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Lynsey Lou's

Enjoying Life One Bite at a Time!

Archives for April 2010

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

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When I saw these pork chops on Paula’s Best Dishes; she was doing a chocolate episode so I was already interested since I’m a huge chocoholic but when she said she was making chocolate spiced pork chops I was glued to the t.v. because it sounded very interesting.  After I saw her make these I knew I had to try them, there isn’t a lot of chocolate in the recipe so don’t be worried about them being over chocolatey, but there is just enough to add a different depth of flavor.  The rub itself was incredible, it had all the different flavor elements; sweet, salty and spicy and they blended together perfectly and created a wonderful flavor.  The rub would be great not only on pork, but we inted to try it on some red meat as well as chicken.  This has quickly become one of our favorite recipes; it’s easy and the ingredients are ones that most people usually have on hand at all times.  

Everyone was very intrigued by the recipe when I first told them about it, mainly because of the chocolate.  Spencer was very skeptical, and at first he wanted me to omit the chocolate from the rub but when I started mixing it up he had a change of heart and decided it would venture out of his comfort zone and give it a try.  He was very pleasantly surprised with the end result, and he couldn’t get enough.  My parents were over at our house the night I made these and my dad tried a little bite of mine because his curiosity got the best of him since there was chocolate in it and he loved them.  A few days later they asked if we could eat together and asked if I would make the pork chops again, and I gladly did so!  Needless to say these are definitely a crowd pleaser and they are also wonderful for week night meals since there isn’t a lot of prep time.

Chocolate Spiced Pork Chops

    

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning
2 Teaspoons onion powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons unsweetend cocoa powder
1 1/2 Teaspoons garlic powder
1 Teaspoon paprika
1/2 Teaspoon ground red pepper flakes
1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon fresh, ground black pepper
4 (1 1/2 inch thick) bone-in pork chops
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350.

In a bowl combine all the dry ingredients.  Rub the mixture evenly on the pork chops. 

Add the vegetable oil to a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the pork chops to the heated skillet and cook on both sides for 3 minutes each.  Put the skillet in the oven and bake pork chops until cooked through, the time will vary depending on the size of the pork chops. I cooked mine in the oven about 15 minutes.  

Remove skillet from oven and serve pork chops while hot.

Recipe Source: Paula Deen,  Food Network 

Daring Bakers April Challenge-Toffee Apple Pudding

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The April 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Esther of The Lilac Kitchen. She challenged everyone to make a traditional British pudding using, if possible, a very traditional British ingredient: suet.

I love being part of the Daring Bakers because I always learn something from the challenge and there are a lot of time it pushes me outside my comfort zone when it comes to cooking and trying new things in the kitchen.  This month was no exception, I was really excited when I read about this months challenge and what it entailed, not only were we challenged to work with an ingredient that is not common in the states but we were also challenged to make a dish that is not common here.  We were challenged to use suet to make a British pudding dish which could be either savory or sweet.  The options were endless as far as the combinations and varieties of puddings that could be made, and there were multiple ways this dish could be cooked.  I really enjoyed this challenge but I was kind of disappointed because I wasn’t able to find any suet so I used Crisco, which was one of the alternative ingredients that was suggested in case suet wasn’t available.  Not being able to find the suet was the only problem I ran into; everything else went well and I was really happy with the outcome.  I made a sweet pudding this time, but I’m still going to be on the look out for suet and once I come across some I want to make a savory pudding.  The toffee apple pudding I made this time was great; the apple filling was so delicious and the crust had a great flavor! 

Some of you reading this are probably wondering what suet is, so before I go any further I will share a brief description. 

Suet (/ˈsuː.ɪt/) is raw beef or mutton fat, especially the hard fat found around the loins and kidneys. 

The primary use of suet is to make tallow, although it is also used as an ingredient in cooking, especially in traditional puddings, such as English Christmas Pudding. Suet is made into tallow in a process called rendering, which involves melting and extended simmering, followed by straining, cooling and usually a repetition of the entire process.

Unlike tallow, suet that is not pre-packed requires refrigeration in order to be stored for extended periods.

Suet is essential in traditional English steamed puddings, and in the pastry for steak and kidney pudding, in which a pudding bowl is lined with the suet crust pastry, the meat added and a lid of suet crust tightly seals the meat. The pudding is then steamed for approximately four hours before serving in the bowl on the table. Suet pastry is soft in contrast to the crispness of shortcrust pastry.

Suet is also an ingredient of traditional mincemeat (fruit mince).

Suet should not be confused with beef dripping, which is the collected fat and juices from the roasting pan when cooking roast beef and is not rendered.

Due to its high calorific content, suet is used by cold weather explorers to supplement the high daily energy requirement needed to travel in such climates. Typically the calorie requirement is in the region of 5,000-6,000 KCals per day for sledge hauling or dog-sled travelling. Suet is added to food rations to increase the fat content and help meet this high calorie requirement.

Information take from: Wikipedia

Now, on to the challenge!

Toffee Apple Pudding

Ingredients:

180 Grams self-rising flour
Pinch of sugar
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
90 Grams shredded suet (I used Crisco since I couldn’t find suet)
Cold Water to mix (I did half water, half milk for a richer crust)
4 Cooking apples; peeled, cored and sliced
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
120 Grams dermerara sugar
1 Tablespoon golden syrup

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Sift the cinnamon, sugar and flour together and then mix in the suet.  Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until a stiff dough forms.  

Grease a pie plate and line the plate with half of the mixture.  Add the chopped apples, lemon juice and half of the sugar.  Cover with the remaing dough, moisten and press the edges to seal.  

Bake for 20 minutes then spread the syrup over the top of the pie and sprinkle with remaining sugar and place back on the oven for 20 minutes.  Remove and eat hot.

 

Recipe Source: Pudding Club

To see other variations of this dish visit this months host: The Lilac Kitchen 

Brownie Cookies

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I absolutely love brownies and I love cookies, so what could be better than combining the two and making brownie cookies?  Cookies are a dessert that is so easy to eat; it is so easy to pick on up and nibble on it while continuing with other tasks.  Brownies are incredible too, but they aren’t necassarily as easy to eat on the go but the ooey gooey goodness of them makes it worth while to stop whatever is going on and savor every bite.  Combining the two gives you the best of both worlds; the convenience of a cookie and the gooey chocolately goodness of a brownie, plus these are the perfect solution when sending brownie goodies on a road trip or camping trip where utensils aren’t readily available. 

I’ve made brownie cookies a few times in the past and they’ve always been a hit but I’ve never made them from scratch.  Since I had a little bit more time this time I decided to attempt a scratch version and I’m so happy I did, these were so good.  Of course they were great fresh out of the oven but even after they had been sitting around for a couple of days they were still very good and ooey gooey.   

Brownie Cookies

Ingredients:

2/3 Cup butter, room temperature
1 Cup brown sugar
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 Teaspoon water
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1/3 Cup cocoa
1/4 Teaspoon baking soda
1/4 Teaspoon salt
2 Cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.  Line cookie sheet with silicone baking sheet.

In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.

With a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars.  Once well combined add water, eggs and vanilla and beat well.  Slowly add in flour mixture, until well blended.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

Drop cookies 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheet.  Bake for 8-9 minutes, remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet for 3 minutes then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Recipe Source: Adapted from Food Geeks 

Kielbasa Reubens with Sauerkraut

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I came across this recipe quite some time ago, I’ve made it several times and Spencer still gets excited when I make it.  I don’t know why I haven’t blogged about it before now, but since this has been a recurring meal at our house I thought I would share it.  These sandwiches are so good and very hearty.  I love the flavor combinations; the tanginess of the mustard, sweetness of the red pepper relish and the saltiness of the kielbasa compliment one another perfectly and the melted cheese just puts it over the top. I love trying new flavor combinations; the ingredients of this sandwich are not out of the ordinary but they aren’t really anything I would have thought about pairing together myself but they work together so well.  Another great thing about this is it’s very quick to prepare and assemble so it makes for a quick and easy week night meqal.  This is a pretty big sandwich and pretty filling by itself so I usually just make something light to go with it.  Spencer can usually eat the entire thing; but most of the time I end up halving one for myself.  These quickly grew to be one of our favorites, hopefully it will become one of your family favorites too!

Keilbasa Reubens with Sauerkraut

 

Ingredients:

1 Teaspoon caraway seed
1 Pound sack sauerkraut, drained
1 Cup beer or apple cider
1/4 Cup spicey brown grainy mustard
2 Sticks (or 1 long folded link) keilbasa or turkey kielbasa (1 1/4 pound)
1/4 Stick butter, softened
8 Slices marbeled rye bread
8 Slices cheese ( I used provolone)
1/2 Cup red pepper relish

Directions:
Preheat a grill/griddle pan over medium heat.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat, toast caraway seeds in pan and then add the sauerkraut, beer, and mustard and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Cut the kielbasa into 4 portions and split the pieces in half, across, opening them up.  Grill the pieces on the hot griddle/grill pan until crisp on both sides, about 7-8 minutes total.  Wipe some of the grease off the pan and lower the heat to low. 
Lightly butter 1 side of the slices of bread.  Build the sandwiches with the butter side out, starting with the kielbasa, sauerkraut, and 2 pieces of cheese and spread the tops of the sandwich with the red pepper relish before placing on sandwich. 
Grill the sandwiches, until the bread is crisp and cheese is melted and then remove, cut and serve. 

Enjoy!
Recipe Source: Rachael Ray,Food Network

BLT'S With Roasted Onion Mayonnaise

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 BLT’s are one of my all time favorite sandwiches and although there is nothing wrong with a plain BLT it doesn’t hurt to add a twist to it from time to time.  I love making BLT’s at home because I’m able to be creative with what I add and I can I can pile on as much bacon, lettuce and tomato as I want.  When I was on maternity leave I was the queen of sandwiches; there were days where I would have plain turkey sandwiches but there were other days where I wanted a change so I would get creative with what I put on them.  I had already had BLT’s a few days one week and it still sounded good but I decided to change it up a little bit by making a roasted onion mayonnaise.  The flavor of the roasted onions added another element of flavor to this sandwich and it was absolutley delicious.  

I ended up having to make these again for supper one night, because when Spencer got home I told him about the sandwich and showed him the picture and his mouth was watering.  When I made these for us to have one night, he went on and on about them and said we would definitely have to have them again.  Another reason he loved them is because there was tons of bacon on the sandwich.  He really likes these sandwiches but they never seem to fill him up when he orders one from somewhere, so when I made his I was sure to load it with a lot of everything!  He’s now a huge fan of homemade BLT’s.

BLT’s with Roasted Onion Mayonnaise

Ingredients:

8-10 slices of bacon
1 Medium tomato, sliced
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
2 Thin slices of onion, cut in strips
4 Slices bread, lightly toasted
salt and pepper
hint of onion powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350.

Place a slotted rack (I used cooling racks) on a sheet pan and lay slices of bacon on the rack in a single layer.  Place bacon in the oven and cook for 10 minutes, turn bacon over and cook for another 10 minutes.  Remove the bacon from the oven and place onion slices on the sheet pan and place the onions and bacon back in the oven for an additional 5 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool.  If the bacon isn’t completely cooked place back in oven until it’s cooked to your liking.

Remove cooled onions from the pan and place on a paper towel to remove the bacon grease.  Roughly chop the onions, place them in the mayonnaise and stir together.  Add salt, pepper and onion powder to taste and mix together.  Spread the mayonnaise onto the 4 toasted slices of bread, add the bacon, lettuce and tomato to two slices of the bread and then top with the other two slices.

Recipe Source: Lynsey