Pork 'n' potato dinner

This was really good, especially since I had some really fatty loin ribs ;). The potatoes on the bottom of the pan got nice and crispy. It had a really good flavor. It was quick too.
Pork 'n' potato dinner

• 2 (1 inch thick) bone-in pork loin chops
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 medium potatoes, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
• 1/2 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

1. Coat pork chops with flour. In a skillet over medium-high heat, brown chops in oil on both sides. Combine 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and pepper; sprinkle over chops. Arrange potato and onion slices over chops. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
2. Dissolve bouillon in boiling water; stir in lemon juice. Pour over chops. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Cover and simmer for 18-22 minutes or until meat juices run clear.

Delicious Blackberry Ice Cream

We picked some blackberries and decided to make ice cream. I found a recipe on the Pioneer Woman Cooks Blog. You can see the step by step directions, extra tips and fabulous pictures here. I wasn't patient enough making the custard - mine was runny, so it's not nearly as creamy as I had hoped - but it is very good! We also ran out of ice and had to stop mixing it before it was done. We had it with our left over peach cobbler.

Delicious Blackberry Ice Cream

2 pints fresh blackberries
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1 cup sugar

5 large egg yolks

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Add blackberries to a medium saucepan with 1/4 cup sugar and lemon juice. Cook over low heat, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Drain using a fine mesh strainer, pressing berries to extract as much juice/puree as possible. Set aside.

Heat half-and-half and 1 cup sugar in a separate saucepan over low heat. Turn off heat when mixture is totally heated.

Add heavy cream to a separate bowl.

Beat egg yolks by hand or with an electric mixer until yolks are pale yellow and slightly thick.

Temper the egg yolks by slowly drizzling in 1 1/2 cups of hot half-and-half mixture, whisking constantly. After that, pour the egg yolk/half-and-half mixture into the pan containing the rest of the half-and-half mixture. Cook over low to medium-low heat (depending on how hot your stove gets) until quite thick, stirring constantly. Drain custard using a fine mesh strainer, then pour into the bowl with the cream. Stir to combine.

Add blackberry juice/puree to the cream/custard mixture and stir. Chill mixture completely, then freeze in an ice cream maker until thick. Place container in freezer to harden for an additional two hours.

Evil Variation: Stir in semi-sweet chocolate chunks before freezing. Delicious!

Peach Cobbler

With our mounds of peaches I made this cobbler. The recipe came from the Better Homes and Gardens' Cookbook. I used about 1/2 c. sugar. Yummy! Much better warm and fresh.

1 c. all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
1/4 c. butter or margarine
4 cups unsweetened peach slices
1/3 to 2/3 c. sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 c. water
1 egg
1/4 c. milk
Vanilla Ice Cream (optional)

For topping, in a medium bowl stir together flour, the 2 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, and, if desired, cinnamon. Cut in butter or margarine till mixture resemble course crumbs. Set aside.
For filling, in a saucepan combine 1/3 to 2/3 c. sugar and cornstarch. Add water. Stir in peaches. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Keep filling hot.
In a small bowl stir together egg and milk. Add to flour mixture, stirring just to moisten. Transfer filling to a 2 qt. square baking dish. Using a spoon immediately drop topping into small mounds atop filling.
Bake cobbler in a 400 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted into topping comes out clean. If desired, serve warm with ice cream.

Chocolate Chip Butterscotch Bars

This recipe is from the Mrs. Field's Best Ever Cookie Book. They are really good. My 8x8 pan already had the peach cobbler in it so I used my 9x11 pan, and it worked great. I didn't have any pecans so I used walnuts and no dark brown sugar, light had to do -still good.

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 c. (packed) dark brown sugar
2 sticks (1 c.) salted butter, softened
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 oz chopped pecans (about 1 cup)
9 oz semi-sweet chocolate chip (about 1 1/2 cups)

Preheat oven to 300 F. Grease an 8-by-8 inch baking pan.
Combine flour soda in a medium bowl. Mix well with a wire whisk. Set aside.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the sugar and butter. Add egg vanilla, and beat at medium speed until light and smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the flour mixture, pecans, and chocolate chips. Blend at low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
Transfer batter into the prepared pan with a rubber spatula. Bake in center of oven for 35-45 minutes or until toothipick comes out clean but center is still soft. cool on rack to room temperature. cut with sharp knife into 1-by-2 inch bars.

Peach Crisp

This is the first peach recipe I used for all those yummy peaches we bought. I don't know if my peaches were big, but I only used 5 and it was just right. I also reduced the flour to 1/2 c. and added 1/c. rolled oats.

Juicy Peach Crisp

• 6 fresh peaches - peeled, pitted and sliced
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
  

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and grease an 8 inch square baking dish.
2. Place the peaches in the bottom of the baking dish, and sprinkle them with almond extract.
3. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles crumbs.
4. Sprinkle the flour mixture in an even layer over the top of the peaches, and bake in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes, until the peaches are bubbling and the topping is browned.

Pesto (Nut free)

I got this wonderful versatile recipe from my SIL. Her oldest is highly allergic to nuts, so this recipe doesn't use nuts. Which also makes it a bit cheaper! She said a variety of cheeses can be used. It calls for feta, I used mozzarella, and Parmesan is great too. You can add more or less of the ingredients to your liking.

4 c. lightly packed fresh basil
4 oz. olives
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 c. Feta cheese
1/2 c. to 2/3 c. olive oil
1/2. tsp salt

You can use a food processor, or a blender. I used a blender so I had to scrape the sides a lot. Blend everything together. Add more oil as needed. Blend until it creates a thick paste. This is great on pasta or pizza, and many other things I'm sure.