Spiral vegetables and a very quick dinner idea

Sometimes after a long day at work, especially when Lonnie is out of town, dinner is the last thing I want to work on.  That says a lot, since everyone that knows me knows that my form of relaxation is to whip something up!  So, the other night as I sat on the couch like a slug and actually considered eating cereal for dinner I thought of my blog.  I allowed myself to daydream a little and decided to play with one of my newest kitchen gadgets....a Paderno Spiralizer.  We went on a field trip with work several weeks ago to a cooking school outing and several us could not leave the place without purchasing one of these fun machines.

You can purchase one of these on the internet.  It is really fun and very easy to use.  So, let me show you what I ended up fixing that evening.

I went through my pantry and refrigerator and found the following:

That is one cucumber, one zucchini, three carrots, some fresh oyster mushrooms, sliced water chestnuts, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, and a jar of toasted sesame seeds.

I chopped two boneless pork chops and beat three eggs in a bowl.

The Spiralizer does really cool things with very simple veggies.  This is one of the carrots and the cucumber on a small spaghetti-like cutting blade.  I added 2 T rice wine vinegar, 1 T sesame oil, 1 T soy sauce and 2 T sesame seeds.  Then I let it sit for about 15 minutes while I cooked my stir fry.  It was light and refreshing.  It was still crunchy the next day when I took the leftovers to work for lunch!

Cucumber Carrot salad with Asian dressing!

Now it was time to start the stir fry.  Took out the wok pan and added about 2 T oil and brought the pan to a medium high heat.  I added the pork and cooked it almost all the way to done.  It doesn't take very long if the pieces are small and uniform in size and the pan is preheated.

 Next, I "spiralized" the remaining carrots and the zucchini.

I pan fried the scrambled eggs omelet style, salted them and then cut them into strips.

I added the mushrooms and water chestnuts to the pork.  I also added a package of boiled rice noodles to give it another texture.

Then the veggies....

And topped it with the egg for both the taste and presentation!

It was a quick and yummy dinner with the help of my Spiralizer.

Pineapple, pineapple, pineapple

Last August we prepared a polynesian-themed dinner for Brittany and Randy's wedding.  One of the menu items was pineapple tidbits.  After the event I had four of the large (really large) cans of pineapple left.  Lonnie recently cleaned up my "pantry" area and there was all the pineapple.

I decided to open a can on Wednesday when two of our little grandchildren came to have dinner with us.  They were delighted with the pineapple and ate about one cup out of this can.  So....I thought what to do with all that pineapple?  

I remembered when I lived in Guadalajara, Mexico, there were always little pineapple pies on the counter of the corner marker.  So, after some investigating online I found a couple of recipes and decided to try my hand at creating a couple of pineapple pies.  First I noticed that the recipes called for crushed pineapple and since I was working with tidbits, out came the Blendtec.  Love my Blendtec.  30 seconds later - crushed pineapple!!

The first recipe starts with a basic crust to which you add a pineapple filling and then bake.

Pineapple Pie

Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
2 sticks of butter, cut into small pieces, very cold
1/2+ cups water

Mix flour, sugar, salt and butter with pastry blender.  Add water slowly until dough forms a ball.  Roll out and place in 9-inch pie plate.

Filling:

3/4 cup coconut, shredded
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 T lemon juice
1 T butter, melted
2 cups crushed pineapple

Mix well and pour into pie shell

Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.

After completely cooked in the refrigerator, "frost" with sweetened whipping cream.

The second recipe is roughly based on the Samoan pineapple pie recipes I saw online.  It has a baked shell filled with a pineapple custard.

"Samoan" Pineapple Pie

Crust:  
3 eggs
3 cups self rising flour
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup butter

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs one at a time.  Slowly add flour.  Mix until dough forms a ball.  Roll and place in pie plate.  (This dough was super easy to work with.)  Bake at 375 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes.

Filling:
2 cups whole milk
2 cups cream
5 eggs, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups pineapple, crushed

Mix milk, cream, eggs, sugar and vanilla in medium saucepan.  Cook over medium heat until comes to a slight boil and begins to thicken (approximately 20 minutes) stirring constantly.  Add pineapple.  Pour in cooled crust and place in the refrigerator.  Let chill at least two hours.  I piped sweet whipped cream over the pie.  Enjoy!

I had a little pineapple left after all that baking so I created a frozen drink.  This was a hit and Lonnie said it would even be better with a little rum in it!

2 cups frozen pineapple tidbits
1 cup heavy cream

Blend well and serve!

I think I am done with pineapple for a little while!  By the way, the first recipe for pineapple pie was our favorite.  Kind of like a tart coconut cream pie. The second is less sweet and very heavy, but still quite delicious.

Helping out a neighbor

Tonight I helped out a neighbor family with dinner.  There are many reasons I might be asked to help in times of family needs....maybe it's medical or a death or a birth.  Whatever the reason, it is always my pleasure to cook something I think my family would like to receive at a time when cooking might be the hardest thing to accomplish.  

I want to share with you one of my best "finds."  It is Kirkland Signature Master Carver Ham from Costco.  I bought one of these a couple of years ago and have never been disappointed by their quality, flavor or ease of preparation.

It's a fully-cooked ham, very lean, and absolutely delicious.

It cooks at 350 degrees F for 10 minutes per pound, adding a currant glaze for the last 20 minutes.

So lean, not overly salty and soooo delicious!

To round out their meal, I added a fresh strawberry jello, sunflower seed salad, macaroni and cheese.

For dessert, there are some apple roses and chocolate chip cookies (for the littles in the household!

I make an effort to put everything in non-returnable containers, so the family doesn't have to worry about getting things back to me.  One of the bonus moments is Lonnie and I have a "duplicate" dinner to eat tonight, because that ham is plenty for two families.

Take a moment and try this Master Carver Ham sometime.  I think you will agree it is one of the best hams around.

Back to blogging! Carrot Cake - Yummmy!

After a three-year hiatus it is time to get back to sharing recipes and cooking experiences.  So much has happened over the past three years but it feels good to be able to set aside some time for cooking for fun.

Years ago I created a recipe for carrot cake that I really like.  It is moist, not too sweet and really easy to make.

Carrot Cake

2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
3 cups grated carrots, packed very tight
1 1/2 cups oil
2 cups flour
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup raisins
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
1 tsp vanilla

Frosting

8 oz cream cheese
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup softened butter
2 tsp vanilla

First grease and flour your pans.  I used two 8-inch rounds today, but it can easily make a 13X9.

All my ingredients are ready to go.

Cream the oil and sugar.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly.

Mix the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Then add to other ingredients.

Then add carrots, raisins, pineapple and vanilla.

Pour batter into prepared pan(s).

 Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour until toothpick in the center comes out clean.

FROSTING

Mix butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.

Frost the cake with all that yumminess....

Voila - your carrot cake is ready.

One of our grandchildren has severe peanut, tree nut and sunflower allergies.  I will tag my recipes as Eva-safe if they are safe for her to eat.  Note:  I only use flour that is processed in nut-free plants and do not use my mixer to make any recipes containing nuts.