the notorious PIG

i'm so exhausted from spending the weekend making 300 bacon meatball stuffed bacon biscuits, that i can't even write something clever here.

however, i do want to provide the recipe and let you know that you can see clips of the takedown on good morning america's website! my dish is the one named the notorious PIG.

meatballs
4 ounces button mushrooms - chopped
1/2 medium onion - finely chopped
1 tablespoon butter
dash cayenne pepper
1 lb ground pork
6 ounces bacon - cooked and crumbled
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley - finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 cup finely ground breadcrumbs

in saute pan, melt butter over medium-low heat and add onions. salt and pepper onions and cook 5 minutes. add dash cayenne and mix well. turn heat to medium-high, add mushrooms and cook another 5-7 minutes.

in large bowl, combine cooked mushrooms with all ingredients, except the breadcrumbs. mix gently until everything is incorporated together, then mix the breadcrumbs into the mixture.

roll into quarter sized balls. stuff with cream cheese (see below).

cream cheese
4 ounces cream cheese - softened
1 tablespoon chives - finely chopped
2 cloves garlic - roasted
2-3 tablespoons bacon - cooked and crumbled.

mix all ingredients together until well blended. refridgerate to harden before stuffing into meatballs (its easier to stuff with cold rather than softened cream cheese).

once the meatballs are stuffed, sear them in a saute pan until all sides are browned. drain on a paper towel. wrap in biscuit dough (click here for my biscuit dough recipe - one batch should cover all of the meatballs), brush tops with an egg wash, and bake in a pre-heated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. yields approx 12 delicious biscuit wrapped meatballs.

enjoy!

countdown to the takedown

the brooklyn bacon takedown is tomorrow.  there's been quite a bit of press about the event, and i'm a little nervous about feeding the crowds.  nevertheless, my fridge is full and i'm determined to have 300 of my bacon tidbits by tomorrow afternoon.

spring!

it may have snowed on friday and it may be 25 degrees this morning, but spring is definitely here.  i spotted these crocuses on a long walk yesterday.  

lentil soup

i've received a couple of requests for this soup (and i hear its a rainy day down in north carolina), so even though i'm hopeful that our cozy soup days will soon be behind us, i thought i'd post this recipe.

i developed this last winter when i couldn't find any lentil soup recipes that i liked:

2-3 slices bacon

1-2 tablespoons butter

1 medium onion - finely copped

1 clove garlic - diced

1 stalk celery - diced

1 medium carrot - peeled and diced

2 plum tomatoes - diced

1 teaspoon cumin

dash red pepper flakes

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon red wine/worcestershire sauce

1 cup lentils - rinsed and picked through

3-3 1/2 cups chicken (or veggie) stock

1-1 1/2 cups water

in large soup pot, melt one tablespoon butter under medium-low heat.  chop bacon and add to pot.  cook bacon over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.  add onion, garlic, celery, carrot, cumin, red pepper flakes and bay leaves (add the other tablespoon of butter if you need to).  cook over medium heat until veggies are soft (approx 7-10 minutes).  salt and pepper to taste as the veggies cook.  add one tomato (reserve other) and one tablespoon red wine (or worcestershire sauce, or both!) to mixture.  mix in lentils and chicken stock.  stir well and cook until lentils are done - 20-30 minutes.  add water or chicken stock as the soup cooks depending upon how thick you want your soup.  

serve with a sprinkling of the raw diced tomato on top (chives are also a nice addition).   i also like to eat mine with a nice hunk of homemade whole wheat bread, but the lentils are filling enough that you certainly don't need that.

food rut

occasionally, i get in a food rut:  i don't feel like cooking, i don't know what i want to eat, and i feel generally uninspired about food.  i'm chalking that current feeling up to the switch in seasons.

  

i am excited about getting off the wait list for a neighborhood csa.  the farm that supplies the csa looks so pretty, and i immediately began fantasizing about making a day trip to visit my veggies.  

i'll be getting a weekly supply of fresh veg and i anticipate that making sure i don't let anything go to waste will be a challenge.  however, if anything is going to get me out of this food rut its the weekly sample list of what the farm will likely produce!