Flavors of Fall: Oven roasted lamb with Baked Fall Sweet Potato Mix

I love fall.  Brisk mornings and moderate temperatures.  The smell of the heater kicking on for the first time in months.  Most of all, I love the comfort food that fall brings.  Especially the early fall, when we have a bounty of fresh vegetables and aren't afraid of the house getting too hot to roast them in a warm oven for dinner.  

Last night I decided I was in the mood for Lamb.  When I was at the Feast of Portland I ran into the folks from American Lamb, who were handing out samples of their Lamb Rub.  A wonderful mix of Rosemary, Mustard Seed, Sea Salt, Pepper and other spices that is the easiest preperation I have ever had for lamb.

I paired the lamb with a fall favorite around our house, what I call my Fall Sweet Potato Mix.  An oven-roasted mix of sweet potatoes, yams, and apples coated in seasoning salt and cinnamon.  Super simple and a delicious piece of Fat Boy Heaven.

Lamb

Have your butcher butterfly and tie a leg of lamb (this removes the bone and trims up some of the fat)

Coat lamb roast with olive oil, then apply spice rub (as stated, I used American Lamb's 'Lamb Rub')

Roast in oven at 450 for 20 minutes and then reduce heat to 350 and continue to roast for 45-55 minutes or until internal temp reaches 140 degrees

Fall Sweet Potato Mix

3 medium Sweet Potatoes (yellow)

2 Large Yams (orange)

2 medium apples (I prefer a pie-crisp or Braeburn)

3 tablespoons cinnamon

2 tablespoons seasoning salt

1/8 cut olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350

Cut vegetables up into equal sized chunks.  I usually trim the yam and slice it, then cut the slices in half or quarter them depending on how rough I want the texture to look.

Combine cut vegetables in a 1-gallon zip lock bag.

Add oil and shake to coat evenly

Add spices and shake until well coated

Arrange around meat or on baking sheet and bake until tender

Dinner Time made SIMPLE: Pannekoeken

Tonight I was looking for something fast and easy to do for dinner, and decided to pull out an old recipe from my mis-spent childhood helping my Dad in the kitchen.  We did this a few times a month for dinners or breakfasts with quite a few varieties.  Tonight I did it very basic and traditional, served with lemon juice and powdered sugar.  The recipe is VERY simple:

Pannekoeken

3 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup milk

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Powdered Sugar

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 425

2.  Mix eggs, flour, and milk together in a mixing bowl

3.  Put butter in a well seasoned cast iron skillet and place in over for 5 minutes (butter will melt and begin to brown)

4. Remove skillet from oven and tilt around in a circular motion to make sure butter coats the sides of the pan, and then add batter.

5. Quickly return pan to oven so that it does not cool, and bake for 20 minutes.

6. Sprinkle with lemon juice and then sift powdered sugar over the top.

7. Remove and serve up a piece of Fat Boy Heaven!

 

Notes:  I doubled the recipe and used a 2" deep 12x24 baking pan.  This recipe can be easily adapted by making additions to the batter.  One of my favorites is to brown 3-4 slices of bacon, then both substitute bacon grease for the butter and sprinkle crumbled bacon into batter after adding it to the pan.  Another great way to dress it up is to simply add Lingden Berries to the batter, which compliment the lemon very nicely.

Here's what it looks like plated!

Dinner Time: Slow Cooker Pumpkin Maple Pulled Pork

I was looking through recipes last night, and thought this one seemed an awesome way to blend summer BBQ with the flavors of fall.  It really has amazing depth of flavor, and hits spice notes you don't usually think of as being a part of BBQ.  The cloves and allspice from the pumpkin pie spice blend with the maple and pumpkin to smell like thanksgiving came to your backyard BBQ.  Add to the thanksgiving feel the creamy richness of slow-cooked pork and you end up with an amazing and EASY dinner.  I served this with onion hamburger buns, but you can use any bun you prefer.  Next time I think I'll use a corn-muffin style bun to bring in the cornbread stuffing element.  Enjoy another little piece of Fat Boy Heaven right here:

Slow Cooker Pumpkin Maple Pulled Pork

If you like pulled pork, you're going to love this beautiful recipe for slow cooker pulled pork. Rich & salty, with just enough sweet to make you crave it nightly, you're gonna love this recipe twist!

YIELD 8 servings

ACTIVE TIME 5 minutes

TOTAL TIME 4 hours

INGREDIENTS

3 pound pork roast

3/4 cup pumpkin puree

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon maple extract

2 tablespoons bourbon

hamburger buns

INSTRUCTIONS

1.  Place pork roast in a slow cooker. Add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, Worcestershire sauce, bourbon, and maple extract. Use a spatula to mix together the pumpkin mixture over the top of the pork. Cover and set slow cooker to high. Cook for 4-6 hours, or until pork is tender.

2.  Using two forks, pull the pork apart until well shredded. Stir well into the pumpkin mixture. Cover and allow to cook for another hour, until the sauce thickens.

3.  Spoon mixture onto hamburger buns. Serve and enjoy!

Dinner Tonight: MOROCCAN MEATLOAF WITH LEMON HONEY GRAVY AND ZUCCHINI COUSCOUS

MOROCCAN MEATLOAF WITH LEMON HONEY GRAVY AND ZUCCHINI COUSCOUSI was looking for some new flavors and types of foods to cook when planning our menu for the week, and found this great recipe for a Moroccan Meatloaf made with ground lamb that looked too good to pass up.  The greatest thing about Moroccan food is the wide range of spices that are used to combine into dramatic new flavors.  A savory dish with cumin, mint, lemon zest and cinnamon that is topped by a citrus and honey sauce can be found nowhere outside of the Middle East that I've ever seen, and this one was off the charts good.  

The silky smooth gravy of Honey, Lemon, and a classic rue kicked the flavors of the meat to a new level, and the combination of sauted zucchini and mint in the couscous made the pairing perfect while sneaking veggies onto the kid's plates.

Give this one a try, the fat boys in Morocco are on to something here....

You can find the recipe on Rachel Ray's site here. 

Dinner Tonight: Sausage, Pepper and Onion One-Pot

I was looking for some good old fashioned comfort food to do for dinner tonight, and stumbled across this recipe for Sausage and Peppers done in  a single pot.  Using a single pot for every stage of this process means you don't lose any of the flavor from the veggies or the pork fat that renders out of the sausage.  It all stays and layers to make an amazing dish.  The only change I made was to use a nice belgian white ale in place of the white wine (Fat Boy's don't keep white wine around the house).  Nice crisp full flavors without a lot of clean-up afterwords, now thats what I call Fat Boy Heaven.

Find the recipe here: Rachael Ray's Official Website - Sausage, Pepper and Onion One-Pot 

Dinner Tonight: Watermelon Feta Salad and Chicken Breast

I was trying to find something light for dinner tonight, and stumbled on this idea for a Watermelon and Feta salad.   At first the combination might seem a little strange, but the saltiness of the feta combines with the sweet of the watermelon juice to make a wonderful creamy dressing which is set off by the mint.  I paired it with a boneless skinless chicken breast to keep it light.  It really turned into a great summer dinner.

Dinner Time - Authentic Cochinita Pibil (Spicy Mexican Pulled Pork) Tacos

Pork shoulder was on sale this week, so I picked up a 4 pound boneless cut.  I was looking for something new to try, and came across this recipe for a traditional mexican pork dish.  The balance of the bright citrus from stewing the pork in the orange juice for 8 hours combined with the nice traditional spice that the achiote paste brings was amazing.  The salsa paired with it very nice, and allowed for each of us to adjust the heat to our own tastes.  Topped with Cotijo cheese they were a great light summer dinner.  You'll love this one, and it makes enough to feed a large group.

Dinner Tonight: Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Chuck roast was on sale at the store this week, so I picked up about a 4 pound package.  I was looking for a new way to do it for dinner tonight, and found a great shredded beef recipe here.  

The beef was tender and juicy like I couldn't believe, and the family raved that I should do them again soon.  The tanginess of the vinegar married amazingly well with the other spices to give this an amazing flavor.  A couple words of advice:  First, I used Apple Cider vinegar instead of white.  It changes the flavor, but mellows out the flavors in my opinion, especially when combined with the brown sugar.  Second, bread choice is going to be critical to this recipes success.  When it says "Hoagie Bun" it isn't talking about some sandwich bun next the the hamburger buns on the shelf at Safeway.  You need a nice crusty roll that is going to hold the juice from this meat without soaking through or melting, while still absorbing the liquid so it doesn't all end up on you.  Resist temptation to dress this up with cheese or other sauces and let it stand on it's own.  I could see some sliced pickled peppers on this as a garnish and to add texture, but nothing else would feel right on this bun.

This was a great western take on the Italian beef sandwiches I remember from living back east, and it will be a regular on our menu here at home.  I can see doing this one when we go camping this summer in the dutch oven over the fire.  An amazing meal.

Dinner Time - Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork on GF Cornbread bun

I was looking for a new pulled pork recipe yesterday, and this one looked so easy and interesting that I decided to give it a try.  I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorful the meat came out, and how easy it was to do the pork this way.  I will try this method this summer on the grill, but keeping a constant temp on my Webber Kettle for 6 hours takes some work.  The combination of fruit flavors from the Dr. Pepper combined with the smoky spice of the chipotles worked really well together.  The kids said it was good enough to do again, but that it was kind of spicy.  Carrie and I will be having leftovers for lunch today.

The gluten-free cornbread buns I found here.  I think something was wrong with my baking powder, as they didn't rise as much as I expected.  I'll give the recipe another try soon and let you know how they turn out.  The flavor was great, and they held up well despite the wonderful dripping pork fat from the pork.  

Dinner Time - Pork Carnitas with GF Sweet Corn Muffin

 

I was looking for something to do for dinner tonight, and ran across a very easy to follow recipe for carnitas.  I thought that rather than doing tacos or serving it with beans and rice, I would try and come up with a gluten-free bun that would work with it.  I decided on a sweet corn muffin using a gluten-free cornbread mix, but dressing it up a bit with honey and a few other tricks.

Drew's Sweet Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 cup dairy free milk
  • 1/4 cup canola oil
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Cornbread mix
  • 1/4 cup honey

Directions:

 

  1. Preheat oven to 350, spray large muffin or bun tin with non-stick cooking spray
  2. Whisk eggs until fluffy.  Add milk, oil, vinegar, vanilla, and honey and mix until well combined.
  3. Add cornbread mix, and mix thoroughly.
  4. Divide batter evenly between 6 wells of muffin/bun tin
  5. Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.  Test with toothpick until pick comes out clean when stuck through center of muffin.

You can find the recipe I used for the carnitas here.  Enjoy this little taste of FatBoyHeaven!

 

Dinner Time - Sweet Chorizo Quiche in Masa crust

After the tamale pies turned out so well, I started thinking about other places I could substitute the Masa crust I used in them for flour based crusts, and Quiche was my first thought.  I love a good manly quiche.  Pork fat makes it seem better to me than veggies, so that's the direction I tend to go.  Since I tend to think of Masa as a south-west ingredient, I went that direction with the ingredients for this quiche.  It has a great combination of sweet and savory due to the combination of spice in the sausage and the sweetness of the condensed milk.

Crust:

1 1/2 cups Masa Harina flour

3/4 cup Chicken Broth

1/3 cup corn oil

 

Filling:

1 lb Chorizo sausage

2 tbs. Masa Harina

1 cup shredded Sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup Cojita cheese

2 eggs

1 can sweetened condensed milk

 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2.  Combine ingredients for crust, mixing thouroughly until dough holds together.  Cover and set aside.

3.  Brown Chorizo in skillet.  Add Masa until it all is coating the sausage.

4.  Press dough into deep pie pan, ensuring it is even across bottom and around sides (1/4 to 1/3 inch thick)

5.  Add sausage to unbaked crust.

6.  Add cheese over meat

7.  Combine eggs and milk, pour over cheese

8.  Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until knife to center comes out clean.

9.  Remove from oven and let sit for 5-10 minutes to set

Dinner Time - Gluten free Mini Tamale Pies

OK, before all my mexican-american friends start yelling at me, I know this only bears a passing resemblance to a tamale.  I didn't come up with the name or the recipe, I found it here, and you can complain to them!  

That being said, these came out amazingly good.  The dough was a little dry, could probably use a bit more chicken broth next time.  The flavor was amazing, and the fact that they are so nicely self contained means I can do smaller versions for appetizers, or larger ones in a big muffin tin for larger portions.  The crust is so good I think it will work as a way for me to do quiches in the future as well.  An amazing new slice of FatBoyHeaven!

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Dinner Time - Warm southwest potato salad with Chorizo and Cojita

OK, I've been posting recipes several times a week for almost six months, and I can honestly say that of all the things I have showed you how to make so far, this one is the most likely to appear on the menu when Carrie and I open a restaurant.  I found the idea while looking through the custom recipe feed I have setup on Flipboard the other day, and kicked it up a couple notches to a main dish with the simple addition of some browned Chorizo sausage and Cojito cheese.  The family and I love potato salad, but I get tired of the heaviness of all that mayo.  Add the sweet deliciousness that comes from a roasted yam and you can not imagine how good this tastes and smells.

You can find the original recipe here.  My only changes were to add the chorizo at the end, and to use Cojito instead of Feta.  An amazing slice of fatboyheaven!

Quick and Easy - Boneless Ribs and Baked Beans

Wanted something quick and easy for Dinner on Friday, and boneless pork country style ribs were on sale, so quess what we had for dinner?  This was supper easy to prep, but took some oven time.  I like boneless ribs fall-apart tender, so I cook them low and slow.  I took 3 cans of GF Baked beans (yes, some of them have wheat flour to thicken them!), and poured them into a roasting pan.  I then placed 5lbs of ribs on top and baked at 325 for 3 hours.  I then covered the ribs in Stubbs BBQ sauce and returned to the oven for 30 minutes for the sauce to bake onto the ribs.  Quick, simple, and all that pork fat made it a slice of fatboy heaven!

Budget Week - Day Four: Nacho Chicken Bake

OK, was looking for something different, and found an idea here for a Nacho Chicken Bake that I thought I'd try.  I weighed the remaining chicken and had 12 oz, so I was all set.  I made some modifications to make it gluten-free, but they were minor (really just checking ingredients to get condensed soup that didn't have wheat).  I also changed some ingredients to fit what I had in the cupboard.  Here is MY version:

Ingredients:

12 oz Shredded Chicken (pre-cooked)

2 cups Sharp Cheddar Cheese - grated

1 can (10 oz) Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chilies

2 cans Gluten-Free Condensed Cream of Chicken soup

1 bag (15 oz) gluten-free corn chips

 

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 325

2. Pour chips into greased 13x9 baking dish

3. Mix chicken, 1/2 of cheese, and other remaining ingredients in bowl

4. Pour chicken and soup mixture over the chips

5. Top with remaining cup of cheese

6. Bake for 45-50 minutes

7. Let cool for 5-10 minutes so that caserole can setup before serving

So, the good news is I had another winning meal.  The bad news is I was only able to stretch the chicken for 4 nights worth of dinner.  If I hadn't used so much of it on the first night for the chicken salad I think I could have made it five nights.  Not bad at all for a budget concious family.

Budget Week - Day Three: Asian Shredded Chicken Coleslaw

I was looking for something light and a change of pace tonight, and found this great recipe for an Asian salad using more of the shredded chicken I made on Monday. If you didn't see yesterday's post, I prepared 3 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breast using my crock pot chicken recipe on monday. I am trying to see how far I can stretch $9.00 worth of meet to feed a family of four.

 

To see the recipe, you can read more here: http://www.food.com/recipe/asian-shredded-chicken-coleslaw-59985#ixzz1v5IzFc5l

 

Budget Week: Stretching your food budget

This week I wanted to see how far I could stretch one meat purchase.  I bought two full (both sides) chicken breasts yesterday, with a total of just over three pounds.  I cooked them in beer in my crock pot, and then put them in the fridge to cool off and stop them from cooking past their prime.

Night one: Chicken Salad

I took one half of a breast (yielding about 2 cups of chicken) and shredded it.  I mixed in 1/2 a cup of Greek yogurt, a bit of salt and pepper, and about a 1/2 cup of driend cranberries.  I had it on gluten-free bread and the wife and kids had white bread.  Rave reviews, and still 3/4 of my meat for the week is left.

Night two: Italian Baked Chicken and Pastina

I found a recipe on foodnetwork.com here, and thought I'd give it a try.  I used a nice brown-rice pasta and crushed corn flakes instead of bread crumbs.  The recipe only used a very small amount of chicken (I used 1/2 of one side of the breast, leaving plenty of chicken going into day three.  The blend of flavors was great, and the whole family enjoyed this quick meal.  Since the chicken was already pre-cooked yesterday, prep went real quick and easy as well.

Stay tuned, we'll see how far I can stretch 3 pounds of chicken!

Dinner Time - Linguica and Potato Stew

I was looking for something easy tonight, and found this great recipe for a stew with a Basque twist.  The flavor combination was incredible, and everyone ate their fill tonight.  The combination of tomato, bacon, linguica and potatoes worked with the zucchini to make magic.  Lots of bacon, lots of pork fat, how could it go wrong?  This was a great fatboy comfort food meal, and I'm actually looking forward to leftovers.

Find the recipe Here.

 

Dinner Time - Stuffed Peppers

I love stuffed peppers, especially on a cold night. I haven't made them for a while, and thought tonight would be a good time. I took a couple shortcuts to make it easier, and they turned out great!  A nice, simple gluten-free dinner that got rave reviews.  I used Yellow bell peppers this time as they add a nice sweet counter point to the acid of the tomato, without the harsh flavor that green peppers sometimes bring to this dish.  You can also use a mix of spicy italian sausage and ground beef to add a little kick to this one.  

You can find the recipe here.

Dinner Time - Spicy Italian Pork Cutlets

I picked up some pork chops on sale this week and wanted something besides applesauce to do with them.  I found this recipe and decided to give it a shot.  My only changes were using seasoned gluten-free flour on the pounded cutlets rather than just salt and pepper to give it a nice crust, and I used chianti instead of a white wine.  I served it over brown-rice pasta.

It came out great, and got rave reviews.  Give it a try!