Here’s why I turned my oven on to 450 degrees during this blistering heat wave. 

It’s all due to a bargain at the grocery. Pork tenderloins were on sale – buy one, get one. So I brought home 2 packs with 2  tenderloins each. I planned on freezing them, but had forgotten that my refrigerator freezers were packed tight. (My big freezer had given up the ghost a couple weeks prior). 

I decided high roasting all 4 was the best plan, so that’s what I did. I had some leftover barbecue ribs rub which I used to season the pork. And you know what? The kitchen really didn’t heat up that much, since the meat cooked in about 20 minutes or so. The pork was juicy and tender and I had plenty to share with neighbors.

I served it with a quick basmati rice pilaf – all…

Sometimes having to use meat by the “use by” date inspires me to try something new. That’s how this farmhouse sausage chili recipe came about. I had a pound of pork sausage that had to be used and the outdoor temperature dipped to the low 40’s. Perfect timing. 

Maybe you’d like to try this sausage chili for that Halloween party. Rewarm in the slow cooker. 

Spicy sausage chili 

I used Ethan Becker’s (Joy of Cooking) Ohio farmhouse chili as an inspiration. I added more seasonings, chili powder and beans to give it a spicy kick.

Chili is one of those foods that can be played around with. I wouldn’t object to adding some diced bell pepper in with the sausage and veggies. So feel free to do your own thing when making this recipe.

Ingredients

1 pound pork sausage (I used hot)

1 onion, diced 

1…

Contains:  Fascinating Indian flavors, optional dairy (ghee).  Is:  Gluten-free, vegetarian, potentially vegan.  

Seasoned Basmati rice, yummy in itself.

The idea of flavored rice truly appealed to me, especially for eating in combination with Indian dishes – or perhaps on its own.  I had leftover okra curry, and since most folk DO serve their curry over rice, and I am low carb rather than keto… why not?

For Indian foods, I prefer to use white Basmati rices.  There are all sorts of discussions out there about whether brown or white rice is “healthier”.  For rice, there are pros and cons either way – so I use what I prefer for a specific dish.  For me, Indian is always this white Basmati…  One thing I do try to do is buy rice grown in the US as opposed to Asia as there is often a higher level of arsenic…

Contains:  Dairy in form of butter.  Is:  Vegetarian.

Recipe source:  Michael Psilaktis’s book, How to Roast a Lamb: New Greek Classic Cooking.  Page 167.

Greek Spinach Rice

I used my rice cooker for this.  I had no reason (other than recipe reduction) to modify the source.  One could use either brown or white rice here.

Fresh spinach is recommended over frozen.  Wilted is the preferred texture.

Wilting the spinach.

Prep Time: 10 minutes.
Cook Time: 30-40 minutes.
Rest Time: Unnecessary.
Serves:  2.
Cuisine:  Greek.
Leftovers:  Covered in fridge.

Greek Spinach Rice:  Spanakorizo

• 1/2 cup / 120 uncooked long-grain rice, well-rinsed       
• 1.5 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil                         
• 1 shallots, finely chopped                                    …

• 

Ingredients:

• 

600g of diced beef

6 potatoes cut small

1 pk of mushrooms cut into half

1 pk of cherry tomatoes

2 red onions sliced

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of coconut milk

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of crushed peppercorns

3 tablespoon of coriander & garlic seasoning

• 

Method:

• 

Heat up the olive oil and fry the onions for 2-3 minutes.

Add the diced beef and sear for 3-5 minutes.

Transfer to the slow cooker add salt, pepper, coriander & garlic seasoning stir to coat the beef.

Add tin tomatoes, coconut milk stir add potatoes, mushrooms, cherry tomatoes stir well.

Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

• 

Serve with rice and garnish with fresh coriander.

• 

• 

Ingredients:

• 

700g of diced beef

1 tray of mushrooms halved

1 large onion diced

3 tablespoon of ghee

1 teaspoon of chilli powder

1 teaspoon of dried fenugreek leaves

1 teaspoon of garam masala

1 teaspoon of salt

4 green chillies chopped

90g of spinach

1 tablespoon of ginger puree

1 tablespoon of garlic puree

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

400mls of water

Freshly chopped coriander

2 tablespoon of indian spice mix

• 

(Indian spice mix

• 

Ingredients:

• 

4 tablespoons of coriander powder

2 tablespoons of cumin powder

2 tablespoons of turmeric powder

3 tablespoons of paprika

2 tablespoons of curry powder

2 tablespoons of chilli powder

1 teaspoon of garam masala powder

1 teaspoon of grinded black pepper

• 

Method:

Mix all ingredients together And store in an airtight container.)

Method:

• 

In a large bowl massage the beef with the ghee and add salt and Indian spice…

• 

Ingredients:

• 

4 chicken thighs skinned

300g of diced lamb

6 potatoes cut into quarter

1 large onion diced

5 tomatoes diced

Mixed Pell pepper chopped

4 green chilli peppers chopped

1-/ teaspoon of rock salt

½ teaspoon of crushed peppercorns

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 tablespoon of coriander powder

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of curry powder

1 teaspoon of chilli powder

1 teaspoon of garam masala

1 tablespoon of garlic puree

1 tablespoon of ginger puree

1 tin of chopped tomatoes

1 tin of coconut milk

Freshly chopped coriander

• 

Method:

• 

In a large bowl mix together the tin tomatoes and tin coconut milk.

Then mix in the salt, pepper, garlic & ginger puree.

Then slowly mix in all the spice powders.

Mix well add the diced lamb and leave to marinate for about 2 hours or overnight.

Pour the marinade mix into the slow…

• 

Ingredients:

• 

7 chicken thighs skinned

6 hard boiled eggs

1 large onion sliced

5 tomatoes diced

1 tablespoon of garlic puree

1 tablespoon of ginger puree

1 tablespoon of tomato puree

1 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

1 teaspoon of saffron

1 teaspoon of turmeric

1 tablespoon of chilli flakes

1 tablespoon of paprika

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of ground coriander

1 teaspoon of garam masala

1 teaspoon of mustard powder

1 teaspoon of onion seeds

1 tin if chopped tomatoes

200 mls of water

• 

Method:

• 

Pour the water & tin tomatoes into the slow cooker and stir.

Mix in the garlic, ginger, & tomato purees, salt, pepper, onion seeds and stir.

Add onions & tomatoes stir.

Add turmeric, paprika, cumin, coriander, garam masala, mustard powder, stir well.

Add chicken & chilli flakes and stir to coat the chicken.

Cook on high for 2-3…

When it starts to get cooler, it’s really hard to beat a good stew. And, beef stew is one of our favorites. It’s warm, filling and feeds a lot – what’s not to love about it?! OH, and it is super easy to make!

I started by chopping my vegetables. Since it was going in a stew, I just rough chopped everything.

The cooking started with, as so many things that I love do, a little bit of olive oil, the onions I chopped and garlic. I cooked the onions and garlic until they started to get soft.

Then I added in the stew meat and browned it – adding in the seasonings, when it started to get browned.

Finally, I added in 4 cups – or one carton – of beef stock, the can of crushed tomatoes and the vegetables.

I let it come to a boil and then…