what's cookin'

One of the things we've loved about being back at our place in Minnesota is cooking!

Here are some of the things I've been making:

1. Fried Okra- because my husband was raised on Southern food and this is a Knight family staple I tried my second attempt at it.  I got okra at the farmer's market and I think the fresh okra made all the difference. Last time I tried frozen okra because in winter up here there's no other option.  Our last night in GA we stayed with some very Southern friends and they taught me how to make the okra:

-Slice the okra
-Soak okra in buttermilk for 15 min in the fridge (I used half skim milk and half, half and half since I didn't have any buttermilk); just enough for the okra to be covered
-take the okra and put dredge it in cornmeal
-on high/medium-high heat, heat the oil (I used canola)
-throw in breaded okra and wait until they turn golden brown and crispy

2. Quinoa- despite the fried okra, we've been trying to eat healthier.  Some friends of our introduced us to the China Study and EatRightAmerica which talks about how to combat overeating but being under nourished.  Heather's Quinoa Recipe (minus the tofu) 

3. Grilled tomatoes-I'd gotten a ton of tomatoes at the market and wanted to use them healthily.  I found this recipe from Food Network for simple grilled tomatoes.

4. Slow Cooker pulled pork- we had to cook for about 50 students so I found this recipe to throw in a couple of 8lb pork shoulders in the crock pot for a massive but less expensive meal for everyone.  It turned out great.

5. Dijon porkchops with glazed carrots. I've never made these carrots, but this is what we'll be having tomorrow night. Pork chops recipe and grilled glazed carrot recipe.