Cumin Tacos with Cumin Slaw

We make these tacos at least once a month.  They are so tasty!  We got this recipe from our friend Tam and it is so delicious!!  Be sure to make the Cumin slaw that tops the tuna, so good.

Tuna Tacos

• 2 Tuna fillets
• 1/2 cup cumin lime honey dressing (recipe below)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbs. olive oil

-Slice two fillets horizontally in half.  Marinate in dressing and salt for at least 20 minutes, up to 2 hours.  Heat oil in a large skillet, cook fillets as long as you prefer. (We like the Tuna to be a bright pink on the inside)  

Serve as Tacos: Corn Tortillas, limes, cilantro, pickled red onions, beans, cabbage slaw (recipe below). 

**Slice red onions and soak in white wine vinegar and salt for pickled onions.  They can soak while you make everything else.

Cumin lime honey dressing

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1/2 tspn. cumin
• 1/4 tspn. chile powder
• 1/2 tspn. salt
• 1 1/2 Tbl. Honey
• 2 Tbl. chopped cilantro

Cumin Cabbage

• Mix 2 cups shredded cabbage with 3 Tbs. of the cumin lime honey dressing, 1/4 cup cilantro, 3 sliced scallions, 3 Tbs. lime juice, 2 Tbs. mayonnaise. Taste to adjust seasonings.

Pumpkin Sausage Pasta with Spinach & Pear Salad

This pasta has become a tradition for every Fall in our house.  As soon as the temperatures start dropping one of us always has the taste for this dish.  The spinach salad goes perfect with it and we usually serve fresh pumpernickel bread as well.  This dish is one of those dishes that tastes like you spent all day cooking, but it really is very simple.

Pasta with Pumpkin and Sausage

• 1 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil, plus one more
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1 lb. sweet or hot Italian sausage (we use hot)
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 bay leaves, dried
• 4-6 sprigs of sage, finely chopped (2 Tbl)
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/8 tspn. cinnamon
• 1/2 tspn. nutmeg
• salt & pepper
• 1 lb. penne pasta
• Parmesan cheese for topping

-Heat in a large skillet 1 Tbl. of the oil and brown the sausage by breaking it into small pieces.  When cooked, transfer sausage to a paper towel lined plate.  Add remaining oil, then garlic and onion and saute for 3-5 minutes.  Add bay leaves, sage and wine to pan.  Reduce wine by half, about 2 minutes.  Add stock and pumpkin and stir.  Stir sauce until it starts to bubble.  Return sausage to pan, reduce heat and stir in cream.  Season the sauce with cinnamon and nutmeg, then salt and pepper.  Simmer mixture for 5-10 minutes to thicken the sauce.  Cook pasta as directed.  Drain and then add pasta to the sauce.  Remove the bay leaves and stir to combine.  Garnish pasta with Parmesan and chopped sage

I love this salad.  I don't usually measure anything for the dressing, so be sure to taste as you are making it to see if you need to add more of something.  I love blue cheese, but its not for everyone...you can leave it out if you're not a fan.  Enjoy!

Spinach & Pear Salad

• Spinach (1 bag)
• 2 Pears, sliced
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup candied pecans
• Blue cheese
• Red onion, sliced in thin slices
• Dressing: Mix 2 Tbl. Dijon mustard, 3 Tbl. red wine vinegar, 1 garlic clove (chopped), 1 small shallot (chopped), salt & pepper to taste 

Lime & Cilantro Whole Chicken Tacos

This is another one of those delicious easy meals in the slow cooker.  We love making different kinds of tacos.  You stuff a whole chicken with limes, garlic and cilantro and roast for 6-7 hours.  The chicken is so tender and juicy, your house ends up smelling fantastic too.

Lime & Cilantro Whole Chicken Tacos
1 3-4lb. whole chicken
1 tspn. salt
1 tspn. black pepper
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
4 garlic cloves, peeled

-Wash and dry the chicken thoroughly.  Season the chicken inside and out with salt & pepper.  Place in the cooker, breast side up.  Squeeze the juice of the lime over the chicken and put the rind, garlic and cilantro in the cavity.  Cook and cover on low for 6-7 hours until the thickest part of the thigh registers at 180 degrees.

Tacos:
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 large onion, cut in half and sliced into half moons
1/2 tspn. dried oregano
1/4 dry white wine
Shredded meat and drippings from the slow cooker (skim fat off drippings)
3/4 cup prepared salsa
To serve: tortillas, cheese, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, cilantro, limes, sour cream, onions

-Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the oregano and continue to stir 1 to 2 minutes longer.  Add the wine and stir until it has almost boiled off.  Take the chicken out of the slow cooker and shred into small pieces.  Add chicken to skillet.  When the chicken is hot, stir in about one-third of the drippings, allowing them to sizzle, and reduce again until syrupy.  Add about half of the remaining drippings and allow to reduce again.  Add the salsa and remaining drippings.  When the liquid comes to a boil, cover and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Season mixture with salt and pepper.  Assemble into tortillas and add desired toppings.  Enjoy!

Chicken Liver Pate with Pancetta

This is technically an appetizer, however they are so good that you can definitely eat enough of them and make it a meal.  I love anything with liver, but what I love about this particular pate is that you don't have the extra butter in it like other pates, and it still tastes sooooo good.  We got this recipe from our good friend Tam.  Anytime we make it, everyone LOVES it.  Such a great dish for any party or just because.  I promise it will not disappoint you!

Chicken Liver Pate with Pancetta

• 1lb. chicken livers
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 small apple, peeled, cored, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 4 anchovy fillets
• 1 Tbs. each chopped: Sage, Thyme, Chives
• 1/2 cup port or sherry
• 1/2 cup cognac or scotch
• salt & pepper to taste
• To serve: Baguette (sliced), 12 slices of pancetta (thinly sliced), Mayonnaise, fresh chives chopped

-Soak Chicken Livers in milk for 1 hour.  Drain.  Season livers with salt and pepper.  In a large skillet with olive oil, cook livers for 2-3 minutes over medium-high heat until pink  inside.  Remove livers and set aside to cool.  Add port to pan and scrape up the brown bits.  Allow to reduce a little and then pour over the chicken livers.

-Add a few drops of oil back to the pan.  Add  onions and a sprinkle of salt.  Cook for 5 minutes.  Add apples and cook for 2 minutes.  Add garlic, herbs and anchovies.  Cook until the anchovies start to disappear in the pan.  Remove mixture from pan and place on a separate bowl.  Add the other 1/2 cup of cognac or scotch to the pan and allow it to deglaze.  Pour the mixture over the onions.  

-Put both mixtures into a blender and blend to desired consistency. Take pancetta and lightly fry in a fry pan until crispy.  To serve slice the baguette into pieces.  Spread a layer of liver on the bread, a light layer of mayonnaise on top of the liver, a piece of pancetta, topped with fresh chives.  Enjoy!   

Salmon Tartare

I was looking for a new appetizer to make for Sunday football.  This tartare is so fresh tasting and very easy to sit down and eat the whole bowl.  There is a lot of chopping, but it is well worth the wait once you are finished.

Salmon Tartare

• 1 8oz boneless salmon fillet, skinless
• 1/4 cup finely diced, seeded cucumber
• 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 tspn. minced fresh chives
• 1 1/2 tspn. minced fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tspn. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tspn. minced jalapeno
• 1 1/2 tspn. minced shallot
• 3/4 tspn. minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 tspn. Asian sesame oil
• 1/4 tspn. lime zest
• Kosher salt & black pepper
• Tortilla chips or thick cut potato chips

-Place salmon on a pate, freeze until well chilled, about 20 minutes.  Cut salmon into 1/8 cubes.  Place salmon in medium bowl.  Add cucumbers and next nine ingredients and toss to combine.  Season tartar to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve with chips.  Enjoy!

Personal Deep Dish Pizza

We received these little deep dish pans for a wedding gift and they are so fun to make.  We always forget we have them, but they're a huge hit when they come out of the oven.  We like them too because you can play with the amount of toppings and the crust is so tasty.

Dough

• 1 package of active dry yeast
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose-flour, plus more if needed
• 1 tspn. salt

-In a bowl with an electric mixer, combine the yeast, water and sugar and whisk by hand until dissolved.  Let stand for 5 minutes, then add the vegetable oil, flour and salt.  Place the bowl on the mixer, attach the dough hook and knead on low speed until smooth and pliable, about 5 minutes. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide into 4 equal pieces.  Knead each piece by hand for 30 seconds, shaping the dough into a ball and dusting with a little flour if needed.  Dust a baking sheet with flour and place the dough on the sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let the dough rise at room temperature for 2 hours.

The pizza we made have sausage, red onion, mushrooms and black olives with both provolone and mozzarella cheese and sauce.  I recommend cooking the sausage on a fry pan before baking it, along with the vegetables as well.

-Cook sausage in fry pan over medium heat until cooked through.  Place on paper lined plate until assembly.  Take chopped red onion and mushrooms and cook in same pan.  Set aside.

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Divide the remaining oil among the 4 pans, about 2 tsp. per pan. Place a dough ball in each pan, and using your fingers, press the dough in an even layer across the bottom and up the sides of the pans.  

-Place 1 provolone slice of cheese on each dough round.  Top with mozzarella, vegetables, and sausage.  Using a back of a spoon, spread tomato pizza sauce on top of each pizza evenly.  We usually put a little more cheese on top of this.

-Bake for 30-35 minutes until they are golden brown on the outside.  Remove from oven when they are finished and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.  Using a knife around the outside edge, they should pop out of the pan easily.  Enjoy!

Hoisin Meatball Subs with Spicy Cumin Fries

These subs were fun to make and so good that we had them as leftovers for 2 days.  So good!!!  The subs  reminded us of flavors similar in a Vietnamese sandwich and different Thai flavors.  The meatballs are so juicy and the Cumin fries are the perfect compliment.

Meatball Subs with Hoisin Mayonnaise

• 1 slice white sandwich bread
• 1 1/2 Tbl milk
• 1 tspn. soy sauce
• 5 scallions, white and green parts separated
• 1 1/4 lbs. ground pork
• 3 large garlic cloves, finely grated
• 1 Tbl. finely grated peeled ginger (about a 2in. piece)
• 1/3 cup water chestnuts, rinsed and chopped
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 1/2 tspn. toasted sesame oil
• salt & pepper
• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 2 1/2 Tbl. fresh lime juice
• 4 tspn. Asian chili-garlic sauce
• Peanut oil for fying
• 1 cup bean sprouts
• Baguette rolls, sliced in half

-Tear the sandwich bread into small pieces, then toss with the milk and soy sauce in a large bowl.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, mince the scallion whites.  Cut the scallion greens into the 2 inch long strands.  Put the strands in a bowl of ice water and refrigerate while you make the meatballs.

-Add the scallion whites, pork, garlic, ginger, water chestnuts, egg, cilantro, 1 tspn. sesame oil, 1 1/4 tspn. salt, 1/2 tspn. pepper to the bowl with the bread; mix until combined with your hands.  Gently form golf size ball meatballs and place on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-4 hours.

-Stir the hoisin sauce, mayonnaise, 1 1/2 Tbl. lime juice, the chili-garlic sauce and remaining 1/2 tspn. sesame oil in a medium bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

-Heat about 2-3 Tbl. in a large sauce/fry pan over medium heat.  Add the meatballs in batches and cook, turning occasionally until browned and cooked through, 8-10 minutes per batch.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.

-Drain the scallion greens and toss with the bean sprouts, 1 Tbl. lime juice and a pinch of salt.  Spread hoisin mayo on the inside of the baguette pieced, then fill with the meatballs, scallion-sprout mixture and extra cilantro if desired.

Spicy Cumin Fries

• 2 lbs. frozen crinkle-cut french fries
• 1/2 cup chopped dried red chiles
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 Tbl. whole cumin seeds
• 1 Tbl. Sichuan peppercorns
• Kosher salt
• 4 scallions, chopped

-Heat oven to 450 degrees. Position racks so that two cookie sheets can sit on top of each other.  Line baking sheets with foil, then divide fries evenly between both sheets.  Cook as directed, switching the sheets half way through baking time.

-Heat vegetable oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add cumin seeds, peppercorns, chopped chiles and 1 tspn. salt and cook, stirring, until toasted 3-4 minutes.  Stir in the scallions and remove from the heat.

-Transfer fries to a large bowl.  Toss fries with the spiced oil and season with salt.

Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

On cold winter nights, I love the smell of pot roast in the house, especially when you have it roasting in a slow cooker for 8-9 hours.  This recipe has root vegetables that end up tasting so caramelized when finished roasting.  I served garlic and chive mashed potatoes on the side as well...so great to scoop up all the delicious juices.  Embrace the slow cooker, its such a genius appliance.  I have the Breville 7qt, and I love how you can place the insert directly on the stove to braise anything before cooking.

Pot Roast with Root Vegetables

• 2 Tbl. olive oil, more if needed
• 1/2 cup finely diced carrots
• 1/2 cup finely diced celery
• 1/2 cup finely diced turnip
• 1/2 cup finely diced onion
• 3lb. boneless chuck roast, trimmed of most fat
• 1/2 tspn. salt
• 1/4 tspn. black ground pepper
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 3/4 cup water

-In a large heavy skillet, heat 1 Tbl. of the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the carrot, celery, turnip, and onion.  Cook stirring a few times until softened, about 5 minutes.  Transfer to a slow cooker.  Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat.  Add the roast and brown well on the first side.  This will take 2 or 3 minutes if the pan is very hot.  Add oil if needed to avoid the meat sticking to the pan.  Continue to brown on all sides, and salt and pepper each side during the browning.  When finished, add the meat to the slow cooker on top of the vegetables.  Pour the wine into the skillet and scrape up any brown bits.  Bring to a boil and allow to cook to a syrupy consistency, 1-2 minutes.  Pour wine over meat.  Add the water to the skillet and allow to come to a full boil.  Pour over the meat, cover and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours.  To serve, transfer meat to cutting board.  With a spoon strainer, removed desired vegetables skimming the fat off them.  Enjoy!

Seafood Stew

I always used to think any stews with shelled seafood would be so complicated or difficult to prepare...wrong!  This seafood stew is so delicious and very simple.  This past time I made it I used fresh fish stock, it made the broth so rich and creamy.  If you can't find fish stock, I have used vegetable stock as a replacement which is also good but doesn't give the same amount of depth.  I also bought all the fish at our local seafood market, it made it extra fresh and special.

Seafood Stew

• 3 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 2 cups large diced small white potatoes
• 2 cups chopped fennel
• 2 tspn. kosher salt
• 1 tspn. ground black pepper
• 2 cups good white wine
• 1 28oz. can of plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 qt. fish stock or vegetable stock
• 1 Tbl. chopped garlic
• 1 Tbl. saffron threads
• 1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1 lb. each halibut & bass fillets, cut into large chunks
• 24 mussels, cleaned
• 3 Tbl. Pernod
• 1 tspn. grated orange zest
• Crunchy bread for serving

-Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven (I use my 8qt. Staub pot) or stockpot, add the onions, potatoes, fennel, salt and pepper, and saute over medium-low heat for 15min, until the onions begin to brown.  Add the wine and scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan.  Add the tomatoes with their juices, stock, garlic, and saffron to the pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Add the shrimp, fish, and mussels, bring to a boil, then lower the heat, cover and cook for 5 minutes.  Turn off the heat and allow the pot to sit covered for another 5 minutes.  The fish and shrimp should be cooked and the mussels should be opened.  Discard any mussels that don't open.  Stir in the Pernod, orange zest, and salt to taste.  Serve with bread.  Enjoy!

Thanksgiving!

We had a great first Thanksgiving in Vancouver.  We were lucky to have our very good friend Jerrell come and celebrate with us, along with a two of our friends that live here.  It was a huge adjustment not having our double ovens this year...but we survived and made one of our best meals yet.  We clearly have so much to be thankful for this year!  Below are some photos of the dishes we made...I will include most of the recipes as well.  Enjoy!

We always brine our turkey a day before we put it in the oven.  This was the first year we made the brine from scratch.  I'll never buy a store made brine again...it is so easy to make your own, and our Turkey was more flavorful this year.

Brine

• 3 cups apple juice
• 2 gallons cold water
• 4 Tbl. fresh rosemary
• 7 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
• 2 cups brown sugar
• 4 Tbl. peppercorns
• 6 whole bay leaves
• Peel of 3 large oranges
• 2 Tbl. allspice
• 4 star anise

-Add all ingredients to a very large pot.  Cook on high until the salt and sugars have blended together.  Let cool before adding to your Turkey. Wash Turkey and  put Turkey breast side down in brine bag and pour brine over the Turkey.  Put your bag in the refrigerator for 1 day, turning the Turkey once halfway through.  When Turkey is finished brining,  remove from bag, rinse thoroughly and pat dry.  Heavily pepper & salt the inside and outside before stuffing it.  (We stuff our bird with oranges, lemons, celery, carrots, onions, sage, thyme, rosemary).  We use a sage butter under the skin (recipe below) and also layer the top with bacon strips to trap moisture and protect from too much browning.  Cook as directed per pounds.  Delicious!

Sage Butter

• 2 sticks butter, softened
• 1/4 cup chopped sage
• salt & pepper

-Mix all ingredients into a bowl with a fork.  Once it is combined, add with your fingers to the Turkey under the skin.

This year we made a very festive punch and served it with our appetizers.  It was so good and really beautiful with a very easy ice mold that we made.  

 The Long Hello Punch

• 1 3/4 cups Calvados or other apple brandy
• 1 cup St. Germain
• 10 dashes bitters, Angostura
• 1 bottle Champagne
• Grated nutmeg

-Mix all ingredients above in large punch bowl.  Sprinkle fresh nutmeg on each glass to serve.

-The ice mold is made with green pears and red apples.  All you need is a tube pan, line the bottom of the pan with the cut pears (green part down) and line the sides with slivers of apples.  Fill the pan halfway with water and let freeze until set (2 hours) then fill the rest of the pan up all the way and freeze another 2 hours.  So easy!

We had many side dishes!  Below are a few more pictures and some more recipes.

7 Layer Salad

Orange Cranberry Jelly

Truffle Mashed Potatoes

Brussels Sprouts Lardons

(recipe in previous posting)

These carrots are delicious.  We make them every year because they are one of my husbands favorites.  Very easy to make and they are even better for leftovers.

Maple Glazed Carrots with Garlic Cloves

• 5lb orange & yellow carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise and cut into 4 inch pieces
• 20 garlic cloves, halved lengthwise
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 Tbl. fresh flat parsley

-Position one rack in the upper third of the oven and another rack in the lower third.  Preheat to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine the carrots, garlic, olive oil, salt & pepper and stir to coat evenly.  Divide the carrot mixture between 2 baking sheets.  Roast without stirring, until the carrots and garlic are tender and golden brown, 28-30 minutes.  Halfway through roasting time, switch positions of the pans in the oven.  Transfer the carrot mixture to a large bowl and drizzle the maple syrup and stir.  Top with the parsley. Serves 6-8.

Every year I usually try a new stuffing recipe, but I think I found one that I'll stick to.  We like stuffing with sausage in it and this year we used a mild spicy pork sausage and it turned out to be delicious.

Sausage-Leek Stuffing

• 3 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 celery sticks, diced
• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks, white and light green portions
• 1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 lbs hot Italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 lb. cubed bread stuffing
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3-4 cups low sodium chicken broth

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a 3 qt. baking dish.  In a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add the onion, celery, leeks, sage, garlic, salt and pepper and saute stirring occasionally until soft 10-12 minutes.  Transfer onion mixture to a bowl.  In the same pan over medium high heat, cook the sausage breaking it into small pieces.  Brown for 8-10 minutes.  Transfer to the onion mixture bowl.  Put bread into large bowl and 1/2 cup at a time stir and add the broth.  Add vegetable and sausage mixture and stir to combine.  Transfer stuffing to the baking dish.  Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking until the top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes more.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  Serves 10-12.  **I usually make my stuffing a night before... I do all the above but add the broth before I bake it.

I'm always nervous to make homemade rolls.  In the past, I haven't had much luck with baking them...probably because I would always go into a recipe thinking it would be so complicated to make.  The rolls we made this year were somewhat involved, but easier than other recipes I had made in the past.  I'll be making these every year from now on.  They tasted perfect, and were great for turkey sandwiches the next day.

Parker House Rolls

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 package dry yeast
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 tspn. salt
• 6 cups flour

-Place milk in saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Remove from heat, stir in butter and sugar.  Let cool.  Dissolve yeast in warm water and allow to sit until foamy.  Combine milk mixture, eggs, yeast, salt and 1/2 of the flour in a mixer with the dough attachment.  Mix until smooth, add remaining flour 1/2 cup at a time.  Stir until ball forms.  Remove dough from the bowl and knead by hand on floured surface for 5 minutes.  Place in greased bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 70 minutes.  On floured surface punch down dough and form into pieces ( I used a medium size biscuit cutter).  Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet and cover again.  Let rise for an additional 30-40 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until top of rolls are golden brown.

The whole meal was delicious. Most importantly, Jack tried everything and seemed to enjoy his feast.  Thanksgiving is our favorite, until next year!

Classic Meatloaf with Brussels Sprouts Lardon

A classic meatloaf is one of my husbands most favorite dishes.  This recipe is from my Mom.  We make a few adjustments every time we make it, but it is so juicy and is great the next day as a sandwich.  The Brussels sprouts are truly delicious.  I know that some of you probably don’t care for this veggie, however if you try these…I guarantee you will have a different opinion.  The pancetta is mixed with the raisins and broth, almost caramelizing the sprouts.  Fantastic.

Beef & Pork Meatloaf

• 1 large onion
• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. thyme leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tsp. tomato paste
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ketchup for topping

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium sauce pan on medium heat, cook onions, olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme until onions are translucent, 15min.  Add Worcestershire sauce, stock, tomato paste. Mix well.  Let pan cool to room temperature.  Combine meat, bread crumbs, eggs and onion mixture in a large bowl.  Mix well and shape into a rectangular loaf pan.  Spread ketchup evenly over the top.  Bake for 1 hour until the internal temperature is 160 degrees.  Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts Lardons

• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 6 oz. pancetta, 1/4 inch diced
• 1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
• 1/4 tspn. salt
• 3/4 tspn. black pepper
• 3/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 3/4 cups chicken broth

-Heat olive oil in a 12in saute pan.   Add the pancetta and cook stirring often until the pancetta is golden brown, 5-10 minutes.  Remove pancetta and place on a plate lined with paper towel.

-Add brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to the fat in the pan and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes, until lightly browned.  Add the raisins and chicken stock.  Lower the heat and cook uncvered, stirring occasionally, until the sprouts are tender, about 15 minutes.  If the skillet becomes dry, add more chicken stock or water.  Return the pancetta to the pan, heat through, season to taste. Enjoy!