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boy cooks for girl. 
girl falls in love.

italian supper. fish tacos. lobster rolls. 
real food. everytime.

Picnic Shoulder with Kansas Friends

9/27/2015

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Matt and I love cooking (obviously) and one of our biggest challenges is the concept of cooking for two. It's a concept because in theory it's great - in practice it never works. You end up eating 3x the portion doing drive-bys all night long. Yikes.

The solution? Share with the ones you love! Viva la Saturday night supper with friends!!


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Loaded up at Walmart - when you live in the country, this is your go-to market!
We believe the biggest factor of cooking a successful meal for a group has to be the consideration of those you are cooking for. Does anyone have allergies? What kind of meals do they typically eat? Do they like spicy food?

After careful thought, Matt was struck with inspiration of what to cook for his best friend's family: A smoked, BBQ glazed, pork shoulder.

This recipe is perfect for a group. It has a crispy bark and beautiful smoke ring. The meat is juicy and tender. The finishing notes are slightly sweet which balances the savory pork.
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Our second tip for a successful hosting is food prep! This meal worked well because it allowed Matt to slow cook the pork all day outside while I made twice baked potatoes ahead of time. We chopped the salad and prepared the appies in the afternoon so we could spend time with everyone when they arrived!

We had a beautiful sunset on deck and refused to be stuck inside while the magic happened! (Seriously - our sunsets are epic ... We could devote a whole page to them)

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"Guys? Is that pork for me?" - Captain.
While that's happening ... Make some twice baked smashies!


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Twice baked smashies are a staple at The Rose household. Matt's brother, Tom, may make the best smashies I've ever enjoyed. I don't even want to know how much butter he uses ...

We make these ahead of time and let them sit at room temp. Pop them in the oven at 350 twenty minutes before supper and they're good to go.

While your smashies rest and your pork roasts, take some time to play with your toys! #bullseye

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Ingredients


Picnic Shoulder (bone in)

Head of garlic, cloves whole and peeled

Hickory smoking chips

Olive oil


Salt & Pepper

Optional: Apple Honey BBQ sauce




Fire up the coals and get the grill to 300 degrees. Add water soaked smoking chips to the coals. Monitor the grill to maintain an even temp. Periodically add more smoke chips as needed.

Stab pork and insert whole garlic cloves into center. Rub with olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper. During the last hour of cooking baste with BBQ sauce of your choice.

Internal temp of pork should read 145 degrees. Times will vary depending on size.

Slice and nom nom

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When the feast is all said and done, enjoy a fire and a glass (or three) of wine


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Toasted Caprese Bread

9/23/2015

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Today I am talking about dun dun dun - The food rut. This is (sadly) a common experience for Matt and I.  I’m sure you all have experienced this feeling - you get in the habit of cooking your favorite tried and true recipes during the week. Maybe they are go-to recipes because they are quick and easy. Maybe you eat seasonally and inevitably overdose on certain ingredients. Maybe you just love love love these recipes.

Since we cook the food that we love and incorporate a wide variety of ingredients - we often end up staring at each other thinking “I’m not craving anything!” It’s the most bizarre experience.
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The reason I bring this up is because Matt was introduced to a new dish when he visited his mom just the other week. He knew I would love it so we made it. My husband knows me so well because I have been CRAVING Toasted Caprese Bread since I tried it.
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What I love about this dish is that it includes ingredients Matt and I use all the time but never would have thought to use this way (I’m not super creative). This dish also has a TON of flavor. It is jam packed with basil, garlic, and juicy heirloom tomatoes. What made it all come together was a fresh-baked loaf of country white bread sliced thick from Whole Foods. The slightly sweet bread balanced the savory, cheesy tomatoes, and soaked up all the delicious olive oil and herbs. (my mouth is watering already).
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YaYa used balsamic vinegar in addition to the olive oil. Much to the dismay of my husband we did not have any. We forged ahead and the meal still came out DELICIOUS. Here are some pictures of him chopping like a pro:
Serve alongside a big bowl of greens with your favorite dressing. Substitute for a twist on your traditional garlic bread. Or rotate this into your meatless Monday dishes. This one-pan dish will surely become a family favorite as you rotate it in to avoid the food rut :)
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Toasted Caprese Bread

Ingredients:
1 heirloom tomato
5 cloves of garlic, diced
2 cups of basil, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
1 ball of fresh mozzarella
Country white loaf, sliced thick

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the tomatoes 1/2 inch thick and place in the bottom of the baking pan (we used our lasagna pan). Season with salt and pepper to taste and drizzle olive oil over tomatoes. Slice the mozzarella as thin as you can and layer. Then cover the pan with basil. Lay the bread on top and drizzle with olive oil. Place the pan in the oven and toast until fully browned - 10-15 minutes. Serve while hot and nom nom. 

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