Dutch Oven Potatoes

It's almost the end of April.  For most of us, that means camping season is right around the corner.  That means my dutch oven comes out of winter storage.  Let's say though, that it's either still too cold to head up to the mountains, or your mountains are like mine here in Vegas - steep, rocky, and crowded.  Growing up, I got used to camping in places like the Wasatch Mountains in Northern Utah or the Uinta Mountains in Western Wyoming.  And I got SPOILED.  Camping there is amazing.  The camping site next to you is like a mile away (okay, maybe not a mile, but you're still spread out).  The ground is soft and level.  It's quiet and serene.  Here, you're sleeping on top of each other, on a slope, with a million rocks in your back, and everybody is up there to party.  Yeah, we don't camp here.  Apparently the strip extends up Mt. Charleston.







So, I have learned how to use my beautiful dutch oven here at home.  Did you know that you can cook with cast iron pots on a gas range?  You can even use them on your grill.  And we made sure to build our fire pit deep enough to be able to stick that bad boy down in a fire if we wanted to.  I'm not talking about flat dutch ovens that are used in home cooking regularly.  I'm talking about the heavy duty, weight lifting cast iron pots with legs that are black.  And you DO NOT clean them.  They are "seasoned."  There is a difference.

This particular recipe is a staple when I use the dutch oven.  In fact, I think 9 times out of 10 this is the recipe I've made in it.  I use a 10" Lodge Cast Iron Dutch Oven.  This is also a recipe that has been passed down in my family, one made at family gatherings at parks and the lake.  It takes minimal preparation - when I make this away from home, I prepare all the ingredients prior to leaving the house and pack them up in baggies.  That way I can just cook it.  I know some people have called this Sparkling Potatoes because of the lemon lime soda used in "steaming" the mixture.  Either way, this is a fun and tasty side dish.

Dutch Oven Potatoes

Ingredients:

1/2 lb. bacon, cut into small pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed
1/2 lb. white mushrooms, sliced
1 (12 oz.) can lemon lime soda
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions:

1. Prepare dutch oven, either over coals or on gas range.  With coals, place dutch oven on coals and preheat.  With gas range, preheat dutch oven over medium heat.

2. Brown bacon in dutch oven.  Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent.

3. While onions are cooking, chop potatoes into 1 inch cubes.  When onions are cooked, add potatoes and mushrooms to dutch oven.  Stir together with bacon, onions, and garlic.  Add lemon lime soda, salt, and pepper to dutch oven and cover.  If using charcoal, place 10-15 briquettes on top of lid.  Cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring every 10 minutes to prevent sticking and burning.

4. When potatoes are tender, remove from heat.  Top with cheese and parsley.  Recover to allow cheese to melt.  Serve immediately.

Serves 10

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Cheesy Bacon and Potato Casserole

I have another side dish for you!  Except, this one is slightly not as healthy as the Asparagus Pesto Pasta Salad.  But it's still yummy!  And it's easy.  And you make it in the slow cooker.  So dinner is simplified.  And who doesn't love simplified?  These potatoes are creamy, but pack a punch with the smokiness of Gouda cheese and bacon, and the tartness of sundried tomatoes.  They are a great compliment to a meat dish and a nice alternative to mashed potatoes.

Cheesy Bacon and Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

1 can low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 cup sour cream
8 oz. smoked Gouda cheese, cut into cubes
1/2 cup roasted red bell peppers, chopped
1/2 cup julienned sundried tomatoes
1/2 lb. pre-cooked bacon, chopped
1 (32 oz.) package frozen southern-style hash brown potatoes

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, Gouda cheese, bell peppers, tomatoes, and bacon.

2. Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.  Pour 1/2 of the cheese mixture into the bottom of slow cooker.  Add hash browns.  Top with remaining cheese mixture.

3. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4.

Serves 8

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Sunshine Carrots

I love heirloom recipes.  Those are recipes that are handed down from generation to generation.  Recipes that you grew up with.  I come from a line of women who cooked, all.the.time.  I didn't grow up eating out.  It was a rare occasion that we were able to eat out, and it was usually when we were traveling.  And it was tradition for us to get together as families and cook together on holidays.

There was a dish that was asked for at each gathering.  That was my mom's Sunshine Carrots.  The carrots are boiled to be tender crisp (they can also be steamed if you wish).  The sauce is an orange juice base.  It brings out the natural sweetness of the carrots.  It is the perfect compliment to a salty meat, and the kids have a hard time saying no to their vegis when they are laced with OJ.

Sunshine Carrots

Ingredients:

1 bag petite carrots
1 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 cup pulp free orange juice
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
Parsley

Directions:

1. Place carrots in a medium saucepan.  Cover with water and bring to a boil.  Cook until carrots are tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain and place in a serving bowl.

2. While carrots are cooking, prepare sauce.  In a small saucepan, whisk together cornstarch, sugar, salt, and ginger.  Add orange juice and whisk until dissolved.  Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sauce begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add butter.  Whisk to combine.  Pour sauce over carrots.  Sprinkle parsley over carrots and serve.

Serves 4

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Fit Friday - Pepper Roasted Pork and Lemon Mashed Potatoes

I know that when the new year hits, thousands of people make it a resolution to lose a certain amount of weight.  I am one of those.  My name is Cat, and I'm an addict.  (Group greets, "Hi, Cat.") But seriously, I know that it's a valid resolution and I respect those people that can complete that resolution.

I also know that Weight Watchers probably gets a ton of sign ups.  I've tried Weight Watchers, and one thing that I absolutely loved about their program is that you can eat real food.  You have to watch your portions, but you can eat.  And with their point system, it becomes simple to eat better.  So I thought a couple of recipes with Weight Watcher point values on them might be of interest on this Fit Friday.  This particular meal (if you include steamed carrots with a little salt and pepper) would give you a 10 point meal.  And it is incredibly full of flavor.  Does not taste like you are eating on a diet.

Peppered Pork Roast

Ingredients:

1 (2 lb.) pork tenderloin roast, tied
1 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
3 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 Tbs. ground black pepper
1 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. With a small knife, make small incisions all over tenderloin and insert a slice of garlic into each incision.  Rub oil all over meat.  Mix together spices and rub mixture all over tenderloin.

3. Place tenderloin in 9x13 inch pan.  Roast for 10 minutes on 425 degrees.  Reduce temperature to 350 degrees.  Roast for another 30 minutes or until juices run clear.  Remove from oven and transfer to a cutting board and allow to sit for 15 minutes.  Cut into 20 slices and serve.

Serves 10, WW Points: 5

Lemon Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

5 Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

Directions:

1. Put potatoes in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover potatoes by 1 inch.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 12-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.  Remove saucepan from heat and drain potatoes.

2. Using a potato masher, coarsely mash potatoes.  Add oil, lemon zest and juice, salt, and pepper.  Using a wooden spoon, mix until well blended.

Serves 6, WW Points: 4

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Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad

So we're almost to turkey day.  Did you get your turkeys taken out of the freezer over the weekend?  Our turkey is a 20 pounder (BIG BIRD!) and I'm injecting that bad boy full of lovely marinade on Wednesday night.  So I put it in the fridge Friday night.  The stuffing is made and in the freezer.  The rolls are made up to the second rise and are waiting in the freezer.  All that's left is pie.  And one other family tradition - Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad.

This is something that has become a staple at the dinner table on holidays.  I don't remember one single Thanksgiving without it - even at my grandparents' house.  My mom would make it and bring it because it was in such high demand.  Yes, it's a jello salad.  I understand that.  But it's such a wonderful twist on traditional cranberries at Thanksgiving.  But you must use the cranberry sauce, NOT whole cranberries.  That way it can dissolve right into the gelatin.  It's such a nice combination of sweet and tart.

Cran-Raspberry Jello Salad

Ingredients:

1 can cranberry sauce
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 small box raspberry gelatin
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup chopped pecans
8 oz. package cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

1. Pour cranberry sauce into a 9x13 inch pan.  Using a fork, mash sauce until no chunks remain.

2. Drain crushed pineapple, saving juices.  Combine juice, lemon juice and enough cold water to make 3/4 cup.  Set aside.

3. Dissolve raspberry gelatin in boiling water.  Pour over cranberry sauce and whisk until sauce is dissolved.  Add cold juice/water mixture.  Whisk until combined.  Add pineapple and chopped pecans.  Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill overnight or until set.

4. After set, cream together cream cheese and sour cream.  Add sugar.  Beat on high speed to whip together.  Spread over top of salad, cover again with plastic wrap, and put salad back in fridge.  Chill for a minimum of 1 hour before serving.

Serves 12

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Grandma Cook's Thanksgiving Stuffing

One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is a tradition that has been passed down through several generations now - my Grandma Cook's Stuffing.  It's been a staple on the Thanksgiving table for as long as I can remember.  Even when we weren't at my grandparents' house, it would still be part of the meal.  And I am pleased to say that I have converted several members of The Hubs' family to stuffing as well!  People who have sworn off stuffing and profess to hate the stuff try this version and fall in love.  The difference is that my grandmother would use a pork sausage in her stuffing.  It gives the dressing/bread cubes flavor and a little kick, but not so much that you feel like you are reaching for a glass of water to wash it down.

Now, a little something that I do - I like to buy Jimmy Dean's® Pork Sausage with Sage in it.  You can find it in the meat section this time of year.  That way, you can get a little added oopmh.  I also like to make my stuffing a week or two ahead of the holiday to keep myself out of the kitchen for the ENTIRE day on Thanksgiving and the day before.  I place it in an aluminum pan  and seal it tightly with heavy duty foil, then I pop it in the freezer.  I pull it out an hour or two before dinner on Thanksgiving and stick it in the oven for the regular baking time.  And no, I do NOT put the stuffing in the turkey cavity.  Too many risks for food poisoning!

Grandma Cook's Thanksgiving Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 cylinder pork sausage
1 onion, finely chopped
1 russet potato, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1 box Mrs. Cubbison's Classic Seasoned Dressing or Cube Stuffing
1 tsp. sage
1/2 Tbs. poultry seasoning

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, brown sausage.  Add onion, potato, and carrots.  Saute until vegetables are tender.

2. Pour dressing/stuffing into a 9x13 inch pan.  Sprinkle sage and poultry seasoning over dressing.  Add warm meat and vegetable mixture and gently fold until all ingredients are incorporated.

3. Cover with aluminum foil.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes or until heated through.

**Tip: You can make this ahead of time and freeze until ready to use.  Just make sure the pan is tightly sealed with foil to avoid freezer burn.  Remove from freezer about 1 hour before heating.

Serves 6

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