Crispy Parmesan-Sage Pork Chops

After an excruciating 3-hour hike on Sunday, getting out of bed Monday morning was definitely a challenge. Fortunately my body did  not decide to hate me, so I felt only minimal soreness in my legs and bum. Energy, however, decided to completely vacate the premises of my existence for the entire day. And eating these chops for lunch, definitely did not help matters. A bit heavy for lunch, but so damn good.

I have searched high and low for pork chop recipes that would taste good after I cooked them, and this one by far takes 1st prize. While they aren't the healthiest version, they definitely tasted amazing...crunchy outside, but moist and flavorful with every bite. They don't reheat quite as well, but for a made-to-order dinner they were spectacular! Decreasing the butter and oil by half (or a little more than half) would definitely help with the healthy-factor, but still allow you to get the crispy outside.

Crispy Parmesan Sage Pork Chops

Source: This Woman Cooks! 

Ingredients 

• 1 1/2 cups breadcrumb
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 2 large eggs, whisked
• 4 boneless, thin cut pork chops
• 1/4 cup butter 
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. In a medium-sized bowl, mix bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, dried rubbed sage and lemon zest.
3. Mix flour, salt & pepper in a shallow dish. In another dish, whisk the eggs.
4. Coat pork chops with flour, then dip in the egg, and finally dip in bread crumb mixture. 
5.  Melt butter and olive oil in an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Cook chops until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to oven and bake about 20 minutes (150 degrees on a meat thermometer).

Brussels Sprouts Saute

I will admit that I wouldn't consider eating a Brussels Sprout a few months ago. I don't like cabbage, and they are just minature cabbage, right? So, no way would I get near one with a 10-foot pole. But, as I may have mentioned before, some of the girls at work were raving about how they love them and so on, so I tried them awhile back and discoverd that, if cooked well, I actually do like them!!

<Insert reader's gag face here>

I know, I know...but really, the key is cooking them correctly. Undercooked leaves them a little hard, and quite bitter - which is not at all appealing or appetizing. But roasted or pan-sauteed to soft, browned, and caramelized perfection they are quite amazing.  I've seen quite a few recipes floating around lately, and when I saw this one, I decided to give it a go. Now, the original calls for prosciutto, and I recommend trying that, but I didn't have any on-hand so I omitted that part of the recipe. Give these little buggers (not boogers!) a try and maybe - just maybe - you will be a believer too!!

Brussels Sprouts Saute

Modified from Bev Cooks

Ingredients 

• 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs. butter
• 1 pound brussels sprouts, washed, ends trimmed and thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
• 1 lemon
• 1 Tbs. poppy seeds
• coarse salt and pepper

Preparation

1. Heat the oil and butter in a skillet over medium-high. Add the brussels sprouts and saute until they start to brown and soften, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and saute another 2 minutes.
2. Toss in the poppy seeds and serve!



Pan-Seared Salmon with Ginger-Lime Sauce

Mmm mmm good!! I absolutely love fish, and salmon is so good for you! I'm always on the look-out for new recipes, and when I ran across this one, I knew it would be delicious! I left out several items from the original recipes, mostly due to laziness (ha!), but the fish and the sauce alone were absolutely amazing. I am in love with the Ginger-Lime sauce, and now want to eat it on everything :) If you are looking for something delicious to add to your menu this weekend, this is the dish for you!

Pan-Seared Salmon with Ginger-Lime Sauce

Modified from Food Network

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 4 (6 to 7-ounce) skinless salmon fillets
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2/3 cup Ginger-Lime sauce (recipe below)
• 1 cup rice, cooked in chicken broth 

Ginger-Lime Sauce

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 serrano chile, chopped
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons minced ginger
• 3 tablespoons fish sauce
• 3 tablespoons lime juice
• 3 tablespoons water

Preparation

1. For the sauce: combine the garlic, serrano, sugar, ginger, fish sauce, lime juice, and water in a small bowl and stir well. Let the flavors develop by setting the sauce aside for 30 minutes before serving.
2. Cook rice according to package instructions.
3. Heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over moderate heat. Cook the salmon fillets (2 pieces at a time), until they're golden and just done, 3 to 4 minutes on each side depending on the thickness.
4. About 2 minutes before the salmon is done, add the garlic slices to the oil to flavor the fish. (If the fillets are thick, cover and cook a few minutes longer.) Remove the salmon and garlic and drain on paper towels.
5. Arrange the salmon fillet on top of rice and sprinkle a few pieces of the cooked garlic on top. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the sauce and serve immediately.

Caramelized Chicken with Jalapeno Cream

Thank goodness the weekend is here!! And I must say that I have been anxiously awaiting this post, because I couldn't wait to share this amazing recipe with you!! I knew as soon as I saw it on Jessica's blog, that it had to go on my menu right away!! If you haven't noticed by now...and shame on you if that's the case...I really love spicy things, especially sauces, so topping crispy, caramelized chicken with a creamy jalapeno sauce was too perfect to pass up!!

I had a little trouble thickening my sauce up, but I believe that was user error (temp while cooking) and I eventually got it right! And I was not disappointed with my finished product...the chicken was so good, and the sauce made it's way to all of the components on my plate before I was done!! I like to share the sauce love with my veggies, what can I say? Jessica has so many great recipes, so you should try this one out and then swing over and check out her blog!

Caramelized Chicken with Jalapeno Cream

Source: How Sweet It Is

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped
• 1 shallot, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 cup low-fat or skim milk
• 1 12-ounce can fat-free evaporated milk
• 2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Add chopped jalapenos, shallots and garlic to a food processor and pulse until very finely chopped (not pureed). Set aside.
2. Tenderize chicken breasts and pat completely dry with paper towels. Season on both sides with salt and pepper.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add chicken breasts (make sure they are COMPLETELY DRY) and cook for about 8-10 minutes per side, until each side is caramelized and golden. If needed, use the remaining oil when flipping the chicken.
4. While the chicken is cooking, heat a small saucepan over medium heat and add butter. Once sizzling, add in the chopped jalapeno mixture, stirring to coat, and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Once fragrant (do NOT put your face directly over the jalapenos!), whisk in flour and stir continuously to create a roux.
6. Cook mixture for 1-2 minutes, then add in milks, reducing the heat to medium-low. Continue to stir continuously until mixture begins to thicken (about 6-8 minutes), adding in parmesan cheese and reducing the heat even more.
7. Once the desired thickness has been reached, turn off heat. Stir every so often – it may thicken even more while sitting – and you can add additional milk to thin it out if needed. Taste and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Daring Bakers: Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Happy double-post Friday everyone!! I don't usually post multiple times in a day, but it just so happens that today I have posts due for two of my cooking groups!! First up is my Daring Bakers group. Oh how I love the challenges that this group helps me tackle!! And this month was super exciting for me! Audax of  Audax Artifex was our January 2012 Daring Bakers’ host. Aud worked tirelessly to master light and fluffy scones (a.k.a biscuits) to help us create delicious and perfect batches in our own kitchens! 

I have never made biscuits before, and looking at the examples that Audax gave us, I knew right away that I wanted to make something reminicent of Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits. Of course, I don't know exactly what they put in them, but they are cheesy, garlicky deliciousness, and the basic recipes given to us were the perfect place to start!

 

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sifted mustard powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¼ teaspoon sifted cayenne pepper 
• ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons frozen grated butter (or a combination of lard and butter)
• Approximately ½ cup cold milk

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to very hot 475°F.
2. Triple sift the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. (If your room temperature is very hot refrigerate the sifted ingredients until cold.) Mix in mustard powder, garlic powder, cayenne, grated cheese, and chives.
3. Rub the frozen grated butter (or combination of fats) into the dry ingredients until it resembles very coarse beach sand.
4. Add nearly all of the liquid at once into the rubbed-in flour/fat mixture and mix until it just forms a sticky dough (add the remaining liquid if needed). The wetter the dough the lighter the scones (biscuits) will be!
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board, lightly flour the top of the dough. To achieve an even homogeneous crumb to your scones knead very gently about 4 or 5 times (do not press too firmly) the dough until it is smooth. To achieve a layered effect in your scones knead very gently once (do not press too firmly) then fold and turn the kneaded dough about 3 or 4 times until the dough has formed a smooth texture. (Use a floured plastic scraper to help you knead and/or fold and turn the dough if you wish.)
6. Pat or roll out the dough into a 6 inch by 4 inch rectangle by about ¾ inch thick. Using a well-floured 2-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out without twisting six 2-inch rounds, gently reform the scraps into another ¾ inch layer and cut two more scones (these two scones will not raise as well as the others since the extra handling will slightly toughen the dough). Or use a well-floured sharp knife to form squares or wedges as you desire.
7. Place the rounds just touching on a baking dish if you wish to have soft-sided scones or place the rounds spaced widely apart on the baking dish if you wish to have crisp-sided scones.
8. Bake in the preheated very hot oven for about 10 minutes (check at 8 minutes since home ovens at these high temperatures are very unreliable) until the scones are well risen and are lightly coloured on the tops. The scones are ready when the sides are set.
9. Immediately place onto cooling rack to stop the cooking process, serve while still warm.

Recipe Swap: Scallops with Asian Green Bean Salad

Oh Recipe Swap, how I love thee. Participating in the recipe swaps has not only exposed me to tons of great recipes, but has also allowed me to "meet" some really great ladies and fellow bloggers. Nichole of The Cookaholic Wife, is one such lady that I have been fortunate to interact with in several blogging events, and I even passed on the Liebster Award to her awhile back!

The theme for this week's swap was Healthy Recipes (in honor of all of our effort to get back on the healthy living wagon), and I received Nichole's recipe for Scallops with Asian Green Bean Salad. Sarah knew that I would love this one when she saw it was assigned to me, and she was right! Not only do I love Asian flavors, but seafood as well. This was the perfect combination and a meal that didn't need any sides or additions! Thank you Nichole for another great recipe!

Scallops with Asian Green Bean Salad
Source: The Cookaholic Wife

Ingredients

• 1 lb sea scallops
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 20-30 green beans, trimmed
• 4 oz angel hair pasta
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

• 1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbsp sesame oil

Preparation

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the dressing together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Cook the pasta according to package directions, drain and set aside.
3. Add the olive oil to a large pan over medium heat. Saute the celery and green beans for 10-12 minutes or until soft.
4. Rinse the scallops and pat dry. Season with salt and pepper and then coat with sesame seeds.
5. Remove the vegetables from the skillet and add to the bowl with the dressing. Add the sesame oil to the skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the scallops for 2-3 minutes on each side until cooked through and they develop a dark crust.
6. Spoon the vegetables over the pasta and top with the scallops. Drizzle with the dressing.

What's Baking - Chocolate Lava Cake

Happy Thursday friends!! One day closer to another weekend, and so close to the end of January. How did that happen already?!? The weather has been a little funky lately in Texas (shocker, I know), but when the cold settles in, I tend to hunker down indoors as much as possible. I know that Texas cold is nothing compared to the Northern states, but I'm Texas born-and-raised, so 30 degrees might as well be 20-below to my body. If a little ice gets on the road, everything shuts down and we all get to stay home. Yeah, we're big babies about it, but what can I say? I would rather be home, curled up on the couch watching TV and drinking some hot chocolate, than out in the cold weather.

And what could be more perfect on a cold night than a dessert filled with ooey, gooey chocolate??? Thanks to Melissa of I Was Born to Cook, our hostess for this month's What's Baking challenge, I decided to make chocolate lava cakes to fit with the theme of a Snowday Treat. Granted, we don't really have snow days here (uh, like ever), but I knew that if I was on lock-down, this is a dessert that I could whip up to satisfy my chocolate cravings! My first attempt was a failure, the middle wasn't gooey at all but it was a different recipe and I think I left it in the oven just a minute too long. Darn it! What a waste of good chocolate!! But round 2 proved to be a success, and I had to take the remaining 3 cakes to work so I wouldn't eat them!!

Definitely give these a try...they are just too easy not to!

Chocolate Lava Cakes

As seen on Pioneer Woman, from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients

• 4 pieces (squares) Semi-sweet Baking Chocolate
• ½ cups Butter
• 1 cup Powdered Sugar
• 2 whole Eggs
• 2 whole Egg Yolks
• 6 Tablespoons Flour

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spray 4 custard cups with cooking spray and place on cookie sheet.
3. Microwave chocolate and butter in large bowl on high for about 1 minute, until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is also melted.
4. Stir in sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and egg yolks. Stir in flour.
5. Divide between cups.
6. Bake 13-14 minutes until sides are firm and center is soft. Let stand 1 minute.
7. Invert cakes onto serving plates and enjoy the ooey gooey deliciousness!

Taco Tuesday: Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Southwest Cream Sauce

Happy Hump Day everyone!! It's raining like crazy here in Central Texas (we may have even had a tornado touch down!) and it's a dark, gloomy day outside but we are  halfway through the week and that is something to smile about wouldn't you say???

Back in October I made a version of these tacos, but  after seeing Jessy post the original version I decided I needed to try them without any modifications. The marinade was wonderful and while the citrus doesn't really shine, the spiciness was right up my alley. I gobbled down more tacos than I care to admit and was sad to see it all gone. I am so glad that I tried one of the originals that I concocted mine from - it is delicious!! And now I have another great shrimp taco recipe!!

Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Southwest Cream Sauce

Slightly modified from Gourmet Day to Day, Originally from Pink Parsley

Ingredients

• Juice of 1 lemon (and 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
• 1 tsp adobo sauce
• 2 Tbsp canola or olive oil
• 1 tsp honey
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 jalapeno, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 lb shrimp, tail-off, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 8 small (6-inch) corn or flour tortillas
• 1/2 lime, cut into wedges or slices

Southwest Cream Sauce

• 1/2 cup light sour cream
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp salt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Preparation 

1. Preheat Broiler and line a large baking sheet with foil (or spray with cooking spray.)
2. In the bowl of a food processor, combine all the ingredients for the marinade, through the salt and pepper, and process until smooth and well combined. Pour over shrimp in a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes, but no longer than 30.
3. Meanwhile, whisk together all the ingredients for the southwest cream sauce.
4. Remove shrimp from marinade and spread onto the baking sheet in a single layer and cook 2-4 minutes, until opaque and cooked through.
5. Heat tortillas and top with shrimp, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and cream sauce, with lime wedges.

  

Roasted Rosemary-Onion Potatoes

Oh Monday, how I'm glad that you are gone. Don't get me wrong, I don't typically despise that particular day of the week, but lately Mondays have been a little more rough than they were before the holidays and I'm just glad to be past Monday and one day closer to the weekend :)

I haven't made a habit of posting many side dishes, and I'm trying to remedy that. I'm trying to branch out past the typical rice and broccoli sides and give you all a few more options as well. This potato dish is one that I discovered a few years ago, and as much as I dislike onions, the way they cook in this dish makes them tolerable...sweet, even. It takes a little time to cook them to perfection, but if you start them prior to your main dish, you can still finish dinner in under 30 minutes, and they are well worth the time. I love potatoes, and this variance from my more common mashed potato side was very welcome. I hope you try them and love them as much as I do!

Roasted Rosemary-Onion Potatoes

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Ingredients

• 4 medium red potatoes 
• 1 small onion, finely chopped 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

 Preparation

1. Heat oven to 450ºF. Line a cookie sheet with foil or spray with cooking spray.
2. Cut potatoes into 1-inch chunks.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in large bowl. Add potatoes; toss to coat. Spread potatoes in single layer in pan.
4. Bake uncovered 20 to 25 minutes, turning occasionally, until potatoes are light brown and tender when pierced with fork.

Chili

I had a wonderful weekend with T, road trippin' it to Dallas to see a friend who just had her first baby. It's been a long time since we went on a road trip, and it was much needed girl-time. Of course we had baby C with us, and any time with my beloved Godson is precious, but getting away from the routine of my life and getting out of town with my bestie was what I have really been needing. Seeing her college friends, and that newborn sweet baby was refreshing, and we even squeezed in some party-planning for Baby C's upcoming 1st birthday. I can't believe he's almost a year old. Sweet little baby.

But, as much as I enjoyed the time with T and getting away from home for a bit, I was glad to get home on Sunday and get back into my kitchen. and there was nothing "sweet" about my first creation.

Last winter I came up with my own chili recipe after some experimentation and tweaking. Unfortunately that hand-written recipe did not find it's way to my new apartment and so I had to start over again. Disapponting, yes, but if I did it once, I can do it again right? Absolutely!! And I did some things differently, and came up with what I believe is an even better version than the one I lost. It has a little bit of a bite to it, but isn't overly spicy. Aaaaand, it's so simple...pretty much throw it all in a pot and let it cook for a couple of hours.

Chili

A Sweet Beginnings' Original

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 2 cans of kidney beans, drained
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles (undrained)
• 1 8oz can tomato sauce
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper

Preparation

1. In a large pot or dutch oven, cook beef over medium-high heat until browned. Drain off any excess fat.
2. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and simmer for 2 hours over low heat.

Blackbottoms

Towards the end of 2011, we had a recipe swap for holiday cookies/treats and my good friend Sarah, of A Taste of Home Cooking asked me to be her "pinch baker" for these little goodies, when she was not thrilled with her results and thought it might be due to missing chocolate chips. Since they were her swap recipe, I decided to postpone blogging them on my site until a little later. I love a good bite-sized treat - in fact, I prefer them - so I was more than happy to step up and help my friend. They are sweet, but not overly sweet with a nice topping of cream cheese and chocolate chips...yum! A perfect little bite-sized treat, perfect for a cold winter day!

Blackbottoms

Made for: A Taste of Home Cooking, Originally from: So Tasty, So Yummy

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup cocoa
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup oil
• 1 cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 egg
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup sugar
• 1 cup chocolate chips

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix first eight ingredients together and set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, beat the cream cheese, egg, salt and sugar together. Stir the chocolate chips into the cream cheese mixture.
3. Line a miniature muffin pan with paper liners. Add 1 tablespoon of the chocolate batter and top with 1 teaspoon of the cream cheese mixture.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until set.

Chicken with Mustard-Dill Sauce

It’s Friday, Friday
Got to get down on Friday
Everybody’s looking forward to the weekend, weekend
It’s Friday, Friday
Got to get down on Friday
Everybody’s looking forward to the weekend, weekend

Ok, so that's not really a song I listen to, but for the past couple of Friday's it seems to pop into my head...and if you don't know what viral video song I am talking about, you're just missing out. It's sort of like Mmmbop, back in the day. Stupid song, but it gets stuck in your head and you can't help but sing it - either out loud or in your head.

What? It wasn't just me sitting in Business Computer Applications class, Junior year, singing the catchphrase just loud enough for the girl next to me to shriek because now she was going to have to sing it the rest of the day...right? Well, maybe it was, but it was damn funny and it got us through that year with more giggles than girls should have in such a "serious" class. Ah, reminiscing the days of old. Not that I'm old...watch it!

Anywho...moving right along. I love chicken and I cook a lot of it, therefore I need an arsenal of recipes to trudge through. Like many of the posts you've seen lately, this one has been hanging around for awhile, waiting it's turn to come out of the binder and aid in the creation of a masterpiece for my mouth. And boy, did it! Not only do I love chicken, but I also love mustard - all types of it - so the combination was a big hit! The sauce was so good, that I found myself dipping vegetable crackers into it while I waited for the chicken to cook. What? Don't judge me. I was hungry, and it was good! I think my mouth is watering a little just thinking about it. Damn it.

If you haven't figured it out yet from my babbling on, this is a great recipe, and the sauce definitely makes it. Serve over rice, with some sort of green veggie, and you've got a well-balanced, quick, delicious meal!!

Chicken with Mustard-Dill Sauce
As seen on Food Network*, Originally from Gourmet Today

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

• 1/2 cup coarse-grained mustard
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill

For the Chicken:

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar, Champagne vinegar, or aged Sherry wine vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2/3 to 3/4 cups extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 shallots, minced
• 4 (1/4-inch thick) chicken cutlets (1-1/2 lb total)
• 1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation 

1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper. Gradually whisk in enough oil to make a smooth dressing with a balanced taste. Alternately, put ingredients in a jar, cover with lid tightly, and shake well. Stir in garlic and shallots. Place the cutlets in a glass pan, pour the marinade over, cover and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, combine all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and season with pepper. Sauce may be made 1 day ahead, covered and kept chilled. Let sauce come to room temperature and whisk before serving.
3. Remove the chicken from the marinade and pat dry; discard the marinade. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until just cooked through. Serve chicken over rice with sauce poured over the top.

*Since this was printed some time ago, the recipe is no longer listed on Food Network, but can be found as I printed it on The Heritage Cook blog as well. 

  

Burgundy Pork Tenderloin

As this week nears the end, I can't believe we are over half-way through January already. The days seem to come and go in moments, even though they sometimes seem to last forever. But, maybe the fast-pace of my life these days is because I am actually doing things instead of sitting in my apartment for endless hours :) It's been a good couple of weeks and the coming weeks only promise to get better. I'm looking forward to the changes and the adventures that lie ahead of me. 

What better way to celebrate than to smother my dinner in a wine sauce?? And I'm not joking when I say it's a wine sauce. It's pretty potent in flavor, so if you aren't into a strong wine flavor in your food, you may want to scale back the amount just a teensy bit. I really love pork tenderloin (it is the other white mean, ya know?), and I'm always looking for new ways to cook it. This recipe has been in my binder for quite some time and I finally got around to making it....and it is a winner! It could be served as a fancy dinner for friends simply because of the sauce. Yep, that good. So, give it a try...I'll even be your dinner guest if you want ;)

Burgundy Pork Tenderloin

Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients 

• 2 pounds pork tenderloin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 2 cups red wine (I used Merlot)
• 1 (.75 oz) packet dry brown gravy mix 

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Place pork in a 9x13 inch baking dish, and sprinkle meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Top with onion and celery, and pour wine over all.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes.
4. When done baking, remove meat from baking dish, and place on a serving platter. Pour gravy mix into baking dish with wine and cooking juices, and stir until thickened. 
5. Slice meat, and cover with the gravy.

Taco Tuesday - Beef Tacos with Mango-Hot Pepper Salsa

I'm not usually one to make, let alone stick to, New Year's resolutions, so imagine my surprise that I am doing both this year! I made it through last week with 4 days of exercise (as stated in resolution #1), and week two has started off strong. I feel like my determination and commitment to become more healthy overall really is spreading into all facets of my life. I feel more motivated to be productive, and that's really an improvement considering my absolute lack of motivation to do anything the last few months of 2011. I have a ridiculous amount of recipes bookmarked and filled in on the food calendar, most of which are healthy, and the rest I just pretend are ;)

I look forward to Taco Tuesday, and have deemed it my unofficial "cheat" meal every week. I was unsure how this particular one would taste, but in the end it was like a typical beef taco, with a sweet & spicy twist. The mango and jalapeno balance each other nicely and I really enjoyed it as a salsa on my taco! If you are looking for a new twist on regular tacos, this is definitely one to try!


Beef Tacos with Mango-Hot Pepper Salsa
Adapted from: Robin Miller

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground sirloin
• 2 Tbsp chili powder
• 1Tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 cups diced fresh mango
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion (I didn't use because I don't like onions)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 8-12 taco shells
• 1 cup shredded lettuce
• 1 cup grated reduced-fat Cheddar 
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream 

Preparation

1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook beef until browned. Add water, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer 5 minutes. 
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine mango, jalapeno, red onion, cilantro, and lime juice. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.  Serve beef mixture in taco shells,with lettuce, grated cheese, sour cream, and topped with mango salsa.

Chicken Meatball Orzo Soup

Since January is National Soup Month, I've been trying to experiment and make different kinds of soup to celebrate, and to expand my cooking skills. I had some ground chicken in the freezer that I wanted to use up so I went out in search of delicious recipes and came across this one on Allrecipes, and it sounded amazing! I don't cook with orzo nearly enough and I was excited for and excuse to use it. I love, love, love anything lemon, and it came through perfectly in this soup but wasn't overwhelming. I scaled down the recipe to make only two servings for myself, but I was kicking myself, because I could have eaten this for days! A definite winner in my book, and I will be making this again before the cold weather is gone...and I suggest you try it as well!



Chicken Meatball Orzo Soup

Source: Allrecipes

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground chicken
• 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
• 4 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 small zucchini, shredded
• 3/4 cup orzo pasta
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 eggs

Preparation

1. Combine chicken, 1 egg and breadcrumbs in a bowl until well combined. Using hands or small cookie scoop, form into round balls.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and cook meatballs until browned on all sides and cooked through.
3. Pour chicken broth into a large pot and mix in meatballs, zucchini and orzo. Season with pepper and parsley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered 30 minutes.
4. In a bowl, beat together lemon juice and 2 eggs. Mix 1/4 cup hot soup into bowl, then stir entire mixture into the pot. Serve soup hot.

Broiled Tilapia with Horseradish & Herb-Spiked Mayo

Last week was a loooong, busy week. It was my first full week (5 days) of work since before Christmas. I know, I know...stop complaining Jaida. I'm just sayin...that extra day makes a difference. I also kicked off my new year's resolution to go to the gym, so that takes away more than an hour from my evenings, which aren't that long as it is, so quick-fix dinners are definitely welcome now. And this fish dinner is one of those. To extra healthify, you can sub the mayo with a fat-free variety of mayo or miracle whip. I love horseradish, so I added a little extra and it was heavenly! Add this to your busy weeknight menu and you won't be disappointed!

Broiled Tilapia with Horseradish & Herb-Spiked Mayo

Source: Robin Miller

Ingredients

• Cooking spray
• 1 lemon
• 4 (6-ounce) Tilapia fillets
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄3 cup light mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish, or more to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat the broiler. Coat a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from the lemon and set aside. Squeeze the juice from the lemon over both sides of the fish. Season both sides of the fish with salt and pepper, to taste, and the garlic powder.
3. Place the fish on the prepared baking sheet and broil until fork-tender, about 3 minutes per side.
4. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, lemon zest, horseradish, chives, and parsley. Serve the fish with the mayonnaise mixture spooned over the top.

Daring Cooks: Chicken and Green Chile Tamales

Growing up in South Texas means an inundation of Mexican food, all.the.time. I can't even begin to say how many times I've heard friends that moved North talk about how they miss Mexican food, and that the few places they come across are just sorry excuses for the real thing. Granted, a lot of people call it Tex-Mex, and I couldn't say otherwise because I've never eaten authentic Mexican food in Mexico...but whatever it is, we Texans adore it. Tamales are one of the (supposed) authentic dishes that little Mexican mamas make by the many, many dozens around holiday time and sell to all of the white folk who can't seem to master the technique.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned this before, but my mom makes the best Mexican food (aside from Granny, of course) that I've ever eaten - and she's a white lady! My step-dad, who is Hispanic and whose parents are from Mexico and make it all "authentic", has even said that he prefers my mom's food. That's saying something! Anyhow...I have not yet followed in the family footsteps in regards to this ethnic cuisine, but I have made it a part of my 12 in '12 list to learn a few dishes this year. My mom has been making tamales for a few years now and she's pretty stinkin' good at it, so I added it to my list. Her beef enchiladas, however, are the creme de la creme, in my opinion. So much so that I won't eat beef enchiladas anwhere else but home. Those are also on my list to learn, but that comes later.

For now...Maranda of Jolts & Jollies was our January 2012 Daring Cooks hostess with the mostess! Maranda challenged us to make traditional Mexican Tamales as our first challenge of the year! How perefect is that for me?? I was very excited to take this on, but will admit that I didn't have high expectations for my first attempt. I guess it's a fortunate thing for me that I'm a stickler for following exact directions when attempting something completely new to me, and therefore I did not wind up with a complete disaster on my hands. The filling was absolutely delicious, but the dough was a teensy bit dry after steaming. I chock it up to needing a bit more broth in the initial mixing stage. Lesson learned, but still edible ;) I will definitely be making these again, and experimenting with additional fillings as well. Maybe next year I can join my mom in making a few dozen :)

Chicken and Green Chile Tamales

Source: Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 – 8 ounce (225 gram) package dried corn husks

 For filling:

• 1 pound tomatillos (can sub mild green chilies – canned or fresh)
• 4 – 3 inch serrano chiles, stemmed and chopped (can sub jalapeno)
• 4 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 ½ tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups cooked and shredded chicken
• 2/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro (also known as coriander)

For the masa dough:

• 1 1/3 cups lard or vegetable shortening
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt (omit if already in masa mixture)
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder (omit if already in masa mixture)
• 4 cups masa harina (corn tortilla mix)
• 1 ½-2 cups low sodium chicken broth

Preparation

1. Place the dried corn husks in a large pot and cover with water.
2. Place a heavy plate or a smaller pot full of water on top of husks to keep them in the water. Let soak for 3 hours or up to 1 day, flipping occasionally until husks are softened.
3. Once husks are softened, boil chicken about 20 minutes or until fully cooked.
4. Immediately place hot chicken into the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment. Turn mixer on high to shred chicken (this takes about 3-5 seconds).
5. Place an oven rack on the top setting. Turn the oven on broil. Peel and rinse the tomatillos.
6. Line a heavy baking sheet with foil. Place tomatillos on baking sheet and place under broiler.
7. Broil (grill) until black spots form on tomatillos, then flip and broil (grill) other side. This takes about 5-10 minutes per side depending on the strength of the broiler.
8. Place roasted tomatillos and juices from the pan into a food processor and allow to cool about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chopped Serrano chiles and process until smooth.
9. Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
10. Add the tomatillo puree and boil, stirring continuously, for 5 minutes (it should turn thick like a paste).
11. Add in the chicken broth, stir to mix well. Reduce heat to medium low and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally until mixture coats the back of a spoon and is reduced to about a cup.
12. Stir in the chicken and cilantro. Salt to taste.
13. Prepare the dough. In the bowl of an electric mixer, on medium high heat, cream together the lard or vegetable shortening, baking powder and salt.
14. Mix in the masa harina, one cup add in 1 ½ cups of the chicken broth.
15. If the mixture seems too thick (you can taste it for moistness) add up to ½ cup more of the broth 2 tablespoons at a time. (The dough should be a cookie dough like texture).
16. Take 3 large corn husks and tear them into ¼ inch strips. 
17. Take a large pot with a steamer attachment. Pour about 2 inches of water into the bottom of the pot, or enough to touch the bottom of the steamer. Line the bottom of the steamer with corn husks.
18. Unfold 2 corn husks onto a work surface. Take ¼ cup of dough and, starting near the top of the husk, press it out into a 4 inch square, leaving 2-3 inches at the bottom of the husk. Place a heaping tablespoon of the filling in a line down the center of the dough square.
19. Fold the dough into the corn husk and wrap the husk around the dough.
20. Fold up the skinny bottom part of the husk and secure it with one of the corn husk ties.
21. Stand them up in the steamer. If there aren’t enough tamales to tightly pack the steamer, place crumpled aluminum foil in the excess space.
22. Steam the tamales for about 40 minutes or until the dough deepens in color and easily pulls away from the husk.

Recipe Swap - Beef 'n' Guinness Stew

As you may already know, I participate in several cooking groups each month one being the Recipe Swap, another the Secret Recipe Club. The Recipe Swap is primarily participated in by girls on my cooking board, and several girls also participate in the larger scale Secret Recipe Club, and Sarah thought it would be fun if we did a SRC-style Recipe Swap this month. What a great idea!! For the swap I received Hezzi D's Books and Cooks. I participate in most of the cooking groups with Heather, and she always does such a great job, so I was excited to browse some of her recipes that I haven't seen yet.

I had also taken a freezer inventory just before the swap assignments, and beef stew meat was one of the items on the list that I wanted to use up. How lucky for me that Heather had a recipe for Beef and Guinness Stew?!?!? Absolutely perfect for the cold weather, too! Like Heather, I am not a beer fan, so I had to crinkle my nose a little at the thought of using such a dark beer in my food, but I trusted her review that it was great with the beer and I locked in my selection. I wrote out my food calendar for the next couple of weeks, and boy did I kick myself when Wednesday rolled around and I realized that I hadn't read all the way through the instructions. Almost 3 hours to cook! Not that this is outrageous for a stew, I was just a little shell-shocked that my silly self had planned this on a weeknight instead of the prior weekend. D'oh! No worries, I got home from the gym and promptly started working on the stew, and it was done before bedtime, and packaged up for Thursday's lunch. 

Hallelujah, my trust in Heather was well-placed!! The Guinness was a great addition to this stew and I'm so, so glad that I gave it a shot! Add this to your winter menu and you won't be sorry!!

Beef and Guinness Stew

Source: Hezzi D's Books and Cooks

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 Tbsp butter
• ¼ cup flour
• 2 lb. boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 Tbsp tomato paste
• 4 cup beef broth
• 12 oz. Guinness beer
• 1 tsp caraway seeds
• 5 medium carrots, coin sliced
• 1 medium parsnip, coin sliced
• 3 stalks of celery, chopped

Preparation

1. In a Dutch oven heat the oil and butter.
2. Place the flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle the beef with salt and pepper then dredge the pieces through the flour. Add the beef to the pan and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the beef is browned on all sides.
3. Add in the onion and cook for 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook an additional minute, stirring constantly. Stir in the broth and beer, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen the browned bits. Mix in the caraway seeds and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
4. After an hour uncover the Dutch oven and bring to a boil over low heat. Cook for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. After 45 minutes add in the carrots, parsnips, and celery. Cover the pot again and cook for 45 minutes.
5. Uncover the pot after 45 minutes, bring the stew to a boil, and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.