Opus One

It's not often in life (at least in my life) that one is able to open a $120 bottle of wine, but when you do, oh, enjoy it.  When my husband started graduate school, he made a deal with his mother that when he finished, he would like to celebrate with a bottle of Opus One.  Not knowing what she was agreeing to, my mother in law replied, "Sure, why not?".  Fast forward seven and a half years, my husband has finished graduate school and my mother in law realizes that the bottle she agreed to buy was $120 dollars!  Being a fabulous mother who was proud of her son, she bought two bottles, one to drink soon after he graduated, which we drank a few years ago, and one to cellar, which we opened Sunday night.

My mother in law pulled out all the stops Sunday night, fixed a prime rib, creamed spinach, carrots, and a green salad and we reverently opened the bottle she had been storing for a few years now.  I kind of chuckled to myself as I pictured a younger version of my husband just starting graduate school with his wildest desire for celebrating the completion of the next seven and a half years of slave labor in graduate school being a fabulous bottle of wine.  (Can you see why I married him?)  

My husband was like a kid in a candy store Sunday night.  The wine was so smooth and the dinner and conversation lively with our loved ones.

By the way, at the same time my mother in law promised the bottle of Opus One, she also promised that she would take my husband to a celebratory dinner at the French Laundry in the Napa Valley.  I also don't think she knew what she was agreeing to then, and has yet to make good on that promise with my husband being 5 years out of graduate school now, but he won't let her forget.  Moral of the story moms:  Know the price point of what you are promising your foodie sons BEFORE you promise.  Being a foodie can sure get you into trouble sometimes!

Taco Soup

My diabolical plan to set myself up with leftovers for an easy weekend of cooking is complete.  Mwah ha ha haaaa....  Last night we had taco soup made in the crock pot and it was quite tasty if I do say so myself.  We have enough of this soup leftover for one more dinner and a few lunches.  I love planned leftovers.  Not only is it economical, but I know that I can just kick my feet up this weekend, rely on the microwave to heat things up, spend time with the boys, and have the only dinner dishes be our plates and bowls.  Ahhhh....

A disclaimer:  my oldest didn't LOVE this soup, but he ate it because it had sour cream and cheese on top.  My youngest contented himself with the tortilla chips and little sips of soup when prodded.  So this may not be a kid favorite yet (although one would sure think it was).  However I loved it and would call it a winner myself, my husband loved it too.  Try it and let me know what you think!

Taco Soup by Joie de vivre

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

1 lb. extra-lean ground beef

1 envelope dry taco seasoning

2 16oz. cans of black beans, drained and rinsed

1 16oz. can of corn, drained

2 quarts of tomato juice

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

black pepper according to taste

tortilla chips, optional

shredded cheddar cheese, optional

sour cream, optional

1.  Brown the meat and onions in a skillet until onions are slightly brown (the meat doesn't need to be cooked completely).  Drain and add to the slow cooker insert.

2.  Add taco seasoning, black beans, corn, tomato juice, sugar, salt and black pepper to the slow cooker insert and give everything a stir.

3.  Cook on Low in your slow cooker for 6 hours.

4.  Ladle into soup bowls and top servings with crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream if desired.

Golden Glow Pork Chops with Sauteed Greens

In my opinion, there is no more useful kitchen appliance than the crock pot.  I know I have been talking a lot about crock pots recently (be prepared, I'm making taco soup in my crock pot as we speak so tomorrow will be another crock pot entry!), but that faithful workhorse is kitchen magic to a busy mom.  Yesterday, I again tried out my new cookbook, Fix it and Forget It Big Cookbook, and found a winner of a recipe.  I was first drawn to this recipe because it was a good way to use some of the peaches I had canned this past summer.  But oh, it was so much more than just a good way to use canned peaches.  The sweetness of the peaches perfectly complimented the cinnamon and the cloves.  The pork chops were more tender than any I had ever had in my life.  I didn't even need my knife to cut them because they just fell apart with the touch of a fork.  It did have a relatively short cooking time for a slow cooked meal, just 3-5 hours, so those of you who work outside of the home may have trouble making this for a weekday dinner, but it was perfect for me and I got it in the slow cooker while my boys were eating their lunches.  If you do work outside the home though, don't miss this one.  Save it for a Saturday, it was well worth it.  Mmmmm.....

To accompany the pork chops, I sauteed the beet greens and kale that came in our very last CSA basket for the season.  If you have never made greens before, heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a large pot with a lid.  Add the stems of the greens and saute for a few seconds over medium-low heat.  Put the lid on the pot and cook for a few minutes.  Give the stems a stir and add the leaves.  Again, give a stir and put the lid on.  Check on your greens every few minutes, giving them a stir each time.  When the greens are tender, add a clove or two of minced garlic and stir until fragrant.  Add a couple of tablespoons of red wine vinegar to cut the oiliness and serve.  Enjoy!

Golden Glow Pork Chops by Fix it and Forget it Big Cookbook

Ingredients:

5-6 pork chops

salt to taste

pepper to taste

29 oz. can cling peach halves, drained (reserve juice)

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

8 oz. can tomato sauce

1/4 cup white vinegar

1.  Lightly brown pork chops on both sides in a saucepan.  Drain.  Arrange in a slow cooker insert.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

2.  Place drained peach halves on top of pork chops.

3.  Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, tomato sauce, 1/4 cup reserved peach syrup, and vinegar.  Pour over peaches and pork shops.

4.  Cover and cook on Low 3-5 hours.