Monday, February 26, 2007

Pork Loin in Creamy Mustard Sauce

Pork Loin in Creamy Mustard Sauce

2 lb pork tenderloin, cut in 1/2" steaks
Salt & pepper
1 - 2 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup evaporated milk
4 Tbs. dijion mustard
4 to 6 green onions, sliced thinly

Place pork steaks between two pieces of plastic wrap. Pound to about 1/4" thickness.

Heat large skillet on medium high heat, add oil. Put half of the pork steaks in, cook two minutes on each side, remove from heat and keep warm. Repeat with remaining pork. After removing the pork add milk and scrape up bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the mustard and green onions. Cook until thickened. Add pork back into pan, coating both sides with sauce. Cook for about 5-10 minutes to finish off the pork.

ENJOY!!!

Menu Planning - My new Plan!

Okay, so, I have a freezer FULL of food. And we've changed the way we do our food budget so I get to shop once a week with absolute confidence that I have the money there!

I've decided to try my hand at menu planning again. This is what our week is going to look like:

Monday - Pork Loin in Creamy Mustard Sauce with Peas and Roasted Potatoes
Tuesday - Buttermilk Fried Chicken, homemade slaw and Mashed potatoes
Wednesday - Bul Ko Kee (Korean Beef) with Rice and Asian Vegetables
Thursday - Turkey Burgers with Fries & Carrot Sticks
Friday - Chicken Lasagna and Salad
Saturday - Turkey and Pepper Rollatini

I'll post the recipes each day to share with you. I'm looking forward to my week! :D

Krista

Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Stuffed Peppers

Ya know, there's a lot of foods that are naturally gluten free and just so danged yummy, they cannot be forgotten. I FINALLY tried making stuffed peppers again last night. I haven't made them in about two years b/c the last time I made them, they did not go well. I'm not sure why last nights was magic, but they were sooo sooo good....and I think even the leftovers are gone already!

Stuffed Peppers

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 bay leaves

3 medium peppers, sliced in half (stem to bottom) and cleaned out
1 lb ground meat (we used ground chicken, but you can use beef, turkey, pork, whatever you like)
2 cups cooked white rice
1 TBS each: garlic powder, onion powder, italian seasoning
Dash salt & pepper
1/4 cup ketchup
1 egg


For sauce, in a large oven safe skillet (that also has a lid) heat can of tomatoes, add olive oil, minced garlic and bay leaves...heat until almost boiling, but don't let it boil.

In a large bowl mix the ground meat, rice, seasonings, ketchup and egg. Stuff into pepper halves.

Place pepper halves into the cooking sauce. Spoon sauce over top of the peppers so that they are covered with sauce.

Cover and place in the oven. Allow to bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until peppers are VERY tender.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM......I hope you enjoy as much as we did!

Friday, February 9, 2007

Nobody bakes a cake as tasty as a .....

I bet you thought I was going to say....TastyKake....well, not anymore....It's ME. I had this recipe, from a friend of mine at Family Life Forums, Mary. At the time I received the recipe, I was living in Phoenix and had not had a REAL, LIFE, Philadelphia TastyKake in at least two years. The first time I made the cake, I could not believe how much it tasted like TastyKake Tandy Cake. Ya know the one, dense rich cake, thick peanutbutter, then covered in milk chocolated? Actually, enrobed is how it's listed on the package. Well, since going gluten free, I have passed up a few of these. I pulled out the recipe yesterday and decided to try it without wheat flour, just to see how it would turn out. I"m having good luck with sweet recipes that do not use baking soda (LOL, I should post a picture of my gluten free chocolate chip cookies - if you need a laugh!). Well, it turned out GREAT! As good as the orginal, and very much like a true Tasty Kake...

Tandy Cake

2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs butter
1/2 cup milk
1 cup rice flour
1 cup white sugar
1/8 cup corn starch
1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch salt
8 oz peanut butter
8 oz milk chocolate

Sift flour, sugar, corn starch, baking powder and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Mix eggs, vanilla, milk and butter together well in a separate bowl. Add to dry mixture and mix until well combined.

Grease a 2 qt baking dish (or you could us an 11 X 8 pan - if you half the recipe use an 8 X 8 or a pie pan). Pour in batter.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 (check at 30 minutes if edges are turning brown and toothpick in the center comes out fairly clean, go ahead and pull it out).

While cake is still warm, pour over peanut butter and spread over the top. Refridgerate cake.

After about an hour or so when cake is VERY cool. Melt chocolate in a glass bowl on high in 30 second intervals until the chocolate is melted. Pour over PB layer, and spread.

Put cake back in fridge.

Once the Chocolate is set....cut away and enjoy!

Friday, February 2, 2007

Pass the Macaroni & Cheese, Please....

One thing I feared when going gluten free was that I would never get to have comfort food again. Ya know, the stuff you love when you feel down....Mac & Cheese, Pizza, stuffing....I could go on, but I digress.

Last night, after having a hard day, a hard week even. I think the reality of the fact that I will NEVER have a grain of wheat, rye, barley or oats for the rest of my life is sinking in. Some days, I am positive and upbeat about it. Other days its a real bummer. Especially when you're PMS'ing and you can't rely on your old favorites to make you feel better.

Well, yesterday, I got inspired and here's what I did....

Macaroni & Cheese

8 oz Tinkyada Brown Rice Elbow Shaped pasta
1 1/2 Cups milk (I used 2%)
1 1/2 Tbs Corn Starch
3 cups shredded cheese (I used mix of cheddar & parmesan)
Salt & pepper


Cook pasta according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, do the following:

Mix the milk & cornstarch (while cold) in a medium sauce pan, add salt & pepper (I also usually add a little garlic powder and onion powder to a white sauce like this...I didn't last night, but you certainly could). Bring to a LOW boil (be careful not to bring to heat too fast or the cornstarch will not thicken). When it is boiling, reduce heat to low so it will stay at a simmer, keep stirring while the milk thickens. Once the milk mixture is thick....turn off heat and stir in the cheese until it's melted.

Drain pasta and return to pan. Add sauce. Mix well...

ENJOY! I know I did! :D

Thursday, February 1, 2007

An entire month....

WOW. It is hard for me to even comprehend that it has been an entire month since I voluntarily ate a wheat product! WOW. I am not normally a very disciplined person, dieting is a challenge because of the cookies that call my name from the cabinet. Not today. Not now. I can honestly say, a plate of cookies looks like something from "Fear Factor" to me. I can look at them, remember how good they tasted, but then the realization of just how sick they make me sinks in and they might as well be a big ole plate of chocolate covered razor blades.

I did it. I did it. Three time in the last week I have sauntered by the little green cookie nazi's and their wares and have not bought even one box. Of course, i have a new goal in life, like how in the world do you make a gluten free samoa or thin mint cookie. It MUST be able to be done, and it may be a fantasy, but it is one I will take on as a personal challenge.

This week is Superbowl Sunday, and not only do I have my allergies to deal with, friends of ours are coming and they cannot have dairy in any form, tomatoes, pork or black pepper. I've decided to make a beef stew. I'm going to make chicken wings and a salad too. Thinking I'll just keep the tomatoes off the salad and make them optional, like keep a basket of grape tomatoes on the side. We'll see. I'll let ya know how it goes! :D

I'm also going to make a Wacky Cake, gluten free. My first attempt was unsuccessful, so I'm going to give it another go and add some ingredients that will hopefully improve the texture. First time was grainy and just hard to eat!