Pork Chop Creole

While I do not remember this recipe specifically, I see why Mom had in in her recipe box. This recipe is so easy and so delicious. After you get it started, it just needs some time, which frees you up to make other items for a meal, or do nothing at all. I am not sure why this recipe has creole in its name. It does have a similar flavor to many creole dishes, but it does not have celery, which is part of the standard onion, green pepper, celery mix known as the Creole trinity in cooking circles. This recipe would easily benefit from adding celery, so maybe next time I will give it a try to make it a true Creole recipe.

There was plenty of extra sauce left over, so I made some egg noodle to mix in with the extra sauce. You could also use rice or serve some bread to soak up the sauce. Mom's recipe calls for using drippings, which I remember her saving from cooking various meats. I do not save drippings, so I just used olive oil.

Pork Chop Creole 

• 4 pork chops, about one-inch thick
• 2 Tbsps. cooking oil
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 envelope onion gravy mix
• 1/4 cup chopped green pepper

Brown the chops on both sides in the cooking oil in a heavy skillet. Remove the chops from the pan and set aside. Blend the remaining ingredients into the drippings. Return chops to the pan. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes or until the chops are tender. Enjoy!

Applesauce Bars

Here is another gem from Grandma Holmes's recipe collection. As you can see from Grandma Holmes's notes on her recipe card below, the result is more cake than cookie. With bar in the name, you might expect this to be chewy like a cookie. This recipe might be better titled Applesauce Cake. Whatever you call them, as Grandma Holmes notes, they are tasty. While I frequently leave out nuts or raisins in some baked goods, I used them this time, and MDS still liked them.

When I made this recipe, it only needed about 35 minutes, not 50 minutes, in the oven. I did not have cloves, so I just used a little more cinnamon. Grandma Holmes' notes on her recipe card say that this recipe is spicy. I did not find it to be spicy, but maybe that is because I did not use cloves. Grandma Holmes also wrote that the topping gets hard. I did not find that to be so, but I might have used a bit too many cornflakes because some of the cornflake pieces did not stick to the top of the bars. I did enjoy the crunch of the cornflakes.

Applesauce Bars 

• 2/3 cup crushed cornflakes
• 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
• 10 Tbsp. butter, divided
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Combine 2 tablespoons softened butter, 1/4 cup sugar, and crushed cornflakes. Set aside. In another bowl, combine 1 cup sugar, 8 tablespoons softened buttered, applesauce and vanilla. Blend in the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, raisins and walnuts. Spread batter into a greased 9X9 pan. Sprinkle the corn flake mixture on top. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool before cutting into bars. Enjoy!

Tunawich

Why settle for ordinary tuna salad, when you could enjoy these tasty warm tuna sandwiches? Tuna salad is great for on-the-go sandwiches, but these tunawiches are better. There is just something about having a warm sandwich. And, by browning the patties, there is a nice crunch and flavor. The sandwiches can be dressed up with toppings such as cheese, grilled onions or pickles. Although the tunawiches do not really need sauce, they would be good with BBQ sauce or mustard or some other sauce.

This recipe could easily be modified to add different flavors. I think that adding an herb such as parsley would be delicious. The celery adds an excellent flavor, but so too could olives or bell pepper. I substituted Tabasco for the chili sauce, so I used only 1/2 teaspoon. For buns, I used Hawaiian sweet rolls, so I made smaller patties to fit the rolls. Mom's recipe called for toasting the buns, which might be great for other buns, but the Hawaiian rolls were terrific not toasted. The recipe is quick and easy, so this would be great for a busy weeknight dinner.

Tunawich 

• 7 oz. tuna, drained and flaked
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 2 Tbsp. minced onion
• 1/3 cup mayonaaise
• 2 tsp. chili sauce
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• buns or rolls

Combine the tuna, bread crumbs, celery and onion. Blend in the mayonnaise, chili sauce and lemon juice. Form into patties to fit the buns. Fry in a lightly oiled skillet for about five minutes per side or until browned. Serve on bun with lettuce and tomato. Enjoy!