Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Pork chops and fried noodles

Pork chops and fried noodles? Yeah, what else would you eat with pork chops? Oh, I know, mashed potatoes and gravy. Well, I hate scraping the peels off potatoes in order to make mashed potatoes, and I'm not real fond of mashed potatoes with the skins left on; so, while I really enjoy mashed potatoes if someone else does the work, I have come up with something else to go with pork chops -- fried noodles. My mom made fried noodles a lot, and usually with pork and sauerkraut. She had to do something. None of the siblings like sauerkraut. I loved it then, still love it, but my sibs didn't, so she came up with something that even dad would eat and wouldn't mind having instead of mashed potatoes (with his pork chops).

Pork chops are so easy the way I make them. First, I use boneless, thick-sliced pork shops. I put some EVOO in a non-stick pan, just a little bit, then I sprinkle a bit of garlic salt and some seasoned salt over the bottom of the pan and when the pan is hot (use the hand over the pan feel method) I put the chops in the pan. I cook that side of the chop on high heat for about 3 minutes, then I turn the chop over and turn off the heat and cover the pan. The residual heat in the pan will cook the chop. Magically, gravy (unthickened yet) appears. I thicken the gravy using cornstarch and water. Then I put the gravy into a cup or something. This leaves a residue in the bottom of the frying pan.

While all this is going on I'm boiling wide, curly noodles in water (make enough for your own family, or maybe a little extra, because they'll love them). When the noodles are ready and drained, I put them back into the pan where the chops and gravy were made. There is enough "juice" in the bottom of the pan to fry the noodles. You'll hear them sizzle. I turn them over every two minutes until they have a nice brown crunch to them. But I only do that three or four times. Mom used to get her noodles more brown than I do. They're crunchy like chips, but they taste like noodles. If you need more "grease" in your pan, put a pat of butter in the pan, this will fry the noodles faster, I think.

I hope you like this dish. I learned this from my mama.

ttfn

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Creamed chipped beef

Don't turn this page off just yet. At least read the lead-in as to why I'm posting a recipe for creamed chipped beef, okay?

My cousin who lives in Oregon put me onto another cooking BLOG entitled Get Stuffed and as I was looking through the recipes I missed while I was away, he wrote about sawmill gravy and for some reason it reminded me of something I loved to eat whenever my mom made it.

She would send me to the butcher for a half a pound of dried beef. Dried beef is not real good eaten in a sandwich, but mom seemed to love them because she ate a lot of them. But this half pound was for something else. It was for her cream dried beef, which we either ate over toast (most of the time) or over biscuits (rarely). I preferred it over toast anyway.

The army has another name for this delicacy (*&*^ on a shingle, I believe it's called) and it can be an unappetizing mess if not served as my mom served it. She made us think we were having a dish fit for a queen when she dished it up, and her "cream" was never too thick or lumpy.

I have modified it a bit because I thicken things so much differently than my mom did, but the result is the same.

Since I don't think you can get dried beef at a butcher's shop any more, at least not out here in the Midwest, perhaps in NJ you still can, I have had to get it in a jar in the tuna section. Hormell is the brand I use because I can't find any other brand.

You will need: (serves six plus)

1 jar of dried beef -- take the slices of beef and cut them into small pieces
2 cups of milk
1/4 stick of butter (I use real butter as did my mom)
2 tbspn flour

Melt the butter in a skillet. When the butter is melted, sprinkle the flour around over the melted butter and whisk it together until you have a smooth paste (a roux). Slowly add the milk, stirring until all the milk is incorporated into the roux. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Bring the milk to a simmer and then add the chipped, or dried, beef. Stir so the beef gets warmed.

Now you're ready to make the dish for a queen or king. My dear mother would make toast points. What are toast points? Well, as she explained to us, this was the only way kings and queens ate toast before they added something to bring flavor to the toast.

Toast your bread as you would normally -- for toast points she always used thin-sliced white bread -- and cut each piece of toast into four triangles. Wa-la (not exactly the French spelling), you have toast points. Not wishing to waste one morsel of food my mom left the crusts on, but if you want to be true to the toast points of kings and queens, the crusts should be removed.

Now place four toast points on a plate and slowly drizzle the chipped beef mixture over the toast. Eat it before the toast absorbs the cream sauce and ask for another helping. I could get fat (joke there) on this stuff. I just loved it when I was growing up, and for a family of six who had little money for food, this was a cheap meal. Mom usually made this for dinner, not lunch, and served it with a side of peas, and always a salad.

ttfn

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Philadelphia treats

You can order Philadelphia Treats online -- treats like tasty kakes, irish potatoes, large pretzels, etc., from http://www.pageneralstore.com/. They deliver quite fast, and their irish potatoes are delish.

I just ordered one of the Philly Packs that has Tasty Kakes in it, and I can't wait for it to arrive. Mostly I got it for Alan because it has peanuty things in it and cookies. No cinnamon buns, though. And, that's a bummer!

I don't think the items are overpriced for out-of-state delivery service. Try this, you might like the things they offer.

ttfn

Monday, July 6, 2009

Cream cheese and olives sandwiches

When I was in Florida in the Spring, I was reminded of a favorite of our family. I know I wrote about this on the Runnemede Remembered, but as I was fixing lunch today I was reminded about something my cousin Robert told me when we were visiting. Robert is a little over a year old than I, and we were playmates when we were little kids. After his sister was born, I didn't have time for him any more and spent all my time with her instead. But for several years we were best buds.



He told me that every time he came to visit us he couldn't wait for lunchtime because Aunt Rose (my mom) would make him a cream cheese and olive sandwich.



I have varied the sandwich filling only in the preparation, which I've dumbed down for arthritic hands. This recipe can also be used for "tea" sandwiches, to go with cucumber sandwiches -- another one of my mom's best sandwich fixings. Just cut the crust off the bread and cut the squared into triangle quarters.



What you need:



bread -- your favorite kind -- my mother always used fresh baked Italian bread. I always use Wonder bread, soft and squishy, and not very nutricious.

olives, green with pimentos

cream cheese -- Philly brand -- easy spread

Just spread the cream cheese on a slice of bread, really slather it on.
Chop the olives and put a handful on top of the cream cheese -- make sure the whole piece of bread has some part of the olive on it.
Cover with another piece of bread, making it a sandwich, closed rather than open faced.

Eat. My mom used to mix the chopped olives into an 8-oz package of Philly Creamed Cheese. Too much work, especially when the cheese is just out of the fridge. Then she'd spread the mixture onto a slice of Italian bread. I prefered to eat it without another piece of bread on top, ONLY if it was on Italian bread.

That's all there is to it. I hope you enjoy these sandwiches.

ttfn









Broccoli dish No. 2

This is a main dish, that I learned to make from the same friend that taught me how to make Dish No. 1.

We (the family) were visiting her and her husband for a few days and their garden was growing lots of broccoli and it was ready to eat. So, naturally, we ate lots of broccoli that week. She is a really good cook, and every dish she made was super delicious. Even the one broccoli disliker in our family ate the dishes. Notice I said disliker not hater because Alan dislikes broccoli, but he doesn't hate it, and he will eat it.

What you need.

1 chicken whole or cut up
1 package rice-a-roni -- chicken flavored
1 small package frozen broccoli
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

Boil the chicken to cook it. After it's cooked pull the meat from the bones and put in a bowl.
Cook the Rice-a-roni according to package directions. Set aside.
Cook the broccoli according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Remember to salt it.
After all the components are cooked you are ready to assemble.

Put together chicken pieces, rice, broccoli, sour cream and cheddar cheese. Stir to mix. Put this mixture into an oven dish -- I use a 9x12 baking dish. Sprinkle a little bit of cheddar on top of the casserole. Put in oven for 30 minutes at 350 degreees.

When it is bubbling, it's ready.

And it's really, really good. For all your broccoli haters out there, this dish disguises the broccoli so you can eat it and get all the good nutrients that broccoli provides.

ttfn

Broccoli lovers recipe No. 1

This is just a way to make broccoli more fancy that I learned from a friend of mine back when I was in my late 20s. I've been serving it to my husband, and my children, and even guests, every since. And, it's so simple. And, it tastes really good.

What you need:

I package of frozen broccoli -- whatever kind you want cut-up or whole pieces (Size of package depends on how many people you are serving, of course)
1/4 cup mustard
1/2 cup mayonnaise (Hellmann's)

Cook the broccoli according to package directions. I usually nuke the package as is -- slitted so that it doesn't explode -- for 7 minutes
Put the cooked broccoli in a bowl, remember to add salt to taste. Then add the mustard and mayo and stir until all is mixed.

I tell you, this is really good. You can, of course, increase the amount of mayo if you want. Try it, you'll like it. I think even broccoli haters would like this one.

ttfn