Bacon wrapped pork chops

This is a wonderful gluten free recipe which I created by combining 2 other recipes I found in a cook book. Of course, I did add a little twist of my own.


Bacon Wrapped Pork Chops


What you need:  a bowl of the spice blend, (recipe follows); 4-5 pork chops, boneless or bone in, your choice; toothpicks, one per pork chop; 1 tomato, sliced; 1 onion, sliced; 4 pieces of sweet peppers, either green, orange, or yellow; 2 slices of bacon for each pork chop; cooking oil.

What you do:
Preheat oven to 400*F.
 Make up the spice blend. Use a brush to coat each pork chop with oil. Let sit for 10 minutes.
 Sprinkle on some of the spice blend, about 1 tsp per side of chops. Place 2 strips of bacon in an X on a work surface. Place the spiced pork chop on top of the X. Add a slice of onion, a slice of tomato, and a slice of pepper. Bring up the bacon slices and secure with a toothpick.  Pour a little oil into a baking dish. Place the wrapped pork chops into the dish as they are prepared. Add any extra slices of veggies or bacon on top after all the chops are in the pan.  Place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, or until the chops are cooked through.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Spice blend:  1.5 tsp cumin, 2 tsp coriander, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt. Mix all these in a small bowl.  Use as above.


 I made rice to go with this, and I added 2 tsp of the spice blend to the rice cooker, along with the melted margarine, 1 Tbs of Epicure 3 onion blend, and 2 tbs of minced dried garlic.  The rice smelled divine when it was ready..........


As always, enjoy.

Gluten Free Barbecue Sauce With Pork Ribs

Today I created a new recipe for BBQ sauce, and BOY, does it ever taste great! The best part is it is GF for all those people who can't have gluten.


What you need: 2 Tbs cooking oil, (I used canola); 1 medium onion, chopped finely; 2-3 garlic cloves, minced; 1 large can (796ml) crushed tomatoes; 300ml water; 3 Tbs white vinegar; 1/2cup of GF soy sauce; 1/2 cup molasses (I used blackstrap); 1 tsp each ground mustard, ginger, coriander, and  laos or galengal - (this is an Indonesian spice often used in my kitchen.); 1 Tbs crushed red hot chiles - (you can increase or decrease the hot peppers to your own comfort level; salt and pepper to taste.

What you do: heat oil over medium heat in a 2 L saucepan. Add onion and garlic, and cook until softened, but not browned. Reduce heat to low.  Add all the other ingredients, and stir well, letting the sauce simmer for 20 minutes or so.

I am planning to make ribs for dinner, so I will pour the sauce over the prepared ribs and allow them to marinate for a couple hours, then cook in the oven for 2 hours at 300* F.

To prepare the ribs, I cut them into pieces of about 4 ribs, and then put them into a large pot and cover them with water. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Let the ribs simmer about 40 minutes to an hour.

Scripture Cake

I just came across this and thought it would be fun for some of my friends who are familiar with the Bible.  This is NOT an original recipe, it was published in a cookbook from Shearwater; one of the ladies clubs, I think, where each member contributed several recipes, and then sold cookbooks as a fund raiser.  I copied it out of my mother's book, so do not know the person who this came from.  Community cookbooks are still a common fund raiser for many service groups and clubs.
You will need to have a bible handy to look up the references for each ingredient, and to follow the instructions. Bake an hour at 350*F, or until the centre is dry when tested with a toothpick.  Have fun.

Scripture Cake


What you need:
1 cup Judges 5:25 (last clause).                                    1 pinch Leviticus 2:13
1 cup Jeremiah. 6:20.                                                    2 cups 1 Samuel 30:12
2 cups Nahum  3:12.                                                     2 Tbs  1  Samuel 14:25
2 tsp  2 Chronicles  9:09.                                              1 cup Numbers    17:08
2 cups  1 Kings  4:22.                                                   2  Tbs. Amos      4:05
1 cup    Judges  4:19 (last clause).                                3  Jeremiah       17:11

What you do:  As for all cakes blend any fats with sugar, mix dry ingredients together, and wet ingredients together separately, and alternately add the the sugar mix. Follow Solomons directions for  making a good boy - Proverbs. 23:14. Until you have a nice batter. Stir in any other items not included above in wet and dry.  Pour into a large loaf pan.

Enjoy.

Dad's Sugar Pie

French Canadians have long been known for this traditional pie, which originates from the Normandy part of France. (Possibly other parts of France, and Belgium as well). My Dad used to make this pie often, since it was relatively cheap and easy to do. I was looking for recipes for 'Shoofly Pie' and realized it is very similar to sugar pie, but uses molasses rather than brown sugar, or maple sugar. As with Tourtière, every cook has a little twist. Some have eggs, or flour, or use whipping cream, but from my memories Dad did not.

What you need: 1 unbaked pie crust - 9"; about 2 cups of brown sugar -( I use Demerara); 1 can of evaporated milk -( not the sweetened condensed milk).

What you do: Pre heat your oven to 450*F.  Fill the pie shell with the brown sugar, and then pour about half of the can of milk over in a circling pattern so all the sugar gets a little wet.  Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350*F, and continue to bake for about 30 minutes more.
Allow to cool before cutting. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Shrimp and Cheese Tarts

Shrimp and Cheese Tarts. - Appetizers


These were an adaption of a quiche we used to buy frozen from the preschool where the boys went back in Mission, BC.


What you need: 45 tart shells - homemade or frozen. (If you buy frozen ones, make sure they are not the sweetened ones). 1 Tbs olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 6 cloves garlic, minced; 1 bag, 300-400 gr., frozen uncooked shrimp, or a shrimp and scallop blend; 4 Tbs butter; 1 container 500gr. Of cream cheese, softened; 3 eggs; 2 cups grated Gouda cheese; 100 ml whipping cream; 1 Tbs dried parsley flakes; 1 tsp salt.

What you do: Heat olive oil in a nonstick frying pan, and cook onion and garlic for a few minutes until they are fragrant and softened. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl beat the softened cream cheese, and beat in eggs one at a time. Add the cooked onion and garlic. Add the butter to the frying pan, and over medium heat, cook the shrimp until the flesh is pink and just cooked through. While shrimp is cooking add whipping cream, salt, and cheese to the bowl. Stir in the cooked shrimp, and the parsley flakes.
Arrange the tart shells on a baking sheet. Fill 3/4 full with the shrimp and cheese mixture. Bake at 425* F for 25-30 minutes.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

For people who are allergic to shell fish, or who just do not like it, this recipe can easily be changed to use chopped ham, chicken, or turkey in place of the shrimp. Just add butter and chopped cooked meat to the cooked onion a garlic in the pan, skipping the cooking part. Mix into the cheese as above.

Slavinken

Slavinken is a word which roughly translated could be 'butcher's finches'. No one is quite certain why they have this name, but one theory is that  they reminded a butcher of the little song finches which used to be common in the markets around Holland.  This is a traditional Dutch recipe. (you can use beef, pork, lamb, or a mixture). It can be served with boiled or mashed potatoes, rice or noodles, along with salad or steamed vegetables.


What you need: 500-600 grams ground meat; 1 egg; about 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce; salt; pepper; 2 tsp onion powder; 2 tsp garlic powder; about 1/2 cup bread crumbs; 1 tsp nutmeg; 12 slices bacon.

What you do:  in a large mixing bowl, mix everything except the bacon, until well blended. Divide meat mixture into 12 equal portions and roll into small logs, about the size of your thumb. Wrap each log into a slice of bacon. Add to a frying pan, and cook over medium heat, turning often, until browned on all sides. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 20 minutes, or until meat is cooked through.

Serve hot with your favourite side dishes.

My Favourite Macaroni and Cheese

The basics for this are from the macaroni that my Dad used to make regularly. According to my sister, Mom used to make it too. Maybe Dad learned from Mom. I don't know, but this has been a favourite all my life.


What you need: 3 cups elbow macaroni, about 200 gr of cheddar cheese, 2 cups milk, 2 Tbs butter or margarine, 2 Tbs flour, about 1 tsp Aromat, about 3/4 tsp white pepper, one 28 oz can of whole tomatoes, about half a stack of soda crackers, 6-8 slices of bacon, 1 cup chopped ham (optional).  Slices of cheese (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375*F
What you do:  Bring 2.5 litres of water to a boil in a large pasta or stock pot or Dutch oven. Add macaroni, and boil for about 9 minutes, or until the pasta is cooked to your preferred level of tenderness.  Meanwhile - In a 1 litre size glass measuring cup, melt the butter or margarine in the microwave for about 20-25 seconds on medium high power. Whisk in the flour. Add Aromat and white pepper, and mix well. Add the milk and whisk to blend well. Cook on high power for 5 minutes, stirring after the first minute, then every 30 seconds. Meanwhile grate the cheese, and add in small batches to the sauce. After the first 5 minutes, cook on medium power until all the cheese is added, and the sauce is smooth, with no lumps. Drain the pasta, and place in a large oven proof bowl or casserole dish. Add tomatoes, and chopped ham, if using. Pour in the cheese sauce. Mix well.
Crush the crackers, and sprinkle over the macaroni. Cover with slices of cheese, if using.  Add the slices of bacon.

Bake for 40 minutes to an hour.