Pepper-Crusted Tenderloin Steak With A Creamy Mushroom Marsala Sauce

I recently got the cook book "Rachael Ray's Book of 10" and I love it!  I decided that I wanted to cook a really nice meal that is unlike something I have had in the past.  I saw this recipe and just had to make it!  It looks so good, and was fairly simple.  However, just a heads up beef tenderloin steaks are expensive.

Italian Breaded Pork Chops/Chicken

A few months ago I created this recipe for breading pork chops or chicken and it is delicious! Very easy, and tasty. I use it when I make chicken parmesan, or like tonight pork chops! It is a lot of breading mixture, feel free to cut it in half if you don't want to be wasteful.










Ingredients
3 eggs lightly beaten
3 tbsp milk
1 1/2 c plain bread crumbs
italian seasoning, however much you would like
1/2 c grated parmesan cheese
parsley, however much you would like
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced
4 pork chops
flour (optional and I never measure this I just put it in a bowl)

Directions
1. In a shallow, flat dish mix eggs and milk. You can use a bowl, just make sure it is a dish that will allow you to fully coat the pork chops.
2. In another bowl add however much flour you would like.
3. In another bowl combine bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, parsley, and Italian seasoning.
4. Preheat oven to 325°.
5. Heat oil in an oven proof skillet heat oil. Cook garlic in oil until brown, remove garlic. I chop the garlic when I do this. If you mince it I am sure you can keep it in there.
6. Dip chops in flour, then egg mixture, and then bread mixture. Cook on both sides for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown. Place skillet in oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes.

I made some Alfredo noodles and a fresh salad. It was so good!! Such a great dinner. I hope you all enjoy.

Homemade Burritos and Guacamole

I love guacamole!!!! I like all kinds of Mexican food. It is by far one of my most favorite kinds of food. I am not the best at making authentic Mexican food, but I am working on getting there. Tonight's dinner was very easy. My husband made burritos and when I got home I made guacamole. We make our own taco/burrito seasoning.

Ingredients: - Seasoning

1 tbsp chili powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
Chipotle Tabasco Sauce

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Depending how spicy you and your family like your food add as much or as little as you would like. I make about one pound of hamburger and add all of this. I then add the Tabasco sauce to taste, a few shakes. The sauce is a smoky flavor, very good.

Now on to the guacamole!!

Ingredients: - Guacamole

4-5 large avocados, peeled and pitted
1/2 tsp cumin
1 Roma tomato, I used a regular vine tomato because I had a big one and need some of it for burrito toppings
2 serrano chili peppers, seeded
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded
1/2 red onion chopped
cilantro chopped, about 1/2 cup
3-4 tbsp lime juice
pepper
sea salt

Add peppers, cilantro, and cumin to a food processor and pulse until chopped. Add avocados, lightly pulse. I like my guacamole to be a little chunky, others like it smooth. It is really your decision on how you want it. Stir in chopped onion, tomato, lime juice, salt and pepper. I have been making guacamole for years, and every time I make it I will add a little of this, or a little of that. I always do the lime juice, salt and pepper to taste. If you don't have a food processor no worries. Make sure that the peppers and cilantro are chopped. How big is really up to you, I do mine finely chopped. Cut the avocados up and then I used use a potato masher and mash them up and then add everything. Enjoy!

Asian Orange Chicken Recipe

I love Asian food! I have never made it from scratch, usually I get a sauce packet and add that to chicken and veggies. Today I decided to be ambitious. I found this recipe at allrecipes.com. I did make some of my own changes, but not to many.

Ingredients:

Chicken:

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-1/2" cubes

1 1/2 c all purpose flour

1 egg (beaten)

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Oil for frying

Orange Sauce:

1 1/2 c water

2 tbsp orange juice (about 1/2 an orange), I had fresh oranges so I used those

1/4 c lemon juice (about 1 lemon), also fresh

1/3 c rice vinegar

1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp orange zest (about 1 1/2 oranges)

1 c packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp minced ginger root

1/2 tsp minced garlic (two cloves)

2 tbsp green onion (chopped)

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

3 tbsp cornstarch

1/4 c water

Instructions:

1. Dip chicken chunks in egg and then toss in the flour mixture. I don't have a deep fryer so I used my wok with some canola oil in single layer batches. Do not over crowd the wok while frying. If you have a fryer: fry the chicken at 375°. I used a skimmer to remove the chicken from the oil. Placed it on a some paper towel on a plate. I preheated my oven to 170° (the fully cooked temperature for chicken needs to be 165° internally). I placed the chicken on a cookie sheet and kept in the oven to keep warm while I made the sauce.

2. In a large saucepan, or wok rinsed after frying chicken, combine 1 1/2 c water, lemon juice, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic and onion. Bring to a boil.

3. Combine 3 tbsp cornstarch and 1/4 c water in a small bowl or cup, mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until sauce thickens. I then took a bag of frozen stir-fry veggies, steamed them in the microwave, added the chicken and veggies into the sauce. Served over brown rice.

This was very good. Took me about 45 minutes from start to finish. Very inexpensive!! Very simple to make! Next time I think I will add the veggies to the orange sauce and then spoon that over the chicken. I used extra crushed red pepper flakes because I wanted a little more heat. Enjoy!

Meatloaf

Today we spent the day with my little sister and her boyfriend. He has never had meatloaf so I decided to make one. I usually make one using Lipton Beefy Onion Soup mix but I decided not to do that and just kind of went with it.

Ingredients:

1 pound hamburger

1 pound ground sausage

1 onion finely chopped

1 green pepper finely chopped

2 eggs

1 c oatmeal

1/2 c milk

1/2 c ketchup

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients. I find it easier to mix everything except the meat in a large bowl, make sure your eggs are mixed up, and then add the meat. I use a 13 X 9 glass pan and shape the mixture into a loaf. Cook for 1 hour. Spread additional ketchup on top if desired. Cook for an additional 10 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

We eat a lot of chicken in my house and I am always looking for new recipes to use because sometimes chicken can be boring.  I found a recipe today, it sounded delicious, I figured why not try it.  I made some changes to it from the original recipe.  I doubled the dry rub, used the chipotle chile powder, used fresh garlic, and used chicken stock for added flavor.

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken - Servings 4

Dry Rub:
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (crushed red pepper)
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder (this would be 1 clove of real garlic, 1 clove minced = 1/4 tsp)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. chipotle chile powder (this will add a lot of spice.  It is a smoky spicy and delicious!)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. dried parsley

4 boneless skinless chicken thighs, pounded.  You can use breasts instead of thighs, I like to use boneless skinless thighs and trim away any of the extra fat.  Thighs are juicy and more flavorful than breasts.

2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. olive oil
4 small cloves garlic minced
3 limes juiced
1/3 c. chicken stock

1. Combine the dry rub ingredients in a small bowl or a bag, I prefer bag because its easier to coat the chicken.  Evenly coat chicken with dry rub.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet. Saute chicken until golden brown, do no flip chicken  repeatedly cook for about 5-6 (this can differ depending on thickness) minutes on one side and then flip to do the other side.  This will prevent the chicken from drying out.  Add the minced garlic, lime juice and chicken stock.  Cook on a low heat, covered for about 5-10 minutes.  If you can't cover the skillet spoon the sauce over the chicken continuously.  This will allow the chicken to absorb the flavor of the lime and stay moist.

I served this with steamed broccoli and real mashed potatoes.

This dish was delicious!!!!  A little on the spicy side but the creaminess of the mashed potatoes helped tone down the spiciness of the chicken.  I was afraid that it would be al little to garlicy with 4 cloves and the garlic powder but it wasn't at all!  Very tender, cut it with a fork.  It took about 30 minutes, maybe a little less.  Nic wasn't home yet so I put the skillet in the oven at  170° fahrenheit for about 15 minutes to keep it warm, it was incredibly moist and flavorful.  This is definitely going in the recipe box.