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!

Orange Rum Pizzelle

I have posted about pizzelles before and will do so again. Here are my posts on standard pizzelles, chocolate pizzelles, or anise pizzelles. This orange rum variation is delicious. To be honest, I did not even taste the rum in the final product and the alcohol probably cooks off, so I think this recipe is fine for kids. As for the orange peel, I used dried orange peel, but fresh orange peel would be great. As with all pizzelles, they are especially delicious when they are fresh off the press and still soft.

Normally, I do not like to have such a specialized item, like a pizzelle maker, in my kitchen, but with so many varieties of pizzelles that can be made, my pizzelle maker does not seem to be limited in its use. I especially use the pizzelle make in summer when it is too hot to turn on the oven to make other cookies. So, if you want to enjoy pizzelles sometime, but do not want to buy a pizzelle maker, invite me and my pizzelle maker over and we can have a pizzelle party.

Orange Rum Pizzelles 

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 tsp. rum
• 4 tsp. orange peel
• 2 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• powdered sugar for dusting

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar. Add the softened butter, rum, and orange peel. Gradually add the flour and baking powder. The batter should be stiff enough to drop by spoon.

Preheat the pizzelle maker. Drop the batter onto each plate, close the pizzelle maker and allow to cook for about one minute. Remove each pizzelle to a flat surface to cool. Dust with powdered sugar. Enjoy!

Bayou Goo Pie

Recently, Hurricane Harvey wrecked havoc on the Houston area, so I have been thinking about my visit to Houston earlier this year. MDS and I were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed visiting Houston. We especially enjoyed the terrific food while we were there. So when I heard of a local place called House of Pies, I knew I needed to make a stop. As you might expect from its name, House of Pies offers so many types of pies, it would take quite a long time to sample them all. But the Bayou Goo Pie on the menu caught my eye and did not disappoint. House of Pies also serves delicious food, so bring your appetite. I do not know if House of Pies suffered damage from Hurricane Harvey, but if I make it back to Houston, I will definitely seek out House of Pies again.

In the Houston area, bayous are quite common. Bayous are swampy or slow moving rivers in tidal areas. Buffalo Bayou runs through downtown Houston. In places, it has been channelized and developed. But in many places, it is lined by parks so it was part of my morning runs while I was there. Much like running along the Lake Front Trail in Chicago, running along Buffalo Bayou brought me close to nature in the heart of a major American city. It was a nice escape from the city. I know that as Houston recovers from Hurricane Harvey, Buffalo Bayou will be part of that recovery.

This pie's name captures its essence. It is gooey as a result of layers of deliciousness. Although none of the steps to make this pie are difficult, it does take some time. With a crust and then three layers each requiring time to cool, is not quick to make. But it is worth it. The only problem I had was that my pudding layer did not set enough, so it was not quite gooey enough. In the recipe below, I increased the amount of corn starch. I really liked the pecan crust, but if you have nut allergies, another type of crust, like chocolate cookie crumb crust, would work just as well.

Bayou Goo Pie

• 1 cup flour
  
• 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 cup ground pecans
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 5 Tbsp. corn starch
• 2 1/2 cups milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
• whipped cream
• chocolate shavings

Crust: In a bowl, blend together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the butter until crumbles form. Mix in the pecans. Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Allow to cool.

Sweetened Cream Cheese Layer: Soften the cream cheese in the microwave. Blend in the powdered sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla. Spread the mixture over the cooled crust. Refrigerate while preparing the next layer.

Pudding Layer: In a sauce pan, mix the sugar, corn starch, milk, and eggs. Cook over medium heat, frequently stirring, until the mixture thickens and is about to boil. Remove from heat and blend in the butter and two teaspoons of vanilla. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes. Add in the chopped chocolate (do not blend in the chocolate) and pour over the cream cheese layer. Refrigerate for at least five hours.

Whipped Cream Layer: Top the pie with whipped cream. Sprinkle with chocolate shavings. Enjoy!

Spanish Noodles

When I found this recipe in Mom's recipe box, it seemed like something Mom likely made when we were young. After making it and tasting it, the dish seemed familiar, but I did not specifically recall when Mom made this recipe. But, I think I might add this recipe into my regular rotation. The best thing about this recipe is that everything is made in one pan on the stovetop, so even if it is a hot summer day, this recipe will not overheat the house.

I made just a few adjustments to this recipe. First, I used three times as much bacon as the recipe recommends. Mom's recipe called for two slices of bacon; I used six slices and could easily use more next time. Second, in addition to one of can of tomatoes, I used a few finely chopped fresh tomatoes from Mom's garden because she had recently given me so many. Although you could probably use any noodle, I recommend sticking with the fine egg noodles because that add a rich flavor. I also think you could easily add a seasoning or herb, such as cilantro or basil to add to the taste, but the recipe is quite delicious as is. I also ended up adding a little additional water because the noodle will soak up all the liquids as it cooks.

Spanish Noodles 

• 6 slices bacon
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 8 oz. fine egg noodles
• ground black pepper, to taste

Cut the bacon into one-inch pieces. Pan fry the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Add the onion, green pepper, and ground beef; saute until beef is browned. Add undrained tomatoes and salt. Bring to a boil. Gradually stir in the uncooked noodles. Cook uncovered over low heat stirring occasionally until the noodles are tender. Add pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Shakes

Although this blog is usually devoted to family recipes, I have on occasion posted re-creations of dishes that I have enjoyed, such as Drunken Cherry Cake. Recently, MDS and I discovered a local breakfast and lunch spot in our neighborhood called Tiztal Cafe. The food is delicious, but the place is really known for its oatmeal shakes. The basic shake is cinnamon, but you can also get it with various fruits.

I think this recipe is a good approximation of the oatmeal shake. I used almond milk, but any other type of milk or even water would be just fine. I love the almond milk with the cinnamon. I used a bit of plain greek yogurt to thicken the shake. Any type of yogurt could work, but the amount could be varied based on how thick you would like your shake. For one of these shakes, I added about half a banana. I preferred the shake with the banana, but MDS preferred the shake without banana. I also used my bullet mixer, so I was able to make each shake in a separate cup, but if you are using a standard blender, just multiply the ingredients as needed.

Oatmeal Shake 

• 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 cup almond milk
• dash of cinnamon
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 1/2 banana

In a blender, mix the oats, milk, and cinnamon. Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. When you are ready to enjoy the shake, blend for about a minute. Add and blend yogurt and banana, until you reach your desired consistency. Enjoy!