I have been under the weather for almost a week, so my content creation has suffered. I have a backlog of pictures from various kitchen projects though, so rather than make a bunch of posts, I'll compile them all here in one big rambling essay. Up first: an experimental recipe!
Pork & Beans... Technically
I decided to try creating my own crock pot pork recipe. I was just winging it, so this is a learning experience. I bought my cut of meat, two 28-oz. cans of crushed tomatoes, a 2 lb. bag of dried great northern beans, onions, garlic, and assorted chili peppers.
I had the foresight to rinse, inspect, and soak the beans for a good 18 hours before trying to cook with them, but in hindsight, they really needed to be boiled at some point in the process to soften more. I would also choose smaller navy beans next time, I think.
At any rate, I heated one can of crushed tomatoes, sauteed one onion in a small skillet with olive oil, and crushed a lot of garlic cloves into the pan while it heated up. I also chopped up a poblano pepper and three small red chili peppers. I then mixed the peppers and the sauteed onions into the sauce and stirred in a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon of pepper. Again, time for hindsight! I would just pour the sauce straight into the crock pot instead of dirtying up another pot on the stove. The poblano pepper was nice, though. I'll be using those more often.
I added somewhere between half and two thirds of the soaked beans to the pot around the pork shoulder, but the level of tomatoes and beans was getting too high, and needed more tomatoes for balance, so I opened the second can of crushed tomatoes and added most of it to the crock pot. I set about a cup aside for later.
The crock pot took a while to cook everything properly, probably because it was loaded almost to the brim. However, the resultant pork was tender and tasty... the beans themselves were stubbornly firm, though, almost to the point of being crunchy. Oops.
Let's call that the alpha version of the recipe.
Crock Pot Beans & Pork Recipe (Beta Version)
Pork roast of choice, 3-5 lbs.
1 lb. navy beans, brought to a boil and soaked overnight until softened.
One onion, diced and sauteed in oil
Garlic cloves (or minced garlic) to taste. More is better.
1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
1 poblano pepper, chopped.
2 red chili peppers, chopped
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. black pepper
olive or vegetable oil
Place pork in crock pot. Add remaining ingredients. Cover and cook to 165°F internal temperature, based on the time and temperature settings for your crock pot. Try it out and let me know what tweaks are needed!
Mini Pizzas and Calzones
It was also time to work with my sourdough starter, so I prepared a pizza dough going mostly by feel, and decided to try making some miniature pizzas and calzones to freeze for later enjoyment.
I rolled out the crust dough, cut out circles approximately 4" in diameter, using a circular pastry cutter. Then I topped them with some of the leftover crushed tomatoes, some Forager Project shredded cheese alternative, turkey pepperoni, and browned Italian sausage. After that, I folded over the crust and crimped it closed before adding it to a floured pizza pan. I repeated this trio again before making a pair of mini pizzas.
I also made a pair of large calzones with the same fillings, but much more than a single pepperoni each. One of these was baked for an expedient meal while the crock pot did its thing for the recipe above.
Extra-Special Scrambled Eggs
I still had some leftover crushed tomatoes, and there was also a surplus of sausage, so what could I do with that? How about sautee another onion, crush some more garlic, toss in some mushrooms, add the remaining sausage and tomatoes, and scramble a bunch of eggs?
Extra-special scrambled eggs, toast with un-butter, and coffee with non-dairy creamer. Yum! And I mean that seriously, not sarcastically. Most butter and creamer substitutes are a lot better than even the best fake cheese.
I also made some mini breakfast tacos the next morning with leftover eggs.
Pork Chops
The Mother Thing has not been well, so she didn't eat much of the Sunday dinner I made. I pulled some pork chops from the freezer and broiled them with assorted seasonings (I don't recall everything I added) in the toaster oven while preparing instant mashed potatoes and green beans. A bowl works better than a plate for dinner in bed.
Sourdough Bread and French Toast
I started feeling more tired and brain-fogged than usual about Thursday, but I don't know whether I have been fighting off the Mother Thing's bug or dealing with my own autoimmune issues flaring up, or some combination of both. Nonetheless, sourdough starter demands attention on its own schedule. A week after making pizza crust, it was time to split, feed, and bake again. I made a loaf using a small pan, and unlike last time, it baked properly.
I think the prior failure was due to starter that hadn't properly acclimated, or I hadn't been feeding properly, or something. Whatever the case, it turned out nicely. After most of the loaf was devoured when fresh, I had just enough for a few small pieces of french toast made from locally-sourced eggs.
One of the eggs I cracked had a blood spot. This can happen in farmyard eggs. Supposedly they're safe to eat, but this was not appetizing. I suggest using a small bowl to check eggs individually if they're farm-fresh. It also makes it easier to pull out bits of shell which may fall in. I was in a hurry and skipped that step this time, only to be rudely reminded why I usually do so.
After cleanup and cracking a new egg, I continued making my breakfast. Not too bad, all things considered.
