Thursday, June 17, 2010

Bountiful Baskets Dinner

Last night I used a bunch of my produce from my bountiful basket. I've been doing bountiful baskets for quite awhile now and love it. Here's what I made:


I used Jacque's technique for the pork chops. First you bread the pork chops however you want. I rinsed and dried my chops. Then I dredged them in flour and dipped in egg. For my breading, I used panko bread crumbs mixed with garlic salt and crushed rosemary. I love the taste of rosemary but Brad hates the leaves so I buy crushed. Brown the pork chops in a little hot oil in a large skillet with a lid. Add liquid (I used a little apple juice and the rest water), cover, and steam until the pork chops are done. I tend to buy the thick chops so it takes about 45 minutes. I had to add quite a bit of liquid. The apple juice carmelized and added a lot of flavor. For the last ten minutes (about) I added some thick slices of apples (peeled and cored). I add the apples right on top of the chops so they add moisture but don't burn. Brad LOVES these pork chops. They are yummy.

I used our red potatoes to make a mash. I love red mashed potatoes. One of my favorite foods. When I make red mashed potatoes, I like to leave some bite sized pieces. I add the typical butter and milk (warmed-so important!). Then I like to add garlic salt and a little sour cream. Not super healthy but super tasty!

The green beans were our favorite! I simply boiled them until they were tendercrisp. I then added a touch of olive oil and a pinch of garlic salt (we like garlic, can you tell?!).

Overall it was a fresh, nice meal! I probably will save it for a Sunday next time, though. My kids get crazy at dinner-making time!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes-POST EDIT




Um, the title says it all. These are DELISH! If you like chocolate and peanut butter, that is. And according to my mom, people who don't are crazy. Disclaimer: my mom doesn't actually think you are crazy. At least not for that. Next time I will coarsely chop some peanut butter cups and use that instead of chocolate chips.

The cupcakes are whatever chocolate recipe/cake mix you like. For the frosting, I used this recipe from all recipes.

So great! And the best part is, people think you are fancy and spent a lot of time on them, but they are SO easy!

**I made these for Drew's birthday party and dinner with Laura and Kart. I made them with a sub-par cake mix. They are definitely way, way better with devil's food or a really good chocolate cake.