Pork Chop Recipe

I don't remember where I got this recipe from but I always loved making it for our family! The other day, my girlfriend Julie came over and she said she enjoyed it... good thing the Fish Sauce didn't throw her off! I always serve this with a side of white rice and a tossed salad of lettuce, tomato, and cucumber with a side of fish sauce.

Pork Chops with Garlic and Onions (Suon Uop Hanh Toi Nuong)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nuoc mam)
1 onion
4 Cloves garlic
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops

Combine salt, sugar, fish sauce, minced onion, chopped garlic and oil.
Pour over chops in a shallow dish.
Let marinate 3 to 4 hours, turning meat occasionally.
Grill or bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes to 60 minutes or until cooked.
Slice into bite sizes pieces before serving.

Easy Pasta Carbonara

One of my favorite Rachael Ray recipes is her Pasta Carbonara. I changed up a few things so here is our favorite family version:

Carbonara Ingredients:
· Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
· 1 pound pasta, such as spaghetti or rigatoni
· 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (enough to coat bottom of pan)
· a few slices of bacon chopped
· 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
· 5 to 6 cloves garlic, chopped
· 1/2 cup dry white wine
· 1 large egg yolks
· Parmesan cheese

· Handful of finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for garnish Directions: 1. Put a large saucepot of water on to boil. Add a liberal amount of salt and the pasta. Cook to al dente, about 8 minutes.2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and bacon. Brown bacon for about 2 minutes. Add red pepper flakes and garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes more. Add wine and stir up all the pan drippings.3. In a separate bowl, beat yolk, then add 1 large ladleful (about 1/2 cup) of the pasta cooking water. This tempers the eggs and keeps them from scrambling when added to the pasta. 4. Drain pasta well and add it directly to the skillet with pancetta and oil. Pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Toss rapidly to coat the pasta without cooking the egg. Remove pan from heat and add a big handful of cheese, lots of pepper, and a little salt. Continue to toss and turn the pasta until it soaks up egg mixture and thickens, 1 to 2 minutes. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan Cheese.

For the boys I serve up the Rigatoni (before adding the egg) with some pasta sauce and sprinkle with the Parmesan Cheese. It's always a hit in our family and unfortunately I ended up eating this twice! :-)

Rellenos De Papa (Stuffed Mashed Potatoes)

Mom and I made these the other day and they are so awesome! First, you will want to make my picadillo recipe.

Then you will need:
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
water
salt
egg, slightly beaten
cornstarch (to coat balls and your hands)
vegetable oil (for deep frying)

Place water, potatoes and salt in a pot. Cover and boil at moderate heat for 30 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain and mash. Add egg, salt and cornstarch and mix well. Cool to room temperature. Divide mixture in 12 parts. Cover palm of hand with the cornstarch and spread over hand one part of the mixture. Spoon the center with part of the picadillo filling and bring mixture over to cover filling. Coat lightly with cornstarch and proceed with remaining mixture until 12 balls are ready. Deep fry in fat, heated to 375:F, until golden brown. Remove and drain on absorbent paper.

I serve this with white rice or Puerto Rican yellow rice when I feel up to it. Enjoy!

Ambrosia Fruit Salad

Remember the plain yogurt from the Curry Chicken? Had some leftover and made an awesome Ambrosia Fruit Salad! Here's what I whipped up as today's dessert... YUM! No measurements sorry, just a little this and that....

Some low fat Sour Cream
Some plain Yogurt
Some shredded coconut
1 can fruit cocktail, drained
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained
Some colored miniature marshmallows

Mix together and serve! Oh my gosh this was good!

Southwest Salsa Pizza

One of my favorite summer recipes is one that comes from Pampered Chef...I totally forgot about this one until I came across it!

Ingredients:
1
package (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls
1
package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1
garlic clove, pressed
1/4
cup snipped fresh cilantro or parsley, divided
3
plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4
cup chopped green bell pepper
2
tablespoons chopped red onion
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
1
ripe avocado, peeled, seeded and sliced
Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Unroll crescent dough and divide into 8 triangles. On Large Round Stone, arrange triangles in a circle with points in the center and wide ends toward the outside. Roll out dough to a 12-inch circle, pressing seams together to seal. Bake 12-15 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven; cool completely.
2.
Place cream cheese, garlic pressed with Garlic Press and 2 tablespoons of the cilantro in bowl; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over top of crust.
3.
Seed and dice tomatoes using Chef's Knife. Chop bell pepper and red onion using Food Chopper. Combine tomatoes, bell pepper and onion in Classic Batter Bowl. Stir in remaining cilantro; season to taste with salt and black pepper. Spoon salsa over cream cheese mixture. Peel and slice avocado; arrange over top of pizza.
Yield: 10 servings Nutrients per serving: Calories 200, Total Fat 16 g, Saturated Fat 7 g, Cholesterol 25 mg, Carbohydrate 12 g, Protein 4 g, Sodium 320 mg, Fiber 1 g

Happy 9th Anniversary!

Amazing. 9 Years TODAY! As I reflect on these nine years of marriage, I think of how true it is that a Marriage takes Work, Patience, and a whole lotta Prayer! I can honestly say that what always kept me on check was that I always knew that my sweetie is the one I want to be with forever. Therefore, why in the world would I want us to be miserable? We do silly things like make fun of each other (in a nice way of course), crack jokes, squeeze each other's butt when no one else is looking... and so much more. Always making sure that it's the little things that count, like making sure to greet him at the door when he walks in (the boys and I run and hug him like he's been gone for weeks every single day he comes home) , he calls me daily for a lunch date to see how my day is going (even though sometimes my day is so hectic it seems like a chore), I always wake up early to prepare his clothes and make him coffee, breakfast and lunch before he leaves for work too (except when I am sick or the babies are sick of course, he always insists I stay in bed and sleep in)! This may all seem cheesy but I know it's what keeps our fire burning.

The mere fact that we have a passion for the same thing. Children. We have an strong desire to help children, to minister to them and to provide them the best education possible. We have lengthy conversations about our ministry, the who, the how, the when, and the why. There are so many hurting children out there. And we have that burning desire to make a difference together...

I love seeing "my man" grow. He is hotter, cuter, and so much wiser now... Toast to our Anniversary and the many, many years to come!

Menu Planning Monday
My goal is to try to raid my pantry for meals this week. So I am going to give some of these recipes a try with a little revisions since I have to use what I have. Let's give this a try!

Monday - Broccoli Chicken Fettucini Alfredo

Tuesday -