Stuffed Pork Chops and Pumpkin Pie...

Only a ten day absence this time, I'm getting better! :) You'll also have to excuse me if the font is different sizes and whatnot. I can never remember which font I used so I think now it's just going to make my life easier if I leave it at the default font for whatever the layout happens to be. Also, you'll notice that I am now a part of Foodie Blogroll which makes me SO excited. I'm such a food nerd, I know. Anyways. I had quite a large grocery budget this week due to just getting paid and having a lot of extra money from my tax returns so...I went a tad overboard. BUT...I'm making delicious things all week long so I can't really complain. As we speak, I'm frying up some nice, thick cuts of applewood smoked bacon. The smell in my kitchen right now is absolutely delicious. But that's a different post for another time. I'm such a tease, I know. ;)

Last night I made stuffed pork chops..I got the idea from having dinner while visiting friends last January. I've only made them once before so I haven't quite perfected the art of the pork chop. There's really no specific recipe for these, either.

Stuffed Pork Chops


6 3/4in boneless chops
two boxes of Stovetop Pork stuffing
shredded mozzarella cheese

I used the pork cooking guide from a cookbook my grandmother has had since 1947. The times and temperatures may be WAY off with today's ovens but this is what I went with and it worked out just fine. Slice pockets into the pork chops wide and deep enough to stuff, but not all the way through. Prepare stuffing as directed on the box. Sear the chops in the oven at 450º for fifteen minutes. You may need to open the pockets a little bit more after they come out of the oven. Put a few heaping tablespoons of stuffing in each pork chop and top with mozzarella cheese. At this point you can use toothpicks to keep the pork chops together and reduce stuffing loss. Up to you. Once all your pork chops are stuffed and covered in cheese, pop those babies back in the oven at 375º for 40 minutes. You make think this makes everything dry and normally, you'd be right but somehow, the combination of the stuffing and cheese keeps a lot of the moisture in.

Beautiful cuts of pork

The stuffing is perfectly moist on the inside of the pork chop and just a little bit crunchy on the outside.

You may or may not have extra stuffing leftover depending on how many chops you make or how much you stuff them. I just use it as a side dish.

Now..onto dessert. This one originated around..Thanksgiving. I think. My brother and I went to the grocery store so I could buy some things to make salad and dessert and whatever else I could think of to contribute to the family dinner table. He twisted my arm for oh...thirty seconds into making pumpkin pie. The only recipe I could think of off the top of my head was a recipe I saw by Paula Deen. So I had my brother use his phone to look up the recipe so we could get the ingredients. And I am SO glad he twisted my arm. I think the secret ingredient in this is really the cream cheese. It makes it creamy and almost cheesecake-like which inspired me to use a prepared graham cracker crust instead of regular pie crust. It gives it a little crunch and makes it unique. I had one of the women I work with, who bakes the most delicious cookies at Christmas that I have EVER tasted so I definitely value her opinion, call this pie spectacularly delicious.

Paula Deen's Pumpkin Pie

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups canned pumpkin, mashed
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg plus 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, optional
• 1 piece pre-made pie dough
• Whipped cream, for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1 piece of pre-made pie dough down into a (9-inch) pie pan and press down along the bottom and all sides. Pinch and crimp the edges together to make a pretty pattern. Put the pie shell back into the freezer for 1 hour to firm up. Fit a piece of aluminum foil to cover the inside of the shell completely. Fill the shell up to the edges with pie weights or dried beans (about 2 pounds) and place it in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the foil and pie weights and bake for another 10 minutes or until the crust is dried out and beginning to color.

For the filling, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with a hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and beat until combined. Add the sugar and salt, and beat until combined. Add the eggs mixed with the yolks, half-and-half, and melted butter, and beat until combined. Finally, add the vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, if using, and beat until incorporated.

Pour the filling into the warm prepared pie crust and bake for 50 minutes, or until the center is set. Place the pie on a wire rack and cool to room temperature. Cut into slices and top each piece with a generous amount of whipped cream.

I don't have a picture of the finished product.

Also, if you use the pre-made graham cracker crust, get the two extra servings crust. I believe it's made by Keebler. It's JUST enough room for the filling. And if it spills over the edge a little, who cares!? Also, forgive me for stating the obvious, but place the pie crust on a baking sheet to make transportation of the full pie crust/dough a lot easier. This pie is absolutely wonderful and I HAD to make it again in January because I missed the taste of it.

Enjoy!

Ashley

Simple Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

Whoaaaaaaaaaaaa! So sorry for disappearing for two weeks! I will try not to let that happen again! I'm coming to you from my kitchen again, of course. Now, let's get right down to business.




Who doesn't love breakfast? I could eat breakfast at anytime of the day...and I usually do! Tonight, as I was looking through my pretty bare cupboards, I said to myself...self, how about some scrambled eggs? Mmmm..good idea, I thought. I have everything I need for those right at my fingertips. And really, who doesn't have eggs in their fridge all the time? ...you don't? Go out and buy some right now! Ahem. Anyways! I pulled open my fridge and saw a mostly empty bag of shredded cheddar cheese and thought I'd add that to my eggs as well. I am going to invoke Rachael Ray for this one, only because nothing is exact, so bear with me.


Recipe for one serving(adjust if need be):


eggs(duh)--the amount will change depending upon how many people you're feeding. I was only feeding myself and I used three but I also haven't eaten all day so..just use however many you think you may need
milk--I don't know how many people use milk or cream in their scrambled eggs but that's always been the way we made them in my house. about 1/4 cup. eyeball it.
salt and pepper to taste
cheddar cheese*
garlic salt*


Combine all ingredients and whisk, whisk, whisk! While you're doing this, your pan, griddle, etc should be heating up with some oil, butter, margarine, bacon fat etc to keep the eggs from sticking while cooking. Pour egg mixture into the preheated pan and keep an eye on it, making sure to use a spatula to keep the eggs moving. Once they're at your desired consistency, add a handful or more of the shredded cheese and combine until melted. Serve with toast or any other yummy breakfast foods you can think of.


*Cheddar is optional, they're your eggs, not mine. Use whatever cheese you want..or no cheese at all! I will not be upset in the least.
Also, the garlic salt is WAY optional. If you have it on hand, just one shake is more than enough to give your eggs that extra little bit of flavor. 




No pictures tonight because I didn't think of posting this until I'd already eaten. Hehe. 




Enjoy!
Ashley