Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

Finally, another healthy recipe that we like! YAY!!! These were so easy and delicious!

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops
Source: Delish

4 (1/2-inch thick) pork loin chops
1 tsp garlic powder
4 Tbsp shredded/grated Parmesan Cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place Parmesan cheese on a plate. Season the pork chops generously with black pepper & some salt. Sprinkle garlic powder evenly over pork chops. Coat the chops with the cheese, patting to adhere.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops to skillet and do not move them. Allow pork chops to cook until golden brown & crisp, about 3-5 minutes per side. Transfer pork chops to oven and bake for 5-8 minutes in preheated oven. You want them cooked to an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

Turkey (or Chicken) Pot Pie

We had so much leftover turkey from Thanksgiving! I cooked a small turkey breast for the two of us, gave some to my sister, ate off of it for a day or two, and still had turkey leftover! So I made a pot pie with it! Believe it or not, there was still enough turkey left for a sandwich, but I don't care if I see any turkey for quite some time!

This recipe was for chicken pot pie, but I used the turkey. If you remember I made a healthy version of pot pie some time back. Charlie was NOT a fan! He loved this one. My pie plate is at my mom's so I made it in a square casserole dish. I also didn't make my own crust and only had one crust in the freezer. I wish I had used a double crust, next time!

I don't know if you can tell, but I tried to get creative with the crust when piercing it to vent. It has our monogram :)

Turkey Pot Pie

Source: Pillsbury

1/3 C butter

1/3 C onion, chopped

1/3 C all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Poultry seasoning (my addition)

1 can (14 oz) chicken broth

1/2 C milk

2 1/2 C shredded cooked turkey or chicken

2 C veggies (I used peas and carrots), if frozen, thawed

Heat oven to 425. Line a pie plate with crust.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Stir in broth and milk. Cook and stir until bubbly and thickened. Add in turkey (chicken) and vegetables. Remove from heat. Spoon into crust. Top with second crust and seal edges. Cut slits in crust to vent.

Bake 30-40 minutes. During last 15 minutes cover edges with foil to keep from burning. Let sit for 5 minutes to cool before serving.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I got this recipe from some recipe cards I was sent in the mail. You've probably gotten them too. They want to subscribe and they'll send you a million more. I didn't do it, but I did save quite a few of the cards I got as a sample! The cheesecake recipe posted yesterday was from them too!

This cookies were delicious and gobbled up quickly! I would totally make them again, except next time I would grind up the walnuts in the food processor.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/2 C rolled oats

2 1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 C butter, softened

3/4 C brown sugar

3/4 C sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. lemon juice

2 eggs

3 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/2 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In food processor, finely grind oatmeal. Combine ground oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

In another bowl, cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.

Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Add the chocolate and nuts and mix well.

Scoop onto cookie sheet. Bake 16-18 minutes and cool on a wire rack.

Pumpkin Pie

We had early Thanksgiving last weekend with my family in Wilmington. I was responsible for desserts. Here's one! You can't go wrong with a classic Pumpkin Pie!

Pumpkin Pie
Source: Aldi

15 oz. Pumpkin
3/4 C sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
12 oz. evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9" pie crust

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and nutmeg together. Beat eggs in a large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

Pour into pie crust.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce temp to 350 and bake 40-50 minutes. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediatedly or refridgerate.

Chocolate Cheesecake

This was my other dessert for our early Thanksgiving. It was my first try at baking a cheesecake and easier than I expected! If you can bake a cake from scratch, you can bake a cheesecake!

Chocolate Cheesecake
Source: Hershey's

Crust
1 C chocolate wafer crumbs
1/2 stick butter

Cheesecake
3 packages of cream cheese, softened
8 oz sour cream
1 1/4 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C cocoa
2 T all-purpose flour
3 eggs

Drizzle
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 tsp shortening

For Crust...
Combine crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9" springform pan.

For Cheesecake...
Heat oven to 450.

Beat cream cheese and sugar until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat until blended. Beat in cocoa and flour. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat until blended. Pour into crust.

Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 250. Continue baking for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on wire rack. With knife, loosen sides from pan. Cool completely. Remove from pan. Drizzle chocolate over top and refrigerate 4 to 6 hours.

Chocolate Drizzle...
Place chips and shortening in a small bowl. Microwave on high 30 seconds. If necessary, microwave at high an additional 15 seconds at a time, stirring after each heating.

Pumpkin Muffins...Round 2!

So I made these a few weeks ago and I'm just now getting around to posting them! There's not enough time in the world anymore! I liked these much better than the other ones. Don't get me wrong...the last ones were good, but these appealed to me more! I still have 7 other recipes marked to make that involve pumpkin...not including the pumpkin pie I'm making this weekend for an early family Thanksgiving! I guess I should stock up on my pumpkin before they remove it from the shelves!

Pumpkin Muffins (with Chocolate Chips)
Source: Paige and Brooke


2 c. flour
1 T. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 c. butter softened (2 sticks)
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. canned pumpkin puree
2 cups chocolate chips (12 oz)


Preheat oven to 350 and spray muffin pan. In a medium bowl, add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium high speed until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin. Reduce speed to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Scoop spoonfuls into your muffin pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until done.

Apple Snack Cake

I didn't have the ingredients to make this the way I was supposed to...SO I improvised. The cake was really moist and I'm sure it would be better the original way, more cake like. It was still delicious!



Apple Snack Cake
adapted from: The Way the Cookie Crumbles


2 apples, cut into cubes
1 C apple cider
1½ C unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
⅔ C sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fresh ground nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground cloves
1 C unsweetened applesauce, room temperature
1 large egg, room temperature, lightly beaten
½ tsp table salt
8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 325. Spray 8-inch square baking dish with nonstick spray.


Bring apples and cider to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat; cook until liquid evaporates and mixture appears dry, about 15 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Meanwhile, whisk flour and baking soda in medium bowl to combine; set aside. In second medium bowl, whisk sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Measure 2 tablespoons sugar-spice mixture into small bowl and set aside for topping.


In food processor, process cooled dried-apple mixture and applesauce until smooth, 20 to 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl as needed; set aside. Whisk egg and salt in large bowl to combine. Add sugar-spice mixture and whisk continuously until well combined and light colored, about 20 seconds. Add butter in three additions, whisking after each. Add applesauce mixture and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; using rubber spatula, fold gently until just combined and even moistened.

Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula. Sprinkle reserved 2 tablespoons sugar-spice mixture evenly over batter. Bake until wooden skewer inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack to room temperature, about 2 hours. Run knife along cake edges without parchment to release. Remove cake pan by lifting parchment overhand and transfer to cutting board. Cut cake and serve.

Pumpkin Muffins

I made these for a recent camping trip Charlie and I took together. However, by the time we got to the campsite there were only a few left! :) Stay tuned for more pumpkin recipes. I've got a couple more muffin recipes with pumpkin too. We'll figure out our favorite!

Pumpkin Muffins

Source: Pioneer Woman

1 C All-purpose Flour
½ C Sugar
2 tsp Baking Powder
1-½ tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Ground Ginger
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ tsp Salt
4 T Butter - Cut Into Pieces
1 C (heaping) Pumpkin Puree
½ C Evaporated Milk
1 Egg
1-½ tsp Vanilla
½ C Golden Raisins (optional)

Topping

2 T Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease 12 muffin tins.

Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Cut in butter pastry blender until it is fully incorporated. In a separate bowl, mix together pumpkin, evaporated milk, egg, and vanilla. Pour pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Add raisins. Fold gently until mixture is just combined.

Pour into a greased muffin pan. Sprinkle with remaining cinnamon-sugar-nutmeg mixture over the top of each unbaked muffin.

Bake for 25 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes, then remove and allow to cool.

Mac and Cheese

I've been looking and looking for the perfect mac and cheese recipe. I love mac and cheese. The creamier, the better! I made a Real Simple recipe a few weeks ago and wasn't impressed. So the search continued. So on to the story of this mac and cheese.

We were invited to hang out with some friends last weekend. The plan was to bring dessert. Charlie requested this gem. YUM! Then...he volunteered me to make mac and cheese as well! Oh no! I was almost in tears. I hadn't found a recipe I liked yet. Then I remembered Krystal. I've mentioned Krystal before. Shoot, she's probably the one who even reads this blog! Krystal is my sister. And this is her mac and cheese recipe. So yummy!

When I asked for the recipe, she said it wasn't really a recipe. And that is what I love about it! It's one of those things that's so easy you can remember it off the top of your head. There are only a few ingredients and it's super easy to make!

Krystal says to use the block cheese and shred it. She swears it makes a difference....So listen to her! I hardly shred my own cheese anymore. I remember this was my job when I was a kid...pre-bagged shredded cheese days. Of course, I ate half of it before I finished! It really does taste more yummy than the bagged stuff.

Mac and Cheese
Source: Krystal Kerns

16 oz. elbow macaroni
1 large block of cheddar, shredded (the largest block you can find!)
1/2 stick of butter
Fresh ground paper

Cook the macaroni and drain. Shred the cheese. Butter the bottom and sides of a large baking dish. Pour half the noodles in the dish. Spread half the cheese on top. Layer with the rest of the noodles. Top with the rest of the cheese. Place pats of butter around the top of the cheese. I used 8. Sprinkle with fresh ground pepper, but not too much! Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.

Baked Ravioli

I have been miserable for days now! Having your wisdom teeth out is no picnic! I finally got some pain relief this afternoon from the Dr. and was feeling up to cooking (and eating). It's nice to eat something besides a bowl of soup and a milkshake! Forget Halloween candy. That was a temptation I couldn't even imagine chewing!


Baked Ravioli
Source: Everyday Food

2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 6)
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp. dried thyme or oregano
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 lb. Ravioli (I was just shy of 2 lbs)
1 1/2 C shredded mozzarella
1/2 C grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 425. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling water. Cook until the ravioli floats to the top, then drain.

Mix the sauce and ravioli together and pour into a large baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve!