Chop, Chop!

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Pork chops around my house are a rare treat!  But we were standing in our local grocery store chain that carries whole foods (ahem) and saw these beauties.  I couldn't resist and The Hubster ended up with what we now call the I-Am-So-Happy-I-Get-Bacon-Or-Pork-Of-Any-Kind face, flashed me that handsome grin, and then hugged me tight right there in front of the other patrons.  You should see the kiss I got to go along with it after I cooked them up!

BAKED PORK CHOPS

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6 pork chops

sea salt

pepper

paprika

summer savory

1 cup vegetable or chicken broth

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Lightly sprinkle each chop with sea salt, pepper, paprika, and summer savory on both sides.  In a heavy pan (I use the old-but-faithful cast iron!) sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom and heat on medium high for about a minute-and-a-half.  Gently place the chops in the heated oil and brown for about four minutes on each side.  Add the vegetable or chicken broth and cover.  Turn heat to low and let simmer for about twenty minutes.  Remove chops and let rest (while you make pan gravy!!).

NOTES:  I not only made pan gravy out of the juices from these chops, I served them with sauteed mushrooms and onions, and a side of summer slaw!  Dizzy-causing goodness!

Patty Cake

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I loathe waste and love leftovers.  Great combination for magic in the kitchen.  That means leftover mashed potatoes from steak-and-mashed-potato-night turns into awesome potato patties.  And I DO MEAN AWESOME.

POTATO PATTIES

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2 cups leftover (or fresh!) mashed potatoes

4 green onions, cut all the way to the ends

2 eggs

 1 cup shredded cheddar

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

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Mix all ingredients except the evoo.  Heat enough evoo in a heavy pan to cover the bottom and heat on medium flame.

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With an ice cream scoop, put enough of the potato mixture to fill the scoop, and press with your palm.  Plop out into warm oil, press gently with your fingers to flatten slightly, and cook until golden brown.  Carefully flip and when golden brown on the other side, lay on paper towel to blot.  

NOTES:  I use my cast iron skillet for this, but any heavy pan will do.  Never put more than four patties in the warm oil at a time for best browning.  Oh!!   I almost forgot to tell you that sour cream goes PERFECT on top!!

Fudgy Wudgy

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It should be known by you (if it isn't already) that I am not the greatest baker.  The reason is this: SCIENCE.  I am a Creative.  I need to throw ingredients into a recipe willy-nilly when I think the flavor profile will match, or if I get a wild hair to try something new.  But with baking, it has to be an exact science.  And that annoys me.  BUT!  It sure tastes good!  And I've really been trying to get better at it.  The Hubster doesn't get many carbs or treats during the week so Sunday Suppers are very important because I try to include both as a sort of reward meal for his discipline.  So I took the easy cheesecake recipe I've always used and paired it with an idea I saw on a recipe board for fudge-filled cheesecake.  It worked PERFECTLY, and I didn't have to think too hard!  From willy-nilly to fudgy-wudgy!!

FUDGE-FILLED CHEESECAKE

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon vanilla, divided
2/3 cup chopped or crushed pistachios
4 pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 eggs
1 full pkg semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy; add the 1/3 cup sugar, beating until mixed well. Gradually add the flour, beating at low speed until blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon of vanilla and pistachios. Press into the bottom and about one-inch up the side of a nine-inch spring-form pan.  Bake at 350° for 12-15 minutes or until golden (but not too golden!). Cool on a wire rack.

Beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually adding 1 1/2 cups sugar, beating well. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until just incorporated. gently stir in remaining vanilla.

Pour half of the batter into the crust. Sprinkle with chocolate morsels to within about a quarter-inch from the edge. Carefully [our in the rest of your batter, gently spreading over chocolate morsels, if necessary. Place the cheesecake on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until set. Cool on a wire rack for an hour, then refrigerate.

NOTES:  I use as many organic ingredients as possible for this recipe, including the chocolate morsels, but it IS dessert, so that is only going to make it clean and definitely NOT take away any calories or fat, which would take away the FUN of having dessert, anyway!  Also, if you are allergic to nuts, I recommend a graham cracker crust instead of the pistachios, but the pistachios is HEAVEN. I made my own whipped cream and slathered it on top, and then finely grated an organic chocolate bar for the garnish.  The moans and groans every time a mouthful was eaten tells me that was the right thing to do. 

Chicken Dance

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I feel almost BAD about telling you how delicious and how extremely EASY this dinner was!   It tastes like you slow cooked these babies, but truthfully, it is so easy you will have time to do a happy dance!  You would think that's why I named this post what I did, but it was actually in reference to the salsa on the chicken.  Eh.  Either way - you'll be happy you made this for dinner!

SALSA CHICKEN

1 pkg chicken thighs

sea salt

pepper

1 small jar salsa of your choice

shredded cheddar cheese

Season chicken thighs with sea salt and pepper on both sides.  Divvy up the salsa among the chicken, plopping it on top of each one.  Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  Yep.  That's it.

NOTES: I served mine with roasted broccoli because I'm the low-carb girl, but you could always cook up some Spanish rice to go with it.  I also use organic chunky salsa from the natural foods section of my local grocery store.  

Party Preserves

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This night was all business, so how could it have been SO FUN?!?  This was a seven-course meal made by yours truly for our Guest Services Team Captains for our home church, Crossbridge.  It was a Summer Dinner Theme because well, it was in the summer.  This picture was part of the amuse bouche, which had a cheese board, a black currant preserve brie wheel, canapes, and potato latkes.  It was all so 'amuse-ing'.  See what I did just there? For the sake of this particular post, I will give you the brie wheel recipe because it was a HUGE HIT, not to mention really, really pretty. 

BLACK CURRANT PRESERVE BRIE WHEEL

1 wheel brie cheese

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

1 cup black currant preserves (or any seasonal preserves of your choice)

1 egg

1 tsp water

Place the cup of black currant preserves in the middle of the puff pastry in a circle, eye-ing the size of the brie and trying to keep the circle to about the same size.  Place the brie cheese on top of the preserves and very gently close up the puff pastry to a tight "present", sealing the edges together and cutting off any excess.  Turn over so that the seal is on bottom and place on a prepared baking sheet.  Whisk egg and water together in a small bowl, and baste all over the puff pastry.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown.  Serve with crackers, celery, or just drop a whopping spoonful into your mouth by itself!

NOTES:  I used the scraps of the excess to make a decoration by cutting out a butterfly with a cookie cutter. I placed it on top of the puff pastry prior to basting with egg wash.

How to Tune a Tuna

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This was a Sunday Supper night (hence the bread allotment for The Hubster!).  I decided to go with an Asian theme and did a teriyaki tuna steak with soy-sauce roasted Chinese broccoli and savoy cabbage and Japanese milk bread.  It was one of the best Sunday Suppers ever (and also one of the easiest)!  Prefer low-carb?  Eliminate the bread.  (But I wouldn't recommend it!)

TERIYAKI TUNA STEAK

4 tuna steaks

Teriyaki sauce

2 tbs Chinese five-spice

sea salt

pepper

Turn your broiler on to high.  Dab both sides of the tuna with your favorite teriyaki sauce.  Evenly distribute the Chinese five-spice among the tuna steaks, sprinkling on both sides.  Sprinkle both sides with sea salt and pepper to taste and place on a prepared baking sheet.  Broil for three minutes on each side and remove from oven.  Baste a little more teriyaki sauce on top and let rest for two-to-five  minutes.

NOTES: Organic Teriyaki sauce is hard to find, so use your favorite, but check the ingredients label for MSG elimination.  This is also fantastic refrigerated overnight and sliced into a salad!

SOY-SAUCE ROASTED VEGGIES

1 bunch Chinese broccoli

1 small head savoy cabbage, quartered

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

soy sauce

sea salt 

pepper

On a baking sheet, place your vegetables.  Sprinkle all over with evoo, soy sauce, a LITTLE sea salt (see notes), and pepper.  Toss with your hands.  Bake at 350 for fifteen minutes for crispy veggies, and 20-25 for softer veggies.  If you are cooking with the tuna steaks, use the boiler while the tuna steaks rest and broil for 2-5 minutes.

NOTES: Soy sauce is SALTY so easy on your sea salt.  Remember: you can always ADD, but you can never take away.  I use the organic soy sauce I found in the natural food section of my local grocery store.  For palate contrast, I put some raw heirloom cherry-and-grape tomatoes on the plate.  Plus it just looks purty.

JAPANESE MILK BREAD

I used the recipe I found HERE

NOTES: Because the dinner was so fast-and-easy, I started this bread when I got home from church to make certain it was ready when the dinner was.  I schmeared it with tons of sweet, beautiful butter for Adrian.  He asked me to marry him again.  It's THAT GOOD.

'Choke On It!

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One of my most favorite things in the universe is artichoke.  This particular night we paired it with the crab we caught on our beach-camping trip and a kitchen-sink salad.  (Crab recipe will come at a later post.  Friend of ours gave us the most AMAHZ recipe I will share!)  Artichokes are super-duper-good for you: they are from the thistle family and are a good source of niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and copper, and a very good source of dietary fiber (not to mention low-carb!), vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and manganese.  (YAWN.)  THEY ARE JUST PLAIN DELICIOUS!!  This is my go-to way of making them just about every time, and you won't be sorry if you try it.

CITRUS BAKED ARTICHOKE

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1 whole artichoke

sea salt

pepper

juice of 1 citrus fruit (orange, lemon, lime)

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

Snip sharp edges from artichoke, peel stem with vegetable peeler until all nubs and points are removed, and quarter.  Cut top off smooth.  With a paring knife, carefully cut the prickly thistle out of the middle so there is a slight divot, as shown above.  Lay on baking sheet and one at a time, pick up by stem and squeeze citrus juice in between leaves and then onto stem.  Do the same with the evoo, sea salt, and pepper - in that order.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tender.  Then rip the 'meat' off of each leaf with your teeth until you hit the gold nugget that is the tender artichoke heart.  Sweet love of all that is good......you're welcome.

NOTES: Great as a side, or on its own as a snack!

Flaco Taco!

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SO!  Flaco Taco Breakfast Casserole.  In Spanish, that means Skinny (Taco Breakfast Casserole).  I made it for the Worship Team one Sunday morning, and it got pretty rave reviews, and that's a tough (or should I say spoiled?) crowd!  ESPECIALLY if the word 'skinny' is in it, hidden as it may may (try to) be behind a Spanish word-blanket.  

FLACO TACO BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

1 small pkg ground turkey

1 pkg your fave taco seasoning 

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1/2 small onion, diced

cooking spray

1 dozen eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tomato, diced

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped coarsely

4 tortillas, chopped into about 1/2-inch pieces (I used organic low-carb to help the "skinny"!)

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1 tbs cumin powder

1 tbs paprika

sea salt

pepper

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Preheat oven to 400.  In heavy pot (I use muh cast iron Dutch oven, of course), sprinkle enough evoo to cover the bottom and heat on medium.  Once heated, place ground turkey and onion in, and cook through.  Add your favorite taco seasoning with a splash of water and mix well (see notes).  Turn off heat.  Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray (see notes).  Into the pan, add your eggs, milk, tomato, cilantro, tortillas, cheddar cheese, cumin powder, paprika, and sea salt and pepper to taste.  Mix WELL by scrambling it all together with a fork until liquid is smooth and other ingredients are distributed evenly.  Bake in your preheated oven for 25 minutes.

NOTES: Try to find the taco seasoning with no MSG or chemicals.  If you can't locate organic or (real) all-natural, you can mix a tablespoon each of cumin, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, and then a teaspoon of sea salt and black pepper.  I try to use organic ingredients whenever possible for clean-eating, and my cooking spray is included.  I buy the organic evoo local store brand.  It's fairly-priced, too!  If you want - and I think you do -  you can garnish with some sour cream and hot sauce.  WOO!