The Ultimate Lasagna Bolognese

Since I first started blogging in January, I have cooked a little over 50 of Tyler's recipes!! Of the 50 or so recipes that I've tried, there are many that were favorites and have been made over and over again in my kitchen. It seems like the perfect time to share my top favorites with you!

Hands down, my all-time favorite Tyler recipe is the Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookie . I have easily made this cookie recipe at least eight to ten times. They are the best, chewy, and chocolately cookies out there.

Some of my other Tyler favorites are: Parker House Rolls, Wonderful White Bread, Amaretto Chocolate Brownies, Perfect Roast Chicken, Grilled Flatbread with Caramelized Onions, Grapes, Mascarpone, Walnuts and Gorgonzola, Chicken Marsala, Chicken Breasts with Oranges, Olives and New Potato, The Ultimate Onion Rings, Berry-Brioche Bread Pudding, Bourbon and Chocolate Pecan Pie, Pulled Pork, Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie, Braised Brisket, and now my new favorite is this recipe, THE ULTIMATE LASAGNA BOLOGNESE.

My husband, who is never quick to dole out compliments, declared this recipe one of the top ten best things that I have ever cooked!! My husband was having a pretty bad day, wasn't hungry for lasagna, and was a little perturbed about waiting for it to cool down for 15 minutes. When he started eating it, he kept saying that it was really, really good. He was even teasing me about not eating anymore so that he could save it and eat it all up while I was gone this weekend! This recipe gets the five-star rating from me. It will be added to my dinner rotation AND I will recommend it to everyone!! When I love a recipe this much, I will make it for potlucks, celebrations, as a gift for a new mom, etc.

The lasagna does take about 3 hours and no, I didn't make my own pasta. I actually made this recipe because I've had some packaged lasagna noodles in my pantry for almost a year! That's right.....I never make lasagna. My husband and I are not big lovers of lasagna, until now!! I had all the ingredients for this in my pantry and only had to find some ground pork to complete the recipe. I couldn't locate ground pork at my local country grocery store, so I bought some spicy Italian sausage and substituted that instead. There is no ricotta or cottage cheese in this lasagna. Instead Tyler uses a cramy bechamel sauce. The bolognese was a little spicy and had a wonderful complex flavor. There was a 28-ounce can of whole tomatoes added to the bechamel, but the bolognese didn't an overwhelming taste of tomato. It was overall just a wonderful version of lasagna. Please try this one and I guarantee you that the men in your life will thank you!!

THE ULTIMATE LASAGNA BOLOGNESE, Dinner at My Place, by Tyler Florence

• 1 recipe fresh pasta dough (see page 27 of Dinner at My Place) or use up your pantry packaged lasagna noodles like I did : )

Bolognese:

• 2 carrots, cut into large pieces
• 1 large onion, cut into large pieces
• 3 ribs celery, cut into large pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 fresh sage sprigs, leaves only
• extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef (I used black angus, we prefer this much more)
• 1 pound ground pork (I couldn't locate ground pork so I used spicy Italian sausage)
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine (I only had 1/2 bottle left and used only 1/2)
• 1-28 ounce can San Marzano whole tomatoes (I usually use Red Gold brand)
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I didn't add this, I was afraid my husband wouldn't like it)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley

Bechamel:

• 2 cups whole milk (I used 2%, I don't usually have whole)
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound buffalo mozzarella, torn into pieces
• 1/4 grated Parmesan
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 
  

Begin by making the Fresh Pasta Dough or by soaking your packaged noodles in a bowl of hot water, turning so they can soften.

To make bolognese, put carrot, onion, clelery, garlic and sage in a food processor and process until you have smooth vegetable pulp. coat a large, heavy-based pot with oil and set over mediium heat. Add vegetable pulp and saute until fragrant and some of the moisture has evaporated, 4-5 minutes. Push the vegetable pulp to one side of the pot. Season ground beef and pork with plenty of salt and pepper, then add to the pot. Stir and break up the meat until it is brown, then dust with the 2 tbsp. of flour before adding wine, tomatoes, milk, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 1-1/2 hours, uncovered, until sauce is thick. Add parmesan and parsley and season with salt and pepper. Set aside while you prepare the Bechamel.

To make the Bechamel, set a large saucepan over medium heat. Add milk, garlic, and a bay leaf and bring to a simmer to infuse milk with herb flavors. Set a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add butter and melt, then sprinkle in flour while you stir with a wooden spoon. Once all of the flour has been combined with the butter, grab a whisk and gradually pour in the herb-infused milk, passing it through a sieve as you go to strain out the aromatics. As the sauce thickens, continue to whisk over low heat, then add nutmeg. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to cool slightly.

Preheat oven to 350F. To assemble the lasagna, cut the hang-dried pasta sheets to fit a 9x13x3" lasagna pan; set the pasta aside. Coat the bottom of the lasagna pan with a thin layer of Bechamel. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles, trimming noodles to fit as necessary. Top the noodle layer with a layer each of Bechamel, Bolognese, and mozzarella pieces. Continue with the layers of lasagna noodles, Bechamel, Bolognese, and mozzarella pieces until you have three complete layers, finishing with mozzarella. Shower the top of the lasagna with Parmesan and parsley. Bake, uncovered, on a trap (to catch the drippings) in the center of the preheated oven for 1 hour. (If the top starts to brown, tent with foil). Let the lasagna stand for 15-20 minutes before cutting.

Enjoy the best lasagna you have ever put in your mouth!! I am submitting this dish to the weekly roundup at Tyler Florence Fridays. Stop by this Friday evening to see what all the others made.

Penne with Spicy Italian Sausage, Cream, Tomatoes, and Peas

Do you go through phases with cooking? In the past few months, I have worked my way through my obsession with baking bread and my obsession with Recipezaar. I have moved onto my obsession with one of Tyler's new books, Dinner at My Place. Obsession number two, otherwise known as the farmer's market, is currently being fueled by Dinner at My Place. You might be wondering how a spicy sausage pasta dish is inspired by the farmer's market.......

While I was roaming the stalls of the farmer's market last week I heard quite a bit of commotion. Curious about all the noise, my daughter and I headed over to see what was going on. That is when we met "THE QUEEN OF SAUSAGE". (I thought of Donna instantly) The self-proclaimed "Queen of Sausage" was sitting on top of an old galvanized trash can in the back of an old pickup truck. She was dressed to draw attention and was wielding a sign declaring her royalty. She looked like she was having the time of her life, drawing a crowd, handing out samples, and screaming about being the Queen of Sausage. I'm glad that the sausage sample was delicious because there was no way I could refuse her. How can you turn down the Queen of Sausage? In fact, I think it could almost be considered unamerican!!

This was no ordinary sausage!! I knew I had to make something special, so I turned to Tyler and he did not let me down. While following Tyler Florence Fridays I have seen many people make this dish. I have read mixed reviews about the peas in this dish and decided to try something a little different. There were some ladies selling handcrafted pasta and I spotted some orecchiete, otherwise known as "little ears". I love all pasta, but I thought maybe this pasta would hold onto the peas better than the penne, and it did : ) So, I was happy to use freshly made pasta, local sausage and local peas. This recipe is packed with flavor and I absolutely loved it. How can you go wrong with pasta and a cream sauce?? This recipe is a keeper for me!

PENNE/ORECCHIETE WITH SPICY ITALIAN SAUSAGE, CREAM, TOMATOES, AND PEAS, adapted from Dinner at My Place (Tyler Florence)

• 4 links spicy Italian sausage (It does help if it comes from the "queen of sausage")


• 1 pound dried penne (I used orecchiete)


• extra-virgin olive oil


• 1 medium onion, chopped


• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped


• 1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes (Gasp...I used Red Gold)


• 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves


• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper


• 1 cup heavy whipping cream


• 2 cups peas, blanced


• 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving


• Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Preheat oven to 350F. Place the sausages in a roasting pan and roast in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes, until slightly golden and just cooked. Cut sausage at an angle into bite-size pieces.

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook until tender yet firm (al dente).

Set a large, heavy-based pot over medium heat and add a 2-count of olive oil (about 2 tbsp). Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent and fragrant. Add tomatoes and basil; season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes, then fold in cream and continue to simmer until rich and creamy. Add sausage, blanced peas, and parmigiano. Fold together and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to come together. Serve topped with a shower of cheese and garnish with basil.

This dish is even better the next day!!

Braised Beef Brisket

Last week on Tyler Florence Fridays, Beth at The Seventh Level of Boredom made this amazing Braised Beef Brisket. Beth gave this recipe a rave review saying that it was absolutely fabulous and that she would love to add it to her dinner rotation. I couldn't agree more!! I made this recipe yesterday and thought it was heavenly!! The brisket was tender and juicy and the sauce was zesty and flavorful. I served the brisket with Tyler's Mashed Potatoes and watched as my family devoured the meal. The kids were begging for more mashed potatoes and there were no more : ) I will also be adding this meal to my dinner rotation.

BRAISED BEEF BRISKET by Tyler Florence, Dinner at My Place
4 large garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 fresh rosemary sprigs, needles stripped from the stem and chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 4-pound beef brisket (first cut)
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 large carrots, cut into 3-inch chunks
3 ribs celery, cut into 3-inch chunks
2 onions, halved
2 cups dry red wine
1 16-ounce can whole tomatoes, hand-crushed
1 handful fresh italian flat-leaf parsley
3 bay leaves
1 tablespoon a/p flour (optional)
2 tablespoons water or dry red wine (optional)
1 bunch hydroponic watercress, for garnish (optional) *I could not locate watercress

Preheat oven to 325F. On a cutting board, mash the garlic and 1/2 tsp. salt together with the flat side of a knife until it turns into a paste. Add the rosemary and continue to mash until incorporated. Put the garlic-rosemary paste in a small bowl and add 2 tablespoons of the oil; stir to combine. Set aside.

Season both sides of the brisket withp plenty of salt and pepper. Rub the rosemary-garlic paste over the brisket. Drizzle with additional olive oil. Place a large roasting pan or Dutch oven over med-high heat. When the pan is hot, place the brisket in the roasting pan and sear to form a nice brown crust on both sides, adding additional oil as necessary to prevent sticking. Lay the vegetables all around the brisket. Add the wine, tomatoes, tomato liquid, parsley, and bay leaves. Cover the pan tightly with a lid or aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 3-4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices, until the beef is fork-tender. NOTE** I actually cooked my brisket in my crock pot. The brisket was still delicous and I didn't have to baste every 30 minutes or heat up my kitchen**

Remove the brisket from pan and place on a cutting board. Allow brisket to rest for 15 minutes. Remove vegetables from the pan with a slotted spoon; discard vegetables. Skim some of the excess fat from the pan juices, leaving about 1/4 cup fat in the pan; place the roasting pan with the pan juices and fat over medium-high heat. Boil and stir about 5 minutes, until the sauce is reduced by half. (For a thicker sauce, mix the 1 tbsp. flour with the 2 tbsp. water and whisk into the gravy.) Slice brisket and serve with sauce over Parsnip Puree or Mashed Potatoes. If you like, garnish each plate with watercress. I garnished my plate with chives. I love the combinations of chives with potatoes.

I highly recommend this recipe. It's a keeper!

Garden Puree Bruschetta

I have been able to do a lot of shopping at the farmer's market lately. I am both impressed and excited about the new and improved market this year. I have found many things that were not available before. I noticed that a lot of my recent finds from the market coincide with Tyler's new book, Dinner at My Place. I have several recipes bookmarked to make in the next couple weeks. I have been eyeing this recipe for bruschetta ever since I first received this cookbook. I was awed by the color of the puree and knew instantly that I would love this recipe. I was lucky enough to find all the vegetables and a whole wheat baguette at the farmer's market Saturday.

GARDEN PUREE BRUSCHETTA, by Tyler Florence, Dinner at My Place

• 1/2 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
• 1 pound English peas, shelled, or 1 cup frozen petite peas
• 1/2 pound asparagus, tips only (2-1/2" pieces)
• 1/2 pound haricot verts or tender green beans, trimmed
• 2/3 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 3 green onions, green parts only, roughly chopped
• extra-virgin olive oil
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 bunch chopped fresh chives (about 8 chives), for garnish
• 1 French baguette
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves

Place a large pot of salted water over high heat and bring to a boil. Add the sugar snap peas, English peas, asparagus tips, and haricot verts and cook about 3 minutes, until bright green and crisp-tender. (If you're using frozen peas, add them during the last minute of cooking). Drain, transfer to a bowl of salated ice water to stop cooking, and drain again. Puree vegetables in a food processor with the ricotta, green onion, a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives.

Prepare the Crostini by cutting the baguette into thin slices. Drizzle slices with oil and place on a roasting tray. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown on both sides. Remove from oven and rub with a peeled, cut clove of garlic while bread is still warm. Serve crostini with vegetable and cheese puree.

The blanching of the vegetables allows the puree to become a vibrant green color. Blanching the veggies also alows the veggies to keep most of their nutritional content. I would say that this is a fairly healthy dish, especially when paired with a whole wheat baguette. Tyler calls for whole-milk ricotta, but I only had part-skim and it worked out just fine. I really enjoyed this as a light lunch. I think it would make a great appetizer/crudite for spring or summer. I am toying with the idea of using the leftover puree as a filling in a veggie lasagna.

If you love green veggies, then this recipe is a must try!!

I am submitting this recipe to Tyler Florence Fridays. Head on over to the TFF site to see what everyone is making this week. There is always a great variety of delicious dishes.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie *Recipe #38 - page 192*

I love going to our local Farmer's Market on Saturdays. It's always exciting to see what goodies you might come across. I finally got a chance to go this past Saturday and I was really impressed. This year our Farmer's Market moved its location and was able to increase space and vendors!! There was so much to see, smell, and TASTE! There were local artisans selling their arts and crafts. Plus, we were able to see our favorite musicans.

There were so many things available that I can't locate in stores around here. I finally found the rhubarb to make this pie!! I also found fresh english peas, pea shoots, goat cheese, homemade Italian sausage, sour cherries, and the juiciest peaches ever! The best news was that everything was priced so well and I was able to beat store prices. I can't wait to go again!!

I have been waiting for the right time to make Tyler's Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie and today was the day. We had a huge thunderstorm and it was the perfect chance to stay in and bake. The crust came together like a dream and the filling was super simple. The hardest part was waiting for the pie to bake the much needed 1 hour and 15 minutes!! I have full faith in Tyler's baking recipes and I found myself continually peeking through the oven door to check and see if the pie might be finished early.

I'm telling you now that this pie didn't hardly have a chance to cool down before I was cutting a slice. I served it with vanilla ice cream and was in total heaven!! It was perfection. The crust was very flaky and the filling was sweet and tart. The vanilla ice cream put this dessert over the edge. I pretty much inhaled the whole piece and was thinking about going back for another piece. Just as I was about to get up, I heard a knock at the door. My husband surprised me by coming home early! Some people just have good timing : )

This is my entry for Tyler Florence Fridays this week. You can check out what the other ladies are making every Friday night by clicking here. This recipe was pretty lengthy, so I chose not to post it. I would be more than happy to share it with you via email if you leave me a note.

Caramel-Coated Popovers *Recipe #37 - page 211*

I have been wanting to try these popovers since I first bought the book, Stirring the Pot. I just recently received a popover pan as a gift and was finally able to bake them up today. I am very happy to share them with my friends at Tyler Florence Fridays for our weekly post. Tyler's book says that the popover is the American version of Britain's yorkshire pudding, and I have to agree with that.

Tyler's popovers remind me of a fresh, hot, sugary glazed donut with a hint of egg flavor. I can see why Tyler says they are good with your morning coffee. The popover itself is a texture explosion due to the crisp outside and the soft and fluffy inside. I really enjoyed these, as I enjoy all of Tyler's sweet treats!! In fact, I enjoyed them too much! I have a 15 year high school reunion coming up at the end of the month and should be avoiding all of Tyler's tasty treats : )

RECIPE

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 -1/2 cups all-purpose flour

pinch kosher salt

1 -1/2 cups whole milk, room temp

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

Preheat oven to 425F. Melt the 2 tbsp. butter and grease 12 popover pans; place pans in the oven to heat while you make the batter. Using the whisk attachment of a kitchen stand mixer, beat flour, salt, milolk, eggs, and remaining butter on high speed for 2-3 minutes, until smooth and shiny. Fill the hot popover pans halfway; bake for 30 minutes, until puffed and golden.

About 15 minutes before popovers are done baking, prepare caramel. Mix sugar and water in a large saucepan and place over high heat. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until sugar melts and the mixture starts to take on a golden brown color. Remove from heat. Working quickly, use two forks to roll the popovers in the caramel and place on parchment paper to set.

Yesterday was my daughter's last day of school. I ran up to the school early with my 2 year old, Jackson, so that we could watch the class do a skit. My daughter was dismissed early and when it was time to leave we were having a massive thunderstorm. In fact, I'm not sure I've been caught in a thunderstorm like this for years. We knew that we were going to get soaked going out to the car so we decided to have fun with it. I don't remember the last time I danced in the rain, but it was too long ago!!

This is the picture my daughter took of me and Jackson when we came in from the rain. We were so wet there were puddles on the kitchen floor!

Tyler's Wonderful *Wheat* Bread and a Motley Crew

The response to Tyler's Wonderful White Bread was overwhelming at my house! My daughter loved it the most and even wanted to learn how to bake it. I decided to try and make the same recipe and sub out 1/3 cup of the regular a/p flour with 1/3 cup whole wheat flour. The results were great, if not better!! The dough with the whole wheat was a much softer dough and was much easier to work with. The color of the dough was beautiful and I loved seeing the little flecks of wheat throughout the dough. The normal white bread recipe bakes for only 30 minutes. My loaf with the whole wheat took much longer to bake. I want to say it actually took about 45 minutes to cook. The result was fabulous!! My husband and daughter loved it and I think it really made them feel like they had a special lunch. I will continue to make this bread once a week or more as a special treat. I big thank you to Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies for answering some of my bread baking questions. She is a bread baking goddess!!

On another note, my daughter's field day at school was this past Friday. She's in the second grade and has just turned 8 years old in May. The school went all out for field day and I was really impressed. They had fields and fields of games. They even rented 4 huge inflatables inside in the gym. Outside there was a popcorn stand and a snowcone stand.

I got to work at the snowcone stand. I quickly learned that there are members of the PTA/PTO who take their duties very seriously. Very seriously, please read on! I was in charge of putting check marks on the children's hands once they had received a snowcone. All children were allowed only one snowcone and no one was suppose to have a second. They even went so far as to give me a sharpie permenant marker to mark the children's hands with!!

Well, anyone with kids knows that those children would find a way to get that marker off their hand. While I enjoyed all their ploys for a second snowcone, it was all lost on some of the other mothers. They considered this a serious offense and reprimanded some of the children. I found it sweet and endearing. Some of them, especially the boys, were just downright charming about it. Nonetheless, even without their permenant mark, the snowcone was written all over their face, or their shirt, or on the tongue. There was nothing I could do to help them out!! That's when I laughed to myself about my silly job of marking those poor kids with permenant marker. What need is there to mark them when they are literally wearing snowcone all over their face and clothes?

Later on, I found my daughter inside the gym with her friends. They were standing in line for the inflatables with their shirts all askew, covered with snowcone, barefoot, and practically toothless!! Check out the faces on that motley crew : )

It is obviously not cool when you are eight years old and your mom wants to take your picture!!
This picture reminds me of that line you hear all the time as a young parent......."you better watch out, they grow up overnight."

My daughter, Olivia, is pictured on the far right.

Wonderful White Bread for Tyler Florence Fridays

This week for Tyler Florence Fridays I decided to chose a recipe based on necessity. I had planned on baking Tyler's popovers from Stirring the Pot, but we have had too many sweets this week. Instead, I decided on Tyler's Wonderful White Bread so that I could send packed lunches with my husband and daughter. I am also submitting this recipe and post to BYOB/Bake Your Own Bread , which is a wonderful group of bloggers resolving to bake all their own breads at home from scratch.

I try not to buy storebought breads anymore. This is for two reasons. The first reason being that I have recently discovered baking bread and love it. The second reason being that my local store doesn't carry much bread and when they do it is close to expiration. Needless to say, we don't normally have any sandwich bread in the house. Since my daughter needs a brown bag lunch tomorrow I chose this to submit to both TFF and BYOB.

This recipe for wonderful white bread was very easy to put together. I did not have rapid -rising dry yeast so I used my regular active-dry yeast instead. I was careful not to add the yeast until the warmed milk/butter mixture was cooled down to about 110F. Once the dough is kneaded, it needs to rest for 45 minutes to rise. Tyler says not to punch the dough down, but to turn it out onto the counter and form it into a loaf. Cover with cling wrap and allow to rise for another 20 minutes. Before baking, brush with remaining egg white and slash with a knife to allow steam to escape. He suggests boiling 3 cups of water and placing into the oven to create steam and achieve a crispy crust on the bread. I did this and I do believe it paid off. The bread was golden tan on top and just looked marvelous. This bread has the same texture of good quality sandwich bread you are familiar with, except it is fresh and homemade. This recipe is a total keeper and I'm quite sure I will be making it often!! All of Tyler's baking recipes are a surefire hit with me.

Tomorrow I will be using this white bread to make a peanut butter sandwich for my daughter, Olivia. All the kids were required to bring a brown bag lunch for their field day tomorrow. I'm pleasantly surprised that her school is participating in field day. Back when I was in elementary school we had field day at the end of every school year. Each class had their own day and we played all kinds of games, had relay races, ran in potato sacks, and threw water balloons. This is the first year her school has participated in this and I am very excited to go and help out. I wonder how much field day has changed since the 1980's??

Veal Piccata with Lemon, Capers, and Parsley-Butter Sauce *Recipe #37 - page 93*

It's been a busy week. I want to take this time to share some things that happened this week. I do realize that this is a food blog, but I am also a mother and cannot help but share these two stories. This week I was reminded of what can happen in a couple of seconds.

I was at the mall on Saturday afternoon. Despite the economy, the mall was packed. People were out in droves. I was lucky enough to be shopping without my children and took the time to go to Macy's. I worked for LUSH at Macy's this past Christmas and still know some people up there. I was chatting away when a voice came over the intercom, "CODE ADAM". Never in my life has there been a voice over the intercom at the mall. "CODE ADAM - two missing caucasian children. One 5 year old girl, blond hair, pigtails, blue eyes, red dress. One 3 year old boy, brown hair, blue eyes, green shirt. Call xxx if you see them. CODE ADAM. The voice asked all employees to abandon their stations and cover the doorways. I cannot tell you how very, very quiet that huge store became. No one talked and everyone froze. You could look around and tell who was a mother and who wasn't. It seemed like forever but it was probably only five minutes. The children were found and a message came on to tell us they were with their mother again. I was so happy and thankful. I made a mental note to keep a closer eye on my own children.

A couple days later one of my neighbors was knocking on my door. When I came to the door she was crying. This neighbor has seven children. Most of them are teenagers or preteens. The youngest are two girls, ages 4 and 6. It was around 3:30 or 4pm and not time for husbands to be home from work yet. My neighbor was consoling her preteen who was upset about something that had happened at school. While consoling her preteen, the two youngest slipped out of the house. At first she figured they were right out front. When they weren't, she gathered her other five children and they all went looking. They had been looking for over 30 minutes when they came to my house. She told me later that my house was her last resort. When I opened the door and she didn't see them she really started crying. My daughter and I ran out to help her search and I gotta tell you I was really scared. We live in a quiet and rural small town in Kentucky but you never know. Our homes are in the middle of new construction and there are so many people in and out of here during the day.

After what seemed like forever we saw two empty bikes by the roadside. I watched my neighbor fall to the ground. In my mind I thought the empty bikes were good news. I thought we finally had a clue of where to look. In her mind she thought someone had taken her two girls. There were a lot of people outside at this point and quite a bit of commotion going on. I bent down to talk to my neighbor and when we looked up we saw them!! Two little girls walking towards us. They were walking right out of that field by our homes! Apparently, they thought it was a great idea to walk through that field. You never know what ideas children will come up with. That poor mom had taken just a couple minutes to console an older child. I made a mental note to have all available eyes and ears on my children at all times.

Things are starting to slow down just in time for the weekend and I sure am glad!! I am so excited to have a long holiday weekend!! I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday. Hope you enjoy lots of good food and picnics : )

Tonight I made Tyler's Veal Piccata from Stirring the Pot. I finally was able to locate some good looking veal at the local Kroger. I have never bought veal before and was surprised to see it was rather inexpensive. I think I paid about $3.00 for four thin cutlets. Not too bad!! I was so thankful that this was a fast and quick recipe!! It was a matter of cooking spaghetti and sauteing up the veal and dinner was served. The whole thing took less than 30 minutes. The sauce was rather piquant and bright and the veal was very tender and surprisingly flavorful. I used Marsala wine in the sauce because it is my favorite wine to cook with. I would recommend this dish if you are looking for something quick, affordable, and somewhat sophisticated. You can find another Tyler version of this recipe here. This is my weekly post for Tyler Florence Fridays. Head on over to this site every Friday night to see what we have made. Or better yet, join us, and make a Tyler recipe of your own chosing each week.

Chicken Spiedini Salad *Recipe #36 - Page 156*

I have been so sidetracked with baking and other new recipes that I have neglected Tyler! I made this recipe from Stirring the Pot about two weeks ago when I had leftover Caesar dressing. The chicken spiedini are kabobs with cubed chicken and sausage and Tyler serves them with his Caesar salad on the side.

This is a recipe in the grill section of the cookbook. It is not featured yet on the Food Network. Here are the ingredients for the chicken spiedini:

1 crusty baguette, sliced into rounds
2 medium boneless, skin-on chicken breast halves, cut into 4 pieces each
4 links sweet Italian pork sausage, halved crosswise
12 fresh bay leaves
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 lemons, juice only

Thread the components, alternating bread, chicken, sausage, and bay leaves, until skewer is full. Baste the kabobs with the 1/2 cup olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Preheat grill to medium. Place on hot grill; cook for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown, basting with lemon juice and turning to ensure even color on all sides. Serve alongside Caesar Salad and grilled lemons. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

We had to pitch our old outdoor grill and we have not replaced it yet. Meanwhile, I've been reduced to my indoor electric grill. I pulled out my indoor grill and rubbed it down with olive oil. I went to turn the knob that adjusts the heat and the knob broke off. Fabulous!! I screamed for my husband because he can almost always fix everything. He came in and kept turning the knob on and off. On and off. It went on and on. Lord knows that I am not a patient person. It was driving me crazy. I was trying to explain to him that I needed that grill to be really hot so that I could get that good sear on my meat. He was looking at me like I was crazy. I had one of those moments where I lost it and starting saying that the whole dish was ruined.

Sometime during the on and off sequence the knob completely broke. And, when I say completely..... I mean completely. The knob shattered into hundreds of little black plastic pieces all over my kitchen counter. I totally freaked out. I can't stand it when something goes wrong like that in the middle of a recipe. We tried turning the knob with a piece of the broken plastic but that gauge was hot!! It was too hot to touch. It was impossible to tell what setting the grill was on. I was so hot (from standing over the grill) and angry that I put a skewer next to the salad and snapped a picture. After the picture was taken, I pulled everything off the skewers and threw it in a skillet so that I could finish cooking, Apparently that grill had touched a nerve with me!!

The chicken spiedini turned out well considering. I thought the flavors added to the meat were terrific, but my husband thought there was too much lemon. I served the dish with the caesar salad and couscous. This is the first time that I have used a skewer in cooking. I will say that this was both new and fun for me. I learned that if you want to skewer meat then you should cook it on an outdoor grill so that the flames can rise up and cook all the meat evenly.

Later that night, the grill took a trip to the trashcan outside. In the end I really felt like I won the battle with that grill. I didn't even clean it off before I threw it away : )

Caesar Salad *Recipe # 35*

Caesar Salad is one of my favorite things when I go out to a restaurant. For whatever reason, I have never made this at home until now. Sure, I have had it with the bottled dressing at home but never with homemade dressing. I kept putting this one off. Everytime I was hungry for Caesar Salad I thought about the anchovy paste and the raw egg yolk in the dressing. Why do I allow these things to bother me? I guess I'm quirky that way.

Normally I am the only person in my house who will eat salad. I don't usually like to make a big salad like this because it would just go to waste. However, yesterday was my daughter's 8th birthday and we had some family over. I knew I had at least 4 or 5 salad eaters so I decided to go with this recipe. Everything was so chaotic and busy that I forgot about the raw egg yolk and anchovy paste and shoveled the food down my throat as fast as possible. The salad was really good!! It was so good that by the time I ate it was almost gone. My sister-in-law said it was the bomb! I was glad to hear it because I haven't really made too many salad dressings in my life and I was a little unsure about how this one turned out.

This recipe is easy and very easy to follow. You make the salad dressing in the blender and it is finished in no time at all. I did some research online and found that 1 teaspoon anchovy paste equals 4 anchovies. I added the 1 teaspoon anchovy paste, 2 egg yolks, 1 tbsp. dijon mustard, juice of 2 lemons, and 2 tbsps. water in the blender and processed for 30 seconds. With the blender running, in poured in the oil. I poured the dressing into a bowl and stirred in 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese and added black pepper. I refrigerated the dressing for a couple hours.

I had already cut up the romaine lettuce and the only other thing left to do was create the garlic paste to rub onto the serving bowl. Tyler says to take 1 clove of garlic that is peeled and smashed. He mixes this with a little salt and olive oil to create a paste and rubs it all over the bowl. Before serving you just add the salad and dressing and toss. I had some baguette that had been toasted, but I thought it was still too hot to add to the salad. I added some big parmesan curls to the top of the salad and served it.

I would make this again if I had some salad eaters around to help me eat it all! The only thing I would change is the quantity of lemon juice. I added the full juice of 2 lemons and my dressing was a little on the lemony side. It was also a little thin. I don't know if the juice of 2 lemons is a very good measurement. I looked this up online and found that one lemon should yield 3 tbsps. juice. This means that I should have added only about 6 tbsps. lemon juice. I think I added a little more than this. In my rush to get all the food prepared, I didn't measure the lemon juice. I think the next time lemon juice comes up in a recipe I will measure the juice of one lemon as 3 tbsps. I enjoy learning these things sometimes. After all, I bet I've read the information about lemons several times. But, you learn by trial and error and then you usually never forget it!!

Tyler Florence's Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have ate so many cookies today!!!!! Maybe that's a good thing! Surely I won't want to eat any sweets tomorrow at the Derby party?? Well, maybe for the first hour and then I bet I'll start craving sweets again : ) Well, I saved the best cookie for last!! My all-time favorite cookie is Tyler's big fat chocolate chip cookie. I have made this about 7 or 8 times since my first post. I have made them with all dark chocolate, semi-sweet chocolate, milk chocolate, and today I made them with half semi-sweet and half white chocolate. This was all the chocolate that I had left in my pantry and I figured that I couldn't go wrong. We were not dissapointed!!

This cookie recipe is a sure thing! If you haven't tried it yet, then I am telling you that you have been missing out!! This is the best cookie recipe around. Try it with all kinds of chocolate. Throw in some oatmeal, raisins, nuts, coconut... Make your own adapatations. I certainly have and the recipe works everytime. The one thing that I will say is that you have to make the cookie BIG. I tried to make smaller cookies and they were not as chewy. Experiment with this recipe, but continue to make the cookies the 1/4 c. size in the recipe. I bet you won't be dissapointed either : )

Lamb T-Bones with Smashed Potatoes and Peas *Recipe # 34*

Today was such a busy day, but at least I was productive. I needed to decide on what to make for a Derby party tomorrow night. Then I needed to plan a menu for my daughter's 8th birthday party on Sunday. Plus, I had these lamb t-bones in my refrigerator that had to be cooked today. There was no way I was wasting those babies! They were $13 for three little portions.

Well, I must have been feeling motivated this morning while looking through my copy of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine. She had a section on famliar favorite cookies. The hostess for the Derby party was saying that she needed more desserts and I must say that I was inspired by this magazine. There were recipes for peanut butter sandwich cookies, handmade oreos, pecan sandies and more. I guess I was ambitious because I made all three of those cookies and then I made Tyler's Big Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies. I am probably going to post all those cookies separately. They were all so delicious that they deserve their own spotlight.

Anyway, back to the Lamb T-Bones. In between my dough resting in the freezer I marinaded the lamb t-bones in a combo of lemon juice, bay leaf, shallot, parsley, olive oil, and salt and pepper. The lamb marinades for 45 minutes. While the lamb marinades you boil 8 medium new baby red potatoes in a large pot for about 30 minutes, or until fork tender. During the time the potatoes are cooking you blanch 1 cup of frozen peas in boiling water and then shock them in a cold water bath. When the potatoes are fork-tender, you drain them and add 1/2 cup heavy cream and a drizzle of olive oil. After you stir the cream and oil in then you add the peas and mix. Absolutely delicous!! I have never made potatoes with cream and olive oil before and it was a very tasty combo!!

I grilled the lamb chops for 5 minutes on the first side and about 2 minutes on the second side. Tyler says to cook them for 2 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Mine were still very close to rare. Rare is not my favorite way to eat meat but this dish was to die for!! I ate the plate even though the meat was rare! My daughter (who is very picky) was begging for more!! She loved the flavors. My husband says that this is one of his favorites from the book so far. His only complaint was that there was very little meat on the t-bone and that it was hard to cut the meat away from the bone! My daughter picked hers up and ate it with her hands! She was knawing on that bone trying to get all the meat off. I really loved this dish and I think it is a dish that would please almost everyone. You have to try the red potatoes and peas mixed with cream and olive oil. You could even serve a steak in place of the lamb t-bone and it would be delicous as well. This is a make again dish for us. We loved the citrusy marinade on the lamb and want to try it on other meats.

This one is an A+ and I am so glad!! I really wanted to love the dish after all the cooking today!!

Chocolate Pudding for Tyler Florence Fridays

We just got back from vacation this week and I am ready to relax!! Whew! We were so busy on vacation!! My husband turned 40, we celebrated our wedding anniversary, we drove 4 days in the car with 2 kids, went to two parks down in Disney, and went on a Disney cruise. We had a blast with our friends from Ohio and really enjoyed watching all the kids play together. My little guy also had a great time on his first trip to Disney. He is a huge Mickey fan and was so happy to meet all the characters. It was a great time.

My daughter will be eight years old on Sunday. Her birthday came up so fast, especially since we were gone on vacation. Unfortunately, her birthday coincides with the Kentucky Derby every year and there are so many people that have plans and cannot make it to her party . Sometimes we reschedule the party for the next weekend, but then it is Mother's Day. Additionally, there are all the other spring time commitments such as showers, weddings, vacations. This year we decided to skip the big party and just go with what was easy......a small family party. My daughter, Olivia, loves chocolate and pasta more than anything else. Right now, I am trying to decide if we should have a pasta party OR a chocolate party.....What's a girl to do??????????

While we were on the cruise, chocolate pudding was her dessert of choice and she seemed to really like it. I decided to go with this Tyler recipe this week as a special treat to Olivia. I'm sure she'll enjoy it very much. I have tons of faith in Tyler's dessert recipes. You can find the recipe here.

The pudding was delicious and rich. I used the standard Hershey's cocoa and found there to be slight coffee aftertaste. I don't make pudding very often, but I would make this again. I just got some Grand Marnier and Chambord at the duty free shop. I'd like to flavor the pudding or the whipped cream with one of those liqueurs. I bet that would be fantastic. Olivia likes her pudding with toppings: Reese cups, m&m's, chocolate chips, and anything else she can get her hands on.

I'm going to be doing a lot of cooking this weekend. We're going to a Derby Party Saturday and having a birthday party here on Sunday. I 'm not sure what I'm making for either of those parties. I do know that I will be making Tyler's Grilled Lamb Chops with Smashed Potatoes and Peas sometime this weekend.

Tyler's Egg Salad for Tyler Florence Fridays

First let me start by saying that I am so happy I finally found my copy of Stirring the Pot. I knew it was somewhere. The funny thing is that I found it under the bed. I must have took it to bed with me and forgot about it! Well, things have been pretty chaotic around here lately. I knew I wouldn't have time to cook this week. I decided to make egg salad, which I love, with the leftover Easter eggs. I wonder how many other people thought of the same thing? Tyler's recipe can be found here and also on food network.

Everyone loved this egg salad and it was super easy. I was surprised that everyone loved it because my mom loves all kinds of things in her egg salad and my husband does not. It was simply eggs, mayo, a tad of dijon and 1/2 lemon, juiced. I liked the idea of the lemon to thin the dressing out. It makes things a little healthier and adds an extra little zip. I also left out about half of the yolks.

I won't be able to post next Friday because we will be on our Disney Cruise. We are going with one of my best friends and her family. She and I have been friends since we were about 4 or 5 years old and she lives in Ohio, along with most of my other friends and relatives. I usually only see her a couple times a year for a couple hours. Starting Saturday I will get to see her and her family for about 8-10 days straight!! We are so excited. Our oldest children were born only 1 month apart and they love spending time together when they get the chance. We are also going to go to the Magic Kingdom and try to go to another park. My 2 year old is going to probably freak out when he sees Mickey. I am convinced he is about the biggest Mickey fan around. This is his first real trip to Disney. We are hoping for a safe drive and also a safe vacation.

Thanks to Megan and everyone who helped me figure out how to add the link to my posts without actually copying and pasting it. I really appreciate it! I am hoping to become my computer literate this year.

I'll be back the last week of April!! I'll miss my blogging and feel like I might be sneaking down to find a computer at night...how bad is that?

Banana Bread with Pecans for Tyler Florence Fridays

We've had a busy couple of weeks lately. A lot of rushing around getting ready for vacation. Somewhere along the way I have managed to misplace my copy of Stirring the Pot. I usually keep it in my car so that if I stop at the store I know what to buy. I know that I didn't lose it, but I just can't find it. In addition to that I havent' really been to the grocery and didn't have too many ingredients on hand for this week's post on Tyler Florence Fridays. I decided on this banana bread with pecans because it received raved reviews on the food network website. I halved the recipe and baked baby banana breads in little ramekins.

I have made and ate the same banana bread recipe for my whole life. It is the classic recipe from the red and white checkered Better Homes cookbook. I felt very safe to make Tyler's recipe because his baking recipes are really spot on and delicious. The difference in Tyler's recipe is that he whips the banana with sugar for 3 minutes in a mixer and makes a banana creme. All other ingredients are mixed into this mixture. I was curious how the final product would be and I have to say it was good. I may have overbaked mine slightly. They were a tad on the dry side. Maybe what I need to do is add butter!!

There is usually a debate on whether or not to add nuts to baked goods. Some people enjoy them and some do not. I have to say that I enjoy nuts on their own. (Yes, Donna....I enjoy nuts on their own!!) I don't usually like them in quick breads or muffins. I'm wondering if the additon of the nuts contributed to making the banana bread a little drier?? So, I would say that if you are not a fan of nuts in your quick breads, then just leave them out. I had never added pecans before so I thought I'd give it a try. I would make this recipe again without the nuts in a regular sized loaf pan.

Here is a link to the banana bread recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/banana-bread-with-pecans-recipe/index.html. Someone please help me about this link I just posted. In other blogs when people post a link to a recipe or webpage, they might say Here is the recipe. Then the word here or recipe might be highlighted in purple or some other color and when you click on that one word you are redirected to correct site. I have tried to figures this out and just can't do it. I'm so computer challenged over here! If someone could explain that to me I would be very grateful. I've been wanting to do a special post to forward a blog award and would love to be able to make links to other blogs this way.

Endive, Orange, and Radicchio *Recipe #33 - Page 245*

This salad is a thing of beauty! It 's too pretty to eat! Lots of flavor with this one: tangy, bitter, sweet and sour. It is topped with a rich and creamy dressing and it is really worth making. At first taste, you are a little perplexed, but then it all starts to come together. I was starving when I started making this salad. After eating the salad I was pleasantly full. The best part is, there is little to no fat or calories in this salad. Great news for those of us who are getting into a bathing suit in less than 3 short weeks!

Note: I did substitute plain yogurt for the creme fraiche. I couldn't locate any creme fraiche and didn't really like it much to begin with. The plain yogurt was a replacement that I found online and is a much healthier option.

Dressing:
1 cup creme fraiche *or like me use 1 cup plain yogurt*
2 Tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 lemon, juice only
1 tablespoon sugar
1 shallot, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad:
2 heads of endive, leaves separated
2 heads baby radicchio, leaves torn into large pieces
1 orange, peeled and cut into slices through the equator
1 blood orange, peeled and cut into slices through the equator

Another NOTE: I halved this recipe and had only one head of endive and radicchio. I would maybe double the endive and buy 2 endive for every radicchio to create more of a balance between the two. My mom and I both found we really liked the endive and wished there was more of it.

For the dressing, in a small bowl combine creme fraiche/yogurt, mustard, lemon juice, and sugar. Fold in shallot and season with salt and pepper. Cover and set aside in fridge to let the flavors come together. (I was starving and my flavors only came together for a short 10 minutes).

For the salad, toss together the endive, radicchio, and both types of orange slices in a large salad bowl. Drizzle with dressing and gently toss to coat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve immediately. Eat everyday, three times a day, for three weeks straight and pray to lose 5-10 pounds.

On another note, I may not be posting too many recipes in April. I am trying to stay away from the fridge, the kitchen, the cooking shows, and all other ideas of food in order to get ready for the cruise. We all know what happens on a cruise........eating, and more eating, and I think you get the idea. I gotta shave off the weight I'm gonna gain on that cruise. On the other hand, I could decide this is my April Fool's hoax and start making all kinds of unhealthy food again. I really haven't decided.......................

Bourbon and Chocolate Pecan Pie *Recipe #32 - Page 196*

This chocolately pecan pie is rich, decadent, and sinfully delicious!! It is gooey, sticky, and creamy all in one pie! The crust includes finely ground pecans and has a very light, airy and nutty flavor. The filing is sweet, but not too sweet and the chocolate is just the right balance. I served the pie with some homemade whipped cream, but this would be even better with vanilla ice cream. This pie should come with a warning: Make sure you have people to share it with you......or you will eat the whole pie by yourself!!

Pastry:

1 cup all-pupose flour, plus more for dusting

1/4 cup finely ground pecans

1 tablespoon sugar

pinch kosher salt

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed

Filling:

1/2 stick unsalted butter

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup dark corn syrup or sugar cane syrup (such as Steen's)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

3 tablespoons bourbon

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1- 1/2 cups pecan halves

1 pint heavy whipping cream, whipped - you can flavor with maple syrup, honey, sugar or bourbon. I used up some cool whip I found when cleaning out my freezer and then also made fresh whipped cream flavored with honey and both were great.

NOTE: I did not add bourbon to the pie. I had all other ingredients on hand except for the bourbon and did not have time to run to the county line to buy a little for this recipe. I also used 2/4 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 cup maple syrup. I am not fond of corn syrup because although "corn"' is natural the process of corn syrup is not. I am nowhere near overly obsessed with this, but try to make adjustments when I can. Additionally, I love real maple syrup and honey and they are all natural. I had read somewhere online that maple syrup and honey could be used as replacements for corn syrup.

To make the pastry, in a large bowl combine flour, ground pecans, the 1 tablespoon sugar, and the salt. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs. Sprinkle in the ice water, tossing the mixture with a fork until it is just combined. Squeeze a small amount of dough together; if it is too crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tbsp. at a time. (Do not allow dough to become too wet or sticky). When dough comes together in a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Carefully roll circle of dough around rolling pin, then unroll it on top of the 9-inch pie plate, gently pressing it around the insides of the plate. Trim excess dough (I did not have excess, I was almost a little short) and leave a 1/4 inch overhang. Place the pie on a sturdy baking sheet.

Preheat the oven to 350F. To make the filling, melt the butter and chocolate in a double broiler; remove from heat and let cool. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer on high speed until frothy. Set the mixer on low speed and gradually add the sugar. Stir in the syrup, vanilla, bourbon, salt and the melted chocolate mixture. **make sure your chocolate is cool or you will scramble your eggs and that is not so tasty**

Arrange the pecans on the bottom of the pastry and carefully pour the egg mixture over them. Bake about 45 minutes, my oven took more like 55 minutes, until the filling is set and slightly puffed. Do the toothpick test to make sure the pie is done. It should come out clean. Transfer the pie to a rack and cool completely before cutting. Serve with whipped cream/ice cream.

NOTE: The pecan halves make the pie look pretty, but they are not necessary. In fact, it made the pie a little harder to cut and serve neatly. You could use any combination of pecans you had. Whatever floats your boat. Also, this pie was even more tasty fresh out of the refrigerator served cold with whipped cream. Maybe I'm wierd, but I love cold pies.

If you have a pecan pie lover in your life you should try this recipe. It was awesome!! Enjoy!

Lamb Shank Stew with Russet Potato Top *Recipe 31 - Page 118*

I have to say that this was the least favorite of the Tyler recipes so far. The picture in the book looked very tasty. I mean how can you go wrong with stew topped with potatoes, right? While the dish wasn't bad, it was something I would never make or serve again.

This recipe is mainly a braised dish cooked in the oven for about 3 and a half hours. You flour the lamb shanks and sear them on the stovetop. Once they are browned, you add garlic, carrots, onion, cloves, thyme, and a bay leaf. Cook this mix for 2-3 minutes, and then add a bottle of red wine and 1 quart of beef broth. Cover and braise 2 hours. After braising 2 hours, you peel 6 potatoes and halve them. You place them over the stew, cutting potatoes if necessary, and baste them with a garlic-parsley butter and cook, uncovered, for another one and a half hours.

I bought the lamb shanks at Whole Foods and they in turn bought the lamb from a local source here in Kentucky. The lamb was fresh and looked great. When the dish was complete, the lamb did fall off the bone, but it was somewhat fatty and you could still see a lot of connective tissue. Each lamb shank was mostly fat and connective tissue therefore it didn't net very much meat in the end. I spent quite a bit of time before serving trying to separate the meat and arrange it on a serving dish.

The barley had soaked up quite a bit of the red wine and was almost purple. Although it looked slightly strange, it was okay to eat. It did however taste a lot like drinking red wine, which was also strange. My husband made the comment that the whole dish tasted like barley and reminded him of drinking beer! I wouldnt' say this was a bad thing, but I think the barley was something we just weren't used to eating.

In addition to the lamb being so fatty, and the barley tasting so much of red wine, the potatoes were rather hard and never really got very soft. I followed Tyler's directions and basted them with quite a bit of butter and then even added more butter because I felt like it couldn't hurt anything.

We each had one serving and when we were done I knew that I should not save the leftovers. I was happy that I had halved the recipe and only bought 3 lamb shanks. I took the potatoes off the top and saved them for breakfast this morning and then we tossed the rest. I am not fond of throwing food away and probably only do this once or twice a year, but there was no point keeping it.

I only recommend this dish if you know that you love lamb shanks and barley. If you do decide to make this dish I would also recommend that you try baking your potatoes or cooking them in some other method to ensure they are soft when the dish is complete. The recipe is not included in this post, but I would be happy to email it to anyone if they wish to try this dish.

Tyler's Pulled Pork and Homemade Barbecue Sauce

Pulled pork is one of my favorite things to eat if it is done well. I first tried this recipe a couple months ago, but I only had a 2 pound pork shoulder and we didn't have that much pulled pork when it was all said and done. Ever since then I have had my eye out for a large pork shoulder/boston butt. I finally found a 4 pound pork shoulder at Whole Foods last week and I knew immediately that I wanted to make this recipe again.

This pulled pork begins by creating a simple and easy dry rub for the meat. It can marinate overnight, but can also marinate for as little as one hour. The dry rub are things that are typical pantry spices and nothing that I had to buy special. The meat cooks for 6 hours and is a dream to shred. In fact, I was able to shred it all in less than 5 minutes. The dry rub creates a wonderful flavor throughout the meat and carried over after shredding. It wouldn't be necessary to have any barbecue sauce with this pulled pork because it has a wonderful overall taste. However, I had all the ingredients on hand for Tyler's barbecue sauce, included in this recipe, so I decided to go all out. I am so glad that I did! I loved his barbecue sauce and again it is made from items that are usually in every pantry. It was easy to make and easily the best barbecue sauce around. It was sweet, tangy, and spicy and it is almost gone!! I'm wishing there was more of it because it would be nice on other things as well.

I attempted to make some sandwich buns from the King Arthur website and I am sad to report that they did not turn out. This was very upsetting to have pulled pork and no bread/buns. I have to say that I was very dissapointed with the King Arthur directions and recipe and probably will not use their website for future recipes. However, I must admit that their flour is the best and the only one you'll see in my pantry. The next day, I decided to use Tyler's recipe for Parker House Rolls, which was successful. I paired these sandwiches with the peach salad I had made the same day and the flavors were very complimentary.

Everything about this recipe makes it a total keeper! If you like barbecue foods and want to try pulled pork, please check this recipe out online at Food Network: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tylers-ultimate/pulled-pork-sandwich-recipe/index.html.