Category Archives: Meat Dishes

Killin’ the Grill

Posted in Main Course, Meat Dishes, Recipes by

IMG_0077It’s halfway embarrassing (well maybe only one-quarter embarrassing) to think about the role of food in my family’s life. And when I say family, I don’t just mean Bill, me, and our children. I’m talking about my whole extended family.

There would never be a family function that did not include food. Furthermore, it is not an exaggeration to say that when the whole of us are together, we begin discussing our lunch plans at breakfast and our dinner plans at lunch. Furthermore, my grandmother always said, no matter the occasion, be it a celebration or a funeral, “You have to eat a little something.”

It’s become our family mantra.

I began thinking about that recently when one of my nephews proudly posted photos of a pork shoulder he smoked for a birthday party that subsequently was cancelled due to illness. It was an impressive piece of meat (that I will be featuring later this week). What I realized is that my grandmother and grandfather loved food, my mom and dad loved food, my siblings and I love food, and our children love food. Period. End of story.

And our children cook. Or grill. At any rate, they love food and they are responsible for preparing it at least some of the time in their busy lives.

Take my nephew BJ. Jen’s son BJ has always appreciated good food and wine. And I mean from the time he was small. He has worked for many years at a family-owned Italian restaurant in Fort Collins because he appreciates that it is locally-owned and he loves the food and the owner’s cooking philosophy. He would tell you he learned much about cooking from Clyde Canino.

But I purport that he learned much about grilling from my dad – his Poppo.

Poppo was a master griller. I don’t remember my life without a grill in it. Nearly every night in the summer when I grew up, Dad would fire up the grill (and I’m talking the charcoal kind) and cook his butter-basted chicken with lemon juice or his delicious steaks.

The grandkids especially remember his pork chops – skinny little chops sprinkled in salt and pepper. Dad would always keep a can of beer nearby to douse the coals as they flared up. So the chops (or chicken, or steaks) were basically all basted in beer. It was delicious. Our sons remember the can of beer, and I would venture to say every one of them uses beer to cool an overly-hot grill.

Taking a cue from his Poppo, BJ grills nearly every night – even in the winter. Rain or shine. Warm or cold. Company or not.

He says often what he chooses to grill is a pork chop. I haven’t confirmed this with him, but my guess is that pork chops are cheap and it’s easy to buy one chop and cook it for oneself. He might marinate it. He might simply grill it with salt and pepper or Monterey seasoning. He often tops his meat with bleu cheese. He almost always serves it with grilled vegetables on the side. Sometimes he cooks a potato in his toaster oven. I LOVE the fact that he cooks for himself.

So I asked him for one of his recipes. No written-down recipes, Aunt! But here’s what he told me:

Poor Man’s Pork Chop
I found pork chops on Manager’s Special at King Soopers – two for $6. I marinatedimagejpeg_0 one of the chops in a little olive oil sprinkled on top with Monterey seasoning for about 10 minutes. It was minus 4 degrees outside, so I cooked the pork chop on my grill pan indoors. I grilled a red onion that I had sliced up, and then placed the chop on top to cook. I cooked the onion until it was blackened because I think that blackened red onion tastes like onion straws. When the chop was cooked through, I put some blue cheese crumbles that I had in my refrigerator on top, covered it and let it melt.

imagejpeg_1I served it by putting the cheese-covered chop on the plate and topping it with the onions. The juice from the meat made a great sauce.

I used what I had on hand, and it was delicious. I still have one chop left for next week.

Honestly, his Poppo would be very proud.

Chicago, Chicago, That Toddlin’ Town

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Before I start, I just have to put this question out there….what on earth is a toddlin’ town?

All that aside, however, I felt as though I was in Chicago on Saturday. Bill and I spent the day at Arizona’s own Wrigleyville in Mesa.

The Cubs have been holding their spring training in Mesa for 50 years. For those 50 years, it has worked well, because half of the retired population of Illinois comes to Mesa during the winter. In fact, I think a full third of all of the people I complain about blocking the aisles in the grocery stores and holding up the lines in the restaurants are boasting Illinois license plates and Go Illini bumper stickers. And let’s just be really honest. Most of the people who live in Illinois are Cubs fans. A few die-hards that live on the south side of Chicago root for the White Sox, but during baseball season, everyone is a Cubs fan. They proudly wear their t-shirts that say 1908 World Champions.

However, a few years ago, in this day and age of big sports money, the Cubs organization gave the City of Mesa a real scare. Give us some big time tax dollars or we will move our spring training to Florida, who really, really wants us, they told the city fathers and mothers. Yikes.

So, with great foresight and even greater spending money, the city underwent a massive marketing campaign, asking the citizens of Mesa to approve a tax increase to fund a brand new facility that they refer to as Little Wrigleyville. The powers-that-be promised the city would benefit from more people coming to spend their hard-earned dollars in Mesa, and a great deal of urban beautification.

The citizens of Mesa, despite the trend towards turning down every single attempt at tax increases, passed this measure handily, and the new Wrigleyville is the result. Saturday was their grand opening – a free event to show the people of Mesa what their hard-earned tax dollars have built.

And it is beautiful.

Bill and I started off our day at Portillo’s – a well-known Chicago eatery that features hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches and crispy onion rings and hot French fries and, as an afterthought, a few salads. The first Arizona Portillo’s opened a couple of years ago in Scottsdale, just north of the Salt River Stadium where the D-Backs and the Rockies have their spring training. A few months ago, they opened a second location near the Cubs facility. Brilllllllliant!

I think anyone who had ever even cut across the corner of Illinois was present on Saturday to see the new facility, Bill and me included of course. Our tummies full of hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches, we walked around and saw the ball field, sat in the seats, tried out the restrooms, scoped out our seats for the games for which we have already gotten tickets – one in February, one in March. A full half of the people were dressed in Cubs shirts and/or hats. There were actual tailgaters, apparently getting into practice for the real spring training season that will be here before you know it. Brats and Old Style beer abounded.

The weather was perfect and the crowd was in a great mood. We had a great deal of fun and it got us in the mood for the spring training season.

Go Rockies! (But don’t tell the Cubs I said so.)

In honor of long-time Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray, here is his recipe for a good ol’ Chicago favorite.

Harry Caray’s Chicken Vesuvio

Ingredients
1 cup frozen peas
2 whole cleaned (4 pound) roasting chickens
1 cup olive oil
4 large Idaho potatoes
10 cloves whole garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

Process
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Blanch the peas by putting them in boiling water 1 minute. Joint each chicken into 8 pieces. Peel the potatoes and cut them into quarters lengthwise. In a large roasting pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and garlic cloves and sauté the potatoes until golden brown, stirring so they cook evenly. Remove the garlic cloves from the roasting pan and discard them. Remove the potatoes and set aside.

Add the chicken to the pan and sauté lightly on both sides of each piece until it is golden brown. Deglaze the pan with the wine and reduce by half.

Return the potatoes to the pan. Season the potatoes and chicken with the salt, pepper, oregano, granulated garlic, and parsley. Add the chicken broth and transfer the pan to the oven for 45 minutes or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 155 degrees.
Place the chicken on a serving plate and arrange the potatoes around the chicken. Pour the sauce from the pan over the chicken and sprinkle the peas on top.

Nana’s Notes: I use chicken thighs, and cut the recipe by at least half. I leave out the peas Bill is not a big fan of the pea, and they really are mainly for color. Giada De Laurentis suggests artichoke hearts or lima beans, but I think either of those would just be showing off, so I leave out a vegetable. I prepare the dish in an oven-safe skillet to roast, or prepare the dish in the skillet and then move it to a roasting pan to finish.

Fiddle-dee-dee, Rhett Butler – Tamale is Another Day

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I have already mentioned that I am obsessed with tamales. I’m going to have to stop writing about them, however, because I’m running out of clever titles. Let’s face it, “tamale” really doesn’t sound that much like “tomorrow” so I’m going to have to KNOCK IT OFF.

However, last week, I actually was able to get my hands into the masa and make them myself – with a little help from my friends. Well, quite a lot of help, actually, but then it wouldn’t have been a quote from a Beatles’ song.

Four women, none of whom has a lick of Hispanic blood in her, spent most of a day working on a large batch of tamales – some with meat, some with cheese and roasted corn. I think we did a fine job if I must say so myself. Bill, a beneficiary of the resulting tamales, agrees.

My friend Andrea has made tamales before, and she led the effort. In fact, when I arrived, she had a lot of the work done. She had already prepared the masa and the meat for half the tamales. Well, to be perfectly clear, she wisely left initial masa preparation to those who have a little more time and experience – a local market with a tortilleria. Just the right amount of lard must be added to the masa – and knowing just how much comes with experience. “You can feel when it’s ready.” But she added a bit of the chili flavoring from the meat into the masa that was to be used for the meat tamales to add color and some flavoring. To the masa that would be used for the roasted corn, chili and cheese tamales she added a bit of creamed corn. Yum.

Andrea used beef because that’s what the store recommended. Actually, when she asked the butcher what kind of meat he recommended, he told her, “tamale meat.” Hmmm. Not particularly helpful. After talking to someone who spoke and understood a bit more English, she was led to what actually was labeled tamale meat (so there!), and what turned out to be beef. It worked.

Andrea prepared the meat much as it dictates in the recipe below. She used avocado oil as a wink to the Mexican culture and some ground cloves since she knew they were used in mole and it sounded good to her. It worked. Andrea used pasilla chiles and guajillo chiles.

Andrea, Bec, Sandra, and I took turns spreading the masa on the softened corn husks, filling them with meat, wrapping them much the same way that a mama wraps a baby’s bottom, and tying them up with a piece of corn husk. One tie for the corn, chili, and cheese; two ties for the meat. It helped us keep them straight.

Frankly, some of the tamales’ appearance would have made a Mexican mother weep, but overall they were magnificent. Sandra was the very best at spreading the masa like a pro. Mine were a bit lumpy. Bec was a tamale filler extraordinaire and Andrea had the tedious job of tying the knots.

Andrea had borrowed a tamale pot – an enormous pot that puts my canning pot to shame, like a bully on the playground. It has a rim near the bottom on which a rack sits. The bottom of the pot is filled with water, and the tamales are placed open side up on the rack above the water and steamed for about two hours until the masa is set.

While we waited for the tamales to steam, we ate lunch. Andrea had made a delicious Mexican soup filled with veggies, and a scrumptious avocado salad loaded with lots of fresh lime. Quesadillas completed our lunch. We talked kids, grandkids, books, cooking, and travel. The others besides myself were all teachers, so we talked a lot about educating our kids. Well, they talked; I listened and missed my grandkids, as usual.

The experience was one I won’t forget. Bill asked me if I would try it on my own. I will definitely try it, but not on my own. As Sandra put it, “I don’t think I know anyone who makes tamales alone. It is definitely a social thing.”

Isn’t it true that so much of cooking and childrearing and homemaking is done with a group of women friends? Really, women should run the world. Individually, we’re powerful; as a group, we are unbeatable.

As were these tamales.

The following recipe is verbatim from The Arizona Republic newspaper. The comments are not Nana’s.

Red Chile-Beef Tamales

Cook’s tip: Making tamales is a slow, tedious process. Spread the making of the tamales, the center of Southwestern holiday celebrations since Aztec times, over two days. Make the red-chile beef one day and assemble tamales the next. If you prefer pork, substitute a shoulder roast for beef chuck.

For red-chile beef or pork:
2 pounds beef chuck or pork shoulder roast
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Water
2 onions, peeled and sliced
1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
4 ounces dried New Mexico chiles
2 ounces pasilla chiles
2 tablespoons cumin seed
1 tablespoon salt

Season meat with salt and pepper. Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add oil, then brown meat on all sides. Once browned, add water to cover the roast. Add one slice of onion and 6 cloves of garlic. Cook until meat is tender and falls apart easily, about 2 hours. Remove meat and shred by hand. Reserve the broth.

To prepare the sauce, place New Mexico and pasilla chiles in a large stockpot and cover with water. Add cumin seed and remaining onion slices and garlic cloves. Boil 20 minutes, until the chiles are very soft. Drain mixture (reserving cooking water) and allow to cool. Mash the chile mixture and place in a large mixing bowl. Slowly pour in about 1/4 cup of chile cooking water. Use a blender or food processor to puree the chiles until smooth. Pour pureed chiles through cheesecloth to strain out the seeds and skins. Pour the sauce into a large bowl and add salt. Add the shredded meat and mix thoroughly.

For tamales:
3 dozen corn husks
4 cups masa
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
2/3 cup lard
To make three dozen tamales, soften the corn husks by soaking 3 dozen in water. Next, combine masa, available at most grocery stores, with the baking powder, salt and lard. Mix, adding more lard if necessary to form a paste the consistency of peanut butter. Then add half a cup of juices from the cooked meat.

Drain the corn husks and select the largest ones. Place the husks, smooth side up, on a flat surface or in your hand. Use a tablespoon to spread the masa almost all the way to the sides of a husk, and near the top where it will be tied or folded. Leave a portion at the bottom half of the husk uncovered.

Spoon a tablespoon or two of meat in a narrow band across the masa. Leave at least a 1-1/2-inch border on the pointed end of the husk, and a 3/4-inch border along the other sides.
To fold, begin by tucking one edge of the husk, then roll. Then fold the empty bottom half of the husk up against the rest of the roll. Tie tamales with a string of corn husk, or use the masa to “glue” the tamale to prevent it from coming undone.

Place the tamale, flap side down, in a steamer basket or tamale cooker. Fill the bottom of the pan with water. The water level should be below the rack. Stack tamales on top of one another. Steam the tamales for 2 hours or until the masa seems fairly firm inside the husk. Replenish boiling water if necessary.

Tamales are done when the husk peels away easily. Serve immediately, or freeze and then reheat in a steamer pan or microwave.

Makes 36 servings.

Nana’s Notes: Andrea didn’t soak her corn husks; she boiled them until they were soft and pliable. We kept the husks in the hot water as we worked so they wouldn’t dry out and become unworkable. She also said she tried the whole squeezing the pureed chiles through cheesecloth and it was really, really messy. She elected to leave out that step, and the result was just fine.

United in Orange

Posted in Appetizers, Cocktails, Meat Dishes, Recipes by

United in orange….that’s the apparent catch phrase encompassing all things Broncos in Colorado these days preceding the AFC Conference Championship game tomorrow.

And while I love being here in Arizona during this really nice winter weather, I am sad that I’m missing all of the Broncomania taking place over our state this week. Thank you Peyton, and all of your cohorts who clearly know what “Omaha Omaha” means. We all speculate. In fact, Peyton gave a very funny interview at which he was asked what Omaha Omaha means. With a completely straight face, he gave a roundabout answer that basically said, “Are you serious? Do you really think I’m going to tell you what it means?” Click the link to see the interview.

For my part, we both have Denver Bronco shirts that we will wear on Sunday, we have been happily displaying our little Bronco garden flag in our front yard, and, if possible, we will find a way to fly our great big Bronco flag on Sunday.

I’ve been trying to think about things I can serve to whomever shows up at our front door to watch the game with us. It must be orange and blue. That’s a given.

Here’s a couple of ideas:

Queso Dip with Blue Corn Tortilla Chips (from CHOW.com)

Ingredients
4 c. grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1-1/2 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 T. cornstarch
¼ c. milk
1 c. minced onion
1 4-oz. can diced green chiles

Process
Place cheeses in a large bowl, sprinkle with cornstarch, and toss to coat.Transfer cheese mixture to a large saucepan and add milk. Set over low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is smooth and melted, about 10-15 minutes.

Stir in onion and chilies with reserved juices until well combined. Serve with blue corn tortilla chips and various raw veggies.

Grilled Chicken Wings (from Allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
2-1/2 lbs. chicken wings
Salt and pepper
2/3 c. Frank’s Hot Pepper Sauce
1/3 c. melted butter
Pinch of cayenne pepper

Process
Season chicken wings. Grill the chicken wings over medium heat for about 10 minutes on each side. In the meantime, melt the butter and mix with hot sauce and cayenne pepper. Dip wings in the sauce and serve with celery and blue cheese dip.

Blue Margarita (from About.com)

Ingredients
1-1/2 oz. tequila
1 oz. blue curacao
1 oz. fresh lime juice
Orange slice for garnish
Salt for rimming

Process
Pour all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and pour into a margarita glass rimmed with salt. Garnish with an orange slice.

In the meantime, Bill and I (and anyone else watching the game on Sunday with us) will be filled with hope. Go Broncos. Bill and I are United in Orange even though we’re 900 miles away.

I’d Rather Be Playing Pickleball

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Monday is grocery shopping day for me. It’s not a particularly good day for this activity, because the stores are all out of product following the busy weekend of shopping by those who work for a living. So Monday it’s just the retired set. Me included. The store shelves are bare and I know they will be bare, but I continue to shop on Mondays. There you have it.

I’m a fairly loyal Kroger shopper. King Soopers in Denver; Frys here in AZ. No particular reason other than I’m used to their brands and their prices are within reason. Not Walmart prices, but need I say any more about Walmart shopping?

The nearest Frys to our house, a couple of miles from here, is located in an area that is surrounded by park model communities. Now, prior to moving to AZ, I don’t believe I had ever heard that term – park model. In fact, the first time I heard the term was at my neighborhood nail salon, when a pleasant retirement-aged woman asked me if I lived in a park model. My sister Jen happened to be visiting, and we looked at each other with deer-in-the-headlight eyes. “I’m not sure,” I told the woman. “I don’t think so. What is a park model?”

Well, she clearly lived in a park model, and was quite put out with me. I don’t know if she was frustrated at my ignorance or annoyed that I didn’t live in one. She never bothered to explain the term to us.

For your information, park models are what we might call manufactured housing back in Denver. They are RV-like, but more permanent. They generally sit on some kind of a foundation, and are connected to utilities. And they are uber-popular with the over-70 community here in the east valley, and for good reason. They are inexpensive, offer recreational activities, and because they generally are part of a large over-55 community, provide immediate friends. Personally, I like my neighborhood where I can hear children playing, but God made us all different and I’m not judging.

All this is to say that shoppers at this particular store on this particular day of the week are almost all retired folks. Again, me included. But I differ from the majority of these undoubtedly very nice people in one way. I am shopping alone. Almost without exception, shoppers here are a team – husband and wife. Bill rarely shops with me, and never when I’m doing my weekly grocery shopping. He might accompany me on a Walmart run, but he will check out the auto parts or the sporting goods while I get whatever I came to buy. And personally, I’m very happy to have him not included in this particular activity, if for no other reason than I can’t bear to see his disappointed expression when I place the vegetarian-fed, cage-free-raised chicken eggs into my cart instead of the ones that cost a buck sixty-nine.

But here’s the thing. Again, almost without exception, the husbands look so darn sad. The wives are showing them the two-pack of Magic Scrubbing Bubbles and, with furrowed brows and frowning faces, are saying, “Weren’t Magic Scrubbing Bubbles on sale at Safeway last week? I think they might be thirty cents cheaper at Safeway” and the husbands SIMPLY DON’T CARE. They want to be back at home playing cards or pickleball with their friends, or, even better, on the golf course. However, they know full well that must accompany their wives to the grocery store to provide transportation and to reach things on the high shelf.

I feel for ya, Guys. And, by the way, thanks for getting that jar of Newman’s Own spaghetti sauce from the top shelf for me today.

I’m continuing to try and eat healthier meals, and found a delicious-sounding recipe in a Weight Watchers magazine. Last night’s dinner!

Beefy Skillet Penne

Ingredients
1 lb. ground sirloin
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
½ lb. penne pasta, whole grain
2 c. roasted garlic pasta sauce
½ t. dried Italian seasoning
1/8 t. salt
4 oz. shredded Italian-blend cheese, divided
½ c. part-skim ricotta cheese.
Chopped fresh parsley

Process
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add first three ingredients; cook 5 – 6 min. or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Drain well; return beef mixture to pan.

While beef mixture cooks, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and add pasta to beef mixture in pan. Stir in pasta sauce, Italian seasoning, and salt. Reduce heat to medium.

Combine 2 oz. cheese Italian blend cheese and ricotta cheese in a bowl. Drop by heaping tablespoonfuls over meat mixture, and sprinkle with 2 oz. Italian blend cheese. Cover and cook 5 min or until cheese melts. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nana’s Notes: 6 Weight Watcher Plus points for a serving of about 1-1/3 cups.Very quick to prepare. I almost left off the ricotta cheese, but I’m glad I didn’t. It made the dish for me.

Something’s Fishy about this Manicure

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Funny and random things just happen in the East Valley of Phoenix, AZ. I don’t know if it’s the desert air, the spicy food, or all the sunshine, but almost daily something will happen to make me smile and think, “now that’s something you don’t see everyday.”

Here’s a perfect example. Tuesday I got a text message from my sister Bec, who lives in Chandler, which is about 25 miles south of our house, still in the East Valley. The text says, “Productive visit to the salon. Mani, pedi, and 2 lbs. of Louisiana prawns.”

Now, I just presumed she meant that she had gotten her manicure and pedicure, and then headed to Whole Foods and gotten some shrimp for dinner. I really didn’t give it a second thought. A half hour later or so, she telephones me and asks me if I wasn’t surprised and amused by her text message. She commenced to tell me this story.

She was getting her pedicure when she noticed an increase in activity and talking amongst the nail technicians. She said it didn’t appear anything was wrong, but they were definitely excited about something. They were speaking in Vietnamese, so she couldn’t figure out what was going on. She noticed some of the technicians were leaving the building and coming back in carrying packages. A drug deal?

A few minutes later she noticed a Vietnamese man come in and begin speaking to the technicians and some of the customers. He spoke very good English. The nail technician with her explained that the man lived in Louisiana, and had driven his truck to Phoenix carrying a variety of freshly caught and frozen fish. “It’s where we all get our seafood,” she explained.

What does he offer, everyone wondered. “Well, all he has left now is squid,” answered one of the nail technicians. The man quickly spoke up and said he still had prawns in his truck. All of the non-Vietnamese customers perked up, and pretty soon Bec said everyone had a little package resting next to their shoes. Why not, she thought, and proceeded to purchase two pounds of prawns – 9-12 to a lb. – with the heads still on.

A full service salon, for sure. Manicure, pedicure and tomorrow night’s dinner.

She went home and cut off the heads of about a half pound, put the rest in the freezer, and cooked the prawns last night on the grill.

Here was how she prepared the prawns:

I put the frozen prawns in cold water for 10 minutes and then cleaned them. I took off the shells so I could remove the veins. I brushed them with a paste of garlic and crushed red peppers, and grilled them for 3 minutes, turning them over once. They were very sweet, and the garlic and pepper spiciness complemented that sweetness. Eight oz of whole shrimp were about 5 oz cooked without their shells.

Nana’s Notes: I can count. As I see it, there is still a pound-and-a-half of prawns in her freezer. Hello Sistah! And, might I add, when I go to my neighborhood nail salon, all I get is a pedicure. No dinner.

Hey, Cuz!

Posted in Main Course, Meat Dishes, Recipes by

I have countless cousins. Well, that, of course, is not literally true. If I took the time, I could count them, thereby making them not countless. But my mother had 12 brothers and sisters that lived to adulthood, and she came from a good, Catholic family. So the 13 children resulted in many, many cousins for my siblings and me.

Most of my cousins lived in or around the area of Nebraska where we grew up. One of my mother’s brothers ended up in Minnesota, along with his large family, but the rest, as I recall, lived near us, at least as children. We rarely, however, gathered together as one group. We might gather one family at a time, but it was very uncommon for the entire family to gather, as it was quite formidable.

The one exception was our (almost) annual family picnic. We would get together, usually at a public park. Each aunt brought delicious picnic food; each uncle brought a more-than-sufficient amount of beer. Let the festivities commence! The adults would laugh and reminisce and gossip and drink and eat, getting livelier as the beer diminished. The kids would group together and run and play all sorts of games. The picnics were great fun. Even as adults, my sibs and I will occasionally talk about those picnics.

I thought about those picnics yesterday afternoon-into-evening as we were all together at yet-another celebration, this one a joint hullaballoo for my brother (with his year-end December birthday) and three of his children, with birthdays throughout January. My sister-in-law offered an amazing assortments of more unusual Mexican dishes – posole, menudo, and tamales made with Monterey Jack cheese, spinach, and green chili.

One thing about my Arizona family – if you give a party, they will come. And bring their kids. So much fun. So, the children – at least the ones joining us yesterday – ranged in ages from 8 to just over one month. Let’s see if I can get this right: one girl at 8, one girl at 7, two boys at 6, one girl at 4, two boys and one girl at 3, one girl at 1, and one baby girl just over a month. I think I’m close in those ages. You can sort of figure out how they paired up, though I did have occasion to see the 3-year-old boys playing with the 6-year-old boys. Or rather, the 6-year-olds were teasing the 3-year-olds mercilessly by keeping the ball away from them. Boys!

The weather was perfect – high 60s, so the kids played mostly outside, making up games as they went along. Later in the evening, one of my nephews lit up some logs in the firepit, and the inevitable cry, “Do you have any marshmallows”? rang out, to no avail, I’m afraid. Still, there was plenty of birthday cake to go around. For my part, I simply held my breath and prayed that none of the children would fall into the fire as they worked at finding a place to sit. Bill suggested he would dial 9-1 on his phone to be ready for the seemingly inevitable accident, which never transpired to my surprise. I missed my grandchildren immensely. They would have had fun with their cousins.

The whole scene made me think back on my days as a child with my cousins, as well as the days when all of my nieces and nephews gathered at my mom and dad’s house in Dillon, Colorado, every summer. The activities then were very similar. Cousins rock. They are like built-in best friends.

Until last night, I had never eaten posole. Posole is a soup made with pork and hominy (basically dried corn). The photo is stock, and is not of her soup. Most posole recipes use slowly-cooked pork shoulder as in the photo, but she used ground pork, which I thought was delicious.

New Mexican Style Posole from New Mexico Cookbook by Lynn Nusom

Ingredients
2 T. olive oil
1 medium-sized yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, run through a garlic press
1 lb. lean, ground pork
1 t. salt
1 t. dried oregano
2 T ground cumin
1 c. chopped green chile
1 can (#10)white hominy, with the juice

Process
Heat oil in a frying pan, saute onion and garlic until soft. Stir in ground pork, add salt, oregano, cumin and green chile, and cook until pork is brown.Pour hominy (with liquid) into a large pot, stir in pork mixture and cook, covered, over low heat for at least one hour. Serve in soup bowls with Red Chile Sauce on the side.

Nana’s Notes: You may have noticed I said very little about the menudo. My sister-in-law didn’t make the menudo; she got it from a friend. I love all things Mexican, but I couldn’t make myself even try the menudo. The smell, donchaknow. Oh, and the pig’s hoof that was floating in it — a treat for my brother who enjoyed it with great relish. Well, it was his birthday celebration after all. As for the posole, Sami didn’t serve it with Red Chile Sauce on the side; instead, she used a seasoning mix she found in the Mexican section of the grocery store — a mixture of chili pepper and oregano and probably other spices. She thinks it was called menudo seasoning.

New Year, New Challenges

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When we arrive in Arizona right after Christmas, we surely do hit the ground running. We generally have a bit of a second Christmas with nieces and sisters, my brother’s birthday is Dec. 28, one great-niece has a January 1 birthday, a niece has a January 2, and then, of course, one of us hosts the family for a New Year’s Day bash. All fun. All involve a plethora of delicious food. Time to hit the gym. Big time.

But, as I already know, when you own a house, you also own all of the problems that come with home ownership. Yesterday we discovered that we have termites. Apparently, with all structures in Arizona, it’s not a matter of if you get termites, but when. We will have someone come out and look today, but, in the meantime, euwwww. I am thoroughly convinced last night as I lay in bed that I could hear them crunching! At least I could picture them, and that’s even worse. Oh well. Before I know it the problem will be solved and we will be onto the next house problem. At least it isn’t scorpions. Yet.

I have given a lot of thought about 2014 resolutions. I have read that the key to actually keeping the resolution is to be very specific. In other words, don’t say I am going to save more money in 2014; say I will put $25 every week into my savings account. So my general “I will be more generous, I will cook and eat healthier, I will be more prayerful” just don’t cut it.

My niece Kate (who will kill me if I don’t point out that she actually goes by Jojo, but will always be Kate to me) does an interesting thing when it comes to resolutions. Instead of drawing up her list each January 1, she does what she calls monthly challenges, and she makes them pretty difficult. After all, it’s only for a month, right? Yesterday it occurred to me that monthly challenges make more sense than meaningless yearly goals. So I guess you could say my new year’s resolution is to have monthly resolutions. Hmmmm.

Anyway, she assured me no challenge is too silly, so my first challenge will be to drink eight glasses of water every day this month. I drink virtually no water, and very little of anything else. I have three or four cups of coffee every morning and my glass of wine in the evening, and perhaps a sip or two of a diet cola if we go out to lunch. That’s pretty much it Folks. My son has said to me, “Mom, I don’t know how you even continue to live drinking so little fluid in a day!” But I have. For 60 years.

So there you have it. I will fill up a 64-oz. jug with water every day and by evening it will be gone. At least for a month. Kate promises when you do something for a month, it becomes a habit.

Here are some pictures of our feast yesterday:

One of the standing rib roasts on the grill (the other was roasted in the oven)…

My niece Brooke (left), my niece Jessie (with her head cocked), and their respective friends Alex and Jennie….

Bill carves the roast beasts, and he is a master carver!….

My two nieces Maggie and Kate. Maggie’s baby is due any minute now….

Our buffet…..

I’m going to have a glass of water. Then go to the bathroom. See ya.

Herbed Rib Roast from Epicurious.com

Ingredients
1 7-8 lb. prime rib roast (3-4 ribs)
1 T. whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 T. kosher salt
3 garlic cloves
1 t. chopped fresh thyme
1 t. chopped fresh rosemary
1 T. olive oil

Process
Grind peppercorns and salt to a powder in an electric coffee/spice grinder, then transfer to a mortar. Add garlic, thyme, and rosemary, pound to a smooth paste with pestle. Stir in oil. Rub paste over roast. Transfer roast to a rack set in a small flameproof roasting pan. Marinate, covered and chilled, at least 8 hours.

To cook:
Let roast stand at room temperature 1 hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Roast beef in middle of oven 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees and roast beef until a thermometer inserted into center of meat registers 110, 1-1/2 hours to 1-3/4 hours more. Transfer beef to a large platter and let stand, uncovered, 25 minutes. Meat will continue to cook, reaching about 130 for medium rare.

Nana’s Notes: Because when we all get together, we are a huge group, my sister (who hosted) had an enormous roast that she cut in two (three bones each). She marinated each the same way, but prepared one as above in the oven, and one on the grill. To grill, prepare your grill for indirect heat. Place an aluminum pan in the unheated area, put your rack over the pan, and place your roast on that area of the rack. Bring your grill to 375 degrees, and cook for about the same length of time. Don’t open your grill! Both were delicious.

Looking Back, Part I

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Whew. We are looking at the final couple of days of 2013, and as always, it seems to have gone by quickly.

Bill and I left Denver on Christmas Day after spending the final few days before we left with three-fourths of our children (the other living in Vermont). We had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with the oldest, Allen, at McCormick and Schmicks, and felt like real grown-ups as we didn’t eat until 7:30.

Christmas morning we got into our already-packed car and headed south. Bill’s engineering mind kicks into full gear when he packs a car. He utilizes every square inch of the trunk and the back seat, leaving just enough room for our goodie bag.

The roads Christmas Day were very quiet. We listened to Christmas music as we headed towards our first stop – Albuquerque. We checked into the hotel early evening where I’m pretty darn sure we were the only guests. (Thankfully I didn’t see Norman Bates.) We have this down to a science. We always pack one little bag for just those things that we need for overnight – pajamas, meds, toothbrush, and toothpaste. This time we also had a bag with our Christmas dinner.

I knew there would be no restaurants open Christmas night, so, at Bill’s suggestion, I packed a picnic reminiscent of those we had when we traveled through Europe a few years ago. I had salami and prosciutto, several cheeses, some vegetables, and of course, a bottle of wine. It made for a nice little dinner.

I’m always nostalgic at saying goodbye to one year and looking forward to the next. First of all, it means we are getting older and so are our kids and grandkids. That’s the cycle of life, of course. But I also always wonder if I accomplished anything important during the past year, or was I just a slug, using God’s resources and breathing God’s air and not contributing a single thing.

As I thought about 2013, I finally concluded that I didn’t accomplish anything in the finding-a-cure-for-cancer type of way, but I certainly feel like it was a good year, full of joy and family (which are really one in the same for me).

Here are a couple of things that were important to me in 2013:

Largely because of my job, I was able to travel around the United States a great deal. There really aren’t many major cities that I haven’t been able to visit. But my job (or my life in general) had never allowed me the opportunity to visit Savannah, Georgia, and that was definitely on my bucket list. This year Bill and I spent a week with my two sisters on Hilton Head Island, and we visited Savannah. What a beautiful city and what a lot of fun we had! We even had the chance to dine at Lady and Sons Restaurant, which was definitely a bucket list item (my bucket list is pretty simple, my friends).

I started this blog. I have always loved to write, but while my job involved a lot of writing, it was all business writing, and largely boring. Approximately 22,000 new widgets will be produced this year as a result of a stronger commitment to the environment, it was announced today by CEO Joe Schmoe at a press conference announcing new widget production. And so forth. I wanted to enjoy writing, and this blog provides that enjoyment. I hope to continue to grow and reach more people, and welcome any and all feedback.

This year at Thanksgiving, my whole family was together – a somewhat rare occurrence. Our daughter and family spent the week in Denver, and the visit was culminated by a joyous Thanksgiving dinner. I showed the family photo the other day to one of my nieces. She looked at it, shook her head in amazement and said, “Aunt Kris, I can’t believe you have that family when you just had one kid.” True, true, true. I am so blessed.

Today I am spending the day with my two sisters at a fancy, dancy spa (where I will likely have to unveil my bare, oh-so-white legs). This is a continuance of my birthday celebration, as it is a gift from my sister Bec. Fodder for my blog, no doubt.

I will reminisce about 2013 more tomorrow.

Last night we watched the Call the Midwife holiday special, and in its honor, I fixed Shepherd’s Pie – a British specialty. Here is the recipe from Simply Recipes.

Easy Shepherd’s Pie

Ingredients
1-1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1-2 c. vegetables (carrots, corn, peas)
1-1/2 – 2 lbs. potatoes (3 big ones)
8 T. butter
½ c. beef broth
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
Salt, pepper, seasonings of choice

Process
Peel and quarter potatoes, boil in salted water until tender (about 20 minutes). While potatoes are cooking, melt 4 T. butter in large frying pan. Sauté onions in butter until tender over medium heat, about 10 minutes. If you are adding vegetables, add them according to cooking time. Put any carrots in with the onions. Add corn or peas either at the end of the cooking of the onions, or after the meat has initially cooked.

Add ground beef and sauté until no longer pink. Add salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and half a cup of beef broth. Cook uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes.

Mash the potatoes in bowl with remainder of butter; season to taste.

Place beef and vegetable mix into a baking dish. Spread mashed potatoes over the top. Bake in 400 degree oven until bubbling and brown (about 30 minutes). Broil for last few minute if necessary to brown.

Nana’s Notes: I did not make mashed potatoes; instead, I bought the already packaged kind. Very easy. I used fresh carrots that I diced and frozen corn. The Call the Midwife special was awesome!

Lazy Snow Daze

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Man, oh man. If the word lazy could be personified, it would look a lot like me yesterday. But I have a good excuse. The high was only 10 degrees, and it snowed all day.

Actually, I had one duty that required that I at least got dressed. I gave two of my grandchildren a ride to school – a mere five block trek. Still, it required clothes and the car to be cleaned off. And thank goodness it was only five blocks, because the roads were slippery and the temperature was cold, cold, cold.

So I came home, postponed a planned lunch, encouraged Bill to change a doctor appointment to a more habitable day, and settled in for a day of Christmas movies.

I watched The Last Holiday, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Love Actually, and, just for kicks, threw in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the animated version, not the movie). Somewhere in there I made us some lunch and ordered some more Christmas presents using my Ipad.

Our high of 10 was reached at noon, and it went downhill from there. The low reached below zero last night, but we are snug and warm in our cozy house. I put a couple of potatoes in the oven to bake last night. We enjoyed the potatoes with roasted chicken tenders with lemon and thyme.

TodayI may venture out. I’m running out of Christmas movies. Of course, I haven’t yet watched my favorite, A Christmas Story…….

Lemon Thyme Chicken

Ingredients
4 small chicken breasts
2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
Juice of one lemon
2 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 t. dried thyme
Salt and pepper

Process
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Cook in 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until golden, turning once, about 12-15 min. total. Add butter, lemon juice, and thyme to skillet; cover, and cook 3 minutes longer.

Nana’s Notes: I couldn’t find Redbird chicken breasts yesterday at the grocery store, so I bought chicken tenders instead. They worked fine. I served it with Swiss chard. I couldn’t hide the chard like I hid the carrots and spinach yesterday, so Bill said no thank you. I love any kind of greens, so I ate his share.