Blueberry White Wine Vinegar Reduction Pork with Garlic Boiled Potatoes & Carrots

I love cooking with fresh fruit and veggies in the house!  This was another one of those delicious recipes that you can do so many different ways.  Enjoy!

Grilled Pork

Ingredients: 

1/2 Cup Champagne Vinegar 

1/2 Cup White Wine (I used Vermentino)

1/2 Cup Fresh Blueberries

3 Pork Tenderloins (Thickly Sliced)

Seasoning (Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt, Tarragon)

Dollop of sour cream

Rosemary leaves

Directions: 

Prepare the grill (I used my handy George Foreman Grill).  Bring the vinegar & white wine to a boil in a saucepan over high heat.  Add the blueberries and reduce heat to Low.  Cook until reduced by half.  While the sauce is reducing, season the pork tenderloins.  Place on the grill.  Cook for about 15 minutes until cooked all the way through.  Remove from the grill.  Cover or keep warm in the microwave.  As soon as the sauce is thoroughly reduced score the meat to ensure the sauce will seep in.  To serve spoon the sauce and blueberries over the meat to just cover (or to taste).  Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and rosemary leaves to the side.  *Do not shy away from the sour cream, it enhances the flavor tremendously and makes the taste sweeter.

 

Garlic Boiled Potatoes and Heirloom Carrots

Ingredients: 

9-10 Small Gold Potatoes

~20 Small Heirloom Carrots

3 Large Garlic Cloves (Minced)

Seasoning (Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt, Spicy Montreal Steak Seasoning)

Directions:

Add the carrots and potatoes to a large pan and cover with water.  Turn heat to high and start to boil.  Add the garlic and seasoning to the water.  Boil until the potatoes are slightly soft but still firm.  Drain the water, serve & enjoy.  

Add the veggies to the water to boil and add vinegar and wine in a saucepan set to boil

Add garlic & seasoning to veggies, add blueberries to the sauce

Continue to boil the veggies and simmer to reduce the sauce

Season the pork and place on the grill

Serve & Enjoy!

Ham & Purple Potato Soup

I have been sick all week and I was really wanting something warm on my sore throat.  This was so delicious and tasty and allowed me to use up my beautiful purple potatoes!  Everyone raves about this recipe!  I highly recommend it, and it is fairly easy to make. 

Ingredients:
5 Tbsp Butter
2 Garlic Cloves (Diced)
3 Carrots (Peeled & Sliced)
3 Celery Stalks (Sliced)
2.5 lbs Smoked Ham (Cubed)
1/4 Cup Flour
4 Cups Chicken Stock (32 oz Container)
2 Cups Water
2 tsp Alpine Touch (Salt & Pepper)
5 Potatoes (Peeled & Cubed)
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
Green Onions to Garnish (optional)
Shredded Cheese to Garnish (optional)

Directions:
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat until golden brown. Stir in carrot, celery, ham, and garlic.  Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables soften. 
Stir in the flour and cook for about 3 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, 1 cup at a time. Add water and stir to combine. Turn the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 
Stir in potatoes; cook for 15 minutes, until potatoes are tender. Skim fat if desired. 
Season with alpine touch to taste and add cream. Stir to combine and heat through. Garnish with fresh chives and/or shredded cheese.  Serve & Enjoy!

Melt butter in a large pot

Add the ham, carrots, celery and garlic

Add the flour

Add in the chicken stock and water and bring to a boil

Add in the purple potatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes

Add the cream and mix thoroughly

Serve & Enjoy!

Beef Roast & Veggies Recipe

As the weather turned cooler this weekend, I wanted to make something to warm us up and happened to have a beef roast on hand that was ready to be cooked.  

Ingredients:

2 lb Beef Roast

2 Cups Red Wine (can substitute beef broth)

3 Cups Water

Seasoning (Garlic, Rosemary, Sea Salt, Bourbon Brown Sugar)

2 Cloves Garlic

4 Stalks Celery (Chopped)

3 Potatoes (Peeled & Chopped)

3 Carrots (Peeled & Chopped)

 Directions:

Season the beef roast and place into the slow cooker.  Add the wine and water and cook on high for 1 hour.  Add the Garlic, Celery, Potatoes and Carrots.  Cook on Low for another hour.  Roast will be tender and ready to eat.  Serve and enjoy!

Season the roast and place into the slow cooker

The seasoning I used

Add the wine & water and cook on high

Add the veggies and cook on low

Serve and enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Rosemary Leg of Lamb with Mashed Red Potatoes

I just love lamb, and when it goes on sale, I can't help but buy some to make a delicious meal out of :)

Ingredients: (Lamb)

3 lb Leg of Lamb

Sea Salt

1/2 Cup Orange Juice

1/2 Cup White Wine ( I used Viognier)

3 cloves of garlic

2 Tbsp Rosemary

1 Tbsp Mediterranean Basil

1Tbsp Thyme

1/2 Tbsp Alpine Touch

1/2 Cup Orange Liquor

1 Cup Chicken Stock

Ingredients: (Mashed Red Potatoes)

3-4 Red Potatoes

Sea Salt

1 Cup Half & Half

1/4 Cup Sour Cream

2 Tbsp Butter

1/4 Cup Cheddar Cheese

Alpine Touch

Mediterranean Basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

Marinade: Mix Garlic, Orange Juice, White Wine, Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, and Alpine Touch in Blender.  Add the Orange Liquor and the Chicken Stock, blend together. 

Put Leg of Lamb into pan and pat with sea salt.  Pour Marinade over the lamb (you will have some left over).  Put into oven and cook for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees.  Pour extra marinade over lamb if needed.  Cook for 40 minutes at 350 degrees.  At internal temperature of 150 degrees (using a meat thermometer) the lamb will be medium-rare, cook longer for more thoroughly browned lamb.

When there are 20 minutes left on the lamb cut the red potatoes and put into a pan.  Cover with water and add a dash of sea salt.  Bring to a boil on high.  Reduce heat to medium high and continue boiling until potatoes are soft (about 15-20 minutes).  Turn to low-med and add the Half & Half. 

Remove the lamb from the oven and place on a plate and store on teh microwave to keep warm, add all remaining marinade to a sauce pan to simmer.  Simmer to reduce.  

 Use a whisk and whisk the potatoes until smooth.  Turn heat to low and add the remaining ingredients.  Serve with a dash of Basil on top

Serve the lamb with some marinade spooned over top.  Store any remaining lamb soaking into the remaining marinade to ensure moistness for leftovers.  Enjoy!

Blend the Orange Juice, Wine, and Seasonings together

Blend the chicken stock and orange Liquor into the marinade

Pat the lamb with sea salt

Pour the marinade over the lamb and stick into oven

Chop the potatoes and place into a pan

Cover the potatoes with water

Boil the potatoes until soft

Add the half and half to the potatoes

Remove the lamb from the oven

Whisk the potatoes and simmer the marinade

Add the seasoning to the potatoes and continue to simmer the marinade

Add remaining ingredients to the potatoes and finish simmering the marinade

Serve by pouring marinade on the lamb and a dash of Basil on the potatoes

Steak Au Poivre

This evening I made some delicious steak au poivre for dinner.  It is really easy and quick.  Takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish. 

Steak Au Poivre

Ingredients:

Seasoning (I used Crushed Rosemary, Crushes Sea Salt and Garlic Salt)
4 Steak Medallions (Cut of steak depends on your preference)
Unsalted Butter 3 Tbsp
1/2 Package Mushrooms Sliced
2/3 Cup (3 fl oz) Cognac or Brandy (I used Cherry Grand Marnier)
2/3 Cup Heavy Cream
1 Tsp Tarragon

Directions:
 
In a Large Frying pan over med-high heat melt 2 Tbsp butter.  While the butter is melting season the steak on both side with the seasoning of your choice.  Add the steaks to the pan to cook.  Turning once for a total of 6-8 minutes for medium rare and longer if you like your steak done more.  Transfer the steaks to a plate and store in the microwave to keep warm. 
Add the remaining 1 Tbsp butter to the pan and melt over medium heat.  Add the mushrooms and saute' until softened (about a minute).  Stir in the cognac, cream and tarragon.  Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer until slightly thickened.  Simmer for more than a 1-5 minutes.  Turn the heat off and return the steaks to the pan to soak into the sauce.  Serve by spooning sauce over the steak onto the plate.  Enjoy!

Add the seasoned steaks to the pan to cook

Saute' the mushrooms

Add the Cognac, Cream & Tarragon to the Mushrooms

Serve by spooning sauce over the steak (I also added loaded mashed potatoes and freshly sliced cantaloupe)

 

If you would like the recipe for the loaded mashed potatoes please see the following links to recipe blogs by me.  Enjoy

Beef Stroganoff with Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Chicken in Orange Viognier Sauce with Loaded Mashed Potatoes

Chicken in Orange Viognier Sauce

Ingredients:

 3-4 Chicken Breasts

3 Tbsp Butter

Oregano

Alpine Touch (salt & pepper)

Tarragon

1 Zucchini

1 Lg Orange

3/4 Cup Viognier (White Wine)

Directions:

In a large frying pan, over medium heat, melt 2 Tbsp of the butter.  Season the chicken to taste (I used about 2 tsp of each spice) and add tot he pan.  Cook until golden brown on each size about 8-10 minutes.  Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover or stick int he microwave to keep warm.  Melt the remaining 1 Tbsp of butter in the pan and add the skinned and sliced zucchini to the pan.  Saute' until golden brown (about 1-3 minutes).  Add the wine 2 Tbsp of grated orange zest and 1/4 cup of juice from the orange.  If you want more flavor feel free to add a dash of the oregano and tarragon to the sauce.  Cook, stirring to scrape up and browned bits on the bottom of the pan until the sauce is bubbly and slightly reduced (about 3-5 minutes).  Return the chicken to the pan along with any juices remaining on the plate and heat throughout.  Serve by spooning sauce and zucchinis over the chicken and enjoy.  

Loaded Mashed Potatoes

 

Ingredients:

 3 Lg Russet potatoes

1/2 - 3/4 Cup half & half

1/2 Cup Mixed cheese

1 Tbsp Butter

Garlic Salt

Basil

Alpine Touch (Salt & Pepper)

 

 Directions:

Peel and Chop the potatoes and put into a pan.  Cover with water and boil to soften.  The potatoes should be soft enough to easily mash with a whisk (about 15 minutes or so on high heat).  Add the mix and mix thoroughly with the whisk.  Add the remaining ingredients and season to taste.  Cook on low until heated throughout and serve. 

Add the seasoned chicken to the melted butter

 

Brown the chicken on both sides and boil the potatoes

Add the zucchinis to the butter and continue boiling the potatoes

Add the wine and orange to the zucchinis and potatoes should be close to done boiling

Return the chicken to the pan and add the half & half to the now mashed potatoes

Heat the chicken thoroughly and add the remaining ingredients to the potatoes

Serve & Enjoy!