Sizzling Ancho Cornbread Stuffed Pork Chops

One beautiful Saturday afternoon, while strolling down the meat section of my local market, I saw the most awesome thick cut pork chops I had ever seen. These babies had to be nearly 2 inches thick, with a nicely trimmed fat edge on one side and a bone on the other. There were three of these beautiful chops in a package, market for “special” pricing. I can only surmise that a customer had ordered the extra-thick pork chops and then for whatever reason, decided against the purchase after the meat was cut.

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Steamed New Potatoes with Lemon Zest and Herbs

I know what you are asking – is the title right? Steamed Potatoes with Lemon Zest? Really? Yes, really. I thought the same thing when I first came across this recipe. I was looking for a potato to compliment my Pesto Roast, and this seemed the perfect pairing.

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Easy Deli Stromboli

As we stood at the check out stand of our grocery store, the cashier rang up our purchases and chatted up a storm. She had a comment about just about everything that came from the cart to the register. The deli meats and sub sandwich oil were of particular interest. As it turned out, she loved sandwiches. She lived for sandwiches and the idea of someone making a sandwich seemed to excite her beyond measure.

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Buffalo Indian Corn Chili with Fry Bread

Here it is, June 25th again. It’s amazing how that date comes up at this same time every year . . .

Those of you who have been following along for a while now know that I’m a bit of a history nut. I love American History – warts and all. By that, I mean I appreciate the dark side of this country’s past and don’t pretend for a moment that we didn’t have our share of black eyes.

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Alton’s Southern Fried Catfish

While there are no new episodes of Good Eats, watching the reruns was a favorite pastime of mine. Alton Brown’s approach to giving you a recipe reminded me of my own approach to teaching our Catholic Faith to Kiddo. What? Cooking and faith taught in the same way? Yep.

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Sausage Omelette Burrito

Do you ever just drift off while standing in front of the open refrigerator door, wondering just what to make for breakfast in the morning? I’ve found myself doing just that more times than I can count. After Cinco de Mayo, I found Chicken Fajita Omelettes were an interesting way to use up some left overs. Now I had tortillas to deal with . . .

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Hobo Breakfast Burritos – Make Ahead – Eat Later

First off let me give a big thank you ever so much to Ree of Pioneer Woman for inspiring Carol over at Are We There Yet with these awesome make-ahead breakfast burritos. I’ve taken Carol’s spin on the recipe and just as she did with the original, I’ve run with it. While my spin is more work than Carol’s recipe, it is also more in keeping with Ree’s rendition. What truly caught my eye was the freezing aspects that Carols’ recipe offered. I went with the Hobo Breakfast Potatoes rather than use the Hash Brown Simple Potatoes. The Simple Potatoes would cut a great deal of the prep work out of the equation. So why did I go with the Hobo Breakfast Potatoes?

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Bottom Round Pesto Rump Roast

Hubby checked the Menu for the week that I keep posted on the refrigerator door. Posting the menu for the week avoids that question “what’s for dinner?” My guys can read it and decided if they are pouring a glass of milk, soda or iced tea to have with dinner. That evening’s menu read Rump Round Pesto Roast, Lemon Herb New Potatoes and Glazed Tarragon Carrots. Hum, sounded like a milk meal to him.

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Punting with Spice Rubbed Barbecue Game Hens

We had games hens on the meal planner this week. I had planned to make Portuguese Grilled Chili Basted Game Hens, a family favorite that was long over due. Step one: buy the game hens. Check. Step two: thaw hens in the refrigerator early in the week. Check. Step three: begin to marinate game hens 48 hours prior to grilling. Missed that step. Okay, how about 24 hours? Nope, got side tracked yet again. Eight hours? Not happening. Yet there they were – these beautiful game hens just sitting in the refrigerator, waiting to be cooked. I could hear them calling to me. Get creative. We deserve something out of the ordinary. And the hens were right, I really didn’t want to make any of my standard roasted game hen recipes no matter how delicious those recipes might be. It was far too warm a day to have the oven puffing away at 400 degrees for several hours. Nope, we were cooking outside. Sunday afternoon rolled around and it was time to punt. Continue reading “Punting with Spice Rubbed Barbecue Game Hens”

Italian Breaded Chicken Breast

This is one of those yummy Italian dishes that screams side of Spaghetti in a Marinara Sauce if you please! And don’t skimp on the green vegetables – maybe steamed broccoli or Asparagus kissed with Italian herbs. The menu practically writes itself. I love simple dishes that commands attention without screaming for it, know what I mean? This chicken is perfect for a family sit-down supper. A couple of plump breasts go a long way. Yeah, I like this dish. What about you?

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Grilled Polish Sausage with Sautéed Onions and Peppers

lockford meat 3One of the things I love about County Fairs or Street Fairs are the grilled sausages. Hot links, Bratwurst,  Polish Sausage – while the “sausages” vary in type and seasoning, the cooking method is pretty much the same. Grill and serve. Pile on the sautéed onions and peppers and enjoy. Around these parts, the only street sausages to be had must hail from the tiny town of Lockford. It’s a hole in the wall meat company that makes all their own sausages. If you want to get some of their awesome meats to grill up at home, you need to get there early, as in before the doors even open. Then prepare to stand in line because there is always a crowd.

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Pan-Seared Bison Steaks with Tarragon Herb Oil

Once upon a time people ate Bison (Buffalo) meat not because it was cool or trendy or even the latest health kick but because it was there – roaming free and in abundance. Long before Europeans stepped foot in North America and lay claim to the land, native peoples hunted the Bison for more than just food. Nothing of these majestic animals went to waste. We could learn a lot from the past.

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Shout Summer with a Lemonade Cake and Lemonade-Buttercream Frosting

Lemonade standFresh squeezed lemons kissed with sugar is like liquid sunshine in a glass. Lemonade, the key ingredient in both the cake and butter frosting, has been a popular refreshment as far back as 1000 AD. In 1676, a company known as Compagnie de Limonadiers was founded in Paris. Having been granted monopoly rights to sell lemonade, vendors roamed the streets serving the drink in cups from tanks on their backs. Once upon a time, children sold lemonade from home-made stands on warm summer days. Sadly today, those stands are few and far between – health code violations, operating a business without a licence and child labor laws all conflict with this purely innocent activity. Yet our love-affair with all things lemonade have not diminished. Perhaps it’s the bright, sunny color of the lemons or the refreshing citrus goodness that forever links summer and lemonade in our minds and hearts.

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Summertime S’mores if You Please

One of the things I remember growing up was that excited anticipation for our turn at the charcoal grill. Dad would barbecue up something special, like his Marinated Beef Kabobs or fresh ground burgers. When he was all finished, those glowing red coals were ours. And nothing is better to a child then making your own gooey, dripping with molten goodness S’More. From a child’s perspective, the whole point of stoking the Weber or building a campfire in the evening is for roasting marshmallows. When I got older, I appreciated a campfire for it’s evening warmth and piping hot morning coffee. But as a child, it was all about toasting marshmallows.

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Welcome Summer with the Delicious Flavors of Italy

Summer is almost here. Tomorrow is the official first day of summer. Are you ready for all the fun of the season? I don’t know about you, but the last thing anyone wanted to do around here was to be stuck in the kitchen cooking. No, truth be told, a bowl of Huckleberry Ice Cream sounded like the perfect solution.

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