Pork Chops with Plum Glaze

This is a dinner idea that I don't think I would ever have imagined.  Cooking with plums is just not something I usually do.  Let me tell you, I was pleasantly surprised.  This is really good.  

4 boneless pork chops
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
1/2 cup plum jam or preserves
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp cinnamon or Chinese five-spice powder
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 large plums, each cut in half and pitted 

Season your pork chops with salt and pepper on both sides.  

In a small bowl, mix jam, brown sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and garlic.  Brush one side of each pork chop and cut side of each plum half with plum glaze.  

Preheat a ridged grill pan over medium heat with 1 Tbsp olive oil until very hot.  lace the pork chops and plums, glaze side down.  Cover and cook 3 minutes.  Brush chops and plums with remaining glaze; turn chops and plums and grill until chops are browned on both sides and just lose their pink color throughout and plums are tender, about 3 minutes longer. 

Serve with buttered herbed rice and your favorite green vegetable.

Wild Rice and Mushroom Stuffing

This recipe makes an elegant alternative to ordinary bread stuffing.  It's rich flavored with two kinds of mushrooms and vegetables.  

1 cup wild rice, rinsed
3 3/4 cups water
1 cup dried cranberries 
4 Tbsp butter
3 medium carrots, peeled and cut int 1/4" pieces

2 stalks celery, cut into 1/4" pieces

1 medium onion, cut into 1/4" pieces

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/4 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

8 oz shitake mushrooms, stems discarded, caps sliced

10 oz white mushrooms, trimmed and sliced

2 cups long-grain brown rice

14 oz chicken broth

In a 2-quart saucepan, heat wild rice and 2 cups water to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until wild rice is tender, 35 - 40 minutes.  Stir in cranberries; heat 1 minute.  Drain, if necessary.  

Meanwhile, in a nonstick Dutch oven, melt 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery and onion.  Cook until tender and golden, 12 - 15 minutes.  Stir in salt, thyme, and pepper and cook 1 minute; transfer to a medium bowl.  

In the same Dutch oven, melt remaining 2 Tbsp butter over medium heat.  Add shitake and white mushrooms, and cook until tender and golden and liquid evaporates, about 12 minutes.  Transfer to the bowl with the vegetables.  

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees.

In the same Dutch oven, heat brown rice, broth, and remaining 1 3/4 cups water to boiling over high heat.  Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until tender 18 - 20 minutes.  Stir wild-rice and vegetable mixtures into rice.  

Spoon stuffing into a 13" x 9" glass baking dish or shallow casserole dish.  Cover with foil and bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.  

Dad's Famous Ribs

 

Who doesn't love ribs?  I know I do.  These delicious ribs are just what you're needing for dinner this week.  The raspberry jam-infused sauce is what make them so sweet, tangy and delectable.  

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 Tbsp chopped fresh garlic

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 - 3 1/2 lbs baby back pork ribs

1 cup raspberry jam

1/2 cup sweet chili sauce

In a large sealable bag, prepare the marinade.  Add soy sauce, garlic, and pepper.  Then add the ribs, seal the bag, and toss to coat.  Allow the ribs to marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour.  

When you are ready to cook, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Remove the ribs from the marinade and place them on a rimmed baking sheet.  

Bake for 60 minutes or until tender. 

While the ribs are cooking, prepare the sauce.  Combine the raspberry jam and chili sauce in a medium bowl.  When the ribs are cooked, brush the sauce on both sides and allow them to cook for an additional 10 minutes.  

Serve these with remaining sauce on the side.

Red Wine Braised Short Ribs

This recipe is a pleaser.  It will leave your family happy and full.  The ribs are flavorful and they're so tender the meat will just fall off the bone.  

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 - 4 lbs bone-in short ribs (8b- 10 pieces)

Salt and pepper to taste

1 large onion, diced

2 stalks celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, smashed

2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 cups dry red wine

3 cups beef broth

2 bay leaves

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig oregano

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Rinse and pat dry the bone-in short ribs and generously season them with salt and pepper.  

Heat the olive oil in a 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat.  Brown the ribs in two batches for 5 - 6 minutes on each side, then transfer to plate and set aside.  

Add the diced onion and cook for 8 - 10 minutes, or until translucent and softened.  Then add the diced celery and the diced carrots and cook for 3 - 5 minutes more.  Add the garlic and the tomato paste, then cook for a few more minutes.  

Stir in 2 cups of wine, bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium and simmer until it reduces in half or about 15 - 20 minutes.  Add 3 cups of beef broth and stir.  

Transfer the meat back to the pot and add the bay leaves, thyme, and oregano.  Cover the Dutch oven with the lid and transfer it to the oven.

Cook for 2 1/2 - 3 hours, or until the ribs are tender.  Transfer the meat to the plate land cover with foil.  Strain the sauce and discard the vegetables.  

Pour the liquid back to the pot, let it simmer until it thickens, and serve.  

Apple Picking Braised Pork Tenderloin

 

A combo of apples and apple cider makes this on0pot dish a go-to-dinner.  I ran across this a year or so ago on Food Network.  It's definitely a keeper!

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 pork tenderloin, trimmed (about 1/12 lbs)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large red onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup barley

1 1/4 cup unsweetened apple cider

1 1/4 cup chicken broth

1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard

1 Tbsp regular Dijon mustard

3 sprigs fresh thyme

1 Honeycrisp or Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced in 1/4" thick wedges

2 stalks of celery chopped

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Heat 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat.  Pat the pork dry with paper towels and season all over with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Add to the pot and sear until golden brown on all sides, about 6 minutes.  Remove to a plate.

Reduce the heat to medium-high and add the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil and the red onion to the pot.  Cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the barley and toast for 1 minute.  Add the apple cider and scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden, spoon.  Add the chicken broth, grainy and regular Dijon, celery and the thyme and bring to a strong simmer, about 2 minutes.  

Return the pork to the pot along with any residual juices.  Braise in the oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part reaches 145 degrees, 15 - 20 minutes.  Remove the pork to a cutting board, tent loosely with aluminum foil and allow to rest.  

Stir the apple into the barley mixture.  Bake until almost all of the liquid evaporates and the barley and apples are just tender, 15 - 20 minutes.  

Remove the thyme springs from the barley.  Slice the pork into 1/2" thick medallions.  Serve the sliced pork over the barley and apples.  Top with parsley.

This isn't a quick dish, but it hits the spot when you're in the mood for comfort food. 

Cod Tacos with Mango-Avocado Salsa & Lime Crema

In my lifetime, tacos have come a long way.  No longer is it strictly ground beef in a crunchy taco shell.  My current favorite is this cod taco.  Topped with Mango-Avocado salsa and lime crema, it's just so fresh and delicious.

Mango-Avocado Salsa

Mix gently:

1 cup of frozen mango chunks (defrosted)

1 avocado, diced

1 small tomato, diced

Juice of 1/2 lime

Salt to taste

Set aside and try not to eat it all with a spoon.

Lime Crema

Stir together:

1/2 cup sour cream

Zest plus juice of 1/2 lime

Pinch of salt

Thin with a splash of water or milk until it's a consistency that will drizzle over your tacos.

Cod

Pat cod dry and season both sides with:

Salt and pepper

Chili powder

Garlic powder

Heat a skillet over medium-high with a little oil.  

Cook cod 3 - 4 minutes per side until flaky and lightly golden.

Break into big, juicy chunks.

Tortillas

Warm flour tortillas in a dry pan on the stove top.

Assemble your tacos:

Warm tortilla

Cod chunks

Mango-avocado salsa

Lime crema drizzle

Extra squeeze of lime

This is bright, fresh, slightly indulgent, and absolutely a good dinner decision.  

I like to serve it with Mexican Corn Cake.  

 

Steakhouse Dinner

I've been asking Chat GPT for dinner ideas lately and it's pretty good at matching ideas with my pallet.   I've been very impressed with lots of the ideas sent.  I call my Chat bot Simmer and I told him to call me Grammy.  It makes it feel more personal.  LOL!  Here's what Simmer came up with for a steak night dinner for one.

1 (6 - 8 oz) sirloin steak
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, mashed

Heat your skillet over medium-high heat

Add the olive oil

When hot add your seasoned sirloin and cook 4 - 5 minutes on each side

Add the butter and smashed garlic clove at the end.  Spoon butter over steak and then remove from pan to rest.

Salad

Mixed greens or romaine

Cherry tomatoes

Avocado slices

Cucumber slices

Red onion, thinly sliced

Shaved parmesan cheese

Creamy Peppercorn Dressing

1/4 cup sour cream

2 Tbsp mayo

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar or lemon juice

1 tsp Dijon

Cracked black pepper (be generous)

Splash of milk to thin

Salt to taste

Absolutely perfect served with warm garlic bread.

 

Sheet-Pan Sweet Potatoes, Bacon & Chicken Thighs

The best thing about a sheet-pan dinner is easy clean up.  I simply line a sheet pan with foil and it's a one pan wonder.  Clean-up is a breeze.  This recipe is hands down my favorite sheet pan meal.  

3 - 4 sweet potatoes, cubed
4 skin-on chicken thighs
6 bacon slices, chopped

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Smoked paprika

3 garlic cloves, minced

Parsley, for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with foil

Toss sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, and garlic.  Spread them out - they need space to caramelize.

Nestle the chicken thighs among the potatoes.  Drizzle with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.  

Scatter bacon over everything.

Roast 30 - 35 minutes, flipping the sweet potatoes once.  

If the chicken isn't browned enough, pop under the broiler for 2 - 3 minutes at the end.  

Drizzle a little maple syrup or honey over the sweet potatoes

Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

Growing up Mom and Dad always had rhubarb and strawberries growing in the garden.  Both were favorites of my sister and myself.  This recipe combines the sweet from the strawberries with the tart of the rhubarb and it's fantastic!

2 1/2 cups rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/2" pieces

3/4 cup sugar plus 2 Tbsp if needed

1/2 cup water

3 cups strawberries, sliced

In a medium saucepan, combine rhubarb, sugar and water.  Bring to a simmer over medium-low heat and cook 8 - 10 minutes.  Add sliced strawberries and cook until the rhubarb is tender and translucent, about 5 - 6 more minutes.  

Remove from the heat and cool slightly.  Using an immersion blender or food processor, puree mixture.  Taste and adjust sugar.  

Serve over pound cake or frozen yogurt.  It's delicious as a stand-alone too.  

Harvest "Thyme" Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges

Looking for a great starchy side dish for your next dinner?  Give this a try.  This is super delicious!

3 Tbsp brown sugar

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

4 lbs small sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 8 wedges

8 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped.  

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Mix sugar, oil, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a large bowl.  Add potatoes, toss to coat.  

Arrange potatoes in a single layer in large shallow baking pan.  

Sprinkle with thyme.  

Bake potatoes 1 hour or until the edges are dark brown and edges are crisp, turning after 30 minutes.