IZETTA'S PORK CHOP & POTATO CASSEROLE

This was one of my mom's GO-TO recipes. I haven't made this in years and the aroma brought back memories of dinners that I had as a child and young adult. My mom didn't add garlic, thyme, or Homemade Ranch Mix, but it makes this a super delicious casserole. You can buy Ranch Dry Mix and add 2 tablespoons to broth.

Broth

2 T unsalted butter

1 clove garlic, minced

2 T all-purpose flour

2 T Homemade Ranch Mix (recipe follows) or store bought

1 cup chicken broth

1 T avocado oil

4 1-inch thick bone-in center cut pork chops 

1 yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced

5 to 6 large yellow potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Sea salt and fine ground black pepper

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.

Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.

Whisk in the flour and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Cook a couple of minutes.

Whisk in the Homemade Ranch Mix, thyme leaves, and chicken broth.

Simmer a couple more minutes.

Turn off heat and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat.

Brown the chops on both sides and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove chops and set aside on a plate.

Layer half of the potatoes in the bottom of the cast-iron skillet.

Do the same with the onions and repeat until all of the potatoes and onions are used.
Pour broth over potato mixture and place chops on top.

Cover with a lid and bake in oven for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, raise heat to 375 degrees F.

Remove lid from skillet and bake another 10 minutes, or until chops register 140 degrees F and potatoes are tender.

Serves 2 to 4

Homemade Ranch Mix

1 cup dry buttermilk powder

6 T freeze-dried or dried parsley flakes

2 T freeze-dried or dried chives

2 T garlic powder

2 T onion powder

4 t dried onion flakes

4 t dill weed, divided

1 t granulated sugar

1 t thyme leaves

2 t sea salt

2 t fine ground black pepper

Mix all of the above ingredients in a bowl.

Pour into a jar seal and store in a cool dry place.

To make a salad dressing

3 T Homemade Ranch Mix

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream or mayonnaise

Stir to combine and refrigerate until ready to use.

SOY MARINATED GRILLED FLANK STEAK WITH SAUCE

The marinade makes this simple grilled flank steak extra special. Serve with a baked potato or sweet potato fries and a green salad.

1 (2 lb) flank steak

Marinade & Sauce

¾ cup soy sauce

¼ cup dark brown sugar

3 T apple cider vinegar

1 T Worcestershire sauce

1 T Dijon mustard

1 T avocado oil or vegetable oil

1 t chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

¼ t ground black pepper

In a 9 by 13 inch baking dish, whisk together the marinade ingredients. 

Place steak in dish and cover tightly with plastic wrap. 

Refrigerate 1 hour.

Remove from refrigerator, flip steak over and return to refrigerator for another hour.

Prepare BBQ grill. 

Remove steak from marinade to a platter or baking sheet.

Let sit on counter to come to room temperature while grill is heating up.

Pour marinade into a very small saucepan.

Slowly boil marinade for 4 to 5 minutes, until reduced by half.

Grill steak, 6 to 7 minutes, turn over and grill another 6 to 7 minutes.

Remove to a cutting board and let rest, loosely covered with aluminum foil, for 10 minutes.

Carve steak and place on a platter and drizzle with cooked Marinade & Sauce.

Serves 4 (or 2 with leftovers for sandwiches)

SIZZLING STEAK FAJITAS

Fajitas are a Tex-Mex favorite and contain grilled meat or seafood, served on flour tortillas. They first became popular in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and southern Arizona. You can grill the meat on a BBQ grill or cook it in a cast-iron skillet on the stove.

Marinade

3 T olive or avocado oil

Juice of 1 lime

Juice of 1 medium orange

2 t Southwest Seasoning or Mexican Seasoning

1 t smoked paprika 

Sea salt and black pepper

2 T Tequila (optional)

2 lbs flank, skirt, or top sirloin steak, pierced with a fork, all over

Mix above marinade ingredients together and place in a re-sealable plastic bag.

Add steak and marinade in the refrigerator 2 to 3 hours.

Medium size flour tortillas

2 T avocado oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, cut in half and sliced

1 poblano pepper, cut into strips (optional)
4 bell peppers, various colors, cut into strips

Cut limes and chopped cilantro, for garnish

Brush tortillas with a small amount of oil.

In a large cast-iron skillet, over medium-high heat, brown tortillas on one side. Place in a tortilla warmer or wrap up in aluminum foil and keep warm in the oven until ready to eat.

In the same cast-iron skillet, heat the rest of the oil. 

Add onion and peppers and cook over medium-high heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, just enough to get a little char on the peppers.
Keep warm until ready to eat.

Remove steak from bag and grill over hot coals until medium rare, about 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Discard marinade.
When steak is done, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

Carve steak diagonally into thin strips.

Place in a large cast iron skillet along with sliced steak and garnish with lime wedges and cilantro.

Take to the table and let everyone make their own fajitas.

Serve with Restaurant-Style Salsa, Guacamole, black beans, and lime wedges.  

Serves 4

HASSELBACK POTATOES WITH CHEESE

Hasselback potatoes were first introduced in the Hasselback Restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden in the 1940s. This is another classic recipe from the past. They would be excellent served with a steak or pork chops.

6 T unsalted butter
4 cloves garlic, pressed

¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

½ t paprika

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 medium size Yukon gold potatoes

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
Add the garlic, most of the Parmigiano cheese, and paprika.
Heat for one minute then turn off heat and set aside.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Rinse and scrub the potatoes.

Place the potatoes on a cutting board and cut off a thin slice from the bottom of each potato and discard. This will keep the potatoes standing upright.

Place two long wooden handle spoons or wooden chopsticks on the side of each potato. This will keep you from cutting through the entire potato.

Using a sharp knife, make cuts all the way until you hit the spoons.

Place the potatoes in a baking sheet and spoon half of the butter mixture over the potatoes.

Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and brush each potato with the rest of the butter mixture and sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.

Place back in the oven and bake an additional 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Serves 4

THAI CHICKEN CURRY

This is an easy week-night meal to prepare.  You can make it with shrimp instead of chicken, just stir-fry the shrimp for 2 minutes instead of 5 minutes.

Thai Curry Sauce

1 (13.5 oz) can full fat coconut milk 

½ (4-oz bottle)Thai red curry paste 

2 T Thai Basil Garlic

2 T brown sugar

2 t fish sauce

2 t grated ginger

2 t lemon grass powder

Juice of ½ lime

Stir-Fry

2 T avocado or coconut oil, divided

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

4 cups assorted cut-up vegetables, onion, red bell pepper, carrots, sugar snap peas 

8 oz Thai noodles, cooked, set aside, and kept warm

2 scallions thinly sliced lengthwise, for garnish

1 lime, sliced into wedges

In a medium bowl, whisk together coconut milk, curry paste, Thai basil garlic, brown sugar, fish sauce, grated ginger, lemon grass powder, and lime juice.

Heat a large wok or skillet over high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and swirl around the skillet.

Add chicken and stir-fry about 4 minutes, until mostly cooked.  Remove and set aside.

Add the rest of the oil and stir-fry vegetables about 3 to 4 minutes.

Add the chicken and Curry Sauce and cook another 3 to 4 minutes.

Divide rice between 4 bowls and top with Thai Chicken Curry.

Serve with sliced scallions and lime wedges.

Serves 4

CLASSIC QUICHE LORRAINE

Real men do eat quiche!  It's not just for a "Ladies Luncheon".  To save time, use a store-bought pie shell.

Pastry

1 ½ cup pastry or all-purpose flour

¼ t sea salt

6 T unsalted butter, diced

3 T ice cold water

In a food processor, mix the flour and salt together.

Add the butter and mix until it resembles bread crumbs.

Add the water a little at a time until pastry forms a ball.

Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and loosely close up and form into a disc.

Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Once chilled, on a lightly floured surface, roll the pastry into a circle larger than the tart or pie pie.

Place the pastry into the pan and line with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

Fill with dry beans and bake for 10 minutes.

Remove beans and foil and bake another 5 mimutes.

Let cool before filling.

Filling

1 medium leek or medium onion

3 T unsalted butter

1 cup shredded Gruyére cheese or a mixture of Edam and Gruyére

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

3 large eggs

1 ¼ cups half-and-half or heavy cream

¼ t sea salt

¼ t ground black pepper

¼ t ground nutmeg

In a skillet, melt butter and sauté leeks for 10 minutes.

Layer cheeses and bacon in pastry shell.

Whisk together the eggs, half-and-half or cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Pour into the pie shell and bake for 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to 300 degrees F and bake another 30 minutes.

Spinach-Cheese Quiche Lorraine

Add 1 cup chopped fresh spinach

Crab-Cheese Quiche Lorraine

Add ½ cup cooked crabmeat