Table of Contents:
Butterfly Chops and Potatoes
Mini Chile Relleno Casseroles
Beef and Macaroni Bake
Medallions of Pork with Riesling Sauce
Tangy Lemon Chicken
Jiffy Creole Meal
Gringo Cabbage
Lazy Housewife Pickles
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Butterfly Chops and Potatoes
Makes 4 - 6 servings
6 (or more) Medium Red Potatoes, cut into thick slices
1 Large Onion, quartered and thickly sliced
Salt & Pepper, to taste
4 to 6 Boneless Pork Chops, butterflied
1 Env (0.6 oz) Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
In crock-pot, toss potatoes and onion with salt and pepper. Arrange
pork chops on top; then sprinkle with dressing mix.
Cover and cook on Low for 7 to 9 hours (or for 4 - 5 hours on High).
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Mini Chile Relleno Casseroles
Everyone gets his own portion with this fun, vegetarian, Tex-Mex mini
casserole. A normal-size casserole like this would take close to an hour
to bake-these are ready in half the time. Heatproof ramekins are a
cook's best friend-we use them all the time to hold ingredients while
cooking. You can buy them at most grocery stores. Make it a meal: Enjoy
with steamed corn tortillas and salsa on the side.
INGREDIENTS
2 4-ounce cans diced green chiles, drained and patted dry
3/4 cup frozen corn, thawed and patted dry
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
6 large egg whites
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat eight 6-ounce or four 10-ounce heatproof
ramekins with cooking spray and place on a baking sheet.
2. Equally divide green chiles, corn and scallions among the ramekins.
Top each with cheese. Whisk milk, egg whites, eggs and salt in a medium
bowl until combined. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the ramekins.
3. Bake the mini casseroles until the tops begin to brown and the eggs
are set, about 25 minutes for 6-ounce ramekins and about 35 minutes for
10-ounce ramekins.
MAKE AHEAD TIP: Equipment: Eight 6-ounce or four 10-ounce heatproof
ramekins
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Beef and Macaroni Bake
8 ounces elbow macaroni or small shells, cooked, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 ribs celery, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) tomatoes, undrained, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
2 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese, divided
PREPARATION:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat; add
onion, celery, green and red pepper, and garlic. Continue to sauté the
vegetables, stirring frequently, until the chopped onion is tender. Add
ground beef and continue cooking, stirring, until beef is browned. Add
the Cajun seasoning, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir to blend well and
bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in
the cooked and drained macaroni and 2 cups of the shredded cheese, along
with salt and pepper, as desired. Transfer to a lightly greased 13 x
9-inch baking pan. Cover with foil. At this point, the casserole may be
refrigerated for a few hours or overnight.
Bake the covered casserole in a 350F oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until
hot and bubbly (if it is cold from the refrigerator, it may take
longer). Top with the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese and cook, uncovered,
for 5 to 10 minutes longer. Serves 6 to 8.
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Medallions of Pork with Riesling Sauce
4 servings.
1- 12 oz. pork tenderloin, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
All purpose flour
4 TBL (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry Riesling wine
1/2 cup raisins
3 TBL balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar
1 TBL plus 2 tsp. drained green peppercorns in brine
1-1/2 tsp. minced fresh thyme OR 1/2 tsp. dried
1-1/2 tsp minced fresh oregano OR 1/2 tsp. dried
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Season pork with salt and pepper. Coat in flour; shake off excess.
Melt 2 TBL butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add
onion and garlic and saute until golden brown, about 5 minutes.
Transfer mixture to bowl. Melt remaining 2 TBL butter in same skillet
over medium-high heat. Add pork and saute about 4 minutes per side for
medium. Transfer pork to plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
Add onion mixture, Riesling, raisins, vinegar, green peppercorns and
herbs to same skillet and boil until sauce thickens, about 4 minutes.
Add pork to skillet and heat through. Divide pork among plates. Add
1/4 cup chilled butter to sauce in skillet and whisk just until melted.
Mix in pine nuts. Spoon sauce over pork and serve.
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TANGY LEMON CHICKEN
4 chicken breast halves, boneless, skinless
1/2 cup creamy Italian salad dressing
1 Tbsp grated lemon peel
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Dash ground black pepper
Place chicken in a plastic resealable bag placed inside a large bowl. In
a small bowl, combine all other ingredients for the marinade. Pour over
chicken. Seal the bag and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2
hours, turning bag occasionally. Drain chicken; reserve marinade. Grill
chicken over medium coals for 15-20 minutes or until tender. Brush with
marinade during the last half of the cooking time. Discard any remaining
marinade. Yield: 4 servings.
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Jiffy Creole Meal
We like this quick meal
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 TBL cooking oil
1 pound fully cooked kielbasa or Polish sausage, cut into 1/4 in slices
1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained.
1/2 cup water
1 TBL sugar
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
3 drops hot pepper sauce
1-1/2 cups uncooked instant rice.
In a skillet, saute onion and green pepper in oil until tender. Stir in
the sausage, tomatoes, water, sugar and seasonings.
Bring to a boil, add the rice. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until
the rice is tender. yield 6 servings.
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Gringo Cabbage
1 medium head cabbage, coarsely chopped. Cover with boiling water and
simmer about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare white sauce:
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 Tbs. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (if desired, and to taste)
1 1/2 c. milk
Butter a baking dish and layer:
one half of the cabbage,
one half of the white sauce
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 cup crushed potato chips
Repeat layers. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
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These are as the name implies, easy and keep well. No actual cooking
involved and no need to "process" the jars.
Lazy Housewife Pickles
Clean jars and lids. 2 1 gallons or 8 quarts or 16 pints or any
combination totaling 2 gallons.
Aprox. 10-12, 8-10 inch store bought cucumbers or equivalent amount of
home grown.
Wash thoroughly and cut into spears or slices or chunks or different for
each jar. Your choice.
Divide evenly into jars.
Combine:
1/2 c. sea salt or kosher salt
1/2 c. powdered dry mustard
1/2 c. brown sugar
6 c. distilled white vinegar
2 c. bottled water (no chlorine)
2 Heads garlic (minced fine)
Mix well and pour over cucumbers dividing evenly between jars. Close
the jars and set aside. Shake jars after 24 hours. Store at room temp
for at least 48 hours. Refrigerate before opening for best flavor.
These are ready in 48 hours but like most things, they are better the
longer they sit. Usually a week is best. If salmonella or e-coli or
any other nasty thing is a concern in your area, use common sense and
store refrigerated after the first 48 hours.
If you aren't feeling 'lazy' that day you can experiment with different
add-ins for each jar such as: hot peppers, onions, dill, corn syrup,
etc....They are your pickles so follow your own taste buds and have fun
with them.
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