Chicken and Stuffing Casserole

1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup

1/2 can milk

Cheddar Cheese

Mix ingredients and put in a pan.  Put chicken on top to cover pan.  Add water that is called for in directions to stuffing mix.  Stir and put on top.

Cook at 350 degrees for 30-40 min. or so.

I like to cube partially frozen chicken instead of whole pieces.

Tangerine Glazed Ham

1 8-10 lb. Fresh smoked ham, bone in, skin on.  salt and freshly ground pepper

1 bunch fresh sage leaves

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup unsalted butter, cut in chunks

2 tangerines, sliced thin, seeds removed

2 cups tangerine juice

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

1 cup water

1/4 tsp. whole cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

1-1 1/2 pounds carrots (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Put the ham in pan fat side up.  Using a sharp knife score the ham with cuts across the skin, about 2 in. apart and 1/2 in deep.  Cut diagonally down the slashes to form a diamond pattern, season the meat generously with salt and pepper.  Chop about 8 of the sage leaves and put in a bowl; mix with the oil to make a paste.  Rub the sage oil all over the ham, being sure to get the flavor into all the slits.  Bake the ham for 2 hours.  Now there is plenty of juice for the glaze.

Place a saucepan over medium heat.  Add chunks of butter, tangerines, tangerine juice, brown sugar, water, and spices.  Slowly cook liquid down to a syrupy glaze (about 30-40 min.)

Coat the ham in the glaze.  Put the ham back in the oven and cook for a final 30 min. until ham is dark and crispy.  Let ham rest before carving.

*Recipe from Chef Tyler Florence

Pork Chops and Rice

1/2 cup butter

1 can cream of onion soup

1 can beef broth soup

1 cup rice

Layer Pork Chops to fit pan on top of other ingredients.

Cook at 375 degrees 1/2 hour covered and 1/2 hour uncovered

Variation

1/2 cup butter per serving

2 cups of water to every cup of rice

2 bouillon cubes per serving

1 pkg. onion soup mix

*Recipe from Cliss Ercanbrack

Slow Cooker San Francisco Chops
Printable Version with Picture
Printable Version

*Note: you can use boneless or bone-in pork chops. I’ve used both and either way, the meat becomes so tender it is falling apart so you can fish out the bones, if you are using bone-in chops. Just make sure that the pork chops you use are on the thicker side – about an inch thick. The dish benefits from the quick browning of the pork chops and although I know some of you will roll your eyes at this step, you’ll be grateful for the depth of flavor it provides. Also, the red pepper flakes do not add spiciness, instead, they add a dimension of flavor the dish needs to come together. You can reduce the amount to a pinch but don’t omit completely.

*Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 pork chops, about 1-inch thick
Salt and pepper for seasoning
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water

Hot Cooked Rice, for serving

DIRECTIONS:
In a large 12-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat until it is simmering and hot. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Brown the pork chops for 1-2 minutes on each side in the hot oil until golden. Transfer the chops to the slow cooker. Add the garlic to the drippings in the skillet and stir constantly over medium heat until the garlic is aromatic and golden (but not burned or it will turn bitter!). Stir in the soy sauce, broth, brown sugar and red pepper flakes; cook and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over chops.

Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 7 to 8 hours until the meat is tender. If using bone-in pork chops, fish out the bones from the slow cooker. Remove the chops from the slow cooker to a shallow pan or plate – they will most likely be falling apart in tenderness at this point. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the sauce in the slow cooker. Return the chops to the slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker heat to high and cook for 30 minutes to an hour longer, until the sauce is slightly thickened. If you want a super duper thick sauce, once you remove the chops from the slow cooker, pour the sauce into a pan and place it over medium heat on the stove. Add the cornstarch slurry and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil for 1-2 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add the pork and heat through.

Serve the tender chops over rice and garnish with green onions, if desired.

Recipe Source: Mel's Kitchen Cafe adapted from Jane Deere

MAR172010

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin

POSTED IN MAIN DISH, PORK, QUICK/WEEKNIGHT MEALS

Most of the time when I save recipes, I do it because I know without a doubt that we will love the result. (This is why about 98% of the recipes I have saved are desserts.) Sometimes, though, I save things more because I think, “Hmmm…interesting…that might be good.” This recipe was definitely a case of the latter. In fact, I put it on our menu back in November or December but the day came when I was planning to make it and it just did not sound good to me at all. So back into the freezer went the pork, and it has been there all this time waiting for me to change my mind. I finally decided that I needed to either use the pork or get rid of it, so I put the recipe back on the menu and decided I would make it no matter what. Turns out, we were blown away by this meal.

The combination of spices may seem a bit odd, but the end result is a little bit spicy but also sweet, and incredibly flavorful. Ben even deemed this his new favorite kind of pork tenderloin. I was very surprised by how quickly it came together. Most pork tenderloin recipes I make require marinating of some length, but this is just a simple spice rub made from pantry ingredients, and a glaze to go on top. I halved the amount of glaze because the original amount just seemed like overkill. I’m glad I did because this was just the right amount. Just be sure to spread the glaze out very evenly over the top of the tenderloins. I had a bite or two that seemed overly sweet because of too much glaze. All in all, this is a fantastic preparation of pork that is quick enough for a weeknight and nice enough to serve to company.

Island Spice Pork Tenderloin
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Ingredients:
For the spice rub:
2 tsp. kosher salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2 pork tenderloins (about 2-2½ lbs. total)
2 tbsp. olive oil

For the glaze:
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tbsp. (2-3 cloves) finely minced garlic
1½ tsp. Tabasco sauce

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir together with a fork to blend. Pat the mixture over the pork tenderloins.

Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Place the tenderloins in the skillet and brown on all sides, turning occasionally, about 4 minutes total. Remove from the heat, leaving the pork in the skillet.

Stir together the brown sugar, garlic and Tabasco in a small bowl until blended. Spread the mixture evenly over the tops of the tenderloins.

Place the skillet in the preheated oven and roast about 20 minutes, until an instant-read themometer inserted in the center of each tenderloin registers 140˚ F. Loosely tent the skillet with foil and let stand 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Source: adapted from Pennies on a Platter, originally from The Gourmet Cookbook

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Jambalaya

2 1/2 c. white rice

5 c. water

2-3 Tbsp. butter

1 green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

A lot of garlic (probably 5-6 cloves), minced

1/2 lb. high-quality smoked sausage(approximately; you can actually use a little less if you buy, say, a 14-oz. package of sausage)

1/2 lb. ham (you can also substitute leftover fauxtisserie chicken, shrimp, or other shellfish; however, you’ll also need to compensate for the smokey flavor and the salt from the ham, so be prepared with liquid smoke and salt to taste. And you’ll want it to have a distinct smokey flavor.)

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning (you could use another Cajun or Creole seasoning, but this brand is widely accessible and cheap) to taste

Combine rice and water in a medium-large saucepan and cover with lid. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and cook 20 minutes or until rice is cooked. Remove from heat and allow to stand an additional five minutes.

While rice is cooking, finely chop sausage and ham (in your food processor if you have one)

and set aside. Melt butter over medium heat in a very large skillet. When butter is hot and bubbly, add onion, green onions, green pepper, celery and garlic and cook until tender. Add chopped meat and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes. Add tomato sauce and then add cooked rice. Now start seasoning with the Cajun seasoning. It’s hot, I won’t lie, so if you find that it’s getting spicy enough for your taste but it’s still not salty enough, leave the Cajun seasoning alone and just finish seasoning it with Kosher salt. Cook for about 10 more minutes, stirring frequently. Serve and enjoy! And be sure to save some leftovers–it tastes even better the next day!

Smokey Honey Mustard Pork Chops (Our Best Bites)

prepare the pork by sprinkling with salt and pepper

and then give them the smokey flavor with some liquid smoke

Toss them on the grill

And the glaze goes on at the end of cooking

Cook them just right and they’ll be nice and juicy inside.

Quick and Easy!

Smoky Honey Mustard Pork Chops

4 4-6 oz. pork loin or sirloin chops

Kosher salt and pepper

Liquid Smoke

3 Tbsp. Dijon or whole grain mustard

1 1/2 Tbsp. honey

2 cloves minced garlic

Sprinkle pork chops with Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. Give them a liberal dousing of liquid smoke (you can usually find this either near the seasonings or the BBQ sauce/condiments in the grocery store). Set aside.

Heat oven broiler to high or preheat grill. Combine honey, garlic, and mustard. Place pork chops on broiler pan/grill and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn and cook another 4-5 minutes. You want the internal temperature to be at least 165 (that’s a little pink inside), but you also don’t want to overcook them because they’ll become tough. So you may need to adjust your cooking times a little, bearing in mind that they have two minutes to cook after the initial 8-10 minutes.

Baste with honey mustard mixture and cook an additional minute. Turn and baste other side; cook for one additional minute. Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes to seal in the juices.

I like to serve it with a small baked potato and a salad (this one has avocado, red onion, and orange slices, but whatever tickles your fancy). It would also be awesome with Garlic Balsamic Asparagus.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 224

Fat: 7

Fiber: 0

WW Points: 5

Maple-Glazed Pork Chops

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons ancho chili powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 (10-ounce) center cut bone-in pork chops, about 1-inch thick
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup butter maple syrup
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• Pecans, toasted and chopped, optional garnish

Directions

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder and salt and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the pork chops.

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until desired doneness, about for 4 to 6 minutes.

In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the maple syrup and chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes.

Transfer to a serving platter and serve with the maple syrup. Garnish with toasted pecans, if desired.