Made From Scratch Tuesday 11/1

 My favorite thing about pork tenderloins is you can throw them in the crock pot and not think about them until hours later. So on a Sunday when I'm trying to get all the things done I didn't so on Saturday, it's a perfect choice. To mix it up a bit this time, I made a spicy tenderloin. Here's what you'll need:

2 T Ketchup
2 T White Wine Vinegar
2 T A-1 Sauce
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 t Garlic Salt
1/4 c Sugar
1/2 t Ground Black Pepper
Dash of Hot Sauce (or more if you want it spicier)
One large onion, sliced

Lay out the onion slice in the bottom of the crock pot and put the tenderloin on top. If it has a "fatty side", lay that side down.

 

In a bowl, mix together the rest of the ingredients. 

Pour the mixture over the pork loin, put the lid on the crock pot and cook on low 4-5 hours. That's all it takes to have a juicy hunk of pork on your dinner platter. I love this because it's so versatile. You can change up the spices and seasonings to suit your needs. And your leftovers make great pulled pork bbq! How can you go wrong?? 

We had some sweet and spicy couscous and roasted veggies with it....absolutely delicious!

Artichoke and Spinach Pizza

The theme ingredient for this month's Iron Chef Challenge is artichoke. I'll be the first to admit artichoke is not a vegetable I cook often. Don't get me wrong; I love artichoke. I just never cook it. The husband, on the other hand, is not an artichoke fan. I "forgot" to tell him I put artichoke hearts on this dish and  he raved about it! Go figure.

Spinach and Artichoke Pizza
What you'll need:
Artichoke hearts
Spinach
Fontina Cheese
Romano Cheese
Olive Oil
Red Onions
Pizza crusts (I used sandwich-style flat bread because it's like two circles joined together and I thought they'd make cute mini pizzas!)


First, I steamed the artichokes and cut up the hearts. Don't worry, I didn't throw the rest of the artichoke away. I munched on it while I was waiting for the pizzas to cook! (The best way to munch on artichokes is to have a small dish with melted butter and salt handy!!)

To assemble the pizzas, drizzle the crust with just a bit of olive oil and add sliced red onions. I'm a cheese person, so I added a little bit of the Fontina cheese here too!

Next, pile on the spinach and artichoke!

Top with more Fontina and Romano cheese

 Bake at 400 until the cheese has completely melted (8-10 minutes) and serve!

 These pizzas were delicious! Artichoke and spinach are a perfect match and the red onions provide just a bit of crunch to make it interesting!

A big thanks to Ott,A and Ocean Mist Farms for sponsoring this Iron Chef Challenge!





Make sure to visit the fantastic blog parties on my sidebar, and of course, link up all your made from scratch recipes on my Tuesday linky-Made From Scratch Tuesday!

Pumpkin Carving 2011

 Super mom secret, or laziness...you decide! We use the big rolls of plastic for all kinds of messy activities around the house. We taped it down to the garage floor and on top of the table. Clean up is a breeze; just pick the plastic up with all the pumpkin guts inside and throw away!

Make sure to visit the fantastic blog parties on my sidebar, and of course, link up all your made from scratch recipes on my Tuesday linky-Made From Scratch Tuesday!

Made From Scratch Tuesday 10/25

 I had grand plans for today's post. However, dinner was an epic failure. And since I waited until tonight to make the dish, and didn't have a plan B, we're going to go with things I plan on making soon!

Source: isharefunfood.com via Amy on Pinterest

Source: None via Stacy on Pinterest

Source: None via Courtney on Pinterest

Now, it's time to link up some of those great dishes you make from scratch!
Here are the rules:
1. You can link up as many posts as you'd like.
2. My only content rule is it has to be made from scratch.
3. The post you link up MUST CONTAIN A RECIPE!
4. If you want to put my button somewhere, that'd be cool. You can grab the code for the Made From Scratch Tuesday button on the top right of my sidebar.

Made From Scratch Tuesday 10/18

I figured I'd stick with the apple theme as long as they were in season and I still had fresh-picked apples around the house.  I was trying to figure something different to do with them, so I decided to make apple chips!

First, I sliced the apples on my mandolin and let them soak in a bowl filled with Sprite. The citric acid keeps them from browning, but doesn't add the strong lemon flavor you get by using lemon juice.

Then on the skillet, I heated up some simple syrup and spiced rum. I used about a cup each of water and rum and 3/4 c sugar. Cook the apples just until they start to become translucent.

Pat the excess water off and place on a foil lined cookie sheet.

I used the convection oven to help cook these faster, so it took about an hour with the oven set at 220. Once you hit the hour mark, you'll need to check them every 5 minutes or so. To see if they're done, remove one from the oven and let it cool for a couple of minutes then try to break it. If it snaps, it's done. If it bends, keep on baking! When they're done, remove from cookie sheet immediately and place on cooling rack until completely cool. Store in an airtight container.

Now, it's time to link up some of those great dishes you make from scratch!
Here are the rules:
1. You can link up as many posts as you'd like.
2. My only content rule is it has to be made from scratch.
3. The post you link up MUST CONTAIN A RECIPE!
4. If you want to put my button somewhere, that'd be cool. You can grab the code for the Made From Scratch Tuesday button on the top right of my sidebar.

Indy Food Swap

Today I went to the Indy Food Swap.  What's a food swap? Well, basically you bring a bunch of stuff that you made/grew/canned/etc and swap it with what other people brought. I brought caramel apple jam and hot chocolate mix with homemade marshmallows. With this being my first time, I didn't know how much to bring, so I brought 10 jars of jam and 8 jars of hot chocolate mix with marshmallows. Some people just brought a few items and others brought lots. There aren't any rules about quantity, but when you run out of items to trade, you may miss out on something you really wanted.

I set out my samples and ventured around to try out what other people brought.

There were so many great things to choose from! I ended up with a wide variety of goodies, 18 different goodies to be exact!

I can't wait to try them all out! I'm really looking forward to the tea and the crock pot soup mix. The next food swap is supposed to be in December. I can't wait!


Make sure to visit the fantastic blog parties on my sidebar, and of course, link up all your made from scratch recipes on my Tuesday linky-Made From Scratch Tuesday!

Made From Scratch Tuesday 10/11

Apple season is one of our favorites (as if you hadn't already picked that up form my several posts about apples!) so it stands to reason that I'd make a lot of apple dishes. This week, I made apple crisp.

You'll need:
Apples, peeled and sliced (enough to make a good layer in an 8x8 dish, about 4 large apples)
1 c oats
3/4 c brown sugar
3/4 c flour
3/4 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/3 c butter, cut into chunks

Place apples in the  bottom of dish.

In separate bowl, mix rest of ingredients until you have a crumbly mixture

Sprinkle on top of apples and bake at 325 for 45 minutes, until topping is crisp and apples are soft when pierced.

 For this recipe, I used Winesap apples. I like them because they're slightly tart and stand up really well in baking.

When we picked these apples, I wore my new Carhartt hoodie. Want to win one of your own? Check out Real Farmwives of America to find out how! 

Now, it's time to link up some of those great dishes you make from scratch!
Here are the rules:
1. You can link up as many posts as you'd like.
2. My only content rule is it has to be made from scratch.
3. The post you link up MUST CONTAIN A RECIPE!
4. If you want to put my button somewhere, that'd be cool. You can grab the code for the Made From Scratch Tuesday button on the top right of my sidebar.

Struttin' Around in My New Carhartt

A few weeks back, some of the Real Farmwives and I were offered an opportunity to check out something from the Carhartt's women's line. I was super excited about the opportunity! I didn't know about the women's line (which has been around since 2006), but that's probably because I'm always buying the husband coveralls and coats and quite honestly, never thought about buying something for myself!

He was a little disappointed when I told him my Carhartt came in and he saw the pink fabric! You see, he assumed it was going to be something for him when I told him I was going to receive something for free from Carhartt. I picked a pink (Sherbet is the actual name of the color) hoodie. I absolutely love the lining of the hood! It's soft, fuzzy and warm! The jacket itself is also amazingly soft and warm!

The jacket came just in time because we had our first cold snap shortly after! I wore it to the Apple Festival

Then out to pick apples

 And it was perfect for cutting up some down trees in the woods

 I seem to be enjoying the chainsaw just a bit too much! Don't laugh at the little trees, he wouldn't let me cut the big ones! I don't know if he thought I was dangerous, or if he just didn't want to share his new toy.

 I absolutely love this hoodie and certainly will be buying more from the Carhartt Women's line!

To win a Carhartt of your own please visit www.realfarmwivesofamerica.com  to sign up for their giveaway!


 Carhartt did provide me with this product to review but the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own.

Make sure to visit the fantastic blog parties on my sidebar, and of course, link up all your made from scratch recipes on my Tuesday linky-Made From Scratch Tuesday!