.png)
Harvesting a Heat and Eat
I wonder where to draw the line with making parts of my dinner.
On one hand, you have a frozen dinner. All you do is heat and eat. It is barely in the realm of cooking. On the far extreme end, you raise your own cow, grow your own grain and have an extensive garden that you harvest on a daily basis for your dinner. Life for almost all of us is somewhere in between.
There are some things that I’ve given up doing myself in favor of ease of use:
Deboned chicken – Unless I want chicken on the bone, I buy the deboned stuff. Could I debone? Yes. Is it worth the aggravation to me? No.
Spices – For the most part, I buy dried, pre-ground spices. I refuse to buy dried cilantro and occasionally will get fresh rosemary, thyme, basil, oregano and parsley; I often use the dried kind.
Rice – Unless rice is going into the dish, or I need copious amounts of it, the 90 seconds in the microwave work just fine as a quick side dish.
Frozen vegetables – I am about 50/50 here. I prefer to buy fresh for anything that is part of a recipe, but if I am just throwing some into the steamer, flash frozen veggies are not too bad. I like to have a variety on hand so I can grab what sounds good for the dish at the time and not have to worry about spoilage.
Condiments – I don’t make my own condiments. Store bought ketchup, mayonnaise and mustard. OK, I’ve made Dijon once (more to try it out than anything).
One condiment often ends up getting made as part of a recipe versus being purchased outright – Teriyaki sauce. So many recipes have you make the teriyaki sauce when it is very easy (and generally just as good) to purchase it outright.
This recipe adds some apple juice to the recipe. My general preference is to sub in pineapple juice in its place if I have some.
A nice juice piece of pork.
A standard set of ingredients.
Into the slow cooker.
Tasty!
Teriyaki Pork Roast Recipe
Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 7 hours | Makes: 8 Servings | Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients:
3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 boneless pork loin roast (about 3 pounds), halved
7-1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cold water
Directions:
In a greased 3-qt. slow cooker, combine the first seven ingredients. Add roast and turn to coat. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°.
Remove meat to a serving platter; keep warm. Skim fat from cooking juices; transfer to a small saucepan. Bring liquid to a boil. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Gradually stir into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with meat. Yield: 8 servings.
Comments