Sunday, December 14, 2008

Coconut Rice

I got this recipe from maresfoodandfun.blogspot.com (adapted from Natalie Heath)
1 cup jasmine rice
2 cups coconut milk
1/3 -1/2 cup sugar
¾ cup milk

First rinse the jasmine rice with cold water until your water is clear and not white. Put the rinsed rice in a medium pan and combine with sugar, milk, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil and then turn to low. Cover and cook for about 25-35 minutes. Stir rice and milk every 5-10 minutes. Rice is done when milk is absorbed and rice is tender. Remove from heat and let cool. Serve warm. Serve with Island Pork Tenderloin.

It is important to use the jasmine rice and coconut milk. It won't taste the same if you just use regular rice and only regular milk. My mom and I love a dish that is this rice topped with mango. Mmmm!! SO good. We also loved it with the Island Pork. Pin It

Island Pork Tenderloin

I got this recipe from maresfoodandfun.blogspot.com (adapted from Epicurious.com)
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 pork tenderloins (2 1/4 to 2 1/2 LB total)
2 TBS olive oil
1 cup packed dark brown sugar I used light brown sugar
2 TBS finely chopped garlic
1 TBS Tabasco


Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir together salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and cinnamon, then coat pork with spice rub. Heat oil in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until just beginning to smoke, then brown pork, turning, about 4 minutes total. Leave pork in skillet. Stir together brown sugar, garlic, and Tabasco and pat onto top of each tenderloin. Roast in middle of oven until thermometer inserted diagonally in center of each tenderloin registers 140°F, about 30 minutes. Let pork stand in skillet at room temperature 10 minutes. (Temperature will rise to about 155°F while standing.)Serve warm or cold with coconut rice.

I followed these directions except that I used a pork roast rather than tenderloin and my meat took longer to cook. So I ended up having to cut the pork into slices and continue to cook it so that it would cook faster. It turned out pretty good though because then the sauce covered all the surfaces of the meat rather than just the edges.


Mmmmmmm!!!!!! Pin It

Toffee Butter Crunch

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1/2 cup finely shopped pecans or almonds

1. Line a 15x10x1-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over edges of pan; set pan aside.

2. Butter sides of a 2-quart heavy saucepan. In saucepan melt butter; add sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until mixture boils. Clip a candy thermometer to side of pan. Reduce heat to medium;; continue boiling at a moderate, steady rate, stirring frequently until thermometer registers 290 degrees F, soft crack stage. Watch carefully after 280 degrees F to prevent scorching. Remove saucepan from heat; remove thermometer. Pour candy into the prepared pan, spreading quickly.

3. Let candy stand about 2 minutes or until set; sprinkle with chocolate pieces. Let stand 1 to 2 minutes. When chocolate has softened, spread over candy. Sprinkle with nuts. Chill about 20 minutes or until firm. When firm, use foil to lift it out of pan; break into pieces. Store tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

I followed this to a t and it still scorched a little. However, instead of chocolate chips, I took a Hershey's bar and broke it up, sprinkling the squares across the toffee. It worked too. The heated toffee melts the chocolate. Don't be afraid to spread it. By that point the toffee will be firm enough that you won't be misshaping it.


Enjoy! Pin It

Pin Wheels

Caramel:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup karo syrup
1/4 lb butter
1/2 cup canned milk (evaporated)
1/4 tsp salt

(triple to make a double batch) Cook caramel until firm ball (between 230 and 232 degrees). Whip slightly and pour in buttered cookie sheet. Once cool, put on wax paper on counter. Roll out melted marshmallows on top until they reach the edges. Marshmallow layer is on top of caramel layer, roll like a jelly roll. Slice and enjoy.

Marshmallow:

20 big marshmallows
powdered sugar: enough to make it a consistency that you can roll out

Put marshmallows in a glass bowl and microwave for ten seconds. Stir until they are a little gooey. Put in for ten more seconds and stir again. Repeat until marshmallows are melted. Add powdered sugar and mix with a wooden spoon until you have a good consistency. You may knead the marshmallow with your hands if desired. Don't overcook the marshmallow or they will go hard and brittle. Pin It

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Marinated Pork Chops

1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup
6 pork chops, trimmed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, thoroughly blend soy sauce, vegetable oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, and ketchup.

Place pork chops in a medium baking dish, and spread with 1/2 the sauce.

Bake pork chops 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Turn, and spread with remaining sauce. Continue baking 30 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chops has reached 160 degrees F.


I got this recipe on allrecipes.com. Holy cow, it is DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!!! I will never ever ever make another kind of pork chop again. And it was so stinkin' easy. Holy cow. I mean pig. It's almost like a teriyaki chop...almost. They're so good I want to make them again. Mmmm.


The only thing I would change is that I doubled the sauce recipe and it was just barely enough. If you want a lot of sauce for dipping or if you want to serve it over rice, I suggest you at least triple, maybe even quadruple the recipe for the sauce.


Despite the title, the chops don't have to marinate. I stabbed my chops with a knife and then poured the sauce over the top so that the sauce could incorporate in the meat, but otherwise I threw those bad boys right in the oven. I did not serve them with rice, though that would have been yummy too. I served them with fried potatoes. Pin It