Kapler's Pork - Delicious & Inexpensive

At last night's annual viewing of Christmas Vacation & dinner I cooked up a YUMMY and affordable (and South Beach friendly) main course... Prepare to be skeptical, then cook it up and be WOWed by the ease & taste sensation.

Since we are in phase 2 of South Beach we are now allowed the occasional glass of wine... last night's dinner was paired with this fine (and also cheap) wine... Rex Goliath Cabernet Sauvignon, Central Coast

Kapler's Pork
Quantity of ingredients will vary depending on how many ribs you buy:
Boneless pork shoulder "Country Style Ribs"
Saurkraut (enough to cover meat)
Campbells French Onion Soup (do not add water) (one can for small quantity, I used two for a 11x14 pyrex pan sized batch of ribs)
Brown Sugar

Procedure:
Preheat oven to 325
Place ribs in baking dish
Cover ribs with saurkraut
Pour French Onion soup over kraut
Sprinkle entire contents with brown sugar
Cover dish with lid or foil
Bake for at least 3 hours.
Remove cover and bake for additional 30 minutes to carmalize the top.
Serve and eat. Leftovers taste even better!

The Secret Recipe

Here it is... the long awaited secret, world famous meat-loaf recipe. I have standard basic ingredients then each batch is doctored with spices & sauces. Here is the skeleton..

2 lb ground beef
1 lb ground breakfast sausage (I prefer to use the hot & spicey Jimmy Dean tube style snausage)
2 cups breadcrumbs (freshly made with whatever bread product I have on hand... croutons, crackers, bagel, baguette etc.)
2 cups onion (dice & saute)
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
Worcester Sauce
Ketchup
BBQ sauce (optional)
Salt & Pepper

Preheat oven to 350
I mix ingregients in Kitchen-Aide to keep hands clean. Keep mixer going until the every end...
1) Combine beef & sausage
2) add cooled onions
3) add eggs & milk
4) add breadcrumbs
5) add several dashes of Worcester sauce and glop of ketchup & bbq sauce if you want
6) add salt & pepper
7+) sometimes I add Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning or Seasoned Salt or any other dry savory seasonings. Whatever you want in appropriate amounts.

Remove meat from mixing bowl and shape into a loaf (this is where hands get gooey).
I cook on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet (with sides) so any fat drips out of loaf.
Place loaf on rack and cook for 30 minutes.
"Frost" the loaf with plain ketchup or ketchup/bbq sauce mix
Return loaf to oven & cook for another 30-45mins - until internal temp is 150 degrees.

ENJOY.

Thanksgiving Day Taste Treats

These three recipes were served at the family festival of food... all received rave reviews and requests for the recipes (they appear in order of my least to most favorite). So here you go:

Shellacked Balsamic Pecans (I used almonds)
From Party Nuts! by Shelly Sampson
2 c lightly toasted pecan halves
1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
1/3 c balsamic vinegar
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t chili powder or cayenne if desired

Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In large, heavy skillet, combined nuts,sugar and vinegar over medium heat, stirring until shugar melts, nuts are coatedand there is no liquid at the bottom. 3-5 min. Sprinkle evenly with salt andchili powder. Transfer to baking sheet, separating to individual nuts.

(Note -- I had a little too much goop, so I would consider adding more almonds and spreading to two sheets. Be warned -- they harden fast.)

Hot Cayenne Tabasco Almonds (My favorite)
From Party Nuts! by Shelly Sampson
2 c raw almonds, skin-on or blanched
2 T unsalted butter, melted
2 T any variety Tabasco sauce
2 t worcestershine sauce
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1.5t salt

Heat oven to 250.
Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place all ingredientsexcept salt in large bowl and toss until nuts are well-coated.
Place nuts on baking sheet in single layer.
Place in oven and bake, stirringevery 15 minutes, until nuts darken but are not burned. About 45 min.
Remove and cool, loosening with spatula and sprinkling with salt.

Jane's Sweet Potato Gratin
20 servings, more or less
5 lb sweet potatoes, peeled, sliced very thin
2 c milk
2T flour
2T butter
1T mustard
1/2 t nutmegs
alt and pepper
16 oz shredded, savory white cheeses: parmesan, jarlsberg, gruyere, swiss, etc.

Peel and slice sweet potatoes, using mandoline if possible.
Rinse in cold water, then blanch in salted water until slices are tender but not mushy. Al dente, as it were.
Drain and allow to cool until they can be handled.
Meanwhile, combineflour and butter in a heavy medium-size pot over medium heat until butter meltsand all flour is absorbed.
Add milk, whisking constantly until it begins tothicken.
Flavor with nutmeg, mustard, salt and pepper. 1/2 c buttermilk can besubstituted for equal part milk if you have it around.
Stir in half the cheeseuntil melted.I
n large buttered baking dish, layer sweet potatoes, sauce, and a sprinkle of remaining cheese, repeating until all parts are used up.
Top with last handfulof cheese.
Bake in 350 oven for 45 min to 1 hour, until top is brown and bubbly.

Note: Approximations. More flour might be necessary to thicken sauce.