Farmer’s Pork Chops

 photo credit: http://www.pauladeen.com

 Farmer’s Pork Chops

original recipe: http://www.pauladeen.com/recipes/recipe_view/farmers_pork_chops/

Ingredients:

• 8 Smithfield Boneless Pork Chops, about 1/2 inch thick
• 8 medium potatoes
• 1/2 medium onion
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons Paula Deen’s Seasoned Salt
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• Paula Deen’s white sauce (see below)

Paula Deen’s White Sauce

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of butter
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 cups milk
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or chives (optional)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Peel potatoes; slice 1/4 inch thick and cover with cold water. Slice onion into very thin slices, and then cut the slices in half. Drain potatoes; layer half the potatoes in a well-greased 15x10 inch casserole dish. Scatter half of the onion slices on top of potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Repeat with remaining potatoes and onions. Cover potatoes with white sauce. Cover casserole dish with plastic wrap and microwave for 5 minutes on high or bake uncovered for 15 minutes.

Sprinkled seasoned salt on pork chops and dredge chops in flour mixture. Lightly brown chops in vegetable oil. Do not cook them completely. As chops are removed from frying pan, lay them on top of potatoes.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 to 60 minutes. The juices from the pork chops will drip down into the potatoes. Delicious!

Paula Deen’s White Sauce :
Melt butter; remove from heat. Stir in flour; add salt and pepper. Return to heat and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly. Add milk, 1 cup at a time. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Reduce heat and simmer 1 to 2 minutes, then let stand at least 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in parsley or chives, if desired.

Baileys Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie

photo credit: http://shewearsmanyhats.com

Baileys Salted Caramel Chocolate Pie

original recipe: http://shewearsmanyhats.com/2011/11/a-baileys-friendsgiving/

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 fluid ounces (4 tablespoons) Baileys® with a hint of Caramel*
• 1 chocolate cookie pie crust
• Coarse salt for sprinkling
• Optional for garnishing: shaved chocolate, caramel sauce for drizzling

Instructions:

1. Melt chocolate chips according to package directions.
2. Let cool slightly.
3. Whip cream and sugar.
4. When soft peaks begin to form, gradually add Baileys with a hint of Caramel.
5. Gently mix in the melted chocolate.
6. Spread mixture into pie crust and sprinkle top with coarse salt.
7. Refrigerate for 4-6 hours.
8. *Substitute other Baileys flavors to create different versions.

This recipe contains no more than 0.6 fl. oz. of alcohol per serving.

Taco Pizza

 photo credit: http://realmomkitchen.com

Taco Pizza

original recipe: http://realmomkitchen.com/5301/taco-pizza/

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 envelope taco seasoning mix
• 2 (8 oz.) cans Pillsbury crescent rolls
• 1 (16 oz.) can refried beans (I used the jalapeño kind)
• 2-3 cups shredded cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sliced black olives
• 4 green onions, chopped

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Brown ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning to the ground beef according to the package directions.
3. Unroll crescent rolls into rectangles. Place in ungreased 11 1/2 inch x 16 1/2 inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Press dough over the bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust.  Bake at 375 oven for 11 to 13 minutes or just until golden brown.
4. Microwave beans in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute.  Carefully spread beans over warm crust creating a thin layer.
5. Top with cooked beef mixture, sprinkle with cheese followed by tomatoes, black olives and green onion.  Return to oven for 3-6 more minutes until cheese is melted.  Serve immediately.  Makes 12 main dish servings or 48 appetizers.

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

 photo credit: http://aspicyperspective.com

Fresh Strawberry Yogurt Cake

original recipe: http://aspicyperspective.com/2010/05/farmstand-fresh.html

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 Tb. lemon juice, divided
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, divided
• ½ tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 8 oz. plain or vanilla, Greek yogurt
• 12 oz. fresh strawberries, diced
• 1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 10 inch Bundt pan (10-15 cup pan.) Sift together the 2 ¼ cups of flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the lemon zest and set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in 1 Tb. lemon juice. Alternate beating in the flour mixture and the yogurt, mixing just until incorporated.
3. Toss the strawberries with the remaining ¼ cup of flour. Gently mix them into the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the Bundt pan. Place in the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F. Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
5. Allow to cool at least 20 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. Once cooled whisk together the remaining 2 Tb. of lemon juice and the powdered sugar. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

NOTE:

About the texture of the batter in this cake. The consistency of the yogurt and the juiciness of the berries, greatly determined the consistency of the batter. Thick, (dryer) yogurt will produce a thicker batter, in which the berries won’t sink to the bottom (top) of the cake as seen in the photos. Either way, it is a great cake–don’t worry about the thickness of the batter.
For help with common baking dilemmas, click here.

Homemade Coconut Lemon Twinkies

 photo credit: http://crackinggoodegg.blogspot.sg

Homemade Coconut Lemon Twinkies

original recipe: http://crackinggoodegg.blogspot.sg/2008/04/challenge-book-4-coconut-lemon-twinkies.html

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup plain flour
• 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tbspn grated lemon zest
• 1/4 tspn salt
• 1 tspn vanilla extract

Instructions:

Generously grease and sugar a 12 cup muffin tin or preferably a tin with deep narrow cups.

Sift flour and stir in coconut.

Whisk the egg yolks and lemon zest until combined. Add the salt and 2 tbspn and 2 tspns of sugar. Continue whisking until the yolks are pale, thick and doubled in volume. This should take about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, whisk the egg whites until they are frothy. Keep whisking, and gradually add 1/3 cup of the sugar. Continue whisking until medium soft peaks form.

Add the vanilla to the yolk mixture. Stir in one-third of the whipped whites to the yolks to lighten the mixture. Then carefully and gently fold in the remainder of the egg whites. Carefully and gently fold in the flour mixture.

Divide the mixture among the muffin cups. Place in 175C oven. Bake for 4 minutes and then rotate the pan. Cook for a further 5 minutes. Cool the cakes in their tins for around 5 minutes before turning out. Leave until completely cold.

Filling

I used curd lightened with whipped cream. Any type of curd would be great - lime, passionfruit, orange or mango. Jam would be another option. The recipe suggests using marmalade topped with whipped cream.

Twinkies

Spoon the filling into a pastry bag fitted with a small round tip. Poke the tip of the piping bag into the cake and slowly pipe in the filling until it begins to squirt out of the opening.

Dust with icing sugar and serve.

* This is an American recipe so 1 tbspn = 3 tspn. An Australian 1 tbspn = 4 tspn.

Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chips

 photo credit: http://sugarcooking.blogspot.com

Pretzel Cookies with Chocolate & Peanut Butter Chips

original recipe: http://sugarcooking.blogspot.com/2010/07/pretzel-cookies-with-chocolate-peanut.html

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup of tightly packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup milk chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter chips
• 1/2 cup broken up pretzel pieces
• Preztel Salt or Sea Salt

Instructions:

1. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a larger bowl, beat the butter and sugars together on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 2-3 minutes). On low speed, slowly add the beaten egg and vanilla extract. Beat to combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the flour mixture and beat just until there are no more streaks of flour. Stir in the chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, and preztels. Cover and refrigerate for an hour.
4. Preheat the oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop out well rounded tablespoonfuls of the dough and sprinkle with pretzel salt. Leave about 2 inches between each ball. Bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer crispier cookies increase the baking time by 1-2 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

 photo credit: http://madeitateitlovedit.blogspot.com

 Sweet and Sour Chicken

original recipe: http://madeitateitlovedit.blogspot.com/2012/03/sweet-and-sour-chicken.html

Chicken Breading:

• 3-5 chicken breast
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup canola oil

Rinse chicken, trim off fat or extras and then cut into 1 inch cubes. season with salt and pepper. Dip chicken into cornstarch and coat all the way and then into eggs. Heat oil in large skillet. Cook chicken until browned. Place in baking dish. 3 chicken breasts can be in a 9x9 but 5 chicken breasts fits better in a 9x13.

Sauce:

• 3/4 cups sugar
• 4 Tablespoons ketchup
• 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Whisk until smooth. Then pour evenly over chicken. Turn chicken so the sauce gets on both sides and then put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. turn chicken and then cook for 15 more minutes.