Emily_R

Wow. Wow wow wow. Just tried a new recipe, and it may be the best pork I've ever made. Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder With Savory Apple Gravy Stunningly good. Guests were speechless with bliss. I licked the gravy out of the blender at night when everyone had gone home. Only notes: 1) my pork was marinating in its rub for about 24 hours (recipe says overnight or up to two days) 2) I added an extra onion (the roast sits on a bed of onions and apples, which then get pureed into the gravy) 3) I needed to add about a cup of chicken stock to the onions and apples when pureeing it. Seriously -- make this dish now!

Hi all - I'm having a few people for dinner tonight, and am making a roasted pork shoulder that (after browning) cooks at 325 in the oven. I'm wondering -- can I slow roast some brussels sprouts in the oven with it? I'm used to high-heat roasting them, so I don't have a good sense for how they'd turn out in a lower oven... And any idea how long I might want to have them in there for? Thanks in advance! Emily

Holy hell that looks good Dakki!!!!

SobaAddict -- wow, those dishes really struck a (hungry) chord in me -- absolutely gorgeous, and I want to eat them all!

I've made this delicious baked spinach (sort of a gratin, but without cream) with frozen spinach... http://smittenkitchen.com/2011/03/the-best-baked-spinach/ Em

Hi everyone - Just wanted to come back and thank you all for the suggestions! I was very tempted by all the chorizo + egg ideas and the chorizo + cheese ideas... But in the end I decided to try that Tinga recipe I linked to, and it was absolutely delicious. We had it over tostadas, with avocado, lime, and cilantro as garnishes. A huge hit. For what its worth, I didn't brine the pork as specified in the recipe, and it was totally delicious -- given that the pork is shredded in with the chorizo and cooked in sauce, its hard for me to imagine brining would make much of a difference. Emily

I have this Kitchenaid one which has a container it can sit on to contain whatever you grate (and it also has a lid for that container, so you can store extras in the fridge). The whole thing works really well -- at the bottom it has a ring of rubber which helps keep it stable when using it on a cutting board... http://www.amazon.com/KitchenAid-KG300-Box-Grater-Black/dp/B0000655YB

Hey all -- I've long been a huge fan of Spanish Chorizo, but just recently bought 1/2 a pound of what is supposed to be some delicious Mexican Chorizo. I'm wondering what your recommendations are for how I should use it? I've been very tempted by the Tinga recipe on Homesick Texan's blog - Tinga Recipe Here Any other tried-and-true recipes to share? Emily

Made a fantastic soup recipe -- Carrot Soup with Miso and Sesame SO GOOD. Really pretty much perfect -- so savory and delicious. I used the higher amount of ginger, and it was great. My only recommendation is don't go heavy on the sesame oil -- I'm not even sure the soup needs it, as it has the potential to overpower. Try it!

I had also seen this recipe on Smitten Kitchen, and wanted to give it a try. Made it last night, and it also didn't really do much for my husband and I. Its not that we found it too sweet, but it was just kind of one-note. We both concluded that there was essentially no time when we'd prefer the Sharlotka to just having a good apple crisp...

I agree -- ScoopKW, thanks for the info on epoxy grout! Here's a good article from This Old House on the topic... Epoxy Grout Article Em

My recommendations - no shelf (I had this in the past -- everything on it gets covered in atomized grease, and reaching it while cooking requires reaching over a hot stove).. And if you do tile, make sure that the grout is dark -- otherwise no matter how well sealed the grout is, grease and spatter will darken it... (that said, I'm looking forward to hearing what other people have to say here, as I recently put in a new range, and we still haven't settled on a backsplash to put behind it...

No photos, but a yummy dinner party last night, with several new-to-me-recipes... Started out with this Roasted Feta with Honey Thyme appetizer, served with a warm baguette. I made this in individual ramekins, and people loved it. Super easy to make, which is always a bonus for an appetizer. Then I threw together a roasted poblano and tomatillo soup, with a splash of cream. Subtle, and savory, and delicious. Served it with a dollop of sour cream and some fried tortilla strips. [As side note, anyone who has access to a Wegmans supermarket, they are now selling bags diced roasted poblanos in their freezer section!] Main course was this recipe for Grilled Shrimp Salad with Black Eyed Peas and Citrus Chipotle Vinaigrette. Really nice, and unusual. Also a hit with guests. Finally, finished up with these fantastic Graham Cracker Chewy Bars, served with key lime pie ice cream. The bars are really delicious... I thought the ice cream I made was too sour, but our guests didn't... I had mine with vanilla ice cream instead.

I was thinking breadcrumbed and and pan fried, served with a dollop of lemony parsley pesto?

I'm with dcarch - I'd do this for an egg I'd eat myself (though even then, would feel a little squeamish), but can't imagine doing it for an egg I'd serve someone else!

Ooooh! Oooh! (Hand waving frantically in the air). I've got a good one for you! A while back the NY Times published a recipe for an amazing garlic herb broth -- it is like liquid health, and is delicious enough that even non sick people like it)... You can either have the broth straight, or even better, make it into a simple avgolemono soup, with some rice cooked in there, and then the juice lemon and an egg drizzled in at the end. Here's the recipe: Garlic Broth Avgolemono Note that you can skip the blanching the garlic step -- just cut the head of garlic down the center (across all the cloves), and throw the whole thing in the water. Feel better!

Runwestierun and Elsie -- for the slow cooker pork sliders - how essential is the wasabi mayo to the final product? I don't like wasabi or mayo, but otherwise these sound great... And Eldereno -- those beans sound amazing! Going on my to-try list (which is good, since right now that pile is clogged with desserts!)

Here are two good videos on making hand pulled noodles that I've been meaning to try for ages... [Video 1, on making and kneading the dough] [Video 2, on pulling the noodles]

I do mine exactly the same way as Gfweb said above, though I may not use a full half inch of oil -- more like an eighth or a quarter... Turns out fantastic.

I'm intrigued by these, but have no idea how you eat / serve them? with a knife and fork? A spoon?

Mitch -- I highly recommend your resolution! Four years ago, I made a resolution to make one new recipe a week, and I've kept it for the past four years. I keep a record of all the new recipes I try, and the whole thing has hugely enriched my cooking. This year alone I've tried 90 new recipes, and I love looking back and seeing which were the highlights when the year is over.

Just had a baking blitz yesterday, and made a new (to me) recipe for spiced nuts that is out of this world. Best spiced / glazed nuts I've ever had, made with rosemary, chipotle, orange, and some maple syrup. Here's the recipe... Ina's Rosemary Chipotle Glazed Nuts Two changes I made to the recipe: 1) is to add about half an orange's worth of zest in addition to the orange juice. 2) to cut down on the chipotle ( from 2 tsp to 1.25 tsp) and on the salt (from 4 tsps total to closer to two). Seriously, these are amazing.

I vote for the red on white -- more graphically striking, especially with a gold ribbon. Super cute boxes though -- I'm just about to do a holiday baking extravaganza tomorrow, and will be facing my usual 'what do I pack this stuff in' conundrum!

Also, for anyone else who (like me) was considering making Jaymes' caramel corn but wasn't sure how much popcorn to pop, it looks like it takes about 6 ounces of popcorn to make 6 quarts...

These hot cocoa squares are crazy easy and crazy good. Probably the best hot cocoa I've ever made. Not to mention that if you don't use them for hot chocolate, they are then some of the best chocolate fudge I've had. And the flavoring possibilities are endless -- peppermint extract, espresso powder, frangelico, etc. But they are so good straight up as hot cocoa that its hard for me to mess with them... King Arthur Hot Cocoa Squares