Brunswick Stew

Being from the north, I had no idea what Brunswick Stew was until we moved to North Carolina. I saw it on a menu in a bbq place that was near where we lived at the time, in Kernersville. It's a "stew" of sorts that might or might not contain tomatoes. It usually contains lima beans, corn and at least one type of meat. I'm convinced that most places probably use leftovers to make this "stew" because it's never quite the same each time you order it. Nevertheless, I really like it.

Of course, I'm the only member of our family that will eat it...until now. I've adapted a recipe from a cookbook called "Quick Fixes with Mixes" from the editors of Southern Living. Their recipe calls for shredded pork + bbq sauce. Instead, I used leftovers from this over-the-top-delicious Jack Daniel's pulled pork bbq that we'd eaten earlier in the week. The pulled pork was made with homemade Jack Daniels bbq sauce. I bought frozen lima beans thinking that I would add them into my stew since I'm the only one who will eat them....I forget all about them until we were half way through the meal. That was a bummer but it didn't take away from this great-tasting "stoup" (if I can borrow that word from Rachel Ray because this wasn't a soup but it wasn't as thick as a stew, either.) But the biggest change that I made was to omit the cubed hashbrowns and instead, serve the soup over cooked elbow macaroni. I can't remember any of the Brunswick stew that I've eaten at different locations ever having any type of potatoes in it. We didn't miss the potatoes one bit.

We enjoyed this version of Brunswick stew. It was a great way to use up leftovers. The best part was that I cooked it all in my crockpot, staying nice and cool in during this heat wave!

Crockpot Brunswick Stew
adapted from Quick Fixes with Mixes
my version in bold text

3 lbs. shredded cooked pork - I used about 2 lbs from leftover my Jack Daniel's bbq pulled pork (thaw if frozen)
4 c. frozen cubed hash brown potatoes - I omitted these and poured the stew over cooked elbow macaroni
 3 (14 1/2 oz) cans diced tomatoes wtih garlic and onions
1 (14 1/2 oz) can corn, drained
1 (14 1/2 oz) can cream-style corn
1/2 c. bbq sauce - I omitted this since my pork recipe already contained bbq sauce
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 1/2 tsp salt - I omitted
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c. frozen lima beans - I omitted but would make a great addition to the stew

The original recipe calls for mixing these ingredients together in a large stock pot. Bring the stew to a boil, and then simmering for 45 minutes, stirring often.

However, I stirred all of the ingredients together in my 6 qt. crockpot and cooked it for 2 hours on low and then for 2 hours on warm. 

Serve with warm cornbread. 

Jack Daniel's BBQ Pulled Pork

The idea to create my own bbq pulled pork came from a trip to Sam's Club on our shopping trip for July 4th. Sam's was full of sample givers that day. My kids couldn't wait to get in there to sample all of the foods - funny how they will try foods during this time that they wouldn't normally try at all!

One stand was handing out bites of prepacked Jack Daniel's bbq pulled pork. My kids and even my normally really picky husband all liked it. (maybe the samples work on husbands, too?). I thought that I was good but I couldn't get over the fact that the meat was minced beyond recognition. I cannot stand to eat bbq like this. I like to be able to recognize the meat that I am eating. My husband challenged me to find a recipe that would compare to the taste of the bbq on the minced meat sandwich bites that they were scarfing down.

I searched through many cookbooks at home and at the library, through magazines and on the Internet. I finally found a recipe called "Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce" on the Budget 101 forum by someone with the username BiggerPiggyBank. The recipe calls for simple ingredients cooked together to create a homemade bbq sauce. I think that double cooking it - once on the stove as called for in the recipe and then again in the crockpot on make the pulled pork, really deepens the flavors. I truly believe that this is one of the best bbq sauces that I have ever tasted. **Note** This sauce is on the sweeter side. If you like a vinegar based sauce, I wouldn't suggest this one.

Jack Daniels BBQ Pulled Pork

4-5 lb pork tenderloin, cut in half
1 c. chicken broth
1 recipe for Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce (below)
onion buns

You will need a large crockpot for this recipe. I used a 6 qt. oval crockpot.

Add the pork tenderloin to the crockpot.

Pour 1 c. of chicken broth into the crockpot.

Cover and cook for 3 - 4  hrs. on high. After 3 hrs,., check to see if the pork is done by using two forks to"pull" it apart. It should fall apart easily. If not, continue cooking until the pork has been cooked though. My tenderloin cooked for about 3 1/2 hours.

Remove the pork to a cutting board and shred the entire loin using two forks. My preference is to leave the pork in big pieces. You can also chop it into smaller bits if you prefer.

Drain the broth from the crockpot. Return the pulled pork to the crockpot. Cover with the Jack Daniels bbq sauce and stir to mix well. Cook on low for 2 hrs to blend the flavors. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Serve the bbq pulled pork on onion buns.

  
Jack Daniels BBQ Sauce
from user BiggerPiggyBank@Budget101 forums
my version in bold text

1/2 lg onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped - I used 4 tsp minced garlic
2 c ketchup
1/3 c vinegar
1/4 c worcestershire sauce
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
3/4 c molasses
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp salt
1/4 c tomato paste
2 tsp liquid smoke - I used mesquite flavor
1/2 ts tabasco sauce, to taste - I used 2 tbsp
Burbon or whiskey -- to taste - I used 2 tbsp Jack Daniels Whiskey

(In my own words) Combine onion, garlic and whiskey frying pan. Saute onions and garlic.
Combine remaining ingredients, bring to boil, and then simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
This recipe makes 4 cups. I doubled this recipe and used all of it to cover the pulled pork. 

Before serving, spoon approximately half of pulled pork into another container to use for another meal. It is delicious when used in this recipe for Brunswick Stew. Can be frozen in a tightly sealed container.

Pork & Beans Chili

Tonight's meal was part 3 using the pork loin that I bought a while back. For $14.98 I was able to make 3 big delicious dinners - Lime-Glazed Pork Loin, Pork Soulvaki, and today's dinner Pork & Beans Chili.

Slowly but surely, I'm trying to get my family to try different types of beans. So far, they only types that any of the 3 of them will eat are green beans and black beans. I used one of my favorites, cannellini beans, in the chili tonight. The pork and beans blended with the tomatoes creating a yummy chili.

  
Pork & Beans Chili

1lb. boneless pork loin, cubed into small pieces
2 cans stewed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 c. water
1 palm full of chili powder
1/2 palm full of cumin
2 big pinches of garlic powder
2 big pinches of onion powder
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
(I apologize for the measurements but I didn't
plan on blogging about this meal until it turned
out so delicious.)
1 lg. can of canellini beans, drained well

In a large frying pan, brown the pork. Remove to a plate and set aside.

Mix together the tomatoes and the water. Pour into a blender and puree until smooth.

Pour the pureed tomatoes back into the large frying pan. Stir in the seasonings. Add the pork.

Stir well. Cover and cook on medium-low for 20 minutes. Stir in beans and continue cooking for 10 minutes.

Serve with warm cornbread.


Linking to:

Frugal Follies Thursday

Ham & Broccoli Strata

My husband and kids gave me The Taste of Home Cookbook * New Revised Edition for Mother's Day last year. I've spent many nights flipping through the pages reading it like a good book. But up until now, I haven't made any of the recipes. I finally flipped through the book and picked out several recipes that I will be trying over the next few weeks.

For the first new recipe, I made a Ham & Broccoli Strata. Although it turned out picture perfect, it wasn't a big hit with my husband and daughter. My son and I liked it but neither of us were in a hurry to add it to the menu again. I made only one substitution - switched the Swiss cheese for a combo of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar- but this could've been a big mistake. For my taste buds, something was missing. I bet that the "bite" of the Swiss cheese would've been much better. My son didn't care for the bread in it. I think that I would try this recipe again using Swiss cheese. I would also cut the bread into smaller chunks and make sure that the bread got mixed with the wet ingredients.

Here's the recipe with the only sub in bold.

Ham & Broccoli Strata
recipe from Taste of Home

6 cups frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained
3/4 pound thinly sliced deli ham, cut into 1/2-inch strips
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Swiss cheese - I subbed a mix of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar Cheese
1 loaf (8 ounces) French bread, cut into 1-inch slices
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
3 tablespoons dried minced onion
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon paprika

In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, ham and cheese; spread half into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Arrange bread slices on top. Cover with remaining broccoli mixture. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, onion, mustard and hot pepper sauce. Pour over broccoli mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Yield: 12 servings.

One Pan Pork Fried Rice

I came up with this fried rice recipe to go along with the homemade egg rolls that I made a while back. It's easy to make and very versatile...you can use chicken, pork, beef or even make it without meat. It's great for using bits and pieces of leftovers from the week that's stuck in the frig. The secret ingredient is the sesame oil that really gives it a unique flavor.

One Pan Pork Fried Rice

4 c. quick cooking  rice
3 1/2 c. water for cooking rice
2 c. boneless pork, cubed into 1" pieces
4 eggs
1 bag frozen stir fry vegetables
1 1/2  c. soy sauce
1/2 c chicken broth
sesame oil

Cook rice and set aside. I use quick cooking rice - Cook 4 c. rice in 3 1/2 c of water to make it less sticky.

Using one large frying pan:

Scramble 4 eggs. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Saute frozen stir fry vegetables in 2 tbsp of canola or vegetable oil. Cook until vegetables are fork tender. Remove to the plate that holds the scrambled eggs.

Cook the pork in 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil + 1 tsp sesame oil.  Cook just until the pork is no longer pink. Be careful not to over cook. Add the cooked pork to the eggs and vegetables.

Add cooked rice to the large frying pan. Stir in one cup of soy sauce + 2 tsp. sesame oil. Heat over medium low heat for 1 -2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Stir in vegetables and pork. Mix well. Pour in 1/2 c. chicken broth + 1/2 soy sauce. Heat through.

Chop eggs into small pieces. Stir into rice.

Serve hot.

Four Cheese and Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese

I've finally found a mac 'n' cheese dish that my whole family enjoyed. This recipe takes a little work but the end result is worth it.

This recipe was featured in a Family Circle magazine last year along with 10 other recipes for mac 'n' cheese. If you didn't see that article, you can see it here. 

Four Cheese with Bacon Mac 'n' Cheese
my recipe with changes:   

2 boxes cavatappi pasta
8 sliced bacon, diced
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
6 tbsp. flour
4 c. 2% milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 lb sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 1/2 c. colby - jack cheese, shredded
1 1/2 c. pepper - jack cheese, shredded
12 slices of American cheese - cut into small pieces

Heat oven to 350*

Cook pasta for 8 minutes, and then drain well. While the pasta is cooking, cook the bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Reserve 4 tbsp bacon drippings in the pan. Add butter. Melt the butter into the bacon dripppings.

Whisk flour into the melted butter until smooth. In a thin stream, whisk in milk. Stir in salt and peppers. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 minutes.

Toss all of the cheeses together in a large bowl.

Remove thickened milk from heat; whisk in 2 1/2 cups of the cheeses. Stir until all of the cheese has melted into the sauce.

Crumble bacon into small pieces and toss into the remaining shredded cheese.

In your pasta pot, combine the pasta and cheese sauce. Mix well until all of the pasta has been coated completely. Pour half of the pasta into a 9x13 dish that you've lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkle a half of the remaining cheese and bacon over the pasta. Repeat with another layer of pasta and top with remaining cheese and bacon.

Bake for 20 minutes. Increase oven to broil and broil for 3 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

This makes a lot of mac 'n' cheese. I had a full 9 x13 dish with a small 8x8 pan left over. I always use the extra in my husband's lunches during the week. The mac n cheese warmed up well in the microwave.


It's cheesey and delicious. My family raved about this for days. It's a keeper. :)

Pizza Bites

I was doing a search a couple of weeks ago for an easy recipe for something to nibble on during our Steelers game. I found a super easy recipe from Our Best Bites called Stuffed Pizza Bites. One word to describes these little bits.... delicious!!

Whenever possible, I like to bring my kids into the kitchen to help out. My daughter decided that she would help me. This recipe is great for kids to help make.

We decided to make one batch of plain cheese pizza bites and one batch of hot sausage and cheese pizza bites. Instead of using shredded cheese, I decided to use Mozerella cheese sticks cut into fourths. My daughter was able to cut the cheese sticks, help fill the dough squares and roll the dough into balls.

Pizza Bites

1 roll refrigerated thin crust pizza dough
2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp Italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese sticks (at least 10)
Pizza toppings of your choice - I cooked hot sausage and crumbled it
pizza sauce for dipping

Directions

Preheat oven to 400*

Unroll your pizza dough. Stretch the dough until it's about 12" x 12". Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 24 squares. I didn't bother to measure it, I just eyeballed it.

For plain pizza bites:

Cut mozzarella sticks into fourths. Place one piece of the cut cheese on each square. Pick up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings, forming a ball. Pinch all edges to make sure each ball is sealed. Place the balls in a pie pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

For sausage and cheese bites:

Place a small amount of hot sausage onto each pizza square. Cut mozzarella sticks into fourths. Top the sausage with a piece of the cut cheese. If the piece of cheese seems to be too big, I sliced those pieces into two or three and stuck them around the sausage. Pick up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings, forming a ball. Pinch all edges to make sure each ball is sealed. Place the balls in a pie pan that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

To bake:

Brush the tops of the dough balls with melted butter and sprinkle with the garlic powder, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 15 - 20 minutes or until the tops are browned. Ours baked 20 minutes. 

Serve immediately with warmed pizza sauce.

These are perfect little snacks for the football games! If you are having people over for a party, you can make several different kinds and store in the frig until ready to bake.

I guarantee that these won't last long!! 

Go Steelers!!!! 

Another Yummy Meatball Recipe

This Italian meatball recipe comes from a member named Catwoman on FamilyCorner.com. The meatballs have a really good flavor to them, plus they held up well when I cooked them in the spaghetti sauce after baking them.

Italian Meatballs
2 lbs. ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
2 eggs, scrambled
saltine crackers, crushed small, half tube +
(I ran the crackers through the food processor to make fine crumbs)
1/2 onion, minced
3 Tbsp. parmesan cheese, grated finely
garlic cloves, minced
dried parsley to taste
dried sage (my secret ingredient!)
salt to taste
black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray cooking spray onto a cookie sheet.

Mix all ingredients together well. Use as many cracker bits as needed- meatballs should be moist but not slimy. Form into half-dollar sized balls and place on cookie sheet so sides are not touching. Cook in oven for 15-18 minutes, watching so they don't burn, until brown. (Make sure to not over cook them if you are going to add them to spaghetti sauce to finish cooking.) If desired, roll meatballs on paper towels to get rid of extra grease.

** My Notes **  I cooked the meatballs for 15 minutes and then dropped them into spaghetti sauce to cook for another 1/2 hr. They held their shape in the sauce. I froze the leftover sauce and meatballs and then had no problem reheating them for the next meal.

Low Carb Inside Out Chicken Cordon Bleu

My low carb version of  Inside Out Chicken Cordon Bleu does not contain any type of breading and there's no sauce. It uses baked chicken, deli ham and Swiss cheese so there no long cooking times.

While I love the original version of this dish, this is definitely right up there with it!

Inside Out Chicken Cordon Bleu
makes 1-2 servings

2 slices deli ham, sliced thin
2 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 C. shredded cooked chicken

Lay ham flat.
Place the swiss cheese on top of the ham
Stack the chicken pieces on one end of the ham.

Roll up jelly roll style.
Secure the bundles with toothpicks.
Place bundles in pie pan.
Bake at 350* for 15 - 20 minutes, until cheese is melted
and the meat is warm.
You can also take a shortcut and microwave the bundles
until warm.
Serve with Ranch dressing for dipping.

Pasta e Fagioli

I was so lucky to grow up in a town full of different ethnicities. That's were I found my love of Italian, Greek, Polish, German & Slovak foods. We grew up celebrating all nationalities with different street fairs & church events that always included homemade food.

One of my favorite soups from these events is Pasta e Fagioli. Until now, my family wouldn't touch it because it had beans in it. Once I decided that I was going to try a Rachel Ray recipe for this dish, I knew that I would have to make some changes in it for it to work for everyone in my house. Her recipe was simple so it wasn't hard to make some changes and additions to it. We ended up with a hearty, delicious soup.

Pasta e Fagioli (my changes in blue)

    *  2 tablespoons (2 turns around the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
    * 1/8 pound (about 3 slices) pancetta, chopped - I subbed 1 lb of boneless pork steaks, cut into tiny      pieces.
    * 2 (4 to 6-inch) sprigs rosemary, left intact
    * 1 (4 to 6-inch) sprig thyme with several sprigs on it, left intact
    * 1 large fresh bay leaf or 2 dried bay leaves
    * 1 medium onion, finely chopped
    * 1 small carrot, finely chopped - I grated the carrot into the soup
    * 1 rib celery, finely chopped - I grated the celery into the soup
    * 4 large cloves garlic, chopped - I used 2 1/2 TBSP of minced garlic in olive oil
    * Coarse salt and pepper
    * 2 (15 ounce) cans cannellini beans - I did not add the beans to the soup. Instead I warmed them and added them only to my dish.
    * 1 cup canned tomato sauce or canned crushed tomatoes - I used 1 lg. can of crushed tomatoes
    * 2 cups water
    * 1 quart chicken stock - I used 32 oz of chicken stock
    * 1 1/2 cups ditalini - I used 3/4 of a lb.
    * Grated Parmigiano or Romano, for the table
    * Crusty bread, for mopping

Directions

Heat a deep pot over medium high heat and add oil and pancetta. (pork in my recipe)
Brown the pancetta (pork) bits lightly, and add herb stems, bay leaf, chopped vegetables, and garlic.
Season vegetables with salt and pepper.
Add beans(no!), tomato sauce, water, and stock to pot and raise heat to high.
Bring soup to a rapid boil and add pasta.
Reduce heat to medium and cook soup, stirring occasionally, 6 to 8 minutes or until pasta is cooked al dente. (this took about 12 minutes)
Rosemary and thyme leaves will separate from stems as soup cooks.
Remove herb stems and bay leaf from soup and place pot on table on a trivet.
Let soup rest and begin to cool for a few minutes.
I spooned some beans into my bowl before the soup.
Ladle soup into bowls and top with lots of grated cheese.
Pass crusty bread for bowl mopping.

**I will be making this again soon. The only changes I will be making is to sub dried herbs for the fresh ones. My husband was not found of the Rosemary pieces in the soup. 

Leftovers should be refrigerated. Add more chicken broth and crushed tomatoes the next day before heating thoroughly.

Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes & Ham

I love being able to throw dinner into the crockpot and walk away from it! The problem I find a lot with this method is that many meals turn out tasting the same way no matter what you do to switch thing up a bit.

Tonight's dinner wasn't like that. It was scalloped potatoes and ham in the crockpot. Even my husband said that this meal brought back nice memories of meals when he was growing up.


Crockpot Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

Ham - I used about 1 lb of deli ham
8-10 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 onions, diced- forgot to add them!
2 cups grated cheddar cheese
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Peel potatoes and dice up the ham.

Layer half of the potatoes, ham and onions into the crockpot. Top with half of the cheese.
Repeat for a second layer. Spoon the soup on top of the cheese on the second layer.

Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours.

I found this recipe on a blog called The Coupon "High". Check it out if you get the chance. It's a great blog. She does a break down for the cost of this meal.

I followed her recipe but I forgot to add the onion. I was also going to add canned mushrooms to it but I forgot them, too. (trying to do too many things at once.) The meal was still really good even without those ingredients. The next time I make this (yep, I will definitely make this again!), I will use ham steak instead of deli ham for a better texture.


I had planned on baking apple dumplings today but I ran out of time this evening because I had to hunt down a work coat that we ordered for my husband. After finding the order, someone on their end sent the wrong size inner coat (2 coats in one) so I had to call 2 times to straighten things out but since I called after hours, I was on hold for long periods of time. So... no dumplings.

Hopefully I'll get them made tomorrow. I'm still not sure what I am going to do for a BD cake for my son. It will be a spur of the moment decision. Tween emotions and hormones are definitely flying around here! UGH!! Calgon take me away!



Adding this one to Crock Pot Wednesdays! Take a few minutes to check out tons of other crockpot recipes over there!

Greek Souvlaki & Cucumber Salad

Tonight's dinner was a good as I thought it was going to be. I made Greek Souvlaki from Barbara Bakes. The pork was juicy and delicious! Thanks, Barbara, for sharing this recipe!

Souvlaki is small pieces of meat - pork tenderloin in this recipe- on a skewer. The meat is marinated, strung onto a skewer, and then grilled.

Greek Souvlaki

There are just a few ingredients
needed for the marinade:

2 T. olive oil
3 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. pepper
1/2 t. marjoram - I couldn't find marjoram at 2 different stores so I decided to substitute 1 1/2 tsps. lemon-pepper seasoning, 1 tsp. oregano and a 1 tsp. Greek seasoning.
This is all mixed together. I used a gallon-sized plastic bag for convenience. I doubled this marinade recipe.

Next comes the meat:

Chunk 2lbs of pork tenderloin into 2 in. cubes. Add the pork to the marinade. Shake well to cover all of the meat. Refrigerate for 6 hrs - overnight.

String the pork onto the kebab holders being sure not to crowd the meat.


Grill on high heat for 3 minutes on each side.

Delish!


For the side dishes, I served white rice w/gravy and a cucumber, tomato and onion salad (recipe follows).


The cucumber salad side dish that I served with tonight's dinner can be found at Annie's Recipes.


This is a quick and easy dish that can be made ahead of time and stuck into the refrigerator, allowing the flavors to meld. It went well with the Souvlaki.

Cucumber Salad

6 cucumbers peeled, seeded and sliced
2 onions,

peeled and sliced
1 ripe tomato, diced small - I added this
1 clove garlic, mashed - I used 1 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 c. cider vinegar
1/3 c. sugar - taste after adding 1/4 C. I used just a bit more than 1/4 C. of sugar
1/2 c. chipolte infused oil - I used olive oil & added 2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

Mix together all ingredients. Toss gently.


This recipe will be entered into this month's Cooking with Alicia & Annie Blog Event.

Crockpot pork chops and gravy

Geez...sometimes life just gets in the way. I have lots of catching up to do.

Let's start with my recipe for
Crockpot pork chops and gravy:

12 pork chops --I used the bone-in type because
I got them on sale for a really good price. ;)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 1/2 C. milk
2 small cans of mushrooms
a splash of Kitchen Bouquet
garlic and onion powder

Whisk together soups and milk. Stir in mushrooms and set aside.

Layer pork chops in crockpot, seasoning the chops with garlic and onion powder. Pour the soup mixture over the chops and cover with the lid. Cook on high for approximately 4 hrs.

Once the chops have fully cooked, remove them-one at a time-from the crockpot , removing any bones. Cover plate with foil to keep them warm until the gravy is ready. Leave the soup mixture in the crockpot.

To make gravy: stir together 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with enough cold water to make a thickener. Stir this into the liquid in the crockpot. Mixture should thicken pretty quickly. If it doesn't you might need to add more of the cornstarch mixture.

**This is where I add a splash of the Kitchen Bouquet to the white gravy to make it brown so that my husband will eat it. He detests any kind of white gravy. Gotta keep 'em happy, ya know?

I served the pork chops with egg noodles and green beans.


The leftover meat went into the freezer to be used in a stir fry or soup later on.

Recipes for Playoff food

We enjoyed the food that I made. Not everything went as planned but that was ok.

Brown sugar smokies
1 (16 ounce) package little smokie sausages
1 pound bacon
1 1/2 C cup brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350

Cut bacon into thirds and wrap each strip around a little sausage.

Stick a toothpick through each sausage to secure the bacon.

Add 1/2 C. brown sugar to a dish. Dredge each sausage through
the brown sugar, coating well.

Arrange the sausages on a baking sheet and sprinkle them liberally
with the remaining brown sugar.

Bake until bacon is crisp and the brown sugar melted.

You can keep these warm in a crockpot set on low or warm.



Pepperoni rolls --flopped
I made a new bread machine Italian bread recipe and it turned out too sticky. The bread never did rise right so I tossed it.


Crockpot Chicago Style Beef Sandwiches
I definitely didn't stick to a regular Chicago style recipe. Instead, I added my own flare to it and the results were delicious!

3 lb beef roast
1C. beef broth
4 TBSP hot pepper relish
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 of a medium onion sliced into thin strips --more if you like a lot of onions
1/2 jar of marinate mushrooms, chopped fine (use other 1/2 in pasta salad)

Add meat to crockpot and top with garlic powder. Pour in beef broth. Top with hot pepper relish and onions. Cover and cook on high for approximately 6 hrs or until the meat can be shredded with 2 forks. Remove meat from juices and shred completely. Add the meat back to into the juices. Turn the crockpot to low or warm until ready to eat.

For the sandwich topping:
Finely chop up 1/2 C. Italian Giardiniera and add to a small bowl. Add 1/4 to 1/2 C. hot pepper relish and the chopped marinated mushrooms. Mix well.

Fill Italian subs with meat and top with pepper relish mix.



Antipasto pasta salad
1 lb penne pasta, cooked al dente
1/2 lb Genoa salami
1/2 lb sandwich pepperoni
1/3 lb provolone cheese --will use fresh moz. cheese the next time
fresh Basil
1/2 jar of marinated mushrooms, drained and chopped
3 TBSP hot pepper relish (I would've used roasted red peppers but I forgot to buy them!)

Slice salami, pepperoni and cheese into thin strips. Coarsely chop fresh basil.
Mix all ingredients in a large container and top with red wine vinegar dressing. (below)

Red wine vinegar dressing
1/2 C. olive oil
1/4 C. red wine vinegar
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
2 tsp Italian seasonings
2 tsp minced garlic

Add all ingredients to a shaker or jar with a screw on lid. Shake well.

Pour over pasta salad and mix well.

Chill pasta salad for at least 4 hours before eating.




We snacked on M&Ms and other candies for dessert.


No plans for Superbowl Sunday just yet.

GO STEELERS!!!!

Good Luck Pork & Sauerkraut

Do you eat a particular food or meal on New Year's Day that is said to bring good luck if eaten on this day? For as long as I can remember, my Mom always cooked some type of pork and sauerkraut together. I try to carry on the tradition for me - my family won't touch sauerkraut!

Eating pork sauerkraut on New Year’s is an old Pennsylvania Dutch tradition that is said to bring good luck. The pork and sauerkraut is served together, with the sauerkraut representing luck (the cabbage leaves are said to resemble dollar bills) and the pig representing rooting into the New Year.

Since my family won't eat the pork if it's cooked together with the sauerkraut, I cooked the pork roast in a crockpot with a little apple juice and a bit of ground cloves until I could shred it with a fork - on high, I cooked it for 5 hours.

In another small crockpot, I added 1 can of sauerkraut, along with 3 TBSP of brown sugar. I cooked it on low while the pork was cooking. While looking around on the 'net, I found this sauerkraut website. Granted, it's not for everyone but if you like sauerkraut, check it out. :)

Once the pork was done cooking, I shredded the whole thing and then added some of it to the sauerkraut to cook for another 1/2 hr to blend the flavors. The rest of the shredded pork went into gravy, which I served over egg noodles for the rest of the family.

Happy 2009!

Grilled Lemon Pepper Pork Loin

I strive for quick & easy dinners every night of the week. Now, we all know that that's almost impossible all of the time. This dinner, though, is one of those that is quick and easy to make and tastes great, too. (You do have to remember to marinate the meat early in the day.)

Lemon Pepper Pork Loin
1-2 to 3 lb. pork loin
1/4 C. olive oil
2 TBSP white vinegar
3 TBSP lemon pepper seasoning (no salt added)
1/4 C. Italian dressing

Slice the pork loin into 3/8 in. slices. Mix the remaining ingredients in a Ziploc baggie. Add meat; shake to coat the meat with the marinade.
Place the bag into the refrigerator for at least 30
minutes.

Remove from refrigerator. Grill pork over medium heat until a tiny bit of pink remains in the center of meat. Remove to a plate and cover with foil. Serve immediately.

Sides:
1 bag of extra wide egg noodles
easy chicken gravy*
canned green beans

It's very easy to make homemade gravy:

Make a roux of 1 TBSP butter to 1 TBSP flour for each cup of gravy.

I made 4 cups.

Melt 4 TBSP butter in a pan over medium heat. Wisk in 4 TBSP flour, stirring constantly. Allow to cook for about 2 minutes or until bubbly.

Pour in 4 cups of chicken broth and continue stirring until the mixture has thickened.

I didn't add any seasonings to this gravy since the pork was seasoned and I didn't want to mix the flavors.