Orange Brandy Pork

Anyone that knows me, knows that I love pork.  So what is better than to mix some delicious brandy into your pork?  Enjoy this succulent and easy recipe!

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Butter (Unsalted)
3 Pork Loins
Seasoning (Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt, Basil, Thyme)
1 Carrot (Outside peeled off and then peel the rest of the carrot down to the core)
2/3 Cup Orange Juice
1/3 Cup Grand Marnier

Directions:
Add the butter into a heavy bottom skillet. Season the pork generously and add to the butter.  Cook until barely pink in the center (about 4 minutes per side).   Transfer the pork to a plate and cover. 
Add the carrot to the skillet and saute over medium heat until softened (about 4 minutes).  Add the orange juice and liquor and scrape up and remaining bits on the bottom of the pan and cook for 1 minute.
Return the pork and any remaining juices to the skillet until heated all the way through.  Serve the pork with carrot on top and sauce spooned over.  Enjoy.

Add the seasoned pork to the skillet

Saute' the carrot slices

Add the remaining ingredients

Bring the pork back to the sauce

Serve & Enjoy!

Orange Mint Chicken Drumsticks

I was wanting to do something with mint, and happened to have drumsticks needing to be cooked.  Viola; Orange Mint Chicken sounded delicious, and here you go:

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Orange Juice
1 tsp Orange Emulsion
1 Tbsp Dried Mint (Juiced)
Seasoning (Alpine Touch & Tarragon)
5-6 Chicken Drumsticks

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix the Oil, Orange Juice, Emulsion. and seasoning together in a bowl.  Roll the drumsticks one at a time into the mixture and place into a deep pan (I covered with tinfoil to make cleaning easy).  Once complete, pour the remaining mixture over top of the drumsticks in the pan and the sprinkle with additional seasoning.  Cook for 40-50 minutes or until done all the way through.  Serve & Enjoy!

Mix the Oil, OJ, Emulsion and Spices together in a bowl

Roll the Drumsticks in the mixture and place on a foil covered cookie sheet

Take out of the over after about 50 minutes

Serve & Enjoy!

Creamy Chicken Pasta

I love the Bear Creek Mixes.  I also love adding onto them to make them heartier and more delicious, which is exactly what I did with this dinner!  Quick and easy, and so I also had to whip up some homemade cinnamon honey butter to put on our toast.

Creamy Chicken Pasta
Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Chicken Breast (Chopped)
Seasoning (Rosemary, Garlic, Sea Salt, Mediterranean Basil)
2 Cups Water
2 Cups Milk
1 Bear Creek Creamy Chicken Pasta Mix
1 Large Carrot (Peeled & Chopped)
1 Celery Stalk (Chopped)

Directions
Heat the oil into a skillet.  Add the chicken and generously season.  Cook on med-high heat until browned all the way through.
In a large pot bring the water and milk to a rolling boil.  Add in the celery and carrots and mix thoroughly.  Add the pasta mix and cook until noodles are al dente.  Simmer while adding in the cooked chicken and cook for another 5 minutes. 


Cinnamon Honey Butter
Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Butter (1 Sticks, softened)
3 Tbsp Honey
3 Tbsp Powdered Sugar
3 Tbsp Heavy Cream
1 Tbsp Cinnamon

Directions:
 Add all ingredients together and mix with a hand mixer until smooth.

I used the Creamy Chicken :)

Add the chicken to the skillet and season while also adding the milk and water to a pot

Continue cooking the chicken and add the celery and carrots to the pot

Cook chicken thoroughly, add the pasta mix to the pot

Add cooked chicken to the pot

Simmer for 5 minutes until sauce thickens

Soften the butter

Add all of the ingredients to a mixing bowl

Blend thoroughly

Serve & Enjoy

Potato Pesto Soup

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes, as it always turns out amazing.  It saves well and has great repeat meal value. 

Ingredients:

10 slices of Maple Bacon (Chopped)

5 Large Red Potatoes

1 Large Red Pepper (Seeded)

2 Tbsp Butter

2 1/2 Cup Chicken Stock

2 1/2 Cup Milk

6-8 oz Conchigliette (small shell pasta)

2/3 Cup Heavy Cream

Chopped Parsley

Garlic Salt

Basil

Pesto Sauce Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Fresh Parsley (Chopped)

3 Garlic Cloves (Crushed)

1/2 Cup Pine Nuts (Crushed)

2 Tbsp chopped Basil

1/2 Cup Grated/Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

2/3 Cup Olive Oil

Directions:

To make the pesto sauce, put all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend for about 2 minutes. 

Chop the bacon, potatoes, and red pepper.  Cook the bacon in a large pot over medium heat for about 4 minutes.  Add the butter, potatoes, and red pepper and cook for 12 minutes, frequently stirring. 

Add the chicken stock and the milk to the pan and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 10 minutes.  add the conchigliette and simmer for an additional 10-12 minutes.  

Blend in the cream and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the parsley and mix thoroughly.  Stir the pesto into the soup until mixed all the way through.  Serve topped with a sprinkle of the shredded cheese and a dash of basil or parsley on top.

Add the pesto ingredients into a blender

Blend until thoroughly mixed

Add the chopped bacon into a large pot

Add the butter, potatoes and red pepper

Add the milk and chicken stock

Add the conchigliette

Simmer with the cream

Add int he pesto and the parsley

Serve & Enjoy

Chuck Steak with Wine Sauce

I was originally hoping to make this with a cognac based sauce, but a survey of my cupboards revealed  serious lack of alcohol in my house, so it turned into a wine based sauce instead.  I definitely wasn't disappointed by the change however, as it was delicious.

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp Butter
1/4 Cup Green Onions (chopped)
1 tsp Brown Sugar (packed)
1 Cup Beef Broth
1 1/2 Cup Red Wine (I used a Barbera)
1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1 Tbsp Butter
4 chuck steaks
Seasoning (Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt)

Directions:
Melt 1 Tbsp Butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  Add the green onions and saute' for about 3 minutes.  Add brown sugar and stir for about 1 minute.  Add beef broth and the wine, simmer on low heat for 20 minutes to reduce and thicken the sauce.  Whisk in the cream.
Add the butter to a skillet.  Season the steaks and add to the pan.  Cook on med-high heat for abotu 5 minutes per side (medium-rare) or longer.  Transfer steaks to a plate.  Add the sauce to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits in the pan.  Season  a touch for flavoring.  Serve by cutting/scoring steaks and drizzling the wine sauce over top.  Enjoy!

Saute' the green onions

Add brown sugar, wine and beef broth

Simmer the sauce for 20 minutes.  Cook the seasoned steaks for 5 minutes per side

Whisk in the cream

Add sauce to the skillet and season

Serve & Enjoy!

Easter Ham Recipe

This Easter I wanted to make a delicious ham, since I didn't get to for Christmas due to one of my guests being a non-pork eater.  Easter provided me with the perfect opportunity to cook one up.  I always love sweet or smokey ham, and went with sweet this year.

Ingredients:
Ham (bone in, the size is up to you, mine was almost 8 lbs)
Brown Sugar
Honey
Pineapple (pare off the outside)
Toothpicks
Cherry Coca-Cola

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Get a deep oven safe pan and line with tinfoil.  Place the ham fat side up.  Cut the pineapple and set aside.  Take the brown sugar and rub generously all over the exposed part of the ham.  Drizzle with honey.  Take the pineapple slices and stick all over the ham to cover.  Attach with toothpicks.  Drizzle over the pineapple with honey.  Pour the Cherry Coke all over the ham until almost filling the pan.  Cover with foil and place in the oven.  Cook for 15 minutes per pound.  Remove the foil when 30 minutes of cooking time remain and continue to cook.  Take out of the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes before carving.  Enjoy!

Place the ham in the pan and cut the pineapple

Generously rub the ham with brown sugar

Drizzle with honey

Place the pineapple around the ham and attach with toothpicks

Drizzle with honey

Pour the cherry coke on top of the ham almost to the top of the pan

Cover with tinfoil and place in the oven

Peeling the dyed eggs

Peeling eggs is fun

Deviled eggs ready to eat

Boiling up some corn on the cob

The remains of an Easter feast

Chicken Pasta with Veggies

This is one of those easy to make dishes that you can do using mostly ingredients you probably have laying around the house plus chicken.  It is very quick and easy and delicious!  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

10-12 Oz Penne Pasta

1 bag frozen veggies (California Style Blend)

2 chicken breasts chopped

1 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Seasoning (Alpine Touch, Crushed Rosemary, Mediterranean Basil, Garlic Powder)

1 Jar Four Cheese Alfredo

1/2 Jar Half & Half or Whole Milk

*Optional Shredded Cheese

Directions:

Boil the veggies and pasta together for about 10-15 minutes.  In the meantime pour the oil into the pan and add the chopped chicken.  Season the chicken and cook until browned all the way through (about 8-10 minutes).   Strain veggies & pasta and add the pasta sauce and half and half to help the sauce to cover.  Stir in the cooked chicken.  Mix on low heat to warm, add extra seasoning to the pasta to taste.  Serve when warmed all the way through and enjoy.

*Optional serve with some shredded cheese on top

Boil the pasta and veggies together

Season the chicken and cook until browned all the way through

Add the sauce and seasoning to the strained pasta and veggies

Add in the chicken

Mix it all up to be warmed all the way through

Serve & enjoy!