Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops

 

This is one of the easiest things to make. And the flavor is so so good. 

Grilled Brown Sugar Pork Chops 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
• 3/4 c. apple juice
• 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 4 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• pepper, to taste
• 11 boneless pork chops

Directions:

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in saucepan over medium heat.

2. Place chops in large bowl or dish. Pour sauce over chops and cover. Marinate for 30 minutes.

3. Grill chops evenly on both sides until done.

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7 Things You Will Never Find In My Kitchen....

I have, by no means, the perfect eating habits. I never claimed to. But here are 7 things you will never find in my kitchen.

• Boxed Macaroni and Cheese: We used to eat it. Up until about 3 years ago. I was in the mood for something with a better taste than the boxed stuff. So, I set out to make my own. And ever since, the boxed stuff taste like cardboard - tasteless. Making mine really takes no more time than the box stuff. Boil the noodles and then about 5 minutes for the cheese sauce. 
• Boxed Hamburger Helper: Another boxed meal we used to eat a lot. We bought some about 2 years ago. It was edible. It was just tasteless (I'm starting to think that everything in a box is tasteless). I went on a search for how to make homemade hamburger helper. And I have succeeded. No more cardboard taste here.
• Boxed Suddenly Salad Pasta Salad: Chris used to love this stuff. He wanted it almost every day after working in the hot, humid temps. It was good. Then it started to lose its taste. Then, I decided I wanted to figure out how to make it more healthier. So, I learned to make it myself using no more time than the boxed stuff.
• Canned Veggies: We all know the order of veggies from best to worst, right? {Home grown, Farmer's Market, Fresh produce at store, frozen, canned} Yep, I don't do canned veggies. It's usually fresh or frozen. 
• Packaged taco seasoning: Something about the taste threw me off. I found a recipe for oven fajitas where they made their own seasoning mix. I adapted it to my own tasting. Is so much better than the packaged mixes. 
• Soda: When my husband went back to drinking strictly tea at home (kids too. I am strictly water), we stopped buying sodas altogether. We do occasionally treat ourselves to a 20 oz here or there. But, we do not buy them and keep them at home. 
• Jarred spaghetti sauce: I don't think I have used this in over 10 years. For anything. Even recipes that call for a jar of sauce. I have and always will make my own. The same holds true for alfredo sauce. 

I am also in the process of cutting out gluten. Long tedious process of changing brands over. I also changed my milk from dairy milk to almond milk. The rest refuse to give up drinking cow's milk. I do plan to start cooking with almond milk over dairy milk. 

What changes have you made in your overall diet? What products would I not find in your kitchen?

** Note: The following recipes may find their way to the blog soon: Macaroni and Cheese, Homemade Hamburger Skillets, Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad, Taco Seasoning Mix, Alfredo Sauce. **

Baked Cajun Pork Chops with Rice

 

 Baked Cajun Pork Chops with Rice 

Ingredients:

• 8 boneless pork chops
• 3 cups rice
• 3 cups beef broth
• 2 cans Beef with Mushroom condensed soup
• 4 tbsp butter
• salt
• pepper
• Cajun seasoning

Directions:

1. Cook rice according to package. Pre-heat oven to 350* F.

2. In a large bowl mix cooked rice, beef broth, beef/mushroom soup, and butter. Pour into 9x13 baking dish.

3. Season chops with salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning. Lay on top of rice.

4. Bake for about 45 - 60 minutes.


Serves: 8 | Serving size: 1 pork chop and 1 cup cooked rice

This post first appeared on my other blog, The Italian Bella Diaries.

Fiery Cajun Lemon Shrimp

 

 Fiery Cajun Lemon Shrimp 

Ingredients: 

• Shrimp (I used a pound of medium shrimp), shelled 

• 3 lemons 

• Tabasco sauce 

• Cajun seasoning 

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat oven to 350*F. 

2. Slice two lemons into thin slices. Place lemon slices into bottom of 8x8 pan. 

3. Place shrimp on top of lemons. Cut the last lemon in half. Squeeze juice from the lemons over shrimp. Sprinkle with Cajun seasoning and Tabasco sauce, to taste. 

4. Bake at 350*F for about 20 minutes or until shrimp are translucent.

This post first appeared on my other blog, The Italian Bella Diaries.

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Beans and Red Potatoes

 

Lemon Garlic Chicken with Green Beans and Red Potatoes 

Serves 4 * Prep Time: 15 minutes * Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes 

Ingredients: 

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 lemons, 1 thinly sliced, 1 juiced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 pound trimmed green beans
• 8 small red potatoes, quartered
• 4 chicken breasts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a large baking dish or cast-iron skillet with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the lemon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the dish or skillet.

2. In a large bowl, combine the remaining oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper; add the green beans and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green beans and arrange them on top of the lemon slices. Add the potatoes to the same olive-oil mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, arrange the potatoes along the inside edge of the dish or skillet on top of the green beans. Place the chicken in the same bowl with the olive-oil mixture and coat thoroughly. Place the chicken, skin-side up, in the dish or skillet. Pour any of the remaining olive-oil mixture over the chicken.

3. Roast for 50 minutes. Remove the chicken from the dish or skillet. Place the beans and potatoes back in oven for 10 minutes more or until the potatoes are tender. Place a chicken breast on each of 4 serving plates; divide the green beans and potatoes equally. Serve warm.

This post first appeared on my other blog, The Italian Bella Diaries.

Red Beans and Rice

 

Red Beans and Rice 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb, bacon, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• celery, diced (I use the whole package. Can't remember the size)
• 4 green peppers, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 2 lbs sausage (andouille preferably. If not, then smoked will work), cut
• 2 lbs red beans, soaked and drained
• water
• Cajun seasoning, to taste
• creole seasoning, to taste
• Tabasco hot sauce, to taste
• rice, cooked (I use 1 cup cooked per person)

Directions:

1. The night before, soak red beans in water.

2. In large stock pot, cook chopped bacon. Do not drain.

3. Add onion, celery, peppers and garlic. Cook until veggies are tender.

4. Add sausage and red beans. Add spices and hot sauce to your taste. Cover with water.

5. Cook on low for about 3 hours. Keep a check on water. You can smash the beans to thicken it.

* This serves about 18. Seriously. We are a family of 9 and eat the leftovers the next day for lunch.

This post first appeared on my other blog, The Italian Bella Diaries.

King Cake Cupcakes

 

 King Cake Cupcakes 

Ingredients:

• Cake mix, plus ingredients to prepare the mix
• Cinnamon, about 2 tsps
• Vanilla wafers
• White icing
• purple, yellow and green sprinkles

Directions: 

1. Prepare cake mix as directed. Add cinnamon to mix.

2. Cook cupcakes as directed on package.

3. After cupcakes are cooled, spread icing over them.

4. For each cupcake, take a vanilla wafer and pipe a circle of icing around the outer edge. Sprinkle one third of the cookie with green sprinkles, one third with purple and the remaining third with yellow. Using a dab of icing, stick a kingcake baby (or the little baby decorations for baby showers if you don't have access to king cake babies) in the center of the cookie. Stick the wafer on top of the cupcake.

This is great if you do not have access to King Cakes, do not know how to make them, or want the flavor without breaking the rule of "no king cake after Mardi Gras".

This post first appeared on my other blog, The Italian Bella Diaries.

Butterfinger Cake

Butterfinger Cake 

 Ingredients:

- 1 box yellow cake mix, plus ingredients to make the cake
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 jar Smucker's caramel ice cream topping
- 2 (8 oz) tubs Cool-Whip
- 6 regular sized Butterfinger candy bars, crushed

 Directions:

1) Bake cake in a 9x13-inch pan according to directions on the package.

2) While cake is baking, mix milk and caramel topping until well blended. When the cake is done and while it's still hot, poke holes in it with a fork or straw. Pour milk mixture over the cake. Allow cake to cool completely.

3) Sprinkle 3 candy bars over cake. Spread Cool Whip over the top, then sprinkle with the remaining candy bars on top. Chill.



This post first appeared on my other blog, The Italian Bella Diaries.

Oven Baked Fried Chicken

 Just Like KFC Oven Baked Fried Chicken 

 Ingredients:

 • 4 - 5 Boneless, Skinless chicken breasts
• milk, enough to soak the chicken in
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp Season All
• 3/4 tsp pepper
• 1 c. flour
• 2 tsp. paprika

Directions:

1. Place thawed chicken in bowl of milk. Let soak for 30 minutes.
2. Pre-heat oven to 400*F. Cut butter into small pieces and place in bottom of 9x13 pan. Melt butter in oven and spread over bottom of pan.
3. Mix together the salt, Season All, pepper, flour and paprika.
4. Coat each piece of chicken in seasoning mixture. Place in bottom of pan.
5. Cook for 20 minutes. Flip chicken and cook for another 20 minutes.

 ** EDIT: Use 2 tsp. of McCormick’s Perfect Pinch Original Chicken Seasoning in place of the paprika. It tastes even better! **

This post first appeared on my other blog, The Italian Bella Diaries.

Hamburger Steak with Mushroom and Onion Gravy

Hamburger Steak with Mushroom and Onion Gravy 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 8 oz. sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 2 pkgs gravy mix

Directions:

1. Add salt and pepper to taste to the ground beef. Divide and shape into patties of preferred size.

2. Prepare patties as if you were cooking regular hamburgers until the are medium rare. {I grilled mine on an indoor grill, but in the frying pan works too). Set aside.

3. In large skillet (drain hamburger grease if you prepared the patties in the skillet), melt butter over medium high heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Saute in butter about 10 minutes.

4. Prepare gravy mixture as according to package. Add to onions and mushrooms. Cook a couple of minutes until gravy is smooth.

5. Place patties in skillet and continue cooking about 15 minutes over medium high heat, until cooked through. KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR GRAVY!

*This recipe serves about 4-5 people. Serve with Mashed Potatoes.

 Mashed Potatoes 

Ingredients: 

• 4 lbs white potatoes, washed and diced
• 8 oz sour cream
• 1/4 stick of butter
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions: 

1. Boil potatoes until soft, usually 20 minutes. Drain.

2. In pot or large mixing bowl, mix potatoes, sour cream and butter. (Electric mixer or potato masher will work). Add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Mix until desired consistency. If too thick, add some milk.



This post first appeared on my other blog, The Italian Bella Diaries