Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Marmalade Crusted Pork: Delicious

I saw this recipe and thought it was too garlicky, so I pared down the amount of garlic and put my own spin on it. I think it turned out fairly well, and I think you will too.

First, use a garlic press to press one clove of garlic; rub this all over the pork sirloin roast. Season a cup of flour with seasoned salt, pepper, paprika, and oregano; coat the roast with the flour. Bake in a 350 degree oven for an hour.

While it's baking, combine 3 ounces of orange marmalade with half a cup of grand marnier. Once the hour is up, baste the roast with all of the marmalade mixture. Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook for twenty minutes.

I served this with baked potatoes; unfortunately, because I had a meeting, I did not have time to make a vegetable. I now officially know this works, and will make it again. The meat practically fell apart, and the only thing I regret is not making the marmalade glaze that dripped off the pork into a gravy.

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Cheese Stuffed Shells With Marinara Sauce: Easy and Flavorful

This sounded amazing when I looked up the recipe; however, it had no sauce and my husband doesn't like crunchy baked pasta, so I quickly defrosted some of my homemade spaghetti sauce (see my post on spaghetti and meatballs for the recipe) and used that for the sauce.

First, cook your 11 ounce box of large pasta shells according to the package directions; while that's cooking, combine a pound of ricotta, 8 ounces of feta cheese, one egg, 2 Tablespoons of olive oil, and two cups of spinach. This should make a stiff filling. Add two crushed garlic cloves and seasoned salt to taste.

By now, your shells should be cooked through; drain them and rinse them off with cold water to make them cool enough to handle. Spoon the filling into the shells and arrange them in a glass dish greased with olive oil; pour the spaghetti sauce on top. Bake this in a 325 degree oven for 30 minutes, checking at 25 to make sure your sauce doesn't scorch.

Will loved this dish. If I wasn't mistaken, he had two helpings. I loved it, but unfortunately, I still have indigestion from last night, so evidently it didn't love me. I had a ton of shells left over, probably from adding too much cheese filling, so I will make it without the sauce and see what happens.

Friday, July 19, 2013

Lemon Chicken: Quick, Easy, and Tasty

I felt like something light and fresh for dinner last night. I have wanted to use this recipe for years and finally got around to it.

First, start some water boiling for your rice and prepare the rice like you normally would when it comes to a boil. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a skillet on medium-high. Cut your chicken breasts or tenders into bite sized pieces and chop an onion. Saute until the chicken is browned on all sides; add seasoned salt to taste. Once it is, add the juice of one lemon and cook one minute more. Add a cup of white wine and simmer for fifteen minutes.

Next, add frozen vegetables of your choice (I used broccoli and cauliflower, but really, you could use anything green and it would complement the flavors just fine). Once the vegetables are heated through, remove about half a cup of the liquid and add a teaspoon of arrowroot; slowly add this liquid back to the pan; serve over rice once the sauce is thickened.

Will loved it; it was fresh and flavorful, and nothing screams fresh in the summer like lemon. I think for next time that I will make it with oregano added, because oregano adds an extra level of flavor without overpowering the lemon flavor and complements the chicken.