Cucumber and Chops

My neighbor just started growing a vegetable garden and since my father-in-law has been watering and watching his house, we were fortunate enough to partake in the fruits (veggies) of the garden. We had some fresh cucumbers and I decided to make a cucumber salad. To go with the cucumber salad, I decided I wanted to make pork chops. I came across this wonderful recipe from Adventures in Home Cooking blog for onion baked pork chops. Father-in-law and Mr. Bear happily devoured the yummy dinner.





Rumbly Tumbly Cucumber Salad



Ingredients
1 large cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon dried dill, or to taste
Salt and pepper

Toss together the cucumbers and onion in a large bowl. Combine the vinegar, water, and sugar until sugar dissolves. Stir in dill, salt, and pepper, cover, and refrigerate until cold. Be sure to allow the cucumbers to marinate for at least 1 hour.

Note: Recipe measurements are all approximations.


Onion Baked Pork Chops
From: Adventures in Home Cooking



Ingredients
4 pork chops
1 pkg. Lipton onion soup mix
1 egg, well beaten
2/3 cup bread crumbs
2 T. olive oil
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Season pork chops with salt and pepper.

Combine soup mix and bread crumbs. Dip chops in egg and then in bread crumb/onion mixture, coating well. Place in a shallow pan.

Drizzle olive oil onto pork chops. Bake 30 minutes, turning once.

Notes:

• The original recipe called for 2 eggs but I didn't need 2, instead I beat a little bit of milk in with the egg.
• The original recipe also called for butter but I omitted the butter (we don't need the extra calories and it turned out just fine without it).
• Also, i didn't have to bake for as long since they were thin pieces of pork.
  

A different spin on cornbread

My gourmet club met this past weekend. The theme was summer/BBQ. We had great food and wonderful company. Tons of fun!!

I made a salad recipe that I had never ever heard of let alone made, a cornbread salad. You never know how things will turn out when you try a new recipe, especially when you are not quite sure how it should taste. This recipe was definitely a keeper. It is always a good sign when others ask for the recipe. I made a few adjustments to the original recipe: I halved the recipe, used black beans instead of pinto beans, excluded the bacon, and used pre-made ranch dressing.



Cornbread salad
from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients
1 (16 ounce) package cornbread mix
1/2 bottle of ranch dressing
1 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped green onion
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (11 ounce) cans whole kernel corn, drained

Prepare corn bread according to package directions. Cool, crumble, and set aside. (I crumbled about 1/2 of the prepared cornbread)

Place half the crumbled cornbread in the bottom of a large serving dish. Top with half the beans. Layer the beans with half of the tomatoes, green bell pepper, and green onions. Sprinkle with half the cheese, corn, and the salad dressing mixture. Repeat the layers. Cover, and chill at least 2 hours before serving.

Other dishes from the Gourmet Club:

Some appetizers




Bean dip


Beet salad


Gazpacho Soup


BBQ Chicken (with a very good dog watching closely).



We also had some delicious ribs (not pictured). I also forgot to take pictures of the yummy desserts. Next month's theme is Spanish.

Summer Pasta Salad

Last week, we had a BBQ pot luck at work to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. Pasta salad is an yummy and easy dish to make. Perfect for a pot luck since you can make it the night before, which makes it taste even better. My measurements are not exact, mostly for taste and looks.

Rumbly Tumbly Summer Pasta Salad



1 lb package of tri-color rotini pasta
1/2 orange bell pepper chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper chopped
1 tomato diced
1/2 cup green onions chopped
1 can of sliced olives (drained)
1/2 bottle of Italian salad dressing
1/2 bottle of Ceaser salad dressing
1/2 cup parmasean cheese

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water until al dente. Rinse under cold water, and drain.

Mix chopped peppers, tomatoes, onion, and olives together in large bowl.

Combine cooled pasta and vegetables together in large bowl. Pour dressings over mixture, add Parmesan cheese and mix well.

Chill for at least one hour before serving.

Red Velvet Treats

This weekend I made some Red Velvet Treats for my father-in-law’s birthday, Red Velvet Truffles and Red Velvet Cupcakes. My father-in-law loved the Red Velvet truffles and is convinced that I should go in the candy making business (For Christmas, I made some Oreo truffles, which he raved about to all his friends). He is so sweet, he loves every treat I make. :-)

Red Velvet Truffles
From: http://bakerella.blogspot.com/2007/12/red-velvet-cake-balls.html



1 box red velvet cake mix (cook as directed on box for 13 X 9 cake)
1 can cream cheese frosting (16 oz.)
1 package chocolate bark (regular or white chocolate)
wax paper

1. After cake is cooked and cooled completely, crumble into large bowl.
2. Mix thoroughly with 1 can cream cheese frosting. (It may be easier to use fingers to mix together, but be warned it will get messy.)
3. Roll mixture into quarter size balls and lay on cookie sheet.
4. Chill for several hours. (You can speed this up by putting in the freezer.)
5. Melt chocolate in microwave per directions on package or melt chocolate using the double boiler method.
6. Using a toothpick, dip each ball into the melted chocolate and place on wax paper. Decorate as desired. Store in refrigerator.

Red Velvet cupcakes



Since I had bought a second box of red velvet cake mix, I decided to also make some red velvet cupcakes. So I did not make it from scratch this time around, I just didn’t have the time. I did make the frosting from scratch. I used the Sprinkle's cream cheese frosting recipe and that made all the yummy difference. I think Mr. Bear’s cousin really liked the cupcakes :-)



Sprinkle’s cream cheese frosting

8oz. cold cream cheese
1 stick unsalted butter, firm but not cold
1/8 tsp salt
3 3/4 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Beat cream cheese, butter and salt until smooth.
2. Gradually add confectioner's sugar and beat until incorporated.
3. Add vanilla and beat just until incorporated
4. Don't over mix. It should be creamy and dense like ice cream.

It's all in the cheese: Mac and Cheese

I decided that I wanted to make mac and cheese for a a family BBQ for my Father-in-law's birthday. So I looked at a ton of different recipes from friends and on the internet. There are a range of ways to make mac and cheese and I finally decided to take a little something from all the recipes I found and created my own. I am glad I did, everyone seemed to love it. I used 4 different cheeses because I love cheese, especially sharp cheese. You can really use any type you like.


Rumbly Tumbly Mac and Cheese



INGREDIENTS
1 (16 ounce) package elbow macaroni
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup flour
2 cups half-and-half
8 ounces cream cheese
1 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Paprika
Garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter a 9 X 13 casserole.

Bring the large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the elbow macaroni and cook until the macaroni is just tender, about 7-8 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain well. Return to the cooking pot.

In a small saucepan, melt eight tablespoons of the butter. Add flour, whisking often until smooth bubbly. Gradually add half and half and cream cheese. Continue cooking on medium heat until sauce is thickened and cream cheese is melted. Add seasonings. In a large bowl, mix the Muenster, mild and sharp Cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheeses. Add half of the mixed cheese s to the sauce and stir until melted.

Stir sauce into the macaroni. Then add the other half of the shredded cheeses and mix until well combined. Transfer to the buttered casserole.

Bake until it's bubbling around the edges, about 15 minutes. Serve hot.

An Easter Feast

Mr. Bear and I had a low key Easter Sunday with basically just the two of us and my father-in-law.

Easter Dinner Menu
Pot Roast with Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
French rolls
Apple crisp a la mode


I almost forgot to take a picture of dinner, so this plate is half eaten, LOL.



Awesome Slow Cooker Pot Roast
From: allrecipes.com

I modified the recipe by adding some veggies and by cutting it in half since it was only Mr. Bear, my father-in-law, and me for dinner. My modifications are in blue italics.

INGREDIENTS
1 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (1 ounce) package dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
2 3/4 pounds pot roast

My additions: salt, pepper, baby carrots, 1 onion, 1 beef bullion cube, and mushrooms

DIRECTIONS
In a slow cooker, mix cream of mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and water.
Add carrots, onion, and beef bullion cube.
Season pot roast with salt and pepper.
Place pot roast (on top of veggies) in slow cooker and coat with soup mixture.
Put mushrooms on top of roast.
Cook on High setting for 3 to 4 hours, or on Low setting for 8 to 9 hours.

Gravy

Using the drippings and flour, I made a wonderful gravy to go with the roast and the mashed potatoes. Add flour until you get the right consistency. My father-in-law had two helpings of everything. A great sign, dinner was so yummy!! Now for dessert.



Apple Crisp

I had never made an Apple Crisp or any kind of apple dessert before. I looked around for a recipe and decided to combine a few different recipes. The result was perfect. I was very pleased with my recipe combination, not too sweet and or runny. It was so yummy with some vanilla bean ice cream.

INGREDIENTS
4 cups sliced apples (peeled and cored) - I used 2 large granny smith apples and 1 medium gala apple
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
3/4 cup brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup of oats
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat flour

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
Soak apples in water then drain and place apples in prepared dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 1/4 cup of brown sugar.
In a bowl, mix the 1/2 cup brown sugar, flour, oats, and butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle over the apples.
Bake in preheated oven 45 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is golden.
Top each serving with ice cream.

Yummy! Two recipes I will definitely use again!

=^..^=

Low-Fat Baked Chicken

This is one of my favorite chicken recipes. It is easy and healthy for you.



Best Ever Low-Fat Baked Chicken
From: http://www.recipeland.com/recipe/32827/

4 each chicken breasts skinless, boneless
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan, parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated fat free
1 teaspoon rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon parsley leaves flakes
1/2 cup liquid margarine fat free (squeeze bottle) - I used olive oil instead

Mix bread crumbs, cheese and seasoning in shallow bowl.
Dip each chicken breast in liquid spread, then in bread crumb mixture.
Place each breast on baking sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
Bake for approximately 30-45 minutes on 375 degress or until golden brown.

Yields 4 servings