PRETTY BOYS

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GRILLED PORK CHOPS WITH SOURDOUGH DRESSING & TOMATO GRAVY

Grill or fry pork chops to desired doneness, salt and peppering to taste.

TOMATO GRAVY
1 box POMI' passata
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons Wondra flour
1 cup water
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes

• Melt butter in saucepan.
• Whisk in flour until golden.
• Add water, whisking until well blended.
• Add Passatta whisking until combined.
• Add sun dried tomatoes and simmer 10-15 minutes.

OATNUT SOURDOUGH HERB DRESSING
10 slices Brownberry or Oroweat OATNUT bread, cut intobite size chunks
1/2 loaf sourdough French bread, cut into bite size chunks
1 large sweet onion, chopped fine
1 small bunch celery (leaves and all), chopped fine
1/2 bag baby carrots, chopped fine
1 box mushrooms, chopped fine
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon white pepper
2 sticks unsalted butter
4 cups hot water
2 tablespoons Better than Bouillon Chicken base
2 tablespoons Buttery Herb & Garlic Mix (I believe McCormick makes it)
4 cloves garlic, minced

• Cut bread into bite sized chunks and spread out in a thin layer over cookie sheets.
• Bake at 200 degrees for 3-4 hours until pieces are actually hard.
• Chop all the vegetables.
• In a large cast iron pan melt 1/4 cup of the butter.
• Add the onions and saute until translucent. The add the celery and carrots and continue sauteing until crisp tender. Add the garlic last as it will burn first.
• Whisk together the water, better than bouillon chicken base and all of the seasonings.
• Add the melted butter.
• In a large pan toss the bread slices together.
• Add the sauteed vegetables and toss again.
• Add the liquid mixture and toss again until well absorbed.
• Fold entire mixture into at least a 9x13 baking dish.
• Bake uncovered 1 hour.
• At this point I use a small portion for our dinner that night and freeze the rest.
• When it's time to cook it again, I defrost it, put it back in the same baking dish and bake it again, but this time covered with foil until the last 15 minutes so it doesn't dry out. We like it crisp on top so I remove the foil the last 15 minutes.

HAPPY HOMEMAKER & MENU PLAN MONDAY

Been another long week for us here.  Hubby is still recovering from the surgery he had a few weeks back for a massive shoulder tear that included 3 tendons so I've been busy playing nursemaid making sure he does what he is supposed to, but really making sure he doesn't do what he isn't supposed to.  He was supposed to stay "immobile" for 6 weeks before beginning physical therapy and we're coming up on 2 weeks complete. But now dr. says physical therapy won't begin before June because the tear was so massive.

Be sure to link up with Sandra at Diary of a Stay at Home Mom for Happy homemaker Monday and with Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Monday. 

WEATHER OUTSIDE

• Absolutely beautiful!

TO DO FOR THE WEEK

• phone calls & paperwork

CURRENTLY READING

• Barbara Freethy Callaway Series

TELEVISION/DVR

• DIG
• American Odessey
• Daniel Boone
• Murdoch Mysteries

CRAFTS & PROJECTS

• Nothing much this week.

MENU PLANS for the WEEK

	BREAKFAST	DINNER	DESSERT
MONDAY	Cereal & Fruit	Y.O.Y.O. / C.O.R.N.
TUESDAY	Bagel & cream cheese	EXPERIMENT NIGHT
WEDNESDAY	Yogurt with Blueberries & Granola	Salisbury Steak & Salad
THURSDAY	Scrambled Eggs with cheese & Toast	Chicken Scallopini In Brandy Sauce
FRIDAY	Yogurt with Blueberries & Granola	Pan Seared Chicken with Wilted Spinach and Parmesan Pasta	Apple Blackberry Cobbler
SATURDAY	Breakfast Enchiladas	Chicken Marsala
SUNDAY	Oatmeal & Fruit	Danish Cube Steaks

SUCCESSFUL RECIPES from LAST WEEK

• Lemon Goat Cheese Chicken Bundles
• Buttermilk Chive Chicken
• Slow Cooker Carnitas 
• Buttermilk Carrot Bran Muffins

RECIPE FINDS to TRY at a LATER DATE

• Honey Lime Salmon

HEALTH & BEAUTY TIP
These days I use coconut oil for most cooking that requires any kind of frying. But, coconut oil has wonderful health and beauty uses too.

Every other week I use a small handful of coconut oil and work it through my hair.  I let it sit for 20 minutes before showering, but after I comb it through my hair I rub the remaining oil on my hands across my face.

I started doing this after a bad perm a year ago and my hair is softer and silkier than when I was a young girl and my face is clearer and smoother than a newborn baby.

HOMEMAKING TIP

When I'm making a couple of veggies and want less clean up, I cover the cookie sheet with foil and then make foil dividers.  These Brussels Sprouts were roasted in a balsamic glaze while the asparagus was done in a lemon butter.

FAVORITE PHOTO
Been trying to get my mom to get rid of things for quite some time that don't fit.  She recently got a bee up her butt and started going through everything and making piles for donation.  Here's just one of several piles:

ON MY MIND
Tons of things, but nothing specific LOL.

INSPIRATION

APPLE PUMPKIN BRULEE' TART

This makes 2-4x13 tarts. This is a very versatile recipe that can be made as all pumpkin, or pumpkin banana or apple pumpkin or apple banana pumpkin...

They are both good, but I think I'm partial to the Banana Pumpkin.

APPLE (BANANA) PUMPKIN BRULEE' TART serves 8+
1 batch of your favorite pie dough
2 cups pumpkin pure'e or 1 cup pumpkin pure'e, 1 ripe banana and 3/4 cup chunky applesauce
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups half and half
3/4 cup sugar plus caramelizing sugar
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Prepare and measure dough to 2-7 x 16 inches pieces.
• Lay dough over 4 x13 tart pan with removable bottom. DO NOT PUSH INTO PAN - this may crack your crust. Gently lift and lower dough into tart pan careful to form corners.
• Trim edges flush with pan.
• Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into tart pan. 
• Place tart pan on cookie sheet.
• Fill with pie weights and bake 25-30 minutes until begins to brown.
• Let cool to lukewarm, remove pie weights and parchment paper.

• Blend together, the pumpkin, eggs, half & half, sugar, salt, ginger, cloves and cinnamon.
• Pour into tart.
• Pour custard mixture into tart.
• Reduce to 325°.
• Bake tart 30 minutes or until custard is set and starts to puff.
• Cool 1 hour.
• Chill at least 2 hours.

• Sprinkle generously with sugar.
• Pass flame of kitchen torch over sugar until golden and melting.
• Let sugar cool until hard.
• Cut into pieces.

SLOW COOKER CARNITAS

I LOVE carnitas! This is one of the tastiest and easy recipes.  So add some sour cream, shredded cheese, green onions, guacamole and add it to your next TEX-MEX gathering.

SLOW COOKER CARNITAS
3-4 pounds pork shoulder, cut into several pieces
1 bottle green taco sauce
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can original Rotel tomatoes
1 can chopped green chiles
Fresh ground Sea Salt and Black Pepper
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
1 cup water

• Place onion pieces in bottom of slow cooker.
• Pour Rotel tomatoes and green chiles over onions.
• Add pork pieces.
• GENEROUSLY salt and pepper pork.
• Whisk together water and taco sauce.
• Pour taco sauce over top of pork pieces.
• Cover and cook 6-8 hours on high until meat shreds.
• Remove from crock pot (reserving 1/2 cup of liquid) and shred all your meat.

1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup liquid from crock pot

• Preheat oven to 300°.
• Whisk together the milk and cooking liquid.
• Place shredded meat on a cookie sheet.
• Pour liquid over meat shreds.
• Bake 45 minutes until meat begins to crisp.

Golden Blend tortillas
sour cream
shredded cheese
sliced green onions
guacamole

WAITING FOR ROADKILL

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BUTTERMILK CARROT BRAN MUFFINS

Thanks to my friend I have a new favorite recipe. Hoping she doesn't mind my changes and additions.

BUTTERMILK CARROT BRAN MUFFINS makes 3-4 dozen
1 1/2 cups ALL BRAN Original
1 1/2 cups ALL BRAN Buds
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup coconut oil, warmed
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
3-4 tablespoons Grandma's molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups golden raisins

• In a large mixing bowl combine the bran buds and and bran original.
• Pour buttermilk over bran mixture and set aside.

• Sift together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Coat muffin tins or fill with muffin papers.

• In your mixer bowl cream together sugar, coconut oil, butter and eggs until fluffy.
• Add molasses.
• Alternately add in bran mixture and flour mixture, blending well as you go.
• Fold in carrots and raisins.
• Fill muffins 2/3 full.
• Bake 15-20 minutes.
• Batter will keep in refrigerator several weeks.