Peachy pork steaks

The days and nights have been crazy busy around here so I have picked another quick and easy dinner to prepare.

Hubby told me he really enjoyed this one as even though I couldn't try it I think there are a few changes that I would make to it nothing major but I think little touches that would perk it up a bit. But for now...here is the original recipe...so let's get cooking.

INGREDIENTS:
4 Pork blade steaks (1/2")
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
salt
black pepper
3/4 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 cup peach nectar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon vinegar
2 teaspoons instant beef bouillon
hot cooked rice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
2 teaspoons Parsley; freshly chopped

DIRECTIONS:

Cook steaks in hot oil over medium heat in a large skillet until lightly browned on both sides. Drain off pan dripping. Sprinkle steaks with salt, pepper, and basil. *I always season my meat first before cooking that way as the meat cooks and opens up the seasoning is drawn into the meat. You can always add more seasoning after you have cooked it to adjust the flavor.*

Combine peach nectar, 1/2 cup water, vinegar, and bouillon cubes; pour over steaks. Simmer 30 minutes or until steaks are tender. Place steaks over rice on a serving platter, and keep warm.

Combine cornstarch and water; add to nectar mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in parsley.

Spoon half of gravy over steaks. Serve remaining gravy with steaks.
 

 

Now the only changes I am thinking I would make would be to maybe add fresh peaches as hubby told me the peach flavor was very subtle and with the peaches a bit of nutmeg and cinnamon to the spices. I will play around with the recipe when life calms down a bit and will link to it. I hope you give this recipe a try and as always I would love to hear how you liked it and if you would change anything. Enjoy being in the kitchen and I will see you cooking again!

Bacon and Cheese stuffed Chicken breasts

It's been a long stressful day today but thanks to careful planning and making a meal menu for the week, dinner wasn't part of that stress. I know not every day is going to be a joy in the kitchen but it can be bearable if you let it be.

Since I have a hungry hubby it's time to get in that kitchen and start cooking. So please grab your aprons and won't you join me for a quick chicken dinner big enough to feed the hungriest of men.

Ingredients:

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts pounded flat

4 slicesBacon; cooked crumbled

1 1/2 ounce colby cheddar cheese; shredded

1 teaspoonCorn starch

2/3 cupChicken broth

2 tablespoonParsley; chopped

1 dashSalt & pepper

1/4 teaspoonPaprika 1/8 cup heavy whipping cream Directions: Cook bacon in large skillet till crisp, remove bacon and crumble Place bacon and cheese on one half of the breast Place the other half over on top of it Sprinkle chicken with salt, pepper and paprika Heat bacon grease to med-high heat Add chicken and cook 5 mins per side Reduce heat to med-low Cover and cook for 10 mins or until done Remove chicken and keep warm Stir cornstarch into chicken broth Add to skillet and bring to boil, stirring Cook 3 mins until thickened Add parsley and whipping cream The way I plated this tonight was I put the chicken down sprinkled a bit more cheese over the top of the chicken then spooned the gravy over that. I do believe it was a success tonight. As you can see the kids were fixed on hubby's every move and bite tonight. It got rave reviews and was worth the time it took to cook it up. I hope you try this one...it's quick easy and very filling. Enjoy everyone.

Chicken Breasts a la Normande

I have spent most of the day fighting to keep food down to no avail. With this struggle the hubby has been eating things that are quick to fix and eat like corn dogs, pizza pockets, and easy skillet combinations that I have whipped up. So tonight since he was hungry, and I have settled on protein shakes until I can get my eating and body back to functioning order, I decided to make something that he would really enjoy.

Thanks to a very well stocked pantry and refrigerator I had everything on hand and was able to whip this up in about half an hour. Ohhh and the house smelled wonderful!! So let's gather up the ingredients and get cooking...my mouth is watering...how about yours?

INGREDIENTS

1 package Foster Farms Boneless Skinless Breast Fillets (I used 4 6ounce chicken breasts)
flour with salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup brandy (preferably apple brandy)
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons butter or margarine
2 small green apples
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Place four, salt, and pepper in a ziploc or plastic bag and shake breasts in flour. Heat oil in skillet to medium-high. Add breasts and saute 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until golden. Remove breasts and discard oil.

2. Add 1/2 cup brandy to skillet and return breasts. Place over high heat, ignite carefully, then immediately cover to put out flame.

3. Again, remove breasts. Add cream to skillet and reduce liquid, by boiling, to half its original volume. Add butter and shake pan until butter melts.

4. Peel, core and slice apples thinly. Stir sugar and remaining brandy into skillet. Add apple slices. Bring to a boil and cook one minute. Place breasts on warm serving platter, surround with apples and top with sauce.

 

Viola!!! Dinner is ready!! Now wasn't that easy! Quick simple and oh so tasty...well so I've heard...lol It got a seal of approval from the hubby and the kids. 

 



I hope you give this a try and please let me now how you liked it and if you made any changes. Enjoy everyone...and have fun cooking!

Swedish meatballs



The temperatures are cooling down and I was craving something warm and soothing that wasn't soup. I had some hamburger in the refrigerator but I didn't want meatloaf or regular meatballs. I wanted something more put together than Hamburger Helper and I thought...I haven't made Swedish meatballs in forever! I had all the ingredients on hand so off I went a cooking!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 1/3 cups low-salt beef stock, divided
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 1 cup minced onion
• 2 thick slices bacon, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4 pound ground pork
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sour cream, whisked

Directions:
Mix breadcrumbs and 1/3 cup stock in a small bowl.  Make sure you mix it together well so that all of the crumbs are moistened. Set aside.

 

 

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer onion to a large bowl.

          

Wipe out pan and return to medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to bowl with onion. (Reserve bacon fat.) Add next 8 ingredients to bowl with onion mixture, mixing with your hands to blend. *Now I know it feels gross to mix it with your hands but it really is the only way to do it! By mixing with your hands you can feel all the lumps and unmixed ingredients. You really want this to be a nice smooth mixture no big lumps.* Fold in breadcrumb mixture. *Now here is where you may want to adjust the mixture. Mine was a bit to wet. Keep in mind that Swedish Meatballs are softer than say Italian meatballs. So you don't want the mixture to be hard but you don't want it to be runny either. The best way I can explain it is the consistency of oatmeal that has absorbed all the liquid or like soft chocolate chip cookie dough (I knew I would hit a light bulb with the cookie one...lol).* I didn't have any more fresh bread crumbs so I had to add dried unseasoned bread crumbs. I would add some, mix it then let it sit for a couple of minutes to let the moisture be soaked up by the bread crumbs. I did this till I liked the texture.

 

 

 

Using a 1 tablespoon measure, roll meat mixture into balls; transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. *I didn't transfer mine to a baking sheet at this time because I didn't want them to get a crust on them from the heat of my kitchen (it's a really tiny kitchen!). I used a cookie scoop (bought at a restaurant supply but you can get them everywhere, Target, WalMart etc.) Using the cookie scoop it was easier to drop the meatballs into the pan and I didn't have to get my hands sticky all the time. I also kept the mixture in the refrigerator when I wasn't using it again so there was no crust that formed but so that it didn't get overly sticky.*

          

The top scoop is a cookie scoop. I think it's rated as medium or I think a #6 but please don't quote me on that..lol. It is two sizes down from an ice cream scoop. The bottom scoop is a Tablespoon so you can see the size for reference. Sorry such a bad photo too...looked better on the camera...lol

Melt 1 tablespoon butter with reserved bacon fat in a large heavy pot over medium-low heat. Working in 3 batches (mine ended up being many more than 3 batches! Be sure not to over crowd the pan it cools down the pan too much and makes it a pain to turn the meatballs) and adding 1 tablespoon butter between batches, (now don't get excited but yes you are going to use a lot of butter...but ohhh does it taste so good and well comfort food is supposed  to be comforting, and you can hit the gym tomorrow...lol) brown meatballs on all sides, about 6–8 minutes per batch.

 

This is the meatballs right after they have been dropped into the pan.

 

Make sure they are browned on all sides. Don't they look so yummy already?

 

Transfer meatballs to a plate. *Here is where I put mine on a edged cookie sheet and in the oven at 200 degrees to keep warm and to slowly finish cooking.* Drain all but 2 tablespoons drippings from pot. Whisk in flour until smooth paste forms. Stir in 2 cups stock; bring to a simmer, whisking often. Return meatballs to pot. Cover; simmer until meatballs are cooked, 5-6 minutes. *I didn't return mine to the pan because my pan was too small. I made the sauce then poured it over the meatballs. * Remove from heat, whisk in sour cream, and stir to coat meatballs.

 

 

Mmmm plate and enjoy!!! Ohhh they were so good and tender too! Jim ate these for his lunch for two more days and never complained one bit! I hope you try this recipe and let me know what you think. It's not heavy like beef stroganoff and the pork and spices give it a nice spice flavor. If you have never tried Swedish meatballs, I highly recommend you do :-)