Category: PORK

SWEET FIRE GRILLED PORK CHOPS with PARSLEYED RED POTATOES

SWEET FIRE GRILLED PORK CHOPS with PARSLEYED RED POTATOES
4 bone in 3/4 inch pork chops
2 tablespoons Avocado oil
1/3 cup Frank’s Sweet Chili Sauce
1/3 cup tangerine juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup honey
sea salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
small red potatoes, washed and halved
Avocado oil
chopped Parsley

  • Arrange pork chops flat in a baking dish. 
  • Salt and pepper to taste.
  • Whisk together the oil, Frank’s, juice, garlic and honey.
  • Pour over pork chops and turn to coat.
  • Cover chops and refrigerate (4-8), turning every 30 minutes.
  • Toss Potatoes with Avocado oil and parsley.
  • Arrange in baking dish.
  • Generously salt and pepper.
  • Roast until fork tender.
    • Prepare grill to medium high heat.
    • Place chops on grill and close lid.
    • Turn once, grilling both sides 4-5 minutes each until internal temperature is 145-160 degrees.
    • During last 2 minutes coat each side with honey.
    • Remove from grill and let rest 5 minutes.

    HEAVENLY HASH for that rainy Sunday morning brunch or Christmas Brunch

    HEAVENLY HASH
    2 pounds OreIda frozen diced hash brown potatoes
    1 can cream of celery soup
    2 + cups diced ham
    1 cup sour cream
    1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
    1/2 teaspoon sea salt
    1 bunch green onions, finely diced
    2 1/2 cups grated cheddar cheese ( I use a combo of medium, sharp and Skellig Sweet)
    1 cup crushed potato chips

    • Preheat 350 degrees.
    • Spray large flat baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
    • Whisk together soup, sour cream and seasonings until smooth.
    • Fold in the ham and green onions.
    • Fold in 2 cups of the cheese.
    • Fold in hash browns.
    • Spread into prepared baking dish.*
    • Bake until top is slightly golden , about 1 hour.
    • Sprinkle with last cup of cheese and potato chips and bake additional 10 minutes.

    COOK’S NOTES:
    Great for brunches and large groups.
    *We like a firmer casserole so I use a flatter baking dish to spread out the mixture.

    CHINESE BBQ PORK LOIN

    CHINESE BBQ PORK LOIN
    2-2 1/2 pound pork loin, cut into 1 inch chunks
    3/4 cup Hoisin sauce
    1/4 cup ketchup
    1/3 cup packed brown sugar
    1/4 cup soy sauce
    1/4 cup honey
    2 teaspoons sriracha
    4 cloves garlic, minced

    • Place pork pieces in a large zip log bag.
    • In a mixing bowl whisk together the Hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sriracha, ketchup and honey until well blended.
    • Add brown sugar and garlic and mix well.
    • Pour over pork pieces and toss to coat.
    • Marinate for 24 hours.

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    • Cover baking pan with heavy duty foil*.
    • Remove pork pieces from bag, reserving marinade.
    • Place pork pieces on baking pan.
    • Bake 20 minutes.
    • Turn pork pieces and brush with reserve marinade.
    • Bake an additional 10 minutes or until cooked through.
    • Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

    *This will make clean up sooooooooooo much easier.

    BAKED HAM with APPLE PINEAPPLE GLAZE

    BAKED HAM with APPLE PINEAPPLE GLAZE
    7-8 pound ham
    2 medium apples (I like Honey Crisp)

    • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
    • Peel, core and thinly slice 2 apples.
    • Add apple slices to bottom of baking dish.
    • Place ham cut side down on top of apple slices.
    • Insert oven thermometer and bake 2 1/2 – 3 hours or until internal temperature reaches 140 degrees.
    • Brush with glaze last 20-30 minutes.

    8 ounces crushed pineapple
    8 ounce jar pineapple preserves
    1/2 cup tangerine juice
    2 medium apples (I like Honey Crisp), peeled, cored and thinly sliced

    •  In a small sauce pan whisk together the crushed pineapple, pineapple preserves and tangerine juice.
    • Add apple slices (or chunks if preferred).
    • Bring to a SLOW boil and then reduce to low simmer.

    TOMATO MUSHROOM PORK CHOPS & GRAVY

    TOMATO MUSHROOM PORK CHOPS & GRAVY
    4 bone in thick pork chops
    3 large Yukon gold potatoes, sliced
    1 small Vidalia onion, sliced thin
    2 cloves garlic, minced
    2 tablespoons butter
    1 can tomato soup
    1 can golden mushroom soup
    1/2 cup milk
    1/2 cup finely grated jack cheese
    1/2 teaspoon paprika
    1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
    salt & pepper to taste
    Wondra

    • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
    • Spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
    • Layer potatoes alternating with onions – sprinkle a thin layer of Wondra, salt and pepper over each layer.
    • After last layer sprinkle cheese.
    • Season chops with salt and pepper on each side.
    • In a large skillet melt butter and brown chops on both sides.
    • Add chops to baking dish.
    • Whisk together the soups, milk, cayenne, paprika and garlic.
    • Pour over pork chops.
    • Cover with foil.
    • Bake 1 hour or until potatoes and chops are tender.

    CHILE VERDE CARNITAS FRIES

    Don’t forget about our upcoming Tailgating Time Link Up for Football.  The season begins Thursday, September 4th, 2014.
     Links open at midnight September 4th!

    This recipe I made up after having lunch at one of our favorite restaurants BJ’s Brewerhouse and saw something similar on their appetizer menu.  I knew immediately it would become a football favorite!

    CHILE VERDE CARNITAS FRIES
    crispy thin fries
    Green Chile Verde Carnitas
    minced jalapenos
    finely shredded jack and cheddar cheese
    finely chopped green onions
    finely chopped cilantro
    sour cream
    Heinz Jalapeno ketchup

    • Assemble everything from the crispy thin fries through the cheese “Nacho” style.
    • Bake in a preheated oven for 10-15 minutes to heat through.
    • Top with green onions and cilantro.
    • Add a dollop of sour cream and Jalapeno ketchup.
    • Dig in and Enjoy!

    Hubs likes his with pepper jack cheese.  That is the beauty of this recipe – you can build to suit.

      SPICY APRICOT GLAZED BBQ PORK CHOPS

      These are the easiest and yummiest pork chops!
      SPICY APRICOT GLAZED BBQ PORK CHOPS
      2 large center cut pork chops
      1/3 cup apricot jam
      1/3 cup Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce
      2 tablespoons Frank’s Red Hot Sauce

      • Blend together until well mixed.
      • Grill chops, topping with glaze during last few minutes.
      • Enjoy!

      BLEU CHEESE STUFFED PORK LOIN

      OOPS wrong adage, but the try, try again really fits.  I like to succeed, but I also LOVE to experiment.  My dear friend Jenn and hubby both gave yesterday’s Bleu cheese spread for the Danish Cube Steaks two thumbs up, but I couldn’t stop there – I still had spread left!  I also had a fresh pork loin and had just read Martha’s STUFFED FLANK STEAK recipe and voile’ just like Melanie Griffith, er Tess McGill in Working Girl combining Trask and radio to succeed, I had an idea! I combined pork roast, our new favorite Bleu cheese spread and Martha’s flank steak style with superb results – true success!
      STUFFED PORK LOIN – serves 4
      1 small pork roast, cut in half
      1 1/2 ounces Bleu cheese crumbles
      1/4 cup mayonnaise
      1/8 cup minced green onions
      • In a small food processor blend together the mayonnaise, bleu cheese crumbles and green onions until smooth.
      • Cut volcano shaped slice out of the center of each pork half.  Next time I will buy a large roast and have it butterflied, but today I worked with what I had.
      • Fill with bleu cheese mixture.
      • Salt and pepper generously.
      • Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour- 1 1/4 hours.
       
       
       
      Now nothing goes to waste at our house.  We use it until it can be used NO more.  If it’s a sauce, it may become a dressing for hubby’s salads by adding flavored vinegars or oils or a filling for a casserole, but it gets used.  I had  a tiny bit of our favorite BBQ sauce left, but it wasn’t enough to do much with, so I used it as a rub on the baked potatoes and then mixed the last couple of tablespoons with some butter and sour cream and darned if it wasn’t super yummy and flavorful too!

      Vegetable Pork Stir Fry

      VEGETABLE PORK STIR FRY
      Peanut Oil
      egg white (save the yolk for the fried rice)
      1 tablespoon cornstarch
      3/4 pound thin pork chops (chicken works great too)
      1 large bunch green onions, sliced thin
      1 cup snow peas
      3/4 cup carrots slices
      1 cup broccoli florets
      3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
      2 tablespoons soy sauce
      1 teaspoon sesame oil
      1/4 cup orange juice

      • An hour before you plan on cooking slice pork chops into thin strips.
      • Whisk together the egg white and cornstarch.
      • Coat pork strips in egg mixture and chill for 1 hour.
      • Slice the onions, carrots and broccoli to bite size pieces.
      • Cut the snow peas in half if they are large or leave whole.
      • Heat peanut oil to medium high.
      • Stir Fry pork pieces quickly and remove to drain on paper towel.
      • Add vegetables and stir fry until tender. Add pork slices back in.
      • Whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil and orange juice.
      • Add to the pan and toss to coat.
      • Heat through until glaze forms.
      • Serve with Fried Rice (recipe follows).

      7UP TROPICAL GLAZED PORK CHOPS or TENDERLOIN

      7UP TROPICAL GLAZED PORK CHOPS
      4-6 large pork steaks, chops or loin
      4 ounces 7UP
      3/4 cup apricot pineapple preserves
      1 cup brown sugar
      8 ounces crushed pineapple juice
      1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

      • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
      • Whisk together the 7UP, pineapple, apricot preserves, red pepper flakes and brown sugar.
      • Generously salt and pepper the pork chops.
      • Spread a small layer of the glaze on the bottom of the roasting pan.
      • Lay the pork chops on top and spread the remaining glaze on top and along the sides.
      • Baste as necessary.
      • Bake 25-30 minutes or until meat thermometer reads 165-170 degrees.

      This is also a great way to prepare chicken.

      APRICOT PORK CHOPS & SCALLOPED POTATOES

      As I bring my old recipes over to the new blog I’m evaluating each one on their merits and taking new pictures as necessary.  There are a few (very few) recipes though that I’m re-evaluating as to whether I would ever even make them again.  I’m trying to only post things here that would be served at my table again in the future.
      The following recipe was originally tried and posted as a Pork Chops and Scalloped potatoes done in the crock pot with cherries.  While it was okay, but not something we would make again, the recipe itself still had merit so I adjusted the recipe yesterday and tried it again and VOILA we have a recipe I will serve again and again!  This recipe will also work with thinner pork chops as well.

      APRICOT PORK CHOPS & SCALLOPED POTATOES
      4 bone in pork chops
      8 apricots, washed, pitted and sliced thin
      3 large potatoes, scrubbed and sliced thin
      1 bunch green onions, sliced thin
      1/2 cup heavy cream
      3 tablespoons butter
      3+ tablespoons Wondra flour
      1/8 cup sugar
      finely grated cheddar cheese
      salt and pepper to taste

      •  Lay apricots in a single layer in a baking dish and sprinkle with the sugar.  Set aside for an hour or so.
      • Save you nicest looking apricot pieces to lay on top of pork chops. Puree the rest.
      • In a small sauce pan melt the butter.  Whisk in 3 tablespoons of Wondra flour until golden.
      • Gradually add the cream, stirring continuously until smooth.
      • Gradually add in half or more of the apricot puree.
      • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
      • Spray an 11×7 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
      • Start layering potatoes into the bottom of baking dish, salt and peppering with a dusting of flour and sprinkled with green onions and grated cheese between layers.
      • Once all the potatoes are layered, pour 2/3 of your sauce over the potatoes and allow it to dribble and settle  into all the cracks.
      • Lay pork chops on top of sauce in a single layer.
      • Arrange reserved apricot pieces on top of pork chops.
      • Add remaining puree to remaining sauce and whisk until smooth. 

      • Carefully pour over pork chops.
      • Cover with lid.
      • Bake 1 – 1 1/2 hours (depending on thickness and doneness of chops and potatoes.) Remove lid last 15 minutes.  Potato layer will be bubbly.

      INDONESIAN PORK ROAST ala TAMY

      This is one of those recipes I found somewhere and set aside, but kept peeking back at it now and then.  I finally ran out of reasons not to try it and am kicking myself for not trying it sooner. The changes I made for an even better flavor in our opinion.

      INDONESIAN PORK ROAST ala TAMY
      2 pound pork tenderloin
      4 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
      4 tablespoons reduced-fat JIF creamy peanut butter
      2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
      4 cloves garlic, minced
      PAM
      1/2 cup mango chutney apricot pineapple jam
      6-8 slices bacon**
      • Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
      • Combine soy sauce, peanut butter, red pepper flakes and garlic, mixing well.
      • Using a heavy duty cookie sheet or roasting pan line it with heavy duty foil.
      • Spray with pure. Arrange bacon slices.
      • Spread 1/4 of mixture over bacon slices.
      • Top with tenderloin.
      • Spread remaining sauce on top and sides.
      • Wrap bacon slices up and over securing with toothpicks.
      • Roast, uncovered for 45 minutes.
      • Brush evenly with jam and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
      • Turn off oven and let rest 10 minutes.
      • Slice and serve.

      **I bought my tenderloin at costco and instead of being a whole tenderloin it was 2 halves. So I used bacon slices to wrap it as a whole and that addition made a fantastic difference.