Pig & Fig Pizza

Recently I ordered flatbread pizza at a local restaurant.  It was DELICIOUS!  So I figured, I could make this at home.  While eating it, I was deconstructing the entire dish in my head.  I then sifted through each ingredient with my fork.  Okay, I lied, used my fingers. I probably looked like a crazy person!

So I came home and started to make my list of all the things I needed.  The next day I bought a pork loin and slow cooked it, shredded it and froze it for whenever I was prepared to make this pizza. Then I had to ask my sister where to find the figs, since I've never bought them before (they are with the raisins).

While this pizza was served on thin crust, it would be equally as good on a regular crust pizza. I think the next time I make it (oh yes, there will be a next time), I might try this on a regular crust and not use as much barbecue sauce.   

INGREDIENTS
(keep in mind these are estimates and should be adjusted accordingly to your liking)

1 pizza crust
2 Tablespoons BBQ sauce
1-1/2 cups shredded (cooked) pork
1/3 cup diced figs
1/3 cup diced mushrooms (optional)
1/2 cup diced goat cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
sprinkle with garlic powder and parsley

1.  Spread BBQ sauce on pizza crust (if using regular crust, you'll want to pre-bake according to instructions)

2.  Dice up figs and mushrooms.  

Figs: I know these don't look appealing,
in fact they look like quite disgusting!

3.  Layer all ingredients on your pizza shell and bake @ 425 degrees (for thin crust) for 10 minutes.  

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Pork Chops with Fennel

I've never cooked with fennel before, but whenever I see it in the produce section I wonder what I could do with it. So one day I picked up the fennel bulb and some pork chops and decided I would try and look something up when I got home. I found a good looking recipe and made a few changed depending on what I did and didn't have at home. You'll need to trim off the top part of the fennel bulb that has the stems and leaves (I read that you can use the leaves in salads or dressings so you can definitely save those for later use). Cut the bulb in half and then slice it thinly into a half-moon shape as seen below. Overall, I really enjoyed the flavor when it was cooked down with some onions and garlic, and it was a sweeter flavor that seemed to pair well with the pork chops. The only thing I might change next time is to cook down the sauce a little more to make it thicker, possibly adding some flour or cornstarch to make the consistency more creamy. 

Ingredients

6 pork chops

1 medium fennel bulb, stocks removed and sliced

3/4 cup chopped onion

2 garlic cloves

3/4 cup chicken broth

3/4 cup dry white wine

1 TBS paprika

Salt & Pepper

Olive oil, about 2 TBS.

1 TBS. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 TBS. fresh lemon juice

1. Rinse your pork chops and then pat dry. Cover each side of the pork chops with salt, pepper and paprika and rub into the pork chops to season them well. 

2. In a medium heat pan with about 1 TBS. of olive oil, sear pork chops on both sides until they have a good brown color on them, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Remove from the pan and set aside. 

3. In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil, the sliced fennel, onions and garlic. Saute in the pan until the fennel and onions start to get brown and soft. About 7-8 minutes. 

4. Add in the chicken broth and white wine and bring to a boil. 

5. Once the pan is boiling, add the pork chops back in the pan and cover with a lid. Cook for about 8-10 minutes depending on how thick your pork chops are. 

6. Remove the pork chops and place them on a platter. Boil the sauce for another 5 minutes or so, without the lid, so that it can reduce down. 

7. Remove sauce from heat and stir in the Dijon mustard, lemon zest and lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the platter of pork chops and Enjoy! 

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Pulled Pork Sandwiches

For some reason, I am on a life-long quest to find the perfect pulled pork sandwich. My husband always makes fun of me because if we go to a restaurant with pulled pork on the menu, I automatically order it. The only problem is, I've found the perfect pulled pork and its my mom's recipe! I always thought hers was the best but that it must be difficult to make...and then I was surprised to learn that it is so extremely simple. Throw a pork shoulder roast in the crock pot with some seasonings and onions and 8 hours later you have melt-in-your-mouth pulled pork. Mix with your favorite BBQ sauce and place on what my family calls "nice buns" for an awesome sandwich.

(On a side note, when my sister was little she was on a life-long mission to find the perfect hot dog. We can't really help her with that one!)

Ingredients:
4-5 pound pork shoulder roast
1/2 onion, diced
BBQ sauce, 1 bottle
Salt & pepper
Bakery buns

1. Place the pork shoulder in the crock pot and season with salt and pepper.

2. Place the diced onion all around the pork shoulder. Add about a cup of water in the crock pot.

3. Cook on Low for 8-9 hours.

4. When finished, the pork should fall apart. Shred with a fork and place into a separate bowl. (You might have to pull away some fatty parts from the pork roast)

5. Mix with your favorite BBQ sauce, it usually takes a whole bottle but add as much or as little as you like. (I LOVE Sweet Baby Ray's...that's my go-to for this recipe).

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Pork Medallions Marsala

I love Chicken Marsala, so I figured I'd try it with pork instead.  Normally I slow cook pork to keep it from being dry, however cutting the pork loin into smaller pieces and not cooking too long in the skillet kept it moist.  You could always pre-cook a few minutes on the stove and slow cook it with the wine too.  Next time I might try that!

Marsala wine is sold in the grocery store along with other cooking wines.  One time, years ago I tried to buy some cooking wine on a Sunday morning and they wouldn't sell it to me until after Noon or 1:00 (whatever time the alcoholics are allowed to buy their hooch).  Seriously, do a lot people get their drink on with Marsala wine???  Maybe they need to restrict the cough syrup too...I'm just sayin.  

INGREDIENTS 

1 pound pork loin, cut into 1/2 inch slices
All purpose flour
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3/4 cup Marsala wine
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
Chopped red onion (optional)
(adjust ingredients accordingly if pork loin is larger than 1 lb)


1.  Dredge pork in flour.  Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add pork; cook 3 minutes on each side.  Remove from pan.  Reduce heat to medium.

2.  Add garlic to skillet; cook and stir 1 minute.  Add wine and pork, cover and cook on low for about 10 minutes.  Remove pork from skillet.  Add parsley wine mixture and continue on medium heat.

3.  Mix corn starch with a little water, stir into wine in skillet and continue to stir until thickened. 

4.  Serve over pork, garnish with red onion, if desired. I served with rice, but it would be good with noodles too.

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Sausage, Tomato & Cheddar Breakfast Casserole

Our family has a good breakfast casserole recipe and that’s usually the “go-to” when I have people over for brunch, but I wanted to look for something a little different and I found this recipe that uses tomatoes, sausage, bread and cheese….seriously, what could be better?? I invited a few of my friends over to be my test-dummies (they totally don’t mind!) and this recipe was a big hit! We only had one little corner piece left after breakfast…and I think it was because no one wanted to be the jerk who took the last portion of casserole (myself included). The bread really makes this dish, it’s so crispy and crunchy and combined with the sausage and tomatoes, it really is a great way to mix up your usual breakfast casserole.

I think the key is to make sure your bread is a little bit stale. I bought a fresh loaf of French bread on Friday from the bakery and by the time I made this casserole on Sunday, the loaf was slightly stale and hard. It soaks up the egg mixture, but it doesn’t get soggy.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. ground italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 cups cubed french bread
- 2 (14 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes, drained
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 6 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups whipping cream
- T. dried basil
- t. garlic powder
- t. dried oregano
- Salt & Pepper
- Sprinkle of parmesan cheese

1. Brown sausage in a pan.

2. In a large bowl mix together cheese, tomatoes, green onions, basil, oregano, powder and cooked sausage.

3. Fold in the bread cubes. Place mixture in a greased 9 x 13 in. pan.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, whipping cream, salt and pepper.

5. Pour egg mixture over the casserole dish. Sprinkle the top with parmesan cheese.

6. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

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Ham Loaf & Roasted Cauliflower

HAM LOAF

Here is my confession: My name is Julie...and I like Ham Loaf!  Whew...I guess admitting it is the first step.  

Corinne has informed me that no one else will want to try this recipe, but it would be good "for laughs".  So just to make up for the lack of enthusiasm, I added another recipe for Roasted Cauliflower.  Both my late mother and my late former mother-in-law used to make ham loaf and I just always loved the sweetness of the pork with the brown-sugar glaze.  This recipe calls for 2 pounds of meat and I usually make 6 individual loaves and freeze half of them.  This year, the remainder will be placed in Corinne's Christmas stocking!

HAM LOAF INGREDIENTS
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground ham (I usually ground up the ham in my food processor)
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
2 cups soft bread crumbs (I tear up about 4 slices of bread)
1/4 c finely chopped onion
1/8 t pepper
1 T brown sugar
1/2 t dry mustard

GLAZE INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1 cup brown sugar
1 t. dry mustard

1.  Ground up ham in food processor.  

2.  Mix all meat loaf ingredients in a bowl and form into 6 mini loaves (you can also half the recipe for 3 loaves)

3.  Mix Glaze ingredients together and pour over meat loaves
4.  Bake @ 350 for 1 hour

ROASTED CAULIFLOWER

INGREDIENTS
1 head cauliflower
Yellow Bell Pepper
2-T olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Spices: Pepper, Mrs. Dash, Basil

1.  Clean and cut up cauliflower and pepper in small bite-size pieces, put in bowl
2.  Drizzle olive oil over veggies and add spices to taste, mix well
3.  Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and roast in 450 degree oven for 15 minutes (or until tender).
4.  Transfer back to bowl and mix in Parmesan Cheese.
5.  Enjoy!

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BBQ Ribs

Call me conceded, (I don't care), but these BBQ ribs are pretty frickin good, or as we just say PFG!  A co-worker from 10+ years ago first told me about Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce and if the company ever stops making it, I may just never fix or eat ribs again.  While the sauce is awesome, part of what makes these ribs so good is the rub and slow cooking them.  They are so flavorful and tender, they literally fall off the bone. 

Here is one of the recipes that I cannot even estimate the quantity of spices or sauce.  You'll just have to experiment for yourself.  I love these slathered in BBQ sauce, but you may like them less messy!

Ingredients

Pork Baby Back Ribs
Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauce (original flavor)
Spices:

• Lemon Pepper
• Parsley
• Garlic Powder
• Black Pepper
• Onion Powder
• Paprika

Cut ribs into 3-4 rib sections.  This makes it easier to rub, grill and eat.
Spread out the sections on a cookie sheet and sprinkle the spices on each side.  Rub the spices into the meat with your hands. 

No, I don't work for McCormick!

Grill the ribs (on med-low) for approximately 30 minutes total (20 minutes on fatty side, 10 on bone side).  They won't be done, you just want them a little browned on each side. 

Remove from grill and place a layer (fatty side up) in roasting pan.  Pour BBQ Sauce on each rib piece and then place another layer on top and pour more sauce on ribs. 

Sorry, this photo is blurry, I was drunk at the time...

Cover (either with lid or foil) and bake @ 225 degrees for 4-5 hours.   Enjoy these PFG ribs!

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Donna's Stuffed Peppers

This original recipe is from my mother-in-law Donna. I kept hearing about her "famous" stuffed peppers from my husband so I asked for the recipe. He must have been such a good little eater because I know when I was a kid faced with the dinner choice of stuffed peppers...I was not so receptive to the idea. What a picky little brat I was! But now that I'm older and wiser, this is one of my favorite dishes. The only thing I really changed was that she uses hamburger meat and I used Italian sausage instead, I think it has a little more flavor, plus I'm not a big red-meat fan. This recipe is delicious and produces a lot of leftovers so it's great to make on a Sunday and eat all week long!

Ingredients:

- 3 peppers, cut lengthwise and seeded
- 16 oz. of Italian sausage
- 1 medium-sized onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 cup rice
- 1 large can of tomato sauce
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella

1. Start the rice by following your favorite boxed-rice recipe. Mine says add 1 cup rice with 2 ¼ cups water in a medium pan and when it starts boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 20 minutes.

2. In a medium sauté pan, add Italian sausage and onions. Cook until the sausage has almost lost its pink color and then add in the garlic. Cook until sausage is finished and put the sausage mixture in a large bowl.

3. Once you have halved and seeded the peppers, add them to a large pot of boiling water. Boil for about 5 minutes and then place the peppers in a casserole dish cut-side up.

4. Once the rice is finished, add the cooked rice to the bowl with the sausage mixture. Add 1 ½ cups of the tomato sauce and ½ cup of the mozzarella cheese and mix.

5. Spoon the mixture into the open peppers. If there is any leftover mixture, add it to the bottom of the pan. Take remaining tomato sauce from the can and pour it all around the peppers in the bottom of the pan.

6. Bake for 40 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Take the peppers out and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese on top. Place back in the oven for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is fully melted.

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Yummy Pork Chops

This recipe was originally given to me by an old friend, probably 20 years ago.  I think the original title was Smothered Pork Chops.  It quickly became one of my children's favorite dishes and they dubbed it "Yummy Pork Chops".  In fact, Corinne used to want to just drink the gravy and probably did when I wasn't looking. Yes, she has a problem. 

The secret to cooking any pork is to sloooooooowwwwwww cook it at a low temp. This will produce pork chops so tender, you do not need a knife!  If your oven doesn't have the capability to be programmed to come on during the day, then I suggest making it when you have at least 5 hours to cook this dish.

Hopefully you can get past the fact that when preparing this dish, it resembles vomit. By now you're probably closing out this page because of the vomit comment, aren't you?  Please don't, you will not be sorry.  That is unless you hate this recipe then you'll tell all your friends about this wacko who cooks vomit chops!

Ingredients:

4 boneless Pork Chops (preferably 1 Inch thick)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup (or so) seasoned bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons milk
1 can Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 can French Onion Soup
1/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese
Olive Oil for frying
 (If using more pork chops, then double the soup to create more gravy)

1.   Rinse pork chops and cut off fat

2.   Break eggs in bowl, add a little milk…whisk with fork

3.   With bread crumbs in bowl, dip chops in egg mixture, then bread crumbs.

4.   In skillet, heat enough oil to cover bottom over medium heat

5.   Fry pork chops until brown (about 2 minutes per side). Note, they will not be cooked through..

6.   Place pork chops in baking dish

   7.   Mix soups and Parmesan cheese together, pour over pork chops COVER



See...what did I tell you..vomit, right?

8.  Cover and Bake @ 225 degrees for 5 hours

9.  Serve with Mashed potatoes or noodles



Honest, it tastes way better than it looks. 

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Stuffed Pork Chops

A nearby grocery store had a similar dish in their prepared foods section and after trying it one day, I said "I can make that!" and I came up with this recipe for stuffed pork chops. This one has fall flavors with the cranberries and apples, but you could substitute other ingredients with the same base of the prepared stuffing. To make it easy on myself, I buy pork chops that have already been butterflied open so I can just put the stuffing mixture right in.

Ingredients:
- 4 pork chops (butterflied open)
- 1 cup prepared stuffing
- 1/2 cup diced apple
- 2 T. dried cranberries
- 2 T. sliced almonds
- Olive oil

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Start by preparing the stuffing. I use the pre-made mix (Stove Top) and make 1 cup of the stuffing. Once it's finished (it only takes about 5 minutes) I add it to a bowl with the diced apple, cranberries and almonds. Mix together.

3. Place the pork chops on a cutting board and take a handful of the stuffing to place inside. This is slightly messy but suck it up! Make sure you portion out enough to fit in the 4 pork chops.

4. Once the pork chops are stuffed, place them in a medium-high heat pan with a little bit of olive oil. Brown both sides and then finish in a 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until the pork chop is fully cooked through.

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