it through a strainer and leave in the warm pot. Toss the spaghetti with 1 Tbs of the bacon grease and the grated cheese. Stir in the bacon pieces and chopped onion.

Prepare the eggs: Heat bacon grease and if necessary add some oil in the frying pan on medium high.

Slide in the eggs one at a time. Cook for a minute or two until the whites actually turn white. Have the skillet lid ready. Carefully pour in about ½ cup of water to the pan, but not directly on an egg. Cover quickly and let the steam finish the eggs to your liking. The water will push the fats away from the eggs. This goes quickly so watch carefully.

Portion out the spaghetti for each guest's plate and top with the eggs.

Sprinkle with more cheese if you wish.

To fill out the brunch, serve with a side of roasted asparagus and a fruit cup.

What a wonderfully different presentation.

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qe_1B1P9Bw4 les bicyclettes de belsize

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White 

 

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTM via @amazon

 

Better than Lunch Ladies Chicken Salad

To make a great chicken salad you have to start with the best tasting chicken, Right?

The old fashioned way to make chicken salad was to boil the meat. Who can do this to the star of the dish? Let's see if we can't do better. Add the crunch of celery and a mix seedless red grapes and dried cranberries. Make the dressing pop with a touch of maple flavor and lemon. Honey, you have the makings of a new legend.

Now use this to fill a lettuce leaf, a tortilla wrap, a hollowed out tomato, or nice warm toast and bite into a bit of heaven!

Ingredients

1 – 2 lbs cooked chicken*

2 stalks (to 3 stalks) celery, chopped

3 whole green onions, chopped

½ Cup red seedless grapes, halved

½ Cup dried cranberries

½ C mayonnaise

½ C plain Greek style yogurt or sour cream

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp Smokehouse Maple steak seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Optional: ½ C slivered almonds toasted. Stir in a dry non stick skillet until you smell the aroma!

3 slices bacon cooked and chopped

* I used left-over baked thighs and a couple of new skinless breasts sauteed in bacon grease –don't hate me.

Directions

Do your cutting: Rinse and chop the celery and green onions – both the white and green parts.

Slice the grapes lengthwise, mix in the cranberries and place them in a large bowl.

Using the beautiful new birthday present my Master bought me!

Fry up 3 slices of bacon reserving the grease. Saute the chicken breasts (about 6- mins per side)

You don't want to overcook so check with a thermometer and pull at 150!

While that is cooking, chop up the bacon into ½ inch bits.

When chicken hits 150 (that's right) transfer to a plate and cover with a loose sheet of foil for about 10 – 15 mins.

Dressing: Mix equal parts of real mayonnaise with plain Greek style yogurt. Make this easy by emptying the yogurt into the bowl, then refilling its container with the low fat mayonnaise, stir this in with lemon juice (it is better than vinegar in this) and mix in the seasoning.

Let this sit to blend as you get back to the chicken.

Note: You can also use this base to make cole slaw

Cut up the chicken into ½ inch or less cubes and mix into that large bowl with the celery and fruit mix adding the bacon bits.

Re-taste the dressing to make sure the salt & pepper are balanced.

When the dressing tastes just right, pour it over the chicken/veggie/fruit mixture and stir gently until everything is thoroughly mixed. Stir in the almonds if using.

Allow the salad to chill for several hours (or even overnight).

Try it soon—you’ll love it!

Here it is served picnic style on toast points for a neighbor.

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roeAhjkJFNQ California Nights

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTMvia @amazon

 

Skillet Inge

When the rain stops the backyard BBQ, make this entire meal in one skillet! We present it in honor of LGBT playwright William Inge. Read a quick story about him after the recipe for some interesting dinner conversation.

In this plain Midwestern dish, the beans take the place of chips or fries, For the purest, try a side of green vegetable. Here we opted for roasted asparagus. 

 

 Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey)

• 2 stalks celery, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 (15.5 ounce) can white beans, rinsed and drained

• 1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained

• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed

• ¼ teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Do your cutting: chop the celery, onions, and garlic.

In a large skillet cook ground beef, (or ground turkey) celery, onion, and garlic over medium heat until meat is brown, stirring to break up meat as it cooks. 8 – 10 minutes Drain off fat.

Add the drained beans, un-drained stewed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, Old Bay, oregano, and black pepper.

Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes or until desired consistency.

If you wish a thicker dish, whisk in some cornstarch. Slave opted for a touch of orange zest on top to brighten the dish. Served with a side of roasted asparagus.

For our music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYueUekxZNU

So honored to be serving my Master Indy.

socialslave

To satisfy and restore.

To nourish, support and maintain.

To gratify, spoil, comfort and please,

to nurture, assist, and sustain

…..I cook!

Please buy slave's cookbook:

The Little Black Book of Indiscreet Recipes by Dan White

 http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00F315Y4I/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_vAT4sb0934RTMvia @amazon

 

 

=====================================

 

"Playwright of the Midwest"

May 3, 1913 - 108 years-ago, William Inge was born in Independence, Kansas.

Teaching at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri from 1938-1943, he was offered a position at the St. Louis Star-times when their drama critic was drafted in 1943. Inge, who had a deferment, reviewed 417 plays, movies, books, & works of music & art until Hynds returned in 1946.

In November 1944, Inge had the opportunity to interview Tennessee Williams, who was in town visiting his parents. His article for the Star-Times, entitled, "Home Town Boy Makes Good", mentioned that Williams would be heading to New York for pre-production rehearsals for his new play, "The Glass Menagerie".

When Inge expressed his desire to become a playwright, Williams encouraged him. The two had a brief, but intense relationship, & remained occasional lovers the remainder of their lives.

In should come as no surprise then a play was written about the these two playwrights: ‘The Gentleman Caller’. In the play Tennessee Williams recalls revealing encounters with William “Bill” Inge.

It is said that his struggles with homophobia and self doubts fueled a long standing battle with alcoholism.

Taking a job as English Professor at Washington University in 1946, Inge wrote his first two plays.

During this time, Inge's struggles with alcoholism became more acute; in 1947, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous (AA). It was through AA that Inge met the wife of a member whose name was Lola. He based one of the lead characters in Come Back, Little Sheba, on her.

Williams introduced Inge to Margo Jones, who would produce his first play, & Audrey Wood, who would become his agent. Inge's play, "Come Back, Little Sheba" ran on Broadway for 190 performances in 1950, winning Tony Awards for Shirley Booth and Sidney Blackmer. In 1952, the film adaptation won both an Oscar and a Golden Globe for Shirley Booth.

Inge would win the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1953 with his play, "Picnic", & an Academy Award for best original screenplay in 1961 for "Splendor in the Grass". Another of his hits was "Bus Stop", later made into a movie, starring Marilyn Monroe.

Even as Come Back, Little Sheba was in a pre-Broadway run in early 1950, Inge was filled with some doubt as to its success. He expressed in a letter to his sponsor in Alcoholics Anonymous,

"If Sheba makes it in Hartford I guess it will go on to Broadway and if it doesn't I suppose I'll be back in St. Louis. If it does make it to Broadway, I don't know when I'll be back." Inge never had to return to St. Louis.

In 1957 he wrote The Dark at the Top of the Stairs, an expansion of his earlier one-act Farther Off from Heaven. The play was nominated for five Tony Awards, including Best Play, and was adapted as a film in 1960.

During the early 1970s Inge lived in Los Angeles, where he taught playwriting at the University of California, Irvine. His last several plays attracted little notice or critical acclaim, and he fell into a deep depression, convinced he would never be able to write well again.

Inge committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning on June 10, 1973. William Inge has a star on the St Louis "Walk of Fame" at 6624 Delmar.