Pork Chops with Creamy Gravy and Vegetables

Source- Pillsbury One-Dish Meals Cookbook

I've made other recipes out of this cookbook.  Every once in awhile I decide that I should cook something out of the cookbooks I own instead of always referencing the internet.  This recipe did not disappoint.

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1/2 inch thick (used boneless)
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 10.75oz can condensed cram of celery soup
• 1/4 to 1/2 tsp dried sage
• 3 cups frozen cut green beans
• 1 1/2 cups frozen potatoes with onion and peppers

Preparation

• Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
• Heat over medium-high heat until hot.
• Sprinkle pork chops with seasoned salt.
• Place in skillet.
• Cook 5-6 minutes or until browned on both sides.
• Remove chops from skillet, cover to keep warm.
• In medium bowl combine sour cream, soup and sage, mix well.
• Pour in skillet and add vegetables.
• Arrange chops over vegetable mixture, press gently into mixture.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to medium-low.
• Cover and cook 10-15 minutes or until pork chops are no longer pink in center and vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

Review & Changes- This recipe was really easy to make.  The flavor was really good and you didn't have too much of one thing.  I think this recipe would also work with cream of mushroom soup, but no changes are necessary. 

Ranch House Crock Pot Pork Chops with Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

Source- Real Mom Kitchen via Pinterest

Are you on Pinterest??  I joined a couple months ago and started pinning different recipes.  I finally decided to go ahead and make one, and boy am I glad I started with this one.  Hopefully my other pins are as successful and tasty as this one turned out!!

Ingredients

• 6 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
• 1 packet dry Ranch Dressing Seasoning
• 10 oz can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 4 lbs peeled, cubed potatoes
• 5 Tablespoons real butter
• 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 6 cloves roasted garlic (directions are below)  (omitted, used garlic powder)
• 1- 1 1/2 Cups warm skim milk (any milk will do, I used 2%)
• 1 Tablespoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper, or to taste

Preparation

• Place pork chops, Ranch seasoning and soup into a medium sized crock pot over high heat for 4 hours or low heat for 6 hours. 
• Place potatoes into a large pot of cold water. 
• Place onto stove top over high heat and bring to a boil. 
• water is boiling, cook for 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. 
• Drain and transfer to the work bowl of a stand or electric mixer. 
• Mix on low until potatoes are mashed then add butter, Parmesan, garlic, milk, salt and pepper. Season to taste if needed. For thinner mashed potatoes add more milk, slowly until your desired consistency.
• Scoop mashed potatoes onto serving plates and top with pork chops and soup gravy from crock pot. I put a little parsley on top to serve.

Roasted Garlic
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place bulb of garlic with skins on, wrap lightly in tin foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove from foil and let cool for 15 minutes. Remove garlic from skins, place in a bowl and mash with a fork until completely mashed. Set aside. One garlic bulb will have around 12 cloves.

Review & Changes-  This recipe was really good.  The pork had awesome flavor and was so tender it practically fell apart.  And the mashed potatoes alone were great, and with the soup mixture from the pork over them they were fabulous.  This recipe is so easy to throw together that I will definitely make again.  No changes need to be made.

Roasted Rosemary Pork Chops

Source-Betty Crocker

Not sure what to say about this recipe.  I was just looking for another pork recipe since I bought a family pack when it was on sale. 

I used up our potatoes with the beer braised beef, which is why I omitted them.  Didn't take nearly as long to cook with just the onions and no bone in the pork.  But faster isn't a bad thing!

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic-pepper blend
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 3 Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 4 cups) (omitted)
• 1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-wide wedges
• 4 bone-in loin pork chops, 1/2 inch thick

Preparation

• Heat oven to 425°F. Spray 15x10x1-inch pan with cooking spray. 
• In large bowl, mix mustard, oil, rosemary, garlic-pepper blend, seasoned salt and paprika. Reserve 1 tablespoon of the mustard mixture.
• Add potatoes and onion to remaining mustard mixture in bowl; toss to coat. Place vegetables in pan.
• Roast uncovered 25 minutes. Turn and stir potato mixture. Brush pork chops with reserved 1 tablespoon mustard mixture. Add pork chops to corners of pan.
• Roast uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer or until pork is no longer pink when cut near bone and vegetables are tender.

Next Time- These had great flavor, and H and I both really liked the red onions.  It'd be nice to try this with the potatoes next time, but nothing else needs to be altered. 

Herb Crusted Pork Roast

Source- Joelen's Culinary Adventures

This recipe starts out pretty similar to the Herb Roasted Pork Loin I made a few weeks ago.  The only real difference is the bread crumb crust you put over the herbs.  I also used dried herbs this time around rather than fresh.  This changed the amounts used, so I've noted them in bold. 

Ingredients

• 2-3 lb pork loin roast (just over 4lbs)
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs (doubled)
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese (doubled)
• 1 medium shallot, minced
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, plus an additional 2 teaspoons
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup packed fresh parsley or basil leaves (2 1/2 Tbsp dried basil)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme leaves  (1/2 tsp dried)
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves (1/4 tsp dried)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced

Preparation

• Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. 
• Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack in the middle, set aside. 
• In a large bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, minced shallot, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, pinch of salt and pinch of pepper. 
• Using a fork, toss the mixture until the breadcrumbs are evenly coated with oil. 
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the parsley (or basil), thyme, rosemary, garlic, remaining Parmesan cheese, garlic, 3 tablespoons olive oil and a pinch of salt and pinch of pepper.   (just mixed in a bowl since my dried herbs didn't need to be processed)
• Process until smooth, about 10-12 1-second pulses.  
• Rub the outside of the roast with this herb paste and coat with the breadcrumb mixture. 
• Place the roast in the prepared wire rack and baking sheet.  
• Bake in the preheated oven for 50-75 minutes or until the thickest part of the roast registers 145 degrees on an instant read thermometer. 
• Allow the roast to rest for 10 minutes before cutting and serving. 

Next Time- The turned out super moist, and with great flavor.  I wouldn't change anything.

 

Herb Roasted Pork Loin

Source- Foodnetwork.com

Found this recipe awhile ago, and when pork loin was on sale I decided to go ahead and make it.  The rub gives awesome flavor to the pork.  I definitely wasn't a fan of the Parsley Shallot Sauce, but that could be partly due to not following the measurements exactly.  H liked it, so it wasn't a complete waste.

Sorry, no picture I forgot to take one.  :(

Ingredients

• 2 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (2 1/2-pound) center cut boneless pork loin, trimmed of all visible fat
• 1/2 cup Parsley Shallot Sauce, recipe follows

 Parsley Shallot Sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups lightly packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped shallot
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree.

Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Mash the garlic and salt together with a fork until it forms a coarse paste.
• Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the oil, fresh herbs and freshly ground pepper. 
• Rub the garlic-herb paste all over the pork. 
• Transfer the pork to a roasting pan and roast for 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. 
• Transfer the roast to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. 
• Carve the pork into slices and serve with the sauce.

 Next Time-As stated the sauce wasn't that great, but the pork was fine.  I'd say that nothing needs to be changed. 

Stir Fried Cashew Pork

Source- Above an Italian Restaurant

I love cooking Asian recipes at home.  I've tried some really diverse stuff, more than what I've tried at restaurants.  This recipe didn't fail.  It comes together really quick, and has great flavor. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 Tbs. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 2 Tbs. vegetable oil
• 1 pork tenderloin (3/4 - 1 lb.), cut into 1/4 inch strips
• 1 cup snow pea pods (used frozen sugar snap peas)
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs. grated fresh ginger (used 3/4tsp ground ginger)
• 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted cashews, coarsely chopped

Preparation

• Combine hoisin sauce, water, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl.
• In a large non-stick skillet, heat about 2 tsp. of oil over medium-high heat until just smoking.
• Add half of the pork and cook until no longer pink (about 2 minutes); transfer to a plate.
• Repeat with another 2 tsp. of oil and remaining pork.
• Add remaining oil to skillet and heat until shimmering.
• Cook peas until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes.
• Add garlic and ginger, and cook for an additional 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
• Add the sauce, cashews, and pork to the pan and cook until thickened, about 1 minute.
• Serve over rice.

Next Time- This could use a couple small changes.  The heat from the red pepper flakes was a little much, so I'd cut the amount to 1/4 tsp.  I also think adding some green onions would taste good. Nothing major, just small stuff.  This is a great recipe.

Spareribs

Source- Adapted from Robin Miller

I've never cooked ribs before, at all.  While I enjoy eating them in a restaurant I've been kind of intimidated to cook them myself.  I saw in the weekly ad that Spareribs were on sale.  I asked H if he was interested in having them, and he said yes.  He gets ribs quite frequently when we go out, so having them at home would be a treat.


 

I had recently saw an episode on Food Network that cooked the ribs in a slow cooker, and I figured that would be the best way for us to make them since we don't have a grill, and wouldn't be too hard for me.

Ingredients

• pork spareribs, about 5lbs
• 16oz bottle of BBQ Sauce, whichever kind you prefer

Preparation

• Place meat in the slow cooker
• Pour BBQ sauce over ribs
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours

Next Time- This recipe was so easy, I loved it!  The meat was so tender and juicy and had just the right spice from the sauce.  H was fine using the juice in the slow cooker on the meat, but I prefer to use fresh sauce.  Do whatever you like.

 

Italian Buttermilk Pork Chops

Source: Joelen's Culinary Adventures

Another recipe from the wonderful Joelen.

Ingredients

• 4 pork chops
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 - 2 cups buttermilk
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 2-3 cloves minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

• Season your pork chops with salt and pepper
• Place chops in a gallon sized zip top bag.
• Add the remaining ingredients and place in the fridge for 4 hours to chill (or you could chill overnight too.)
  
• Remove the pork chops from the bag and pat dry.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• In a hot skillet with 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil, brown your pork chops on both sides.
  
• Once browned, place the pork chops on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 7-10 minutes. Don't over cook otherwise it will result in dry, tough pork!

Next Time- Didn't like that we bought pork chops with bone, definitely stick to boneless. These had good flavor, but it wasn't anything stellar from having marinated overnight.

Sweet and Hot Pork and Pineapple Stir-fry

Source: One Dish Meals

Yet another recipe from the lovely One Dish Meals Cookbook. There certainly are some good recipes in that book. H and I have found that we love stir-frys, and really enjoy when pineapple is included. So when I saw this recipe I added it to the weekly menu.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups uncooked instant rice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 4 T brown sugar (doubled)
• 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch (doubled)
• 1/2 tsp ginger (doubled)
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (doubled)
• 1/2 cup water (doubled)
• 3 T soy sauce (doubled)
• 1 20 oz. can pineapple chunks, drained, reserving 2 T liquid (doubled liquid, and added 8 oz. can of pineapple)
• 3/4 lb. boneless lean pork, trimmed of fat, cut into think bite-sized strips (had nearly 2 lbs of meat)
• 1 16oz pkg coleslaw blend (accidentally bought 8oz. bag)

Preparation

• Cook rice in 1 1/2 cups water as directed on package, omitting margarine and salt.
• In a small bowl, combine 3 T brown sugar, cornstarch, ginger, red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup water, soy sauce and pineapple liquid. Mix well.
• Spray 12-inch nonstick skillet with nonstick spray. Heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add drained pineapple chunks; sprinkle with remaining 1 T brown sugar.
• Cook 5 minutes, turning chunks occasionally.
• Remove skillet from heat, and remove pineapple from skillet. Set aside.
• Spray skillet again with cooking spray. Add pork and cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
• Add coleslaw blend. Cook and stir 3 to 6 minutes until pork is no longer pink and cabbage is tender.
• Add pineapple and cornstarch mixture to skillet. Cook and stir 3 minutes or until pork is glazed and sauce is slightly thickened.
• Serve over rice.

Next Time- Definitely wish I had bought the correct size bag of coleslaw blend. Otherwise this dish really lived up to the title "hot" pork. That really was the only dominate flavor, that my tongue was on fire. So perhaps between cutting down a bit on the red pepper flakes and having a better portion of coleslaw this recipe will be better. Loved that there was plenty of sauce.

Roasted Pork 'n Vegetables

My 50th post!! Yay!!

Source: One Dish Meals

Who doesn't love roasted vegetables? Pork tenderloin was on sale, so when I made my menu and grocery list I added this recipe.

Ingredients

• 2-3 pork tenderloins, about 1 1/2 lbs.
• 16-20 new potatoes, about 2 lbs, cut in half (used red skin potatoes)
• 6-8 carrots, about 1 lb., peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, cut into wedges
• 1 T olive oil
• 2 tsps. dried rosemary leaves, crushed
• 1 tsp. dried sage leaves, crushed
• 1/4 tsp pepper (used seasoning salt)

Preparation

• Heat oven to 450 degrees.
• Generously spray roasting pan with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place pork tenderloins in sprayed pan. Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of 1 tenderloin.
• Place potatoes, carrots, and onion around tenderloin.
• Drizzle oil evenly over tenderloin and vegetables.
• Sprinkle with rosemary, sage and pepper.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees and vegetables are tender, stirring vegetables occasionally.

Next Time- This turned out really good. My piece of meat was pretty thick, so it took longer to cook. So perhaps cutting the meat into smaller pieces would work better. The flavor turned out good, and both the meat and vegetables tasted great.

Chinese Barbecue Pork Chops

This is a recipe from my google reader. I went with the changes that Mary Ellen made, I didn't even bother checking the original recipe. This turned out pretty awesome. Since we usually have this stuff on hand, it would be easy to whip up again.

Ingredients

• 2 pork chops (used a pork loin cut into 3/4 inch slices, a total of 5)

Marinade (doubled everything)

• 1.5 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic (used garlic powder instead)
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Mix all ingredients and pour over pork. Marinate in the fridge for several hours.

Sauce (doubled everything)

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced garlic (used garlic powder)
  
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Asian sesame oil
• A few dashes Tabasco (used a dash of red pepper flakes instead)
  

Mix all ingredients to serve over cooked pork.

Preparation

• Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a saute pan over high heat
• Remove pork chops from marinade and place in pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Cover with foil and transfer pan to a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes, until pork is cooked through.
• Serve with the sauce.

Next Time- This turned out pretty darn great! Nothing needs to be changed.

Smothered Pork Chops

This is another recipe that I've made before, but not since starting this blog. H and I bought a pork tenderloin and had the meat department cut it into chops. So we have plenty of pork in the house. Another great recipe from kraftfoods.com.

These are really good, and turned out better than the first time.

Ingredients

• 5 pork chops, 1/2 inch thick
• 1 pkt. SHAKE 'N BAKE Original Pork Seasoned Coating Mix
• 2 large onions, thickly sliced (used 1/2 onions, it's what I had)
• 1 Tbsp. oil
  
• 1 jar (12 oz. each) pork gravy

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
  
• Coat chops with coating mix as directed on package. Place in single layer in 13x9-inch baking pan.
• Toss onions with oil; place over chops.
• Bake 30 minutes or until cooked through.
  
• Pour gravy over chops; cover.
  
• Bake an additional 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Next Time- This recipe is awesome as is.

Pork Chops alla Pizzaiola

Through complete coincidence I made a red and white meal tonight. Go Wings!! ;)

This is a recipe I remember watching Everyday Italian and seeing Giada make. I went to the site and saved the recipe. I've actually made this before, but not since starting the blog, so here it is for your tasting pleasure. :)


Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 (1-inch thick) bone-in pork loin center-cut chops (about 12 ounces each) (used a pound of pork tenderloin boneless sliced into 4 chops)
  
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 small onion, thinly sliced
• 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, in juice
  
• 1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
• 1/4 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
  

Preparation

• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat.
  
• Sprinkle the pork chops with salt and pepper. Add the pork chops to the skillet and cook until they are brown and an instant-read meat thermometer inserted horizontally into the pork registers 160 degrees F, about 3 minutes per side.
  
• Transfer the pork chops to a plate and tent with foil to keep them warm.
• Add the onion to the same skillet and saute over medium heat until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.
  
• Add the tomatoes with their juices, herbes de Provence, and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
  
• Cover and simmer until the flavors blend and the juices thicken slightly, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
  
• Season the sauce, to taste, with salt and more red pepper flakes.
  
• Return the pork chops and any accumulated juices from the plate to the skillet and turn the pork chops to coat with the sauce.
• Place 1 pork chop on each plate. Spoon the sauce over the pork chops. Sprinkle with the parsley and serve.

Next Time- Perhaps actually cut down the red pepper flakes. I only used the 1/4 tsp but there was still quite a kick to the sauce. Other than that this meal is pretty darn good and easy to make.