Kalua Pork Sliders

It's no secret that I love recreating my favorite restaurant meals at home. There's something insanely satisfying about knowing that I can make something just as delicious in my own kitchen as what some chef once created in an overpriced restaurant. It's like saying, "See! I can run with the big dogs too!" And we all need a little ego boost every now and then, right?

This meal in particular was inspired by the great folks at Ono Hawaiian Cafe right here in good old Boise, Idaho. This is the place where Dane and I celebrated our engagement-versary and the restaurant that catered our wedding! We had so many compliments on the food at our wedding... no one left hungry (as I've experienced personally at some weddings) and everyone agreed that the food was delicious. I'll be the first to tell you, it's worth every penny to have these guys cater your event!

Anyway, Ono has quickly become one of our very favorite restaurants. And every time we go we order the Kalua Pork Sliders for an appetizer, regardless of how hungry we are. They're simply too good to pass up! Salty, flavorful pork, sweet crispy onion straws, fluffy, Hawaiian rolls, and juicy pineapple... how can you say no to that? I'm telling you, the combination is downright crave-able.

Well, since we can't exactly afford to be eating out all the time, I decided to take it upon myself to recreate these bad boys at home. And judging by the non-stop "yum" coming from my husband and the decided lack of leftovers for the next day (despite ample amounts of food), I'm pretty sure I hit the nail on the head with this one. Seriously... they turned out so good! I could hardly keep from eating half the batch in one sitting, all by myself. And you guys won't believe how easy they were to make! It does take some planning ahead to allow the pork to roast low and slow, but otherwise the process couldn't be simpler. Almost too simple, because now I find myself wanting to make them like every other day. But alas, I must refrain, for I have no desire to look like a 300-pound Samoan guy.

But seriously... make these. Today. Thank me later.

Crock Pot Pork Carnitas

Pork carnitas have always been a restaurant favorite of mine. Oddly enough, my first experience with carnitas was back when I worked at Red Robin. I ordered the carnitas fajitas on my lunch break one day when I had a Mexican food craving, and was blown away! Since then I almost always order carnitas whenever they're on the menu... and I've never been disappointed.

It was only a matter of time before I decided to give carnitas a try at home. And it was so easy, I'll definitely do it again! Traditionally, pork shoulder is roasted in a whole bunch of lard to make carnitas, which is tasty and all but not exactly healthy. Luckily slow cooking in the crock pot delivers a similar tenderness without all the fat... the slower the better! I also appreciated the distinctive zing that the orange added to this recipe, but next time I think I'll try lime instead, just to see if there's a perceptible difference. 

Enjoy this tender pork tucked inside some corn tortillas with a little Montery-Jack cheese and fresh cilantro like we did, or turn it into some fantastic fajitas... or heck, just enjoy it all by itself! But next time you need a dinner that tastes outta this world and basically cooks itself, look no further!

Sesame-Ginger Pork with Soba Noodles

These days, I'm almost always in a hurry.

But, of course, so are you.

We're all busy.

And busy people like us need fast food.

And not just fast food... but good food.

Food that tastes good, and is good.

Food to keep us going, so we can stay busy.

Hello lovely.

This bowl of goodness is just what the doctor ordered.

It's fast... takes less than 30 minutes, in fact.

It tastes good... really good, actually. Toasty sesame oil, spicy ginger, fresh cilantro, salty, succulent, irresistible sauce over totally slurpable noodles and juicy pork... hungry yet?

And it is good. At only 415 calories per serving, it'll fill you up without slowing you down. You know... so you can stay busy.

Make it. Eat it. Love it. Go!

Roast Pork & Veggie Burritos

Since I've begun working night shift indefinitely, I've been looking for and cooking a lot of meals that require the same base ingredient, which can be made in large quantities and then created into two or more different recipes. For me this serves two purposes. One, it gives me something to do (read: keep me awake) the night before my first night shift in the stretch, so I can stay up late and sleep most of the day. Two, it makes meal planning during my stretch of night shifts a breeze, because my main ingredient is already done... all I have to do is quickly throw the other ingredients together and voila! Dinner is ready.

Lucky for me, the September edition of Everyday with Rachel Ray was all about these kinds of meals, and I felt fortunate to come across this very tasty - and quite easy - burrito recipe. It starts with a great base roast pork, which can be eaten on its own with the usual roast sides, like mashed potatoes and gravy, but it can also easily be tossed with a little bottled BBQ sauce and piled on a bun with tasty results. The roast can also be easily frozen in smaller quantities once cooked, which makes future meal planning easy too. The rice pilaf used in these burritos is also quick and simple to throw together, and it too can be frozen for future use. Between the pork and pilaf alone, the recipe possibilities seem quite endless!

Even if you only make the roast and the rice for these burritos you won't regret it... freeze the leftovers because you'll definitely want to make these again and again!

Pork Medallions with Lemon & Rosemary

When I'm crunched for time, pan-seared pork is often a go-to staple. Usually I just lightly season it with rosemary, salt, and pepper and call it good. But, as in all things, too much of a good thing just isn't. By the time last week rolled around and I was at a loss for what to make for dinner, Dane and I had already eaten our fair share of rosemary pork chops. I needed something we hadn't tried before, but I needed it to be fast.

Luckily my Williams-Sonoma cookbook came through for me. Flipping through the meat section I was immediately drawn to this recipe - quick and easy pork, with a twist.

Now, the pork by itself is pretty basic, but... it's the sauce that makes this dish, my friends. And though the ingredients may suggest otherwise, it's unfussy and very, very easy. The end result is a light, brothy sauce, with a slight tang from the wine and capers and a subtle whiff of lemon. And don't worry if it runs on the plate a little, wanting to play with your mashed potatoes and green beans... let it. Just a little drizzle of this sauce transforms everyday pork chops and mashed potatoes into a dinner worthy of nice company. And no one needs to know it came together in half an hour... I won't tell if you don't.

Bacon-Pancetta Potatoes

The gym I go to has these lovely televisions attached to about half of the cardio machines. Being able to watch TV definitely makes those half-hour cardio workouts a bit easier, especially for someone like me who doesn't get broadcast television at home. And I bet you'll never guess what my favorite channel to watch while I'm on the treadmill is... hmm... yup, Food Network. Yes, it's a bit ironic, but that's part of the fun for me. There's something especially masochistic about watching Ina Garten make cheesecake while I run my guts out, tehe. Plus, it gives me great inspiration sometimes... like this amazing potato recipe.

Yes, these babies are fried.

Yes, I used the grease from the bacon and pancetta.

No, these are not healthy.

But... these are quite possibly the best potatoes I've ever eaten.

See, I, like, Jessica over at How Sweet It Is, have an obsession with bacon. No, I don't have four packages of bacon in my fridge right now like she does, but when I see a recipe that includes bacon I simply can't resist. And while, yes, the potatoes are the center of attention in this dish, the bacon and pancetta should definitely get awards for supporting roles. And if you so desired, you could easily double the amount of bacon and omit the pancetta, but to me, the combination of flavors takes these potatoes from ordinary to damn-near gourmet.  

Trust me, once you try these you'll never go back to ordinary fried potatoes. You'll be finding all kinds of excuses to make these for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So what if you'll need to run an extra mile on the treadmill when you're done? It'll be nice excuse to watch more Food Network. :)

Sweet and Sour Pork

I'm on kind of a sweet-savory sauce kick these days. Damn you, irresistible sloppy joes for getting these flavors stuck in my head! Then I was pondering this amazing, super sweet, completely unhealthy mandarin sauce from my favorite Chinese restaurant back home... when I stumbled upon this recipe. I took one look at the list of ingredients and was instantly intrigued. Apple juice concentrate... really? That's unusual. And pineapple juice? And brown sugar? How much sugar is in this recipe? Needless to say, it is very sweet. But it was just what I was looking for. And at under 500 calories per serving, I'm happy I don't have to feel guilty about the indulgence. :)

Sage-Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!

I'm a little ashamed to admit that I know very little about St. Patrick aside from the fact that he's the patron saint of Ireland. Can I use the fact that I'm not Irish as a decent excuse? After doing a little research (and I do mean a little), I discovered a legend about a man who banished snakes from Ireland, and a more believable story about a priest who used a shamrock to describe the holy trinity. Apparently March 17 is the widely accepted date of St. Patrick's death, and its celebration began as a day of feast to remember his his influence. So the whole corned beef and cabbage obsession makes sense... and while I'm sure St. Patrick wasn't a drinker himself, it's well-known that the Irish can't have a celebration without a healthy gratuitous amount of beer. :)

Another interesting tidbit I discovered is that corned beef is actually not a traditional Irish dish. Corned beef's popularity actually originated during the Irish immigration to America, and it's now served in Ireland more as tourist-friendly fare. The original Irish dish most-likely consisted of bacon or ham and cabbage, rather than beef. So, since I'm not a huge fan of super-salty corned beef, I decided I'd try this recipe for Pork Chops and Cabbage and Apple Slaw in honor of St. Patrick instead.

Up to this point, I had never actually tried the pork and apple combination. It seemed like such a popular pairing, though, that I knew I had to try it... and now that I have tried it I must say, I very much approve! The sour-sweetness of the Granny Smith apple was a surprisingly lovely complement to the juicy, savory pork chop. I think next time, though, for ease of preparation, I'll just buy a bag of pre-shredded cabbage and carrots, as shredding the carrots by hand proved to be both time consuming and a major pain. But it was worth it! So here's to you, St. Patrick... thanks for bringing Christianity to Ireland, and for giving us another excuse to celebrate. :)

Pork Loin with Acorn Squash and Green Beans

I'm pretty sure my mother thinks that everything I cook and eat is either fried or loaded with sugar. That, my friends, simply isn't true. Case in point...

...pork chops with acorn squash and green beans.

Ok... so it's not the fanciest meal ever. Really, it's almost as basic as a good meal comes. But it's healthy! ...and pretty damn delicious, if I may say so myself. You've got a good serving of lean protein, a nutrient-rich starch, and a vegetable. Can we say balanced? Plus, at only 450 calories total (estimated, of course), it's practically guilt-free, haha. :)

The most complicated part of cooking this meal is splitting the acorn squash open, haha... it's definitely an upper arm workout (at least for me)! But cooking the squash is a cinch... this is one of the few things I prefer to cook in the microwave, believe it or not. In the oven, I've had squash bake for an hour and still come out firm, but it comes out buttery soft after 10 minutes in the microwave. I place the halves cut-side down in a baking dish (after scraping out the seeds and "guts", of course), cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave for 5 minutes, then I turn them over, place a teaspoon of butter in each half, cover, and microwave again for another 5 minutes. Voila... delicious, un(hardly)adulterated acorn squash, just the way God intended it.

And the pork? I think simple is an understatement. I cut all the visible fat from the chops, lightly spray each side with olive oil cooking spray, and season both sides with a little kosher salt, fresh ground pepper, and rosemary. Then I cook them over medium-high heat in a dry pan, 6 minutes each side, turning twice and covering during the last 6 minutes of cooking. And I must admit... when it comes to the green beans I am a dirty, dirty cheater. I bought a small bag of pre-washed fresh green beans, microwaved them in the bag for 5 minutes, and tossed with 2 teaspoons of butter, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Dane doesn't care for squash, so I mashed some yukon gold potatoes with a little milk, butter, and salt and pepper for him. If I hadn't been seriously craving squash I would have eaten the potatoes myself... I love the buttery, creamy texture of yukon golds... definitely my favorite potatoes to mash.


I'm no Rachel Ray, but this is definitely a recipe I keep in my half-hour recipe box. Quick, healthy, satisfying, simple... a keeper, if you ask me.

And see, mom? Wedding diet acceptable. :)