Classic Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 8 Slices (one 9-inch pie)

Prep Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 single crust pie shell for a 9-inch pie plate (see note)

Filling:

• 2 cups (425 g) or 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (see note)
• ½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (106 g) lightly packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ rounded teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 rounded teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cardamom
• Pinch of cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• ⅔ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup milk or half-and-half

Instructions 

• Roll out the pie crust (see this post for a step-by-step) and gently place it into a 9-inch pie plate, trimming and fluting the edges. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour (or up to a day or so).
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line the crust with foil and pour in dried beans or pie weights (I’ve even used wheat berries) until completely full. Bake the pie crust for 15 minutes. Gently remove the foil and weights (or beans) and bake another 10 minutes until the dough no longer looks raw on the bottom. Remove from the oven while preparing the filling.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves and vanilla until well-combined. Add the eggs, cream and milk and whisk until smooth (don’t overmix or the pie will have a tendency to crack).
• Place the pie shell on a baking sheet and pour the filling into the warm pie shell.
• Bake for 10 minutes, without removing the pie, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for 45-55 minutes longer until the pie is set and golden on top. If the crust starts to overbrown, cover it with foil strips or a pie shield partway through baking.
• Serve with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

Ingredients

• ▢ 700 g / 1.2 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs (5 to 6)
• ▢ 1 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup / 125 ml dry white wine (or broth or water)
• ▢ 25 g / 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ 2 large garlic cloves , minced
• ▢ Finely chopped parsley , optional

Instructions

• Sprinkle both sides of chicken with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place chicken in skillet smooth side down.
• Press down lightly with with spatula. Cook for 5 minutes until deep golden and crispy.
• Turn and press lightly with spatula. Cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and butter, cook for 1 minute until garlic is light golden and it smells amazing.
• Add wine, then turn up heat. Stir around the chicken to dissolve golden bits stuck on the skillet into the wine. Simmer rapidly for 1 1/2 minutes or until alcohol smell evaporates.
• Remove from heat. Serve chicken with sauce. 

Ingredients

Chicken

• 1.4 lb chicken thighs boneless skinless
• ½ teaspoon chili powder or more
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Peaches

• 2 yellow peaches medium size, thoroughly washed, cored, and sliced
• 3 tablespoons honey or more
• ½ lemon (half a lemon freshly squeezed or more)
• 2 tablespoons butter

Instructions 

How to cook chicken

• Season chicken thighs with chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Heat the same (now empty) cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the cast-iron skillet to heat through.
• Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes, without moving it. This allows the chicken to sear.
• Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer until it’s cooked through. Remove from heat.
• Remove chicken from skillet.

How to cook peaches

• To the same skillet, on medium heat, add sliced peaches and slightly cook them, without overcooking, – about 5 minutes.
• At the very end, add honey, lemon juice, and butter. Stir

Assembly

• Add back the cooked chicken nestled in between the peaches. Reheat briefly. Remove from heat.
• Top with fresh thyme.

3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. paprika
1 1/2 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder

Sauce
1 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce (I used Kikkoman Original with the blue label)
1/4 cup oyster sauce
2 tsp. ginger powder or fresh
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 Tbs. sesame seed oil
1/2 cup Go-Chu-Jang (Korean Hot & Sweet Sauce)–you can find this in the Asian section of most grocery stores. I used the brand B-B-Go)
Siracha Mayo
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4-1/3 cup Siracha hot sauce
3-4 lb. boneless pork roast (or chops)–you can slow cook the pork, or use pork chops and slice them thin and stir fry in the sauce
Stirfry (optional)
1 lb. baby carrots, julienned
3-4 stalks green onions, sliced
8 oz. white mushrooms, sliced
1/2 red onion, sliced
Pork Bowls
1 head green cabbage, sliced (or use iceberg lettuce)
3-4 cups cooked rice
16 oz. rice noodles, cooked and drained
Sesame seeds, garnish
Instructions
Place the pork roast into a slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper. Turn the slow cooker to high heat and cook for 4-5 hours, or until the pork shreds easily. Once the pork is cooked, drain all of the juices from the pork and remove any excess fat. Pour half of the sauce mixture over the cooked pork and then shred the meat and let it soak in the sauce while you continue to make the other ingredients.
Start the rice in a rice cooker and let cook.
Bring a medium sized pot with water and bring to a boil. Once the water is boiling, add the rice noodles to the water and stir. The noodles will cook in just 2-3 minutes, so continue to stir and then drain from the water once they are cooked and tender (don’t cook until mushy, just tender). Put the noodles in a bowl and add enough sauce to the noodles to moisten and keep them from sticking to each other. You can also add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to the noodles to keep them from sticking if you aren’t going to serve them right away.
For the stirfry, cut all of the vegetables into thin slices (if you’re using carrots, mushrooms, etc.). Set aside the cabbage (or lettuce) and green onions for garnish. Heat a suate pan to medium heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil or sesame oil the pan. Add the vegetables (minus the cabbage) and saute until they are tender.
To assemble the rice bowls, place a portion of cooked rice on the bottom of a bowl. Add some of the chopped cabbage (or lettuce) on top. Add a portion of the noodles and then the meat on top. Drizzle with extra sauce/marinade and a dollop of the Siracha Mayo. Garnish with sliced green onions and sesame seeds.
Extra cooked meat can be frozen for a later meal if you wish.

• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos
• 5 garlic cloves, not peeled
• 2 jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 2 Anaheim or poblano chiles, roasted and skins removed, optional*
• 1 bunch cilantro leaves, chopped
• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds pork shoulder (also called pork butt), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Olive oil
• 2 yellow onions
• 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano or 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• Pinch of ground cloves

• Remove papery husks from tomatillos and rinse well. Cut in half and place cut side down, along with 5 unpeeled garlic cloves, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place under a broiler for 5-7 minutes to lightly blacken the skin. Remove from oven, and let rest until cool enough to handle.
• Place tomatillos, skins included, into blender. Remove the now-roasted garlic cloves from their skins and add them to the blender. Add chopped jalapeño, other chiles (if using) and cilantro to the blender. Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped and mixed.
• Season pork cubes generously with salt and pepper. In a heavy-bottomed frying pan over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Working in batches, brown pork chunks well on all sides. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, lift pork out of pan and place in bowl; set aside.
• Pour off excess fat, anything beyond a tablespoon, and place onions and garlic in same frying pan and cook, stirring occasionally until limp, about 5 minutes. If your frying pan is large enough to cook the entire batch of chile verde, with the sauce and meat, then add the pork back to the pan. If not, get a large soup pot and add the onion mixture and the pork to it.
• Add oregano and tomatillo chile verde sauce to the pork and onions. Add chicken stock (enough to cover the meat). Add ground cloves and salt and pepper. (Not too much, as the chile verde will continue to cook down and concentrate a bit.)
• Bring to a boil and reduce to a slight simmer. Cook for 2-3 hours, uncovered, or until the pork is fork tender.
• Taste and adjust the seasonings. Serve with Spanish rice and warmed flour tortillas or freshly made corn tortillas.

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE CHILE VERDE

12 ounces tomatillos, husked and rinsed (about 6 tomatillos)
3 jalapenos, stems removed
2 large poblano peppers, stems removed
1 serrano pepper, stem removed
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon minced garlic

FOR THE PORK
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder, cut into bite sized chunks
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups water (or more depending on how thin or thick you want the sauce)
2 tablespoons lime juice (about the juice from a lime)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE CHILE VERDE
Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray or grease with oil. Place the tomatillos, jalapenos, poblanos and serrano peppers on the baking sheet and place under broiler. Broil on high for 10 minutes, turning the tomatillos and peppers over halfway through.
Remove the baking sheet from the broiler and cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Uncover and remove as much of the skin from the peppers and tomatillos as you can. At this point, you can also remove the seeds from any of the peppers if you don’t want it too spicy.
Add the broiled tomatillos, peppers, onions and garlic into a large blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
FOR THE PORK
Heat a large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add in the cooking oil and then the pork. Season generously with salt and pepper. Sear the meat on all sides until nicely browned.
Add the prepared chile verde and mix thoroughly, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon so you get all the brown bits. Cover, lower the heat to simmer and cook for 2 to 3 hours, until the pork is tender.
Add the water, lime juice and cilantro. Stir until combined. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary.

3 ¼ pounds (~1475g) pork shoulder meat (pork butt meat), cut into 2 – 2 1/4 inches cubes
200ml (~4/5 cup) unsalted chicken stock
Marinade

4 (13g) garlic cloves, crushed
1 (200g) medium onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon (2g) cumin seed, ground
1 teaspoon (2g) cinnamon powder or 1 cinnamon stick
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon (15ml) regular soy sauce
55ml juice from 1 fresh orange
Kosher salt
Ground black pepper
Optional

8 – 12 corn tortillas
Salsa (pico de gallo)
1 lime

Instructions
Prepare Pork Shoulder Meat: Remove rind and bone from the pork shoulder meat. Cut pork shoulder meat into cubes (~2 inches). Keep the excess fat.
Marinate Pork Shoulder Cubes:
Place pork shoulder cubes & fat into the Instant Pot’s inner pot. Season very generously with kosher salt and ground black pepper. Add 4 crushed garlic cloves, chopped onion, 1 tsp (2g) ground cumin, 1 tsp (2g) cinnamon powder, 2 bay leaves, 1 tbsp (15ml) regular soy sauce, and juice (55ml) from 1 orange to the inner pot. Mix well and let the meat marinate for 20 minutes.
Pressure Cook Pork Shoulder Cubes: Pour ~⅘ cup (200ml) unsalted chicken stock in the inner pot. Close lid and Pressure Cook at High Pressure for 30 minutes + 15 minutes Natural Release. Release the remaining pressure after 15 minutes and open the lid carefully.
Crisp Pork Shoulder Cubes: Transfer the pork shoulder cubes onto a baking tray. Now is a good time to take a bite and see if the pork cubes are salty enough. If the pork cubes are not salty enough, add more kosher salt into the cooking liquid. Taste & adjust accordingly.
Drizzle some of the cooking liquid on to each piece (The cooking liquid should be mostly fat. If not, mix ¼ cup (63ml) cooking liquid with 2 tbsp (30ml) of vegetable oil and drizzle over each piece of pork). The fat & oil will protect the meat from drying out and the surface will crisp faster.
Place pork shoulder cubes under a broiler or the top rack of a preheated 450°F toaster oven until the surface is crisped. Roughly 8 – 10 minutes. Flip the pork shoulder cubes, drizzle each piece with more cooking liquid and place in the oven again until the surface is crisped.
(Optional) Heat Corn Tortillas: If you are serving the Carnitas with corned tortillas, you can heat up the corn tortillas when the pork is browning in the oven.

Serve & Enjoy: Place piping hot Carnitas on top of the warmed corn tortillas with a spoonful of salsa (Pico De Gallo). Serve immediately!

INGREDIENTS
DRESSING:
3 tablespoons fresh lime or lemon juice (or a combination of both)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
Pinch black pepper (I use coarsely ground pepper)
SALAD:
2 cups chopped, cooked chicken (see note)
1 cup corn kernels, fresh (cooked) or frozen and thawed
2 medium/large ripe avocados, peeled and diced
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
OPTIONAL ADD-INS:
Halved cherry tomatoes
Cooked, crumbled bacon
Feta cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine all the dressing ingredients and mix well.
Add all the salad ingredients to a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to combine. Add optional add-ins if desired. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper, if needed.
Serve immediately.
NOTES
For the chicken: A rotisserie chicken works great as does marinated grilled chicken (this lemon garlic grilled chicken is my favorite and super delicious in this salad) or even canned, drained chicken, if that’s your thing. Here’s a really easy way to cook chicken on the stovetop for recipes like this.

INGREDIENTS
Juice of 1 lemon, approximately 3 tablespoons
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic, about 2 medium cloves
1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse, kosher salt)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 to 2 pounds chicken breasts (see note)
INSTRUCTIONS
Whisk together all the marinade ingredients.
Place chicken in a ziploc bag or shallow dish and pour the marinade over chicken, tossing to coat the chicken evenly with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours but up to 18 hours.
Preheat grill to medium- or medium-high (I use about 375 degrees on my pellet grill) and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until an instant read thermometer registers 165 degrees at the thickest part of the chicken. (The chicken can also be cooked in a skillet on the stove or broiled in the oven.)
NOTES
I like to use thin cut chicken breasts or chicken tenders (I find they absorb the flavor and marinade better). If I only have thicker chicken breasts, I cut them in half lengthwise (like a hamburger) to form thinner cutlets before marinading.