Pork Chops with Garlic and Lemon Sauce

You guys, I made an awesome dinner the other night. Seriously, we were both super satisfied with these amazing pork chops. Oodles of flavor and on the table in about 20 minutes.Seriously, what more could you ask for? The pork chops are delicious and tender, and the sauce has a good balance of lemon and garlic to offer something a little different and bright. What I enjoy of these stove top pork chops is how easy it is to keep them juicy and moist, which can sometimes be tricky when you're working with them on the grill--they can get dry so quickly. So in addition to a delicious chop, you also get a lovely sauce with this recipe. By the way, that sauce was pretty tasty when it made it's way to my baked potato, too.

Turkey Parm Meatball Subs

Between football season and my pregnancy cravings, meatball subs are exactly what I need this time of year. And these meatball subs are easy, delicious and hit all the right spots of what you want in a meatball sub: toasty, cheesy, saucy goodness. Perfect with a beer (Dave let me borrow his for the picture), or a root beer, and watching the game. I also love that these subs are quick to make (I can even just use my toaster oven for these guys), so they're perfect for Monday night football as well. Or a tasty weeknight meal any day of the week.

Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf Cups

I spent some of these snowy weekends recently filling our freezer with portioned meals that would be easy to pull together on a week night after work, particularly since the drives home have been a little rough lately between the rough weather and the standard commuter traffic. While I've made Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf before, I like this version because it was portioned out (so I could freeze it in meal sized packages to defrost as needed) and that it was stuffed with cheese, which was just plain awesome. Cheese, a crispy topping and a nice saucy flavor make this a delicious dish and great for a crowd, or for freezer-packing like I did. Serve with pasta or potatoes and make dinner easy.

Baked Pesto Chicken

Once I made that yummy pesto, I needed something to do with it.  Chicken of course is such a great canvas so this baked up dish is delicious and really lets that pesto shine.  Melted cheese on top completes the dish for a wonderful entree with lots of fresh flavor.  I am in love with this chicken dish and am hoarding pesto to freeze so I can make this all through the fall.  This dish is very easy to make, with just a few ingredients, and came together quickly for a weeknight meal.

Strawberry Ice Cream Topping

For the first few weeks of our summer CSA, Dave and I got some very lovely, very sweet strawberries that we enjoyed just rinsed and sliced and in smoothies.  But they were so farm fresh that I was afraid we wouldn't be able to enjoy the whole pint (or two) before they turned.  So I looked for a way to use them without adding a ton of sugar or masking their natural sweetness.  And what better way to enjoy strawberries than on top of vanilla ice cream?  Just a little slicing and a few minutes on the stove top, and this strawberry sauce is exact what you want to top your ice cream sundae.  Dave hasn't touched the chocolate syrup or hot fudge since I made this.  And rightfully so.

Vegetarian Lasagna with Swiss Chard

Wanna hear a secret?  Come here.  Closer.  Shh....don't tell anyone, but lasagna isn't really that hard to make.  I know, right?  Everyone makes such a big deal about it.  Should you boil the noodles first and burn your fingers?  Or buy the "oven-ready" noodles and get a funny texture?  Wanna know what I do?  Neither.  I use regular, plain lasagna noodles, but I don't boil them before I bake up my casserole.  And every time, they come out perfectly, tender and able to hold together layers of cheese and sauce, and this time some Swiss chard.  The method for this lasagna is the same I've been using for years, with the addition of some sauteed Swiss chard, which can be completely eliminated or replaced with spinach, kale, or whatever you fancy.  The result is a cheesy, creamy, filling lasagna that is perfect for a crowd.  The Swiss chard adds a bit of freshness and a different flavor element that's a bit spicy and a touch of spring.

Grandma's Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (Polish Holubki)

Growing up, Mom or Grandma made stuffed cabbage rolls on a regular enough basis that they became synonymous with family gatherings.  But as a child I didn't really like the cabbage so I'd beg Mom to make just the stuffed part, or ask at the dinner table if I could unwrap it and just eat the insides.  It wasn't until I was an adult and really enjoyed the whole stuffed cabbage that I realized I'd only wanted meatballs.  But now I think, why have just a meatball when you can wrap it in cabbage, cook it in tomato sauce and get something so deliciously amazing.  The cabbage is perfectly steamed and flavors the meat, which is tender and full of texture and seasoning.  Cooked low and slow in a simple tomato sauce bath, these stuffed cabbages are not only comfort food for me, but are a huge hit with everyone in my family.  Of course, this is the same family that instead of eating leftover turkey on black Friday, we do a whole huge meal of stuffed cabbages and perogies, so we might be a little biased.

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Dave and I both like stuffed peppers.  I usually make them in the crock pot, stuffing each individual pepper with a tasty, flavorful filling.  But inevitably when we sit down to eat them, the first thing both of us does is to cut it up into a big pile so each bite includes a hearty scoop of filling and a big chunk of pepper.  Kind of defeats the purpose of stuffing each of those peppers.  Enter this casserole.  The peppers are already cut up for you and the whole thing cooks together, covered in a generous helping of melted cheese and purely delicious.  It's a new twist on comfort food both warm and hearty and perfectly seasoned.  The peppers soften perfectly, the beef and rice provide great texture and flavor, and the sauce brings it together to make a great casserole to feed a small crowd.

Sausage, Peppers & Onions

We're fans of sausage around here.  It's a great main meal alternative to chicken or beef and I like that you can make it into a simple sandwich or a dressy main dish.  This recipe for sausage incorporates peppers and onions in a chunky tomato sauce which is perfect on top of pasta.  We've made this dish a few times and this is definitely a recipe that makes me enjoy sausage more and more.  Alternatively to serving over pasta, you could leave the links whole and serve them on toasted rolls piled high with the sauce and veggies, maybe topped with a little cheese.  Yes, that really sounds good now.

BBQ Pulled Chicken Sandwiches

My favorite thing about trying a new recipe is getting asked to make it again before the meal is even halfway over.  That happened with these sandwiches.  I'm not even certain Dave swallowed the first bite before he asked me to make them again.  Of course, he finished two of these sandwiches before I could blink (which is super rare because I eat much faster than him).  The chicken just cooks in a sauce that starts with something store bought but doctored up with things from your pantry to give a fantastic flavor that's both sweet and smoky and clings to the shredded chicken.  I see us having these sandwiches on game day or just for a busy weeknight.

When I saw this recipe on Christina's blog, Sweet Pea's Kitchen, I tucked it away as something that sounded easy and delicious.  Which it totally was.  I'd forgotten to prep the crock pot before bed, but was easily able to pull this together in the morning before leaving for work.  No need to get one random ingredient (although I did accidentally misread that I need mustard seeds and added those to the ingredient photo--what can I say, it was 6 am).  Dave had to suffer through smelling this cook all day and gladly agreed to do the shredding of the chicken when it came time to eat.  He tried one with a slice of provolone cheese, declaring it good, but not necessary.  I love the kicked up sauce and served the sandwiches on lightly toasted buns.  This recipe can be easily doubled if you have a big enough crock pot, and would certainly feed a crowd.  Maybe try it with little slider buns for a tailgate?  Yes, I think we'll be seeing this recipe in our rotation again and again.