Apricot BBQ Meatballs with Basil & Peanuts

Sometimes, one recipe's just not enough.  Awhile back, I learned about Grape Jelly Meatballs, the best and easiest meatballs you'll ever make.  After making them a hundred times over the past 2 years, I decided I was ready to switch up the recipe.  This is a take off of that recipe, with a few new flavors added to the mix.  These meatballs are sweet and robust, with a hint of asian flare.  They are splendid as a party food or appetizer or as a main course served with rice and veggies.  

Apricot BBQ Meatballs with Basil & Peanuts

1 C. of Apricot jelly

1 Small can of crushed pineapple

1 C. of BBQ sauce

1 Pinch of red chile flakes

1 Bag of traditional frozen meatballs (not italian flavored) 

Basil, sliced thinly 

Peanuts

Turn your crockpot to low heat.  Add the apricot jelly, pineapple BBQ sauce and chile flakes.  Stir to thoroughly combine.  Add the meatballs and gently toss to coat them in the sauce.  Cook on low heat until they are cooked through, up to 8 hours.  Toss them a couple times so the meatballs soak up all that great flavor.  To garnish sprinkle with basil and peanuts.  

*You could use this sauce as a mild, sweet version of General Tso's chicken, especially for kids.

Honduran Holiday Pork

This recipe is inspired by a traditional holiday meal served in Honduras.  I fell in love with it over dinner with a friend’s family and now I make it every year around the holidays.  This pork is dynamic and robust, with wonderful citrus flavors and smoky spices.  It’s incredibly easy to make and it will fill your home with delectable aromas.

Guide to Latin T Dishes:

Torta - sandwich on soft bread
Tortilla - obvious, but flat bread made from corn or flour
Tostada - crispy tortilla piled high with latin goodies
Taquito - rolled and fried tortilla with meat and cheese
Taco - if I have to explain this one to you, you may be reading the wrong blog

Crockpot Orange Pork

1 Pork Shoulder (one that will fit in your crockpot)
Salt & Pepper
1 T. plus 1 t. Smoked Paprika, divided
1 T. plus 1 t. Cumin, divided
1 T. plus 1 t. Sugar, divided
2 Red Onions, cut into slices
2 Oranges, cut into large chunks
1 Lime, cut into large chunks
¼ C. Olive oil
2 Tablespoons butter
Cilantro, Orange slices & Avocado, for garnish
Tortillas, for serving

Add the pork and onions to a large bowl and sprinkle generously with salt, pepper and the spices.  Squeeze the citrus over the pork and drizzle with the olive oil.  Cover the bowl with plastic and marinate overnight. 

In the morning, squeeze whatever is left from the citrus over the meat and onions.  Remove the citrus from the bowl and discard.  Carefully transfer the pork, onions and marinade from the bowl to a crockpot.  Set to high and cook for 8-9 hours until the pork is cooked through, tender and pulls apart easily with a fork. 

Move the pork to a large bowl and shred with 2 forks.  Skim the fat from the juices in the crockpot and doctor up the sauce with the butter and about one teaspoon of smoked paprika, cumin and sugar.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Add the meat back to the crockpot so it can soak up all those good flavors. 

To serve, pile the pork onto a warm tortilla and garnish with fresh cilantro, orange and avocado. 

Happy holidays and happy eating!

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

Last weekend, my parents visited me in Columbus for the first time and we had an absolute blast!  I was able to show them all around my new city and introduce them to the my closest friends.  All in all, it was a fabulous weekend.  And because we're O'Gara's, you can rest assured that our entire weekend revolved around food!  We shared appetizers and cocktails at Hubbard Grill and swooned over sinful desserts at Pistacia Vera.  I also took my parents on a tour of North Market where we found perfumed honey from a local beekeeper, which became the inspiration for our Sunday Family Dinner.

We made a fantastic (if we do say so ourselves) pork tenderloin that we ate with oven roasted potatoes, onion and fennel, as well as a fun, cheesy pull-apart bread.  Our pork tenderloin turned out so well, I figured it just had to be the next blog post.  This Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin is juicy and flavorful with a crisp, sweet crust that is perfect for a special Sunday dinner.

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

2 small pork tenderloins
Salt & Pepper
3 T. Cinnamon honey (or another flavored, local honey)
1/2 C. Butter
1/4 Onion, thinly sliced
1 T. Fresh thyme, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400.

Rub the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper so they are evenly and fully coated.

In a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter and honey over medium high heat.  Stir constantly until the honey and butter come together in a quick bubble.  Carefully place the pork tenderloin into the honey butter mixture.  Allow the pork to sit for about a minute without turning it so that it gets a good sear.  Turn and repeat until all of the pork has a crisp, dark crust.

Remove the meat from the skillet and place in an oven safe baking dish.  Add the onion to the honey butter sauce and toss until the onions darken, about 2 minutes.  Carefully pour these caramelized onions and sauce on top of the pork tenderloin.  Sprinkle with thyme and place in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pork is cooked all the way through.  Remove the pork from the oven and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes so all those juices can redistribute.

Slice the pork on a diagonal (it looks nicer) and serve with oven-roasted vegetables.

*Local honey contains local pollen and can be helpful in warding off seasonal allergies.  Plus, you get to support a local farmer instead of a grocery conglomerate!  Check out Brad's Bees at https://www.facebook.com/BradsBees.

Apple Cardamom Custard Tart

I'm trying my best to eat seasonally and since we're still knee-deep in apple season in Ohio, I'm stretching my creative muscles for new ways to enjoy these local, delicious apples.  Today, I decided it was time to attempt a flavor combination that's been on my mind for awhile:  apple & cardamom.  Cardamom is an exotic spice with East Indian roots that I absolutely adore.  It's warm and fragrant and pairs quite well with something sweet like fruit.  This Apple Cardamom Custard Tart is silky and sweet, with a subtle hint of spice.

Apple Cardamom Custard Tart

1 Pie crust (homemade or store-bought)

3 Apples, peeled, cored and very thinly sliced

4 Large eggs

1 C. Whole Milk (or heavy cream if you're feeling extra sinful)

2 T. sugar, plus more for sprinkling

1 t. cardamom

Preheat the oven to 400.

Lay out your pie crust in a lightly greased, shallow baking dish.  Using a fork, gently "dock" the entire surface, making holes so that your crust does not get air bubbles.  Place the apple slices around the pie crust in a circular pattern.  I did two layers of apples so that apple slices would stick out slightly from the custard.  

In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, milk, sugar and cardamom.  Beat with a mixer until completely smooth.  Place the pie dish on a cookie sheet.  Carefully pour the custard over the apple slices.  

Gently place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake the custard tart for 10 minutes at 400.  Then, lower the temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the custard is set.  You want it to be just firm, but not overdone.  In the last 5 minutes of baking, sprinkle 1 T. of sugar on top and let the sugar caramelize for that finished look.  

Your New Favorite Chicken Salad

There are about 1.8 million chicken salad recipes out there.  Yes, I checked my facts.  If there are so many, then why do we not crave chicken salad?!  I will admit that normally when I see chicken salad in a restaurant or a grocery store, my mind goes straight to:  dried out pieces of chicken (or worse, canned!) mayo and celery.    Am I right?  Not the best image in our minds or taste in our mouths.  Let's change that.  Try my chicken salad and you'll never go back to that wretched original served kitty corner to tomato aspic.  My chicken salad is packed with fresh, bright flavor and accented with almonds and grapes.  

Chicken Salad

4-6 chicken boobs

Olive oil

Salt & Pepper

½ C. Mayonnaise

The juice of 1 lemon

1 C. grapes, halved

½ C. almonds, chopped

Prepare your chicken boobs by seasoning them with salt and pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.  Allow them to marinate for about 20 minutes. 

In a medium skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat.  When it’s quite hot, add several of the chicken boobs.  Let them cook for a good 4-6 minutes without moving them.  You want them to get a good golden brown crust.  After they have browned, flip and cook for another 4 minutes on the other side.

When the chicken is fully cooked, remove from the pan and let sit.  Do not cut into them right away or they will dry out.  Repeat with the rest of the chicken.  When the chicken has rested for at least 5 minutes, cut into bite-sized pieces. 

In a large bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt & pepper.  Wisk until the sauce is smooth.  Add the grapes, almonds and chicken and toss to coat them evenly.  

Chill in the fridge for at least an hour so the flavors can marry.  Serve on toasted croissants.

*TIP:  Many chicken salad recipes call for boiled chicken or canned chicken.  Go a step further and pan-fry it.  The color you get on the chicken adds another layer of flavor that sets this recipe apart.  Rotisserie Chicken would work really well too.

**TIP:  Grapes add a fresh sweetness to this combination.  Experiment with other fruit such as dried apricots or raisins for more sweet texture.  

Spencer's Oatmeal Cookies

On the day that I moved into my first very own apartment, my brother woke up early and baked these special oatmeal cookies for me as a house warming present.  It was such a thoughtful gesture.  They are by far the most delicious cookies I've tasted in a long time.  

At first, they're chewy and soft.  If you let them sit for a day though, they become crunchy like biscotti, except that these are actually edible; either way, they’re scrumptious!  I've changed the recipe slightly here to include brown sugar and dried cranberries.  Thanks for the great recipe, Spence!

Spencer's Oatmeal Cookies

1 C. softened butter

1 C. brown sugar

1 C. white sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 T. molasses

1 t. salt

2 t. cinnamon

2 eggs

2 C. flour

1 1/2 t baking soda

2 C. quick oats (you could use Spelt too)

1 C. dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350. 

In a large bowl, thoroughly beat the butter and sugar.  Add the next four ingredients and beat again until smooth.  Add the eggs, one at a time and beat until they are completely mixed into the batter.  Sift in the flour and baking soda.  When combined, fold in the oats and cranberries.  Bake for 10 minutes, or until cookies are thin and golden.  Allow them to cool on a rack.

Lemon Raspberry Bars

Wish your sweetie a ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ with these sweet and sumptuous lemon raspberry and blackberry bars.

Lemon Raspberry Bars

1 C. butter, at room temperature

½ C. powdered sugar

2 C. flour

¼ t. salt

Zest of 2 lemons

2 C. sugar

6 T. fresh lemon juice

1 t. vanilla

6 T. flour

1 t. baking powder

4 Eggs

About 24 raspberries (or your favorite berry)

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat the oven to 350.  Generously spray a 9” x 13” baking dish with non-stick spray. 

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and powdered sugar with a mixer.  When it is light and fluffy, add the flour a little at a time, mixing well between each addition.  Add the salt and mix until combined.  With your hands, press this mixture into the baking dish evenly.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the sugar and the lemon zest.  Rub the zest and the sugar between your thumb and fingers to release all of the oils and to flavor the sugar.  (*You could save this lemon sugar in an airtight container for other uses if you’d like).   Add the lemon juice, vanilla, flour and baking powder to the lemon sugar and beat with a mixer.  Add the eggs, 1 at a time and mix thoroughly. 

Pour the egg mixture over the baked crust.  It should level out by itself, but you may need to use a spatula and push it around so it is even.  Carefully place the raspberries into the lemon filling, spreading them out so that the whole mixture is dotted with red. 

Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place back in the oven and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 10-12 minutes.  Your lemon bars are ready when the filling has set and the top is lightly browned.  Cut into your favorite shape, making sure to include raspberries in each one.  Dust with powdered sugar.  Serve with extra berries.

This recipe is loosely adapted from:  http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/lemon-bars-recipe/