Friday, January 18, 2008

Maple Baked Pork Chops and Pears


I have been cooking and finding new recipes, but just haven't been getting around to posting. So here is my first new recipe find:

Maple Baked Pork Chops and Pears

6 loin chops, cut 3/4 inch thick

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. sage

2 pears
2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 c. hot water

1/2 c. maple syrup

1 tbsp. cider vinegar

Parsley


Rub pork chops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and sage. Brown slowly in hot skillet. Place in shallow baking dish. Core and slice pears. But do not peel. Arrange slices on top of pork chops. Blend cornstarch into fat drippings in skillet. Gradually stir in hot water and cook until thickened. Add syrup, vinegar and remaining 3/4 tsp. of salt. Pour sauce over pork chops and pears. Cover and bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour or until pork chops are tender. Garnish with parsley.

Jessica, you and Justin might like this since you cook with pork chops a lot. It has become one of our favorite dishes. Unfortunately, pork chops are not cheap in our area, so this recipe is a treat when I find pork chops cheap enough for me (or when I feel like splurging). I made them when my mom visited in November and she loved them too!

I've tried several other recipes that I wanted to post, but I cannot remember what they are right now.

Friday, January 11, 2008

The Wysocki Sandwich

Last week when we had sandwiches, I was teasing Justin about how mine was better then his because I folded and layered my lunch meat to look all pretty like the sandwich on the lunch meat package.

So...the next time we had sandwiches, he proceeded to make himself a special sandwich. In his best TV chef's voice he explained how to cut the lunch meat into quarters and then place the pieces on the bread in an extra-special spiral formation. Cutting the cheese was also very important, and integral to the art of making a sandwich. This sandwich was called a Wysocki Sandwich because it was inspired by the paintings of the early 1900s painter, Charles Wysocki. An example of one of his fine paintings can be seen HERE. Don't you agree, that Justin's sandwich is an excellent redefinition of a Wysocki painting?

Last week I made Cindy's Cashew Chicken recipe. It was AWESOME! Thanks so much for the recipe, Cindy! I think it will be come a favorite here, and Justin is even considering having it for his annual birthday party dinner instead of his longstanding tradition of having enchiladas. That would be great with me because Cashew Chicken is a lot easier to make than enchiladas!

Elliot's newest feats now include pulling himself up on stuff. He did this all by himself! He will be 11 months tomorrow, and is such a big boy. He's one of the biggest joys of my life right now.

That's all for now!
Jessica

Friday, January 04, 2008

Cashew Chicken


Tonight for Family Fun Night at our house it is Bethany's night. She chose Cashew Chicken with Egg Rolls, and Chicken Fried Rice. Now before you get too impressed, the egg rolls and rice are from Sam's! I used to make my own egg rolls, but that was in the 1980's.

3/4 C orange juice
1/3 C honey
1/4 C soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
1 t ground ginger
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t pepper
2T vegetable oil
4 green onions, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
4 boneless chicken breasts cut into chunks
1 C cashews



In a bowl, combine juice, honey, soy sauce, cornstarch, and seasonings. In a large skillet, heat 1T oil and stir fry vegetables until tender. In the same skillet, push vegetables aside, heat more oil and stir fry chicken. When the chicken is done, combine with vegetables, add sauce, and cashews and heat until thick and bubbly. This really tastes like restaurant food. Notes: I double this recipe for our family. Enjoy!