Quinoa Corn Chowder

I decided to start the year off right with making some hearty home cooked meals. Food Network Magazine is by far one of my favorite sources for recipes. After all, its a compilation of recipes and ideas from all my favorite Food Network stars. The first issue this year features Trisha Yearwood's Quinoa Corn Chowder. It turned out to be relatively easy to make and not so bad to clean up after, either. The flavors are delicious, filling, and blend for a perfect mix of sweet and savory. Link to recipe direct at Food Network HERE or see below (with slight alterations from me).

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 medium onion, finely chopped (I used a medium-large size onion)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/2 cup Quinoa

2 cups frozen whole-kennel corn, thawed

5 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 bag baby Yukon potatoes, about 2 pounds, cut into 4-6 pieces each

2 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning

8 slices of bacon, cooked and broken up into bits + more for garnish

3/4-1 pound medium shrimp peeled and deveined (I used frozen, cooked shrimp and thawed before adding to chowder)

2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, additional sprigs for garnish

3 scallions chopped finely

Prep by baking bacon on cookie sheet at 375 degrees F until crispy. Remove from oven and let cool on plate layered with paper towels. Set aside until grease has dried off, then crumple into bacon bit pieces. Set aside a few additional bacon slices for garnish. Thaw frozen corn and shrimp (if frozen). Chop onions and garlic. Rinse potatoes and quarter or chop into 4-6 pieces each.

Heat large stockpot on medium heat, about 2 minutes. Add chopped onion and garlic. Saute until tender about 7 minutes. Add quinoa and corn, saute for another 3 minutes. Add stock, heavy cream, potatoes and Old Bay. Increase heat to high and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, incovered, until the quinoa and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes. Add shrimp to chowder and cook until they are pink and opaque, 2-3 minutes. Add parsley, scallions, and bacon bits just before serving. Be sure to include a 1/2 bacon slice and sprig of parsley for garnish. Enjoy!

New Jacket, New Shoes, No problem

Santa treated me very well on Christmas. Two of my favorite additions to the closet pair perfectly together. That is a double win. Zach surprised me with an insane pair of Gucci boots, which look fabulous with my new BLANK NYC red suede moto jacket, from my In-laws. I fell in love with the jacket last year when I received a navy blue one for my birthday. I loved it so much, I just had to have it in another color. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention another favorite Christmas gift. Zach gave me a gold "Z" Chloe ring that I have had my eye on. It doubles as an "N", which works out quite well considering our last name is Nord.

Still no snow in Jersey, so the jacket and fancy/wild boots worked out well for a lunch date with my friends and an afternoon shopping with my SIL, Courtney. I still have hopes for snow before next week. Seems like chances are slim, but fingers are still crossed. xo RCN

Slow Cooked Pulled Pork Sliders

Football season continues, and I continue to be enthralled in watching as many games as possible, every Sunday. I watch Thursday and Monday night as well, but Sunday has me hooked for hours. Thanks to my dear friend, Alwin, who invited me to join his family's fantasy league, I have not stopped obsessing over the entire season since week 1. It's a bit' addictive for anyone that loves sports and has a competitive side to them (me!). Anyhow, football requires tasty snacks and meals on those long, hard days of cheering and praying. You may not have time to squeeze this recipe in for tonight's Thursday game, Eagles vs Giants, but you should surely try it out on Sunday, or keep it in your back pocket for your Super Bowl bash. The best part about this is that you serve the sliders with a light beer (in a frozen mug) with a few drops of olive juice and 3-4 olives. This is called a Foggy Moose and it's delish for anyone that enjoys a Miller, Coors, or Bud on any given Sunday. Now, you are all set for the game. Go Birds! xo RCN

The pork recipe originated from Food Network, but I made a few changes. Link HERE to original recipe. See my version below pics.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar

2 teaspoons hot paprika

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

1 3-4 pound boneless pork shoulder or butt, trimmed of fat

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 

3/4 cup water

Barbecue sauce

2 small onions

Dill pickle chips

Directions:

Combine brown sugar, paprika, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper in small bowl. Rub mixture all over entire pork butt. Chop 2 small onions in large chunks, about 4-5 slices each.

Heat vegetable oil in large pan, cook and brown pork on all sides (only for about 5 minutes total). Remove pork and place on plate. Whisk in 3/4 cup water into the drippings in pan, then transfer liquid to slow cooker. Add the vinegar and 2 cups of water to the so cooker and whisk to combine. Add 1 of the chopped onions and a few squirts of barbecue sauce into slow cooker. Place pork on top of onions and into slow cooker. Add a few more squirts of barbecue sauce and the last chopped onion. Cook on low for 7.5-8 hours.

Remove pork from the slow cooker after the 7.5-8 hours. Shred pork in large bowl and add salt and vinegar to taste. Serve with slider buns, pickle chips, and barbecue sauce. Coleslaw would taste grand, in lieu of pickles. However, I did not include slaw in my recipe and went for the pickles instead. Top with a team spirit toothpick and serve for the next football game.