Apple & Sage Pork Chops

Do you like apples? What about pork chops? If you answered yes to both of these questions then its your lucky day! As I was in the spices aisle in the grocery store, I noticed that McCormick has little packets filled with  pre-measured spices and a recipe card (I think they had these for awhile and I never noticed them). You just add the meat and some veggies or fruit and that's it! Pretty cool right?! There are different kinds of recipes to choose from, so I decided to get the Apple & Sage Pork Chops since I never made pork chops before. I just followed the recipe and it turned out to be pretty easy, quick and very delicious! The herbs with the apples and the pork chops where something different from what I had before and I have to say that it was one of my favorite combinations of flavors. The only thing I would change about the recipe is the amount of the Allspice that's called for. To me it seemed a little strong and heavy so I would definitely use less of the allspice but all the other spices worked out great!

If you have all the spices in your pantry already then just go ahead and make it (well you also need the rest of the ingredients) but if not, stop by your local grocery store and look for the

McCormick Recipe Inspirations

  

What you need:

• 1 1/2 tsp. rubbed sage
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 tsp. thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. paprika
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 4 boneless pork chops, 1-inch think (about 1 1/4 lbs.)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 red apples, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup apple juice
• 1 tbsp brown sugar

Directions:

1. Mix flour, all the spices and salt in a small bowl
2. Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with 1 tablespoon of seasoned flour
3. Cook pork chops in hot oil in large skillet on medium-high heat until browned on both sides
4. Remove from skillet and keep warm
5. Add onion; cook and stir 3 minutes or until tender
6. Add apples; cook and stir 2 minutes
7. Stir in juice, sugar and remaining seasoned flour until well mixed
8. Return heat to low; cover and simmer 5 minutes or until desired doneness

Prep time: 15 mins.
Cook time: 20 mins.
Makes 4 servings

Hope you enjoy!

Con amor,
Claudia

Baked Potato Soup

I love anything  potato! Baked potatoes, french fries, mashed potatoes etc. you name it! So when I came across this recipe from Our Best Bites I was really excited to try it! I thought, "Ohh this soup has potatoes? Uhh por favor!" So I tried it and it turned out to be quite delicious! Its rich in flavor and creamy. I think this recipe is a pretty good beginners recipe, its not too complicated and I bet you'll have everything that's needed in your kitchen already. It uses simple milk instead of cream, but nothing is lost. Try it out!

What you need:

• 3 Tbs butter
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 C flour
• 4 1/2 C milk
• 1 14oz can chicken broth
• 4 medium baking potatoes (about 2 1/2 pounds) baked
• 2 C grated cheddar (or sharp cheddar) cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 1/2 C sour cream, divided
• 1/2 C chopped green onions, divided
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided

Directions:

 

1. Melt butter in a stock pot over medium heat.
2. Add garlic and saute for 30-60 seconds until fragrant.
3. Add flour to pan.
4. SLOWLY add milk little at a time while whisking constantly to eliminate lumps.
5. Whisk until smooth then add chicken broth.
   *if at this point you don't have a smooth liquid, pour soup in the blender until smooth, then return to stockpot.
   
6. Bring soup to simmer and heat until thickened, stirring often, about 5 minutes
   *When I got to this part and waited for the soup to thickened, I waited for a while because it never happened (I'm guessing something went wrong when I added the flour and the milk) I just added 1tbsp of cornstarch, whisked it and I let it heat up again. It wasn't thickening as much so I added a little bit more and then it was perfect. So if it happens to you just add some cornstarch a little at a time and wait to get it thickened enough.
   
7. Once the soup is thickened, turn the heat down to medium-low.
   
8. Cut potatoes in half and scoop out potato flesh with a spoon
   
9. Add potatoes in pot and with a wooden spoon smash potatoes, breaking up large clumps.
   
10. Add 1 1/2 C of grated cheese, salt and pepper, stir until cheese is melted
    
11. Remove pan from heat and stir in 3/4C sour cream, 1/4C green onions, and 4 strips of crumbled bacon.
    
12. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
    
13. Serve soup into bowls and serve with the remaining sour cream, green onions, cheese, and bacon
    

This recipe is delicious, pretty easy and not time consuming.
Enjoy!

Con amor, Claudia

Red Beans and Rice

I love to follow recipes especially when I know that it will turn out great! That being said I absolutely love the recipes from ourbestbites.com! (I even have their cook book) I have been using their recipes this whole time and they're all amazing and yummy! Check out their site, its awesome!
For last nights dinner I decided to make their Louisiana-Style Red Beans and Rice. Its soo easy, mainly because you just dump everything in the crock-pot. 5 hours later we had dinner and I have to say that it was pretty good. My husband really liked it which means a lot because he is a pretty tough food critic. He added some thinly sliced jalapeños, pepper jack cheese, and some sour cream to the red beans, it was amazing! Honestly anything with jalapeños is delish! Ok so here is the end result (sorry about the picture quality, it was taken with my iphone. I really need to transfer all my pics from my Canon to my computer)

Check out their red beans and rice page here

All you need:

1 lb. dry red kidney beans, rinsed and sorted

6 c. water

5 regular bouillon cubes or 1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. chicken base

1/4 lb. smoked sausage (Andouille sausage if you can find it), quartered and cut into thin slices. You can also use a large, meaty ham bone.

1 onion, chopped

4-5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp. Cajun or Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s is the best; omit this if using Andouille sausage)

3/4 tsp. cumin

3/4 tsp. coriander

3/4 tsp. oregano

1/8-1/4 tsp. cinnamon (sounds weird, but that's the secret ingredient)

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika (also omit if using Andouille sausage)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low all day. When the beans are tender mash about 80%-90% against the inside of the crock-pot.

Now for the rice:

In saucepan, bring 4 c. water, 1 Tbsp. white vinegar, and 2 c. of white rice to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and steam for 20 minutes. Don't peak!

When everything is ready, scoop some red beans into a bowl and add some rice on top of that
 then add some chopped green onions and viola! The flavor reminds me chili minus the meat. Its delicious, try it out!

Enjoy!

Con amor,

Claudia

Food Blog Virgin

So I've been doing a lot of cooking and have been enjoying it quite a lot. It's the best feeling when the meal that you've been working on all day turns into something delicious!  Mind you,  I don't consider myself an amazing cook or anything, honestly I'm an amateur, I just started "seriously" cooking when I got married last April... which is kinda sad. Anyway I like to come up with a recipe here and there, but I usually just follow a recipe and tweak them. Recently I've been thinking "why not take a picture of my work to share with other people and why not review and "test" recipes for other people to use"? I plan to use this blog to review other peoples recipes, create a collection of easy to make, delicious, international dishes and to offer my own recipes to anyone who is interested. I'll usually add my own twist to any recipe I try and a picture of the end result with commentary that I think all recipes should come with. Here you will find the best and simplest recipes that I have personally tried and liked.
Hope you enjoy!

Con amor, Claudia