Baked Squash w/Apples

As I’ve mentioned a time or three before, I LOVE Fall squash season!  There’s just so many varieties of squash and ways to cook them, and they’re all SO YUMMY!

I recently took advantage of some great sales on Delicata squash, which some call the sweet potato squash.  They’re small, delicious and easy to handle and cook quickly.  I’d also bought a bushel of apples (York) and the two just sort of came together.

I began with 4 Delicata squash and approximately 4-5 apples, some butter.

• 4 Delicata squash
• 4-5 apples – peeled, cored and chopped
• 2 Tbs. flour
• 2 Tbs. butter, melted
• 2 Tbs. brown sugar

1. Begin by washing the outside of your squash. It has, afterall, been living in the ground for the last 5-6 months or so.  Once they’re washed, take the tip of a sharp knife and pierce the side of the squash.  CAREFULLY, split the squash lengthwise.
2. Use a spoon to scrape out the inside pulp and seeds. 
3. Poke holes into the flesh of the squash but try not to pierce all the way through to the outside.
4. In a separate bowl, the apples with the flour just to coat them.
5. 
   Sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture, and then add the melted butter to the mix – toss again (gently). You should guard against unauthorized taste-testing – it can be hazardous to your dinner!
6. In a foil-lined baking dish, place the squash cut side up. Spoon the apples into each half of the squash and then sprinkle with cinnamon.
7. Bake at 350°F for 30-40 minutes or until you can easily sink your fork through the squash.
8. Enjoy!

 

*Note: The final photo does not do this delicious dish justice!  The beautiful squash melts into a gorgeous color, the apples actually crisp up – just fabulous!!!

This dish is perfect to make beforehand for the upcoming holidays.  You can do this the day before, then just keep them covered until the big day – just throw them back in the oven or microwave!

Baked, Stuffed Acorn Squash

As a kid, the only time we really ate squash was at Thanksgiving & Christmas - and it was boiled butternut squash that was then mashed and buttered. It was yummy. However, a few years ago, thanks to our local farmer's market, I became enamored with other kinds of squash as well as different ways to prepare them that didn't involve watering them down by boiling them. This is one I came up with.

Acorn squash is full of good stuff, too!

2 acorn squash, approximately 1 lb each
1 package bulk sausage meat, the kind you use for stuffing (or to make sausage patties for you down there in the south)
Onion powder
garlic salt

Split the acorn squash lengthwise - this allows them to stand upright
Remove the seeds & other icky stuff inside
squeeze out 1/4 of the sausage meat right into the squash cavity
sprinkle with garlic & onion & whatever other spices you might like
cover with aluminum foil
bake in a 350-375° oven for 1-1/2 hours

Makes 4 servings. Obviously, if you have more people, cook more squash LOL
Serve :)

12 Days & Counting

Hard to believe it, really. Just 12 days from now, another Thanksgiving! Thanksgiving was always a BIG day in my family growing up. All of us would gather at someone's house, whether it was my aunt & uncle's turn or my mom & dad's turn to host, and as the family grew bigger, so did the turkey. It was a favorite time of year because (maybe it was my naivete') we all had a great time together, and the food was always perfect. Always.

 

 

 

The standard fare was: (to serve typically 15+)

• A HUGE turkey (20+ lbs at least)
• homemade mashed potatoes
• pan gravy
• mashed butternut squash (they boiled the squash)
• mashed carrots (boiled those too)
• my family's recipe for stuffing (to drool over)
• various other sides, like corn, cranberries (both canned)
• celery
• desserts, typically a couple of different pies

After hubby & I moved to New Hampshire and had our daughter, it became impractical to be driving the 3-1/2 hrs down to RI for Thanksgiving with the family, only to rush back to NH for Jimmy to go to work on Friday.  So I began cooking Thanksgiving dinner for my small family.

The first couple of years, I struggled with cooking the turkey the way my mom did and my nana before her.  Last year, I finally – FINALLY – decided to do it like my mother always did – and like my grandmother always did.  It’s not the preferred method of Butterball, but it’s tried and true. Why fight history?

Last year, and this year, I’ll be going with this menu and I’ll be posting the recipes over the next few days.  If you are cooking Thanksgiving for your family and/or friends this year, won’t you leave your link so I can come visit you as well?

The menu will consist of:

• a 12(ish) lb turkey
• sausage stuffing from my nana’s recipe
• cornbread & cranberry stuffing
• oven roasted sweet potatoes
• oven roasted squash
• home-made rolls
• pan gravy
• home-made mashed potatoes
• home-made pumpkin pie

I can’t wait!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

I know- I'm all Paula Dean now, right? I love Paula. I covet Paula. I want to make sweet, sweet pancakes with Paula.

ahem.

Anyway, I wanted to let you know that I haven't actually fallen off the face of the Earth. Just to West Virginia. I joke, I joke. Seriously, though, we did MOVE to West Virginia a few weeks ago, and before that, we spent a ridiculously huge amount of time and money hunting for a place to live in West Virginia. Why West Virginia? Because it's one of the only states that I mess up EVERY SINGLE TIME I TYPE IT.

Oh - and because hubby FINALLY got a job, and it happens to be in (can you guess?)


.......drumroll please.............

Maryland.

Ha! Almost had you there, didn't I?

Ok, so Maryland is more expensive to live in, so we're in WEST VIR GIN IA. There, I didn't screw it up that time. I know, I know - it's way easier to just type WV - but then the tens of thousands of NON-USA'er fans/followers/stalkers would have NO idea what WV is and would be all "wtf is WV?" so I suffer and type West Virignia. Crap. (see what I mean???)



In any case, it's FALL! I love Fall. I love the smells and sights of Fall. I especially love the foods of Fall. Squash & apples - apples & squash. Everywhere you look, everywhere you go, you'll see squash & apples for sale. Here in West VIR GIN IA, they have apple orchards and peach orchards seemingly on every corner (well - mostly). We visited a 1,000 acre farm this past weekend, and we were AMAZED at all that they had to offer. I swear, they grow every fruit possible. We picked our own raspberries - IN SEPTEMBER! We picked our own GRAPES! (We didn't like the grapes though - blech!) We did not, however, pick our own apples. For some odd reason, that wasn't an option. The website says their apple season starts next week
end, and so maybe then we'll go back and get our OWN apples.





I've NEVER had fresh raspberries that tasted this good, I literally ate them off the plant. Never! The ones I've bought in the market have always been too sour/bitter. These things - these little baby bundles of berry goodness - I could have just eaten them all - every single one!

We wound up picking 2 pints of berries - which they charge by the pound for, and wound up spending $3.47! In the market, we'd have spent about $10 for them!

Ok, so enough about the raspberries, I know. But still!


I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm back - I've already got a new post brewing in my head for a recipe celebrating Fall, too! I'll have that up soon. In the meantime,

Eggplant & Chicken Stew

Ingredients

* Eggplant, fresh, 637 grams (1 lb 6oz) - cut into 2" chunks
* Zucchini, 303 grams (10.7 oz) - sliced
* Summer Squash, 2 medium (13.1 oz)-sliced
* Garlic, 4 cloves - crushed
* Onions, raw, 139 grams (1 med 4.9oz) - chopped
* Great Value Petite Diced Tomatoes, 1.75 cup (1 can)
* Olive Oil, 1 tbsp
* Chicken Breast, no skin, 14 ounces - cut into bite-sized pieces

Nutritional Info

Fat: 3.5g
Carbohydrates: 15.6g (5.1 fiber)
Calories:165.2
Protein: 18.4g

Begin by chopping your eggplant into 2" chunks. I peeled my eggplant, but you can leave it unpeeled if you want.

Slice the zucchini & summer squash - I used 1/4" slices. Chop the onion, crush the garlic.

In a stew pot, brown the garlic & onion in the olive oil. Add

Next, add the can of tomatoes and bring to a bubble over medium heat.

Add the eggplant and reduce heat to low. Cook for 45 minutes.

Add the zucchini and squash and cook an addition 30 minutes, or until vegetables are to your desired tenderness.

The original recipe suggested adding mushrooms & chickpeas, but I didn't so it's not in this recipe. Her original recipe, by Revasean, is simply named Eggplant Stew, and is the basis of this recipe.

I would say this makes 6 good sized servings and would be great served with a nice salad.

Number of Servings: 6

Spaghetti Squash

I buy a spaghetti squash at least once a week. This is how I cook it.

I split the squash in half length-wise, scoop out the seeds & pump. I cover each side with aluminum foil and back in the oven for about an hour at 400. I check it by poking it with a fork. Then I scoop it out with a fork and "fluff" it. I use this with sesame shrimp, these AWESOME meatballs that I found a recipe for... I love it!

Kitchen Sink Soup

This is a recipe I made up on my own. It really was very tasty!

Kitchen Sink Soup
By Dawn

• 1 c carrots, sliced
• 1 c celery, sliced
• 1 c yellow snap beans (wax beans)
• 1 c frozen spinach
  
• 2 c yellow summer squash sliced
• 1 lg onion (1 cup)
• 2 c chopped chicken (see below)
• 1/2 c green onions, sliced
• 1 Tbs garlic chives, chopped
  
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 2 tsp chicken soup base
• 1 Tbs fresh rosemary, chopped

While I was chopping the veggies, I placed 4 chicken quarters (the leg and thigh section) that had been picked on for dinner the other night in about 7 cups of water and set it to boil. To that, I added the tops of the inside sections of celery (the leafy portion), the top portion of a fresh onion (what most consider green onions), and salt & pepper. That boiled the whole time I chopped veggies, about 45 minutes or so.

After the veggies were chopped, I poured the chicken and broth into a strainer that was placed in a bowl. The bowl caught the broth, and then I placed the chopped veggies (all except the yellow squash and onion) into the pot, along with about a tablespoon of olive oil.

The yellow squash and onion went on a lightly oiled cookie sheet in a 425 ° oven for 25 minutes.

I sauteed the veggies in the pot for a while, while picking the chicken off the bones.

Finally, I put the broth, chicken and roasted vegetables into the pot and brought it back to a boil. To this, I added the rosemary, chicken base and garlic salt.

I cooked this for about 10 minutes (the time it took to wash the dishes I'd dirtied during this time), and then turned it off. I left it off until we ate lunch, about 40 minutes.

Later, I'll reheat it for a few minutes, and serve it again, but with a salad, for dinner!

I figured out the nutritional info and it fell as such:

Per serving, which I'm figuring is about 1 cup of soup.
Cal 129; Fat 22; Cholesterol 42; Sodium 239; Potassium 492; Carbs 8; fiber 3.5; protein 14.5

ENJOY!

Zucchini Pancakes

Oh, the zucchini.  When planning and planting our garden this year, I wanted to plant the things that I frequently would purchase at the farmer’s market in New Hampshire when we lived there.  Being that there are simply NONE here that are actually held at a convenient time (i.e. weekend), I wanted and needed those homegrown veggies in my back yard.

Oh did I get them!  The plan was for zucchini, summer squash, watermelon, corn, tomatoes, green beans – and of course, the kids HAD to plant pumpkins.  Well – I planted for the size of the garden, NOT the size of our family.  So now, the squash and zucchini have come in IN SPADES and I’m struggling to find ways to use them before they go to waste.

I LOVE zucchini, but my family not so much.  I seriously underestimated just how “not so much” meant until I started trying to feed it to them EVERY.Single.Night.  Ok, so then I started looking for recipes, and this one stuck because I figured, if it doesn’t LOOK like zucchini, maybe that will work!

And it mostly did for them.  For me? TOTALLY.

I adapted this recipe from cooks.com, though.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1950,138191-232201,00.html

I used about 2 cups of grated zucchini  - which was about ONE zucchini (seriously!)

1 1/2 c. grated zucchini (absorb moisture in paper towel, if too wet)
1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 egg
Optional: onion, garlic salt, parsley, cheese for flavor

 

I put the zucchini in some paper towel and squeeeeeezed all those green juices out of there.

Also, because I was making enough for 5 to go with dinner, I basically doubled the recipe, and it wound up making about 10 pancakes.

Grate the zucchini and then squeeze out the juice.

In a medium bowl, combine the egg, flour and baking powder. At this stage, if you’re going for add-ins such as what I did, add it now.  When everything else is blended, add the zucchini.  Thi consistency should resemble pancake batter.

Heat your skillet and add some sort of something so these don’t stick.  I used canola oil.

Pour the batter into the size you want – they don’t spread unless you help them – which helps them cook evenly as well.  Cook until browned on each side.

I also added about 1/4 of a small onion, and chopped it tiny, tiny, tiny – but the onion definitely added something yummy to it!  I also added about 2 tsp of minced (from the jar) garlic.  Salt and pepper, of course.  So so easy to make, and then as suggested, I served them with sour cream. I loved the addition of the sour cream – the kids, not so much – but what do THEY know? :)

Next time, I’ll add some parmesan cheese, I think – just didn’t have any that night.

Definitely worth the “effort” and simply an awesome way of disguising veggies at dinner!

Broiled Greek Shrimp

Broiled Greek Shrimp

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1 14-1/2 ou. can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1/2 c. chopped fresh italian parsley, divided
• 2 lbs. large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 c. crumbled Feta cheese
• 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper

Preheat broiler.

In a skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Add garlic and saute' for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and half the parsley. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 5 minutes. Pour mixture into a broiler-proof dish and sprinkle with feta cheese. Broil till nicely melted and slightly brown on top. Watch as it broils. It takes only a second!

Before serving, sprinkle with parsley, lemon juice and pepper.

Serving suggestion: Serve on a bed of baked spaghetti squash with a big green salad.

Per Serving:
400 calories; 15g fat; 53g protein; 1g fiber, 11g carb; 378 cholesterol; 917 sodium.

My Notes:

This was DELICIOUS! I didn't have fresh parsley, I forgot the lemon juice and it was still DELICIOUS. It was perfect over the spaghetti squash, too.

Note - If you're prone to migraines, try not to eat too much of the feta - it sent me into a headache.

My Thanksgiving Menu 2009

I’m attempting to scale back this year.   In the last few years, I’ve attempted to really make our dinner something spectacular.  I don’t think anyone but me noticed – so this year? Basics is #1.

• Turkey – cleaned inside and out, buttered inside and out, sprinkled with salt and pepper - roasted on 250°F all night*.  By the morning, it will be done, the house will smell incredible.  This in itself is a tradition that’s been a part of my family history for decades.  Truly, it is NOT Thanksgiving for any of my siblings if we haven’t woken up to the smell of Thanksgiving. [low-fat option for me – eating the white meat instead of my REAL love of the thigh meat!]
  
• Mashed potatoes – not boxed – REAL potatoes.  I peel and cut them into cubes and cover them in salted water the day before.  30 minutes before I’m ready to serve dinner, I place them on the stove, bring them to a boil and then time them.  10 minutes later, they’re done (usually).  I poke them with a fork to make sure.  Then I mash them with some canned milk and butter.  Canned milk (evaporated) just makes them SO creamy and delicious!  [low-fat option for me? None really – although I might try an old standby of mashing some with chicken broth instead. I dunno]
  
• Baked mashed sweet potatoes – I wrap my peeled sweet potatoes in foil and bake them in a 350 oven the day before – typically when I also cook the corn bread for my next item. [low-fat option for me – I can eat these because I don’t put butter on them at all!]
  
• A new favorite of mine – cornbread cranberry stuffing.  Corn bread, cranberries, almonds, ginger – it’s incredible.  I’ll post the directions for this soon.  [low-fat option for me – I can eat this if I scale back on the butter that the recipe calls for. This works out well, considering I’m the only one who eats it LOL]
  
• Sausage stuffing.  Here’s another OLD family tradition.  Although I do not technically STUFF the bird, it’s stuffing.  It’s not DRESSING.  DRESSING is what you put on salad! ;) Another tradition involving this particular holiday food is being sure to include your kids in the tearing the bread into bite-sized pieces preparation that goes along with it.  My grandmother reminded me, every.singe.time I helped her make this stuffing to make sure “the bread isn’t too big or too small!” – just as she did with my mom – and now just as I do with my son (and soon, daughter!).  If I’m on the phone with my mom or sister and mention that I’m making the stuffing, they’ll chime in with “and make sure the bread isn’t too big or too small!” in loving tribute to my Nana.  [low-fat option for me? hahahahaha. NONE. I will have just a tiny bit, though – stomach be damned.]
  
• The one thing I have made a concerted effort to do now is that NOTHING comes from a can on the big holidays.  My family deserves freshly made food.  So I’ll also include some corn and perhaps carrots – oooh, maybe some honey glazed carrots – as side dishes! [low-fat option for me – no brainer. I can eat all the veggies I want, as long as there’s no butter. ]
  
• Home-made pan gravy.  Made from the drippings from the turkey, I add some addition broth (chicken broth, truth be told).  Brought to a boil, you just thicken it with some flour & water (mixed together).  [Be sure to use COLD water when mixing the flour & water.]  Whisk out the lumps and voila! YUMMY gravy not from a jar. [low-fat option for me? Kind of out of luck with that, but I’ll have a tiny bit.  JUST a tiny bit, though.]
  
• Dessert.  I’m thinking maybe my apple pie, since it is such a crowd (read: all 5 of us) pleaser, and it’s easily made!  [low-fat option for me – MINE. ALL MINE!  oops.  I can have *some* – a small piece.]

That’s it.  No home-made orange cranberry sauce. No homemade rolls. No baked squash with apples. I have to live a low-fat lifestyle, so I won’t even be able to EAT most of what I’m cooking – or at least, not in the manner to which I have been accustomed to for the last 40(ish) years.

My new family tradition is when we all gather around the table and we each give thanks for something. Sometimes, it makes me cry, thinking about my grandparents and how much I miss them - but it makes me thankful that I've passed their memories on to my kids, and although 2 of my kids never even met them, they will know them in their hearts, always.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

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*Note: I KNOW that the way I cook the turkey isn't up to snuff with the turkey hotline people. I've TRIED the turkey hotline people's way for several years - and was paid back by turkey that I didn't enjoy. Turkey that I would even wind up throwing away because we didn't eat it all. Last year, I decided to go back to my mom's way of cooking it and we quite literally would have licked the bones, if there were any meat left on them! So please. I know. Ok? :)

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Target & TwitterMoms wants to know what what your Thanksgiving traditions are. You could win too!

 

 

I’m a Foodie Mama!

Hey, check meout! I’m on Foodie Mama’s front page with my winter squash article.  Go reaaaad it! :)

I'm famous now!

Ratatouille - no, not the movie!

LOL My kids & I just saw the movie Ratatouille last week and they were intrigued but the idea of the FOOD ratatouille.  But I KNOW that my oldest does not LIKE most vegetables - my daughter will, on occasion, depending on her mood, either love them or hate them.  BUT I LOVE THEM.  So I figured I'd make it and cash in on the popularity of the movie. 

I looked around the net for an interesting recipe - there's so many variations.  I wound up making my own because I wasn't paying attention LOL  It came out SCRUMPTIOUS and my kids RAVED over it.  My oldest, mr. only likes green beans, asked for 2nds... and 3rds!

 

• 1 medium sized eggplant, peeled and cut into approx. 1" chunks. (I didn't seed it either)
• 2 medium sized zucchini (not peeled), sliced
• 1 medium sized yellow squash (not peeled), sliced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 green peppers, seeded and chopped (but left in good sized chunks)
• 1 14 oz can tomatoes (with onions)
• 1 beefsteak tomato, quartered and eighth'd? LOL
• 1 tbls. olive oil
• 3 large cloves garlic, sliced

In a pot, I sauteed the onions and garlic.  Once the onions were transluscent, I added the green peppers - covered the pot and let them cook down some.  To that, I added the eggplant & tomatoes and then simmered  it, covered, for about 15 minutes - or perhaps 20.  Finally, I threw in the celery & squashes.  Again, I covered it and let it simmer while I cooked up a pound of angel hair spaghetti, which I served the ratatouille over.  Truly, this was a delicious meal!  It did need some salt, but we added that individually - and it was even better when we added parmesan cheese.  All in all, a BIG success in my house!

Enjoy!

Oven Roasted Veggies

I’ve started eating like an adult instead of a 12 yr old, and with the help of my Tweightloss friends, I hope to start losing some of this post-baby, post-surgery weight I’ve put on.  And maybe some more.  Here's what I made the other night, along with a grilled chicken breast. It was DELICIOUS.

Also, it's my entry for this week's Photohunter theme, "Colorful".

• 1 lg. italian pepper
• 1 red onion
• 1 red pepper
• 1 yellow squash
• 2 tbsp low-fat salad dressing

Spread the salad dressing over the foil line baking sheet. Spread veggies out in a single layer. Bake for 30 minutes on 400°. Serves 2.

tuscan meatballs

We picked up this recipe card from a Walmart Supercenter and I was shocked to find out how good it was.

I serve this on top of a bed of spaghetti squash and a salad and it's very filling. And best of all, it's fast. Prep Time: 19 min. Cook time 11 min.

• 1 lb. ground beef chuck
• 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese
• 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, divided
• 1 egg, beaten
• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1 sm. onion, finely chopped
• 1 15oz. can diced tomatoes with basil and oregano
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup thin sliced fresh basil leaves

In a medium bowl, mix beef, parmesan & chopped basil, 1 clove garlic, and egg until well blended. Shape into 24 meatballs (about 1 scant tablespoon each), 1 to 1-1/4 inches round.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add meatballs; cook 5 to 7 minutes or until evenly browned, turning occasionally.

Add onion and remaining 2 cloves garlic; cook and stir 1 minutes. Increase temperature to medium-high heat. Stir in tomatoes, tomatoe paste, and salt. Reduce heat; cover and cook 4 to 6 minutes or until meatballs are thoroughly cooked (internal temp of 160°f). Stir in strips of basil.

Per Serving: 187 cal, 13g fat, 49mg chol., 474 mg sodium, 3g carb, 16g protein, 1g fiber.

Enjoy!

Crock Beef Stew w/ Oven Roasted Vegetables

• 1 Tb olive oil
• 1-3/4 lb beef stew meat
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• salt & pepper to taste
• 1 can beef broth (13 to 14-1/2 ounces)
• 2 ts. thyme
• 12 medium mushrooms
• 4 plum tomatoes, quartered
• 2 onions, quartered
• 1-1/2 Tb olive oil
• 1 Tb. cornstarch, dissolved in 2 Tb cold water

IN a skillet, heat 1/2 Ts olive oil over medium heat until hot. Add beef and garlic and brown, salting and peppering to taste. Stir in broth and dried thyme. Bring to a boil and transfer to a crock-pot. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours, depending on the type of slow cooker you have.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly grease a jelly-roll pan with a little olive oil. Place the veggies on the pan. Drizzle 1/2 Tb olive oil over vegetables, tossing to coat. Roast in oven for 20 to 25 minutes, or until tender.

At the last hour of cooking, add the cornstarch mixture, cook and stir 2 minutes with the lid off or until sauce is slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in the roasted vegetables and serve.

Per serving:
289 calories; 13g fat; 32g protein; 12g carb; 2 fiber; 77mg cholesterol; 285mg sodium.

*Note: I leave out the mushrooms and substituted some zucchini and yellow squash instead. YUM!

Tuscan Pork Chops

Tuscan Pork Chops

• 1 Tbl olive oil
• 4 boneless pork chops (I used 5 bone-in chops)
• salt & pepper to taste
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 tsp rosemary, crushed
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1/4 c. red wine (or use red grape juice with a splash of vinegar)
• 1/2 c. chicken broth
• 1 T butter

In a skillet, heat the oilive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chops, salt & epper to taste. Brown on both sies, about 5 minutes per side, depending on how thick they are. Remove the chops and keep warm.

To the skillet, add the garlic, rosemary, tomato, red wine, and chicken broth. Turn up the heat and cook sauce; using a wire whisk, whisk up the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Let sauce reduce and remove from the heat. Add the butter. When ti is melted and incorporated into the sauce, add the chops back in and thoroughly coat. Then remove chops to dinner plates; serve with sauce ladled over the top.

This WAS AWESOME! My son, the most pickiest eater in the world, gave it 4,000 stars.

I served it to everyone else with corn and green beans (since it was only 1 pork chop), and I made myself some yellow squash in the same pan that the chops had come out of. Again, awesome.

Per serving:
218 calories; 11g fat; 21g protein; 3g carb; 1g fiber; 59mg cholesterol; 76 sodium.

Summer Crock

Summer Crock

• 1 lb italian sausage, casings removed
• 1 T olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups eggplant, cubed
• 1-1/2 cups yellow squash, chopped
• 1-1/2 cups zucchini, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 14 1/2 ounces diced tomatoes, canned
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
• salt & pepper to taste

In a skillet, cook the sausage and, using a wooden spoon, crumble it. Drain grease and place the sausage in the crockpot.

Add the olive oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Now add the onion, eggplant, squashes, and garlic, sauteing about 2 minutes. Add this to the crock.

Now add the broth to the skillet and bring to a boil. Using a wire whisk, get all the stuff up off the bottom of the skillet and incorporate into the broth. Allow to boil vigorously for about a minute. Pour this over thet op of the crockpot.

One last time in the skillet, add the tomatoes and their juice and the seasonings. Heat to a boil, then add on top of everything else in the crockpot. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, depending on the type of slow cooker you have, or till veggies are tender but not overcooked. (*note: I cooked it on high for about 4 hours and it turned out AWESOME!)

Per Serving
469 calories; 20g fat; 20g protein; 14 carbohydrates, 4g dietary fiber; 86mg cholesterol; 988 sodium

Another note: I used a green pepper instead of eggplant because I didn't have any, and it wound up being the same for carbs.

This recipe makes quite a bit, so I was able to get away with having only this with a salad and it was more than filling! YUM.