Pork Chops with Leeks and Mushrooms

Hi,

Sorry for the delay in posting this recipe for those who requested it. It will seem fancy to dinner guests but easy enough for a weekday dinner. The mushrooms and leeks are things that I usually don't have around in the fridge. The leeks are a bit expensive, but the dish is delicious and I encourage you to try it with the leeks.

4 pork chops 

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

Season pork chops generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. When the pan is hot add the pork chops and cook each side until browned. It will take about 5 to 6 minutes total. The chops do not need to be cooked through at this point, you'll cook them more later. After the chops have browned remove them from the pan, set aside.

2 leeks thinly sliced 

1 lb mushrooms sliced 

1 tablespoon butter

Salt and pepper

Be sure the leeks are clean. I like to cut them in half lengthwise and wash each individual leek, especially the bottom of the leeks in a large pot of water. After the leeks are clean, thinly slice them. Melt the butter over medium high heat, in the same pan that you cooked the chops . When hot add the leeks and mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook for about 4 minutes, until the leeks begin to soften.

1/4 cup white wine (if you have some available, if not add more chicken broth)

1/4 cup chicken broth (okay to use hot water with bouillon cube)

Add the wine and broth to the leeks and mushrooms. Cook, stirring for about 4 minutes.

4 ounces goat cheese

Stir in the goat cheese. Return the chops to the pan. Spoon the mushroom mixture over the chops, cover and reduce heat to medium low and cook for about 10 more minutes until the chops are cooked through. 

If you have some fresh thyme or tarragon you can add it here. Or some fresh parsley or basil will work as well. Adjust the seasoning, add more salt or pepper if needed. These pork chops go along very well with a green salad and a slice of melon. Hope you'll enjoy this recipe as much as I have.

Hugs,
Mameekosan

Untraditional Thai Burgers

Hi all,

Well can you believe it, the summer is almost over? Next weekend is Labor Day. But, there's still time for a burger on the grill. Here's a variation on a traditional burger. The recipe calls for ground chicken, but I have made it using ground beef.

2 tablespoons peanut butter (chunky or smooth)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons sriracha or tabasco sauce
1/4 cup chicken broth (I used half a bouillon cube with hot water)

Mix the above ingredients in a large bowl. Add:

1 pound ground beef (original recipe called for chicken)
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cup mint or parsley or basil or just use more cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt
good bit of fresh black pepper

Mix together well. Form into 4 or 5 patties depending on the size you want. You can do these on the grill or in a heavy frying pan. For the grill, lightly oil the grill to prevent sticking and cook 4-5 minutes per side, avoid burning. For the pan, preheat the pan until hot and add a bit of oil to prevent sticking. Cook 4-5 minutes per side.

These burgers can be eaten with buns, but are actually fine without. They are delicious with a green salad or a cucumber salad on the side and maybe some corn on the cob. They will make a delicious summer time meal.

Enjoy the last few days of summer!

Hugs,
Mameekosan
 

Potato Omelet

Hi all,

I'm sorry that I haven't been posting. I had a trip to Chicago early in the month and a trip to California to move J in to her new life. Life should settle down a bit. This recipe is a good option when you don't have a lot of time. I made this the other night instead of a quiche. Of course, I have some recommended substitutions and additions.

1/4 cup olive oil

In a wide frying pan heat oil over medium high heat.

2 medium sized potatoes (I substituted one of the potatoes with a sweet potato) cut into 1/2 inch cubes

Add the potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potatoes are golden, about 15 minutes.

1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley (I substituted with basil)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
Fresh ground pepper

Add the above ingredients to the potatoes, stir and cook for a few more minutes. Reduce heat and distribute the potatoes mixture evenly over bottom of pan.

6 eggs
1/4 cup milk

Lightly beat the milk and eggs together. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture and cook uncovered for 5 to 7 minutes. As the eggs cook, run a spatula around the edges to encourage the uncooked eggs on top to run into the gap created by the spatula. When the bottom is cooked, I like to quarter the omelet and flip the quarters over and brown the top side. R has sometimes helped me to flip the whole thing over onto a plate and then slid it back all in one piece, but I usually don't do that.

I think you can add diced ham or bacon. Also other fresh herbs would be very nice.

With a salad and fruit this omelet makes a fast delicious dinner.

Hugs,
Mameekosan

Fruit Salad Part 3 - Putting it together

Hi,

I like to pick fruit for a fruit salad depending on what's available and ripe. Also, I like to consider color, shape and size. One way to start is to pick a fruit to act as the base. I usually pick something like watermelon, cantaloupe, or pineapple, something that's big enough and not too fussy to cut up. Once you have picked the base, then you can add a fruit that will be contrasting in color and shape. Recently I made a big watermelon, blueberry, and kiwi fruit salad. The pink, blue and green complemented each other. And with the larger watermelon pieces, medium sized kiwi slices and small round blueberries, there was a good bit of contrasting sizes and shapes.

Here's some other combinations that work well together:

Cantaloupe + Green or Red Grapes + Strawberries
Pineapple + Oranges + Blueberries 
Watermelon + Green grapes + Strawberries

If you have the time, you can always add a fourth or fifth fruit. Apples and pears can be added as well to any of the salads. The only special thing about apples and pears is that they tend to discolor. To prevent this, after cutting, sprinkle the cut fruit with fresh lemon or orange juice. The citrus will prevent the discoloration, which isn't very appealing.

I hope these tips will give you confidence to put together a terrific fruit salad. Especially in the summer there are so many ripe fruits to choose from! Happy fruit salad.

Hugs,
Mameekosan 

Fruit Salad Part 2 - Preparing the Fruit

Hi,

Now that you have some idea how to pick ripe fruit, it's helpful to know how to prepare the fruit. For all the fruit when I say, "cut from end to end," I mean to cut through the stem end and the opposite end from the stem to create two halves.

Strawberries - Rinse, Cut off green top, Slice, halve or quarter depending on size.
Kiwi-Peel with a paring knife. cut in half from end to end and then slice.
Blueberries - Rinse and remove stems and debris

Watermelon - If you are preparing the whole thing. Cut in half, end to end, put cut side down and cut 2 inch slices. Take each slice, lay them down flat and make straight cuts around the edge to remove the rind. Then cut watermelon into 2 to 3 inch cubes. (I tried once to use a melon baller and I thought it just wasn't practical.)

Cantaloupe- Cut in half, end to end. Scoop out the seeds and mushy part from the middle. Slice into wedges and remove rind. Cut wedges into manageable sized pieces.

Grapes- Remove from stem and wash. These are easy, but grapes are usually pretty expensive.

Oranges - I like to cut the orange in half, end to end. The with cut end down cut the ends off and cut remaining piece into 3 slices. The goal is to cut across the segments so that the slice will look like a wheel with radiating spokes. Make straight cuts to remove peel, try not to waste a lot of the orange. They I usually cut the slice into 2 or 3 pieces.

Pineapple - I lay the pineapple down and cut off the top. Then I cut the pineapple into 1 1/2 inch slices. Take a slice, lay it down flat and making straight cuts around the edge remove the outside. I don't mind the "eyes" or the core, so I actually don't cut them out. After you have removed the outside cut the slice into wedge shaped pieces.

That's how I cut up fruit. On the easier side to prepare are blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and on the harder side are oranges and kiwi. I think melons and pineapple fall somewhere in the middle because of their size. You get a lot of fruit for the amount of prep work.

The next installment I'll write about how to pick fruit to make an aesthetically pleasing salad.

Hope all your recipes come out delicious!

Hugs,
Mameekosan  :  )

Fruit Salad Part 1 - Picking Ripe Fruit

Hi,

I once had someone ask me in the grocery store, "How do you make a fruit salad?" She wasn't kidding, she just didn't know. Once I thought about it, I realized that there's lots of stuff to know about making a fruit salad.

The first step is selecting fruit that's ripe. Here's a list of potential fruit for a fruit salad and what to look for. If it's not ripe, it won't be good.

Strawberries - Deep red, unblemished, not moldy, fragrant
Kiwis - Firm-not squishy-but not rock hard, unblemished
Blueberries - Deep purple, unblemished, not squished

Watermelon - Light yellow spot where melon sat, tight rind that gives a ringing sound when thumped
Cantalope - Yellow color overall with very little green, will give slightly to pressure at stem end
Grapes - Firm - not mushy, unblemished

Oranges - Thin rind-not spongy when squeezed, heavy weight
Pineapple - This is one I'm still working on, maybe the ones available here just aren't that ripe

I think the fruits listed above are excellent to include in a fruit salad. In Fruit Salad Part 2, the rest of the stuff you'll need to know to put together a delicious fruit salad.

Hope you're eating your fruits and vegetables!

Hugs,
Mameekosan  :  )

Classic Roast Chicken

Hi,

Roast chicken is one of the easiest meals around. The only problem is the cooking time. You can't roll into your apartment at the end of the day and hope to have dinner on the table in 15 minutes. Roasting a chicken takes 1 to 1.5  hours. And if you're starving, 1.5 hours is a long time to wait for dinner.

One idea is you make a roast chicken on the weekends, then you'll have a nice weekend meal and enough chicken for leftovers during the week.

1 frying chicken (3 to 4 pounds)

Remove the packet of stuff from the inside of the chicken. It contains the heart, liver, and other stuff. I admit it, I usually throw them out. Rinse the chicken, if the chicken seems especially dirty and pat dry with paper towels. Place the chicken in a pyrex baking dish. If you have a roasting rack, use it, otherwise you can do without.

Lemon, bay leaves, oregano, garlic (all of these are optional, but a nice addition)
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

If you have a lemon you can slice it and place it inside the chicken cavity. You can also put in spices if you have those hanging around. Salt and pepper the inside cavity. Sprinkle the olive oil over the top of the chicken. If you don't mind getting your hands a bit oily, rub the olive oil over the entire chicken, then sprinkle the outside with salt and pepper.

Bake at 375 degrees for 1 to 1.5 hours. The chicken is done when you can wiggle the drumstick and it feels loose. Or take a small knife and check next to the thigh bone, there should be no pink color. If the drumstick joint isn't loose or if you see pink, put the chicken back in for 10 minutes and check again. You can serve the roast chicken with a green salad. Or if you have more time you can make the No Carb Cauliflower and one of the chop chop salads.

I like to, after dinner, take all the chicken off the bone, store it away for lunches and then make chicken stock with the carcass. I'll post the chicken stock recipe another time. Hope you enjoy the roast chicken, it's economical and efficient (if you have enough time.)

Hugs,
Mameekosan.