Its been a while since someone posted on here, so let's end the silence with this fantastic dish, shall we?  I think most people will like this. It was delicious and fairly easy.

Do you ever get bored with chicken?  I do. Sometimes I can't handle it. So, I made this last night  to shake things up and much to my surprise Isaac loved it. I thought for sure he'd scoff at the mashed cauliflower bit. But no. He did not. He liked it. A lot. And so did I. Enjoy. You're welcome.

Smothered Crispy Pork Cutlets with Cauliflower Mash

YIELD: SERVES 6-8

The pork can be made ahead of time and kept in a single layer in a baking dish in a warm oven (set to about 170 degrees) for up to an hour. Also the cauliflower mash can be made several days in advance, stored in the refrigerator, and warmed in the microwave or in a baking dish in the oven for serving.

INGREDIENTS

Pork:
• 2 pounds pork tenderloin(s), trimmed of excess fat
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
Sauce:
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, stems removed and discard, mushrooms halved
• 1 medium shallot, finely minced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups low-sodium beef broth or stock
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Cauliflower Mash:
• 2 heads cauliflower, florets
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. For the pork, slice the tenderloins into ½-inch pieces. Lightly pound with a mallet or the bottom of a small saucepan inbetween pieces of plastic wrap or inside a thick resealable Ziploc bag until each pieces is about ¼-inch thick.
2. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish. Dredge each piece of pork in the flour mixture on both sides. In a large, 12-inch skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until hot and shimmering.
3. Add the pork in a single layer (you may need to do this in batches), leaving a bit of space between each piece, and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until just cooked through (will register 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer). Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining pork (adding a little extra butter and olive oil if the skillet is dry). Cover the pork lightly with a lid or aluminum foil to keep warm.
4. Once the pork has all been cooked and transferred out of the skillet, return the skillet to medium heat and add the 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter for the sauce. Add the mushrooms, shallot and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms have softened and are beginning to brown, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. The flour should take on some brown color and the mixture should sizzle a bit. Gradually pour in the stock, about ½ cup at a time, deglazing the pan and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Continue adding the stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumps and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the half-and-half. Simmer for 5-6 minutes until the sauce has thickened slightly.
6. Transfer the pork to a platter and pour the sauce over the top (some can be reserved to be served separately). Sprinkle with the fresh parsley. Serve the smothered pork over mashed potatoes or cauliflower mash.
7. For the cauliflower mash, clean and trim the large stems off the heads of cauliflower. Cut the florets into pieces. Boil the cauliflower in a large pot of water until very tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain off the water and lay the cauliflower pieces on several layers of paper towels. Pat dry until very little moisture remains (do so quickly as you want the cauliflower warm when blending). Add the cooked cauliflower to a food processor, blender or use a large bowl and an immersion blender. Toss in the butter, sour cream, Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste (start with ½ teaspoon each and add more if needed). Process until thick and smooth.

Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Veggie Casserole

I've become so lazy in my dinner making these days. Not because I don't want to cook, but I haven't had anyone to cook for for the last few weeks, and when I go weeks without doing something, I loose motivation.

I was trying to come up with a good dinner on Sunday, but laziness took over, so I decided to just go with this super simple sounding meal that would use up my polish sausage that I had sitting in the fridge. I don't think it was just me being super hungry, when things usually taste more delicious than they really are, but it really was just that, a super delicious, and easy, meal!

Picture found here

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients:
2 sausages, any kind any flavor
1-2 potatoes
1/2 pound carrots
1/2 bell pepper (I didn't have one, and used celery instead)
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves


Dressing:
2 tbsp oil
freshly cracked black pepper
1 1/2 tsp Italian herbs
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Dice all of the veggie and toss into a big baking dish, don't add the sausage. Mix the dressing together (only use two tbsp of balsamic vinegar) and pour over the veggies to coat cover with foil. Bake for 40-50 minutes covered, until fork tender. Meanwhile, while veggies are cooking, brown sausage and cut into 1/2 inch slices, don't worry about the sausage being cooked all of the way through, it will cook more in the oven. Once veggies have cooked and are tender, remove the foil and add the browned sausage. Pour the remaining two tbsp of balsamic vinegar on top, and mix. Cook for  an additional 15-25 minutes uncovered.

Country-Style Pork and White Beans (Slow Cooker)

This isn't something I thought I would like based on the ingredients (I'm not usually a bean person), but the picture looked so good and I had most of the ingredients, so I thought I'd give it a shot. In my opinion, it was delicious (and it made a TON, so I froze half of it and we just ate it the second time around, which is why I am finally remembering to post this)! Brian just thought it was so-so, but James DEVOURED it! He even started licking his plate and tried to bend down to lick the rice off his tray. I even told him he was being super dramatic, because it was tasty but it wasn't "lick your tray" tasty. But if you want something healthy and comfort foodish, it's worth it to try something a little different. Don't be afraid to try the turkey kelbasa. I had no idea what that was but it was surprisingly easy to find (I think I used Hillshire Farms brand) and it ended up being my favorite part of this dish. This recipe requires some planning ahead since you have to soak the beans the night before, but it's worth it!

1 pound dried great northern beans (I used Navy beans)

3 pounds country style pork ribs (I used half of this), trimmed of excess fat

Salt and ground black pepper

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 medium onion, chopped

6 medium garlic cloves, finely minced

3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

2 tablespoons tomato paste

½ teaspoon celery seed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 pound chicken or turkey kielbasa sausage, cut into 1-inch chunks (I used turkey and loved it!)

2 (14.5 ounce each) cans diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Eight to 24 hours before assembling in the slow cooker, rinse the white beans and place them in a large bowl with cold water to cover by at least 2 inches. Let the beans soak anywhere from 8 to 24 hours.

Eight to 9 hours before eating, drain the beans and transfer them to the slow cooker. Dry the pork ribs thoroughly with paper towels, then season generously with salt and pepper. Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until the oil is hot and rippling. Add half of the ribs and brown on all sides, 4-5 minutes. Transfer them to the slow cooker. Return the skillet to medium heat and heat 2 more teaspoons oil until hot and rippling. Brown the remaining ribs and transfer them to the slow cooker.

Return the skillet to medium heat and heat the remaining 2 teaspoons oil until shimmering. Add the onion and ¼ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth, tomato paste, celery seed, thyme and bay leaf, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat to high and bring the mixture to a boil. Transfer the onion mixture to slow cooker.

Add the kielbasa, tomatoes and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on either low or high, until the meat is tender, 7 to 8 hours on low or 5 to 6 on high. Before serving, discard the bay leaf, stir in the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve over hot, steamed rice, if desired.