Herbed Pork Chops with Apple Relish

 

Who doesn't love pork chops for dinner?  But sometimes it's nice to step it up a bit and add a few fresh veggies.  Give this one a try.

4 tsp olive oil

1/2 lb fingerling potatoes, halved

1/2 lb carrots, peeled and sliced in 1/4" slices

1 sprig of fresh thyme

1 recipe Apple Relish (see below)

1 tsp fresh garlic, minced

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

4 (1" thick) pork loin chops

Apple Relish

1 Granny Smith apple

1/4 cup finely chopped shallot or green onion

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp freshly chopped parsley

2 tsp honey

Season to taste

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add potatoes, carrots, and thyme.  Toss to coat.  Cook, covered for 20 minutes. stirring twice.  Meanwhile, prepare apple relish.

Add garlic to mixture in skillet and cook 1 minute.  

In the same skillet, heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add pork and cook to desired doneness, turning once.  Allow 6 - 7 minutes total for medium.  Remove pork from skillet.  

Serve pork chops with potato mixture and top with Apple Relish.

Apple Relish

Core and chop 1 Granny Smith apple.  In a medium bowl, combine apple, 1/4 cup shallots or green onions, 2 Tbsp olive oil. 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar, 1 Tbsp chopped parsley, and 2 tsp honey.  Stir well and season to taste.  

This is a delicious twist on pork chops for dinner!!

Creamy Italian Dressing

 

Creamy Italian Dressing pairs perfectly with a delicious dinner salad or Italian Antipasto Salad.

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp garlic salt

dash of ground pepper

Whisk everything together in a bowl and store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!

Baked Potato Casserole

Eveyone's favorite, hearty side in delicious casserole form!  This side is great to bring to gatherings and so much easier to prepare than individual baked potatoes.  Make it your own by adding all of your favorite potato toppings.

8 - 10 potatoes (red or brown), peeled and cubed

1 lb block Velveeta, cut into small cubes

1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise

3 green onions, chopped

1 cup bacon bits

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Boil cubed potatoes until perfectly tender.  Drain and set aside.

Add cooked potatoes to a large mixing bowl.  Combine with mayonnaise and cheese.  Stir in green onions, reserving a few to be used as a garnish.

Spray a casserole dish with non-stick spray.  Add potato mixture and spread evenly.  Top with bacon bits, additional green onions and any other preferred toppings.  

Bake covered for 30 minutes.  Remove cover and bake for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.  Serve warm.  

 

Crispy Crab Bites

Want to skip the traditional fried cheese sticks for your next dinner party appetizer?  This recipe is a quick and easy crowd-pleaser!  Crispy Crab Bites are perfectly crunchy, and delicious when paired with your favorite tartar sauce.  

1 package crab cake mix
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 lb fresh crabmeat, drained and cartilage removed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Tartar sauce, for serving

Combine the crab meat, crab cake mix, and mayonnaise in a large bowl.  Gently toss.

Form your crab bites into 1" round balls.

Fry in batches until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels

Serve with tartar sauce.

 

Chicken Salad with Mustard-Thyme Vinaigrette

This hearty chicken salad is served warm and dressed with a tangy vinaigrette that contains Dijon mustard with seeds.  Dijon, like most European mustards, is made from brown seeds and is much zestier and more flavorful than American-style prepared mustard.  You can substitute other mustards, but you won't get the same bold flavor.  This is a perfect salad for dinner dish.  Enjoy!

3 slices of bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1/3 cup cider vinegar or red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard with seeds

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups coarsely shredded boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled, cored and thinly sliced

1 bag 5 - 6 oz prewashed baby spinach

Prepare 1 lb of chicken breasts with your choice of seasoning.  Shred and set aside.

In a non-stick 10" skillet, cook bacon over medium heat, stirring, until browned, 5 - 6 minutes.  Add green onions and cook, stirring, 1 minute.  Remove skillet from heat.  Stir in vinegar, oil, mustard, thyme, and salt.   

Meanwhile, in a large serving bowl, toss chicken with apple and spinach until combined.  

Pour the warm dressing over chicken mixture.  Toss until salad is evenly coated.  Serve immediately.  

Hot Buttered Chili-Lime Corn

I totally love corn on the cob, and this is one of my favorite ways to serve/eat it.  This is sweet corn hot off the grill and buttered and seasoned.  

4 ears corn, husks and silk removed

Heavy-duty foil

2 Tbsp butter, softened

1 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp freshly grated lime peel

Prepare outdoor grill for grilling over medium heat.

Layer two 20" x 18" sheets heavy-duty foil to make a double thickness.  Place corn on center of foil.  In a cup, stir butter, chili powder, salt, and lime peel until blended.  Dot butter mixture on corn and bring short ends of foil up and over ingredients; fold over two times to seal well.  Fold remaining sides of foil two times to create a packet that seals in juices.  

Place foil packet on hot grill rack over medium heat.   Cook corn, turning packet over once halfway through cooking, 12 minutes.  Remove packet from grill.  

Before serving, with kitchen shears, cut and X in top of foil packet to let steam escape, then carefully pull back foil to open.  Serve corn with lime wedges, if you like.  

Potato-Crusted Quiche

This easy to prepare quiche boasts a crispy hash brown-like crust and a delicious Gruyere and ham filling.  

4 large eggs
1 large egg white
1 2/3 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

4 oz ham, cut into 1/4" pieces

1 1/2 lbs peeled and shredded potatoes

2 green onions, sliced

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded

2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced

Fresh flat leaf parsley leaves and snipped chives

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, with wire whisk, blend eggs, egg white, milk, and 1/8 tsp salt and pepper. Stir in ham.  

Place potatoes in a large fine-mesh sieve.  With hands, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Transfer to large bowl and toss with green onions and remaining 1/8 tsp salt.  

Heat 12" well-seasoned plain or enamel-coated cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat until hot.  Add oil, brushing to evenly coat bottom and side of pan and heat until very hot.  Add potatoes; with rubber spatula, quickly spread in thin, even layer over bottom and all the way up side to rim, gently pressing potatoes against pan to form a crust.  Using a rubber spatula, patch any holes by spreading potatoes over   them.  Cook potato crust 3 minutes or until browned.  Pour in egg mixture, then sprinkle cheese evenly over top.  

Bake 15 - 20 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Decoratively arrange tomato slices on top.  Garnish with parsley and chives.  Use thin spatula to release sides of crust from pan, then cut into wedges to serve.    

Grilled Potato Packet

 

For maximum flavor and minimum fuss, try grilling your veggies in foil pouches.  They seal in seasoning so you won't have to stand over the grill basting and glazing.  Potatoes are a wonderful choice, but this works well with just about any vegetable.

4 large red potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1 1/2" chunks, about 1 1/2 lbs total

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

3/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Heavy-duty foil

To spice things up, try adding a couple of minced garlic cloves and a tsp of your favorite Italian seasoning.  These potatoes or any other veggies will absorb the added flavor. 

Prepare your outdoor grill for medium-high heat.  

Place two 30" x 18" sheets heavy-duty foil on work surface to make double thickness.  Place potatoes, oil, salt, and pepper on center part of stacked foil.  Bring short sides of foil up and over potato mixture; fold several times to seal well.  Then fold in ends to seal tightly.  Gently shake to combine ingredients.

Place bag on hot grill rack and over medium heat.  Cover grill and cook 30 minutes, turning bag over once halfway through grilling.  

With kitchen shears, cut an X in the top of the foil bag to let steam escape, then carefully pull back foil to open.  Transfer potato mixture to platter.  

Bacon Wrapped Burger

The bacon wrapped burger with Ultimate Burger Sauce isn't just any old burger.  It's one of the all-time best burgers.  Each burger is wrapped in two slices of bacon, brushed with BBQ sauce and topped with your favorite cheese.  It will be a new favorite for everyone who loves bacon.  You'll want to make them again and again.  

For the Burgers

2 1/2 lbs ground chuck

12 bacon strips

1/3 cup BBQ Sauce (your choice)

12 oz of your favorite cheese, grated or shredded

1 red onion, diced

5 burger buns

6 Boston butter lettuce leaves

3 dill pickles, sliced lengthwise

1 large tomato, sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

For the Ultimate Burger Sauce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 Tbsp ketchup

1 Tbsp BBQ sauce (your favorite)

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp black pepper

 Preheat your grill to 300 degrees. 

Divide the ground chuck into 6 equal portions.  Form into patties, either by hand or using a burger press. 

Wrap 2 bacon strips around each beef patty.  Secure with toothpicks.  Season burgers with salt and pepper.

Place the bacon-wrapped beef patties on your grill over indirect heat.  Close the lid and cook until desired doneness, 20 - 25 minutes.  

Whisk mayonnaise, ketchup, BBQ sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper together in a medium-size bowl.  Set aside in the refrigerator.  

Using a basting brush, brush burgers with BBQ sauce.  Flip and brush the other side.  Move burgers to the direct heat side of the grill to caramelize the sauce, 2 - 3 minutes.   

Top the burgers with cheese and red onions.  Close the lid for 30 - 60 seconds.  Remove burgers from grill.  

Grill burger buns over direct heat for 15 seconds.

Assemble your burgers with grilled buns.  Place a leaf of lettuce, some burger sauce and a burger patty on the bottom bun.  Top with sliced tomato and serve with pickles on the side.  

Marinated Sirloin Steak

Cola-based marinade with fresh garlic, lemon juice and soy sauce gives this grilled sirloin steak a multi-layered flavor profile.  Worcestershire sauce and your favorite steak sauce add smoky overtones, and black pepper brings the spice.  A tasty and affordable cut of beef, sirloin steak makes for a memorable meal your family will love.  When it's done just right, it's tender, juicy and delicious.  

For the Marinade

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup of your favorite steak sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

2/3 cup olive oil

3/4 cup soy sauce

2 cups Coke

This is enough to marinate six 1 1/2" thick steaks

In a medium-sized bowl, combine lemon juice, steak sauce, garlic, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, olive oil, soy sauce and Coke.

Place steaks in a plastic zip top bag.  Pour marinade into the bag and squeeze to distribute marinade evenly.   Marinate in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.

Remove steaks from bag and pat dry with paper towels.

Preheat your grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.  Place steaks on the hot grill and cook for 3 - 6 minutes on each side (to desired doneness),  

Use your tongs to flip and remove the steaks from the grill or pan.  Allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing and serving.