Blueberry Struesel Muffins

We got these amazing blueberries from the farmer's market on Saturday (have I mentioned they're amazing??), so last night I decided to whip up some homemade blueberry muffins. I found this recipe in my trusty Ultimate Southern Living Cookbook and away we went!

Ingredients
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/2 cup regular oats, uncooked
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
3/4 cup buttermilk (note: I just used 2% milk because that's what I had on hand)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation
Combine brown sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and the butter and cut with a pastry cutter (or food processor if you have one) until mixture is crumbly. Stir in oats; set aside.

Combine 2 cups flour and next 5 ingredients in a large bowl; add blueberries, tossing gently.

Make a well in center of mixture.

Combine buttermilk, oil, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter into greased muffin pans, filling two-thirds full, and sprinkle with oat mixture.

Bake at 400° for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pans immediately; cool on wire racks.

These are so good and you'll never want muffins from a box again. Trust me!

Apricot Oat Bars

This is a Giada de Laurentiis recipe that I first had after my friend Ashley made them and they are so good! My husband particularly loves them, so I made them for him for Father's Day this past weekend. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Vegetable oil cooking spray
Filling
1 (13-ounce) jar apricot jam or preserves (about 1 1/4 cups)
8 dried apricots, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1/3 cup)
Crust
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 packed cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4 cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup (4 ounces) coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, at room temperature, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions
Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 by 13 by 2-inch metal baking dish with vegetable oil cooking spray. Line the bottom and sides of the pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment paper with vegetable oil cooking spray and set aside.

Filling: In a small bowl, mix together the jam and the apricots. Set aside.

Crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda. Stir in the oats and walnuts. Add the butter, egg and vanilla and stir until incorporated.
Using a fork or clean fingers, lightly press half of the crust mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan. Using a spatula, spread the filling over the crust leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge of the pan. Cover the filling with the remaining crust mixture and gently press to flatten. Bake until light golden, about 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 hour. Cut into bars and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Last night I took dinner to a dear friend of mine, Ashley at Reflecting on the Simple Things. They just welcomed their first baby, Bradley. He doesn't know it yet, but Bradley is going to be Beckett's best friend! They're exactly 12 weeks apart.


I made these easy chicken enchiladas for them. We love these! I hope they enjoyed them!


Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients
· 3 cups chopped cooked chicken
· 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese with peppers
· 1/2 cup sour cream
· 1 (4.5-ounce) can chopped green chiles, drained
· 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
· 8 (8-inch) flour tortillas
· Vegetable cooking spray
· 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream
· 1 (8-ounce) jar tomatillo salsa
· Toppings: diced tomatoes, chopped avocado, chopped green onions, sliced ripe olives

Preparation
Stir together first 5 ingredients. Spoon chicken mixture evenly down center of each tortilla, and roll up. Arrange seam side down in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish. Coat tortillas with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Stir together 8-ounce container sour cream and salsa. Spoon over hot enchiladas; sprinkle with desired toppings.

Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

My husband loves chicken pot pie and was on me for ages to make it. Well, I tried a number of recipes - everything from using puff pastry to a recipe with a million ingredients ( I swear!). All of them were very time consuming and never tasted exactly right.

Finally, I turned to my faithful friend Paula Deen and she supplied the best recipe ever! It's so quick and easy that I can even make it after work during the week (as long as I have the chicken cooked and shredded ahead of time). Best of all? My husband loves it! Enjoy!

Hurry Up Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup instant biscuit mix

1 cup milk

1 stick melted butter

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup

Salt and pepper, optional

1/2 cup frozen green peas ( I add more peas and carrots)

1/2 cup thinly sliced carrots

2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced

2 cup chopped cooked chicken breast (I shred mine)

1 cup chicken broth

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a greased 2-quart casserole, layer the chicken, eggs, carrots, and peas. Mix the soup, chicken broth, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour over the layers. Stir together the biscuit mix and milk, and pour this over the casserole. Drizzle butter over the topping. Bake until the topping is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes.

Peppermint Pretzel Wands

How adorable are these? They just may find their way on my baking list for next weekend!

Peppermint Pretzel Wands

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen.

Ingredients
· 10 oz. vanilla candy coating
· 9-oz. package of large stick pretzels (about 8 1/2
· red and green mint candies, crushed

Preparation
Melt candy coating in a microwave-safe 2-cup measuring cup on high power (100%) one to 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until smooth. Dip each pretzel into candy coating to cover half of pretzel. Sprinkle with crushed candies. Stand each pretzel, coated side up, in a glass until candy coating hardens.

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

My fabulous friend Ashley over at Reflecting on the Simple Things in Life asked for banana bread recipes, so here's mine! It's from Southern Living and it is wonderful!

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Yield: Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients
· 3/4 cup butter, softened
· 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
· 2 cups sugar
· 2 large eggs
· 3 cups all-purpose flour
· 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
· 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (1 1/4 pounds unpeeled bananas, about 4 medium)
· 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
· 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation
Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas, pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8- x 4-inch loafpans.

Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil last 15 minutes to prevent browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

Easy Sticky Buns

I'm a huge baker and a huge fan of the Barefoot Contessa. I was watching her show last night and she made these Easy Sticky Buns. I haven't tried the recipe yet, but all the reviews online are fabulous, so I wanted to share it here! Don't these sound wonderful on a cold Saturday morning?






Easy Sticky Buns - Barefoot Contessa
Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted


For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins


Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.


Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.


Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Cupcake Recipes

Here are the two cupcake recipes I made for our party on Saturday night. They both turned out so good that I just had to share them with you. You know how much I love cupcakes!

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes

1 (18.25-oz.) package German chocolate cake mix
1 (16-oz.) container sour cream
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Paper baking cups
Vegetable cooking spray


1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat first 5 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer just until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase speed to medium, and beat 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth, stopping to scrape bowl as needed.
2. Place paper baking cups in muffin pans, and coat with cooking spray; spoon batter into baking cups, filling two-thirds full.
3. Bake at 350° for 20 to 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove cupcakes from pans to wire racks, and let cool completely (about 1 hour).

Note: I frosted these with plain chocolate canned frosting, but you could also do chocolate buttercream or even German Chocolate frosting. They would also be pretty with chocolate shavings on top.


Easy Red Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients
1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix
2 tablespoons cocoa
5 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
2 (1-ounce) bottles red liquid food coloring
Cream Cheese Frosting

Preparation
Beat cake mix and next 5 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer 2 minutes. Spoon batter evenly into 24 paper- or foil-lined muffin cups, filling two-thirds full; bake according to package directions. Remove from pans immediately, and cool on wire racks.
Spread cupcakes evenly with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Note: When they say to only fill the muffin cups two-thirds full, they really mean it! I went all Barefoot Contessa and filled them to the very top and they spilled out all over the place!

Birthday Preparations

What’s happening this sunny Thursday?

We’re busy with the final preparations for DH’s birthday party tomorrow night. We’re having about 10 of our friends over to celebrate. We’re really looking forward to a fun evening. Here’s the menu:

Chili with toppings
Chicken Vegetable Stew
Cornbread/Biscuits
Carrot Cake and Ice Cream

I’m thinking I need a dip of some sort. Maybe this Corn Dip I got from my friend, Shannon.


Corn Dip
· 2 cans of drained corn (I prefer the Niblets)
· 16 oz. sour cream
· 1 cup of mayo
· chopped green chilies
· jalepeno peppers (I chopped them in my mini chopper)
· Tony Chachere seasoning (or some other Cajun seasoning blend)
· Fajita seasoning
· Shredded Mexican Cheese to taste and consistency you like...a large handful or two.
Mix it all up! Add seasoning to taste.
The dip is usually better if you make it in advance, at least a few hours or so.
Serve with Frito's.

We're going to have everyone bring games. It's going to be such fun evening. We have the best friends and we're so looking forward to spending the evening with them.

Finally Friday

It's been a long and stressful week, but the weekend is finally here! I hope you all have wonderful and exciting plans!

Here’s the recipe for the Baked Pimento Cheese Dip I made for Bunco last week. Everyone loved it, especially the pregnant ladies!

Baked Pimiento Cheese
Prep: 15 min., Bake: 20 min. S
erve dip with crackers or crunchy veggies.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
1 (4-ounce) jar diced pimiento, drained
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon finely grated onion
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (8-ounce) block extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 (8-ounce) block sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
Garnish: chopped parsley

Preparation
Stir together first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir in cheeses. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 2-quart or 11- x 7-inch baking dish.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until dip is golden and bubbly. Garnish, if desired.

Oh, and my grandmother came home yesterday! God is so great! Happy Friday!

Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake

Here's the lemon-blueberry bundt cake recipe that I made for Bible Study last night. It's perfect as a snack or for breakfast and so summery! Enjoy!

Lemon-Blueberry Bundt Cake
Both kids and adults will love this golden cake bursting with blueberries and drizzled with tangy

Ingredients
Cake: Cooking spray
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour (about 13 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
4 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (16-ounce) container reduced-fat sour cream
2 cups fresh blueberries

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, coat a 12-cup Bundt pan with cooking spray; dust with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Set aside.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, butter, and rind in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 2 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition (about 4 minutes total). Beat in vanilla and sour cream. Add flour mixture; beat at medium speed just until combined. Gently fold in blueberries.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar and lemon juice, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Yield
16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Summertime Recipes

I tried two new recipes Saturday Night, Tequila Lime Chicken and Limeade Pie. Both were amazing and will definitely go into regular rotation at our house. Enjoy!

Tequila Lime Chicken (Barefoot Contessa, but passed along to me by my friend Jayne)
Ingredients
1/2 c gold tequila< ( I could only find a regular size bottle of tequila, so we'll be having this recipe a lot!)
1 c fresh lime juice
1/2 c fresh orange juice
1 TBL chili powder<
1 TBL minced fresh jalapeno
1 TBL minced fresh garlic<
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp ground pepper
3 whole boneless chicken breasts, skin on

Procedure
Combine tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt and pepper in large bowl. Add chicken and refrigerate overnight
Remove chicken from marinade and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill them skin side down for about 5 minutes until nicely browned. Turn and cook another 10 minutes or until just cooked through. Remove from grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or room temperature.



Limeade Pie (From Happy Homemaker)

Ingredients
1 tub of Cool Whip
1 can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk!)
1 small can limeade (in the freezer section)
1 ready-made graham cracker pie crust
a few drops green food coloring if you really want to throw them off!
lime slices to garnish

Procedure
Combine the first three ingredients and pour into the pie shell. Garnish with the lime slices. Refrigerate for at least two hours, preferably longer so it will set up well.

Recipe Review - Paula Deen's Barbeque Chicken

Here's a new recipe for Paula Deen's Barbequed Chicken. It was so good! It will definitely go into regular rotation at our house. We had it with mashed potatoes, gravy and green beans. Enjoy!

Paula Deen's Oven-Barbequed Chicken

Ingredients:
6 small chicken breasts, boneless & skinless (Paula used a whole chicken cut-up)
1 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 TBSP orange juice
1/4 tsp smoke flavoring
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients together in a big bowl. Put aside 1/3 of the sauce to save for later. Toss the chicken in sauce with tongs. Place chicken in baking dish at 375 degrees for 45 min. When you have 20 minutes remaining, put remainder of sauce on chicken.

Coconut Cupcakes

I made these for MOPS last night and they turned out so good! The cupcakes are huge and so pretty once you top them with the shredded coconut. Sorry there aren't any pictures! Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Coconut Cupcakes
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 extra-large eggs at room temperature
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup buttermilk
14 ounces sweetened, shredded coconut

For the frosting: 1 pound cream cheese at room temperature (16oz)
3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds confectioners' sugar, sifted

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the vanilla and almond extracts and mix well. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In 3 parts, alternately add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the batter, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix until just combined. Fold in 7 ounces of coconut.

Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Fill each liner to the top with batter. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes, until the tops are brown and a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove to a baking rack and cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the frosting. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, on low speed, cream together the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla and almond extracts. Add the confectioners' sugar and mix until smooth.

Frost the cupcakes and sprinkle with the remaining coconut.

A Friday Recipe

Because I love any recipe with Mountain Dew in the ingredient list, I'm sharing this one with you! Enjoy and have a fabulous weekend!

Easter Menu

Easter Menus

Did ya’ll realize that Easter is less than 4 weeks away? As of right now, my family is coming up for dinner and to spend the afternoon (first time ever!) and I’m working on our menu. Of course, we have ham. That’s the one constant. I like to play around with different side dishes and here’s what I have right now:

Citrus Glazed Ham
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Green Peas
Salad
Deviled Eggs
Rolls
Carrot Cake
Sweet Tea (is there any other kind?)
Lemonade

I’m really looking forward to my family coming. Now I need to figure out the centerpiece. Our dining room table isn’t big enough for everyone, so I’m getting a banquet table from DH’s work and moving our table into the spare room. I think with a big, flowy tablecloth it will work out just fine. Hopefully we’ll have our new furniture in time for the next big family gathering.

Here’s the Citrus Glazed Ham recipe. I’ve made it the past few Easters for us and we love it.

Citrus-Glazed Ham


Prep: 10 min.; Bake: 2 hrs., 30 min.; Stand: 15 min.


1 (6- to 7-lb.) fully cooked, bone-in ham
30 to 32 whole cloves
1 (10-oz.) bottle orange juice-flavored soft drink
1 1/4 cups orange marmalade
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Garnishes: apple slices, orange slices, orange rind, salad greens

1. Remove skin from ham, and trim fat to 1/4-inch thickness. Make 1/4-inch-deep cuts in a diamond pattern, and insert cloves at 1-inch intervals. Place ham in an aluminum foil-lined 13- x 9-inch pan.
2. Stir together soft drink and next 3 ingredients until smooth. Pour mixture evenly over ham.
3. Bake at 350° on lower oven rack 2 hours and 30 minutes, basting with pan juices every 20 minutes. Remove ham; let stand 15 minutes before serving. Garnish, if desired.
Note: For testing purposes only, we used Orangina Sparkling Citrus Beverage.

Yield: Makes 12 to 14 servings

Getting in shape, one step at a time

Happy Monday! I started my walking today and did 25 minutes at lunch. I'm so proud of myself! I know it's not much, but at least it's a start. Tomorrow I'll do my pilates dvd (thanks for the tip, Paula!) and walk again on Wednesday.

Here's a recipe for ya'll. I made this last night with only a few changes. I used whole wheat pasta and regular fresh mushrooms (I couldn't find shitakes at the store). I also doubled the recipe so we would have leftovers to take to work. Enjoy!

Teriyaki Pork and Vegetables with Noodles


Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
4 green onions
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
1 cup thinly sliced red bell pepper
3 (4-ounce) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick), cut into 1/4-inch strips 1 (3 1/2-ounce) package shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/3 cup low-sodium teriyaki sauce
4 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (such as Lee Kum Kee)

Preparation
Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid; keep warm.

Remove green tops from green onions; thinly slice, and set aside. Mince white portions of green onions; set aside.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add minced green onions, bell pepper, pork, and mushrooms; sauté 3 minutes or until pork is browned. Combine reserved 1/4 cup cooking liquid, teriyaki sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add pasta and teriyaki sauce mixture to pan; toss well to coat. Stir in sliced green onion tops.


Yield
4 servings (serving size: about 1 3/4 cups)
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Nutritional Information
CALORIES 444(27% from fat); FAT 13.5g (sat 4.1g,mono 4.6g,poly 2.7g); PROTEIN 26.3g; CHOLESTEROL 55mg; CALCIUM 40mg; SODIUM 633mg; FIBER 3.1g; IRON 3.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51.9g

New Recipe Review

I made these yesterday evening. They look very gourmet, but were surprisingly easy. The only change I made was that I didn't make the sauce at the end. DH doesn't care for dijon mustard at all, so I just skipped it. Enjoy!


Pork Chops Stuffed with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Spinach
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
Show:
Everyday Italian
Episode:
Giada's Spa Weekend Brought Home

1 tablespoon olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 (10-ounce) bag of frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 cup (2 ounces) goat cheese
1/3 cup reduced-fat cream cheese
4 (4-ounce) center-cut pork chops
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 lemon, zested
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Warm the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook until combined, about 2 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add the goat cheese and the cream cheese. Stir to combine and set aside.

Use a sharp knife to cut a pocket into the thickest portion of the pork chop. Stuff each pocket with 1/4 of the spinach and sun-dried tomato mixture and close the pork around the stuffing. Season the outside of the pork with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl combine the chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, and mustard.

Warm the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side.
Transfer the pork to a side dish and tent with foil to keep warm.

Add the chicken broth mixture to the skillet over medium-high heat. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan as the chicken broth simmers. Reduce the broth by half to make a light sauce, about 8 minutes. Spoon some sauce over the pork before serving.

A Lazy Weekend and Two New Recipes

We had another nice, lazy weekend. We were able to get a lot done around the house, including taking a big load to Goodwill on Saturday. It feels so nice to get things cleaned out. We also took Brady to the zoo and the park thanks to the beautiful weather.

I tried out two new recipes this weekend. The first was a recipe for Honey White Bread from Barefoot Contessa at Home. I don’t usually have time to make homemade bread, so this was a treat. Actually, it’s probably been years since I’ve done it. This recipe was really easy and was made even simpler with my new mixer. J Unfortunately, I can’t find a copy of the recipe online and I don’t have time to type it out. But look in that cookbook and you’ll find it!


The next recipe is for Slow Cooker Veggie Chili from the January issue of Southern Living. DH was not thrilled when I originally mentioned this recipe, as he insists on having meat at every meal. I made him a baked chicken breast which he cut up and mixed into his chili. Whatever. This recipe is really good and very hearty. Perfect for winter, it fills you up but it’s super healthy at the same time. The prep work does take a while since you’re chopping up all the veggies. I actually cooked mine on HIGH for 4 hours and it was fine.

Slow-Cooker Veggie Chili
Prep: 25 min.; Cook: 8 hr., 18 min.
Add a dash of hot sauce to your bowl for extra heat. Use a variety of your favorite beans if you wish.

Ingredients
2 large carrots, diced (1 cup)
2 celery ribs, diced (1/2 cup)
1 medium-size sweet onion, diced
Vegetable cooking spray
2 (8-oz.) packages sliced fresh mushrooms
1 large zucchini, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 yellow squash, chopped (1 cup)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon seasoned pepper
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
3 cups tomato juice
2 (14 1/2-oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
4 (15-oz.) cans pinto, black, great Northern, or kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn

1. Sauté first 3 ingredients in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until onions are translucent. Add mushrooms, zucchini, and squash; sauté 3 more minutes. Add chili powder and next 2 ingredients, and sauté 5 more minutes.

2. Stir together tomato sauce and tomato juice in a 6-qt. slow cooker until smooth. Stir in diced tomatoes, next 2 ingredients, and carrot mixture. Cover and cook on LOW 8 hours.

Note: Cool leftovers, and freeze in plastic freezer containers or zip-top plastic freezer bags for up to 2 months. Yield: Makes 15 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)CALORIES 124 (0.0% from fat); FAT 0.8g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 7.4g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 63mg; SODIUM 566mg; FIBER 7g; IRON 2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 24.5g Southern Living, JANUARY 2008

Have a great week!

Autumn Apple Pork Chops

I found this recipe last year in one of those free magazines at Publix. It was all about apples and this looked so good, so I finally made it last night. Four stars!!!!!!

Autumn Apple Pork Chops

Ingredients:
4 boneless pork loin chops
Salt and pepper
1 Tbs. flour
2 Tbs. butter
½ cup sliced onions
1 cup apple juice

Season flour with salt and pepper and lightly dredge pork chops in the flour. Cook in a skillet with the butter on medium heat until browned on one side. Flip pork chops and add onions and apple juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 7-9 minutes.

This recipe was super easy and quick. We served it with broccoli and potatoes.



* Don’t forget today is Boss’s Day! Happy Tuesday!