Pork Chop Suey

Pork Chop Suey

1 lb lean boneless pork
3/4 cup water
3 Tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp dry sherry or water
1 tsp instant chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp cooking oil
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 cup thinly bias-sliced celery (2 stalks)
2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups fresh bean sprouts or one 16-oz can bean sprouts, rinsed and drained
10 green onions, bias-sliced into 1-inch pieces
1 8-oz can sliced water chestnuts or bamboo shoots, drained
2 to 3 cups hot cooked rice

1. If desired, partially freeze meat for easier slicing. Trim fat from meat. Thinly slice pork across the grain into bite-sized strips. For sauce, in a bowl stir together water, soy sauce, cornstarch, sherry, bouillon granules, and pepper. Set aside
2. Pour oil into a wok or 12-inch skillet. (Add more oil as necessary during cooking). Preheat over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ginger in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add celery; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add mushrooms, fresh bean sprouts (if using), and green onions. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes or until the celery is crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from wok.
3. Add half of the pork to hot wok. Cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes or until juices run clear. Remove from wok. Repeat with remaining pork. Return all meat to wok. Push from center of wok.
4. Stir sauce; add to center of wok. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add cooked vegetables, water chestnuts, and, if using, canned bean sprouts. Cook and stir until heated through. Serve with hot cooked rice.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

I had a couple of pork chops in my freezer that I needed to find something to do with. Since only two chops won't feed the three of us, I decided to try something new and different with the meat other than my usual oven-baked fare. Here's a recipe I found in my trusty Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

The ingredients (minus the pork chops which I forgot to include in the picture):

I didn't freeze the meat like the recipe encourages but didn't have much trouble slicing it anyway.

I recognized the smell of the sauce as soon as I got it mixed together. I didn't even have to cook it before the smell took me back to a recipe my mother made when I was young.

I have never worked with fresh ginger. I did have some dried ground ginger in my cupboard so I elected to use that instead of buying something else. My cookbook had a substitution of 1/4 tsp ground for every 1 tsp fresh grated ginger. Frying it up (even with the dried variety) smelled incredible.

I bought the presliced mushrooms at the supermarket with hopes that it would save me some preparation time. The chunks were really large. Here they are with the rest of the vegetables as they stirfried.

I had a little bit of difficulty separating the pork slices to cook them. I had to get out my tongs because the slices wanted to stick together and cook in one big hunk. I don't know why it surprised me that the pork smelled a lot like bacon while it cooked; they are both pork afterall. It was still a bit strange to me.

This sauce bubbled up quickly. It would be a good idea to have your

can(s) open before getting to this step because the sauce cooks up too quickly to do any further preparation in the meanwhile.

I used canned bean sprouts in this recipe and I completely forgot to rinse them before adding them to the suey. No one got sick and it didn't taste strange so I guess it wasn't a big issue. Here is the suey all mixed up and heating through.

The final product: this was pretty good. My husband (who is not an adventureous eater by any stretch of the imagination) gave it a positive review. I was a little shocked because I figured the bean sprouts would spook him. When I make this again, I will either cut my own mushrooms or find smaller slices because the huge chunks were a bit much. I will also go to the extra effort to find reduced-sodium soy sauce because I went ahead and used the regular and it made the sauce a little too salty.

Grilled Chicken and Pesto Spaghetti

Homemade Pesto

1/4 cup olive oil or cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped walnuts and/or pine nuts
2 cups firmly packed fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
4 cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
1/4 tsp salt
Black pepper

1. In a food processor bowl or blender container combine oil, nuts, basil, cheese, garlic, and salt. Cover and process or blend until nearly smooth, stopping and scraping sides as necessary. Add pepper to taste. If you're not serving the pesto immediately, divide it into 3 portions. Place each portion in a small airtight container and chill for 1 to 2 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Makes enough pesto for 18 side-dish servings (about 3/4 cup pesto total).

I decided to try homemade pesto since I had some fresh basil around. I didn't want my basil to go bad so I made it a couple of days ahead of time. The recipe I used is from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.

The ingredients:

I didn't have 2 cups of basil on hand, only about 2/3 cup. I decided to go ahead and make it and just cut the rest of the recipe down to a third.



I don't get to use my food processor nearly enough. Here it is all loaded up and looking happy.



I've heard of pesto many times but I've never really worked with it or had it all by itself before (I've actually only had it in pesto mayo). The processed pesto smells incredible. I had to stop and scrap the sides a couple of times; I even had to take out the blade and clean out from under once to make sure I got all the pieces.



This picture doesn't do it justice; the coloring of the pesto is so pretty. It has an awesome tang to it. With my adjustments to the recipe, I ended up with about 1/3 cup of pesto.

Herb-Lemon Marinade for Chicken

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh herbs, such as tarragon, chives, basil, or parsley
1 Tbsp juice from 1 lemon
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 Tbsp)
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 Tbsp water

1. Whisk together ingredients in medium bowl. Place marinade and chicken in gallon-sized zipper-lock bag; press out as much air as possible and seal bag. Depending on chicken type, refrigerate 30 to 90 minutes, flipping bag halfway trhough to ensure that chicken marinates evenly.

Makes enough for 2 pounds chicken.

I found this recipe in June 2009 edition of Cooks Illustrated. It was accompanied by an article, "Marinating Done Right." It debunks myths like using a "bottled dressing is a great time-saver" and gives awesome tips. It's a good read.

The ingredients:

I didn't have any fresh basil left over so I substituted dried basil instead. I also made the full recipe of marinade even though I only had about 1 pound of chicken to marinate.

I have tried to reduce grocery costs lately by buying bulk frozen chicken breasts. You don't get as good a quality of meat but it is significantly cheaper and less likely to spoil since it's already frozen. The quality of meat usually isn't a big issue for me since I usually serve chicken incorporated in a casserole or more complex dish.

My husband is definitely the grillmaster in our household. He has gotten pretty good with charcoal since we started using it over the past year. I grew up grilling with gas but I've grown to prefer the extra flavor you get with charcoal. This was Tyler's first attempt grilling chicken and it went quite well. Kudos to him.

The final product: I tossed the pesto with spaghetti and served it on the side of the grilled chicken. Despite the lower quality of meat, the chicken turned out really well, moist and tender and very flavorful. The marinade added a wonderful tang and a bit of sweetness to the chicken. The pesto spaghetti tasted good but was a bit dry. I might try tossing the spaghetti with a little butter before adding the pesto just to make the whole thing a bit moister. On the whole this meal still gets a gold star from me (and the rest of the family).

Brownie Pudding

Brownie Pudding

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp cooking oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 chopped walnuts
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups boiling water
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. Grease an 8x8x2-inch baking pan; set aside. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, granulated sugar, the 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, the baking powder, and salt. Stir in the milk, oil, and vanilla. Stir in the walnuts.
2. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. In a small bowl stir together the brown sugar and the 1/4 cocoa powder; stir in the boiling water. Slowly pour water mixture over batter.
3. Bake in a 350ºF oven for 40 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 45 to 60 minutes. Serve warm. Spoon cake into dessert bowls; spoon sauce over cake. If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.
I apologize. I completely forgot to take pictures of this when I made it last week but I think it was so good that I'm posting the recipe anyway. It is like a cake brownie with a thin hot fudge sauce mixed throughout. It's warm, chocolaty and wonderfully delicious. I was preparing it for a crowd so I actually made two, one with walnuts and one without. I also took the option to serve it with vanilla ice cream. It was all that I hoped it would be. If you like fresh brownies and hot fudge, this will certainly be a big hit. Enjoy!

Toffee Squares

Toffee Squares

3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
2 Tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 12-oz package semisweet chocolate pieces
1 cup almond brickle pieces or toasted chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set aside.
2. For crust, in a large mixing bowl beat the 3/4 cup butter and the brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in the egg yolk. Stir in the flour and salt until well mixed. Using floured hands, press the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake about 20 minutes or until light browm. Cool in pan on wire rack while preparing the filling.
3. For filling, in a medium saucepan heat and stir the sweetened condensed milk and the 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat until bubbly. Cook and stir for 5 minutes more. (Mixture with thicken and become smooth.) Stir in the vanilla. Spread over the crust. Bake 12 to 15 minutes more or until top is golden brown.
4. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate pieces. Bake 1 to 2 minutes more or until chocolate pieces are shiny and melted. Remove from oven; set on a wire rack. Using a flexible spatula, immediately spread the chocolate evenly over baked layers. Sprinkle with brickle pieces. Cool completely in pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill 30 minutes or until chocolate is set. Cut into squares.

Makes 36 bars.

I really like toffee. It's sweet but not overwhelming and sticky. The fact that it's wonderfully crunchy doesn't hurt either. This recipe was touted as, "Inspired by the 1990s coffeehouse craze, these irresistible layered delights continue to pop up in espesso bars across the country." I was intrigued to say the least.

The ingredients:


You might be noticing a trend: I tend to procrastinate. I started these really late and was glad that they're bars instead of cookies I would have to bake in batches.

The creamed butter and sugar always smells nice.

The finished dough:

Here's the dough after it's been pressed into the pan. I was glad to have an excuse to play with it a little.

The filling took quite a while to start bubbling. Once it did, it really got to going and had a strong, rich scent.

The finished filling looked and acted a lot like warm pudding.

It bubbled and browned nicely.

The chocolate pieces started to melt a little as I sprinkled them over the warm filling. I enjoyed dispersing them evenly though I now realize that all my work was a little silly, I spread it all out with a spatula anyway. I chalk that up to it being late and my tendency to get really particular when I'm tired.

I love playing with melted chocolate! Doesn't it look like a really shiny frosting?

The brickle pieces are awesome. I managed to eat only a minimal amount before applying them. Yum!

Since it was late and I was tired, I just covered the pan and stuck it in the refrigerator. When I went to cut them in the morning, they were HARD. It took quite a bit of work to get that knife in there and then it stood up on it's own.

I let it sit out for a while in hopes that it would soften just a little. I also switched to a very large, very sharp knife. That seemed to do the trick and it cut up quite nicely. I was really glad I thought to use my glass dish for this because we ruined a metal pan once while trying to cut up scotcheroos in a very similar incident.

Check out those layers!

The finished product: these bars are very rich so cut them small. The chocolate and brickle combination is great. The filling was a little too sweet for me but the bars on the whole seemed to be quite a hit with everyone else who tried them. I will probably make these again as they are an awesome companion to a warm cup of coffee.

Chocolate-Caramel Thumbprints

Chocolate-Caramel Thumbprints

1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
16 vanilla caramels, unwrapped
3 Tbsp whipping cream
1 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
1 tsp shortening

1. Separate egg; place yolk and white in separate bowls. Cover and chill egg white until needed. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt; set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolk, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Cover and chill dough 2 hours or until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a cookie sheet; set aside. In a small saucepan heat and stir caramels and whipping cream over low heat until smooth. Set aside.
4. Lightly beat reserved egg white. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in egg white, then in pecans to coat. Place balls 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Using your thumb, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
5. Bake 10 minutes or until edges are firm. Spoon melted caramel mixture into cookie centers. (If necessary, reheat caramel mixture to keep it spoonable.) Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.
6. In another small saucepan heat and stir chocolate pieces and shortening over low heat until smooth. Let cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate mixture over tops of cookies. Let stand until set.

Makes 3 dozen.

This is yet another recipe out of The Ultimate Cookie Book from Better Homes and Gardens. I adore caramel in just about anything so I was so excited about these cookies and their pool of caramel.

The ingredients:

It's hard to believe but I had never separated an egg before this. I had seen it done a few times but this was my first time to do it myself. Here are the two halves of the egg.

This is also the first time I remember using milk in a cookie recipe. It made the dough's consistency just a little bit different than anything I'd seen before.

Here is the finished dough right before I covered it and stuck in the refrigerator. It smelled really chocolaty.

As I mentioned before, I love caramel. I like it in drinks, ice cream, and just about any dessert. Here are the allotted 16 caramels. I promise I only ate one caramel (although I definitely could have eaten most of the package).

They have you begin the caramel sauce just as you start working with the dough. I thought that might be a little long but I was wrong. It took a really long time for the caramels to melt into the cream. I was actually wondering if it would get done by the time the cookies did but it worked out in the end.

I'm not the greatest at eyeballing measurements. Every time I try I end up with either way too many cookies or these behemoth cookies that don't bake right. I rolled up all 36 at once that way I knew they were the right size.

The rolling was pretty messy. The dough wasn't super sticky like some and was denser in consistency than a normal dough. It was kind of like rolling up balls of fudge.

Here is a batch right before I popped it in the oven.

I ran out of pecans before I could coat the last six cookies. I guess I was a little overzealous in the coating of the first few. That meant that there were 3 cookies that were partially coated and 3 that had no pecans at all. My husband isn't a huge fan of nuts in general so I was okay with trying a few without any pecans. It turned out that the ones without pecans were pretty good as well.

The indentation from the thumbprint bakes up a little but still leaves a nice well for the caramel.

I almost forgot to take a picture of the finished caramel sauce. It was really nice to work with because it was fluid enough to drizzle but it sets up really solid.

The sauce smoothed out nicely into a shiny pool of caramel on each cookie.

The chocolate drizzling sauce is fairly standard. I couldn't get it to set up though. They looked and tasted fine but the chocolate didn't seem to resolidify.

The final product: these cookies are incredible. They are chewy, caramelly and all sorts of delicious. When they are fresh out of the oven , the pecans are the perfect crunchy complement to the moistness of the cookie and the gooeyness of the caramel and chocolate. The next day the cookies take on much more flavor of the pecans and remind me a lot more of a chocolate turtle. When I make these again (if I plan on them making it out of my kitchen), I will try switching the chocolate pieces out for chocolate candy coating to make them more conducive to stacking.

Tomato & Spinach Pasta Toss

Tomato & Spinach Pasta Toss

2 cups rotini or penne pasta, uncooked
1/2 lb. hot or mild Italian sausage
6 oz. baby spinach leaves (7 cups)
1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, and oregano, undrained
1 cup Kraft Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese
2 Tbsp Kraft 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese

1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile, crumble meat into large deep skillet. Cook on medium-high heat 10 to 12 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally; drain. Add spinach and tomatoes; cook 2 minutes or until spinach is wilted, stirring occasionally. Remove fron heat; cover to keep warm.
3. Drain pasta; return to pot. Add meat mixture and cheeses; toss lightly.

Makes 6 servings.

This is a recipe from the Spring 2008 edition of Food & Family from Kraftfoods. The magazine is obviously meant to be one big advertisement for their products but if you need a quick and simple recipe, it will definitely do the trick. Here is a recipe that combines a lot of my favorite foods so I was excited to try it.

The ingredients:

I couldn't find anything but the links version of Italian sausage so I used them and just removed the meat from their casings. I'm sure you could just cook the links and then cut them up for this recipe but it takes just a bit longer to cook them that way and I was in a hurry.

It's always fun to cook down fresh spinach. Luckily I thought ahead this time and used my biggest skillet so I had plenty of room for all this spinach. I'm not sure exactly how much spinach I actually used as I had a 10 oz pack and wasn't really feeling like measuring things.

Here is the cooked down spinach/tomato/meat mixture. It smelled really good.

I had some time to kill before the pasta was done so I covered the meat mixture so it wouldn't get cold before putting it all together. Looking back now I see that the recipe even includes this step which makes feel a little bit better since I just thought I had planned poorly.

The cooked pasta, meat mixture and cheeses ready to be mixed.

The final product: this meal is super simple and very good. I like everything about this meal: the spinach, cheese, meat, tomatoes; it's all good. The only bad thing about this meal is the clean up as the cheese is super stringy and sticky. Next time I think I won't break the meat up as much because I like larger chunks.