Pineapple Coleslaw

Dear Blog,
I am sorry that I am such a horrible writer.  I apologize for all the days I have neglected you, choosing instead to play in the summer sun, eat veggies from our CSA, go on long walks, and pick sun ripened strawberries on the vine.  I am also sorry that my work schedule has sucked so hard and made all of those things plus the basics to live on be crammed into one and sometimes two days in the week if I am lucky. 
Love, faith

Ugh.  I am a horrible blog mommy!!!  I feel like this summer is getting away from me and I am in a desperate rush to enjoy every moment of sun filled loveliness I can before it gets cold and rainy again.
This coleslaw was a delicious accoutrement to Dr. Pepper pulled pork which I will hopefully get up before the weekend is over.  I used both white cabbage and a napa cabbage that we got in our CSA and didn't find any difference. 
I love the addition of pineapple to this recipe, its a fresh alternative to a sometimes boring side dish.  Next time I would like to add a few poppy seeds to the dish to see what they might add to it.

Sorry I don't have a good picture of just the slaw but it was the best topper for this pulled pork!

Pineapple Coleslaw

5 cups of shredded cabbage

2 cups of fresh pineapple cut into pieces

1/2 cup half and half

1 cup of mayo

1/3 cup sugar(next time I want to use agave!)

3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar

salt and pepper

Mix cabbage and pineapple and then mix half and half, mayo, sugar, vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix cream mixture with pineapples and cabbage and store in refrigerator for 5-6 hours before serving.

Grilled Twice Cooked Potatoes

Yesterday we grilled out for one of the first times of the season.  It was heavenly.  It might of only been burgers and SA might have cooked them a little past my desired pinkness but it was wonderful! I wanted a different than normal side and for some reason couldn't get twice baked potatoes out of my head.  I decided to go ahead and make them, but for an added bonus round I finished them off on the grill. Oh good night and good morning.  These bad boys were amazing.  SA took them with him to work today and in his normal strange way said they were even good cold!

twice cooked potatoes (oven+grill)
4 large russet potatoes scrubbed and poked with a fork
1 tbsp butter
2 pieces of bacon cut in 1/4 inch strips and fried till crispy
1/4 cup Colby-jack cheese
Greek yogurt(or sour cream)
salt and pepper
paprika

Bake potatoes in oven at 400 until soft and allow to cool slightly. Cut in half and hollow out each side, leaving a bit of potato to hold up the skins(at this stage I also cut off a bit of each end of the potato so the halves would stand by themselves.. In a small bowl combine the potato that you hollow out, butter, salt and pepper and mash with a fork, until butter is melted and smooth.  Stuff butter and potato mixture back into potato halves and sprinkle the top with cheese. Place gently on a medium high grill and cook until the outside is charred to your liking and the cheese is melted.  Top with a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream, bacon bits and a sprinkling of paprika.  Chives would of also been wonderful on these but I didn't think to go raid my plant!

Jack's Bean Stalk

     I learn things every day and I like to live life that way.  Today's life lesson was where brussels sprouts come from, or more importantly, the mutant things that grow wildly, resembling jacks fantastical bean stalk in SA's bosses back yard: Brussels sprouts. YUM!
  To be honest, I hadn't had my first one until last year.  I think that one of my parents must not like them because the never graced our table when I was a kid and I never had to sit there until I finished them(yes, I probably would of been that kid with brussels sprouts!). Once I purchased them I had no idea what to do with them so I consulted several resources.  Bacon and nuts seemed to be the way to go with these bad boys and I haven't tried a different recipe yet.
     The 'sprouts that SA brought home were feral: rampant with bugs, slugs and other wild life, they were over two feet long and bursting with the small bulbous goodness that is the noble brussels sprout. Clean, stamped organic and in a carton, they were NOT! I heaved up my Laura Ingalls Wilder short sleeves and     we went to work on them, SA tearing them from the stalk, and I making quick work of their outside coverings, quick to uncover the tender goodness of the inner leaf. And how were they you ask? Delicious.   In the following recipe, the bacon simply adds a burst of saltiness to the sprouts and the nuts a texture that I feel is needed.  We had this recipe with meatloaf and mashed potatoes, however I could of eaten it by itself like a warm salad.
Maybe sometime I will try a new recipe for brussels sprouts. Maybe.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with bacon and pecans
2 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut into halves

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked crisp and chopped
4 T olive oil
4 T Whole Roasted and Salted Pecans, roughly chopped
Kosher Salt and Freshly ground Pepper to taste

In a large mixing bowl and add brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss well.

Line a sheet tray with foil and spray with a non stick cooking spray. Pour Brussels sprout mixture onto tray and spread out so sprouts are in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes or until lightly browned and crisp. Turn twice while roasting. Remove from oven and sprinkle with bacon and pecans*. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve Hot.

*This sounds horrible as I type it(but I am going to pull the I AM SOUTHERN card here!), but I like to pour off most of the oil from the bacon and toast the pecans lightly in the pan.

Sausage, Apple, Onion and Cranberry Dressing

This stuffing is SO good.  I always thought that my Grandma's stuffing was the penultimate. Thought is the operative word.  It has everything : sweetness from the apples and cranberries, a great texture from the different kinds of bread and a wonderful savoriness from the sausage and onions. I believe that using the fresh herbs also gave it a great taste...

Sausage, Apple Onion and Cranberry Dressing
1 pound mild bulk breakfast sausage
4 tablespoons butter
3 cups chopped onions
2 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
1 cup chopped celery with leaves
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 cup dried cranberries, rehydrated in boiling water for 15 minutes and drained
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
3 cups bread cubes
1 cup cornbread crumbles
1 cup stale french bread cubes
1 cup black bread cubes
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Saute the sausage in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through. Transfer the sausage and drippings to a large bowl. Melt the butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, apples, celery and poultry seasoning to the skillet and saute until the leeks are soft, about 8 minutes. Mix in the drained cranberries, sage and rosemary. Add the mixture to the sausage, then mix in the breads and parsley. Next add the heavy cream and the chicken stock a little at a time until the stuffing is very moist. Season with salt and pepper. Place in a casserole dish.
Bake in a 14-inch oval or 9 by 13-inch rectangular casserole dish and place, uncovered, in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes, until the top is crispy and the center piping hot.

Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry juice should not come in a can.  It shouldn't have marshmallows and it should not be cut with a knife.  Just my thoughts.  This recipe is an amalgamation of 4 or five others that I read and liked parts of.  I get my agar-agar at the health food store in the bulk section but I suppose in a pinch you could use gelatin.

Pomegranate Cranberry Sauce
12 oz fresh cranberries

1 c POM juice
1 1/2 c raw sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp orange peel
1tsp agar-agar
pinch of salt
Place the the cranberries, pom juice and sugar, cinnamon, orange peel and agar-agar and salt in sauce pan. On medium to high heat until sugar has melted and cranberries begin to pop and release their juices. Stir occasionally. Bring the mixture to a boil. once boiling lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thick.
It was fairly thick at this point but I liked it even more once it had a chance to hang out in the fridge over night!


I apologize for the HORRIBLE picture, but it was from my cellphone and I wanted to be able to post all the Thanksgiving recipes before people were finishing up their Thanksgiving plans!
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