Bits Of Dust

Archive for August, 2007

Chef Tom has posted what sounds like an excellent recipe over at Chef Tom Cooks!

It’s Chicken with Red Peppers over Angel Hair. Go check it out.

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup white vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can tomato soup
2 pounds carrots, peeled, cooked, and sliced
1 medium onion, sliced into rings
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped

Combine the sugar, vinegar, oil, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper in a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the soup. Mix the carrots, onion, and bell pepper together in a large glass dish; pour the sauce over the vegetables, stir gently to combine, and refrigerate overnight. This salad will keep for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.

[Source: Food Network]

[Hat Tip: Serious Eats]

From Epicurious:

Ingredients:

Spread

1 extra ripe avocado
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Sandwich

8 slices turkey bacon
8 slices whole-wheat bread
8 leaves romaine lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, cut into 12 slices
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Preparation:

Combine spread ingredients in a bowl. Mash until smooth and set aside. Prepare bacon as directed on package; drain thoroughly on paper towels. Toast bread. Place 4 slices on 4 plates. Spread an equal amount of avocado spread on each slice. Top each with 1/4 of the bacon, lettuce, tomato, and onion. Cover each with another slice of toast. Cut sandwiches in half and serve immediately.

My very first Chef Of The Week is…

Heather West,
Terra Rossa

We all saw Heather win on Hell’s Kitchen during season #2. Heather is doing an awesome job out in Vegas, and we were happy to see her this season on Hell’s Kitchen when she gave some pointers to two of the aspiring winners (who have both since left the show).

On a side note, I also discovered tonight that Rachel Brown, a fellow contestant during season #2, was found dead in her home on May 9th. May she rest in peace.

You may recognize Bethenny, as she was the runner up on Martha Stewart’s Apprentice.

Tonight, I made a basic recipe that my family loves. Fried Pork Chops, Orzo, and Green Beans.

I thought I would list here how I make it, just so, well, in case someone else wants to make this delicious recipe some day. It’s very easy, very quick, and the kids absolutely love it. Make sure you prepare all of your ingredients BEFORE starting these dishes, because it goes so quick you might not be able to keep up.

Ingredients:

4 Pork Chops (average thickness, not too thin)

2 eggs
1/2 – 1 Cup water
2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce
1-2 tsp Garlic Powder

2 cups flour
1 1/2 Tbsp. Lawry’s Seasoning Salt
Pepper

Crisco shortening

I lb Orzo pasta
1 stick butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chicken broth (or equivalent chicken stock)

green beans

In a medium sized bowl, mix the eggs, water, soy sauce, and garlic powder. In another bowl, mix the flour, seasoning salt, and pepper. Set aside. Chop the onion, and set aside.

Heat a large pot on medium-high heat and add the butter.
Place onion in pan just as the butter melts.
As the onions become clear, add the orzo and mix thoroughly.
Toast the orzo, stirring occasionally so it does not burn.

At this point start heating a frying pan to 300 degrees for your chops. I use an electric frying pan for this recipe, because it keeps the temperature of the Crisco nice and even. Once the pan is heated add Crisco until you have about 1/4 inch of oil in the pan.

Now that the orzo has toasted, add the chicken broth, then add another can full of water. Mix well.
Place lid on pot. Bring to a boil.

While waiting for it to boil, dredge your pork chops with the flour, dip them in the egg mixture, then dredge with the flour mixture again.
Add pork chops to the hot frying pan and cook for 8 minutes on the first side.

Reduce the heat of the orzo to low (like 3 out of 10) so it simmers in the pan. Stir occasionally.

After the first 8 minutes, turn the pork chops and set the timer for another 8 minutes.

At this point I start the green beans. I like to steam them in a steamer basket, but you can prepare them however you want.

Place the pork chops on a nice platter, they will have a nice golden brown breading that the kids will devour (and forget they are eating meat). Place the orzo in a bowl a few minutes before serving, because like any starch, it retains the heat and the kids will want to dive into that headfirst.

But, that’s it. It’s not rocket science, and it’s very simple, but it’s a dish my kids will actually eat over, and over, again.

Tonight, I had Jack In The Box Tacos for dinner. How delicious is that?!?

What? Why no, there are no Jack In The Box restaurants in Georgia. Funny you should ask.

Jack In The Box Tacos are one of my favorite food items ever!

Why? Because they are such a strange little concoction, that’s why. And they are delicious, too!

I found the copycat recipe for the Jack In The Box Taco at The Secret Recipe Blog. I must say, they were very simple to make and quite delicious. I experimented a bit, but couldn’t figure out the best way to make sure the corn tortillas stayed sealed shut during the frying process though. Any ideas?

If you’re like me, you can head on over to The Secret Recipe Blog to grab the recipe, it’s definitely worth it.

Technorati Tags: jack in the box, taco, recipe, link