Tag: dinner

Pan Handlers or Latin Spiced Pork Loin cooked with Great Magefesa Cookware

A couple of months ago we were contacted by a cookware manufacturing company called Magefesa, located in Florida.  They had somehow read our blog and wanted us to test some of their cookware and then review it on the blog.  We were very happy to oblige and they sent us a complete set of their Ecotherm Plus cookware, a lovely pressure cooker and a set of frittata pans.  Several weeks later we arrived home to see this on our doorstep.

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Karen Schmautz7 Comments

Gazpacho with Cornbread Croutons or Everyone says Toe-may-toe…nobody says Toe-mah-toe

Gazpacho with Corn Bread Croutons

There are two things I look forward to in the summertime:  Farmers Markets and Great Tasting Tomatoes.  It seems like I can’t seem to get enough of either.  I try to go to the Farmers Market as often as possible and I can’t  resist the tomatoes (both buying them and taking pictures of them.)  So it’s natural that I would make Gazpacho with them. Well, maybe it would not be natural to anyone else, but it was natural to me.

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Karen Schmautz11 Comments

Pork Chops Two Ways: Smoked Grilled or Parmesan Encrusted…but never dry.

Yes!Chef! loves pork. No, that’s not strong enough.  HE REALLY LOVES PORK.

I am coming around to being a pork lover (see Pulled Pork Sandwiches).  I have never much liked pork because whenever I had it growing up or even in my adult life it was always so dry.  I do not like dry meat.  And, I especially did not like pork chops because they were always drier than dry.  Over-cooked hockey pucks.  Pttooey.  That’s what I had to say about dry pork chops until…

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Karen Schmautz10 Comments

Cool Watermelon Mojitos and Spicy-Sweet Glazed Shrimp on the Bar-B; or It’s time to celebrate again!

Watermelon Mojitos on the deck

The members of the Schmautzhaus have gotten together again for some summer celebrating.  This time we were celebrating two birthdays for the price of one, so to speak.  Two birthdays were exactly a week apart, so we all got together yet again.

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Karen Schmautz5 Comments

Pulled Pork Sandwiches al Fresco and a Family Celebration

Pulled Pork, Spicy Slaw and Corn on the Cob with Compound butter

I think I’ve mentioned before that my family loves to get together and celebrate.  Frequently, we have nothing special to celebrate, but we just like to get together, laugh and eat good food.  However, on Sunday we had many reasons to celebrate:  it was the first time the whole family had been together since Christmas, my daughter had returned from 5 1/2 months in Africa; we’ve officially welcomed daughter’s boyfriend into the family, my oldest son and his girlfriend had returned from an interesting vacation to the hot midwest, my youngest son had his first accident in the car and neither people nor property (except a few cinder blocks) were hurt; Yes!Chef! was starting a new job and I had just landed a great magazine photo shoot.  Yes, those were all good reasons to celebrate.  But, mostly we just all wanted to get together.

The Fam: Together at last

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Karen Schmautz16 Comments

You can’t “beet” the Farmers Market

Last Saturday I stopped by the Placerville Farmers Market for the first time this year.  I was amazed at all the fresh fruits and veggies that were available this early in the season.  I was also surprised about the amount of people that were there until I remembered that the Wagon Train was in town for their annual parade.  I did not stick around for that, because it gets kind of crazy in town, but it is certainly an interesting and fun event that’s been around a very long time.

Placerville closed for Wagon Train Parade

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Karen Schmautz18 Comments