Bahama-Mama Pork Chop Dinner

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com but I changed it up a bit. We had it for dinner tonight and it was so yummy! Here is the recipe with my alterations:

1 large can pineapple chunks, reserve juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup chili sauce
1/3 cup craisins
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 pork chops, cubed
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small green peppers chopped
1/2 of large red onion chopped

In a medium bowl, blend reserved pineapple juice with cornstarch; stir in pineapple, chili sauce, craisins, brown sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

In large skillet lightly brown pork chop cubes in oil and drain. Add green pepper and red onion and saute until onion has just barely started to clear. Pour pineapple mixture over chops. Cover and simmer 15 minutes or until pork is cooked throughout.

Serve over hot brown rice.

Make about 6 servings. Hope you girls like it!

Pancakes Please!

1 1/2 cups of flour
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
1 1/3 milk
1 egg
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
(occasionally I add some pumpkin pie spice (1 to 2 tsp))

Mix dry ingredients first and then add the wet ingredients. Makes about 16-20 pancakes. Really yummy!

Souvlaki

We made this for dinner the other night and it was de-lish! It was so simple. I got it off of allrecipes.com but changed it up a little. Here is the recipe as I made it here...

Juice of 1 whole lemon

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/2 tsp. dried oregano

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut into 1" cubes

1 medium onion, cut into 1" pieces

1 red pepper, cut into 1" pieces

1 yellow pepper, cut into 1" pieces

skewers

In a large glass bowl, mix together lemon juice, olive oil, soy sauce, oregano and garlic. Add pork, onions, and peppers and stir to coat. Cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Thread pork, peppers and onions onto skewers. Grill for about 15-17 minutes or to desired doneness, turning skewers frequently.

Enjoy!

Dinner tonight

I thought I'd just post what I made for dinner tonight. I just made my own meatloaf and it turned out so good I thought I'd share my recipe with you girls. The other sides I cooked were not created by me but they are fabulous recipes as well. I also bought a ton of fresh fruit yesterday so I decided to whip up a fruit cobbler. So good!

Meatloaf- a la Melanie

1 and 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 and 1/2 cups dry bread crumbs
1 whole egg and 1 egg white
1 and 1/2 tablespoon's Worcestershire sauce
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce

Combine all ingredients, except tomato sauce, using your hands to make sure it gets mixed together really well. Press into a loaf pan and spread tomato sauce on top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 25 minutes.


Crispy Potato Wedges

1 potato per person
olive oil
"Season All" seasoning or any other blended seasoning you have

Peel potatoes and cut into halves three times (ending with about 8 slices per potato). Arrange slices on baking sheet and lightly brush each slice with olive oil. Lightly dust all potatoes with seasoning. Bake for 45-55 minutes at 425 degrees. Watch for the edges of the potatoes to start browning and getting crispy.


Perfect Roasted Carrots

4 large carrots
Kosher Salt
freshly ground pepper
olive oil

Peel carrots and cut in 1/2 thick diagonal wedges. Toss together with olive oil. Place on baking sheet and sprinkle with Kosher salt and pepper to your taste.


Easy Batter Fruit Cobbler

2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
2 cups of fresh fruit (I used blueberries and strawberries)
1 Tbsp. sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put butter in an 8" square pan; set in oven to melt. When butter has melted, remove pan from oven. Whisk flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder and salt in small bowl. Add milk; whisk to form a smooth batter. Pour batter into pan, then scatter fruit over batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. of sugar. Bake until batter browns and fruit bubbles, about 50-55 minutes. Serve warm or at room temp. with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Almond Joy Cake

This may be the best cake I have ever tasted. It is soooo divine. The recipe calls for whole almonds but I used sliced almonds and it was fabulous. I also only used a tablespoon of butter instead of 1/4 cup. I would recommend some vanilla ice cream or a large glass of ice cold milk to accompany it. Enjoy!

1 box chocolate cake mix
1 and 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
25 large marshmallows
1 (14 oz.) bag shredded coconut
1/4 cup butter
1 (12 oz.) bag chocolate chips
1 cup toasted almonds

Bake the cake mix according to box directions and poke holes in it with the end of a large wooden spoon. In a large saucepan, combine 1 cup evaporated milk and sugar. Bring to a boil and stir in marshmallows until melted. Add coconut and pour mixture over cake while both are hot.

Melt together remaining evaporated milk (1/2 cup), butter and chocolate chips. Stir until melted and then add the almonds. Spread on top of cake.

The Community CO-OP of Utah

This is the food co-op we get food from every month. I know some of you wanted the info so here it is. First, here is the web address www.foodco-op.org. The food comes from here in Utah and its amazing how much you get for paying so little. You know in advance the kind of meat you are getting but not the fruits and veggies. We have been buying this food for about a year and have been impressed with what we have gotten. You only get it once a month and you have to go pick it during certain times on the last Saturday of the month (usually). You need to pay a one time membership fee of $5 and then you can order every month fee free. The best part about it is that once your order the standard share, you can add more onto your order. With food prices going up it is so nice to be able to buy groceries for such a small amount!

For instance I paid $26.75 and here is what I got...

1 loaf of wheat bread
1 bag of lentils
1 lb groudn beef
4 pork chops
4 chicken breasts
4 beef steaks
3 apples
4 peaches
4 plums
1 eggplant
3 corn
2 avacodos
1 bunch of radishes
1 bag of carrots
5 Colosimo's brauts
1 package of bacon

Quick and Easy Salsa

2 cans of tomatoes
1 can of Rotel
1 can of jalapenos (sometimes I only use 1/2 of the can)
cilantro (I usually use 1/2 a bunch)
1 red or yellow onion chopped
green onion
garlic salt

Combine tomatoes, Rotel, and jalapenos and blend. Add in onion and cilantro, blend until desired consistency. Add garlic salt to taste and garnish with green onions.

I have used this to marinade meat in or cook chicken in for tacos. I really like how easy it is and it tastes a lot better then store bought salsa.