Pork Lo Mein

Jared and I were anxious to use our new wok from my mom, so we found a great Chinese food recipe in our Taste of Home Cookbook! (We were on a roll with this book!) Our friends joined us for dinner (served the same night as the poppers), and they enjoyed the dish too.

Ingredients:
1 pork tenderloin (1 pound)
1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh gingerroot
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups fresh snow peas
1 medium sweet red pepper, julienned
3 cups cooked thin spaghetti
1/3 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions:
1) Cut tenderloin in half lengthwise. Cut each half widthwise into 1/4 inch slices. Set aside. In a resealable bag, combine the soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and pepper flakes; add pork. Seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
2) In a large non-stick skillet or wok coated with non stick cooking spray, stir-fry pork with marinade for 4-5 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Add peas and red peppers; stir-fry for 1 minutes. Stir in spaghetti and broth; cook 1 minutes longer. Remove from heat; stir in sesame oil.

Husband Rating: A
The pork was tender and had a great flavor. We used whole grain barilla pasta for a healthier alternative!

Wife Rating: A
I love Chinese food -- and this was a great dish!

Pork Chops & Scalloped Potatoes

Jared and I were looking for something to different to do with pork chops and I found a recipe that included homemade scalloped potatoes, so it did not take long to add this one to our menu. The preparation for the dinner was really easy and for the most part, it turned out to be a good meal.

Ingredients:
5 potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 onion, quartered then sliced
2 1/2 cups Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter
salt and pepper to taste
5 pork chops (we only made 2 -- and we used bone-in pork chops)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Place the sliced potatoes and sliced onion in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish; mix gently. Cover the potatoes and onions with cheese. Fill dish with milk halfway. Place butter in several places on top of the cheese. Place the pork chops on top. Salt and pepper to taste. Bake 60 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Turn pork chops over halfway through cooking.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com
Picture from my kitchen

Husband Rating: B
Jared thought the dish was just ok. The pork chops seemed to dry out, which he did not enjoy. He really liked the potatoes! Definitely slice the potatoes thin -- so they are soft. Maybe the pork would have been different if we used boneless pork chops????

Wife Rating: B (Pork) A (Potatoes)
I was content only eating a few pieces of the pork because honestly, I could do without meat sometimes. The potatoes -- delicious! I will never make scalloped potatoes from a box again! (Well, after we use the one box that we have left). ;)

We'll make the potatoes again...not sure about the pork.

Sausage & Pepper Calzones

Jared and I purchased wheat dough the other day in the grocery store and were looking for a new recipe to try. We decided on a calzone and with sausage in the freezer -- we found the perfect recipe. We started off a bit crazy in the kitchen, preparing the calzones without the recipe, but we found our way pretty quickly.

Ingredients:
1 (11.3 ounce) can refrigerated dinner rolls, at room temperature (we used wheat dough)
Cornmeal for rolling (We rolled the dough in flour)
1 pound spicy Italian sausage, removed from its casing
Olive oil, for sauteing, if necessary
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1/2 large yellow bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into small dice
1/2 large red bell pepper, cored and seeded, cut into small dice
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley (optional)
Olive oil, for brushing
Your favorite marinara-style pasta sauce

Directions:
1) Separate rolls onto a cornmeal-sprinkled work surface. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest while preparing filling.
2) Fry sausage in a 12-inch skillet, breaking it up into small bits with a spoon, until it loses its raw color, about 5 minutes. Depending on the amount of fat in the pan, drain or add oil to equal about 2 Tbs. Add onion and peppers; saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic. Transfer to a bowl. Cool to room temperature; stir in cheeses and optional parsley.
3) Adjust oven rack to center position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
4) Sprinkling with cornmeal as necessary, roll out each roll into a 7-inch circle. Spoon a scant 1/2 cup of filling just below the center line, leaving a 1-inch border along the bottom half of the dough circle. Spoon filling just below the center line of the circle of dough, leaving a border along the bottom half of the circle. With wet fingertips, moisten the bottom border. Fold dough over filling and press edges together. Thoroughly seal by using fingertips to crimp and flute the edges or by pressing with the tines of a fork. Place on a large cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. (At this point, can be frozen up to 2 weeks.)
5) Brush tops with oil. Bake until golden brown, about 16 minutes (longer if frozen). Let cool slightly and serve with warm marinara sauce.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A+
Wonderfully over-stuffed! Jared thought the calzone was "really good." Jared could not get over the size of the calzones too!

Wife Rating: A
The wheat dough is awesome. I would have enjoyed more cheese in my calzone. The sausage and pepper flavor was great.

Boneless Ribs, Zesty Potatoes & Veggies

Jared and I were looking forward to making homemade BBQ sauce, a recipe given to us by his sister's boyfriend. We decided to try it on some boneless ribs on Thursday night. We added Zesty Red Potatoes, thanks to http://wineloverscookingdiary.blogspot.com/.

BBQ Sauce Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups margarine
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 garlic cloves or garlic powder to taste
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 cup vinegar
3 cups ketchup (28 to 32 oz. bottle)
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. chili powder

Directions:
1) Combine all of the ingredients except for the last 4 in a saucepan.
2) Simmer for 20 minutes until thick, stirring occasionally.
3) Turn off heat and add the last four ingredients.
4) Add to meat or store in a glass jar/bowl in refrigerator.

Zesty Red Potatoes Ingredients:
4 medium red potatoes, halved and thinly sliced
2/3 cup small onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste

Directions:
1) Arrange potatoes and onion in an ungreased 9-inch square baking sheet.
2) Combine butter, pepper flakes and salt; drizzle over potatoes and onions.
3) Cover and bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 15-20 minutes longer, or until potatoes are tender.

Recipe from http://wineloverscookingdiary.blogspot.com/

Husband Rating: A
Jared loved the crispy potatoes and the BBQ sauce was just right....no more store bought BBQ sauce for Jared!

Wife Rating: A
I LOVED the potatoes! The BBQ sauce reminded us of summertime!

We'll make this again soon -- probably next time with chicken.

Pork Chops with Garden Rice (Monday's Lunch)

Happy Veteran's Day! Our menu changed a bit this week due to an unexpected get together with friends. Since we were both off today, we decided to cook meals for both lunch and dinner. Thanks to a recommendation from Kat, http://anirishgirlwhocancookanddrink.blogspot.com/
we were looking forward to trying this meal.

Ingredients:
6 (1 inch thick) pork chops
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
1 (14.5 ounce) can Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped orange bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh mushrooms


Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Season pork chops with salt, pepper, and paprika. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic about 1 minute, then brown pork chops about 2 minutes on each side.
3) In a pot, bring the vegetable broth and rice to a boil. Mix in the Italian-style diced tomatoes, green bell pepper, orange bell pepper, green onions, and mushrooms, and cook about 5 minutes, until heated through. Transfer to a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange the pork chops over the rice and vegetables.
4) Cover, and bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until rice and vegetables are tender and pork has reached an internal temperature of 160 degrees.

Recipe from www.allrecipes.com

Husband Rating: A+
Jared's first reaction was "it smells delicious." He did not even have a dish prepared and he was drooling over the smell. He really enjoyed the flavor of the rice, although he did suggest we use brown rice next time for a healthier addition.

Wife Rating: A+
I agree with Jared. The smell of the dish throughout the house was amazing. The flavor of the pork chops and the garden rice were a great pair!

We will definitely be making this dish again!

Boneless Pork Ribs (Friday's dinner)

When Jared and I put together last week's menu, we were not planning to visit Philly for the weekend and catching up with my sister at Villanova. So, our menu was slightly modified and the Boneless Ribs were made on Friday. We left just after work and since Jared was home, he had dinner ready for me when I got home. :) Sadly, I was not feeling very well, so I only ate a few bites of his dinner, right off of his plate. We really enjoyed the flavor of the ribs.

Ingredients:
4 pounds boneless beef short ribs, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup tomato juice
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground cloves
1 pinch ground black pepper


Directions:
1) Preheat the oven broiler.
2) Place ribs on a rack in a broiler pan, and broil on top oven rack 15 minutes, or until well browned. Remove from heat, and transfer to a baking dish. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
3) In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the tomato sauce, tomato juice, onion, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, and hot sauce. Season with cinnamon, cloves, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Pour over the ribs in the baking dish.
4) Bake ribs in the 350 degrees oven 45 minutes, or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork and reaches a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees.

Recipe from www.allrecipes. com

Husband Rating: A
Considering the fact that Jared made the meal by himself, and had to eat much of it alone, he still liked the ribs. Maybe a bit more sauce next time?

Wife Rating: A
Of the few bites that I ate, I would say this is a keeper. I liked the flavor and the tenderness of the meat.

We'll definitely try this again in the future.