The Rub Down: Pork Chops

Once I found rubs, BBQ sauces just don't measure up.

 I bought this rub from the butcher where I bought the chops. Walmart be damned! Go to your local butcher. You'll pay about $2 more but the difference in quality and flavor is worth a million dollars. Try it, you will be supporting a small local business in your community that buys from farmers in your town. And the service, wow...the service! My butchers name is Don and he owns the place. Who cut the steaks in your freezer?

 Rub in a few tablespoons of the pork rub on either side. And bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer show 160 degrees. Don't over cook or it will become dry. 

 I cut the pork chop in half and served with baked potato and steamed broccoli. YUM!

Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot, Chicken Pot Pie

I love chicken pot pie!
Don't tell my family but I use this as a leftovers dinner meld. I blend in any and all leftovers I may have. No one has to know. I won't tell that you dropped in leftover ham or sausage from breakfast.

I made this in a casserole dish, you can use a pie plate if you want that pie look to it. Casserole dishes are good for scoop and serve dinners. I also put tons of veggies in mine.

I'm going to give your a recipe I use as a guideline but the joy in a casserole is you can add, omit or change the ingredients to suit your families taste buds and it doesn't harm the meal at all.

Chicken Pot Pie

1-26oz can of Cream of Chicken soup
3 chicken breast (boneless skinless)
2 cups of mixed frozen veggie

Topping
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup milk (or water) depending on what your mix calls for)


Add the soup, cooked and browned chicken and frozen veggies into the pie pan or casserole dish. I like lots and lots of veggies in mine as you can see. I used yellow carrots, broccoli, green beans, red peppers & corn.









Mix the Topping in a separate dish and pour over top of dish.









Bake for 30-45 minutes until bubbly and brown.

Fresh out of the oven

I always make two of these at once and take one to my father in law. He loves them. Make an extra & take to a friend or family. They will love it!

10 minutes later

Cheesy Garlic Biscuits (Red Lobsters)

I think these biscuits are the only thing I go back for at Red Lobster. These go so well with any meal. It doesn't have to be seafood. I make mine smaller them the restaurant so I don't feel bad about eating two. Muahahahaha!

I have served them with chicken, pork chops, salads and even for breakfast!



3 cups Bisquick. baking mix
1 cup milk
1 cup cheddar cheese -- shredded
1/4 cup margarine or butter -- melted
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450. Mix baking mix, milk and cheese until soft dough forms; beat vigorously for 30 seconds. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8-10 min. or until golden brown. Mix margarine and garlic powder; brush over warm biscuits before removing from cookie sheet. Serve warm. Makes 10-12 biscuits.

I use a silicone baking mat and I love it! I never have to grease pans ever again. And it rinses right off  and its ready to use again.

Pumpkin Dip

This recipe is short and very sweet.

2 cups pumpkin puree

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese (room temperature)

1 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix everything, cover and chill overnight in the fridge.

Serve with ginger snap cookies, apples and/or pears.

OK, OK.....I know, I know. The holidays are coming and you don't want rich calorie enhanced food all around you. You're looking for something a bit more healthy, you nut. (no nuts are used in the making of this health nut version)

Omit the brown sugar and serve with sliced apples and pears. Yay! Now stop hugging that tree and come over here and try this. Add a table spoon at a time of brown sugar if you want it a bit sweeter but otherwise ENJOY! 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake

I found this recipe after searching for something seasonal but not too "halloween-y". This is a great cake for partys and dinners.

I had a rose petel silcone baking pan. 
<can you call it a pan if its silicone?...dish... flex-baking container thingy.> Sigh. I dont know.

It is sturdy once you put the batter in it. Don't be afraid to buy one/use it. I really liked it. I put it on a baking sheet to keep it level.

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder 
• 
  
• Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a separate bowl.  Add to the creamed mixture alternately with pumpkin, beating well after each addition. 
• 
  
• Fold in chocolate chips. Do not use a mixer.
• 
  
• Divide batter in half. When I divided the batter instead of 50/50 I did a more 30/70. 30% chocolate & 70% pumpkin. I wanted a definitely more pumpkin taste over all. Feel free to change the proportions to the flavor you want to dominate. I scooped the chocolate half of the batter right into the bowl I had the flour, baking powder & baking soda in. Stir chocolate into one portion. In a well-greased 10-in. bunt pan. Spoon chocolate batter first and top with pumpkin batter. 
• 
  
• Bake at 325° for 65-70 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack. Letting it set for 15 minutes is an important step, please don't skip it. I would hate for all your hard work to fall flat or break apart.

You can see from my photo here that the tips of the rose petals got a little dark. Not to worry! Just add a little glaze icing & PA-POW.  No one will ever know. Even the most experienced bakers and cooks make mistakes. It's confidence that no one will ever find out where they are that keeps us going.

Icing:

1/2 powdered sugar
2-3 TBS milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla

Stir with a fork rapidly for 2 minutes. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Here you can really see the chocolate on top & the pumpkin bottom.

Like my posts? Become a follower by clicking the link to the right! I'd love to hear your comments, suggestion or questions. Thanks!

Jambalaya (Box mixes need not apply)

Though a guy playing the saxophone while I stir would be cool.

I can't wait to try this out. It smells so spicy & good. 
I chose a recipe that is mild on the "kick" factor. 




2 teaspoons olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
8 ounces medium Italian sausage (or kielbasa if you don't like a lot of spice)
1 onion, diced
1 green bell pepper. diced
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
salt and ground black pepper to taste
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 cups chicken stock
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

Heat oil in a large pot over medium high heat. 
Saute chicken and kielbasa until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. 

n with cayenne, onion popper. Cook 5 minutes, or until onion is tender and translucent

Add rice, then stir in chicken stock. 

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer 20 minutes, or until rice is tender. 
Stir in the Worcestershire sauce.

Every jambalaya recipe I read was different. 

Please do not take my recipe as the all that jambalaya has to offer recipe. I fused together several recipes that I thought sounded delicious. I added & omitted ingredients that another jambalaya maker would probably consider blasphemy. 

So please, be creative, do what you think your family would love.

Traditionally you serve vegetable sticks with jambalaya. Carrot and celery sticks help with the heat.  I also served with salad and ranch dressing.

Stuffed Crust Pizza and Broccoli and Cheese Rolls

Um...You had me a PIZZA!

I have never made stuffed crust pizza before and I wanted to give it a shot. I set two pounds of frozen bread dough out to thaw. It doesn't take long to defrost. I used the dinner rolls (24) and it took about 25 minutes until it was thawed.


Roll it out, stretch it out. You want to work out a lot of the air bubbles so it doesn't puff up like a loaf of bread. thawed out bread dough is very pliable. Stretch it out, don't be intimidated, if it rips just pinch it back together & keep going.

I used a 1/2 sheet cookie sheet for this pizza. I don't have a round pizza pan & I like the squares. So only the outside edges will be stuffed crust & the insides will be crust less. YUM!

I used sticks of string mozzarella cheese for the stuffed crust. Put the whole stick up to the edge & fold over. use a fork to seal the ends. For pizza sauce, I used Mids. It's a local company in Navarre, Ohio. It's the best I have ever used. You don't need a lot, just a few table spoons.

Spread cheese according to desire. I used a cheddar & moneray jack Mexican blend for a little sass in my pizza. Use whatever topping you desire.  My husband is a pepperoni guy so pepperoni it was.

This photo was 15 minutes into the 30 minute baking time. It just need to brown more.

I baked at 350 for 30 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes, slices & serve.

I was in more of a veggie pizza mood so I set out 3 dough balls out to thaw. While the pepperoni pizza was baking I rolled out these little beauties. Sprayed a few hits of butter spray, dropped a tiny bit of minced garlic on each. I used 1/4 cup of the Mexican shredded cheese & divided it among the three. I then took frozen broccoli, removed the stems & cut the tops into smaller pieces. I used a lot, as much as I could fit into them & folded them over. Pinched them closed.









They smell so good baking one the heat hits the garlic. Spray the top with butter spray or a quick brush of olive oil to brown them more on top. About 20 minutes & they are done.I served with a plate of salad.










The pizza I did not calorie count but the broccoli and cheese rolls are.

200 calories
3 fat
2.5 fiber

Enjoy! Click on the link to the right & follow my blog. I'd love to hear your comments on any of my dishes. I can't wait to hear from you!

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Drizzled Brownie

Brownies!

Below I posted my brownie recipe. It is a simple brownie recipe, if you have any problems or questions please contact me.


Set over to 350 degrees.


1 cup butter                       1cup flour
2 cup sugar                        4 1oz squares unsweetened cocoa, melted
2 t vanilla                               (don't have cocoa squares? I use 3TBS cocoa powder & 1 TBS of oil
4 eggs                                      for each square. 12TBS cocoa powder & 4 TBS oil)


Cream butter, sugar and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Blend in chocolate. Stir in flour.
Add 1 c of nuts at the stage if desired.
Bake in a well greased pan or fill paper baking cups half full. Bake for 20 minutes.


Bake until the edges start to visibly brown & pull away from the pan. Slide a knife or a flat edge table knife around the edges a few times to make sure nothing is sticking. I use a silicone baking sheet under my cakes & brownies. It really helps with the sticking.


I took photos showing how I remove a sheet of brownie carefully. I put the outside of a cookie sheet on top of the brownie then flip it upside down so the top of the brownie is now the bottom.

Give the bottom of the pan a few smacks & the brownie should pop right out. If not, go back over it a few times with the knife, lifting slightly to stop any sticking. 

Now that the bottom is the top & the top is the bottom. The fun begins! The topping is the best part of a brownie. I drizzled this with melted peanut butter in one direction then turned the brownie & drizzled chocolate the opposite way.

Slice into small pieces & serve with a scoop of ice cream. This is chocolate peanut butter swirl ice cream.


For a size comparison on my serving sizes I used an 8 inch plate. The brownie is 2 1/2 inches by 3 inches and the scoop of ice cream was 2 ounces or 1/4 cup of ice cream.

Turkey Primavera with Pasta

When you hear "primavera" in a dish, the chef means to focus on the fresh vegetables. 

I am looking forward to how this will come out. I am using a Caribbean blend of vegetables (Broccoli Whole Florets, Bias Cut Yellow Carrots, Whole Green Beans and Red Pepper Strips.) that I bought frozen from GFS.

You will need:
16 ounce box of noodles, any shape
2 TBS of oil 


1/2 stick of butter
1/2 cup of milk 
8 oz of sliced turkey
1 1/4 cups shredded cheese

I am using a different shape of pasta today. Spirals! Yay!  


I wanted something that looked different then the shells & I had a box of them in the pantry. (I bought a huge bulk bag of the shells, you'll see a lot of those in my pasta creations.)

I first set the water to boil, making sure to add the 2 TBS of oil to the water & a tsp of salt. Measure out the veggies you want to use & get then ready to add. 
I put them in with the boiling  noodles for 5 minutes. 
(Work smart, not hard. Don't boil the noodles in one pan & the veggies in another.) 
It saves time, water, electricity & you won't have to wash another pot tonight.

After draining the noodles and veggies let sit in the drainer while you melt the butter in the saucepan. 

Melt 1/2 stick of butter & 1/2 cup of milk in saucepan. 
Add the 1 1/4 cups shredded cheese & let melt. 
Add 8 oz of sliced turkey. I had turkey breast cut into thick slices then I cubed it. I have a meat slicer so I could do it myself. If you do not have a slicer go to your local deli counter & ask for thick sliced turkey breast. They just have to be bite size. 

When the cheese is melted & the turkey is stirred in, add the noodles & veggies from the drainer. Stir, heat & serve.

Did you just make a Turkey Primavera with a light cheese sauce?

Oh yes, you did.

I did the math on the calories, fat & fiber for the calorie conscious we all are:

330 calories 

7 fat 

3 fiber

per serving and this will make 8 one cup servings.