Cooking 101 #34/52 Cajun Rubbed Pork Chops w/ Tex-Mex Corn Fritters

Cajun Rubbed Pork Chops with Tex-Mex Corn Fritters

Pork chops.  Growing up this mean thin sliced chops cooked to the point of challenging my shoe leather for toughness (sorry, Mom).  Not sure why they were always made that way, but that is what I thought pork had to be.  They'd be fried up with some onions, then topped with salt and pepper.  That was all I knew of pork chops until my wife made them for me years ago.  Get out, they could be tender and juicy too?  Who knew?

Well, it was time for me to try them on my own.  Picked out some nice center loin cuts.  Coated them generously in Rick's Ragin' Cajun rub and topped that with a bit of oil to prevent outright burning on the grill.  Left that to sock in some flavor while I prepped the corn fritters.  Started the grill heating and asked Michelle to watch the chops while I fried up the fritters.  Never had corn fritters before in my life, but they seemed like something I'd go for.

The meal was great!  The Rick's Rub gave the pork chops great flavor and they were cooked just long enough, still tender and juicy (although credit for that is really Michelle's).  The corn fritters were a perfect combination of sweet and spicy.  I think I made them a bit large, but they came out pretty well for a first attempt.  We'll be doing these again in the future, although I may try a different recipe just to see how else they can be made.

Cooking 101 #33/52 Faux Deep Dish Pizza

Faux deep dish pizza

Ok, this was an experiment based on a dish I saw on an episode of "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" on The Food Network.  One of the meals was a deep dish pizza that was made in a bowl.  They started by lining the bowl with cheese, added sauce and fillings, then topped the bowl with a crust.  Bake it until the crust is a golden brown and tip it over on a plate to serve.

So, I started by making a batch of the sauce from the lasagna recipe I made a while back.  Took a few baking dishes, lined them with a variety of cheeses (provologne in one, Sargento italian cheese mix in another, both in a third).  Topped each with the sauce from the lasagna recipe (with some diced black olives added).  Topped the bowls with some Pillsbury refrigerated pizza crust (see my last post about cheating, get over it).  Tossed it in the oven per the crust recipe and tipped them out onto plates.

The flavor was great.  the crust could definitely be improved upon, but it was more than passable.  The cheese was nice and gooey.  It would be nice to have some bowls that would be better shaped, some had handles, they weren't round, and there wasn't enough crust to make it further than the edge of any bowl.  Sort of prevented it from being actual deep dish.  But this is definitely worth doing again.  The sauce simply made this dish delicious!

Cooking 101 #32/52 French Onion Pot Roast

French Onion Pot Roast

Ahhh, summer.  Temps over 90 for days on end and humidity to match.  I'm looking for meals that won't heat the house much at all.  No steaming pots on the stove, no over at 400 degrees.  Pretty much leaves slow cookers or grilling.  In my search for interesting meals I stumbled across this recipe.  I had planned on making a roast, so why not?

I guess using canned French Onion soup was a bit of a cheat, but I'm not a chef, just a dad trying to pick up some of the basics of cooking.  Cheating is quite alright with me.

This was a good solid meal and it was easy to prepare.  I'd honestly like to kick the flavor up a bit if I make this one again, but no one was complaining about the results as they were.

Cooking 101 #31/52 Garlic and Chili Rubbed Steaks w/ grilled veggies in balsamic garlic vinagrette

Garlic and Chili Rubbed Steaks with grilled veggies in balsamic garlic vinagrette

Summer.   Grilling weather.  Found this recipe as a way to dress up some steaks and it was absolutely delicious. Not extremely spicy, but the rub gives it great flavor and color.  Simple to make as well.  All around winner here.

The veggies (red potatoes and carrots) were marinated in Good Seasons garlic dressing mix (using 3/4 balsamic vinegar and 1/4 apple cider vinegar).  Tossed in the microwave for a few minutes to partially cook and soften them, then tossed them on the grill for browning and flavor.  Michelle and I both liked the results.

Cooking 101 #30/52 Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter Crepes w/ whipped cream

Banana, Chocolate, Peanut Butter crepes with whipped cream

I was in the mood for something different for breakfast.  Decided to make some crepes.  Rather than just rolling up each crepe I basically built a layer cake out of them.  Two layers each of peanut butter and Nutella, one of caramelized bananas.  Elvis would be proud.

Cooking 101 #29/52 Chicken Fajitas w/ Spanish Rice

Chicken Fajitas with Spanish Rice

Chicken fajitas, one of my favorites.  We often use D.L. Jardines marinade or a recipe that Michelle has come up with that emulates the commercial marinade.  I wanted this to be something different so I went with something heavy on the lime.  I loved it.  It had a much fresher and crisp flavor than our usual.  Michelle was not as crazy about it, she thought it was too heavy on the lime.  So, if you like lime, give it a go.  If strong lime flavors aren't your thing... skip this one.

The Spanish rice I made by simply adding some salsa to a normal rice recipe.  I loved it, much better than the recipes we've tried before.  Get out your favorite salsa, toss some into the rice as it's cooking, see what you think!

Cooking 101 #28/52 Brownie Cupcakes w/ peanut butter icing

Brownie cupcakes with peanut butter icing.  That says it all.

Cooking 101 #27/52 Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Slow Cooker Pork Tacos

Summer is here.  Grilling season.  So of course I had to find something else to make.  Stumbled across this recipe on the Food Network site and it sounded like a good fit for a summer meal.  And was it ever.  This made some of the best tacos I've had in quite some time.  I modified the recipe a bit, only using the chipotle peppers.  It was still nicely spiced.  I've had quite a few compliments on this one and a request for the recipe.  Added some lettuce, shredded cheese, and black beans over corn tortillas.  Give this one a shot if you are in the mood for Mexican!

Cooking 101 #26/52 Crock Pot Orange Chicken

Crock Pot Orange Chicken

We had orange juice in the fridge that needed to be used up so I thought I'd make some orange chicken.  Only catch?  I wanted to avoid the oven since it was a hot day.   Solution?  Search the web for orange crock pot chicken.  The recipe above is the result.

This was another hit.  I personally liked it better than the recipe we've always used for orange chicken, the same one that my mother always used.  Paired with some rice and a salad, served with a nice glass of wine, this made for a great summer evening out on the deck.

Cooking 101 #25/52 French Onion Chicken Pot Pies

French Onion Chicken Pot Pies

Ok, this was a recipe idea I had because I was in the mood for French Onion Soup but wanted something that would be a full meal.  I searched for a beef pot pie version but only found recipes that looked appealing for a chicken version.  Seems odd to me, but I figured I'd give it a shot.  Boy am I glad I did.  This was a great but simple recipe!

Cooking 101 #24/52 Lemon Bar Cookies

Lemon Bar Cookies


We had another party to go to this week so I decided to try my hand at some lemon bar cookies to take along.  I would bake more often but I'm trying to keep this a bit healthy as well.  So any part is an excuse to try my hand at a new dessert.

These came out alright.  Not exceptional, to my tastes.  A bit heavy on the butter flavor.  The crust was softer than I was hoping for.  I'd gladly make them again but i need to find a better crust recipe.

Still, sweet, sour, buttery, all in one.  They went well at the party and I heard no complaints!

Cooking 101 #23/52 Lemon, Garlic, Honey, Balsamic Steak

Lemon, Garlic, Honey and Balsamic Steak


The recipe link above is for chicken.  I had mad that recipe the night before for myself and Shannon.  I liked the sauce so much that I decided to reuse it for my family dinner.  I figured I'd give it a shot with some New York Strip steaks on the grill.  It came out great!  Paired with some baked potatoes also made on the grill and some cauliflower and broccoli it made for an excellent traditional meat and potatoes meal.

Of course, no meal can go perfectly.  When purchasing the steaks I picked two packs that looked good at a glance.  Didn't notice until I got home that one of them was thin cut with two steaks stacked on top of each other.  The one pictured was the normal strip steak.  That one Michelle got to eat.  Mine were still good, just a bit well done.  Since I like them that way anyway, it was no loss.

Cooking 101 #22/52 Guy Fieri's Jerk Chicken and Mambo Rice

Guy Fieri's Jerk Chicken kabobs and Mambo Rice

Summer is here so it was time to move the cooking outside!  This was a good way to kick off the grilling season.  It was a bit involved but not overly complicated to prepare.  We were afraid that the kabobs would be too hot so we cut most of the seeds out of the habanero we used but otherwise stuck to the recipe.  And it was good!  "Winner, winner, chicken dinner" as Guy would say.  I prepared the marinade the night before.  The next day I thawed the chicken and then cut it into pieces to marinate for a few hours.  While marinating I prepared the mango salsa and the herbs for the rice.  I also prepped some dressing for the salad, just an Italian vinaigrette that I kicked up with some Chipotle pepper.  Started the frill warming and put the chicken on the kabobs.  Started the rice, gave it a few minutes and added the seasoning then placed the kabobs on the grill.  Prepped the salads and everything was ready to be plated together.  Great flavor, good heat, perhaps a bit too onion-y for my taste.  Definitely on the to-be-remade list.

Cooking 101 #21/52 Ginger-Apricot Chicken

Ginger-Apricot Chicken

Ok, I can't recommend this one.  It sounded interesting but neither Michelle or I were wild about it. 

Cooking 101 #20/52 Seared Lemon Chicken w/ Garlic, Honey, And Balsamic Vinegar

Seared Lemon Chicken with Garlic, Honey, and Balsamic Vinegar

This was one of my favorites.  Nothing too complicated, but the marinade (made per the recipe linked above) was delicious.  Sweet, tangy, kept on just long enough for some carmelization to form.  To round out the meal I made some purple cauliflower (it actually tastes the same as regular cauliflower but has more nutrients) and rice (Michelle's recipe, uses some vegetable and beef stock along with water when cooking, I added a splash of balsamic vinegar as well).  I'm actually getting comfortable with having a few things cooking at once and they all finished together for this meal... progress!

Cooking 101 #19/52 Argentine Empanadas

Argentine Empanadas

It was the week of Cinco de Mayo, I wanted to do something Mexican to celebrate.  I decided to look for an empanada recipe and found this one.  It seems that most Mexican empanadas are dessert empanadas (at least my quick search seemed to indicate that, don't take my word for it though), so a South American influenced recipe ended up being my final choice.  I cheated to make this quicker, I used Pillsbury buttermilk biscuit dough for the shells.  I came across that suggestion while searching for a recipe and like it so I ran with it.

The filling was modified slightly.  I just sliced the eggs and put one slice in each empanada rather than dicing it and mixing it with the filling.  I dropped the peppers from the recipe as well.  I didn't want jalepenos since Shannon would be eating these (and she did) and I dropped the bell peppers since I'm not a fan.  I considered dropping the raisins as I wasn't sure I'd like their flavor in the mix but I ended up loving it.  As a matter of fact, if I would drop anything from the recipe it would be the olives.  Michelle, Shannon and I each loved them, I had made enough for several meals and they disappeared quickly.  Definitely another recipe to make again!

Cooking 101 #18/52 Apple Cinnamon Rolls

Cinnamon Rolls with Apple!  It was Easter weekend, Michelle had control of dinner, I handled one of the desserts.  Cinnamon rolls with apple made from scratch.  Chewy, moist, sticky, YUM!  They were delicious.

Cooking 101 #17/52 (Not just a) Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Not Just a Grilled Cheese Sandwich

April is grilled cheese month (seriously, google it!) so I decided to celebrate.  Yes grilled cheese may be a steep above boiling water but I decided to make  it something a bit out of the ordinary.  Both Michelle and I love white pizza, so I set out to reproduce the flavors in a sandwich.  I figured I would need some ricotta and mozzarella cheeses to do this as well as some garlic butter.  I also decided to add provolone cheese and smoked turkey breast and to make the sandwich on pumpernickel bread for some added flavor.  The result was delicious and highly recommended.  The only change I would make for the next batch would be to tone down the salt in the garlic butter recipe I used, that was a bit overpowering.

Recipe:
Two slices of pumpernickel bread, apply garlic butter to the outside of each.
Add ricotta cheese to the other side of one slice.
Place one slice of mozzarella, one slice of provolone, and one slice of turkey between the slices of bread.
Cook on medium-low heat until cheese melts and/or bread starts to brown.

Feel free to add bacon, tomato, avocado, or other items as your taste desires!

Cooking 101 #16/52 Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Parmesan Crusted Chicken
Stovetop fried potato slices
Steamed broccoli

This was a new meal for both of us.  We've made something similar before but the version we had was a much more moist coating, this was more of a breading.  It was relatively simple to prepare and had good flavor but I think I would try another recipe or modify this one a bit if I made it again... just a bit to salty for my taste.  Of course I compounded this by over-salting the fries.

Cooking 101 #15/52 Halupki Casserole

Last week was for Michelle, today was fro me.  Halupkis (I refuse to call it stuffed cabbage!).  I grew up with my mom making these many times a year.  It wasn't until I was a teenager that I started to appreciate the cabbage, before that I would just eat the filling.  Michelle had made them for me a few times, but she wasn't a huge fan.  At a family gathering we had a simplified halupki casserole made with sauerkraut.  It was actually very good and Michelle made that version a few times.  That all came to a stop about five years ago.  She made them one night when she had a stomach bug and ever since the simple thought of the meal turned her stomach.  A few days ago I asked her if she'd be willing to give it a go again.  She was up for an attempt.

Well, I looked for a recipe that appealed to me and actually ended up taking some ideas from a few and combining it into this meal:

1 lb ground beef
1/2 head of cabbage
1 small to medium onion
1 clove garlic
2/3 cup of uncooked rice
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
16 oz tomato sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

Saute the ground beef, onion, and garlic until the beef is browned.  Cook the rice.  Boil the cabbage until it begins to soften.  Combine all of these items in a casserole dish.  Mix the tomato sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce and then spread over the top of the casserole.  Bake at 350 for one hour.

There you go!  Much easier to make than actual halupkis but all the flavor and texture is there.  I loved it and plan on making another batch to use up the rest of the cabbage this weekend.  Give it a shot, let me know what you think.