Weekend Apple Pancake ala ~DKBB~

Weekend Apple Pancake ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from thekitchn.com)

2 large (or 3 medium) baking apples

4 Tbsp. dark brown sugar, divided
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
⅓ cup unsalted butter
⅓ cup dark brown sugar
¾ cup unbleached flour
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 cup whole milk
½ tsp. vanilla extract
5 large eggs

• Heat oven to 400°F; peel, core, and quarter apples, then cut them into medium slices (1/4 inch thick) and cut those slices into thirds.
• In a small bowl, combine 3 Tbsp. of dark brown sugar with the cinnamon and ginger and set aside.
• Cut the butter into chunks and place them in a your choice of a baking pan (cast iron skillet or 8x8 baking dish); put the baking pan in the oven for 3 to 4 minutes or until butter is melted.
• Take the pan out of the oven and sprinkle the ⅓ cup dark brown sugar over the melted butter, then carefully spread the apples on top of that, then sprinkle the dark brown sugar/cinnamon/ginger mix over all that; put the pan back in the oven to caramelize the apples and sugar.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour with the remaining Tbsp. of dark brown sugar, salt, and nutmeg; gradually add in the milk, whisking constantly with a large wire whisk to beat out any lumps.
• Once the flour has been smoothly incorporated in the milk, meat in the vanilla, then the eggs one at a time. Beat this mixture for about 2 minutes, either by hand or using the whisk attachment to a mixer on the lowest setting, until the mixture is foamy; let the batter rest for 5 minutes.
• Take the pan out of the oven and carefully pour the mixture over the apples; bake for about 20 minutes more, or until the center sets and the sides are lightly browned. The pancake may puff up dramatically but will fall after a few minutes out of the oven.

If desired, you can serve it with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar, but really it’s sweet enough plain.

Pasta Carbonara ala ~DKBB~

Pasta Carbonara ala ~DKBB~

2 egg yolks at room temperature
1 whole egg at room temperature
Freshly cracked pepper
1.5 oz. grated Parmesan Reggiano cheese
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. spaghetti
1 tsp. salt
5 oz. pancetta OR 5-6 slices thick-cut bacon

Egg Mixture:

·       In a 2-cup or larger liquid measuring cup, whisk together the egg and egg yolks, grated cheese, and plenty of freshly-cracked pepper; set aside.

Cook Pork:

·       If using bacon, cut into small pieces before cooking.

·       Cook the pork in a large sauté pan over medium heat until browned and crispy (use a pan large enough to eventually hold all of the pasta); remove pan from heat; using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked pork to a paper-towel-lined plate. Do not clean out the pan.

Cook Pasta:

·       Add water to a large Dutch oven or stockpot; the water should be shallow because it needs to be very starchy; bring water to a boil; add 1 tsp. salt and then add spaghetti.

·       Cook pasta uncovered just a bit shy of al dente, stirring often so spaghetti does not stick.

·       Using tongs, transfer the spaghetti to the sauté pan with the pork drippings; mix in the minced garlic, set aside.

 Temper the Eggs:

·       While vigorously whisking the egg mixture with one hand, slowly drizzle ½ cup starchy pasta water into the egg mixture 2 Tbsp. at a time until incorporated (never stopping the whisking); set aside.

 Combine:

·       While continuously tossing the spaghetti, very slowly drizzle the egg mixture into the pasta; continue tossing until the cheese melts and the eggs thicken to form a glossy sauce.

·       Thin sauce with additional pasta water if needed.

·       Add the pork and toss to combine.

·       Transfer to a serving bowl (to remove from pan so eggs do not continue to cook); season to taste with more freshly cracked pepper and red pepper flakes if desired. Serve immediately.

Spring Pea and Radish Salad ala ~DKBB~

Spring Pea and Radish Salad ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.tasteofhome.com)

original photo from tasteofhome.com 

½ lb. fresh wax or green beans

½ lb. fresh sugar snap peas
2 cups water
6 large radishes, thinly sliced (you can use sliced daikon radish)
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. dried tarragon
¼ tsp. kosher salt
¼ tsp. coarsely ground pepper

• Snip ends off beans and sugar snap peas; remove strings from snap peas; cut beans into 1-inch pieces.
• In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat; add beans and reduce heat; simmer, covered, 4-5 minutes; add sugar snap peas; simmer, covered, until both beans and peas are crisp-tender, another 2-3 minutes; drain.
• Toss beans and peas with radishes; stir together honey, tarragon, salt and pepper and drizzle over vegetables.
• Serve salad warm/room temperature; heat the dressing just a tiny bit in the microwave so the honey flows freely and drizzles well.

 Balsamic Green Bean Salad ala ~DKBB~
(original recipe from www.tasteofhome.com)

photo from tasteofhome.com

2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into 1½ inch pieces
¼ cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. garlic powder
¼ tsp. ground mustard
½ tsp. white pepper
1 large red onion, chopped
cherry tomatoes, halved
crumbled feta cheese

• Place beans in a 6-qt. stockpot; add water to cover; bring to a boil; cook, covered, 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain and immediately place in ice water; drain and pat dry.
• In a small bowl, whisk oil, lemon juice, vinegar, salt, garlic powder, mustard and pepper; drizzle over beans; add onion; toss to coat.
• Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour (but the longer, the better).
• Mix tomatoes, feta cheese, salt, and cracked black pepper to taste into individual servings to taste.

Gochujang Grilled Pork Chops ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.theendlessmeal.com)

 

¼ cup rice wine vinegar
1 to 2 Tbsp. gochujang
1 Tbsp. honey
1 Tbsp. oil (vegetable or canola)
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 to 4 pork chops 

• In a medium-sized bowl whisk the first five ingredients.
• Place pork chops in resealable bag and pour in marinade; seal bag and squish around a bit so the pork chops are well covered.
• Refrigerate for 1 to 12 hours, turning now and again to make sure all is well covered.
• Grill the pork chops.
• Pour marinade into small pan over high heat and boil for 2-3 minutes until thickened (like a runny BBQ sauce); serve with chops.
• Optional (we fell on this accidentally): Serve with roasted red pepper hummus – goes together amazingly well.

You can increase the amounts (double or more) of this recipe and use it for pork tenderloin as well.

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole ala ~DKBB~

Chicken and Stuffing Casserole ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.thepioneerwoman.com)

 
¾ cup salted butter, divided

photo from thepioneerwoman.com

1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrot
½ cup Wondra (or all-purpose) flour
4 c. chicken broth, divided
2 to 3 12.5 oz. cans shredded chicken breast
1 to 1½ cups frozen peas
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp. dried thyme leaves
¾ tsp. salt
½ tsp. black pepper
½ tsp. white pepper
¼ tsp. ground turmeric
12 oz. savory herb or chicken stuffing mix
1½ tsp. dried parsley

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• In a Dutch oven, melt 3 Tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat; add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook until the vegetables are beginning to soften; sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 1 minute.
• Gradually stir in 2 cups of the chicken broth; bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring often, for about 5 minutes; stir in the chicken (with the water it’s packed in), peas, cream, thyme, salt, pepper, and turmeric; return to a simmer and cook for at least 3 minutes more (cook until it thickens significantly, adding more flour if needed).
• Melt the remaining 3 Tbsp. butter in the microwave; stir it into the stuffing mix along with the remaining broth (add broth a bit at a time, you might not need all of it); let this stand for a few minutes so the stuffing mix can absorb the broth/butter (this should be well-soaked but not squishy).
• Spray a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with nonstick spray and pour in the chicken mixture; top chicken mixture with stuffing mixture (by the spoonful, covering the top as evenly as possible).
• To avoid a mess in your oven, place the baking dish on a cooking sheet with sides; bake 30 to 35 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbly around the edges.
• Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley before serving, if desired.

Biscuits & Sausage Gravy Breakfast Casserole ala ~DKBB~

Biscuits & Sausage Gravy Breakfast Casserole ala ~DKBB~

(original recipe from www.carlsbadcravings.com)

INGREDIENTS:

Sausage Gravy
½ lb. ground bulk pork sausage (maple or sage)
2 Tbsp. + ½ tsp. flour (I use Wondra)
1¾ cups milk
½ tsp. beef bouillon (I use Better Than Beef bouillon)
½ tsp. each garlic powder, dried parsley
¼ tsp. onion powder
⅛ tsp. each ground sage, salt, pepper
Smidgen each dried thyme, red pepper flakes

Eggs
3 eggs
¼ cup milk
¼ tsp. each paprika, ground mustard
Smidgen each salt, pepper

Biscuits and Cheese
1 5-count can Pillsbury Grands biscuits (if you can’t find the 5-biscuit size, use the full size and only cut up 4 or 5 biscuits, baking the rest later)
½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

• Prep: Preheat over to 350°F; spray 8x8 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
• Par-Bake Biscuits: cut each biscuit into 8 pieces; evenly space ½ the biscuits pieces on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper; bake for 8-10 minutes, then remove from oven.
• Egg Mixture: In bowl (or liquid measuring cup), whisk together all egg ingredients. Set aside.
• Make Sausage Gravy: In a medium skillet, cook and crumble the sausage over medium-high heat; once browned, reduce heat the medium, sprinkle with flour, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly; reduce heat to low and pour in the milk slowly, stirring constantly; stir in the beef bouillon and seasonings.
• Thicken Gravy: Bring to a simmer, stirring often until it thickens (8-10 minutes); taste and season with additional salt, pepper, and/or red pepper flakes as desired. Set aside.
• Assemble: Put the par-baked biscuit pieces in the bottom of the prepared baking dish and pour the egg mixture over all, then top with ½ of the cheese; evenly pour 1¼ cup of the sausage gravy over this (reserving the remainder for later); add the remaining unbaked biscuit pieces evenly spaced over the top.
• Bake: Bake uncovered at 350°F for 2-25 minutes or until eggs have set and top biscuits are golden (internal temperature should be 160°F).
• Add Remaining Gravy: The remaining gravy will likely have thickened, so stir in additional milk as needed as it reheats; remove casserole from oven and top with remaining gravy and cheese; return to oven and bake an additional 5ish minutes to melt the cheese.
• Rest: Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving; garnish with fresh parsley if desired.