Caribbean Ham

I just love the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. It has some really good recipes that have stood the test of time.  Our dinner tonight was one of those recipes.  I took a small three pound bone in ham and sliced it into three 1 1/2 inch pieces.  I trimmed the bone and reserved the end piece for soup.  I then cut the two thick slices into big chunks and placed them in a baking dish and baked them at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  While the ham was baking, I made rice and steamed brussel sprout.  I also made the yummy Caribbean glaze as follows:

Caribbean Glaze for Ham
1/3 cup of orange juice
1 Tablespoon whole cloves
1/3 cup of brown sugar
2 Tablespoons rum
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 cup of crushed pineapple
In a saucepan combine the orange juice and the whole cloves, bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; simmer gently, uncovered for 5 minutes.  Discard the cloves.  Combine the brown sugar, rum and honey stir the mixture into the orange juice and cook for several more minutes until the sugar dissolves completely.  Add the crushed pineapple and then spoon the hot mixture over the ham and baste several times during the remaining cooking time.  I also spooned some of the mixture over the rice.  It was very good.

Easy White Fish Gumbo

Hello Gentle Chiefs,
Oh what a discovery I have made!  I took last night's leftovers (the stewed tomatoes with green chilies, rice and broth) and I add 1/2 a bag of frozen gumbo vegetables, 1/2 a package of cocktail weenies and another can of chicken broth and let it all simmer in my stock pot for about 20 minutes.  At the same time I also boiled three Cod fillets that were pressure wrapped in individual packages.  When the Cod was done, I opened each package and stirred the broken pieces into three individual bowls of Gumbo.  The results were fantastic!

Do try both the Mexican Chicken and the Easy White Fish Gumbo.  Two delicious dinners, so different and each oh so good.

Mexican Chicken

I was looking for something different to do with chicken last night and decided to try a twist on a favorite Italian chicken dish called Arroz Con Pollo.  Rather then do the Italian seasoning, I opted to create a Mexican flavored dish.  My family loved the results.
Ingredients
4 free range chicken legs and thighs
1 can of stewed tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 package of frozen peas
1 box of chicken flavored rice
1 can of chicken broth
Instructions
Spray the crock pot with olive oil. Place the chicken seasoned with Johnny's seasoning on the bottom.  Mix the box of rice and the seasoning packet with the broth and pour over the chicken.  Top with the can of stewed tomatoes and frozen peas. 
Cook on HIGH for 3 hours.  Remove the chicken and place it under the broiler set on LOW for approximately 15 - 20 minutes to brown.  Serve the chicken over the rice.

 

Tacos & Tostadas

Tonight our daughter was having a group of friends over, so we made some seasoned ground beef and refried beans and had all the fixings for either tacos or tostadas.  It was a big hit. 

Tip:  I always add diced onion, celery, red peppers, garlic, Johnny's seasoning and black pepper to the meat when I'm browning it. 
Then I add the taco spices and let it simmer for at least 20 minutes. 

Ranch Pork Chops

The Ranch Dressing Mix really gives these chops a different and good flavor.

 6 (3/4 inch) thick bone-in pork chops
1 (1 oz) packet Ranch Dressing Mix
2 (15oz) cans new potatoes, drained and quartered
1 (10 oz) can French onion soup

Place the pork chops on the bottom of a sprayed crock pot.
Sprinkle pork chops with the ranch dressing mix and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper.
Place the potatoes round the pork and pour the French onion soup aroud the potatoes and pork chops.  Cover and cook on LOW for 4 to 5 hours. 

I only cooked three pork chops tonight, so I added about 1/2 the packet of dressing and only 1 can of sliced potatoes.

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Jalapenos

I made these delicious appetizers for a super bowl party and as always, they were a big hit.  My family wanted more, so I made some last night for dinner.  Try these, even if you don't normally eat jalapenos (which I do not) you will love them.

Ingredients
1 (16oz) package Jimmy Dean Sausage
20 jalapeno peppers
1 (8oz) package of cream cheese, softened
1 pounds of bacon

Directions
Cook the sausage and drain the fat.  mix it with the cream cheese.  Set it aside.  Clean and half the jalapenos.  Stuff each half pepper with the cream cheese meat mixture and wrap each half with 1/2 slice of bacon.  Place them on a cookie sheet and bake them at 350 degrees for about 18 - 20 minutes. Drain them on a paper town and serve.

Savory Beef Tips

This is a very good recipe that I usually use for a beef brisket but I got to thinking, why not use smaller pieces of beef to get more of the flavor infused into each bite.  It worked beautifully!  It was so tasty and the whole house smelled so good from the aroma.

I placed  2 1/2 pounds of beef tips, seasoned with Johnny's Seasoning in a well greased crock pot.
In a bowl, I mixed 1/3 cup of grape jelly, 2/3 cup of ketchup and 1 (1oz) packet of dry onion soup mix.  I poured the savory mixture over the beef tips and stirred it up well.  I turned the crock pot on HIGH and let it cook, stirring it occasionally for 2 hours, then I turned it down to low and let if finish cooking for four hours. 

I served it with red potatoes, you could try mashed potatoes, noodles, rice anything really.  There will be lots of delicious gravy.  What a hit.  I hope you try this and enjoy it.  Let me know.

Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Chops

I was looking for a new recipe for pork chops and I ran across this one.  The combination of Greek seasoning and brown sugar intrigued me.  It was very good, I'll definitely make it again.

Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Chops Ingredients: 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped onion 1/2 tablespoon butter Box stuffing mix made with only 1cup of water 1/2 tablespoon Greek-style seasoning * 3 pork chops 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 cup butter, melted

* McCormick makes a nice Greek Seasoning Mix

 

Directions: 1. In a small skillet melt 1/2 tablespoon butter or margarine. Add onion and celery and saute until translucent. Add saute mixture to a large bowl with prepared box of stuffing and Greek seasoning.  Mix well. 2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). 3. Spread bread mixture/stuffing in the bottom of a lightly greased 9 x9 inch baking dish. Top with pork chops; if desired, sprinkle chops with additional Greek seasoning. In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar and melted butter or margarine and mix together. Brush mixture over the tops of the pork chops and drizzle over chops and stuffing, allowing some to seep into the stuffing. 4. Bake in the preheated oven for about 30 minutes or until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Baking time will vary slightly depending on thickness of chops. If desired, baste with additional butter/sugar mixture while baking. Serve by dishing chops out of the baking dish, including stuffing. Enjoy!