Reminiscent of a pasta salad, this spring recipe coats rotini and colorful vegetables with a basil-flecked balsamic vinaigrette.

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked rotini (corkscrew pasta)
• Cooking spray
• 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup (1-inch) slices asparagus
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken and asparagus to pan; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and garlic to pan; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta, basil, vinegar, and oil. Arrange 2 cups pasta mixture on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tablespoon cheese.

Recipe and photo from: www.MyRecipes.com

Crockpot BBQ Beer Pulled Pork Tacos with Crispy Onion Straws and Mango Salsa are fresh and full of flavor! With just minutes of prep time, this recipe is an ideal weeknight dinner!

YIELD: SERVES 4-6
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 8 HOURS
TOTAL TIME: 8.5 HOURS

Ingredients:

• 1 (3.5-pound) pork shoulder roast (mine was bone-in)
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 12 ounces of beer
• 32 ounces of barbecue sauce + additional for drizzling
• 12 small flour or corn tortillas
• 4-6 ounces freshly grated cheddar cheese
• 1 batch of crispy onion straws

Mango Salsa

• 1 mango, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 red onion, finely diced
• 1/2 jalapeño, finely diced
• 1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
• the juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

Optional but yields the best result: heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add about 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Sear the pork on every side (about 2-3 minutes per side) until golden brown before adding to the crockpot.

Add pork to crockpot with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add beer and 24 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred pork with forks or kitchen tongs and add remaining barbecue sauce. Toss pork to coat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before serving to absorb everything. Remove bone (if bone-in) before serving.

I made the mango salsa about 2 hours before serving and the crispy onion straws about 1 hour before. To assemble tacos, place pork in the center of the tortilla and top with a drizzle of barbecue sauce if desired. Add on cheddar, then onion straws and then a big spoonful of mango salsa. Eat up!

Mango Salsa

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and toss well to mix. Can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days, is best when sits for a few hours so the flavors marry.

Recipe and photos from: www.HowSweetEats.com

St. Patrick’s Day is known for its green beer and Corned Beef and Cabbage but we decided to share another Irish classic, Irish Stew. Most households in Ireland will have their own version of this Irish staple but this particular version comes from “The Julia Child of Ireland”, Darina Allen, Ireland’s most famous chef and her Ballymaloe Irish Stew will become an instant favorite! Sláinte!

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 8 medium or 12 baby carrots
• 8 medium or 12 baby onions
• 8 -12 potatoes, or more if you like
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1½-1¾ pints stock (lamb stock if possible) or water
• 1 sprig of thyme
• 1 tablesp. roux, optional – see recipe

 Garnish:

• 1 tablesp. freshly chopped parsley
• 1 tablesp. freshly chopped chives

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/regulo 4.

2. Cut the chops in half and trim off some of the excess fat. Set aside. Render down the fat on a gentle heat in a heavy pan (discard the rendered down pieces).

3. Peel the onions and scrape or thinly peel the carrots (if they are young you could leave some of the green stalk on the onion and carrot). Cut the carrots into large chunks, or if they are small leave them whole. If the onions are large, cut them into quarters through the root, if they are small they are best left whole.

4. Toss the meat in the hot fat on the pan until it is slightly brown. Transfer the meat into a casserole, then quickly toss the onions and carrots in the fat. Build the meat, carrots and onions up in layers in the casserole, carefully season each layer with freshly ground pepper and salt. De-glaze the pan with lamb stock and pour into the casserole. Peel the potatoes and lay them on top of the casserole, so they will steam while the stew cooks. Season the potatoes. Add a sprig of thyme, bring to the boil on top of the stove, cover with a butter wrapper or paper lid and the lid of the saucepan. Transfer to a moderate oven or allow to simmer on top of the stove until the stew is cooked, 1-1½ hours approx, depending on whether the stew is being made with lamb or hogget.

5. When the stew is cooked, pour off the cooking liquid, de-grease and reheat in another saucepan. Slightly thicken by whisking in a little roux if you like. Check seasoning, then add chopped parsley and chives. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Bring the stew back up to boiling point and serve from the pot or in a large pottery dish.

Roux (Optional)

• 4 ozs (110g) butter
• 4 ozs (110g) flour

Melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally. Use as required. Roux can be stored in a cool place and used as required or it can be made up on the spot if preferred. It will keep at least a fortnight in a refrigerator.

Irish Stew with Pearl Barley

1. Add 1-2 tablespoons pearl barley with the vegetables.
2. Increase the stock to 2 pints (1.2L) as the pearl barley soaks up lots of liquid.

Recipe from www.CookingIsFun.ie
Photo from www.Telegraph.co.uk

In honor of National Pancake Day, this recipe for Spiced Dark Craft Beer Pancakes has hints of cinnamon, orange peel, and beer to give these pancakes a little extra spice and depth.

Ingredients

• 1 cup sifted all purpose flour
• ¼ granulated sugar
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup dark beer
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp orange peel

Directions

In a large bowl, combine all dry ingredients and spices.

Add all wet ingredients and whisk, a few lumps are ok.

Heat skillet or griddle on medium, and coat with butter pan spray.

Add batter in ¼ cups and wait for bubbles to form, flip and cook until golden brown.

Serve with some additional orange peel, butter and pure maple syrup.

Recipe and photo from: www.CraftBeer.com

Besides Gorgonzola, this tasty butter is enhanced with shallot, tarragon and Worcestershire sauce; it adds great flavor to any steak, including this seared flat-iron that’s cut from the chuck.

Total Time: 40 Minutes
Servings: 4 to 6

Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1/4 pound Gorgonzola Dolce, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped tarragon
• Dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• Two 1- to 1 1/4-pound beef flat iron steaks
• Canola oil, for brushing

Directions:

In a small bowl, blend the butter with the Gorgonzola cheese, minced shallot, chopped tarragon and Worcestershire sauce. Season the blue cheese butter with salt and pepper.

Light a grill or preheat a grill pan. Brush the flat iron steaks with canola oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the steaks over high heat until they are lightly charred on the bottoms, about 4 minutes. Turn the steaks, brush with 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese butter and grill until medium-rare, 3 to 4 minutes more. Let the grilled steaks rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Thinly slice the steaks across the grain and serve with the remaining blue cheese butter on the side.

Make Ahead The blue cheese butter can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Let return to room temperature before serving.

Suggested Pairing

Fruit-forward Malbec (from the steak-loving country of Argentina) is terrific with beef.

Recipe and photo from: www.FoodandWine.com

A unique twist on a comfort food favorite, this recipe takes a classic grilled cheese recipe and kicks up into high gear!

YIELD: SERVES 2 APPROPRIATELY, 1 OBNOXIOUSLY
TOTAL TIME: 45 MINUTES

Ingredients:

Meatballs

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/3 cup romano cheese
• 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Sandwiches

• 2 tablespoons softened butter for spreading
• 4 slices seedy whole grain bread (or your favorite bread)
• 4 ounces fontina cheese, freshly grated
• 2 ounces provolone cheese, freshly grated

Directions:

To make the meatballs, combine the beef, cheese, bread crumbs, garlic, basil, parsley, pepper flakes, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Mix until just combined (don’t overmix!) and them form meatballs that are a little less than 1-inch in diameter. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the meatballs and cook until they are browned on all sides (don’t worry about them being cooked through yet), about 5 minutes total.

Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the diced tomatoes, butter, another pinch of salt and pepper and stir. Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes. Now, do what you want with your meatballs! Like make grilled cheese.

To make the grilled cheese, spread the outsides of the bread with a 1/2 tablespoon of softened butter. Heat a skillet or griddle over medium heat. Add some grated fontina to the bottom slice of bread, cover it with a few meatballs (I sliced mine in half), add a bit more fontina and another bread slice. Cook the sandwich until the cheese is melted and the bread is golden and toasty. Serve immediately!

Recipe and photo from: www.HowSweetEats.com