Smothered Pork Chops

• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, each about 1 inch thick
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1 yellow onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp minced fresh thyme
• 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. hot sauce, plus more for serving
• Buttered rice for serving

Preheat oven to 375^F. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper. In a large electric skillet set on medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the chops and cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a large baking dish.

Reduce the heat to medium and melt the butter in the skillet. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally and scraping up the browned bits from the pan bottom, until the onion is translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper, celery, the white portion of the green onions and the garlic. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the thyme and flour and stir well. Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a simmer. Stir in the cream and hot sauce and pour over the chops in the baking dish.

Cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 1.5 hours or until pork it very tender. Serve with buttered rice. Pass more hot sauce at the table. Serves 4.

This was very good!

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Comfort Food, by Rick Rodgers (Oxmoor House, 2009).

Cathy's Cincinnati Chil

This is one of our absolute favorite meals!  Everyone at my house loves it!

 

2 - 2 1/2 lbs ground chuck

1 tsp olive oil

1 medium minced onion

4 cloves garlic, crushed

Garlic Salt & Pepper to taste

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp cumin

3-4 Tbsp chili powder

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp ground allspice

12 oz can tomato paste

15 oz can tomato sauce

1 12-oz can Coca-Cola

3-4 cups water

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp honey

4 bay leaves

1 oz block unsweetened baking chocolate

2-3 cans dark red kidney beans

1 lb spaghetti, cooked and drained

Shredded cheese

minced red onion (or a Vidalia)

Brown the meat, onions, garlic, garlic salt & pepper in a large heavy pot.  Add Worcestershire sauce and the spices and cook a couple of minutes.  Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce and Coke.  Add enough water to thin the mixture somewhat.  You don't want it too thin though - it should be thick enough to cling to the spaghetti.  Stir in the vinegar, honey, bay leaves, and chocolate.  Cook slowly until chocolate melts.  Add beans and simmer for an hour or so.  Serve over cooked pasta topped with shredded cheddar, minced onions).  

Lauraine's Swedish Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef

2 eggs

2 onions, grated fine

2 raw potatoes, grated fine

8 saltine crackers, crushed

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp pepper

Oil for frying

2 cans cream of mushroom soup

1 soup can water

1 (4oz) can mushroom caps

Combine hamburger, eggs, onions, potatoes, cracker crumbs, salt & pepper.  Mix well.  Shape into small (about 1-inch) balls and brown in a small amount of oil in a skillet a few at a time.  Pour off oil.  Add mushroom soup, water and mushrooms.  Simmer at least 20 minutes.

Lauraine Kwoka used to bring this to all the college pot lucks before she retired.  These were always a hit with everyone!

Cathy's Lima Beans and Rice

16 oz bag dried large lima beans, rinsed

1 smoked turkey wing (or neckbones, or ham hocks, etc), optional

48 oz carton chicken broth

Water (or additional chicken broth)

1 large onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

1 tsp pepper

Hot Cooked Rice

Butter

Combine all ingredients except rice and butter in a crockpot (slow cooker). Add enough additional water or chicken broth to cover the beans by about 1 inch. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.

Serve over hot cooked rice with a pat of butter in the middle.

This is my all-time favorite bean dish. I've eaten it this way since I was a small child and I love it! I'm not sure if this is exactly how Mom used to cook these. I'll have to ask her, though I know she didn't use a crockpot way back then. She made them on top of the stove. These are always served as a main dish in my family.

Brazilian Feijoada

4 slices applewood-smoked bacon

1 pound boneless pork shoulder (Boston butt), trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes '

Garlic Salt and Pepper

3-4 bone-in beef short ribs

2 medium onions, finely chopped

10.5 oz low-sodium chicken broth

3 tsp minced roasted garlic

1 smoked ham hock
2 cans black beans

1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used Apple Cider Vinegar)

In a large, heavy skillet cook bacon slices until crisp. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and set aside.

In the same skillet, add the pork cubes to the bacon grease. Season with garlic salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally until browned. With a slotted spoon, remove the pork cubes from the skillet and put them in a large slow cooker.

Again in the same skillet, brown the short ribs (season with more garlic salt and pepper). Place the browned short ribs in the slow cooker.

Add the onions, chicken broth, garlic and ham hock and cook 4-6 hours. Add black beans and continue cooking for another 2-3 hours.

Serve over hot cooked rice.

These are the best black beans I've ever eaten! Seriously!

Mama D's Chicken Pot Pie

Mama D's Chicken Pot Pie

3 large chicken breasts, cooked and chopped

1 large container chicken broth

1 large or 2 small cans cream of chicken soup

2 cans mixed vegetables without potatoes

1 can diced potatoes

Milk (about 3 cups)

Salt and pepper

2 packages (Pillsbury) refrigerated pie crusts

Boil boneless, skinless chicken breasts in chicken broth, adding water is necessary to cover chicken while it cooks. Drain and chop into bite sized pieces.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two 9" cake pans with pie crust dough. In large bowl, mix cream of chicken soup with equal amount of milk and whisk until smooth. Add chicken, mixed vegetables, potatoes and salt and pepper to taste. Divide filling between the two dough lined pans then cover with remaining pie crust dough. Trim and flute edges, cut several slits in top pie crust. Bake at 375 degrees 50-60 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is hot and bubbly. Cool slightly before cutting. Tip: set pie crust dough out of refrigerator for 10-15 minutes prior to using to make it easier to work with. Don't use mixed vegetables with potatoes or the vegetable to potato ratio will not be right.