Pork Chops w/ Rosemary Reduction

4 chops,1 inch thick
1/8tsp salt and pepper each
2 minched garlic cloves
2tlbs chopped rosemary
2tblsp olive oil
1.5c unsalted chicken broth or dry white wine
1tbsp butter

Pat chops dry and season w/ s&p. In a small bowl combine garlic and half of rosemary and press into chop. In pan heat oil then add pork and cook 10 min or until done, turning once and reducing heat to prevent burining. remove pork and set aside. add broth and remaining rosemary to skillet, increase heat to high. Using a wooden spoon, scrrape up browned bits and cook until liquid reduced by half remove from heat and stir in butter. Pour over chops.

Roasted Green Beans with Mushrooms, Balsamic, and Parmesan

Ingredients:8 oz. mushrooms, sliced in 1/2 inch slices (I used brown crimini mushrooms, but any mushrooms will work)
1 lb. fresh green beans, preferably thin French style beans
1 1/2 T olive oil
1 T balsamic vinegar
salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
2 T finely grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 450F/230C. Wash mushrooms and let drain (or spin dry in salad spinner, which is what I did.) While mushrooms are drying, trim ends of beans and cut beans in half so you have bite-sized pieces. (An easy way to trim them is to gather a small handful of beans, stand them up on cutting board, holding loosely so they will fall down and have ends ends aligned, then trim. Repeat with other end.) Cut mushrooms into slices 1/2 inch thick.

Put cut beans and mushrooms into a Ziploc bag or plastic bowl. Whisk together olive oil and balsamic vinegar and pour over, then squeeze bag or stir so all the beans and mushrooms are lightly coated with the mixture. Arrange on large cookie sheet, spreading them out well so beans and mushrooms are not crowded. Roast 20-30 minutes, starting to check for doneness after 20 minutes. Cook until beans are tender-crisp, mushrooms are cooked, and all liquid on the pan from mushrooms has evaporated. Season beans to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper, then sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan. Serve hot.

Mint Chocolate Chip Cake

Chocolate Cake with Mint Chocolate Chip Frosting
recipe from Shugary Sweets
FOR THE CAKE:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup flour
9 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled
1/2 cup milk
FOR THE FROSTING:
1 cup butter, softened
8 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 cup milk plus 2 Tbsp
11 oz dark chocolate chunks (62%cacao) or mini chocolate chips
1/8 tsp green food coloring gel
FOR THE GANACHE:
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
1/4 tsp peppermint extract
1. In medium bowl, sift cocoa with flour, salt, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside. In measuring cup, mix coffee and milk together. Set aside.
2. In mixer, beat butter and sugar for about 5 minutes until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Slowly add in dry ingredients alternating with the coffee/milk blend (about 3 additions of each).
3. Pour cake batter into two prepared pans (two 9inch cake pans lined with parchment paper and then greased and floured). Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes. Remove and allow to cool about 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool completely before frosting.
4. For frosting, in food processor, pulse dark chocolate until small bits (not powder)! Set aside.
5. In mixer, beat butter, powdered sugar and milk (slowly add the milk, you may not need it all) for 3-5 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Add in extract and food coloring gel. Mix until fully blended. Add more milk if necessary to desired consistency. Fold in chopped dark chocolate or chocolate chips.
6. Frost first layer of cake, then top it with second layer. Completely frost sides and top of cake.
7. For the ganache, heat 3/4 cup heavy cream in saucepan. Bring just to a boil and remove from heat. Place chocolate chips in a bowl then slowly add in hot cream and extract. Stir until smooth and completely combined. Allow ganache to cool then pour over chocolate cake.

Easy lemon Bars

1 box one-step angel food cake mix and a 15 oz. can of lemon pie filling.


Mix them together by hand until moist. Be sure not to over stir. Bake in a 9x13 cake pan at 350 degrees until golden brown on the top (about 20 minutes). Cool completely before eating. As they are cooling, you can sprinkle with powder sugar if you wish (Which I guess technically makes this a 3-ingredient recipe).They have more of an angel food cake texture than a traditional lemon bar texture.

Zucchini Blueberry Bread

Zucchini Blueberry Bread

1 c all purpose flour

1 c whole wheat flour

1/2 c sugar

1/4 t baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

3 t cinnamon

1 t salt

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c canola oil

1/2 c apple sauce

2 c zucchini, grated and well drained

2 c blueberries

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Stir the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. Stir the wet ingredients together, then mix gradually into the dry, stirring to combine. Stir in the zucchini and bluberries.

3. Pour the batter into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake for an hour or until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a rack. Slice and serve (we like it for breakfast with cream cheese or butter).

grilled chicken and tomato cream sauce

1/2 Lawry's Herb & Garlic marinade

2 Tbsp. pesto

2 boneless chicken breasts, pounded thin

1/2 pound penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil

1 shallot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup half & half
1 tsp flour
salt & pepper (to taste)
1 tsp basil

Marinate chicken in Lawry's herb & garlic marinade and pesto overnight. Grill until done.

In a large pot, boil water with 1 tbsp salt. Add 1/2 lb penne pasta noodles and boil according to package directions. Heat olive oil in the skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallot is tender(about 3-5 mins). Add the garlic and chicken broth to the pan and allow to reduce by half. Once the broth has reduced, stir in tomato sauce. Add the half & half and flour and stir well to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to low. Add basil to sauce and mix well. Drain pasta and add to sauce. Stir well to coat. Serve pasta in bowls, top with sliced chicken.

Oreo Monkey Bread Muffins

Oreo Monkey Bread Muffins

• 4 cans of refrigerated biscuits
• 4 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup white chocolate chips
• 2 cups crushed Oreos

For the cream cheese glaze:

• 3 ounces softened cream cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 tablespoons milk, or enough to make it a glazing consistency

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.

2. Cut the biscuits in half and roll the dough into little balls. Dip the balls into the softened butter. Place four balls in one muffin cup. Tuck white chocolate chips in between the dough balls. Sprinkle crushed Oreos over each muffin.

3. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let muffins cool for two minutes in the pan. Remove muffins from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

4. While the muffins are cooling, make the cream cheese glaze. Whisk together the cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk, it should be thin enough to drizzle but not too watery. Drizzle the glaze over the muffins with a spoon. Enjoy!

Makes 12 muffins