Faithy’s Banana Pepper Pork

HOWDY!

I'm back again to share a recipe I came up with yesterday.  We had a bunch of fresh banana peppers in our garden, and I wanted to figure out something new to do with them.  I didn't have much luck finding recipes online (the ones I found used pickled banana peppers for the most part), so I just made one up.  It turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself.  If you have a bunch of banana peppers you want to use, this is a great (& easy) way to do it!

Faithy’s Banana Pepper Pork

1 - 2.5 lb pork loin roast

1-2  Tbsp. olive oil

1 sweet red onion, sliced into thin rings

7 fresh banana peppers, seeded and sliced (if you don't have any fresh ones, just use a jar of pickled ones)

3 Tbsp. salted butter

1/2-1/3 cup dark brown sugar

juice from 1/2 lime (I'll  probably use a whole lime next time)

1 cup low-sodium beef broth

Sear roast (on all sides), in olive oil.  Remove from pan and place into prepared slow cooker (with temperature on high).  Squeeze 1/2 lime over the top of the roast.

Add butter to the pan you seared the roast in, and add onions and banana peppers.  Cook and stir over medium heat until the veggies are starting to brown and caramelize.  Add a little of the beef broth to the pan to deglaze, and pour it all over the top of the roast.  Top with the remaining beef broth.

Cook on high for one hour.

Crumble dark brown sugar over the roast, and into the juices.  Reduce temperature to low and cook for an additional hour or until internal temperature of the roast reaches 160°F.  (Thanks to my sweet brother, I have a great little thermometer that will sound an alarm when the meat reaches whatever temperature I choose.)

Slice or shred pork and serve however you want.  It makes a great main course served with traditional rice or potatoes and veggies, or wonderful tacos or pulled pork sandwiches as well.  Be sure to save all the juices (with all the bits of onion & pepper in them).  You can drizzle it over the top of the meat, or if you choose to make pulled pork, you can just shred the meat and put it back into the juices to absorb them.  

Mmmmmmmmmmm...

I really think you're gonna like this!

Blessings,

--Faithy

P.S.  If you don't have a slow cooker, don't let that stop you!  Just cook this in a roaster or dutch oven.

Individual Blueberry-Buttermilk Breakfast Cakes

HOWDY!  How in the world is everyone?  Sorry I’ve been away so long…life is busy as always.  I have continued trying new recipes, but just haven’t had time to blog about them lately.  Hopefully, I’ll get a chance to post some of them soon.  I’ll start with this yummy breakfast cake that I made into individual muffin-sized servings rather than a regular full-sized cake.

I found the original recipe on a wonderful blog I recently came across called Alexandra’s Kitchen.  She calls it Buttermilk-Blueberry Breakfast Cake, and it’s absolutely delicious.  It’s very versatile, quick and easy, and works well in either muffin or cake form.

I’m posting my version of the recipe (with a few minor changes), but you’ll want to try it Alexandra’s way as well.  And while you’re checking out this recipe, be sure to browse around through Alexandra’s other recipes…you’ll find plenty of yummy things to try.

Anyway…here’s my version.  Give it a try, and let me know what you think!

Individual Blueberry-Buttermilk Breakfast Cakes

Ingredients

For batter:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 tsp. lemon zest or more — zest from 1 large lemon

7/8 cup sugar (3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons)

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon juice

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour (set aside 1/4 cup to toss with the blueberries)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

1/2 cup buttermilk

For Topping (this is optional, but it adds a delicious lemony-crunchy-sweet texture):

1 to 2 Tbsp. Turbinado sugar (I use granulated Sugar in the Raw)

1 tsp. lemon zest

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Cream butter with lemon zest and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg, vanilla and lemon juice and beat until combined.  Meanwhile, toss the blueberries with 1/4 cup of the all-purpose flour, then whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder and salt.

Add the flour mixture to the batter a little at a time, alternating with the buttermilk.  Fold in the blueberries.  Mix turbinado sugar with 1 tsp. lemon zest and set aside.

Scoop or spoon batter into greased muffin tins (my large cookie scoop is the perfect size for this) or spread into a greased 9-inch square baking pan.  (Greasing the pans with butter adds a yummy buttery flavor, but non-stick cooking spray will work fine as well.)

Sprinkle muffins (or cake batter) with Turbinado sugar/lemon zest mixture, and bake for 25 to 35 minutes.  (NOTE:  If you are making a cake rather than muffins, it may take a few minutes longer to cook.)  Use a toothpick or metal tester to check for doneness, when it comes out clean, Your muffins are done!

I let them set in the pan for about 3 to 5 minutes, and then remove them to a wire rack to cool for another 5 minutes or so before serving.  If you make the cake, there’s no need to remove it from the pan, but you’ll want to let it cool at least 15 minutes before sampling.  Those blueberries get HOT!  (Not that I would know that from experience.)

Since this is a cake batter, these muffins are very light textured and delicious.  You’ll want to make them more than once!  They also freeze well if (despite them temptation) you can’t eat them all in one sitting.

I didn’t write it down, so I may be mistaken on this, but I think this recipe made about 15 regular muffins.

Once you’ve tried it, be sure to stroll through Alexandra’s Kitchen, and while you’re there, say howdy and tell her Faithy sent you!

Blessings,

--Faithy

P.S.  Hope to be back with some more recipes soon.

Pumpkin Cobbler

HOWDY!  I hope this joyous holiday season finds each of you well and happy.  We are all doing well, and all wrapped up (LOL) with work, family & holiday preparations.  I came across this recipe online a few weeks back, and have been dying to try it.  I hadn’t had an opportunity until this weekend (in preparation for a potluck luncheon), so I was excited to pull it out and give it a try.

I made my usual adjustments/substitutions, but pretty much stuck to the original recipe (except that I completely left out the nutmeg…I’m not a nutmeg fan).  My baking pan was a bit larger than the one used in the original recipe, so my cobbler was a bit thinner than Serena’s.

Then, I forgot to adjust the cooking time, so mine cooked a little longer than it should have, but it was still absolutely delicious!!  The only difference was that it should have been a little creamier in the center.  (Although my hubby said he really liked it this way…it made the topping extra crunchy.)  No problem…there’s always next time…and there WILL be a next time.  This stuff is REALLY good!!

If you’re a fan of pumpkin…you’ll definitely want to give this a try.  It’s really quick & easy to put together, but it needs a bit of time to cook.  Just pop it in the oven and let it cook while you do other things.  BONUS:  It will make your house smell fabulous!

When you get a chance stop by Serena Bakes Simply From Scratch and check out her other yummy recipes.  She’s got plenty…and don’t forget to tell her Faithy sent you!

Anyway…on to the recipe…

Pumpkin Cobbler

INGREDIENTS:

Base:
15 ounces pumpkin puree (If you don’t want to use canned, here’s my recipe for homemade pumpkin puree.  NOTE:  You can use regular orange pie pumpkins in place of the kershaws - both are delicious.)
3/4 cup egg substitute (or 3 whole eggs)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup fat free (skim) milk (the original recipe called for whole milk)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or 1/4 tsp. regular salt)
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar (or Whey Low Gold for a lower calorie option)
1/2 cup granulated sugar (you can also use Whey Low Granular for a lower calorie option)
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts)
1 teaspoon sodium free baking powder (or regular baking powder, as in the original recipe)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 cup egg substitute (or 1 whole egg)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup melted unsalted butter

INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all base ingredients.  When well mixed, pour into a 9” x 13” baking pan.  (NOTE:  The original recipe called for an 8” x 11” baking dish, but I didn’t have one.  This came out a little thinner, but still very good.  Feel free to use whatever you have, although I wouldn’t use anything larger than 9”x13”.)

Stir together the first seven topping ingredients (all the dry ingredients), until thoroughly mixed.  Add egg & vanilla, and stir together with a fork until everything is well mixed and a crumbly texture is achieved.

Crumble topping over the pumpkin mixture (in baking pan) until evenly distributed, then pour melted butter evenly over the crumb mixture.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes until top is golden brown with slightly loose center.

Cool until set, and serve warm with a dollop of sweetened whipping cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Trust me…you’re gonna love this!  Give it a try, and let me know what you think.

Gotta run for now.  Happy cooking!

Blessings,

--Faithy