Susan’s simple meals - Susan's Musings

My Mother’s Pork Loin Chops Simmered in Beef Gravy

Oct 142011

This is one of my family favorites. I usually make them the way my mother did, with Heinz Homestyle Savory Beef gravy. Campbell’s Beef Gravy is good, too, or just use your favorite. These boneless pork loins are so tender you can cut them with a fork. It’s simple and delicious!

My Mother’s Pork Loin Chops Simmered in Beef Gravy

Ingredients:

8 thin boneless pork loin chops (2 per person)
18 oz. jar of Heinz Homestyle Savory Beef Gravy OR 14-1/2 oz. can of Campbell’s Beef Gravy
1 can beef broth or consomme
2 cloves garlic, chopped or minced, or garlic powder
2 tbsp olive oil

Directions:

Heat olive oil in large skillet or pan with lid on medium heat.
Place pork loins in pan and lightly brown on all sides. You can remove and set aside the browned ones while the rest brown.
Then, saute minced or chopped garlic, add beef broth/stock and stir.
Return pork loins to pan. Cover and let simmer until fork tender, turning occasionally, for about 30-40* minutes.
Remove pork loins to plate. Add gravy to pan, sprinkle with garlic powder if needed, stir until hot.
Serve with rice, wide egg noodles, or with mashed potatoes, corn and biscuits.

* If the pork loins are too thick, it could take longer. Sometimes, if I can’t find them thin enough, I will split thicker pork loins into two.

Bon appétit!

Family Rating: Five Smileys

Not another meat loaf recipe!

Beef Recipes No Responses »

Oct 062011

Not another meat loaf recipe, you say? Well, let’s add just one more to your collection. This recipe is the very last meat loaf recipe that I will ever try. There is no reason to ever look for another meat loaf recipe. This is, hands down, the best meat loaf I have ever made!

I admit it, I like simple and easy meals that I can defrost and put in the oven without much fuss. It’s been a couple of years since I made this recipe. In fact, I forgot how good it was until I made it again the other day. Most of the time, when I’m shopping I’ll grab a Stoeffer’s frozen meatloaf in gravy entree. It was always just enough for four of us, with no leftovers. It’s so easy to make, with no preservatives, gravy included, and quite tasty. I served it with mashed potatoes and vegetable, rolls and butter. However, it isn’t as good as homemade and I never had any leftovers. I love leftover meat loaf sandwiches.
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Oven Baked BBQ Chicken

Chicken & Poultry Recipes No Responses »

Sep 282011

This is another family favorite. If you haven’t noticed by now, almost all of my recipes have something in common. They are simple and easy to prepare. Like I have said before, there’s no point in going to all the fuss of adding tons of ingredients when a jar of sauce will do. The same goes for this recipe. I use Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce. If you have a favorite, use it instead and tell us about it.

Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters with Potatoes and Garlic

Chicken & Poultry Recipes No Responses »

Sep 222011

I can never pass up a good deal in the meat department. A 10 lb bag of chicken leg quarters for $6.90. That’s only $0.69 per pound. Not bad, huh?

I browsed the cooking sites and came up with the following recipe for tonight’s dinner.

Roasted Chicken Leg Quarters with Potatoes and Garlic

Ingredients:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large roasting pan (mine measures 11″ x 17″ inside), lay out chicken leg quarters, potatoes and garlic. Salt & pepper. Pour half of the chicken broth over chicken. In small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice and oregano. Pour lemon mixture over chicken.

Bake for 1 hour, 15 min, or until chicken is golden brown and potatoes are tender. Baste with pan juices occasionally. Remove chicken and potatoes from pan and place on platter. Remove garlic halves and pour off fat. Put roasting pan across two burners, or pour pan juices into a sauce pan, add remaining chicken broth.

Gravy:

In small bowl, add cornstarch to cold water and whisk quickly until cornstarch dissolves. Continue to whisk cornstarch mixture and add a little bit at a time to the pan juices. Continue whisking over medium-low heat until thickened.

This came out delicious! Not too lemony but with a very nice flavor.

I left the chicken leg quarters intact, without splitting them apart. I split the remaining leg quarters with my poulty shears and put them in the freezer. I love my Oxo Good Grips Professional Poultry Shears from Amazon..

*Of course, you can use any combination of chicken pieces you’d like. I sometimes add bone-in chicken breasts.

Please come back and comment if you try this recipe!

Bon appétit!

Family Rating: Five Smileys

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My Mother’s Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Pasta Recipes No Responses »

Sep 152011

My Mother's Baked Macaroni and Cheese This was a satisfying meal for us when we were growing up, and I love it just as it is. However, my husband has to have some kind of meat or fish with his meals, so I either serve it as a side dish or I add browned ground beef to the macaroni. It’s great either way. It is also one of the few macaroni and cheese dishes made with American cheese. It is so good!

I know it seems like a lot of cheese, but don’t change a thing because that is what makes this dish so good. It serves 4. To double recipe, use whole box of sea shell macaroni and 12 slices of American cheese in 9″ x 13″ lasagna pan.
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My Mother’s Corn Chowder

Soups and Chowders No Responses »

Sep 062011

Another favorite of mine when I was growing up, I usually make it once a month or so. It’s a hearty soup and is great by itself, or served with BLT or grilled cheese sandwiches, crackers or warm bread and butter. Serves 4-6. I make it for three adults and always have two or three bowls leftover.

It’s a rainy day, and it’s a great time to stay in, read a good book, and have some comfort food.

Ingredients:

Directions:

On top of stove, in large pot or dutch oven, cook bacon and onions, then drain.

Fry bacon

Cut bacon strips in fourths

Chop one medium onion

Saute onions in bacon grease

* I usually boil cubed potatoes separately for about five minutes to speed up the cooking process but, if you prefer, you can just add raw cubed potatoes to chowder and let simmer on low until cooked. Just make sure the milk doesn’t boil over.

Peel potatoes and cut into cubes

Boil cubed potatoes for 5 minutes

Add two cans of cream style corn and two cans of milk, stir. Add bacon pieces, pre-cooked potatoes, salt and pepper. Simmer for a bit until potatoes are tender and flavors are all combined, taste to test. That’s it!

Add two cans of cream style corn

Add two cans of milk

Add cut-up bacon

Add pre-cooked potatoes

Simmer until potatoes are tender

For those of you who think chowder must contain clams or fish:

Chowder (noun)
: a soup or stew of seafood (as clams or fish) usually made with milk or tomatoes, salt pork, onions, and other vegetables (as potatoes); also : a soup resembling chowder (corn chowder)

Printable recipe without images:

My Mother’s Corn Chowder

This has always been a family favorite, especially on a cold or rainy day.

Ingredients:

Directions:

On top of stove, in large pot or dutch oven, cook bacon and onions, then drain.

For those of you who think chowder must contain clams or fish:

Family Rating: Five Smileys

What’s for Dinner? Week 9/4/11 – 9/10/11

Beef Recipes, Chicken & Poultry Recipes, Soups and Chowders, What's Cooking? No Responses »

Sep 052011

Here’s what’s for dinner this week:

Meal Plan for Week 9/4/11 – 9/10/11

Sunday – Chicken Ala King served over rice
Monday – Leftovers – Steak, chicken ala king, baked chicken strips with hot sauce
Tuesday – Hot dogs, mac & cheese, and My Mother’s Corn Chowder – Click for Recipe
Wednesday – Baked chicken pieces, mashed potatoes w/gravy, green beans
Thursday – Open House tonight, maybe McDonald’s after
Friday – Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings – Click for Recipe
Saturday – Top sirloin steak, grilled, with baked potatoes and tossed salad

Bon appétit!

Oven Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings

Chicken & Poultry Recipes No Responses »

Sep 022011

I know there are lots and lots of chicken wing recipes on the Net, but most of them, in my opinion, call for way too many ingredients. I’m not a fan of making things from scratch if one jar of sauce will do the trick instead of a dozen or so ingredients. So, following is my recipe for medium hot Buffalo chicken wings, and they are so good!

* I have updated this recipe by adding a ginger-soy glaze to use on half of the wings. Also, I changed the cooking method slightly by tossing the wings with oil, salt and pepper, and placing on a wire rack, so the wings come out more crispy. (2/4/13)

Ingredients:

Crystal Louisiana’s Pure Hot Sauce

My Mother’s Beef Tips and Gravy with Noodles or Rice

Beef Recipes, Pasta Recipes 1 Response »

Sep 012011

This is another family favorite. I usually make it once a month or so. It is similar to my pot roast, but without the vegetables and served over wide noodles or rice.