Week of May 15, 2016

Falafel in Pita, Couscous, hummus

Mon - Crock Pot Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes

Tue - Steak Fajitas

Wed - Zuppa Tuscana
Thur - Pork Chops with Sauted Green Beans
Fri - American Goulash
Sat - Falafel in a Pita

Crock Pot Betty Crocker Scalloped Potatoes
3 boxes of Betty Crocker Au Gratin Casserole Potatoes 
water, milk, and butter as directed on the packages (don't forget to triple!)
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup diced ham

mix all but 1/2 cup cheese in crock pot. Cover, cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. in the last 30 minutes, sprinkle on the remaining cheese.

Steak Fajitas

1-2 lb steak, sliced thin against grain1 green bell pepper, sliced1/2 yellow or orange bell pepper, sliced1/2 red bell pepper, sliced1 medium onion, sliced1 cup diced mushrooms (optional)Salt and pepper1 tsp garlic powder1 tsp cumin1 tbsp oil
In a large saute pan (cast iron is great for this), saute veggies in oil until tender. Remove veggies cover to keep warm, add steak and seasonings and cook until reached desired doneness. Replace veggies and mix. Serve with flour tortillas, re-fried beans and Mexican rice (box or bag, contact me for homemade recipes)

Pot of Zuppa

Zuppa Toscana

• 2 cups chopped kale

• 1 lb hot Italian sausage

• 1 tbsp olive oil (if needed)

• 2 garlic cloves, pressed

• 1 box stock (chicken or veggie), heated

• 3 lb potatoes, sliced

• 1 cups milk

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 3 tsp salt

• 1 tsp freshly ground pepper

In a large saucepot, over medium heat cook sausage, chop into chunks. When no longer pink, remove meat but leave oil in pan.  Add garlic, and oil if there is less then 2 tbsp of fat in the pan. Cook over medium heat until fragrant. Add the hot stock and whisk to combine. Add potatoes. Add enough hot water to cover potatoes. Stir in salt and pepper. Boil until potatoes are tender. DO NOT DRAIN potato water.
When potatoes are almost done, add the kale and cook until kale and potatoes are tender. Stir in the milk and cream. Return sausage. Heat through. Serve immediately. (If left to simmer the potatoes will begin to turn into mush and disappear in the liquid.)

Pork Chop, Rice, Green Beans

Pan Fried Pork Chops
4-6 (about 1 1/2 lb) pork chops
3/4 + 1/4 cup  milk
1 egg
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I use Progresso Italian)
Oil to coat the bottom of the pan (veg or canola)
flour coating:
1/2 cup AP flour
1 tbsp seasoning salt (such as Johnny's)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
To bread the chops you will need: 2 bowls, 2 paper plates, 1 non-stick cooling rack, a fork. Set up the assembly line: bowl with 3/4 cup of milk, paper plate with flour coating, bowl with 1 egg and 1/4 cup milk beaten together, paper plate with bread crumbs, and last the cooling rack. Put all the chops in the 1 st bowl. let set in the milk for 5 minutes. One chop at a time, place on the flour and coat with the coating. Dip in the egg mix. the place on the bread crumbs and coat the chop. Lay on the cooling rack until all chops are breaded.
To cook the chops, heat the oil in a large skillet (with a lid) on med-high heat. Add chops one at a time, being careful not to splatter yourself. Cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the bottom side is golden brown and top is starting to turn from pink to white. Turn and cook until done. Middle of chop should reach 160F. Let rest 5 minutes on the cooling rack to drain oil.