Smothered Pork Chops

I kind made this recipe up in my head.  I had randomly bought a package of brown gravy mix.  Also, the pork chops were on sale.  So I just grabbed them, not having a specific recipe in mind.  Well, this turned out AMAZING!  Be sure to get the thin pork chops, so they will be really tender.


INGREDIENTS

1 package of thin pork chops, usually comes with 6-7
1/2 cup of flour
3 TBL olive oil
1green bell pepper
1 white onion
1 package mushrooms, washed and sliced
2 packages of McCormick brown gravy mix
2 cups water
salt
pepper



DIRECTIONS

Season each pork chop with salt and pepper.  Coat each side with flour (dust off any extra) and pour olive oil in a large skillet.  Brown each side for about 5 minutes each.  Remove from skillet and set aside.  Slice onions and bell pepper lengthwise and saute in the same skillet for about 4 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes.  In a medium sized bowl, place 2 packages brown gravy mix and 2 cups of water, mix together.  Put pork chops back in pan and pour gravy in.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add more water if needed if gravy gets too thick.  Make sure internal temp on pork chops reaches 160.

Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Casserole

This is great for a brunch or Easter morning breakfast. Happy Easter!!


1 loaf of Cinnamon Swirl bread (16oz)
6 eggs
3 cups of milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
powdered sugar
maple syrup


Cut bread into cubes.  Set Aside.   Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla.  Place bread cubes into a baking dish and pour egg mixture on top.  Press bread cubes into mixture with a spoon to make sure all gets absorbed.  Cover and let sit in fridge overnight.   Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top.  (and when you stick a toothpick in, it comes out clean) Sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle maple syrup on top.

Yum!!

Original recipe:

http://www.pepperidgefarm.com/RecipeDetail.aspx?recipeId=26009

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Meal Planning

It's taken me a while to get good at planning meals for the week. I was into couponing for a while (not extreme - just beginner level) I realized rather quickly, that if you aren't buying for a huge family, you spend significantly more than you would if you stuck to a list. So I started planning a weekly menu and then, if I happened to find any coupons or sales going on that matched my items, I would go for it. Some people have asked what my average grocery trip costs. I will admit its around $85.00 per week and this is for a family of 2. (we also have our fur babies - a cat and dog) I try to stick to this number, but if I need to get dog or cat food, toilet paper, paper towels or other items that cost a lot more, this number goes up. This may seem large, but we only go out to eat once during the week. We have really tried to cut back on this. Not only is it healthier to cook your own meals, but yes, YOU SAVE MONEY! If you figure you are going out to eat 3x per week (in addition to going grocery shopping) depending on the restaurant, you can figure it will cost about $30.00 each time. Sure, doesn't seem like a ton of money, but if you do average monthly budgets, this will quickly come to 360.00 per month on dining out. That is the cost of an airplane ticket to somewhere fun - Why not save that money towards a cool vacation? Seems like a good idea to me! Anyway, I always do an inventory of what I have in the fridge or pantry, then try to make meals around those items. Here is my method for menu planning. I write down the items below the meal that I need.

Example:

Monday night: Spaghetti & Turkey meatballs with garlic bread
-ground turkey
- frozen garlic bread
Tuesday night: grilled chicken sandwiches with grilled corn
- chicken breasts
- hamburger buns
Wednesday night: Beef stew
- baby carrots
- stew meat
Thursday night: Fried shrimp Po-boys
- French bread
- tomatoes
- lettuce
Friday night: Burgers with fries
- ground meat

Additional items:
Fruit
Chips
Yogurt
Canned veggies
Snacks
Eggs
Milk
Half and half

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This is how it goes. Sometimes I may have to
run to the store during the week. I usually make a batch of muffins or something for breakfast during the work week. I hope this helps!

Raw Meat 101

I worked in the food business in high school/college.  The #1 thing I was taught is DO NOT CROSS CONTAMINATE!!!  This means cutting boards, utensils, even storing meat in your fridge.  Some of this may seem like common sense stuff, but it can be easy to forget if you get flustered or are in a rush.  I have stressed in a previous blog how important it is to get meat temperature to the necessary levels.  This is just as important.

1) Always use 1 cutting board for veggies and 1 for raw meat. 

2) Use different counter space for cutting raw meat/veggies.  If you have a small counter cut veggies first and then meat.

3) When finished with the dishes, put all raw meat dishes on the side of the sink where water will not be going in.  This avoids splashing anything around that could be dangerous.

4) Sanitize counter space IMMEDIATELY after preparing raw meat.  It's very easy to forget and you could cross contaminate faster than you think.

5) When storing meat in the fridge, always place on the bottom. If you store on the top there is a risk that the juices could drip below onto other foods. 
6) ALWAYS WASH YOUR HANDS!  Even if this means multiple times - wash before you open any cabinets, fridge or any spices/containers you have to use.  You don't want those germies crawling all over your kitchen!   Also, sanitize your sink when you finish cooking.  Including the faucet and knobs as well.



                                    REMEMBER KIDS...

Blueberry Muffins

These are great to make on a Sunday night and eat during the week for breakfast.


INGREDIENTS

2 cups All-Purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 stick of butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350

Mix butter and sugar until blended well.  Add eggs one at a time, vanilla and then milk.  Slowly add in flour and the baking powder and blend until smooth.  Fold in blueberries.  Place in a greased muffin pan about 1/2 full in each.  (If you use liners, make sure to spray those with cooking spray also).  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the tops are lightly golden brown.

Honey Mustard Chicken

This is a variation of the spicy honey chicken I made the other night.  It's the same exact concept, just a few different ingredients.

INGREDIENTS

1 package of boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup prepared yellow mustard
Italian seasoning
salt
pepper


DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven broiler on low

Mix together honey and mustard in a small bowl and set aside.  Place thighs flat on a baking sheet lined with foil (greased).  Season both sides with a sprinkle of salt and pepper.  Then, sprinkle Italian seasoning on both sides (about 1/4 teaspoon on each side).   Take the honey mustard mixture and spread evenly over one side.  Broil on low for 7 minutes, watching carefully.  Take chicken out, flip over and add more honey mustard on top.  Broil for an additional 7 - 10 minutes.  Make sure internal temp reaches 165.