Grandma's Stuffed Pork Chops

Recently I've been thinking and reflecting on family. I loved getting together for large family gatherings, extended family, and always good food. A friend suggested recently I record these memories here by posting family recipes. This one comes from my grandma on my fathers side. My dad talks about how he and my uncle used to fight over the bigger chop.

Start with pork chops on the thicker side. Cut them through the middle, 

not all the way, just a pocket.

 

Heat the oil in a skillet and heat the oven to 425.
Stuff the pork chops with the prepared stuffing and season on both sides with season salt.
Add the chops to the pan and cook until golden brown on one side. Flip all of the chops and add the onion to cook at the same time. The onions are my addition, not Grandmas.

Once the chops are browned on both sides, but not cooked all the way through, top with the can of tomato sauce. Bake at 425 until the chops are cooked all the way through.

Peach Salsa

6 large ripe peaches

6 slices of pickled jalepenos, like for nachos, chopped

1/4 c. red bell pepper, finely chopped

1/2 red onion, finely chopped

1 small amount of chopped fresh cilantro, about 1 Tbsp chopped

1/3 c. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp jalapeno liquid from the jar of slices

Heat the balsamic vinegar over medium heat until reduced by at least half. Whisk in the honey until smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in the jalapeno liquid. Set aside to cool

Peel and chop the peaches. 

Combine the peaches, red onion, red pepper, jalapenos, cilantro and balsamic vinegar sauce.  

Stir to combine. 

Serve with chips or over pork chops. 

Jambalaya

 Another one to cook in large batched and eat later. Rice tenders to get a little crunchy when it is frozen so after it is thawed it need and additional 10 - 15 minutes on the stove.

3 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts

2 kielbasas, sliced

3 - 4 c. cooked ham

1/4 c. olive oil

2 large onions

3 stalks celery, sliced thin

1 Tbsp minced garlic

2 bell peppers, chopped

2 cans petite diced tomatoes, undrained

3 1/2 c. white rice

7 c. chicken broth

1 Tbsp oregano

1 Tbsp thyme
1 tsp. paprika

dash cloves

Salt & pepper 

Tabasco

2 cans tomato paste

Heat the oil in a really large skillet. Trim the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Cut in half lenghtwise and cook in the hot oil until well browned on both sides. Remove from the pans and set aside. When cool enough to handle, shred the chicken.

Cook the kielbasa in the same pan until brown and crisp. Remove and set aside. 

Add the onions and cook until translucent. Continue cooking until starting to brown. Add the celery and cook until the celery is tender. Add the peppers and garlic to the pan and cook for 20 seconds.

Add the uncooked rice to the pan and stir to coat the rice with the oil. Continue cooking until the rice is starting to brown. Add the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, oregano, thyme, cloves, paprika, and Tabasco.

Simmer over medium heat until the rice is mostly tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the tomato paste. Let cook 2 minutes more, cover the pan and remove from the heat. Let sit, covered, for 25 minutes. Remove the lid and stir in the the ham, chicken, and kielbasa. 

Allow to cool to room temperature and put into 4 gallon sized freezer bags. Press to remove air and freeze. In the case I do not freeze mine flat, I smooth it out so it can lay flat them I fold it in half. That way the frozen jambalaya fits in my crock-pot to reheat. 

To Serve:

Microwave until thawed, place in a pot with 1/2 c. chicken broth or water and simmer until liquid is absorbed, rice isn't crunchy, and the jambalaya is heated through.

Quiche for the freezer

I mentioned a few posts back I was pregnant. And a lot of nights I dont really feel like cooking. And that can be said of most people pregnant or not. So I have started filling my freezer with homemade meals. And I discovered that quiche freezes as well. 

I like to use disposable pans when I freeze food. I don't have enough pans to have most of them in the freezer, they are less bulky then regular pans, and I don't have to wash them afterwards, meaning even less clean up. 

I just used 4 disposable pie pans and quadrupled my regular quiche recipe. I froze them completely uncooked about 4 hours until they were solid; I then wrapped them in tin foil and finally in plastic wrap. 

When I was ready to use them I unwrapped them completely and baked at 350 for 1 hour (15 - 20 minutes longer than normal) Tap the side of the pan to see if the center is set.

Quiche Recipe here

Eggrolls

The wrapping takes a little practice but after a few you will probably get the hang of it.
The hands above are my 5 year old, after her second one she was wrapping as well as I was.
 

1 1/2 lb ground beef (chicken or pork work great too)

1/2 tsp. McCormick Szechuan Pepper blend

1 c. beef broth

1/2 c. stir fry sauce

1 head cabbage

3 carrots, grated

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

60 Egg roll wrappers 

(I used 3 packages I got in the produce section of Wal-mart)

Cook the ground beef with the pepper seasoning, crumbling really fine, until no longer pink. Add the broth and stir fry sauce and simmer until the liquid is absorbed. Put in a really large bowl. 

Cut the cabbage into quarters, slice really fine, then cut across so you have small shreds. Toss with the cabbage. In a large pan cook the onions without water or oil, over medium heat, until starting to soften. Add the cabbage mixture and let cook, stirring every 5 minutes or so to avoid browning and to make sure it gets cooked all the way through. About halfway sprinkle the top with salt, stir and taste for seasoning, adding more salt if needed, making sure not to add too much or you wont be able to add soy sauce later. 

When the cabbage is softened but not too cooked down, remove from heat and toss with the cooked meat. 

Place one egg roll wrapper at an angle, top with a scant 1/4 c. of meat and cabbage mixture. Roll, still at an angle, about half way, tuck in the sides and finish rolling. Dip your finger in water and wet the end of the roll before wrapping to seal it closed. You don't want to get them too wet though or else the wrapper will turn into a soggy, doughy messy that wont hold the filling.

Freeze - place all on a tray and freeze until solid. Then put them in an air tight bag and seal.

Eat now - Fry in hot oil for 2 minutes on each side. 

 

Come see all the other great recipes at Cast Party Wednesday

Chocolate-Caramel-Bacon Bark SRC

It's the Secret Recipe Club reveal today! And as I perusing my assigned blog, Cheap Ethnic Eatz, I ran across a post entitled "Bacon Chocolate Bar". 

I knew I was done looking. 

Well not done looking, I don't think I will ever been done looking, she has tons of great looking recipes and is adding more, maybe even working on a cookbook, but I knew I had found my test recipe. I had to make two changes though. I wanted to add caramel, and I wanted the bacon to show, so that people who might not be appreciative of the flavor combination would not touch my candy.

I used dark chocolate in this recipe but I think milk would be really good too, and since the chocolate flavor isnt as strong as with dark the bacon would stand out more. With the caramel sauce you want one that is thick at room temperature so it doesn't run out of the candy when you cut it.

This was my first time baking bacon, and it turned out perfect. I just put it on a metal tray and baked at 400 for 10 - 15 minutes until crispy and then drain on a paper towel.

1 bag chocolate chips

2 - 3 Tbsp. caramel sauce

6 strips bacon, cooked until crispy and then crumbled

Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a double boiler. If using the microwave, only melt until most of the chips are soft and stir to melt the rest of the chocolate.

Spread half of the chocolate on wax paper into a 6 to 8 inch circle. Drizzle with the caramel sauce and stick in the freezer until the chocolate is set and the caramel is thick, about 15 minutes. I actually did that while cooking the bacon. 

When the chocolate and caramel are firm, spread the remaining chocolate on top and sprinkle with the crumbled bacon. Return to the freezer for about 15 minutes.

Remove and chop off pieces as you want to eat them, the caramel gets soft and runs out if you cut it all at once. This is good for about 2 days afterwards due to the bacon getting soggy if you leave it. 

But why would it last that long?

Pizza Bites

 (They don't look like much, don't let that fool you)

These are simple little pizza bites that are great for a fun kids dinner, a picnic, or as an appetizer. We LOVED them. Feel free to play around with different toppings in the center. Whatever you normally like on your pizza will be good. Next time I am going to try meat lovers, and add sausage and bacon. 

I also want to freeze some and see how they do. I will update later with the results. If it works this would be a great treat to have on hand to pull out for quick snacks. UPDATE: They worked great frozen. I froze them overnight and then I microwaved one from frozen and it got hard as a rock. But I defrosted the rest, and that only took 30 minutes, and then microwaved it for 20 seconds and it was warm and soft. So it takes a little pre planning to eat them from frozen, but not too much.I just put them flat on a tray and froze them until they where solid, about 2hours, and then put them in a freezer safe plastic bag.

You can use whatever dough and sauce recipe you prefer but I have included mine as well, just in case. 

I don't remember the pkg size of the pepperoni, it said it had 90 pepperoni. After the 48 reserved, I think it was about 3/4 c. chopped.

1 batch pizza dough

1 Batch Sauce

1 1/4 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded

1 1/4c. cheddar cheese, shredded

2 pkg pepperoni

1/4lb deli sliced turkey pastrami

 1/2 bell pepper, chopped

Reserve 48 pepperoni's. Chop remaining pepperoni and turkey pastrami. Mix the mozzarella, cheddar, pepperoni, pastrami, and bell pepper. When the sauce is cooled add it to the cheese mix. 

Roll the dough out really thin and cut into 2 inch squares. Spray 4 mini muffin pans with cooking spray. Press one dough square into each muffin cup. Fill with cheese and sauce mixture. Top each cup with one reserved pepperoni. 

Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or just until the dough looks cooked. Let cool in pan ten minutes before removing.

Makes 4 dozen.

Corn Stuffed Pork Chops

This is a recipe from my mom. It was one of my favorites growing up. Such a great flavor without much work, it's really simple to prepare.

My husband and children just confirmed that they love it as well. 

6 pork chops

1/4 c. prepared yellow mustard

3 Tbsp butter or oil

1/2 onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

5 slices of bread (I like the flavor of whole wheat)

1 egg, beaten

1 (12 oz.) can creamed corn

1 bottle pimentos

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Spread the pork chops with the mustard and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp of the salt and 1/4 tsp. of the black pepper. Set aside

In a large skillet saute the onion and green pepper until tender.

Tear the bread into little pieces. Combine the bread, cooked peppers and onions, egg, corn, pimentos, and remaining salt and pepper. Place in the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish.

In the same pan you cooked the peppers and onions in, cook the pork chops on both sides until browned. 

Place pork chops on top of the corn mixture in the casserole dish and press into stuffing. 

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45 minutes.

German Fried Potatoes

My mom always made this with leftover cooked potatoes and leftover ham. She fried them up with butter and onions and some Nature seasons for good measure.

Leftover cooked potatoes, sliced OR really thinly sliced potatoes
Butter
Chopped onion
Leftover ham chopped, or a can crumbled

Saute the onions in the butter until translucent. Add the ham and potatoes and saute until heated through and browning, if using raw cook over a lower heat for a longer time to cook the potatoes and then turn the heat up to brown the potatoes.

Season with salt and pepper or Nature Seasons, and I like to top mine with a little cheese, while it's still hot to melt it.

German Lentil Soup

I know this looks like a long list of ingredients but you probably already have most of them in your pantry and you just throw the lentils, broth, and seasonings in the pot. While that is cooking I chop the remaining vegetables and throw them in when the lentils are tender. It's that simple, but the results are a very hearty, very thick, very flavorful soup that makes great "pockets" the next day. I'll explain that last part in a minute.

I like to eat with a dollop of sour cream



2 c. dried brown lentils
7 c. vegetable stock
(you can use chicken too, I prefer vegetable though, it doesn't interfere with the flavors of the spices as much. If you use bouillon skip the salt, you wont need it)
1 bay leaf 1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 - 1 tsp. salt, or to taste
2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
5 drops hot pepper sauce
1/2 - 1 tsp. caraway seed (I like lots)
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. chopped celery
3 c. potatoes, cut into small cubes
1 can ham, crumbled, or 1 c. leftover ham or chicken chopped fine (optional)

Combine the lentils, chicken stock and the next 11 ingredients. Simmer 45 minutes or until lentils are tender. Do not let the soup boil dry, if it starts to add more liquid, either water or more stock. If you just simmer the pot you should be just fine. The only time it went dry on me was when it was at a full boil. When the lentils are soft enough to eat add the carrots, celery, and potatoes and continue to cook until tender. When the vegetables are done stir in crumbled ham. This goes great served with a dark crusty bread.

Or you can throw all the ingredients at once in the crock pot and cook on high for 4 - 6 hours

And now for the pocket part. The next day I like to strain the liquid and use as a filling in stuffed bread. I throw a batch of dough in the bread maker and when its done pull off 2 inch balls of dough. I roll them flat and top with a heaping tablespoon of the lentil mixture. Then wet the sides on half of the dough and pull the other side over the top to create a half circle. Press the sides with a fork to seal and place on a lightly floured bake sheet. I bake them at 350 for about 20 minutes or until the are golden brown and it looks like the bread is done.

Eggplant Pasta

This can be so many things. I first tried it as soup. Then I used it as a pizza sauce. Next it was a casserole and lastly it was just tossed with some pasta for lunch. All were loved. Don't let the really basic looking appearance of the pasta in the picture fool you. It's amazing stuff.

And since it's amazing, I'm sending it to the amazing Presto Pasta Nights being hosted over at Briciole

1 egg plant, quartered lengthwise
2 roma tomatoes, quartered
2 cloves garlic
1 small onion, quartered
olive oil
Salt

Brush vegetables with oil and lightly sprinkle with salt.
Roast at 400 for 40 minutes.

In a pot combine and simmer 10 minutes
2 c. chicken broth
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1 tsp. lemon juice

Scrape eggplant from purple skin. Add eggplant, onion, tomatoes, and garlic to broth.
Simmer 30 minutes until vegetables really are tender. Puree until smooth and add
1/4 c. cream
let sit for 15 minutes.

Roasting the vegetables, I used more than the onion shown, I had just already started throwing it in the pot before I remembered to take a picture. They will be a dark brown on the bottom, you want that.

Thats what it looked like in the pot simmering, not so very tasty looking, admittedly

Ok, so thats the basics of it. Here are the Variations:

Soup:
Use 6 cups of chicken broth and a half a cup of cream

Pizza Sauce:
Use as is instead of your regular tomato sauce on pizza, top with cheese, bake and enjoy

Casserole:
Toss cooked pasta, the sauce, chunks of cooked chicken and/or Italian sausage, and some small cubes of mozzarella cheese. Cover and bake at 350 until the cheese starts to melt

Pasta Dish:
Much like the casserole, just toss the sauce with cooked pasta and enjoy. You can add sliced chicken and top with Parmesan cheese is you want.

Breakfast Pasta

I made macaroni and cheese last night for dinner, the kind with the flour thickened sauce (from the vitamix cookbook) that you pour over the cooked pasta and then bake until hot and bubbly. So this is my revamp of the leftovers

I made my macaroni and cheese with a can of ham in it, but you could just use leftover ham or skip it.

Presto Pasta Nights 225 is at "Once Upon a Feast"

(This is before I added the cheese so you could really see the pasta itself)

1/2 package of bacon
6 sausage links
1/2 onion
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
Salt to taste
3 - 4 c. leftover macaroni and cheese
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the bacon until crisp, crumble, and set aside. Remove all but 3 Tbsp of the bacon drippings. Cook the sausage in the bacon drippings until browned. Remove from pan and chop. Add the onion and peppers and cook until both are tender.

Whisk together the milk and eggs and some salt to taste.

Push the peppers to one side of the pan and cook the eggs in the other until set. Chop the eggs into small pieces and toss with the peppers. Add the macaroni and cheese to the pan and toss with the veggies and eggs. Keep stirring to heat through without it sticking to the pan.

Add the sausage and bacon and mix in.

Sprinkle with the cheese and stir to melt the cheese

Serve

Tourtiere

John lived in Quebec for 2 years and while there learned to love tourtiere, a French Canadian Thanksgiving dish. I've made several different versions, but this is my favorite. I suspect every cook has her own version, there is no "right" way to make tourtiere.

2 round pie crusts
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 Tbsp Canadian steak seasoning
1/2 onions
4 medium potatoes
3/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tbsp. real bacon bits
1 tsp JD's Bacon salt

Peel the potatoes and cut into small chunks. Cover with water and boil or microwave until tender. Drain and mash but no not add anything, butter, milk, etc...Set aside

Combine the beef, pork and Canadian steak seasoning. Cook in a large skillet until the meat is cooked. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add the potatoes and mix well. Add the cheese, bacon bits, and bacon salt. Stir to combine again.

Lay one of the crusts in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. fill with meat mixtures and top with remaining crust. Crimp the edges to seal. I find that this is easier if I roll the bottom crust out a bit to stretch it before I put it in the pie pan. Prick the top a few times to let the steam escape. Cover with tin foil and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake for 20 - 30 minutes until top crust is browned.

Serve hot.

After you put the top crust on, but before you bake it, It can be covered in saran wrap and put in the fridge until ready to bake. I made this in the morning and then just baked when we wanted dinner

Pumpkin Cream Pasta

This is one of the tastiest things I have ever eaten. I love it.

You can make it with 2 sausage links and a can of white beans. I usually buy several packages of Italian sausage and freeze them in packs of two links. I then use them to add flavor to dishes, and then add beans for bulk and variety. This reduces the cost and the fat content of the dish.

I used mild Italian sausage and it had a tiny bit of spice to it. Feel free to use sweet or hot depending on your taste, I would have loved hot but my kids wouldn't like it as much.

Cream sauces tend to be a little dry when eaten as leftover, this was no exception. I just added about 1/2 cup of milk to a large pan and added the cold pasta. Then just stir to combine the milk with the pasta and heat evenly throughout.

Taste for salt too before you serve, I didn't need to add any because I used water and chicken bouillon and bouillon is really salty. If you use real chicken broth or stock you might need to check.

I am going to link to "Once Upon a Feast", the have a "Presto Pasta Night"

Send your links, I'll see you there!

Update 2/11 - I had someone tell me they sauteed mushrooms after the sausage and they loved it. 

************

Pumpkin Cream Pasta

12 oz. Bow Tie Pasta
1 lb. Italian sausage links, If using links remove casings first

4 - 6 green onions, sliced all the way up the green part
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 c. chicken broth
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
1/4 c. heavy cream, half-an-half, or fat-free evaporated milk
1/2 tsp rubbed sage
dash black pepper
1 Tbsp parsley flakes
1/4 c. Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the bow ties in lightly salted water until al dente. Drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid.

Meanwhile saute the Italian sausage until browned. If the skillet looks dry add a splash of olive oil and saute the green onions and garlic until fragrant. Add the chicken broth and use to lift the browned bits from the pan. Add the pumpkin, half-an-half, sage, pepper, and parsley and simmer two minutes.

Stir in cooked pasta and simmer. If desired, thin with reserved cooking liquid. Sprinkle in cheese and stir to combine.

Garnish with more Parmesan cheese to taste.

Make the sauce, add the pasta, check consistency and enjoy!