Pork Chops with Apple-Pear Chutney

I'm gonna be honest with you tonight - posting a cute little blog story is just not on my priority list! Finishing my wedding programs, however, is - so I'm gonna make this short.

Real short.

Mom - thanks for this awesome chutney recipe!

Everyone else - I'd like to introduce you to an awesome chutney recipe!

But seriously - on pan-fried pork, this chutney is divine. It's more of a Fall/Winter recipe, thanks to the apples and yummy carmelized cinnamon flavors - but deliciousness isn't dependent on the season. Alongside a huge pot of creamy mashed potatoes, it just doesn't get any more yummy or comforting.

Pork Chops with Apple-Pear Chutney

4 center-cut pork chops

1 TBS butter

salt + pepper

1 TBS butter

1 pear, peeled + cored + diced

1 granny smith apple, peeled + cored + diced

1/4 C finely chopped white onion

1 medium garlic clove, minced

2 T apple cider or white vinegar

1 T fresh lemon juice

1 T honey

1 T dried cranberries (these plump up when cooked! so fun!)

sprinkle of cinnamon

sprinkle of nutmeg

sprinkle of allspice

sprinkle of ground ginger

salt and pepper

Make chutney: heat 1 T butter in medium saucepan. Add the pear, apple, onion and garlic. Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add remaining ingredients through ground ginger, and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.

While chutney is going, pan fry pork chops: sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat 1 T butter over medium-high heat in large skillet. Add pork chops. Cook for several minutes on each side until cooked through. Remove from heat and let sit several minutes for juices to distribute.

Serve chutney alongside pork chops.

I did say that a huge pot of mashed potatoes is a "must," didn't I?

Crab Rangoon

Do you have any idea how much I love crab rangoon? I don't think you do. In high school, I would sometimes order a 6-piece of crab rangoon and eat it for dinner. Disgusting, in a totally delicious way.

These days, I like to think that I make smarter choices. I cannot eat crab rangoon from a chinese restaurant without feeling horribly guilty. I hate greasy fingers, and I hate that full, oily feeling that it leaves.

In order to find middle ground, I've tried two variations of crab rangoon at home, where I can use reduced-fat ingredients and heart-healthy canola oil. The first is baked crab rangoon. It's essentially the same ingredients, but the wontons are placed in muffin cups and filled with the crab mixture, then baked. This second variation, though more fattening, is totally blog-worthy. The wontons are super crispy and light; the crab filling is rich, creamy, and flavorful. I didn't serve these with any sauce, and they don't need it.

A quick note - these guys are a bit of work. The recipe written below makes about 3 dozen crab rangoons; I wish I'd known this beforehand, as we went through about a dozen and I have no clue how we'll get through the rest. And, because I'm picky about presentation and because I "should have been a chef," I had to make each one perfect, so I spent quite a while "crafting" them.

This recipe is definitely a keeper and I can't wait to make these for friends or family!

Crab Rangoon

1 pkg wonton wrappers (found in produce section, often near tofu)

16 oz cream cheese, softened - reduced fat (either blocks or tubs work fine)

1/2 C green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 TBS sugar

1 large egg

1 TBS milk

1 can crab meat

1 tsp soy sauce

1 egg white

1-2 C canola oil

1. In bowl, mix everything except the wonton wrappers, 1 egg white and canola oil.

2. This next step takes about 20 minutes, if you make this recipe as written. Take each wonton wrapper and fill with a small tablespoon of crab mixture. Brush all four edges with egg white and fold the wonton in half in order to make a triangle. Seal both edges by pinching tightly all the way around. If the wontons aren't tightly sealed, or overfilled, the crab mixture will seep into the hot oil when cooking.

3. Heat oil over high heat in large skillet*. Working in batches, place several crab rangoons into oil and cook for several minutes until corners start to brown lightly. Using metal tongs or slotted spoon, flip crab rangoons over and fry several additional minutes on the other side. Remove and set on paper towels to drain.

*For me, frying isn't fun. I'm scared of it, it splatters on my shirt, it splatters on my stovetop, its loud, and I'm always convinced that I'm about to burn the place down. I've never been comfortable frying in hot oil and luckily, I rarely do it. Part of my issue is that the LESS hot the oil is, the more in-control it seems - but the MORE hot the oil is, the better the food reacts to the oil - it doesn't absorb it and get greasy. So, there's a fine line - if you're fearless, get your oil super hot and go for it. And, if you own a deep fryer, you're in luck - no splatters, no fear, perfect temp.

Cream Cheese Black Bean Burritos

I don't want to scare you away but....these burritos are meatless.

(Pretend I didn't just say that. Now keep reading.)

I stumbled across this recipe a LONG time ago - over a year, I'd say. It had (has) rave reviews - and I gotta say, I totally get it. I more than get it: I want you to get it.

After letting this recipe sit in my binder, un-used and un-appreciated, for so long - it almost hurts! I could seriously sell these burritos mass-market, and I think people would buy them. The bean filling is, well, scrumptious. The black beans provide a mild "flavor base" (I made that up) and are completely coated in melted cream cheese. The jalepeno offers a nice kick while the green peppers and tomatoes add a ton of color and variety in texture. I'm not trying to sound like a food editor (my dream job, lately) but I do want each and every one of you to fully understand that these burritos are worthy of breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

(And dessert.)

Delicious Black Bean Burritos

10-inch flour tortillas

olive oil

1 medium onion, finely diced

1 bell pepper, finely diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Rotel

1 jalepeno, minced

1 block cream cheese

salt, pepper

small handful of chopped cilantro

mexican spice blend, cumin

1 C shredded colby jack cheese

1. Heat 2 TBS oil over med-high heat in large skillet. Sautee onions, jalepeno and bell pepper for several minutes. Add garlic and sautee another minute. Add beans to skillet. Cook several minutes, stirring often.

2. Reduce heat to low. Add Rotel and cream cheese. Stir well, and add cilantro, spices, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste.

3. Heat tortillas in microwave for 15 seconds apiece. Place a bit of shredded cheese in warm tortilla and top with approx. 1/2 C bean filling per tortilla. Wrap tightly.

***Note - this recipe as written makes 6 very good-size burritos. Brett can't eat more than one - and this recipe makes just a tad too much food for us. I would recommend cutting this recipe in half, but you could also make several burritos and freeze them. For breakfast or lunch, like I said! =) ***

(the bean filling which I read is very good as a dip with tortilla chips...)

Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Shells with Shrimp

I think you'll like this recipe, and here's why.

This recipe is very much back to the basics. This recipe starts with pasta shells - we can all boil water, right? In these tender, cooked shells goes ricotta and chopped spinach leaves - stir together, fill your shells, set shells in a pan. On top of these shells goes loads of mozzarella, and lots of little shrimps. You put in the oven, you remove from the oven, and you admire your masterpiece.

So easy! And such a great presentation, with enough leftover for tomorrow's lunch.

It's also worth mentioning that you can do what.ever.you.want with these shells. Hate shrimp? (Aimee, that's you.) Sub with chicken. Want some more greens? Chopped asparagus in the ricotta would be diiiiivine. You also get to use your favorite marinara - which in my case, is Cascone's Original Pasta Sauce. Cascone's is an italian place with several locations in KC, and just the logo brings back memories of their super sweet marinara that I could never get enough of....

[gift idea here, guys.]

Enjoy!

Spinach and Ricotta-Stuffed Shells with Shrimp

1 (12 oz) box of jumbo pasta shells

1 (24 oz) jar of marinara sauce

30 oz container part-skim ricotta

2 C baby fresh spinach, washed and dried; chopped

salt + pepper

1.5 C grated mozzarella

1 bag frozen shrimp, thawed

1. Cook jumbo pasta shells until just al dente, no longer. Heat oven to 400.

2. In medium bowl, combine ricotta, spinach, and sprinkle of salt + pepper.

3. Pour marinara sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish - NOTE! I needed two baking dishes. Spoon ricotta mixture into cooked shells. You will use most, but not all, of the shells. Place shells on top of the sauce. Scatter shrimp throughout the baking dish. Sprinkle mozzarella over shells and shrimp.

4. Bake until heated through, 10-12 minutes. During the last several minutes, increase oven temp to broil until cheese is lightly browned.

Crab Enchiladas

Oh my.

Rarely do I make a blog post just hours after trying a new recipe - generally its a few days later, when I'm bored on a weeknight, and thinking to myself, "I'd rather be in the kitchen."

Yet, here I am, on a Friday night, with a million things on my wedding to-do list...and I just have to put this recipe on paper before it slips my mind.

These enchiladas are fun and flexible. I gathered tips and ideas from several different recipes, as well as a crab enchilada recipe that my mom recently tried out. I had a good sense of what flavors and textures I wanted in the crab filling versus the cream sauce. I wasn't scared to go my own route with this one. I had no recipe in front of me, and I took it slow. I wrote down what ingredients I used, and in what quantities.

I wouldn't change a thing next time - the only exception being that I would love more cilantro... however, my cilantro plant on the patio is still just a baby and I can't take all of its leaves off yet, right? ;-)

Crab Enchiladas

3 (6-oz) cans white crab (Chicken of the Sea brand) - drained well

6 oz can chopped green chiles

1 small onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

small bunch of cilantro, chopped

juice of 1 lime

mexican spice blend

1/4 C sherry wine

1 pint fat-free half and half

3/4 C fat free sour cream

3/4 C colby jack cheese blend, shredded

4 TBS butter, divided

2 tbs flour

salt, pepper

4 large flour tortillas

avocado and tomato, if desired

1. In large skillet, saute onions in 2 TBS butter until translucent. Add garlic and saute another 2 minutes. Place onions and garlic in medium bowl. Remove skillet from heat and set aside.

2. To the onions and garlic, add crab, green chiles, cilantro, juice of lime, and 1 TBS mexican spice blend. Mix well and set aside.

3. Place skillet back on med-high heat and add 2 TBS butter. When melted, add 2 TBS flour and cook one minute, until flour is lightly browned. Add sherry wine to the pan to deglaze, and whisk until smooth. Don't let anything burn. Add half and half slowly, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk several minutes as mixture comes to a slow boil and gradually thickens. Remove from heat. Let sit 5-7 minutes until slightly cooled. Add shredded cheese and sour cream. Stir well. Add a bit more mexican spice blend and season with salt and pepper as you like. Taste as you go.

4. Preheat oven to 350. Add 3/4 C of the cream sauce to the crab mixture. Spray a large baking dish with PAM. In each tortilla, place several large tablespoons of the crab filling. I had enough for 4 tortillas. Roll the tortillas and place seam-side-down in pan. If extra filling is leftover, just drizzle it on top. When all tortillas are in the pan, drizzle the remaining cream sauce over the top.

5. Bake 30 minutes. Before serving, place avocado and tomato over the top.

...Apologies for the so-so photos. I would have loved to take a picture of the inside of the enchilada, with all that yummy crab...however, as soon as my fork went in, it was all over... :-)

Joan's Baked Beans

Let's say my fiance and a bunch of his guys at work get together for food and indoor football. Let's say that everyone is assigned to bring a dish - some people bring hot dogs, others bring cole slaw, and because they're guys, someone else brings stale store-bought cookies.

Now let's say that as soon as Brett receives the sign-up list, he calls his fiance at work and asks her to bring her mom's famous baked beans.

"The spicy ones, yeah."

"Aren't they layered in bacon? Thought so."

Fiance (me) complies. Recipe is doubled and baked in a huge foil pan (only after the bacon is lathered on top.)

Finally, let's say that late that night, Brett comes home and says: "They raved over the beans. Fought over the beans. No one talked about ANYTHING but the beans."

My job here is done.

Joan's Baked Beans

3 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

1 TBS dry mustard

sprinkle of salt and pepper

1 tsp+ cayenne pepper

1/4 C worchestershire sauce

1/2 C brown sugar

2 TBS vinegar

1 tsp dried basil

1 bottle KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce

1/2 package bacon

Mix all of the above ingredients (except bacon) in a large bowl. Pour into a deep cake pan (9x13 works fine.) Layer top with bacon slices, covering the beans.

Bake covered at 310 degrees for 2 hours. Turn heat off, uncover, and let sit in oven for 30 minutes.

Avocado, Tomato & Mango Salsa

This is not your average salsa.

Actually, this isn't even salsa. But that's what it's called, so that's what I'm gonna call it!

This salsa is all of the things that I love about cooking - the comfort in standing over my cutting board, methodically chopping vegetables into perfectly imperfect pieces. The surprising combination of sweet and spicy in the same bite. The phenomenon of color - each ingredient being somewhat dull on its own, but contrasting and vibrant in the final product. The improvement of flavor with just a little bit of time, and patience.

This salsa is so much more than delicious alongside chicken or fish. This salsa is my favorite season, and my favorite colors, and my favorite fresh flavors, and my favorite hobby....tossed in a bowl and devoured shortly afterwards!

Avocado, Tomato and Mango Salsa

1 mango - peeled and diced

1 avocado - peeled, pitted, and diced

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1 jalepeno pepper, seeded and minced

1/2 C chopped fresh cilantro

3 cloves garlic, minced

sprinkle of salt and pepper

juice of 1 lime

half of a red onion, diced

1 TBS olive oil

1. In medium bowl, combine all. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and stir well before serving. Serve alongside fish, chicken, or shrimp. Would also be delicious with chips or tortillas.

PW's Pasta Carbonara

Another one cominatchya from Pioneer Woman: Pasta Carbonara.

Here's a short story. I am about to marry a guy who is a pretty big health nut. Holidays are a splurge, and weekends are sometimes, as well. But on weeknights, Brett wants lean meats, lots of veggies, and absolutely no grease - I practically have to get on my knees and beg just to fry something in olive oil.

So, with this upcoming wedding, Brett decided that he wanted to try two weeks of a very special "dinner diet." During this two weeks, his dinner was two tilapia filets, one sweet potato, and some sort of vegetable. I was of course willing to work his special dietary wishes into my recipe plan, and in fact, I was almost giddy about this food freedom - this gave me the chance to finally cook a few meals for me that were full of cream (!) butter (!) and full-fat cheese (!!!!!) I knew instantly that I would be trying out two recipes in particular. The first being broccoli cheddar soup, and the second being Pioneer Woman's Pasta Carbonara.

Bacon. Egg. Parmesan. Butter. I. Love. You. All.

PW's Pasta Carbonara

1/2 lb bacon

1/2 lb linguine

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C white wine

1/2 C chicken broth

2 eggs

3/4 C shaved parmesan cheese*

small bunch of parsley, chopped

1/4 stick butter

salt + pepper

*the crumbly stuff in the plastic container is a no-no here

1. Slice bacon into 1-inch pieces. Place in a pan and sauté until brown and crispy. While the bacon is cooking, get your pasta going in boiling, salted water.

2. Remove bacon with a slotted spoon. Add diced onions to bacon grease. Cook several minutes, until tender. Add garlic. Cook another minute or so. Remove both onions and garlic from pan and set aside with bacon. Discard bacon grease.

3. Place pan back on stove. In a minute or two, it should start to smoke - when it does, add the wine. Scrape the bottom of the pan to catch all of the yummy drippings. Add the chicken stock. Whisk well. Return bacon, onion and garlic to pan. Let simmer over medium heat.

4. Your pasta should be done now. Drain well. Crack eggs into a large bowl. Add parmesan and parsley to bowl (leave a little of both aside for garnish.) Mix well. Now, add very hot pasta to the bowl and mix well - this is what cooks the egg a bit. Now add the bacon mixture and your butter. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste. Mix well.

Mom's Lemon Bars

Today's the first day of April. The forecast says the high is 84. Last night's dinner was salmon with a summer-y mango salsa. Every single window is wide open. I'm wearing open-toed shoes with my pretty little pedicure....

...I love this time of year!

Mom's lemon bars are a perfectly refreshing dessert for warm weather. They are best served chilled and yes, they are slightly tart - so pucker up! The crust is to-die-for. If you like shortbread cookies half as much as I do, you'll see what I mean.

Happy Spring to you all!

Mom's Lemon Bars

Mix with a fork:

2 C flour

1/2 C powdered sugar

1 C butter, softened

Grease and flour a 9x13 pan. Press above mixture into pan and bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until top is lightly browned.

Mix well:

4 large eggs

2 C sugar

1/2 C lemon juice + 1 TBS lemon zest

Then add to lemon mixture:

1/4 C flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

Pour lemon mixture over baked crust while crust is still hot. Bake another 25-30 minutes; you can tell they are ready when there are little bubbles on the top. The bars will be somewhat "set" and possibly a lightly-browned layer on top. Remove from oven and cool on counter for half hour; place in fridge to finish cooling 2-3 hours. Remove from fridge and sprinkle powdered sugar over bars. Cut into squares.

Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

There's something that you need to know. Something vitally important.

Grilled pineapple is indescribable.

Grilled pineapple is so juicy, that I don't even know how the juices get IN there! There isn't that much ROOM in a slice of grilled pineapple for all the juices that end up dripping down your chin! Where does it COME from???

I don't get it. I don't wanna get it. I just want more of it.

Pan-Grilled Pork Chops with (grilled, baby!) Pineapple Salsa

4 bone-in pork chops

1 large lime

1 fresh pineapple

1 small red onion

1 jalepeno

a grill (indoor/electric works great)

1. Roll the lime around on your counter to get the juices going. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper. Cut lime in half. Drizzle the pork chops with the juices of half the lime. Set pork chops aside.

2. Cut pineapple into slices. How? Lay the pineapple on its side. Cut off the top. Cut off the bottom. Set the pineapple up. Slice it right down the center. Now cut each half in half again. Using a sharp knife, cut away the peel and the inner core. Slice the remaining (good) pieces into, well, slices.

3. Chop red onion into thick slices. Chop jalepeno into slices. Remember, everything goes on the grill - so don't finely chop anything. It all needs to be manageable.

4. Heat grill to medium-high heat. Spray with Pam. Put onion and jalepeno on grill. Cook 4-6 minutes until onion is tender. Set aside on the cutting board. Now add pineapple slices to grill for 4-6 minutes. While pineapple is grilling, chop onion and jalepeno into chunks. Place in bowl. Remove pineapple from grill, chop it up, and add to bowl. Now drizzle the juice from the remaining 1/2 lime. Sprinkle in some salt and pepper too. Set aside.

5. Re-Pam your grill and add the chops. Cook 5-8 minutes until cooked through. When done cooking, remove from grill and set on plate to "rest" for several minutes. This lets the meat finish cooking and allows juices to disperse evenly through the meat.

6. Serve pork chops alongside (grilled, baby!) pineapple salsa. I also served with plain couscous, that was drizzled with some lime juice. It was a perfect pairing.

Sweet Potato Fries

Did you know....that sweet potatoes are an excellent source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, fiber, iron, and a slew of other vitamins and minerals?

Did you know...that there are over 400 varieties of sweet potato, ranging from white to dark purple? (Did you know...that the only variety I've ever seen or eaten, and you've probably seen or eaten, is the creamy reddish orange kind?)

Did you know...that Christopher Columbus brought sweet potatoes back to Europe after his first visit to America in 1492?

Did you know...that studies show that roasting sweet potatoes leaves more of the healthy compounds intact than boiling sweet potatoes? (no worries, these little guys are roasted...)

These sweet potato fries are one of the most easy and fun side dishes that I've ever made for a quick weeknight meal. They are very inexpensive - at my grocery store, sweet potatoes are running <$1.00 apiece, and you only need a couple for this recipe. Let them bake while you're getting the rest of your meal ready. I served these fries along jerk-seasoned turkey burgers and it was so wonderful knowing that these weren't fried in grease. The sweet flavor is very prominent and these fries definitely don't go well with ketchup (in my opinion). We ate them plain but it would be fun to try them with ranch or honey mustard.

Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Fries

2-4 large sweet potatoes, scrubbed and patted dry

olive oil

salt

1. Heat oven to 400. Peel sweet potatoes with potato peeler (or you can leave the skin on for extra nutrients!)

2. Slice sweet potatoes into thin strips - and try to slice them evenly, so they cook evenly. I found the easiest way to do this was chop the rounded ends off, then cut the potato in half again and again until I was left with little strips. Remember, the thinner they are, the quicker they look.

3. Place potato strips on large baking sheet so no fries are overlapping. Drizzle with olive oil and salt; shake the pan to coat evenly (another option here is to spray with Pam, or even better, use an olive oil spray can to evenly spray olive oil onto the fries.)

4. Bake for 20 minutes, and flip the fries. Bake another 20 minutes. Test for tenderness somewhere along there - if you like them, you can remove them early. If you want crunchy, let them go longer. Have fun!

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

There are yummy appetizers. There are crunchy appetizers. There are sweet appetizers. There are mmmmmmm good appetizers.

And then there's this appetizer.

A so-good-I-just-ignored-half-the-KU-game-because-I-can't-stop-stuffing-my-face-appetizer.

A dinner-is-ruined-appetizer.

A you-said-what?-I-wasn't-listening-to-you-appetizer.

Make this dip, eat this dip, and repeat this dip. Enjoy every second of this dip.

Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts (in water,) drained and chopped

3/4 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained

3/4 C italian cheese blend

1 C sour cream

1/3 C real mayo

8 oz cream cheese, softened

2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Preheat oven to 375.

2. In medium bowl, mix together all ingredients.

3. Place dip in oven-safe dish and cover. Bake about 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Serve with crusty sliced bread, crackers, chips, or vegetable slices.