Morel Mushrooms

These mushrooms are only around for a short time each year and people go crazy to get them. They will pay highly for 1 pound even. They can be difficult to find and even more difficult to grow.
Oh but they taste SO GOOD. They are worth walking a bit and looking to find them.

How to Clean Store and Cook Morel Mushrooms
Look for damp but not wet, spongy mushrooms that feel soft to the touch and don't show any signs of shriveling. Fresh morels will smell slightly funky and "woodsy." If foraging, simply pluck the mushrooms from the ground by pinching at the base of the stem and twisting gently. They should come right out of the earth.

Store your morels loose, in the refrigerator, in a container with plenty of ventilation. Do not seal them in a bag. For very dirty morels, soak the mushrooms in a bowl of cool water with a shake of salt, agitating it once or twice. Otherwise, rinse the morels under a gentle stream of cool running water, being sure to loosen and remove any dirt lodged in the spongy pockets. Gently pat dry before using, but do not wash until just prior to cooking—storing wet morels will cause them to perish faster.

Fried Morel Mushrooms
4 servings
185 cals

Ingredients
1 pound fresh morel mushrooms - clean mushrooms gently and mushrooms halved lengthwise
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 Tsp cornstarch
1 cup canola oil, or mix of Olive oil and coconut oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place halved morel mushrooms in a large bowl; cover with cold, lightly salted water. Refrigerate mushrooms for about 5 minutes to loosen any dirt; pour off salted water, rinse, and repeat twice more. Crevices of the mushrooms may harbor tiny stones or even insects. Thoroughly rinse mushrooms a final time and allow to drain on paper towels.
Place flour in a shallow bowl.
Heat vegetable shortening in a large skillet until very hot.
Roll mushrooms in flour and tap off excess; gently lay mushrooms in the hot shortening.

Pan-fry until golden brown and flour coating is crisp, 5 to 8 minutes, turning often. Drain morels on paper towels, salt to taste, and enjoy your treasures!

INSTANT POT BBQ PULLED PORK

YIELD: 10-12 SERVINGS
Learn how to make juicy, tender, and flavorful BBQ pulled pork easily with this easy Instant Pot recipe!

TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 45 MINS PREP TIME: 15 MINS COOK TIME: 1 HOUR 30 MINS
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons smoked paprika
1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
3-4 pound boneless pork roast*, cut into 2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups of your favorite BBQ sauce (homemade or store-bought), divided
1 cup chicken stock or water

DIRECTIONS:

Whisk together the smoked paprika, brown sugar, garlic powder, black pepper, mustard and salt in a large bowl until evenly combined.  Add the pork, then gently toss with the spice blend until it is evenly coated.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
When you’re ready to cook the pork, press “Sauté” on the Instant Pot.  Add the oil.  Then once it is hot (it will be shimmering), add a single layer of the pork pieces.  Brown the pork on all sides, then transfer the pork to a clean plate and set aside.  Repeat with the remaining pieces of pork.  (This may take you 2 or 3 batches.)
Once all of the pork has been browned, turn the Instant Pot off.  Then add the browned pork, chicken stock, and 1 cup of the BBQ sauce to the Instant Pot, and give the mixture a quick toss to combine everything.  Twist on the lid, turn the vent to “Sealing”, then set the pressure cooker to “Manual” for 60 minutes.  Once the time is up, let the vent naturally release.  (Don’t do the quick release option.)
Carefully open the lid.  Transfer the pork to a separate clean plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the juices behind.  Press the “Sauté” button once more, and let the sauce simmer for 10 minutes or until it has thickened and reduced by more than half.  Meanwhile, shred the pork with two forks.**
Once the sauce has reduced a bit, skim some of the fat off of the top with a spoon or use a fat separator to separate and discard it.  Then add the shredded pork back into the sauce, and give everything a good toss so that it can soak up those tasty juices.
Serve immediately, topped with an extra spoonful or two of the remaining BBQ sauce.
*I recommend using boneless pork shoulder.  You are welcome to use more tender cuts of meat, but the pork may not be quite as tender and juicy.

**If the pork does not shred easily, just pop it back in the Instant Pot and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes on high pressure.

I served my pulled pork with a Cilantro-Lime Mango Slaw, which was just a combination of coleslaw + shredded carrots + fresh chopped mango + fresh chopped cilantro + fresh lime juice + a pinch of salt and pepper and ground cumin.  Super easy and delicious!

Egg Roll Bowl

Egg Roll in a Bowl! This recipe is so versatile You can use Diced Chicken like I did today or Ground pork, Ground Turkey, Diced Pork or go vegetarian. Easy one dish meal, or cook some rice and Dinner is served YUM

What you need:
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 knob of ginger, grated
1/2 onion chopped
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 pound diced chicken or ground pork
5–6 cups shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
3 large carrots, diagonally sliced
Rice and green onions for serving

How to Make it:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant. Toss in onions cook till transparent
Add the five-spice, soy sauce, and chicken or other meat. Cook until the meat is browned and cooked through.
Add the coleslaw mix and carrots. Toss until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
Serve over rice, with green onions and Sriracha if you like that kinda thing.

Ham and Cheese Frittata

Fix this quick easy tasty recipe for dinner or a fancy breakfast anytime. It's oh so good and you can use so many kinds of veggies, meats and cheeses. Try this and you'll be hooked. You can make the Marinated sun-dried tomatoes anytime and have on hand.

Serves: 4

Ingredients
For the Marinated Sun-Dried Tomatoes:
3 cups sun-dried cherry tomatoes
2 fat cloves garlic, sliced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
½ teaspoon dried orange peel
½ teaspoon dried lemon peel
1 cup spicy olive oil

For the Frittata:
10 eggs
Salt and pepper
1 cup chopped Colby or other cheese you like
A handful of flat-leaf parsley
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO)
1 small onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced or chopped
¾ cup roasted peppers or fresh peppers, chopped
1 ½ to 2 cup deli-sliced meats, such as ham, turkey, roast beef, chopped
1 to 1 ½ cups marinated sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts and mushrooms

How to make it:
For the marinated sun-dried tomatoes, place sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit for 10 minutes to soften. Drain, and return tomatoes to bowl. Add in remaining ingredients and mix to combine. Let mixture sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to an hour. Store in the refrigerator in a glass jar.

For the frittata, preheat oven to 375˚F.

Whisk up eggs, salt, pepper, cheese and parsley.

Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add EVOO, 4 turns of the pan, add onions and soften a few minutes, add garlic and roasted or fresh peppers and toss a minute or 2 more. Stir in meat and cook until they begin to crisp up, about 2-3 minutes. Add marinated chopped vegetables and toss to heat through, a minute or so. Add eggs and stir to settle, transfer to oven and bake 20-25 minutes until firm. Cool 10 minutes to cut and serve with fresh veggies or a salad

Spicy Green Beans

Do you get tired of the same old green beans? well kick them up a bit with this recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 1/2 pounds green beans, trimmed
1 bell pepper, finely chopped (any color)
1/2 onion diced
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
dash of garlic powder
Kosher salt

Directions
Add the oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter is melted and hot, add the green beans and bell pepper, onions and toss to coat. Add the red pepper flakes and some salt and toss again. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beans are crisp-tender, about 5 minutes.

I served this with Shrimp Alfredo over Asparagus, you can use pasta instead but I made it keto friendly.

Cowboy Casserole

These are slightly sweet  and very tasty with beef and bacon, an easy meal on a busy night
8 servings
Ingredients

1/2 cup bacon, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
1 (15 ounce) can pork and beans
1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained
1 (15 ounce) can butter beans
1 (15 ounce) can lima beans, drained
1/2 cup ketchup
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 cup chopped celery
*NOTE you can change up the beans if you prefer and add more spice with some sliced or diced jalapenos


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C).
Place bacon and ground beef in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside.
In a four quart casserole dish, mix together the bacon, ground beef, pork and beans, kidney beans, butter beans, lima beans, ketchup, onion, vinegar, dry mustard and celery.
Cover and bake for 1 hour.

Stove Top Rump Roast

Mouth watering roast with vegetables and a gravy to die for, you can use Rump Roast, Chuck Roast, or Brisket. I cooked a side of mashed potatoes but I sometimes put potatoes in the roast.
Try other veggies too.

6 servings
@608 cals

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (3 pound) beef roast
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed
ground or chopped herbs: thyme, parsley, oregano 1 tsp each)
1 tablespoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
4 stalks celery, chopped
6 medium red potatoes, quartered(LEAVE out the potatoes for Keto diets)
6 turnips, peeled and cut into chunks
6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks(I used heirloom carrots)
Or other veggies you like, I used some fennel today too


Directions

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Mix herbs salt and pepper in a small bowl rub or crush with fingers to bring out the flavors. Wash your roast off with water gently, dry with paper towels then rub the roast on all sides with the herb mixture and press in.
Place the roast in the pot, and quickly brown on all sides. Once the roast is seared well on all sides,
fill the pot with enough water to cover the roast about 3/4 of an inch from the bottom of the pot. Add the onion, garlic, celery, dash more of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 3-4 hours, adding water if needed to keep the roast from burning. Add potatoes and veggies; simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Add carrots; simmer for 30 minutes, or until roast can be pulled apart with a fork, and let the juices cook down if there is still a lot, you just want enough for gravy if you are making gravy. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper if needed before serving.

Mix up your gravy and serve.