Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Recipe: All-Purpose Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder {and a Melissa d’Arabian Cookbook Giveaway!}

· Narrative

Slow Cooker All Purpose Pork Shoulder
Is that not the most gorgeous picture ever? It makes me want to make the recipe all over again.

Melissa d’Arabian first burst onto the public food scene when she competed on The Next Food Network Star a few years ago. I watched as she held her own against other, sometimes more flamboyant and edgy, competitors, staying the course. She went on to win the competition, earning herself her very own spot on the Food Network line-up.

Her point of view? Ten dollar dinners.

A movement I can get behind.

Especially when it’s a well-balanced meal.

That’s kid-friendly.

And features recipes that don’t have you hunting all over heck and creation to find ingredients you’ll likely never use again.

Amen.

She is a stay-at-home mom of four, who has lived in Paris. As such, her menus have many different cultural influences, and aren’t just relegated to plain, ordinary fare. She learned her frugal tendencies from her mom, who was a single mother putting herself through college and medical school, and those lessons have clearly served her well.

So when I heard that she was coming out with her first cookbook, I was all in. After looking through it, the recipe for the pork shoulder caught my eye.

And the fact that it was a slow cooker recipe, when it was still plenty hot outside, was a bonus.

Pork shoulder, white wine, onion, garlic, salt, pepper.

People, it doesn’t get easier.

It smelled heavenly a few hours in.

And once done, it shredded up in nothing flat.

It was moist, flavorful, and kid-friendly.

Which is my favorite kind of recipe.

One of the features I like best about the cookbook is that Melissa gives you suggestions for how to use the recipe. The page following the pork shoulder recipe features 10 different ways to use the meat, everything from chili and tacos to hash, turnovers, and tamale pie.

Because who wants to eat the same thing for days on end?

The cookbook includes recipes for Salmon Cakes, Four Step Chicken Piccata, Kale and Crispy Bacon Salad, Roasted Garlic and White Bean Chili, Zucchini Carpaccio, Chicken Marengo, Bulgur-Stuffed Veggies, Fennel-Onion Quiche, Provencal Tomatoes, Cheesy Popovers, Double Chocolate Pound Cake, Homemade Yogurt, and much  more.

And now how about a chance to win her cookbook?  It’s over 350 pages of colorful photographs, easy and delicious recipes, and as Bobby Flay said, “Melissa’s real-life experience as a wife and mom makes her the perfect person to help all of us get dinner to the table.”

Amen to that.

  • TO ENTER: Comment on this post and tell me your favorite chef/cook.
  • FOR MORE ENTRIES: … Tweet this post. Or Pin this post. (You can do that by using the handy little buttons at the bottom of this post). Or follow me on Twitter, Pinterest, or Instagram, if you don’t already (and come back and tell me you did).
  • GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Friday, August 17th at 11pm EST
  • WINNER ANNOUNCED: In this upcoming weekend’s Weekend Photos in Review post
  • NUMBER OF WINNERS: One
  • FINE PRINT: The winner will be selected using random.org.

All-Purpose Slow Cooker Pork Shoulder
Recipe courtesy of Melissa d’Arabian

  • 1 3-to-4-pound boneless pork shoulder (or 4 1/2-pound bone-in pork shoulder)
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
  • 1 onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

Rinse the pork, place on a cutting board, pat dry with paper towels and rub in the salt and pepper. Set the pork in the bowl of a slow cooker, scatter the onion over the pork, sprinkle in the garlic and add the wine. Cook until the meat easily pulls apart with a fork, about 5 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

Turn off the slow cooker and transfer the pork to a platter. Use two forks to shred the meat.

If you don’t have a slow cooker, you can braise the pork shoulder in a 325 degrees F oven for 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours.

I served ours shredded on whole wheat buns, with sliced red onion, avocado, and a bit of Dijon mustard.

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Braised Pork Shoulder and Porchetta Sandwiches

· Narrative

Braised Pork Shoulder

Pork shoulder recipes are a funny thing.  At least the past few that I have made.  Most of the recipes I’ve used recently call for a few hours in the oven, and during more than half of that time I’m convinced that the recipe is going to be a massive fail.  The Succulent Braised Pork from Melissa D’Arabian a few weeks back is an excellent example, as is the recipe I made this past Sunday.

But I’ve noticed something magical happens in the last hour of cooking the pork.

It all comes together beautifully.  In a way that almost takes your breath away.

The recipe I made Sunday was from the October issue of Martha Stewart Living (and as an aside, their recipe search box leaves a lot to be desired. After twenty minutes, I gave up searching for these two recipes and retyped them below.  It shouldn’t be that difficult to find recipes from the current issue.  Just sayin’).  I made this particular recipe for two reasons.  One, I like a “cook all afternoon” recipe for a not-really-but-should-have-been-lazy Sunday afternoon, and two, the article also featured recipes to use up the leftovers, recipes that didn’t resemble the original dish.  Love that.

Company was due at 6 pm, and by 5:15, I was seriously second-guessing my decision to try this recipe, particularly a new one, when we had guests coming.  Any good hostess worth her salt will tell you that it’s good to have a few tried-and-trues and not have your main course be something you’ve never made or served before.  I never was one to follow the rules.

Towards the end of the cooking time, when hope was quickly fading, I decided that I could always fall back on a quick pasta dish or call out for pizza.  But then something magical happened.  As it always does with pork shoulder or pork butt.

It all came together.

And thank goodness it did.

It was tender.  Succulent.  And fall-off-the-bone good.  And for something that literally took minutes of prep work.

Paired with root vegetables that I bought from the farmers’ market that very morning, and roasted, it was the perfect Fall meal.

OMG Good

And the recreation of the leftovers the next day?  Open-Faced Porchetta Sandwiches with Caramelized Apples.  Holy mother of pork, THAT recipe is reason enough to make the first recipe.  Like, seriously, OMG good.  The second recipe blows the first one out of the water.  Treat yourself, and your family, and make it.  I swear you’ll be hooked on it too.

P.S.  As an update to the story I shared about the wonderful kids on the football team yesterday, after a conversation today with a few parents, I learned even more… The team I told you about was the JV team.  When the Varsity team got wind of what they were doing, they wanted to do something too, and at their next game, each of their football helmets sported a pink sticker to show their support, and the cheerleaders, not to be outdone, added pink extensions to their hair.  A hairdresser charged the girls $5 to add a pink extension to their hair, and then donated the money to breast cancer research.  Such heartwarming gestures from all.

Project 365
October 14, 2010, Photo #179

Caught

This weekend brought about a few firsts for me. One, I’ll share. I used the mens’ restroom for the first time ever. Surprisingly it was spotless, especially as compared to the womens’ restroom. Color me shocked. I think there might actually be a contraband picture of me coming out of the mens’ restroom, but what happens on Girls Night Out … stays there.

…

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Beef and Black Bean Burgers

· Narrative

Beef and Black Bean Burgers

Today is only Wednesday, yet surprisingly I have already repeated two brand new recipes in the space of three days.  Just goes to show you how good they are.  The first was the Warm Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing from Sunday night.  Couldn’t wait to have it again and made it for the second time last night to feast on for lunch for the rest of the week.  And lest I forget, thanks for all your tips on dealing with hard-to-cut squash, nuking it worked like a charm – you guys are the best!

Faye: Hint: If you microwave the WHOLE squash for several minutes (depending on the size) let it cool slightly…it will peel SO much easier.

Stephanie: if you have a trader joe’s near by, they have already cut & peeled butternut squash & it’s delicious!

Angie: …try poking some holes in that squash and nuking it for 5 minutes or so. It’ll soften it just enough to make peeling and dicing a breeze!

The second new recipe I’ve repeated this week is the one for Beef and Black Bean Burgers.  I made those also for dinner Sunday night, aiming to keep the menu summer-friendly, as the season is quickly slipping away from us, and they were so good, they made a quick and easy dinner tonight as we headed out for Nick’s Back to School night.

The recipe comes from Melissa d’Arabian, she of Ten Dollar Dinner fame, and so far, she’s produced nothing but delicious results.  I would never have thought of including mashed up black beans into ground beef for burgers, but darn it if it doesn’t work.  It gives you an extra dose of protein and stretches your ground beef buck.  Between the extra moistness the beans and olive oil give the burger, and the slight tang of the Dijon mustard the recipe calls for, it adds up to one great batch of burgers.

On Sunday, I topped them with farmers market tomatoes and buttery avocados.  Tonight’s version was topped with avocado, warm goat cheese and sliced red onion. Full of flavor and just minutes to pull together, if you’re itching to stretch out summer just a little bit longer like us, give these a try.

Oh, and because my grill was deemed habitable by some four legged creatures (it makes me itchy just thinking about it), my grill is no longer with us.  But because of its misfortune, I can tell you that these taste simply smashing on your indoor grill pan, because that’s how I cooked ’em.  Now it’s your turn.

Project 365
September 22, 2010, Photo #168

Gratitude Tree

Even though we’re saying so long to summer, I’m already two holidays ahead, working on an article for a Thanksgiving centerpiece for the folks at Disney.  I’ve got to say, this really is my favorite time of year.  Halloween … Thanksgiving … Christmas … family traditions … homemade applesauce … apple picking … crisp Fall air.  Just love it.…

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Succulent Braised Pork

· Narrative

Braised Pork Goodness

There are some recipes that you just know are going to be good from the start, and others that you are completely unsure about.  And then there are those ones that fall somewhere in the middle.  This recipe for Braised Pork would fall into the latter category.

A date with a spin bike meant that dinner needed to be ready by the time we walked in the door from the gym.  Otherwise it’s just too late being a school night.  When I saw Melissa d’Arabian make this recipe the other day, I knew it fit my criteria.  Ten minutes of chopping a few simple ingredients.  Browning the meat.  Braising in the oven for 3 hours.  Folks, I don’t know that it gets simpler than this.  And the taste is anything but simple.

Around the second hour of braising, I peeked into the oven to see how it was coming along, and, quite frankly, it didn’t look like much.  I took a taste of the sauce and managed to burn my tongue.  But it was so good, I went back for another taste, sacrificing the feeling on my tongue in one fell swoop.  As far as the meat?  Something magical happens in the third hour.

When it was nearly done, I sent a text message to one of our neighbors.  Under the Borrow Someone’s Husband Act, they were very helpful the night before and I owed them.  “Do you have dinner figured out for tonight yet?”  No, came the answer.  “Perfect.  I’ll send Nick over with dinner when we head out to the gym.”  Earlier that day, one of our cats (who has, over the past few months, become sort of an outside cat) very nicely left me a present.  On our front steps.  Like, right in the middle of them.  Care to guess?  This time, the present was a dead chipmunk.  Ick.  The last two presents were mice.  Now I’m wondering if this is even an ok topic when discussing dinner and braised pork, but it might be too late.  So, the mice I can barely handle getting rid of myself.  Chipmunks are another story entirely.  A plea to said neighbors and the husband took care of the present for me.  Hence, dinner the next night.  It seems a fair trade-off, no?

This pork is total comfort food.  Like, it doesn’t get better than this.  Our summer season seems to have (temporarily?) ended rather abruptly and with it, some chill has settled in.  This is the food that the weather calls for, make no bones about it.  Put a dollop (or three) of yesterday’s mashers on a plate, and then this braised pork and a little of the sauce … oh my word.

As far as the kids?  Madeline wasn’t a fan, and happily ate a Summer Vegetable Pasta recipe I made Sunday night.  Nick, however, barely came up for air, and only did to ask for another helping.  This from the kid that doesn’t like potatoes of any kind.  Ate the potatoes.  The meat.  The sauce.  Twice over.

And better still?  This meal is yours for under ten bucks.  I kid you not.  Maybe even less, depending on if you have some ingredients already in your pantry.  Make it.  I am imploring you.  When you want to be warmed up from the inside out.  When you want someone to think you slaved all day over a hot stove.  But really didn’t.  Make this.

A year ago today… I had very nearly forgotten about these to-die-for peanut butter cookies.
Two years ago today … The Barefoot Contessa and Banana Pancakes.
Four years ago today … one of our favorite Italian cookbooks.
Five years ago today … still going strong with The Neighbors, but oy those picture-taking skills!

Project 365
September 15, 2010, Photo #165

A Few Finished Butterflies

This is what my dining room table currently looks like.  Awash in multi-colored, sparkly glittered butterflies for my latest project for Disney … a No Sew Butterfly Catcher Costume….

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OMG 5-Minute Individual Potato Gratin

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Potato Gratin

As soon as I took the first bite of this 5-Minute Individual Potato Gratin, I immediately thought of my Mom.  She’s a big fan of gratins, as am I, and I know she will love these.  The recipe comes from Melissa D’Arabian, the newest addition to Food Network‘s line-up (you can read more about her here), and when she was making this, she mentioned that her little girls love helping her make it.  After you get the chopping out of the way, it’s a great recipe to get help from the little hands in your house, since the rest of it is layer, layer, layer.

With just a bit of chopping and layering, the recipe is very easy prep-wise, and once all the ingredients are layered in the muffin tin, it peacefully does its thing in the oven for 35-40 minutes.  Once you have it in the oven, it’s the perfect time to begin working on your main course … I made a Chicken Fried Steak recipe for dinner, and by the time the steak was done, so were the potatoes, perfect timing.

The individual nature of the dish makes it a great little side for your next grown-up soiree, but the ease of the recipe makes it perfect for a hectic weeknight as well.  And, of course, if your kids will eat this sort of thing, all the better.  Nick said he would “force” himself to try it and managed to make it through one whole individual gratin, so I’ll take that as a personal victory.  I took one gratin apart and gave Madeline the potato pieces, so it worked well for the toddler set too.

As for me?

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Perfect Crispy Potatoes

· $10 Dinner Challenge, $7 Dinner Challenge, Narrative

Perfect Crispy Potatoes

When Sarah, Maris and I first saw the topic of Melissa D’Arabian‘s new Food Network show, we all had the same thought … hey, they swiped our idea!  Melissa is the latest winner of The Next Food Network Star, coming away with her very own brand new show, $10 Dollar Dinners, promising dinner for four that won’t break the bank.  Love that!  During the series, the judges consistently suggested to Melissa that she tone down her energy just a bit.  Put it this way … her level of perkiness makes Rachael Ray look like she’s a walking zombie, and we all know how much energy Rachael has!  While Melissa definitely has the market cornered in the energy area, it was infectious and hard not to like and root for her.  She is also a stay-at-home mom to four little girls preschool age, so that boundless energy no doubt comes in handy.  (You can see a very adorable pic of her girls right here). She was also the only contestant with no formal culinary education.

Nick and I happened to catch an episode of her show yesterday where she made a Parisian-inspired meal featuring a chicken l’orange dish and crispy potatoes.  We both instantly wanted the potatoes, especially once she said they were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.  My favorite kind.

First, a quick note.  See the picture of the tray up top?  That’s supposed to serve four.  With a little coleslaw and chicken breast on the side.  I just don’t see it.  Especially not if your four happen to be guys … or high school footballers … or really hungry … or who don’t like coleslaw.  Just sayin’.  I understand that that amount is what kept the dinner under the $10 mark (her breakdown was $5 for the chicken, $4 for the coleslaw and $1 for the potatoes), but maybe spending some of the coleslaw’s $4 for another potato might go further.  In my humble opinion, of course.

Now that being said, how were they?  In a word – delish.  Just as she promised, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside.  I used Yukon Golds, instead of the Russets she called for, just to up the buttery taste a bit, but they were scoffed up like nobody’s business at dinner time, and the perfect accompaniment for a nice, tender pot roast.

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