Maple-Mustard Glazed Pork Chops

I'm not a huge fan of pork chops, because I always overcook them. I can never figure out the correct timing when I'm cooking them. BUT....using this method of broiling them, they were juicy and so good. I was a little concerned that the glaze would be a little spicy with the whole-grain mustard, but it wasn't too spicy and added the right amount of flavor and a change from the boring and bland way I usually make them.

4 boneless pork chops (3/4 to 1 inch thick)
2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
1 1/2 Tbsp dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
1 tsp garlic paste

Heat an oiled broiler pan 6 inches from the broiler element. In a small bowl, stir together the maple syrup, mustards and garlic paste to make a glaze.

Season pork chops with salt and pepper. Place them on the pan and broil for 8-9 minutes on each side, turning once. Spread the maple-mustard mixture on top of the chops and continue to broil until glaze is bubbly, about 2 minutes. Remove from broiler and serve.

Recipe from Redbook Magazine

Pumpkin Cream Pie

I love pumpkin pie, but I also love cheesecake. This pie is the best of both worlds - just like my mom's potato filling (mashed potatoes & stuffing). It's creamy like cheesecake but not as rich and has the pumpkin of a pumpkin pie. It's also great when your relatives just say MMMM when they eat it.

Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 stick butter, melted

Filling
1 box (3 oz) cook and serve vanilla pudding
1 cup half and half
1/2 cups heavy cream
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
pinch of ground clove
1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and powdered sugar. Add the melted butter and combine well. Press into the bottom of a pie pan until firm. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until warm and set. Remove from oven and crust to cool completely.

In a medium saucepan, mix the pudding mix and half-and-half and cream. Add the spices. Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly until the mixture is bubbly and thick. Remove from heat. Add the pumpkin and stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot an set aside to cool. When cool enough to handle, place the pot in the refrigerator to completely cool. When the pumpkin pudding is cool, remove from the refrigerator.

In a mixing bowl, add the additional 1/2 cup of heavy cream and brown sugar. Beat with a hand mixture until light and fluffy. Fold in the pumpkin pudding mixure until combined. Pour into the cooled crust.

Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. Serve with graham crackers crumbled on top.

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Spinach Gratin

I wanted to make some different for Thanksgiving to take to my mom's and found this recipe on My Kitchen Cafe's blog. I love spinach and thought it would be some different. My daughter was so-so on it, but everyone else liked except my brother who is SUPER picky! I tried to get him to taste it, but no luck!

4 Tbsp butter
4 cups minced yellow onions (2 large)
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/4 cup flour
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups skim milk
3 pounds frozen chopped spinach, defrosted (5 - 10 oz packages); all liquid squeezed out*
1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 2 additional minutes. Add the flour and nutmeg; cook for 2 minutes.

Add the cream and milk and cook, stirring often and quickly until thickened. Add the spinach to the sauce. Combine well. Season with salt and pepper and then add 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; stir well.

Transfer the spinach to a 9x13 inch baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese and the Swiss cheese on top. Bake for 20 minutes until hot and bubbly. Serve hot.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe

*Make sure to squeeze as much liquid out of the spinach as you can or the gratin will be watery. The best method is to put the spinach in a large dishtowel, roll up the towel and twist the ends to wring out the water.

Corn Fritters

I was thinking about starting with my dessert this year, but since we don't eat dessert before dinner, you're going to have to wait. My mom made corn fritters this year and since I was there, I helped out by frying them. They're not the healthiest, but it's Thanksgiving, so there's no counting calories and I couldn't resist. They are super easy to make and great when topped with powdered sugar or maple syrup. So, so good!

4 eggs, beaten
2 cans of regular yellow corn, drained well
1 can creamed corn
1 3/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp sugar
Salt & Pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, heat vegetable oil to fry the fritters.

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients. If the batter is thin, add a couple tablespoons of flour. Once the oil is hot enough to fry, drop fritters into the oil. I made 2-bite sized ones, but they can be made to any size your little hear desires :)

Once the one side is cooked and the oil is starting to bubble through the other side, flip over the fritters with a metal slotted spoon. Fry for a couple more minutes until golden brown. Drain and set on a paper towel lined plate.

Drizzle with maple syrup or sprinkle powdered sugar on and serve!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! I'm so full from 2 meals, one at my mom's and the other at my in-laws. I was able to enjoy all my favorite things - potato filling, candied sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.

I have three new recipes to share with you that were part of our Thanksgiving dinner - Spinach Gratin, Corn Fritters and Pumpkin Cream pie. I have yet to try the pie, but there were lots of Mmmmms while everyone was eating it. Hearing that always makes me feel good that I know what I'm doing in the kitchen!

I have decided that my next adventure in baking will be..... YEAST BREADS. I have really only experimented with quick breads and muffins, but I want to try working with yeast. I'm a little nervous, but I'm hoping for the best. If anyone has advice working with yeast, please let me know!

London Broil Stroganoff

Last week,  london broil was on sale - buy one, get one free. What a great deal! I bought 2 cuts about 1.5 pounds each. I think this cut of beef can be a little tough, so I wanted to a recipe that would let it cook all day in the slow cooker and make it super tender! After cooking on low for 8 hours, it was fall-apart good! Another benefit, I could use up some mushrooms that I forgot about last week.

1.5 lb london broil, cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion, diced
3 Tbsp minced garlic
1 can reduced-fat cream of mushroom soup
1 cup milk
1 packet onion soup mix
8 oz sliced baby portobello mushrooms
salt
fresh ground pepper
whole-wheat egg noodles

In a slow cooker, add the onions and garlic. Add the london broil, season with salt and pepper. Add the mushrooms.

In a small bowl, combine the soup mix with milk. Add the cream of mushroom soup and stir until well combined. Pour over steak. Season this layer with salt and pepper.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is fork tender. Cook desired amount of egg noodles according to package instructions. Serve the stroganoff over the cooked noodles.

Recipe adapted from grouprecipes.com

Peanut Butter Chewy Granola Bars

First off, let me apologize for the hiatus! I haven't stopped cooking or baking, but haven't tried out many new recipes this month. I also took a weekend trip to NYC to meet up with 33 of my closest friends, most who I have never met before. I am part of an amazing mom's board since the birth of my daughter 3 years ago. They are all amazing, have been there for me through good times and bad and I can't imagine my life without them!

Now back to food! I have a couple new recipes I'm trying out this week for Thanksgiving and will get back to posting on a regular basis. I had planned to make these granola bars earlier in the week, but work was crazy and I worked late a couple days this week. I made them last night with my daughter. She had a great time helping me by mixing the oats and sugar together and eating peanut butter chips. :)  These granola bars are chewy and peanutty goodness.

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 egg
2 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup peanut butter chips
1/3 cup minature semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, beat the peanut butter, honey, egg, oil and vanilla until well blended. In a separate bowl, combine the oats, brown sugar and salt.

Add the oat mixture to the wet ingredients and mix well. Stir in the peanut butter and chocolate chips. The batter will be stiff.

Line a 9x13 baking dish with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Pour the granola mixture in and spread evenly in pan. Bake for 12 - 15 minutes or until granola bars are set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cut into desired sized bars.

Recipe from Taste of Home Healthy Cooking Magazine

Stir-Fry Tilapia with Asparagus

I haven't made fish lately and last week tilapia was on sale. Since I meal plan and plan all my meals around what is on sale, this worked out great and wasn't very expensive. It was tasty and we all really enjoyed it.

3/4 lb tilapia, cut into chunks
3 Tbps light olive oil
1 piece shallot, finely chopped
1 tsp crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3/4 lb asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Season tilapia chunks with salt and pepper. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Once oil is warm, add fish and fry until golden brown. Remove fish from pan and set aside.

In the same oil, add the shallot and fry until tender. Add crushed red pepper and garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the asparagus pieces, season with salt and pepper and stir-fry until done.

Add the fish and combine to blend flavors. Serve over brown rice.

Recipe from Tasty Kitchen