Food!

Lately I've been doing quite a bit of baking, most of which has gone over very well even with Dad who (as I'm sure you know Jen!) doesn't like his food to be experimented with. Vanessa has enjoyed these meals too and she is one of the pickiest eaters I know so all in all I feel pretty good about my efforts in the kitchen. The cookies and cupcakes I make always go over well so I won't bore you with petty details about that. On to the good stuff!


2-Step Garlic Pork Chops

Prep/Cook Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients:


1tbsp. vegetable oil (or substitute with butter or margarine)
4 boneless pork chops, 3/4" thick (about 1 lb)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 can (10 3/4 oz) Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup OR 98% Fat Free Cream of Mushroom Soup*
1/2 cup milk
4 cups hot cooked couscous or rice

Directions:

Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops and garlic and cook for 10 minutes or until the chops are well browned on both sides. Remove the chops and set aside.

Stir the soup and milk into the skillet. Heat to a boil. Return the chops to the skillet and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the chops are slightly pink in the center*.

Serve with couscous or rice.

TIP: Use Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup instead of Cream of Mushroom Soup and omit the garlic (which I did)

*The internal temperature of the pork chops should reach 160 degrees F.

The first meal I made that they all really liked were garlic pork chops. They are very easy to make (I bet Marianna could do these!) and taste absolutely delicious. Instead of a vegetable I used white rice and the excess gravy was absolutely delicous over it.

Last night's dish went over very well too and it was enjoyed by all. It was also Italian so it was a very nice change from the regular way we do chicken breasts.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Bake

Prep/Cook Time: 50 minutes
Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 can (10 3/4 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup (Regular or 98% Fat Free)
1 1/3 cups water
3/4 cup uncooked regular white rice
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

Mix soup, water, rice, onion powder and black pepper in 2-qt. shallow baking dish. Top with chicken. Sprinkle chicken with additional pepper. COVER and bake at 375 degrees F. for 45 min. or until chicken is no longer pink and rice is done. Top with cheese.

For a Mexican Twist: Omit onion powder and pepper. Add 1 tsp. chili powder to soup mixture. Substitute Mexican cheese blend for the Cheddar.

For an Italian Twist: Omit onion powder and pepper. Add 1 tsp. Italian seasoning, crushed, to soup mixture. Substitute 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese for the Cheddar cheese. (Italian version super good)

Stir in 2 cups of fresh, canned or frozen vegetables into the soup mixture before topping with the chicken to get your veggies! Optional.

These have both gone over really well and are super easy to make, perfect for somebody like me! They also dirty remarkably few dishes... :)

I found a great way to spice up our boring old Mexican night of just tacos and burritos with mixed together beans and taco meat. Just make some Spanish rice and put on the burrito. Vanessa raved about that one!

I also must urge you to try Thai watermelon if ever you get the chance. They're just like a regular watermelon with seeds except they're smaller and have a more vibrant flavor. I think it is possibly the best watermelon I have ever tasted!

I'm sure that I'll be posting again, maybe something a little more exciting next time than a bunch of recipes, but hey, they were really good!