IT'S SNOWING!

I am so excited! We don't see this very often in GA, so when we do we all get giddy! I love that it is actually sticking too! I'm hoping this calls for a snow day tomorrow!

Baked Pork Chops

Another seat-of-my-pants creation, looks like I'm on a roll here! I guess I was feeling guilty for cooking very little last week, or that I was sending Chad out to get ingredients for a recipe I just had to have, but really could do without. I am fully stocked in the pantry folks, and there really is no reason for all this running out kind of business. A lovely woman (TheBridesMom/TBM) on The Nest, a message board I frequent, really got me thinking about this. She had mentioned how this is the type of cook she is, and I admire that. I forgot how fun it was to come up with things last minute. So I vowed to tap back into my creative side and do a little of the same this week.

So I had 2 1/2" thick bone in, center cut pork chops that needed to be used in the fridge. I wanted to keep them healthy so I knew there would be no frying. I basically pan seared them and baked. I kept it really simple, but the flavor was incredible! Chad was happy too, mostly because there was no last minute ingredient request.

Baked Pork Chops
Kosher salt, fresh pepper, and garlic powder for seasoning
Flour for dredging
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 Tbs. fresh sage chopped
3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
1 small onion sliced into large chunks
1 sprig fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat olive oil a medium sized oven proof skillet over medium heat. dredge seasoned chops in flour. Transfer to skillet and sear on both sides, 3 minutes each. Add broth, sage, thyme, onion and garlic. Let come to a simmer, cover and transfer to oven. Bake for 30-40 minutes until chops are tender. Serve with spinach risotto below.

Spinach Risotto W/ Vermecelli and Smoked Gouda

This is what I call a seat-of-my-pants kind of side dish. I've been slacking in the creativity department lately so I decided to raid the fridge, pantry and freezer to see what I could throw together. I found some rice along with a 1/4 box of vermecelli in the pantry, frozen spinach in the freezer, a 1/2 block of smoked gouda and 1/2 bottle of sauvignon blanc in the fridge. Risotto was screaming at me in my mind. So that is what I made. Normally, a risotto doesn't have vermecelli, but this one did. The spinach gave it a great earthy flavor. The smoked gouda, well what can I say...It made it smoky and cheesy, lol!

Spinach Risotto with Vermecelli and Smoked Gouda

1/4 cup onion diced small

2 garlic cloves minced

1 1/2 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 cup white rice (I didn't have arborio so I used medium grain)

1/4 cup of vermecilli noodles broken into small pieces

1/4 cup good white wine (I used sauvignon Blanc)

3 1/2 cups chicken broth warmed

1/2 cup frozen spinach

1/2 cup smoked gouda

pinch salt

1 tsp. fresh black pepper

Heat oil over medium low heat in a medium sized skillet. Add onions and saute until browned and almost carmelized. Add rice, vermecelli, and garlic. Let mixture toast stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, about 3-5 minutes. Add white wine and let simmer until it is almost reduced completely. Add 1/2 Cup warmed chicken broth and let asorb, while stirring occasionally. Repeat until all the broth is gone. Add pepper, salt, and spinach. Let cook a couple minutes more and add gouda, stir to combine and serve.

Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

It may seem that I haven't been cooking at all this week, as I have not updated since Sunday.

Quite the contrary though, because I did make a gigantic batch of beef stew for a couple of friends and a big batch of chicken orzo soup so I can freeze for lunches (both repeats and blog-worthy but I didn't want to update with recipes already posted).

Oh and I made these dinner rolls. I felt like baking some bread to go with the soup, so I looked on Allrecipes and found this recipe. I remember my friend Amber had made them as well, and they looked great so I gave it a go.

One thing though, I don't own a bread machine. So I went off of some of the reviews and kneaded by hand (which I prefer). They were just fine, and hopefully I burned a few calories in the process! They were very easy to prepare, and I actually halved the dough and froze one portion to use later. In the original recipe, it is stated to make them into crescents. I made cloverleafs instead. Much, Much easier in my opinion. Oh, and I didn't think they were sweet at all, in fact I think I would add a bit more sugar next time. But, they were light and fluffy, and very good. A good standby recipe that I'm sure I'll make again.

Cloverleaf Dinner Rolls

1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1/2 cup warm milk
1 egg
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1/4 cup butter, softened ( I omitted)

Bread Machine Directions:
Place water, milk, egg, 1/3 cup butter, sugar, salt, flour and yeast in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough/Knead and First Rise Cycle; press Start.
When cycle finishes, turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Roll each half into a 12 inch circle, spread 1/4 cup softened butter over entire round. Cut each circle into 8 wedges. Roll wedges starting at wide end; roll gently but tightly. Place point side down on ungreased cookie sheet. Cover with clean kitchen towel and put in a warm place, let rise 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden.

The Directions I followed (by reviewer summerlover):

I don't have a breadmaker, so I made these the traditional way (dissolve yeast and 1 tbsp sugar in warm water, let sit for about 10 min. Meanwhile, warm milk in saucepan until it just bubbles. Remove from heat, stir in sugar and butter until melted and cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl combine yeast mixture, milk mixture and egg. Stir in flour a little at a time and knead on lightly floured surface about 8 min.) Cover and let rise about 1 hr...punch down and then roll out. I baked at 375 for 12 min, but could have used a tad longer. Still very good.

For the cloverleafs I made 3 small balls and put them in a pan then let them rest for about 29 minutes.

I then brushed them with melted butter (about 2 TBS.)

and baked them. I was able to get 12 rolls from the half I didn't freeze. Mine were a little small, but I could have easily prepared them to be larger.

Simple Pot Roast with Vegetables and Barley

Sunday evenings and pot roast. So cliche, but so true. I always want something of the like to start the week off right. And Sunday is the best day to let a roast... well, roast for a couple hours. Going back to school after being off for 2 1/2 weeks is going to be tough. So I definitely needed my comfort food. I just made a simple roast, no wine, no fancy veggies (unless you consider parsnips fancy) and no crazy spices. Just your basic pantry and crisper/counter staples. I was going to make mashed potatoes, but I was already having so many veggies, I wanted more of a grain. I looked in the pantry and contemplated the quinoa, but decided on the barley. I think I would pick barley over any grain. It is just that good to me.

So after a delicious and stick to the ribs meal that I paired with a glass of Ravenswood Cab, I am now blissfully sitting on my couch watching tv And Trying very hard not to block out the image of chaos that will start my week. Sigh.

Simple Pot Roast with Vegetables

1 2 1/2 lb. chuck roast trimmed of excess fat

flour for dredging

2 tsp. kosher salt

2 tsp. pepper

1 tsp. garlic powder

2 Tbs. canola oil

Vegetables:

2 large parsnips peeled and chopped in large chunks

2 large carrots peeled and chopped in large chunks

1 med. onion large dice

3 celery stalks chopped in large chunks

1 cup sliced crimini mushrooms

4 cloves of garlic chopped

Seasonings

3 sprigs fresh thyme

tsp. oregano

tsp. basil

Kosher salt and pepper

1 1/2 cup beef broth

I used my cast iron skillet for this, but any large oven safe pot or dish can be used.

preheat oven to 350

In a large skillet (or the like) heat oil over med. high heat. After seasoning and dredging roast, sear meat about 5 minutes on both sides to get a deep brown color. Set meat aside.

Add all veggies to pan and saute until onion is starting to brown, add garlic. Saute for about 4 or 5 more minutes and remove veggies. Add broth and seasonings and deglaze the pan. make sure to scrape up the browned bits on the bottome of the pan. Return roast, then veggies to the pan. Cover tightly with foil or a lid. Put in oven and cook 1 1/2-2 hours.

You can make a pan gravy from the excess in the pan by adding a flour or corn starch slurry to the pan over medium heat and bringing it to a boil. Let simmer a couple minutes and serve over roast, veggies and barley.

Obligatory Fork Shot : )

3 Bean Chili

After a very productive day of cleaning and organizing some areas in our home that have needed it badly, I needed something fairly easy to throw together for dinner. I had a lb. and a half of ground beef that needed to be used, but I just couldn't come up with anything. Until I logged into the nest that is. There were at least 3 posts that referenced chili. I asked Chad what he thought about having chili for dinner tonight and he was all about it. So that is what I madeI remembered that I bought 2 poblano peppers a few days ago for another recipe I didn't end up making so I was very happy to be able to use 2 of them.
I didn't follow a recipe, I just improvised. And the best part was I that I used one pot, one knife, a cutting board and a wooden spoon. Clean up was a cinch!

3 Bean Chili

1 1/4 lb ground sirloin (seasoned with salt and pepper)

1/2 lb smoked sausage diced

2 Tbs. canola oil

1/2 large Vidalia onion medium dice

2 Poblano peppers medium dice

2 celery stalks finely chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 Can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans with juice

1 can northern beans with juice

1 can kidney beans with juice

1 can tomato paste

1 can tomato sauce

1/2 cup beer

1 cup beef broth

1 tsp. Cayenne pepper (or more if you like it hot)

2 Tbs. cumin

4 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. paprika

1 bay leaf

3 Tbs. Flat leaf parsley chopped

2 tsp. white sugar

Heat large soup pot over medium heat and brown seasoned ground beef. Drain fat from pot, and wipe out exess with a paper towel. Add canola oil to pot and return to med. heat. Throw in all veggies except garlic and the bay leaf. Saute until onion is slightly brown about 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and diced smoked sausage. Saute for a few more minutes (until sausage renders a bit).

Add ground beef and spices except sugar. Stir to combine and cook about 3 minutes. Throw in the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine. Let simmer for 45 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Nothing's Better Than a Bowl of Chicken Soup

Especially on a cold and windy day. I have been in the mood for some brothy goodness ever since the temperature dropped early this week. I am hoping it can ward off any sicknesses I may incur from my students when they come back to school on Monday (as I predict a few dozen will be infected with some kind of virus).

My soup is very easy to make. You can use whatever part of the chicken you desire (I prefer both dark and white meat), and either boil in water or roast as I did. Or you can buy a rotessirie to save on time. Having a good quality stock on hand is always good, and even better if it is homemade. I was very happily prepared in that department in that I made a huge batch of stock and froze it the last time I roasted a bird.

You can include whatever veggies you have on hand. I wanted my soup fairly simple so I only added the usual celery, carrots, onion and garlic as well as some fresh and dried herbs.

I made a HUGE batch that I plan to freeze in portions. With the temperatures the way they are, and no sign of the mercury rising in the near future, I know I'll be needing another bowl of this comforting soup soon enough.

Roasted Chicken Soup with Orzo

For the chicken:

3 chicken leg quarters

1 large chicken breast half

2 Tbs. butter softened

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. fresh pepper

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. dried basil

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

olive oil for sauteeing

2 large carrots sliced

2 celery stalks sliced in half moons

1/2 large onion diced

4 garlic cloves minced

2 bay leaves

2 thyme sprigs

1 Tbs. fresh parsley chopped

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. (or more) fresh pepper

1 tsp. kosher salt

10-12 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups orzo

1 Tbs. corn starch

1/4 C. water

Preheat oven to 375

Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and basil to softened butter and combine well. Rub all over the leg quarters and put in a roasting pan. Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Roast leg quarters for 1/2 hour covered and another 1/2 hour uncovered. For the last 1/2 hour add the breast. Remove all meat from leg quarters and set aside. Chop up chicken breast and set aside.

Meanwhile chop veggies. Add olive oil to a large pot over med. heat. Add all veggies but garlic. Add thyme, bay leaves, basil, oregano, salt and pepper. Saute until onions are soft then add garlic and saute a few minutes longer. Add chicken stock, fresh parsley and chicken meat. Heat to boiling and then reduce to a simmer. Add orzo and let simmer for about 10 minutes. make a slurry with the cornstarch and water and whisk in soup. Remove bay leaves and thyme and serve in big bowls.

Hunter's Hot Chocolate

Well, maybe not my niece Hunter's recipe, but she did do a search and make this wonderful drink for my parents, Chad, and I (what a cutie right?). It really hit the spot too. Very soothing for the cold weather we are experiencing right now. She got the recipe here. I've never heard of this site, but it is one that her and her sister Coty visit often. Oh and the mug in the photo was made in my Grandmother Elaine's ceramic class. She held ceramic classes for years in her basement, and this one of the many treasures she created. We have many beautiful pieces that hold special memories to all of us.

Best Hot Chocolate

2 cups of Milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Tbs. Sugar

2 Tbs. chocolate milk powder

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

*Whipped cream for topping

Add all ingredients in a sauce pan and put over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon to stir until desired temperature.

Serve with whipped cream if desired. MMMMM.

Fried Wonton Goodness

What do you do when your wonton skins are going to expire? You fill them and fry them up that's what you do!

You really can fill wontons with anything. I generally just browse the fridge for ingredients and fill 'em up. Today I had 3 links of italian sausage, 1/2 a large vidalia, goat, brie, and a monterrey jack/cheddar combo.

Chad doesn't like brie, or goat cheese (weirdo, I know.) so he got his own special wontons. Or you could say that i got MY own special wontons, either way we both win. : )

For mine I carmalized the onion in olive oil and butter, spread a little of cheese on the skin (either brie or goat, not together), topped with the onion (I put a little sausage in some of them), put a little water on my finger to run around the edges, folded them up and finally, I fried them.

For Chad's wontons I mixed sausage a little ranch dressing (like a couple Tbs.) and monterrey jack and cheddar cheese together. I put a little in the center of the skin, and like mine folded them up. I fried both in a little canola oil, but the could have been baked as well.

I made quite a few so I ended up freezing them in a single layer on a baking sheet then when frozen I put them in a ziplock. These will be a tasty treat for a later date.