Pork Roast

The other day we grilled a pork roast. I have several rubs in the cupboard but am interested in experimenting with different seasonings. So I decided to come up with my own rub.



This is the "naked" roast.



Here I am applying my rub.......



Here is the roast and if I do say so myself, it tasted pretty good!!

This is what I used in my rub:

1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash table blend, 1/8 t paprika, 1/4 t tumeric, 1/8 t ground mustard, a spinkle of tarragon, and a sprinkle of dried basil leaves.

My winter project will be to learn more about herbs and spices and how to use them to enhance dishes. Ought to be interesting!

Pickle Pak

What's new in the world of pickles???

Yup, pickles have gone the way of pudding, jello, and fruit.....little indivual pickle paks!! I had a coupon for Mt. Olive pickles so decided to get the paks. Mostly because they amused me. Don't ask me why....just one of those days I guess!

Aren't they cute?? You can eat the whole container for 10 calories. Now that is what I call "figure friendly"!

Thai Shrimp Gyoza

At Trader Joe's the other day I was looking through the frozen food section and found Thai Shrimp Gyoza. It sounded good so I decided to try them.



You can pan fry, steam, or microwave these. I chose to steam them.





Here they are in the steamer. They taste like egg rolls, which I really like.



These are the entree I made the other day to go with the Thai Shrimp Gyoza. Have you ever seen those bacon wrapped small fillets at the the store? That is what is in these puff pastry bundles. Sort of my take on Beef Wellington.



To avoid the pastry becoming soggy on the bottom, I just cut the bottom out. It was the best solution I could think of to avoid "soggy bottom".



Here is the "Beef Wellington" and steamed Thai Shrimp Gyoza. It was all pretty good...I will try this again!!

Trader Joe's

A day off and a trip to Trader Joe's!!!!! What could be better than that?? I am feeling a little sad because we will soon be heading South for the winter and there isn't a Trader Joe's in Bullhead City. Sure wish they would correct that oversight!



Trader Joe's puts out a flyer every other month. This is the current issue. As you can see, it is emphasizing "dinner-in-a-hurry" options. The flyer is 15 pages and showcases several products they sell. Trader Joe's does not have "sale" items, instead they charge "reasonable" prices each and every day. And to be perfectly honest, I have found that they do have very reasonable prices. At least I surely haven't found anything outrageously expensive.



Like a lot of other retailers these days, Trader Joe's is on the "eco-friendly" bandwagon. They have reusable shopping bag options. Not only are they reusable, they are cool looking and fun. The shopping bag in the middle is priced at 99 cents and just plain fun looking. The two bags on the sides are both insulated. The black and red one has a five quart capacity and keeps cold foods fresh for up to 5 hours, more if you put ice packs in it. Is is the first insulated bag they offered, as far as I know and was 5.99 when I bought it. That one is no longer available. The blue and black one is their new style and has an 8 quart capacity. I like the squared corners, it not only holds more but it is easier to pack. I just bought this one today for 6.99 which I think is a good price for it.

This is my very long commercial for Trader Joe's today!!

Peachy Cake

Today was a day off so we decided to bake something in the Dutch Oven. Since we had some fresh peaches, they had to be the main ingredient...



I just sliced three medium peaches, sprinkled them with cinnamon and nutmeg, then made a simple syrup with brown sugar. Those little squares are butter....everything tastes better with a little butter!!! Just ask Paula Deen!!



To make life easier, I used this mix to put on top of the peaches, the only adjustment I made was to puree a peach to add to the mix and omit the oil. Otherwise, I followed the package directions.



Spread the batter over the peaches and sprinkle it with the cinnamon streusel packet. Then place the cake in the Dutch Oven.



Here is the Dutch Oven in the Volcano being baked with charcoal. This is one way to keep the kitchen cool on hot summer days!!



This is what I ended up with. It was good but if I make it again, instead of using a simple syrup, I would use brown sugar and to make a caramel sauce. But just sitting out on the patio and fooling around with the Dutch Oven made for a nice summer afternoon!!

Tofu

Like millions of other Americans, I have weight issues...so I routinely look for a vegetarian main dish to make on occasion. So what am I going to do with these ingredients?



I am going to try a new main dish: "Seared Tofu with Garlic, Swiss Chard, and Pine Nuts". I got that beautiful Swiss chard at the Farmer's Market on Tuesday.



Step one is to toast the pine nuts until they are golden brown.



Step two is to coat firm tofu in soy sauce and pepper, and sear in olive oil until golden about 2 minutes on each side. I used lemon infused olive oil to give it a little more flavor.



Next step is to saute the garlic about two minutes, add the chard and cook until it is wilted. That takes about 30 seconds.



This is what the finished dish lookes like, fried tofu on a bed of Swiss chard topped with pine nuts!! And it was really tasty!!

Here is the complete ingredient list. I got this recipe from the Weight Watcher's website.

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons pine nuts
1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 ounces firm tofu, drained, and sliced crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
6 Cups Swiss Chard

Tahoe Mountain Soap Company

So what does a soap company have to do with a food blog??? Good question....it just so happens, they are a vendor at the Lake Tahoe Farmer's Market and the vendor I selected to feature this week. So sorry to digress from food, but in my defense, these all natural soaps have ingredients such as oatmeal, honey, lemon, cinnamon, rosemary, peppermint and vanilla. So I guess technically I can put The Tahoe Mountain Soap Company on my blog!!





The sign actually says it all. They also have a web site http://www.tahoemountainsoap.com/.



Some of the soaps made by The Tahoe Mountain Soap company are Honey Citrus Scrub, Cocoa Butter, Apricot Oatmeal, Lavender, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Peppemint, Eucalyptus, Mandarin Lime Calendula, Oatmeal Rose, and Apricot Vanilla. With that selection everyone can find one that suits! And for people like me they have two soaps that are unscented.



Handmade Moisturizing Lotion is another product made by the Tahoe Mountain Soap Company.



Rock Island Sea Wool Natural Sponges are also offered by the Tahoe Mountain Soap Company. I'm pretty sure this giant one is for display only!!



Ah, these are more like it!! Also notice the natural lava pumice stones...my helps to keep my heels smooth!! Take some time and check out the website: http://www.tahoemountainsoap.com/.