Mustard Creole Pork Roast

I bought this huge pork roast before the hubby had his surgery. It was on sale, and a great deal. Now, looking at this monster, I realize that I can't buy big things anymore. We are gonna be eating this pork roast for a week!

I wanted something simple and easy, so I combined olive oil, yellow mustard, spicy brown mustard and creole seasoning.

Simple and easy ingredients...

Smeared it all over the pork roast...

Baked it at 325 degrees for 2 hours.
Then I decided I wanted to throw some potatoes in with it. So I took some red potatoes and cut them into wedges.

Put them in a zipock back and tossed them with some olive oil, minced garlic, kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
Dumped them in with the roast, and set the timer for another 60 minutes.
Family said it was the moistest, best tasting pork roast ever.

I love when an experiment works!

Cheers,

Christine

It's Finally Happened...

I knew it was coming. I knew it was unavoidable. Today, reality hit me smack upside the head.

I've turned into my mother.

I know, I know. I should have seen it coming. And the signs were there. Every once in a while, I'd hear a phrase pass through my lips that was my mother's phrase. I'd gasp and cover my mouth in horror.

But today, it was much more than a random phrase that had been burned into my subconscious. Today it was everything. Let me give you some examples:

When the grocery clerk commented on baking items in my cart (pumpkin puree, chocolate chips, nuts, etc) I said "It's so much better if it's homemade"

I have a jar of sun tea brewing on my front porch

There is a batch of beans and ham in my crock pot

When I put away my canned goods from the store today, I had to triple stack some because the pantry is so full

When I saw vine-ripe tomatoes in the grocery ad this morning, I told my hubby "I should buy a bunch of those and can them"

I have a cheese drawer, that is so full of different types of cheese that it barely closes

There are many more examples, but you get the idea.

Now don't get me wrong. There is absolutely nothing wrong with my mother. It's just that her way of life and mine...Well, lets just say I never thought there would be any similarities. Next thing you know, I'll be planting a freaken garden and looking up zucchini recipes on the Internet.

Someone please slap me. Remind me that I don't do homemade. I don't bake from scratch. I buy my damn ice tea at a drive-thru window. And I most certainly don't CAN!

Cheers,

Christine

City Life

For the most part, I consider myself a small town girl. I have lived in a couple of big cities, but they never felt like home. I much prefer when the grocery checker knows your name, the bank teller's kids go to school with your kids, and everyone in town knows your business. In fact, today my grocery checker commented on how relaxed I looked, and said it must be my day off. Does that mean I normally look like a big stress ball? Or just that I spend WAY to much time at the grocery store? Probably a little bit of both.

Back to big cities... There are a couple of things I truly miss about living in the city. Mostly, that would be shopping. And I'm not talking about clothes, or shoes. I'm talking about foodie stuff.

Trader Joe's is heaven to me. I could easily put a cot in Whole Foods and live there. And a good farmers market? Fuggetaboutit!

The designer pasta. The selection of cheeses. The heirloom tomatoes. It makes me weak in the knees.

A food utensil I've never seen before? Gotta have it.

A Kitchen Aid mixer in the color orange? I lust for it. No matter that I have one in white. I want the orange one. No, I NEED the orange mixer. How can I possible use a white mixer? It doesn't match my Mario Batali dutch oven. We just can't have that!

What's that? A Williams Sonoma store? I feel faint.

Do any of you feel the same way? Do you enjoy checking out new grocery stores? Do you desire every new kitchen gadget you see? Do you have drawers and cupboards of kitchen equipment that never, or rarely gets used?

Or is it just me?

Cheers,
Christine

Weekend Mornings

I love Sunday mornings. It's the only day we are all home, with nowhere in particular to rush off too. We eat a leisurely breakfast together, while we decide on our plans for the day.

Sometimes there aren't any plans. Sometimes there is a stack of movies from Netflix on the counter and our only responsibility that day is to wade through the movies.

Sometimes we are heading our own directions. I'll be cheffing soon on Sundays. The hubby is helping a friend open a business in Lake Havasu. The girls always have somewhere they'd rather be than with the parents.

But at least for those few moments, after the smell of cooking bacon has woken everyone up, but before the pancakes are done, we share some time together as a family.

Even the cats are lazier on Sundays...

If that is even possible

We are headed out today to attempt to find some baking supplies...in this small town that is tough. Heading to Vegas tomorrow, maybe a visit to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I'll take my camera!

Enjoy your lazy Sunday!

Cheers,

Christine

P.S. What do you think of my new layout. I'm learning new tricks for this blog everyday. Thank God for computer savvy teen-agers.

Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Cookies

There was no one to cook dinner for tonight, the kids were all gone, and the hubby is still on liquids. So I decided to treat myself to an ultimate fast food dinner - Long John Silvers' fish and chips. I was even going to get some extra crispies...those little bits of batter that fall off the fish during the deep frying. Crispies are very likely my most favorite item on the menu. Oh, my mouth was almost watering on the drive home, imagining the greasy, salty, deep fried goodness.

Then I saw the ginormous line at the drive-thru, and drove straight on by. I'm not a patient person, as those around me will tell anyone who will listen. And even the crispies were not worth waiting in the drive-thru line for 20 minutes. What? Go inside you say? Gasp! What's the point of a drive-thru if I have to park my car and go inside. NO I say! You will not get my business tonight Long John Silvers!

Because I was starving, and because I hate to cook for one, I had one of those "what can I get in my mouth in the next 4 seconds" moments. The winner? Cream cheese on (homemade) pita chips. Fabulous for curing hunger, not so fabulous to photo and blog about. So then I felt guilty about not having posted much this week, and I went against my "no more baking" statement and made more damn cookies.

I am posting the recipe as written, but I took many liberties with it. Necessity is the mother of invention, correct? My baking cupboard was looking a little bare. So instead of chocolate chunks, I used chocolate and white chocolate swirled chips; macadamia nuts instead of hazelnuts. Still turned out pretty darned good.

One more quick rant before the recipe...Did you know that white chocolate is not actually chocolate? It's considered a confection. I consider it an abomination...a crime against chocolate. Unholy even! So I'm not sure how the swirled chips ended up in my house, but they won't be allowed back.

On too the cookies!


CHOCOLATE CHUNK OATMEAL COOKIES


Ingredients




1 cup old fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, room temp
1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1 tbls vanilla extract
14 oz bag semi-sweet chocolate chunks
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
1 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts


Directions

Process oatmeal for 60 seconds in a food processor until finely ground. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Process until blended

Oats before:

Oats after:

Beat butter with both sugars until the mixture is light in texture and color, on medium speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.



Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.

At low speed, beat in the flour mixture in 3 additions.

Stir in chocolate, coconut and nuts.

Fill an ice-cream scoop with the dough and drop onto greased cookie sheets, leaving 3" between cookies. Refrigerate for 30-45 minutes.

Baked chilled cookies in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes, until edges are set and centers are still soft.

Cool cookies on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.



These cookies are being taken to work on Saturday, as a peace offering for showing up on a day that is supposed to be Boss free. Think the bribe will work?

Cheers,

Christine

Buffalo Chicken Dip

Okay, no pics for this dish. It was for a potluck at work, so I assembled it there. I don't usually subject my co-workers to dishes I haven't sampled, but this one sounded so good I had to try it. My gut was correct...this dip is delish!


BUFFALO CHICKEN DIP


Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds cooked chicken, shredded
2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
16 oz bottle Blue Cheese dressing (can substitute Ranch)
1/2 to 1 bottle pepper sauce, such as Franks Red Hot, depending on how hot you like it
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese

1 bunch celery, cleaned and cut into 4 inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) box chicken-flavored crackers ( like Chicken In A Biscuit)

Directions

Heat chicken and hot sauce in a skillet over medium heat, until heated through. Stir in cream cheese and dressing. Cook, stirring until well blended and warm. Mix in half of the shredded cheese, and transfer the mixture to a slow cooker. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, cover, and cook on Low setting until hot and bubbly. Serve with celery sticks and crackers.


NOTE: We love blue cheese, so when I added the cheddar, I also added Blue Cheese crumbles. Only do this if the crowd you are serving to LOVES Blue Cheese, because it was a strong flavor. I loved it!


Cheers,


Christine

Finally!

On a hunch, I stopped and got a newspaper on my way to work this morning! Voila, there was my article. Half page, full color on the back page of the business section. Wow!

I had 3 phone calls today, and already dropped off 2 information packets. I think both of those customers will be one-timers. I'm dropping off another packet on Friday. And all these calls were before noon. Hopefully people will hold on to the article, and call me when they are ready.

Everyone at Corporate America that read the article today wanted to know when I was going to have time for this. Hmmmm, good question. Well, between the full-time job, the house and family, and this blog, I think I have the 2nd Monday of every other month available for a cook date. Any of you need a part time job personal cheffing? :)

Here is the article:


MONDAY SEPTEMBER 1, 2008

HEALTHY CHOICES: Christine Box cooks up a tasty dinner for her family just as she could for you. Box runs The Box Lunch Personal Chef Service, customizing menu plans and catering to all dietary needs JEFF MANGUM/The Daily News


Chef boxes box lunches for dinner

By HEATHER SMATHERS/The Daily News

BULLHEAD CITY -- For those who want healthy, homecooked meals but just don't have the time to cook themselves, a new personal chef service is available in the Tri-state area.The Box Lunch Personal Chef Service offers clients flexible menu choices while affording them flexibility with their schedules, said owner Christine Box.

Box, who has been in the personal chef business since 1999, customizes menu plans for clients and caters to all dietary needs. Upon meeting with clients, Box creates a menu plan based on the needs and desires of her clients.“It's total customization. I have worked with diabetics, people on the Atkins diet, families with young children,” Box said.

Her service is a healthier alternative to dining out, Box said. Knowing what types of foods people can eat helps Box further customize meals, as it eliminates allergy risks associated with dining in restaurants.After determining what types of meals will be made, Box does all the shopping then prepares the meals in the client's home. She packages the meals and puts them in the refrigerator or freezer, complete with heating instructions.

Box holds a culinary degree from the University of Montana. But unlike many chefs Box does not specialize in one type of cooking. Rather, she said it is her flexibility that makes her business so successful.“I can cook anything a client asks for,” Box said.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call Box at:

Thanks for reading!
Cheers,

Christine