Arizona Pork Chili

Arizona Pork Chili

1.5 lbs boneless pork, cut into 1/2' cubes

1 onion, chopped

Olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

1 Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 (4 oz) can chopped green chiles

1 (32 oz) carton chicken broth

1 (16 oz) can diced tomatoes

1 (16 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (16 oz) can kidney or pinto beans, drained

1 cup frozen whole kernel corn, if desired

Brown the pork and the onion in a little olive oil in a Dutch Oven.  Add seasonings, chiles and broth and cook until the pork is tender and the broth has been reduced a bit.  Add tomatoes and beans and cook until no too soupy.  If desired, add the corn and cook 15-20 minutes longer.

Serve with sour cream and tortilla chips.  Also tastes great over rice.

Million Dollar Spaghetti

Million Dollar Spaghetti

1 lb ground beef

1/4 lb ground pork

Garlic Salt & Pepper to taste

1/2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp fennel seed

24 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I used Barilla Marinara)

Drizzle of honey 

8 oz cream cheese (I used about 6 oz of the reduced fat variety)

1/4 cup sour cream (I used lite sour cream)

1/2 lb Cottage Cheese (I used about 6 oz Ricotta)

1 stick butter (I only used half a stick)

8 oz noodles, pre-cooked until al dente and drained (I used 16 oz Spaghetti)

Bag of shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 350^ F.

Brown and crumble the meats in a large skillet with garlic salt, pepper, basil, oregano and fennel.  Drain and add the spaghetti sauce and honey.  Simmer about 15 minutes.  

Combine the cream cheese, sour cream and cottage (or Ricotta) cheese until well mixed.

Slice the butter into pats and place in a 9x13" pan or casserole dish.  Add half the spaghetti noodles and spread the cheese mixture evenly over that.  Top with remaining noodles (the original recipe say to add the rest of the butter at this point) and then the sauce.  Bake for 30 minutes.  

Remove from oven and top with the shredded Cheddar.  Bake for another 20 minutes.  Remove from the oven and let sit about 15 minutes before cutting.

This was absolutely delicious and I'll most assuredly make it again!

 Adapted from a recipe athttp://ashleykaitlin.blogspot.com/2011/01/million-dollar-spaghetti.html

Smothered Chicken Queso Casserole

Smothered Chicken Queso Casserole

2-3 tablespoons oil
3 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
1 packet Old El Paso Taco Seasoning (I prefer the Low Sodium packet)
1 jar (15-oz) Tostito's salsa con queso
3/4 cup half and half
1 can (4.5-oz) chopped green chiles
1 red or orange bell pepper, seeded and chopped
3 cups cooked white rice
1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
 Chopped Tomatoes and Cilantro to garnish, if desired


Heat the oven to 350^F and spray a 9x13" pan with cooking spray.

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Sprinkle chicken with taco seasoning mix.  (I used the whole packet and my chicken was heavily coated, which made me worry a bit.)  Cook the chicken in the hot oil, turning once for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown on both sides.  Don't worry if it's not completely cooked...it will finish in the oven.

In a large bowl, combine the salsa con queso, half and half, green chiles and bell pepper.  Reserve 1/4 of the sauce mixture.  Stir the cooked rice into the remaining mixture in the large bowl.

Place the rice into the sprayed 9x13" pan and top with the chicken.  Top with the reserved sauce and then sprinkle the Mexican blend cheese over everything.  Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20 minutes.

Remove the foil from the pan and bake it another 10-15 minutes or until the sauce bubbles and the chicken is cooked through.

Cool 10 minutes before serving.  Garnish with chopped fresh tomatoes and cilantro if desired.

MY NOTES:  This was excellent!  I used a package of chicken tenderloins instead of the breasts that you have to cut.  I served it with a dollop of sour cream and some Salsa and Whole Kernel Corn (because I was too lazy to make the Salad I'd intended to serve).  I'll definitely make this one again.

Found on Pinterest and linked to http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/smothered-chicken-queso-casserole/401bbca6-bb23-42b4-96e4-133e485c765b?utm_medium=social&utm_source=pinterest&utm_campaign=04_2016_standard&crlt.pid=camp.nq9Rkc7QxYQu

Pork Chops with Lemon Thyme Cream Sauce

Pork Chops with Lemon Thyme Cream Sauce

4 boneless pork chops, about 1/2-inch thick
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon lemon zest
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or a couple sprigs of fresh thyme)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

Pound the pork chops (under waxed paper) until about 1/4-inch thick.

Combine the flour, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  Coat the pork chops on both sides in the flour mixture and shake off the excess.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium high heat.  Brown the pork chops well on both sides, about 5-8 minutes per side.  Remove from pan and set aside.

Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, white wine and thyme to the skillet, stirring to scrape up the browned bits. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium.  Return the chops to the pan, cover and simmer 15-20 minutes until chops are completely cooked.

Remove the chops to a serving platter and keep warm in a 200^F oven.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet and stir until melted.  Blend in the heavy cream and cook until reduced by about 25% and slightly thickened.  Serve the sauce over the pork chops.

MY NOTES:  By the time the chops simmered 20 minutes in the wine mixture, the wine & lemon mixture was gone and the skillet was pretty dry and close to burning!  I added an extra 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the skillet and brought it back to a boil before I added the cream and butter.

NEXT TIME, I would brown the pork chops and keep them warm (they didn't really need extra cooking).  I would then make the sauce and serve it over the chops.

These were tasty!  Great with Steamed Rice and Broccoli.  The sauce was really good with the Broccoli.

Found on Pinterest and linked to http://creolecontessa.com/2016/05/pork-chops-lemon-thyme-cream-sauce/

Baked Sweet Hawaiian Chicken

1/4 cup vegetable oil
3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (20-oz) can pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup pineapple juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup lite soy sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch


Preheat the oven to 325^F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the chicken with salt and pepper (I skipped the salt entirely because the soy sauce is enough for me and John!)  Toss the chicken in the cornstarch and then dip each piece in the beaten eggs and place in the skillet.  Do not crowd the pan. Brown the chicken on both sides and then transfer it to a 9x13-inch pan.  Add the chopped red pepper and the drained pineapple tidbits.

In a bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until well combined.  Pour over the chicken and pineapple and bake for 1 hour.  Stir the mixture every 15 minutes until done.

This was really good!  Only change I might make is to add a little Sriracha or some crushed red pepper flakes to spice it up a bit.  We had it over rice with a side of steamed broccoli.

Found on Pinterest which linked to this website: http://therecipecritic.com/2015/07/baked-sweet-hawaiian-chicken/

Coq au Vin

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 slices bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 chicken, cut into pieces
1 large onion, halved and sliced
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 teaspoon minced roasted garlic
1/4 cup brandy
1/2 bottle red wine
1 cup chicken stock
8-10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tablespoon butter, softened
1-1/2 tablespoons flour
8-oz mushrooms, sliced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350^F.

In a large, heavy oven-proof Dutch Oven, heat the oil and fry the bacon until crispy.  Remove from pan and add the chicken pieces.  Season with salt and pepper and brown chicken well on both sides. It doesn't have to be completely cooked.  Remove chicken from the pan.  Add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and cook another minute, being careful not to burn the garlic.

Carefully stir in the brandy, scraping up the browned bits in the bottom of the pan.  Add the red wine, chicken stock and thyme.  Bring to a boil.  Add the bacon and chicken (with any juice that's dripped out) to the wine.  Cover and transfer the pan to the oven.  Cook 40 minutes.

Stir the flour into the softened butter until smooth.  Remove the pan from the oven and stir the butter mixture into the sauce.  Stir in the mushrooms and season the sauce with salt and pepper if necessary. Place the pan, uncovered this time, back into the oven for about 15 minutes until the sauce thickens up a little bit.

Serve with mashed potatoes or cooked egg noodles.  Yum!

Buttered Eggs

So, in my email this morning was a recommendation from Amazon that I might like a new book..."Outlander Kitchen" by Theresa Carle-Sanders.  It's a cookbook inspired by the Outlander books by Diana Gabaldon!  Amazon was right...again.  I DO like this book.  I also like the website: http://outlanderkitchen.com/ 

As I was scrolling through the list of recipes (and being how we hadn't eaten breakfast yet), I decided to try the Buttered Eggs from The Scottish Prisoner.  I had all the ingredients...you probably do too...there aren't that many.  Eggs, Butter, Salt and Pepper.  A frightening amount of butter, actually. One full tablespoon of butter per egg!!

So, I made a few minor adjustments (namely a little less butter!) and cooked these up. Delicious!  A toasted English Muffin and teaspoon of homemade Blueberry Preserves are the perfect accompaniment.  We are now ready to hitch up the oxen and go plow the back 40!!  

Here's the recipe.

BUTTERED EGGS

3 tablespoons butter
4 eggs
Salt and Pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-low heat.  While that's doing, season the eggs with a little salt and pepper and beat well until the white and yellow are well combined.  When the butter starts to get frothy, pour the eggs into it and stir often with a fork or spatula.  You want to incorporate the butter into the cooking eggs, so don't stop stirring!  Gently, though.  When the eggs are still moist, turn the heat off and and finish cooking and stirring until they are done. You don't want to overcook them...they should be done, but still moist and creamy looking.  Serve with toast.

The eggs tasted great, but even though I used less butter than the original recipe called for, I would decrease the butter to only 2 tablespoons if I made this again.  Or increase the eggs to 6 instead of 4!

Also, just in case you're interested in history, this dish was described in a cookbook as early as 1660 (The Accomplisht Cook by Robert May).  Here's the instructions for preparing it in 1822 (from The Cook and Housekeeper's Dictionary by Mary Eaton):

BUTTERED EGGS. Beat four or five eggs, yolk and white together; put a quarter of a pound of butter in a bason, and then put that into boiling water. Stir it till melted, then put that butter and the eggs into a saucepan; keep a bason in your hand, just hold the saucepan in the other over a slow part of the fire, shaking it one way, as it begins to warm. Pour it into the bason and back again, then hold it over the fire, stirring it constantly in the saucepan, and pouring it into the bason, more perfectly to mix the egg and butter, until they shall be hot without boiling. Serve on toasted bread, or in a bason, to eat with salt fish or red herrings.

Eerie Eyeballs

Eerie Eyeballs

3 oz (small box) lemon gelatin (can be sugar-free)
1 cup hot water
1/2 cup miniature marshmallows
1 cup pineapple juice
8 oz cream cheese (can be lowfat/Neufchatel)

Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup water in double boiler, add marshmallows and stir to melt. Remove from heat. Add pineapple juice and cream cheese. Beat until well blended. Cool slightly. If you have a truffle candy mold or round ice cube trays, spray them with non-stick cooking spray first, then pour the mixture in the molds and leave to set in the fridge. Otherwise pour into a deep ceramic dish and chill until thickened or firm enough for scooping into eyeballs. Using a melon baller, scoop full balls of the mixture and set aside for decoration. To decorate, use liquid food coloring and an old detail paintbrush and get creative. You will need black food coloring for the pupils. Also, if you are in a hurry, instead of painting the colored irises, you can carefully dip the ball in a small pool of food coloring to approximate the iris, but still paint on the pupils. Note: if you are using the melon baller method, you might need to add one package of plain gelatin to your mixture. The molds work fine with just the lemon gelatin to make gently squishy eyeballs. 
Original source unknown