Fall is for Football

This is the kind of food I want to have bubbling away in the oven making my kitchen smell of divine porkiness while I am preparing to entertain a group of friends waiting for my beloved Buckeyes to take the field.
(whew...  how's THAT for a run-on sentence?!)

For most people, this is summer food... For me however,  I equate having my oven going for over 4 hours with cooler temperatures and for me, cooler temps automatically mean football.

I'm sure this seems absurd to most of you.  Everyone else in the blogosphere is making pumpkin this and cinnamon that and here I am making pulled pork.  Well, I'm sure someone somewhere understands my particular brand of crazy...  it's called football people and it's not just football, it's my Ohio State Buckeyes. 

If you are from the Midwest or the South where meetings are rescheduled and Saturday afternoons are off limits "on account of there's football", then I needn't explain any further. 
To the rest of you who can't quite conceive of this, it's irrational.  Those of us that love football with the fervor of a sale-seeking Jersey Housewife with a platinum card understand what it's all about.

This is one of those great "do ahead" meals that you can cook the night before and then put in a crock pot to stay warm for game day!  I will admit, I ate this for 3 days in a row.  It was that good.  One thing concerns me though,  the amount I consumed and that old saying "you are what you eat"...  oink oink.

Oh yeah,  I'll try to get to that pumpkin-cinnamon thing soon...

Pulled Pork

5 lbs boneless pork shoulder, cleaned
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 large onion, quartered
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp black peppercorns
2 cups orange juice
4 cups water
1/4 cup canola oil
2 + cups of your favorite BBQ sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat.  Season pork with salt & pepper.
Sear pork on all sides.

Add onion, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, orange juice and water.  Cover and place in oven for 4 hours.   Check liquid level after 2 hours and add an extra cup of water if needed.

After 4 hours, remove pork from oven and let it sit for 10 - 15 minutes, then place in a large bowl or on a platter.   With two forks, pull the meat apart until all of it is shredded.  While warm, add BBQ sauce and mix well to completely coat pork with sauce.
Pile onto your favorite roll or hamburger bun, sit back and watch some football...


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17th of May

These days my neighborhood is primarily Italian,  but rewind a couple of decades and you'd see a very different picture.  A few blocks over from where I live now used to be Scandinavian, specifically Norwegian.   The streets used to be lined with Norwegian bakeries, stores, restaurants, etc. but unfortunately the majority of these have disappeared.  However, all is not lost...  every year there is a 17th of May parade, which is a national holiday in Norway marking the signing of their constitution and the best part (besides the food) are the people dressed in traditional clothing showing off their Norwegian pride.

photos courtesy of Keith Alexander

Norwegian food is very subtle and delicate in its flavors and I have been lucky enough to have been exposed to some of its more delicious offerings.

One of my favorite things are Norwegian sandwiches,  it may sound simple and not too exciting but they are delicious!  There are classic sandwiches that all Norwegians are familiar with, but the combinations are virtually endless so it gives you a chance to get your creative juices flowing if you feel like changing it up a bit.

To make Norwegian sandwiches:

You'll need very thin sandwich bread, like the one pictured above, the first step in EVERY sandwich is spreading a thin layer of butter on the bread.   See,  we're off to a great start already!

Next, you choose your toppings.  Norwegian sandwiches are open-faced,  so presentation counts.

Here are a few of my personal fav's:    1. Gjetost (Norwegian cheese), this cheese is almost sweet and caramelly.  I know it sounds like an odd description for cheese, but it is unbelievable.
2. Liverwurst and Sweet Relish
3. Hard-Boiled Egg and Dill
4. Roast Beef and Jarlsberg
5. Ham and Mayo with Dill

the perfect light supper

These meatballs are absolutely superb!

Norsk Meatballs

1/2 lb ground chuck

1/2 lb ground pork

1/4 lb ground veal

1" slice of bread

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup finely chopped onions

3 TB chopped parsley

1/4 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

pinch of allspice

salt & pepper

-Soak bread in water for 5 minutes.  Mix well with rest of ingredients and shape into balls.  Fry in butter (with a little oil).  Add 2 cups beef stock (or broth) and simmer 15-20 minutes.

-recipe courtesy of Elsa Berg

Although I am not Norwegian (however the Vikings did land in my father's country...so who knows) it is fun to partake in the neighborhood festivities and enjoy the celebration.

Happy Syttende Mai!