Recipe #366: Grilled Pork Chops

This afternoon/evening was one that felt like summer vacation has already started...it almost has! Two half days and some more cleaning and packing up the room to do and I am free for the summer!
Of course, these evenings have been perfect for outdoor cooking!

We have a grown up picnic table, but one of us always seems to end up sitting with Alex!

Deliciousness on a plate! 

I think I could just grill vegetables and be content! 

Alex too...he was eating his ear of corn--one half in each hand--and was still begging for bites from my ear!

I asked Will this afternoon chicken or pork. He chose pork so I took it out of the freezer and let it defrost while we went out and ran some errands. Once we got back I looked for a recipe in my Everyday with Rachael Ray magazine (she has the best photo indexes in the front of the magazine) and found a great grilled pork chop recipe that was fast and easy!

You need:

3-4 bone in pork chops

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 tsp oregano

2 Tbsp olive oil (the recipe actually called for 2 tsp...read that wrong!)

1/2 Tbsp honey

• mix together vinegar, oregano, olive oil and honey
• pour into a large ziploc bag. 
• add pork chops and massage to coat
• refrigerate for 20 minutes before grilling.
• add your favorite veggies to the grill as well and enjoy a fresh and tasty meal!

Recipe #351: Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops

This recipe came from an everyday food magazine. I didn't thoroughly read the directions about 30 minutes before I wanted to put it on the grill, so it didn't marinate in the rub that much but it still was very tasty!

You need:
3-4 bone in pork chops
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp coriander
1 1/2 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
1 Tbsp olive oil

• in a large ziploc, pour in sugar, coriander, cumin, and a little salt and pepper.
• toss up then add pork and oil. shake up until everything is well coated.
• let it sit in the fridge for 20 minutes (at least-- the magazine said 8 hours or more!)
• grill it until done, about 5 minutes on a side! 

amazing with grilled corn and zucchini too!

Recipe #342 and #343: Sweet and Sour Pork Chops with Zucchini and Herb Rice

So today I started making a list of 24 recipes because that is how many I have left to make before the end of the month! This evening I got three out of the way and they weren't even on the list so that is good!

You need:
2-3 pork chops
1/2 recipe of sweet and sour sauce
3 cups rice
a couple leaves of basil and cilantro, chopped up
zucchini, sliced into thin strips
olive oil

• spray the bottom of a pan with olive oil and brown three pork chops, turning after several minutes
• add in sweet and sour sauce ingredients and turn heat to low, allow the pork chops to simmer in sauce for 15 minutes
• meanwhile in another pan saute the zucchini in a little olive oil. add cooked rice and then herbs
• mix well

Recipe #327: Spicy Pork and Soba Noodles

I found this recipe in a Real Simple Magazine or you can find it here!

You need:
soba noodles (1.5 little packs)
2 small pork chops
1/4 of an onion
long slices of an English Cucumber
2 Tbsp mirin
2 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp sweet chili sauce

• start bowling noodles
• meanwhile, thinly slice pork and season with salt and pepper
• heat fry pan with a little olive oil and cook up pork, add thinly sliced onions
• turn heat to low and add in sweet chili sauce, and stir together.
• once noodles are finished, add soba, pork and cucumber to a bowl, stir in sesame oil and mirin

Recipe #282: Grilled Soy Glazed Pork Chops

80 degree weather definitely means dinner on the grill. Plus we had sweet potatoes which is a favorite in this household!
the glaze was found here...two ingredients. Doesn't get much easier than that!

You need:
pork chops (I actually cut up a pork loin)
glaze--1/4 cup honey 2 Tbsp soy sauce
salt and pepper

• generously salt and pepper the pork chops
• heat on grill.
• when there is about 5-10 minutes left baste with the honey soy glaze
• goes great with grilled veggies (zucchini, sweet potatoes, and green onions to be exact)! ;)

we were having such a good time eating I forgot to take a picture! :)

Recipe #235: Roasted Pork and potatoes

Well, I need to work on timing well with pork tenderloin because it always takes way longer then I think! But it turned out pretty delicious in the end so it was worth the wait! I found it here!

You need:
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp thyme
salt
1 lb pork tenderloin
3 large potatoes
1/2 red onion
4-5 cloves of garlic

• mix cumin, garlic powder, oregano, coriander, thyme, salt together
• cut up potatoes and onion into big chunks
• stick potatoes, onions and garlic cloves in bottom of roasting pan sprinkle some olive oil and tiny bit of sprice rub on top
• rub spice mix all over pork and pat in so it sticks.
• put pork on top of potatoes
• roast at 450 for about 1 hour or until done

I forgot to take a picture, but the potatoes were so nice and crispy and pork was great too!

Recipe #226: Soy-Glazed Pork Chops

I think good recipes need to be reused, or rather, leftovers need to be used. I had a lot of extra sauce leftover from this recipe I made yesterday, so decided to use it up for a quick lunch today!

You need:
pork chops ( I used a small section of a pork tenderloin and cut it into 4 pieces)
soy-glaze found here
salt and pepper to season

• season the pork chops with salt and pepper
• heat on medium heat until both sides of pork chops are browned.
• coat both sides of each pork chop with the soy glaze
• cover and turn down heat. Cook until pork is cooked through, about 15 minutes.
• The glaze will be a little watered down from the steam, but it makes a great sauce for rice!

Recipe #222: Spicy Mustard and Rosemary Pork Chops

This quick and easy recipe was found on the back of a shake and bake box! I had a busy week at school and this came together in the hour I had at home before rushing out to Bible Study. So a meal you get to bake and eat without feeling rushed is marvelous! :)

You need:
4 pork chops ( I cut up part of a pork tenderloin)
1 shake and bake package
2 tsp rosemary
spicy brown mustard (the original called for dijon but I didn't have any)

• line a baking sheet with foil and preheat oven to 375. 
• mix shake and bake package and rosemary in a shallow bowl or plate
• spread the pork chops with the mustard on both sides
• place in rosemary mixture and coat thoroughly
• place on baking sheet
• bake for 15 minutes or until pork chops are cooked through (internal temp should be 160 I think)

serve with your favorite sides! 

Recipe #221: Pork and Tomato stew

I really need to find time to post more regularly again. If anyone knows how to add hours to their day, please let me know! :)
Last Monday I went out to meet a friend and threw this in the crock pot before I left so dinner would be ready when I got home! Unfortunately I got home later then I expected so I didn't get to thicken up the stew like I really wanted to, but it still hit the spot! I found the idea recipe in a magazine, but online you can find it here, but I changed it a lot.

You need:
1 lb pork loin
2 cans diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic crushed
1 cup water and 1 chicken boullion cube (or 1 cup chicken broth)
salt and pepper
some broccoli, corn or whatever veggies you want to add

• put diced tomatoes, chicken broth, garlic, pork loin, and salt and pepper in crock pot
• heat on low for 7 hours 
• in last twenty minutes add some veggies
• serve over rice

Recipe #207: Pigs in a Blanket

Well, I think there will be a couple more variations of this coming, but I had some leftover sausages to use up so this became a quick and easy lunch

You need:
1 can of crescent rolls
2 italian sausages
cheddar cheese

• cook sausages and cut in thirds
• spread rolls out
• top with cheese and then a sausage on wide part of roll
• roll up
• bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes

Recipe #195: Barbecue with Baked Potatoes

Need a changed up for your normal baked potato? This was delicious!

You need:
potatoes
barbecue (buy some or make your own)
shredded cheddar cheese

• microwave potatoes for 6 minutes or until soft 
• top with barbecue and cheese!

Recipe #186 and #187: Asian Pork with Cabbage Salad

This is another Real Simple crock pot recipe that I got out of my magazine or you can find in here. Of course I made some changes, but both boys loved it which means success!

For Asian Pork you need:

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbsp Rice vinegar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp crushed red pepper

2 lbs pork loin

2 bundles of somen noodles (or soba or udon)

corn 

• mix soy sauce, sugar, vinegar, sesame oil, ginger and red pepper in the crock pot. 
• Add pork loin and cover with mixture
• cook on low for about 7 hrs
• about 15 minutes before serving, boil somen noodles.
• mix the noodles with the pork and serve

For Cabbage Salad you need:

1/4 head of cabbage

matchstick carrots

cucumber, thinly sliced

sesame seeds

sesame oil

some sauce from pork

• cut up veggies
• add a couple spoonfuls of pork sauce to veggies
• pour in some sesame oil and some sesame seeds
• stir until well combined.

Recipe #172: gyoza

I was waiting for my brother and (soon-to-be) sister-in-law to come visit again so we could make gyoza and mushi pan! :) You may know gyoza as pot stickers in the U.S. Forget that name. Its horrible. Gyoza is delicious! We didn't have a single one left! :)

You need:
2 lbs ground pork
1/2 head of cabbage
2 leeks
6 Tbsp soy sauce
3 Tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp ginger
pack of wonton wrappers i think our pack had 40-50

• chop cabbage and leeks into very small pieces
• mix meat, cabbage, leeks, and seasoning together
• place a teaspoon of meat mixture into each cover
• fold in half, one one half, line with water and press sides together and pleat (fold over)
• place on wax paper
• bring water to a boil in large pot and put steamer on top 
• steam until cooked through, about 10-15 minutes
• if frying, cover bottom of pan with oil, cook until brown on both sides
• enjoy with gyoza dipping sauce. make your own by mixing soy sauce and apple vinegar

            

                                 















         steamed gyoza                                                                                                     fried gyoza

Recipe #155: Pork Roast

Well, I have barely had to cook all week and the times I did I ended up repeating some recipes because of the ingredients I had on hand...But this pork tenderloin was sitting in the fridge needing to be finished up so I decided to try out a recipe I found here. I really wanted a crock pot recipe. I was in the mood to get a great meal for almost no work, and that is exactly what happened! :)

You need:
Pork Tenderloin
spaghetti sauce (I didn't have any plain tomato sauce like the recipe called for)
1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/2 cupish sugar (I used a little less then half cup)
2 tsp ground mustard.

• put the pork in the crock pot
• add all ingredients to crock pot and mix together
• cook on low for about 5-8 hours (depending on size of your roast, i had a small portion so it took only about 5)
• remove from crock pot, cut up and pour sauce over top.
• Great with rice and sauteed green beans!
• ps. i forgot to take a picture because I was having so much fun eating it! :)

Recipe #154: Katsudon

Katsudon is one of my favorite Japanese dishes. The warmness of the bowl makes me so happy! I had made this years ago and really wanted to make it again, but didn't have the recipe. Instead I found this AMAZING :) youtube video that will rock your world! :) I used it mostly to get info on how to make the sauce. Overall it maybe took me 35-40 minutes to make this meal, definitely less time then I might have imagined!

You need:
Pork cutlets, I actually cut about four pieces from a pork tenderloin
4 eggs
2 cups panko
flour
onion
oil for frying

sauce:
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp (ish) dashi
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp mirin
2 tsp sugar

• pound pork a little bit to flatten
• dip and coat well in flour, egg then panko.
• place in heated pan with oil, cook until dark brown on both sides
• place on top of a cooling rack with a paper towel underneath to catch the access oil.
• in a smaller fry pan, add ingredients for sauce
• heat for a bit, then add onions and cook until tender
• cut pork into strips, but not all the way through 
• add pork on top of onion and sauce. 
• Beat 3 eggs a bit poor on top of pork.
• Allow eggs to cook a bit. 
• In a deep bowl, put some rice, then add some sauce, onion, and pork to the top.
• Enjoy!!

Recipe #144: Pork and Herb Rice

This was a quick meal to use up some leftovers!

You need:
4-5 slices of pork, I used my leftovers from this meal!
2-3 cups rice
rosemary (to taste)
basil (to taste)
butter

• melt a little butter in a large fry pan
• add in rice, rosemary, and basil. mix up
• shred pork and add in to rice
• mix up and serve!

Recipe #140 Rosemary Pork Tenderloin with #141 Roasted Broccoli and #142 Smashed potatoes

Okay, this was from a combination of places...
The idea for the pork tenderloin was from my Real Simple 10 ways... or found here.
the broccoli was from here thanks to pinterest!

for the pork tenderloin
you need:
pork tenderloin
olive oil
rub:
1 Tbsp or so rosemary
1 tsp paprika
2 cloves garlic crushed
1/2 tsp kosher salt

• rub pork with olive oil
• mix rest of ingredients together and rub over meat
• bake at 425 for 30-45 minutes or until cooked through
• cut and serve

broccoli

you need:

some broccoli

olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

4 cloves garlic

lemon juice

parmesan

• spread broccoli out on a foil lined baking sheet
• toss with olive oil, salt and pepper
• top with sliced garlic cloves
• roast at 425 (with your pork tenderloin) for about 20 minutes
• take out and add a bit of lemon juice, a bit more olive oil and parmesan

smashed potatoes

you need:

4 red potatoes

minced garlic

chives

a bit of milk

parmesan

• pierce potatoes in several places and microwave for 5 or so minutes
• cut up, add a little milk and "smash" with a masher 
• add in a bit of garlic, chives and parmesan
• mix up a little more

Recipe #126: BBQ Pork Sandwiches

Taking a meal over to a friend so made a big batch of this so we could have some too! Easy, hands off recipe!

you need:
BBQ recipe found here (the taco sauce recipe)
4 lbs pork loin
shredded cheese
hamburger buns

• mix up the bbq recipe in the crock pot. I quadrupled it (x4)
• add in pork and cover with sauce.
• cook on low for 8-10 hours
• shred up pork and mix well with sauce during the last 30 minutes
• serve on buns with a little cheese on top...or if you are Will, pickles.

Recipe #114: Pulled Pork Tacos

A little twist on your normal tacos or BBQ pork! :)

I took the general idea from a Woman's day recipe (you should checkout their IPod app!).

It was perfect for leaving in the crock pot, heading out to church and having it ready for a quick bite when you get back!

You need: 

 double recipe of Taco/BBQ sauce found here

2 packet of taco seasoning

about 2 lbs pork loin

taco stuff: tortillas, tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, etc

• mix taco sauce recipe in the crockpot
• add two taco seasoning packets and mix together
• put pork in crock pot and coat with sauce
• cook on high for about 3-4 hours
• in last 30 minutes, use a knife and fork to shred pork into small pieces.
• stir it several times to make sure pork is completely coated in sauce.
• enjoy in tacos with your favorite toppings!

Recipe #90: Grilled Teriyaki Pork and #91 Sliced Sweet Potato

So I had some random leftover pork in the freezer and after thawing it out to determine what type of meat it was, we decided to celebrate labor day by grilling!

You need:
some pork chops
teriyaki marinade. I used premade or you can make your own found here.
small handful of sesame seeds

• put pork in small ziploc,
• pour teriyaki and sesame over pork and allow to marinade for at least 30 minutes.
• grill for about 15 minutes over high heat.

Sliced Sweet Potato:
I got the idea from pinterest (see all my pins!), and the original post is found here.
but it used sweet potatoes instead

You need:
3 sweet potatoes
butter
pepper, cinnamon
little olive oil

• I first poked and microwaved the sweet potatoes for about 3 minutes so they wouldn't take so long to cook on the grill.
• Then slice the potato almost all the way through (my slices were a little bit thicker then the original too, but oh well)
• Spread some butter over top
• Sprinkle some pepper. i added some cinnamon to mine
• Grill for about 15 minutes

Alex got a potato too! He loved it! It was even better cold because the potato stayed together better...