MMMMMM...Pig

We love pork at our house: pork chops, bacon, pork shoulder, tenderloin, ribs, ham. We love it ALL. In fact it is probably our favorite meat...if you discount steaks, salmon, shrimp, crab...

Alright, the truth...we are meat-a-tarians. But we are picky in our old age. Last year we got hooked on pastured pork that is processed and cured locally. Last year we got 1/2 a hog...this year a whole hog thanks to Healthy Acres Farms. They have been fantastic to us and I look forward to getting much more over the next few years.

Buying the whole hog is definitely the way to go when you are a meat-a-tarian. Especially a picky one. And while I love complex food, here are some of my favorite standby's for that moment when I look at the clock and think...AHHHHH! Where did the day go?? or the day when you know if you don't start dinner with breakfast there will be no dinner.

Pork Roast

I have several versions of flavoring, but they all work about the same. Take a roast (cheap shoulder/butt roast) sear on all sides (if you want), place in crock pot with other stuff and cook for at least 5 hours, 8 if you can. I usually put them in with breakfast, 2 meals...1 cleanup. My kinda day. The hardest part is smelling the yumminess all day long.

Italian Version: 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce, 1 can tomatoes, some onion and peppers, some garlic, whatever seasoning you have on hand that seems like it would work

Drunk Pig: 1/2 bottle of white wine, chicken broth, onion, mushroom

Mexican Version: jar of salsa, 1 C water (vary with size of pork...should cover 1/2 way up), 1 can rinsed black beans, 1 bag frzn corn (add 1/2 hour before ready to serve), onion, peppers or what ever other veggies you got floating in the fridge

American Version: Bottle of favorite bbq sauce and water

All the recipes are great the next day on a hard roll as a sandwich.

Sausage Lentil Soup

We use ground sausage, but this works with any kind including kielbasa or brats.

Brown in large sauce pan with diced onion, carrot, and celery. Follow direction on back of lentil bag and add all the ingredients to the pot. It looks a little monochromatic, but super yummy.

Pork Chops

Get your skillet good and hot. Add Olive Oil. Season chops with salt and pepper, slice onion and mushrooms (I have also used shallot, leeks, and green onions in place of the regular onions...all work).

This works best if chops are about 1-1.5 inches thick, if thinner cook less time!!!!

Place chops in skillet and sear for 1-2 min, turn over and add onion and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 min on a reduced heat until onions begin to go limp. Add some white wine (nothing too sweet) cover and cook till done (maybe 15 min...check often, the more you cook the more you know). Pull chops out when they reach 155 on meat thermometer put on plate with foil on top. turn heat up on veggies and reduce sauce to 1/2, remove from heat (not just turn off) add1/4 C cream and stir while it thickens.

Serve with sauce on top.

I know it seems like a lot of steps, but most of this is just getting the pork cooked through.

Sage Pork Chops:

1 bowl with bread crumbs and sage (1 TBS ish)
1 bowl with an egg beaten with 1 TBS water
1 bowl with flour

Heat oven to 350

Heat skillet on stove, add olive oil to coat liberally (don't be afraid of it...add a little more)

Pat pork dry, dredge in flour, then egg then breadcrumbs. Place in hot pan, sear for 1-2 min on each side. Put skillet in oven. Cook for 15 or so more minute.

Yogurt the Easy Way

I have always liked yogurt, but when I went to Europe, I fell in love with it. Then I came back and thought what I had always known was only ho hum. Then I met Natalie and she unlocked the secret for me. It was so easy, just make it my self. But could it really be that simple. Yep! Now, it takes me about 25 min from start to finish and it tastes soooooo good.

What I use:

Non-electric Yogotherm

ABY-2C Yogurt Culture (you can get the yogotherm here too)

1/2 Gal whole milk (make sure it isn't ultra pasteurized; I find that local non-homogenized works best, but that is a personal choice)

Heat milk to 150, cool back to 110. Stir in 1/8 tsp of culture. Transfer to yogotherm. Set for 6-8 hours. Transfer carton to refrigerator. Done.