Pork Heart (Crooked Gap) Tacos (braised) (Sort of using this as a guide)
So I cut the hearts into chunks, like some of the hints about using hearts in cooking. Most of the valves were already removed, so I didn't have to prep them to much before they went in to the braising pot with the sauce I made and the extra liquid.
So I checked it from time to time, and perhaps I didn't add enough liquid, because near the end I had to add a bit more to get it to finish in the time frame.
It had a good taste, but a bit of a chew, and in talking with Brett at the Cheese Shop (well known user of offal), he said it is generally a good idea to dice it small or grind it because it is generally better that way. So you live and learn, luckily, heart is cheap.
That all being said, I liked it, Joseph liked it, and Shannon, though not being the biggest fan (because of the texture), still ate it. So a general success, but I'll have to work more on this to make it more generally acceptable. On the positive side, heart tends to be high in iron, which I have a problem with iron uptake, but on the other hand is also high in cholesterol, which I also have a problem with.
Pork (Crooked Gap) and Goat Cheese Burgers with Roasted Red Pepper Relish (Based on the lamb version) (I have a plan for the ground lamb I have and want to know I have enough)
So these just turned into pork burgers with bacon and chevre. Pretty Good, maybe I'll come back around to this when I have some spare ground lamb.
Sausage and Egg Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce (p78 Fine Cooking December 2013 / January 2014) (simplified)
So I used tomatillo salsa to skip a bunch of steps and make it more reasonable timeframe to do. But here's the thing, even with that and starting late, it took a long time to do. So that day I went to and from Story City Meat Locker (with Joseph), which took about an hour and forty minutes (makes sense, 49 miles each way), then I took a trip to a coffee shop downtown, to pick up eggs and that took me over 2 hours (3.9 miles each way). Shannon got stuck in a gigantic traffic jam and it took her 2 hours and 20 minutes to get home on a normal 17 minute drive. So even though she didn't get home until around 9:30 PM and I started late, she still had to wait for dinner.
That being said, this was still just ok. Maybe because I didn't follow the directions fully or not, but I wouldn't do it again for that amount of effort.
Chicken Banh Mi (RC Cook's Country December 2013 / January 2014)
Quick, simple and good (totally going to make this again).
Skillet Sausage and Mushroom Pasta (RC Cook's Country December 2013 / January 2014)
Also quick simple and good.
Rustic Chorizo, Tomato and Spinach Soup (RC Cook's Country December 2013 / January 2014)
While I didn't use spanish chorizo, I did uses a relatively locally made chorizo (gotten from Big Boy Meats in CR), even doing that it was a pretty good soup. Nice and warm on a chilly day (after the cold snap, even zero degrees feel warm).
