Apricot Pork Loin

I saw a recipe in Publix magazine for a recipe that sounded delicious. I didn't feel like cooking tonight, so I decided to throw it in a crock pot instead. Here's what I did:

Pork loin (Mine was about a pound)

1 T sesame oil

1 c apricot  preserves

1/4 c white wine vinegar (calls for rice vinegar, I was out of this)

1 t minced garlic*

1 t ground ginger* (the recipe called for 2 t siracha garlic seasoning*)

1 t lime juice

I sliced up the pork into four sections and placed the pork in a slow cooker. I mixed the remaining ingredients in a bow and then poured over the pork. It's cooking right now on low and will for about 6 1/2-7 hours. I'll be serving this with rice and broccoli. 

The recipe called to season the pork with the seasoning and cook in the oil on med-high for 3-4, until browned. Mix preserves, vinegar, ginger and lime. Pour over pork and continue to cook, turning pork often, until pork reaches 145 deg F and sauce thickens. Sprinkle fresh cilantro over pork and serve with apricot rice pilaf.

Chicken Quesadillas

I've been working over time and I'm a little tired. Last night I wanted something quick and easy but yummy and filling. Love quesadillas, and so do my kids. Yay! I'll write what I used and then in parenthesis write what you can use.

2 chicken breast
oil
1 can diced tomatoes, drained (or salsa if you have it on hand)
1 t minced garlic
1 t dried oregano
1 t cumin
2 t lemon juice, divided
1 T southwest seasoning (or make it up - paprika, chili powder, onion....)
butter
tortillas
2 C shredded cheese - I used mild cheddar

Cook chicken in oil on stove with half the garlic and 1 t oregano. Remove from heat, dice chicken into small pieces. Place chicken in a bowl. Add tomatoes, garlic, cumin, lemon juice and seasoning to bowl. Mix well. Butter one side of tortillas.
Place tortillas, we'll cook one at a time, on a hot skillet. Add enough mixture to cover half the tortilla. Cover with cheese. Let the tortilla cook for a few seconds before folding the empty side over the stuffed side of the tortilla. Let cook for a few minutes. Flip the tortilla over and cook until cheese is melted. I like my quesadillas crispy. Repeat steps with remaining ingredients.
Serve with sour cream and/or guacamole.

You could add the cheese to your chicken mixture and just plop it all down on the tortilla in one drop.

I'm thinking next time I'll add some cooked/steamed veggies to the chicken mix. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, whatever I have on hand.

Tater Tot Taco Casserole

First of all, a friend gave me this recipe, so whomever initially wrote it, thanks!

I love casseroles. My kids - they're hit or miss. Whose kids aren't? But this one incorporates all sorts of foods they love plus some healthy ones. It's a nice alternative to taco night. So is taco soup. YUM. If I haven't posted that one, let me know and I'll share that! Top this however you want on your plate: add black olives, peppers, sour cream, you name it! Just like a home made taco bar, but in casserole form. Don't like black beans? Substitute in pinto or chili beans. You can use fresh or frozen corn in lieu of can corn and any meat: pulled chicken, ground turkey, etc... Like Mexican cheese instead, use that. Be creative in what you like to use, here's the base recipe:

casserole dish, deep sided pan
1 lb ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 can of corn, drained
1 can of black beans, drained
1 can enchilada sauce - we used medium
1 pkg of frozen tater tots (I like tots, so I used the whole bag. You could use half a bag)
12 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Pull out the tots from the freezer and set them on the counter. Heat your oven to 350 deg. In a large pan with sides, brown meat and onions. Drain fat. Add garlic, taco seasoning, corn, and beans. Heat through. While the meat mixture is warming, pour half of the enchilada sauce in a rectangle casserole dish. Set dish aside. In the pan, or a large mixing bowl (<---- I used a bowl), combine meat mixture, tater tots and 3/4 of the cheese; pour into prepared dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce. Bake for 30 minutes. Top casserole with remaining cheese and bake 10 more minutes.

I topped my portion with sour cream, so did my kids because it came out with some heat. I think that's about it. Enjoy!

Apple Cheddar Bacon Soup

Yum Yum Yum Soup. I used gala apples in this soup, but I'm sure you can use any apple that tickles your fancy. Because of it's sweetness I would suggest having it as a first course, not a main meal. My 5 year old, who does not eat soup, ate this soup!

6 strips of bacon (unless you're a bacon lover, then add two strips)
1 small onion, chopped
2 apples, cored, peeled, chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped
3 C chicken stock
1 1/5 C apple juice
2 C shredded cheddar cheese (plus some for extra topping if you like)
2 green onions, sliced
2 slices of wheat bread (or rye)
Dijon mustard

In a pot cook your bacon. Remove bacon and let cool on paper towel. Remove all but 2 T of bacon drippings. (I dipped a paper towel in the pot to make sure I left enough drippings) Cook the onion, apples and potato in bacon drippings over med-high heat about 5 min or until apples are soft. Add chicken stock and apple juice. Cook about 10 more minutes or until potatoes are soft. Turn off heat, stir in all but 2 T of cheese. In batches puree your soup in a blender. Return to pot - I returned it to a smaller pot. Yay, soup is done!

Spread Dijon mustard over bread. Sprinkle with remaining 2 T of cheese. Broil or toast bread in toaster oven until cheese is melted. Cut the bread into cubes - croutons! While the bread is toasting, chop bacon up into pieces.

Serve soup in bowels. Toppings include: croutons, green onions, bacon, shredded cheese.

My son actually dipped the bread into his soup and ate it. Maybe finger length strips of bread would be fun for them.

Sliders

We've been sick all week. Well, three of us at different intervals all entwined  I wanted something yummy that did not consist of soup and crackers. Here we go.....

1 lb Ground Beef
2 t Steak Seasoning (McCormick, yum)
1 T W-Sauce
1 t Onion Powder
Slices of cheese
1 Pkg Pillsbury layered rolls
Celery Stalks
Peanut Butter
Craisins
Fruit
--ketchup, mustard, pickles, etc...toppings for burgers


Pre-heat your oven to 400 deg. Bake rolls according to package directions.

In a medium bowl combine first four ingredients. Roll meat into little balls that fit in the palm of your hand; flatten and press down in the middle. I made 9 little burgers. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add 1 T oil. Once pan is hot add burgers. Cook about 5 min, then flip and cook for another 5 or until they're done to the temperature you like ~ about 160 deg F. Once they're about done quarter your cheese slices and lay a piece on each burger. Let the cheese melt, remove burger from heat; set on a plate.

Rinse and cut celery in halves or thirds. Fill the inside of celery with peanut butter. Top with craisins.

Prepare fruit.

Open the layered rolls wherever you want. Place your burger on the bottom. Add your toppings. Cover with the top of the roll. The rolls are buttered and the kids devoured them quicker than a regular burger!

Turkey Mac & Cheese

I don't know if this recipe has enough cheese! It's delicious and SO creamy....

8 oz noodles of your choice. Jacob chose this, but I also had mini shells on hand.
4 T butter
1/4 C flour
2 C milk
1 bay leaf
Dash of ground Nutmeg
2 1/2 C Cheddar Cheese (white, yellow, whichever), shredded
2 C Gruyere or Gouda Cheese, shredded
12 oz turkey sausage, stuffed with cheese (you can use any type of sausage or even kielbasa, I bought fully cooked meat), sliced
1 C crushed pretzels (Here, I would use bread crumbs instead, maybe not 1 full cup on crumbs. The pretzels came out soft)

Cook noodles according to package directions for al dente. While your water is coming to a boil, shred cheese. In a sauce pan melt butter over Med heat. Add flour and whisk 2 minutes. Add milk, bay leaf, and nutmeg. Whisk occasionally until thickened, about 5-8 minutes. (Drain noodles when they're done.) Add 2 C of cheddar cheese, and 2 C Gouda cheese to milk. Mix well. Add sausage and noodles, mix well. *Add up to 1 C of warm water to make the cheese less viscous. (you can use the water the noodles were cooked in here)* Spread mixture into a greased baking dish, at least 2 qt. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 C cheddar cheese and top with pretzels or bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes to heat through.

A Yummy Fall Dinner

A little inspiration from everywhere, including my dad. Thanks Dad! This recipe has flavorful rice, moist chicken, savory apples and delicious veggies. I'm eating leftovers today,which is all thrown together and it tastes great that way too!

Chicken  - I eyeballed measurements, so I hope it's close!
4 Chicken Thighs
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp water
1/2 C bread crumbs
1/4 C fresh Parmesan cheese
1 T paprika
1 t garlic salt

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Spray cookie sheet with Pam. Pre-heat skillet with oil over medium heat. Pat chicken dry. In one bowl mix egg and water. In another bowl mix bread crumbs, cheese, paprika, salt. Dip chicken, one at a time, in egg then in bread mixture. Coating well. Brown in skillet. The chicken will not be cooked through. We want to seal the chicken in the crusty bread. Transfer chicken to cookie sheet. Bake for 30 minutes.

Rice -change amount of rice as needed
2 C water
1 C rice
1 T chicken bouillon

Bring water to a boil in a pot that has a cover. Add bouillon and rice. Bring temperature to Low and cover. Let sit on Low heat for 20 minutes.

Apples
4 medium apples (we used a red apple good for baking)
1/4 C brown sugar (more or less to taste)
2 t Ground Cinnamon (more or less to taste)

Pre-heat oven to 350 deg. Core and slice apples. We did not peel them, but you can if you or your kids don't like the skin. Place apple slices, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Toss to coat. Place apples on baking dish and bake for about 30 minutes. Serve warm. ** this also fills your house with a wonderful smell! You may want to do more apples late in the afternoon and get this done first, prior to the chicken so you can snack while you cook.....Yes, I'm that bad**

Vegetables
I cheated. Grab a bag or two of steam in the microwave veggies. Pour cooked veggies in a bowl, serve.

Chicken Souvlaki

I love a good gyro or souvlaki, however most of the dishes I found to try over the years just weren't up to par. This one is pretty good. Not an exact match to my beloved tzatziki sauce, but pretty darn good. Hey, I woofed it down!

Serves 4

For the chicken souvlaki:
2 T olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1 1/2 t minced garlic
1 1/2 t fresh oregano
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t coarse salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 pita bread
lettuce leaves
tomato slices
onion slices

Whisk together first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Add chicken thighs. Toss to coat and let marinade for at least 30 minutes (I let it sit for an hour, turning once). Pre-heat broiler to high. Place chicken on a baking sheet and broil for 4 minutes. Flip chicken over and broil for an additional 4 minutes or until chicken is cooked through, about 180 deg F. Cut chicken into bite-sized chunks.

You can either stuff your pita or fold it like a taco. Fill the bread with lettuce, tomato, onion and chicken. Top with tzatziki sauce to taste.

For the Tzatziki Sauce:
1 C Greek Yogurt (full fat is fine)
1/4 C diced seedless, peeled cucumber (about half a cucumber)
1 T minced garlic
1/2 t olive oil
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t coarse salt
pinch black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Stir to combine.

Kielbasa Bundles

Hello foodie friends. Yes, it has been a while. Here is something I made for lunch today with the family. It was fun having the kids help out when they could.

1/2 lb fully cooked kielbasa or Polish Sausage, chopped (I used Polska Kielbasa, 14 oz)
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 C green pepper, chopped (I used 1/4 green pepper, little over 1/4 C)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T butter
1/3 C barbecue sauce (I had Hickory Smoked on hand)
2 tubes (8 oz each) refrigerated crescent rolls
4 slices American cheese slices, halved
1 egg white
1 T water
Sesame Seeds

Pre-heat oven to 350 Deg.

In a large skillet (try deep dish), cook sausage for 5 minutes over medium heat. Drain any fat. Add onion, green pepper, garlic, and butter. Cook until vegetables are tender, about another 5 minutes. Stir in barbecue sauce and heat through.

While the vegetables are cooking; unroll crescent dough and separate into four rectangles; seal perforations. Place a cheese slice on half of each rectangle; top with 2 T sausage mixture. Fold dough over filling and pinch sides. Tuck any remaining dough underneath. Beat egg white and water together in a small bowl; brush over dough. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. Yield: 8 bundles.

Julie & Julia

Last night I had the pleasure of watching the movie Julie and Julia with Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. Growing up I liked Meryl Streep but I fell in love with her in the Devil Wears Prada. I find it ironic that I see myself as Andy in the Devil Wears Prada. I also see myself as Julie and just laugh. I find myself as a mix of these two. Here I am, a wife and mom wanting to further my knowledge in the cooking field. I don't mind cooking a meal twice - there are favorites, but I am always wanting to try a new recipe. On the flip side, cooking calms the nerves and I feel a sense of accomplishment and love when I prepare a "Sunday Dinner" for friends and family. Call it a love language. And here, I have a blog. If one (or any) of the Food Network Stars ever told me that my blog was terrible I would be heart broken like Julie in the movie. Then I would get over it and move on. It's my blog. =)

There's nothing more pleasing than going shopping for a specific dinner. Strolling down the isle of the market, picking out the freshest red meat, herbs with aroma that takes you places for a moment in time, the softness of a ripe peach that reminds you of warm mornings in bed.....I should go to cooking school..... Funny....someone with the mind set and previous track of an engineer going to cooking school....

Bon Appetit!

Banquet Dinner

Yes, I love to cook. Yes, I love to try new things. Yes, I want a quick dinner every once in a while that I just don't have to think about.

Dave and I were grocery shopping a couple weeks ago. We saw a dinner in a box deal by Banquet (yes, those instant lunch/dinner deals - but not in the frozen section). Ham and hashbrowns in cheese. Sounds yummy. I didn't think it was that bad. My kids - and it's been over 2 years.....I should know better.... didn't like it. I've cooked my kids meals for them ever since they started solids. They do NOT like any kind of instant dinner/lunch. I can't even get them to eat Chef Boyarde.......

Taco Soup

My neighbor gave me this recpie of her's (among with others which I will share later). Thank you, Maggie!

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 t minced garlic
2 cans navy beans, undrained
1 can sweet corn, undrained
2 cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can diced green chilies
2 packages taco seasoning
sour cream ~dallop per bowl
1 C shredded cheese (your choice)
Tortilla Chips

Brown beef, onion and garlic in large pot. Drain any fat. Add all other items to pot. Bring to boil and simmer 20 minutes or until heated through.

Serve soup in bowls, top with sour cream and cheese if desired (I recommend). We used the tortilla chips as our spoons. Kids LOVED this dish. They thought it was so much fun eating soup with chips.

I used cheddar cheese, you can use mexican blend cheese if you like. After you brown your meat, you can toss everything (except sour cream and cheese) in a slow cooker and let that go, on low, for a few hours in the afternoon.

Dijon Tilapia with Capers

You know what makes me feel terrible? I have tried new recipes and I can't remember to get on here and post them! Well, I guess working OT will do that to a person.

Tonight I didn't want chicken or ground beef. I saw the tilapia again... Yum. Ran out of cheese. Doesn't that put a damper on things? Typically, yes, but not today! My dish below I realized once I plated it was all white. However, you can tweak it, as always! My kiddos ate it, so I'm not complaining. The dijon mustard give it a nice flavor while the sour cream smooths it out.

If you don't know much about fish, or don't really eat it, you'll love tilapia. It is a VERY mild tasting fish. I say that because I like fish and tilapia doesn't taste like fish at all. It almost has no flavor. It's very bland and just cooking it with the pam give it a nice buttery flavor (I love butter). It is a wonderful fish to get to know and learn how to cook with.

3 Tilapia loins
Pam or some Butter
1/3 C Sour Cream
1 T Milk
1 T Dijon Mustard
2 t capers, drained

1 box scalloped potatoes, cooked according to pkg directions
2 C frozen broccoli and cauliflower, steamed

Spray a cookie sheet with pam. Place tilapia on the sheet. Spray fish with Pam. Bake at 450 deg for 4-6 minutes. Flip and cook another few minutes until cooked through if needed.

While your fish is cooking, mix sour cream, milk and mustard in a small pot over low heat. Do not bring to a boil! Add the capers once it's all mixed.

Plate your fish and pour (yes, it will be thick) the sauce over the fish. Serve with potatoes and veggies. *you could add more milk (careful here) to make it less viscous.

Casserole Surprise

I don't  know if I've posted this before, but I've learned that my kids do not like their dinner plate broken down into meat, veggie, starch, fruit. They pick at it. But.....if I make a casserole, it's gone in 5 minutes. Today's dish is created from a combination of my likes and the kid's likes. You got meat, starch and veggies all in one! Best part - NO ONE knew I put fish in this dish.......

8 oz of noodles - I used mini pinwheels
12 oz velveeta cheese
1/3 c skim milk
1 small frozen pkg of broccoli & cauliflower that you steam in the microwave
S&P to taste
3 tilapia loins
any seasoning you like (see below)
1 C shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 C bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350 deg. Cook noodles according to package directions. While noodles are cooking pan sear (cook) tilapia in butter and any seasoning you like (garlic, dill, sage, basil, etc..) Shred tilapia, set aside. Microwave veggies and dice. Drain noodles, dump back in pot. Return the pot to the stove and add milk, cheese. Mix until melted. Add veggies and fish - mix well. Place mixture in rectangle baking dish.Top with cheese and bread crumbs. Bake for 15 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Cuban Chicken?

So, I used Cuban seasoning......would one call it Cuban Chicken? If you try the dish, let me know what I should call it! Inspiration from this dish came from Mario Batali, although I only used half of his recipe and changed it from Mediterranean to Cuban...yeah, I do that.

I made the meat part of this last night and put it in the fridge. It takes about an hour and a half to make the meat, so I thought I would do it ahead of time and warm it the next day. Today I made the rice and threw the chicken/stock into a pot over medium heat while the rice cooked. It warmed it up to a nice temperature and the dish was delicious! I will write out what I did and at the end let you know some suggestions that I will try next time. Don't get me wrong, I think the dish is fine as is, but dishes always have room for tweaking and changing to one's liking.

4-6 chicken thighs (boneless if you want), skinless
flour
1/4 C oil (plus a little extra)
1 Lg red onion, you may dice or slice thinly
10 shakes of McCormick Cuban Seasoning ~ okay maybe 2 t?
1 carrot, diced
4 C chicken stock
1C rice, cooked to package directions


Directions:

Dredge chicken in flour. In a deep dish pan (a pan with a lid) heat oil over med-high heat until smoking. Add chicken and brown on both sides, transfer to a plate. Repeat with any remaining thighs.

Turn heat to low. Add onions (and additional oil if necessary) to the dish. Cook for about 8-10 minutes or until soft. Add carrot and chicken stock, bring to a boil. Return chicken to dish and cover tightly. Bring temperature to Low and cook for 1 hour. Remove the lid and cook for 10 minutes.

Place rice on plate, top with chicken and sauce. Serve.

That all being said........


Mario's dish called for 1/2 t saffron threads to be added to onions, 1 C small green olives to be added to the carrot, and only add 3 C chicken stock. Also 6 servings of couscous instead of rice. Once you take the chicken out of the pot at the end, add 1/4 C fresh mint leaves. Stir leaves in sauce, then top over chicken.

What I would change to my dish......


I added another C of chicken stock because I wasn't sure if 3 was enough. The dish was DELICIOUS, but if you wanted less salt, try low sodium chicken broth instead of regular broth/stock ~ or homemade stock. I would also add more carrots and possibly celery or another vegetable. I'm sure the green olives would taste nice. I may add some fresh garlic to the onions and saute them together. I will use the McCormick Cuban seasoning again. I like that! I would have used couscous if I had any in my pantry. I think that's it.

Kid's Review:


Scott loved it! My 4 year old gobbled it up within minutes. My 2 year old is not eating much of anything right now, so I wouldn't put too much on him. And my husband hasn't had dinner yet......

Open Face Tuna Melts

One awesome thing (for a person like me) is trying new foods from people who come in to your family. I give thanks to my step-mother for this one!

2 sm or 1 lg can of tuna, drained
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 sm onion, diced (or onion powder)
S&P to taste
1/4 t dried dill
couple of T of mayonnaise
------> you're making tuna salad here if you haven't caught on. Make it how you like it!

3-4 English muffins, separated
1 tomato, sliced
6-8 slices of white american, provolone or any cheese you like I guess
2 green onions, sliced


Open your English muffins. Place them on a baking sheet. Mix all ingredients for your tuna salad.Place a couple spoonfuls on each muffin slice. Add more muffins if needed. Lay a slice of tomato on the salad and top with a slice of cheese. Sprinkle onions over cheese. Broil for about 5 min or until cheese is melted.

Another mac and cheese dish for kids

When I picked Scott up from school today he asked for macaroni and cheese for dinner. I asked him what meat should be in it. He replied hot dogs. Of course he did! We're trying to get away from hot dogs, even though they don't eat them that often. So.....I imper-vised!

1/2 box elbow noodles
1-1/2 C shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 T butter
1 T milk
S&P to taste
Deli meat, cubed

Cook noodles according to package. Drain and let cool until most of the evaporation has stopped. (This will allow whatever sauce you're using to stick to your noodles better) Transfer noodles back to your pot and mix remaining items. Serve.

I used sliced turkey and diced it up. Being light in color and thin the kids didn't even know they were eating meat! You can use a whole box of noodles and add 2 C of cheese. You can do 1 C of sharp and 1 C of mild to mix it up. Add whatever deli meat you or your kids like.

Pork with Peaches and Pecan Sauce

First of all, thank you Campbells for this recipe! You can find it on the back of the Golden Mushroom condensed soup can. This recipe is flavorful and my kids ate it up!

1 T olive oil
1 lb pork tenderloin (I used 2 thick boneless pork chops, butterflied and cut into slices)
1 garlic cloves, minced
3 green onions, sliced (separate 2 and 1)
1 can Campbell's Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1 can (about 15 oz) sliced peaches. Drain juice and set aside (you will use juice and peaches separately)
3 T (low sodium) soy sauce
2 T (Local) honey - I'm a local user ;)
1/4 C pecan halves, toasted and broken into pieces

1 C cooked rice

Heat oil in deep sided skillet over med-high heat. Add pork and cook until well browned on both sides. (Pretty much cooked) Remove pork from skillet and set aside.

Add onion (2) and garlic to skillet cook for 1 minute - don't let it burn though. Stir in soup, peach juice, soy sauce and honey. Heat to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until soup mixture is slightly reduced.

Return pork to skillet and heat to a boil. Stir in peaches. Reduce heat to low and cook until pork is cooked through. Stir in pecans.

Serve next to or on top a bed of rice. Sprinkle/Garnish with remaining green onion.

Farmhouse Pork & Apple Pie

Yes, this is for dinner! This recipe makes servings for 10. So please cut amounts accordingly. It calls for 1 lb of bacon. If you want to go healthy and use something like turkey bacon that does not give off a lot of drippings then when it comes to that step you'll have to sub with butter or oil to saute onions in.

1 lb sliced bacon, cut into 2" pieces

2 medium onions, chopped

3 lbs boneless pork, cubed

3/4 C all-purpose flour

Vegetable oil, optional

3 medium tart apples, peeled and chopped

1 t rubbed sage

1/2 t ground nutmeg

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1 C apple cider (or apple juice)

1/2 C water

4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

1/2 C milk

5 T butter, divided

Fresh parsley, chopped (do not sub dried!)

Cook bacon until crispy. Remove and lay on paper towels. In drippings, saute onions until tender; remove and set aside. Dust pork lightly with flour. Brown in pan in batches, adding oil as needed (you may want to wipe the pan with a paper towel to clean prior to adding oil each time). Add all pork to pan; add bacon, onions, apples, sage, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir in cider and water. Transfer to a 12" baking dish (or other baking dish), cover and bake at 325 for two hours or until pork is tender.

Boil potatoes in boiling water until tender. Drain and mash potatoes in a mixing bowel with milk and 3 T butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove pork from oven and spread potatoes over the pork mixture. Melt remaining butter and spread over potatoes. Broil for 6 minutes or until topping is browned. Sprinkle with fresh parsley if desired.

Chicken Teriyaki

Sometimes I'm not the brightest and it takes me a while. Forever I wanted good, yummy teriayki like the restaurants or the mall. Well, after looking online here's what I've come up with. Please let me know if you have a better version. I am a little confused (if anyone knows, please spill) on the sake. Is sake rice wine? I have rice wine at home, but it doesn't state sake on it. (???)

2 T sake (Japanese Rice Wine)

1/4 C mirin (sweet Japanese rice wine)

1/4 C soy sauce

2 T light brown sugar

2 t grated fresh ginger root (3/4 or so dried)

splash sesame oil

1 3/4 lb chicken pieces

1 t peanut oil (please remember to sub all oils for allergies!!!)

2 C rice

Cook rice as directed. This is a side dish.

Combine sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger and sesame oil in a deep dish/bowl. Add chicken and let marinade for 15 minutes (refrigerate). Heat peanut oil in a deep sided pan that has a lid over medium heat. Using a slotted spoon, transfer chicken to oil. Saute chicken until it looks cooked on the outside, flip as needed.
Add the marinade to the chicken and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to simmer, cover and let cook for about 5 minutes. Make sure chicken is cooked prior to moving on ~170 deg F.
Remove chicken from pan and keep warm. Raise heat to med-high to thicken marinade to a syrup consistency. Return the chicken to the pan, stir well to coat. Serve with rice.