hello. My name is Jennefer and I’m addicted to the food network. And the cooking channel. And cookbooks. Lots of cookbooks. And really big, complicated, intricate, long cooking meals (hello, Julia Child). While this addiction results in some really, REALLY good food, I do get overwhelmed with ‘what’s for dinner?’
In an attempt to organize and declutter my kitchen world, I’ve gone back to meal planning and the weekends are normally when I try to get lots of cooking done and my week in line (this is also when I do bulk batches of things like the husbands burritos that I freeze). My wonderful husband takes on baby Gabi (wait- can I still call her ‘baby’ now that she’s a year old??) so I have hours of cooking time. Yes, I get excited! I also get a chance to strap on my rain boots and work on the garden as well. Thank you husband!
how i roll. yep. no shame. 😉
So this past weekend I went to town. We had Gabi’s one year appt and she’s a little under weight so I’ve been looking into recipes to help bulk her up. I whipped up these Tuna and sweet potato bites, which Gabi loved loved loved. Score! And to help give her more veggies, and use up the leftover sweet potato, I made these Zucchini bites. I didn’t add the onion, though, and I added some fresh thyme to this and thyme and dill to the tuna bites. Yum-o! Sorry- no pics. 😦
But the piece de résistance of the weekend had to be the porchetta I roasted on Sunday. As the opening of this post states, I love cooking shows and I recently have become obsessed with a fan of the show _Extra Virgin_ on the cooking channel. Their food always looks amazing and everything is so fresh and local. Check it out! It follows the couple from their homes in Brooklyn, LA, and beautiful Tuscany. I think I just live vicariously through them!
The other day Gabriele made this Porchetta Sandwich and I knew I had to try it. I used an 8 pound picnic roast that is used for a classic pernil dish so I actually had to cut the bone out. This was a first and I think I did a pretty good at not mangling the meat too much! Although rolling it back up took a little creativity on how I tied it.
mmmmm pork!
The house smelled AMAZING for the 5 hours that it roasted, low and slow. I also detached the thick fat cap, roasted it separately, and made a little chicharrón for my dad. He was in heaven.
crispy chicharrón
The sandwiches turned out great and it was a perfect dinner to end the weekend (with lots of leftovers for carnitas, burritos, and perhaps some posole??). Total win!
the finished beauty
puerto rican bread, porchetta, cheese, with carmelized onions and green peppers
PS- did I mention that I just HAD to buy their cookbook?? Sssshhhh…don’t tell the husband. But I bought it for my Kindle, which he’s been bugging me to start using, so that’s perfectly acceptable, right? At least that’s my story and I’m sticking to it! 😉
PSS- you can now follow me on Facebook! Click the link on the right to like My Kitchen Musings! Bon appetit !
Tagged: baby bites, extra virgin, gabi, pork, Puerto Rico
My kitchen musings! 
Your garden is looking fantastic! I think I’m addicted to all cooking shows, lol. I just have to find vegetarian/vegan/fish dishes. But your dishes look yummy and the sweet potato and zucchini bites would be fantastic if I could make them without butter or eggs. I’ll have to think on it 🙂
Hola Barbara! Hhhhmmmm I’d have to think also how you could make them without eggs as that is sorta the glue that holds them together. I think in one of those recipes it may have suggested using more veggies rather than an egg to help bind it. Or it could’ve been a completely different recipe! And thanks for the garden compliment. I wish everything was as green as in the photo. The pic was from earlier this year when rain was a plenty. I’ll have to do a ‘now’ pic. Have a great night! 😉