Tag-Archive for » Pork «

Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Chipotle-Cherry Barbecue Sauce

Grilling season is officially upon us and I could not be more excited. I am a warm weather girl through and through, and I just love being outdoors messing around with my little Weber. My latest grilling obsession? Ribs. Specifically, baby back ribs. Over the past year, I think I’ve prepared well over 15 racks—all in an effort to bring you a full-flavored, fail-proof recipe. So, without further ado, here it is. Grilled Baby Back Ribs with Chipotle-Cherry Barbecue Sauce. Before I share my cooking tips with you, let me first say [ ... ]

Stuffed Peppers

People always joke that when you visit New Orleans your vegetable intake will be limited to the curly parsley decorating your plate or the pickled okra bobbing about in your Bloody Mary. Depending on how you choose to spend your time here, that could very well be true. But as the locals can tell you, there are plenty of beautiful, fresh vegetables to be had in these parts all year long. That’s one of the many fringe benefits of living in a subtropical environment. And because we have a great variety of veggies with extended growing seasons, [ ... ]

Sweet Potato and Andouille Bisque

Did you know that different states have different official emblems? Many extend well beyond the familiar capitals, colors and flags. And some are rather interesting. Take for example, the tartan. Considering I’m fashion-challenged, I had no clue what a tartan was but I’ve come to learn it’s a type of plaid. As in fabric. And a bunch of states, including Louisiana, have an officially designated pattern. Oh, yes. The Pelican State’s tartan is this dark green and blue number that’s rather attractive. It’s called Louisiana Tartan. Many states also identify [ ... ]

Baked Rigatoni

This is the time of year when my household shifts into high gear and my calendar overflows with sports and related activities and end-of-the-year school commitments. And with the majority of those obligations taking place between five and eight, getting a proper meal on the table can be a challenge. So what I typically do during these hectic months is make one or two “Big Easy” meals early in the week and serve the leftovers again later in the week. Red Beans and Rice certainly fits within my Big Easy plan. So too does this Baked Rigatoni. I know many [ ... ]
Category: Beef, Main Dishes, Pasta, Pork, Sauces  Tags: , ,  Comments off

Creole Collard Greens

So we’re back on “the road to routine” following an incredibly fun and fast-paced week in New Orleans. Fortunately this year, the kids’ winter break coincided with Mardi Gras. So we spent last week back home frolicking about. It was awesome! But, as expected, we all ate too much and spent way too many days going to bed late and waking up early. Such is the life of a bunch of New Orleans Carnival revelers. Now that we’re settled back in Atlanta, we’re all craving normalcy and lots of veggies (after eight days, “dressed” poor boys are simply not enough). But [ ... ]

Finger Food Friday: Creole Candied Bacon

I’m sharing another sweet, well savory-sweet, finger food recipe with you all today since we’re in full holiday mode and I’m sure plenty of you are either hosting parties or searching for creative edibles to gift to your friends and neighbors. This over-the-top bacon will meet both of those needs and many more–new brunch or Christmas breakfast item, creative Bloody Mary add-in, food therapy (or for some it may be bacon therapy), new Santa snack or all of the above. It’s just that good. When it comes to bacon, the first accompanying beverage that comes to my mind is [ ... ]

Andouille-Rice Stuffed Pork Loin

This roast pork loin has Sunday supper written all over it. It’s one of those recipes that starts with a few everyday ingredients (well at least in my kitchen)—pork, rice and andouille sausage—and ends with a slight sense of occasion. What makes it Sunday supper worthy is the fact that the ever-appealing andouille rice is rolled into the pork. When the two cook together, the juice from the pork infuses the rice with an additional layer of flavor while the andouille and veggies in the rice keep the pork moist and amp up every bite. Roasting [ ... ]

Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

When I’m in the mood for pork, I usually run to the grocery store, buy whatever’s on sale and build a recipe and a meal around that particular cut. The best buys are most often extra large pork loins and broad shoulders. Two cuts I can do plenty with. Occasionally, the plain, petite tenderloins hit the sale rack and when they do I grab a few of those. Until about three years ago, though, I never bothered with the tenderloins. I found them a challenge to cook to the recommended internal temperature without having them [ ... ]
Category: Main Dishes, Pork  Tags:  2 Comments

Finger Food Friday: Crescent City Sin

If you live in the south or have ever done any SEC tailgating, you’re probably familiar with Mississippi Sin or, as it’s called by some, Mississippi State Sin. It’s a devilishly delicious dip dotted with specs of ham and chopped green chiles that apparently originated in the kitchen of some big MS Bulldog fan. Up until a few months ago, I had only heard of this Southern college game-day tradition. Then, while flipping through a community cookbook my mom recently gave me (The 2nd Annual South Area Diversity Cookbook of the USPS), I came across the recipe [ ... ]

Mom’s Holiday Ham

This is my mom’s holiday ham recipe. This amazing ham has been an important part of every Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner I’ve been fortunate enough to share with my family. So you can imagine my surprise last week when I called my mom with a recipe instruction question only to find out that she no longer prepares her ham this way (unfortunately, I haven’t had a holiday meal at mom’s house in a couple of years so I wasn’t aware of this little fact). She said more recently, she’s been buying the spiral cut hams [ ... ]