Ingredient: panko bread crumbs

Baked Chicken w/ Tomato Bacon Relish

CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY!

Honoring your father on Father’s Day doesn’t require his physical presence. I feel what is more important is just the act of doing it. I am very grateful to have had a father who was such a strong role model in my life. Everything he did was driven by his commitment to provide and care for the family he loved.

My father passed away in 2005 and Brion’s in 2011. Both our dads loved to talk and tell stories from their lives. We often wish we could retrace that time and hear their voices again. It seems you never fully appreciate your parents until they are no longer on this earth. It is so important to appreciate every hour they are in your life.

Brion & I eat a lot of chicken, so I’m always interested in another way of serving it. This recipe gives you not only crispy chicken but a flavorful tomato bacon relish to compliment it.

If you’re a bacon lover, it probably goes without saying, but bacon goes well with everything. Tomato bacon relish sounds like it would be savory, but it’s actually pretty sweet, just like other fruit jams! However, it does have a lot more complexity thanks to the bacon and spices.

The concept may sound strange, but it tastes like caramelized tomatoes–richer, sweeter, and more mellow than their fresh counterparts, balanced by the savory and smoky flavors of the bacon and smoked paprika. A little vinegar and mustard add a subtle tang, and you’ll get a hint of heat at the end from red pepper flakes.

It’s perfect spread on toast, in an omelet or a grilled cheese sandwich, on roasted veggies, next to cheese and crackers on a charcuterie board, or spread over cream cheese or brie for a party appetizer, etc. etc.

My special meal in honor of our dad’s on this Father’s Day is baked chicken tenders with bacon tomato relish.

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 Baked Chicken w/ Tomato Bacon Relish
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Cuisine American
Keyword baked chicken w/ tomato bacon relish
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Bacon Tomato Relish
Cuisine American
Keyword baked chicken w/ tomato bacon relish
Servings
Ingredients
Chicken
Bacon Tomato Relish
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Chicken
  1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
  2. In a shallow bowl, mix bread crumbs, 2 Tbsp thyme & 1/4 tsp each salt & pepper. Place flour & egg in separate shallow bowls. Dip chicken in flour; shake off excess. Dip in egg, then in crumb mixture, patting to help coating adhere. Place chicken on a greased rack in a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Bake about 15 minutes or until no pink remains.
Bacon Tomato Relish
  1. In a skillet, over medium high heat, fry bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to plate. Drain all but 1 Tbsp bacon drippings.
  2. In the same skillet, sauté onions in reserved bacon drippings until onion starts to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic during last minute of sautéing.
  3. Add bacon & all remaining ingredients; stir to combine. Increase heat & bring mixture to a boil.
  4. Decrease heat & simmer, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are tender.
  5. Serve over baked chicken tenders.

1770 House Meatloaf w/ Garlic Sauce

The other day I came across a recipe for meatloaf that certainly seemed like something ‘special’. Years ago, every family had a meatloaf recipe that was so dearly loved, it achieved iconic status. Today, I’m not so sure that is the case anymore. Nevertheless, this recipe was called ‘1770 House Meatloaf’ which made me curious as to what the history was behind it. Most every review raved about it being pure comfort food and much more than just meatloaf.

From my research on this meatloaf I found that the 1770 House is an East Hampton Inn and Restaurant famous for this dish. East Hampton Village on Long Island, New York is a beautiful village. It’s been that way for years with a glorious pond right as you come into town where swans swim in summer and skaters take to the ice in winter.

The 1770 House has welcomed guests with hospitality and comfort, a tradition that continues to attract guests from around the world to the intimate Inn, steps from the heart of East Hampton Village. The venerable home, today a boutique hotel and restaurant, seamlessly integrates historic elegance with luxurious, modern amenities and first-class dining.

This glorious colonial house has two restaurants—a more formal fine dining room on the ground level and, down a flight of stairs, a cozy ‘tavern’ with its roaring fireplace and comfort food menu.  And always, on this seasonally changing menu, there is Chef Kevin Penner’s remarkable meatloaf with its even more remarkable garlic sauce.  

This familiar dish is simple enough that it can be prepared as a weekday meal, but that has been elevated by adding a few key ingredients. The celery and thyme infuse the mix with intense flavor, and the garlic sauce works perfectly. The outcome is a delicious dish with moist texture: not your average meatloaf.

So there you have it …. meatloaf with first-class dining status!

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 1770 House Meatloaf w/ Garlic Sauce
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Course Main Dish
Keyword 1770 House meatloaf w/ garlic sauce
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Meatloaf
Garlic Sauce
Course Main Dish
Keyword 1770 House meatloaf w/ garlic sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Meatloaf
Garlic Sauce
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Meatloaf
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
  2. Heat the olive oil in a large (12-inch) sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion & celery and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not browned. Set aside to cool slightly.
  3. Place the beef, veal, pork, parsley, thyme, chives, eggs, milk, salt & pepper in a large mixing bowl. Put the panko in a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the panko is finely ground.
  4. Add the onion mixture & the panko to the meat mixture. With clean hands, gently toss the mixture together, making sure it's combined but not compacted.
  5. Place a piece of parchment paper on a sheet pan. Pat the meat into a flat rectangle and then press the sides in until it forms a cylinder down the middle of the pan (this will ensure no air pockets). Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the middle reads 155 F. to 160 F. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Slice and serve hot with the Garlic Sauce.
Garlic Sauce
  1. Combine the oil & garlic in a small saucepan & bring to a boil. Lower the heat & simmer for 10 -15 minutes, until lightly browned. Be careful not to burn the garlic or it will be bitter. Remove the garlic from the oil and set aside.
  2. Combine the chicken stock, butter & cooked garlic in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat & cook at a full boil for 35 - 40 minutes, until slightly thickened. Mash the garlic with a fork, whisk in 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper & taste for seasonings. Spoon the warm sauce over the meatloaf.
Recipe Notes
  • Since there are just two of us, I made the full recipe then divided the mixture into 3 portions. I baked all 3 & used one for our supper meal today,  froze the second one for a future meal & with the third, I sliced it for 'meatloaf' sandwiches. Doesn't get better than that!

Garlic Chicken over Creamy Artichoke & Lemon Ravioli

Canadians embrace food – we value family traditions, global trends, and local ingredients.  Like our food, families across Canada are evolving.  Blended, single-parent and multi-ethnic families have become part of our modern mosaic which echoes our growing tastes and preferences.  But what has stayed the same is our love of pasta.

Almost nine in ten households have pasta in their pantries or freezers. What’s more, it’s a good, simple food in an industry striving to meet the demands of today’s health-minded families. Along with being healthy, consumers have become more concerned with the origins of their food products, larger processors are typically viewed as not being local, due to the volume of ingredients they require to keep up with demand. But that’s not always the case.

My inspiration for this meal came from some special ravioli Brion & I had picked up at our favorite Italian Store. I wanted to showcase it in an herb garlic chicken meal but I was real interested to learn that the producer of this pasta was from right here in our province of Alberta. Here is just a bit of info I learned from the ‘Let’s Pasta’ website.

Situated in Lethbridge’s industrial area, Let’s Pasta has been producing the freshest and finest pastas for the last 24 years, using exclusively Southern Alberta Durum Semolina wheat. This wheat is grown on two local farms and processed at P&H Milling, mere minutes from the pasta facility.  In fact, those wheat farmers have an actual dedicated bin at P&H Milling, so there is always a steady supply available for Let’s Pasta.  All their pastas, which include tortellini, ravioli, and gnocchi, are also made using local cage-free eggs. This connection to their local agricultural community is at the root of all their operations, driven by the firm belief of growing with their farmers while supporting sustainable agriculture for future generations to enjoy.

Let’s Pasta uses only whole, real foods in their fillings, no preservatives, no additives, no flakes, or by-products. Just good, old fashioned ingredients like potatoes, butternut squash, pork, and spinach.  Now obviously the lobster and crab they use isn’t coming from Alberta, but they are from the Canadian Atlantic, and the Pacific region.  All their fillings are made by hand in their test kitchen, where they also try out new recipes all the time to add to their lineup.

The two farms that provide the Durum Semolina Wheat for Let’s Pasta, Saunders Farms (near Taber) and Neveridle Farms (near Lethbridge), grow for a program called Shepherd’s Grain, a collective that promotes no-till, direct-seed farming so they can renew and preserve the land for generations to come – theirs and yours. Each grower is certified by Food Alliance™ for sustainability and complies with their strict standards for land improvement. They even have a traceability program that reinforces their commitment to renew the relationship between consumers and the farmers who grow their food.

From the facility, Let’s Pasta’s products make their way into retailers throughout Alberta, and across Canada.  Not only are they available at select major retailers like Safeway, Sobeys, Federated and Calgary Co-Ops in Alberta, but you can also find their products at specialty shops like The Italian Centre Shop in Edmonton and Calgary, The Italian Store (also in Calgary) and Italian Bakery’s Mercato in St Albert. 

Having lived in Lethbridge years ago, I found this all quite interesting not to mention what great ravioli it is!

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 Garlic Chicken over Creamy Artichoke & Lemon Ravioli
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic chicken over ravioli w/ heirloom tomatoes & cheese sauce
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Ingredients
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic chicken over ravioli w/ heirloom tomatoes & cheese sauce
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Halve and peel shallot, then thinly slice lengthwise. Halve tomatoes. Zest 1 TBSP zest from lemon, then halve. Grate mozzarella on large holes of a grater. Finely chop chives.
  2. Put panko & a large drizzle of olive oil in a large pan. Place over medium-high heat. Toast, stirring, until deep golden, 3-5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out pan. Heat another large drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Pat chicken dry with a paper towel; season with salt and pepper.
  3. Add chicken to the pan and cook until done, 5-8 minutes per side. Remove from pan & let rest on a plate. Set pan aside. Place shallot and 2 Tbsp garlic herb butter in another pan. Heat over medium-high heat. Cook until softened, 2-3 minutes. Pour in milk & add 1 chicken bouillon cube . Bring to a simmer.
  4. Whisk Italian and mozzarella cheeses into pan with milk. Stir in juice from half of the lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Adjust heat to low. Meanwhile, add ravioli to pot of water, lower heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until al dente, 2-4 minutes. Reserve 1½ cups cooking water, then drain. Stir ravioli, tomatoes, peas, and ¾ cup cooking water into sauce in pan. Simmer until just thickened, 1-2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  5. Add more cooking water as needed to loosen pasta sauce. Set aside. Place thyme sprigs, ½ cup water, and remaining chicken bouillon cube in pan used for chicken and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Pour in any juices released by chicken. Let reduce slightly, 1-2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and stir in remaining garlic herb butter & juice from lemon half (if you wish). Season with salt and pepper. Discard thyme sprigs.
  6. Arrange pasta mixture on a platter and sprinkle with panko, Parmesan, lemon zest, chives, & chili flakes to taste. Thinly slice chicken on a slight diagonal and arrange over pasta. Spoon pan sauce over chicken; sprinkle with remaining chives.
Recipe Notes
  • Garlic Herb Butter:
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • dash of black pepper
  • 1 -1 1/2 Tbsp freshly chopped herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, chives, parsley or sage)

Creamy Roasted Red Onions

All onions are not created equal so using the best onion for the job can really add a depth of flavor to your meals.

Onions are the workhorses of the kitchen and the foundation of so many billions of dishes across the globe that we forget how lovely and delicious they are all by themselves.

For most of the year, you’ll find red storage onions at the supermarket, which are pungent and spicy. In the summer months, you’ll often find fresh red onions, which are much milder, and lack a bit of the ‘onion-y’ flavor you’ll find in their yellow and white cousins.

The main difference between red onion and white onion is that red onions are a little spicy in taste while the white are comparatively sweeter and less mild.

It is a well-known fact that almost all dishes feel and taste incomplete without the presence of onion in them. Stuffed onions are an impressive side dish and a perfect complement to any main dish. 

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 Creamy Roasted Red Onions
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword creamy roasted red onions
Servings
Ingredients
Onions
Filling
Topping
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword creamy roasted red onions
Servings
Ingredients
Onions
Filling
Topping
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Onions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. Peel onions, trim the root ends so they will sit upright & cut about 1/2-inch from tops. Rub onions with olive oil & season with salt. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven & allow to cool slightly.
  3. Gently remove the centers leaving a shell of about 2-3 layers. Return a slice of the center to form a bottom. Coarsely chop onion centers.
Filling
  1. In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, salt, herbs de Provence, garlic powder, minced garlic & chopped onions. Spoon filling into onion shells.
Topping
  1. In a small bowl, combine Panko, butter, cooked bacon & parsley. Spoon carefully over onions.
  2. Bake for 30 minutes or until filling is heated through & bread crumbs start to brown. Serve immediately.

Cheesy Zucchini w/ Bacon

Zucchini can be used as a canvas for so many combinations. Stuffed zucchini recipes usually contain ground meat, cheese, tomatoes, rice, spices, etc. I decided to take ours in a different direction today using bacon.

We enjoy zucchini in any form, not just when its in season but anytime. Its amazing how zucchini can be the perfect ingredient in so many recipes. Not all vegetables can take on so much. I’ve used it in just about everything I can think of from crispy fries, zoodles, desserts, breads, main dishes, etc. etc.

This stuffed zucchini meal was real good with steamed rice and roasted tomatoes.

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 Cheesy Zucchini w/ Bacon
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy zucchini w/ bacon
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword cheesy zucchini w/ bacon
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
  2. Slice ends from zucchini & cut each one into 4 equal pieces. Carve out the inside, being careful not to go all the way through the bottom.
  3. Chop pieces of the zucchini removed from the insides. Place in a bowl with the grated mozzarella, panko crumbs, egg & spices. Cut slices of bacon in half.
  4. Place a half slice bacon in the shape of a 'U' inside each piece of zucchini. Divide filling between the 8 pieces of zucchini, placing it on top of bacon.
  5. Bake filled zucchini in a buttered, foil lined baking dish for about 30 minutes. After removing from oven, sprinkle parmesan cheese over top & garnish with fresh basil if you wish.

Apple Butter Onion Turkey Burgers

CELEBRATING FATHER’S DAY!

Honoring your father on Father’s Day doesn’t require his physical presence. I feel what is more important, is just the act of doing it.

It seems as we get older, reminiscing becomes part of our lives. It is an important psychological process called ‘life cycle review’. Father’s Day, for Brion & I, is a day that brings back many fond memories. My father passed away in 2005 and Brion’s in 2011. There is never a week that goes by that we don’t reminisce about something we remember about one or the other. Both of our Dad’s loved to talk and tell you stories from their lives. I think back to when I was just a kid and my Dad would recount the same story more than once. At the time, it all seemed a bit boring but now I realize how the benefits of storytelling and review are greatly underestimated. I would give anything to retrace those years once again.

A father’s love and influence is never fully appreciated until he is no longer with you. It is so important to make the most of every day they are in your life.

For my Father’s Day blog recipe, I am doing a barbecue meal I think they both would have enjoyed.

Using apple butter not only in the turkey burgers but also in the caramelized onion is so unique tasting. Apple butter is in its own class of spreads, its not really a jam or jelly and it doesn’t have the thin texture of apple sauce. It is thicker, silkier and a highly concentrated paste produced by slow cooking. The apples caramelize turning the apple butter a deep brown.

Contrary to what the name suggests, there’s zero actual butter in apple butter. The name is derived from the fact that it is a dense spread.

These ‘gourmet’ burgers have a great apple butter flavor that pairs perfectly with smoked gouda cheese and caramelized onions. It seems apple butter, as ordinary as it is, cannot be found in every grocery store and when you find it, the price is amazingly high. I made a small batch from ‘scratch’ that worked out good in this recipe.

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 Apple Butter Onion Turkey Burgers
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Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword apple butter onion turkey burgers
Servings
Ingredients
Apple Butter
Burgers
Apple Butter Onions
Course Lunch, Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword apple butter onion turkey burgers
Servings
Ingredients
Apple Butter
Burgers
Apple Butter Onions
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Apple Butter
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Peel, core & cut apples into wedges; place in a baking dish.
  2. Cover the pan tightly & bake for 30-45 minutes or until apples are cooked & soft. Allow to cool for a few minutes.
  3. Place the cooked apples to a food processor; add spices, honey & apple cider vinegar. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan & simmer mixture over low heat to reduce down. Stir the mixture occasionally as it cooks. This process reduces the liquid in the apple butter & will take 30-90 minutes all depending on how much moisture was in the apples. When finished cooking, cool slightly before adding it to your burger mixture.
Burgers
  1. In a bowl, add ground turkey, panko crumbs, apple butter, cilantro, cumin, smoked paprika, salt & pepper. Combine well & shape into 6 slider or 4 full-size burgers. Set aside in fridge until onions are made.
Apple Butter Onions
  1. Remove the papery skin from the onion & trim off top & bottom. Cut in half & thinly slice.
  2. In a large skillet add olive oil & set over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add onions, salt & pepper. Cook for 20 minutes or until the onions are soft & caramelized. Add the apple butter & stir to combine. Keep warm while burgers cook.
Grilling/Serve
  1. Preheat barbecue grill to medium heat. Grill burgers 8-10 minutes depending on size. Top each burger with cheese & allow to melt. Toast buns if you wish, top with burgers, apple butter onions & tomatoes.

Stuffed Pork Medallions w/ Cabbage & Apples

Tenderloin has always been one of my favorite ‘go to’ meats. Lean, tender, tastes great, so what more could you ask for?! I’m forever pairing it with another kind of stuffing or roasting it with different glazes or marinades.

Today I wanted to roast it with the classic combo of cabbage and apples. The perfect accompaniment probably because you really don’t need to add much else to the meal to make it taste great.

Cabbage isn’t glamorous. It doesn’t have a fancy name but it is common, versatile and lasts forever in the refrigerator. Even the smallest head yields enough for at least two or three meals.

When cabbage is roasted, a caramelized sweetness comes out, giving it such a nice flavor and especially when paired with apples.

Sometimes, cabbage is avoided because when cooked, the sulfur that it contains multiplies, giving off an unflattering odor. It helps to avoid using aluminum pans when preparing cabbage; aluminum reacts strongly to the sulfur present in the leaves. Stainless pots make a much better choice.

You can neutralize the odor by adding 1 teaspoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Certain ingredients will also help absorb the odor. Try adding a bay leaf or a couple of ribs of celery to sautéed cabbage. The sulfur odor will be absorbed without changing the taste of the cabbage. Simply discard the bay leaf or celery before serving.

No doubt about it, the flavor in this meal doesn’t lack for anything.

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 Stuffed Pork Medallions w/ Cabbage & Apples
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, German
Keyword stuffed pork medallions w/ cabbage & apples
Servings
Ingredients
Cabbage & Apples
Tenderloin Stuffing
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, German
Keyword stuffed pork medallions w/ cabbage & apples
Servings
Ingredients
Cabbage & Apples
Tenderloin Stuffing
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Tenderloin Stuffing
  1. Cook rice. Place in a bowl & set aside. In a skillet, heat oil & sauté onions until tender crisp. Add garlic & mushrooms & sauté for another 3-4 minutes. Add all herbs & spices; cook another minute than transfer to bowl with rice. Add Panko crumbs & egg, stirring to combine.
  2. Remove silver skin from tenderloins. Cut a slit all the way down the long end of your tenderloin, making sure not to cut all the way through. Open the tenderloins like a book, cover with a sheet of plastic wrap & pound with a meat mallet until they are about 1/2-inch thickness.
  3. Divide filling mixture between the two tenderloins & spread evenly over the surface of the tenderloins, leaving 1/2-inch at the borders. Roll tightly starting with the long end & secure the ends with toothpicks. Season all over with salt & pepper.
  4. Preheat oven to 400 F. Heat a large oven proof skillet with 2 Tbsp oil. Once oil is hot, place tenderloins in the skillet & sear about 2 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet with the tenderloins to the oven & bake for about 18-20 minutes or until thermometer reads 145-150 F. in the thickest portion of the meat. Transfer to a cutting board, brush with pan drippings. Cover loosely with foil & allow to rest 10 minutes before slicing.
Cabbage & Apples
  1. While tenderloin is roasting, prepare cabbage/apple mixture. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook onion in butter until soft & translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add garlic & continue cooking just until fragrant, 1 minute more.
  2. Add the cabbage & continue cooking until wilted, 6-8 minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Continue cooking until cabbage begins to caramelize, 4-5 minutes longer.
  3. Add the cubed apple, cider, mustard & brown sugar; carefully combine. Cover & cook until any liquid has evaporated & apples are soft. Place on a serving platter. Top with sliced tenderloin medallions & serve. If you wish, you could also serve the tenderloin with some mashed potatoes & oven roasted carrots.

Pork Chops Cordon Bleu

Today, March 21st, our family honors the memory of my father. He passed away at the age of 92, sixteen years ago. As a teenager, I never realized what a special privilege growing up as a farmer’s daughter really was. Coming home on the school bus and having to do ‘chores’ seemed so boring as opposed to being able to spend after school hours with your friends. As I look back on those times now, it all comes clear as to how treasured and valuable those life lessons were.

To be a successful farmer takes a tremendous amount of strength and courage. I think back to those days with great admiration and appreciation of the special man he was.

If you follow my blog, you’ve probably noticed I love ‘all things stuffed’. I have always been under the impression that ‘cordon bleu’ was a French invention. It seems it actually originated in Switzerland as a schnitzel filled with ham and cheese. The first reference to it in a cookbook came in 1949.

Thrift is often the best catalyst for for culinary invention and as the story goes, this meal originated in a restaurant in Brigg, Switzerland, when two large bookings turned up and the cook did not have enough portions to serve everyone.

The resourceful lady came up with the idea of making schnitzels and filling them with ham and cheese, ensuring there was enough to accommodate both groups. The restaurant owner was delighted with the cook’s creation and offered her ‘Le Cordon Bleu’ (the blue ribbon) used in France to recognize an excellent cook.

Being extremely modest, the cook said she did not need a blue ribbon, but suggested instead that it would be the ideal name for her invention.

Stuffing pork chops elevates them from ordinary to a special meal. It would have been a meal my Dad would just have loved.

SPECIAL MEMORIES OF OUR WONDERFUL FATHER TODAY

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 Pork Chops Cordon Bleu
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, European
Keyword pork chops cordon bleu
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, European
Keyword pork chops cordon bleu
Servings
Ingredients
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
  2. Slice pork chops horizontally throughout the middle. Insert a slice each of cheese & bacon. Seal edges with a toothpick.
  3. On a plate, whisk together egg & milk. On a separate plate, combine Panko, salt & pepper.
  4. Season pork chops with extra salt & pepper, then lightly dust in flour. Dip in egg mixture. Immediately dip into Panko, pressing into pork chops.
  5. In a skillet, heat oil & brown pork chops on both sides until golden. Transfer to a baking pan with a rack & continue baking until cooked, approximately 30-40 minutes.
  6. Nice to serve with a steamed green vegetable, French fries, mashed potatoes or rice.

Rice & Potato Balls

The art of stuffing shouldn’t be reserved just for holidays. Stuffed foods let you combine different textures and flavors in every bite. They offer a unique presentation with one food acting as the dish for serving the other ingredients.

Stuffed mushrooms or peppers are probably some of the most common along with a basic sandwich or burger. One of my favorites is clam chowder being served in a bread bowl.

Stuffed foods appear in almost every culture. The options of ‘food inside of food’ is virtually limitless. Any food that can be wrapped around other foods such as large leaves, pasta or pizza dough can also make amazing delicacies.

Basic rice isn’t quite so basic when its shaped and stuffed. These rice and potato balls are a meal all in one …. rice, potatoes, chicken & cheese.

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 Rice & Potato Balls
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Middle Eastern
Keyword rice & potato balls
Servings
Ingredients
Shell Mixture
Chicken Filling
To Bake
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American, Middle Eastern
Keyword rice & potato balls
Servings
Ingredients
Shell Mixture
Chicken Filling
To Bake
Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
Shell Mixture
  1. In a food processor, place cooked potatoes & (cooked) rice; process for a few seconds then add salt & pepper to taste. Add parmesan & beaten egg; process a few more seconds. Do NOT over process or the mixture will turn into paste. This can also be done with a mixer if you wish. Set aside.
Chicken Filling
  1. To a large saucepan, add ground chicken & cook for 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed. Add onions & garlic; cook for 5-8 minutes or until onions are soft. Add spices & cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat, add the cilantro & set meat aside to cool.
Assembly
  1. Have a bowl of cold water nearby. Handling with moistened hands, take a small amount of potato/rice mixture & shape it into a round ball. Hold the ball in one hand & hollow it with the thumb of the other hand. Fill with some chicken filling & close opening. Lay filled balls on a large tray as they are made & flatten slightly.
  2. Place flour in a dish, beaten egg in another & the panko crumbs on a flat plate.
  3. Preheat oven to 350 F. & line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  4. Roll each ball into the flour then dip into the egg & finally coat with panko bread crumbs. Place on baking tray, lightly spray with cooking oil & bake until golden, about 20 minutes.
  5. If you prefer, heat a combo of oil & butter in a skillet & pan fry balls instead. Alternately they could be deep fried as well.

Parmesan Baked Scallops over Egg Noodles

Whether broiled, fried, baked or pan-seared, fresh, wild-caught scallops are an excellent stand-alone dish or will compliment a salad or pasta with their sweet flavor and delicate texture.

Sea scallops are widely known for their iconic, beautiful shape …. a fan-like shell with fluted grooves. Different varieties are found in oceans all over the world and come in many sizes. For commercial purposes they are labeled similar to shrimp. A number is used to designate how many scallops of a given size it would take to constitute a pound. The label 20/30 means it would take 20/30 scallops to make up a pound and labels like U10 means it would take less than (‘under’) 10 to make a pound.

Scallops are bivalve mollusks (meaning having 2 shells- usually united by a hinge) that have a reddish-pink, upper shell and white or cream colored, lower shell.

Brion & I love seafood so this meal definitely works for us.

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 Parmesan Baked Scallops over Egg Noodles
Votes: 2
Rating: 4.5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Parmesan baked scallops over egg noodles/
Servings
Ingredients
Gouda Sauce
Parmesan Scallops
Course Main Dish
Cuisine American
Keyword Parmesan baked scallops over egg noodles/
Servings
Ingredients
Gouda Sauce
Parmesan Scallops
Votes: 2
Rating: 4.5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Instructions
Gouda Sauce
  1. In a saucepan, melt butter; whisk in flour & cook, stirring until frothy. Add milk, whisking until sauce comes to a boil & starts to thicken. Add cheese & spices & continue to cook a few more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; set aside.
Parmesan Scallops
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
  2. In a 9-inch square baking dish, melt butter & toss scallops in it. In a bowl, combine next 5 ingredients & sprinkle over scallops. Gently stir to spread them out in one layer. Bake about 15-20 minutes.
Egg Noodles
  1. In a pot of salted, boiling water cook egg noodles until al dente. Drain. Reheat sauce & combine with pasta. Divide between two serving plates & top each with baked scallops.