Egg Roll in a Bowl

This is my new favorite dish that I tried this summer.  I found the recipe is a local magazine and adapted it for ease in preparation and ingredients

Spanish-Style Pork Kabobs

 

 

Oh, how I love my Weber grill!!  Living in Texas, I use it year round.  This easy recipe comes from Weber Grills online.    It's very flavorful and great for Summer time grilling.  I hope you give it a try. 

Marinade

• ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves and tender stems
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

• Kosher salt
• 2 pork tenderloins, each about 1 pound, trimmed of silver skin and any excess fat, cut into 1¼-inch cubes
• 2 large bell peppers, 1 red and 1 green, cut into 1¼-inch squares (I only used red)

Instructions

1. Whisk the marinade ingredients, including ½ teaspoon salt. Put the pork cubes in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade. Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade, place in a bowl, and refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours, turning occasionally. 
2. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for at least 30 minutes.
3. Prepare the grill for direct cooking over high heat (450° to 550°F).
4. Remove the pork from the bag and discard the marinade. Thread the pork and bell pepper squares alternately onto skewers. 
5. Brush the cooking grates clean. Grill the skewers over direct high heat, with the lid closed as much as possible, until the pork is barely pink in the center, 8 to 10 minutes, turning once or twice. Remove from the grill and season with salt. Serve warm.                 

 I am sharing this with:


 Make It Pretty Monday

On the Menu Monday
Inspire Me Tuesday
HOME                                                                                            

Full Plate Thursday
Open House
Share Your Cup
Foodie Friday

Festive Friday Fiesta

Weekend Potluck
Seasonal Sundays



Thank you for your visit!  xo

 

Pork and Sauerkraut

For my 2013 New Year's Day table, I used my sugar mold as a centerpiece with some greenery, extra pinecones and my sledding figurines.

My dear Dad bought me these sledding Goebels back around 1980.  Aren't they so sweet?  I love to keep them out all winter.

Oops, I forgot the glasses!

My new placemats from Kohl's, marked down from 7.99 to 1.59... and then 20% off, but with my $10.00 Kohl's cash,  they were FREE...gotta love free, plus they're reversible.  I love the pinecone design as it's perfect for after Christmas. 

Yes, I'm still using my Christmas dishes as they look so pretty with my placemats.

  

It is tradition both in my family and my hubby's to have pork and sauerkraut on New Year's Day.  We were both born in Pennsylvania and I don't know if that's where the custom comes from, but my Mom said that my grandfather always requested it.  I'd love to know where the tradition actually started. Here in Texas, black-eyed peas are traditionally served for good luck in the New Year.   I know some people cannot stand the taste or smell of sauerkraut,  but we LOVE it and two out of my four children love it, too.  We serve it  over mashed potatoes and it's SO heavenly.  If you DO like the taste, here's how we do it:

Shhh...don't tell anyone there are only 2 ingredients!

2-3 lbs. of pork, such a loin or shoulder
4-5 cans of sauerkraut

Season pork with salt and pepper.

Brown the pork in a little hot oil on all sides.  Add the sauerkraut and maybe two cans water.   Season with salt and pepper.   Cover and bake  in a 250 degree oven for 6-7 hours or longer.    You can also put this in a slow cooker and cook all day. 

Break up the pork and serve over hot mashed potatoes.  You'll get rave reviews from people who love sauerkraut!!

Happy New Year from my kitchen to yours!!

I am sharing this with:

Make It Pretty Monday

Mix It Up Monday

On the Menu Monday

Tabletop Tuesday

The Recipe Box
Let's Dish!
Centerpiece Wednesday

Full Plate Thursday
Tablescape Thursday
Thrifty Things Friday
Foodie Friday

The Charm of Home

Weekend Potluck

Seasonal Sundays

Korean Style BBQ Pork

 

This is an extremely easy meal done in the slow cooker.  For one meal, I served the pork over brown rice and for the second meal, I cooked brown rice and mixed it with the leftover pork and serve it in lettuce wraps.  Here's how it's done:

Really tasty sauce from Target

1 3 lb. boneless pork loin
Korean -Style Barbecue Sauce from Archer Farms (Target)

Put the pork in a slow cooker.  Add half a jar of Korean-Style Barbecue Sauce.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until tender.

Juicy, tender pork

I am sharing this with:


Mix It Up Monday
On the Menu Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
Cowgirl Up
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday
Potpourri Friday
Weekend Potluck
Seasonal Sundays

Spaghetti and Meatballs

 

These wonderfully tender meatballs happen to have ricotta cheese as an ingredient.  The recipe makes  about  24 large  meatballs.  I prefer to bake the meatballs.  You can use some over pasta and still have meatballs leftover for  several subs.   Getting two meals out of one recipe is always a plus!!

Meatballs

Baking for me is less messy than frying!!

1 lb. ground beef
1 lb. Italian sausage
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup Italian bread crumbs
2 t. Italian seasoning
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
pinch of crushed red pepper
salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients together/  Do not over mix because it will cause meatballs to be tough.  Form the meat mixture into balls.  Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil.  Spray the foil  with non-stick spray.  Place the meatballs on the sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Makes 24 large meatballs

Marinara Sauce

2 T. olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
pinch of crushed red pepper
2 T. tomato paste
2 (28 oz.) cans crushed tomatoes
Italian seasoning to taste
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven.  Add the garlic and cook about 30 seconds.  Add the crushed red pepper and tomato paste.  Add the crushed tomatoes, and the seasonings.  Stir to blend.  Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to a simmer.  Add the meatballs.  Cover the dutch oven and keep at a simmer for about an hour, or put the covered dutch oven in a 200-220 degree oven and cook several hours.  You can also put all this in your slow cooker.

Serve over pasta.

Buono Appetito!

I am sharing with:

Mix It Up Monday
On the Menu Monday
Make It Pretty Monday
http://www.the-chicken-chick.com
You're Gonna Love It Tuesday
Cowgirl Up
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday
Potpourri Friday
Weekend Potluck
Seasonal Sundays

My Favorite Hamburgers

Years ago this recipe was submitted by a reader of, (I think) Bon Appetit.   I tried it and loved it and have been making it ever since.  I cannot find the original recipe, but basically here's how I've adapted it:



1 lb. ground beef
1/3-1/2 lb. sausage
half of an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic,  minced
1/3 cup chili sauce
1 T. Worcestershire sauce

Put some plastic wrap on your plate and then you can use the plate again for the cooked burgers.

Mix all ingredients together and shape into patties.  I usually get 5 burgers out of this amount.  Grill on high, 2 minutes, do a quarter turn and grill 2 minutes more.  Flip burgers and repeat the process.  Grill until burgers are done.  Top with cheese and let melt.

There you have it....yummy, delicious, juicy burgers!

Plastic wrap removed to put the cooked burgers on.

I am sharing with:
On the Menu Monday
Mix It Up Monday!
Your Cozy Home Party
Rock 'n Share Party
Full Plate Thursday
Thriving on Thursdays
Foodie Friday
Link & Greet Party
Seasonal Sundays

Panko-Crusted Pork Chops

I had four bone-in pork chops & decided that I wanted to bread them & bake them for a quick meal.  You can actually buy Italian-Style Panko bread crumbs, but since I had a box of regular Panko breadcrumbs, I used those & seasoned them myself.

Crusty, yet moist & delicious chops with sweet potatoes & asparagus

4 bone-in pork chops                                                          
1 cup of Panko Bread crumbs

1 /4 cup Parmesan cheese                                              
1 t. Italian seasoning
1 egg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil & spray with cooking spray.

Lightly beat egg in a shallow bowl.

Mix the breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese & Italian seasoning in another shallow dish, such as a pie pan.

Dip the pork chops in the egg & then into the breadcrumb mixture.  Place on the foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until pork chops reach 145 degrees.

Make sure you spray the foil for easy release!

I am sharing with:

Mix It Up Monday!
Table Top Tuesday
Your Cozy Home Party
Wow Us Wednesday
Rock 'n Share Party
Full Plate Thursday
Thriving on Thursdays
Foodie Friday
Link & Greet Party
Seasonal Sundays

Burrito Bowls

If you need a fun buffet for the holidays, I have a WINNER for you!!  I first saw this recipe while watching Ten Dollar Dinners on The Food Network.  The original recipe can be found here. 
You could prepare this meal ahead & put the rice, pork carnitas & black beans in one of those triple buffet heating elements.  The pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese & green onions could be on the side for garnishing.  Even vegetarians would be happy because they could fix their burrito bowl how they enjoy it.  I scaled this recipe down for my hubby & I, but I hope to fix this again for my whole family soon!

For the pork, I used what I had  from this recipe.  I had a quart-size bag frozen & thawed that.

Ingredients

3 cups cooked white rice
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 T. orange zest
1 can black beans, heated & drained
Pico de Gallo, recipe follows
2 cups pork carnitas, recipe follows
1 cup shredded Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
2 green onions, chopped

Pico de Gallo

1 t. salt
2 medium tomatoes, seeds removed & chopped
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, ribs & seeds removed, finely chopped
1 avocado, halved, pitted, peeled & cut into small cubes
1 lime, juiced
3 T. chopped fresh cilantro

Toss the tomatoes with the salt.  Add the onion & jalapeno & combine.  Place the avocado on top & cover with the lime juice to coat the avocado.  Sprinkle on the cilantro & stir.

Pork Carnitas

2 cups cooked pork
1 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. ground cumin
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno, seeded & chopped
vegetable oil

Mix all the ingredients together.  In a large saute pan, heat 2 T. vegetable oil over high heat.  Press the meat into the oil & fry until crusty on one side.

Directions for assembling

In a medium bowl, toss the rice with the cilantro & orange zest.  Divide the rice evenly among 4 serving bowl.  Top with the black beans & half the pico de gallo.  Add warm carnitas & top with the rest of the pico de gallo.  Sprinkle on the cheese, add a dollop of sour cream & garnish with green onions.

Enjoy this fun, party food!  Serves 4.

I am sharing this with:
On the Menu Monday
Wow Us Wednesday
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday

Scalloped Potatoes with Pork Chops

I have been making this recipe, which is  from Farm Journal's Great Home Cooking in America, for years.  It is not a cheesy scalloped potato, but rather one with a gravy.  It is one of those good, homey meals that's perfect for Fall & Winter.  I only make half the recipe now, since it's just the two of us.  Here's the full recipe:

6  pork chops, cut 1/2" thick
2 T. cooking oil
salt & pepper
3 T. butter
3 T. flour
2 c. chicken broth
6 c. sliced potatoes
1 medium onion, sliced & separated into rings

Brown pork chops on both sides in hot oil in a 12" skillet.  Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste.  Remove chops to a plate.

Melt butter in the same skillet.  Stir in flour, 1 1/2 t. salt & 1/4 t. pepper.  Add chicken broth & cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. 

Place potatoes in bottom of 11 x 7 x 1 1/2" baking dish.  Top with onion rings.  Pour chicken broth mixture evenly over top.  Top with pork chops.  Cover with foil.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  Remove cover & continue baking 30 minutes or until meat is tender.  (It may take much less than 30 minutes.)

Makes 6 servings.

NOTE:  Since I only make 3 pork chops, I use the same skillet for baking.  This saves on clean-up!!!

I am sharing with:
On the Menu Monday
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday

Fall-Apart Tender Slow Roast Pork

This recipe was originally found in the Dallas Morning News & is from Shirley Corriher, who is a food writer & food sleuth.  I had a pork butt roast in the freezer & decided to try the recipe. I figured that if it's good enough for Shirley Corriher, it must be good.  Here's the recipe:

After cooking, I added barbecue sauce  to part of the pork

1 (4-pound) pork butt roast
1/4-1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce                     
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Arrange shelf slightly below center.

Place pork roast in a dutch oven.  Sprinkle pork on all sides with the Worcestershire sauce.  Press brown sugar on top & sides of the pork.  Pour apple juice down the side to the bottom of the dutch oven and not over the meat.  Cover tightly.

Place in the oven & immediately reduce heat to 200 degrees.  Roast for 5 hours without opening the oven.  Remove.  If meat does not pull apart easily, cover & return to the oven & roast 30 more minutes.

Check again, & if meat is still not at the pull apart stage, roast an additional 30 minutes more as needed.

Depending on your oven, the roast may take as long as 7 hours to reach the pull apart stage.  (I personally feel like it's a good idea to just leave it for that long.)

Pull meat apart & remove bone.  Stir in salt, which is essential for the dish.

Makes 6 servings.

NOTE:  This can also be done in a slow cooker & set on HIGH for 30 minutes, then reduced to LOW for the day or overnight.

TIPS:
After I pulled it apart, I separated it into freezer bags to use for several meals.  I also strained the juice & put it in the fridge.  After it was cold, I took off the top layer of fat.  I will be posting about  the meals that I make with this.

For the first meal, I added some barbecue sauce & a little of the juice from the pork roast to make pulled  pork barbecue.

I am sharing this with:
Seasonal Sundays
On the Menu Monday
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday

Easy Baked Pork Chops

When you want something to put together & then leave for the day, here's a quick recipe.  The pork chops make their own gravy, which you can serve with mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.  Here it is!

4 pork chops (I used boneless, because that's what I had)
choice of seasonings (I used freshly ground pepper & garlic powder
1/2-1 chopped onion
1 can cream of mushroom soup (or cream of chicken)
1/2 soup can of water
1-2 T. oil

Heat the  oil in a heavy skillet until hot.  Add the pork chops that have been seasoned.  Brown them for a few minutes on each side.  Add the chopped onion & cook a few minutes more.  Mix the soup & water together in a small bowl, to smooth out the lumps.  Add the soup mixture to the skillet.  Stir around to loosen the fond (brown bits) on the bottom.  Cover the skillet & put in a 225 degree oven.  Bake for 4-5 hours.  (This also could be done on low in a slow cooker).

There you go!  A great meal to come home to & enjoy.

I am sharing this with:
Full Plate Thursday
Foodie Friday
On the Menu Monday

Chipotle Crusted Pork Tenderloin

I tried this recipe from http://www.allrecipes.com/.  It was a great, easy meal for the grill, especially in this extreme heat we've been having.  If you like pork tenderloin & a little on the spicy side, I hope you try it.

1 t. onion powder

1 t. garlic powder

3 T. chipotle chile powder

1 1/2 t. salt

4 T. brown sugar 2 (3/4 lb.) pork tenderloins

Preheat grill for medium-high heat.

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the onion powder, garlic powder, chipotle chile powder, salt & brown sugar.  Place tenderloins in bag & shake, coating meat evenly.  Refrigerate 10-15 minutes.

Lightly oil grate & arrange the pork on the grate.  Cook for 20 minutes, turning every 5 minutes.  Remove from grill & let stand about 5 minutes before slicing.

I am sharing this recipe with Full Plate Thursday at Miz Helen's Country Cottage & Foodie Friday.

Pork Chops with Buttered Cabbage

I saw this recipe on Everyday Foods a couple of years ago.  They sauteed the pork chops, but here in Texas, we like to grill.   They also used savoy cabbage, but we had a wonderful homegrown cabbage to use.   Here's my adapted recipe.

Grilled Pork Chops

Put  some olive oil & salt & pepper on 3/4" pork chops.   On a preheated grill, cook the chops for 2 minutes, then, without flipping, make a 45 degree turn & grill 2 more minutes.  Now flip the chops & repeat the process.  Put on a platter & loosely cover with foil to rest for a few minutes.

Buttered Cabbage

1 cabbage, halved, cored & cut into 1" strips, thick ribs removed
1 T. butter
coarse salt & pepper

Place cabbage in a large skillet with 1 cup water.  Bring to a boil & reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover skillet; simmer until tender, tossing occasionally 12-15 minutes.

Pour out any water remaining in skillet.  Add butter, salt & pepper.  Toss to combine.

I am sharing this with On the Menu Monday at Stonegable.

Oven Barbecued Ribs

I don't know where I got the recipe for the rub, but it's a good one!  I'm thinking that my dear darling & I put it together.  I usually double or triple the ingredients & keep the rub in an old spice container.

Rub for ribs:

1 T. celery salt
1 T. garlic powder

1 T. onion powder

2 T. paprika
2 T. kosher salt
3 T. sugar
2 T. brown sugar

1 T.  chili powder

1/2 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. dried oregano

To oven barbecue the ribs:

1 slab of baby back ribs
liquid smoke
rub
barbecue sauce

1.  Brush the ribs with a little of the liquid smoke.  Sprinkle the rub on both sides of the ribs.  You will not need to use all the rub.  Save the rest for another time.

2.  Wrap the ribs in plastic wrap & put in the fridge over night.

3.  Unwrap the ribs & put them on a foil-lined,  rimmed baking sheet.  Cover with foil to seal.  Bake in a 250 degree oven for 5-6 hours.

4.  Uncover the ribs & pour off the accumulated juices.  Brush with your favorite barbecue sauce & cook an additional 15- 30 minutes.