Crockpot Smothered Pork Chops

I love it when a recipe turns out as good as it sounds.  This one definitely did.  Again, I turned to the crockpot for Sunday dinner, and when we got home we had the most mouth-watering aroma filling our house.  And not just the aroma, but these babies are so tender, they fall apart as you take them out of the crockpot.  Yummy!


This recipe will be made time and time again in our house!  We had it with mashed potatoes, but it would be great with rice as well.

Crockpot Smothered Pork Chops

From:  Mel's Kitchen Cafe

5 slices bacon, chopped
6 bone-in pork loin chops, about 3/4-inch thick (I used boneless)
Salt and Pepper
2 yellow onions, peeled, halved and sliced into 1/2-inch thick half moons
1 teaspoon plus 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1/4 cup plus 
2 tablespoons cold water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

In a large skillet over medium heat, fry bacon until lightly browned, about 5-6 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving the drippings in the pan. If you have more than 2 tablespoons drippings, drain the excess. If you don’t have quite that much, supplement with canola oil. When the bacon is cool, transfer to a small bag or tupperware and refrigerate until later.

Heat the skillet with the drippings over medium or medium-high heat until rippling and hot. Meanwhile, pat pork chops dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook pork chops until they are golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes per side, cooking them in batches in the skillet if your skillet isn’t big enough to hold all six at a time in a single layer. When golden on each side, transfer the chops to the slow cooker and repeat with remaining pork.  DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP!

Pour off all but 1 teaspoon of fat from the skillet; add onions, 1 teaspoon brown sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup water to empty skillet. Using a wooden spoon, scrape browned bits from bottom of the pan and cook over medium-high heat until onions are soft, about 4-6 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Pour onion mixture over chops in the slow cooker. Add broth, soy sauce and remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar to skillet, bring to a boil and add bay leaves. Pour mixture over onions in slow cooker.

Cover slow cooker and cook on low until pork is tender, about 8 hours (or cook on high for 4 hours).

When ready to serve, carefully transfer chops to serving platter with a large spoon and tent with foil. Discard bay leaves and pour liquid through a mesh strainer into a saucepan, reserving the solids. Transfer solids to a food processor or blender with 1 cup liquid and blend until smooth. Stir the blended mixture back into remaining liquid in the saucepan. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons water together in a small bowl and stir into sauce. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, about 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, season with salt and pepper, pour over chops and sprinkle with reserved bacon and parsley. Serve.

Mashed Garlic Red Potatoes

Most kids when asked their favorite food, a normal response would be mac 'n cheese, spaghetti, chicken nuggets...things like that.  My response was always mashed potatoes and gravy.  I love them.  

Red potatoes are delicious, and I love that I can leave the skins on...less work for everyone with awesome results!  These are great on their own, but I can never pass up the gravy :)

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• Mashed Garlic Red Potatoes
• From:  Allrecipes
• 
  
• 8 medium red potatoes, quartered
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk, warmed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1. 
   
2. Place potatoes and garlic in a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender. Drain well. Add the butter, milk and salt; mash. Stir in Parmesan cheese.

Puffy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes a thin crispy cookie is just what I am craving....not today.   Today is the kind of day when I want a thick chewy cookie....these definitely fulfilled my criteria for that!  They have a subtle peanut butter flavor, and just call your name from the cooling rack.  I poured me up a glass of ice milk (yes, ice milk....everyone thinks I'm gross for putting ice in my milk.  Don't knock it 'til you've tried it) and inhaled one of these babies!


Puffy Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies
From:  How Sweet It Is


2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoons baking soda8 tablespoons of salted butter, melted and cooled
6 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Add butter and peanut butter to a microwave safe bowl, and heat in 30 second increments until melted. Let cool completely.

Mix the flour and baking soda in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the cooled butter/peanut butter and sugars until they are combined. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and stir until mixed. Gradually add flour and mix until a dough forms – it will look crumbly at first, but it will come together. I even used my hands to bring it all together. If necessary, add 1-2 teaspoons of milk, but I did not need this. Fold in chocolate chips.

Shape the dough into a ball the size of a golfball. Place on a baking sheet two inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown. The centers should be soft and puffy. Do not over bake. Let cool completely then dig in!

Potato Keilbasa Skillet

Sometimes all I need is a good comfort meal to make me feel like the world is okay.  And what says comfort food more than meat and potatoes?!  This was a good variation of a dish I have tried in the past.  This one has more flavor and a little sweetness to it, which was surprising but great.  Skillet meals are so great for weeknights!

Potato Keilbasa Skillet

From:  Recipe Shoebox

1 pound red potatoes, cubed  (About 3 medium sized potatoes)
3 Tbs. water
3/4 lb. smoked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. cider vinegar
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard 
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 cups fresh baby spinach ( I like to chop my spinach, but you can use them whole if you prefer)
5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled

Directions:  Place cubed potatoes and water in a microwave-safe dish. Cover bowl with plastic wrap (no need to poke any holes) and microwave on high for 4 minutes or until fork tender; drain.  (Mine took closer to 6 minutes before they were fork-tender)

In a large skillet on medium-high heat, saute kielbasa and onion in oil until onion is tender; about 3-5 minutes. (I skipped the oil and just used the bacon grease to fry it in.)  Add potatoes; saute 3-5 minutes longer or until kielbasa and potatoes are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, mustard, thyme, and pepper; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Add spinach and bacon; cook and stir until spinach is wilted. Yields 4 servings.

Broccoli Cauliflower and Cashew Salad

Sometimes you need something different to go alongside your summer burger or pulled pork sandwich.  This one caught my eye because of the yummy cashews, and it so happened I just bought a monstrous can of them at Sams Club!  This salad is great, the dressing is sweet but compliments everything well.  The hubby doesn't care for cashews much, so he got peanuts instead....he said it worked well, just in case you're not a cashew fan :)


Broccoli Cauliflower and Cashew Salad
From:Macaroni and Cheesecake


Salad Mixture:


1 bag raw broccoli/cauliflower mix (or 1/2 head of broccoli & 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into pieces)
1 head Romaine lettuce, torn into pieces (or about 1 1/2 bag salad mix)
2 cups 2% Shredded Four Cheese Blend (or cheese of your choice)
2 cups seasoned croutons
2 cups unsalted cashews (put peanuts on my hubby's portion)
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese


Dressing:


1 cup Light Mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese


Toss together all ingredients in salad mixture, set aside. For the Dressing mix together the mayo, sugar and parmesan cheese. Stir vigorously until well combined. Right before serving pour dressing over salad and toss to coat salad evenly.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

Summer days are quickly winding to an end....I'm trying to take advantage of grilling season while I can!

There's nothing like good grilled meat.  This ranch-y marinade was a little different than anything I have ever tried....in a good way!  The chicken was very moist and flavorful, and the rosemary adds to the yumminess as well.  

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs

From:  Real Mom Kitchen

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing
• 3 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar, or to taste (optional)
• 5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 inch cubes

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 4 hours (I did 4 hours).
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

Quinoa with Peas

• I have an obsession with quinoa lately.  It is so good!  I like it even better than brown rice, so I've been replacing my rice recipes with quinoa, and most have turned out great!  It definitely fits into my diet as well....protein packed and great for you.  This recipe does have a little cheese, so not SUPER figure friendly, but it not bad either.  Give this one a try :)
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• Quinoa with Peas
• From:  Allrecipes
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• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/4 cup frozen peas (I put in more, more veggies doesn't hurt :)
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese (I had some parmesan), divided
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
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1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the quinoa, and cook 2 minutes until toasted. Pour in the chicken broth, onion, garlic, thyme, and black pepper. Cover, and let come to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the frozen peas. Recover, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue simmering until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed the chicken stock, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Stir in half of the Pecorino Romano (or parmesan) cheese and the parsley until evenly mixed. Scoop the quinoa into a serving dish, and sprinkle with the remaining Pecorino Romano cheese to serve.

Frozen Lemonade Pie

Looking for a little something different for a sweet and cool summer treat, I came across this recipe.  It is super simple to make, and the hardest part is waiting for it to freeze!  This had really good lemonade flavor, and hit the spot on a hot, humid day.


Frozen Lemonade Pie
From:  the Food Network


Graham Cracker Crust:


2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
7 tablespoons butter, melted


Lemonade Filling:


One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk, chilled
One 12-ounce container whipped topping, thawed
One 6-fluid-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate, unthawed (I used pink lemonade this time)
1 teaspoon candied lemon peel, for garnish (left these out)


For the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.


In medium bowl, stir together the cracker crumbs, sugar and the melted butter until combined and resembles a wet sand mixture. Pour into a pie plate and press the mixture firmly along the bottom and sides. Bake for 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.


For the filling: In a large bowl, add the sweetened condensed milk and whipped topping. Fold the two together gently until combined, being careful to keep the mixture light and fluffy. Add the lemonade concentrate and continue to gently fold. Be sure to avoid letting the mixture get too liquid-y. Pour the filling into the pie crust. Place in the freezer to chill overnight.


Sprinkle with a little candied lemon peel and serve!

Grilled Pigs in a Blanket

I love a good quick dinner. I love cooking something that I KNOW for a certainty that my 3 year old will eat, which doesn't happen often. These fit both of those criteria. It was definitely a fun recipe to throw on the grill and turned out great :)


Grilled Pigs in a Blanket
From: Mmm Cafe


12 hot dogs
American cheese, if desired
1 recipe pizza dough (see below), cut into 12 long strips

Heat your grill to 400 degrees.  Grill each hot dog as to put grill marks on them.  Don’t worry if they are not all the way cooked through. Remove from grill and place on each dough strip a half a slice of American cheese (if desired) and top with one grilled hot dog. Wrap dough in a twisting motion around hotdog.  Spray outside with nonstick spray and place on the top rack of the grill.  Let cook there for 13 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally, or until golden brown.


Pizza Dough
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbs oil
4 and 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp salt
3 Tbs sugar
a little less than 1 tbs. rapid rise yeast
Combine sugar, yeast, and warm water in mixer. Allow to sit for 3 minutes. Add oil, flour, and salt. Knead until combined.