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Books & Spoons What's for Dinner: PORK BUTT WITH ROASTED BEETS AND FENNEL

26/8/2016

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I love the oven dish meals that you can just spice up, set in the oven, and then let it do its thing. Not much time required from you in the kitchen and the results can be amazingly delicious. What more could you want?! 
I do these meals often like I am sure you have noticed, it's just a great time saver when a lot is happening. And I like the flavors of the slow roasted veggies and meat. 
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This week's recipe was so tasty. I had a slice of a pork butt. It is a popular grill season product here, with a spicy marinade, and I thought it would be perfect for some slow roasting in the oven right at the beginning of autumn. I knew I was going to keep it in the oven for a long time on a lower heat, so I set some robust veggies with it in the oven. 

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The beetroots, fennel, and red onions were seasoned with a dash of thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and some olive oil.
The pork butt slice was seasoned with a hot paprika sauce that really gave the meat a great flavor.
The hot paprika sauce is simple as well. Of course, there's a variety of sauces you can buy ready-made, or you can just mix some at home with olive oil and spices. 
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Always remember to add salt and pepper to the meat, and if you have a new sauce you haven't used before, I would recommend tasting  it first, just to see if you need to add anything to it, or how powerful the flavors in it are. You don't want to go to all the effort to prepare a meal and then the end result is a surprise party.  
I had them all in the low heat oven (130C / 260F) for about two hours. By then the pork was so tender it was melting in the mouth, and the beets had such a deep, lovely sweetness to them, a great combination, indeed.
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I'm really into the beets this year, I have noticed, so I am sure there's going to be more with them later on. But this is it for this week, I hope you enjoy it and have a great weekend with some good eating. Till next time
~ Cheers!
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Books & Spoons Recipe Rainbow Carrots & Turkey Breast

19/8/2016

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The harvest time is at its best right now and I love to walk to the produce store down the street when every bin is filled with fresh, colorful, beautiful products, and the only problem you have is not to buy more than you can eat. 
Rainbow carrots are something I rarely can resist, just the abundance of color is tempting, not to mention the ease of the use of them, and the ultimate goal of the great taste is guaranteed. 

I added just a little celery, salt, and pepper in olive oil, and it was the perfect side dish for the turkey breast I planned to put in the oven with them. I knew from the size of the turkey breast that it will take about 45 minutes until it will be done, so I  cut the veggies to the size that would be ready about at the same time.
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I am aware that many people think that turkey is only good on one or two holidays towards the end of the year. Thankfully it is available most year around at the local stores since I love to use it for the rich taste it has and the great source of protein it is, as well as the leanness of the meat.  And it is rather reasonably priced as well, compared to for example to chicken. Of course, that is a local thing and varies from place to place with the availability and ease of access to the product. 
I added some butter sautéd asparagus to the plate. I sautéd the asparagus while the turkey breast was resting so that the timing was perfect and it didn't wilt while in wait. 
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​The leftover turkey is great for a wok, soup, or a casserole, all dishes that can be made with the galore of veggies I have in wait. So that's what's for dinner over here, you can get more dinner ideas through the week from the Instagram account.
Till next time
~ Cheers!
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Books & Spoons Recipe Parmesan Crusted Deep Fried Brussels Sprouts 

12/8/2016

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Every now and then an idea that you have about a recipe works even better than you originally thought, and you completely fall in love with the taste of the dish. Yes?!  Absolutely. 

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The dinner that made me want seconds and was even better than I first thought was Parmesan crusted deep fried brussels sprouts with marinara and whole grain pasta. Oh yes,  I don't often advocate anything deep fried, but this is a recipe I hope you try. 
Make sure the brussels sprouts are washed and well dried. You can use frozen ones as well, just make sure the are dry on the outside and remember they might take longer to fry if still frozen inside. 

For the breading, I used for 12 brussels sprouts, 
1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan
1/4 cup bread crumbs
dash of dried garlic powder
thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste

1. Dry the brussels sprouts out
2. Dip the brussels sprouts into the whisked egg
3. Roll the brussels sprouts in the breading
4. Deep fry until golden 
5. Serve with pasta & marinara
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I think these would also make a great snack as well while watching a game or just for the fun of it. I fell in love with them, and I know they will be stable in my household from now on. 
Hope you all get as big of a kick out of them as I did. 
For the daily fun join us on the Instagram. 
Till next time
~ Cheers! 
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Books & Spoons WHAT'S FOR DINNER?! 

5/8/2016

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​Summer time seems to be filled with coming and goings, and few days of laundry and recouping at home, before heading out again. I have loved the warm weather, sunny days, and the couple opportunities to see a bit more of the beautiful country I live in. 
I got couple inquiries where's the Spoons been for the last couple of weeks, no worries, we are still here, just took some time to breathe and soak up the sun. 

​The meals during the hot summer days tend to be light. When the heat gets too much, it takes the appetite with it. I have gotten into smoothie making this summer again and been mixing and matching different fruits and berries. I think my favourite one is the watermelon, peach, and orange smoothie. But there wasn't a one that I didn't like, so far.
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Mango, pineapple, strawberries
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Mango, orange, blueberries
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Watermelon, peach, orange
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Watermelon, kiwi, blueberries
​This past winter I talked about cooking a double amount while making the effort, and freezing the half to use when needed. In between my adventures, I took a full advantage of the half way ready meals from my freezer, and saved a lot of time and trouble, giving me more time to rest and recoup, and get ready to explore again.
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Cabbage casserole with veggies
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Three meat pizza with way too much cheese
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Fresh pasta with veggies and bratwurst
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pork wok with teriyaki sauce
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​Fish is my go-to dinner during the hot, sunny days of summer. Just add some veggies with it, and you have the perfect meal. Here I had a trout filé that I baked with some basic spices, salt, pepper, and paprika, the aromatic veggies, carrots, leeks, and fennel, were in the oven with the fish. I cut them small enough and shredded the carrots so that they would be done at the same time as the trout. Instead of starch on the side like pasta or potatoes, I had some corn. If you wanted to have some sauce with it, a basic white sauce would be lovely, or just some butter on the top of the veggies while in the oven. A real butter, no imitation or margarine. I really enjoyed this meal, it was light yet filling, filled with flavours, and not to mention like a ray of sunshine on my plate! 

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​I hope you are enjoying your summer as well. I can't believe it went by so fast, that there's already a little hint of autumn in the air up here. But let's make most of the sunny days when we have a chance! 
Until next time you can catch me on the Instagram posting pictures mostly under #whatsfordinner

~ Cheers! 
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