Batman V Superman: Do we have to choose?

Warner Bros

Just in time for the movie release, what you have all been waiting on, my thoughts on the movie Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice.   If you have been living under a rock, or like me, you never get to go to the movies and watch very little TV when it isn't baseball season (What?) here is the trailer: 

I am going to start off explaining that I don't really have a favorite between Batman and Superman.  I was really more of a Batgirl and Wonder Woman kind of kid.  I want to see this movie but there are a few questions I have before I go in.  

*First, do we have to choose before we see the movie?  Are there Batman sections of the theaters and Superman sections?  Does everyone get a button so others can ID you as a Bat or Super fan?  

*Why do Batman and Superman need to fight?   Who's sick idea was it to say, "you know, we have two really loved super heroes.   There have been dozens of TV shows and movies about these super heroes.   What we really need to complete these guys is to make them fight each other! A battle to the death!!!    More than that, make people choose sides.   You won't even worry about the dark and light side of the force because when good battles good, our very existence comes into question.  Yes make them fight and maybe one of them will become the hero of all heroes!"   I like peace people.  I like my heroes being friends!  

*Did Batman and Superman actually run out of bad guys?   I can't come up with any other reason why they would need to fight.  I am assuming that ISIS butt has been kicked in the world of Gotham and Metropolis.  If not, these heroes are really wasting valuable time on each other when they could be taking down actual evil. 

*Is Robin involved?  What about Lois and Jimmy?  Speaking of which, why is Bruce Wayne single?  He has had a number of lady friends over the course of a handful of movies but he never seems to stick with any of them.   

*Why doesn't Batman ever listen to Alfred?  I think by now, we all realize that Alfred is the voice of reason in Bruce Wayne's very screwy world.   I mean, the man speaks and the audience listens.  First of all, whatever Alfred is warning the bat about now, it is most certainly foreshadowing the future.  Second, who doesn't love poor old Alfred?   He is like everyone's grandpa.  (Sorry Pawpaw, you are everyone's grandpa now, I guess, but Alfred was first.)

*Isn't it time that Superman got a better costume?   Look, I know, I know, some things are classics but next to the super tech vision of man that is the Dark Knight, Superman in his PJ's just kind of doesn't match up.  No matter how hot superman is or how buff.   

*Speaking of costumes, looking at the promotional photos of Superman and Batman, are you kidding me with those bodies?   If either of these guys had thighs that size or chests, they wouldn't fit into any of those cloths that Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne run around in the rest of the time.   Do they take puny pills for daily life?

I am assuming that the "Dawn of Justice" portion of the title is the Justice League, which may or may not be reinforced by the theatrical preview where Wonder Woman shows up.   I am also assuming that there is more to this than a "Mine is bigger than yours" contest between Batman and Superman and that eventually they work things out,  do lunch, talk shop, Batman gives Superman some fashion advise, they kick Lex Luther, The Joker, and whomever else comes around, in the bottom,  and spend weekends fishing and hunting and at baseball, basketball and football games.   That Gotham City vs Metropolis game is going to be a killer tailgate Brah!   In other words, I am assuming this is a movie about how Batman and Superman become BFF's and that they both live.   If not, this is going to really suck.  Superheroes can't die.   Besides, I am really ready for Aquaman to show up.  I mean, a guy who can talk to the fish is way more sexy than a guy in a bat suit or pj's.  

Thanks for reading and sharing.  

Enjoy the Ride!

Laura 

Hoosier Roots: Gluten Free Pork Tenderloin Sandwich

Full Disclosure, I know, I know, this is my 2nd food blog this week.   So here is what happened, my husband loves pork so a couple of months ago I started making Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches for him and O.  Funny thing is that O isn't really a big pork fan in spite of the fact that her father has spent a lot of time with her hunting wild hogs on our land. I swear sometimes, this kid is so much like me, I can't believe I didn't give birth to her.     (Don't hate me because of the hunting.  Trust me these creatures are incredibly destructive and you don't want to meet one alone, without protection!).  

Oddly, growing up my grandfather raised pigs and I wasn't a big fan of anything pork either, outside of bacon and sausage and come on, with the amount of fat in those things, who wouldn't love them. 

Alas, I am from Indiana originally and the unofficial, or maybe it is official, food of Indiana is Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches.  These things are magic. Go to any county fair in Indiana and you will find these things.  When I go home, I am forever trying to fit all the family visits in with my quest to get my Hoosier family to take me to the best Pork Tenderloin sandwich place they know.  These things are so freaking good!  Not a bit healthy but amazing. How they have managed to keep them from going global is beyond me.  My husband and kid both completely fell in love with them the minute I started making them.  Even more, they accused me of holding out on them because in the 2 plus years we have been together, I never thought to make them before. 

Now the original food is not gluten free.  In order to pull this off gluten free, I had to do some modifications but apparently from the text I received this morning from hubs who was eating a leftover sandwich for lunch, I hit the nail on the head:

 "Good gracious honey, that sandwich is so good!  Thank you very much."  

Alright, so let me start by telling you a few things about this sandwich.  Traditionally, you put pickles and mayo on the sandwich and pretty much that is it.   I prefer them traditional style.  Hubs, on the other hand, leaves off the mayo.   O likes to make these into Chick-fil-a type sandwiches by adding my homemade Chick-fil-a style sauce.   She calls them fake CFA sandwiches.  Truthfully, you can add just about anything you want to this sandwich. Tomato and lettuce would be good starters.  Some folks add onion and cheese.   I prefer the simpler version because the tenderloin is the star.  Also, you have to understand, the meat is suppose to hang way off the side of the bun.  The bun is basically something to hold on to while you enjoy your amazing pork tenderloin.  When you get them at the fair, the meat will easily be between 2 and 3 times the size of the bun. 

If you want to keep these gluten free you will need to add your favorite gluten free hamburger buns.  You can also serve these with gravy if you don't want a sandwich, again a gluten free gravy if you are living a GF life.  

For those of you that aren't living a GF life, you can use regular flour and Panko bread crumbs instead of the Rice and Almond flour in the recipe.   

One last warning:  I don't use a recipe when I make this sandwich.  I like to think that I am an intuitive cook.  I use the same ingredients each time and about halfway through I end up having to make some extra flour mixture up or add more egg/milk wash to get by.   I also don't have any idea how big the meat is most of the time so I did my best to provide you with a reasonable estimate but really, this recipe is easy and you kind of just add stuff together, dip, and fry so if you run out of coating, don't panic, just throw some ingredients in a bowl and keep going.   I promise you about the only thing you can do to really ruin this is to add too much salt.  

Recipe:

2 pounds center cut pork loin.  (I have also made these with thick cut boneless pork chops)

2-3 eggs 

1/4 cup milk

1 Tablespoon Season Salt.  

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 1/4 cup rice flour

1 1/4 cup almond flour

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning or Parsley Flakes

Fresh ground pepper to taste 

Vegetable Oil for frying (I didn't say this was healthy or low fat, just GF and yummy!) 

Instructions:

Heating:

Somewhere between preparing the pork and breading them, start to heat about 1/4 inch oil in a large skillet.   I admit I eyeball this and don't measure because the size pan will make a difference on the amount of oil.   Also, if you have a chicken fryer, that is the perfect size pan for these large pieces of meat. 

Pork:

Cut the pork loin into about 3/4 inch wide pieces.  Now here is the fun part.  Get your kitchen mallet out and start beating that pork.   I call mine "The husband beater".  Whatever works. 

Pound them thin.  The thinner the better. If your meat is tough you may have to use the tenderizer side a little first to break down the meat but the goal is to use the flat side and just thin this puppy out.   Don't worry if you pound a few so thin they fall apart.   These make amazing dippers with your favorite dipping sauce).   They should be about 1/4 inch thick or thinner if possible,  when you are done.   Remember, the meat is suppose to hang off the sides of the bun, a lot.   Don't worry if they are too big for your rolls.  That's how it is suppose to work.

Crust:

Mix together Season Salt, Garlic Powder, Parmesan Cheese, Rice Flour, Almond Flour, Italian Seasoning, and pepper.   Set in a bowl.  

Egg Wash:

Beat together eggs and milk to make a wash. 

Putting it together:  

(Now is the time to get that oil heating over medium-high heat)

Get a flat bowl to put the egg wash in and paper plates for the flour mixture and the coated pork.  Throw some flour mix on the plate and start assembling.  First dip your thinly beaten meat in the flour then the egg wash and back in the flour.   Coat each side liberally and place on a paper plate until your oil is hot enough to fry.  When you have 2-3 coated you are ready to start frying.   Place the pork in the hot oil and cook until the first side is golden brown.  Flip and repeat the cooking.  When the entire thing is golden brown remove from oil and start over until all the pork is cooked.   I usually get about 4-5 breaded before I start cooking.  This way I can complete the breading on anything left while the first 2-3 are cooking.  

Cleaning and serving:

Once all your pork is done, obviously you are going to turn off the oil and set aside to cool.  Also, now is a really good time to clean up the flour you probably got all over your counters, if you are anything like me. :)  My husband refuses to help me clean the kitchen whenever I make fried chicken or pork tenderloin sandwiches because the flour concoction ends up coating any flat surface in the area.  Seriously, one day my black and tan dachshund had a layer of flour dust all over her when she was sitting in the kitchen while I cook.  I am like some mad scientist in the kitchen.  

Place your Pork on the bun with your toppings of choice.  These go great with a pickle on the side and some chips or you can add a healthy veggie side to feel better about eating a fried pork sandwich. I serve them with potatoes because I am a farm girl at heart and meat and potatoes are what I was raised on.  However, if in season, you couldn't go wrong with an ear of fresh picked corn.

Alright folks, that is me, sharing one of the traditional foods of the great state of Indiana.   I hope you enjoy and as always, thank you for reading and sharing this blog.  

XO

Laura   

Fake Chick-Fil-A sauce:
I almost forgot, if you want to make a chick-fil-a style sauce at home just throw together equal parts Mayo, BBQ sauce, and Mustard.   (Add a little more Mayo if it is too spicy).   That's the big secret.  I know, I  know.  REALLY?

Living in the country: 10 things that make living in the country special

Our Land in East Texas

 I only moved to the country in September 2014.   To say I wasn't exactly prepared, well, that would be the truth.  You see, while our land in East Texas is most definitely in the middle of nowhere.

Beautiful sky

 An admittedly rustic and beautiful, nowhere.

Our chickens in our backyard

More chickens in our back

Our actual home is only in the middle of nowhere in principle.  We live about 5 miles from the center of one of the most amazing suburb in Dallas.   You wouldn't really consider this the country if you drove there.  It is, however, still rural in ways I wasn't prepared for or considering. 

So, here is what you need to know about living in the country:

*Internet options suck:

This is one of the things I struggle with on a daily basis.  AT&T in it's infinite wisdom, doesn't provide service in our area.  We are therefore, stuck with crappy service from a satellite provider.  Here is the thing about the service, it is charged by the gigabyte.   Now remember, I have a 12 year old who is, as most are, addicted to the internet.   During spring break, she went through our entire months supply of service in 2 days.   To say it is horrible beyond belief is an understatement.

*Septic Tanks:

In the country, they make like it is 1935 and all the homes are on septic tanks.  Basically, once every few years, you have to call a sceptic company out to pump your...well poo.   Seriously, this is a disgusting job if ever there was one.  I have no idea where they take all the stuff but yuck!   Also, you can't put certain things down the drain because it causes problems.  You know, things like certain paper products, any kind of drippings from the meat you cooked like hamburger grease, oh and pretty much we never really use our garbage disposal even though we have one. 

*Wild Animals:

It isn't unusual to find tracks from bobcats or hear a coyote's song after dark.  One of our neighbor's chickens was actually lost to a coyote last spring.  Now to be fair, these animals will make their way into the city as well.  Arlington, where the Rangers play, has a bobcat problem and you sometimes see them walking down the city streets but that is usually near a large city park.   Here, you could lose your dogs, cats, or whatever else you raise in a matter of seconds to a hungry animal.  I promise you if you live any where near a water supply, there are wild hogs around.  When I lived in Lewisville my then Fiance, now husband  and I would walk through the city park and he would point out the pig rubs on the trees.   As a hunter, he is tuned into that stuff.  I use to see bobcats running around and heard stories from my neighbor friend about the coyote that walked right down the road.   You have to believe me when I say, you may not know they are there, but they are however in the country you see them and hear them.  One night I started to let my dogs out and saw a coyote pacing up and down the back fence.  I think he was trying to figure out how to get to my coop.   Thankfully, he was scared off by me.   My neighbor told me his neighbor came over and told him "Your pigs are in my field and I would really appreciate it if you could come get them."   He said "I don't have any pigs".

*Farm Animals:

I won't lie, if you come to my house you will see my chickens roaming the front and backyard at any given time.   They are small and they stay in either our yard or our neighbor's.   They don't really mind because we give them eggs and the chickens eat their bugs.   What you don't really think about is large farm animals.   One Sunday while I was cleaning and hubs was watching a race sleeping, the sheriff department came to the door to let me know my goats were in the middle of the road.   Thing is, we don't have goats.  I directed him to the correct house and laughed.  Last week on the nextdoor app I got a message about donkeys in the road.  Three of them.  Someone lost their donkeys, no joke.  How exactly do you misplace something as big as goats and donkeys?


*Mailboxes:

I am pretty sure this is one of the little "charms" of living in the country that makes me crazy.   We live on a 2 lane Farm to Market road that is fairly busy because it is the main road through the small town we live in and out to the country beyond.  Our mailbox is constantly getting hit by drivers who can't keep on the road.  More than that, apparently kids think beating mailboxes is a ton of fun.  How bored do you have to be to decide to go out with a baseball bat and hit mailboxes as your zit faced friend drives down the road at stupid speeds?  We are about to replace our cheep box which we have replaced twice in 18 months with a heavy steel box that is suppose to hold up under baseball bats and side mirrors.   I know this sounds terrible but I would rather the mirror suffer the damage than my box.   I don't want anyone hurt and because our FM road is technically a state highway, I can't enclose it in concrete blocks anyway (oh that I could some days!).  I just want people to PAY ATTENTION!


*Camo:

Remember how I said that we live (technically in) just down the road from the town that usually makes the top 10 of best towns in America?  Well, if you go to the local gas station or Walmart, you would think you were in the middle of a hunting convention.  I have never seen so many people wearing so much camo outside of the Bass Pro Shop.  It is like the unofficial uniform of the country.

*Neighbors:

I lived in my last home for 16 years and it wasn't until the last 3 years that I met my neighbors.  I was in my current home about 3 days before people started introducing themselves.  I know both neighbors on either side of me and the minute I heard little voices coming from the trees of the home across the street, I grabbed my step kid and ran over to help her meet friends.  Our little community had a workday a few months ago when we picked up trash and where I met more neighbors.  Some that even own chickens!  People leave Christmas baskets on my porch and we leave eggs on people's porches.  

Gardens:

We have one and so do all our neighbors.   In my little house in "the city" there was no place to grow tomatoes much less a garden.   Here we have a flower garden and a vegetable garden and assuming the chickens actually allow something to grow, we will have fresh veggies.  We even planted a bunch of fruit trees last year and this year I planted vines for other fruit.   I will have to learn to can if this stuff actually ends up healthy. 

Small Town Mentality:

When I go to the grocery store in the small town next door, the people are so friendly you would think we were friends.   My hairdresser has a group of ladies who play bunco once a month so I go there and try to win the bunco lottery.  People are just friendly.  Friendly in a way that you don't get in a bigger place.  Plus, everyone knows everyone and you can't go anywhere without running into somebody.   Everytime we go to Walmart or the grocery we run into friends. I even run into them randomly at Khol's or when I was running around the downtown farmers market.  It is amazing.  The moral of that story is dress like you will run into someone because you probably will.

*Propane:

Much like the sceptic system, I wasn't prepared for my gas to come from a propane tank.  These things are big and ugly but in the winter or when you turn your stove on, you are really happy to have them.  Truth here, I didn't know anything about monitoring them and last winter we actually ran out of propane one Friday night.  Luckily, the propane company sent someone right out to refill the thing because it was actually a cold winter spell we were in the middle of and our home was about 20 degrees.  Moral of the story here is don't run out of propane. 

Having owned a home both in the country and in the city, I will take the country every time.   There is a peace that comes from being able to sit on you back deck and watch the animals play.  There is a comfort in knowing if you need something, you can walk next door or across the street.  There is a simplicity about living somewhere that you can raises and grow your own food.  Is it for everyone, probably not.   It is for me. 


Thanks for reading and sharing my blog.  
L

Taco Poppers

Normally, when I make jalapeno poppers I make something luscious that includes bacon and cream cheese.   In fact, the next time I make some, I will take photos and post the recipe.   This week however, I was stuck with a bunch of extra cooked ground beef that we would have had for dinner Thursday if we hadn't gotten a better offer with friends. 

If you haven't ever worked with fresh jalapeno peppers, the most important rule is, always wear gloves.  These things are torture and part of the reason half the time during football season, I resort to the premade freezer version, not nearly as good.  Last week I was talking with one of my husband's hunting buddies and he mentioned this amazing group of products..  I quickly ran to Amazon, found them, and ordered them.  (You can find the links to the products I used below).  These simple tools made my life so much easier.   You see, jalapenos emit an oil that gets on your skin and burns.  I am pretty allergic to it, in fact, I have  a hard time just breathing when I am working with these little suckers. 

This little cleaning tool came with the King Cooker.  I love this thing.  Think of it as a potato peeler for poppers.  It has a sharp edge that cleans out all those nasty little seeds quick.  It took me about three peppers to really get the hang of it and then it was on.  I started by cutting off the tops then cleaning out the peppers. Easy, peasy.

Next I created the stuffing.  In this case, I used the ground meat, cream cheese, sharp cheddar, onion flakes, and taco seasoning.  It was delicious and because I wasn't stuffing two halves of peppers, I had a ton left over so there was poppers twice this weekend.  My husband loved me so much this weekend.

The second item I ordered was this little popper stuffer.  It wasn't necessary but it was amazing.  I was able to push that cheese concoction all the way down without being covered in cream cheese goo.  

Finally, I decided instead of the Italian bread crumbs or tricked up almond flour (recent change due to me gluten sensitivity)  I used ground up corn chips.  This gave the poppers an amazing little corn taste that I loved!

Once I sprinkled them with the chips, I added some more sharp cheddar and they were ready for the oven.   I popped them in a 350 degree oven for about an hour.   We like our peppers soft.  Fair warning here, the smaller peppers will fall through the bottom of the cooker and they also tend to be much hotter.  The best bet when using this handy little holder is to choose peppers that are as straight as possible and medium-large in size.  Don't pick the really fat peppers, you can get them in the pan but they aren't as stable. 

Recipe:

Up to 34 jalapeno peppers, cleaned, top and seeds removed.
1 1/2 packages low fat cream cheese room temperature
1 cup sharp cheddar
1 cup cooked and cooled ground beef
Taco seasoning of your choice to taste (we buy in bulk and I used about 1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
Topping:
Cheddar cheese to garnish
Handful of crushed tortilla chips.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.   Clean, remove tops and seeds from all peppers.  Rinse in water and turn upside down on paper towels to drain.

In a bowl combine cooled ground beef, soft cream cheese, sharp cheddar, dried onions and taco seasoning.  Set aside. 
Grind the corn chips in your blender.

Pipe the cream cheese mixture into each pepper and place on your cooker wrack.  Once all peppers are filled, top with ground chips and extra cheddar. 
Place in 350 degree oven for about 1 hour or until peppers are soft.
Let cool for about 5 minutes and enjoy!

.Disclosure:

If you buy these from me I get my husband off my back for shopping so much at Amazon because I can tell him I got credit from you lovely people.  Not enough because I shop way too much but that really isn't the point, now is it?

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Thank you for reading and as always,
Enjoy the ride!

Laura