Quinoa Corn Chowder

I decided to start the year off right with making some hearty home cooked meals. Food Network Magazine is by far one of my favorite sources for recipes. After all, its a compilation of recipes and ideas from all my favorite Food Network stars. The first issue this year features Trisha Yearwood's Quinoa Corn Chowder. It turned out to be relatively easy to make and not so bad to clean up after, either. The flavors are delicious, filling, and blend for a perfect mix of sweet and savory. Link to recipe direct at Food Network HERE or see below (with slight alterations from me).

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a medium-large size onion)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup Quinoa

2 cups frozen whole-kennel corn, thawed

5 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 bag baby Yukon potatoes, about 2 pounds, cut into 4-6 pieces each

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

8 slices of bacon, cooked and broken up into bits + more for garnish

3/4-1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined (I used frozen, cooked shrimp and thawed before adding to chowder)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, additional sprigs for garnish

3 scallions chopped finely

Prep by baking bacon on cookie sheet at 375 degrees F until crispy. Remove from oven and let cool on plate layered with paper towels. Set aside until grease has dried off, then crumple into bacon bit pieces. Set aside a few additional bacon slices for garnish. Thaw frozen corn and shrimp (if frozen). Chop onions and garlic. Rinse potatoes and quarter or chop into 4-6 pieces each.

Heat large stockpot on medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add chopped onion and garlic. Saute until tender about 7 minutes. Add quinoa and corn, saute for another 3 minutes. Add stock, heavy cream, potatoes and Old Bay. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, incovered, until the quinoa and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Add shrimp to chowder and cook until they are pink and opaque, 2-3 minutes. Add parsley, scallions, and bacon bits just before serving. Be sure to include a 1/2 bacon slice and sprig of parsley for garnish. Enjoy!

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sliders

Football season continues, and I continue to be enthralled in watching as many games as possible, every Sunday. I watch Thursday and Monday night as well, but Sunday has me hooked for hours. Thanks to my dear friend, Alwin, who invited me to join his family's fantasy league, I have not stopped obsessing over the entire season since week 1. It's a bit' addictive for anyone that loves sports and has a competitive side to them (me!). Anyhow, football requires tasty snacks and meals on those long, hard days of cheering and praying. You may not have time to squeeze this recipe in for tonight's Thursday game, Eagles vs Giants, but you should surely try it out on Sunday, or keep it in your back pocket for your Super Bowl bash. The best part about this is that you serve the sliders with a light beer (in a frozen mug) with a few drops of olive juice and 3-4 olives. This is called a Foggy Moose and it's delish for anyone that enjoys a Miller, Coors, or Bud on any given Sunday. Now, you are all set for the game. Go Birds! xo RCN

The pork recipe originated from Food Network, but I made a few changes. Link HERE to original recipe. See my version below pics.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 teaspoons hot paprika

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder or butt, trimmed of fat

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 

3/4 cup water

Barbecue sauce

2 small onions

Dill pickle chips

Directions:

Combine brown sugar, paprika, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Rub mixture all over entire pork butt. Chop 2 small onions in large chunks, about 4-5 slices each.

Heat vegetable oil in large pan, cook and brown pork on all sides (only for about 5 minutes total). Remove pork and place on plate. Whisk in 3/4 cup water into the drippings in pan, then transfer liquid to slow cooker. Add the vinegar and 2 cups of water to the so cooker and whisk to combine. Add 1 of the chopped onions and a few squirts of barbecue sauce into slow cooker. Place pork on top of onions and into slow cooker. Add a few more squirts of barbecue sauce and the last chopped onion. Cook on low for 7.5-8 hours.

Remove pork from the slow cooker after the 7.5-8 hours. Shred pork in large bowl and add salt and vinegar to taste. Serve with slider buns, pickle chips, and barbecue sauce. Coleslaw would taste grand, in lieu of pickles. However, I did not include slaw in my recipe and went for the pickles instead. Top with a team spirit toothpick and serve for the next football game.

Holiday Apps

Shrimp Cocktail: Shrimp Cocktail does not need much explaining. After all, it's really just some fresh shrimp and cocktail sauce. The fun factor in serving shrimp cocktail is in the presentation. For our holiday party last night, I served it up with a touch of simple Christmas spirit. All you need is, shrimp, cocktail sauce (we bought a pre-made one from Fresh Market- very good!), crushed ice, cranberries, rosemary, margarita glasses, and a small serving dish for the sauce. The cranberries and rosemary are for garnish only. First, put some cranberries in the margarita glass to fill the neck of the glass, then add crushed ice to keep the shrimp chilled. Place the shrimp hanging over the edge of the glass. Then, add a couple sprigs of rosemary along with cranberries in the center of ice, for final touch.

BLT Bites: Last night, hands down, the absolute favorite of apps was the bread-less BLT bites. This is an easy recipe, looks cute, and people LOVE! All you need is one bag of pre-shedded lettuce (or shred yourself), 1lb of bacon, about 1 cup of mayo, 2-3 packages of campari tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Cut the tops off the tomatoes and scoop out the insides. Cook the bacon and chop or break up into small bacon bits. Mix the lettuce, mayo, and bacon all together. Taste, and add salt and pepper as needed. Lastly, stuff the tomatoes and top with a sprinkle of the bacon crumbles. You may want to add a little more mayo depending on how much mayo you like. You will have enough filling for about 22 tomatoes. 

Cream Cheese Roll Ups: Cream cheese roll ups have been a favorite in the Bernard house for a long time. Another, very simple recipe to make. You can add more ingredients to this recipe to doctor it up a bit' more, but usually we stick to using a few ingredients. You need 1 package of cream cheese, one bunch of scallions or green onions (chopped small), 1 lime for juice only, and a pack of 8 large flour tortillas. Mix the cream cheese, lime juice, and chopped green onions all together. Spread over entire surface of tortilla and then roll tortilla. Cut the tortilla into about 3 or 4 pieces, then serve with side of fresh salsa. So easy!

Pasta Salad: Pasta salad is an easy app or side dish, year round. At Christmas, it is fun to make with holiday pasta. You can usually find at grocery stores, or even Homegoods, packs of tri-color festive holiday pasta. For this recipe you will need 1 bag of pasta, 1 bottle of Italian dressing, 1/2 green pepper, 1/2 red pepper, 1/2 yellow pepper, 1 cup of halved grape tomatoes, 3/4 cup of finely chopped parsley, 1/3 lb of chopped Genoa ham, and 1 package of mini mozzarella balls quartered. After pasta is cooked and chilled, mix all ingredients together. Serve cold. The kids will love the Christmas tree or Santa pasta. It adds color and punch to the table of food. 

What is your favorite app to serve at the holidays? Would love more ideas for Christmas Eve!?? xo RCN