Pan Seared Pork Chops and Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Walnuts

Pork Chops - these were center cut, so very thick. Adjust according to thickness.

___

Prep

Brine pork chops in salt water - use about 3 handfuls of kosher salt - for 30 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts

Take fresh brussels sprouts and pull off any loose leaves

Cut in half and soak in lightly salted water for 10-15 minutes. Rinse and remove any grit or dirt.

Cook

___

Heat oven to 325-350, depending on how hot your oven runs.

Dry the brined pork chops with paper towels, let sit. Lightly salt each side

Add generous amount of olive oil to large skillet, heat to medium high heat.

Place each chop in pan and do not touch. Saute in skillet for 3-4 minutes.

Flip and sear other side for 3-4 minutes. Again, don’t touch them.

Pop them in the oven for another 10 minutes or so. Check to see if the juices run clear. If you’re not sure, pull the chop out, cut to the bone and make sure the meat is cooked through.

While chops are in the oven, heat generous amount of olive oil in pan on medium.

Toss in brussels sprouts and smashed garlic cloves, to taste. Don’t bother to chop or mince. You can either eat the sauteed cloves or remove for plating.

Season with salt and pepper.

Do not touch them and brown on one side, then turn.

Add a bit of white wine to the pan and turn down the heat to medium low. Make sure the garlic isn’t browning too much or burning.

Cover the pan and cook for 15 minutes.

Remove lid and make sure almost all liquid has evaporated.

Add walnuts and toss for another minute.

Turn off heat, drizzle with fresh lemon juice.

SERVE!

iseeellis:

yosamanthrax:

OH EM GEE Y’ALL.  I think this is the most delicious thing I’ve ever made, and I am not kidding.  All day today I was dreaming about lying on my couch and ordering enough chinese food for three people, but then I was like, no, Tubby, put the menu down and save the cals and the dollas, so I ran to the grocery store after work and got all of the ingredients I needed to make

HOT GINGER BEEF!

You need:

2 pounds lean steak (remove the fat and cut the steaks up into thin strips)

1 large onion (cut in half, sliced thin)

2 bunches of green onions (toss the white part, just use the dark green part, cut into 2 inch pieces)

1 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup honey

2 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp sriracha or chili paste

about 4 inches of ginger

5 cloves of garlic

1 heaping tbsp flour

1 tsp olive oil

top with chinese noodles

What you do:

Sauce:  Throw the soy sauce, honey, vinegar, ginger, garlic, flour and olive oil in a blender and LIQUIFY THAT SHIT.  Omg yum.  Taste it.  It is so good.

In a large frying pan or wok (on high), brown your beef for a few minutes and then toss in your onions and green onions.  When the green onions start to wilt, toss in your awesome sauce.  Heh.  Awesome sauce.  Anyway, continue to cook this until the onions are translucent and your beef isn’t red on the inside anymore!  It took me about 5 minutes.  Toss this magical mixture onto a bed of rice and throw some noodles on there and stuff your face and take pride in the fact that you are eating delicious chinese food on the cheap AND IT’S HEALTHY TOO.  OMG I KNOW!!!

Meatloaf

Recipe to follow

Spoonbread!

Spoonbread is a sweet bread pudding.  It’s a really great sidedish for spicy dishes like chili or fajitas, but today we’ll be having it with a roasted chicken and vegetables.  It’s also wonderful as a stuffing alternative with your roasted turkey.  It reheats well in the oven at 350 for about 20 minutes.

As usual, I made this recipe as healthy as possible, but if you’re not into that, please feel free to use the full-fat ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup fat free sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 box (8.5 oz) corn bread or corn muffin mix (I used Jiffy)

1 tbsp skim milk

1/4 cup canned sweet kernel corn

1 can of creamed corn

2 tbsp melted butter (I used light salted butter)

1 egg

Directions:  Preheat your oven to 400.  Mix everything together with a whisk!  Put it in a casserole dish (3 qt size is good), and stick it in the oven for about an hour, or until the top is golden brown.  The top should be crusty, but the inside should be like a pudding.  Enjoy!

simplerecipes:

Indonesian Ginger Chicken

1 cup honey
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 12 cloves)
1/2 cup peeled and grated fresh ginger root
2 (3 1/2 pound) chickens, quartered, with backs removed
(simple recipes note: or substitute ~5 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs)

Cook the honey, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger root in a small saucepan over low heat until the honey is melted. Arrange the chicken in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan, skin side down, and pour on the sauce. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the baking pan in the oven and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan, turn the chicken skin side up, and raise the temperature to 375 degrees F. Continue baking for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear when you cut between a leg and thigh and the sauce is a rich, dark brown.

via Barefoot Contessa

kelsium:

lacuisine:

Parmesan Crusted Baked Zucchini Sticks with Marinara Sauce

Follow the link for recipe.

Thanks to Closet Cooking

Greek Chicken

Use whatever pieces of chicken you like. Make sure the chicken is not more than an inch thick.

Generously salt and pepper the chicken, cover with either chopped, fresh oregano or dried oregano.

Heat a generous amount of olive oil in the pan.

Saute the chicken (skin down, if you’re keeping it) in the pan

Flip and repeat. (cover with lid, if need be.)

Once chicken is done, immediately remove from pan.

Once cooled, add the juice of a half a lemon and lightly flavor with olive oil.

__

Greek Salad

* We did not use red onions, as minisparks is not a fan. However, if you were to use them, you should soak them in warm water, just for a bit to take the edge off, then add them with the other ingredients to the mixing bowl.

Chop feta into chunks.

Chop tomatoes into small, bite size pieces. (if they are grape tomatoes, keep whole)

Rinse, dry and tear the lettuce. (We used Romaine, you use whatever.)

Add all ingredients to a large mixing bowl.

Finely chop fresh parsley and add to salad.

Add olives of your choice.

Squeeze quarter of a lemon and generously coat with olive oil.

Salt and pepper to taste and toss the salad until everything is covered well.

Serve.

hikergirl:

yosamanthrax:

I should have shared the recipe originally, but I was too busy eating.

Thai Pork Stew, taken from the Cooking Light Slow Cooker Cookbook:

• 2 pounds pork loin, cut into 4 chunks
• 2 cups julienned red bell peppers
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 2  tablespoons rice or white wine vinegar
• 1  teaspoon  crushed red pepper
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (I used light)

Put everything into your crock pot EXCEPT for the peanut butter.  Cook on high for one hour, then turn it on low and cook for 6 more hours.  Stir the pork constantly and it will “shred” on its own.  When it is done, stir in the peanut butter.  Serve on top of rice, and top it off with lime juice, diced green onions and dry roasted peanuts.  Do not, do not, do not skip the lime juice and the onions.

SRIRACHA ROASTED CHICKEN!

Get chicken pieces.  Butcher your own chicken, whatever I don’t care, just leave the skin on.  Put the chicken in an ungreased pan, skin side up.  For the sauce?  glaze?  I really don’t know what to call it, just do this:

1 stick of FULL FAT BUTTER, OKAY?  OKAAAAY?

2 tbsp sriracha

1 tsp chili paste

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp salt

3 large cloves garlic

Soften the butter, pop the cloves in the mic for about 20 seconds, push them through a garlic press on top of the butter, mix in everything else, and lay it on top of your chicken.  Cook for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

This will be spicy, so put your diapers on.

SUPER EASY SCONES

You’ll need:

2 cups all purpose flour

2 eggs

3/4 stick butter (I used light butter)

3 tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

Preheat your oven to 400.

Mix all of your dry ingredients together, then add the eggs.  Crumble up your butter with a fork, and add that.  Mix together the dry ingredients, eggs and butter crumbles.  Sprinkle your countertop with flour.  Scoop out your dough (which should be flaky) and form it into a 1 inch disc.  Place the disc on a cookie sheet (greased or dusted with flour) and score the disc with a knife before you put it into the oven.  Sprinkle with sugar (optional).  Bake for 15 minutes.  Serve with butter and jam.