Cornbread Stuffed Pork Chops

This is really a favorite in my household.

Ingredients:

4 large thick cut boneless pork chops
Pork seasoning
Butter
2-3 cups Chicken Stock
1 package bagged Cornbread Stuffing Mix

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1. Butterfly your pork chops and season well with pork seasonings inside and out.
2. Melt 2 slabs of butter in frying pan, place butterflied side down and sear. Flip to one side, sear, then sear other side.
3. In a glass casserole dish, place the seared pork chops.
4. Add 2 cups chicken stock to frying pan to get up all of the pork chop drippings, bring to a boil. Turn heat off and add stuffing mix. Mix well, if to dry add more chicken stock.
5. Stuff the pork chops with stuffing as full as they will go. Put any remaining stuffing around the pork chops.
6. Bake 30-45 mins, until thickest part of the pork chop is done.

Serve with a veggie and enjoy!

Nachos

My family loves Mexican foods. So we are often having Mexican food. We had Nachos the other night.

While I like to make my own chips using tortilla shells by cutting them into triangles and quickly frying them till golden brown, I do also use store bought chips.

Basically I fix my ingredients and then layer them all.

I fix rice with about 3 Tbsp of Mrs. Dash's Southwest Chipotle (put seasoning in at the beginning)
A pound of hamburger with taco seasoning
Black Beans
Then you can use anything else you like to top it off: I use shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and olives

I start with my chips
Add some hamburger
Then my rice
Next I add my black beans
Top with cheese
**At this point I put it in the microwave for about 15 mins to slightly melt the cheese.
Then I add my sour cream and top with olives.

Very yummy.

Oven-Fried Ranch Drumsticks and Roasted Potatoes

This was a new recipe for me tonight. Another Bisquick recipe, but it was really yummy. I served it with roasted potatoes and corn.

Oven-Fried Ranch Drumsticks

3/4 cup Baking Mix (like Bisquick)
1 package ranch dressing and seasoning mix
1 tea paprika
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp water
2 1/2 - 3lbs chicken drumsticks
1 cup ranch dressing, if desired (I did not use)

*Heat oven to 425 degree. Line 13x9 inch pan with foil. Generously spray with cooking spray.
*In shallow dish, mix baking mix, dressing mix (dry), and paprika.
*In another shallow dish mix egg with water.
*Dip chicken into egg mixture, then coat with ranch mixture. Place chicken in pan.
*Bake 35 mins. Turn; bake 15-mins longer or until juice of chicken is clear when thickest part is cut to bone.
*Serve with ranch dressing. (I did not use ranch dressing and it was still really good.)

Roasted Potatoes

I washed 4 large potatoes and cute them into 1/2 inch chucks. Spray the bottom of a baking dish, put potatoes in, sprinkle with season all, toss, top with butter. Roast in the oven with the chicken.



Grandma's Spaghetti with Meat Sauce

I remember my grandma's spaghetti with meat sauce, I loved it (except for the onions and green peppers that I always picked out). I remember the day that I discovered that Grandma's spaghetti sauce was from a can, well mostly, she did add to it.

Grandma would take whatever spaghetti sauce she had in her cabinet at the time and would add ground hamburger to it (even if it was a meat sauce), she would cut up an onion and green pepper and add to it. She would add salt and pepper to taste. Then she would add about a 1/4 cup of sugar (her sauce was always sweet). She would bring the sauce to a boil then simmer her sauce till the noodles were done. Once her noodles were done she would drain them and then mix the sauce in with the noodles and serve.

Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti is a big hit in my household. We always have spaghetti w/meatballs and Italian sausage at least once a month.

I make a basic spaghetti sauce that I use all the time. At the beginning of the month I make a huge batch so that I have it for whatever I need it for. The sauce is great freshly made, however after it freezes it is even better. I use this sauce for my lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shells, spaghetti, and anything that requires spaghetti sauce.

We will start with my sauce:



Spaghetti Sauce:

3 Lg cans Crushed Tomatoes
3 Lg cans Tomato Sauce
1 Lg can Tomato Paste
3 Lg cans Water + 1 cup water
1/4 cup Onion Powder
1/4 cup Garlic Powder
1/4 cup Pepper
1/2 cup dried Parsley
1/4 cup dried Oregano
1/4 cup dried Basil
1/8 cup dried Thyme
4 dried Bay Leaves
1/2 cup Sugar (this cuts the acidity of the tomatoes)

I like to sort of layer my ingredients. First I put the tomato paste in a large stock pot, I whisk in 1 cup of water to get the paste to a consistency that is easily mixable. Then I add one can of crushed tomatoes, then a can of tomato sauce, then I fill one of the empty cans with water and swish it back and forth between the 2 cans over the pot until all residual crushed tomatoes and sauce is off the sides, I then pour the water in and mix that all together. I repeat the process for the remaining cans of crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce. After I have all of my tomato products and water mixed together well, I begin adding seasonings. I add each seasoning one at a time and mix well between each one. So you will do this through the remaining ingredients. Once all the seasonings are in cover and put the heat to medium. Stir occasionally. Once sauce reaches the boiling point, lower heat to simmer. I cook my sauce all day.

About 2-3 hours before supper I make and add the meatballs and sausage.

I take a pound and half of hamburger and shape them into golf ball size balls and fry them on medium until they are brown all the way around, then I add them to the sauce (they continue to cook in the sauce and adds extra flavor to the sauce). Next I take a package of Italian sausage (you can use mild, hot, or sweet Italian), I cut them in half and again fry them on medium, in same pan that I did the meatballs, until they are browned all the way around, add them to the sauce and continue cooking till dinner time.

When you are just about ready for dinner fix your noodles the way you like and serve sauce with meatballs & sausage over the top. It is very yummy and always a hit.

Beans and Rice

I love dried beans, they are so easy to cook. It may take all day but still easy to cook. I like to make my beans in the crock pot, because then you don't have to do anything with them, just let them cook. This is my basic beans recipe that I use when I make dried Lima beans, navy beans, black eyed peas, and great northern beans.

Tonight I made baby Lima beans.

Night before: dump beans into crock pot, making sure that there is no rocks in it. Fill crock pot 3/4 way full of water. I do not put salt in my beans because I use either bacon, fat back, ham pieces, or something of that sort (I used bacon tonight). Add pepper, 3 Tbsp onion powder (can use a cut up onion instead), 3 Tbsp garlic powder. Let sit over night.

In the morning: Add 1 stick of butter and set crock pot to low.

Dinner time: Just fix some rice and cornbread (if you like).

Serve beans over rice.

Very yummy.

Some people in my family like to dice up an onion and serve it on top.

Grandma's Potato Salad

My grandma had the best potato salad ever!! It was sort of like a lumpy mashed potato potato salad. I do not make mine like my grandma made hers for the reasons that I do not like onions and celery, so I adapted mine and even without the onions and celery it taste just like hers. So I will first give her recipe then my adaptation.

Grandma Smith's Potato Salad:

5 lbs All Purpose Potatoes (diced and cooked till fork tender)
4 eggs (hard boiled and diced)
1 onion (diced)
5 stalks celery (diced)
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup mustard
1 to 2 cups Mayonnaise
3 Tbs Paprika
Paprika to sprinkle of the top

Combine all ingredients and mix well. With the mayonnaise you want to gauge as you are mixing, you want enough to moisten the potato salad so that it does not taste dry. Sprinkle top with paprika. Refrigerate till ready to serve.

Leslie's Potato Salad:

5 lbs All Purpose Potatoes (diced and cooked till fork tender)
4 eggs (hard boiled and diced)
3 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp celery seeds
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
1/2 cup mustard
1 to 2 cups Mayonnaise
3 Tbs Paprika
Paprika to sprinkle of the top

Combine all ingredients and mix well. With the mayonnaise you want to gauge as you are mixing, you want enough to moisten the potato salad so that it does not taste dry. Sprinkle top with paprika. Refrigerate till ready to serve.

Skillet Pork Chop Parmesan



I have been trying new recipes recently, just to be different and give my family more variety, because unfortunately we are pretty picky eaters. I make alterations to all the recipes that I use, it sort of makes them my own. This recipe is actually Bisquick's Skillet Chicken Parmesan recipe, only I used pork chops instead and I changed a few other things. I am going to post it my way. The recipe calls for pasta sauce, but I NEVER EVER use canned or jarred pasta sauce. When I make spaghetti sauce I make a big batch and freeze most of it and use it for everything from spaghetti to lasagna to manicotti and so on. I did not have any on hand tonight so I used what I call my quick spaghetti sauce, so I will post that recipe first:

Quick Spaghetti Sauce:

1 Lg can Crushed or Pureed Tomatoes
Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp Onion Powder
2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
2 Tbsp Pepper
3 Tbsp Sugar

     In a bowl empty can of tomatoes, fill palm of hand with Italian seasoning (**TIP: To really get the aroma and flavoring from dried seasonings put in palm of hand and with the ball of your other hand crush in your hand) put into the tomatoes, add the rest of the ingredients and mix together.

Skillet Pork Chop Parmesan (can also be used with Chicken as per original recipe):

3/4 cup Baking Mix
1 tea Italian Seasoning
2 Tbsp Grated Parmesan Cheese (I used shredded and it worked well)
1 Egg
4 Boneless Pork Chops (or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast)
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil (or Olive Oil)
Quick Spaghetti Sauce (see above recipe)
1 Cup Shredded Italian Cheese Blend Cheese

*Take 2 shallow dishes (or pie plates). In one mix together baking mix, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan cheese. In the other, beat egg (I added about a Tbsp of water to the egg).
*Coat pork chop (or chicken) in baking mix mixture, then in egg mixture, then coat again in baking mix mixture.
*In 12-in non stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add meat, cook 4-6 mins, till golden brown. Turn meat, cover and cook 8-10 more minutes, until juices run clear when center of thickest part is cut. Remove from skillet to plate.
*Add sauce to skillet, place meat on top of sauce. Sprinkle with Italian cheese. Cover, cook 2-3 mins or until bubbly and cheese is melted.

*Serve with your choose of noodle.



Brunswick Stew

I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fall and one of the things that I love about it is that you can get Brunswick Stew, YUMMY!!

Well since I love it so much, I decided to embark in finding a recipe and there are TONS of them all different in one aspect or another. Finally I found one for Va Brunswick Stew (what makes Va Brunswick Stew different is that it has okra in it). So I ended up combining 2 recipes to get one that suited me. So I made it the other night and it was a HUGE pot full, that only got 2 bowls ate out of it. My husband does not like soups and stews and our son seems to be taking after him in that aspect. But Harleyann loved it and so did I, although I think that I will add more tomatoes next time.

The recipe I used is as follows:
Brunswick Stew:
2 whole chickens, cut into pieces

Boil in large stock pot with just enough water to cover chicken. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Remove chicken and let set till cool enough to handle. Once chicken is cool enough turn stock back on and bring to a boil, reduce to low, shred chicken and put into stock. Add:

6 large potatoes, diced
2 large bags of Lima beans
2 large bags of corn
1 bag of cut okra
2 large cans whole tomatoes, roughly chopped (i poured the juice into the stew)


and simmer for 20 minutes. Add:
 
1 cup of ketchup
3 Tbsp brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 stick of butter
2 Tbsp vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
Salt and pepper to taste.
 
Cover and simmer for 2 hours or longer, stirring occasionally.
 
It turned out great, just really needs more tomatoes if you ask me.

Meatloaf

Tonight's dinner meatloaf.

Meatloaf:

Preheat oven to 350 degree.

1 lb ground hamburger
1 egg
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup mustard
2 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp parsley
1 Tbsp pepper
1/2 Tbsp salt
2 slices of toast, crumbled
1 can tomato sauce or 3/4 cup ketchup

Mix everything except tomato sauce together with hands to mix well. Place in baking dish and form meat mixture into a loaf. Pour tomato sauce over top. Bake for 1 hour.

**Sometimes I use tomato sauce and sometimes I use ketchup. Basically I grew up with meatloaf topped with ketchup, while my husband grew up with tomato sauce.**

Variations:

Use real onion instead of onion powder.
Add green peppers.


Serve with you favorite side dishes. I typically serve with either rice or mashed potatoes and a veggie. Tonight we are having it with mashed potatoes and broccoli.

Chicken Chili with Cornbread Dumplings

I made this for the first time tonight.

Chicken Chili with Cornbread Dumplings

Chili
3 cups cubed, cooked chicken (I used 3 chicken breast)
1 1/2 cups water
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can white kidney or navy beans, drained and rinsed
1 can Mexicorn, undrained
1 can chopped green chiles (I omitted these)
1 teaspoon ground cumin

Dumplings
1 1/3 cup baking mix (like bisquick)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon chili powder

1. In 5-quart dutch oven, heat all ingredients over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly.
2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir all dumpling ingredients until soft dough forms.
3. Drop dough by rounded spoonfuls onto simmering chili. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover, cook 13-15 minutes or until dumplings are dry.

It is very good, even without the chilies it is a bit spicy. I also could not find my cornmeal so I just used 2 cups of baking mix and it turned out really good.

Banana Bread

There is nothing like the smell of baking banana bread to fill the house. This is my favorite recipe for banana bread, it is easy and the end results is so good. I made 3 loaves today myself.

Banana Bread

**Preheat oven to 350 degree**

3 or 4 ripe bananas
1/3 cup melted butter (microwave for 30 seconds and it is perfect)
1 cup of sugar (3/4 cup works well too if you want to use less sugar)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (I use bread flour)

*Mash bananas with a potato masher or fork.
*Mix in butter.
*Add sugar, egg, and vanilla. Mix well.
*Sprinkle baking soda and salt over mixture and mix in.
*Add flour (I do 1/2 cup at a time). Mix well.
*Pour into buttered loaf pan.
*Bake 1 hour.
*Remove from oven let cool, slice, and serve.