Category: pork

Sauerkraut and Porkchops

I have some German roots in my family . . . (Slovak, German, English, Scottish and Irish. . . it’s just a huge mixture. I also like to cook Italian and have had my food been approved by my Italian friends.)

Anyway, my mom always like when I make my sauerkraut with pork chops.

I always make mashed potatoes so that can mix my sauerkraut in.

I took the crock pot (slow cooker) I put the pork chops in with the sauerkraut with a pitch of season salt and 2 tablespoons of sugar for about four hours. . . the pork chops fell apart and have the flavor of the sauerkraut.

I even left the skins on the potatoes as they felt heartier.

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If I had a fryer right now, I would make the left over into sauerkraut balls. I love those.

Rice and what works

I love a good rice dish. . .

It can be in a pudding or in a bake.

You can make rice in an oven, stove, or microwave. There is long grain, short grain, and even in a bag, instant rice.

It is versatile: there are so many different things you can do with rice.

You can make in minutes and just add herbs and butter.

I love sushi: fish and sticky rice. . . yum.

You can add gravy or sauce to it.

Yesterday when I slow cooked the BBQ ribs that fell off the bone. I took the render fat and extra BBQ sauce and use it as part of the liquid to make the rice so it had the BBQ rib flavor. (It was so good.)

Turtle even add a ginger hot sauce to it.

You can even add rice into stews and soups.

You can add fruit and nuts with it.

The suggestions are limitless: go bold, or comfortable.

Note: I was use a fork to light stir the rice as I feel it makes it fluffier.

The Smell of Good Food

I love cooking when I can make the entire kitchen smell like whatever I am cooking or baking.

One of my favorite moments is when you open the oven door or take the lid off the pot and just have the overwhelming aroma of just awesome food.

Today we were cooking BBQ ribs in the slow cooker and the smell drove me crazy all day. However it was so worth the smell all day and wait. They were really good.

The sight of food and smell of food will easily bring people in. (personally my food doesn’t have to look like art, but just look like it’s not burnt or all smothered together, unless supposed to be.)

My favorite smells. . .

  • Chocolate chip cookies
  • Steak on a grill
  • Vanilla or Mocha Coffee
  • Chocolate
  • Roasted marshmellow

Easter Dinner (Happy Ham Day!)

Happy Easter! Or Happy Ham Day!

Over the weekend, we have been cooking ham and other goodies to celebrate the holiday as we have done in past traditions.

Sandwiches. . . growing up we joked because we would make our sandwiches “Bleed” as we had an egg Easter bread, beet horseradish sauce, ham and cheese.
Cvikla s Chrenom – Beet and Horseradish Relish (http://slovakamericankitchen.blogspot.com/2014/04/cvikla-s-chrenom-beet-and-horseradish.html )

Easter bread: Paska (https://dcslovaks.org/slovak-easter-traditions-paska-bread/)

Easter Cheese: Veľká noc Cirák (https://slaviccooking.com/slovak-easter-cheese-cirak/)

We kept it simple (we didn’t make Cvikla s Chrenom, Paska, or Veľká noc Cirák but do remember them as a kid.)

 

We made three hams (actually my friend and my brother made the hams.)

I focused on the sweet potatoes with marshmallows.

What is awesome is that with ham. . . there are so many things you can do with the leftover. . .

  • You can add it to scallop or augrutin potatoes.
  • You can add into bean or split pea soups.
  • Add it to Mac N Cheese
  • Yes of course you can just keep it simple and make a bunch of ham sandwiches.

Note: Ham has a lot of salt, so make sure you drink a lot of water to get a lot of the salt out of your system.

This ham is addicting that I’m dealing with a stomachache from eating too much. So I am taking a nap now.