I finally made it for them...

Dinner tonight was a good enough reason not to ever go to a steakhouse again for dinner.  We had steaks, twice baked potatoes, salads, roasted broccoli, Yorkshire pudding and for dessert: No Crust Egg Custard Pie!

(Well, the only reason we really go to a steakhouse or out to eat now, is that there is NO CLEAN UP required on our part.  We learned a long time ago, that we can cook better than what we can go purchase and for much cheaper. But all that is beside the point.)

Tonight was the first time I have ever made the No Crust Egg Custard Pie for my family.  No clue to why I never have, but I didn't.  I use to make it a lot when I was growing up.  

I did run into a problem, as that the recipe which came from my Mom, is that I really wanted to make this but was out of vanilla extract.  I took a chance and used almond extract in its place.  It worked out great!  

The custard has a creamy texture that is just dreamy.

Yesterday, I made an Onion Quiche with a side salad for dinner.  Just thinking about this makes me want more!!!

Could it be Mamaw's Saucy Pineapple Pork Chops?

Hello there. It's time for another Adventure in Crock-potting!! I'm making a variation on my Mamaw's Saucy Pineapple Pork Chops.  I really wasn't big on pork until the last year or so and didn't appreciate this wonderful meal when it was made when I was younger. So while channeling my maternal grandmother's (aka Mamaw) love of pork, I decided to use her Saucy Pineapple Pork Chops recipe and combine it with a similar slow cooker recipe. Here's what I've got cooking now.

 Saucy Hawaiian Pineapple Pork Chops
4-6 large boneless pork loin chops, trimmed of fat & about 1/2 inch thick (2-3 lbs)
1 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
Salt, pepper & paprika
1 8oz can of pineapple rings in juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. arrowroot (Cornstarch or quick cooking tapioca can be substituted)
2 Tbsp. ketchup
1 Tbsp. reduced sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 Tbsp. water
A dash of ground cloves
2 cups of assorted sliced veggies (green, red, yellow & orange bell peppers and onion)
2 cups of cooked hot rice, for serving
1/4 cup chopped, toasted macadamia nuts (optional)

Salt, pepper & paprika the pork chops and brown both sides in hot oil. While the pork chops are browning, combine the pineapple juice, ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar, arrowroot, dry mustard, cloves and water in a bowl with a whisk. When the sauce is combined and no lumps remain, set aside. Drain and place pork chops into slow cooker, cut to fit if needed. Arrange sliced peppers and onions on top (mine were already sliced and frozen and ready to throw in) Arrange pineapple slices on top of the vegetables. Pour reserved sauce over pineapple, vegetables and pork chops. Cover; cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Skim & discard fat from top of sauce, if any. Serve meat and sauce over hot cooked rice. Sprinkle with toasted macadamia nuts, if desired. Steamed Sugar snap peas would be an excellent side to this dish. Enjoy.

Be sure to check out our Facebook fan page "Adventures in Our Kitchens"  and like us to see picture of the finished meal and other fun stuff. :D

Adventures in Crock-Potting.....

Wow, we've been a bit behind on the blogging bit. Our family is finally in the swing of things with school back in session and back to planning our evening around our favorite fall line-ups on television. So to work around the Monday night line-up on CBS, Survivor on Wednesdays and I about forgot my oldest having Cub Scout meeting on Thursdays we're Crock-pot cooking around here. As much inspiration as I have found from these lovely gals at Crockpotgirls(dot)com, it's made me also realize how much time I spend cooking while I could be playing with my kids, reading the next best seller, or spending time with my husband watching "How I Met Your Mother" or "Survivor". So I'm doing my own 
"Adventures in Crock-Potting" series on here.  Not all of my post will be Crock pot related, but this fall and winter will have lots of quick & delicious meals to make it a Crock-pot. Hopefully, this will catch on better than the Fabulous Friday thing I tried. :( Plus, it reminds me of that great 80's movie. You know, the one with Elizabeth Shue , where she takes the kids she's babysitting to downtown Chicago to help a friend. Good movie. Anyway, so today's adventure is a simple twist on a recipe that I posted several months ago on here: Roast Chicken with Pears.

 I was going to fix a simple beer can chicken this evening, but I drank my last Halcyon last night and didn't want to run out and buy a six pack for the chicken tonight. Well, I could have, but then I'd have 5 extra Halcyon's calling my name from the fridge. This beer is so far the best thing that has come out of Kansas. Check out my personal blog to read about our tour to the local brewery where Halcyon is made. But, instead I decided to cook this favorite of mine and with a bit of inspiration. My aunt back in NC who reads our blog, wrote me and told me how much she enjoyed this meal, but it was a bit labor intensive and saved it for the weekends. I didn't blame her, because it is a chore to roast the chicken and veggies after a long day at work.

Thinking to myself: Why not try it in the crock-pot? Well, I did. :D

Today I had everything on hand to make this dish, except the fresh pears, but I had canned. Starting the same way I did with the normal recipe, I used a few red potatoes that I quartered (in lieu of turnips), baby carrots (in lieu of parsnips) and an onion quartered, mixed with balsamic vinegar, thyme, olive oil, salt and pepper.  **This step can be done the night before and placed in a gallon zip top bag with the marinade in the fridge, same goes for the chicken.
 I had a whole chicken, but it didn't fit in the crock-pot and had me cussing, so I chopped it up into quarters, coated it with some olive oil, rosemary and salt and pepper. Then I  arranged it skin side up on top of the vegetables and topped it with two 15 oz cans of drained pear halves and a cup of dried cranberries that had soaked in water for a few minutes. (add some of that water to the crock-pot). I cooked it on low for 5-6 hours. When your time is up, preheat the oven *Broil* and grab a large baking sheet. Carefully scoop the pears off the top and lay them on a small plate while you remove the chicken from the crock-pot and arrange on the baking sheet along with the veggies. Add the pears to the baking sheet on top of the veggies, mix 1 Tbsp of honey with 1 Tbsp of EVOO and brush on the chicken and pears. Broil for 10 minutes until the skin begins to brown and crisp.  Remove and serve while hot. 

The only down side of using a whole chicken and including the breast was that it got a little dry, but other than that, it was a delicious dinner. Enjoy. :D

Pumpkin Bread

It's that time of year!!!!  It's pumpkin bread time!!!!!  I plan on making some this weekend, so excited!

Help from the "Sandwich King"

Last night, I wanted to do something different but not TOO dramatic since I didn't want to cook for hours.  So, I went through my normal recipe stash then decided to look on Food Network.  I saw that the Sandwich King - Jeff Mauro was featured on the front page.  He wasn't my favorite during the last The Next Food Network Start series (Sorry, I was a Vic fan!) but his point of view (POV) as they called it, stayed the same from the beginning to end.  I am sure that is what put him ahead of Vic & Susie , as Jeff's show was something different that hasn't been seen yet. 


Anyways, back to the actual food.  So, I clicked on the link and brought up his page. I scanned the recipes and landed on Chicago Steakhouse Sandwich.  After giving it a read, I made my grocery list.


To bad I couldn't afford 40oz of Boneless Ribeye, because it would have made this sandwich even awesome-er!  I say 40oz because I have to double things for my teenage garbage disposals. I ended up getting a nice top round that was on sale.  The recipe also calls for 30oz of fresh spinach.  I only got a 5oz box of spinach basically because I didn't know how well it would go over. Well, needless to say that I will probably do 10oz next time. I think 30 oz or the shocking 60 oz for doubling would be completely insane in the amount. The spinach adds another layer of flavor that will make you moan.  I also used sub rolls since they were BOGO at Lowe's Foods.  I made the blue cheese dressing as it calls for and it was a little runnier than needed for sandwiches as you can tell from the first bite picture, however it was really good. 

With a side of fries baked in the oven, the meal was complete. The only thing I think I screwed up on was the cutting of the meat.  I didn't get it "against the grain" so it was tough to bite off cleanly, but it was yummy. Even my mother-in-law said so. ;)