Pecan Crusted Pork Chop

Last week I found some thin sliced pork chops at Whole Foods and was inspired by their pecan crusted fish I had seen in the seafood department. To make the pecan crust I ground up the pecans in the food processor until they were about the size of grits. I then chopped some bigger with a knife and put them both in a bowl to dredge the pork chops in. I salted & peppered the pork chops then dredged them in the pecans and put them on a baking sheet. They were baked at 350 degrees in a convection oven for 20 minutes.

It's hard to tell from this picture (my iPhone can only do so much!) but under the pork chop is a potato pancake. I shredded some Yukon Gold potatoes on a large grater. I also grated some Parano cheese and diced a slice of provolone. While the chops were cooking I heated a skillet sprayed well with olive oil over medium heat and put in a layer of potatoes. I then layered in the cheeses and put another layer of potatoes down. To flip the pancake I slid it out onto a plate that was larger than the skillet, inverted the pan on top of the plate then holding the bottom of the plate flipped the whole thing over. This was a little scary but worked beautifully. I salted and peppered after it was cooked.

The salad had grapefruit & pecans in it. For the dressing I used:

1 part apple cider vinegar
a little finely grated onion
a little sugar
salt & pepper
3 parts canola oil, slowly wisked in

I hope you try some of these. They were yummy and healthy - well maybe not the potato pancake, but the pork and salad were quite healthy!

Jambalaya Kit

Add caption

Tonight I went to Kroger in search of inspiration. The produce section did not produce (hee,hee). The fish counter did not do it for me either. I picked up a block of organic ground beef but couldn't think of anything healthy to do with it. I also threw some chicken cutlets in the the cart but wasn't in the mood for Chicken Marinara. So I headed upstairs for a look around the natural food section and found some soup kits that looked interesting. I decided to give the Jambalaya kit a go. I had an uncooked chicken breast in the fridge (extra from soup) that I knew I could throw in there. I had Jack pick up some chicken andouille sausage from Trader Joe's on his way home. I must admit that I was skeptical; really, jambalaya in 40 minutes??? But it was really pretty good - nothing like Anne Schramm's but quite tasty none the less! Next time I think I'll add some shrimp as well as more chicken. Give it a try!

Shivering in the Kitchen

Brrrr... We are snowed in and the heater is broken!!! Thanks to Erin we have 3 space heaters going in the kitchen this morning and the temperature is up to 52 degrees:-) I am so thankful that the electricity has not gone out!

The Farrises visited on Saturday night. What a treat! We also had the pleasure of keeping Virginia Kate for the day. What a cutie she is! Here's the beauty of frozen meatballs - I just defrosted those puppies and cooked up a big ole batch of sauce. We had a wonderful meal at home where Caterina and young Robert were able to run around and act silly. I had enough leftovers for a pasta lunch on Monday, the first snow day, and pizza Monday evening. We like Italian food around here. Recipes for all of this are in earlier posts!

Yesterday afternoon my sweet husband shoveled a wide path to the Big Green Egg (grill). My rosemary was under 4 inches of snow (I hope it survives. I should have covered it - drat!) so I used a Lawry's herb and garlic marinade. It was good but not as yummy as just using rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. The other thing about store bought marinades is that huge list of ingredients that I don't know what they are! I don't really like them, but hey, it's a snow storm and 'Desperate times call for desperate measures!'. I have to admit that it's nice to have on hand for a quick fix or emergency. I like the flavors of the Lawry's brand best.

Pears are still really good this time of year. Really yummy in a salad with gorgonzola or cheddar and pecans. The citrus fruit is very nice too. We can go thru some clementines and grapefruit around here. I think I'll work on a good dressing for a grapefruit and avocado salad for you! I'm trying to get off the holiday overload and eat healthier - more fruit and vegetables, y'all!

Grilled Beef Tenderloin

I'm putting my beef tenderloin on to marinate right now.

Marinade
1 cup red wine
1/3 cup of low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup of Dijon mustard
1/3 cup olive oil
5 cloves of  garlic flattened
2 shallots sliced
3 sprigs of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
1/2 Tbs. coarsely ground pepper
2 bay leaves

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk. Let the meat marinate refrigerated for 6 hours. Cook meat on a 400 degree grill for about 35 minutes or until the internal temperature at the thickest part read 140 degrees. Let the meat stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

Meatballs & Max

This past weekend my family was blessed with the opportunity to meet Max Holder Weber, the son of Kristen and Bruce. They let us come down to Florida with two 11 year olds and spend the weekend when Max was just  4 days old! Look at how gorgeous this baby is! He definitely takes after his mom! We had a great time and they got some good home cooking!

The first night we grilled strip steaks seasoned with a spicy dry rub. We sliced them and served them with baked potatoes and a salad with pears, stilton and balsamic vinaigrette. (Be sure to let the steaks sit covered with foil for 10 minutes before cutting so all the juices don't run out.) Here's a tip - if you slice the steaks and serve it family style, you will eat less. If you put a whole, thick juicy steak on your plate, you will eat it. But you will have no problem leaving steak on a serving platter and then you will have leftovers for delicious sandwiches and wraps the next day!

On Saturday I made the famous Prestia family meatballs and sauce. This recipe has been handed down for generations. I was given this recipe as a girlfriend to see if I could take care of the precious only son of Peggy Prestia. Once I succeeded, Jack decided that yes, indeed he could marry me. I have been using it ever since to get what I want! However, I must admit, Nonna's are better than mine... Don't know what that woman does differently.

Meatballs
3 lbs ground beef (I use a mixture of chuck and round for about 15% fat.)
1 lb ground pork
3 eggs
3/4 cup of seasoned bread crumbs
2 Tbs of fresh minced Italian parsley
1/4 cup finely grated, good quality parmesan (Do not use canned parm! Grate it yourself if need be.)
1 tsp minced garlic
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Combine all ingredients in a big bowl but don't squish the meat. The texture will be better  if the meat is not pulverized but gently broken apart and mixed. Form into 1 1/2" balls. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 18-20 minutes. You do not want to cook the meatballs all the way thru but simply brown them so that they won't fall apart in the sauce. Thankfully this makes A LOT of meatballs. I use 1/3 in my sauce and freeze the rest in 2 bags for easy sauce in the future.

Sauce
1 large can Muir Glen crushed tomatoes
1 large can Muir Glen whole or diced tomatoes
1 small can of Muir Glen tomato paste
1/2 large can of water
1 tsp minced garlic
salt and pepper
1/3 recipe of meatballs
2 tsp minced fresh basil
1 T minced fresh Italian basil

In a large pot combine the first 6 ingredients. If you are using whole tomatoes, squish them in your hands to break up. Bring to a boil and taste for seasoning. Add the meatballs and bring back to a boil. Let simmer for 2 hours. Add the basil and parsley and let simmer for an additional 45 minutes.

This sauce keeps very well. You can, of course, eat it immediately. You can also let it cool off a little then stick the whole pot in the refrigerator to serve within the next two days. I have eaten leftovers a week later. It also freezes very well which makes it great to take for someone in need of a good meal. Jack loves for me to pull a jar from the freezer for a wonderful weekday night dinner!

Enjoy!

Burger with Oven Fries

It's hard to beat a good burger. Start with good meat. If you want to be naughty go with Whole Foods Ground Chuck. It's 20% fat and makes one delicious but unhealthy burger. Burgers have to have fat in them to be good - not dry and hard. I have taken lean ground beef and added olive oil to it so at least I have a healthier fat. You can also go with half ground chuck and half ground round.

I like to season the meat with garlic salt, kosher salt, pepper and a dash of Worcestershire sauce. I fold the meat in half to put the seasoning inside and form the patties. Don't mix or squish the meat because that will break up the fat and make it less tender. I use 1/3 a pound of meat per patty.

Of course it needs to be cooked on the grill about 8 minutes per side on a fairly hot (400 degree) grill. But don't freeze your fanny off in this weather!

I topped mine with gorgonzola and sauteed mushrooms. (Remember not to salt your mushrooms until after they are browned but remember to salt them. I hate getting a restaurant burger where they didn't salt the mushrooms!) Jack likes cheddar and Caterina likes a naked burger. A good roll is key too. I used a French bread roll from Trader Joe's and it was delicious!

These are oven fries made using my Pampered Chef stoneware baking sheet. Slice a russet (baking) potato thinly and place them on the baking sheet that is lightly greased with olive oil. Spray the tops with olive oil and bake at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. Keep an eye on them! It varies based on the thinness of the potato and your oven. Salt & pepper after they come out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken

This was delicious! (I need to lighten up my picture, but I haven't loaded photoshop on this computer yet, sorry!) I was blogging last night and didn't have enough time to marinate the chicken very long so I made the marinade very flavorful. I made this up last night and didn't really measure so don't get carried away with the measuring spoons yourself! Loved the pasta as well.

Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken
1 1/2 Tbs dijon mustard
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 Tbs minced rosemary & thyme
1/2 Tbs soy sauce
pepper
3 Tbs olive oil
2 chicken breasts & 4 legs

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the first 5 ingredients then slowly whisk in the oil. Add the chicken, turn to coat and let sit at room temperature while the grill heats up. My grill was 400 degrees and I cooked the chicken 10 minutes, turn 10 minutes, turn 7 minutes, turn 5 minutes. I like to turn chicken multiple times so it doesn't char.

Mushroom Pasta
2 1/2 Tbs olive oil
1/2 carton of sliced mushrooms (baby bella)
1 tsp minced garlic
salt & pepper
1/2 lb of spaghetti (Barilla plus)

Cook your pasta in a big pot of boiling water that is generously seasoned with salt. The water should taste like ocean water. While the pasta is cooking, heat oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Saute mushrooms until golden brown - about 5 minutes adding the garlic for the last minute. Season with salt and pepper after the mushrooms have cooked. Using tongs, transfer the cooked pasta into the skillet with the mushrooms making sure some pasta water comes with it. Toss and enjoy!

I'd like to get some comments with some of your favorite chicken dishes!