Cajun Smothered Pork Chops

Cajun Smothered Pork Chops

8 thinly cut (about 1/2 inch thick) pork chops (about 3 pounds total)
2 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups thinly sliced onions
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
4 bay leaves
Two 14 1/2-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth, or 3 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cans water (measured in the chicken broth cans)
1 pound smoked sausage or andouille, cut crosswise into 1-inch slices
1 pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
Steamed white rice or rice pilaf, for serving

Directions

Season both sides of the chops with the Essence. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Add the pork chops, 3 or 4 at a time, and lightly brown, about 2 minutes per side. Remove the pork chops and transfer to a platter. Set aside.

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the flour and stir constantly until the roux is the color of peanut butter, about 4 minutes.

Add the onions, salt, and black pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onions are slightly soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic, bay leaves, chicken broth, and water and bring to a boil.

Return the pork chops to the pot. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.

Add the smoked sausage and the potatoes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves. Remove from the heat.


Makes 4 servings to 8 servings

Perfect ButterCream Icing

1/2 shortening
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups powdered sugar
2 TBSP Milk

Cream together butter, shortening, and vanilla. Blend in sugar one cup at a time, beating well each time. Beat in milk and continue mixing until light and fluffy.

Go ahead and make some chocolate cupcakes to frost :)))

Stuffed Steak

Ingredients
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup chopped pickled pepperoncini peppers
2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
1 (1 1/2-pound) lean flank steak
Vegetable cooking spray
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

Preparation
Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl; stir well, and set aside.

Trim fat from steak. Using a sharp knife, cut horizontally through center of steak, cutting to, but not through, other side; open flat as you would a book. Place steak between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap, and flatten to an even thickness, using a meat mallet or rolling pin. Spread spinach mixture over steak, leaving a 1-inch margin around outside edges. Roll up steak, jelly-roll fashion, starting with short side. Secure at 2-inch intervals with heavy string.

Coat a large Dutch oven with cooking spray, and place over medium-high heat until hot. Add steak, browning well on all sides. Add water, wine, and oregano to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Remove string, and cut steak into 16 slices.
Source (introduced to us by Christi...http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?)action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=665577

Cajun Pork Burgers

Source: Foodnetwork--thanks Christi for introducing us!!!
Ingredients
3/4 pound andouille, removed from casing
1 pound ground pork
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 small white onion (boiling onion), finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped, about 1 tablespoon or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce, several drops
Coarse salt and black pepper

Cut sausage into large chunks and place in a food processor. Grind sausage into crumbles. Combine ground sausage with pork, vegetables, garlic, thyme, hot sauce and a little salt and pepper. Form mixture into patties and cook 7 minutes on each side on an indoor electric grill preheated to high. To cook in a skillet, heat a nonstick skillet over medium high heat and cook burgers 6 to 7 minutes on each side. For outdoor grill, cook patties 6-inches from hot coals or over medium high gas heat 6 minutes on each side, covered.

Special Sauce:
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup (3 well-rounded tablespoons) mayonnaise or reduced fat mayonnaise
1/4 cup (3 well-rounded tablespoons) prepared sweet red pepper relish

Mix chili sauce, mayonnaise, and sweet relish in a small bowl.

Pull Apart Pork

2 lbs + Pork Tenderloin
Place in Crock Pot
Pour 8-12 oz of ROOT BEER over pork.
Cook on slow all day.
You'll know when it is ready--it falls apart!
Shred with two forks by pulling apart.
Serve with your favorite BBQ Sauce on a bun!

Thanks Lori for the Root Beer Idea! It was YUMMO!

French Toast Casserole

1 loaf of cinnamon bread (or cinn raisin bread)
6 large eggs, beaten
3 cups milk
2 tsps vanilla
Powdered sugar
Syrup

Cube loaf of bread--place evenly in greased 9 by 13 baking dish.
Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla in separate bowl. Pour mixture over bread cubes.
Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 min. or until golden brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm, topped with syrup!

Sweet and Spicy Pork Dinner

1 lb Pork Tenderloin
1/4 cup french dressing, divided.
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp thyme
1 TBSP honey
Cooked Rice (optional)-- I actually pulled this apart and made sandwiches.

Brush pork with 2 TBSP french dressing. Mix dry ing and rub onto meat. Place in baking dish. Mix remaining 2 TBSP dressing with honey--set aside. Bake at 425 for 15 min. Brush with dressing/honey mixture. Bake an add. 10 min or until cooked through. Remove meat from oven and cover with foil. Let stand before slicing 5 min.
Serve with rice or on buns as sandwiches.
YUMMY!

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos

Baked Creamy Chicken Taquitos
Recipe by OurBestBites.com


1/3 C (3 oz) cream cheese
1/4 C green salsa
1T fresh lime juice
1/2 t cumin
1 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t granulated garlic
3 T chopped cilantro
2 T sliced green onions

2 C shredded cooked chicken
1 C grated pepperjack cheese

small corn tortillas
kosher salt
cooking spray


Heat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with foil and lightly coat with cooking spray.

Heat cream cheese in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds so it's soft and easy to stir. Add green salsa, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, onion powder and granulated garlic. Stir to combine and then add cilantro and green onions. Add chicken and cheese and combine well.

You can prepare up to this step ahead of time. Just keep the mixture in the fridge.

Work with a few tortillas at a time and heat in the microwave until they are soft enough to roll without cracking. It helps to place them between damp paper towels. Usually 20-30 seconds will do it. If you find yours are cracking when you roll them or come unrolled right away, just try heating them longer and try the paper towel thing.

Place 2-3 T of chicken mixture on the lower third of a tortilla, keeping it about 1/2 inch from the edges.

Then roll it up as tight as you can.

Place seam side down on the baking sheet. Lay all of the taquitos on the baking sheet and make sure they are not touching each other. Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or an oil mister and sprinkle some kosher salt on top.

Place pan in oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until crisp and the ends start to get golden brown.

Dip 'em in salsa, sour cream

French Dip Sandwiches

French Dip Sandwiches
Recipe by OurBestBites.com

French Dip Sandwiches

1 2.5-3 lb. beef roast (you can use a frozen roast if you want)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper
2 1-ounce packages dry onion soup mix
2 c. water
2 cans beef broth
6-8 large buns (or more...6 would be VERY generous servings!)
Swiss, provolone, or mozzarella cheese, shredded or sliced.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat and rub roast with salt and pepper.

When very hot, carefully place roast in pan and sear on all sides. You're not cooking the meat, you're just browning it quickly on all sides to add flavor and seal in the juices.

Place in crockpot and sprinkle with onion soup mixes. Pour water and beef broth over roast.

Cook 8-10 hours on low or cook 4-5 hours on high and another 3-4 hours on low. It's hard to screw this part up; basically, the longer it cooks, the more tender it will be. But you know it's done when you pop a fork in it and the meat just falls apart. When meat is ready, shred with a fork.

Place meat in crusty rolls. Top with cheese and broil open-faced in the oven or toaster oven for a few minutes, until bread is golden and cheese is melty.

Ladle juices into small cups for dipping and enjoy!

Stuffed Pizza Rolls

Stuffed Pizza Rolls
Recipe from OurBestBites

1 roll refrigerated pizza dough* (or make your own)
marinara/pizza sauce (click here to make your own)
2T grated Parmesan cheese
1 T olive oil or melted butter
1/2 t garlic powder
1 t dried Italian seasoning
mozzerella cheese, diced or grated
Pizza toppings of your choice: ie, ham and pineapple, pepperoni slices, sausage, etc.

*You can use regular pizza dough, or thin crust.

Preheat oven to heat specified on pizza dough package. Usually it's 400 degrees. If you make your own dough, 400 is usually a good heat as well.

Unroll your pizza dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pat or roll the dough so it's about 12" by 8". You're going to want to cut it into 24 squares, so just eyeball it if you need to. Use a pizza cutter to slice the dough into 24 squares (bet ya didn't see that one comin' did ya?)

Place cheese and desired toppings on each square. (Note that you're not putting the marinara sauce on the dough- it's for dipping after) You guys are smart, right? Just eyeball how much. You just need to be able to enclose the toppings in the dough so keep that in mind.

When all of your dough squares have cheese and toppings on them, carefully lift up each square and wrap the dough around the toppings. Pinch to make sure each ball is sealed shut and then place them seam side down in a lightly sprayed pie pan (or similar sized dish).

Brush the tops of the dough balls with olive oil or melted butter (I've used both and there's not much difference in result) and then sprinkle with the garlic and Italian seasoning and top with Parmesan cheese. (In lieu of the Parmesan, garlic, and Italian seasoning you could substitute this garlic bread seasoning.)

Cook them in the oven for about 15-20 minutes or until golden brown on top. Keep an eye on them! Doughs vary, so I'd check them after even 10 minutes.

Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce on the side for dipping.

Crispy Coconut Chicken Fingers
Recipe by Our Best Bites

12 chicken tenders (ya know, more or less...)
1-2 eggs (start with one and crack another if it runs out)
1/2 C flour
1 C sweetened coconut flakes
1 C panko bread crumbs (by Progresso)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (you can leave this out if you want to skip the spice for the kiddos)

preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Give coconut a rough chop so it's about the same size as the panko pieces
Combine it with Panko and spices in a shallow dish. Mix well to distribute all of the spices.
Place the flour in another shallow dish, and the egg in another. Give the egg a quick beating.

Working with one chicken tender at a time, dredge in flour...

And then finally coat in the coconut Panko mixture. Press in with your fingers to make sure the entire thing is well coated.

Place chicken tenders on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean up!) that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. I give mine a teeny drizzle of olive oil on top to help them crisp nicely, but it's optional.


Bake in your 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until juices run clear. Try not to overcook them because chicken tenders go from perfect to overcooked really fast! If your tenders are on the small side, they could even be done in about 15 minutes so keep an eye on them. If they're big they can take more like 25. The coconut will be nice and golden and the panko crisp, but light in color still.

Spicy Honey Chicken

Spicy Honey Chicken


2 t vegetable oil


Rub:

2 t granulated garlic
2 t chili powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/2 t coriander
1 t kosher salt
1 t cumin
1/2 t chipotle chili powder

for extra heat, increase chipotle or add ground red pepper


8 boneless skinless chicken thighs (Yes, Thighs!!)
everyone is always asking me if they can use breasts for this. Sure you can, but I'm tellin'
ya right now it's better with thighs.

Glaze:
1/2 C Honey
1T Cider Vinegar

*I have changed this recipe from the original version I posted. If you liked it before and you're mad at me for messing with it again, do the following! Omit onion, coriander, and chipotle and replace with 1 t paprika and 1/2-1/2 t cayenne pepper. For the glaze, I just increased it so there would be enough to drizzle on at the very end.


Combine the rub spices in bowl and mix well.

Use kitchen shears (or a pair of clean scissors) to trim off any excess fat from the chicken pieces. Pat dry. Drizzle oil over chicken and rub in with your hands to lightly coat all the pieces. Then toss chicken with the spice rub to coat all sides well. Use your hands and get in there! Grill chicken a few minutes on each side, until cooked through.

While chicken is cooking, warm honey in the microwave so it's not so thick. Add the vinegar and combine well. Reserve 2T honey glaze for later. Take the rest and brush on chicken (both sides) in the final moments of grilling.

I'm gonna warn you that this can make a hot mess, literally. It's sugar, and it's gonna drip. But the smelly smoke is worth it for a minute or two. Just leave your grill on for a few minutes after the chicken is done to burn off any excess glaze. It's totally worth it once you taste this stuff.


If you don't have a bbq, try it on an indoor grill pan or use your broiler. Just be sure to open a window in case you burn your glaze!

Remember how I had you reserve that extra couple tablespoons of glaze? Ya, drizzle that on top now. Your taste buds will thank you.