Stuffed Pork Chops

2 oz smoked Gouda cheese, shredded
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
2 (2 1/4 thick, center-cut, bone-in pork chops
1 tsp olive oil
ground black pepper

Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat

In a small bowl, combine the cheese, bacon parsley and 1/8 tsp black pepper

Lay the chop flat on the cutting board, and with a sharp knife held parallel to the board, cut a pocket into the pork, going all the way to the bone, but leaving sides intact. Stuff cheese mixture into pocket, and close with a wooden toothpick. Brush meat with oil, and season with salt and more pepper.

Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill over medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes on each side, or until pork is done. (Careful not to overcook! We bought a meat thermometer that has a remote digital read out, which is totally worth it if you grill or smoke meat a lot).

Green Enchiladas

I hate to call this a casserole (but really that is exactly what it is).  This is one that is even better the next day.
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
garlic salt to taste
18 (6 inch) corn tortillas, torn in half
1 (28 ounce) can green chile enchilada sauce (I needed more than this)
1 (16 ounce) package shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 (8 ounce) container reduced fat sour cream

Directions
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
2.Season chicken with garlic salt. Arrange in the prepared baking dish. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until no longer pink and juices run clear. Cool, shred, and set aside.
3.With metal tongs, char each tortilla half over the open flame of a gas stove burner for about 1 minute, until lightly puffed.
4.Pour about 1/2 inch enchilada sauce in the bottom of a medium baking dish, and arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer. Top with 1/2 the chicken, 1/3 cheese, 1/2 the sour cream, and 1/3 of the remaining enchilada sauce. Repeat. Coat remaining tortillas thoroughly with remaining enchilada sauce, and arrange on top of the layers. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and top with any remaining enchilada sauce (I added the top layer of cheese during the last 5 minutes in the oven to keep it from burning.)
5.Cover, and bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool slightly before serving.

(I got this one from http://www.allrecipes.com/  )

Apple Butter Pork

I got this recipe from allrecipes
I needed something that I could put in the oven and walk away for a few hours and then come home to a ready to eat dinner.  I really should have done a crock pot dinner (which I think you could do with this) but I didn't think about it soon enough.  We all loved it and the kids thought it tasted like a dessert!  I made a few modifications because we didn't have any apple butter - I am excited to try it again using apple butter.

The Ingredients

2 (2 pound) boneless pork loin roast - I used boneless country style ribs
seasoning salt to taste
2 cups apple juice
1/2 cup apple butter  (I didn't have this so I put one cup of apple sauce in a pan with 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp cloves - and brought it all to a boil until it thickened up a little - and I used the whole cup)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I added this on top of what I added to the apple sauce)
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Directions
1.Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2.Season the pork loins with seasoning salt, and place them in a 9x13 inch baking dish or small roasting pan. Pour apple juice over the pork, and cover the dish with a lid or aluminum foil.

3.Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven. While the pork is roasting, mix together the apple butter, brown sugar, water, cinnamon, and cloves. Remove pork roasts from the oven, and spread with apple butter mixture.

4.Cover, and return to the oven for 2 hours, or until fork-tender.

So yummy!

Spagetti Carbonara

I keep forgetting to take a picture when I make this meal, and we NEVER have left-overs!  So I am going to post it anyway because it is one of our family's new favorites.

It is from the book Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl.  Most of the instructions are in her words.

1 pound of spaghetti
1/2 lb thickly sliced bacon
2 cloves garlic, peeled (I just use minced garlic)
2 large eggs
black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  When it is boiling, throw the spaghetti in.  In the 9-10 minutes it takes to cook you can make the sauce.

Cut the bacon crosswise into pieces 1/2 wide (mine are more like an inch).  Put them in a skillet and cook for about 2 minutes until the fat begins to soften.  Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, until the edges of the bacon just begin to get crisp.  Do not overcook.

Meanwhile, break the eggs into the bow you will serve the pasta in, and beat them with a fork.  Add some shakes or grindings of pepper.

If you used whole garlic, remove it from the pan.  If it looks like too much fat, discard some, but you're going to toss the bacon with most of its fat into the pasta.  (I drain about 3/4 of the fat off).

When it is cooked, drain the pasta and immediately throw it into the beaten eggs.  Mix it thoroughly.  The heat of the spaghetti will cook the eggs and turn them into a sauce.  Add the bacon with its fat, toss again, add the cheese, and serve!

According to Ruth Reichl, "Contrary to the recipe used so often in restaurants, real carbonara contains no cream.  The real thing also uses guanciale, cured pork jowl, but to be honest, I like bacon better."

Baked French Toast

*Tastes like "Kneaders" french toast. Best served with strawberries and whipped cream (and bacon and oj).

1 loaf French bread cut in 1 inch (or thicker) slices
7 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3/4 cup half and half

2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 cup butter
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 Tablespoons light corn syrup

Butter a 9x13 baking dish (you can also use an 8x8 too). In a large bowl beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Dip bread in mix (both sides), and arrange in baking dishes. Pour/spoon remaining mixture into the centers of each slice of bread. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

You can also put together the sauce the night before and keep it in the fridge for quick prep the next morning. In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup ( this is the "caramel" part). Refrigerate this in the pan overnight.

The next morning preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 C). Bake bread and egg mixture uncovered for 20 minutes; take out turn slices over. Heat "caramel" mixture until bubbling. Pour on top of bread and egg mixture (only use half of the caramel mix if you want to use buttermilk syrup), and place back in oven uncovered for 20 more min.

(the recipes and photos are from my friend Natalie Malan)

Vanilla Buttermilk Syrup (tastes just like Magelby's & Kneader's)

3/4 cube butter

1 1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 teaspoon Karo syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
*make sure to make this in a high sided pan

Mix butter, sugar, buttermilk, and Karo syrup. Bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes then TURN DOWN and add baking soda and vanilla STIRRING CONSTANTLY. This will foam tons right away and every time you heat it up again in the microwave or stove!

(It makes more than you think it will!)

Tortellini Soup

This is a delicious recipe I got from Kim!   Thanks for sharing it!  We love it and I am always sad when it is gone.

Ingredients:
1 lb. mild Italian sausage
1 onion chopped
2 cloves garlic minced
2 - 13 ounce cans Beef broth
3 carrots sliced
1 can crushed tomatoes (28 ounce)
1 tsp. Basil
1 tsp. Oregano
1 Cup zucchini
4 T. fresh parsley
1 green pepper (diced)
1 Cup water
1/2 cup apple juice
Tortellini - 8 ounces

Directions:
Cook Sausage and add onion and minced garlic.  Then add remaining ingredients except tortellinis.  Let simmer for 30-40 minutes on low.  Add tortellinis 5-10 minutes before you are ready to serve it.

Chicken with Wild Rice Soup

I am simmering this as I post and my kids are begging for more.  I had them sample it and their mouths are watering!  This recipe is from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup butter
1 finely chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup sliced carrots
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 cups chicken broth (I used chicken stock concentrate)
2 Cups cooked wild rice (the grocery store was out of bags of wild rice?  So I bought the Uncle Ben's wild rice that cooks in the microwave in 1 minute.  Made it very simple)
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts cooked and cubed
1/2 tsp. salt (I didn't add this)
1/2 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. mustard powder
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 cup slivered almonds (I didn't add this)
3 T. dried sherry (I used 3 T orange juice)
2 cups half-and-half  (I used 1c. fat free)

Melt butter in a large sauce pan saute onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and saute for 2 more minutes.  Turn heat down to simmer and slowly add flour and whisk briskly until all flour is added.  Slowly add broth, stirring constantly until all is added. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat to low and let simmer.

Next add the rice, chicken, and salt, curry powder, mustard powder, parsley, ground black pepper, almonds and sherry.  Allow to heat through at a low to medium heat.  Then add half-and-half and stir well.  Let simmer for 1-2 hours.  (Note: DO NOT BOIL or your roux will break.)

Yummy Lowfat Chili

I found this a couple of years ago when searching online for "yummy chili." This is a Weight Watchers recipe.  It says one serving is 2 points and the serving size is 1 cup.

1 lb. of 93% lean ground beef
1 can kidney beans
1 can Pinto Beans
1 can corn (We like white shoepeg corn.  It is crunchier gives a nice texture)
1 - 4 ounce can chopped green chilis
1 can fat free Refried beans
1 - 15 ounce can chopped-diced tomatoes
1 - 16 ounce can tomato sauce
1 large onion
1 cup water (I don't always add this....we like our chili thick.)
1 package taco seasoning
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch DRESSING mix (NOT buttermilk one)

Directions:
Chop onion and brown ground beef.  Add the rest of the ingredients (DO NOT DRAIN ANYTHING)
Bring to a boil over medium heat and then simmer for 15 minutes.  ENJOY!

Prep time -10 minutes  Cook time - 25 minutes    Serves - 8 to 10

White Chicken Chili

4 Cups Northern Beans (I used 5 cups)
2 lbs Chicken Cubed (I used 3 small breasts and cubed them while they were defrosting - makes it a lot easier)
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth (I use Chicken stock concentrate)
1 medium onion chopped
2 - 4 oz cans green chilis
2 T. cumin
1 1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/2 Cups Cream

Put it all in crock pot together on low for 6-8 hours.  SOOOOOOO YUMMY!  I doubled this and froze half of it.  When we defrosted it I added another can of beans and the green chilis.  I didn't add the chilis the first time because I was afraid it would be too spicy for our kids but it wasn't even spicy once I added them, just added a great flavor.