Honey Pecan Pork Monday, Jan 25 2010

After the holidays were over, I wanted to try several new recipes including this one.  Let me say, I have an incredible sweet tooth and I love pork so I figured this recipe would be right up my alley.  Not to mention I’m all for fine dining and this turned out to be quite the fine dining experience at home. 

The pork was extremely moist!  Don’t let the sweetness factor deter you from making this, as it is only lightly sweetened from the sauce.  I can’t for the life of me remember what I served it with, but I’m pretty certain it was some sort of roasted veggies.

Ingredients
2 thick, bonless pork chops
1/2 cup flour
2 tbs butter
EVOO
salt
pepper
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Directions
Mix together flour, salt & pepper.  Dredge pork chops in flour mixture. In large skillet, heat 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.  Brown chops on both sides.  Reduce heat and cook chops through. Remove chops from skillet and keep warm.  Drain any remaining olive oil from pan.  Melt butter in remaining dripping.  Add honey and pecans.  Heat through, stirring constantly.  Pour over chops and serve.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Awesome-Honey-Pecan-Pork-Chops/Detail.aspx

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Bacon Wrapped Green Beans Monday, Jan 25 2010

This dish is a hubby special and goes well with a lot of different meals.  What makes this a great go-to side is the simple fact that most everyone will have these ingredients on hand.  It is an especially easy side to whip up for a gathering, which is what we did this year for Christmas.

Ingredients
2 lbs fresh, whole green beans (or canned in a pinch)
1/2 – 1 lb bacon slices
black pepper

Directions
If you are using fresh, green beans lightly steam them first. 
Make a small bunch of green beans and wrap with 1/2 piece of bacon; secure wrap with toothpick.
Place each wrap in a lightly greased 9″ X 13″ baking dish.
Sprinkle with black pepper.
Bake at 400 for 10-15 minutes.

Note: For crispier bacon, pre-cook bacon in skillet until firm or place the beans under the broiler for a few minutes before removing from oven.

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Carrot Souffle Monday, Jan 25 2010

So I guess I am quite a bit behind in my blogging these days.  Things have been insanely busy since the holidays!  Last week was a pretty rough job hunting week.  Fortunately, I am starting to get more interviews and hopefully something will pan out soon. 

This evening I was really inspired to make something great for dinner and once I photographed tonight’s meal I realized just how many outstanding photos I haven’t blogged about!  I’ll start off with a recap of the holidays…

This dish came about as a re-creation of a popular dish at a local restaurant.  One day my Mom & I visited this cafateria style restaurant for lunch and I selected a dish I could have sworn was some type of sweet potato casserole.  I was only off slightly; it was in fact a carrot souffle and it was one of the most delicious dishes I’d ever had.  I knew it would be a perfect holiday side.  Indeed it was a hit with my family!

*Note: This dish is definitely not low-fat!

Ingredients
1 3/4 cups peeled carrots
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/12 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
2 tbs flour
1/4 pound butter, softened
powdered sugar

Directions
Steam or boil carrots until extra soft, then drain.
While carrots are still warm, add sugar, baking powder and vanilla.
Whip with mixer until smooth.  (Or mash as smoothly as possible)
Add flour and mix well.
Whip eggs separately; add to mixture and blend well.
Add butter and blend well.
Pour mixture into greased 9″ X 9″ baking dish (about half full-souffle will rise).
Bake at 350 for 1 hour or until top is browned.
Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

Source: http://www.recipezaar.com/Picadillys-Carrot-Souffle-30216

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Jewelry Giveaway! Monday, Dec 7 2009

Tis the season of giving. It’s time for another giveaway. This time the giveaway is for some beautiful pearl earrings from GG’s Boutique. Check out the giveaway on The Nifty Newlywed blog here: http://theniftynewlywed.wordpress.com/2009/12/07/day-1_ggs_boutique/

Merry Christmas!

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Honey Baked Chicken & Pecan Rice Friday, Dec 4 2009

This chicken is very good.  I was surprised by the light, sweet, slightly spicy flavor. The rice is to die for.  So glad I came across these recipes!

Honey Baked Chicken

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless breasts
3 tbs butter, melted
3 tbs honey
1 1/4 tbs prepared mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp curry powder

Directions
Mix all ingredients together and marinate chicken for an hour or longer. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken in a baking dish coated with non-stick cooking spray and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, baste chicken with juices and bake for another 15 minutes.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Honey-Baked-Chicken-II/Detail.aspx

Pecan Rice

Ingredients
1 cup brown rice, cooked
2 tbs butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
2 tbs minced parsley
2 tbs minced celery
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions
Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Saute onions, parsley, celery, pecans, ginger, salt, and pepper. When onions are tender, stir in cooked rice and serve.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pecan-Rice/Detail.aspx

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Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing Wednesday, Dec 2 2009

Ok first off, these are the first sugar cookies I’ve ever made from scratch and they are fabulous! I had a bit of trouble when I first made the dough as the recipe I used indicated the dough only had to be refrigerated for one hour before rolling….um no, that does not work. For best results, refrigerate the dough overnight and use parchment paper to roll, cut & bake on! This will make your life much easier, I promise you. The end result is a thick, almost cakelike sugar cookie!

The Best Rolled Sugar Cookies

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
5 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Directions
In large bowl, cream together butter & sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Cover and chill dough OVERNIGHT. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On floured surface or parchment paper, roll out dough to 1/4″-1/2″ thick. Cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes.

*Note: I recommend using parchment paper to roll, cut and bake the cookies on. It saves a lot of time and keeps you from damaging the cookies before they are baked.

As for this royal icing, I wasn’t impressed. When I first made it (as per the directions), unbeknownst to me, it was too runny to pipe the outline. So the first five cookies got screwed. After that, I added a lot more powdered sugar to thicken it up and the rest of the icing went more smoothly but still to FOR.EV.ER! Perhaps that was because this was my first time working with royal icing. As you can see, I don’t have mad piping skills yet, but I’d definitely try it again! If you use this royal icing, add at least one more cup of powdered sugar.

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Royal-Icing-I/Detail.aspx

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Grilled Peanut Chicken & Sesame Noodle Wednesday, Dec 2 2009

Last night I wanted to jazz up some chicken.  I decided to try Peanut Grilled Chicken and Sesame Noodles.  I was surprised!  This is a quick and tasty (Thai-like) meal with a beautiful presentation! 

Grilled Peanut Chicken

Ingredients
4 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp lime juice
4 tsp soy sauce
2 cloves minced garlic
2/3 tsp curry powder
2 dashes ground cayenne pepper
1 to 2 tbsp brown sugar
equal parts cream or milk and water (to achieve desired consistency)

Directions
Mix all of the above ingredients. Add cream/water mixture last to thin out the mixture to the consistency desired for marinade. Marinate 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts in 1/2 -2/3 of the above sauce. Grill the chicken for 6-8 minutes on each side. Spice up remaining sauce with ground ginger, lemongrass, and honey for dipping.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Grilled-Peanut-Chicken/Detail.aspx

Sesame Noodles

Ingredients
8 ounces spaghetti
2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp thai sweet chili sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1 clove minced garlic
1 green onion, chopped
toasted sesame seeds

Directions
Boil pasta in pot of salted water until pasta is done, but semi-firm. Rinse pasta in cold water. While pasta is cooking, mix together peanut butter, honey, soy, thai sweet chili sauce, ginger and garlic. Taste and add more ingredients to your liking. Toss spaghetti with sauce and refrigerate for one hour. Top with sesame seeds and green onion before serving.

Adapted from: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/My-Favorite-Sesame-Noodles/Detail.aspx

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Oyster Cornbread Dressing & Homemade Cranberry Sauce Monday, Nov 30 2009

I prepared these dishes for Thanksgiving dinner and both were delish!  Cranberry sauce is so easy, I can’t believe I haven’t made it before. Enjoy!

Oyster Cornbread Dressing

Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Moms-Delicious-Oyster-Corn-Bread-Dressing/Detail.aspx

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients
1 12 oz bag of cranberries, washed
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
juice from 1 orange

Directions
Over mediumhigh heat, bring water and sugar to a boil. Add cranberries and juice and cook until cranberries have burst. Let cool before refrigerating.

 

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Happy Holidays & Giveaway Offer! Monday, Nov 30 2009

I love the holidays and this year we have much to be thankful for.  First and foremost I am thankful for our marriage.  I am so blessed to have met Greg; he is a wonderful husband and my best friend.  Our wedding was a wonderful time.  We have received so many compliments on the wedding, but most importantly I have been happy with the number of people who have told us it was the best time they’ve had at a wedding.  We could not be happier! 

Secondly, I am thankful to have finally graduated with my bachelors degree.  As many of you know, it was a long road and I am happy to have that behind me now.  I am also thankful that although I still have been unable to find a job, my husband has been able to support us both as I continue my search.  Not only has he been able to support us, but we also had the opportunity to help the Salvation Army with tons of gifts for a two year old girl we adopted from the angel tree. 

Last, but not least, I’m very thankful for my family.  They are always here for us and have helped us tremendously over the past few years.

My inspiration for starting this blog came from all the girls on the What’s Cooking Board on thenest.com.  I’ve come to really enjoy the board over the last several months.  Tis the season for giving!  Therefore, today I’d like to pass along a giveaway offer for three Vintage Victuals mixes.  Ellie is celebrating her 1 year blogiversy by giving away these goodies, check it out here at Ellie’s Giveaway. 

Feel free to comment about what you are thankful for this season.  Merry Christmas everyone!

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Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Dog Treats Monday, Nov 9 2009

I modified this recipe in order to scale it down (and to use the ingredients I had on hand) and I’m extremely glad I did!  It made almost as many as the original recipe calls for.  Anyway the dogs loved these and I will make them again.

Ingredients
1 tbs canola oil
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal
1 cup white flour

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine oil, peanut butter and water. Add Flour a little at a time, then knead into firm dough. Roll dough to ¼ inch thickness and cut with small bone shaped cookie cutter. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Makes 2 dozen (or more).

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