This year I’ve decided to make a pork roast that I sort of invented this summer and just fell in love with.

Spiral Pork Loin Roast

You start out with a large pork loin roast and you cut it in a spiral like you would a jelly roll.  I then took a package of mushrooms, an onion, 2 stalks of celery, 3 cloves of garlic, fresh rosemary and thyme.  Rough chop everything  and then saute them  for just a few minutes in a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)

You then layout the pork so it’s a long rectangle rum some EVOO over it  and then slather the mushroom onion mixture over the top. (Your hands will be VERY messy!) put a few large toothpicks in and then brown the top and bottom carefully so as not to loose the stuffing.  Bake in a 350 oven until your meat thermometer reads PORK is Done!  remove from the over and let sit on a cutting board for 10 minutes.  Then slice.  The presentation is just gorgeous and the aroma is intoxicating.  Make a gravy using the yummy bits at the bottom of the roasting pan the traditional way.. using a bit of white wine if you need to..(I do whether I need to or not)  Serve with my garlic smashed potato’s and a salad and your guests will be impressed.

Raspberry Spritzer

Makes 2 servings 2 cups seltzer 2/3 cup frozen raspberries 2 sprigs fresh mint 3 ounces raspberry-flavored syrup or Chambord Ice cubes

Combine seltzer, raspberries, mint and raspberry-flavored syrup (or Chambord) in a small pitcher. Pour over ice.

These come out awesome and so much better for you than deep fat frying

Russet Potatoes or Yukon Gold (1 per person)
EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
Salt
Pepper
Home Fry Seasoning (optional)

Preheat oven and large baking sheet in 425 oven.  (preheating the pan is the secret to them not sticking)

Slice potatoes into long  strips (depends on how crispy you like, I cut them fairly thin as I like REALLY crispy fries)

Place them into a bowl and drizzle with EVOO, and seasonings, repeating a few times as you fill the bowl.

Spread them out in one layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes… then turn and leave them in for a few more minutes depening again on how crispy you like them. 

These also keep well if you just wrap the leftovers in foil and bake them in the oven the next couple of nights at 400 again. (We rarely have leftovers though!)

½ pound chopped rotissorie chicken
1 onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chopped mild green chiles
1/3 cup shredded reduced-fat mexican cheese blend
4 (8-inch) fat-free multi grain tortillas

1.  Preheat the oven to 400º.  Spread canola oil on a papertown and grease cookie sheet lightly. 

2.  1 tsp canola oil in a skillet set over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic, chili powder,oregano, and cumin.  Cook, until onions start to carmelize, add the chicken, stir until the chicken is heated through.  Stir in the tomato sauce and the chiles, bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the flavors are blended and the mixture thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and stir in the cheddar.

3.  Meanwhile, wrapthe tortillas in foil and place in the oven to warm for 10 minutes.

4.  Spoon about ½ cup of the filling into the center of each tortilla.  Fold in the sides, then roll to enclose the filling.  Place the chimichangas,seam-side down, on the baking sheet.

Brush the tops of the tortillas with oil.  Bake until golden and crisp, about 20 minutes.  Do not turn.

Smother with Green Chili or your favorite salsa, shreaded lettuce, fresh tomatoes, & low fat Sour Cream.

My twist on this classic Mexican breakfast dish is coming to you with a vegetarian flair. But for those craving a little meatiness, it would be just as good with some shredded chicken or a fried egg served up on top. If you don’t want to make your own crisps from leftover tortillas, go ahead and reach for that bag of tortilla chips in the cupboard and use those instead.  Rachael Ray

Ingredients
10 6-inch corn tortillas (or 4-5 cups stale corn tortilla chips)
4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
Zest and juice of 1 lime, divided
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (from a 7-ounce can), seeded and chopped, plus 1 tablespoon adobo sauce
2 15-ounce cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons butter
3 cups corn, fresh off the cob or frozen and defrosted
2 15-ounce cans black beans, drained
A few dashes hot sauce
3/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
3/4 cup shredded smoked cheddar cheese
3 scallions, chopped on bias
1/2 cup (about a handful) chopped cilantro
1 8-ounce container sour cream

Yields: 6-8 servings

——————————————————————————–

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400ºF.
 
Stack the corn tortillas on top of one another and slice them into strips about an inch thick. Place into a mixing bowl along with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, cumin, coriander and lime zest. Give everything a toss to evenly coat the tortilla strips then place them onto a baking sheet. Bake the strips until they’re crispy and golden brown, 12-15 minutes.
 
While the tortillas are crisping up in the oven place a medium-size skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of vegetable oil, about 1 tablespoon. Toss the red onion and garlic into the pan and cook 2-3 minutes to soften them up. Add in the chipotle peppers along with the adobo sauce and the tomatoes. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine. Transfer everything to a food processor and pulse until it resembles salsa. Set aside.
Place another skillet over medium-high heat and add the butter. Add the corn to the melted butter and cook it until really golden brown, 8-10 minutes. (The secret to getting it good and brown here is to only stir it occasionally – let the corn sit so that the sides can brown up.)
 
While the corn is cooking, place the same skillet the onion and peppers where cooked in back over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of the vegetable oil, about 1 tablespoon. Add in one can of black beans and heat them through. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher, mash the beans to a paste, then stir in the other can of beans and hit it with the hot sauce and some salt.
 
Assemble the chilaquiles by ladling half of the salsa into a 9×13″ casserole dish. Arrange the toasted corn strips or chips in the dish and top them off with the black beans, followed by the corn and the remaining salsa. Top with a shower of your shredded cheeses and pop it into the oven to melt the cheese, 7-8 minutes.
When the dish comes out of the oven squeeze the juice from the lime over the top and garnish with scallions and chopped cilantro. Pass some sour cream at the table to dollop on top.

Courtesy of Rachael Ray on her show yesterday.  Looked really yummy.

Ingredients
1 pound top round steak, cut into thin 1 1/2 inch-wide strips against the grain (about 20 slices)
1 1/4 cups teriyaki sauce, divided
4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 to 3 teaspoons hot chili oil, to taste
1/2 cup apple juice
1 inch piece ginger, peeled
1 cup peanut butter, chunky or smooth
Juice of 2 limes, zest of 1 reserved for sauce
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Yields: about 8 appetizer-size portions
——————————————————————————–

Preparation
Preheat a grill pan or a grill to medium-high. Soak the bamboo skewers in water, particularly if you’re using an outdoor grill, so they don’t flame up.
Place the beef strips in a medium-large casserole dish and pour 1 cup of the teriyaki sauce, the crushed garlic and chili oil over them. Toss to combine and let the beef marinate in the refrigerator while you make the dipping sauce.
In a medium-size saucepot, add the remaining 1/4 cup of teriyaki sauce, apple juice, and the ginger. Once it reaches a boil, turn off the heat and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to incorporate the ginger flavor. Remove the ginger and reserve the liquid.
In a medium-size mixing bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, lime zest and the hot teriyaki/apple juice mixture until it resembles a dipping sauce consistency. Place the sauce in a serving bowl, and set it aside while you grill up the satays.
Remove the beef strips from the refrigerator and skewer the strips of meat by weaving the sticks in and out as if you where treading straight up the meat. Grill the satays for about 1-2 minutes on each side for medium-rare, then give them a quick squeeze of fresh lime juice for a finish. Garnish the dipping sauce and meat with the scallions and toasted sesame seeds.

Baja Pineapple Grenade Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri 
 
2 ounces melon liqueur
2 ounces tequila
4 ounces pineapple juice
4 ounces lemon line soda
1-ounce grenadine
Lime, cherry, pineapple wedge, for garnish

With pineapple core extractor, remove core. Fill with ice, add melon liqueur, tequila, pineapple juice, lemon lime soda and grenadine. Stir and garnish with lime, cherry, pineapple wedge, and a small paper cocktail umbrella.

Chili Verde Pork Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri, 2008 
 
4 pounds pork butt, cut into 1-inch cubes, trimmed of fat
4 yellow onions, chopped
4 Anaheim chiles
2 jalapeno, minced
4 tablespoons garlic, chopped
1 pound tomatillos, husk removed
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons ground oregano
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper

In a medium Dutch oven, heat the oil, add the onion, peppers and garlic. Saute until translucent, do not brown. Remove and set mixture aside.
Lightly grill the tomatillos on open flame until lightly charred. Remove from heat, place in bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep warm for 20 minutes.

Add pork butt to Dutch oven and cook over high heat until browned on all sides

Add the onion-pepper mixture and tomatillos to the pork. Mix thoroughly and then deglaze with white wine and vinegar. Let reduce for 5 minutes, then add chicken stock, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper.

Let simmer for 1 hour.

Vanilla Gelato Bites with Chocolate and Hazelnuts Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis 
 
1 pint vanilla gelato or ice cream
1 (12-ounce) bag chocolate chips (about 2 cups)
1 cup finely chopped toasted hazelnuts (about 5 ounces)
Special equipment: bite-sized ice cream scoop and wooden popsticks
Place a small tray or a plate in the freezer. Remove the gelato from the freezer to soften, about 5 minutes. Remove the chilled tray from the freezer. Scoop out 16 bite-sized balls of gelato and place in the freezer for at least 1 hour. Remove from the freezer and quickly insert a wooden popstick into each gelato ball. Return them to the freezer for at least 1 hour.
When the gelato balls have frozen with their sticks in place, place the chocolate in a double-boiler over very gently simmering water until melted. Next to the pot of chocolate, place the toasted, chopped hazelnuts in a shallow bowl.

Remove the gelato balls from the freezer, 4 at a time. Working quickly, hold the gelato ball by the stick and dip into the melted chocolate, then dredge it in the hazelnuts. Return them to the freezer and continue with 4 more gelato balls, until all the gelato balls are covered in chocolate and nuts. Freeze the chocolate-and-nut-covered gelato for at least 1 hour.

These are very fun, festive, and tasty. The ice cream scoop I used is a number 40 (holds 1 tablespoon, is 1 1/2 inches in diameter.)
 

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon coriander
• 1/2 tablespoon cumin
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 16-ounce jar good quality roasted tomatillo salsa (such as Desert Pepper Trading Company or Frontera brand)
• 2 quarts chicken stock
• 1 28-ounce can hominy, drained and rinsed
• 1 13.5-ounce bag of yellow or white corn tortilla chips
• 1 store-bought rotisserie chicken, skin removed, meat removed from the bones and chopped
• 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 2 limes
• 3/4 cup sour cream, for garnish
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded