Sports Nachos

I love to make these nachos but instead of making pork carnitas, I used a slow cooked pork butt recipe: Put a 3-4 pound pork butt, a whole chopped onion, some garlic cloves, a carton of chopped tomatoes (POMI) with all the liquid, lots of cumin, lots of chili powder, coriander, salt and pepper in a slow cooker on high for about 6 hours. About an hour before it's done, pull the pork apart with two forks. Incredible!

Cowboy Cookies

I have to admit, this is a cookie everyone likes and you can eat a bunch without having a sugar crisis. From Martha Stewart: I used Bob's Red Mill GF flour, the one that has garbanzos and thought I would have to throw it all out because raw it has the worst taste in the world. However, after being baked, they were totally fine.

• 3/4 cup pecans (3 ounces)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats (not instant or quick-cooking)
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, cut into 1/4-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• Vegetable-oil cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pecans in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until darkened and fragrant, 10 to 13 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Into a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder.
2. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter and both sugars until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
3. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture, beating until just incorporated. Beat in oats, chocolate, pecans, and coconut until just combined. (Dough can be covered with plastic and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
4. Coat baking sheets with cooking spray; line with parchment, and spray parchment. Using a 1 1/2-inch ice-cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto prepared sheets, about 3 inches apart.
5. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until edges of cookies begin to brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks to cool 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored up to 3 days at room temperature in airtight containers

Sweet Potato Spoonbread with Goat Cheese

From Witchin in the Kitchen via Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Cooking.

I made this in a cast iron pan. They are not kidding about the butter.

sweet potato spoon bread
adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking

3 medium-large red-fleshed sweet potatoes or yams
1/3 cup unsalted butter (yes, really. don’t skimp.)
4 large shallots or 2 small onions, sliced into thin rounds
6 ounces goat cheese
¾ cup flour
1 t. salt, pinch of pepper
1 cup boiling water
3 large eggs
apple butter or grated parmesan, if desired

1. Preheat the oven to 350.  Butter a 2-quart casserole dish.

2. Prick each sweet potato with a fork a few times, then wrap in foil.  Prick the foiled potatoes, this time to allow steam to escape.  Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender.  Cool until they can be handled.  (You can do this first baking step ahead of time, even a couple days in advance, and just stick the baking potatoes in the fridge until you’re ready to use them.)  Use a big, wide spoon to scoop the flesh into a bowl.  Increase the oven temperature to 425.

3. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and add the shallots.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the shallots are golden and the butter has browned, about 10 minutes.

4. Whisk or blend the goat cheese with a fork until fluffy and light; you may need to add 1 or 2 T of water if the cheese is on the dry side.  In a large bowl, combine the flour, s&p.  Add a splash of the boiling water to the flour mixture and stir to make a paste.  Continue adding the water a bit at a time until it is all incorporated, and don’t worry if the batter is a bit lumpy.  Add 3 cups of the sweet potatoes and blend with a hand mixer.  Stir in the sauteed shallots and all of the butter in the pan, then stir in the eggs one at a time.

5. Put two-thirds of the sweet potato mixture in the prepared casserole dish and top with dollops of the whipped goat cheese.  Finish with dollops of the remaining sweet potato mixture.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the goat cheese begins to color and the potatoes have set.  Top with a scoop of apple butter or freshly shaved parmesan.