Easter Feast

With Spring's arrival and the remembrance of the Resurrection, Easter has always been celebrated in my home with food. Whether it's a large family gathering, or just our small family (like this year), the food is always tasty.

This year we decided on braised lamb shanks (the major factor in that decision was that they were better priced at the store then any other cut of lamb). Lamb (which my husband loves) has become somewhat of an Easter tradition. Braised lamb shanks, cheesy potatoes, salad and sourdough bread made for a tasty meal.

Braised Lamb Shanks

• 4 Lamb Shanks
• 2 T Olive Oil
• 1 Med. Onion (roughly chopped)
• 4 Cloves Garlic (roughly chopped)
• 2 Bay Leaves
• 1 Can Tomatoes
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 T Italian Seasoning
• 2-3 C Broth ( I had turkey broth, so that's what I used)

I looked up a few different recipes, and after checking the cupboards for what I had, I came up with this recipe. Heat a large pot on the stove with olive oil. Season shanks with salt & pepper and brown in pot (this may have to be done in stages if all the shanks won't comfortably fit in the pot at once). Once browned remove from pot, add onions and garlic, allow to soften, then add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and tomatoes. Return shanks to the pot and add the broth. Cover and bring to a low simmer. Simmer 2-3 hours.

Once the meat is falling off of the bone, remove shanks. Turn heat in pot to high, allow the liquid to reduce. I added a couple of Tablespoons of flour (mixed with half a cup of water) to the pot to help thicken the sauce. Then return the shanks to the liquid. Ready to Serve.

Cheesy Potatoes

• 4 Medium Potatoes
• 2-3 C Broth (Once again I had Turkey broth, so that's what I used)
• 1 T Butter
• 1 T Flour
• 4 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)
• Salt & Pepper
• 1/4 C Sour Cream
• 1 Can Mushrooms
• 1/2 C Cheddar Cheese

This is a true Tasty Cupboard meal. I had Potatoes and Turkey broth and wanted to use both, so this is what I came up with. Cube potatoes (I peeled off half of the skin, but left half on, I like a bit of the skin) and boil potatoes in broth until soft, but not yet mushy. Remove potatoes and separate from broth. Put potatoes in an oven safe pan. Melt butter in the pot, over low heat, add flour. Once combined add  half of the garlic, salt, pepper, and slowly stir in the leftover broth. Allow to simmer 5 minutes. Temper sour cream (stir in a little broth to the sour cream), then add to sauce. Heat through. Chop mushrooms and sprinkle over potatoes as well as the rest of the garlic. Pour sauce over the potatoes and top with cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

We added a salad and homemade sourdough bread rolls (recipe to come), and had quite the tasty Easter feast.

Easter cupcakes are the traditional dessert for our family, but I wanted to try different ones this year. I went with this recipe I found here. They were delicious. I wasn't quite as fond of the frosting, but I think that was because I didn't quite follow the recipe (don't substitute margarine for the butter here). I'll try it again the right way sometime, and let you know how it turns out. Overall a fantastic Easter feast. We hope you had a Happy Easter as well!

Pulled Pork!

Pulled pork is a tasty and affordable way to feed the family. Pork shoulder isn't that expensive, and it's even better when it's on sale. For my family of three a five pound pork shoulder roast can feed us three different tasty meals.


Cooking the Roast:
Day one will take a little bit of time to cook and prep the meat, but any extras can make quick, tasty meals for one to two days afterwards.

• 4-5 lbs. Pork shoulder Roast (A pork shoulder roast can be bought bone-in or bone-out, it doesn't really matter for this recipe. I buy the bone-in, but that's only because my husband likes to get some of the meat right off of the bone.)
• 4 Cups of Chicken Broth (Alternatives: what ever flavor broth you have, chicken bullion, or water)
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Powder
• Dehydrated Onions
• 1 Bay Leaf (Seasoning is to your taste, so use what you like and what you have, garlic and onions are my basics)

In large pot combine all ingredients, and then add water until roast is covered by at least a half an inch. Bring to a boil, and the reduce heat. Simmer covered for 2 - 2 1/2 hours. Low and slow! Pull out roast, and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes. Reserve 2 cups of the broth in the pot. Shred the pork (easiest way is to cut the roast into manageable pieces and then use a couple of forks and your fingers to shred it into bite size pieces.)
Now you have Pulled Pork, just portion it to the number of days it will feed your family and then each day season as you choose. My favorite ways to use the pulled pork are listed below.

Pulled Pork Tacos

• Pulled Pork
• 1 Can Tomatoes (Diced)
• 1 Can Diced Green Chilies (these are my favorite addition to any Mexican themed dish)
• 1/2 Medium Onion (Chopped)
• 2 Garlic Cloves (minced) (Can substitute garlic powder and dehydrated onions).
• 1/2 C- 1 C reserved broth (substitute: chicken broth, water)
• 1 T Cumin
• 1 T Oregano
• 1/2 t Black Pepper
• 1/2 t Chili Powder (Substitute for all of the seasonings: packaged taco seasoning, I usually throw a bit of the taco seasoning in anyways, I like the way it tastes. Remember to use what you already have.)
• Salt to taste

Add a little of the broth (enough to cover the bottom the pan) to a saute pan. Saute onions on med-high heat until soft, add garlic, then pulled pork and all seasonings. Drain tomatoes and chilies and add to pan. Add broth to the pan (as much as needed so the meat doesn't dry out). Saute 5-7 minutes until heated through and the seasoning is covering all the meat. (Add more seasoning if it's not tasty enough for you.)
Spoon into taco shells or tortillas and top with your favorites. I like, cheese, cabbage, guacamole (homemade if you have the stuff), sour cream and salsa.

BBQ Pulled Pork

• Pulled Pork
• 1/2 C Reserved Broth
• BBQ Sauce (your favorite)

Pour Broth into a pot at med-high heat. Add pulled pork and stir in 1/4- 1/2 C of BBQ Sauce. Heat through, about 5 minutes. Add a bit more sauce once it's on the plate. Add whatever sides you have. I like it with mashed potatoes. Put the meat on a bun and top with shredded cabbage.

Pulled Pork is also great on top of homemade nachos or homemade pizza. Any other ideas?

Spinach Pesto Chicken Pasta

This is a true cupboard meal. I needed something quick to make for dinner and I didn't have much in the fridge to go on, so to the cupboards, and the freezer. If you have fresh ingredients it may make the recipe a bit better, but it was quite tasty just as is.

Spinach Pesto Pasta (my measurements are approximate)

• 1 C Frozen Spinach (cooked)
• 4 Cloves Garlic (minced)- We love garlic, so we went a bit overboard, if you're not as garlic crazy as us 1-2 cloves would work just fine.
• 3-5 T Olive Oil
• 1 T Dried Parsley
• Salt & Pepper
• 1 Can Chicken
• 1/2 lb Fusilli Pasta
• lemon juice

Cook pasta according to package. I happened to have fusilli pasta which worked really well, because there's all the twists in the pasta to capture the pesto, but whatever you have in the cupboard will work!
Cook and drain the spinach (this step would be unnecessary if you're using fresh spinach). I am also lacking a food processor, so chopping skills are required. Finely chop spinach and garlic. Mix in parsley, salt and pepper, then stir in oil.
Drain pasta, and toss in the pesto, I added a bit more olive oil so that it wasn't too dry. Drain canned chicken add to the pasta. Garnish with just a little squeeze of lemon juice (it really brightens up the pasta and adds another taste dimension).
This easily took less then 30 minutes to make, mostly just the time it takes to cook the pasta, and it was tasty. My husband, who is not too big on pasta, loved it (probably due to the amount of garlic).