Ken Cooks blog

Cooking Thoughts and Insights

Author: Kenneth Wright

  • Brown Sugar and Balsamic Crock-pot Pork Tenderloin

    This week, I made Brown Sugar and Balsamic Pork Tenderloin in the crockpot with Steakhouse style garlic mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli and it was fantastic. It is a pretty simple and easy meal to make.

    To get started the first step is to brown the tenderloin. The recipe from Pinterest says to put it in the broiler of the oven but I prefer to use my Dutch oven and before I got my Dutch oven I just did it in a skillet. Once you have browned the tenderloin on all sides you rub it good with a mix of minced garlic and select spices, pour a half cup of water into your crock-pot, and place the tenderloin in the crock-pot on low for seven to eight hours.

    About one hour before the tenderloin is done cooking it is time to make the glaze. In a small sauce pan you mix brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, water, cornstarch, and soy sauce. Place the pan over medium heat and once it heats up, stir continuously for four minutes or until the glaze reaches the desired thickness. Over the last hour of cooking, you brush the tenderloin with the glaze. Again, here the recipe says to do this three times, but I do it at least five times and whatever glaze that is left you put out on the side for anyone who might like more added after it has been served.

    The recipe for this dish, and the Steakhouse Style Garlic Mashed Potatoes can be easily found on the Ken Cooks page of my website, www.ken_wright_enterprises.com.  I hope that you enjoy my blogs and are trying these dishes. Leave me a comment or email at kenneth@ken_wright_enterprises.com and let me know what you think.

  • Lasagna

    Lasagna

    Today on Ken Cooks, I made one of my wife’s favorite dishes. Yes, she does a happy dance when I make Lasagna. The absolute best thing I can tell you about Lasagna recipes is that you never want a recipe that tells you to use pre-made sauce from a jar. Always make your own sauce, you will thank me for that piece of advice.

    My Lasagna begins with one-pound hamburger, one-pound Italian sausage, onion, and garlic. I cook these together in my Dutch oven until nicely browned. The recipe calls for sweet Italian sausage, but you can use whatever fits your taste, I use mild.

    I then add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and water followed by seasonings. Sugar, parsley, basil (I always use fresh herbs when possible.), salt, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and black pepper. This makes the best meat sauce. Let simmer, covered for one and a half hours, stirring occasionally.

    While the sauce is simmering, you can prepare your ricotta cheese mix and boil your noodles. In a separate bowl you mix your ricotta cheese with parsley and salt and boil your noodles according to package directions for al dente. Once the noodles are done, I like to coat them with olive oil and lay them out on a baking sheet to prevent sticking.

    Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and then you are ready to start layering. In a nine by thirteen baking dish, you begin with spreading two cups of meat sauce and covering them with five to six noodles overlapped. Follow with half the ricotta mix and one third of the mozzarella cheese slices (I always add extra mozzarella slices and some shredded.) Two more cups meat sauce on top of that followed by one quarter cup shredded Parmesan atop that (again, I add extra cause we like it cheesy.) Repeat the layers and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.

    Cover the dish with aluminum foil making sure it doesn’t touch the cheeses and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 25 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly. Let rest for fifteen minutes and serve. Delicious.

    If you would like the exact recipe, you can find it on the Ken Cooks page of my website: www.ken-wright-enterprises.com

  • Shout out to Yoder Meats

    This week on my blog I have decided to give a shoutout to Yoder Meats. This is where I prefer to buy the majority of my meats from as well as other cooking and baking needs. Yoder Meats has five locations. Three in Wichita, Ks, one in Yoder, Ks, and a new location in Lawrence, Ks. Even though I live in Wichita, I tend to do most of my business at the Yoder location. The young ladies who work there always wear a smile and are extremely helpful and courteous.

    All of their beef, pork, and sheep are locally raised, grain-fed, all natural, antibiotic free, with no added hormones or growth stimulants. Their pork is outstanding and locally raised and they have a variety of poultry products as well as exotic meat choices such as Buffalo, Elk, and Lamb.

    You can also find a variety of delicious baked goods, deli meats and cheeses, and grocery items such as spices, jellies, jams, syrups, bakery supplies, and gluten free products. They even have products for the pets that you love to spoil. (My wife and I love their cottage bacon, it makes excellent bacon, egg, and cheese sandwiches).

    You can purchase meats in single units in the store, or you can order from their bulk packages menu. I like to order bulk packages when I can and stock my freezer with a variety of meats for planning various meals. It always saves money to buy in bulk. You can also buy in whole, half, or quarters, which would fill the freezer fast.

    They also offer services such as custom processing. You can bring your own animals: cows, pigs, sheep, goats, deer etc. and they will process and pack the meat to your specifications.

    Yoder Meats is a quality operation, and I am happy to promote them on my page. Here is their contact information at the Yoder location and their website, I recommend you try them.

    YODER MEATS

    3509 E. Switzer Rd.
    Yoder, KS 67585
    Phone:     620-465-3807
    Email:     yoderretail@yodermeatsks.com
    10 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Saturda    y

    https://yodermeatsks.com

  • Fresh Baked Bread

    One of the best smelling aromas from my kitchen is fresh baked bread. I like a variety of breads such as, Cinnamon Swirl, Italian Crusty, White, Wheat, Sweet Molasses Brown, Garlic Rosemary, and Italian Herb and Cheese to name a few.

    Today, I am going to talk about Italian Herb and Cheese. Very Delicious and not difficult to make. The recipe can be found on my Ken Cooks web page by going to the Gallery and clicking, not on the picture but on the name.

    As with all bread, it starts with making the dough, placing it in a covered bowl to rise for about an hour till doubled in size. While the dough is rising, in a separate bowl you combine all the cheeses, fresh herbs, and garlic ( I always try to use fresh herbs whenever possible and mince the garlic fresh from cloves).

    Once the dough has risen, you punch it down to release any trapped air that may have accumulated then roll it out on a floured surface to a rectangle about twelve by eighteen inches. Sprinkle your prepared cheese and herb mix evenly over the entire surface and then from the long edge roll tightly until you have formed an 18-inch log. Now use a sharp knife and cut the log in half lengthwise.

    Here is the part that’s a little tricky. Take the two halves and turn them so that the filling is facing outward away from each other and then cross the two strips over each other to form a long twist, coil into a circle and transfer to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and let rest for about 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees and then bake for 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown.

    This bread is unbelievably delicious. I guarantee you will love it. It is one of the absolute best breads that I make, and I get a lot of requests for it. Bread is always fun and delicious to make. However, keep in mind that if you do not have a stand mixer you have to mix by hand, and it requires a little bit of effort. I always mix by hand because that is how my grandmother taught me, she always said, “that’s the love that you put into it.”

  • Soup in a Pretzel Bread Bowl

    Today on Ken Cooks I have made a delicious dish of Cheesy Kielbasa Potato Soup in a Pretzel Bread Bowl. It is an excellent meal for a chilly day and would be much loved by your family and friends. The pretzel bowl may look hard to make but it is easier than you would think. It starts with an easy to make dough (even easier if you have a stand mixer but I mix by hand), then you let the dough rise for 45 minutes. After it has risen you divide it into four equal parts, then form them into balls, pinching the seam together on the bottom to make a seal. On a baking sheet with parchment paper, you let them rise another 30 minutes. Next, you brush them with egg wash, sprinkle them with coarse kosher salt, and slice an X in the top. Bake them at 450 degrees for 20 minutes until the tops are a golden brown. You can use any soup you like; you don’t have to use Cheesy Kielbasa Potato soup. However, if you wish to use the same soup, you can find the recipe for both the soup and the bread bowl on my Ken Cooks page of my website.