Pork Chops with Dressing

A simple dinner for the family they will love, serve with a salad or roasted veggies.

4 to 6 pork chops
4 cups diced bread (your favourite)
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp sage
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 apple, chopped

Lay chops flat in bottom of greased pan.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover with dressing.  After covering meat with dressing, place pan in preheated 350F oven and bake approx. 1 hour.

Pork Chops in a Dish

A very family friendly recipe.

4 to 6 pork chops

1 can skinless chopped tomatoes
100 g grated cheese
100 g bacon sliced
Oil or butter
Salt and pepper
Fresh oregano
Basil
Chili sauce
Mashed Potatoes:
750 g potatoes (4 large)
50 g butter
1/2 dl whipping cream
2 eggs
Salt and pepper

Heat oil in pan; brown pork chops on both sides.  Add salt and pepper.  Put in a baking dish.  Add tomatoes and juice to pan.  Boil 1 to 2 minutes.  Add salt, pepper, chili sauce, basil and oregano to taste.  Pour sauce over pork chops in baking dish.  Spread grated cheese on top.  Cover with sliced bacon.  Put in 200C oven and bake until bacon is browned and crisp, approx. 30 minutes.

Boil Potatoes; mash.  Stir in egg yolks one at a time.  Whip egg whites until stiff; fold into mashed potatoes.  Put in a baking dish.  Bake until golden brown, approx. 30 minutes.  Serve.  SErves 4.

Crockpot Golden Glow Pork Chops

Love using the crockpot during the school year!

5 to 6 pork chops
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
8 oz can tomato sauce
29 oz can cling peach halves
1/4 cup vinegar
Salt and pepper

Brown pork chops.  Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, cloves, tomato sauce, 1/4 cup syrup from peaches and vinegar.  Sprinkle chops with salt and pepper.  Arrange in crockpot.  Place drained peach halves on top.  Pour tomato mixture over all.  Cover and cook on low in crockpot 4 to 6 hours.

Orange-Sesame Bok Choy and Soba Noodle Salad

This is a nice light recipe for dinner.  From Food and Drink Spring 2015.  If you can’t use Soba Noodles, use an egg or Chow Mein Noodle.

6 oz (175g) Soba noodles
3 oranges
2 tbsp Vegetable oil
1 tbsp liquide honey
2 tsp dark sesame oil
1 tsp Sriracha, or to taste
1/2 tsp dry or Dijon Mustard
2 tsp sesame seeds
3 cups sliced bok choy
1 carrot, julienned
1/2 large sweet red pepper, cut into thin strips
2 green onions, thinly sliced on the diagonal

• Bring a pot of salted water to the boil.  Add soba noodles and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until just al dente.  Drain and rinse under cool water until chilled.  Drain well.
• Finely grate zest from 1 orange and squeeze 1/4 cup juice.  Place zest and juice in a large bowl.  Cut peel from remaining oranges, removing all white pith, and cut between membranes into segments to small bowl; cover and refrigerate until serving.
• To bowl with orange zest and juice, add 1 tbsp of the vegetable oil, the soy sauce honey, sesame oil, Sriracha and mustard; whisk to combine.  Measure out about 1/4 cup and set aside for vegetables. Add noodles to remaining dressing bowl and toss gently to coat.  Cover and refrigerate noodles for up to 4 hours.  Set reserved dressing aside at room temperature.
• Just before serving, toast sesame seeds in a large dry skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes or until golden and fragrant.  Immediately transfer to a bowl and set aside.
• Return skillet to medium heat and add remaining 1 tbsp vegetable oil.  Add bok choy, carrots and red pepper, and sauté for about 1 minute or until just wilted.  Pour in reserved dressing and stir to coat vegetables well.  Remove from heat.
• Add orange segments with any accumulated juice and green onions to noodles, and toss to combine.  Divide among individual bowls or plates.  Top with warm vegetables, then sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Chocolate Lava Cakes

These are rich tasting and fun to make.  From Readers Digest February 2012.

Centres
2 oz (60g) Bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup whipping cream

Cakes
1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 oz (125 ml) bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 whole eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup cake and pastry flour

1. To make centres:  In double boiler or heatproof bowl set over pot of barely simmering water, melt 2 oz chocolate with the cream, stirring occasionally, until smooth.  Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.  Form into six balls; refrigerate until needed.
2. To make cakes:  Preheat oven to 350F.   Grease six 6 oz ramekins or custard cups; place on baking sheet.
3. In double boiler or heatproof bowl set over pot of barely simmering water, melt butter and 4 oz chocolate, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. With stand mixer or in large bowl with electric beaters, beat the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla on high speed for about 5 minutes, or until thick and light.  Fold melted chocolate mixture and flour into egg mixture until just combined.  Spoon cake batter into ramekins.  Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin, making sure each is completely covered by batter.
5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until cakes are firm to the touch.  Remove from oven and let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Beef Bulgogi Skewers

These are excellent with a unique Asian flavour.  You can serve these over lettuce leaves and steamed rice or offer assorted pickles and Kimchi alongside.  From Canadian Living Barbecue Collection.

6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
1 tbsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes
450 g Beef grilling steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
1 red onion cut into 1 inch pieces
1 sweet green pepper, cut into 1 inch pieces

• Whisk together garlic, soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, sesame oil and hot pepper flakes.
• Place beef in bowl; place onion and green pepper in separate bowl.  Divide marinade between bowls. Marinate for 15 minutes or covered and refrigerated, up to 1 day.
• Reserving any remaining marinade, alternately thread beef, onion and peppers onto skewers; brush with marinade.  Grill on greased grill over high heat, turning once until desired doneness, about 8 minutes for medium rare.

Makes 4 main course servings.

Turkey Pie

From Company’s Coming Casseroles…simple and good!  A good recipe for after Thanksgiving.

2 cups cut up Turkey, cooked
284 ml condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 cup chopped celery
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 cups Tea biscuit mix
3/4 cup milk

Put turkey, soup and celery in 1.5 L casserole.  Stir in milk, salt and pepper.  Heat in 400F oven until bubbling hot.

Mix biscuit mix and milk as for dumplings.  Drop by spoonful over top of hot meat and sauce.  Bake in 450F oven for 15 minutes or until brown.  Serves 4 to 6.

Classic French Omelette

This is made with a Goose Egg but you can substitute 4 large chicken eggs if Goose is not available.  From Food and Drink Spring 2015.

1 goose egg
1 tsp water
2 tsp each chopped parsley and chives, divided
1/4 tsp salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp herbed Boursin or soft chèvre, crumbled

• Beat egg with water until white and yolk are uniform.  Add 1 tsp each parsley and chives and season with salt and pepper.
• Heat a 10 inch nonstick pan on high heat.  Add butter and swirl pan to melt and coat.  Return pan to heat, and when butter is hot and sizzling, pour in egg mixture and let cook for 10 seconds or until egg has set on the bottom and air bubbles are forming between pan and egg.  Keeping it in direct contact with the burner, swirl pan in a circular motion to allow uncooked egg to move to edges of omelette, until almost all liquid egg is gone.  Sprinkle on half of crumbled cheese then begin jerking the pan towards you to roll omelette over on itself and enclose the cheese.  Immediately turn omelette out onto a serving plate so that the bottom is facing up.  Sprinkle with remaining cheese and herbs and serve immediately.

Duck Confit and Springtime Hash with Fried Duck Egg

If you cannot find duck you can change this to Chicken.  From Food and Drink Spring 2015.

750 g mini new potatoes, cut into 3/4 inch thick rounds
2 duck legs confit, about 275 g
1 tbsp unsalted butter
Salt to taste
500 g asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut on the bias into 1 1/2 inch lengths
175 g sugar snap peas ends trimmed, stringed
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp unsalted butter
4 duck eggs
Pepper to taste

1. Place potatoes in a pot of cold salted water over medium high heat.  Bring to a boil and boil for 8 minutes or until tender.  Drain well.  Reserve.
2. Place duck legs, skin side up, in a large frying pan, (ideally cast iron) over medium low heat.  Cook for 12 minutes, turning after fat has begun to render or until duck is warmed through.  Pull meat from bones in largest possible pieces and return skin and any fat to pan.  Cook skin for 10 minutes longer or until browned and crisp.  Remove from pan, chop and reserve, leaving fat in pan.
3. Add butter and potatoes to pan, season with salt, and cook on medium, turning for 8 minutes or until nicely browned.  Remove from pan.
4. Add asparagus and sauté for 2 minutes or until softened.  Add sugar snaps, garlic and thyme and sauté 1 minute longer or until vegetables are tender crisp.  Return potatoes to pan along with duck meat and stir to rewarm and combine.  Add 1 tbsp parsley and season with salt.
5. While hash is warming, heat a large nonstick frying pan on medium low heat.  Add butter, and as soon as it has melted crack eggs into 4 separate corners, cover pan with a lid and cook for 3 minutes or until white is set but yolk is still runny.  Season with salt and pepper and serve onto of hash and chopped crisp skin.  Sprinkle with remaining 1 tbsp parsley.

Makes 4 servings.