Pork Chop Dinner for One

Well today was my first day back at the gym after a 9 month hiatus, so why not keep this ball rolling and return to For the Love of Food after an extensive break from it, as well?! A lot has changed since the days when I was a regular food blogger. Most importantly, I've graduated from college, moved to New York City, and for the first time ever I'm exploring the art of living alone. And let me tell YOU, buying groceries for one is no easy feat. No more indulging in the 5 lemons for 2 dolla deals, unless you want 4 of those lemons rotting in your fridge the following week. And say goodbye to making it through an entire carton of milk before it goes bad (unless you're on a major cereal kick). Cooking for one was quite the adjustment, too. And a depressing one at that. I was SO used to sharing and enjoying my food with friends because that's the way it's meant to be. But, hey, I guess that's what food blogs are for!

Moving on to this meat... Isn't it amazing how mere seconds can make or break a perfectly cooked piece of meat?! With that being said, preparing a steak, chop, tenderloin, or even hamburger is something that you really have to get down to a science. It takes lots of practice and definitely some patience; however, I've come up with a few key tips that I've found are SO important when it comes to cooking these kinds/cuts of meat successfully:

#1: Let the meat come to room temperature! This is crucial if you want an evenly cooked, tender piece of meat.
#2: Give your seasoning some time to set. So while you're letting the meat rise to room temp, why not throw some seasoning on there while you're at it?! For realz though, you want to give the seasoning time to bind with the meat so it doesn't all fall off into the pan. (I'd say 10+ minutes.)
#3: Get your pan SUPER hot! This will help you achieve that perfectly golden brown crust on the outside of the meat where all the delicious flavor is.

Ingredients:
- 1 1/4" thick cut pork chop
- S&P
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- 1/2 tbsp butter
- olive oil

Directions: Follow the 3 tips I mentioned before (season the meat, let it come to room temp, get your pan hot). While the pan is heating up, add in the butter and a small drizzle of olive oil. Once the pan is super hot, place the chop in the pan and do not touch it for 3 and a half to 4 minutes. If you don't hear the loud sizzle when the chop hits the pan, it's not hot enough. Once the 4 minutes are up, flip the meat and repeat. Once those 3 and half to 4 minutes are up, turn your burner off and let the chop rest for a few minutes before serving. It should be just slightly pink in the middle... Even the one I cooked could have used an extra 30 seconds in the pan. But practice makes perfect in the art of cooking!!

serves 1


Now for the vegetable... Yeah I said it. That is a vegetable. What I chose to accompany my chop tonight is a new phenomenon that I recently discovered is SO easy to cook on my own-- cauliflower mash!! You know those substitute foods that just really don't cut it?? This is not one of them. It is a delicious and perfect low-carb substitution for mashed potatoes, and I'm officially in love with it.

Ingredients:
- 1 large head cauliflower
- 1 1/2 tbsp butter
- 2 heaping tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp milk or cream
- S&P
- garlic powder to taste (optional)
- 2 cups water
- chopped chive (for garnish)

Directions: Break the head of cauliflower into florets, trying to keep them all relatively the same size. Then, steam the cauliflower in a pot with the 2 cups of water until all florets are cooked through and very easy to pierce with a fork. Drain off any leftover water from the pan and try to squeeze out any excess from the cauliflower. The drier, the better. Add the rest of the ingredients to the pan. Let it all warm through and mix together evenly. Finally, take a handheld immersion blender and blend the cauliflower mixture until smooth and creamy. I swear, this recipe is life changing! You have to try it!

serves 4

Enjoy!

Panty-Droppin' Pulled Pork

My roommate's birthday was on Patriot's Day this year, so we hosted an American BBQ themed potluck to celebrate! Of course, the first thing that comes to mind when I think American BBQ is pulled pork. I had never made it before but have it all the time at home, so I figured it was time to tap into my southern roots and try it on for a size. I was quite nervous when making it, not just because I had never made it before, but because I was having a muck-up day in the kitchen. Along with the pork, I was making Paula Deen's broccoli slaw recipe (amazing) which calls for toasting crushed ramen noodles and almond slivers in (you know the drill) a stick of butter. Please note: that ish burns real fast. Thankfully, I had enough ingredients for another batch. For the next screw-up, I was making a vinegar sauce for the pulled pork, and I added half of a tablespoon of cayenne instead of half a teaspoon... Lovely. Had to re-do that one, too. And lastly, I set the good batch of toasted ramen in the fridge with the rest of the broccoli slaw ingredients to cool before dressing and serving. When I went to dress it, all of the ramen was stuck to the bottom of the bowl because I didn't think about how butter hardens back up when it gets cold. AWESOME! So, as you can imagine, I was saying my Hail Mary's for this pork. The toughest part about cooking something like this is that you can't mess with it. You just have to pop it in the oven, tell yourself it's gonna be alright, and hope for the best. Well thank goodness gracious I got what I hoped for-- a panty-dropper.

Ingredients:
- 5 lb pork butt roast
- Seasonings
- S&P

I'm afraid I need to get permission to post the vinegar sauce recipe. Sorry y'all! You're just going to have to Google it, I guess...

Serves 8

Directions: 
Grab your untrimmed, untied, bone-in butt and season it generously with salt and fresh cracked pepper.

Then season with whatever else you want.

Don't be stingy with it.

I used my main bitch's Butt Massage. Thanks, Paula.

Place the seasoned roast fat side up on a pan and put it in a 400F oven for 30 minutes to sear.

While the roast is searing, prepare a little aluminum nap sack for the next phase.

When phase one has been completed, transfer the roast into its new home where it's going to live for the next 7 hours.

Turn the temp down to 250F, wrap'er up tight, put a lid on it if you've got one, and in the oven she goes.

When the 7 hours are up, take that goodness out of the oven, pour off most of the drippings, and remove the bone and any large pieces of fat. Then, take two forks and get to shreddin'. Top with whatever sauce you like most and enjoy. I apologize for not getting enough pictures of the process, but I was too gosh-darn nervous and excited to see how it turned out. Well... TAH-DAHHH! Tender, juicy, delicious pulled pig.

Strawberry Shortcakes

I was most excited to make this dessert for my Easter brunch party because I haven't had it in forever. It is such a classic, and who knew it was so easy to make?! Want to know the secret to this recipe??? BISQUICK! The box has the recipe and cooking instructions on the back! But between you and me, it's an old, old, secret recipe that's been passed down many a generations. I do use the exact shortcake recipe from the bisquick box, but not the strawberry part. I personally don't like the really sweet, syrupy strawberry topping that normally comes on Strawberry Shortcake, so I make mine a little different. But the shortcake recipe is a no fail. The only recommendation I have is to make them fresh, right before serving. I made mine the day before and they seemed to dry out pretty quickly. Plus, they're always better hot n' fresh out the oven!

For strawberries:
- 3 lbs strawberries
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 c sugar

For shortcakes:
- 4 2/3 c bisquick
- 1 1/3 c milk
- 6 tbsp sugar
- 6 tbsp butter, melted

For whipped cream:
- 2 c heavy whipping cream
- sugar to taste
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Cool Whip is a fabulous alternative.


Serves 12

Directions:
Wash your strawberries, then cut off the tops and slice them length-wise.



Mix them with the sugar and lemon juice and let it all marinade while you prep the shortcakes.

Mix together the melted butter, milk, sugar and bisquick mix. I am telling you... this stuff is better than cookie dough. Amazing!

Spoon out 6 shortcakes onto an ungreased cookie sheet and bake them at 425F for 10 to 15 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and you can insert a knife in the center of the shortcake and it comes out clean. Repeat this step for the second batch.

These are like amazingly soft, slightly sweet biscuits and are perfect by themselves! If you're making the homemade whipped cream, beat the cream with a hand mixer until it firms up and forms "soft peaks." Then mix in the vanilla and sugar to taste.

Now for the Strawberry Shortcake assembly! Cut a shortcake in half while it's still warm. To the bottom half, add a generous spoonful of the strawberries followed by a large dollop of whipped cream. Finish by topping with the last half of shortcake while you slurp up your drool.

Taylor Ham & Cheese Brunch Pie

One of my roommates made this last Easter, and I could not get enough of it! Any recipe that involves cheddar cheese and Taylor ham sandwiched between two buttery layers of croissant dough has to be absolute perfection-- wouldn't you agree? Yes, I know it's practically a heart attack in square-form, but what are you going to do? Refuse to eat it and save yourself some time, or shove that little slice of heaven in your mouth like you've got nothing to lose? For me, the cheese, butter and pig always win.

Ingredients:

- 2 rolls pillsbury crescent dough

- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

- 1/2 roll of Taylor ham, sliced thin and diced

Directions:

Fry ham in a skillet on medium heat until it beings to crisp, then set it aside. You can really use any type of meat with this-- sausage, bacon, beef, etc. 

Layer one roll of crescent dough in a baking dish, then add the ham, then the cheese, and finish with the last roll of crescent dough. Be sure to pinch any tears in the dough closed.  

Bake at 375F for 20 to 25 minutes or until it's golden brown on the top.

Slice into squares and serve. You can eat it with your hands or with a fork.

Either way, it's ooey-gooey heaven in your mouth. NOMZ!

Eclair Cake

I'm going to be honest, I'm not a sweet tooth kinda gal. I go through my phases, but 9 days out of 10 I would prefer a bag of Doritos over donuts or cookies or cake. If I'm going to keep up with this honesty thing, then you should also probably know that I could commit to the fatness and eat a whole bag of Doritos in one sitting if I wanted. I know this because that's what I used to do when I was a little kid. Let that be our little secret. Anyways, what I'm trying to get at is that this dessert is one of my all time favorites, and this means a lot with me being a salt lover and everything. But it's so easy to make. No baking is required, and it's always a hit. One person described it to me before as "delightful," and it is just that... Delightful.

Ingredients:

- 1 box graham crackers

- 2 3oz boxes instant vanilla pudding mix

- 3 cups milk

- 12 oz tub of cool whip

- 1 bottle chocolate turtle shell

Serves 12

Requires refrigerating for several hours or overnight before serving.

Directions:

Mix together your pudding mix, milk and cool whip.

Add a layer of graham crackers to the bottom of a 9x13 pan or dish. As you can see, I get creative and fill in the open spaces with graham cracker crumbles...

Pour half of the pudding mixture on top of the graham crackers, and use a spatula to spread it out into an even layer.

Add another layer of graham crackers...

Spoon out the rest of the pudding mixture and spread evenly.

Add your last layer of graham crackers and get fancy with it as this is the top of the cake! I like to use all of the leftover graham crackers and do lots of crumbles on top.

Shake the turtle shell really well and drizzle the whole bottle on top of the cake or until you've reached your desired amount of chocolate topping. This wasn't my best drizzle job... I don't think I shook the bottle enough, so it came out kind of clumpy. Oh well.

Now, MOST IMPORTANTLY, place the cake in the refrigerator overnight or for the next several hours before serving. If you don't let it rest, the graham crackers will still be very crunchy and won't have had a chance to soften and bind with the pudding mixture to form that cake-like texture that you're looking for.

Serve cold and enjoy. 

It is so light and just sweet enough. As long as you have leftovers, you'll find yourself constantly going back for another bite and another and another until the pan is empty.

Individual Sausage, Egg & Cheese Rolls

BOY have I missed my kitchen! This crazy school/life stuff has got to chill out, for realz. So I am especially thankful for this Easter weekend because I finally got a good reason and a free moment to get my foodie fill! I hosted an Easter Brunch and couldn't decide what to make, so I made everything that I wanted-- two savories and two sweets. I went grocery shopping on Saturday (almost broke my arms off carrying everything back to my apartment), cranked up J.Mayer right when I got home (he's really good at setting the mood), and got right to mixin' n choppin' and slicin' n dicin'. I spent Saturday evening and all of Sunday morning in kitchen therapy, and it was wonderful! My roommate/co-host kept asking, "What can I do? How can I help?" And my response was: "Nothing. This is what I do." And it be the truth. To me, cooking is not a burden or a chore; it's my little escape from reality.

So enough about me and more on this delicious food that you're looking at right now. Please allow me to introduce you to the star of the brunch show: The Individual Sausage, Egg and Cheese in a Sourdough Bread Roll.  

This was a pinspired recipe, but I modified it a little and made a triple batch of the egg mixture, bought a double batch of the rolls, and had to double the amount of cheese that the recipe originally called for... per serving. Come on! We can all agree that twice as much cheese is always necessary, am I right?! Anyways, this recipe yielded 24 rolls, and 8 people consumed them all. Needless to say, they were very, very yummy! So cute and convenient. No utensils necessary, and perfect for a brunch party! 

Ingredients:

- 24 sourdough bread rolls

- 8 oz sausage (I used Jimmy Dean, half hot and half regular)

- 18 eggs

- 1 cup cream

- 8 to 12 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

- 6 scallions, chopped small

- 1 heaping tsp salt

- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)

- a few grinds black pepper

Directions:

Brown sausage until cooked through, then set aside to cool. 

While the sausage is cooling, cut the tops off of your bread rolls and hollow out the insides-- make sure you don't puncture the crust!

Also, leave enough breading to soak up some of the egg mixture, but not too much. You want to achieve the right balance of texture and flavor. For instance, you don't want too much crunchy, chewiness from the bread to take away from the rich, eggy, cheesy, sausagey center of the roll.

When the rolls are finished, beat together your eggs, cream, scallion, salt, pepper and hot sauce. Add in the sausage once it has cooled. Be careful with this, because if it is not cool enough, it will curdle the eggs.

Spoon a generous amount of the egg mixture into each bread roll. Be sure to get a little sausage, scallion and LOTS of cheese in each scoop. As you can see, I made a few veggie friendly rolls. They were also very good, but I prefer the pig.

After assembling the rolls, let them sit for at least an hour to give the egg time to bind with the bread.

Then pop 'em in the oven at 350F for 30 minutes.

If you insert a knife in the middle of the egg mixture and it comes out clean, they're done! I kept getting melted cheese all over the knife when I was checking, so it was a little hard to tell.

Serve straight out of the oven and prepare for all the praise you'll be receiving from your guests/family/friends/whatever while they gorge themselves on these perfect, little masterpieces.

PS - I hope you like my nail polish. 

NYC Restaurants: The Meatball Shop, Lupa & Cafeteria

My last trip to New York, I had planned to go to some of my favorite restaurants in the city and document my meals so that I could post them on here. However, early on in my trip, I caught some nasty bug and ended up not eating much of anything for the rest of my time there. Fortunately, I was back in commission this past weekend and was able to capture some delicious plates from a few, great New York City restaurants, and I am so happy to share them with you now!

Our first stop on Saturday was at the Meatball Shop. This was my first experience at this restaurant, and it was a good one. The Meatball Shop is a little, noisy place that easily charms you with their glass milk bottles and mason jar flower arrangements. One fun feature is that they give you expo markers so you can check off what you want on the menu, kind of like the little paper slip you get at sushi restaurants. 

As you can imagine, they serve several kinds of meatballs in many different ways. You can have them plain, on a baguette, mashed on a roll, or on top of a salad. You also get to choose from several different sauces to top on your balls. My favorite part is the option to add "Family Jewels" to several of the menu items-- that means adding a fried egg on top. I couldn't resist, so I obviously checked that off on my clever white board menu.

Below was my dish-- the "Everything but the Kitchen Sink Salad." It came with roasted carrots, fennel, beets, arugula, a chick pea salad and meatballs with sauce. It was a very hearty and balanced plate that left me feeling extremely satisfied. I don't normally love fennel or beets, but I liked them a lot in this dish. The fennel tasted as if it had been roasted with sausage or something. Delish! I would recommend this dish to anyone visiting the Meatball Shop along with a root beer float and/or one of their homemade cookie ice cream sandwiches!

For dinner, we went to Lupa's-- a small, quiet Italian restaurant. Here is Lupa's "Bavette & Cacio Pepe." You've got to know that I didn't order this. I am not black pepper's biggest fan. However, the rest of my family loves it, and this was my sister's birthday dinner of choice. I ordered the Spaghetti Pomodoro, which was a little too spicy for my taste, so I found myself dipping more and more into my sister's Cacio Pepe pasta. The noodles were perfectly tender, and the sauce was so simple yet so divine. It was slightly creamy with the perfect amount of bite from the coarsely ground black pepper. Something about it made the pasta melt in my mouth and slide down my throat with the greatest of ease. Even though I normally don't like pepper, I would absolutely order this dish next time I go to Lupa. For antipasti, I would highly recommend their escarole salad, prosciutto, and mozzarella plates. A friend of mine also ordered the Braised Short Ribs. Although the portion size was very small, the short ribs were extremely tender and rich with flavor.

Overall, I had a great dining experience at Lupa and would love to go back soon!

Just so you can feel more of a part of my night out in NYC... here's my big sis celebrating her 24th with great friends, over amazing food, champagne, and Lupa's "Tartufo" dessert. I can't even tell you exactly what a tartufo is. From what I tasted, my best guess would be that it's gelato mixed with cake, covered in chocolate and chopped nuts. How can you go wrong with a combination like that? I enjoyed it very much and would definitely order it again.

Of course, taking a giant tequila shot before hitting the bar was essential.

Champagne went all around at the Tippler in honor of the birthday girl.

Several hours later, we stopped by Cafeteria before heading home for the night. With my judgement not quite fully intact, this is what I chose to shove in my face... at 3 in the morning... all of it. And it was damn good from what I remember. Homemade potato chips also came with this massive BLT. I don't recall eating those; however, I know for a fact that I left as a member of the clean plate club. Time to solve the mystery of the vanishing potato chips! Just kidding. I'm pretty sure I don't want to know where they really went...

Note to future self: Enjoying several adult beverages before/while attempting to document for my blog is not very efficient. That's all.