Greek Pork Chops

I was looking for something to do with pork chops, and since Bruce had made Hummus as an appetizer, I wanted something Greek. I found a recipe (I can't remember the site), and modified it a bit.  I also made lemon potatoes, recipe another time (once I figure out how to get the lemon flavour without quite so much tartness).

4 medium thick pork chops (I used boneless)
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 roasted red pepper
1 tbsp parsley
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp black pepper
dash of cayenne pepper
1 cup crumbled feta

Chop roasted pepper (you can use a jar, I roasted mine (and used a yellow one)), mix with lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, oregano, and parsley. Mix flour with pepper and cayenne. Dredge pork chops in flour, brown in oven-proof skillet, 2 minutes per side. Pour red pepper mixture over chops, bake at 400F for 5 minutes, covered. Add feta and bake 4-5 minutes longer, until cheese is melted.

Pad Thai

My daughter found this recipe and modified it.  It's pretty quick to make and very tasty.  It needs "instant stir fry noodles", which I found under the brand name Six Fortune.  They are the kind of noodle you get in Ichiban or Mr Noodles, you could use two packages of that.


1-2 chicken breasts, thinly sliced
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 onion, chopped
1 cup chopped red, green and/or orange peppers
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 can coconut milk
1/4 cup cashews (or peanuts)
1 lime, juiced
4 tbsp fish sauce
5 tbsp brown sugar
red rooster hot sauce
3-4 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 package instant stir fry noodles

Marinate chicken in soy sauce and cornstarch while chopping veggies.  Mix coconut milk, lime juice, sugar, fish sauce and hot sauce in small bowl or cup.  Boil water or broth and cook noodles 2-3 minutes. Drain and reserve liquid.  Heat oil in wok or large frying pan.  Stir fry chicken, remove from wok, then fry veggies.  Add sauce, noodles and chicken.  You might want to add some of the noodle-cooking liquid, depending on how soupy you like it, and sprinkle with cashews.

I forgot to take the photo until we had eaten most of it, but it will make enough to feed 3-5 people, depending on if they are growing teenagers or not!

Jambalaya

I have this recipe for jambalaya from a Frugal Gourmet cookbook Bruce's uncle gave us years ago. It is very involved and takes pretty much all afternoon to make, as it guides you through making stock and everything. I've modified it through the years, it still takes a bit of time, but is more of a weekend meal when you have time to let things simmer.

Jambalaya

2 tbsp cooking oil
1 onion
2 pieces of celery
½ green pepper
½ red pepper
2 cloves garlic
5 green onions
3 large tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 tbsp dried parsley (or 1/4 cup fresh)
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
3 cups chicken stock
1 lb sausage
2 cups cooked chicken
1 cup ham
1 cup uncooked rice

Chop vegetables into 2cm pieces. Heat oil; add onion, peppers, celery and garlic and sauté until tender. Add green onions and tomatoes and cook until soft. Add tomato paste and spices, heat through, then add 2 cups stock and simmer this gravy for 15 minutes to an hour. Meanwhile, cut sausage into bite size pieces and brown in a frying pan. Discard grease, place sausage into gravy. Deglaze the frying pan with the remaining stock and pour into gravy. Add rice, chicken and ham and simmer 20-25 minutes until the rice is cooked. Stir occasionally and you may have to add a little more stock or water to finish the rice.


This is a great winter meal, very hardy. If you had leftover sausages, it would save you that step.

Turkey Crepes

I was looking for ideas to use up leftover turkey from Thanksgiving and remembered my son mentioning he wanted to try crepes. So I combined a couple of recipes and came up with this turkey crepes.

Crepe batter:
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp vegetable oil

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Gradually add dry ingredients alternately with milk and oil. Beat until smooth.

Heat a medium frying pan (I use a Teflon pan so I don't have to grease it) over medium heat. Add about 1/4 cup batter to hot pan, swirling to spread a thin layer over entire pan. Allow to cook until lightly browned (will be cooked through), then flip to brown other side for a few seconds. Layer with wax paper so they don't stick together while you are making the filling.

Turkey filling

1/4 cup chopped onion
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
bit of red pepper, finely chopped
1 clove garlic
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2 cups leftover turkey (or chicken)
parsley, oregano and/or basil to taste
ground black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
spinach leaves

Fry onion, celery, red pepper and garlic in oil until tender. Stir flour into sour cream and add to vegetables. Stir in broth and cook until thickened and bubbly. Add turkey, cheese and seasonings.

Build the crepes: lay a crepe on a plate with the browned side down. Lay some spinach leaves in the middle in a line, then spoon some of the turkey/sauce mixture on top. Fold one side over, tuck in and roll so the seam is down. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.

You could use this filling with tortillas and save the effort of making crepes. And you can add other veggies (I used corn tonight as well), or omit or change the cheese for a different taste.

My kids took some of the leftover crepes and spread them with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon, then fried an apple with some cinnamon and made dessert crepes.

Taco Soup

Ever have leftover taco meat? Here is a recipe that uses it up, and can also be thrown in the slow cooker.

1/2 lb ground beef
1 onion
taco seasoning
(or use leftover taco meat)
1 can (14 ounce/398 ml) tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 can black beans (rinsed really well)
1 cup frozen corn
3 cups of water
1/2 cup-1 cup salsa

Fry up the ground beef and onion, if necessary. Add all ingredients to large pot or slow cooker, adjusting water til it is of soup consistency. Simmer 1 1/2 hours on the stove top or 4-6 hours in slow cooker. Grate cheese over each bowl, add a dollop of sour cream and serve with tortilla chips.

Maple Pork Tenderloin

I found this recipe in the paper a couple of months ago, it is very tasty. I have done it as a glaze and a marinade, it is all good.

2 tbsp minced shallot (I used onion)
3 tbsp maple syrup
4 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp red wine vinegar
2 tsp soy sauce
pork tenderloin

For a marinade, mix everything together and let pork sit in it for 4-24 hours, then bake at 375F for 30-45 minutes (depends on the size of the tenderloin). It should be 155F internally. Let rest 5-10 minutes before slicing thinly.

For a glaze, brown pork in a hot ovenproof skillet. Generously brush top and sides with maple syrup mixture. Pour in 1/4 cup broth (chicken or veggie) and bring to a boil. Transfer skillet to oven (375F) and roast 20-25 minutes, brushing with the maple syrup mixture 3 times. While the pork rests 5-10 minutes, bring the pan juices to a boil on the stove top and add the remaining syrup mixture. Boil, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes until thickened slightly. Serve sauce drizzled over thinly sliced pork.

Meat Loaf

I never liked meatloaf when I was growing up. I could barely choke enough down to please my parents. Then a friend served me some made with mozzarella cheese and ham. Wow! What a revelation! I found this recipe in the newspaper a couple of years later, and have been making it regularly since. It is a hit with the kids.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup bread crumbs or oatmeal
1 small onion, chopped
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
pepper to taste
1 tsp parsley
4-5 slices cooked ham
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese

Blend all ingredients except ham and 1/2 the cheese. You can play with the amount of tomato sauce and bread crumbs so that you have moist mixture that will hold its shape. Spread on a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. Lay ham out on top, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and roll up like a jelly roll (removing plastic wrap as you go). Place seam side down on a baking sheet and cook at 350F for 45 minutes.

It can be a bit challenging to get this to roll, I usually end up with more of a fold-in-thirds look. I like to serve this with rice, but potatoes or pasta are tasty, too.

Lemon Garlic Roast Chicken

With the lousy weather we've been having, it isn't too warm to roast a chicken. I found this recipe in Style at Home magazine. You can't make gravy if you cook the chicken this way, but the meat is so moist, you don't miss it.

3 1/2 lb chicken
2 lemons, quartered
2 heads garlic, halved
8 sprigs Thyme
2 tbsp olive oil
sea salt flakes
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine

Preheat oven to 325F. Place one lemon in cavity of chicken. Place the garlic, thyme and remaining lemon in a baking dish and top with chicken. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Pour in stock and wine and cover with foil. Roast for 2 hours. Remove foil, raise temperature to 400F and roast for another 25 minutes or until the skin is golden and juices run clear (165F internal temperature, if you have a meat thermometer).

By the way, I do mean heads of garlic, as in the whole thing. You can squeeze out the pulp after it is done cooking and serve it on the side for those who love garlic.