Pork Chops with Pineapple Fried Rice

Not a great picture but a GREAT recipe! This is straight from the Pioneer Woman. My sister tried it first and she gave it raving reviews so I had to try it too. I'm a sucker for fried rice and this has become my favorite fried rice recipe. A few days after I made this, I tried it again but with shrimp. It was delish, too!!

Ingredients:
- 1 can of pineapple rings in 100% juice (the PW used fresh pineapple but I didn't have any on hand)
- 2 cups of rice, cooked
- 6 pork chops (or 1 lb of peeled and deveined shrimp)
- 1 tablespoon of butter
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 onion, sliced
- 6 tablespoons of soy sauce (I added more than this)
- 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- 1 tablespoon of Sriracha
- 3 cloves of minced garlic
- 2 eggs
- 1 small jar of pimentos
- 1 1/2 cups of frozen mixed veggies
- I also added some shredded cabbage

Directions:
1) Cook rice and set aside.
2) Grill or saute pineapple rings until they have grill marks. Then cut up into bite size pieces and set aside.
3) Heat butter and oil over medium high heat, then add the pork chops in the pan. Saute on both  sides until they have nice color.
4) Throw in the onions and cook them with the pork chops.
5) Add soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, honey, and Sriracha. Stir it all around and let it cook and bubble up for a few minutes.
6) Remove pork chops and set aside, while the sauce and onions cook for a little longer. Then pour the sauce and onions over the pork chops and set aside.
7) Add a small amount of oil to the same pan and heat over medium high heat. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant.
8) Then crack the eggs and immediately stir them to scramble them. Add veggies and a little more soy sauce. Add cooked rice and stir around for a couple of minutes.
9) Pour the pork chops, sauce, and onions back in the pan and serve.
10) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Grilled Pineapple Pork Chops

We made this last night for dinner and just looking at the picture today makes me wish we had leftovers! These were so good. I love, love, LOVE grilled pineapple. And it goes so well with pork! This really is an easy meal-- it made me want to turn up some reggae music and stick my feet in the sand! Oh summer, I'm so ready for you! : -). And yes, that is some mac and cheese you see in the background. Jason loves it so we have it often. He's easy to please!

Ingredients:
- 4 boneless pork loin chops
- 8 oz. can of sliced pineapple in juice
- 1/3 cup of honey
- 1 tablespoon of yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- a good sprinkle of cayenne pepper
- 4-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- salt and pepper- a good sprinkle on each pork chop before grilling

Directions:
1) Mix together the honey, mustard, soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, and minced garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of pineapple juice.
2) Brush mixture all over both sides of the pork chops and then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3) Grill pineapple slices on each side for about 2 minutes, until grill lines appear. Grill pork chops until done, approx. 5 minutes per side (depending on the thickness).
4) Voila!

  Get Cookin'!

Crock Pot Monday: BBQ Ribs

 

Oh. My. Goodness!!!!! Who knew that cooking ribs cooked in the crock pot would turn out so delicious?! Definitely my favorite that we've ever cooked. And probably in my top 3 for favorite ribs I've ever tasted. Yes, that good! They were so tender, juicy, and f-u-l-l of flavor.

I was skeptical at first, it's true. I kept thinking, "How can this be good if it never touches a grill?" But the flavor is sort of "smokey" so you cannot tell they weren't slow smoked all day. Jason and I have tried to cook ribs a few times on the grill- but they always come out tough, no matter how long we cook them.  And they were a pain! This recipe is so simple and I will certainly be making this again soon. Try it, you won't regret it! Although I changed her recipe a little, here is the link for the original post.

Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons of sweet paprika (I used regular paprika because I didn't have sweet)
- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
- sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce, Montreal steak seasoning, garlic powder, and Greek seasoning
- 2 pounds of pork baby back ribs
- 1 bottle of BBQ sauce (I used a new kind "Dallas Cowboys Original" because I sampled it in HEB and it was good!)
- Vegetable oil spray
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth

Directions:
1) Sprinkle a little bit of Worcestershire sauce on the meaty side of the ribs. In a small bowl, mix together paprika, brown sugar, and cayenne. Rub all over the ribs.
2) Then sprinkle the ribs with Montreal steak seasoning, garlic powder, and Greek seasoning.
3) Spray the crock pot with the cooking spray and then arrange ribs in the slow cooker by standing them up against the wall of the pot, thicker side down and meaty side against the pot.
4) Mix together 1/2 the bottle of BBQ sauce and the chicken broth, and then pour over the ribs.
5) Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Mine cooked for about 9 hours and they were fine!
6) After the ribs are cooked, remove from pot and arrange on a foil lined baking pan, meaty side up. Skim the sauce in the pot to remove any excess grease, and then pour in the other 1/2 of the BBQ sauce to the pot to thicken up the sauce.
7) Turn on your oven's broiler (I put mine on low). Brush the sauce over the ribs and put them under the broiler for 5 minutes. Remove, brush on more sauce, and then return to broiler for another 5 minutes.
8) Remove from oven and try not to burn your mouth while you are scarfing down the most delicious ribs!!

  Get Cookin'!

A Farque Favorite: Rick's Pineapple Ham

 Rick (my father-in-law) is a great cook- probably one of the best I know! He's like a male version of Paula Deen! He's Southern to the core; his three loves in life are his family, his dog, and food. He cooks with so much love and usually without recipes. He has a perfect sense for flavor- I've never tasted anything that he cooks that hasn't made me drool with every bite!

One of my favorite things that he cooks around the holidays is ham. Oh. My. Goodness. This ham is so good! It's by far the best ham I've ever eaten! Jason and I went home for Christmas this year and nearly cried when we realized that he didn't make his famous ham for Christmas lunch! We told him that next year we don't want presents- we just want ham! 

After making Rick promise that he would never do that to us again on Christmas, I decided to try to recreate his recipe for New Year's Day. I was shocked at how simple the recipe was- and only a few ingredients. For my very first ham, it was really good! It didn't have Rick's special touch to it, but it was really close. If you enjoy ham, I demand that you try this! It will change your life, as will all of Rick's cooking!

Ingredients:

- 1 raw ham (it's very important not to get the one that is already cooked). Mine was about 9 pounds!

- 3 tablespoons of mustard

- 4 tablespoons of brown sugar

- 1 can of pineapple rings in 100% juice

- Greek seasoning

Directions:

1) In a bowl, mix together the mustard and brown sugar to make a paste. Rub this all over the ham.

2) Then sprinkle the Greek seasoning all over the ham.

3) Cover with foil and bake in the over for 3 hours at 375 degrees.

4) Take the ham out of the oven and rub another layer of of the mustard and brown sugar paste. Use toothpicks to secure the pineapple rings all over the ham. 

5) Continue baking for another hour at 350 degrees, uncovered. 

6) After the hour has passed, remove ham from oven and insert a thermometer to insure that the temperature has reached 160 degrees. If not, continue cooking for about 30 minutes or so.

7) When done cooking, let the ham rest for about 30 minutes before slicing so the juices have time to set.

8) Voila!

Do you have a family favorite recipe? I'd love to hear it!

  Get Cookin'!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Garlic and Balsamic

I found this recipe on Pinterest. You can see the original recipe here (I changed it up a little). It was so easy and probably my favorite way to cook a pork tenderloin yet!


Ingredients:

• 1 pork tenderloin (I use the pre-marinated kind for extra flavor. Plus they are the perfect size for 2-3 people). This time I used the garlic peppercorn one. But I've tried them all and all are good. 
• 3-4 garlic cloves, minced (the original recipe calls for a few more but I cut back since my tenderloin was already marinated in garlic)
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
• 3 teaspoons of coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions:

1. Stir together the garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Rub the paste all over the pork and marinate overnight.
2. Sear the tenderloin on all sides on the grill, then grill on a piece of foil for about 20-30 minutes, or until fully cooked.
3. If you don't have a grill, you can also prepare this in the oven. Sear the tenderloin in a pan and then bake in the oven at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until fully cooked.

We ate this with a side of bacon wrapped green beans- so delish! The sweet sauce from the green beans went perfectly with the flavors in the pork. Next time (if I don't cook the green beans again), I think I will serve the pork with a side of the sauce from the green beans. Either way, this was so, SO good and I cannot wait to cook it again!

  Get Cookin'!

Crock Pot Monday: Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin

I was not very impressed with this.


I have cooked pork tenderloins in the crock pot many times, and this is probably my least favorite. I was really excited about it but it just didn't turn out that great, mainly because of the glaze. Pork loins cook up so nicely in the slow cooker! Just scrap the glaze and add some onion soup mix to the liquid-- this would have been a much smarter choice!

Ingredients:
- 1 boneless pork loin. I buy the packaged kind that are already seasoned. I like the "garlic peppercorn" version. The "lemon pepper" one is good too!
- 1 teaspoon of ground sage
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 tablespoon of fresh parsley, chopped
- 1/2 cup of chicken broth
- 1/4 cup of chopped onions and bell peppers

Glaze:
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup of water
- 2 tablespoons of soy sauce

Directions:
1) Combine sage and garlic and rub over roast.
2) Place in slow cooker with chicken broth, onions, parsley, and bell peppers.
3) Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
4) About 1 hour before roast is done, combine ingredients for the glaze in small sauce pan.
5) Heat and stir until mixture thickens. Brush roast with glaze 2 or 3 times during last hour of cooking.
6) Voila!

 Get Cookin'!

Pancetta Pasta with Grilled Veggies

Well school has officially started and I made it through the first week of kindergarten. Whew! I'm recuperating by spending all day today and tomorrow on the couch! The first month of kindergarten is the hardest. It gives the word "exhaustion" a whole new meaning. I strategically plan meals during the first month that are quick and easy. I made this delicious pasta this past week... It was so good and simple! The combination of pancetta, green onions, and the grilled veggies gives this pasta so much flavor.

Ingredients:

- 12 ounces of pasta (I used bow-tie)

- 3 ounces of chopped pancetta

- 4 whole green onions, chopped

- 1 red bell pepper

- 1 yellow bell pepper

- 1 jalapeno

- 1 tablespoon of butter

- 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream

- 1/2 cup of dry white wine

- grated parmesan cheese 

- garlic salt, pepper, and Greek seasoning to taste

Directions:

1) Cook pasta and set aside.

2) Cut off the tops of the bell peppers and jalapeno. Take the seeds out and discard. Cut peppers in half and grill for a few minutes on each side until soft (if you don't have a grill you can just add the peppers when you add the green onions).

3) Next, saute the pancetta until it starts to brown.

4) Add the tablespoon of butter and chopped green onions and cook for about 5 minutes.

5) Chop the grilled veggies and add to the pan.

6) Pour in the wine and cook for a few minutes.

7) Reduce the heat to low and add in the cream and stir well.

8) Add the cooked pasta and seasoning and toss together.

9) Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

10) Voila! Delish!

     Get Cookin'!

Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops

I love grilled pork chops, and this recipe made me love them even more! I could not believe how much flavor these had-- with only a few spices and no marinating time. It's the perfect mix of spicy and sweet. The brown sugar caramelizes on the pork- yummy! Such a quick and easy dinner.

Ingredients:

- 4 boneless pork chops

- less than 1/4 cup of canola oil

- 1/2 cup of brown sugar

- 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper

- 1 teaspoon of salt

- 1 teaspoon of black pepper

Directions:

1) Brush pork chops with canola oil.

2) Combine dry spices in a bowl and generously rub mixture onto both sides of the chops.

3) Grill on medium heat until fully cooked.

4) Voila!

     Get Cookin'!

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork with Jalapeno-Cilantro Slaw

Ok, ok...I know this sounds weird. Trust me. I was skeptical up until the very last minute when I tasted this delicious concoction. I have always heard of people cooking with beer, coke, Dr. Pepper, etc. but it has never really appealed to me...Until now. I saw this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's blog, and since I have grown to love her so much, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did!

This pulled pork is the perfect mix of sweetness and spice. Oddly enough it doesn't taste anything like Dr. Pepper! It is BBQ-esque but doesn't need any sauce. It's just plain good. That's the only way to describe it!

Ingredients (for roast and slaw):
- 1 whole pork shoulder roast (buy one that's really lean)
- 1 whole onion, peeled and diced
- 1 can (7.5 ounce) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 2 cans of Dr. Pepper
- 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
- salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Tony's
- a package of pre-made coleslaw mix with dressing
- 1 whole jalapeno, thinly sliced
- a handful of cilantro, barely chopped
- some sort of buns (I use kaiser rolls)

Directions for roast:
1) Generously salt and pepper the pork roast and then sprinkle with garlic powder and Tony's.
2) Place the roast in the slow cooker.
3) Pour the cans of chipotle peppers and Dr. Pepper over the pork.
4) Place the chopped onion and brown sugar in the slow cooker and stir.
5) Cook on high for at least 6 hours- the roast should be falling apart.
6) Remove meat from pot and place on cutting board, Use two forks to shred meat and then return to cooking liquid.

Directions for slaw:
1) Put coleslaw mix in a bowl.
2) Add a little of the dressing along with a little ranch dressing. Be careful not to put too much because the slaw will get soggy.
3) Add the sliced jalapeno and cilantro and mix in with the coleslaw.
4) Add a few squeezes of fresh lime juice to really make this delish!

Put the pulled pork and slaw on a bun- and get ready for a flavor explosion! If you like pulled pork, you will love this spicy, Dr. Pepper twist!

    Get Cookin'!

Grilled Pork Chops

Hey there! It's been a few days since I've blogged- time has just gotten away from me! It's the last week of school so life has been a bit crazy! Starting next week my goal is to post something at least 3 times a week. I had a long, stressful day at work so I needed something tonight that was quick and easy! Pork chops are perfect for this! We buy the 4 pack of small, boneless "center loin chops." In the package they kind of look like this:

They grill up so quick and easy! I marinate them for about 15 minutes in some zesty italian dressing, worcesterchire sauce, garlic powder, Tony's, and black pepper. They cook in about 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees on the grill! I also made some green beans and garlic bread. Voila! Easy dinner with minimal clean up in less than one hour!

      Get Cookin' !