Jimmie Johnson Pulled Pork Sliders

The Daytona 500 called for an appetizer that needed to feed a hungry group watching the race.  I happened to have a container of pulled pork in the freezer left over from Superbowl which helped this appetizer come together quickly.    Added a spicy cold slaw and bbq sauce and these pulled pork sliders were a hit.  

Pulled Pork Sliders

4 cups of pulled pork 
24 potato slider buns
1 cup bbq sauce

Coleslaw

1 1/2 cups mayonaise
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon of cumin
2 teaspoons of sugar
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt & Pepper
2 packages of cold slaw mix

Mix first six ingredients together in a mixing bowl, add coleslaw and combine.  Chill for one hour in refrigerator.  

Add bbq sauce to pulled pork and heat covered in oven for 20 minutes.  Add pulled pork to buns and drizzle with more bbq sauce and top with coleslaw.  Watch them disappear.  Makes 24 sliders.

Jug and Onions Still Life

This 8X10 oil on Gessobord was painted in my new still life class.  This small Saturday morning class is a joy.  The teacher  has great props and she set up two still lives to chose from each week.  This oil painting on Gessobord is available in my Esty Shop.

Gracie in the Snow

Gracie is an 11 week old English Bulldog puppy.  She has such a sweet face, but doesn't look too happy being walked in the heavy snow we had a few weeks ago.  6X6 oil on Gessobord.

Eggs, Spinach and Goat Cheese

Weekend breakfast happens to be one of my favorites meals and it always includes eggs of some kind.  Slow cooked scrambled eggs are one of my specialties that I have mastered and is always requested when my daughter comes to town.  A tartine with a schmear of goat cheese, piled high with eggs and topped with spinach and some more goat cheese is the perfect Sunday breakfast.

9 eggs
1/2 tsp of salt
1/8 tsp of pepper
Chives - 1 tablespoon chopped
3 slices of whole wheat panella bread toasted
Goat cheese Chevere - 3 tablespoons
1 package of baby spinach
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
olive oil

Heat oil in a non-stick pan, add garlic and heat for one minute.  Add baby spinach and sauté until wilted.  Remove spinach and set aside to drain the a strainer.   In a medium size bowl crack eggs, add salt & pepper and chopped chives and whisk with a fork until just combined.  Heat non-stick pan  to medium, spray with Pam,  add eggs and lower heat to lowest setting.  Stir eggs constantly with a spatular very slowly pushing eggs around pan, it should take at least five minutes or more.  Do not over cook.  Eggs should be wet and moist and are done when they no longer stick to bottom.  Remove immediately from pan.  Toast your bread and schmear with goat cheese, pile on eggs, top with drained spinach and some more goat cheese.  Serves three.

French Petit Green Lentils and Sausage

I’ve been obsessed with French lentils ever since I ordered them in a Mediterranean restaurant this fall. They were served with African Sausages and a dollop of yogurt...I fell in love.   Lentils are probably the perfect food – low fat and high fiber and they fill you up.  They are very satisfying over brown rice, as a soup or with a poached egg on top.  Add yogurt, feta cheese, or parmesan on top to cool the heat and you have the perfect meal.  My favorite brand is Bob’s Red Mill Petit French Green Lentils from France which are firm and hold up to a long simmer. This is the type of dish that you make once and eat all week long.  If you are not sold by now, you will be after one taste.   

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion minced

2 carrots peeled and chopped

2 celery stalks chopped

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon cayenne

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups water or chicken broth

¾ cups Petit French Green Lentils, rinsed and drained

1 cup of swiss chard (or baby spinach), stems removed and chopped

1 can diced fire roasted chopped tomatoes (14 ozs.)

3 turkey sausages (hot or mild) casing removed

Toppings - plain yogurt, feta cheese, or parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a dutch oven and brown sausage.   Add onions, carrots, celery, cumin, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and sauté over medium heat until vegetables are soft about 10 minutes.  Add lentils, swiss chard, water or broth and bring to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 30 minutes.  Add tomatoes and stir until heated for an additional five minutes.    Serve over brown rice with a dollop of feta, yogurt or parmesan cheese.