Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 04/10/2008 10:57 PM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 04/11/2008 10:44 AM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
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April is Pretzel Month and Jenny Has Some Yummy Recipes to Share!~By Jenny Baxter of Jennys Kitchen
Welcome Readers....Ah, the colors of spring! The trees are breath-taking with their pink, white and salmon colored buds bursting beneath the warm sunlight. Everywhere you look there are bright yellows daffodils, creamy white narcissus, tulips in an assortment of solid colors and variegated varieties as well. The green hills and pastures are full of life inviting us to roll down them or lay among the fresh prickly grass. How could this not energize us to want to begin our season’s planting.....
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So gathering all my patio planters, bags of soil, trowels, the hose, scrub brushes, and my gloves I begin my annual task of planting preparation. Scrubbing the clay, ceramic, and metal pots and placing them just where I want them, after rearranging them several times of course ( I am a woman you know), takes several hours. Next it is time to fill them with fresh moist dark soil adding just the right amount of fertilizer. Although this has taken most of my day I know that tomorrow’s actual planting will take even longer.
And who wants to cook a tasty meal after all this work? So, before I begin my planting ritual I take care of this first. On my busier days, like my planting preparation days, I try to prepare flavorsome meals that do not require much preparation.
Now for those of you who are not aware of this fact April is National Pretzel month. So each year I try and create a new pretzel dish.
Those monks back in the sixth century actually made pretzels by mistake. They would bake their leftover scraps of dough as snacks after forming the dough with three holes representing the Christian Trinity. One night one of the bakers fell asleep after he placed the dough in the oven. And as the fire burned out the dough became a beautiful mahogany color and the bread became hard. Hence the pretzel was born!
Pretzel Pork
4 thick center cut pork chops
Bottle Beck’s beer
¼ cup Dijon mustard
*Cup pretzel meal
Teaspoon sage
Garlic powder and pepper to taste
The nights before you wish to prepare this dish wash and dry the pork. Place it in a Ziplock bag and add the beer. Marinate overnight. Drain the pork the next day and pat it dry. Mix the mustard with the seasonings. Brush the pork with the mustard. Pour the pretzel meal on a plate and press the pretzel crumbs onto the pork. Repeat this process for both sides of the pork. Bake at 375 degrees 12-15 minutes. Do not overcook the pork. It should be pink and juicy in the middle. Serves 4
*Pretzel meal: Place the pretzels into a bowl of a food processor and process until the pretzels have the consistency of bread crumbs.
Pretzel Potatoes
2 lbs. potatoes washed
1/4 cup crushed pretzels
½ cup Feta cheese
Tablespoon fresh thyme and rosemary leaves
2/3 cup olive oil
1 ½ cups hot chicken stock
½ cup sliced green olives
Boil the potatoes until they are tender. Drain and slice. Set aside. Using some of the olive oil, grease a casserole pan. Pour the rest of the oil over the potatoes. Toss to coat. Layer the potatoes, Feta, herbs and pretzels. Pour the stock over the potatoes and sprinkle with the olives. Cover the potatoes and bake 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Serves 4.
Keep It Sensuously Simple (A food tip from Jenny) When de-stemming the herbs hold each sprig using your thumb and index finger and strip the stems downward with your opposite hand.
Well, it thyme to go
Jenny Baxter
Jenny’s Kitchen
If you in need of a caterer for your next Special Event, Personalized Cooking Classes, Recipes, Meat Rubs, Gift Baskets and more....Give Jenny a jingle at (209)736.0567, or visit her at www.jennyskitchen.com, she would love to hear from you!
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