Ham & Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes

4 baking potatoes

1 tbsp butter

1/2 cup milk (I used 2%)

1 tsp garlic (minced)

1/2 cup shredded Pepper jack cheese (I used 2%)

1 tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 cup ham

1/4 cup chopped green onions

salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 500.
Poke holes on potatoes with a fork and cook in microwave on high approximately 15 minutes, turning them once. Let them rest a few minutes and them split them in half and scoop out the inside leaving about a 1/4 inch thick shell. Keep pulp in a bowl to the side.
In a small skillet, heat butter over med-high heat. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add milk and bring to a simmer. Pour milk mixture over pulp and add 1/2 the cheese, parsley, ham and salt & pepper to taste. Mix well and stuff potatoes. Top with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese begins to brown.
Top with green onions

Pork Tenderloin Studded with Rosemary & Garlic

Aunt Victoria was nice enough to share some of her yummy rosemary, as ours is still growing. Excited to have so much of it at my disposal, I decided to make this delicious dish out of my trusty ol' Cooking Light cookbook. 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh rosemary 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 (1 lb) pork tenderloin, trimmed 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper Combine rosemary & garlic. Make several 1/2-inch deep slits in pork; place about half of rosemary mixture in slits. Rub pork with remaining rosemary mixture; sprinkle with slat & pepper. The recipe is to cook it in the oven, but Joe cooked it on the grill. I will post recipe for the carrots shown seperately.

Pork Chops Fit For My Father

I, like my father, am a pork chop lover. However, I have never mastered the art of cooking a perfect chop...until now. This is a pork chop I would proudly serve my father!

Buttermilk-Brined Pork Chops

2 cups fat-free buttermilk (I couldn't find fat-free so I just used reduced fat)
2 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary (I did not have fresh rosemary, so I used 1/2 tsp dried)
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
4 (6-ounce) bone-in center-cut pork chops (about 1/2 inch thick)
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large Ziploc bag; shake well to dissolve salt and sugar.
Add pork; seal and refrigerate overnight or up to two days (mine sat for two days), turning bag occasionally.

Remove pork from bag; discard brine.
Pat pork dry with a paper towel.
Sprinkle pork with pepper.
*Heat a large nonstick grill pan over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with cooking spray. Add pork; cook 3 1/2 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.
This is a delicious way to add buttermilk to your lucky New Year's dinner. As you can see, we enjoyed our buttermilk-brined pork chops with cabbage, blackeyed peas and mashed potatoes. It may have been the second day of the new year, but it was much enjoyed!

*This is what the recipe suggests, I just had my wonderful husband cook them on the grill!

Ernie's Pulled Pork

3-5 lbs. pork butt
sliced onion
BBQ sauce (I like Stubbs)
garlic salt
pepper

Spray crock pot with nonstick spray. Put some of the onion in the bottom of your crock pot. Put in the pork butt, add a little water so it won't stick when it starts to cook and put the rest of the onions on top. Add garlic salt and pepper. Turn the crock pot on to high and cook about 5-6 hours. When done, the bone should just pull out. Drain if you want and start pulling the pork; I use a fork for this. After it is all pulled, add the BBQ sauce and let cook for about another 30 minutes to get the sauce all the way through. It is really good on toasted buns or Texas toast with coleslaw. Last night I served mine on toasted buns with mac and cheese and corn on the cob on the side. YUM! Hana Grace even asked for seconds!

Pork & Hominy Chili

2 tsp canola oil
8 oz boneless, center-cut pork chops, trimmed and cubed
1 medium onion, chopped
3/4 green bell pepper, chopped
2 tsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp ground red pepper
1/4 cup no-salt-added tomato paste
1 (15.5 oz) can yellow hominy, drained and rinsed
1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, not drained
1 (14 oz) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
light sour cream
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Heat oil in a large saucepan over med-high heat. Add pork and cook until lightly browned. Add onion, bell pepper and garlic; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in chili powder and next four ingredients. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in tomato paste, hominy, tomatoes and broth; bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with a dollop of sour cream on top. Makes four 1 1/2 cup servings. Goes great with a quesadilla on the side!

Healthy(er) Croque Monsieur

If you've never been to La Madeleine, go. If you've been but you've never had they're Croque Monsieur, go and have it. It's out of this world! I have found a recipe that's easy to make at home and satisfies my hankering for the real thing, and it's low in fat and calories. You can't really beat that now can you?!
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(a variation of the recipe from the Cooking Light cookbook)
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1 loaf of French bread
low fat thin-sliced deli ham
honey mustard
5 reduced-fat Swiss cheese slices
3 large egg whites
1/2 cup skim milk
salt and pepper
cooking spray
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Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
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Cut the French loaf into 5 sections.
Using a sharp knife, cut a pocket into eat section, being careful not to cut all the way through.
Spread honey mustard in each pocket and stuff with ham and a slice of cheese.
Whisk together milk and egg whites with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Coat skillet with cooking spray and heat to medium/medium-high heat. (The cookbook says medium-high, but it was too hot for my stove top, I blackened my first side!)
One at a time (or two if you're crafty like me), dip each sandwich in the milk/egg mixture being careful to coat all solid bread sides and immediately place in skillet. ( I suppose you could coat the meat-filled side, but what about the raw egg mixture getting inside the sandwich pocket and creating a salmonella gooey mess?! That's how my brain works! LOL)
Cook each side until well toasted. I even flipped it over to toast the meat-filled side and get the cheese nice and melty.
Place finished sandwiches on a baking sheet in oven to keep warm while you prepare the remaining sandwiches.

I served this alongside a cup of (store-bought) tomato soup, which I don't usually care for but this one was very tasty. The brand was Pacific Natural Foods and it was Organic Creamy Tomato Sou; it's in a carton rather than a can. I'm weird about acidic things in cans. V8 is all I can handle and that's not very often! Anyhow, I topped the soup with some fresh-chopped oregano and basil and a pinch of reduced-fat mozzarella. It was delicious! Not quite La Madeleine, but I'm sure it was half the calories!

Canadian Bacon Potato Skins

Got this recipe from a Taste of Home Summer Appetizers issue.
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I halved this recipe and still have leftovers!
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6 large baking potatoes
2 tsps canola oil
1/8 tsp Tabasco or some other hot pepper sauce (I used Louisiana Hot Sauce, and I added more than 1/8 tsp!)
1 tsp chili powder (I used a little more)
1 medium tomato, seeded and finely chopped
2/3 cup chopped Canadian bacon
2 tbsps finely chopped green onion
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese (I, of course, used 2% milk cheese)
salt and pepper (my added touch)
sour cream
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Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate; prick with a fork. Microwave uncovered on high 14-17 minutes or until tender but firm, turning once. Let stand 5 minutes.
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Cut each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. (Discard, save for a later use, or feed it to your 20-month old mixed with cheese, tomatoes, onion and peas!)
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Preheat oven to 450. Combine oil and hot sauce; brush over shells. Sprinkle with chili powder and a little salt and pepper. Again, cut each shell in half lengthwise. Place on greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with tomato, bacon, onion and cheese. I also sprinkled a little more chili powder and salt and pepper on top. I live with two Irish men, they are very picky about their potatoes and they prefer them with salt and pepper! LOL
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Bake at 450 for 12-14 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted. If you use 2% or reduced-fat cheese, watch it carefully. It can turn crispy if heated too long. Serve with sour cream.
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As I said, I live with two Irish men (my husband and my father-in-law) and they were pleased with this meal, anything with potatoes makes them happy. I served it with the Layered Salad I posted below. Something for them, something for me! LOL
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Pork & "JuiceCous"

I usually shy away from the barbecue or teriyaki flavored pork tenderloin I see at the store and just stick to lemon garlic, but the last time I went to the store they had a very intriguing flavor: pomegranate basil. Yep, that's right, pomegrantin! LOL It sounded so yummy to me that I just had to have it. But once I brought it home it sat in the fridge for a couple of days and then I made a home for it in the freezer. I was intimidated! What in the world do I serve with it? Then a "friend" of mine - it's funny I say friend because she has no idea who I am, but I feel as though I know her and her family very well. You see, I follow her blog just like you guys follow my primary blog www.watchherasshegrows.blogspot.com. So a while back I was reading her latest entry, which just so happened to be a recipe for what she calls JuiceCous. It sounded so delicious! Then it hit me: This would go wonderfully with that pomegranate basil pork tenderloin! And what a hit it was! My family practically fought over the leftovers! Are you curious? I know you are...

JuiceCous (courtesy of MckMama's blog www.mycharmingkids.net)
(this is the way I made it)
I bought a box of Near East brand couscous and basically followed the directions on the back, but instead of just adding 2 cups water or broth, I added 1 cup water and 1/2 a cup of carrot juice and 1/2 a cup of orange juice. Once cooked, I then added craisins, garbanzo beans and lots of Joe's homegrown cilantro. That's it. And it is delicious. Joe cooked the pomegranate basil pork tenderloin out on the grill, sliced it up and served it right alongside MckMama's JuiceCous. What a perfect combination.