2018 Recipe Round-Up

2018 held new recipes, lots of tried, true family favorites and memorable moments, but I also said goodbye to one of my favorite shows~The Chew. 

With no renewal for the 2018/2019 season, I lost one of my most valuable go-to's for new recipes, techniques and daily laughs with the hosts. It was great while it lasted, I'll give them that! 

Image from jacquespepinart.com

I even managed to keep a written record of most of our dinners for the year in a daily planner. This is something I'm hoping to continue into the new year, as well as put my first entry into my READ from Christmas. This is a beautifully illustrated book to hold all the memories from dinner parties or family get together's. I'm pretty excited about it and debating on getting a Canon Ivy to instantly add photos from our celebrations.

In 2018, we ate everything from moose to jackfruit. I've even been super helpful and complied a Pinterest board with all our top recipes from the past year. 

If you're wanting to adapt Meatless Mondays or try something different, give jackfruit a try. 

Pulled "Pork" (Jackfruit) Sandwiches

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 med onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans Jackfruit in brine, drained

1 tsp salt

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp Worcester sauce (if you are a vegetarian, read the ingredients to make sure it doesn't contain anchovies, as many do)

1/2 bottle of barbecue sauce

Turn Pot onto Sauté

Add olive oil when the pot is hot,  then saute onions and garlic until softened

Add jackfruit and seasonings and stir

Close lid, press Cancel, and set Pot to Manual/Pressure Cook at high pressure for 4 min.  (I know it seems like you should have to add liquid, but trust me - there's enough from the onions and jackfruit.  Shhh.  It's going to be okay.)

Natural release for 10 min, then release the rest of the pressure.

Shred with a fork(s) or potato masher. 

Add 1/2 bottle of your barbecue sauce of choice, stir, and serve on top of toasted hamburger buns with coleslaw. 

After Christmas I browsed around the local stores and looked at so many cookbooks for inspiration and what to possibly to add to my collection. Anthony Bourdain's Appetites might be the next addition to the kitchen shelf. His chopped liver on rye looked quite intriguing and adventurous. Flipping through the book, I immediately heard his voice narrating each and every page. His voice is right up there with Mike Rowe and Morgan Freeman. I also peeked inside the newest release from Carla Hall-  Soul Food. She shared some deep South favorites and this mouth watering delights like Ham Steaks with Cantaloupe and Blackberry Sauté. FYI-Costco carries all the necessary ingredients for this dish in case you want to make it for a crowd and I'll be trying out that recipe in the near future. An honorable mention to Christopher Kimball's Milk Street:Tuesday Nights cookbook for hundreds of new weeknight meals but full of weekend flavor. I still haven't picked up the newest Cooking Light magazine, but as always it will have several new recipes to throw into our rotation of favorites. 

If you're looking for one cookbook to add to your personal collection, my pick for 2018 is Alaska from Scratch. Maya's recipes do not require special ingredients or fancy gadgets and if it's a wild game recipe, she normally includes a substitute that people from the Lower 48 can readily find.  




I've been following Maya's blog since 2013 and finally got to meet her in person back in May at her book signing. She's such a sweet person and meeting her in person was a blogger/fan-girl top memory.






I'm hoping that 2019 leads to many adventures, whether they're in the kitchen or out exploring!

Follow me at my new site, I'll continue to cross post on both for a bit!