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Oven 400 F > 300 F Cooking time: 3 hours Serves 4-6 |
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1 whole (2 lb) pork tenderloin 2 Tbsp olive oil ¼ tsp black pepper 1 tsp chili powder |
Cut the tenderloin lengthwise and widthwise into four long pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with black pepper and chili powder.
Grill on a hot grill for 3-5 minutes each side to sear the meat. If the grill is not handy, sear the meat in an oiled heavy skillet over med-high heat. |
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¼ cup olive oil 1 x-large can (27 oz) whole green chilies 1 sweet yellow onion 3 cloves garlic 1 tsp dried oregano 1 Tbsp chopped jalapeno pepper ~ more if you like it hot! |
Chop the onion and mince the garlic.
Layer into a casserole baking pan:
Olive oil ½ can green chilies Pork pieces Onion, garlic, oregano & jalapeno ½ can green chilies Pour all of the liquid from the can of chilies over top.
Cover tightly with a lid or foil and place into the oven at 400 F. Turn down the temperature to 300 F and roast for 2 hours. |
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3 Tbsp flour ½ cup warm water 2 tsp salt 1 x-large can (27 oz) whole green chilies |
Place the warm water in a drinking glass and add the flour. Mix the flour and warm water vigorously with a fork to dissolve.
Remove the pork from the oven, stir and add the flour-water and salt. Add the second can of chilies on top. Cover tightly and roast an additional hour. Remove from the oven and pull apart the pork with two forks. |
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2 dozen soft corn tortillas |
When you are ready to eat, heat a heavy skillet (cast iron is best) to medium-high. Warm the tortillas one at a time for about 15 seconds on each side. You can probably fit 2-3 in the bottom of the skillet at a time, slightly overlapping. Line a basket with a clean dish towel and keep them warm inside the towel.
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Serve the Pork Verde with the warm tortillas. Add sides of rice, corn and spicy black beans for a complete plate.
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Welcome to the Blue Sky Cookbook. Here’s what’s cooking today:
Pork Verde
Biscuits
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Oven 425 F Yields 12 Biscuits |
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2 cups flour 4 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt
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Mix together in a medium mixing bowl. |
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6 Tbsp Crisco shortening |
Cut the shortening into the flour with a pastry blender until the mixture is like tiny gravel. |
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1 cup milk |
Add the milk all at once, and mix with a fork just until all is moistened. The batter should be very soft and sticky.
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½ cup flour |
Spread ½ cup of flour on the countertop in a 12” circle. Turn out the batter onto the flour. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of flour on top. Gently knead about 12 times, pulling from under the outer edge and folding in to the center to knead in the flour. This is the critical point for fluffy biscuits- don’t handle the dough too much and don’t mix in too much flour or the biscuits will be tough. When the dough is just stiff enough to hold its shape without sticking to your fingers, pat it down evenly to 1” thickness. Cut with a round biscuit cutter or just cut into wedges. Rub the cutter or knife in the flour between cuts. If you don’t have a cutter, use a drinking glass.
Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Gather up the remnants of dough into a ball and pat down for a few more cuts. Use the last bit of dough to form the Funny Biscuit.
Bake at 425 F for 10-12 minutes. Yum! |
Biscuits were the staple food of my childhood. As she took the biscuits out of the oven, Mom would yell out, “Hales bales, I almost burnt the biscuits!” We always fought over who got the Funny Biscuit. If you want a real Southern treat, try the biscuits with sausage gravy.
Sausage Gravy
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1 lb of ground breakfast sausage |
Brown and crumble the sausage in a skillet over medium heat. |
| Healthier alternative: 1 lb of lean ground turkey 3 Tbsp canola oil ½ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp sage ¼ tsp oregano A grating of black pepper
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Pour the oil in the skillet and heat. Crumble in the turkey and sprinkle the spices. Brown and crumble the turkey in a skillet over medium heat. |
Approx. ¼ cup flour Approx. 1 cup milk Cayenne pepper Salt and pepper |
Turn up the heat to med-high. Sprinkle the flour over the sausage and mix well to absorb the oil. Use a little less flour for the turkey option. Cook for about 1 minute. Add ½ cup milk, stir, cook until for a minute or so until thick and add ¼ cup additional milk, cook and stir. Keep adding milk a bit at a time and continue stirring until the gravy is the desired consistency and does not continue to thicken.If you like it spicy, add a bit more cayenne pepper (careful!). Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with biscuits. |
Stir-fry Chicken with Pineapple
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Serves 4-6 |
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Before preparing the chicken, start the white rice cooking. It will be done just in time.
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¼ cup soy sauce 2 tsp ground ginger ½ tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 2 tsp cornstarch ¼ tsp ground pepper 1 tsp sugar |
Mix in a small dish or glass measuring cup. Set aside. Half will be used to marinate the chicken and the other half for the sauce. |
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6 pieces boneless chicken breast (1 ½ lbs) |
Cut the chicken diagonally into ½ strips, then cut into cubes. The chicken will be most tender if you cut the diagonal strips across the grain like this:
Place the chicken cubes in a plastic bag or bowl. Pour half of the soy sauce mixture over the chicken and mix well. Set aside to marinate for 10 minutes. Wash your cutting board and knife with soap and hot water before using for vegetables.
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1 green bell pepper 1 sweet yellow onion |
Wash and chop the bell pepper into 1” pieces. Peel the onion and slice across the rings to ¼” – ½ “ slices, then chop to ½” pieces.
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Olive oil |
Assemble the bowls with chicken, vegetables and sauce near the stove. Set the wok on the stove with high heat, or use a sauté pan with med-high heat. Pour in olive oil to coat the sides of the wok to ¼” in the bottom of the pan. Use a splatter screen when stir frying to avoid burns.
Carefully add the vegetables to the hot oil, protecting yourself with the screen. Stir with a long wooden spoon or wooden spatula. Stir fry for 2-3 minutes until the onion is tender and translucent around the edges. Turn off the heat. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
Add more oil to the wok to ¼” in the bottom. Turn the heat back on. When it is hot, add the chicken, distributing it evenly around the bottom and sides of the pan. While adding the chicken, protect yourself with the screen- hold the screen in your left hand between you and the pan while adding the chicken with your right hand. Cover with the screen and let it fry for 5 minutes until it starts to brown on the bottom. Now stir at 30 second intervals and fry for an additional 5 minutes until the chicken is done. Turn off the heat.
Remove the excess oil from the pan by wadding a paper towel and pressing it along the sides. Throw the towel away.
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1 (20 oz) can pineapple chunks 1 Tbsp lemon juice or vinegar 2 tsp cornstarch |
Drain the juice from the pineapple into the reserved soy sauce from above. Add the lemon juice and cornstarch. Mix well. Turn the heat back on. Stir and cook for a minute until the sauce thickens. Add a little water if the sauce is too thick.
Add the vegetables back into the pan, stir and heat for a minute to warm them. Turn off the heat and add the pineapple chunks.
Serve with white rice. |
Chicken with Pineapple is one of Laura’s favorite meals.
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
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1/3 cup heavy cream |
Pour the cream into a (2 cup) glass measuring cup or small bowl. Microwave on high for about 30 sec to just bring to a boil. |
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1 cup Nestle semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 tsp vanilla |
Add the chocolate, stir and beat with a fork until smooth. Add vanilla. Let it sit for 20 minutes to cool. |
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2 – 3 cups Dominos powdered sugar |
Transfer to a larger bowl if needed. Add 2 cups of powdered sugar and beat on medium speed with a mixer. Add additional sugar a bit at a time until the desired consistency is reached. Spread on the top of your cake. This is best suited for a flat cake because it is too soft to use on the sides of a layer cake. If you want to make a layer cake, let it run down the sides or frost the top & center layer with the fudge and use whipping cream on the sides.
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Fish Baked in Parchment Cocoon
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Oven 400 F Serves 2 |
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| 1 lb frozen fish filets such as Halibut, Mahi-Mahi or Seabass |
Leave the fish in the plastic and set in the sink, cover with cool water to thaw.
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4 stalks celery 1 sweet yellow onion
2 tsp dried herbs – 2 garlic cloves, minced Olive oil |
Chop finely to ¼” bits.
Cover the bottom of a sauté pan with olive oil and turn on medium-high heat. Add the vegetables and spices. Sauté for 2 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside. |
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Two 18” squares of parchment paper
Black pepper |
Divide the fish in half and place the fish filets in the center of the paper. Cover with the sautéed vegetables. Sprinkle with grated black pepper.
Pick up the front and back sides of the paper and fold over 2-3 times, then twist the ends shut to form a paper cocoon.
Serve with rice. |
We enjoyed trout prepared in parchment paper at a tiny restaurant in
Black Bean Bake
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Oven 350 F |
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2 (15 oz) cans black beans 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies ½ cup Salsa ½ tsp chili powder ½ tsp salt 1 jalapeno pepper, diced (canned) |
Drain the black beans and chop them a bit, leaving most of the beans whole. Mix all ingredients. |
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2 Tbsp olive oil Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese |
Pour olive oil into a small flat casserole dish or pie plate. Add Bean mixture. Top with grated cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and starts to brown.
Serve with tortilla chips as a dip appetizer or spoon into warm soft corn tortillas. |
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
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1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick) 2 cups powdered sugar |
Soften the butter in the microwave 10 seconds on defrost mode. Don’t let it melt. Blend butter and powdered sugar with a mixer until it forms a pebbly texture.
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2 tsp vanilla 4 cups additional powdered sugar 1 cup whipping cream
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Add the vanilla and half of the cream. Blend well. Alternate adding sugar and cream until all of the sugar is mixed in. Keep it on the dry side. If it gets shiny, add a little more powdered sugar.
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Check the consistency for spreading. If it is too soft, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar and beat well. If it is too stiff, add a teaspoon of cream and beat well. |
Chocolate Cake
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Oven 350 F |
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1 1/2 cups sugar 1/2 cup Crisco shortening
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Mix on medium speed. |
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2 eggs |
Add and mix on medium speed.
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4 Tbsp (heaping) Hershey Cocoa 1/2 cup warm water
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In a separate small bowl or large cup, mix together and stir with a fork until the cocoa is dissolved. Add to the sugar mixture and mix on medium speed until well blended and fluffy. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl a few times with a rubber spatula.
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2 cups flour 1 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder
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Sift together and add to the batter. Mix on low speed until well blended. |
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1 tsp vanilla 1 cup milk |
Add liquid and mix on slow to avoid splashing. Mix batter on medium-high for two minutes.
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1 Tbsp shortening 2 Tbsp flour |
Prepare two 8” round cake pans or one 9×13” pan. Use a paper towel to grease the bottom and sides of the cake pans. Sprinkle with flour and roll around to coat the pan. Turn over the pan and tap gently to remove the excess flour.
Pour the batter into the pans. Shake the pan horizontally to level the batter and climb the walls a bit.
Bake the cake in a preheated 350F oven for about 25 minutes. To test for doneness, insert a toothpick in the center of the cake; the cake is done when it comes out clean.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then slide a table knife around the edges to loosen. Place a plate upside down on top of the pan, invert and tap the bottom of the pan to remove the cake. Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes before frosting.
Frost the cake with vanilla buttercream frosting or chocolate fudge frosting.
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This chocolate cake with thick vanilla buttercream frosting is simply “Birthday Cake” at our house. The cake recipe originated from Donna Faust in Ree Heights. Her cake was a little more dense and moist than this version which I have adapted over the years. I remember eating Donna’s cake with chocolate frosting many times in Ree Heights as a child.
Quesadillas
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Flour tortillas Monterey Jack cheese or mild Cheddar cheese 1 (4 oz) can chopped green chilies Cooked chicken or turkey, shredded |
Grate the cheese and arrange all ingredients close to the stove. Heat a heavy skillet or griddle to medium high. Place a flour tortilla in the pan for 1-2 minutes. Flip and top with cheese and other ingredients as desired. Top with another flour tortilla. Cook 1-2 minutes until the bottom is crisp. Flip and cook until the second side is crisp. Slide out onto a cutting board and cut into wedges.
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Sour cream |
Serve with sour cream, guacamole and salsa. |