Mid-Summer Night's Dream

We are now into our second week of August, where did the summer go.  I feel as I get older time just goes by faster and when there are children, time goes by at warp speed.  Isn't summer supposed to be the time when everything slows down to a snail's pace?

One of the magazine's that I read has a segment called "What do you like about this month?".  I can honestly say that August brings the heat (not the part of the summer I enjoy at all), but with the heat it brings the bounty of all sorts of fresh fruits and vegetables. Some of which are great on the grill.  Although a cold ripe plum or a warm sweet tomato plucked from the vine are the best during this time of year.  It is about the freshness of the season and to get outside and enjoy the day.   Usually around this time of year, I'm planning an outside get together with friends, but this year my attention has turned towards something different.  Smoking!  Not cigarettes or cigars, but ribs and pork loin.

My first attempt a couple of years ago was a pork butt for pulled pork, it came out ok.  DH was not happy about the dark bark part the the pork.  This years first attempt was pre-seasoned ribs from Costco.  I made my own BBQ sauce.  My only issue was the timing.  I should have left them on for another hour.  But they were quite yummy anyway.

When I planned on making the ribs, I started with almost a big "BANG", my workhorse of a grill decided that it didn't want hold the flame properly.  So in costing out the repairs, it turned out it would be less expensive to purchase a new grill.  I was sad to see the old one and the older one go (yes, I had two grills at once).  I found a similar grill at Home Depot, but it doesn't have the rotisserie and I decided not to go with the one with the smoker believe it or not.  It does however, have the sear burner, five burners and a side burner.  Much more cooking area than the last.  Which is great, I found out, for a beginner smoker like me! No special equipment needed.

Have you ever eaten something from a restaurant and said, gee I wish I could do that.  One of my favorite foods is German cuisine, not really grill fare.  Most people think of schniztle, which I have done at home numerous times, but I reiterate, not grill food..  Most people don't think of  Kassler Ribchen (Smoked Pork Loin) as grill food either.  Previously, the only place I was able to get this was at a restaurant or I had to buy it at a butcher close to my work.  Well I don't work there any longer, he only carries it periodically for a small fortune and he is not convenient to get to.  So with the craving in heart, I decided my only alternative was to try to make it myself.
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Smoked Pork Loin (Kassler Ribchen)

And guess what? I was very successful.  I was concerned because towards the end of the smoking time, a higher entity decided to bring on a rainstorm and I was afraid that it would cause the temperature to drop and ruin the pork.  From what I was reading in the recipe, they advised if there was a problem with completing it in the smoker, I could finish this in the oven for 10 minutes at 450 degrees which I did, just to bring up the internal temperature of the pork to 145 degrees which is the perfect temp to keep this pork juicy.  Along with the roast, I made Crockpot Baked Beans and Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream that would put any chocoholic into a sugar coma.  I have listed all three recipes in the printable recipe section.

Just food for thought, I did not use any special type of smoker.  I used my gas grill with the soaked hickory chips in aluminum foil.  For all of you out there that thought you needed special equipment to get the job done, I say Ha!  I hope you enjoy the recipes as much as my family did.

My next adventure is trying to make my own bacon.  I already purchased the pork belly.   So stay tuned for the next chapter of smoking.

Happy New Year!!!!

Well the old year is gone and the new year is here.  For some, they are happy the old is gone, for the fact that there is hope for the future of the new year to come.  I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.  If you are one of the ones hoping for a better year to come, my blessing and prayers are with you in hope that dream comes true.  For those who are happy the way last year went, I wish you continued blessings.

We generally like to avoid the craziness of going out, so instead we like to celebrate by ourselves at home. In the past however, we used to have a huge New Years Day brunch which I enjoyed hosting.  Over the past few years, that has dwindled to having a few close friends for dinner.  This year, they were unable to come, so we had a relaxing day to ourselves.  

In many cultures, there are special dishes served on New Years Day in order to ring in prosperity and good fortune.  For many who come from the south, it would be black eyed peas and rice, called "hoppin' john", in other cultures, such as Greece, Mexico, and Holland, a circular cake is prepared to symbolize the completion of the year, In China, Poland and Germany, Fish is served to symbolize a long and healthy life as well as the scales symbolize prosperity.  In Italy, Lentils are served also to symbolize prosperity in the up coming year.

Since I am of Italian decent, I made Lentils with Parsley and Garlic Sausage over rice.  A little combination of Italian and the hoppin' john tradition.  Since the lentils are round they symbolize coins and to reinforce the wish for prosperity, I also cut the sausage in rounds and cooked them in with the lentils.  Along with the tradition of the dish, it also happens to be extremely filling.  It is a great dish to serve on a cold evening with crispy bread and a green salad.  Check it out on my printable recipe page.

And yes, I did make this in my new Cuisinart Crock pot.  I hope you have had the chance to check out the
Williams and Sonoma page.

Well, classes start up again this week.  Another six weeks of grueling studying.  We are also awaiting word of acceptance for private school for my daughter.  So the next few weeks are going to be stressful but exciting.

What a way to start the new year!