I am cooking Easter dinner for 17 1/2 . . .

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Picnic ham on the boned. Boiled & then baked (not done yet)
Strip loin roasts with Chili Coffee Rub x2 (one will be medium rare, one well :rolleyes:)
A mess of Atomic Buffalo Turds (thanks to the poster above)
Leaf salad/pasta salad/hash browns (not shown - all coming from someone else)

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Hummous with pita
Brie & cheddar plate (not shown)
Tapinade (from someone else)
Costco rolls (they are great when fresh)
Apple pie (I made it yesterday & cooked it this morning)
Banana bread (I made 3 days ago & froze it until this morning)
Trifle (from someone else)

I thought I should take pictures before they arrive because I will be drunk & disorderly later. ;)

Ian

dang! that is gonna be some feed!

Took pics, but really not worth reporting in on... Made Meat lovers Pizza Pasta Bake. Elbow macaroni (because local store does not carry pinwheel pasta) mixed with mozzarella cheese and then smothered with homemade marinara sauce, pepperoni, Italian sausage, hamburger and Canadian bacon. Then covered with a thick layer of mozzarella cheese, baked at 350degs for about 20mins. Came out yummy...

only an 8 hour drive Ian, can you save a bit for me? :D

And so it was. The ham was juicy & succulent (as always - easy to make & cheap @ $13.48). The beef had great flavor. I thin-sliced it - which is the trick to 'tender' steak from a not-so-tender cut. The ABT's were wiped out & everybody wants the recipe. And I had compliments on the banana bread as "the best ever' & a request for my apple pie filling recipe. I would rate it a success. ;)

And the extended family got along without any disputes - after weeks of disputes in the run up.

Ian

It's gone. My SIL & BIL were even fighting over who would get the to take the ham bone home.

Ian

Todays 8.5 lb pork shoulder (aka a fresh picnic) for pulled pork. Did a nice rub, made up a basting liquid of cider vinegar, sugar, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. Put the shoulder and the liquid in the roasting pan, and cooked covered at 300 deg, for 4.5 hours, basted every hour.

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It fell apart taking it out of the pan. Here it is prior to final shredding.

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Used a nice Carolina type vinegar based sauce on the meat. Man...pork fat heaven. And lots of leftovers. I see pulled pork sammiches in my future.:D

Awesome ham action!

And, on a much less inspiring note, I have to cook a Chinese dinner for vegetarians this week.

Easter dinner for two
 

Ribeye Steaks
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Dave, Where an you buy pork shoulders?

That looks fantastic.

We bought ours at ShopRite. You might find them sold as Whole Fresh Picnics. Ours was a Smithfield, and it was fantastic. So tender and fall apart good, I just pulled the bones out with two fingers. I can't wait to try one on my smoker.

I'm getting a ham tomorrow. Dave, looks amazing, what did you rub it down with?

Day after Easter tradition for the kids....

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smoked pork shoulder and shrimp, tonight:

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Shaun,
Rub:
2 T kosher salt
2 T brown sugar
2 T ground cumin
2 T chili powder
1 T cayenne
1/4 cup sweet paprika

Basting liquid:
1 cup cider vinegar
1 t sugar
1 t crushed red pepper
1/4 t black pepper
1/2 t salt
Bring this to a boil, and remove from heat. Pour in bottom of roasting pan, add meat, cook covered at 300 deg for 4.5 hrs, and baste every hour.

We found a really good store bought Carolina sauce, Guy Fieri's Carolina #6. Add it to the meat after you've pulled it apart. It works perfectly with the flavor of the meat, and makes a very authentic Carolina Barbecue, from a Yankee's viewpoint. YMMV.

Since I traveled this week & I will be in Vegas for 6 days starting Saturday, I defaulted to some comfort food tonight.

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Chicken Stick: boneless chicken wrapped in bacon & skewered. Batter. Deep fry.

I know that I have posted these before, but their goodness ;) and my family's enthusiasm for them, makes them truly notable.

Served with white rice. Sprinkle the sticks liberally with Kikkoman soy. Although, some like 'em plain with salt too.

Ian

As an aside . . . my stepson took 3 chicken stick (always singular btw) to work for lunch a while back. Everybody in the BMO lunchroom was seriously jealous as he munched on them.

Ian

Chicken stick - yummy.

My kids like chicken strips, sautéed and carmelized in white sugar.

Anyway, had some people over on Tuesday.

This is various dried mushrooms, soaked then drained and cooked in the wok with some stock, rice wine, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, ginger. Snap peas sautéed in honey. Tofu simmered in stock.

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This is a fish of some sort, perch maybe? Scored, marinated in sake, rice vinegar, ginger. Deep fried in the wok. Covered with mushrooms and tofu.

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Vittelo al limone. With oven roast potatoes.

Dirt simple to make & always as good as most restaurants. The quality of the veal is the only difference.

Ian

Sometimes really simple works and hits the spot.

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