Chili-Garlic Pork

Super-easy recipe, but one that I can't take credit for! My friend Jen's family makes this, so I thought I'd give it a shot, and it was DELICIOUS. Since the pork loins tend to come in two-packs, it's incredibly simple to double this recipe, have half tonight, and freeze an entire meal.

1 pork tenderloin (about 1 1/2 lbs)
12-oz jar chili sauce (Jen uses Heinz, I just used the generic store brand)
2-3 tbsp minced fresh garlic (save yourself the time and stinky hands and just go with the minced in a jar)

• Pour the entire jar of the chili sauce into a large mixing bowl, and stir in the garlic. It should be about the consistency of cocktail sauce.
• Rinse the pork, add to the chili mixture, and spoon sauce over so the entire loin is covered. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for an hour or two.
• Turn on ONE HALF of your grill, to high heat.
  
• Once the grill is heated, place the pork loin on the UNHEATED half, and close the lid. (This method, cooking over indirect heat, allows you to cook the pork nice and slowly, which will help prevent the chewy dryness that pork can get when it's cooked too quickly.)
  
• Grill until a meat thermometer reaches at least 165F, turning occasionally.

If you're freezing:

• Follow steps one and two, then place the marinating loin into a freezer bag and remove the air.
  
• Fully defrost in the refrigerator, then continue from step three.

Roasted Corn & Poblano Soup

With the amazingly warm weather we've been having comes the perfect excuse to visit your local farmer's market: the incredible variety of fresh produce you can find this time of year. This past Thursday, I took my daughter on her very first field trip. We spent the morning at a local farm, feeding animals and enjoying the beautiful 70 degree weather, and we came home with 8 peaches and two big bags of freshly-picked corn. I've been dreaming of this soup ever since. We had some family over for dinner tonight, and we all had seconds, including the almost-3-year-old, and soaked up the remaining broth with our bread.




Feeds eight, or one batch for tonight and one for the freezer

3 roasted poblano peppers, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
about 4 cups of roasted corn
4 leeks, halved lengthwise, rinsed well, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
fresh-ground black pepper
3 tbsp cornstarch
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 pint heavy cream

• Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large soup pot. Add the leeks and saute until just starting to wilt.
• Add the sea salt and pepper (to taste), and continue cooking until the leeks are soft.
• Sprinkle leeks with cornstarch, and stir until the cornstarch seems well-dispersed.
• Add the corn, poblano, bell pepper, spices, and broth.
• Bring the soup up to a boil, then reduce heat slightly and cook, covered, about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• Add the cream, stir well, and re-cover. Cook 3-5 more minutes, until warm.
  

Snowy Day Bratwurst

This one isn't a freezer meal, but it's so little work and so few ingredients that it's easy to whip up in a flash. Today, we've got at least 18 inches of snow on the ground and it's still coming down hard and fast. Round one of shoveling is long done, so this was a nice stick-to-your-ribs lunch before heading out for round two.

Feeds three adults and a toddler with some leftovers


8 bratwurst (I like Johnsonville, but whatever you prefer is fine)
1 large yellow onion
1 medium yellow bell pepper
1 sturdy dark beer (we used Brooklyn Brown Ale)

• Peel the onion, discard the ends, cut in half. Cut each half into thin slices, about 1/8" thick.
• Core and de-seed the pepper, cut in half length-wise, and slice as above.
• Heat about 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a deep, heavy-bottom pot. Saute the onions and pepper until lightly carmelized, 7-10 minutes.
  
• Scoot the onions to the side so there's some space for the brats to contact the bottom of the pan. Quickly brown on both sides, then cover with the onions.
• Pour in the beer and cover tightly.
• Bring to a boil, and let it simmer until the brats are cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Serve on long rolls with a little spicy mustard, if you like (but plain is just fine, too).
  

Basic Baked Ziti

I like recipes that can go straight from freezer to oven, with zero effort on the night you actually want to eat it. Baked pasta dishes, like this one, are perfect for that. This is a nice basic recipe that you can alter to suit your family's tastes or whatever mood you're in. Ground beef or crumbled sausage would be nice additions, or a little spinach or chopped artichoke hearts for a vegetarian version.


1-lb box of ziti
8 oz shredded mozzarella
32 oz ricotta
2 eggs
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
3 cups pasta sauce (about a 24-oz jar. I'm using a vodka sauce - yum.)

• Cook the ziti according to package directions
• While the pasta is cooking, combine half the mozzarella with all of the remaining ingredients except for the pasta sauce and stir until just blended.
• When the pasta is tender, reserve one cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta well.
• Add the pasta, reserved water, and pasta sauce to the cheese mixture. Pour into a large baking dish and top with the remaining 4 ounces of mozzarella.
• Bake, covered, at 375F for 40 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook until hot and bubbly, about 30-45 minutes more.

If you're freezing:

• Follow the first four steps, making sure you're using a baking dish that can survive the freezer. (You can find disposable aluminum pans, which freeze well, in most grocery stores.)
• Cover tightly with plastic wrap, then a layer of heavy-duty foil.
  
• When ready to bake, remove the foil and plastic, discard the plastic wrap and re-cover with the foil, then pick up at step 5.
  

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This is a great weekend recipe because, although it takes a while to roast the squash and apples, the majority of the active work is at the very beginning and the very end. You can go about the business of enjoying your life in the meantime. This makes a double-batch, about enough for 4 servings tonight and 4 more to freeze for next time.


1 large squash (4-5 lbs)
5 tbsp butter, divided
2 tbsp vegetable oil
3 medium Honeycrisp apples(quartered, peeled, and cored)
1 medium white onion (cut into 1-inch chunks)
3 small or 1 large garlic clove (peeled and roughly chopped)
4 fresh sage leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 c chardonnay (or any dry white wine)
3 c chicken stock, plus a little extra to thin the soup
1/2 c milk or heavy cream
2 large pinches of nutmeg
salt & black pepper to taste

• Preheat the oven to 450 F
• Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place both halves cut-side down on a baking pan. Drizzle the oil and 2 tbsp of the butter (in small pieces) around them, and place in the oven. Set timer for 20 minutes.
• Add the apples, onion, and garlic to a baking dish and drizzle with the remaining butter (melted).
• Remove the thyme leaves from their stem, and roughly chop the leaves with the sage. Add these to the apples and toss everything to coat evenly with the butter.
  
• When the timer goes off, add the apple dish to the oven.
  
• Bake until the squash is easily pierced with a knife, and the apples are tender (about 40 minutes-1 hour more, so about 1 hr-1 hr 20 mins total from the time you first put the squash in the oven). Stir the apples occasionally during baking.
• Carefully (it will be extremely hot at this point!) spoon the squash out of its shell, and add the flesh to a large soup pot over medium-high heat with the contents of the apple dish, wine, and chicken stock. Use an immersion blender* to break down the large chunks until you have an over-all smooth texture. Add a little extra stock if necessary.
• Add the milk, nutmeg, salt & pepper and bring the soup up to a simmer. Give it 5 minutes to let the flavors blend, and serve hot.
  

If you're freezing:

• Follow the entire recipe, then cool in the refrigerator before freezing.
  
• When ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator, then reheat and serve.

*If you don't have an immersion blender, no worries. Just add the squash and apples in batches with the stock to your regular blender or food processor and then back into the pot they go.

Three-Bean Chicken Chili

My favorite part of this recipe was a complete accident. I was being a little lazy by throwing the onions into the food processor rather than chopping by hand. When the Baby Prupetta is in the kitchen with me I tend to pay more attention to her than to the food, so said food processor kept on going until those onions were well beyond their normal rough chop. We went with it anyway. That silly onion puree adds a really nice depth and richness that you don't get with just chopping, but we left a few plain chopped pieces just for the added texture.


1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 medium yellow onions, divided
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2-2 lbs ground chicken or turkey
2 1/2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cocoa powder
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4-1/2 tsp ancho chili powder, or to taste
2 cans, about 14 1/2 oz each, diced tomatoes, undrained
2 1/2 c chicken stock
8-oz can tomato sauce
1 can each: Cannellini, Garbanzo, and Small Red (or light red kidney) beans

• Chop the onions into long wedges, 8 wedges per onion. Roughly chop one wedge and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.
• While the oil is heating, puree the remaining onion wedges until smooth. (Trust me here, people. The puree is a good thing.)
• Once the onions have begun to soften and brown, add in the oregano, cumin, and ground meat.
  
• Stir until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large chunks with your spoon.
• Add the next 7 ingredients (everything but the beans) and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover tightly, and let the chili simmer about 20 minutes.
• Rinse and drain the beans, and add to the pot. Bring it back up to a boil and simmer until everything is heated through, about 5 minutes more.
• Season with salt and a little more black pepper to taste, and serve with sour cream and some shredded Colby Jack.

If you're freezing:

• Follow the entire recipe and let the chili cool completely before pouring into a freezer bag.
• When ready to eat, defrost in the refrigerator, then reheat and serve.

Pomegranate Chipotle Mop Sauce

If you've been following the blog for a while, you'll recognize this as the same basic recipe as the sauce for Pomegranate Chipotle Slow-Cooker Pork, but it's been revamped a little to become a mop sauce for grilling.


1 16-oz bottle pomegranate juice (plain, no other flavors added)
1 small can mangoes, in their own juice (if you have fresh mangoes, even better. Slice them up, and add 1/2 can mango nectar)
2 chipotle peppers with a heaping spoonful of the adobo sauce
1 large onion, rough chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 pinch allspice
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 heaping tbsp dark molasses
3-4 tsp salt, or to taste

• Place the mangoes, onion, garlic, and peppers in a blender or food processor and blend until almost smooth
  
• Whisk the mango mixture together in a large saucepan with remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.
• Continue boiling over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half
• Mop onto meat or vegetables within the last 5-10 minutes of grilling
  

I used this tonight on ribs and it was absolutely heaven! Here's what I did:

• Rubbed a few racks of ribs with Michael Chiarello's Cocoa Spice Rub and popped them into the fridge while the grill was heating.
• Turned on the outer two burners of the grill only, and oiled the surface in the center of the grill (the burner underneath was turned off. This way, the ribs will cook with indirect heat.)
• Once the grill was hot (about 300°), I placed the ribs in the center of the grill, bone down.
  
• Flipped the ribs occasionally.
  
• Brushed the ribs every 1/2 hour or so with tonic water. This keeps the rub from drying out, and when the ribs are bone-up, you'll get a little puddle of the tonic water that helps keep the air moist as it evaporates.
• When the meat pulls easily from the bone (about 2 hours), mop each side with sauce, grill for a few minutes, then mop again. Repeat until you get a good coating of sauce on all sides.
• Just before removing from the grill, mop one last time with a pretty healthy serving of sauce, so your ribs are nice and slathered. The combo of the rub and the sauce couldn't be better. This was probably one of the best meals I've eaten in a long time!
  

Tropical Marinade

Great for poultry or pork.


120-oz can crushed pineapple, with the juice
11.2 oz can coconut juice with pulp (coconut milk will work well, too)
1/2 can each or peach and nectarine nectar (11.5 oz can)
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp kosher salt
2-3 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 medium onion, diced

• Either use immediately or freeze. Marinade at least 2 hours or up to 24.
  

Citrus-Gin Marinated Chicken

Okay, so I'm on a bit of a citrus kick lately, but bear with me, people. It's summer! The lighter, brighter flavors of citrus are so refreshing after a long, hot day, and citrus has a way of highlighting the fresh fruits and vegetables you can pick up in the summer months.

This marinade will work well with any chicken pieces -- if you prefer dark meat, go for thighs and drumsticks, they'll soak up the flavor just was well, and will stay juicier on the grill. Shrimp will work well too, but cut down on the marinading time.


1 package of chicken pieces (just trimmed of visible fat of you're grilling whole, or trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes if you're in the mood for kabobs)
Juice and zest of one large orange
Juice and zest of two medium limes
6 tbsp gin
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sea salt
2 1/2 tsp sugar
3/4 tsp oregano
Pinch of thyme
1 thinly-sliced jalapeño
2 large onions (thinly sliced if cooking the chicken whole; cut into bite-sized chunks for kabobs)

• Rinse the chicken and place all pieces in a large plastic storage bag or non-reactive (stainless steel or glass) bowl, along with all ingredients EXCEPT for the onions.
  
• Marinade the chicken mixture in the refrigerator at least 2 (but up to 8) hours.
  
• If kabobbing with wooden skewers, soak the skewers during the last half hour of marinading, then spear alternating chicken pieces and onion chunks, taking care not to crowd the pieces
  
• Heat grill (or grillpan) to medium
  
• Grill the chicken, reserving the marinade, about 7 minutes on each side (4-5 for kabobs), or until the center is no longer pink and juices run clear
• Save a little space on the grill for a small pot or saucepan. Pour the remaining marinade in, turn the heat on that part of the grill to high, and bring it to a boil. You should allow the marinade to boil for several minutes before even THINKING about using it as a post-cooking sauce! In fact, you should even brush the marinade back onto the meat after the first couple of minutes of cooking, because that won't allow enough time to bring it up to high enough temperature to kill any bacteria. Scary thought. Be careful, this really isn't something you want to mess around with.
• If you've cooked the chicken pieces whole, then you still have sliced onions left at this point. Into the saucepan they go, to soften and soak up some of that delicious marinade. Let them cook at least as long as the chicken. You can even leave them on a little longer, to caramelize and be even more flavorful. Serve the onions over the chicken.
  

If you're freezing:

• Place the chicken and the marinade in separate bags, then pack both of those into one larger bag. Don't pour the marinade directly over the chicken before freezing.
  
• The day of cooking, allow the chicken to defrost most of the way before adding the marinade.

Lemon Greek Chicken (or shrimp, or fish)

For each 6-pack of chicken breasts*, you'll need:
3 tbsp Greek seasoning mix**
Juice & zest of one lemon
enough olive oil to moisten the mixture and help it come together (just a drizzle)
salt & pepper to taste

• Rinse breasts and pat dry, discarding all visible fat
  
• Mix the remaining ingredients together to form a paste
  
• Schmear the paste on all sides of each piece of chicken
• Place breasts in a single layer in a gallon-sized freezer bag and freeze
  

To Finish:

• Defrost chicken completely
• Lightly oil the surface of grill (or grill-pan on the stove top) and heat over medium flame
• Grill 5-7 minutes on each side, until juices run clear and center of the fattest part of the breast is no longer pink

Super, super easy dish, and honestly it works well on a weeknight even if you haven't prepped it ahead of time, because the paste only takes a minute or two to mix up, and grilling is so quick. Serve this with some tasty grilled asparagus or zucchini.


*The flavors in this paste would work equally well on shrimp or a light fish as they would on chicken. If you're choosing the seafood route, freeze the paste separately and schmear it once once you've defrosted the shrimp or fish fillets. You could do it ahead if you really wanted to, but I wouldn't recommend it. The nice delicate flavor of the seafood would be a little overpowered by soaking in the Greek mixture so long, and the acid in the lemon might begin to "cook" the meat, as they do in a ceviche. Better to wait until right before grilling to ensure the freshest results.


**If you happen to be lucky enough to live in the Philadelphia area, you can pick a really delicious Greek seasoning mix at Spice Corner in the Italian Market, or you can try your hand at this version from RecipeZaar.com.

Lemon Dill Chicken

In addition to the ingredients for this recipe,

to freeze it you'll need:

two gallon-sized freezer bags

two quart-sized freezer bags

On-hand the day of cooking:

light olive oil or vegetable oil

Wondra flour

a little lemon juice

----------------



1 1/2 lbs chicken tenders pieces (tenders, drumsticks, or thin-cut breasts will all work well)
one small onion, finely chopped
zest & juice of one medium lemon
1 1/2 tsp dried dill
3/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste
3/4 tsp pepper, plus more to taste
1 cup reduced-fat, low-sodium chicken broth
all-purpose flour (about 1 cup)

• Place chicken, onion, lemon zest and juice, dill, salt & pepper in one of the gallon-sized bags. Seal, pressing as much air out as possible.
• In the quart-sized bag #1, place the chicken stock. Seal, pressing out air.
• Repeat with flour.
• Place all three bags in the second gallon-sized bag and freeze the whole thing.

To Finish:

• Defrost chicken completely
• Toss the chicken pieces in flour to lightly coat, reserving the marinade that's left in the bag.
• Heat a large, heavy pan over medium-low heat, with just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan.
• When the oil is hot, cook each of the chicken pieces, turning occasionally to cook each side thoroughly. (It's fine to do a few pieces at a time, but make sure not to over-crowd the pan. If you have too many pieces going at once, you'll lower the temperature of the oil and end up stewing the chicken rather than pan-frying, which we don't want to do here.)
• When each piece has browned lightly and the chicken feels slightly firm, remove it to a platter and start the next batch, until all of the pieces have been cooked.
• Add a little more oil as needed, making sure to bring it up to temperature again after each addition.
• Once all of the chicken is done, pour the stock into the pan and stir it with a whisk to make sure all the yummy brown bits are incorporated. Pour in the remaining marinade and bring to a boil.
• Lower the heat and simmer about 5 minutes.
• Gradually whisk in a little Wondra until the sauce has thickened slightly (you'll probably end up using about a tablespoon, but it's totally up to you how thick you want your sauce to be.
• Squeeze in a little fresh lemon juice
• Add salt & pepper to taste
• Return the chicken to the pan, making sure both sides are coated with sauce, and cook a few more minutes until heated through.

Pomegranate Chipotle Slow-Cooker Pork

The basic marinade for this pork would work well with any red meat - ribs, pot roast, game meats, whatever. It has a mildly smokey flavor from the chipotle peppers, and the fruit adds just the right amount of sweetness without making it too syrupy. Broccoli (or any other green veg, cooked al dente) and a baked sweet potato are the perfect sides.

Serves 4

1 lb pork loin*, all visible fat discarded
1 bottle Pom pomegranate juice(plain, no other fruit added)
1 small can of sliced mangoes, in their own juice
2 chipotle peppers, diced, plus a heaping spoonful of the adobo sauce
1 large chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 pinch allspice

Throw all in a crock pot on low, 4-6 hours.

If you're freezing: Put all ingredients together in a large freezer bag and freeze. (Don't worry if it takes a little longer to freeze than you expect - the high sugar content of the juice slows down the freezing process, but it will get there.) Defrost completely before popping into the crock pot.


*The pork shrinks significantly during the cooking process. If your "serves 4" is four people with pretty healthy appetites, I'd add a second 1-lb loin as long as your pot will accommodate the extra volume, but there's no need to increase the rest of the recipe; there's plenty of sauce to go around!

Chicken 'n Stuffing

Classic comfort food. That's really all there is to say!



1 lb chicken breasts, cooked completely and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 large canister stuffing mix (whatever flavor you prefer. I usually go with chicken.)
1/4-1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed & chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 cup sour cream
1 cup chicken stock
1 small can or jar of sliced mushrooms, drained
2 tbsp butter

• Prepare the stuffing according to the package directions
• In the meantime, blanche the green beans, drain, and set aside
• Melt the butter, and mix all wet ingredients together
• Once the stuffing is done, toss it in a large mixing bowl with the chicken, green beans, and mushrooms. Pour the wet ingredients over top and stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
• Place stuffing mix into a casserole pan. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap, then cover tightly with foil.
  

TO COMPLETE:

Remove foil and reserve. Remove plastic wrap and discard; recover pan with foil. Bake at 350◦F about 30 minutes, until bubbly and warmed through.

Mom's Corn Chowder

This is my mom's recipe, and has been a life-long favorite of mine. I've never found any need to alter the recipe, it's just so good the way it is!

1 lb bacon, sliced width-wise into 1/4" pieces
1 medium onion, diced
3-4 stalks celery, diced
4-5 large potatoes, peeled & chopped into 1" chunks
chicken stock (about 4 cups - enough to cover the potatoes in Step 5)
2 cans whole-kernel corn
1 can cream-style corn
3 tbsp milk
black pepper to taste

• In a large pot, saute the bacon over medium heat until it's completely cooked. Make it a little extra crispy to help keep its texture and not be mushy later.
• Drain the bacon on paper towels, and set aside
• Pour off all but 2 tbsp of the remaining bacon fat
• Add the onion and celery to the pot, and saute until translucent
• Add the potatoes and enough broth to cover them. Cover with a lid and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender, roughly 20-30 minutes.
• Add the corn, milk, and pepper, and simmer 5 more minutes
• Remove from heat and add the bacon

If freezing: Place the pot in the fridge or freezer to cool it quickly, then pour the contents into freezer bags (one-gallon bag for family-sized meal, 4 quart-sized bags for individual portions).

To prepare: Defrost completely. Pour soup into a pot, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 5-10 minutes, until heated through.

Serve with cracked Oyster Crackers, preferably OTCs if you can find them!

Stuffed Peppers

2 cups uncooked brown rice
8 large green bell peppers, roughly equal in size
olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 package ground turkey (about 1 lb)
1 large jar salsa (use something with lots of veggies, like a black-bean-and-corn version. Whatever level of heat you prefer)
shredded cheddar cheese

• Slice the tops off of the peppers (about 1/4 down from the bottom of the stem), straight across so that it makes a cup. Remove and discard the seeds. Set the peppers, cut side down, in a pot with about 1/2 an inch of boiling water and cover completely. Steam the peppers this way until you can just pierce them easily with a sharp knife. (They should be bright green, before the color starts to fade.)
• Cook the rice according to the package directions and set aside.
• Take the pepper tops you cut off, remove the stems, and dice the remaining pepper tops.
• Heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a large pot, and saute the onions and diced pepper tops until the onions are translucent.
• Add the turkey to the pot, and continue to saute until the turkey is no longer pink and is cooked all the way through. Break up any large chunks of meat while cooking. Remove from heat.
• Add the cooked rice and entire jar of salsa to the turkey-onion mixture and stir until fully combined.
• Flip the steamed peppers cut-side-up and sprinkle a little cheddar into the bottom of each. Fill pepper halfway with the turkey mixture, then a little sprinkle of cheese. Fill the rest of the way with turkey mixture, and top with a final sprinkle of cheese.
• Tuck the stuffed peppers into freezer bags and freeze.

TO COMPLETE:

• Defrost completely
• Place the pepper on a baking sheet or oven-safe dish and bake at 250°F until warm and bubbly, about 30 minutes