Cooking . . . It's a Family Thing!

My family loved these pork chops. Richard kept talking about how good they were, how he really liked the crunch! I served these chops with sauted Swiss Chard (from my garden) and potato salad (Food Lion's Southern Style). This potato salad is so good, I'll never make homemade again! By the way, if you have a small garden, you should grow Swiss Chard. It is really good and very easy to grow. It looks really pretty in the garden too. Mine is multi colored, meaning the stems are different colors. Some are red, orange, yellow, kind of like a rainbow!

• 8 whole Thin Sliced Boneless Pork Chops (I used 4 & mine were thick so I just put them in a zip lock bag and pounded them to a thickness of about 1/4")
• Salt & Pepper
• 2 T Fresh Parsley, chopped (I used dried)
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour (I used about 1/8 cup for 4 chops)
• 2 whole eggs (I used 1)
• 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs (I used 1/2 cup for 4 chops)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 Lemon

Directions:

Place boneless pork chops in a large zip lock bag or between 2 pieces of plastic wrap and pound to tenderize or thin your chops. Remove from plastic and salt & pepper both sides of the meat; set aside. Finely chop your fresh parsley or use dried. Next you want to prepare your dredging/breading assembly line. Use 3 shallow dishes (I used pie plates). The first should be your flour. Plate 2 should have your eggs, beaten. Plate 3 should have your panko bread crumbs. Mix the Parmesan & parsley with the bread crumbs.Preheat a large skillet over medium-high heat with enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Start your dredging process. First coat the pork chop in flour on both sides. Then dip in the egg. Then finally in the panko mixture. Make sure you fully coat both sides. Set on a platter and continue dredging 3 more chops. (It's easier to do 4 at the time and get them into your pan, then you can dredge the other 4 while the first batch is cooking). Place the first 4 chops into the pan (you should get a good sizzle). They will only need to cook about 3-4 minutes per side. Turn them over when they are nice and golden brown. Remove the first batch and place on a plate lined with a paper towel. Add more oil, if needed, to cook the 2nd batch. Slice lemon into wedges and squeeze over pork chops. I am the only one who likes lemon on my food so I only did this for my chop! I also sprinkled a little chopped, fresh parsley over chops before serving.

Prep Time 15 Min Cook Time 15 Min; Serves 8

SWISS CHARD

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch Swiss Chard, any color (what I have in my garden is a rainbow of colors)
• 1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion, halved & sliced into half moons
• 1/2 t crushed Red Pepper Flakes (you can omit this or decrease if you don't like heat)
• 1/2 cups Chicken Broth, vegetable broth or water
• 2 T Toasted Pine Nuts (I love these)
• 1/4 cup Feta Cheese, crumbled (I didn't have any so I just left out)
• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Cut the stems off the Swiss Chard leaves (I just lay down the leaf, start at the top of the stem closest to the leaf and cut down on each side of stem). Thinly slice the leaves into long ribbons & cut the stems (if they are large) into thin slices. Heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the Swiss Chard stems, onion and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Cook until the stems & onions have softened, about 5-7 minutes. Add the broth or water and the Swiss Chard leaves. Partially cover and cook until the leaves have wilted but still have some body to them, about 5 minutes. (You don't want to overcook the leaves or they will be mushy). Using a slotted spoon, scoop the Swiss Chard and onions into a serving bowl, draining off most of the liquid. Top with toasted pine nuts and feta cheese (I left off the feta). Serve hot or warm.

Prep Time: 10 min, Cook Time 15 Min; Serves 4

PASTOR RYAN'S MEXICAN LASAGNA

The original recipe would make enough for a small army so I just halved everything so that I could use a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. This is so good and really not very time consuming. I put this all together Sunday morning before I went to church and then just baked it when I got home. When you begin to layer this dish you can do it anyway you want, just start with the salsa verde on bottom and then your tortillas. All the other ingredients add like you want!

Ingredients:
2 cups Unprepared Rice
3 cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth/Stock
2-3 Whole Tomatoes (I used 2 cans of diced tomatoes which I drained but saved the liquid)
1 Whole Onion, chopped
4 Cloves of Garlic, finely chopped
Taco Seasoning, to taste (I made mine using 1 1/2 T of chili powder and 3/4 T of both paprika & cumin)
1 Can Black Beans
1 1/2 lbs Lean Ground Beef
1 Jar Salsa Verde (16 ounce)
Flour Tortillas
2 Packages Mexican Cheese Blend
1/2 can of Enchilada Sauce
1 1/2 Cans Corn, Drained (I just thawed some I had in the freezer)
Cilantro, to taste
Butter

Directions:
Begin by preparing rice using chicken stock instead of water (follow package directions.) Once prepared, salt to taste. Chop up tomates (or use canned diced tomatoes), onion and garlic as small as you prefer. Saute in pan with a tablespoon or so of butter. Since I used canned tomatoes I sauteed my onion & garlic till the onion was translucent then I added my diced, drained tomatoes. Let this simmer for about 5 minutes. Add about half of your taco seasoning, to taste. Stir until nicely combined. Add the beans here, if you like them, or leave them out . . . no need to drain. Mix rice together with the tomato/onion/garlic mixture.

Brown the ground beef adding the rest of the taco seasoning and salt to taste and about 4-6 ounces of water to create the taco beef. Since I used diced, canned tomatoes, I just added the liquid I had reserved when I drained my tomatoes instead of using water!

Spread about half the jar of salsa verde in the bottom of your casserole dish. I used a 9 x 13 dish. Then just start layering like you would lasagna; tortillas to cover the salsa verde, rice mixture to cover tortillas, ground beef, corn & cheese. Then begin again with another layer of tortillas but next pour enchilada sauce over tortillas and spread it out evenly. Now more rice mixture, ground beef, corn & cheese and contine layering until you've used everything then add the rest of the salsa verde on top and cover with any remaining cheese. Sprinkle the top with some taco seasoning or cayenne pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25-35 minutes until the cheese has melted and begins to brown a bit.

Serve this up topped with a dollop of sour cream and chopped cilantro (if you like it)

Prep Time: 45 minutes
Serves 6-8

1. Lay chicken in bottom of 8x8 baking pan (I used an 8 x 11 1/2 Pyrex dish)
2. Mix vegetables and cream of chicken soup in microwave bowl; heat until warm
3. Spread vegetable mixture on top of chicken
4. Combine bisquick butter, mayonnaise & chicken broth & stir until just combined
5. Pour over chicken and spread to evenly distribute.
6. Bake at 350 degrees till the topping is golden brown, about 45 min.

Yall, I can't tell you how good this tastes. You will just have to prepare this dish sometime soon! The last time Harris Teeter or Food Lion put chicken legs & thighs on sale I bought a family size bag and froze 3 legs & 3 thighs to each bag. These chicken pieces are usually pretty inexpensive making this a very cost friendly meal!

Prep Time: 10 min
Cook Time 1 hr
Servings 6

INGREDIENTS

• 8 pieces Chicken Legs or Thighs (I used a combination and only 6 pcs)
• Salt & Pepper to taste (I didn't add any)
• 3 T Olive Oil
• 1 T Butter
• 1 (28 oz) can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 (14 oz) can Whole Tomatoes (I just used 3 cans (14 oz ea) of diced
• 2 T (heaping) Tomato Paste
• Fresh Herbs: Basil, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary (I grow all these & used all but parsley). Just chunked them in the pot whole.
• 8 Cloves Garlic (just peel it)
• 16 ounces, weight Pasta, your choice (I used 3/4 bag of Whole Wheat Wide Egg Noodles)
• Grated Parmesan Cheese, for serving
• 1/2 cup chicken broth

I know I haven't posted a new recipe in a while and I'm sorry! My grand kids were here last week and, well, they are top priority when they are here! My dinner tonight was delicious! I hope you will give it a try.

PANERA BREAD BLACK BEAN SOUP
25 Min/5 Min Prep

INGREDIENTS:
1 Onion
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
2 Celery Ribs, finely chopped
1/4 large Red Bell Pepper, finely chopped
2 small Chicken Bouillon Cubes
2 1/2 cups Boiling Water
(I just used 2 1/2 cups chicken stock that I had in my freezer)
2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, undrained
1/2 t salt
1/2 t cumin
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 T cornstarch

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a pot, combine the first six ingredients; simmer for 10 minutes
2. Add half a can of beans, salt and cumin; cook for 5 minutes.
3. Puree soup (I used an immersion blender which makes it easy to do right in the pot).
4. Add the rest of the beans to the soup.
5. Combine the cornstarch with 1 1/2 T of water.
6. Add the lemon juice and cornstarch to the soup; cook until thickened.

1. Cooks eggs; cover with water, bring to a boil, then turn off heat and allow to sit in water for 20 minutes. Drain off water and add ice on top of eggs.
2. Fry bacon until crispy/chewy. Remove to a paper towel.
3. Remove 3 T bacon grease and set aside.
4. Add 2 add'l T of bacon grease to a separate skillet over medium heat.
5. Slice red onion very thinly, then add to skillet. Cook slowly until caramelized and brown. Remove to a plate and set aside.
6. Chop bacon
7. Peel and slice eggs (I used my Pampered Chef egg slicer; it worked great)
8. Make hot bacon dressing; Add 3T reserved bacon grease, vinegar, sugar and Dijon to a small skillet over medium-low heat. Whisk mixture together and heat thoroughly.
9. Add spinach to a large bowl. Arrange onions, mushrooms and bacon on top. Pour hot dressing over the top; toss to combine.
10. Arrange eggs over the top and serve.