Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Dried Fruit

I was cleaning out the pantry and found 6 bags of dried fruit that hubby had horded away. He loves dried fruit, but buys these gigantic bags, then gets tired of it and stuffs it on the back of a shelf! I made this recipe up to use some of that fruit...

Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Dried Fruit

Ingredients
Olive Oil
4 (6-ounce) boneless center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup flour
Sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 sliced shallots
1 tbsp garlic/ginger mix
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup beef broth
1 cup chicken broth
1 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit: Apricots, Raisins, Cherries, Blueberries, Crazins (whatever) soaked in chicken broth 1/2 hour.

Preparation
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat pan with olive oil. Sprinkle both sides of pork with salt and pepper and dredge in flower. Add pork to pan; cook 3 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Remove from pan, and put in warm oven (350)

Add shallots & garlic/ginger mix to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add broths and fruit, then simmer till sauce is thick. Add wine and continue cooking till sauce coats spoon. Return pork to pan, and cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated.

4 servings

Olive's Mediterranean Chicken

Ok... Ray & I are watching our weight. Well, we watched it go up and now we are trying to loose a bit before we run out of clothes. This recipe was inspired by a weight watcher's recipe.

Olive's Mediterranean Chicken

Ingredients
* 1 pound uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast, four 4 oz pieces
* 1/3 cup white all-purpose flour
* 2 tsp lemon pepper
* For Salsa
* 1/2 tsp ground basil
* 1/8 tsp curry (or cumin) powder, pinch
* 5 Tbsp olive oil, separated into 3 & 2
* 1 medium avocado, peeled and diced
* 3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, (juice of 1 lemon)
* 8 cup scallions, chopped
* 4 large tomatoes, plum, diced (I used 1/2 can diced; drained and rinsed)
* 1/4 cup sliced black olives
* 1/4 tsp McCormick Oregano leaves
* 1/4 tsp McCormick Thyme leaves
* 1 head romaine lettuce, Divided between 2 plates

Instructions
Preheat oven to 400

Technique for Cooking and Cleaning Lobster

1. Before we cook lobster we take it out of its shell. Most people cook lobster in its shell, and once it's cooked there's nothing you can do to it anymore. By cooking raw lobster out of its shell you can influence its taste and texture. We cook the exterior layer of the flesh, just enough so that it will pull cleanly away from the shell, leaving the interior raw. This allows us to treat the lobster as we would raw fish. When I got to the French Laundry, we came up with the technique of butter poaching, which loads the flavor of butter into the lobster and cooks it so slowly and gently that the flesh remains exquisitely tender, so tender some people think it's not completely cooked. When you cook lobster violently, the meat seizes up and becomes tough, and you can't get anything into it. Gentle heating is the key to tender, flavorful lobster.
   
   After the initial pairing of lobster with butter in the cooking method, it is then very versatile. Once you make the initial lobster-butter connection, which takes you back to your very first experience with lobster, you can put it with so many different garnishes: beets and leeks, peas and carrots, figs, foie gras.
   
   Preparing Lobsters for Cooking:
   
   All lobster dishes at the French Laundry begin with this initial preparation, after which they may be poached in butter, roasted or chopped for a filling. It's crucial to work with the lobsters while they are hot, or the fat in the meat will congeal and make it difficult to remove the lobster from its shell.
   
   For six, 1 1/2 to 2 pound lobsters:
   
   Steeping the lobsters: Place the lobsters into a tight fitting container. Cover with cold water to determine how much you will need. Drain off the water, measure it and place the water in a large pot. Bring the water to a boil and add 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar to every 8 quarts of water you are using.
   
   After the vinegar is added, pour the boiling liquid over the lobsters and let them steep for 2 to 3 minutes (3 minutes for 2 pound lobsters). Reserving the water, use a pair of tongs to remove the lobsters from the water. Place them on a sheet pan with sides or a board placed over the sink; it is messy to disassemble the lobsters.
   
   Using a towel or rubber gloves to help hold the hot lobster, grasp the lobster's tail, twist and pull the tail, to detach it from the body. Twist and pull the arms to detach them and return the arms to the hot water for an additional 5 minutes. Reserve the bodies.
   
   For the tail: Hold the tail flat and twist the tail fan to one side; pull off and discard. Use your fingers to gently push the meat through the tail end, and pull the meat out through the large opening. Discard the tail shell. Lay the tail meat on its back and cut lengthwise through the middle. Remove the vein running through the top of the meat. Lay the finished pieces on a sheet pan lined with paper towels.
   
   For the claws: After 5 minutes, remove the arms from the hot water. Twist off the knuckle to remove it from the claw. Hold the claw in your hand and pull down to loosen the lower pincer. Crack it to each side and pull it straight off. The cartilage from inside the claw should be attached to the pincer and the claw meat should remain intact. You may not always succeed in keeping the claw meat in one piece, but with practice your success rate will increase.
   
   Still holding the claw, crack the top of the shell with the back of a heavy knife blade, about 3/4-inch from the joint where the knuckle was attached. You want to go through the shell but not damage the meat. Turn the claw over and repeat the procedure a second time. Wiggle your knife to loosen and crack the shell. Pull off the lower section of the shell.
   
   Shake the claw to remove the meat (if it doesn't fall out, cut off the very tip of the claw shell and blow through the hole to release the meat). Add the claws to the tail meat.
   
   For the knuckles: Cut off the top joint of the knuckle that was attached to the lobster' s body. Use a pair of scissors to cut away the shell along the smooth outside edge of the knuckle. Use your fingers to pry open the shell and remove the meat. Add the knuckle meat to the tails and claws. The recipes may not always use the knuckle meat. If it is not called for, enjoy it separately! Cover the lobster pieces with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to a day.
   
   For the bodies: Pull back and discard the top shell of the lobster including the heads and antenna, remove the tomalley (gray), the roe (deep green), the feathery lungs, and the sack behind the head. You may want to reserve the tomalley and roe for other uses (they can be wrapped and frozen separately), but discard the lungs and sack. You will be left with the bodies and legs. Rinse them thoroughly under cold water and use them immediately or freeze them to make a lobster stock or a consommé.

Peppered Prok Chops with Vegetable Fricassee

Denise made this for us tonight.. with parslied potatoes. Ray loved it. It was excellent.

Peppered Pork Chops with Vegetable Fricassee
TOTAL TIME: 35 MIN
SERVES: 4
ingredients

* Four 10-ounce pork rib chops (1 inch thick)
* Kosher salt
* 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
* Coarsely and finely ground black pepper
* 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots
* 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
* 1/2 cup dry white wine
* 1 cup heavy cream
* 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
* 1/2 pound sugar snap peas
* 1/4 pound white mushrooms, thickly sliced
* 4 scallions, white and tender green parts, thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup frozen baby peas, thawed
directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Season the pork chops on both sides with salt. Brush each chop with 1 teaspoon of the mustard; generously sprinkle all over with coarsely ground black pepper.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until shimmering. Add the pork chops and cook over moderate heat, turning once, until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer the chops to a baking sheet and roast for 12 minutes, until cooked through; keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, pour off the fat from the skillet. Add 1/4 cup of water and cook over high heat for 1 minute, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour the pan juices into a cup and wipe out the skillet.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in the skillet. Add all but 1 tablespoon of the shallots and cook over moderately high heat until softened, 3 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until nearly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and cook until nearly evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the cream and cook over moderately high heat until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 4 teaspoons of mustard, the reserved pan juices and half of the parsley. Season the sauce with salt and finely ground black pepper; keep warm.
5. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in another large skillet. Add the sugar snaps, mushrooms, scallions and the reserved 1 tablespoon of shallots and cook over moderately high heat until the sugar snaps are crisp-tender and the mushrooms are tender and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the peas and the remaining parsley and season with salt and finely ground pepper. Pour the cream sauce onto plates and top with the pork chops. Spoon the vegetables alongside and serve.

Yum.. this was great!

Made this with some of Ray's fresh Walleye from his fishing trip on Monday & Tuesday on Lake Erie.

Don’s Baked Walleye
Ingredients:
4 walleye fillets
2 chopped green onions
½ stick of butter
6 ounces crushed almonds
Bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 450F. Lightly salt the fillets. Add pepper to taste. Roll the fillets in bread crumbs. Bake fillets for 15 minutes.
Melt butter and sauté the crushed almonds, and chopped onions. Spoon the almonds and onions over the fillets and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Very good with wild rice on the side. Serves 6.

YUM - Cabbage Rolls

I've made Cabbage Rolls forever! And I think I make pretty good ones! But a lady in our church (from Germany) said I wasn't doing it right! She wouldn't share her secret family recipe with me, but I found this on the internet. I added a bit of tobasco sauce, and cooked all the meats before rolling the rolls (to save baking time), but the rolls came out VERY good!

Cabbage Rolls (Golabki)
Mixture of beef, pork, rice, and seasonings
wrapped in cabbage and baked with sauerkraut
and tomato soup, topped with bacon.

Submitted By: Mary Kolling (Robbie's mom)
Serves: 10 - 14
Prep. Time: 2:45

32 oz. jar sauerkraut - drained
2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 lb. ground pork
1 med. onions - chopped
1 Tbls. vegetable oil
16 oz. can tomato sauce
1 1/4 cups un-cooked white rice (I cooked it...)
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbls. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. garlic salt
2 heads cabbage - boiled whole until tender, cooled
(2) 10.75 oz. cans condensed tomato soup - prepared as directed
1/2 lb. raw bacon

-Spread sauerkraut in the bottom of a 13" X 9" X 2" pan; set aside.
-In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, brown beef, pork, and onion in oil.
-Stir tomato sauce, rice, milk, Worcestershire sauce, and garlic powder into pan.
-Wrap 1/2 cup meat mixture in each leaf of cabbage and secure with toothpicks.
-Lay rolls on sauerkraut, pour tomato soup evenly over rolls, and lay strips of bacon over rolls.
-Bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 2 hours.

Update from the Author: Robbie, There are a few changes that make this even more spectacular than it already is. With the sauerkraut, if you drain it and put in a large bowl, add 3 cans of tomato soup with equal parts of water, and the bacon either ground in meat grinder or minced, and about 2 cups of the cooked meat mixture. Stir well. Pour a generous layer on the bottom of the pan. Then a layer of rolls then sauerkraut mixture. Repeat until all is used. Be sure to complete the top with a layer of the sauerkraut mixture… Mom

Cod in Cheddar Cheese

This is a variation on a variation. Now it is a great comfort-food dinner!

Wonder at what point it becomes a new recipe?

How To Make Cod In Cheddar Cheese

Cod in Cheddar Cheese Recipe. This cheesy variation on the traditional cod fish meal can often be a favourite with little ones who don't usually enjoy fish. Give it a try! Relish our Cod in Cheddar Cheese recipe.

• 4 cod fillets , or any white fish
• 8 oz cherry tomatoes , halved
• 5 1⁄3 oz crème fraîche (I used 1/2 pint heavy cream)
• 1 Tbsp wholegrain mustard
• 6 1⁄8 oz cheddar cheese , grated
• 1 zuchinni, cut into thin rounds (I used 3 potatoes)
• freshly ground black pepper , to taste
• salt , to taste

• First, set the grill to 350F.
• Next, put the cod into the baking dish and then add the cherry tomatoes and the zuchinni.
• To prepare the sauce, place the crème fraîche and the mustard in a bowl and combine. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Pour the sauce over the fish, tomatoes and zuchinni and mix together. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top.
• Place it in the oven and bake for twenty minutes under the grill. When the cheese is melted and golden and the fish is no longer opaque it is ready to serve.

To use potatoes, I sliced them and layered them in a casserole dish. I cooked in the microwave for 10-20 minutes, till tender. Then add the fish, tomatoes, cream sauce & cheese and bake till fish is done.