Pan-seared Porkchops with Blackberry Reduction Sauce

Surprise! A healthier recipe from Paula Deen! Hooray! This dish melts in your mouth, enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 bone-in pork chops, however I used boneless (just a personal preference)
garlic powder,salt and pepper (to season pork chops)
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup canola oil
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups blackberries
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Instructions:

Sprinkle the porkchops with a generous amount of seasoning (garlic powder, salt and pepper).

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the butter and oil and swirl until the butter is melted. Sear the chops, in two batches if necessary, until golden, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to a paper towel-lined plate.

Remove the skillet from the heat, add the wine, and return it to the heat. Simmer, scraping up the brown bits, until the wine has mostly evaporated, 4 to 6 minutes. Whisk in the blackberries and honey and cook until the berries are soft and falling apart, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the thyme and adjust the seasoning.

Reduce the heat to low and add the pork chops, overlapping them in the pan. Baste the chops well with the sauce, cover and cook until warmed through, 1 to 2 minutes.

Super Fast and Easy Chicken Fajitas

In a pinch for time? Here's a healthy, easy recipe to get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast for each person

McCormick's brand Perfect Pinch Cajun seasoning

Salt and pepper (to taste)

2 8-inch flour tortillas per person

Shredded lettuce

Light sour cream

Finely shredded reduced-fat Mexican blend cheese

Ortega brand taco sauce

1 red onion, 1 green pepper, 1 red pepper, 1 yellow pepper and a sprig of cilantro roughly chopped


Instructions:

Heat oven to 350. Lay tortillas on a baking sheet, heat until warm.

In a small pan, drizzle some olive oil and cook up the chicken breasts. Sprinkle Cajun seasoning on meat, enough to coat, about 2 teaspoons. After cooking, cut each piece of meat into slices (remember the one piece of chicken will go into 2 tortillas for each person).

In the same pan, add the veggies, drizzle some olive oil over top, salt and pepper. Sauté until tender.

For EACH tortilla:
Add chicken, top with veggies, shredded lettuce, 1 tbsp taco sauce, 1 tbsp light sour cream, 1 tbsp shredded cheese. Serving size: 2 tortillas per person.

To add even more flavor: slice an avocado on top or some guacamole!

Enjoy!

Asian Flat Iron Steak

Another recipe from the Pioneer Woman!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Soy Sauce
1/2 cup Sherry
1/4 cup Honey
2 Tablespoons Sesame Oil
2 Tablespoons (heaping) Minced Ginger
2 Tablespoons (3-5 cloves) Minced Garlic
teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
2 Flat Iron Steaks (or London Broil), whatever size you prefer
Garnish: 2 Tablespoons Roasted Sesame Seeds and 2 Green Onions, slivered, optional.


Instructions:
Gather all ingredients together – soy sauce, sherry, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and flat iron steak.

Whisk the ingredients in a bowl. Place the steaks and marinade in a ziplock bag and chill in the refrigerator for 3-6 hours.

Grill steaks on high heat for 4 minutes on each side for medium rare steaks. Allow steaks to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Sprinkle roasted sesame seeds and green onion slivers on top to garnish.

Stuffed Mushrooms

This recipe is from the wonderful Pioneer Woman!

24 ounces, White Button Mushrooms
⅓ pounds Pork Sausage
½ whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Finely Minced
8 ounces, Cream Cheese
1 whole Egg Yolk
¾ cups Parmesan Cheese, Grated
⅓ cups Dry White Wine
Salt And Pepper (to Taste)

Directions:

Brown and crumble sausage. Set aside on a plate to cool.

Add onions and garlic to the same skillet; cook for 2 minutes over medium low heat. Pour in wine to deglaze pan, allow liquid to evaporate. Add in chopped mushroom stems, stir to cook for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set mixture aside on a plate to cool.

In a bowl, combine cream cheese and egg yolk. Stir together with Parmesan cheese.

Add cooled sausage and cooled mushroom stems. Stir mixture together and refrigerate for a short time to firm up.

Smear mixture into the cavity of each mushroom, creating a sizable mound over the top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow to cool at least ten minutes before serving; the stuffed mushrooms taste better when not piping hot. Garnish with minced parsley if you're feeling fancy!

Beer in the Rear Chicken

In the words of Guy Fieri, "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner"! This recipe is AWESOME! I highly recommend it for hosting a dinner party or grilling out with friends and family.

The original recipe is from my good friend, Miss Paula Deen, however I have modified it and used some lighter ingredients that can be found in a similar recipe from Weight Watchers New Complete Cookbook (page 168). Paula Deen's recipe can be found in her sons cookbook "Y'all Come Eat!" page 110.

Beer in the Rear Chicken

serves 6

Ingredients You Will Need:

1  3 1/2-4  lb chicken, rinsed and patted dry (do yourself a favor and buy an organic chicken!)

2 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon paprika

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

zest of 1 lemon

pinch of chili powder

1  12 oz. can of beer

dutch oven if you are roasting chicken in oven

To Make Rub:

Stir together all ingredients (except the chicken and beer) in a small bowl. Rinse chicken inside and out, get rid of any organs, pat dry. Tuck wings under the chicken. Spread 1 tablespoon of the rub onto the meat underneath of the skin.

*Note, I know this may sound gross, and I know it may feel gross while you're doing it, but it is soooooo good when it cooks into the meat!*

Spread remaining rub over chicken and into the body cavity.

To Cook:

If you are using a grill, spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Preheat grill to medium. Set a metal drip pan in the center of the grill between the coals.

If you are roasting your chicken in the oven, preheat oven to 375. You will most likely need to take out a rack in order to allow for enough room in your oven for the chicken to stand up. You will need a dutch oven or roasting pan to put the chicken into.

Wash the can of beer off with hot, soapy water before you open it. You never know where that can has been! Open the can, drink half of the beer and make two more holes in top of can with can opener or knife. Stand can of beer up in middle of dutch oven or grill with mouth facing up. Lower the chicken's body cavity onto the can of beer, keeping the can standing upright. Cover the grill, or close oven and cook for 1-1 1/2 hours until the meat registers 180 degrees in middle of thigh meat or until meat falls off of the bone. I really like to baste the chicken while it is cooking, it gives that caramelized look and rotisserie taste to it!

When chicken is done cooking, carefully remove the beer can and throw away. Be careful! There will probably be hot beer left in the can and it will burn you if you aren't careful. Transfer chicken to a cutting board, let it stand for 5 minutes then carve and enjoy!

Bon appetit!

Molasses-Glazed Roast Pork & Sweet Potatoes

This recipe has a TON of flavor, I suggest serving it with a side of applesauce sprinkled with cinnamon, it will complement the spices in the molasses glaze. The complete recipe can be found in the Williams Sonoma Weeknight Fresh and Fast cookbook on page 154. Enjoy!

Molasses-Glazed Roast Pork & Sweet Potatoes

serves 4

Ingredients You Will Need:

2 pork tenderloins, about 10-12 ounces each

coarse sea salt and fresh ground black pepper

1/4 cup light molasses (however, I could not find light, use whatever you can find-it will just change the color of your glaze a bit)

1/4 cup dijon mustard

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

1 tsp red pepper flakes (I used a sprinkle of chili pepper, just to play with flavor a bit)

2 medium sized sweet potatoes, unpeeled

2  1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 minced shallot (I chose to leave this out)

1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth (I use organic which is all-natural and low sodium)

Preheat oven to 400. Sprinkle the outside of pork lightly with salt and black pepper, set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the molasses, mustard, rosemary and pepper flakes; stir to combine. Microwave sweet potatoes in covered glass dish for 10 minutes to soften and cook most of the way through (this will save you a LOT of time!).

In a large ovenproof frying pan (I use a cast-iron skillet), heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork, brown on all sides, about 6 minutes. Using a basting brush, slather pork with molasses mixture. Make sure you cover both pieces of meat entirely. Put frying pan or skillet in pre-heated oven and cook until the thickest part of the pork registers 145 degrees with a meat thermometer, about 15 minutes.

While the pork is cooking in the oven, slice the microwaved sweet potatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, drizzle with olive oil and bake in pre-heated oven for 15 minutes, or until tender and slightly brown on top.

Transfer the pork to a platter and let it rest. When potatoes are done, arrange them around the pork on platter.

Add shallot to frying pan and allow to cook over medium-high heat in pan drippings. Stir up the browned bits until the shallot begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add remaining molasses mixture and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stir frequently. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about another 3 minutes.

Slice the pork and drizzle with sauce, do same with sweet potatoes. Serve immediately and bon appetit!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

perfect for a snowy day!

make 22 cups of soup (I like to freeze it to eat in single servings)

Homemade Chicken Stock

(the base for this soup)

makes 22 cups of stock

Ingredients You Will Need:

1 whole roasting chicken (about 6 lbs)

17 cups cold water

1 tbsp sea salt

1 package carrots, peeled, cut into chunks

1 small bunch of celery, 1/2 inch trimmed off of end, cut into chunks, include leaves

1 package fresh thyme

3 medium cooking onions, halved, skins left on

2  12 oz. packages of mirepoix

4 bay leaves

1 tbsp black peppercorns

3 cups chicken stock

large stockpot or dutch oven

Place chicken in large pot (I prefer to take out the giblets and bag inside of the cavity, you may leave in there for more flavor if you prefer), breast side down; add 17 cups cold water and 3 cups chicken stock; season with sea salt.

Simmer 60 minutes, skim top every 15 minutes and baste chicken with cooking liquids. Be careful not to boil!

*Rachael Ray makes an all-natural chicken stock that has a TON of flavor, the reason I use 3 cups of this stock to make my own chicken stock is to infuse the juices from the chicken and give it more flavor*

Add carrots, celery (include celery leaves), thyme, onions (leave the peels on the onions), mirepoix, bay leaves and peppercorns to stockpot.

Return to a simmer on MEDIUM heat. Simmer 2 hours, reduce heat to medium-low if stock starts to boil.

*What is mirepoix? It is chopped up, portioned celery, carrots and onions that is used as a starter for any soup or stew. Most stores will sell this either fresh or frozen, I prefer fresh if I am making my soup the same day I am buying it. Otherwise, buy a few bags and freeze them for when you need it. They are inexpensive and save you a TON of time! Again, I buy organic so I know my veggies weren't sprayed with any harmful chemicals*

Transfer chicken to a cutting board; let it cool. Remove the meat from the bones. The meat should be very tender and fall right off of the bones. Remove skin from the meat, discard. If you are not using right away for a soup, store the chicken in your freezer to use for another day.

Discard bay leaves and stems of thyme. Refridgerate stock until ready to use or continue to next step to continue making your chicken noodle soup!

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

makes 22 cups of soup

Ingredients You Will Need:

22 cups of homemade chicken stock (recipe is shown above)

3 cups cooked chicken (used to make chicken stock), shredded-I like to add the whole chicken

1/2 cup chopped italian flat leaf parsley

1 cup soup pasta such as ditalini, stellini or pastine (teeny tiny star shaped pasta), or elbow macaroni-you could also use rice

salt and pepper to taste

large stockpot or dutch oven

Add chicken stock to large stockpot on MEDIUM heat; heat for 10 minutes. Your veggies will be very tender and will hold all the flavor of the stock. Add chicken and parsley, cook through a simmer for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Want to really "kick it up a notch"? (as Emeril always says!) Sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top! Yummm!