Grilled Chipotle Pork Loin with Chipotle Black Beans

I don't know about you, but I like to eat a nice piece of pork loin, pork chops, pork ribs, pork roast, and of course...pork bacon every now-and-then! I'm not going to 'beat around the bush' about this...guilty; if that's the case. Most of the time, I just don't mention, or post about 'pork'...but this is the kind of pork that they call 'the other white meat:)

This one happens to be 100% natural...no hormones...organic?...that I assume it would be! I purchased a package of this 'beauty' at Walmart Super Store...3 double thick pieces...one, which I grilled for myself, and the 2 other pieces, I  tenderized, and pounded it 'paper thin'...breaded it, to make Wiener Schnitzel' (no photo) out of it to make it for my son, and my two granddaughters. One thought it was chicken...my son thought it was veal...and for me...'mums the word'....guilty? ...nahhh!...don't think so!...Cost was a mere $6.17 and I had a fabulous dinner one night for myself, and another dinner the next day for the 4 of us! Bought 4 beautiful plantains, for 25 cents each, to fry along with the chops, as well!...and the black beans were amazing! Had 2 meals out of 2 cans...with rice!

Very simple to make...just marinade your pork loin, or chop by using a dry rub of your choice...in my case, I used chipotle powder, chili powder, Hungarian hot paprika, cumin powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, rub it in real well, pierce fork and let it marinade at room temperature for about 30 minutes. 

Being that your pork loin is so lean, just before grilling it on your electric grill...in my case; a small George Foreman that you pre-heat, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil on it, and grill for about 5 min. on each side..criss-crossing it to make a pretty pattern. With the George Foreman, you cut your grilling time in half, because it grills you meat on both sides with the top and bottom at the same time...that's the beauty of a George Foreman, which I love so much...you can buy a 'dime a dozen' at any of the Goodwill Thrift stores for $5.99...practically NEW!

As for the Chipotle Black Beans, I used 2-oz. can of Walmart brand black beans (excellent quality)...1-15oz. can of Red Gold diced tomatoes. I sauteed some onion, garlic, and added my tomatoes, cooked it for about 20 minutes...adding the same spices as in the rub for the pork chops...added 1 bay leaf, and a few dashes of hot sauce. At the very end, as you can see, I drizzled some more olive oil, to give it a pretty shine, and added 1 teaspoon white vinegar to 'kick it up' a little. Served it over white rice, and the pork loin chops...So amazingly delicious meal for 1 person, with plenty leftover for the next meal!

I have something else to share with you...linking this super yummy chicken wings...I did not cut between the joints, because this way you get more meat out of it!  Check this out....and no slow cooker either...could not wait for it to get done, so I made it in my electric skillet!

Last but not 'least' is my delicious 'Honey-Garlic Wings'...slightly adapted from my dear Floridian friend Claudia, who has the wonderful What's Cookin' Italian Style Cuisine. She called it Sweet Wings, and she cooked it in the Crock Pot/Slow Cooker...but I could not wait that long, and made it in my electric skillet. Also did not split the wings in two, to get more meat out of them this way. For more tips on sauces for wings...do check out Claudia's amazing blog, and I promise that you will love each and every recipe and tips from Claudia, who is a Store Manager by day, and food blogger by night...with 2 successful blogs, and a third which she is also the administration of! Her handsome son Curt @ Curt's Delectable Vlog, after his beautiful mom in his talented cooking skills!

Instead of the 1 cup honey, I used 1/2 cup, increased the garlic cloves to 3, and added 2 more Tbsp. of the ketchup instead of (2)...added 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, and juice of 1/2 lemon. I fried the wings first, in a heavy duty ...cast iron skillet, and then I made the sauce separately, cooking all the sauce ingredients together...poured it over the wings set up in my electric skillet, and just let them simmer...and kept them warm...I made this for 'Sophia's birthday'...and let me tell you, it was gone within a few minutes...that good!...so thank you Claudia for your inspiration, and countless more of your easy, and delicious recipes that brings back so many wonderful memories from our Italian kitchen, as well!

Easy Chicken Salad Sandwich...and more

I have so much stuff to share with you...but first things, first. Yesterday, as I was commenting back on some of the comments (yes, I know I owe a lot more)...I came across a comment from Cathleen @ A Taste of...Madness
and as soon as I saw her yummy, and simple chicken salad sandwich, I immediately decided to use of the large roasted leftover chicken breast, from the whole roasted chicken, I made the other day.
For the recipe, just click on the link, but I also combined half of the portion for the mayo, with my homemade tartar sauce, or you can use a bottled purchase tartar sauce if you would like!

Roasted chicken is so versatile, but most of the time I purchase it ready made, fresh  rotisserie style, from my local supermarket. Just can't resist the aroma and the freshness of a roasted chicken.

The leftovers can be utilized so many different ways...if you haven't devoured all of it in one sitting, with family or company. In my case, I always have some leftovers which happen to be one of the large breast which I use for chicken sandwiches, but have not made chicken salad in a long time!

How could you not enjoy this delicious sandwich on your favorite sandwich bread or bun (I chose 100% whole wheat)

On the bottom slice of the bread, pile on the yummy chicken salad, and on the other
slice a generous chunk of your favorite lettuce, a slice of perfectly ripe tomato, and a thin slice of red onion (optional)...cut it half diagonally, and enjoy your sandwich with homemade ice tea...can't get better than that!

A 'sitting duck'...this isn't...but more like a 'squatting chicken'...which it is; 'hunch back', and all!...yikes! This image of a well roasted chicken, right out of the oven is NOT very attractive, but the chicken is perfectly roasted...except for the two bottom legs...which are squatted, and did not get golden brown, but it did get tender.

So why am I showing you this funny looking squatting chicken?...well, because of the cast iron roasting pan, and how clever and useful it is.

So, this is the famous cast iron skillet by Chef Emeril...I did not find this as a 'thrift find'...as a matter of fact, I ordered it online from HSN Home shopping...the cost was not cheap...close to $40. I must admit it really is an unusual, and different kind of roasting pan, but I am not crazy about it, and therefore,

I will want to get rid of it....probably donating it to Goodwill, or offering someone in the U.S. who will not mind paying for the shipping charge...that's all; just let me know if you're interested!

This was the original plan...roasted chicken, and baked sweet potatoes!

I'm gonna share my homemade tartar sauce recipe with you, to add to the chicken salad recipe!

So, I made my own delicious tartar sauce...which was not difficult, at all!



My homemade tartar sauce, which I featured in my previous post.

Here are the ingredients that I used...

OK...so here you have all the ingredients to process for the tartar sauce...sweet pickle slices, caper berries, and and scallions.Give it a whirl or two, and you can add this to your favorite mayonnaise.

So, that's all to making a simple homemade tartar sauce...here's my personal recipe concoction!

Tartar Sauce

! 1/2 cups really good mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. sweet diced pickles for the relish
1 Tbsp. caper berries
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. chopped onion
1 teaspoon brown mustard
about 1/2 teaspoon of pickle juice

Mix all ingredients together, and use it for side dish, or for sandwich spreads, and dips!

Sending you our beautiful rainbow from our South Florida early evening scene!

Chick Pea Curry...and (not so) Weight Watchers Goodies

Week 2 of my Weight Watchers program, online...I lost 5 lbs. so far. But I must tell you, planning, is the "key" to this successful way of staying on track! It's not easy, when you think about various other foods to eat...easier to make, but hard when you have to say "no" or maybe just limit it to a bite?...or a small portion! Easier said, than done, but I did it, and I'm still doing it!

Last week, I was making mostly chicken dishes, with fresh and healthy vegetables, and this week I'm concentrating on legumes...all kinds of beans, and rice, and grain dishes. The only "sidetrack" is, that in the meantime, I'm also thinking about making cakes, and other snacks...which not necessarily from the Weight Watchers cookbook! As for instance...neither is the Chickpea Curry, but I'm sure, if I would google this recipe for WW, I could find similar recipe for this delicious dish!

Chickpea Curry
by; All Recipes.com

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 onions, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, finely chopped
6 whole cloves (I used 1 teaspoon ground cloves)
2 (2inch) sticks cinnamon, crushed (I used 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
Salt, to taste
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 (15 ounce) cans garbanzo beans
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, and fry onions until tender. Stir in garlic, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, salt cayenne, and turmeric. Cook for 1 minute over medium heat, stirring constantly. Mix in garbanzo beans, and the liquid. Continue to cook and stir until all ingredients are well blended and heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in cilantro just before serving, reserving  reserving some, for garnish.
Note: I added 1 Tbsp. hot homemade pepper sauce for more spice, and flavor. Also served it over Jasmine rice
6- 8 servings; Points value: 7

Just because you decide to start the new year, in a more positive way, than all the previous years before, does not mean you cannot enjoy the "simple things in life" like buying yourself a special bouquet of flowers. In my case, I just happen to love fresh Baby's Breath...they are so pretty, delicate, and have such subtle fresh fragrance.

They only cost $4.00 for this gorgeous bouquet, which I trimmed back and placed in water, with ice cubes, and a Tbsp. of white vinegar to keep fresher, longer.

The beautiful hand painted dainty little vase is a "thrift find" for $.99 (cents) ...in fact, all the picture frames with my loved ones are all thrift finds, all of them, less than $5.00 and I just love brown wood frames, and these frames are all so unique, and elegant. So, there you have it, a little secret of simple happiness I wanted to share with you....and the wall paint color in my living room, is called Zen Green...a little bit of Zen goes a long way:D

You may be wondering what is this concoction, that's frying in the pan? Well, it's an old childhood favorite of mine which will be used to make the most amazing Hungarian "pogácsa" with cracklings...called "töpörtyü"...in English it would be biscuits...or scones? Not exactly sure which is the proper way to call it in English, but it's called Töpörtyüs Pogácsa!
Click on this link, and check it out. It is the most amazing pogácsa, so flaky savory, tasty, light, and delicious with the chopped little pork cracklings worked right into the dough!
Made by; none other, than a talented Hungarian/Canadian food blogger whom I happen to find quite accidentally...long story!
So here's the famous Pogácsa, made by Zsuzsa, @Zsuzsa in the kitchen

Zsuzsa explains how to purchase, and use the crackling, but does not have photos of it! Well, I went on an adventure hunt to my favorite Italian meat market...Mario's in Delray Beach (a little bit of drive, but well worth it)
Mike, was so kind and gracious to cut fresh pork fat for me...took him a little while, I should have pre-ordered it. Purchased about 2 lbs, which I diced and fried in vegetable oil to a crisp! It smelled so wonderful, as I was frying it...so, so fresh, you can smell the freshness of the aroma!

When they're fried up all crispy, and golden...remove them with a slotted spoon, and layer them on double layer paper towel, sprinkle with fine Kosher salt, and they are ready to be chopped for the Pogácsa, or just enjoy them with caution! ...I enjoyed a few pieces with a slice of fresh bakery rye bread with caraway seeds, and fresh Hungarian hot paprika...Oh, man!...Oh God!...If you love bacon...this is the Ultimate "bacon lover's dream"...I kid you not!...Just watch your cholesterol...pure fat, with just a hint of meat on it...but crispy, crunchy, and light as a "feather"...not WeightWatchers' delight...not by a long shot!

Any way, I'm going to the gym this evening...and will work out an extra 30 minutes on the cardio machines!
I'm not trying to steer you wrong...but you gotta have some kind of "guilty food pleasure"...and this is as guilty as it gets!

Italian Sausage with Grilled Cheddar Polenta, and a Giveaway

After posting my vegetarian spaghetti carbonara, now I feel so guilty...Not!...but I should be, for posting sausage of all things, but not just any sausage, this is homemade, by my favorite Italian meat market, Mario's that's been around forever...about 30 years, with the same owners, now the owner's daughter in charge. This is the sausage, hot, and mild, that I bought for New Year's and still had another 2 lbs left over. I invited a friend over for dinner last night, and she was appalled and I could tell just the sound of her voice saying..."sausage?"...and then, silence!

Oh, my! I committed the "Cardinal Sin"...yes, I said "sausage, Italian sausage"...in her mind, since she doesn't eat sausage, thinking I was making these "dinky little breakfast sausages"...or, as she said...is it "Jimmy Dean sausage patties?"...no silly homemade Italian sausage. Enough said, just come on over, and "stop complaining, already!" I recently, or actually the other day, browsing through my followers blogs,

I found a blog, which had the most delicious Hungarian polenta, well in Hungarian, it's called "puliszka", which I thought looked so delicious, and more tempting was the amazing meat stuffed with sauer kraut, and topped with Hungarian bacon. Wow!...just looking at the photo made my cholesterol, go high, but I had to make a polenta dish which I have not made in a few years.
Lucky for me, I had everything on hand, and did not have to buy a thing.
Do check out Gesztenye
which in English mean Chestnuts she also has another blog too, all about truffles, or as she calls them bon-bons.
Another talented, and creative food blogger, from a different country, Hungary, my mother's birth country!

I had some zucchini on hand, red skinned potatoes, onions, garlic, and a couple hot cherry peppers, and fresh rosemary springs in my freezer, which I peeled, and added to the roasted vegetable, in a heavy duty iron skillet, on top of the stove. Very simple, just slice everything thin, and saute in some extra virgin olive oil, about 2Tbsp. and some canola oil, 1Tbsp. The reason I mixed the two, is because the olive oil tends to burn on high heat, so the canola, or vegetable oil tones it down. I also used the same large skillet, to roast the sausages in the oven, on about 425 degrees for about 35 minutes, and after the vegetables were done, I saved it in a casserole dish to keep warm, and added everything together to display on a large platter.

I was hesitant to post the polenta photo, because of the messiness, and unevennes of the grill marks...but just look at my pride-and-beauty, my cast iron grill pan. Would not, and will not change it for any other, except, the outdoor gas grill, of course...and no, not the charcoal grill. I take pride in my cooking and baking wares, and treat them kindly...as in the cast iron grill pan, but before you grill in it, rub it well with vegetable oil, and not cooking spray, and heat it up until it starts to smoke, and lower the temperature till you're ready to grill your meats or vegetable, and in this case the polenta, not just with cheddar cheese, folded in there, but with sliced canned jalapeno peppers, as you can see the green speckles, in the pan, and in the polenta. I didn't even get a chance to chill my polenta, and it was a bit softer for not being refrigerated. Recipe, and the giveaway, which will surprise you, to follow!

Cheddar Polenta
my own recipe

3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup 8 ounces shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
3 tablespoon canned sliced jalapenos
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Bring chicken broth to a boil over high heat in a medium size saucepan. Gradually add cornmeal, whisking constantly. Reduce heat, and simmer, stirring often with a wooden spoon, for 10 minutes or until mixture is thick and creamy. Remove from heat, and stir in salt, pepper, olive oil, and fold in the cheese, and jalapenos. Spoon into a cooking sprayed loaf pan and chill in refrigerator, for a couple hours, before slicing to heat up or grilling. It is a nice vegetarian side dish, or by itself, Serves 4.

Now, on to the Giveaway!


To enter the giveaway:

1) Please follow foodandthrift on Twitter...sorry, I don't have an account on Facebook. If you already do so,  please see number 3. If you are doing so for the first time, please let me know that you are now following me on Twitter, so I could add you to the giveaway.

2) Leave a comment on this post! You are encouraged to share a comment about the Matryoshka Dolls, or any other thoughts.

3). If you RT or post on your Twitter page this giveaway post link, you get an additional entry. Please drop me an additional comment on this post saying that you did so.

4) To get an additional chance in the giveaway, become a "follower" of 
 food and thrift find's  blog.

5) Drawing will be done randomly from all comments recorded by Tuesday January 18, 2011, at 11 PM (EST) and one lucky winner will announced.

6) Please note: Shipping only in the US, and Canada. I apologize to my other International friends.

The Matryoshka Dolls are made in Russia, exclusively, they have a gloss finish, and are made of basswood, from linden tree and are hand painted, and varnished. They come in 2 pieces, as in this one, in 4, 5, and up to 8 or nine pieces, all with different hand painted fairy tale story villages, and characters. They retail from about $39.99, to $69.99, up to $89.99, which this one is, being that this is about 17 inches high, and the smaller, about 6 inches high. It is brand new, and obviously someone did not want it, and donated it. I snapped it up for $6.99...honest! I will ship it to a lucky winner, who would be interested in this beautiful set. This is certainly a collectors' item, and one of a kind!

I think you all overlooked my mention of a giveaway in my previous post, from Goodwill, where I took a picture of the beautiful bird perched upon the shoulder of it's owner, and there at the checkout  counter, sitting, waiting to pay for, and getting the "eagle eye" from other customers that distinctively knew what my purchase was...a Matryoshka Doll, otherwise known as, Babushka doll, as well. 





Italian Sausage and Peppers

I was not going to post this...seems like I'm contradicting myself about eating healthy. Actually this is not so bad, considering I made it as light as possible. No grease, no extra fat...this would certainly can be categorized in the Atkins diet, maybe even Weight Watchers?...been there, done all that...and so, the saga continues.

Before I post the recipe for my Italian sausage and peppers, I will proudly show off my Suzanne Somers stainless steel skillet, 10 in. in diameter, has a nice non-skid handle, and the best part was, that this skillet has never been used by any one. I paid $2.99 for it, at Goodwill, and I've had it for over 1 year. In order to cook or fry on high heat, you must either have a cast iron skillet, or a calphalon, or a heavy duty stainless steel, as it is in this case. You will only destroy you nice non-stick pan. I absolutely love this frying skillet, it's easy to clean, even if you get burns on there. When you soak it in hot soapy water, the stain just rolls off. I am all green practically, with cleaning supplies. Just simply scour it with baking soda...takes the place of the strong chemical scouring powder, and you can also clean your sink with the baking soda, and will freshen up your garbage disposal. So now, on to my recipe...actually not really a recipe, just the instruction of how I came up with this great idea for the sausage and peppers. Not drowning it in oil, not letting it get lost in red sauce, but everything fresh from my refrigarator, that needs to be used up, anyway.

Italian Sausage and Peppers

2 links of mild Italian sausage
1 link of hot Italian sausage
(about 1 lb.)
1 green bell pepper
2 Hungarian wax peppers (or banana peppers
or Cubanelle, you can variate the peppers of your choice)
1 large onion
1 or 2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium tomatoes (fresh)
1/2 cup vegetable broth or plain water is good
salt and peppers, (optional)
(sausage and peppers, are hot and salty enough)
1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
Cut sausages with a sharp blade knife, to 3 inch pieces. ( slices will just fall apart, so this is suggested.) Cut peppers lenghtwise into about 1 inch strips, (not too thin) Cut onion in half, and cut fairly thick slices, lengthwise, also. Tomatoes cut in half, and also sliced thick into lentghwies slices. (Everything is cut lenghtwise, so they look nice and uniformed.)  First, start with the sausage to brown them in the vegetable oil, on med.high heat, for about 10 minutes, so they get nice and brown. Lower the heat, and just cook them low, for an additional 15 minutes. Add all the peppers, onion, garlic, and tomatoes, and saute them, leaving the sausages in the skillet, but at this time, add half of the broth or water. It will start to caramelize it, and keep cooking them for an additional 15-20 minutes, adding the rest of the broth to keep getting nice and juicy, this way it will not burn, or get dry. You should end up with perfectly cooked sausages, and just the right texture of the peppers, and onions. The tomatoes will stay nice and soft, and not falling apart. Serves 2.
note: 
Leftovers are great for the next morning with scrambled eggs, or reheated and served in a hoagie roll with melted mozzarella. (that is if you're cooking this for 1, but if for 2, you will not have any leftovers.) If you like pork, this is an ultimate comfort food!
Another excerpt, from WOMEN FOOD AND GOD

The shape of your body obeys the shape of your beliefs about love, value and possibility. To change your body, you must first understand that which is shaping it. Not deprive it. Not shame it. Not do anything but accept--yes, Virginia--understand it. Because if you force and deprive and shame yourself into being thin, you end up a deprived, shamed fearful person who will also be thin for ten minutes. When you abuse yourself (by taunting or threatening yourself) you become a bruised human being no matter how much you weigh.