Soft Dinner Rolls

i make these a lot, and even came up with the recipe.  i've just never gotten around to posting them.

i use a mixture of whole wheat flour for texture, bread flour for structure, and all-purpose flour for softness.  honey instead of sugar.  buttermilk as the liquid. often (not this time), i'll brush a wash of milk & honey on top before baking.  yums!

Tangerine-Glazed Easter Ham

i don't care for ham that much, to tell the truth (except in soups), but this one is better than most.  cooked long & slow with a nice syrupy glaze of tangerine juice, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, and whole cloves, then slices of tangerine and fresh sage leaves all sticky and caramelized on top of the crisp skin--it's a good ham!  it's a tyler florence recipe, and you can find it here.  as you can see, i caramelized the tangerines & ham more than tyler did; it's better that way  *wink*

Everyday Shredded Beef Filling

this recipe is from Slow Cooker Revolution, america's test kitchen's definitive resource for crock-pot cooking.  it's basically a carne guisada, a spicy tex-mex stewed beef that is excellent as a filling for tacos, burritos, or enchiladas,.  it would also make a killer hash.  this was super easy, and super tasty.  you braise a chuck roast in an aromatic liquid of minced garlic & onions, tomato sauce, and an assorted of spices all day.  take the meat out, let it cool a bit, and then shred it, and mix in some of the braising liquid with it to keep it moist.  i made simple tacos with it on heated flour tortillas, adding only some fresh cilantro and some radishes that i shredded and tossed with a little lime juice.  i liked this a lot, not only for ease & convenience but also for flavor & versatility.  a winner in every respect!

Spaghetti alla Carbonara (My Way)

one of my favorite things to eat.  and since it's my way?  i'll tell you how i did it!  (wow, am i becoming a real food blogger?)  this is far from authentic.  if you are a person who only likes authentically prepared dishes, you might want to stop reading.  if you like healthy recipes, you might want to stop reading.

still here?  okay, first thing is put a big pot o' water on to boil.  then, chop up a pound of bacon.  yeah, a pound.  and slice a big yellow onion.  saute them together in some extra virgin olive oil.  after about five minutes, throw in some sliced mushroom.  about 10 minutes later, when the bacon looks cooked, throw in a couple of cloves of chopped garlic.  after a couple of minutes, pour in about a third cup of sherry (not traditional.  white wine works great and is more traditional, but i love sherry with 'shrooms).  now throw a box of spaghetti (well, not the box) into the boiling, salted water.  oh, and thaw some frozen peas in the microwave.  now, over in a very, very large bowl, beat together 3 large eggs, 2 large egg yolks, about 6 Tbsp of heavy cream, some grated pecorino romano & reggiano parmigiano (that's romano & parmesan cheeses)--about 1/3 cup total.  pour in the bacon, onion, and mushroom mixture (fat and all) and stir together.  now, spaghetti should be almost done.  take out about 1/4 c. of the boiling pasta water and gradually stir it into the bacon & egg mixture.  drain the pasta, then pour the pasta into the bacon & egg mixture, tossing well to get all the noodles coated, then cover the bowl with a lid, foil, or whatever you have and leave it for about 5 minutes.  the heat from the pasta will cook the eggs in an unctious, lovely sauce that sticks lovingly to the pasta.  now stir in the peas.  place a portion on a plate, thrown on some chopped parsley, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.  enjoy.  and you will enjoy, trust me.  i want more.

Frito Pie

i feel silly posting about frito pie, but there are some people up here in these parts who've never had the pleasure.  so, here you are!  simply toss some fritos in a bowl, ladle some chili on top, top with grated cheese and chopped onion.  that's it.  adding more toppings would actually subtract from the dish (it's a zen thing).  speaking of adding toppings, i will never understand why somebody decided that it's a good idea to add black olives to tex-mex dishes.  it's not. 
as for the chili, use whatever you like, but i think a simple chili that uses coarse-ground beef is ideal for this, rather than one that uses chunks of chuck beef or a white chili.  i really cheated with this one, using coarse-ground beef and carol shelby's chili mix, to which i added some smoked paprika and some new mexico chile powder, some extra onion powder, a can of pintos, and a can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes that had been spun through the food processor.

Cream Cheese Pound Cake

this is my favorite cake, and one of the very best things i make.  it's a cream cheese pound cake.  i have the recipe on an index card.  i wrote it down 20 years ago, but i have no idea where i got it: book, magazine, newspaper, coworker...no clue.  but, i figure that the statue of limitations is up so...what the hell, i'll post the recipe!  my variation, anyway.  (it's short too, so that helps)

2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
1 8-oz. block of Philadelphia cream cheese, softened (i tried a store brand once; it wasn't as good)
3 c. sugar
6 eggs (at room temperature)
3 c. minus 6 Tblsp. all-purpose flour (this is my variation)
2 tsp. vanilla

in your mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese until fluffy, gradually add sugar.  beat in eggs one at a time.  add the flour a little at a time until incorporated, and finally add the vanilla.  pour into a greased/floured bundt pan.  place into a cold oven, close the door (very important), turn the oven on, and set it to 325°.  bake for 1 hour 15 minutes (check 5 minutes early) or until a cake tester/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  set on a rack and cool.  invert onto a serving plate.  the cake will crumble near the bottom all the way around.  that's just the way it is.  deal with it, and enjoy.  you will thank me for this recipe.

Carnitas

so, i never got around to figuring out a theme for my blog cookery this year.  so, 28 days into it, we'll just call it the year of whatever.

first up: carnitas.  this pork delicacy from mexico starts with chunks of pork shoulder braised in orange juice, lime juice, salt, garlic, cumin, and water.  after a couple of hours of gentle braising, you crank up the heat and let the liquid evaporate and the fat render, eventually browning the meat in its own fat.  kind of opposite of the usual technique of browning your meat first and then cooking it slowly.   the result is a succulent, flavorful, moist, and tender morsel that is best enjoyed with a tortilla, some fresh cilantro, and a little green salsa.  the easy, fabulous recipe comes from fellow blogger The Homesick Texan, who was inspired by a recipe from renowned mexican culinary expert diane kennedy.  it's a winner!