Smothered Pork Chops

We eat a lot of chicken and ground beef dishes during the week.  I really wanted to try something different.  I decided to cook pork chops for a change.  We rarely have pork chops for dinner, because my husband doesn't care much for them.

I picked this pork chop recipe because it has great reviews over at Foodnetwork.com.  It also uses simple ingredients that I already have in my kitchen.  Plus, it's a recipe from Tyler Florence.  His recipes usual don't disappoint.  Will Smothered Pork Chops turn my husband into a pork chop fan?  

Ingredients (printable recipe)
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 pork chops, 3/4-inch thick, bone-in
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk 

Direction
Put the flour in a shallow platter and add the onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly. Dredge them in the seasoned flour; shaking off the excess. 

Heat a large saute pan or cast iron skillet over medium heat and coat with the oil. When the oil is nice and hot, lay the pork chops in the pan in a single layer and fry for 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the pork chops from the pan and add a little sprinkle of seasoned flour to the pan drippings. Mix the flour into the fat to dissolve and then pour in the chicken broth in. Let the liquid cook down for 5 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly. Stir in the buttermilk to make a creamy gravy and return the pork chops to the pan, covering them with the sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper.

Source Foodnetwork~Tyler Florence

The Results...
I liked that this recipe came together pretty quickly.  Start to finish, this only took about 30 minutes to get to the table.  Great for a weeknight meal or whenever I don't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen.

So, what did everyone think, especially my husband?  My husband ate two pork chops!  He really liked them.  I'm slowly changing his mind about pork chops.  The pork chops turned out tender and moist with a delicious gravy.  We are all fans of this recipe.  I'm keeping Smothered Pork Chops in my dinner rotation.

This recipe is featured at Foodie Friends Friday for most clicks AND at The Weekend Potluck!

This recipe is shared at:

I also share recipes at these linky parties.

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Pudding Milkshake (No Ice Cream)

Sorry, this isn't the best picture.  It was getting dark.

We all need a little motivation sometimes.  I asked the kids to pick up the house yesterday evening.  They gave me that "do we have to?" look.  When I offered to make milkshakes, they jumped up immediately and started cleaning.  They hurried and put everything away.  A little bribe motivation works well.  The house was looking great!

I went to the freezer to start whipping up milkshakes.  But, there was a problem....no ice cream!

Luckily, I remembered a recipe for a no-ice cream milkshake that I recently found online.  We were still going to have milkshakes, Pudding Milkshakes.

Ingredients (printable recipe)

1 cup milk

1 cup frozen strawberries

2 1/2 cups Cool-Whip (or one small 8 oz. tub)

2-4 Tablespoons instant pudding*--I used Jell-O Strawberry Creme

1/2 to 1 cup ice

Directions

Put all ingredients in the blender. Blend until smooth.

Makes 2-3 glasses

*The more pudding mix you use the thicker it will be. Be creative and use different pudding flavors.

**You could make a lighter version with skim milk, Lite Cool-Whip and sugar-free pudding mix.

Inspiration netcooks.com

The Results...
Cool, creamy and delicious!  This is a fun recipe that you can be creative with and change the flavors to whatever you like.

The kids really liked their sweet reward.  They gave their Pudding Milkshakes 4-5 stars.  They didn't miss the ice cream at all!  I wonder what else the kids would do for a Pudding Milkshake?  :)   

This recipe is featured at Lady Behind the Curtain.


I also share recipes at these linky parties.

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Browned Butter Banana Bread Brownies

It seems like either we don't have enough bananas or we have too many.  My little 1 yr. old has been eating a banana every morning recently.  So, I bought a big bunch of bananas on my last shopping trip.  Then, she decided she didn't want a banana every morning anymore.  So, we had too many bananas!  And they seem to ripen even quicker in the summer. 

I had forgotten about those poor bananas sitting in the kitchen until I came across this recipe for Browned Butter Banana Bread Brownies.  I figured it was meant to be since I had all the ingredients on hand and the bananas were ripe and ready to be used.

Brownie Ingredients (printable recipe)

1 1/2 C sugar

1 C light sour cream

1/4 C butter, browned on the stove*

3-4 ripe ripe bananas, mashed

2 tsp vanilla

2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt 

Directions 

In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium high heat, watch carefully when it reaches a medium brown color turn off heat, let cool slightly. Preheat oven to 375 degrees, spray with cooking spray a 10×15 pan (jelly roll pan). Beat together first 3 ingredients, mix well. Add mashed bananas and vanilla, mix well. Add 1 cup flour at a time, then add baking soda, and salt, mix just until incorporated. Bake 15-20 minutes or until springs back with a light touch and golden brown. 5 minutes before the brownies are done make the frosting.

Browned Butter Frosting Ingredients 

1/2 C butter, browned on stove*

4 C powdered sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

3 Tbsp milk

Directions 

In a small sauce pan melt butter over medium high heat, watch carefully when it reaches a medium brown color turn off heat, whisk in 1 C powdered sugar at a time, adding milk as it thickens, then add in vanilla. Pour onto hot from the oven brownies and spread evenly. Cool and serve.

Adapted slightly from What's Cooking with Ruthie

*If you've never made browned butter (I hadn't) here are some helpful instructions from Simply Recipes.  I suggest you read this first.  Otherwise, you might make burned butter on your first try (I did!).

The Results...
This was a delicious way to use up those ripe bananas that my 1 yr. old refused to eat.  She didn't refuse eating these yummy banana brownies!  No one refused eating these banana brownies.  I really liked the extra flavor from the browned butter.  It went very well with the bananas.

Not only does browned butter add extra flavor, it saves calories.  A great tip from What's Cooking with Ruthie is: If butter is browned you can use half the amount and still get the same flavor.
A-W-E-S-O-M-E! 

Just one little thing, I wouldn't exactly call these brownies.  When I think of brownies, I think of dense, chewy bars.  This reminded me more of a Texas sheet cake, but banana flavored.  I know, I'm being nitpicky.  It doesn't matter what you want to call these.  They are simply delicious!

Here are more yummy banana recipes worth trying:
Banana ice cream
Not Your Ordinary Banana Bread
Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding

I share recipes at these linky parties.

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Roasted Broccoli & Parmesan

Steamed, raw dipped in ranch dressing or broccoli salad is how we usually eat broccoli.  This time we're going to try something different, Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan.  Will everyone like roasted broccoli?

 Ingredients (printable recipe)

1 head broccoli
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan

Directions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

Peel the outer layer of the broccoli stalks. Cut the broccoli lengthwise keeping the stalk and broccoli florets intact. (The long broccoli spears should resemble trees.) Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to coat and roast until nicely caramelized, about 15 minutes. Turn broccoli over and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan. Cook until the Parmesan melts, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and serve immediately.

Source Foodnetwork~Melissa d'Arabian

The Results...
Not bad.  This is an easy side dish to prepare for any meal. The broccoli turned out cooked, but still pretty firm (too firm for the baby to eat).  It wasn't as soft as steamed broccoli.  I still prefer steamed broccoli as long as it's not overcooked and mushy.  The kids dipped their roasted broccoli into Ranch dressing---they can't eat broccoli without it.  This was worth a try and I'd make this again.  But, I think I'll wait a month or two when it's cooler outside and I don't mind turning on the oven.

This recipe is shared at:
Foodie Friends Friday
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club 

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Homemade Chicken and Dumplings

Homemade Chicken and Dumplings = comfort food.  Simple ingredients, easy to make and tasty---that's what makes comfort food so great!

There are many different ways to make chicken and dumplings...dropped dumplings, rolled dumplings, canned biscuit dumplings, Bisquik dumplings...to add veggies or not to add veggies, etc... 

I like the chicken and dumplings from Cracker Barrel and decided to try this recipe because it looks similar to theirs.

Ingredients (printable recipe)

2 cups Flour
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
1 pinch Salt
2 Tablespoons Butter

½ cup Milk

½ cup buttermilk*

2 quarts Chicken Broth
3 cups Cooked Chicken
Freshly ground pepper and salt

Directions 

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. Stir in the milk and buttermilk, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball.

Heavily flour a work surface. You’ll need a rolling pin and something to cut the dumplings with. I used a pizza cutter. I also like to use a small spatula to lift the dumplings off the cutting surface.

Roll the dough out thin with a heavily floured rolling pin. Dip your cutter in flour and cut the dumplings in squares about 2″x2″. It’s okay for them not to be exact. Some will be bigger, some smaller, some shaped funny.

Use the floured spatula to put them on a heavily floured plate. Keep flouring between the layers of dumplings.

To cook them, bring the broth to a boil. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, stirring while you add them. The extra flour on them will help thicken the broth. Cook them for about 15-20 minutes or until they are not doughy tasting. Add the cooked chicken to the pot and you’re done! Serve and sprinkle with salt and pepper as desired.

*If you don't have buttermilk, 1 cup milk will work fine. I had some buttermilk on hand and decided to use it.

Adapted slightly from Tasty Kitchen

The Results...
Overall, I liked this recipe.  Since I already had cooked chicken in the fridge, this was very easy to put together.  The gravy had a nice consistency (not too thick or thin).  I have to be honest, I haven't been to Cracker Barrel in quite a while.  There isn't one near us.  It's probably been at least a year, maybe two since I've had Cracker Barrel's Chicken and Dumplings.  But, from what I remember this recipe tastes very close.   

What did everyone else think?  Mixed reviews.  2 out of our 4 kids liked this recipe.  My husband thought it was good, but he prefers 'dropped-style' dumplings more than these rolled-out dumplings.  He also suggested I add veggies next time.  That's how he prefers to eat chicken and dumplings. 

What is your favorite way to eat Chicken and Dumplings?


This recipe is featured at Mom's Test Meal Mondays @ Mom's Test Kitchen for a favorite comfort food!

This recipe is shared at:
Foodie Friends Friday
Weekend Potluck @ Sunflower Supper Club

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The Social Poets: What Obama and Romney Should Be Talking About: These 2 Sick Little Girls

The Fish girls:  Alice, left and Natalie, right -  Source:  Fishes For Marrow Wishes-Sisters


The Social Poets: What Obama and Romney Should Be Talking About: These 2 Sick Little Girls: From Denny:  It's time to stop the madness along with the childish political campaign bickering.  Americans don't want to hear it anyway.  There are bigger issues at stake like the lives of these two seriously ill little girls from Utah, Natalie and Alice Fish.  In light of what this one American family is enduring should shame all the national politicians who are so self-absorbed they have not stopped long enough to notice.

I'm so disgusted with the 2012 election's childish name-calling tone and enabling media encouraging it that I change the channel constantly.  As a respite yesterday I went up on my page at Google + to catch up on those who friended me.

Well, it turned out these little Fish girls' parents friended me (that's a link to their Google+ page).  It's a good thing I always take the time to read a profile page or I might have missed this struggling life drama of a middle class family.  These little girls are real troopers and have been living in and out of hospitals since they were born.  Their parents are to be commended for going the distance with not just one child but now two with this rare problem. 


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The Social Poets: 2012 London Olympics: Olympic Boner, Funny Late Nite Jokes, Colbert, Stewart Videos

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Social Poets: 2012 London Olympics: Olympic Boner, Funny Late Nite Jokes, Colbert, Stewart Videos: From Denny:  The London 2012 Olympics took the world TV watching community by storm in record numbers.

That, and with the global economic meltdown we are all too poor to go out so we holiday indoors with our monster TVs for free, right?  The Olympics have proven to be some exciting stuff, something for everyone.

Of course, our national comics have enjoyed a bit of commentary.  Enjoy the laughs as the Olympics winds down into its last week.

Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart video clips are sure to make you laugh right off your chair!  The Stewart clip about the rower with the "two mice hugging a banana" is funnier than the photo of the famous Olympic Boner.  All that for just a bronze medal? :)

Funny Nobody is Perfect Laptop Skins

Smile while you promote yourself with satire

* * *  Please support Warriors Pearl Foundation - helping homeless female military veterans come home.  Visit Denny Lyon Gifts  @ CafePress.com  -   - see what's new!

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No-Bake Butterscotch-Pretzel Bars

Summer is swiftly passing by.  School will be starting in just a couple of weeks.  My oldest is starting junior high this year.  That makes me feel old!  I think everyone is ready to jump back into their school schedules.  My 8 yr. old can't wait to see all her friends and teachers again.  My 4 yr. old asks me almost everyday when preschool will start.  We'll be back to early mornings, packing lunches, homework and everything else that comes with the school year.  The kids are ready, but am I?!

No-Bake Butterscotch-Pretzel Bars look like they'd be great in a lunchbox or as an after school treat for the kids---and mom.  Moms need treats, too.  And don't forget Dad.  He'd probably enjoy one of these in his lunch too!  Really, who doesn't like a treat every once in a while?  Share some with your friends, neighbors or co-workers (as long as they're not allergic to peanuts).  

Ingredients (Printable Recipe)

Nonstick cooking spray
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 cups crushed pretzels (about 6-1/2 ounces)
1 (11 ounce package--about 2 cups) butterscotch-flavored pieces
1/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup coarsely crushed pretzels
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

Directions 

1. Line a 13x9x2-inch pan with foil. Lightly coat the foil with cooking spray; set aside. In a large mixing bowl, stir together powdered sugar, peanut butter, and melted butter. Stir in 2 cups crushed pretzels. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of prepared pan.

2. In a heavy medium saucepan, combine butterscotch pieces and whipping cream. Stir over low heat until pieces are just melted.

3. Carefully spoon and spread butterscotch mixture over crumb mixture in pan. Sprinkle 1/2 cup coarsely crushed pretzels and the peanuts evenly over butterscotch mixture; press gently.

4. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Cut into bars to serve. Store in refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Source Better Homes and Gardens

The Results...
Salty and sweet.  Satisfy both cravings at once!  These bars are easy to put together and you don't have to turn on the oven.  But, they do require 2 hours in the refrigerator to set-up, plan accordingly.  They were a little crumbly when I cut into them, but I knew the kids thought these were good since they asked to lick the crumbs from the cutting board.  These bars are very tasty and definitely worth sharing.

Looking ahead, I think these would be great for the holidays, too---cookie exchanges/neighbor gifts.  This recipe is a keeper!

This recipe is featured at:
Mix it up Monday @ Flour Me with Love   
Mom's Test Meal Mondays @ Mom's Test Kitchen 
Foodie Friends Friday--Click Star 

This recipe is also shared at: 
 
and these linky parties.

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Cherry Clafouti

"What's a Cherry Clafouti (kla-foo-tee)?"  My daughter asked this question while I was in the kitchen whipping this up.  I had never heard of a clafouti, either---until I found this recipe.  Basically, a clafouti is a rustic French country dessert from the Limousin region.  It is custard-like and baked with fruit.  Traditionally, a clafouti is baked with whole cherries because it is believed that the pits add an "almond-like" flavor to the dessert.

I sliced the cherries in half and removed the pits to make this easier to eat.  I didn't want the kids choking on cherry pits.  This whips up in no time once the cherries are ready.  The hardest part of this recipe is waiting for it to bake and cool before eating a slice. 

Ingredients (printable recipe)

2 1/2 cups (about 1 pound) sweet cherries

1 1/4 cups milk (I used whole)

1/4 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling 

3 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour

Pinch salt

Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 or 9-inch round or oval gratin dish or pie pan.

2. Rinse, stem and slice cherries in half, remove pits.

3. In a blender or food processor, combine the milk, sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, flour. Process until blended and smooth, no longer.

4. Place the cherries in the buttered dish. Pour the batter over the cherries. Sprinkle the top with sugar.

5. Bake until the edges are dark golden and a toothpick inserted in the center emerges clean, usually 45 to 55 minutes. The clafouti will fall when it comes out of the oven; cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve lukewarm.

Adapted from The Novice Housewife

The Results
Did we think this was a tasty clafouti?  No, we didn't.  My daughter that was in the kitchen with me ate the first slice and said, "ewww!"  That's never a good sign.  She couldn't even finish her slice.  My husband didn't finish his slice, either.  I shared a slice with the baby.  I thought it was OK and baby seemed to like the custardy part, but not the cherries.  After seeing the disgust of the others my 4 yr. old refused to even try a piece.

Since I have very little experience with making a clafouti, I wouldn't judge all clafoutis based on this one.  If I get a chance I would try a traditional clafouti made by someone who is familiar with this dessert.  But, I won't be making this recipe again for my family.

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Beef and Broccoli

Kids say the funniest things and our oldest daughter has especially kept us laughing over the past 8 years.

One evening (when she was around 3) I heard her crying in the bathtub: 
Me--Why are you crying? 
Our daughter--(through sniffles and tears) I'm turning into a grandma!
Me--What?
Our daughter--See my hands and feet!  They are WRINKLY--like a grandma!

Once when we were out shopping, she noticed some large potholes in the parking lot and said, "Dinosaurs are real!  Look at those dinosaur footprints!"

Just last night, she got out of bed and ran to the bathroom, "Just to make sure her eyeball didn't pop out!" (She had been rubbing her eyes)

I told you, she keeps us laughing!  Another favorite of mine is when she told me her feet were "MELTING!"  It was a VERY hot summer afternoon.  One of those days when you step outside and your whole body starts to sweat--immediately.  She was wearing flip flops and as her sweaty feet slid on top of her flip flops, she thought they were melting!

It's been an especially hot summer this year and I've had days when I think I'm going to melt, too!  No way am I going to turn on the oven.  That's why I love my slow cooker.  Beef and Broccoli cooks all day in the slow cooker without heating up the whole house.        
  

Ingredients (printable recipe)
1 1/2 pound boneless beef chuck or round roast, sliced into thin strips
1 cup beef broth

1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons sauce from the crock pot after being cooked
Fresh broccoli florets (as many as desired--I used one fresh bunch from the market)
Hot cooked rice

Directions
1. Place beef in a crock pot.
2. In a small bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, oil, and garlic. Pour over beef. Cook on low for 6-7 hours.
3. In a cup, stir cornstarch and sauce form the crock pot until smooth. Add to crock pot. Stir well to combine.
4. Add broccoli to the crock pot. Stir to combine.
5. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes on high (the sauce has to boil for it to thicken).
6. Serve over hot cooked rice.

Adapted from BS Recipes

The Results...
The oven stayed off and the house stayed cooler, but what did everyone think of Beef and Broccoli?

We liked Beef and Broccoli, but we didn't love it.  My husband put it this way, "I like it.  It's good and I would eat it again if you make it, but I wouldn't request it as my favorite meal."


The beef did turn out tender and the sauce had a nice flavor.  The sauce was runnier than I would've liked, but I forgot to turn the slow cooker up to high after I added the cornstarch.  Oops!

Our 8 yr. old daughter is the only one in our family that hates broccoli, but she said she still liked this dinner.  She said the broccoli is "OK" in this dish.

So, if it's hot where you are, too....give Beef and Broccoli a try or one of these other slow cooker recipes.  Keep the oven off and try not to melt!

What's something funny that you have heard a kid say?

I share recipes at these linky parties.

Beef and Broccoli is a Host Favorite
at Foodie Friends Friday picked
by Marlys-This and That

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Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: 227 Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs 1 August 2012

Dennys: News Politics Comedy Science Arts & Food: 227 Posts Roundup at Dennys Blogs 1 August 2012: From Denny:  With about 100 days until the 2012 election for a new President or a second term for President Obama, there is a lot stirring around in the news.  Both the Romney and Obama campaigns are working hard to influence opinion polls and the news coverage.

Somewhere along the way the truth has been buried.  Yet scandal after scandal emerges from the Obama administration while Romney stumbles with international gaffes.  All this explains why the polls reveal two-thirds of America thinks we are on the wrong track.

Funny Normal is Boring Organic Men's Fit Tee dk

Throw out your funny challenge of the day - Normal is Boring... Step Aside

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