Tasty Pork Chops...

I made this recipe on TV this week. It's a really good one, and an uncommon variation on regular, plain old pork chops.

Pork Chops with Portabello Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• 4-6 boneless pork chops
  
• 1 ½ cups salsa
  
• 1 cup chopped Portobello mushrooms
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
  
• ½ cup freshly chopped parsley
• 1 lb. fresh green beans steamed, set aside and kept warm.

Method:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon salsa into a 3 quart 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange pork chops on top of salsa. In a small bowl, combine Portobello mushrooms, cheese and syrup. Spoon sauce over pork chops. Bake, uncovered for 25 - 30 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle parsley over the pork chops. Serve with salsa drippings from baking dish and steamed green beans.

AuthorViews: Janet Eyring

Here is a video I made a couple of years ago, promoting my first Slowcooker book.

Recipes from TV spot today (not slowcooker, but still good tasting food!)

Parmesan Crusted Chicken and Twice Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

• 6 baking potatoes
• 1 package (16 ounces) bacon, cooked until crisp and broken into pieces
• 1 cup light sour cream
• 1/2 cup shredded Cheddar, plus more for garnish Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound boneless and skinless chicken strips
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Bake potatoes for 1 hour, until tender. When cool enough to handle, cut each potato in half lengthwise, scoop out inner potato, leaving a 1/4-inch shell and transfer to a large bowl. Add bacon, sour cream and Cheddar and mix until blended. Season, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Spoon mixture back into the shells. Sprinkle with a little more shredded Cheddar. Arrange stuffed shells on a baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, until golden brown.

To make chicken strips, coat chicken all over with Dijon mustard. Place Parmesan in a shallow dish or plastic bag, add chicken and turn (or shake bag) to coat. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 5 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine tomato sauce, lemon juice, chili powder, hot sauce, and black pepper. Set pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Serve chicken with sauce and baked potatoes on the side.

Cashew Lime Chicken with Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 cups hot rice, cooked according to package directions
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1 cup salted dry roasted cashews, garnish

Method:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ginger and garlic. Stir for 1 minute to not burn garlic. Add chicken and cook and stir until chicken is cooked on all sides. Add salt, pepper, broth, hoisin sauce, lime juice, and zest. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Serve over hot rice and garnish with cashews. Served with a salad of fresh spinach, mandarin oranges and a vinaigrette.

Sweet and Sour Kielbasa

Ingredients:

• Sauce:

• 2 cans (11 ounces each) chopped or crushed pineapple
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
• 1 (16 ounces) kielbasa sausage
• 2 bell peppers, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 package stir fry vegetables
• Hot cooked rice

Method:

Combine the undrained pineapple, hoisin sauce, and brown sugar in a blender and process until smooth. Transfer mixture to a medium saucepan and turn on medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes, partially covered. When done, set aside. Slice sausage, place in a skillet and cook on medium high heat for 4-6 minutes. Add bell peppers and stir fry vegetables. Continue to cook and stir for 3-4 minutes or until veggies are tender. Pour sweet and sour sauce over sausage mixture and serve over rice.

Frozen Lime Pie

Ingredients:

• 1 (8 ounces) container light Cool Whip, softened
• 1 (14 ounces) can fat-free sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup lime juice (fresh is best, but the bottled works well) Graham cracker crust (I used the mini size)

Method:

In a medium bowl combine the Cool Whip, milk and lime juice until smooth. Spoon the mixture into graham cracker crusts. If you have extra filling, spoon it into glass cups. Freeze until firm, about 6 hours or overnight.

Sugared Wonton Wrappers and Oranges

Ingredients:

• 12 wonton wrappers (round are very pretty)
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 cup Cool Whip
• 1 (11 ounces) can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange wonton wrappers on a cookie sheet and spray them with a cooking spray. Sprinkle them evenly with granulated sugar, then bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Remove them from oven and arrange 4 of the wontons on a serving platter or individual serving dishes. Top each with 2 tablespoons Cool Whip and then 4 mandarin oranges. Top each with a second wonton wrapper and repeat with all layers. Sift the powdered sugar over the top and serve.

TV Spot for July...

I will be on KSL Studio 5 again on July the 9th. They want me to do a cooking segment featuring the use of grocery coupons, and I will be presenting 3 meals you can prepare for a family of 4-6 people for less than $15.00 each.
The show airs at 11:00am (only here in Utah, on KSL Channel 5), and the recipes I present will be posted on KSL.com later that day. Please watch and then make some comments both here and on the KSL website.

*I will also post the recipes here once I have finalized them. They may not be slowcooker recipes, but still, who wouldn't want a cheap meal idea!

Recipes from the Home Show...

Shredded Ham Sandwiches

2 pounds shredded ham

1 bottle (20 ounces) cola*

1 bottle (16 ounces) barbecue sauce

Combine all ingredients in a greased 3 ½ – 4 ½ quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat 4-5 hours or on low hear 8-10 hours. Using a slotted spoon, remove ham and serve on warm hamburger buns. Makes 6-8 servings.

*DO NOT use diet soda for this recipe.

Carrot Cake

1 box (about 18 ounces) carrot cake mix

1 box (3 ounces) instant butterscotch pudding

3 eggs

1 cup light sour cream

1 cup water

2/3 cup canola oil

Combine all ingredients by hand in a large bowl, until well mixed. Pour batter into a greased slow cooker or greased foil or glass pan. Cover with paper towels sandwiched between the slow cooker stoneware and lid. Cook on high heat 3 – 4 hours. When cake is done, remove from slow cooker and let cook 15 minutes before cutting. Serve alone or with cream cheese frosting. Makes 10-15 servings.

Spinach Artichoke Dip

1 package (10 ounces) frozen leaf spinach, thawed, drained and chopped

1 can (14 ounces) artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

½ cup Alfredo sauce

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Combine all ingredients in a greased 1 ½ quart greased slow cooker. Cover and cook on high heat 1 – 1 ½ hours, stirring frequently. Serve warm with crackers. Makes 10-15 appetizer servings.

Mint Brownies

1 package (about 21 ounces) brownie mix

2 eggs

¼ cup water

½ cup canola oil

½ cup chopped Andes Mint Candies (available by the bag near the chocolate chips, or hand chop individually wrapped whole Andes Mints)

In a large bowl, combine brownie mix, eggs, water, and oil. Stir only until combined. Fold in Andes mint candy. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cover with paper towels sandwiched between the slow cooker stoneware and lid. Cook on low heat 4 ½ – 6 hours. When done, allow to cool 15 minutes before cutting. Makes 8-10 servings.

Creamy Chicken Soft Tacos

4 frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 jar (16 ounces) salsa

1 cup sour cream

Flour Tortillas

Place chicken in a greased 3 ½ – 4 ½ quart slow cooker. Pour salsa over the top. Cover and cook on high heat 6-8 hours or on low heat 10-12 hours. Shred chicken by pulling apart with two forks or potato masher. During last 30 minutes of cooking stir in sour cream. To serve, fold chicken mixture into a warm tortilla. Makes 8-10 servings.

More Public Appearances...

It's has just been confirmed that I will be at the Spring Home and Garden Show at the South Town Expo Center, March 6-9, 2008.

March 6th at 3:30pm

March 7th at 1:00pm

March 8th at 4:00pm

Recipes to follow!!

Slow Cooker Sugar and Spice Cake...

I went on KSL's Studio 5 show again, for a Valentine's Day episode, and made a sweet treat, both in the slow cooker, and in the oven.

Okay, so the heart shaped cake in this picture wasn't made in the slow cooker, but the other one was! Yes, you can make a cake in the slow cooker. It will just come out being circular or oval shaped, instead of heart shaped!

Sugar and Spice Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1 package (about 3 ounces) instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
1 cup light sour cream
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup water
Sugar and cinnamon mixture (1/4 cup sugar and 1
teaspoon cinnamon)

Combine all ingredients except sugar and cinnamon
mixture by hand in a large bowl. Set aside. Sprinkle
sugar and cinnamon mixture into a greased pan to use
in slow cooker (a spring form pan, or slow cooker bake
pan). Cover and cook on high heat 3 1/2 - 4 hours, or
until done in the center. Remove pan from slow cooker
and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn cake out onto
serving platter and cool completely. Garnish with
fresh berries and whipped cream.

Here I am, about to put some finishing touches on the cake. Mmmm! Whipped Cream!

Here I am with a friend of mine, Teresa, and the host of Studio 5, Darin Adams.