Balsamic Apple Pork Chops

I'm proud to say that this recipe is all mine. I made it up in my own head. And I'm even more excited to say that it tastes amazing!

We have all heard of the iconic pairing of pork chops and apple sauce but somehow, when you think about that on a plate, it sounds kinda gross. And probably looks even worse. But the flavor pairing of pork and apples go really well together. We tried this pork burger recipe that has sautéed apples and bacon in it which is what led me to the idea (which I'll try to put up soon too!).

I told my mom about the recipe and apparently she liked the idea of it so much, she asked for it (which doesn't happen to terribly often). But she was even nice enough to check here on the blog for the recipe before harassing me via text message for the details. So, Mom, as promised, here is the recipe!

Balsamic Apple Pork Chops

- one small onion, diced

- one granny smith apple, peeled and sliced

- two cloves garlic, minced or through the garlic press

- balsamic vinegar (just have the whole bottle there)

- pork chops

- cooking oil of choice (I used coconut oil)

- salt/pepper

In a large non-stick pan over medium heat, add your cooking oil and bring it to temp. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes until almost golden then add the garlic and the apples. Sauté it for just a minute or two to get the apples soft and the garlic a chance to heat up then add balsamic vinegar. You want to be very liberal with the vinegar. Add enough to the pan that the apples and onions are able to soak some up but you also want it to reduce down to a bit of a syrup almost before you add the pork chops. 

Meanwhile, season your pork chops. I used bone-in pork chops and just sprinkled some salt and pepper on each side.

Once the majority of the balsamic vinegar has been absorbed or reduced, add your pork chops to the pan. And add more balsamic vinegar. You now what to add enough to help season and give the pork chops some of that amazing flavor.

Cook each chop for just a few minutes on each side until done to your liking. The chops we had were on the thin side so it didn't take too long. Plus, you don't want to overcook pork chops because dry pork chops just suck.

Serve the pork chops with the apple/onion mix on top. I like to think of it almost like a sauce. A really chunky, delicious, sweet and tangy sauce.

As a side to this, I served some roasted sweet potatoes. I took two sweet potatoes, peeled and cut them up into bite size pieces, tossed them in just a smudge of olive oil, salt, garlic powder and onion powder then cooked them in the oven at 350 for about 40 minutes. (I like to make sure they are nice and done and not crunchy in the middle.) But you could really serve this with any side that you'd like. Rice or couscous I think would be pretty tasty. And definitely add something green like a side salad or vegetable because then you have a really pretty plate!

After we had dinner, some friends came over and we had a great night of playing Magic and Catch Phrase. It was a great end to the day.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the new recipe!

Pizza (but without the carbs)

I know its a bit late to jump on the bandwagon...or write about it, but the biggest new years resolution is of course to loose weight. Thats not my goal. Or even a goal in my house. But my husband has gotten really into the pale diet and low carb/no carb diet and since his dietary intake is so important and directly linked to his job, I try my best to accommodate him the best I can.

But I actually have to credit my mom with this recipe. She gave me the skeleton for it and I of course tweaked it to my liking and preference. The recipe is for a "no carb" pizza that actually has a "crust". When I first heard about it, I was seriously skeptical. We tried it once and it was good enough to add into the arsenal so I decided to share since it fits in with the foods we love to hate and hate to love but are hard to give up when changing the way we eat.

Pizza crust:

8oz cream cheese at room temperature

2 eggs

garlic powder

onion powder

fresh cracked pepper

1/2 cup sprinkle cheese (grated parmesan cheese)

Toppings:

whateva you want! 

Preheat your oven to 350. Generously spray down a 9x13 pan with the non-stick spray of your choice. Be sure to get the bottom really well. 

In a bowl combine the ingredients for the crust. I add more garlic powder then I do onion powder, so about 1 tsp and 1/2 tsp, respectively. Spread the interesting looking mix into the bottom of your pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are brown. 

Once the crust is baked, let it set for about 10-15 minutes before you proceed. But once it has, top the pizza as you would any other pizza. In our case, we used a pre-fab pizza sauce picked up at the local grocery store, some cooked mild italian sausage and the standard mozzarella cheese. (See first photo.) 

Pop that bad boy back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes at least. I baked mine for another 16 minutes because I wanted to make sure that the cheese was super melty and delicious. That may have been why my crust stuck a bit to the pan when I took it out, but it still was pretty easy to get out. 

This is a pretty easy recipe to make for a weeknight with a sick four month old baby who either wants to eat, sleep or be held. If I can do it, so can you! 

Enjoy this low carb pizza variety. And thanks for checking out the new post! 

Heather

Death...by dessert

First, let me say sorry for the absence. The last post I put up was a few weeks before my son was born. And in those few weeks in between it was a question of trying to figure out if I was in labor or just faking it. But he arrived right on his due date and it's been an adventure ever since!

The past year has been a whirlwind. I thought being a stay at home mom that I would get to try out all these new recipes and update my blog way more often. Boy was I wrong. My crock-pot has become my favorite kitchen appliance along with my rice cooker. But I wouldn't trade any of it. I love being able to stay home with my baby and see him grow and change and learn every day. I feel like this makes my absence over the last year excusable.

That being said, it looks like I've got some new followers on my Facebook page for The Cow Apron and have found a recipe that I've been dying to make so I felt like it would be a match made in heaven to help sway some newcomers to hang around, appease those who have missed my absence and satisfy the sweet tooth in us all.

One of the things that has become part of my daily routine if you will, is watching the TV show The Chew. I've been really inspired by their recipes and the show itself is a lot of fun. I've been able to take some of what I've seen made on there and modify it to fit in here at my house. And that is where I found the recipe that I'm building up to.

But before we get to the actual recipe part, let me forewarn you. This dessert is not for the faint of heart. Or diabetic. Or those on a diet. Or watching what they eat. Or counting calories. In the entire 9x13 pan, there are about 20,000 calories. Yes. You read that correctly. Twenty thousand. So, if you are trying to sabotage someones diet, this is the perfect thing to make and bring to them. In this case, I've made it for a Super Bowl party we are going to this evening (go Broncos!).

So now, I give you the recipe for "Death...by dessert"

- one stick of butter, melted

- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs

- 1 cup peanut butter, melted

- about 2 cups vanilla wafer cookies, crumbled

- about 2 cups chocolate chip cookies, crumbled

- 1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, melted

- about 2 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans)

- about 2 cups pretzels, crushed

- 1 can sweetened condensed milk

- about 2 cups kettle chips, crushed

- chocolate syrup

This recipe is not hard. Preheat your oven to 350. Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs with a fork and press in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Now layer your other ingredients in the order listed above. 

Once you've layered everything, pop it in the fridge to set up. Do not cover it. That was the mistake I made and my chips aren't as crisp as I would like. But otherwise, thats it. 

Like I said...this is not for the faint of heart. When you go to serve this, cut it into TINY pieces. Remember the calories in the pan? Yeah, divide those into however many pieces you cut this beast into. But enjoy! 

Thanks again for all the continued support. I hope your Super Bowl/Groundhog Day is a great one! 

Book Club White Bean & Avocado Dip

Did I mention already that I kinda love my book club? Well, I do. And since it was the last meeting we would have during the official season of summer and there were some other shenanigans scheduled in the area around my house the same day, we had our last book club meeting here and turned it into a family affair too! Husbands and children were invited and welcomed, and after a few minutes of initial awkward introductions, it was pretty clear the meeting/cookout/whatever was going to be a success. 

I decided since it was already a warm day, I didn't want to make anything on the stove or in the oven which would increase the temperature in my already small house. Dip seemed to be the answer and then I discovered the little trick of adding avocado. I've made a hummus type dip with white beans before but to add avocado? Who doesn't love avocado? Plus this is so easy and everyone loved it! 

White Bean & Avocado Dip

- 1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

- 1 avocado, cubed

- juice of 1/2 a lime

- salt

- olive oil 

- cayenne pepper (if desired)

- garlic powder (if desired)

Literally, throw everything but the olive oil in your food processor. While its spinning add the olive oil at a drizzle until the dip looks the texture that you want it to. 

Please excuse the mess in the background. Although I do love how it looks like my Oogie Boogie candy dish is going to eat the dip. 

Adjust the seasonings as desired. We ended up adding a bit more cayenne and garlic than anticipated but it wasnt overpowering at all. 

Pour into a bowl and serve! I served mine with those pretzel chips that you can get in the chip aisle but pita chips or anything that you would normally eat with hummus would do. This isnt quite a hummus and its not quite a guacamole either, its somewhere in the middle and pretty damn tasty. 

The husband said it looked like something out of the movie The Exorcist however, he was the one who ended up adding it to his homemade salad dressings the day after book club so it must be that tasty. And don't ask me for the recipe on that one because I have no idea!

In the end, the dip was a hit. The book club meeting for the month was a lot of fun. And all ended right with the world.

Thanks for coming by and checking it out!

Mommy "Mac & Cheese"

Right now I'm about eight months pregnant and I want all things comfort related. Especially sleep! But since sleep is an enigma, I've been looking for comfort in other places: comfy clothes, feel-good movies, and comfort food. One of my favorite comfort foods: mac and cheese.

When I was little, my idea of a good meal was some box mix macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets. Now I wonder if the upcoming babe will think the same thing when he gets old enough for solid foods. What if he doesn't like the blue box? What if he doesn't like chicken nuggets?? Too many what-if's!

But how do you help a comfort food like mac and cheese translate to something that is just as enjoyable for an adult? Two words: goat cheese!

Goat cheese is like kryptonite. I just can't get enough. I remember my first experience with goat cheese. It was only a few years ago and I picked it up at a local farmers market in Blowing Rock, NC. The husband was working as a valet then just down the street from the farmers market so I stopped by to see him for a few minutes. I remember telling him about this great goat cheese I tried and ended up buying some of and in an effort to be nice and share, I pulled it out. We ended up eating it with our fingers it was so good. I don't think much made it home. But a food addiction was born. And I quickly learned that with all good foods, fresher is definitely better.

The idea to add goat cheese to homemade macaroni and cheese somehow never occurred to me. But once I heard about this, I had a serious WTF moment. How had I never thought of this? Why had it taken 30 years to figure out this combination? Fail. Just fail. So obviously I had to remedy this.

Mommy "Mac and Cheese"
- 1lb rigatoni
- 1qt. heavy cream
~ 2 tbsp. chopped rosemary
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
~ 10oz. goat cheese
~ 2 cups roasted chicken

Sorry for the lack of pictures that I normally put up with the ingredients for the recipe. I wasn't initially sure if I was going to chronicle this recipe because trying to roast the chicken before hand gave me a bit of a...pregnant moment. Yes, lets just call it a pregnant moment. But I did roast my own chicken (5lb chicken, cover with a little olive oil and salt and in the oven at 400 degrees for about 90 minutes or until internal temp is 165) with the help of my fantastic husband. He did the yucky parts for me.

Boil a large pot of salted water. Once boiling add the rigatoni and cook according to directions.

In a second pot, heat the heavy cream, garlic and rosemary over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer and let it reduce by half. 

This is why its a "mac and cheese" versus being mac and cheese. I became hungry and impatient and did not let the cream mixture reduce as much as you should. So when the finished product was put together, the sauce was more saucy then I wanted. Had I waited a bit more, I think it would have been just that tad bit thicker and more like what you imagine with macaroni and cheese. Either way, taste was not affected. 

Once the cream has reduced, add the goat cheese and chicken. I used a half and half mix of plain goat cheese and garlic and herb goat cheese. 

As you can see, the cream boiled over for a minute. Try not to let that happen.

Bring the cream mixture back up to a warm temp. The cheese and chicken cooled it off way more than I thought it would. Once its back up to temp, add the pasta. I ended up having to put the pasta back in the pot I cooked it in and pour the cheese mixture over the top of it rather than the opposite. Either way, mix it all together! 

Once its mixed, bring it back up to temp (again). And obviously, at this point, taste testing for quality control purposes is perfectly acceptable and encouraged!! 

As you can see it was a bit more on the saucy side. However, the final verdict: freaking delicious! I am so excited to eat the leftovers for lunch today and anytime you already can't wait to eat a food you've made, you know it has to be good. 

The reason I decided to call this Mommy Mac & Cheese was two fold: 1). I love thinking about the fact that way sooner than later I am going to be a mom and this absolutely fit into what I was wanting comfort food wise; 2). there is not a chance that I would be making this on a regular basis for the bebe. I have a feeling I will definitely be making this again, but it will be for when I am in the mood for my comfort food, and possibly with a glass of wine. Oh lord, I hadn't even thought of that combination until now and yes, I think a nice cold glass of Chardonnay would be perfect to enjoy. 

Sorry for being so scatterbrained with this recipe but I hope you enjoy it should you try it. It is most definitely worth it! Thanks for stopping by! 

Bangarang Fried Chicken

First, my sincere apologies about taking a...oh...seven month hiatus from this blog. When I started it last year, I had no idea what the following year would have in store for me and nor would I change a minute of it!

Quick recap of the last seven months can be summed up in three words: prepping for baby! For a number of months, my idea of "cooking" involved pouring the noodles for mac and cheese into boiling water or the check-out line at Subway. For a while I made the joke that our kid is going to come out as a subway sandwich. But after months of trying to figure out what I wanted the nursery to look like, or trying to answer questions like "Do we really need a diaper pail?", I feel like we are 90% ready for our upcoming adventure. Good thing too since theres not too much time left to get things in order!

Baby Sheppard Feet

We've also been adjusting to the move that we made out here to Colorado. I've been incredibly fortunate to have met an amazing group of women that I have become excellent friends with after we all randomly decided to start a book club. It was one of those happy accidents that can change your life and I feel confident saying that these women will be friends for life, wherever the roads may lead us.

A view of the Rocky Mountains from the backyard after a storm

But since things seem to have finally settled down and have become a bit more stable (only took eight months!!), and since I've changed my priorities around, I've had more time to cook and try out new recipes. After also recently turning 30 and getting an amazing camera from my husband for my birthday, I realized I really had no excuse in putting off putting up new recipes. So, with out further adieu:

Bangarang Fried Chicken:

chicken pieces of choice (I used 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs)

1qt buttermilk (optional)

~ 2 cups flour

~ 2 tbsp garlic powder

~ 2 tbsp onion powder

salt 

pepper

vegetable oil for frying 

Let me first say that I love how after living in the south for 23 years, it took moving to the mid-west to want to cook like a southerner. The husband, who was born and raised in the south, was craving some home cooking and wanted pinto beans and cornbread for dinner. As appetizing as that sounded by itself, I felt a little bit more could go into the meal so I volunteered to try my hand at homemade fried chicken. 

Fried chicken. The thought struck fear into my heart. Typically in our house we have the greasy bucket o' chicken once a year, on the first regular season football game for the Carolina Panthers. But everyone in my general circle who has attempted to make fried chicken at home has horror stories. The oil was too hot. The oil wasn't hot enough. The outside was burned but the chicken was raw. Even my own mother sent her words of worry. Throw in some high elevation and the most temperamental gas stove-top known to man and I was worried! But with the help of some common sense and the advice of my friend Patrice, I felt at least willing to make the attempt. 

I soaked the chicken in buttermilk. I don't know why other then thats what southern women of old do. And I figured if they did so, there was a reason. 

While that was soaking, I worked on my pinto beans. There's really no recipe for them. But in case you were interested, soak a bag of beans in a bowl of water overnight or for at least 8 hours. Drain beans and rinse. Put them in a pot with one chopped onion, 2/3 a package thick sliced chopped bacon, salt and pepper. Fill with water to an inch or so over the beans. Put it on the stove, bring to a simmer and let it go, stirring occasionally, until desired tenderness and consistency. In my case, it took about 4 hours. 

Once the beans were almost done, I started on the chicken. It had been soaking in the buttermilk for about 4 hours. Honestly, I don't know what, if anything it did to help the chicken. I'm sure it didn't hurt it in any way, but I would say the soaking was not required if you choose not to do so. 

In a large bag, mix together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Also feel free to add any other seasonings you thing would be good. I've learned that this recipe is easily tailored to your individual families preferences. 

Bring the oil to temp on the stove. Again, because we have the weirdest stove-top ever, I can't tell you what the degree temperature was. I heated mine up on the equivalent of medium-low I believe (although on my stove knob it said super low). It was hot enough that when the chicken was put in, it bubbled and popped without lashing out irrationally at me. And really there was not a huge mess on the stove-top when all was said and done either. Also, its a lot easier to turn the temperature up because you don't have it high/hot enough then to turn it down and not scorch or burn whatever you're cooking. 

Add the chicken and leave it alone! Patrice recommended to make sure there was enough oil in the pot to make sure that the chicken is covered which I think proved to be one of the successes of this recipe. 

After the chicken has been in for about 10-15 minutes, flip it over for another 10-15 minutes. I thought this was kind of weird thinking, "Hey, its frying! It will just flip itself!" But it really doesn't. So flipping becomes required. 

Once you've flipped the chicken and its had time to cook on the second side, carefully remove it from the oil and let it rest for a few minutes, partly to cool but also in my worry, to make sure the chicken was done all the way through! 

I had to do all eight pieces of my chicken in two batches. The above is the first batch and based on looks alone, I was fairly optimistic! But of course...there was still the acid test. So I did what any good cook and wife would do:  I made my husband try it first! 

The verdict was unanimous! I scored a home run! I once again proved my culinary mastery! I made homemade-crispy-and-golden-brown-and-cooked-all-the-way-through fried chicken! It was bangarang if I may say so myself. And the pinto beans and cornbread were the perfect compliment to our southern style dinner. The husband was happy. I was happy. The animals were jealous. All was right in the world! 

Sally, Atira and Bacchus

Now that this first post back is under my belt, I will most definitely try to put more more tasty recipes. I'm pretty excited about some new recipes I've got planned for this coming week. So please, keep checking back. And thanks for stopping by! I hope you have a great day! 

New Year's Eve Leek, Barley and Short Rib Stoup

Back in the olden days before we had fancy things like chopping knives or cutting boards, we lived a simple life. A life of one pot meals with minimal chopping and foods that could be reheated in a sauté pan. (And by olden days I mean before we got the delivery of our household goods!)

But how do you celebrate a holiday, such as New Year's Eve, with a one pot meal? With a new soup recipe of course!

I found this great basic recipe for a leek, barley and beef soup and I decided I could do one step better with a little improvisation. So off I went to the commissary for supplies!

Leek, Barley and Short Rib Stoup:

~ 2lbs. of short ribs (with a little bit of fat visible too)

3 leeks, chopped width wise using the white part too

1 cup barley

2 onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 baking potatoes, scrubbed and chopped in bite size pieces

1 can corn

1 can peas

6-8 cups water

shredded cheese (as topping if desired)

sour cream (as topping if desired)

So as you can see above, all of the above chopping was done with a leatherman. Again. During the process of chopping all the veggies, I swore next time we move, I will be packing one of my good knives with me so I will never again have to use a leatherman to do my dirty work. Don't get me wrong, had we not had this, life would have been even more miserable that it was and I am very grateful, but I also learned a HUGE appreciation for current kitchen conveniences. 

Place the ribs in the bottom of your stock pot. Chop your onions, garlic and leeks and just heap them on top of your short ribs. 

I got a little cocky and thought, "Oh, I don't need a stock pot! I can use my regular pot that I normally use to make black beans in! That will be PLENTY of room!" I was wrong. Halfway through chopping up my leeks, I realized quickly that my pot was not going to be big enough. I thought seriously about sending my husband to the PX to pick up a stock pot but then decided against that idea because I love him, but I don't think he would know a stock pot if it bit him on the...foot. 

The only problem with leaving things out while I made the quick trip to the PX was Jack. You remember Jack, that lovable little bundle of catness that likes to eat everything she can get her paws on, especially new ingredients. (See my recipe for bruschetta!) I locked Jack in the bedroom with my husband, ran for a pot and came back. But even in the two minutes I took to tell Alan about the new pot I got, by the time I came back to the kitchen Jack was on the counter inching towards the leeks, the new ingredient in the house! Crazy Cat! 

I transferred the beginnings of my soup to the new, cleaned pot and continued. Once you chop up all the onions, garlic and leeks, add the water, salt and pepper as well as the barley. I used closer to 8 cups of water because I knew I wanted to cook it low and slow for a majority of the day. 

Give the soup a nice stir and bring it to a boil on the back burner. Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer and just leave it alone for a bit. When you go into the kitchen, give it a little stir, but otherwise, this is a low-maintenance recipe. 

When you are about an hour and a half to an hour away from wanting to serve dinner, go ahead and add the corn and chopped potatoes to the pot to give them an opportunity to cook but also let a little bit of the starch incorporate to thicken the soup a bit. 

About 15-20 minutes before the soup is ready, remove the short ribs from the pot (bones too if you can find them), and shred the meat. This should be super easy to do! The meat should be just fall-off-the-bone tender and delicious and moist and wonderful! 

Not the best picture ever, but you can see it was easy enough the husband could do it! (Just kidding, he's really an amazing cook as well!) 

Add the meat back to the pot as well as the peas (so they don't get too mushy). Maintain the simmer and skim any grease or fat off the top of the soup. 

While we had bowls and spoons to eat the soup, once it was done I realized a fatal flaw. We had no way to serve the soup from the pot to the bowl. Once again, we had to get creative. We ended up using a mug to scoop and serve it. Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do! 

This was the soup before the desired toppings. By itself, it was pretty good. However, I am a firm believer that everything tastes better with cheese. And sour cream is just a bonus. They both worked pretty well for this soup! 

The husband added a little hot sauce to his for a bit of an added spice. But then again he adds hot sauce to everything so I wasn't too bothered. Actually, with a little dab of added hot sauce it wasn't too bad. 

Overall, it was a great mid-winter meal to have on a cold, crisp night cuddled up to your significant other waiting for the ball to drop. Literally. We had a great time on New Year's Eve and this meal was just the start to it. (And by the way we figure it, it may have been when we conceived our soon to be baby!) 

Thank you so much for coming by to check out the newest recipe. I really appreciate it. And sorry it took so long to get up since I promised it a month ago!! Forgive my tardiness, but you know what they say: Better late than never!!