Daddy's 'Shrooms

One of the fondest memories I have of being in the kitchen is with my dad, when he was making his soy sauced mushrooms. Oh my goodness the smell!!! It was as if the aroma of the goodness was calling me into the kitchen every time he would make these. I remember him teaching my the recipe when I was just a little girl. Dad would place me on a chair or stool and let me be his cooking partner. He would let me pour the cap full of soy sauce, add the butter and drop in the shrooms. Pure bliss is this side dish. I ALWAYS make them anytime we have steak. As they are DELICIOUS on top of a perfrectly grilled piece of beef. Thanks Dad for such a great recipe, but an ever better memory !!

Ingred.
1 carton sliced button mushrooms
1-2 cap fulls of soy sauce
1 pad butter

Directions:
Melt the butter in a saute pan over med heat. Add the mushrooms and let them all get bathed in the butter. 1-2 minutes. Add the soy sauce and stir gently as not to break you the slices. Cook on med/low until all the sauce has absorbed into the mushrooms. Serve on the side or ontop of your steak and top with A1 Sauce.

Ok now I am seriously drewling ! Seriously, that good !!

My Mama's Ramake

So maybe you might be familiar with the old school version of this dish which calls for chicken livers to be added to the roll. YUCK !!! I can't even handle that. So imagine my suprise when my mom presented us girls with an updated version. Let me just tell you that these little bacon bites are perfect for a football game but fancy enough for a dinner party. These are great little appetizers that my good friend Jay Haugh said "are these sprinkled with crack because I can't stop eating them!". Oh yeah, they are that good!!!

This could not be easier.

Ingred.
2 cans water chestnuts -drained (asian aisle in the market)
1 lb bacon, each slice cut into thirds - I like Costco thick and sweet apple bacon !
Brown sugar
Dr. Pepper
Toothpicks

Empty the chestnuts into a bowl and cover completly with the Dr. Pepper over night. Drain the cola and coat with brown sugar. Mixing well so that all the chestnuts get covered. Then take 1/3 of a slice of bacon and wrap it around the chestnut and secure it with a toothpick. Place on a baking sheet that is lined with foil and broil them until the bacon is cooked and some what crisp.

Tada - enjoy!

Pork Chops W/ Apples and Onions

So it is pretty well known in my house that I have never eaten or remember eating Pork Chops and Applesauce. I am not much for the texture of applesauce quite fankly! After spending the day in Oak Glen apple tasting, I had a stange craving for this meal. After all the season's have changed and there is this lingerling bite in the air that just becons for a true fall meal. This is my take on a classic combo. Only without the whole texture thing :)


Ingredients:

4 bone-in pork loin chops, 1- inch thick ( I use the huge ones from costco)
Kosher salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 pinch crushed red pepper
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
Pinch cinnamon
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves finely chopped
2 cups apple cider

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Season the pork chops generously with salt. Coat a large saute pan with olive oil and bring it to a high heat. Sear the pork on both sides and on the fat edge, working in batches if the chops don't all fit in the pan at the same time. Be sure not to crowd the pan. Remove the pork from the pan and place on a cookie sheet. Finish the pork in the oven for about 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Ditch the excess fat from the saute pan. Give a drizzle of fresh olive oil and add the onions and crushed red pepper and season with salt. Cook until the onions become soft and aromatic. Add the apples, cinnamon and rosemary and toss to coat with the oil. Add the cider and cook until the cider has reduced by two-thirds and the onion-apple mixture is very soft and saucy. Serve over the pork chops.

Porky deliciousness!