Independence Sangria

This was my first attempt at making sangria and I have to say [oh, so modestly] it is the BEST sangria in the entire universe. That's right... I said it. I found the recipe on Pinterest [of course] but added my own special touch. Be careful... it goes down easy!!

I swear, I'm just gathering ingredients... :)

The finished product...

What I look like after a few glasses...

Ingredients:

• Strawberries, sliced
• Blueberries
• Pineapple, cut into star shapes (use a cookie cutter)
• 2 bottles dry white wine (I used a 1.5 L bottle of Moscato)
• 1 cup Triple Sec
• 1/2 cup berry-flavored vodka (I used Smirnoff Strawberry)
• 1/4 cup grenadine
• 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup simple syrup*

Combine the ingredients in a large pitcher and stir. Chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Add a splash of Ginger Ale just before serving.

*To make the simple syrup, simple combine 1/2 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar and heat to boiling. Once the mixture turns clear, remove from heat, cool, and add to sangria.

Derek's Lettuce Wraps

 A few weeks ago, while my parents were visiting, Derek surprised us all and made lettuce wraps from scratch. We had some leftover pork tenderloin and he managed to rummage through the fridge and pull together an amazing meal on a whim. We all agreed that it was far better that the lettuce wraps that we always get at P.F. Changs and begged him to write down the recipe. Being the man that he is, he didn't write it down and I feared that it may be lost forever. So, when I pulled some pork tenderloin out of the freezer yesterday and marinated it in pineapple-teriyaki sauce I had secret hopes that I could convince the hubs to work his magic again. He called me on it as soon as he saw what I was making and I warned him that I was going to 'chef-stalk' him while he cooked so I could write up this recipe.

A quick side note, this has wound up being our 'round two recipe' - meaning we're using cooked, left over pork tenderloin. If you don't have left over pork, you could cube it and cook it in the skillet prior to adding the veggies but this is a great way to use up left over  meat.

Ingredients:

1 cooked pork tenderloin, cubed
1 1/2 cups corn
3-5 large asparagus
1/4 cup mushroom caps
1 small bell pepper
1 tbsp. BBQ sauce
1/4 cup Yoshidas sauce
1/4 water
1 head iceberg lettuce

Directions:

In a large, nonstick skillet combine chopped pork, asparagus, mushrooms, and pepper into small chunks; add corn. Add BBQ sauce and Yoshidas and cook over medium heat for 18 minutes; after first five minutes check sauce consistency and flavor; add water as needed. Simmer until sauce is absorbed and vegetables are tender. Serve with iceberg lettuce leaves. Wrap and enjoy.

Bleu Cheese Sauce

Recipe inspired by Rachel Ray magazine, June 2012 issue.

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. mayo
2 tbsp. sour cream
1 tbsp. 1/2 & 1/2 or heavy cream
Juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup crumbled bleu cheese (add more for stronger flavor)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat until cheeses are melted. Set aside and allow to cool slightly; sauce will thicken as it cools.

Serve over steak and enjoy!

Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

I originally pinned this recipe months ago when I was stranded on bed rest and unable to cook anything exciting. The picture alone (borrowed from Mel's Kitchen Cafe  - the original recipe source) made me salivate but it doesn't even do justice to how amazing these wraps are. I made some additions to the ingredient list and changed the cooking method [me pan frying anything 'wrapped" = recipe for a disastrous mess]. The husband loved them as well and we both went back for seconds on this one.

Ingredients:

1 cup cooked Mexican rice, warm or at room temperature [I used Rice-a-Roni]
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced
juice of 1 lime
2 cups shredded cheese (I used a combination of monterey jack and sharp cheddar)
1/4 cup salsa
1 tbsp. hot sauce (more or less, depending on your tastes)
Sour cream (optional)
Guacamole (optional)
6 burrito-sized flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook rice according to package directions.

Once rice is cooked, add in remaining ingredients except for cheese, guacamole, and sour cream. Sprinkle cheese over tortillas, leaving 1/2-inch border around edges. Drop tablespoon dolops of sour cream (and guacamole, if you're using it) on the cheese. Then arrange chicken and rice mixture down the center of each tortilla.

Roll stuffed tortillas burrito style and wrap in foil. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until filling is heated through. Serve and enjoy!!

Herbed Quinoa

I'm trying to learn to love quinoa. I know it's good for me and I like it most of the time but I don't love it yet. I guess that's because I'm still convinced that it's supposed to taste like pasta and I am caught off guard each time I make it and it ends up tasting like a grain instead. For me, the trick is adding some more flavor to it - like the herbs and garlic in this recipe - to hide the 'grainy' taste. This recipe turned out to be a keeper... I even ate it for leftovers the next night {which is saying something in this house!}. The original recipe can be found here - I changed the cooking process a tiny bit because I didn't want raw garlic in my dinner.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 dash fresh lemon juice
zest of half a lemon 

Directions: 

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the quinoa, and toast, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 12 minutes; add minced garlic. Continue cooking additional 2-3 minutes or until quinoa is tender and garlic is softened.

In a bowl, toss quinoa together with parsley, thyme, salt, and zest. Sprinkle with lemon juice, and serve.

Herb Crusted Pork Chops

I'm dieting.

I hate dieting... mostly because I love food. But also partly because I hate being told what to do {or what not to do}. But I want to lose this baby weight and if I'm going to put in the effort to work out then I'm also going to do my best to not eat an entire pizza at each meal. I've been hunting for recipes that are light, healthy, and still have flavor so I can trick my brain into thinking that I'm still making delicious meals worthy of the excitement and effort that I usually reserve for Alfredo sauce and deep fried anything... and this pork chop recipe was a mighty tasty way to kick off my diet. I found the original recipe here and tweaked it just a little to make it my own {read: I added cheese}. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

4 boneless pork chops, fat trimmed

2 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs

1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, minced

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  Rub mustard evenly over pork chops.  Combine panko, thyme, parsley, cheese, salt, and pepper in a large bowl; dredge pork chops in panko mixture.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat.  Add oil to pan and swirl to coat.  Add pork chops, saute for 2 minutes or until golden brown.  Turn pork over and place skillet in oven for about 8 minutes or until pork reaches 145 degrees in the center. 

Super Easy Pork Chops

Being on bed rest is a pain... being nine months pregnant is a pain. So, when I was thinking up dinner and perusing Pinterest for pork chop ideas I was looking for something easy, fast, and that didn't require dirtying a bunch of dishes or digging out a bunch of ingredients. I didn't find what I was looking for. So, I did something that I rarely do, I made my own recipe. I found a chicken recipe that used mayo a while back and it was super moist and tender and over Easter weekend my mother-in-law made my favorite garlic chip dip (which uses mayo and sour cream along with garlic seasoning). My pregnant brain smooshed the two together and tonight's dinner is the result. It was really easy to make and tasted great. AND I even took my very own picture of it, something I am notoriously terrible at. It was a victorious night all around for this little chef...

Ingredients:

2 pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1/4 cup mayo
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup cornflakes, smashed (Panko would work well too, I just happened to have cornflakes on hand)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl, mix together the mayo, garlic and cheese.

Place crushed cornflakes in a gallon storage bag.

Dredge pork in mayo mixture to coat. Place pork chop in bag and coat with cornflakes.

Place chops in a greased baking dish and bake for 25 minutes. 

[See, I told you it was simple!]