“Our character is what we do when we think no one is looking”

H. Jackson Brown

When I was little I hated carrots. My mom would pile them on my plate and I would just stare at them. I was never one of those kids that snuck them under the table to our dog, instead I was hard headed. I made up my mind and decided that carrots were not for me.

Now that I am older and wiser, roasted carrots are one of my favorite veggies. I am still hard-headed and credit the carrots for building my character!

Recipe:

1 lb bag of carrots, washed and peeled

1 tbsp olive oil

coarse kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Wash and peel carrots. Then slice on a diagonal into 1/2″ to 3/4″ slices.

Toss carrots in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and then place carrots on a baking sheet.

Roast for 20-30 minutes according to if you prefer them lightly roasted or slightly burnt. Makes 4 servings.

Notes:

Roasted carrots are delicious. They develop a sweet flavor similar to sweet potatoes.

I don’t know of any meal involving pork that isn’t good, do you? Emeril swears by the goodness of pork. This meal is so good it will even fool ya mama into thinking you slaved away in the kitchen all day.

This week we are paying tribute to all that is New Orleans and making delicious food celebrating Mardi Gras. Stick with me and by Fat Tuesday, you’ll be gobbling up jambalaya and screaming “ throw me some beads mistah“!

Recipe:

For pork tenderloin:

1 – 1 lb pork tenderloin, trimmed of any visible fat 

1 tbsp  chili powder

1/2 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp brown sugar

salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

barbecue sauce for finishing

Trim pork tenderloin of any visible fat.

In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, paprika, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Rub mixture onto pork tenderloin and let come to room temperature.

Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large pan and sear tenderloin a few minutes on each side until lightly browned. Place in a roasting pan and continue cooking in a 425 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. The meat will register 155-160 degrees when done.

Let meat rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.

Set pan aside with pork drippings and seasonings to use for collard greens.

For Jalapeno-White Cheddar Grit Cake:

4 servings quick cook grits

1/2 cup white cheddar cheese, shredded

2 small jalapeno peppers, diced

splash of hot sauce

Cook grits according to package directions. Then stir in remaining ingredients, when cheese has melted pour grits into an 8×8 pan and put in fridge to chill.

 Just before serving, remove grits from fridge, cut into desired shape and heat grit cake in a skillet over high heat. 

For Collard Greens:

1 – 12 oz bag frozen collard greens

1 piece bacon

3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1 tsp white vinegar

In same pan that pork was seared, cook one slice of bacon over medium-high heat. Remove bacon and gently wipe excess grease out of pan. Pour chicken broth into pan and deglaze, scraping up all the seasoning from the bottom. Add frozen collard greens, bring to a boil and then turn down to a simmer.

Let cook for about 15 minutes and then add vinegar and crumbled bacon just before serving.

For Black-Eyed Peas:

You may either use canned peas, rinsed and drained or cook frozen peas cooked according to package directions.

 Notes:

This meal can really be done in under an hour – just follow the steps below:

1. If using frozen black-eyed peas put them on to cook.

2. Season pork tenderloin and set aside to come to room temperature.

3. Cook grits, stir additional ingredients, pour in 8X8 pan and place in  fridge to chill.

4. Fry bacon in skillet and put collard greens on to cook.

5. Pop tenderloin in the oven to cook for 15-20 minutes.

6. When tenderloin is finished cooking and resting, cut and heat the grit cakes.

Before plating, drizzle a little of your favorite barbecue sauce on the plate for the pork tenderloin to sit on. My favorite is Stubb’s from Austin, Texas – it’s super thick and tangy!

Laissez le bon temps rouler!

So yesterday I revealed my updated and healthier version of a favorite hole in the wall dish, lemon-caper chicken. As promised, here are the two easiest side dishes ever. Even the most celebrated cook would think you took hours mashing these potatoes!

Recipe:

1 1/2 to 2 lbs yukon gold potatoes, washed and partially peeled

roasted garlic

1/2 cup milk, heated

To roast garlic:

Peel away paper skins from a whole head of garlic. Cut off the pointed top, place on a sheet of foil (root side down), drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil making sure oil covers the exposed cloves. Close foil to make a loose pouch and place on cookie sheet in a 375 degree oven. Bake for about 45 minutes, until garlic is tender and cloves easily squeeze out.

For potatoes:

Place whole potatoes in large pot and fill with cold water, just enough to cover the potatoes. Bring water and potatoes to boil and let cook for 35-40 minutes. The potatoes will become tender and break apart when they are done. Drain the water, reserving a little of the cooking liquid.

Mash potatoes with a potato masher or fork, add warm milk, 3 -4 roasted garlic cloves, salt and pepper to taste. Continue mashing until desired consistency. If you like a creamier mashed potato add a little more milk. To keep warm place over a low heat and stir frequently so potatoes don’t stick to the pan.

For asparagus:

1 lb asparagus

olive oil

salt and pepper

lemon zest

Wash and trim asparagus spears and let dry on a paper towel. Place prepped asparagus of a cookie sheet sprayed lightly with olive oil.

Spray asparagus with olive oil spray or drizzle a little olive oil over asparagus, toss the asparagus to make they are coated evenly. Season with salt and pepper then top with fresh lemon zest to taste.

Place in a 425 degree oven and bake for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.

Notes:

The leftover roasted garlic is great spread on warm bread or rolls in place of butter. You can even use it in a pasta dish.

This is my favorite way to eat asparagus, I took note from the Barefoot Contessa on this one. Roasting vegetables makes them so flavorful and really easy to prepare.

Here’s a trick for trimming the asparagus, hold a each end and gently bend the asparagus spear, it will naturally break off its stem.

Sometimes a true story is way better than a tall tale. You be the judge of this one. This all came about on one of our favorite mother-daughter past times, trolling through T.J.Maxx and to this day I blame it on the msg fog from the chinese food we had eaten earlier that evening.

So you see my mother and I have a knack for finding TJ Maxx stores anywhere and discovering priceless treasures during our sprees. This one evening they had put out the new arrival of winter coats and anyone that knows mother knows she loves coats. So in her excitement off came the white terry cloth hooded jacket and on went the coats – the oohs and aahs followed. While we were commenting on the coats and parading to the mirrors that little white hooded jacket got lost. We never found it…that night.

So forward 6 months later when the summer clothes were being wheeled out and yes, we were once again trolling late one evening. Mother ventured into the workout section. Still forlorn about her little white hooded jacket, she began browsing and across the store I heard a squeal of delight. She had found the little white terry cloth hooded jacket! Yes, on the rack with the same stain on the sleeve, Merona tag in tact and on a hanger complete with a price tag. The jacket was found!

The events sounded so unbelievable as we rambled on to the manager about the losing and finding of the coat. She must have felt sorry for us or was worried for her own safety that she believed our too crazy to be true story and off we went with the jacket…down the road to the Homegoods store.

Moral of the story…don’t go shopping after questionable chinese food. Make your own!

Recipe:

1/4 cup orange juice, the frozen kind thawed and undiluted

1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tbsp canola oil

1/2 cup green onions, chopped

1 lb chicken breast, diced into 1″ pieces

3 cups stir fry vegetables, I use broccoli and carrots

Combine first 8 ingredients and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook for about 5 minutes then add in green onions and veggies. Cook until chicken is done and veggies are tender.

Reduce heat and pour orange juice mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Stir well making sure to coat chicken and vegetables with sauce. Cook for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens.

Serve over brown rice. Makes 4 servings.