Family Get Together

I did it, and they turned out great! So happy :)

Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops

The other day I tried my hand at Pork Chops for the first time. When I was a little kid I never really liked Pork Chops, They were always so dry I would have to use ketchup to be able to swallow them. But I find out the other day that my husband absolutely Loves them. (Poor Austin, he's been deprived for going on four years now!) I decided to make them when I saw they were on an Amazing sale at Aldi. (LOVE that place, but I'll save it for a different post!) I found a recipe that sounded yummy and tried it, and to my shock and amazement they were moist and awesome! Yay, Me! (lol!)


Parmesan Crusted Pork Chops


Ingredients


2 large eggs

1 cup dried Italian-style bread crumbs

3/4 cups freshly grated Parmesan

4 (1/2 to 3/4-inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops (each about 10 to 12 ounces)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 tablespoons olive oil


Directions

Whisk the eggs in a pie plate to blend. Place the bread crumbs in another pie plate. Place the cheese in a third pie plate. Sprinkle the pork chops generously with salt and pepper. Coat the chops completely with the cheese, patting to adhere. Dip the chops into the eggs, then coat completely with the bread crumbs, patting to adhere.



Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in a very large skillet over medium heat. Add pork chops, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden brown and the center reaches 150 degrees, about 6 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to plates and serve!

Me and my Sisters!

Sorry for the lack of posting recently. My sister in law was here on a vacation from Alaska. While she was here my other sister in law came down with her boys and stayed at my in laws house too. Kinda funny having all three of my sister in laws under one roof for one whole week! We had so much fun just hanging out, going shopping, eating at Red Robin's, taking pictures of our little men, drying out a camera that fell in water, making a scrapbook, taking pictures of things we wanted to buy in Hobby Lobby, (lol!) making multiple trips to Walmart in one day because we forgot half the things that were on the list...Whoops! So many happy memories were made in such a short amount of time! I feel so blessed to have married such a wonderful man with such awesome sisters!

Chili Dog Mac

Last night I didn't know what to make for dinner. So I looked through my pantry and got inspired!

Chili Dog Mac

1 pkg Mac'n'Cheese
4 Tbs butter
1/4 cup milk
1 can Hormel No Bean Chili
a couple of cut up hot dogs

Make Mac'n'Cheese according to the pkg. Once you've added the cheese mixture return to heat and add Chili and hot dogs. Heat through and enjoy!
My family loved it! It was my wonderful partner in crime's (aka, my husband's) idea to add the hot dogs :)

Everyone's favorite Crusty French Bread

Every time I make this bread everyone goes crazy for it. It's so easy, and very simple and quick, all you need is a bread machine and a few simple ingredients.
P.S. A big thank you to my Mother-in-Law, Jill for letting me borrow her plate for the picture. It was perfect for this recipe!

French Bread
1 1/2 cup warm water
4 cups flour
2 tsp butter
5 tsp sugar
4 tsp bread machine yeast

Add first 4 ingredients in order to bread machine pan. Make a dent in the top of the heap and add yeast there, making sure it doesn't touch the water until the right time.

Place pan in bread machine and plug in. Set to "Dough" cycle and press start.

When there is a few minutes left on the bread machine timer turn oven on to 375*.

When the bread machine beeps take the dough and place on floured surface. Knead  a little and cut into two equal pieces. Form dough into two long loafs and place on cookie sheet. Place in oven and set your timer for 25 minutes.

When the timer goes off take bread out of the oven. Mix together 2 Tbs water and one egg, brush over the bread and place bread back in oven for 15 minutes.

In the end you will have a crowd favorite, and the satisfaction of knowing that it's homemade!

Octopus & Seaweed

This is a recipe for Dakota's favorite lunch. Sounds gross, but I promise you'll laugh and you'll use it someday!




What you'll need:

One package Ramen noodles

One hot dog

green food coloring

mustard



How to make it:

Cut half the hot dog lengthwise into eight 'legs'. Cook Ramen Noodles with the hot dog and flavor packet according to package. Drain the noodles, stir in one drop of green food coloring and place hot dog on top. Add two eyes and a smile with mustard. Enjoy the reactions from your kids when they see it for the first time!

Biscuits on the GFG

Okay I did it! I made biscuits on my George Foreman Grill. And they turned out Awesome! Smashed, but awesome!
I preheated the grill till the light shut off, put the biscuits on and grilled them for 4-5 minutes!
Like I said, they were a little flat, but neither Dakota or I minded.
 I have also grilled frozen pizza on my GFG and that turned out pretty good. It was when Austin was in TN and I wanted pizza, but didn't want to cook the whole thing. I broke it in half (make sure it's a thin pizza) and grilled it for I don't know how long. (I wasn't paying attention)
I <3 My George Foreman Grill!

Tomato-Basil Omelet and Hash Brown Potatoes

Well last night I decided to make breakfast for dinner. Usually a big hit at our house, but not last night. I will blame it on the fact that I was using two new recipes, Tomato-Basil Omelet and Hash Brown Potatoes. The potatoes were just fine, nothing special about them either way, but the omelet was, "one of the worst things I've ever eaten" according to my poor husband. I didn't think it was that bad, but Austin hates quiche, and that's pretty much what it was.
So, I'm pretty sure I won't be making this again, at least when Austin is eating with me...

Tomato-Basil Omelet

Ingredients


2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

4 eggs

4 medium green onions, chopped (1/4 cup)

1 pinch salt

3 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup tomato, diced

4 tablespoons butter

Directions

1Crack the eggs into a bowl, add salt, and mix with a wire whisk.

2Melt the butter in a frying pan, add onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato and basil, cook until warmed through. (about 1 minute) Add the egg mixture.

3As the mixture begins to set at the bottom and sides, gently lift cooked portions with spatula so that thin, uncooked portions can flow to bottom. Avoid constant stirring.

Cook 3 to 4 minutes or until eggs are thickened throughout but still moist. Sprinkle with pepper


Hash Brown Potatoes

1 lb. russet potatoes, peeled


1/2 tsp. garlic salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

2 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp. grated onion

Preparation:

Peel potatoes and grate into a large bowl. Dry potatoes thoroughly by squeezing in a kitchen towel. You should have about 1-1/2 cups grated potatoes, loosely packed into measuring cups. Toss with garlic salt and pepper.

Place half the butter and half the olive oil in a heavy large skillet and heat until sizzling. Add the onion and cook for a few seconds over high heat. When fragrant, add all of the potatoes and pack down with a spatula.



Reduce heat to medium and cook for 7 minutes. Then flip the hash browns onto a plate; add remaining butter and olive oil to pan. Slide the hash brown cake back into the pan, uncooked side down, and cook for about 5-6 minutes longer, until the bottom is crisp and golden brown. Serve immediately. 4-6 servings

I always end up cooking mine much longer because everyone at my house loves them crunchy. So, it ends up being 15 minutes on one side and 12 minutes on the other :)

I believe that I am addicted to my George Foreman Grill

Yes, it's true. I can't seem to help myself. I can cook just about anything on it. I'm even thinking of trying biscuits on it tomorrow. It has made preparing food so much easier, and now I don't have to turn on my propane stove.
I saw it at a thrift store for a buck, how could I pass that up!?! I had a walmart cheap one before, but it kicked the can after only a year of use!
It's only a small one, so I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for another one, hopefully a bigger one too! Gotta love George Foreman Grills!!!