Spinach Salad With Oranges and Beets

Here's a nice salad to go with just about any kind of meat. We had it with KC Strip steaks. The beets discolored the cucumber slices a little, but it still tasted great. We added a few last minute toppings as well: sunflower seeds kernels, shredded cheese and for Spouse Guy, some bacon bits.


Spinach Salad With Oranges and Beets

Fresh spinach, about 5 ounces, rinsed and stems removed
1 7-ounce can mandarin orange segments, drained
1/2 of 15-ounce can of sliced beets (save rest for another meal), cut into julienne strips
1 small cucumber, cut into slices, then cut into quarters
2 green onions, thinly sliced
prepared Italian dressing

Toss all to combine. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Fried Zucchini

I love fried zucchini. I usually just dip the slices of zucchini in beaten egg and then flour, then pan fry them, but this time I decided to use a crumb coating and deep fry them. I like the flavor both ways, but I think deep frying makes a better looking dish.

When I made Fantastagirl's Chicken Parmesan, I had crumb coating leftover, which I stored in a zipper bag in the freezer. I added a little seasoned salt (1 t. seasoned salt to 1/2 cup breading) and used it to bread the zucchini.


Fried Zucchini

2 cups cracker crumbs
2/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
Seasoned salt to taste
2 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/8" to 1/4" thick slices
2 large eggs, beaten
Peanut oil for frying

Heat oil in deep fryer to 345°.

Combine cracker crumbs, Parmesan, salt and paprika. Add seasoned salt to taste.

Dip zucchini slices in beaten egg, then coat with seasoned crumbs. Fry in hot oil, in batches of about 5 - 8 slices, until golden brown, turning once.

Drain on paper towels, then serve.

Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Sweet & White Scalloped Potatoes

I almost forgot to grab a picture of these before they were gone! These scalloped potatoes are a wonderful side dish for an Easter ham, but I think they'd be great with just about any meat.

There are two things that make this dish unique compared to other scalloped potatoes. The first is that they include sliced sweet potatoes. The second is that they are made on top of the stove, freeing up your oven for other things, like that ham or a pan of rolls.

Giving credit where it is due, this recipe is from the Carnation Milk Company. I clipped it from a local grocery ad.


Sweet & White Scalloped Potatoes

1 can (12 oz.) Carnation Evaporated Milk
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
4 cups peeled and sliced white potatoes
2 cups peeled and sliced sweet potatoes
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat evaporated milk, bouillon cubes, onion powder and thyme in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil and bouillon is dissolved. Add potatoes.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a boil. Cover ; reduce heat to low. Cook, rearranging potatoes gently and occasionally, for 35 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle with cheese; serve immediately.

Other People's Recipes

The past few days I've been able to try some recipes that other bloggers mentioned on their blogs and/or submitted here.

1. Pixie submitted her recipe for Meatloaf Muffins a while ago and we had those earlier this week. Just like she said, they were tasty and popped right out of the muffin pans easily.



2. Granny Geek mentioned this wonderful Chocolate Tres Leches cake on her blog recently. I had to try it, and I'm glad I did. I'm not a big fan of chocolate...a little goes a long way for me...but this cake was gone within a couple of days. The link to the recipe is in Granny's post.

3. Not long ago, Violet wrote about taking a Waldorf Salad to a shower she attended. (Sorry, Vi, I can't seem to find that post on your blog.) Anyway, it had been a long time since I'd had Waldorf Salad and I thought it sounded good. But I didn't have the typical celery and raisins that usually go in it. So I made up my own version using dried cranberries, instead. As an aside, I tried using mayonnaise. It was a brand new jar, but for some reason, it didn't taste fresh, but I didn't figure this out until after I had it in the salad. No worries...I just dumped all of the salad into a large colander, rinsed off all the mayo with cold water, let it drain a little and started over. This time I used Miracle Whip from an open jar in the fridge, and it turned out much better, without having to through the whole thing in the garbage.

Here's my version:



Blogarita's Cran-Apple Waldorf Salad

3 large apples, cored and chopped (leave peel on)
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (to keep apples from darkening)
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
pinch of ground allspice
pinch of celery seed

Toss apples with lemon or lime juice. Stir in walnuts and dried cranberries.

Add mayonnaise and stir until all pieces are coated well. Add allspice and celery seed and stir well.

Chill before serving.

Makes about 4 servings.

Mediterranean Rice and Broiled Tilapia

When Artsy Girl was about 16, she worked in a Lebanese cafe that served this rice with every dinner. She was able to get the recipe from them and I reduced the amounts to a workable family size. It's a great side dish with just about any meat.

The tilapia recipe is more of a non-recipe, but I've included the directions below.


Mediterranean Rice

1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup vermicelli or broken angel hair pasta
1 cups converted (parboiled) rice
2 cups water
1 teaspoons chicken base (or 2 chicken bouillon cubes)
1 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Brown vermicelli in butter. Add rice and saute until aroma is nutty. Add remaining ingredients; stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.


Broiled Tilapia

Italian-seasoned bread crumbs or corn flake crumbs
Dried thyme leaves
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
Olive oil or melted butter
Tilapia fillets (1 per person)

Heat broiler.

Season the bread crumbs with thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Spray a baking dish or shallow pan with non-stick pan spray. Brush one side of fish fillets with olive oil or melted butter and press buttered side into seasoned crumbs. Lay un-coated side down in baking dish or pan.

Place fish under broiler and broil until fish flakes easily and crumb coating is beginning to brown.

Marinated Flank Steak and Twice-Baked Cheddar Potatoes

This is the first time I've made marinated flank steak (sometimes called a London Broil). We were happy with the way it turned out, so I'll be making it again. We also had Twice-Baked Cheddar Potatoes, Braised Cabbage and a side salad.

There are many marinades for flank steak. The one I used was especially simple and made the meat taste great. I ended up making only half the amount of marinade and it was plenty, but I'm posting the recipe as it is in the magazine. I do suggest letting the steak sit for about 5 minutes before slicing.

The potato recipe is based on one that I saw in the February/March issue of Taste of Home. It called for bacon, but I used ham, with fine results.


Marinated Flank Steak
(recipe from Taste of Home, February/March 2007)

1 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup honey
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 beef flank steak (1-1/2 pounds)

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the soy cause, lemon juice, honey and garlic; add steak. Seal bag and turn to coat; refrigerate for 6-8 hours.

Drain and discard marinade. Broil 4-6 inches from the heat or grill over medium heat for 8-10 minutes on each side or until meat reaches desired doneness (for medium-rare, a meat thermometer should read 145°; medium, 160°; well-done, 170°). Thinly slice steak across the grain.

Makes 6 servings.


Twice Baked Cheddar Potatoes

6 large baking potatoes
8 tablespoons butter, divided
1/4 pound sliced bacon, diced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

Scrub and pierce potatoes; rub each with 1 teaspoon butter. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 1 hour or until tender.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings. In the drippings, saute onion until tender; set aside.

When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut a thin slice off the top of each and discard. Scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell. In a bowl, mash pulp with remaining butter. Stir in the milk, egg, salt and pepper. Stir in the cheese, bacon and onion.

Spoon filling into the potato shells. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 6 servings.


Braised Cabbage

2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 head cabbage, cored and cut into pieces about 2-inch square
salt
pepper

Heat olive oil in large non-stick skillet over high heat. Add cut up cabbage. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste.

Let cabbage cook, without stirring, for about 4 minutes or until cabbage pieces on bottom begin to brown. Stir cabbage.

Cook and stir for 3-4 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cover skillet and let cabbage continue to cook, stirring occasionally, just until tender.

Makes 4 - 8 servings (depending on size of head of cabbage).

Heat Wave

We had a one-day heat wave yesterday. It reached 55° here and most of the snow is gone. It was a grillin' day.

In addition to KC strip steaks, Spouse Guy grilled a couple of chicken breasts that will be used in another recipe this week and we decided to try the grilled asparagus that Dave likes to make. It was wonderful! (I apologize for the photo; it was getting dark and it's hard to get a good picture with night mode flash.)

He gave me a quick how-to lesson by e-mail. I hope he doesn't mind that I've posted the recipe here.


Grilled Asparagus a la Dave

1 pound fresh asparagus spears
1/2 stick butter
Granulated garlic (similar to coarse garlic powder)
Lemon-pepper seasoning
Ground black pepper

Wash and trim asparagus and place in a baking dish. Melt butter and either brush or pour butter over asparagus spears. Sprinkle with garlic, lemon-pepper seasoning and pepper to taste. Roll spears in pan to coat evenly.

Grill on a hot grill (gas or charcoal) turning 1/4 turn every minute or two, until desired tenderness is reached, 5 to 10 minutes. It's normal for asparagus to develop brown spots (as the natural sugars caramelize), but don't let it char. Serve hot.

Makes 4 servings (it should make 4 servings, but we love asparagus, so for us, only 2.)

Christmas Eve With The In-Laws

Tomorrow we'll be celebrating the holidays with Spouse Guy's dad and step-mom. Since they weren't here for our Thanksgiving feast, we are more or less going to do a repeat performance.

The changes will be potato casserole instead of mashed potatoes, green beans with carrots and mushrooms instead of country-style green beans, and sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin roll.

Here are the recipes for the casserole and the pie.


Rich and Creamy Potato Bake

(Sorry there's no picture of this. It came out of the oven just minutes before we ate, and I completely forgot to snap a pic of it.)

3 cups half-and-half cream
1/2 cup butter
1-1/2 teaspoon salt
1 2-pound package shredded hash browns, thawed
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Heat oven to 350° F.

In large pan, combine cream, butter and salt. Cook and stir on medium heat until butter melts.

Place potatoes in 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. dish that has been sprayed with pan spray.

Pour cream mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Bake, uncovered, for 50 minutes or until potatoes are tender and top is golden brown.

Sweet Potato Pie

4 oz. (1 stick) butter, softened
2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (about 3 med. ones)
2 cups sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon lemon juice (to preserve color)
crust for two 8" or 9" single-crust pies

Heat oven to 375°. With mixer, combine butter, sweet potatoes, sugar and milk until blended well. Add vanilla, eggs, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg and blend until smooth. With mixer running, very slowly mix in the lemon juice. (If mixture ends up looking grainy, either because of the lemon juice or because the butter particles start to harden again, don't worry…it will bake just fine.)

Divide filling between the two pie shells. Cover edges of crust with foil to prevent over-browning. Bake for 40 minutes, then remove foil and bake another 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool before slicing.

Makes two 8" or 9" pies.

Serves 8 to 10.


Never-Fail Pie Crust

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups COLD butter (can use shortening or lard if you like)
6 tablespoons ice water
1 egg
1 tablespoon vinegar

Cut shortening into flour and salt. Beat egg with water and vinegar. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until soft dough forms. Knead several times on a well-floured surface. Divide dough and roll as desired.

Once this crust has been mastered, start omitting the vinegar. Once that version has been mastered, start omitting the egg for the final recipe.

I've never seen an explanation why this works as a "teaching recipe" for making a good crust, but it does. I still like to keep the egg in mine, though, because it helps give it a golden color.

Onion-Smothered Chicken and Country-Style Mashed Potatoes

I thought I'd do a bit of a step-by-step process with the pictures on this recipe for Onion-Smothered Chicken. It's a dish that originally called for skin-on chicken leg quarters and 1/4 cup of olive oil. By substituting boneless, skinless chicken breast halves and just 2 tablespoons of oil, I think this can now be considered something of a low-fat main dish. It's shown here with Country-Style Mashed Potatoes with similar seasoning as the chicken.


Onion-Smothered Chicken

4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut in half crosswise
2 large onions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup white wine
3 bay leaves
3/4 tablespoon grated gingerroot
1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves

Optional:

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup additional white wine


Heat the olive oil in large skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the chicken pieces.








Cook, turning frequently, until browned on all sides.









Increase the heat to high. Add onions, wine, bay leaves, gingerroot, oregano, black pepper, thyme and rosemary; mix well. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes or until meat thermometer stuck into thickest piece of meat reads 180° F. Discard bay leaves.

For low-fat version, the recipe is complete at this point. Removed chicken and onions to serving platter with slotted spoon.

If a little extra fat is not an issue, you may thicken the sauce as follows:

In small saucepan, melt butter, then stir in flour. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute to form a roux. Remove from heat. Remove chicken from pan to serving platter. Add 1/2 cup wine to pan and increase heat to medium-high. Bring to a gentle boil. Add roux to simmering liquid, stirring constantly, until sauce has thickened. Spoon over chicken in serving dish.

Serves 4 to 6.



Country-Style Potatoes

These potatoes call for unpeeled potatoes. The skins of the potatoes I used today weren't fresh enough to consume, in my opinion, but I do use mash potatoes with the peels on when I can. They add fiber, vitamins and flavor.

4 pounds baking potatoes, unpeeled
6 large cloves garlic
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup cottage cheese (or sour cream, if preferred)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves

Cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces; place in medium saucepan.

Peel garlic cloves and place in the pan with the potatoes; cover with water.

Bring water to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

While potatoes are cooking, place milk and butter in small saucepan over low heat. Cook and stir until milk is warmed and butter is melted.

Place potatoes and garlic in large bowl.

Mash potatoes with hand masher or electric mixer on low speed just until potatoes are mashed. Beat in warm milk-butter mixture and cottage cheese until mixture is almost smooth.

Blend in parsley, rosemary and thyme. Serve potatoes immediately.

Serves 4 to 6.

Pork Roasts of the Caribbean

"That roast has killer flavor."

That's what Spouse Guy said when he tasted this Crockpot Caribbean Pork Roast. I used a rolled and tied pork butt roast. It's a bit fattier than other cuts of pork, but it yielded meat so juicy and tender it literally fell apart when I tried to slice it. A pork loin would be leaner, and probably slice-able, but it might end up a little dry, so be forewarned if you go that route.

With the pork, I served long grain rice and Spirited Sweet Potatoes. The picture and recipe are below.


Crockpot Caribbean Pork Roast

1 boneless pork shoulder roast - 2 - 3 pounds in size
6 cloves of garlic, cut into slivers
1 piece of ginger root, approximately 2 inches, cut into slivers
20 whole cloves
2 T. brown sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 medium jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup dark rum
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

On all sides of meat, make small slits. Insert garlic and ginger slivers and whole clove's. Pat roast dry with paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and mustard. Rub all over the roast. (At this point, if you like, you can place the roast under the broiler and broil, turning to ensure that roast is browned on all sides. I did not do this with the roast pictured, although I do believe it would have added to the flavor had I taken time to do so.) Transfer roast to crockpot.

In a small bowl, combine jalapeno, salt, pepper, rum and lime juice. Pour over roast. Cook on low heat for 10-12 hours or on high for 5-6 hours.

Remove roast and keep warm. Skim fat off of cooking juices and pour into a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Add cornstarch-water mixture and stir until thickened, about 1 minute. Serve alongside pork.


Spirited Sweet Potatoes

2-1/2 pounds sweet potatoes (I don't recommend canned, although previously cooked and frozen sweet potato puree is fine)
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons bourbon or apple juice (yeah, I used bourbon)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Preheat oven to 375° F.

Bake sweet potatoes until very tender, about an hour. Remove sweet potatoes from oven; let cool 10 minutes: leave oven on.

Scoop pulp from warm potatoes into large bowl, discard skins.

Add butter to bowl; mash with potato masher until potatoes are fairly smooth and butter has melted. Stir in brown sugar, bourbon, cinnamon and vanilla.

Beat egg whites in small bowl with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into sweet potato mixture.

Spray 1-1/2 qt. dish with nonstick spray. Spoon sweet potato mixture into dish, top with pecans. Bake until mixture is slightly puffed and nuts are toasted, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Spinach Lasagna and Green Beans with Carrots & Mushrooms

I never cook my lasagna noodles beforehand when I make lasagna. It isn't necessary and I find I'm not very coordinated when I try to work with limp, wet noodles. In the stores I've seen "special no-cook" lasagna noodles. You can buy those if you like, but any kind will work just as well.

I like to serve this lasagna with garlic toast and Green Beans with Carrots & Mushrooms. This is probably my favorite recipe for green beans.


Spinach Lasagna

1-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce, or better yet, homemade sauce if you have it
1/4 cup dry red wine*
1/4 cup water
9 lasagna noodles, uncooked
12 oz. cottage cheese**
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small onion, finely chopped
1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350°.

Spray a 12-in. x 8-in. baking dish with non-stick spray. Set aside

In bowl, combine spaghetti sauce with wine and water. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce over bottom of pan. Place a single layer of dry lasagna noodles over sauce.

In medium bowl, combine cottage cheese, egg, garlic powder, chopped onion and Parmesan cheese until mixed well. Spread half of this mixture over lasagna noodles in pan.

Sprinkle half of the well-drained spinach over the cottage cheese. Top with 3 more lasagna noodles and half of the remaining sauce mixture.

Repeat layers of cottage cheese mixture and spinach.

Top with remaining 3 noodles and the rest of the sauce. Make sure noodles are entirely covered with a layer of sauce (the need not be submerged in sauce, but should be well coated).

Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over the top. Cover tightly with foil and back at 350° F. for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

Serves 4- 6.

* Or you can use 1/2 cup water if you don't want to use wine.
** If you prefer, use Ricotta cheese. Spouse Guy prefers cottage cheese, so it's what I usually use.


Green Beans with Carrots & Mushrooms

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned
5 medium button mushrooms, with stems, sliced
1 pound whole fresh or frozen green beans (thawed if frozen)
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Heat butter and oil in large skillet. Add all ingredients and saute until carrots and green beans are tender-crisp.

Serves 4 - 6.

Dressed Up Meatloaf

Tonight's meal is a dressed up version of meatloaf called Meatloaf Wellington. The originally came from the October/November issue of Taste of Home. I made one fairly major change; I added 3/4 pound of ground pork in place of 3/4 pound of ground beef.

We ate this meatloaf with a mixed salad, some of the apples and onions leftover from last night, and these cheesy potatoes that I came up with based on a basic macaroni and cheese recipe.



Meatloaf Wellington

1 egg, lightly beaten
1 cup meatless spaghetti sauce, divided
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 pounds ground beef (or 3/4 pound EACH of ground beef and ground pork)
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1 tube (8 oz.) refrigerated crescent rolls

In a large bowl combine the egg, 1/3 cup of spaghetti sauce, bread crumbs, salt and pepper. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.

On a piece of heavy-duty foil, pat beef mixture into a 12-in. x 8-in. rectangle. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese and all of the parsley to within 1 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a long side and peeling foil away while rolling. Seal seam and ends. Place seam side down in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 1 hour; drain. Unroll crescent dough; seal seams and perforations. Drape dough over mat loaf to cover the top, sides and ends; seal ends. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until a meat thermometer reads 160° and crust is golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes.

Using two large spatulas, carefully transfer meat loaf to a serving platter. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Serve with remaining spaghetti sauce.

Serves 8.


Three-Cheese Potatoes

8 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup Velveeta, cubed
1/2 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Place diced potatoes in medium saucepan. Add water just to cover and bring to a boil. Boil until potatoes are just beginning to get tender, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine Velveeta, milk, salt and pepper. Stir frequently until Velveeta melts completely. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted.

Drain potatoes and return to pan. Pour cheese sauce over potatoes and stir well to coat. Spread potatoes into 13-in. x 9-in x 2-in. baking dish that has been greased or sprayed with non-stick spray. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top.

Bake at 350° until potatoes are tender and cheese is bubbly and golden, about 20 minutes.

Serves 8.

Amish Apples and Peasant Pork

Tonight we had the epitome of comfort food: Gravy made from boiled smoked pork shanks along with Amish apples and onions.

Pork shanks are basically cross-wise slices of a ham near what would be considered the hogs ankle. The meat is sparse, but what's there is tender and smoky. The gravy is great served over homemade biscuits (or those handy frozen bake-n-eat kind...those're good, too) with a salad on the side.

We left the table very happy.


Pork Shank Gravy

1 pkg. (about 1/2 lb.) of smoked pork shank slices
1 qt. of water
approximately 4 Tablespoons cornstarch mixed into about 1/2 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Place pork shanks in water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about an hour.
Remove pork shanks from broth. The meat will literally fall off the bone.
Remove any fat and bones, shred the pork and return it to the broth.
Bring broth and meat back to a gentle boil.
Stir in cornstarch and water mixture and stir until gravy thickens. (You may have to add additional cornstarch and water mixture.)
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4 over biscuits.


Amish Apples and Onions
(from More Recipes From Quilt Country by Marcia Adams)

3 T. bacon fat (can use oil)
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
6 medium apples, skins left on, cored and sliced 3/8" thick
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

Saute onions in bacon fat over medium heat until tender and onions are just beginning to take on color.
Spread onions evenly in pan, then top with apple slices.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, cinnamon and brown sugar over apple slices. Do not stir.
Reduce heat to medium, cover and let cook without stirring for 10 minutes.
Remove lid, increase heat to high. Stir mixture lightly.
Continue to saute mixture until apples are tender and liquids have thickened. This may take 10-15 minutes, depending on type of apples used.
Serve as a side dish along with pork or alongside bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Serves 6.