Sandwiches Make Everything Better

We had a tough morning. We drove out to the beloved Little Cabin in the Woods to collect some items to bring home.  You see, my Dad sold his share of the cabin to his brother in law so we are unable to go out there this summer. This was just plain tough for us as we do love that little piece of paradise so much. (We took the canoe to the neighbours so we can still drive out, visit, and go for a canoe ride!) After the drive home, the Boy worked on some homework, hubby had a nap, and I went to the grocery store. To be quite honest, I know we were all feeling a little down.

After some thinking and wondering around, I decided on a menu for a dinner that just might cheer us up.  The plan involved the Boy and I working in the Little Kitchen together and since that is always fun, I figured I'd give it a go!

Rewind to last year when we were in St. Louis,MO on a baseball related trip, we watched a lot of Food Network's Next Food Network Star.  We don't get the American FN shows until about a year after they air in the States but we really liked Jeff Mauro and the fact that he won.  Unfortunately, we had to wait until this year to start getting his show, 'Sandwich King'.  We PVR the show and watch it together and love to see what sandwich he is going to make next. (Long time readers may remember that the Boy is quite the Sandwich hound).

Okay, I know I am rambling on now so to make a long story short, I picked up the ingredients to make Schnitzel Biscuits! The recipe on that link has great instructions so I am not going to re write it but trust me...this is tasty! We followed the recipe for the pork to a T! We even brined the pork tenderloin...don't skip that, it is fabulous!

While the pork was resting in the fridge in its brine, I made my favourite buttermilk biscuit recipe to go with the schnitzel. If you have a go to biscuit recipe, use it. I did make some braised cabbage, but I did not follow Jeff's recipe too closely.  I used already shredded cabbage from a cole slaw mix and halved the recipe. (Also left out the caraway seeds).

I now present to you, Schnitzel prep, in photo form!  After the Boy brined and patted dry pork tenderloin,  he cut it into 8 portions that he then pounded thin...I think that was his favourite part!

Get those frustrations out!!

Put the pork between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and gently pound

We only had to pause once to glue the mallet back together...we will be investing in a nicer one!

The Boy set up his breading station and kept on working!

Ready for the pan!

The Boy seems to have the patience to wait long enough for the perect golden brown!

Let me tell you, the sweet acidity of the braised cabbage really does make the schnitzel biscuit a fantastic sandwich. It cuts through the butteryness of the biscuit and the pork and just makes this sammy oh so delicious!

I couldn't even take the pictures with the Boy trying to gobble up these sammies! I don't blame him one little bit...they were just that fabulous!

Cooking with the Boy this evening really helped cheer us up. Some time together in the kitchen was just what we needed!

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!

Spice Up Your Night

Not only does the Little Kitchen have a weakness for bacon, it also has a weakness for all things chicken wings! After our disappointment in the heat department with the Sriacha glazed wings, we went all out with the wing recipe from the Jan/Feb edition of Food Network magazine. This recipe consisted of a marinade, a rub, and a glaze...three levels of spicy, tasty goodness...lets have a go, shall we?

There are three steps to getting these wings spicy. The first step is the marinade, the second is the rub/spices, and the third is the glaze for the last little bit of cooking. These layers make for a very flavourful and mighty spicy wing!! If there happen to be leftovers, they get a little bit more spicy the next day!!

Chile Rubbed Wings
From Food Network Magazine, Jan/Feb 2011

First make the marinade so you can give the wings plenty of time to get all happy in the fridge!
In a blender or food processor, place:

• 1/2 cup cilantro
• 2 jalapenos
• 1/4 tsp cayenne (okay, so I used a little bit more)
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 1/2 tbsp oil

Give it a whirl until all chopped and blended.

Put wings in a zip top bag, pour the marinade over, seal the bag and mush it around until all the wings are coated.

Park the wings in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Make the rub!

In a bowl, mix together the following spices:

• 1 1/2 tbsp ancho chile powder ( I couldn't find ancho chile powder so I used a package labled hot chile powder...just no smokiness)
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

To make this easy, I dumped the wings from the bag into the bowl with the rub. I then used my hands to mix it all up and evenly distribute the rub.

Spread out on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake at 450F for 20 minutes, flip the wings over and bake for another 20 minutes or until crispy.

In a large bowl, mix together: (ok, I mixed this in a small bowl, then poured it over so I wound up messing up 2 bowls...oops)

• 1/4 cup sriracha sauce
• 1/4 cup honey

Place the hot wings into the bowl and mix it up so that all of the wings are coated in this sweet and spicy goodness.

Place the wings back on the baking sheet and bake until crispy and sticky...you can broil them until crisp if you'd like.

Enjoy with something cooling such as veggies, chips, or milk...these were quite warm!!

Serve these tasty little wings of spicy goodness with some fresh veggie and dip to help cool the mouth...if you need..

Until next time, stay warm and eat well!!

Apple Rhubarb Cinnamon/Ginger Crispy goodness

Since I am new to the blogging world, there are 2 posts today!!  The pizza pops I actually made on Saturday and felt the need to share the pizza goodness with you.  Yesterday my Dad brought over some apples from his friend's yard.  Today, my friend from the famous blog, Whipped , made a post about rhubarb apple crisp thus reminding me that I still have rhubarb in the garden and tonight I sprung into action!!  I don't follow recipes very well when it comes to apple crisp so there really aren't proper measurements.

• Wash the apples, core and wedge the apples....leave the skins on!! Use enough apples to fill your pan to the top.
• Wash and chopp some rhubarb
• Toss the apples and rhubarb with some light brown sugar, lots of cinnamon, ginger, and a big drizzle of honey (I like to mix all of this together in the pan I am going to bake it in because it means less dishes!)

In a bowl, mix together

• a couple of handfuls of old fashioned oats (don't you dare use quick cooking oats) about 2 cups
• about 1 cup of flour (whole wheat works fine)
• some light brown sugar
• some white sugar

Cut in

• 1/2 to 3/4cup butter, cold

Continue to cut in butter until the mixture becomes crumbly and holds together when squeezed. (feel free to use your clean hands!)
Spoon the mixture over the apples in the pan and pat it down.

Place the pan on a lined cookie sheet (protect that oven from spills).
Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes.