If you've never heard of Tagine, you're not alone. It's a Moroccan (North African) dish named after the pot that it was traditionally cooked in. You can pay $50 and get yourself one from Williams Sonoma, but you really don't need it to make a yummy Lamb Tagine like I did tonight. In fact, it was so good that Greg told me it's in the Top 10 dishes I've EVER made! Yea, I was pretty proud of myself considering that I've cooked over 1000 meals by now in the 4 years that we've been living together. (OMG time flies!) I put this recipe together after doing a ton of research on what a Tagine should be. I've learned that it's a slow-simmered stew-type dish that involves inexpensive cuts of meat with LOTS Moroccan flavors. So here I've used lamb shoulder chops marinated in olive oil and spices for 3 days (overnight would be fine too) and then simmered in yet more spices and then topped with dried apricots and raisins. The meat was so incredibly tender and flavorful! Of course, with any Moroccan dish, it's gotta be served with couscous. Total comfort food with an international flare!
2 tsp paparika
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 lamb shoulder chops
1/4 c onions, chopped
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 c chicken broth
1/2 c dried apricots, chopped
1/4 c raisins
1 Tbsp honey
Couscous, for serving
Prep:
1. In a resealable plastic bag, combine the paprika, turmeric, cumin, cayenne, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, salt and 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the lamb, seal and shake to coat. Refrigerate overnight or up to 3 days.
2. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the lamb and brown on both sides, 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
3. Add the onions and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, remaining 1/2 tsp cinnamon and lemon juice. Stir for 1 minuted. Add the broth and bring to a boil, scrapping up brown bits. Add the meat back and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 20 minutes, until meat is tender and cookied through. Remove meat to serving platter.
4. Meanwhile, place apricots and raisins in a small microwavable bowl and add 1/2 c water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 1 minute. Let stand, covered, until softened and plump, about 5 minutes. Strain.
5. Bring remaining liquid in the Dutch oven to a boil over high heat. Add the apricots, raisins and honey. Cook for 5 minutes, until mixture is thickened. Serve meat over couscous topped with sauce.
I bought a 2-lb pork shoulder on sale for only $4 and decided it was time to pull out the slow cooker. It's been so cold lately that I've been craving comfort food and what's more comforting than pulled pork right? I love throwing everything into the slow cooker the night before and then having the most tender and flavorful meat come out the next morning! It almost seems like magic to me and what's better than waking up to the smell of BBQ? For a quick Sunday lunch, I made pulled pork sandwiches on Kaiser rolls with pickles and Dijon mustard along with some store-bought potato salad. Then for dinner, I used the rest of that meat to make one of our favorite dishes, Enchiladas! I bet you can't believe $4 could make so much yummy food huh?
Ingredients:
1/2 c onions, chopped
1/4 c ketcup
2 Tbsp cider vinegar
2 Tbsp packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp Worcestershier sauce
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp liquid smoke
1 lb pork shoulder roast
Prep:
1. In a slow cooker, stir onion, ketchup, vinegar, brown sugar, tomato paste, paparika, Worcestershire, mustard, salt, pepper and liquid smoke until combined.
2. Add pork and turn to coat well with sauce. Cover with lid and cook on low for 8-10 hours.
Blueberries went on sale this week and it's been a while since I've baked with them. I was searching for a good bread recipe and just couldn't resist this Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Bread. It sounds like a mouthful but trust me, this bread was super easy and turned out SO good! I made mini loaves so they only took about 25 minutes to bake and the recipe made 8 2x1-inch loaves. In case you wanna make this right away and don't already have Bisquick, Sandra Lee has a Baking Mix Recipe that's a good substitute.
I've been experimenting a lot with coconut curry lately and tonight I made some amazing meatballs. I used spicy Italian sausage for the meat but any type of ground pork or beef would work. The meatballs themselves were just simply flavored with some garlic and ginger to give them a little Asian twist but the sauce was what took them over the top. The coconut curry was thick and flavorful and just PERFECT! I served the meatballs on top of some rice that soaked up all the yummy sauce. What a nice way to start the weekend!
Meatballs:
2/3 c fresh bread crumbs
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley
2 Tbsp minced ginger
1 lb lean ground pork
Coconut Curry:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (14 oz) unsweetened coconut milk
1 c chicken stock
2 Tbsp lime juice
1 Tbsp red curry paste
Prep:
1. Make Meatballs: In a bowl, combine bread crumbs with 1/2 cup water; let stand until absorbed, about 5 minutes. Beat in egg, garlic, salt, pepper, parsley and ginger. Add pork and mix just until combined. Roll into 1 Tbsp balls.
2. In a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown meatballs, in batches if necessary, 5 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside.
3. Add onion and garlic to pay; fry over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add coconut milk, chicken stock, lime juice and curry paste; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes minutes.
4. Return meatballs and any accumulated juices to pan; simmer, turning meatballs occasionally, until no longer pink inside and sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes.
The "O" is for Oprah tonight cuz these are her Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Cookies and they are incredible! I'm glad I only read the comments AFTER baking these and I can't believe some people didn't like them! Me and ALL of my coworkers are loving them and the only negative thing I can say is that they're super addicting. I think some people might have over-baked these cookies cuz they're supposed to be pale due to the cream cheese and only brown slightly on the bottom. They also don't contain baking powder or soda cuz they're NOT supposed to rise or spread much. They're fluffy and light and stay incredibly moist. Anyway, I'm not one to knock on others but I'd just like to do these cookies justice and say that they're one of the BEST chocolate chip cookies I've ever had and that's saying a LOT! Thanks Oprah!
It's my baking night so like every other week, dinner needed to be quick and done on the stovetop. That usually means pasta and tonight we had a seafood feast! It's Trader Joe's Lobster Ravioli (LOVE that stuff!) with a Tomato Alfredo Sauce that I added a TON of Crab Meat to. Super simple but SO SO good!
Do you LOVE orange chicken but hate the hassle of deep-frying? I know I do! That's why I came up with this "cheater" version using Tyson Chicken Strips. I know it sounds a bit weird but these crispy strips were just perfect! I just baked them up according to the package directions and made the orange sauce on the side. Then I just tossed the chicken in the thickened sauce and served it on top of rice. For something extra special, I also sprinkled some sesame seeds on top. A perfect restaurant quality meal here's my simple recipe so you can make the same at home!
Ingredients:
1 lb frozen crispy chicken strips
1 Tbsp oil
1 red bell peppers, diced
1 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, minced
1 c orange juice
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp Siracha (or however spicy you like it!)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
sesame seeds, for garnish
sliced green onions, for garnish
grated orange zest, for garnish
cooked rice, for serving
Prep:
1. Bake (or microwave) chicken strips according to package directions. Let cool slightly and cut into bite-size pieces.
2. Heat oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add bell pepper and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Stir in orange juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, Siracha and cornstarch until smooth. Let simmer until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.
4. Stir in chicken and toss to coat with sauce. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds, green onion and orange zest.
