Peppercorn Tenderloins With Whipped Mustard Butter

This is a re-post from February 14, 2011. Goes to show good recipes never grow old. Tim and I will be making this for the kids tonight.

We don’t sell tenderloins individually, so make sure to include them in your beef package order.

Happy Saint Valentine’s Day!! A day of love, romance and sweet hearts.

While others might go for spendy crowded restaurants, Tim and I usually stay in and cook for ourselves. We have found that we can do it much better than most restaurants (at least the ones we can afford). And not having to spend at least $50 on a babysitter is also a bonus!

Our favorite recipe is from Cooking Club of America. We have been making this for so long that the link on their website is no longer available.

image from painlesscooking.com

Peppercorn Tenderloin with Whipped Mustard Butter

1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, divided
1 tablespoon cracked black peppercorns*
1 tablespoon cracked white peppercorns*
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
4 beef tenderloin steaks (1 1/2 inches thick) (Zweber Farms of course)
2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1. In small bowl, stir together butter, mustard, honey, lemon peel and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt until smoothly blended and of whipped consistency. Let stand at room temperature.

2. Heat oven to 425°F. In another small bowl, stir together black peppercorns, white peppercorns, crushed red pepper and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Brush steaks with oil; sprinkle with peppercorn mixture, pressing evenly onto both sides.

3. Heat large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add steaks; cook 4 minutes. Turn steaks; place skillet in oven. Bake 7 minutes for medium-rare or until of desired doneness. Serve steaks topped with mustard butter.

TIP *Purchase cracked peppercorns in the spice section. Or, to crack your own, place whole peppercorns in heavy-duty resealable plastic bag; seal bag. Pound with flat side of meat mallet until coarsely crushed.

Once you have tenderloins this good, you will never order tenderloin at a restaurant again. Pair this meal with a Caesar salad, pan fried asparagus, crunchy French bread and a glass of Cannon River Winery Gunflint Red.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

Emily

Creamy Chicken and Tomato Soup Recipe

Oye, has it really been 10 days since I last blogged? Terrible! I am even participating in a “31 Days to a Better Blog” series.  Not a star student… Good news is that I have a super simple and tasty recipe that you can have on the table in 30 minutes or less. Like most of my recipes, this one takes ideas from about 3-4 other recipes. I played with it a bit and I hope I remember all the ingredients I added.

Cream Chicken and Tomato Soup Recipe

• 3 cups cooked Roasted Zweber Farms Chicken, chopped
• 2 tbsp Organic Valley butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilis
• 1 tbsp sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup Organic Valley heavy cream or whole milk
• cilantro and Organic Valley sour cream for garnish

Melt butter in large dutch oven and sauté the onion and chicken for 5 minutes, until onion is tender.

Add the chicken broth and tomatoes. Bring the soup to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the sugar, salt and pepper. Swirl in the cream.

Serve with a spoon full of sour cream and chopped cilantro.

This was super simple. While the soup was simmering, I whipped up a batch of miniature corn bread muffins. The muffins only took 15 minutes to bake, so everything was done at the same time. Creamy chicken and tomato soup and corn bread in less than 30 minutes. Got to love that.

Hop on over to Hunk of Meat Monday to see what others have on their plates this week.

Enjoy! Make sure to “Pin” this on Pinterest to share with your friends.

Pin It

Southern BBQ Pork Chop Recipe-CrockPot Recipe

Here is a real simple BBQ pork chop recipe that you can either cook up in the crock-pot or in the oven. I included all the prices of the ingredients I used to show how eating organic can be affordable. This recipe is so simple, I put it together with a baby attached to my hip and two fighting preschoolers in the background. Go Go Gadget MOM!

Ingredients:

• 6-bone in Zweber Farms pork chops (about $7.00)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced (organic $.33)
• 1/4 vinegar (I used malt vinegar, but you can use any kind of white) ($.66)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon honey (organic $.37)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ($.13)
• 1/2 cup ketchup (organic $.38)
• 1 teaspoon pepper (organic $.88)
• Dash of cayenne pepper (organic $.50)

Mix all ingredients together. To make in the crock pot pour sauce over pork chops and cook on low for 6-8 hours. To make in oven: oven to 350, place pork chops in a 11×15 sheet pan , pour sauce over chops and bake for 30-45 minutes.

I paired this meal with organic long grain white rice ($.50/serving), organic mixed veggies ($1.88/serving) and of course a glass of Organic Valley milk ($.50/serving).  Total cost was: $4.50 per serving.

This meal was super simple, super yummy and super inexpensive. Now that is Affordable organics!

Enjoy!

Emily

Christmas Ham Recipe – Hunk of Meat Monday

click for source

Ham on Christmas has always been a tradition of ours. Everyone comes back to the farm for Christmas. And by everyone, I mean EVERYONE. Aunts, uncles, cousins, children of cousins all come; about 50 plus people gather to celebrate. Hams are a fuss free and delicious way to feed a large (or smaller) group. If you ordered a smoked ham from Zweber Farms, it is already cooked and you could eat it cold. If you would like to reheat it before you serve, visit the USDA website for details. USDA Ham and Food Safety

Here is a great video from eHowfood. The video shows how to prep the a ham for cooking, shows a simple glaze recipe and how to carve a ham.

Our family wishes you and your family a Merry Christmas.

The boys goofing around in front of tree

The Zwebers

Roasted Chicken with Balsamic Vinaigrette-Hunk of Meat Monday

I just love Giada De Laurentiis from the Food Network. I think her and I could be best friends. We are both Italian, we have kids the same age and both love to cook. The only difference is she had a TV show and published cookbooks. Ohh well 😉

Two weeks ago I made an amazing, but simple recipe from her Everyday Italian cookbook.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• Chicken, cut into 6 pieces (I used Zweber Farms of course)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Whisk the first six ingredients together

Pour over chicken pieces. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roast the chicken uncovered until cooked through, about 45 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a serving platter. Carefully pour the cooking liquid into a small, heavy saucepan and spoon off the excess oil from atop the cooking liquid. Boil until the liquid reduces by about half and thickens slightly, about 8 minutes.

Pour the sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle parsley and lemon zest over the chicken and serve.

This was fabulous!! Serve with mixed greens salad, brown rice and a cold glass of Organic Valley milk.

Enjoy!

Christmas Morning Egg Bake Recipe-Hunk of Meat Monday

The hens are on a roll! They are laying about three dozen eggs daily. There is no way we can eat that many each day, so we need you to help us out.

With the holiday season in full swing there is no shortage of recipes that call for eggs. Eggnog, cookies, breads and more are perfect ways to use Zweber Farms eggs. Our eggs are typically large, brown and have extra deep colored yolks. Stop in and pick some up today. They sell for $3.00 per dozen.

My mom’s egg bake recipe is my favorite egg recipe and a holiday favorite. She would prepare it Christmas Eve. No matter how early we got up Christmas morning, she always seemed to beat us and have the egg bake already baking in the oven. The smells of this egg bake always brings back warm memories for me. Make this recipe this holiday season and have a warm, hearty breakfast waiting for your family.

click for photo source

Holiday Morning Egg Bake

• 9 Zweber Farms eggs beaten
• 7 or 8 slices of bread, take off crusts and break up
• 1 cup grated Organic Valley cheddar
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 lb Zweber Farms pork sausage, browned
• 2 cups Organic Valley milk
• 1-2 cups chopped veggies or mushrooms of choice

1. Mix all the ingredients and bake in buttered 9 x13 pan for 1 hour at 350 degrees.

If you do all the prep work the night before, all you need to do is put it in the oven, slice up some fruit and pour the coffee (or tea in my case). Easy, healthy recipe that is perfect for those cozy snowy days or early Christmas mornings.

Check out what others are cooking up this week at:

Enjoy!

Emily

Pin It

Pork Chops with Apple Cider Glaze-Hunk Of Meat Monday

All of our pork customers have picked up their orders except for a few outliners like Katie at PinkePost and Val at Wag’nTales. We will not fault them, they do win the prize for the farthest Zweber Farms customers. So we know you have your freezers full of tasty pork chops. If you are new to the Zweber Farms meat, you might be uncertain about cooking chops with the bone in. Here is a great simple recipe I made up today to start you off.

Pork Chops with Apple Cider Glaze

• 4 bone-in Zweber Farms pork chops
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil.

Mix apple cider, brown sugar and mustard into a small sauce pan. Bring to boil and reduce to 1/2 cup.

Heat oil in large fry pan. Salt and pepper both sides of chops. Brown chops on both sides.

Place chops on baking sheet (okay, I made six chops instead of four). Pour about a tablespoon of glaze over each chop. Save some glaze for finish. Bake for about 8-10 minutes in oven. The pork should be lightly pink inside.

I served the pork chops with cranberries, brown rice, romaine lettuce salad and tall glass of cold Organic Valley milk.

See more Hunk Of Meat Monday recipes here:

Emily

Baked Pork Chops with Apples Recipe-Hunk of Meat Monday

I am a sucker for old cookbooks. To me they are like treasure chests waiting to be opened. My Grandma Baregi, knows I have this love and will pick up cookbooks for me from residents in her senior community. These are the best, because only the best cookbooks stay with you that long (the rest you have re-gifted long ago).

This past week I pulled one of these gems off my bookshelf and flipped through the pages for inspiration. I spotted a recipe for baked pork chops that I must share with you. I also had a few leftover apples picked at my parents’ farm. My parents were generous enough to give me a huge bushel basket full.

Baked Pork Chops from The Cook’s Color Treasury 

• 4 Pork Chops (I used Zweber Farms of course)
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 lb tart apples
• 2 tbsp butter (I used Organic Valley Salted Butter)
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (I used about 1 tsp dried rosemary from our garden)
• 1/2 broth (I used my homemade broth)
• Salt and pepper

1. Preheat the over 400 degrees
2. Season chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a flameproof casserole and brown the chops for two minutes on each side.
3. Peel, core and slice apples. Arrange in casserole around the chops and dot with the butter.
4. Sprinkle with rosemary, add broth and cover casserole. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, removing lid for last 10 minutes of cooking time.

This was a great recipe that didn’t take too much thought or pre-planning. I paired with brown rice and a glass of Organic Valley milk.

Enjoy other Hunk of Meat Monday recipes this week here:

Emily

Easy Vegetable and Pork Soup-Hunk of Meat Monday

I think I can say for certain that the 80 degree days of the beginning of the month will no longer be. We are officially done grazing. With the lack of rain (over 2 months) and cold temps, the cows are now eating the food we work hard all summer to put up. More on that in a later post.

Here is a another yummy soup recipe to keep you warm on these crisp autumn days. If you need pork, please contact the farm ASAP. Last I checked we only had about 6 slots left.

Vegetable and Pork Soup

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons Organic Valley butter
• 1/4 of a large red onion minced
• 3/4 cup celery, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, sliced
• 3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1-2 cups cooked pork roast
• 3 cups chicken broth (see my super simple recipe)
• 3 cups milk
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Melt butter in soup pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until tender.
2. Add celery and carrots and cook about 10 minutes until slightly tender
3. Add potatoes, pork and chicken broth. Bring to boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes (or until potatoes are tender)
4. Add milk and oregano and bring slowly to boil. Don’t boil milk too fast or it will curdle.
5. Mix water and corn starch and add to soup. Stir for a few minutes until the soup thickens slightly.
6. Taste and then add salt and pepper to taste.

This recipe was super easy and I let the boys do all the dumping of ingredients into the pot and all the stirring. I served the soup with homemade wheat bread and a tall glass of Organic Valley milk.

See more Hunk of Meat Monday recipes at:

Enjoy!

Emily

Easy Chicken Stock makes Healthy Soups

What an autumn we have had so far. I wish this weather could last until December 20th, but sadly I know the bitter cold will blast in soon. Now is the time to start making soup. All great soup recipes start with delicious stock.

If you are cooking up a Zweber Farms whole chicken, chances are it took you a good while from freezer to table. First you had to thaw the chicken over night, then you had to prepare the chicken and recipe ingredients. Lastly, you had to cook it, which took anywhere from 30-90 minutes. After all the work, why waste most of the chicken by throwing the bones into the trash?

Solution: Make chicken stock.

Making chicken stock takes a little time, but it is really easy.

1. First take the leftover bones, back and neck and place in a cheese cloth.
2. Add: 2 sliced carrots, 2-3 sliced celery sticks, 1 sliced onion, 1 sprig herbs of choice (I use rosemary or thyme), and pepper to taste to the cloth.  (don’t go overboard on the pepper, you will always add more in your recipes)
3. Tie the cloth with a string.
4. Cover the cloth with water in the large stock pot.
5. Bring to boil and simmer for 4 hours
6. Bring back to rapid boil and boil for 30 minutes or until the water has reduce by half.
7. Dump out the contents of the cloth in the trash. Wash the cloth and save for another use.
8. Pour stock into glass jars and freeze.

Some stock recipes say to skim off the fat as it is simmering. I don’t, because the fat will rise to the top of the jars and act as a protective barrier to bacteria. You can just scoop off the fat when you are ready to use. You may have noticed that I don’t use any salt. You will add the salt when you make your recipes. The stock will last for several months in the freezer or a about a week in the refrigerator.

Use your homemade stock when you are making rice, couscous, soup and more.

Emily