Thursday, November 18, 2010

Honey Pecan Pork Chops

These were so good!  I kind of felt like I was eating dessert for dinner.  It's not overwhelmingly sweet though, just enough to make it good.  I got the recipe from Moms Who Think. They have weekly easy dinner ideas that I have been trying a lot lately.  Here's the page.  It's week 1 day 5.  I'll put the recipe below, or you can get it from there.  I served it with mashed sweet potatoes and a green salad.

HONEY PECAN PORK CHOPS


Ingredients:

1 ¼  pounds boneless pork loin, pounded thin
½  cup all-purpose flour for coating
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons butter
¼  cup honey
¼  cup chopped pecans

Directions:

1. In a shallow dish, mix together flour, salt and pepper. Dredge pork cutlets in the flour mixture.
2. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chops, and brown both sides. Transfer to a warm plate.
3. Mix honey and pecans into the pan drippings. Heat through, stirring constantly.
4. Pour sauce over cutlets.

ENJOY!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

"Melt in Your Mouth" Peanut Butter Cookies

This is my favorite recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies!  I got it from the cookbook The Ultimate Cookie Book, by Catherine Atkinson.  I hope you love them too.

Peanut Butter Cookies


Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter, at room temperature, diced
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup crunchy peanut butter (or creamy, if you prefer)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  In another bowl, mix the egg and vanilla, then gradually beat into the butter mixture.  Stir in the peanut butter and blend thoroughly.  

Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt and stir into the mixture to form a soft dough.  Chill dough for at least 30 minutes, or until firm.  
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease two baking sheets.  Spoon out teaspoonfuls of dough and form into balls.  Place on baking sheets and flatten with fork, making a crisscross pattern.  Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly colored.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool. 

ENJOY!

Angel Hair Pasta with Broccoli and Herb Butter

This is a great light-tasting pasta dish.  I found it on epicurious.com  I made it just like they suggested and it came out great.  I served it with Salmon Patties which turned out well.  I'll put the recipe below or you can get it at the link above.

Angel Hair Pasta with Broccoli and Herb Butter


Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted European-style butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces angel hair pasta
2 cups small broccoli florets
Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions:

Mix first 4 ingredients in small bowl.
Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add pasta and cook until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Add broccoli and boil until pasta is tender but still firm to bite and broccoli is crisp-tender, about 1 minute longer. Drain pasta and broccoli; transfer to large serving bowl. Add herb butter and toss well to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve, passing Parmesan cheese separately if desired.


ENJOY!

Black-Bean, Cheese, and Slaw Tacos

Doesn't this look delicious?  It was!  Ben ate it well too.  I got the recipe from here, but made some changes.  The recipe with what I did is below.


Black-Bean, Cheese, and Slaw Tacos


Ingredients:

1 15-ounce can black beans, drained 
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 
1/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
5 teaspoons olive oil, divided 
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice 
2 cups coleslaw mix 
2 green onions, chopped 
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
4 white or yellow corn tortillas 
Bottled chipotle hot sauce or other hot sauce

Directions:
Place beans and cumin in small bowl; partially mash.  Add cheese.  Mix 2 teaspoons olive oil and lime juice in medium bowl; add coleslaw, green onions, and cilantro and toss to coat. Season slaw to taste with salt and pepper.
Heat 3 teaspoons olive oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tortillas in single layer. Spoon 1/4 of bean mixture and a little slaw mix onto half of each tortilla; cook 1 minute. Fold tacos in half. Cook until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Fill tacos with more slaw. Pass hot sauce alongside.

ENJOY!