Smothered Pork Chops

Recently, I attended my son's school conference. It went well and his teacher told me how she liked how happy my son was and that he never complained. So, I told him what his teacher said then I asked him why he was so happy. He looked at me and said, "What is there not to be happy about? I have a good life." Isn't he great? Sometimes I feel like I must be doing a good job on some days. I'm just glad I don't receive a report card since it may say A for effort but C for child arrived at school one day with socks that did not match which would always be my oldest daughter's case since she is adamant about her socks being different. It's a fashion statement.

Since we have been eating a lot of poultry lately, I decided I needed a change and went with some pork chops. These pork chops came out really tasty. It was even husband approved. 

Smothered Pork Chops
1 cup all purpose flour
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 Tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp cayenne 
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
4 pork chops, bone in about 3/4 inch thick
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup buttermilk
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:

1. On a plate, mix the 1 cup flour, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
2. With a paper towel, pat the pork chops dry to remove any moisture.
3. Dredge the pork chops through the flour and shake off the excess flour.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil.
5. When the oil is hot, carefully add the pork chops to the pan and fry for 3 minutes per a side until golden brown.
6. Remove the pork chops from the pan and set aside on a clean plate.
7. To the skillet,sprinkle a little of the seasoned flour.
8. Whisk the flour into the drippings until dissolved.
9. Add the chicken broth to the pan and whisk.
10. Cook the broth for about 5 minutes until it thickens slightly.
11. Stir in the buttermilk and return the pork chops to the pan.
12. Allow the pork chops to cook covered in the sauce for about 5 minutes and the pork is cooked through.
13. Season with salt and pepper.
14. Garnish with the parsley. 

Recipe adapted from Taylor Florence.
One year ago.........................I made Cheesy Potato Gratin.

Did you already know...........
-Almost 50 million children attended public elementary and secondary school this fall.
-Over 5 million children attend private elementary and secondary school.
-The public schools employs about 3 million full time teachers.

Pot Pie

My oldest daughter decided to straighten her hair. So, I am going to take a poll to see what you think. I prefer the curls. She was born with dark straight hair then after a couple of months her blond curls came in and we have never known anything else. What do you think?

Straight? Curly as before? You are welcome to vote here. The next day she washed her hair and the curls were instantly back. I remember how my Grandmother always would curl her hair and Allie has instant curls.

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving or a great day yesterday. Did you eat a lot of turkey? Do you have a lot left? My husband loves leftover turkey. How do you eat your leftover turkey? My husband's favorite way is to make a sandwich. My son doesn't care since he just loves turkey. Growing up, my Mom always made a turkey pot pie the next day. My husband is afraid of pot pies because he thinks there are peas hiding out in there. I made his pea free.

Turkey/Chicken Pot Pie
Filling:
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large russet potato, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt and ground pepper
3 cups cooked turkey/chicken, cut into bite size pieces

Cream Sauce:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 Tbsp hot pepper sauce
Salt and ground pepper

Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter
3 cups all purpose flour
8 oz. chilled cream cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
1 large egg, beatened

Directions:
To make filling:

1. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the onion and potato. Saute for 5 minutes.
3. Add the garlic, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Saute for 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Stir in the crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.
5. Stir in the turkey/chicken meat until incorporated.
6. Set aside the filling.

To make the cream sauce:

1. In a large saucepan, melt the 1/2 cup unsalted butter over medium heat.
2. Add the flour and whisk until smooth.
3. Whisk in the stock and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens.
4. Add the cream. Also, add the hot sauce, salt, and white pepper to taste.
5. Pour the cream sauce over the chicken mixture and mix well.

To make the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Cut the 1 cup of butter into 16 pieces.
3. In a food processor, pulse the butter with the flour until crumbly.
4. Add the cream cheese, salt, and white pepper.
5. Pulse just until the dough forms a ball.
6. Set the dough onto a clean surface dusted with flour.
7. Roll the dough to 1/4 inch thickness.
8. Cut the dough about 1 1/2 larger than the container using for the filling.

To assemble Pot Pies:

1. In 1 1/4 cup individual oven safe bowls with the chicken filling.
2. Lay the dough over the dish, making the dough hang evenly over the dish.
3. Brush the dough with the beaten egg.
4. Place the dish or bowls onto a cookie sheet lined with tin foil/parchment paper.
5. Bake the Pot Pies for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.
6. Serve immediately. 

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook by Rebecca Rather.

One year ago.....................I made Buffalo Chicken Dip.

Did you already know............
-The average Thanksgiving turkey weighs 15 pounds.
-An average Thanksgiving turkey is 70% white meat.
-A group of wild turkeys are called a rafter.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Scones

Pumpkin is one of those recipes in which you are a fan or not. I am a huge fan of pumpkin. I'm not picky either I like pumpkin bread or pumpkin pasta. My husband doesn't encourage me to make pumpkin recipes. Maybe he thinks I would go overboard? Unbeknown to him, I have a recipe that recently asked me to make a pumpkin recipe. To please my sister and my love for pumpkin, I decided I would make something for breakfast. Just because it is almost Thanksgiving, the kids expect me to feed them a couple meals before the big feast. Muffins were my first choice but I realized I hadn't made scones lately.

I decided to take one of my favorite pumpkin muffin recipes and adapt it. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The dough was sticky but when it came out it tasted really good. So, I tried again the next day and added more flour but I still thought the dough seemed too sticky. However, it still tasted really good. My daughter brought some to school and shared with her classmates. They told my daughter they loved it. I even had a friend sample it and he really liked it. My husband brought three pieces to work for his lunch.

The cream cheese filling spread over the dough

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Scones
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
6 Tbsp butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg
1 cup pumpkin
1/4 cup heavy cream

Direction:

1. In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese and powdered sugar. 
2. Place in the refrigerator to chill for several hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner. 
5. In a food processor, add the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and baking soda. Pulse 10 times.
6. Add the butter and pulse about 10 to 15 times.
7. Add the egg, pumpkin, and heavy cream. Pulse about 10 times or just combined.
8. Scoop half the batter and add to the middle of the baking sheet.
9. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the dough. (See photo above.)
10. Cover the cream cheese mixture with the remaining dough.
11. Bake the dough for about 20 minutes.
12. Remove from oven and cut into wedges and return to the oven. Bake for another 5 minutes or until the center of the wedge is cooked. (If a toothpick is inserted, the center will be gooey due to the cream cheese mixture.)

Recipe inspired by Annie's Eats.

A year ago................................I made Pancakes. 

Did you already know................
-Pumpkins are native to Central America.
-The colonist cooked pumpkins over hot coals with the inside filled with honey, milk, and spices.
-Pumpkins are grown all over the world beside Antarctica.

Happy Thanksgiving from Sweet Morris! 

I am thankful you took the time to stop by.

Week of Thanksgiving

Are you cooking Thanksgiving this year? Have you already started your shopping or prepping? I have already started my shopping but no real prepping yet. I try to get most of the prep work done by Tuesday night like peeling and chopping vegetables. On Wednesday, I will assemble my casseroles so they are ready for the oven the next day. I will check on the star of the meal to see if it is thawed. If not, I will be waking up early to thaw it in the sink. If it is thawed, then I will sleep a little longer since we tend to eat around 3 pm. See I need my sleep since I will be out early Friday morning with my sister. 

In preparation for Thanksgiving, I made up some chicken broth. It really is easy just time consuming. I ended up with 18 cups worth of chicken stock. If I buy chicken stock, it comes in a 4 cup container, so I decided to store the chicken stock the same way but in double lined plastic freezer bags. This way I can lay the bags down in the freezer to save space.

 Chicken Stock
1 whole stewing chicken
2 carrots, unpeeled
2 stalks celery
10 whole peppercorns
2 bay leaves
5 quarts water

Directions:

1. Chop the carrots and celery into 3 inch pieces.
2. Place the chicken, carrots, celery, and peppercorns in a large pot.
3. Add the water to the pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
4. Once it boils, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 1 hour uncovered. 
5. Turn the heat as low as possible and simmer uncovered for at least 2 hours.
6. Remove the chicken and refrigerate it.
7. Using a large strainer, strain the chicken broth into a large container.
8. Discard the vegetables and refrigerate the stock.
9. Once the chicken has cooled, pull off the meat and store in the refrigerator for a couple of days or freeze.
10. Once the chicken broth has cooled, store in containers or double layered freezer bags in the refrigerator for a couple of days or the freezer until needed.

Recipe adapted from The Pastry Queen Cookbook by Rebecca Rather.

One year ago................... I made Chocolate-Peanut Butter Whoppie Pies.

Did you already know.....
-In 1621, the Plymouth Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag Indians to the first Thanksgiving feast.
-The feast lasted three days.
-The pilgrims used spoons, knives, and their hands to eat the feast since they did not have forks. 

My daughter showing how I double line my freezer bags with the broth:

Really Mom, really?

Green Beans and Bacon with Browned Butter

My youngest daughter has an Easy Bake Oven. She loves it and decided to bake something for us. It doesn't matter what the packet says she tries to place it in the oven like frosting. I'm just glad she asks me right before cooking it. I'm not sure how good baked frosting taste. She did finally find a cake packet to bake. When it came out, she offered all of us a piece. I kindly thanked her but I was full. My husband and son said sure. They both took a bite and left the room. They came and right after they whispered to me that it tasted awful. She hollers, "So, what do you think?" My two guys in unison holler back, "You did awesome!" (while making a face I may add.) I did think it was very sweet of them that they didn't want to hurt her feelings. I did notice they didn't finish their piece.  After they left, my daughter did come in and told me quietly that she didn't like it but she'll try another one later. I told her that she should. When I think back to when I was a kid and had an Easy Bake Oven, I don't really remember eating a lot of them but I just like to bake in it. 

I usually like my green beans plain. For Thanksgiving, we always have green bean casserole but I like to try out new recipes before I decide to make it on Thanksgiving. The kids really liked this recipe with bacon and brown butter. How could they not? I think they would elect to eat their green beans this way everyday.

Green Beans and Bacon with Browned Butter
2 lb. green beans, trimmed
4 oz. bacon
2 shallots, thinly sliced
4 Tbsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions: 

1. In a large saucepan, add the green beans to boiling, salted water.
2. Cover and cook the green beans for 4 to 7 minutes. The green beans should be crisp tender.
3. Drain and set aside the green beans.
4. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp.
5. Remove the bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate. Set aside.
6. In the skillet, reduce the heat to medium low.
7. Add the shallots and cook for 4 minutes or until just beginning to crisp. Stir frequently. Remove the shallots onto the same plate with the bacon.
8. Season to taste with salt.
9. To the skillet, add the butter and melt over medium heat.
10. Reduce the heat to medium low.
11. Continue to cook for 4 minutes. Do not stir. The butter needs to become light brown. Reduce heat to low.
12. Add the green beans and shallots back to the skillet.
13. Cook 2 to 4 minutes until heated through, stirring occasionally.
14. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
15. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Better Homes and Garden November 2012 magazine.

Did you know....................a year ago I made Honey Yeast Rolls. 

Did you already know........
-In 1963, the first Easy Bake Oven was sold.
-The first Easy Bake Ovens sold for around $16.
-Since the first Easy Bake Oven, there has been 11 models.