Whatever's Left Suprise

This sounds like a really weird recipe, but it comes from necessity. After a weekend away, my son and I came home to a messy house and no food (Thanks to my husband). I grabbed what ingredients I had in the freezer and pantry and threw them in the crock pot while we proceeded to clean the house. It actually turned out really well! I am going to make this one again!

8 small boneless pork chops
2 cups water
2 t Beef Bouillon
1 t Montreal Grill Seasoning
Garlic
Salt & Pepper
1 pkg Instant Mashed Potatoes (Betty Crocker Envelope)
1 can Cream Mushroom Soup + water to equal 1 3/4 cups
1 can Cream Corn
2 cups medium Egg Noodles, cooked

Combine all ingredients except the noodles in a crock pot. Cook on high for 5 hours. Serve over noodles.

Lemon Ice

Here is another summer recipe to do with the kids. It's simple, easy and oh so good!

1 pkg Lemon Jell-O
1 cup hot water
Juice and zest of 1 Lemon
1 cup Ginger Ale
Lemon Balm to garnish

Combine the Jell-O and hot water. Stir until dissolved. Stir in lemon juice, zest and ginger ale. Pour into an 8x8 glass dish. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze until firm.

Using a fork scrape, ice into small pieces. Spoon into dessert dishes and serve immediately.

Stuffed Pork Loin with Maple Mustard Glaze

This recipe is very easy to make, but it looks like it took you all day. It's very moist and delicious!

1 Pork Loin (2lb), butterflied*
Salt, Pepper & Garlic
1/4 cup Beef Broth

Stuffing:
1 prepared Jiffy Mix cornbread, crumbled
1 Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Mushrooms and liquid
Salt, Pepper & Garlic

Glaze:
2 Tbsp Maple pancake syrup & 2 Tbsp Spicy Brown Mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix stuffing ingredients in a medium size bowl. Spoon into cut side of the pork loin. Roll up the loin. Place cut side down in a casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Pour 1/4 cup beef both in the bottom of the dish to keep the pork moist. Sprinkle pork with salt, pepper and garlic.

Bake for 1 hour. Mix mustard and syrup. Baste pork loin and return to oven for 20 minutes. Let it stand 10 minute before slicing.

* For this recipe I made a roll cut on the Pork Lion instead of butterflying it. It takes more time and patience, but worth the trouble!

Roll Cut: To roll cut a roast, place the trimmed roast on a cutting board so that one end is directly in front of you. Take a very sharp knife and begin cutting on the side, parallel to the cutting board about 1 inch (more or less is up to you) from the board. As you cut, "unroll" the roast. This is kind of like unrolling a roll of paper towels. The great advantage to this technique is that once you really master it you can cut a roast to 1/2 inch thickness or less.

Steak with Caramelized Mushrooms and Onions

It's Father's Day and it seems like all the recipes are grilling steaks. That's usually Dad's job. Well, here's a recipe that tastes awesome using the broiler or the grill!

1 lb boneless beef sirloin steak (or your favorite cut)

Marinade:

1/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

3 Tbsp A-1 Steak Sauce

2 Tbsp Light Brown Sugar

3 cloves Garlic, minced

Mix the marinade and pour into a zip-loc bag. Put in the steak and push out the air and seal. Mash the marinade around to coat the steak well. Marinade for about an hour.

Remove steak from bag and place on a broiler pan. Broil 4 inches from broiler on high for 4-5 minutes per side or until done. (160 degrees) Let it rest for 5 minutes so the juices can be absorbed by the meat.

Cut the steak into thin strips, cutting across the grain. Pour any remaining juices from the broiler pan over the steak and top with mushrooms and onions.

1 container Button Mushrooms, sliced (or your favorite mushroom)
1 Sweet Onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp Butter
2 Tbsp Soy Sauce
2 cloves Garlic, minced

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter and add mushrooms, garlic and Soy Sauce. Saute on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add onions and continue to cook until the onions are soft and have taken on a light brown color.

Seafood Salad Sammies

This is a very easy, but good base recipe for seafood salad. You can serve it in lettuce cups for a crisp, low-carb wrap, or on a sub roll with shredded cabbage and a little hot sauce for a Po Boy sandwich. However, try this recipe 'as is' first. The simplicity of a buttered, toasted hot dog bun is really a surprising treat!

1 (8oz) pkg imitation chunk Crab Classic or Crab & Shrimp Classic
2 Tbsp Mayo
2 Tbsp Sour Cream
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 tsp Old Bay Seasoning
Hot Dog Buns
Butter

In a medium bowl, break up the crab meat. Add mayo, sour cream, lemon and seasoning. Mix and refrigerate for 30 minutes to let the flavors combine.

Butter the inside of the hot dog buns and toast to your liking. Fill buns with salad and serve.

Note: I make this for a crowd at Wednesday Night Suppers, so I don't use a lot of onion or celery. Feel free to add your favorites, such as 2 tsp of diced red onion, 2 tsp of diced celery or 2 tsp of chopped parsley...

Stuffed French Loaf

As per Kellie's request, I'm posting this recipe from Wednesday Night Supper tonight... Thanks Kellie! Here it is:

1 loaf French Bread
8 oz bulk Sausage
1/3 cup Onion, chopped
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Egg
3 t Dijon Mustard
2 T Parsley, chopped
¾ cup Mozzarella Cheese
½ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
Butter, softened
Garlic Salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the bread in half lengthwise and slightly hollow out each half, leaving 1/2 inch thick layer of bread. Place the bread crumbs in container of a blender or food processor and process for 15 to 20 seconds or until fine.

Cook sausage, onion and garlic in a heavy skillet over medium heat until meat is brown; drain. In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, meat mixture, egg, 3 tsp mustard, parsley, cheeses, salt and pepper. Spoon meat mixture into the cavity of each bread half. Place bread halves together. Brush with softened butter, and sprinkle with garlic salt. Wrap loaf in foil. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until heated through. Using bread knife, cut into 1-inch thick slices.

Note: Serve with your favorite hot mustard or horseradish…

Option: Omit the bread altogether... sub 1/4 cup of Parmesan flavored bread crumbs for the fresh bread crumbs and cook the meat mixture in muffin tins and serve as mini loaves.

Tzatziki Sauce

Tzatziki is a Greek cucumber sauce that is quick and easy to make. It’s a common sauce for gyros (a Greek lamb pita pocket sandwich). It is also great as a dip for raw veggies or toasted pita slices. This week is sandwich week for Wednesday night suppers, so I thought this sauce would be the perfect recipe of the day. Try it for yourself and see how good it tastes on your sandwiches! Here’s the recipe:

•1 8 oz container of plain Greek yogurt *
•1 cucumber
•1 tbsp olive oil
•1 tbsp fresh or 1 tsp dry dill
•1 to 2 cloves of garlic
•salt and pepper to taste

Start by peeling and seeding your cucumber. Process or grate the cucumber. Squeeze the cucumber pieces in a clean kitchen towel to get a bit of the extra liquid out.

Put the cucumber pieces in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt and olive oil. Add the dill and then finely chop or press the garlic cloves and add them to the dip as well. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste.
Cover and chill for at least an hour or until you are ready to serve it.

* If you can’t find Greek yogurt you can use regular plain yogurt. Just make sure it isn’t too runny. If it is, line a colander with a clean tea towel or cheesecloth. Set the colander over a bowl and pour the yogurt in the cloth lined colander. Let it sit in the fridge overnight. Pour out the liquid left in the bowl. Use the yogurt for the dip.