Smothered Pork Chops a la Mike & Sarah

So the folks were in town this weekend. They had some things that needed to be done at the house and so between Mike and I we helped make that a bit easier for them. Help that we don't mind giving at all.

It's always fun to see Mike's folks. I always get a good laugh and have a great time.

So for dinner the other night Mike decided he wanted to make dinner rather than go out. That was fine, but then he remembered the roomie was sleeping. Well poo poopie doo. Then we found out around 5 that the roomie was awake and moving around. It was Mexican Monday and so she goes out on a double date gathering thing with friends and her boyfriend. Ok, sweet, we can now dominate the kitchen!

So Mike called his folks and let them know we could do dinner at the apartment now and then he and I rushed out to Walmart to collect ingredients and hurry back home to cook before the arrival at 6:30. (we left shortly after 5:00) So we have a list and are running through the store like we are on an episode of Bobby's Dinner Battle. Running to find the ingredients needed and figuring up a side dish and then having little time to make dinner in.

We finally figured out a side dish, we could do crostini (which have been done before - see here) but we changed it up and bought some Philadelphia dinner creations Italian herb flavored and then bought mini ciabatta breads and planned to cut them into quarters.

So we rush back home and begin prep work. Turning the oven broiler on and starting the veggie work. I pull out a pan and start arranging the peppers on them to place under the broiler. We bought the mini peppers rather than full bell peppers. They taste great too.

Then I began prepping the ciabatta bread, cutting the little squares into quarter triangles.

Drizzled with olive oil.

Then oiled the pan and popped under the broiler. However, I did burn the first set and had to start over with the other half of the bag. :( Oopsie!

While I was working on toasting my ciabatta bread triangles Mike seasoned the pork chops and seared them in the cast iron.

He then cut up the remaining mini yellow and red peppers, sliced up some onion, garlic, and popped open a small can of peas. After he seared the pork he took the meat out of the pan, placed on a plate and set aside while he sauteed up the onion and peppers. Then made a roux and added everything back into the pan and made gravy. Adding the peas last so not to mush them up any more. So we ended up with delicious and tender smothered pork chops (sadly I forgot to photograph my plate or even the pan! What kind of blogger are we? It was my job this time to take pictures, I failed. But I did get a picture of the finished crostini.

The folks liked it. Though Mike went a little crazy on the seasoning. He used Tony Chachare's Cajun seasoning, which in small doses is great. He seasoned the pork separately from the gravy and so combined it created quite a bite. More than planned but still delicious.

The recipes are simple.

Pork Chops - thin cut - boneless (however many you want to use, I think we had 6 or 8)
1/2 bag of mini peppers sliced and seeded
1 small onion
1 small can of peas
Cajun seasoning of choice
water or some stock to create gravy
and a roux to thicken which is just flour and oil or butter seared in a pan until desired darkness of roux (we usually do a blond roux - even though I prefer slurry's - corn starch and cold water).

-Season meat, sear on both sides in hot skillet.
-Set meat aside.
-Saute onion and peppers together and some chopped garlic
-Set veggies aside when just tender
-create blond roux, add some stock/water
-everybody back in the pan, add peas and cook until warm

Serve with delicious crostini and mashed potatoes.

We bought Betty Crocker Loaded Mashed for a side and it was pretty darn good.

For the crostini

1 small loaf French Baguette (the thin rod kind for bite size pieces)
2 Tbsp ish of extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup cream cheese creations by Philadelphia (Italian herb blend)
1/2 bag mini peppers

Roast peppers either on a gas stove top over the fire or under your oven broiler until the skin is charred. Place in zip lock bag or in a bowl covered with plastic to let the skin steam off.

Cut your bread and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and oil the top side of your bread with a drizzle of olive oil. Pop in the oven under the broiler until golden on each side, careful to watch them as they will burn FAST.

Once your bread is done pull out of the oven and take a garlic clove cut in half and rub on each toast (only on one side). Then top with cream cheese.

Now, get your peppers, the skin should just flake right off when rubbed gently. Slice up into strips and top your crostini.

And serve. These will go fast, they are delicious.

Mike and I have a lot of fun figuring out new things and new ways of doing things. He suggested using the ciabatta bread since the store didn't have a small baguette to use. Then we decided last minute to use the mini peppers rather than the big bell peppers just because. Also, initially Mike had suggested using cream cheese and just mixing it with Italian herbs. Well I went to get some and found that new recipe creations and was all over it.

Just get creative  how can you change a dish? Can you make it better? Can you change the flavor profile from Italian to Mexican, or just tweak to your taste? You can do just about anything with the right seasonings and a little thought. And don't be afraid to high five in Walmart, make life fun. :)


Also while at Walmart this week I found this. Gooey Butter Cake - in Kansas! That doesn't happen often if at all. It's by Paula Deen. Since we have this slight obsession with gooey butter cake I bought it to try it out.

The gooey part was good but I can't say the "yellow cake crust" was great. To me it was too salty. But on a scale of 1 to 10. I give it a 7 because when in a pinch and not feeling like making it, this would suffice. Just definitely is NOT St. Louis traditional. But not bad.

 Now go out and cook!

Time for a recap - where have we been!?

Ok, ok ok, yes we went a little MIA there. 

I can't say we have cooked or baked much, I have gotten into a rut lately of when I want to bake I stick to the norms. Right now norm means making beer bread. I am FINALLY getting through all the beer that was in my fridge that I knew full well I wouldn't be drinking. I've kind of lost my taste for drinking beer on a regular basis, I'm more sophisticated now - thanks to the wonderful Mike - now I drink Jack and diet Coke. (more expensive too). I blame you dear. ;)

So the weekend of Labor day I had made beer bread and was intending to take to Mike's house when I left. Well, it came out great, I almost over cooked it and burned it since I dropped by my local Hyvee and then ran into a friend, whom I cannot talk to for just 10 minutes, it's always about an hour or more with him. So then it dawns on me when I'm talking to him that "OH CRAP! I LEFT MY BREAD IN THE OVEN!" So then I rush home with thoughts of flames coming from my kitchen window. I arrive home to my sauna kitchen and find the bread perfectly baked! *PHEW* Heart attack averted.

So it was perfectly baked and when I let it sit for a few before cutting (I like to slice my bread then keep in my Tupperware to stay fresh so I can just grab a portioned slice and go) Well when I went to slice the bugger it just fell apart on me. That has NEVER happened.

In any event it still tasted good and Mike and the roomie thought it was delicious.

So that Sunday we decided to make a breakfast skillet. It was quite delicious. It was a quinoa veggie skillet with egg and bacon. Bacon is a must.

As much as I like to believe that you need to rinse the quinoa, unless you have a sieve or cheesecloth, it's a pain and will not be done next time. The veggies included: small sweet potato, green and red bell peppers (1/2 each), onion (1 small), garlic (1-2 cloves to taste). Then there was quinoa. A few strips of thick cut bacon for a topping and and egg cooked your favorite way. I prefer my eggs gooey and over easy so it can be sopped up with bread or just drench this skillet to a delicious goo :) Mike likes his over hard, basically a flat hard boiled egg. I have yet to perfect how to do that for him. I WILL do that, I WILL learn to over cook an egg ;) I jest, I don't mind, those eggs are great for sandwiches.

So you add quinoa to the veggies once the veggies are all cooked up (we forgot mushrooms and decided that white potatoes would have been better or even red). Then you have to add chicken stock/veggie stock or beef stock or water (your preference) to the mix and let the quinoa soak it all up. TOOK FOREVER! Well, seemed like it did due to us being hungry and ready and the smell of bacon floating around the kitchen while the bacon bits sat and mocked us from the counter.

The skillet was worth the wait, could have used some salt and pepper to taste and I had a hard time cooking eggs that morning. In the end regular potatoes would be better, won't forget the mushrooms next time and will use more bacon to top it off with. All in all, not bad. (recipe will be below)

So then when I returned home the next week, Tuesday, I felt like making bread, so I did. I made a no yeast bread. Which I was ultimately hoping would be like Mighty Melts bread, but alas, it is not. Still tasted decent and was tasty while it lasted.

I pulled this out of the oven, all excited because it doesn't take long and is super easy to make. It came out quite crusty and quite pointy. Was not fun to cut. Was quite difficult actually. I think this is due to the fact that they didn't have me put any egg wash or butter wash on the outside before baking and also the bake time was a bit long. I even pulled it out a little early. Next time I will egg wash the crust and then butter, like I did, after baking as well.

As you can see it requires buttering the crust after baking, to soften it. Yeah right, still hurt my hands to cut and the bottom crust - OH MY GOODNESS - was almost un-cuttable! I had to work at it. Tasted good though, especially hot out of the oven with some butter. YUM!!

It was really really really dense and tasted like a soft pretzel, more so than the pretzel bread recipe I made a while back. I think I may try turning this into pretzel bread instead next time I get the craving. Either way the recipe is a keeper, just need to tweak it.

Quinoa Breakfast Skillet

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped (will probably double this)

1 small sweet potato, chopped (will use regular potato – red or russet next time)

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1/2 green pepper, chopped

1 cup sliced mushrooms, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed (will not rinse, was a royal pain)

1 cup low-sodium vegetable or chicken stock (or water)

4 eggs, cooked your desired way

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Cook until fat is rendered and bacon is crispy, then remove bacon with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel to drain. Reduce heat to medium-low and add sweet potato, onions, peppers, mushrooms and garlic to the skillet, tossing to coat. Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring once or twice, until soft.

Add uncooked quinoa to vegetables and stir for 1-2 minutes, allowing it to lightly toast. Pour in stock or water and bring the mixture to a boil. Immediately reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for 15-ish minutes until quinoa is cooked through. While quinoa is cooking, prepare eggs as you'd desire. Once cooked, taste and season to your liking.

Serve quinoa in bowls topped with eggs and cooked bacon.

No-Yeast Bread

Makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

4 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 cup water

2 teaspoons vinegar (cider or white)

1 tablespoon butter or margarine

Directions:

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients and mix. Combine water and vinegar. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix.

Turn dough out onto floured surface and knead for two or three minutes (no need to overdo it). Shape into a round (about 1 1/2 to 2 inches high), then place on pan. Dip a sharp knife into flour and cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf.

Bake 40 minutes. Remove, and while hot, glaze with melted or softened butter. The butter glaze gives flavor as well as softens the crust.

Nutrition:

(depends on ingredients and brands you use, this is a rough estimation)

165 calories, 1 grams fat, 33 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein per serving. 

Yes, I included nutrition on the bread - why? Mike and I have been doing the "Insanity" workout. I am on my 4th week and he is on his 3rd. I personally can't say I see a difference but then again, that's me. I'm hoping for the best. I can, however, see a difference in Mike. He's looking great. So we are eating healthier (we still have our treats mind you), and exercising hard. I will definitely be ready for my 5k Rugged Maniac in October. 

So folks, that is what we have been up to, Mike cooked pork chops and black bean salsa Friday last weekend but we didn't take pictures. He was so kind to make dinner while I worked out and sweat my booty off. We then pretty much didn't cook after that and ate out, probably not practical. We will see what the weekend holds this weekend since we are off to St. Louis to visit his parents, the official official meeting of the parents. Should be interesting. Granted from what I have seen of his parents, they are a normal mom and dad. It's gonna be easy. We will share what we can from our St. Louis adventure, the local joints and local favorites. Time to get our foodie hats on. 

Go out and cook folks!

Fudge and Cookies and a few dinner things :)

So this weekend I have the weekend to myself and have been kind of lazy, took this week to use up some random ingredients to make some actual dinner for myself. (Yes I too can cook, not just bake). So having had onion left over, given cans of asparagus, artichoke hearts and mushrooms I threw a few things together and created a dinner with it.

Found out that red onions WILL stain your hands temporarily. Oh well, just looked like I took a hammer to my hand. Haha, but the onion tasted good in my noodle pan stir fry thingy.

 My dinner consisted of ground turkey *80/20

Whole grain pasta - rotini

Artichoke hearts, red onion, sprouts and canned asparagus.

For a sauce I used the KC Masterpiece Honey Teriyaki sauce - quite delicious as a sauce not just a marinade.

I ended up with this while it was in the pan. Mmmmm delicious.

I then added the sauce on top as a garnish. Mmmmmm. Can I just say this was a stroke of genius? Delicious canned foods turned into a delicious and wonderfully simple dinner. If you're watching your sodium look for low sodium canned goods. I also used frozen ground turkey. My local grocer was having a hell of a deal on ground turkey and ground chicken. Of course today I go to the store and for 59 cents a lb I got two GIGANTIC chicken leg quarters (3.33 lbs) for $2. WOO SALES!!!

So mid week I decided to try this super simple fudge recipe I found. I didn't use white sugar like it said to since I was running low. I used brown instead.

The brown sugar peanut butter fudge tasted good but had a slight burnt after taste. So I made more last night and used white sugar, added some oats and topped with crushed graham crackers. And of course I forget to take a picture and give it away before I remembered for the blog :(

The fudge made with the white sugar tasted WAY better, less burnt and the add ins worked marvelously. Now if only I had had some cashews or peanuts (a suggestion from Mike) to add some crunch then drizzle with some chocolate. Mmmm, now we are talking.

This fudge recipe is soooo easy and simple that you can even help a kid make this. I would say about 8-10. You could even double the recipe to spread out in a 9x11 pan and cut out fun shapes once cooled (I place in freezer after cooking up to cool faster.)

Super Easy Fudge:

Ingredients:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk (I used skim - use whatever you have on hand)
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup peanut butter
** add in whatever you like that would go with PB - cashews, peanuts, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, oats, Oreo bits - use your imagination.

Directions:
Boil milk and sugar, once boiling boil for 2.5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, vanilla and any add ins you like.

Let set or place in freezer to set a bit faster. (I let mine sit for about an hour in the freezer before thinking about cutting.

YUM! See, easy and all ingredients on hand.

So today I spent the first half of the day in bed. I have my reasons, so around 1pm I decided it was time to get up and actually do a few things. I needed to run to the store so I could have pizza for lunch, which became dinner. I also actually shopped for food for more than just a day - that's unusual for me.

So I came home, unloaded groceries, cleaned the kitchen and then checked out knives on eBay that Mike told me I needed to see. Bid on a good chefs knife too :)

So then I made pizza. Turkey, mozzarella, Parmesan, onion, mushrooms, and red bell pepper. As you can see, fresh and oh so yum looking. Makes your mouth water doesn't it? (I did not make the crust, had that in the freezer - didn't feel like making crust.)

Pre baking

Post baking, and pre eating

 I enjoyed this pizza thoroughly. It was about 254 calories per 1/8th of a 12 inch pizza. Not too shabby.


So after that I got bored again and decided that to ward off cramps I would bake and feel less lazy that way.

I can only do so much lazy before I get antsy.

So off to the kitchen sauna to make "The End All for Chocolate Cookie Recipes."

I was curious about the name and wondered if it was as great as it was advertised. So off I went. I didn't have shortening - and also did not feel like going and getting shortening - honestly I hate working with the stuff and would rather use butter. I used oil and hoped for the best. Probably should have used butter but oh well.

Mixing dough

Flower shapes cut out and ready to bake

So after sweating my little tushie off in the kitchen just heating up the oven and cutting out flower shaped cookies I decided that peanut butter frosting would be best with a chocolate cookie. I mean, come on, peanut butter and chocolate just go together like bread and butter.

Peanut butter frosting before sugar is added\

Mixed peanut butter frosting

Frosted cookies

I must say I was having issues with my peanut butter frosting. Too thick and too oily I think. Probably could have left out the butter and just made with peanut butter and a little milk. Oh well, it's almost able to be rolled out and cut to be layed on the cookie, I think I'll do that with the remaining frosting and cookies. I had to stop after these four cookies because I was melting away in my kitchen.

The cookies have a fudgey brownie consistency in the dough. The cookie itself is the perfect texture but I find the chocolate flavor to be a bit chalky. Not a bad cookie but it will need a sweet frosting to accompany it. I think I'll try the vanilla cookies next time.

So this is what I do with alone time haha, I should get the girls together tomorrow but I"m in no mood for company really. Having me time is a good thing too. Though I will be ready for human contact again come Monday.

Enjoy your weekend guys - cheers!