Kung Pao Pork

I love take-out food but I don't like the guilty feeling that comes with it. Not to mention that unless you are going to a fancy high class place... chances are the cut of meat that you get is going to be low grade and fatty. Which is why I love to make my favorite take-out dishes at home. Not only can I monitor the ingredients that go in but I can also use the best quality as well.

Black Beans & Chorizo

One of the perks about being in the military is not only the fact that you get to see other places of the world that you might not have ever dreamed of ever going but the awesome people that you meet along the way. This recipe comes from one of my dear friends whom I met about five years ago. I am not really sure where she got the recipe from but I remember her making it one night when I was over her house passing the time while our husbands were deployed. I also remember pretty much polishing off the leftovers as the night wore on.

Tropical Pork Chops

Pork is not a huge staple in our house. However, I am a sucker for stuff on sale and when I saw pork chops marked down to a couple of dollars I just couldn't reason myself on why not to get them. So when the time came to make something with the chops I started rummaging through my cookbooks for a fun new recipe to try. I think that it is safe to say that I hit the mark with this one.

Italian Wedding Soup

I made this a few years ago for a new military couple who were just moving in to the neighborhood. They had driven across the country and since the Mr. knew the marine, he told them to come over for dinner when they got into town. I had no problem with it except that I had no clue what to make. What do you make someone who has been on the road for a week? Clearly not burgers or pizza but what is something that most people don't eat when on the road. Then it hit me... soup! I had Giada's Italian wedding soup recipe that I had been wanting to try and figured I would make that. It turned out to be a huge hit and the wife, who is now my very good friend, loved it. I will be honest, I don't think it was my personality that won her over, it was the soup. For some reason I have only made this soup twice, once for the couple and just recently. I love the soup but rarely think of making it or any other soup. I really should get into the habit of making this more often because it is delicious. I love the mini meatballs that are just bursting with flavor and the fact that this soup is just so easy to make, makes it a winner in my book. The only thing that takes time is forming the meatballs but it is well worth it in the end I think. We always add half of a pound of mini pasta like ditalini into the soup mainly because the Mr. likes them in there but I like it either way. I also used fresh spinach instead of endive because I could not find any in the stores out here.

Cheesy Chorizo Hash

This past weekend I celebrated my 24th birthday. It was a special occasion because my friend from NY flew out on my birthday to spend a few days in the desert with us. One of the days she was out here we woke up early and headed out for a hike through the mountains. It sounded like a fun idea at the time but the temperature was getting hotter and the sun was rising as we worked our way through the mountains.

Pork Chops in Spiced Apple Pan Sauce w/ Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

If you are anything like me you will love this recipe. For some reason I cannot eat pork without dipping it into applesauce. I don't know why but that is just the way it is. When I saw this recipe in my 30-Minute Get Real Meals by Rachael Ray I knew I had to give it a try. Now this is only my second recipe that I have made from this book. I will be honest that I am not an overly uhge fan of her recipes. Some sound good but others I have to wonder, what was she thinking? I will say that the pork in the apple pan sauce were a very good pairing but didn't have ingredients for the rest of the meal, so I made garlic cheddar mashed potatoes. I thought of how everyone always says that apples and cheddar cheese go well together and thought "why not put cheddar in my mashed potatoes?" and that is how I came up with this combo.
I found that this dish was easy to make and definitely didn't look like your typical pork chop dinner. I liked that it looked fancy with the apples and the pan sauce but I loved the fact that the pork was all done in one pan. I hate recipes when you have pots and pans on all burners of your stove. You can use whatever apple you have on hand or prefer and whatever cut of pork you like. I used tenderloin since that is the only cut that my husband likes but this recipe will work with whatever you choose. If your potatoes are tender while your pork is still cooking just turn the heat off and let them sit until you are ready. Otherwise if you finish making the potatoes before the pork is finished you potatoes will get cold.

• 4 boneless pork loin, 1 1/2" thick
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. margarine/butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
• 2 pinches of ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 c. chicken stock
• juice of one lemon

Cheesy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

• 4 red potatoes, skins on and cubed
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 Tbsp. skim milk
• 1 Tbsp. fat free plain yogurt
  
• salt
  
• pepper

1. In a medium pot bring potatoes and garlic up to a boil over medium heat with water just above the potatoes. Boil until tender about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over high heat add oil. Liberally season pork chops with salt and pepper and sear on both sides for 2 minutes or until they are golden brown. Remove the chops from the skillet and set aside.
3. Add the butter to the skillet, add onion, thyme, sliced apple, nutmeg and cinnamon. Cook, stirring frequently for 3-5 minutes or until apple and onions are tender. Add the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer
4. Add the pork chops back into the skillet and cook 5-7 minutes or until the pork is cooked through. Add the lemon juice and stir.
   
5. Now back to the mashed potatoes. Drain the potatoes and put back into the pot. Add milk and yogurt and mash until desired consistency. Add cheese and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.

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Pineapple BBQ Pulled Pork Sandwich

I love BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. When we moved to VA I was excited when I stumbled across a local diner that made the sandwiches along with really good coleslaw and sweet iced tea. There is nothing fancy to this recipe, no crazy ingredients and its not labor intensive. Just a simple crock-pot recipe to make delicious BBQ pulled pork every time. The BBQ sauce I use is actually the sauce my husband makes but any sauce you prefer is fine. I like the pineapple in it because it adds a sweetness to it that you don't normally expect in a sandwich. This recipe makes a lot but you can always use just a pound of meat. I used two pounds because I plan on making BBQ pork buns with the leftovers this weekend.

• 2 lbs country style boneless pork ribs, fat trimmed
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 c. water
• 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
  
• 1/2 c. pineapple, chopped
• 1 c. BBQ sauce
• 8 rolls
  

1. Throw in all of the ingredients except BBQ sauce into a large crock-pot set on low and cook for at least 8 hours.
2. In the last hour dump out the fat from the crock-pot, add BBQ sauce and continue to cook for another hour.
   

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Zesty Sausage Penne

I love this recipe. I like it hot, the next day and even cold. The zest from the dressing and spice from the sausage really compliment each other well in this dish. I like how simple it is and the fact that for the few ingredients that is in it, you get big flavor. If you do not have sun-dried tomato dressing you can always use plain Italian. This is also good with a cup of frozen spinach, just add in the spinach with the onions and tomato. The way I get the meat out of the casing is by pinching the sausage in the center and pushing the meat out of both ends. You could also just slice the casing down the side and get the meat out that way.

• 1/2 lb penne pasta
  
• 1 lb Italian sausage
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1/4 c. Sun-dried tomato dressing
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese
  

1. Cook pasta as directed on package.
2. Meanwhile squeeze the sausage out of the casing and brown in a hot pan, being sure the break up the meat; drain.
   
3. Stir in onions and tomato paste; cover. Cook 15 minutes or until onions are tender and sausage is cooked through, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing.
4. Toss pasta in with sausage mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.