Smothered Pork Chops

I'm not a huge pork chop fan, but I get them to break up the monotony of chicken breast and ground beef. So, I'm always looking for a good way to cook pork chops. This is one of my favorites. Easy and tasty.

Ingredients:

Pork chops (your choice of cut)
Mushrooms, sliced
Butter
Mozzarella cheese
Italian herbs and spices

1. Rub your pork chops down with Italian herbs and spices on both sides. I use a grinder that I bought called Italian herbs.
2. Slice fresh mushrooms. I use about a cup for 3 pork chops.
3. Saute your mushrooms in butter. I use 2 TBS for 1 cup of mushrooms. Saute over medium heat until the mushrooms are soft.
4. Broil your pork chops on each side for anywhere from 3 to 7 minutes, depending on how thick they are. The ones I cooked this time were Iowa cut (very thick) and took a full 7 minutes on each side.
5. Once the chop are done, top them with the mushrooms and cheese. Put back in the oven on broil for 1 to 2 minutes. The cheese should be completely melted and starting to brown in places.

That's all there is to it. Fast and tasty. We had these with mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus.

Stuffed Mexican Style Cube Steak Rolls

Cube steak is one of those things that I only knew how to cook one way... country fried with gravy. We bought a bunch recently because it was on sale and I really wanted to do something different with it. I tried to make a rice casserole with it, but it didn't turn out very well. There wasn't much flavor and the rice didn't get done. Hey... I never said all of my recipes were successful :)

So, I came up with the below by combining ideas from a couple of different sources. Its cornbread and cheese stuffed Mexican style cube steak rolls.

Ingredients:

Cube Steak (each piece will make one roll)
Cornbread batter (I made mine extra thick)
1/2 cup shredded Colby jack cheese (or your preference of cheese)
1 can Ro-tel
1/2 can water
2 TBS vegetable oil

1. Make your cornbread according to the package instructions. I use cornmeal mix that comes in a 5 lb bag. Add 1/2 again as much cornmeal as the package calls for.

2. Pound your cube steak out thinner. I placed mine in saran wrap and pounded it gently with a rubber mallet.

3. Place about two spoonfuls of cornbread mix in the middle and top with cheese. 

4. Fold over the ends of the meat and then take one long each and pull it towards the middle, grabbing the other long edge to make a roll. (Treat it like a burrito basically!)

5. Skewer each roll with a long bamboo skewer. This will help the roll stay closed as you are handling it. 

6. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. 

7. Add the rolls to the skillet and cook on each side for 2 minutes. 

8. Add the can of ro-tel  to the skillet, as well as the 1/2 can of water. 

9. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover the skillet and simmer for 30 minutes. This allows the cornbread to cook completely. 

This was pretty tasty, though we all agreed it needed a bit more cheese on top to make it even better. Spoon the extra sauce over each roll to serve. 

Artichoke Mushroom Chicken

We eat a lot of boneless skinless chicken breast around here. By a lot, I mean at least twice a week. Last night, I made something new with it. Unfortunately, the pictures turned out awful but I am posting them anyways, so you get an idea of what it eventually looked like.

It took me about 40 minutes from start to finish, including trimming and cutting up my chicken. Serves 4 with good sized portions. You might could feed 5 or 6 if you added some bread to the meal.

Final dish

Ingredients:

1 to 1.5 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed and cut into strips
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1 small can mushroom pieces
1 can chicken stock
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon thyme
salt and pepper as desired
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon milk

Directions:

1. Cut your chicken into the desired size. Season your flour with salt and pepper as desired, and dredge the chicken through the flour.

Frying chicken pieces

2. In a sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chicken pieces, cooking on each side for 3 to 4 minutes depending on the thickness.
3. Once the chicken is done, remove to a plate and cover to keep warm.

deglazed pan

4. Pour the entire can of chicken stock into the pan, scraping up the crunchy pieces from the bottom of the pan. It may look a little burnt at this point in time. Don't worry!

Simmering

5. Add your drained mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Now to thicken your sauce. Mix together the cornstarch and milk in a small bowl or glass. Pour this mixture slowly into the pan and stir constantly. This will cause the sauce to take on a creamy tinge and thicken.

After thickening 

7. Add your chicken back to the saucepan and toss everything together gently. Top with Parmesan if desired.











We ate this over baby red mashed potatoes with green peas on the side. It was good and filling, with a mild flavor. You may want to consider adding a little garlic or experiment with some other spices to amp it up if desired.

Ham Alfredo

We are huge pasta fans in my house and this one always gets rave reviews. Tonight, everyone ate two plates full of it and licked their plates clean.

Yum!!!

Ingredients:

1 pound ham (pre-cooked)
1 pound pasta of your choice (I use penne)
4 TBS butter
3 cloves garlic
1/4 cup flour
3 cups milk
3/4 cup parmesan
3/4 cup mozzarella

1. Chop the ham into small chunks. Preheat your oven to 325.

2. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet and fry the ham and garlic over medium high heat.
3. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and melt it. Reduce the heat to medium.
4. Add the flour to the ham and butter in the skillet and stir until the butter is all absorbed by the flour.
5. Add the milk to the skillet and stir slowly, keeping the heat on medium.
6. Add the cheeses and whisk until the cheeses are melted.

 

7. While the sauce is thickening, boil water for pasta. Cook the pasta according to box instructions, reducing the cooking time by one minute.

8. After the pasta has finished, drain it thoroughly and add to the sauce you just made. Stir together until the pasta is covered.

9. Sprinkle with a little extra parmesan and mozzarella, then bake at 325 for 10 minutes to melt the cheese. 

Serve and enjoy! You could add peas or asparagus to this for some vegetables. 

Taco Muffins

 Yummy Taco Muffins. Cheesy taco-y goodness in a muffin form. A favorite around here and a huge hit with kids of all ages!

Yummy!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 can black beans
24 won ton wrappers
Approx. 1/2 cup finely shredded cheese of your choice (I use Colby jack)
Taco Seasoning (I use Ortega or make my own)

Directions:

Prepared pan

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375.
2. Brown your ground beef until no longer pink. 
3. Drain and rinse your black beans in a colander. 
4. Add the beans to the beef and add the taco seasoning. Do NOT add water to this mix. 
5. Let the beef, beans, and taco seasoning cook over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. 
6. While your beef and bean mixture is cooking, spray your muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray.
7. Line each muffin spot with one won ton wrapper. 
8. Using a soup spoon or a cookie dough scoop, place one scoop of the beef and bean mixture in the pan. Top each one with a sprinkle of cheese. 

1st complete layer

  9. Repeat the layers, making sure the 2nd layer of won ton wrapper is different than the first. The corners   of the 2nd wrapper should cover the exposed part of the muffin tin. 

2nd complete layer

     10. Bake at 375 for 7 to 10 minutes or until the corners of the won ton wrappers start to turn golden. 

Top with sour cream, salsa, or guacamole. Serve with Mexican style rice and a salad for a well rounded, filling meal.