Playing with Fire

I love the flavor of grilled food. And I don’t mean on a charcoal grill. I’m talking about a big propane gas grill. Even with the price of gas these days I can’t switch over to charcoal. I just don’t like how the edges of everything get all charred and taste burnt to me. I guess it is because I grew up with a gas grill and it is just what I am used to. My husband on the other hand grew up with charcoal and thinks it isn’t REAL grilling unless you pour a ton of lighter fluid on those little charcoal briquettes and have a flame that soars to high heaven. I really think he just likes playing with fire and it’s not so much about the flavor, especially since he usually praises my grilling skills on our gas grill. Actually, I know this is true because he loves anything that has to do with him creating fire. It must be a man thing. And to think, I am bringing another one into the world. It makes me shudder to think of the things my husband is going to want to teach our son. ;)

Grilled pork chops were on the menu this week and I’ve been wanting to use chipotles in adobo for quite some time. I thought the two would pair nicely and went off to find some inspiration. I saw a recipe for Garlic Roasted Pork Loin with Raspberry Chipotle Glaze from Emeril on the food network website. I am not a fan of raspberries but decided to look over the recipe anyway. I basically just used his recipe as a jumping off point, but you can find the original here. My glaze really added another layer of flavor to the chops. I did not particularly like the cut of chops we had because it was too fatty to me, but the variety pack was what was on sale, so there you go.

The grocery store also had ears of sweet corn on sale again, so I grilled some to go with the chops. This time I grilled them without the husks and basted them with Mediterranean Sea Salt butter every time I turned them. I had a coupon for McCormick's Mediterranean Spice Sea Salt and decided to try it out on the corn. I am in love with this stuff! I can't wait to use it on potatoes. :)

Grilled Garlic Pork Chops with a Chipotle Glaze
Source: Me

2 bone-in pork chops
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1 tbsp olive oil
adobo sauce, from the chipotles
salt & pepper, to taste

Make small slits on both sides of the pork chops and place a slice of garlic in each one. Brush both sides of chops with olive oil and some of the adobo sauce and season with salt and pepper. Grill until done.

1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 chipotle chiles in adobo, chopped
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until soft and slightly caramelized, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the chipotles and cook, stirring continuously, for 1 minute. Add the vinegar and stir to deglaze the pan. Add the sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until thickened and reduced by half, 8 to 10 minutes. Top chops with glaze and allow to rest about 10 minutes before serving.

Creamy and Cheesy: A Labor of Love

Yep, I'm talking about risotto. I've made it once before, a smoked gouda version you can find here. This time I kept it simple, just a basic parmesan risotto. The recipe came from the pioneer woman and it was FANTASTIC!! This, by itself, was my meal. The hubs wasn't too thrilled to have a dinner that didn't include meat, but he had to work late and tonight I was cooking for me. I put the leftovers in the fridge in case he wants some when he comes home, but I won't be surprised if I find them in the same spot I left them tomorrow morning. Oh well, that just means I'll have a yummy lunch tomorrow!

PW’s Perfect Risotto
Source: The Pioneer Woman-my changes/additions are in italics

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1 small or 1/2 medium onion - I used 1 shallot
3 to 4 cloves garlic
1 pound Arborio rice - I used Jasmine rice because it's what I had
7 to 8 cups chicken broth
1 to 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 cups (total) grated Parmesan, Romano, and/or Asiago cheese - I just used parmesan
Salt & Pepper to taste
Chopped chives - I used chopped cilantro since I had some that was about to go bad.

Heat oil in large skillet, then add chopped onion and garlic and cook until soft. Dump in 1 pound dry Arborio rice, and stir to coat. Then add the broth, in 1-cup increments, stirring after each addition until liquid is absorbed. Rice is done when it no longer has a hard bite. After all liquid is absorbed, add cream, cheese, salt & pepper, and stir to combine. Stir in chives and serve immediately.

This recipe makes a TON of risotto. I am going to freeze some of mine and see how it reheats. This recipe could easily have been halved and still fed the 2 of us for a few days. LOL!

Treasure Hunting

Saturday I went to Nashville with my mom, and we went to one of the biggest flea markets I have ever seen. It was huge! We weren’t really looking for anything in particular, but I did happen to stumble across a few things. I got a great deal on a shelf for the nursery. It was probably the deal of the day! I also got a few things that will eventually show up in this blog.

I bought a cast iron pan, which my grandmother says is for making corn muffins. I plan to make some mini tarts in it though after also purchasing this tart cookbook. There are some great recipes I plan to try out soon!

I also purchased some Watkin’s Double Strength Vanilla flavoring. This is the next best thing to using actual vanilla beans in my book. My mom bought me the plate because we thought it would be cute displayed in my kitchen.

So there you have it; my trove of treasures. All the walking did me in Saturday and I am still recovering. Therefore the meal plan for last night went out the window. I was just too tired to cook, so we just made do with whatever we found in the fridge. I am going to try to stick to the plan for the rest of the week though. Tune in to see if my good intentions come to fruition.

TGIF...literally!

I am so so so glad it is finally Friday! This week has been dragging by for me thanks to my TV shows coming out with new episodes and my insane need to stay up late to watch them. Yes, I now consider 10:00 p.m. late. It's a pregnancy thing, just go with it. ;) Therefore, I have been exhausted during the day at work, which only makes the week seem to take that much longer. It's not like I have a relaxing weekend planned though. My weekend is packed pretty full again, so no new recipes are planned until next week. I am going to Nashville to a huge flea market tomorrow, so if I find anything interesting and/or exciting, I will post about that this weekend instead.

Anyway, since it is Friday here is my meal plan for next week (not everything will be blogworthy...LOL):

Monday: Pasta a la Carbonara

Tuesday: Risotto

Wednesday: Grilled Pork Chops with Roasted Corn (I'm also making Strawberry Cupcakes for the Ladies meeting I have Thursday night)

Thursday: Burgers & Fries

Friday: Leftovers

Chicken Parmesan

I don’t really have anything interesting to say about our dinner in this post. It was really good. We both enjoyed it. Wow…I just re-read that and realized how lame it sounds. I think I am just too tired and too full to complete decent sentences right now. I have been eating a ridiculous amount of food lately. I just feel hungry all the time. And then after I eat, I feel exhausted and ready to lay down for a nap. I guess my little man is growing big and strong in there. I am dreading reading the scale at my next doctor’s appointment though. Anyway, here’s the recipe for the Chicken Parmesan we had tonight. It was really good. We both enjoyed it. Wait, I think I’ve said that already. ;) The only complaint I have is that the crust never got good and brown for me and it stuck to the foil even though I sprayed it with cooking spray. I had to turn ont he broiler to get any color at all. I think next time I will just pan fry the chicken breasts. Who really cares about eating healthy anyway?

Chicken Parmesan
Source: adapted from Brittany at Adding a Little Southern Charm

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, pounded thin - I marinated mine overnight in a romano basil vinaigrette
1 1/2 cups bread crumbs
2 tbsp Italian herb blend
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup marinara sauce, divided
1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided

Preheat oven to 400. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray well with cooking spray. Mix bread crumbs, Italian herb blend, garlic powder and parmesan cheese together in a dish large enough to fit the chicken. Take chicken out of marinade and shake to remove any excess. Dip into bread crumb mixture, again shaking to get rid of any excess. Place on baking sheet. Cook 15 minutes, then turn over. Continue to cook until chicken is done and add a small bit of marinara sauce and top with cheese. Put back in oven for a few minutes until cheese is melted.

We served ours with angel hair pasta, mine with alfredo sauce and Taylor’s with marinara.

Kickin' it up a notch!

I like Emeril, really I do. But usually I get bored watching his show because he doesn't often make things the average home cook can whip up on a week night. Also, his recipes usually have WAY too many ingredients for me. However, I was looking for a different pork chop recipe since they were on sale this weekend. I really like pork chops, but have yet to find a good solid go-to recipe.

I came across Emeril's Shake 'Em Up Pork Chops and knew it would be on my table this week. It does have a ton of ingredients, but you can sub some of them for things you are more likely to have on hand. Let me also say that I googled appropriate substitutions for masa harina and there really don't seem to be any. The closest thing seems to be corn meal, but no one really suggests using it since they are prepared differently. However, since it is just part of the coating of the chops here, I decided to make an executive decision and substitute it anyway.

This is a pretty time consuming recipe when you include the marinating time. I meant to put the chops in the marinade last night and they would just get an extra long soaking, but I was too tired after dinner and gave in to my body's need to lay down. So tonight I had to make the marinade and let the chops sit. I managed to wait the 2 hours (with a snack of course) but it was hard. I have to say it was worth it though. Man, those were some good pork chops!! This will definitely be my go-to recipe when frying chops. Taylor's comment? "These are the best pork chops I've ever had. They were even moist when I heated them up the next day as leftovers!"

To go with our chops we had sautéed potatoes with garlic and shallots. It is a take off of Dela's Leeky Potatoes. I had never sautéed the potatoes without parboiling them first. This way would have been way less time consuming except I didn't follow Dela's directions to keep the potatoes in a single layer in the pan. I had too many for a single layer and just threw them all in there. It was taking too long, so I ended up finishing them off in the oven. They tasted great though!!

Emeril's Shake 'Em Up Pork Chops
Source: Emeril Lagasse

1/2 cup dry white wine - I used chicken stock
1/4 cup plus 1/3 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons liquid concentrate crab and shrimp boil (recommended: Zatarain's)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 bay leaf
4 bone-in center-cut pork loin chops, about 12 ounces each
1 cup dry bread crumbs
1/2 cup masa harina - I used corn meal
1 1/2 cups finely grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
1/3 cup olive oil

Emeril's ESSENCE Creole Seasoning (also referred to as Bayou Blast):
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the wine, 1/4 cup of the oil, the crab boil, pepper, cayenne, garlic, and bay leaf. Add the pork chops and marinate, refrigerated, turning occasionally, for 2 to 4 hours.

In a clean, large plastic bag, combine the bread crumbs, masa harina, Parmesan, and Essence. Shake to mix.
Remove the pork chops from the marinade and shake to remove any excess. One at a time, add the chops to the dry mixture and shake until evenly coated. Remove, place on a large plate, and refrigerate for 15 minutes.

In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the remaining 1/3 cup of oil over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook until golden brown and cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes per side.

Sautéed Potatoes with Garlic and Shallots
Source: Adapted from Dela’s Leeky Potatoes

3 large red potatoes
1 shallot, minced
1 teaspoon rosemary
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper

Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet. Stir in the red pepper flakes and the rosemary and heat for at least 5 minutes to infuse the oil. After about 3 minutes add the garlic and shallots. Wash your potatoes and cut a small piece off each end. Then cut them in half long ways and slice them into half moons. Make sure all your slices are about the same size so they will cook evenly. Crank the heat up to about medium and let the pan get a little smoky. Arrange the potatoes in a single layer and cook, tossing and stirring every few minutes until they are browned and fork tender.

20 minutes 'till heaven

Ever since I made homemade pizza several weeks ago, it keeps coming back up when we talk about what to have for dinner. It is really simple (thanks to the no yeast pizza dough recipe I use) and I love that you can cater to your tastes for the night. I saw a yummy looking white pizza on A Taste of Home Cooking last week and was inspired to create my own.

I actually thought ahead this time and prepared my dough Sunday night and stuck it in the fridge. This was a brilliant idea! I need to start thinking ahead more often. ;)

For my version of the white pizza I knew I wanted to use cream cheese as a base. I also still have gouda in the fridge (I know you are shocked to see me using it again). I mixed that with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and mozzarella for the topping and that makes a total 4 cheeses on my pizza. Do I hear angels singing? All that cheese must mean I’m in heaven, right?

Jaime’s Heavenly White Pizza
(This pizza makes 8 small slices)

1/2 recipe for no yeast pizza dough
4 oz. Cream cheese, softened
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup each smoked gouda, mozzarella and parmesan, shredded/grated
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
Red pepper flakes, to taste

Combine cream cheese, garlic, cayenne pepper and salt together in a mixing bowl. Roll out your pizza dough and top with cream cheese mixture. Follow with the gouda, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. Finally, top with cilantro and red pepper flakes. Bake according to dough directions. Mine bakes for about 20 minutes, hence the title. ;)