Recipe Review from 4/6/15 and Remodel Update

This week found us settling into a new routine now that the Folks are back from Arizona.  The Husband and I are up and moving well before them - 5am the pups get their morning walk, breakfast made, and I'm out the door shortly after 7a.  Evenings we all have dinner together, clean up, and it's either another walk for pups or some quiet reading time while they watch TV. 

The Meal Plan
Sun - Dr. Pepper BBQ Shredded Pork
Mon (yoga)  leftovers
Tues - leftovers
Wed (AM yoga) Maple and Honey Glazed Chicken with roasted vegetables
Thurs  (Yoga) - leftovers
Fri - Slow cooked ham and bean soup
Sat - leftovers
Sun - leftovers

Lunches:  sandwiches, fruit, yogurt, luna bars chips, the usual. 


Dr. Pepper BBQ Shredded Pork (Facebook)
The Husband found this on Facebook and it was the perfect dish to have ready for The Parents pending return from southern climes.  3lbs of pork steak (meat store didn't have a pork roast or boneless country ribs) cooked up shredding tender in a mixture of Dr. Pepper, onions, and seasonings in a slow cooker for about 6 hours.  Liquid mixture is drained off and the now tender shredded pork is tossed with a bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce.  We used a bottle of Kraft original because it was already open and handy.

I don't have the recipe handy, but there are a slew of similar recipes online. 

This made enough for four people for three meals when served with cornbread and potato salad.


Mustard Glazed Chicken with Roasted Veggies (Ckng Lght, March 2015)  gluten free
For starters,  I halved the veggie part of the recipe.  It was my intent to make the Roasted Vegetable Soup as noted below, but I had to juggle meals around a bit and I dropped the soup.  Which is a bit of a bummer because I think it would have been very tasty. 

This comes together so quickly even with the 30 minute roasting time.  Veggies are chopped and popped into the oven.  A bit of quick cleaning, set the table, and then the chicken thighs were seasoned, seared and sauced.  Everyone agreed this was very tasty.  Not quite enough chicken leftovers for four people the second night - plenty of veggies. 
 

Note! Recipe below makes enough to also do:  Roasted Vegetable Soup

photo from cookinglight.com

6 cups cubed peeled butternut squash (about 3 pounds)

3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 1 cup)

2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 1/2 cups)

2 small red onions, cut into 1-inch wedges

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves  (I used 1 pkg chicken thighs)

1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard

2 teaspoons honey

1. Place 2 baking sheets in oven. Preheat oven to 425° (leave pans in oven).
2. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Add 3 tablespoons oil, rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; toss. Arrange vegetable mixture on preheated baking sheets. Bake at 425° for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes. Cool slightly; reserve 6 cups vegetable mixture.
3. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan. Add stock and wine to pan; cook 2 minutes. Stir in mustard and honey. Add chicken, turning to coat. Serve with remaining 2 cups vegetable mixture.

THE REMODEL

On the remodel front, stuff continues to come down and layers are being pulled off of walls.  Guts of the house are starting to emerge!   The contractor did end up renting a dumpster - I guess it was getting too putzy to try and load up his truck with debris and make a daily dump run. 

Foyer looking into kitchen - a bit dark san's lights

What's left of the kitchen (black stuff you can see from foyer)

What it looks like without black stuff.  Look!  There used to be a door on the left hand side!

Yes, that is a very old wasps nest...

Kitchen ceiling exposed.  We're having some of the bathroom plumbing fixed while it's open.

Temporary supports under beam. 

Chimney exposed, looking toward front door.

Where the stove will eventually go; with new cabinets.

Three layers of linoleum!  Oldest is on left (very cool pattern) newest on right.