Honey Pork Chops

 

This is an easy pork chop recipe that is packed with flavor. Honey, and garlic are the two main players in this marinade sauce, with a hint of soy sauce and vinegar.  The combination served over pork chops is a delicious, sweet and sticky glaze.

Ingredients

3 Tbs. honey
3 Tbs. brown sugar
2 Tbs. soy sauce or chicken broth
2 Tbs. vinegar
6 cloves garlic
4 pork chops
1 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbs. olive oil or butter

Directions

In a bowl, combine honey, brown sugar, soy sauce, water or chicken broth, vinegar and garlic cloves. Mix well and set aside. 

Season both sides of the pork chops with garlic powder, salt and pepper.  

Place the pork chops in a pan.  Pour the honey mixture over the top of the pork chops. Cover with a sheet of plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat oil or butter over medium high heat.  

Scrap off the honey mixture and garlic cloves that are on the pork chops, but do not discard. Just let it go back into the pan.   Carefully place the pork chops in the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes, or until nicely browned. Turn the pork chops over and brown the other side. 

Reduce the heat to medium.  Pour the honey sauce into the skillet over the pork chops. 

Cook the pork chops until done, turning them occasionally, until the internal temperature is 145° on a meat thermometer.

Remove the pork chops to a serving platter, and cover to keep warm. 

Continue to cook the honey sauce until it is reduced by about half.  This takes about 5 minutes. Stir the sauce to keep it from burning. 

To serve, pour the honey sauce over the pork chops. Serve over a bed of rice if desired.

Notes

You can use all honey if you want and omit the brown sugar. 

You can also skip the marinating process if you are low on time. However, try to do some marinating of the pork chops because it will make the meat tender and more flavorful.

Colorful Creamy Corn Salad

This salad is so colorful and so easy to make. It is prepared with a creamy dressing instead of a plain vinegar base.  It is the perfect side dish to accompany any meal.

Ingredients

3 (15 oz.) cans whole kernel corn, drained or 2 lbs. frozen corn
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
1 c. cherry tomatoes, diced or use any tomato that you may have
1 onion, chopped Use a red onion for extra color
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
2 Tbs. parsley
1 Tbs. basil
1/2 c. mayonnaise
1/2 c. sour cream, or plain Greek yogurt
2 Tbs. vinegar
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
 salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

Directions

In a bowl, combine corn, sweet bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, jalapeno pepper, parsley and basil. Mix thoroughly.

In a small bowl or cup, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, olive oil, garlic powder, and chili powder.  Stir until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. 

Pour the mayonnaise sauce over the corn vegetable mixture.  Mix well. Season with salt and pepper as desired. 

Top with feta crumbles if desired.

Refrigerate for several hours before serving. This allows the flavors to mix and mingle for a delicious tasting vegetable side dish.

Huntington Chicken Casserole

This is an easy recipe to make, especially if you have some leftover chicken.  Add in some pasta, cheese, onions and peppers and bake it in the oven.  No need to cook the pasta first, as it will cook as it bakes.

Ingredients

2 c. cooked chicken breast, cubed
1 sweet bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 oz. noodles or macaroni
1 (4 oz.) can sliced mushrooms
1 (4 oz.) can pimentos
2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded or cubed
3 c. chicken broth
1 tsp.  chicken bouillon powder (optional)
1/4 c. flour
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch pan. 

In a bowl, combine cooked chicken, sweet bell pepper, onion, celery, noodles, mushrooms, pimentos and cheese.

In a bowl, pour in chicken broth, flour and cream of chicken soup. Whisk and mix until smooth. 

Pour the broth mixture over the chicken and stir.

Put the chicken mixture in a prepared pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the pasta is done, and the cheese is melted.

Homemade Cinnamon French Toast Sticks

Occasionally, I would buy bags of French Toast sticks already prepared, to serve my kids for breakfast when we wanted something special. But I found they were not as good as the ones we make ourselves.  Making your own French Toast Sticks is easy. With just a few simple ingredients that you already have at home, you can quickly make your own.

Ingredients

6  slices stale white bread, cut thick
2 eggs
3/4 c. milk
dash salt
1/3 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbs. butter

Directions

Cut the bread slices into 1 inch sticks.

In a medium bowl, combine eggs, milk, dash of salt, and vanilla. Beat well.

In a low sided bowl, combine cinnamon and sugar. Set aside.

In a cast iron skillet, over medium high heat, melt butter.

Working as you go, roll the bread stick in the milk mixture, but do not allow the bread to soak, or they will be very soggy. Allow the excess milk mixture to drip off back into the bowl. 

Place the French Toast stick in the skillet. You will need to work in batches and not overcrowd the skillet, soaking the bread in the milk mixture and frying them as you go. Do not soak all the pieces of bread at once, or they will not hold together and you will have a mess.  

Fry the bread, until it is golden brown. Turn the bread to cook each side until golden brown. 

Remove from the skillet and immediately roll the bread sticks in the cinnamon sugar mixture, coating all sides. Serve.

Repeat the process with the remaining bread, adding more butter as needed to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the skillet.

Serve immediately and enjoy! The French Toast Sticks can be dipped in maple syrup or whatever you like best.

 Homemade Bagels

Anymore, buying a bag of bagels at the store costs a lot of money. You can make your own bagels at a fraction of the cost and make them with as much or as little of the toppings that you like best. It's easy to have fresh, chewy bagels at home, whenever you want. 

Ingredients

1 1/2 c. warm water
1 Tbs. yeast
4 1/2 tsp. sugar
4 c. bread flour
2 tsp. salt

Directions

In a medium bowl, combine warm water, yeast and sugar together.  Set in a warm location for 5 to 10 minutes. This allows the yeast to bloom and show it is alive. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine bread flour and salt together.  Make a well in the center of the flour. 

Pour the yeast mixture into the well. Mix with a wooden spoon. The dough will be stiff and somewhat dry at first. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, adding more flour as necessary. You will want a firm, stiff dough when you are done kneading.  You will know you kneaded the dough enough if when you pike the dough with your finger, it will slowly bounce back.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl. We use the same bowl that we mixed the dough in. Turn the dough to ensure that all sides are oiled. Cover and place in a warm location for about an hour or until doubled in size.

Punch the dough down and place on a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 8 equal portions.  If you want smaller bagels, divide the dough into 12 portions. 

Shape each piece of dough into a ball. With floured hands, press your finger into the center of the dough, going all the way through. Stretch the dough to form a ring shape, making the hole bigger, because it will shrink smaller as you cook them.  Place the bagel on a parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pieces of dough. Cover with a damp kitchen towel as you prepare the water bath.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.  Gently lower several bagels into the boiling water. Don't add too many. They should be in a single layer and have room to move around it. Once they float to the top, let them sit there for about a minute before turning them over. Boil for another minute.  If you prefer a chewier bagel, boil the bagels for 2 minutes on each side.

Remove the bagels from the water and place them back on the parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the bagels with some milk, cream or an egg wash.  Then dip the wet side of the bagel in the topping or toppings of your choice, or just sprinkle some toppings over the top of the bagels.  

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until they are golden brown.

Cool on a wire rack, or slice them open while they are still warm and spread some butter or cream cheese on them.  Enjoy.

Notes

Add onions, dried blueberries chocolate chips, garlic or raisins to the dough. Toppings can include poppy seeds, cheese, sesame seeds, salt or Everything Bagel Seasoning.

If you want, you can add 1/4 to 1 cup honey to the water bath water. I do not do this because the price of honey is too high to use in this fashion.

Lasagna Casserole

Layers of meat sauce, pasta and cheese. This dish is easy to make, but it does require a bit of cooking time to bring out the flavors. However, the effort is so worth it. If you don't have lasagna, use whatever pasta you have on hand, like rotini or shells. 

Ingredients

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (16 to 17 oz.) can tomato sauce, or you can use jarred pasta sauce
1 (6 oz.) can tomato paste
2 c.  water
2 tsp. beef bouillon
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. lasagna, cooked or rotini, or shells
1 c. cottage cheese or ricotta
8 oz. mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly spray or grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.

In a heavy cast iron skillet, add ground beef, onion and garlic.  Cook until the ground beef is no longer pink. Drain off excess fat.

Stir in tomato sauce, tomato paste, water, beef bouillon, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, bay leaves, and basil.  Mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 90 minutes.

Arrange layers of lasagna or pasta, beef sauce, cottage cheese and mozzarella cheese in a prepared casserole dish. You should have 3 layers.

Sprinkle the top with Parmesan cheese. 

Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes.

 Pumpkin Spice Streusel Coffee Cake

This Pumpkin Spice Cake is moist and full of flavor. You'll find a streusel layer made with brown sugar, butter and cinnamon in the middle and over the top. A creamy glaze is then poured over the warm cake. It's a delicious cake to serve for breakfast, dessert or anytime.

Ingredients

Streusel

1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/2 c. brown sugar
3 Tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Cake

1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. fine salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1 c.  pumpkin puree
1/2 c.sour cream, room temperature
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 c.  brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Glaze:

2 Tbs. butter, melted
1 c. powdered sugar
1 to 2 Tbs. milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°. Grease or spray the bottom of an 8-inch square baking pan.

Prepare the streusel. 

In a bowl, combine flour, pecans, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon together.  Mix well until the mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Mix together and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, sour cream and eggs.  Mix thoroughly until well blended. The batter will be thick and that is fine.

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the pumpkin mixture into the well. Fold the ingredients together only until combined. Do not over mix. 

Pour half of the batter into the prepared pan.  Sprinkle half of the streusel over the top of the batter. Carefully spread the rest of the pumpkin batter over the top of the streusel then sprinkle the remaining streusel over the top.  Or you can just pour the entire batter into the prepared pan and then sprinkle all the streusel mixture over the top of the batter. 

Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool for about 30 minutes, while you make the glaze.

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Remove from heat and allow the butter to cool for a couple of minutes. Add powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon milk and vanilla.  Whisk together until smooth.  Add more milk if the mixture is too thick.

Pour the glaze over the top of the warm, but not hot cake.

Combine melted butter, powdered sugar, 1 Tablespoon milk, and vanilla in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth, only adding additional milk if mixture is too thick. Drizzle over the top of cooled coffee cake. Slice and enjoy!