Clambake in a pot

1 kelbasa smoked sausage halved and diced in half moons
1 sweet onion, chopped
4 ribs of celery chopped
1 32 oz frozen bag of cubed hashbrowns
4 ears of fresh corn
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper
1 15oz. can of fire roasted diced tomoatoes
2 32oz. containers of chicken stock
2 tsp bay seasoning
2 lbs. fresh large shrimp, shelled and deveined
4 dozen little neck clams
zest of one lemon and then juice of the lemon
hot sauce to taste..your favorite
more salt and pepper to taste and 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley to garnish

Take a soup pan and 2 tbs. olive oil and heat to medium high heat..add the kelbasa..cook until browned about 3 to 4 minutes..add the celery, onion, bay leaf thyme and hashed browns..salt and pepper and cook 4 to 5 minutes until vegies look tender...add the fire roasted tomatoes and chicken stock...bring to a boil...toss the shrimp with the bay seasoning..put 6 english muffins split under the broiler...and on a chopping board take 2 cloves of garlic and some kosher salt and mince into a paste..add to 1/2 cup softened butter and chop up a couple of tbs of chives..mix....when the vegies start boiling add the shrimp and clams and cover...bring up to a boil for about 5 minutes....rmaking sure all clams have opened..if they don't open do not eat...right before serving add the zest of a lemon and the juice of a lemon...a few shots of hot sauce and 1/2 cup of freshly chopped italian parsley...tase and salt and pepper as you need it. Take out the english muffins and spread with the garlic chive butter...you can eat on the side or cut into fourths and add on top of our clambake stoup. Made it tonight for the kids and grandkids and they loved it...my grandaugher Zoey said grace...she said thank you for my Papa..my Papa will protect us from all the monsters and the bears..he has a big gun..and he will protect us and save the world...AMEN...her Mama said ...how about thank you for this food...and she said thank you....she is our little pistol....love her and love cooking for them...Love from the Redhead's kitchen

The Redhead's Pork Roast

1 4-5 lb pork roast...or be good with pork loin too

2 to 3 tablespoons Canola oil

Montreal steak seasoning
1 sweet yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup beef stock
1 sprig fresh rosemary
3-4 good squeezes chinese chili sauce ( less if you don't like a lot of heat) or whatever your favorite source of heat is...jalapenos, chiptoles, whatever...
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
On stove top..heat frying pan to medium high and add 2 tablespoons canola oil...
Roll your pork roast or loin in montreal steak seasoning...about 2 to 3 tablespoons...I rub it on all sides of the meat.. Place in hot pan and sear all sides

Meanwhile chop up one sweet onion and 4 cloves of garlic...After meat is seared, place the roast in your baking pan. I put mine in a Pampered chef stone baker. Add the onions and garlic to the drippings in the frying pan and cook until translucent..about 2 minutes... and then add the brown sugar and balsamic vinegar. Stir and add the stock, the rosemary, and the chili sauce. Let it simmer for 10 minutes until it starts to thicken....Pour over the roast in your baker, cover and cook for 2 hours at 350 degrees. When it is done..Place the roast on a serving plate and let sit for 5-7 minutes or so so it rests before you cut it. I served it with loaded mashed potatoes and green beans...I whisked 2 to 3 tablespoons of flour into 1/2 cup of beef stock and added it to the hot mixture in the baking pan and made a gravy...pulling out the rosemary sprig first...Drizzle sparingly though..this is very rich! I am so proud of this recipe...Enjoy!

With love from the Redhead's kitchen

Vietnamese Beef Soup

1 pound boneless top round or beef tip sirloin steak (I buy the already sliced very thin strips of steak) Place in freezer for 45 minutes to make it easier to slice
4-5 cups of beef stock (kitchen basics) is my favorite
2 tablespoons tamari (aged soy sauce)
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 cinnamon stick
4 ounces of rice noodles (rice sticks)
1/2 cup thinly sliced or julienned carrots
2 cups fresh bean sprouts
1 small red onion halved and then thinly sliced
1 seeded and chopped jalapeno
1-3 teaspoons chinese chili sauce (depending on how spicy you like your soup)
1/2 cup freshly chopped cilantro
1/2 cup freshly chopped basil leaves

In a soup pot, add your beef stock, soy sauce, ginger, and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 20-30 minutes. Your kitchen is going to smell sooooo good. In the meantime place your rice noodles in a bowl of warm water and let soak about 20 minutes. Take your beef out of the freezer and slice lengthwise in half and then into small strips. Drain noodles and add the carrots and noodles to the simmering soup, cooking 2 to 3 minutes until noodles are tender. Add beef and bean sprouts and cook 1 minute until beef is no longer pink. Remove from the heat and stir in the red onion, clilantro and basil leaves. To serve pick you up a big helping of the noodles and ladel the broth and vegies over them. If you don't like basil, cilantro or bean sprouts...you can leave out on a plate and the guests that do like them can add to their soup...Make sure you also have the chinese chili sauce for extra spice.

The first time I ate this soup was in Portland, Oregon. My neice Phoebe was telling me about it..she called it "hangover soup". So when I got home to Alaska I looked up several recipes, but this is my spin on it...one of my families favorite soups now...Enjoy! Love from the Redhead's kitchen

Spicy Pork Chops and Rosemary potatoes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1 - 3 pound boneless pork roast ( cut into 4 porkchops) approximately 2" thick for each chop

Dry rub:
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon garlic powder
Mix together. Rub on all sides of the pork chops evenly, make sure you don't miss the edges
Let rest 20 minutes

Take 4 cleaned russet potoatoes and cut into 1" chunks peelings on. Toss 2 tablespoons of canola oil and 2 teaspoons of kosher salt. Take two sprigs of fresh rosemary and take off the leaves and toss all together. Set aside

Heat a cast iron skillet to smoking hot and add two tablespoons of canola oil. Sear chops on all sides until crisp and brown...2-3 minutes each side. Add the potatoes to the cast iron skillet and finish off the chops on potatoes in the oven for 40 minutes.

While that is cooking make a sweet and sour sauce to top your chops.
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

Heat to boiling and then turn down and reduce until thick about 10-15 minutes. Zest a teaspoon of orange peel and add to sauce. Drizzle over chops when done. Very easy and only one pan to wash... Enjoy! Love from the Redhead's kitchen.

Polla alla Cacciatore

Another good recipe..easy, quick and so yummy!

3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 slices of bacon, diced in small cubes
3 to 4 cups of cubed boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 shallot, chopped small
4 cloves of garlic, chopped small
2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning..I use Pampered Chef Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup white wine...I used Pinot Grigo
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
2 cans drained, but not rinsed...Cannelini white beans ( a white kidney bean)
Fresh Basil
fresh parmaean raggiano grated

Preheat your stovetop to medium high heat...add your olive oil and the bacon..cook until crisp...drain off all of the grease except about a tablespoon. Season the diced chicken with the salt and pepper...add to the bacon and grease....cook 4 minutes or so turning the chicken and then add the shallot and garlic and the Italian seasoning...cook for another 3 to 4 minutes...add the white wine and scrape all the good meat bits off the bottom of the pan. Cook until reduced in half...then add the crushed tomatoes...stir and add the beans....cover the pan and simmer for 15 minutes until warmed through....at the end...add...4-6 torn fresh basil leaves to the pan....you can grate some fresh parmasean raggiano...if you like cheese, but you don't have to...you can serve this over your favorite rice or pasta but I love it by itself..the translation for this dish...Polla alla Cacciatore is Hunter's Chicken Stew... it is hearty and delicous ..Definitely have to serve with a hearty Italian bread to soak up the juices....
Love from the Redhead's Kitchen

Butternut Squash soup

1 3-4 lb. butter nut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 macintosh apples, peeled, seeded and cut into same size chunks
2 sweet onions, peeled and cut inot chunks
4 cloves of garlic, peeld and left whole

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Place the chunked vegies on a cookie sheet and drizzle 3 tbs olive oil. Generously salt and pepper. Bake for 45 minutes. On stovetop, place soup pan and add 2 to 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock. Add the vegies to your soup pan. With immersion blender, careful not to burn yourself blend until the consistency you want.

You can also put the vegies into a food processor and blend them this way before adding them to the chicken stock. Combine and if you feel it is too thick...add a little more chicken stock. Heat until cooked through. Add fresh grated nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste.

For a variation of this soup, you can omit the nutmeg and add 1/2 teaspoon curry powder to make a sweet and savory soup. Garnish this soup with scallions and toasted cashews. Love from the Redhead's kitchen

A T-Bone and Salad

Chris was feeling like a steak tonight and since he has such a hard time eating anymore...I made him one....

My secret to a good steak is to put your grill pan on medium high....let the pan heat up without any oil...Make sure your steak has been sitting out for a little while so you don't shock the cold steak

Then take your steak and drizzle a little olive oil on one side and lightly rub on Montreal Steak seasoning on one side....When the grill pan heats up, place the seasoned side down on the grill pan and set your timer for 8 minutes...don't touch it...season the side up with a drizzle of olive oil and a little more Montreal steak seasoning. When the timer goes off..turn it over and set the timer again for 6 minutes...this will make a delicious medium rare steak...Yum

I tossed some arulgula lettuce with pitted kalamato olives and sliced tomato and scallions....I made a vinagerett with 2 tbs. fresh lemon juice, 2 tbs. white wine vinegar and 1/3 cup olive oil and salt and pepper and tossed it....simple and fresh

Served with some crusty bread drizzled in olive oil....Enjoy

The Little Chef...

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

8 roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 red bell peppers, quartered and seeded
8 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
2 sweet onions, peeled and quartered
2 teapsoons fresh thyme
Place vegetables on a cookie sheet
Sprinkle 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil over vegetables and toss to coat evenly
Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes until they have a nice charred look
In a soup pot on medium heat, add 6 ounces tomato paste with 2 tablesoons of olive oil
Pour roasted vegetables in the soup pot and add 4 cups of vegetable stock and 2 cups of chicken stock. Turn up the heat and when it starts to boil, turn down to simmer for 20 minutes. In batches add to a blender or food processor ( careful not to splash and burn yourself ) You can also use an immersion blender carefully keeping the immersion blender down in the soup until you get the consistency you like. Take a bunch of fresh basil leaves and roll them up and cut into little ribbons. Garnish your bowls of soup with the basil. Serve with a crusty loaf of bread. Enjoy...Love from the Redhead's kitchen