Creamy Ranch Pork Chops and Potatoes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs pork chops, boneless (about 4-6 chops, thick sliced)
6-8 medium potatoes, chopped into large pieces
2 (10.75 oz each) cans cream of chicken soup
2 (1 oz each) packages dry Ranch dressing mix
1 cup milk
Dried parsley to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions:
In a bowl, mix together the soups, milk, and ranch dressing mixes and pour into a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Combine all other ingredients together and zip closed.
When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW for 6-7 hours.

Use the extra sauce in the slow cooker as a gravy for the potatoes and the pork chops. Sprinkle with dried parsley if you want.

Italian-Style Soup with Turkey Sausage

**I used Italian Hot and Mild Sausage mixed because that is what I had at home.  I also used a different noodle, Rigatoni to make it. The point is, you can use what you have in your home most cases and it will turn out just as delicious, if not better!

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces sweet or hot Italian-style turkey sausage, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (32 ounces) reduced sodium chicken broth
1 can (15 1/2 ounces) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) no salt added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 teaspoon Oregano Leaves
1 teaspoon Rosemary Leaves, finely crushed
1 teaspoon Thyme Leaves
1 package (6 ounces) baby spinach leaves
1/2 cup uncooked small pasta, such as mini bowties or elbows

1. Heat oil in large saucepan on medium heat. Add sausage; cook and stir 3 minutes. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes longer or until onion is tender and sausage is browned.

2. Pour chicken broth, beans and tomatoes into saucepan. Stir in oregano, rosemary and thyme. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer 10 minutes.

3. Stir in spinach and pasta. Return to boil on medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.

This is how mine turned out:

Double Crunch Honey Garlic Pork Chops

Here is yet another Pinterest recipe.  We had this the other night, and it was to die for!

What you will need:
6 center loin pork chops, well trimmed

Sift together:


1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp black pepper
1 1/2 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground thyme
1 tsp ground sage
1 tbsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper


Make an egg wash by whisking together:


2 eggs
4 tbsp water


Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, then dip the chops in the flour and spice mixture. Dip the chop into the eggwash and then a final time into the flour and spice mix, pressing the mix into the chop to get good contact.


Heat a skillet on the stove with about a half inch of canola oil covering the bottom. You will want to carefully regulate the temperature here so that the chops do not brown too quickly on the outside before they are fully cooked on the inside. I find just below medium heat works well. I use a burner setting of about 4 1/2 out of 10 on the dial and fry them gently for about 4 or 5 minutes per side until golden brown and crispy.

Drain on a wire rack for a couple of minutes before dipping the cooked chops into the Honey Garlic Sauce. Serve with noodles or rice.

Honey Garlic Sauce

In a medium saucepan add



2 tbsp olive oil
3 – 4 cloves minced garlic


Cook over medium heat to soften the garlic but do not let it brown. Add:


1 cup honey
¼ cup soya sauce
1 tsp ground black pepper


Simmer together for 5-10 minutes, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Watch this carefully as it simmers because it can foam up over the pot very easily.

Baked Spaghetti

Sounds pretty amazing doesn't it?  That is because it is!  For this recipe I made my own spaghetti sauce from my tomatoes and basil in my garden, so that made it extra scrumptious!  If you do not want to make your own sauce, I am sure your favorite jarred sauce would do just fine.

Homemade Roasted Garlic Basil Tomato Sauce
-10-15 tomatoes from your garden (Roma, Heirloom, Big Boys)
- Fresh or dried basil
- Garlic salt
- Olive oil
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Cut each tomato in half and put on a baking dish.  Sprinkle tomatoes with garlic salt and drizzle with olive oil. Roast tomatoes for 40 minutes.  Let tomatoes cool for about 10 minutes, then blend in blender.  I added my dried basil during this part of the process and then canned the sauce.  If you are making the same day, then just blend and save for later.

Baked Spaghetti
- Homemade tomato sauce (or store bought if you do not want to make your own)
- 1/2 lb of sweet italian sausage
- 1/2 lb of hot spicy italian sausage
- 3 TB brown sugar
- Italian seasoning to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- Dried basil
- 1/2 small yellow onion
- Spaghetti noodles
- 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese

 
Dice your small onion and saute on medium heat until soft.  Add meats and brown.  Add your tomato sauce and all other seasonings and bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 minutes and then reduce heat and simmer for 6 hours.  I know it seems like a REALLY long time, but trust me, it allows the flavors to blend well.  I usually cook my sauces for 2 days.  Once the sauce has cooked for what seems like forever, then remove from heat and preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

While your oven is preheating, cook your noodles, but make sure they are about 2 minutes under cooked from al dente.  Drain noodles and add to a baking dish, and then pour sauce over it.  Mix sauce and noddles well and add cheese to the top. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Deep Fried Bacon

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 pound thick sliced bacon, cut in half
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups vegetable oil for frying

Directions

1. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a bowl until smooth. Separate the bacon strips, and soak in the milk mixture for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Heat oil in deep skillet to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
3. Whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Remove the bacon from the egg mixture, and toss with the flour to coat. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
4. Fry the bacon strips 3 to 5 slices at a time until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Once all of the bacon has cooked, place onto the prepared baking sheet, and bake in the preheated oven until crispy, about 7 minutes.

King's Greens (Collard Greens with Ham Hock)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 ham hock
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 bunches collard greens, stems discarded, leaves washed twice, cut into ribbons
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a stock pot on medium heat, melt the butter and then add the oil, onions, and ham hock. Stir and cook until the onions are translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cook a bit more, and then add the greens and saute until they become bright green. Add the stock, water, and vinegar, and then raise the heat to a boil, lower to a simmer, and cook for at least 1 1/2 hours. When ready, the ham hock meat will be easy to remove from the bone. Do so and make sure each serving gets a chunk of ham hock. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, remembering the ham hock and broth will add salt content. Add a little extra vinegar at the end, if desired.

Cafe Rio Pork Barbacoa

Total cooking time: 18 hours

5-6 lb. pork roast
1 liter Dr. Pepper (or Coke, do NOT use diet soda)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 clove garlic, minced
7 oz. can chipotle chilies in adobo sauce
6 oz. red taco sauce (I used hot)
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper


Place roast in crock-pot, cover half-way with water and cook on low for 12 hours. (I started my Pork Adventure at 6pm on Saturday and everything worked out perfectly for Sunday dinner.) After 12 hours, drain pork. Remove fat if any.

Mix remaining ingredients until sugar dissolves. I didn’t keep the actual chilies, I dumped the can into a bowl and added enough Dr. Pepper to get all the sauce off of the chilies, then I tossed them. I also rinsed out the can with Dr. Pepper for more adobo goodness. My version had a fairly good kick to it, but if you LOVE hotness, then blend everything + 2 or 3 chilies in the blender. (Also, the adobo sauce tends to stain plastic, using a glass or metal mixing bowl will make your clean-up of adobo sauce considerably less frustrating).

Add Dr. Pepper mixture to the roast and cook on low an additional 4 hours.

Take out roast and shred, add back into sauce and cook for 2-4 more hours. At this point the meat was so tender it practically shredded itself.

My sauce had too much liquid (from Dr. Pepper) so I let it cook on low in the crock pot without the lid for about 1 supervised hour to let the extra moisture evaporate.

Herbed Pork with Sauteed Wild Mushrooms

Serve over brown rice to soak up the mushroom sauce, or with instant polenta and Parmesan cheese. If you don't have steak seasoning - a blend of black pepper, crushed red pepper, salt, and garlic - use 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 pork chop and about 1/3 cup sauce)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• Cooking spray
• 3 cups sliced shiitake mushroom caps
• 1 1/2 teaspoons steak seasoning (such as McCormick Grill Mates)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 4 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 3/4 inch thick)
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Preparation

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes or until tender. Remove mushrooms from pan.

Rub steak seasoning and thyme over pork. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Combine broth and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Add mushrooms and broth mixture to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened.

Kitchen Notes

If you don't have steak seasoning - a blend of black pepper, crushed red pepper, salt, and garlic - use 1 teaspoon of cracked black pepper.

Lamb Chops with Mustard-Herb Crust

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup plain dried breadcrumbs
• 2 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs
• 8 lamb chops (3 to 4 ounces each)
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine mustard and garlic. In a wide shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs, Parmesan, rosemary, and dried herbs; whisk to combine. Pat lamb chops dry with a paper towel and season with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. With a basting brush, lightly coat lamb chops with mustard mixture, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.
2. In a large nonstick saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add half the lamb chops to pan and cook until browned, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining chops and oil. Let lamb chops rest 5 minutes before serving.
   

Sweet Cola Ribs

Ingredients

Sweet Cola Barbecue Sauce:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cups ketchup
• 1 can cola
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Dry Rub:

• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

2 racks pork spare ribs (about 3 pound each)

For the sauce:

In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, add oil. Once heated, add the onion and garlic and saute until tender. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

For the dry rub:

Whisk all dry ingredients together in a small bowl. This can be stored up to 6 months in an airtight container.

For the ribs:

Rinse and dry ribs. Place on a clean cutting board, pull off the membrane and trim the ribs of excess fat. Liberally season both sides of the ribs with rub. Wrap ribs with plastic wrap and refrigerate 4 to 12 hours so flavors can permeate.

Preheat grill to 250 degrees F. using hickory and charcoal. Set up your grill for indirect heat.

Place ribs, meatier side down, on the grill away from the coals. Close grill cover. Cook the pork ribs for 1 hour 15 minutes; flipping several times for even cook. *Coat ribs with Sweet Cola Barbecue Sauce and cook for another 20 minutes.

*Reserve some of the sauce for dipping when the ribs are served.