Chili Verde

OK, so I'm on a pork fit this week. I'm excited about my huge supply of meat and went looking for more pork recipes. I found one for Chile Verde on a food blog. Now, to be honest, I don't think I've ever eaten Chile Verde before. I know I've never made it, but that's my new goal: to try new things and post them on this blog for easy access.

This one looked so good and pretty easy. You can make it in the CrockPot or the oven. I chose the oven because I received a wonderful cast iron dutch oven for Christmas and am always looking for excuses to use it. Also, instead of a pork roast, I used 6 pork chops cut up. I didn't end up with a ton of meat, so next time I will use a roast and cut up or shred the meat instead.

Chili Verde

3 pounds pork roast, fat removed as much as possible (*If using a roast any larger than 3 lbs, double the remaining ingredients)

1 onion chopped

3 cloves garlic crushed

1 10oz can green enchilada sauce

1 4oz can diced green chilies

1 14oz can diced tomatoes with chilies

2 chicken bouillon cubes

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp oregano

¼ tsp pepper

Cube roast. In a large heavy pot, over medium heat, brown meat, then add onion, garlic and ½ cup water with the bouillon cubes. Cover for 15-20 minutes then stir, getting all the brown bits off the side of the pan. Stir in the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook on low for 2-4 hours (or in oven at 300°).

Results: This is one of Ryan's new favorite meals. It was SO good! It wasn't very "saucy" like other versions of Chile Verde, but the flavor was incredible. I will double the recipe next time. Six chops and the ingredients to make the sauce wasn't enough. We served it with corn tortillas, sour cream and other fixins. YUMMY! The kids didn't love it, but that's OK, more for us! I think I will make this when we have people over and fix the kids something else. So, not a family pleaser, but definitely an adult pleaser!

CrockPot Pork Chops

I started this blog a few weeks ago, and I haven't posted any recipes that would count as an actual meal! How embarrassing. It's not that I haven't been cooking (on some days), it's just that I haven't been cooking anything great and exciting. I began this blog to inspire me to try new things, so I finally have a couple recipes that I've wanted to try for a few weeks now.

To begin, this week we added two new additions to our home: Bessie and Porky. Bessie is a huge cow and Porky is a rather large pig. My in-laws had them both butchered, packaged and divided and now they are sitting comfortably in my freezer (yes, I know that Bessie is a girl cow and that the cow we have is a boy, but I liked the name Bessie, OK?). Oh, it is wonderful to have a well stocked freezer! We have purchased a cow in the past, but this is our first pig, and we are excited. Can you say bacon, sausage and pork roasts? Mmmm.

So, Porky generously supplied us with a TON of pork chops. I've never done much with chops except to grill them in the summer or broil them in the winter...boring. So I went searching for new ideas. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this website. I think she is great and everything I have tried of hers has gone into my own recipe book to stay. This is her pork chop recipe that's done in the crockpot and served with mashed potatoes.

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning

10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup

4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes

5 Tablespoons real butter

1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese

6 cloves roasted garlic (directions are below)

1- 1 1/2 Cups warm milk

1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours.Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. Once water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot.
Roasted Garlic:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bulb of garlic with skins on, wrap lightly in tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from foil and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove garlic from skins, place in a bowl and mash with a fork until completely mashed. Set aside. One garlic bulb will have around 12 cloves.

Results: Unfortunately, I didn't get to finish this recipe completely. I was so excited to try it and put the chops in my crockpot earlier in the day. However, I failed to remember that I had an early evening meeting that night, where dinner was served. I was rushed and didn't get the potatoes all the way completed. I did roast the garlic, which was wonderfully aromatic, but ended up only making plain old mashed potates. The pork chops, however were absolutely wonderful. So flavorful and very tender and moist. The kids liked the meal as well (which is always a plus!). I can't wait to try this one again with the potatoes revved up. Finally, I have something yummy to do with my chops!

Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies

I haven't had a ton of time to cook anything to wonderful this week, so I'm going to give you my wonderful Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe instead. I got this recipe from an old Ward Cookbook (those are the BEST!) a long time ago. There are two reasons why I think these cookies are so divine. First, there is pudding in the dough which keeps the cookie moist and thick even after you bake them. I am definitely not one who likes a flattened, crunchy cookie. Nope, make mine soft and chewy, please. The other reason is that I bake them on my stoneware. I love my stoneware because it bakes so evenly and again, not crispy, but nice and soft. Wait, I think I need to add another reason: these cookies only have butter and no shortening. I love that about them. Mmmm!

Excellent Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup brown sugar, packed
1 small (3 ½ oz.) package vanilla instant pudding
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
2 ½ cups flour
2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup nuts, optional

Beat together butter, sugar, brown sugar, pudding mix, baking soda, and vanilla. Beat in eggs. Add flour and stir together. Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by heaping spoonfuls and bake for 9 ½ minutes at 375˚ (or 10 minutes at 325˚ in a convection oven). Butterscotch or chocolate pudding may be substituted for vanilla pudding.

Results: I ALWAYS double this recipe because it is so good. I usually use semi-sweet chocolate, because I'm the mom and that's what I like best. We also usually leave the nuts out. We end up baking a bunch and then having lots of cookie dough to eat. Heaven!

New Bosch!!

My mom has owned a Bosch mixer for as long as I can remember. Making her famous cinnamon rolls, decorating wedding cakes, and making frosting for gingerbread houses would not be possible without that wonderful machine.

On the other hand, I've had a Kitchen Aid since just after we were married. I loved it...until it broke! It couldn't handle the bread dough I was mixing. So, when my mom heard about this, she got me my very own Bosch! I LOVE IT! It is very powerful and can make my bread dough without any trouble. I also got the food processor and the blender attachments as well (thanks, Mom)! I can't wait to play with my new toy more!

So, here is a wheat bread recipe that sent my Kitchen Aid to the kitchen appliance graveyard. I like it because it's easy and the bread is soft and not too heavy. I got it off of a food storage website.

*Side note, I also did get another Kitchen Aid to mix cakes and easy things like that. It's nice to have both. Yes, I know I'm spoiled!

EZ Wheat Bread recipe

1 1/4 cup warm water
1 Tblsp active dry yeast
1/4 cup honey or 1/3 cup sugar
2 3/4 cups whole wheat flour (or whatever combination white/wheat you like..I use 100% hard white wheat.)
1/4 cup wheat gluten
1 tsp salt
2 Tblsp nonfat non instant dry milk
1 Tblsp butter/margarine/oil
1 Tblsp vinegar
1/4 cup potato flakes (NOT potato pearls)

Mix ingredients in order listed in mixing bowl of mixer with dough hook attachment (like kitchen-aid) for 12-15 minutes. Let rise until double, 1- 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, and shape into loaf or rolls. Let rise again until double and bake 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when lightly tapped.

If you are making this recipe in a bread machine, follow your bread machine’s directions for wheat or whole grain selection and add the ingredients in the order listed for their recommendations. (only one loaf will fit in a bread maker)

Results: Bread was a good texture, not too heavy, and the flavor was really good. I ground hard red wheat and used butter. Delish with butter and homemade strawberry jam!

Touchdown!!!

Since we just finished watching the Super Bowl for another year, I thought I would include one of my family's favorite game day snack. We call it Touchdown Bean Dip. It is a Pampered Chef recipe, and we have been making it for years. What makes this layered bean dip so much better than others is the fact that it has lots of cream cheese in it, and that it's served hot! YUM!

Touchdown Bean Dip

1 can (16 oz) refried beans
1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 T. taco seasoning mix
2 T. garlic cloves, finely minced
½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
½ cup sliced olives
1 medium tomato, diced
¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
2 T. fresh cilantro
Tortilla chips

Preheat oven to 350˚. Spread refried beans over bottom of baking dish. In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning. Finely chop garlic and add to bowl. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over beans. Spread grated cheese over cream cheese mixture. Bake 15-18 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle olives, tomatoes, onions, and cilantro over hot dip. Serve hot with tortilla chips.

Results: My family loves this dip. The kids, maybe not so much, but my siblings don't like me to come to a family event without this. I think they like the dip better than me!

Blueberry Muffins with Crumble Topping

I am SO excited to start this cooking blog. I love to be in the kitchen, cookin' and bakin' up a storm. However, I suffer from large bouts of lack-of-inspiration-itis some days. This blog is to get me and anyone else who's interested out of that "what's for dinner" rut. Wahoo! Let's get started!!

So, first post on my new blog. The pressure's on! What should I make? Well, a couple of months ago, my mom and I went to the Church's wet pack and purchased some beautiful frozen berries. I mean, these things were HUGE! My freezer had bit the dust, so they all went over to her freezer. Just the other day, I finally retrieved my beautiful blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. My mouth started watering immediately, so I looked up blueberry muffin recipes online. I found this one and tried it. It says to use fresh berries, but my frozen ones held up great and the muffins were a hit. I guess all of the boxes of blueberry muffin mixes down in our food storage will be used a lot less frequently from now on!

Blueberry Muffins With Crumble Topping

1 1/2 cups Flour

3/4 cups Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/3 cups Vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cups milk

1 cup fresh blueberries (I used frozen)

Topping:

1/2 cup Sugar

1/3 cup Flour

1/4 cup Butter

1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix oil, egg and enough milk to make one cup. Mix the oil/egg/milk into the flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups to the top. To make Topping: cut the ingredients together with a fork. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with the topping. Bake 20-25 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Results: My family gobbled these up...next time, I will have to make a double batch!