For the love of sanity.......

I am having some serious mental warfare with myself.. I have been in the house for the past 5 DAYS with sick kiddos (except for a trip to the pet store and for those of you who know me well that is about as fun to me as getting a Brazilian wax) and it is snowing outside and I have not taken a shower in 3 days and there are loads of laundry needing to be bleached and I have wiped off more snotty noses then I care to remember and the damn dog won't stop barking and there is a certain 2 1/2 year old who won't let me go pee by myself and I am coming to the realization that those awesome pants that I bought 2 months ago should probably be returned because whose kidding herself, who knows when the next time will be that I will be hanging out with a crowd that does not drink their cock/mocktails from a sippy cup and if I have to play with one more freaking barbie I might scream and it is snowing outside and I have not been out of the house for 5 DAYS!!!

So one might conjecture that I may have a bit of cabin fever and the only way for me to not totally loose it is to update my blog which has been hibernating for longer than I care to admit...

So without further ado, here are some really great recipes that would be great for those Sunday afternoons when time is on your side and you want to eat something that makes your whole self giddy with yummy happines.

Pulled Pork

( I mean...really awesome). PERFECT for the Super Bowl.

Italian Wedding Soup
* So good that my husband wanted to marry me again!

Chile Relleno Casserole
* Don't count the calories, just eat it!

Pulled Pork
Ingredients:
4 pound pork shoulder roast
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 jalapenos seeded and cut into rings (if kiddos are eating this I just use 1)
1 red onion, roughly chopped

Directions:
Heat oven to 300 degrees.
Place 2 large sheets of foil (overlapping 3 inches) on a work surface and place the pork in the center.
Season all over with salt and pepper and cumin.
Spoon jam over pork, turning to coat.
Alter jalapenos and onion around pork.

Fold over foil and crimp edges to seal.
Place on a baking sheet and roast until tender - about 4 hours.

Unwrap pork, preserving juices and discard foil.

Use a fork to shred the pork and remove bone.

Transfer to a bowl and pour the cooking juices, onion, and jalapenos over the pork and toss.

Serve over crusty rolls with coleslaw or in tortillas with cilantro and lime wedges.

Slow Cooker:
Use all the same ingredients and place in slow cooker for 6 to 8 hours.



Italian Wedding Soup
* Ina Garten: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics.

Meatballs:
1/4 lb ground chicken
1/2 lb chicken sausage, casings removed
2/3 cup fresh white bread crumbs. I use store bought, but don't tell Ina!
2 tsp minced garlic (2 cloves)
3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving. * I just used Parmesan and it was great.
3 TBSP milk
1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
Salt and Pepper

Soup:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup minced yellow onion
1 up 1/4-inc-diced carrots (3 carrots)
3/4 cup 1/4-inch-diced celery (2 stalks)
10 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1 cup small pasta such as tubetini or stars
1/4 cup minced fresh dill. * I used dried dill. Use about 1/2 Tbsp
12 ounces baby spinach, washed and trimmed.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the meatballs, place the ground chicken, sausage, bread crumbs, garlic, parsley, Pecorino, Parmesean, milk, egg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl and combine gently with a fork.

With a teaspoon, drop 1 to 1 1/4 inch meatballs onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. (You should have about 40 meatballs.)

Bake for 30 minutes, until cooked through and lightly browned.

In the meantime, for the soup, heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken stock and wine and bring to a boil. Add the pasta to the simmering broth and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, until the pasta is tender. Add the dill and then the meatballs to the soup and simmer for 1 minute. Taste for S&P. Stir in fresh spinach and cook for 1 minute, until spinach is just wilted. Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle each serving with extra grated Parmesan.


Chile Relleno Casserole
Ingredients:
8 Anaheim chilies or 2 (7 ounce) cans whole green chiles drained, rinsed, and patted.
1/2 lb Monterey Jack cheese cut into 8 sticks.
3 Eggs
1 jalapeno chile seeded and minced
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk
1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Stuff chiles with cheese and place into baking dish.
* If you are using fresh chilis you need to get the skin off. Use this tutorial to learn how.
Beat together eggs, minced jalapeno, flour, milk, salt and pour over chilis.
Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 35 minutes and cool for 10.