Pork quesedillas 2.0

On a recent afternoon I was unsure what to make for dinner and bored with just about everything, so I pulled package of boneless pork ribs from the freezer. I had tortillas, salsa, rice and cheese on hand, so I aimed to go Mexican for our meal. That is always a winner with my family and the tortillas were large ones – big enough for quesadillas or burritos.

I thawed the pork in the microwave and then put it in a 2-quart casserole dish. I sprinkled the meat with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper and about a teaspoon of sugar. I covered the dish in foil and slipped it in the oven at 300 degrees. This was around 3:30 p.m., just before my son gets home from school.

I let the pork cook for about an hour or 90 minutes, when it looked like this:

I drained off the excess fat, then added about 2/3 cup of salsa.

Again, I covered the pan with foil and put it back in the oven. I let the meat cook for another hour or so. Around 6 p.m., the meat was tender and shredded easily.

I warmed some tortillas in a pan, added the shredded pork and made quesadillas with some shredded cheese. And yes, they were gone in a flash. I used about ¾ pound of pork to make this dish – it produced four large quesadillas.

Normally I would make a dish like this in the slow cooker, but I wasn't thinking about dinner (whoops) until the afternoon. Slow heat in the oven gave great results.

Salsa beef bake

Every bit of this recipe is appealing – it’s simple, inexpensive and yummy. I came up with it recently when I was at a loss for what to make for dinner. Don’t you feel that way, sometimes? I had some individual packs of Bisquick in the pantry, some leftover salsa, some cheese and some ground beef. I tried entering the ingredients in one of those recipe finder sites, but had trouble making it work. The site kept trying to take me in involved directions. So then, I came up with this:

Salsa beef bake

One 15.5 ounce package baking mix (I used Bisquick)
½ cup salsa
1 cup grated cheese (I actually used sliced Muenster)
1 pound ground beef

In a medium bowl, mix baking mix, one egg and two tablespoons water. Press the crust ingredients in a 8x8-inch pan that has been coated with non-stick spray. Top with half the cheese. In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and drain off excess fat. Add the salsa to the meat and mix well. Top the crust and cheese with the ground beef mixture. Top with the remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes. Let the dish sit for about 10 minutes before cutting. Six servings.

Here's the recipe, step by step:

Prepare a single package of baking mix (15.5 ounces) according to package directions – mix it with an egg and two tablespoons of water. Spread the mix in an 8x8-inch pan, then top with cheese.

Brown a pound of ground beef, drain excess fat and add about ½ cup salsa. Mix well and top the crust with the ground beef mixture.

Top the dish with the remaining cheese, then bake at 400 degree for 20-25 minutes.

This was an easy dinner, made with ingredients that I had on hand. Serve it with sliced fruit.

Best Chocolate Cake Ever

My older son, Nelson, had a birthday this week, so I wanted to post a recipe for his all-time favorite birthday cake. (This year, he got yellow cupcakes with chocolate icing, but this recipe is his true favorite.) I got this gem from Janette Rodrigues, who I worked with at the Virginian-Pilot. This was her signature cake for special occasions and we were fortunate to enjoy it many times at our office in Chesapeake. Janette actually got the recipe from a Houston Chronicle reader, Casandra Yazdanpanah, of Katy, Texas. It's title really is Best Chocolate Cake Ever, and I think you will agree.

The recipe is rich beyond description; it’s full of sour cream, eggs and real butter. I never frost this cake. All it needs is a sprinkling of powdered sugar. This cake freezes well and I have even made mini Bundt cakes, frozen them and pulled them out for various occasions. If you have mini Bundt pans, this recipe will make six.

1 package devil’s food cake mix (chocolate)
4 ounce package instant chocolate pudding mix
2 cups sour cream
2 sticks butter, at room temperature
5 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate minichips
Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan. Stir together cake mix and pudding mix. Add sour cream, butter, eggs and vanilla. Beat on low speed. Fold in chocolate chips. Batter will be very thick. Pour into Bundt pan and bake for 60-70 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes, then cool completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Orchid update 2.0: It's blooming

Three blooms after three years! It seems a long time to wait, but this orchid was apparently testing me. For those who have been paying attention, I have been excited to see my orchid finally produce a shoot and blooms, after years of nothing. I was wrong about the color of the blooms. I recalled them being primarily white, when in fact they are overwhelmingly pink.

I was thrilled to see this plant start blooming on April 19 and I hope it will continue for a month, or more.

Fresh asparagus makes me happy

As we approach Easter on Sunday, my thoughts have turned to favorite spring produce. Asparagus and green peas are two of my favorites. These tender vegetables do not hold up well to high heat needed for canning. Choose them fresh in season, or frozen year-round.

Asparagus is a terrific food – it provides a variety of nutrients and is a leading supplier of folic acid (which helps prevent neural tube birth defects, like spina bifida, and facial deformities like cleft palate). Many breads, cereals and other grain products are fortified with folic acid to reduce these birth defects – get the folic acid naturally by eating your asparagus!

The Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, which works to promotes asparagus, notes that the vegetable is low in calories (4 calories per spear), contains no fat or cholesterol, is low in sodium and is a good source of B vitamins. And, in my humble opinion, it is a delicious vegetable that is ideal for grilling, sautéing or blanching.

But my favorite way to eat asparagus is simple: Wash asparagus and pat dry. Break off any woody stems. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the asparagus for about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drop the asparagus into a large pan of ice water (to stop the cooking). Drain and dry the asparagus, then put it in a large resealable bag (I use a gallon). Pour about a ½ cup of Italian dressing over the asparagus. Seal the bag and refrigerate several hours or overnight.

I love asparagus in soups, casseroles, grilled and steamed, but marinating it and eating it cold is my hands-down favorite. I hope you try it.

Banana pudding

Banana pudding is a favorite with my children, and something I remember fondly from my own childhood. My aunt, Terry White, always made a huge bowl of the stuff for my brother and me when we came to visit the farm where my dad was raised in Sampson County, N.C. It was always special because it was a treat we never got at home. I thought it must have been quite exotic or difficult – until my aunt let me help her whip up a batch. I assume now that my parents weren’t fans, since it is one of the easiest desserts to make and an ideal recipe for making with children.

My children love the stuff, so I have been making banana pudding more recently. I have made it with cooked pudding, but prefer the easier preparation of instant pudding. I also love that you can make this with skim milk. My children get something sweet, without a ton of sugar or fat.

Banana pudding

4 ounce instant vanilla pudding mix
2 cups milk (I use skim or 1 percent)
20-25 vanilla wafers
2-3 bananas

In a medium bowl, mix the pudding mix and milk until fully blended. I use a whisk to eliminate lumps. After about 3 minutes of stirring, the pudding will thicken. In a medium bowl, place a layer of 8-10 vanilla wafers, then a layer of sliced bananas. Add half the pudding. Add another layer of 8-10 vanilla wafers and another layer of sliced bananas. Add the remaining pudding, then top with 4 or 5 wafers. Chill completely. This version makes about 4 servings. You can easily double it for a crowd. Don't top it with sliced bananas, unless you are going to eat it promptly -- they will brown.

Spring bulb show

In 2010, my husband and I bought a house in Bristol, Tenn. Many years ago, it had been a family home, but more recently it had been a rental. Needless to say, little had been done in the yard for years, except for an occasional mow. Last fall, my husband and sons worked like Trojans to help me clear out the flowerbeds, cut the shrubs and plant some spring bulbs. It was a fun exercise in gardening and we are enjoying the benefits now.

The boys planted about 30 tulip bulbs in a corner flower bed. The squirrels dug up plenty of the plantings, but the ones that remained are putting on quite a show.

My sons have been so pleased with the results that they want to plant more bulbs this fall. Isn’t that great how gardening works? Our cucumbers are coming along and will taste even better because we are doing it ourselves.

Happy Tuesday, friends!