Normally, I don’t do follow ups to a prior post unless I’m making changes to an already existing recipe. Those of you who have been following along know that this year for Valentine’s Day I decided to build an entire Surf and Turf menu around Pink Margaritas. I’m here to tell you, the night could not have gone better. One of the biggest reasons for success was that I had spent the entire afternoon doing as much prep work as possible. I even had the dessert organized and ready. That’s a good thing, because those cute little Pink Margaritas at the start of the evening were killer. I don’t think I could have managed wheedling a knife after drinking margaritas – at least not safely.
Author: Rosemarie's Kitchen
I'm a wife, mother, grandmother and avid home cook.I believe in eating healthy whenever possible, while still managing to indulge in life's pleasures.
The Quirky Things We Eat, Round 2
Way back last November, I shared with you one of my favorite although be it strange things to eat, my Scrambled Egg and Vienna Sausage Sandwich. While I still enjoy a scrambled egg sandwich for lunch, since having heart surgery I don’t indulge is sodium-packed canned meats the way I once did.
In the summer, I still enjoy a southern favorite, the awesome Tomato Sandwich. After all, what else am I to do with all those bright, beautiful Beef Steak tomatoes from my garden? If southerners can have a sandwich made with nothing but mayonnaise and tomatoes, why can’t Bread and Butter Pickle Sandwich be a northern thing?
I first “invented” this sandwich back in my Business College Days. As a poor, struggling student, a loaf of bread, a jar of Mayonnaise and some pickle chips was something I could afford. And honestly, I enjoyed the creamy mayonnaise and the crunch of the pickle together. Today I can afford to eat a heck of a lot more, but I still enjoy my pickle sandwich. Before I shared this, I decided to do a little digging – are there recipes out there for my sandwich? About the closest I could find were Peanut Butter and Dill Pickle Sandwiches. Sounds more like an expectant mother’s craving, but to each their own, right?
Bread And Butter Pickle Sandwich
2 Slices White Bread
2 Tablespoons Mayonnaise
9 Bread and Butter Pickle Chips
Spread mayonnaise on bread. Top one slice of bread with pickle chips, as many as can fit.
Top with second slice of bread. Enjoy!
Do you have strange or unusual things you like to eat? Please, do tell!
Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes
There’s something wonderful about fresh Rosemary and potatoes. I love to add fresh Rosemary to roasted potatoes, giving them an earthy flavor with its tea-like aroma and piney, evergreen essence. Add plenty of minced garlic, and you’ve arrived in Potato Heaven. While you can use any good quality olive oil to toss the potatoes, if you happen to have basil olive oil on hand, by all means use it. The hint of basil will further enhance the aromas and flavors of this simple side dish.
Continue reading “Roasted Red Bliss Potatoes”Three-Cheese Tortellini in Sage Browned Butter
It seems that lately I’ve been in an Italy frame. This light yet delicious Tortellini Supper is the perfect end to a long work week. So light – so flavorful. It invites the diner to kick of their shoes, breath deep and say “oh yeah, it’s time to unwind”. I simply adore “browned butter” for that nutty flavor. There is something about browning the butter that brings a whole new level of flavor to everything.
Continue reading “Three-Cheese Tortellini in Sage Browned Butter”
White Asparagus will soon be coming to a Market near You
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!
So, I bet you are wondering what’s the difference between white asparagus and green asparagus? Is it a different variety? A close relative? Nope – asparagus is asparagus. White asparagus is nothing more than asparagus that spends its entire existence covered in dirty, not allowed to reach the sunlight that turns the spears green. It takes a little more tending than the green stuff. This extra tending is part of why white asparagus demands a higher price tag than the green variety. White asparagus is grown in South America and Europe, so it’s an “import” to the US markets. Hence the added cost. If you are lucky, these pale stalks make a brief appearance in early spring, so snatch them up when you can.
When you do, don’t treat them like green shoots. Deprived as they are of sunlight, the asparagus as a whole is changed. To begin with, white asparagus has a stiff stalk that will snap easily, and not necessarily at the “woody” ends like green asparagus. The thin outer skin is bitter, and must be removed prior to cooking. Once properly prepped, white asparagus can be cooked just as you would green asparagus. The most common is to boil the asparagus in a little water.
While I decided to boil the asparagus, salted water seemed a little boring, so I added some lemon juice to allow the flavor to penetrate the freshly peeled stalks.
The results were wonderful. The asparagus was tender without becoming “mushy”. The flavor of the asparagus itself is sweet. A little butter and season were all that were required to make a side dish that was beyond yummy.
Simple White Asparagus
1 Bunch White Asparagus
Salt (for water)
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Butter, Softened
1/2 Tablespoon Lemon Herb Seasoning
Rinse asparagus. While supporting asparagus spear in one had, gently peel outer skin from stalk. The asparagus will snap easily, so support while peeling is necessary.
Cut about 1 inch from bottom of each spear. Gather the asparagus, tie with kitchen twine at bottom, middle and top to create a nice bundle.
Place asparagus into a tall pot fitted with a lid. Fill pot with water to just below the tips of the asparagus. Remove bundle, set aside. Bring water to a boil. Season well with salt and lemon juice. Using tongs, add asparagus bundle to water, tip side up. Cover and let cook for about 15-20 minutes, depending upon thickness of stalk.
When asparagus is tender, remove from pot. Lay spears in a serving dish, remove twine. Brush spears with soften butter, sprinkle with lemon herb seasoning and serve.
White Chocolate Silk Pie
Years ago, Hubby and I loved to go for pie at Baker’s Square. I don’t know if the chain is still in existence, but I do know the one here closed its doors years ago. That’s too bad, because their French Silk Pie was awesome. Since then, I’ve taken to making French Silk at home, and that’s fine. Puttering in the kitchen is my thing. I have two go-to recipes for French Silk Pie. One is super easy, the other more complicated. It all depends upon my mood and time as to which recipe I will reach for. Both recipes are shares for another day.
Valentine’s Day is tomorrow. Just in case you haven’t finalized your dessert plans, might I suggest this yummy White Chocolate delight? I will admit it, I am a fan of all things white-chocolate. I know, it’s not really chocolate, but who cares? This pie just looks romantic with white chocolate shavings and sweet raspberries.
White Chocolate Silk Pie
Pecan Crust
1 Package Pepperidge Farm Milano Dark Chocolate Cookies
1/2 cup Pecans, finely chopped
3 tablespoons Butter, melted
White Chocolate Filling
2 bars (4 oz each) White Chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 3/4 cup Whole Milk
1 package (3.4 oz) Instant Vanilla Pudding
Topping
2 Cups Cool-Whip
1/2 pint Fresh Raspberries
1 tablespoons White Chocolate Shavings
Place 7 cookies into a resealable plastic bag. Seal the bag and crush the cookies with a rolling pin. Pour the crushed cookies into a medium bowl. Stir in the pecans and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1/4-inch up the side of a 9-inch pie plate. Cut the remaining cookies in half. Place the cookie halves, cut-side down, around the inside edge of the pie plate. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Heat the chopped white chocolate bars and 1/4 cup milk in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature.
Combine the instant pudding mix and remaining milk in a large bowl and stir according to the package directions.
Stir the cooled chocolate mixture into the pudding mixture. Fold in 1 cup of the whipped topping. Spoon the filling into the cookie crust and refrigerate for 3 hours or until the filling is fully set.
Top with remaining cup of Cool Whip. Garnish with raspberries and shaved chocolate.
Sloppy Barbecue Baked Pork Chops
As you can see by the photo, the finished chops were absolutely “swimming” in barbecue sauce – not necessarily in a good way. With the chops covered and baking in the oven; the juices from the meat and the condensation from the foil covering thinned the barbecue sauce. The sauce had more of a consistency of thin gravy rather than a nice, thick barbecue sauce. Everything had great flavor, was nice and tender BUT needed a thicker coating of barbecue on the finished chops. We added more sauce at the very end, after cutting the chops into bite-size pieces and this solved the problem nicely. You can elect to brush the chops at the end, or serve more barbecue sauce for “dipping” – whatever your particular preference might be.
These chops went well with fried potatoes. The great thing about searing the pork chops first is that there are little bits of nicely browned pork rendering in the skillet – so I fried my potatoes in the same skillet (less washing), which added yet another layer of flavor to the spuds.
Barbecue Baked Pork Chops
6 boneless Pork Loin Chops (¾-inch thick)
½ teaspoon salt, divided
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 cup Barbecue Sauce (preferably home-made but bottled is fine)
Additional Barbecue Sauce, warmed, to finish pork chops
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Sprinkle pork chops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. In a large non-stick skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chops in oil for 3-4 minutes on each side or until browned.
Spray a casserole dish or baking dish large enough to hold pork chops in a single layer with cooking spray. Transfer browned pork chops to prepared dish.
In a small saucepan, bring barbecue sauce to a nice rolling boil. Pour sauce over pork chops. Cover with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
Remove from oven, transfer to serving platter. Brush with additional barbecue sauce that has been warmed for a thicker coating of sauce or serve additional barbecue sauce on the side like a “dipping” sauce once your chops are cut.
Beefy Spanish Skillet Nachos
Not that long ago, I was cruising through a collection of Pillsbury recipes on line. For the most part, Pillsbury recipes are basic, not too complicated, with ingredients that are easy to recognize. My guys really enjoy simple, down home eating. I came across a recipe for Skillet Nachos. It was an interesting spin on the usual nachos. As a Pillsbury recipe, it called for “brand” ingredients, a certain kind of canned tomato, a particular taco seasoning and so forth. While I am sure those are all fine ingredients, it’s not what I happen to have in my pantry. If I can avoid shopping for special, brand-name ingredients, I do so.
Spicy Romance with a Mexican Influence
This was one of those wow – the light came on moments. Someone on Facebook posted a recipe for Margaritas made with Pink Lemonade for Valentine’s Day. Then it dawned on me, I could build an entire romantic Valentine’s Day Supper, from an appetizer to a beautiful dessert around the idea of Pink Margaritas.
Asparagi all’agro
Those of you who have been around a while might recognize this recipe for Asparagus with Lemon and Olive Oil. It’s a recipe I’ve shared before, as part of last year’s Bistro Style Birthday Menu. Italian foods are my all time favorites, although French foods are a very close second.
Busy Day Pork Chops
The name says it all – perfect for a busy-day. Not only are these pork chops yummy, the prep work is minimal and they don’t require much attention, aside from a quick flip about 15 minutes into the baking time. I’d even be willing to bet you’ve got all the ingredients in your kitchen right now.
I found this recipe on Taste of Home while searching for diabetic friendly main dishes. When I told the family we were going to try a pork chop recipe that was healthy and diabetic friendly, they didn’t look happy. But those looks of skepticism turned into smiles with the very first bite. It’s now a popular recipe in our house simply because these chops taste good. The fact that they are diabetic friendly is just a nice bonus.
Busy-Day Pork Chops
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
4 boneless pork loin chops (4 ounces each)
Cooking spray
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Coat a baking pan lightly with cooking spray, set aside.
Pour milk into a pie plate or a shallow bowl, set aside.
On a sheet of waxed paper, combine the cheese, bread crumbs, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
Dip pork chops in milk, then coat with crumb mixture.
Place pork chops on baking pan; spritz chops with cooking spray. Bake for about 30 minutes, turning mid-way through.
Enjoy!
A leafy salad and Sautéed Summer Squash make one yummy plate. Enjoy!
Jasmine Vegetable Rice Pilaf
I am a fan of rice. While Hubby likes white rice with Asian foods, I prefer my rice packed with flavor enhancements. Growing up, Mom had to have her rice. After all, she was Filipino and rice is a staple in Filipino households. Dad hails from Oklahoma, with a heavy Okie-Southern influence. If it isn’t fried, than at least it’s swimming in gravy.
Continue reading “Jasmine Vegetable Rice Pilaf”Roasted Cornish Hens with Fennel and Rosemary in an Orange Sauce
Was it the beautiful, golden roasted Cornish Game Hens or the thought of a succulent orange sauce that drew you in? I’d be willing to bet you saw Fennel in the title and cringed, willing to give this recipe the once over, all the while thinking “maybe there’s a way around the Fennel.”
Continue reading “Roasted Cornish Hens with Fennel and Rosemary in an Orange Sauce”
Sweetly Sassy Caramelized Apple-Onion Pork Chops
Pork – the other white meat. We sure do love our pork – especially chops and roasts. I’m always on the lookout for new ways to serve up pork chops. Some of my favorite recipes have got to be Pork Chops with Country Gravy or moist Italian Breaded Pork Chops. As a kid, it seemed we had our pork chops one of two ways – either barbecued or Filipino-Adobo Style. Now that I’ve been puttering about in the kitchen more years than I care to admit, I adore pork chops just about any way you can think of – from the smokey pleasures of the American-Grilled to the exotic flavors of the Orient.
These yummy, sweet yet sassy center cut chops are no exception. The sweetness of the apple and the sassy bite of the onion make a winning combination. Couple this with the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and everything melds so beautifully. Given the sweet, fruity flavor of the chops, this dish is best served with an equally flavorful side dish such as rice pilaf. A green vegetable such as Buttery Garlic-Herb Broccoli or Haricots verts à l’étouffée (Stewed Green Beans) will round out the plate beautifully.
All I can say is get ready for some impressively good eats!
Caramelized Apple-Onion Pork Chops
6 center cut pork chops, 3/4″ thick
4 Honeycrisp apples
1/2 white onion
4 Tbsp brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon. ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon. ground nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
Sea Salt to taste
Fresh ground black Pepper to taste
Olive oil
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel, core and slice apples into wedges. Set aside.
Peel onion. Cut in half. From half the onion cut slivers about 1/4 to 1/2 inch wide. Toss with apples and set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat.
Lightly rub pork chops with olive oil and then generously season both sides with salt and pepper. Place pork chops in the hot pan and get a nice sear on both sides, about 3 or 4 minutes per side. While chops are browning, in a small bowl combine brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside until ready to use.
Place seared pork chops in a 13″×9″ baking dish. Set aside. To the now empty skillet, melt butter. Once the butter begins to foam, add brown sugar mixture. Stir constantly until brown sugar melts into the butter. Add apple and onion mixture. Heat over medium heat. Spoon brown sugar sauce over apples and continue to cook, stirring every few minutes, until apples and onions have softened.
Pour apple mixture with brown sugar over pork chops. Spread evenly until all the chops are covered. Cover baking dish tightly with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, remove foil and continue to bake for about 10 minutes longer or until pork is tender and cooked through.
To serve, place pork chops on individual plates. Top with some of the apples and onions, then drizzle sauce over everything.
Serve with Rice Pilaf and green beans for a wonderful supper.
Herb Rubbed Italian Pork Roast Bursting with Flavor
This recipe was inspired by Italy’s popular Porchetta; a savory pork roast originating in central Italy. Unlike the “authentic” Porchetta, the fatty pork roast has been replaced by a leaner cut, the tenderloin. While this rendition will not develop the same brown crust of the fatty pork butt traditionally used throughout Italy, the leaner tenderloin is still well-spiced and delicious.
Continue reading “Herb Rubbed Italian Pork Roast Bursting with Flavor”
Welcome to Rosemarie's Kitchen 