Stuffed Pork Chops with Creamy Sage Gravy

I have to start this by saying how pleased I am with my husband! The other day we found out our neighbor upstairs had the back window smashed out of his car. This is the second time he has had his car vandalized. We've had a few problems with this man, and he hasn't been the nicest person to anyone here in town. He likes to bag on our religion when he's at work and makes it uncomfortable for anyone to be in the teachers lounge because of his anti-Mormon stance. In spite of all his orneriness my darling husband went to him and offered $50 towards a reward to find out who did this. I'm proud of my husband for being able to look beyond the sour demeanor this person has, and offer to help.
As an aside , we probably already know who did this, as the teacher had a run in with a certain student who has become a punk. It's sad because this young man is smarter than most of the adults around him, and could really make something of himself if he had a good male role model in his life. Don't know where the dad is, but he's not in the picture, and there's no other men in his family circle to pick up the ball and run with it.
On a happier note, I was watching Sandra Lee yesterday and she had a recipe for stuffed chicken thighs. I happened to have some very nice thick pork chops out ready to prep for dinner so I decided to stuff them. As I always do I added a couple of things to my recipe and the pork chops turned out great! My husband was so happy with dinner that the recipe will definitely go in the must have again file. This recipe is for two, but you could double or triple it for your family's needs.

Stuffed Pork Chops with Creamy Sage Gravy Serves 2

2 inch thick lean pork chops
1/3 c. each minced apple, onion and celery
I clove garlic, minced
1 cup dried bread cubes, coarsely chopped
1/4 t. seasoning salt
1 sprig of Rosemary, stripped of half it's leaves
parsley
3-4 leaves fresh sage or 1/2 to 1 t. dried if not available
2 +2+2-3T. olive oil or bacon grease
splash of juice or water.
1 1/2 - 2 cups milk
In a frying pan saute onions and celery for 5 minutes in fat of your choice. Add apples and saute 5 minutes more. Add herbs and seasoning salt and a dash or two of black pepper. Toss in your bread cubes and add a splash of juice or water to moisten slightly. Stir.
Butterfly cut your pork chops so that it creates two flat pieces still attached on one edge. Spoon in as much stuffing as you can on one side, fold over other side and toothpick in place. You may have a bit left over. Save that.
Add 2 T. olive oil to your pan, and turn up to medium. After oil gets hot add your chops. Cook for about 10 minutes on each side, until they are golden. Remove and place on a plate. Put in the oven and turn to 225 degrees to keep warm.
Add 3 T. fat to your frying pan and 2-3 T. flour, to make a thick mixture. Brown lightly, stirring occasionally. Add a chicken bullion cube and sage. Then add milk 1/2 a cup at a time stirring and letting thicken. Only add as much milk as will make a nice creamy gravy. Season with a dash of seasoning salt and pepper if needed.

Good Neighbors

I am so lucky to have good neighbors here in Joseph! We care and share alike so I'm going to share with you. I was recently gifted a few packages of elk and venison. So I pulled a pack of elk steaks out yesterday and made some chili with what I had on hand. Here's the result and the recipe.

Elk Chili
1 lb. elk steak, cubed
2 T. bacon grease
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1- 16 oz. can black beans, drained ( I saved the juice and froze it to use in soup)
1- 16 oz. can chili beans with liquid
1- 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
2 fresh jalapenos, chopped
1 t. each basil, oregano, sage
1 bay leaf
1 T. cumin powder

In a medium size pot saute elk and onion in bacon grease until meat is no longer red. Add garlic and cook a minute more. Add the rest of the ingredients and let simmer for 45 minutes to blend flavors. Serves 6-8
I ate mine over a bed of chopped lettuce and onion, topped with cheese and Tapatio. We scooped with burner heated corn tortillas. Yummy!

Where's the Beef?

Well, besides a desire to really beef about the new stimulus package and what that is really going to do for our economy, there will be very little beef in the following recipe.
First though, I would like to share something we found this morning in the Doctrine and Covenants, specifically Section 90:25-27. The counsel to serve the Lord was followed by finding upright men of means who could help in the work. And that when this was accomplished, they were to be wise in using the resources acquired which is what those verses refer to. There was a footnote on the commission to "Keep your families small" as that was a strange request. see Mosiah 4:26-27. In these verses we are commanded to repent and take care of those in need, but to do it in wisdom and in order as we are not asked to run faster than we have strength. A good reminder to not over schedule time each day. We all need a rest period each day to reflect, revive and rejuvenate. See what Brigham Young says about that in my very first post.

Okay, now to the recipe.

Meatball Stroganoff
meatballs
1 cup cracked wheat or bulgar wheat soaked in 2 cups hot beef bullion or broth. 1/2 cup bread crumbs 1/3 lb. hamburger 1 egg 1 T katsup 1 T. worcesteshire sauce 1/2 t. Lawry's seasoning salt
Sauce
1 can cream of mushroom soup + 2 soup cans water 1 package onion soup mix 2 T. katsup 2 T. worcesteshire sauce 1 t. marjoram 1 t. basil 1 t. dill weed 1/2 cup sour cream

Combine meatball ingredients and mix well. Form 1 inch meatballs and place on greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Combine all sauce ingredients except sour cream in a large pot and heat over medium temp, stirring occasionally. Turn down temperature to low and stir in sour cream until blended well. Add hot meatballs and serve. Serves 8



By the way, the cute banner I posted above this note can be yours to use for a business or personal blog or website. Contact me for more details.

Wheat Berry Salad

Wonderful wheat! The delicious foods that can be created with it are amazing! And the nutrition factor is an added plus. Whole wheat has pantothenic acid, folic acid, biotin, B vitamins and E vitamins. Iron, potassium and magnesium are among the other health benefits of eating wheat.
You can sprout wheat for salads, grind it into flour for all sorts of goodies, including gluten that can be turned into mock meat. In this form it is almost a complete protein, lacking only lysine which can be made up by adding legumes, nuts, and vegetables. Cooking the wheat kernels gives you a plump wheat berry that can be used for breakfast cereal, salads, in soups and stews. Cracked wheat makes an easy and great extender for burger in meatloaf,meat balls, as well as taco filling.
You can save money by incorporating wheat into your weekly menu as well. Start by adding wheat slowly to your diet and you will feel better, save money, and also more fully follow the Word of Wisdom by learning to eat meat sparingly. Don't be afraid to experiment and Enjoy!
Here's a salad recipe that is really quite delicious.
Wheat Berry Salad

3 c. cooked wheat berries
3 sl. bacon cooked til crisp and crumbled
3/4 c. each chopped celery and grated carrot
1 c. chopped cabbage
I/2 c. chopped onion
1/2 c. each plain yogurt and mayonnaise
1/3 c. Craisins
1/2 t. course ground pepper
1 t. seasoning salt
1 T. honey

Combine all ingredients in a medium size bowl. Chill and serve. Servings 8
You can change any veggies and use broccoli or cauliflower, chopped.

I will be adding more like this so check back on occasion. Thanks for stopping by!