Here is a delicious and flavorful way to make your next pulled pork sandwiches.  The meat can be prepared a day in advance.  Here we will be using a pretty cheap cut of meat, which is a pork “butt” or also known as a pork shoulder.  It has tons of fat on it, but don’t be alarmed and if you are like me, you might feel the need to trim.  Try to hold back because that fat is going to make the pork very moist so it will just melt in your mouth.

Rub the meat with the dry rub the night before and allow it to marinate over night in the refrigerator.  Then you are going to roast it in the oven for about five hours.  Now while I was pulling the meat apart I did have to discard some pretty big chunks of fat, but for the most part there was really hardly any left.

Serve this with the coleslaw with apples and cranberries I posted a few days ago.  This is the perfect summertime fare! (I made this for our winery and paired it with our release of the Contra Costa County Zinfandel, it was very, very good).

By using the pre-shredded bag of cabbage and carrot mixture, this side dish comes together quickly.

Here is the shredded Granny Smith apples.  They kind of look like the cabbage.  It is a fun surprise to see your guests try to guess what is in the mixture.

Mix everything together with the mayonnaise dressing and you have one quick and easy side dish.  You can make this up to a day ahead of time.

I worked at the winery this weekend and we served this with our new release of wines.  I really enjoyed the flavors of the honey against the slightly sweet butternut squash.

This would be a great salad to serve in the winter months.  The recipe calls for ricotta cheese to be spread on top of the crostini, but I really think that a mixture of goat cheese and mascarpone would be really delicious.

Yum, roasting the squash in the honey and olive oil sure did make my house smell d.e.l.i.c.i.o.u.s!

These little gems are a great snack for the kids and would be the perfect ending to their brown-bagged school lunch.

They also paired perfect with my morning cup of Joe!

More than likely you will already have all the ingredients on hand.

Do you ever freeze your over-ripe bananas in the freezer?  I think that is such a great idea.

Beat the butter and brown sugar together, then add in the wet ingredients.  Once incorporated reduce your mixer speed to low and add in the dry ingredients.

Beat until well mixed.

I used my cookie scooper.  You can find them pretty much anywhere these days.  The one I am using here holds 2 tablespoons worth of batter.  Just the perfect size for these delicious cookies.

Actually, they are like banana bread in cookie form.  Got to love it.

Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes in a pre-heated 350 degree oven.

While the cookies are baking make the frosting.  Now I thought I was going to be clever here and really amp up the banana flavor by using imitation banana extract instead of vanilla.

I was wrong.  I really didn’t like the strong flavor of the banana and think that the vanilla would pair much better.  So my apologies.  I don’t know what I was thinking….sigh!

Melt the butter, then add the brown sugar, vanilla and half and half.  Heat until it just comes to a boil.  Remove from heat.

Whisk in the powdered sugar.

It should be nice and smooth.  Now frost the cookies and enjoy the fruits of your labor.

I actually only frosted half of my cookies because I wasn’t which I liked best; frosted or un-frosted.  I ate both It was a tie, they were both delicious.

I am back with an easy and delicious week night meal.  You can serve these as Asian Tostadas, or amp up the coleslaw and crumble the fried egg roll wrappers on top like a crouton and serve as a salad OR you could even use the small egg roll wrappers and bake them in mini muffin tins, then fill the mini wontons with the coleslaw and beef for a fun and hearty appetizer.

I also love recipes like this one that use pre-made store bought items.  No one will ever know what little effort these fun Asian Beef Tostadas are to make.  All they will notice is the amazing flavors.  Let’s get started….

I have never used the Veri Veri Teriyaki marinade before, but I have to tell you I am SOLD!  I marinated my flank steak overnight.

Here is another little gem of a product.  This has to be the best Asian dressing I have found.  You can find it in the refrigerated section of Trader Joe’s.  Yummy!!

While the flank steak is grilling toss together the Asian Style Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette with the coleslaw and then toss in the cashews.  Set aside.

Chop the cilantro and green onions.

Fry up the egg roll wrappers and allow them to drain on paper towels.

Let the flank steak rest for about 5 minutes.

Cut the flank steak at a diagonal, against the grain into strips, then cut into bite-sized pieces.

Assemble the tostadas by placing 1/4 of the coleslaw mixture onto the fried egg roll wrapper, top with the beef and garnish with the cilantro and green onions.

I think you are going to like this fun, new dish!

You know how everyone always makes the sweet and sour meatballs for a gathering, well, they do or so it seems.  This is a great little appetizer.  My most favorite part of the meatball is the crunchy water chestnuts.  They add great texture.

I suppose you could also make this a main course and serve over rice.  However you choose to serve them, they will be sure to be a huge hit.

Let’s get started with the meatballs.  Finely chop the shallots and one carrot (which did not make it into the photo, along with a few other items )  In a small saute pan heat the sesame oil.  Saute the shallots and carrot until al dente.  Add in the garlic and green onions, saute for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and allow to cool.

Add the remaining meatball ingredients along with the cooled vegetables.

Mix the ingredients until they are well incorporated, roll into balls.  Place on a foil lined baking sheet that has been lightly greased.  Bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden on the outside and no longer pink on the inside.

Yummy, done to perfection.

Okay, my plum sauce is missing here.  My son had to run to the store for me, good having a teenager around to help out with minor emergencies.

Whisk all the sauce ingredients together and leave on medium-high heat until just warmed through.

Pour over meatballs and serve.

These would be so cute on these little Asian spoons for a cocktail party

Or to keep them warm you could use a chaffing dish or crockpot.

Enjoy!

I guess it is the whole wheat flour that makes the muffin a little more dense, but still having a nice texture to it.  Actually, my family didn’t even notice that I had used whole wheat flour in these.  Score one for mom!

Make sure that your bananas are nice and ripe and you use REAL butter, none of this margarine stuff.  You know who you are!

In a large bowl with an electric mixer combine the banana and brown sugar together until no more chunks of bananas remain.  About 3-4 minutes.

Add in the vanilla, buttermilk, egg and melted butter.

Give it a good whirl until incorporated.

Now add in the dry ingredients.  Mixing together until just incorporated.

Evenly divide batter among 12 pre-lined muffin tins.  Top with the streusel.

Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 18-20 minutes.  I can’t wait for you to smell these just coming out of your oven!    Now pour a big cup of coffee, sit down, relax, and enjoy these delicious muffins.

Here is a classic Bourguignon with a twist.  Instead of using cubed red meat, you make meatballs.  Hey, who doesn’t like meatballs.  Yum.  Especially drenched in this delicious sauce.

Another plus on using meatballs is that you don’t have to cook the stew as long to get the meat tender.  Making for a very easy and delicious week night meal.

To make this a complete meal, you can serve this delicious Meatball Bourguignon over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, and even polenta.  Let’s get started.

In a large bowl mix all of your meatball ingredients together.  Roll into balls.  Place on a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Bake for about 20 to 25 minutes.  Look how delicious these are.  Nice and brown with a bit of caramelization on the outside, tender on the inside.

While the meatballs are baking, chop your veggies.

Here is the line-up of ingredients.  Be sure you cook with a wine you would want to drink.  What’s the old saying ~ I like to cook with wine, sometimes I even use it in my food.  So true!

Brown the bacon, once brown and crisp remove bacon with slotted spoon.  Drain on paper towel.

Keeping about 2 tablespoons and a little drizzle of olive oil add the carrots and mushrooms.  Saute for about 7-8 minutes.  Add in the shallots and cook until they soften, about 2 more minutes.

Be sure to lightly season with salt and pepper.  It is good to season as you go instead of at the very end.  You want to build your layers of flavor.

Add in the butter, allowing it to melt.

Now add in the flour.  Give it a good stir and let the flour cook for about 2 minutes.

Add in the wine (if there is any left…haha) and then puree the French Onion Soup.

Add the pureed soup and the beef consomme.

In goes the tomato paste.  Instead of using Thyme, I used a little bit of Herbs de Provence.

In go the meatballs.

Now the bacon.

Instead of the stove top method I baked mine in a 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes.  That way I did not have to watch it as carefully.  If baking it, cover with a lid.

You will love this.  It is a lot like my beef Burgundy stew that I have posted, but my family really liked the meatballs.  I served it over mashed potatoes, but next time I think I will use polenta.

One more dinner down, and how many more to go?  I don’t think I want to know.

The secret is in getting the skins nice and crispy before adding the cheese and bacon.  You also do not want to have to much of the potato meat left on the skin.  Just enough for the potato skin to hold its shape.

Here is all you need for a tasty little appetizer.

Scrub the potatoes clean then brush olive oil onto the potato and sprinkle with Kosher salt.  Wrap in foil and place on oven rack in a pre-heated 400°F oven.  Bake for about 30-45 minutes.

Once the potatoes are done baking, remove from oven and remove the foil.  Cut potato in half, horizontally.  Scoop out all the potato meat, leaving about 1/4″ in tact.

While the potatoes are baking, fry up the bacon until nice and crisp.  Drain on paper towel and crumble.  Set aside.

Increase the oven to 425°F.  Line baking sheet with foil and lightly brush the skin of the potato with olive oil and sprinkle with just a little bit more Kosher salt.  Bake for about 10 minutes on one side, then flip the skins over and cook for another 10 minutes.

Remove from oven.  Look how nice and crispy the edges are.

Evenly sprinkle each potato skin with the cheddar cheese and bacon.

Bake for about 2-3 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

Top with a dollop of sour cream and the chopped green onions (which I didn’t have).

Your friends will love them!  You could also fill them with ….

Pizza ingredients to make Pizza Skins.  You just need some pizza sauce, Mozzarella cheese and pepperoni.

Add the sauce, then mozzarella and top with the pepperoni.  What a great way to mix up this traditional appetizer.  This is also a great dinner for any one who eats a gluten free diet.  Serve with a salad and you have a meal.

This little potato skin is so versatile and is the perfect vessel to fill with any flavor combination.  You could go Greek, Mexican, top it with chili, cheddar cheese and red onions.  Yum.  Have fun with this one.

I have had the cooking blues lately.  It feels like groundhog day around here with the same old meals, week in and week out.  So I pulled out a Cooking Light Magazine and came across this easy, healthy and flavorful recipe.

Gotta tell you, it was a huge hit.  My son even had two servings.  I love the contrast between the tang of the mustard and the sweetness from the maple syrup and brown sugar.  I paired the chicken with green beans and rice.

Easy.  Delicious.  Healthy.  Home run in my book!

It just happened that I had all the ingredients on hand.  Even better, right!

In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the mustards, brown sugar, maple syrup (please don’t use pancake syrup, just won’t taste right), grated onion, which in my opinion could easily be omitted, vinegar, soy sauce, pepper and garlic clove.

Give it a good whisk.

Place the chicken breasts in a zip-lock baggie and pour in half of the sauce and marinate the chicken for two hours in the refrigerator.  Cover the remaining sauce and refrigerate that, too.

Pre-heat the grill.  I sprayed my chicken with the cooking spray (instead of spraying the grill, to many flames).  Grill for about 4-6 minutes on each side or until done.

Heat the remaining sauce in the microwave until heated through, about 1 1/2 minutes.

Plate the chicken and pour desired amount of sauce over the chicken breast.

Good bye dinner blues.  Hello my little maple mustard chicken, can’t wait to have you again.