Kitchen Gadgets (that I can't live without!)

Since I haven't had much time to cook lately, I thought it'd be fun to post a different kitchen gadget every week that I seem to grab frequently.  The first one I decided to do is the garlic press.  I'm the kind of person who hates her hands smelling like the food she's preparing and garlic is one of the items that I despise smelling like.  Using minced garlic that you buy in a jar is okay but freshly pressed garlic is the way to go.  However, when trying to mince garlic cloves with a knife, it's extremely hard not to reek of garlic for the following days.  With the invention of the garlic press, this crisis is averted.  It's so easy to use and clean and there really is no more need to buy minced garlic! The one I use is from Kuhn Rikon Switzerland and I absolutely recommend it! In fact, it was rated the best garlic press on America's Test Kitchen. All you have do is place a clove in the center and squeeze the handles together.  You don't even need to peel it-- the garlic will still come out just fine :)

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

As I've mentioned in my Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork post, I thought I wasn't a pork fan... here's another dish that disproves this past belief.  This pork tenderloin is juicy, tender, and has the best marinade.  It also is super easy to prepare and you can let it marinade in the refrigerator as long as you want-- the longer, the better! Trust me.

Pork Tenderloin

What you'll need:
9 tbs. honey
9 tbs. lemon juice
3 3/4 tbs. soy sauce
2 1/2 tbs. dry sherry
5 cloves garlic, pressed

5-6 lb. pork tenderloin
1 large zip-lock bag to fit the marinade and tenderloin in

What to do:
1. Combine marinade ingredients, mix.
2. Place tenderloins and marinade into zip-lock bag and seal, making sure there's as little air in the bag as possible.  No need to thaw the tenderloin beforehand; you can just put it in the refrigerator and let it thaw and marinate as long as you want!
3. When ready to grill, grill tenderloins for 8 minutes on each side, then place them on their sides and cook each side for 4 minutes each.
4. Tent in foil for 5 minutes.

What an amateur...

Here's some more attempts at photography.. key word "attempts".  Who says amateurs can't have some fun playing around?

These hamsters made me want to cozy up just like them! So precious :)

My adorable baby brother.  6th graders are still babies right?

A river when I visited Paderborn, Germany during spring break my sophomore year in college. Fun fact: It's the smallest river in Paderborn!

My gorgeous goddaughter on the 4th of July last year. I'm terrified of sparklers after burning my hand when I was little but am glad she enjoyed hers :)

Shrimp Pasta

I made this tonight and this has been a family favorite for a while now.  The fresh tomatoes, basil, and garlic for this dish make a huge difference and would recommend trying to grow your own herbs and such if you have a green thumb.  It'll save you money, which is always great :) Hope you love this dish as much as I do.  Is it too soon for leftovers?


Shrimp Pasta

What you'll need:
1/4 c. virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
8 cloves fresh garlic, chopped small (a garlic press is my best friend, I don't know about you!)
20 large uncooked shrimp
5 large ripe tomatoes, cut into cubes (I use Roma)
1 c. fresh basil chopped
1 c. white wine
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
1/2-1 tsp. red pepper flakes 
1/2 lb. linguini pasta

What to do:
1. In large saucepan on high heat, add olive oil and sauté onion and garlic until light golden brown (one of my favorite smells ever!)  2. Add shrimp, tomato, basil, white wine, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper; lower flame, cover and simmer 10-15 minutes.   3. Cook pasta and drain.  Combine with prepared sauce.     

Grilled Asparagus with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

Yum.  This was a more tangy side dish due to the Italian dressing and went perfectly with the steak dinner I had.  With only 3 ingredients apart from the asparagus it was fast and easy to make, which is a huge plus.  Just combine the ingredients, drizzle over asparagus,  and throw on the grill on a heavy-duty foil "pan"! Wait less than 10 minutes and it's ready to serve.  Definitely will make this again!

Grilled Asparagus
with Roasted Garlic Vinaigrette

What you'll need: 
1 lb. fresh asparagus spears
2 tbsp. light Italian Dressing
1 tbsp. minced roasted garlic
1 1/2 tbsp. honey

What to do:
1. Preheat grill to medium-high (350-400 degrees Fahrenheit).  Fold up the edges of a sheet of heavy-duty foil to form a pan.  Snap the tough ends off asparagus; place spears in foil pan. 

2. In a small bowl combine dressing, garlic, and honey; drizzle over asparagus.  Place foil pan with asparagus on grill.  Grill, covered, 6-8 minutes, or until asparagus is crisp-tender, turning occasionally.

Raspberry Lemonade Bars

In celebration of summer, these bars seemed perfect for a barbeque.  When eaten chilled, these raspberry lemonade bars were both delicious and refreshing.  After stumbling across this recipe, I knew I had to make them! However, after following the recipe exactly, the bars still did not want to cook properly.  The instructions said to bake them for 20-25 minutes but when that amount of time passed, the middle was still liquid.  By the time the middle was cooked to where it needed to be (after almost 45-50 minutes), the edges of the filling started to become more golden and the overall color seemed to dull down.  However, the taste was spared and they were DELICIOUS.  I added a tad more sugar to the recipe so they would not be as tart but they were still tart enough like a fresh glass of lemonade and boy were they refreshing! Happy baking!

raspberry lemonade bars

for the crust:
9 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick, plus one tablespoon)
1/4 cup (50g) superfine sugar (or regular granulated)
1 cup (100g) of unbleached all-purpose flour
pinch salt

for the filling:
1 1/2 cups (287g) superfine sugar (or regular granulated)
3 egg whites
1 egg
2/3 cup (150mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
2 tablespoons lemon zest (from 2 lemons)
2/3 cup (65g) unbleached, all-purpose flour
pinch of salt
1-2 cups (150-275g) of frozen raspberries, defrosted
1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180 degrees Celsius). Line a 8×8″ * square baking pan with a strip of parchment paper (8×14″) that covers the bottom and overlaps on either side. (This is so after it cools, you can pull out the entire pan of lime bars and cut them neatly. You can omit this step completely, though. You don’t even need to butter the pan.)

2. Cream butter, sugar, and salt with an electric mixer. Mix in flour until just incorporated. Flour hands and press dough into 8×8″ square baking pan, so that it comes up about a 1/2 inch around the sides.

Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork Sandwiches

 Confession.  I have been known to not be big on pork.  However, the more I try, the more I slowly admit that a lot of pork recipes are delicious.  When I came across this recipe, I was automatically drawn in by the Dr. Pepper ingredient.  It intrigued me and for my family's Fourth of July barbeque, I insisted on trying it out.  Holy moly.  The combination of the juicy, tender, and flavorful pork with the soft pretzel rolls was absolutely perfect.  What made it even more enjoyable was the fact that it was so easy to make! This is one recipe that I will definitely make again and I know my family would deeply appreciate it. :)

Enjoy! I know I did, as well as my family and guests at the BBQ :)

What you’ll need:
5-6 pound Boston butt (I used boneless)
1 onion – minced
4 teaspoons cayenne pepper (I only had 1.5 tsp and was too lazy to go to the store but it was still amazing)
2 teaspoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
3 cups Dr. Pepper
bbq sauce
sandwich buns/rolls (I would definitely recommend fresh pretzel rolls but any will do.  More of a contrast in color between the meat and rolls would have been ideal-but who cares when it tastes so delicious?!)

What to do:
1. Turn your slow cooker to 225 degrees. Add onion, place Boston butt on top {fat side down}. Sprinkle cayenne, dry mustard, brown sugar and Worcestershire on top.
2. Pour apple cider vinegar and Dr. Pepper over top. Cover and cook approximately 6-8 hours, until meat is tender and pulls apart using two forks. {Check meat every so often and turn about half way through}
3. Remove pork from slow cooker and place into a large bowl {discard liquid}. Using 2 forks pull pork pork apart. Discard any bones and excess fat. Once pork is completely pulled add desired amount of bbq sauce of choice. Mix to combine.
4. Serve over toasted sandwich rolls/buns.

Since there wasn't much contrast in color between the meat and roll, I decided to try and make it "prettier" by putting on some super yummy pickles.  Unfortunately, they did not want to cooperate and lay nicely so it ended up looking a little goofy... but delicious nonetheless!

Summer Lovin'

Summer:  warm sun, great tan (or burn), gorgeous scenery.  These are some pictures I took on a trip to Wisconsin last summer.  Can I go back now? Pretty please?

So what's with the turtle, you may ask? Well, it's a tradition of the family's that I tagged along with to catch a turtle, paint your name (non-toxic paint, no worries), and to release it back into the lake the first time you take a trip up to their cottage.  Let me tell you... he was a feisty lil' fella! Ahhh, summer :)