Christmas Cookies part 2

So I am saddened to write that I didn't get to attend the annual Cookie Baking Day at Carol's this year because I began to "toss my cookies" that morning. Instead I went back to Maroa, stayed in bed all day, and felt pretty horrible. That wasn't the plan but getting sick never is. Anyways yesterday I was in a baking mood because I didn't get to try 2 new Christmas cookie recipes Saturday. Here are two recipes to try - both of which are delicious!

1. Cranberry Cookie Kisses (Weight Watchers)

Ingrendiants
3 large egg whites
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup canned cranberry sauce (whole berry)
80 dried cranberries for garnish

Preheat oven to 200°F. Coat 2 large sheet pans with cooking spray or cover with parchment paper.

Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks form; gradually beat in sugar until mixture is very stiff and shiny. Gradually fold in cranberry sauce (you can add a few drops of red food coloring at this point, if desired) while beating for 1 minute.

Drop batter by teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheet pans; press 1 dried cranberry into the top of each cookie.

Bake for 2 hours. Cool completely before removing from pans. Store in airtight containers. Yields about 4 cookies per serving.

2. Cherry Tea Cookies  

Ingredients

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter or margarine, softened

2 teaspoons maraschino cherry liquid

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

3 or 4 drops red food color

2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries, chopped

1/2 cup white vanilla baking chips

MAKE IT
1 Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, beat powdered sugar, butter, cherry liquid, almond extract and food color with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. On low speed, beat in flour and salt. Stir in cherries.

2 Shape dough into 1-inch balls. On ungreased cookie sheets, place balls 2 inches apart.

3 Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool 20 to 30 minutes.

4 In 1-quart resealable freezer plastic bag, place baking chips; seal bag. Microwave on High 35 to 50 seconds, squeezing chips in bag every 15 seconds, until chips are melted and smooth. Cut small tip from bottom corner of bag; drizzle melted chips over cookies.

Christmas Cookies - part 1

Tonight I made 2 types of Christmas cookies since I am unable to be at the Cookie Baking Day on Friday - only Saturday. I thought I would make some early! One of the cookies goes way back to when I was little at Christmas. Dad, Mom , and I would always make the sugar cookies pressed with a glass in colored sugar. I also tried a new cookie - Old-Fashioned Molasses cookies. They had a strong smell that I didn't like but the taste was wonderful!

Molasses Cookies

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup margarine, melted
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 cup white sugar

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Roll dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.

It's as Simple as Soup!

I decided a light dinner was in order tonight since we have been eating so much this past weekend. So tonight I will be making one of my favorite Weight Watcher's soups! It's light and you can add chicken (or in our case -turkey) to it to add a little "umph"!

Tortellini Mushroom Spinach Soup
Ingrediants

• 2 cups of chicken broth
• 1 package of spinach leaves
• 1 16 oz. package of refrigerated cheese tortellini
• 1/2 cup of water
• 1 package of sliced mushrooms
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)

MAKE IT
Bring Chicken broth and water to a boil. Meanwhile sautee mushrooms in garlic until mushrooms are browned. Add totellini to chicken broth and boil for 10 minutes or until tortellini is cooked through. Add mushroom and spinach until spinach leaves are wilted. Serve immediately!

Emily's First Thanksgiving Dinner....

It was 5:40 AM and Emily Wurmnest awake in her bed.
She was going over all of the lists she had made in her head.
Would everything go perfect? Would everything go just right?
She was thinking about the dinner she would be hosting that night.
Thanksgiving dinner came and went without a hitch.
She was proud of her work without one single glitch!

Yes... this was the first year I got to host Thanksgiving dinner. It went perfect and was actually a lot of fun to prepare for. I can't believe how quick it went by! I can't believe my timing even went good. That was my biggest worry. But everything is now over .

Now it's time for Christmas and I will be including a lot of recipes for cold winter nights as well as some of my holiday baking recipes! For starters I want to share an easy recipe for a HOT (literally) item this year in many popular food chains. Peppermint Hot Chocolate!

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

 What You Need

1 Tbsp. finely crushed candy cane

1  serving of hot chocolate mix (your choice) 

1 Tbsp. thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping

Make It

PLACE candy in mug.

PREPARE T DISC in same mug; stir until candy is completely dissolved.

TOP with COOL WHIP.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Special Extra:

For a festive twist, add a candy cane to filled mug; use as a stir stick. Or, sprinkle additional crushed candy over hot chocolate in mug.

Substitute:

Prepare using a crushed peppermint stick or hard peppermint candies

Favorite Christmas Cookies (test run)

A few weeks ago I decided to make a test run batch of cookies for our annual Cookie Making Day with Diane, Carol, Vicki, and Grandma Knapp! I really want to find some staple cookies I can call my own! Out of the cookies I have tried so far one sticks out above the rest! Thumbprints!

Yield: 2 dozen (serving size: 2 cookies)
Cost per Serving: $.28

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, separated 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup walnuts, finely ground
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/4 cup apricot or seedless strawberry jam

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in egg yolk (reserve white) and vanilla. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in flour and salt. Continue mixing on low until dough comes together in a ball.
2. In a bowl, mix walnuts and sugar. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, dip each in egg white, then roll in walnut mixture, turning to coat. Transfer to baking sheets. Using your finger, make a deep indentation in center of each ball. Transfer pans to refrigerator; chill 20 minutes.
3. Fill center of each cookie with some of jam (do not overfill or jam will leak out while baking). Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are golden brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets on wire racks, then transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Thumbprint Cookies

A Delicious Breakfast Treat for Everyone to Enjoy!

Yesterday morning (Thanksgiving morning) I made a delicious breakfast for Dad, Lori, Chad, and Grandpa Aupperle to enjoy! They came early to help me put the turkey on so it would be ready at 4:00 for dinner. So I decided to treat them to a new recipe that was kind of amazing!!! This could be something special for any holiday breakfast event! We sampled it at Sam's Club which it also where we got the recipe. It is delicious in every way possible! We served it with scrambled eggs!

Pillsbury French Toast Bake

INGREDIENTS

1/4cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted

2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury® refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing (Cinnabon Pillsbury works well)

6  Eggs

1/2cup heavy whipping cream

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla

* Garnished with Fat Free Whipped Cream

DIRECTIONS

1 Heat oven to 375°F. Pour melted butter into ungreased 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish. Separate both cans of dough into 16 rolls; set icing aside. Cut each roll into 8 pieces; place pieces over butter in dish. 2 In medium bowl, beat eggs. Beat in cream, cinnamon and vanilla until well blended; gently pour over roll pieces. 

 3 Bake 20 to 28 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 15 minutes.

4 Top with whipped cream OR frosting from Cinnamon rolls!

French Fries are SOOO last year...

One of my favorite unhealthy foods is french fries. McDonald's, Steak N Shake, etc pack amazing amounts of golden crispiness and salty deliciousness into each and every fry. Unfortunately even a small fry at McDonald's can cost 6 points on Weight Watchers. So I decided to look for a healthy alternative. We tried this recipe on Chad's 29th Birthday and it was delicious! We paired it with a tomato basil marinated pork roast... YUMMM!!!

Roasted Herb Potato Wedges
Makes 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes (or less)
Cook Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
2 sprays of cooking spray
1 tsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. Dijon Mustard
1 Tbsp. Rosemary, fresh, chopped
1 Tbsp. Oregano, fresh, chopped
1 Tbsp. Parsley, fresh, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 pound potatoes, cut into thick fries

Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat a nonstick baking sheet with cooking spray.

• Combine all ingredients, except potatoes, in a mixing bowl; add potatoes and toss to coat. Place potatoes on prepared baking sheet and bake, turning occasionally, until potatoes are tender but crisp, about 25 to 30 minutes. Yields about 1/4 of potatoes per serving.

A Timeless Classic

Every year at Thanksgiving and various other holidays there is one dish that always manages to appear on the buffet line.... Green Bean Casserole! I have always liked green bean casserole but never realized how truly amazing it can be. My friend Lindsey and I were shopping at Sam's Club and of course we were sampling our way through the store. One of the samples was green bean casserole. I hadn't had this dish since last Christmas (maybe even Thanksgiving). As the green beans entered my mouth a flood of emotions and memories flooded me. This was a timeless family dish - one that brought back happy memories of holidays gone by. So I decided I needed to try this recipe and perfect it for this Thanksgiving which we are hosting. I was amazed to find out this dish wasn't only delicious but easy to make as well.
Attempt #1 was last night and was amazing and perfect! Chad gave it a 5 star rating! Here is my recipe that I used. (I altered it slightly to make it more Weight Watchers friendly.)

Green Bean Casserole
Ingrediants
28 oz can of french style green beans
1 can of 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1/2 cup of skim milk
2/3 cup French Fried Onions
(reserve another 1/3 cup for the top)
optional - pepper to taste (I left this out)

Mix the ingredients together in a dish and bake in the oven on 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with last 1/3 French Fried Onions for last 5 minutes.
ENJOY!

Move over Starbucks..I can make my own cake pops!

Food tends to trend each year and this year Cake Pops are no exception! You began seeing them last year in Starbucks across the country. Now you can find cake pop pans, cake pop makers, etc. Who wouldn't want to capture the amazing taste of cake in 2 bites - saving some of the calories and guilt that comes from eating too much cake.
Well I came across a recipe in my Christmas Cookies magazine for Brownie Pops (a version of cake pops). I decided to try this new concoction on Halloween - the time for treats! The combination of the brownie and homemade icing was delicious. Then dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles the whole thing was a masterpiece.

Brownie Holi-Pops

60 min.prep time 4:00total time

40 popsIngredients

Brownie Mixture

3/4 cup Land O Lakes® Butter, divided

3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened baking chocolate, divided

1 cup sugar

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 Land O Lakes® All-Natural Eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Coating

16 ounces vanilla or chocolate-flavored candy coating (almond bark)

40 lollipop sticks

Decorations

Holiday nonpareils, jimmies and/or decorator candies

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine 1/2 cup butter and 2 ounces chocolate in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until melted (3 to 5 minutes). Add sugar, flour, eggs, vanilla and salt; mix well.

Spread batter evenly into greased 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 23 to 27 minutes or until brownies just begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely.

Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter and 1 ounce chocolate as above. Finely crumble cooled brownie into large bowl. Add butter mixture and powdered sugar; mix well.

Shape mixture into 1-inch balls; place onto waxed paper-lined jelly-roll pan. Cover with plastic food wrap; refrigerate until firm (at least 2 hours or overnight).

Melt candy coating according to package directions; keep warm. Remove 1/3 of balls from refrigerator; insert lollipop sticks. Dip balls into melted coating, swirling or tapping off excess; press coated balls into desired decorations. Push lollipop stick into craft foam or place coated balls onto waxed paper. Repeat with remaining balls. Let stand until coating is set.

Dinner Under $10....and delicious!

Last night's dinner was absolutely delicious! In the front of my All You magazine was a recipe entitled Dinner Under $10.... my curiousity peaked! The bowl of delicious looking pasta and veggies in the picture had me interested. So last night I made this meal and it was delightful. Usually with pasta dishes I feel really full and huge afterwards. However this dish was so light that I didn't feel weighted down after - but did feel full after one serving (which I couldn't even finish). I added spinach and regular cheese tortellini (more color on the plate).

Spinach, Tomato, and Cheese Tortellini
Serves:4

Prep: 5 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

Ingrediants:

• Salt and pepper
• 1 20-oz. package cheese tortellini
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 cups cheery tomoatoes, halved
• 4 cus lightly packed baby spinach (4 oz)
• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook toretllini for 10 minutes or as package directs. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add garlic and red pepper - saute' until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Raise heat to medium and add mushrooms. Cook sitrring until tender (4 minutes). Add tomatoes and saute' 2 minutes. Pile spinahc on top and cover. Reduce heat to low and simmer until spinach has wilted about 3 1/2 minutes. Pour in broth, season with salt and pepper and sitr to combine.
2. Drain tortellini, add to skillet and stir gently to blend. Serve in bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired.

Easy Meatball Simmer (Stir-fry)

This week I made one of our favorite meals since we got married. I found it on Kraftfoods.com once upon a time when I was living on my own in my apartment. This recipe is great if you need a quick but delicious meal. I tried to modify it this week to make it healthier - substituting turkey meatballs instead of beef. The taste was not right so I probably won't use them again. But under normal circumstances this is delicious! We serve this dish over chinese yellow noodles, rice, or couscous. All are complimentary!

Simple Sweet 'N Sour Meatball Simmer

What You Need

3/4 lb. (3/4 of 16-oz. pkg.) frozen prepared meatballs

1 pkg.  (16 oz.) frozen stir-fry vegetables (sliced green, red and yellow peppers and white onions)

1/4 cup apricot jam

1/4 cup  KRAFT CATALINA Dressing

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

 

Make It

COMBINE all ingredients in large skillet; cover.

COOK on medium-high heat 10 min. or until meatballs and vegetables are heated through, stirring occasionally.

SERVE over hot cooked rice or pasta, if desired.

Slow Cooker Sweet 'N' Sour Chicken

Today my in-laws are coming down to go to the Apple 'N' Pork fest and help us in the yard. I decided to make dinner for them since they are helping us out today, but the question "What am I going to fix?" was the one that I heard all week in my head. I decided to make a recipe that Chad and I fell in love with last winter when we were going slow-cooker crazy!It is also in the Healthy Living/Budget Wise section of KraftFoods.com. Another bonus! Since we both are huge Chinese food fans I decided to make Slow Cooker Sweet 'N' Sour chicken today served over rice. I just put all of the initial ingredients in the crock pot and it's ready to go. *Note to self: Remember to take the chicken thighs out of the freezer before you cut - defrosting 1.8 pounds of chicken takes longer than expected in the microwave. LOL

Slow-Cooker Sweet & Sour Chicken

total time 8 hr 15 min

prep 15 min

servings 6 servings

 What You Need:

1 onion, sliced

1   carrot, sliced

1 stalk celery, sliced

1-1/2 lb.  boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup  KRAFT CATALINA Dressing

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 tsp.  grated ginger root

1 can (8 oz.) pineapple chunks, drained, liquid reserved

1 Tbsp.  cornstarch

1 each green and red pepper, cut into strips

3 cups  hot cooked long-grain white rice

Make It

1. PLACE onions, carrots and celery in slow cooker; top with chicken.
2. MIX sugar, dressing, soy sauce and ginger; pour over chicken. Cover with lid.
3. COOK on LOW 7 to 8 hours (or on HIGH 3-1/2 to 4 hours), increasing the heat to HIGH for the last 30 min. Stir cornstarch into reserved pineapple liquid; add to slow cooker with pineapple and peppers. Cook 30 min. or until peppers are crisp-tender and sauce is thickened. Serve over rice.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

* Make Ahead:

To make your slow-cooker preparation even faster, get ingredients ready the night before and place in the slow cooker. Remove inner container and refrigerate until ready to cook the next day.

* Substitute:

Serve with hot cooked brown rice.

Fall Baking has begun...with pumpkin!

I have been ready for fall for several weeks now - but fall is officially here because it finally feels that way! Pumpkins and mums are showing up in the store, the weather is cooling down, and my alleriges are going full blown. LOL. I decided that Sunday's will be my baking day, therefore last Sunday I decided to bake with pumpkin. So I made two new recipes: Pumpkin muffins and pumpkin cookies. Enjoy!

#1 Low-Fat Pumpkin Muffins

Hands-On Time:	10 minutes
Total Time:	29 minutes
Servings:	24

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 1 box dry Ducan Hines Spice Cake Mix
• 1 whole egg
• 1 8 oz. can solid packed pumpkin
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup Craisins (optional) - I added these and they made the muffins delicious!

1. Mix everything together well (mixture will be thick).
2. Divide evenly into 24 cupcake tins lined with cupcake papers. Bake at 350 degrees F for 17-22 minutes.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

#2 Pumpkin-Chocolate Chunk Cookies

total time 28 min

prep 15 min

servings 42 servings, 1 cookie each

 

What You Need

2-1/2 cups flour

1-1/2 tsp.  baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup  butter or margarine, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup  packed brown sugar

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1   egg

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 tsp.  vanilla

1 cup BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks

1 cup  chopped PLANTERS Walnuts

 

Make It

HEAT oven to 375°F.
MIX flour, baking soda and salt. Beat butter, sugars and pumpkin spice in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in chocolate and nuts.
DROP by heaping tablespoonfuls, 2 inches apart, onto baking sheets.
BAKE 12 to 13 min. or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 min.; remove to wire racks. Cool completely.

TIP:

Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute

No pumpkin pie spice on hand? No problem! Here's an easy way to make your own. For each 1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice needed, just combine 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. ground ginger, 1/8 tsp. ground allspice and 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg.

 

 

 

 

Hawaiian delight!

Last night Chad and I had a recipe I found in my parents' Prevention magazine while I was home over the weekend. The recipe seemed simple enough so I came home and modified it. We loved the Hawaiian sandwiches at the Polynesian resort so I thought it sounded similar.

Hawaiian Chicken Sandwiches
1 pound cooked chicken breast (thinly cut)
4 Ciabatta rolls
8 thin slices of deli style Black Forrest Ham
4 slices of Provolone Cheese
1 can of crushed pineapple
*butter optional
Marinara Sauce - to be served on the side

Layer the ingredients on the ciabatta rolls. Grill on a panini press or grill until lightly toasted. Dip sandwiches in the marinara sauce and enjoy!!!

You have to love your slow cooker....

Last year I purchased the Crock Pot Best-Loved Recipes Cookbook at Sams on a whim. I love this cookbook and all of the recipes in it. My favorite recipe which I made several times last winter was the "Easy Beef Stew." But I refer to it as one of my favorite comfort foods - Beef and Noodles. This recipe is so delicious that the beef flavor will melt in your mouth. With the combination of the dry onion mix and red cooking wine the flavors just amaze me everytime! Enjoy!

" Food is the most primative form of comfort"

~ Sheila Graham

Easy Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 ounces mushrooms, canned

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

1/3 cup red or white wine

10 ounces cream of mushroom soup, canned

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in Crock-Pot® slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on Low for 8 to 12 hours. Serve over hot cooked noodles. (egg noodles - no yolks work best)

Might be one of the best things I've done with Chicken....

Sorry this entry is two days late but school begins again this week and I have been a tad frazzled. But Monday evening I did manage to try this succulent chicken dish. I love my new Weight Watchers 15 minute cook book. Lots of fun new things to try! Chad was working until 7ish so I was on my own for dinner. I needed something that would look and taste good when Chad reheated it when he got home (which was more like 8ish). My hunch about this recipe was true... just as good reheated. If you know me very well, you know that I don't do leftovers often. There are the exceptions of reheated pasta dishes, stir fry, some casseroles, etc. If it has a sauce to it I will probably reheat it up. But reheated chicken and steak - FORGET IT! :) Here is one recipe I would definitely reheat to enjoy for a second meal!

Balsamic Chicken with Roasted Tomatoes
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
Balsamic vinaigrette salad spritzer

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2. Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl; place tomato mixture on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes or until tomato skins burst and begin to wrinkle, stirring once. Transfer tomatoes to a bowl, scraping juices into bowl. Stir 1/4 teaspoon salt into tomato mixture.

3. Place each chicken breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/4-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.

4. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Place chicken on individual plates; coat each breast half with 2 to 3 sprays balsamic spritzer. Spoon tomatoes evenly over chicken.

A nice Sunday dinner for two....

Last night I tried a new recipe for Chad and I from the Weight Watchers 15 minute cookbook. It was a fun dish to make and it only took 13 minutes to prep and cook together! The best part is... It's only 5 points and absolutely delicious!

Lemon-Herb Skillet Pork Chops

4 (4oz) boneless center-cut loin pork chops (1/2 inch thick)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp.  dried thyme
3/4 tsp.  paprika

1/4 tsp.  dried rubbed sage

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 lemon wedges

1. Sprinkle both sides of pork evenly with salt and pepper. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients in a shallow dish. Dredge pork in flour mixture.

2. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork; cook 4 minutes on each side or until pork is done. Serve with lemon wedges.

Yield: 4 servings - 1 pork chop and lemon wedge each.

*Blogger's note: I had to cook the pork chops an extra minute on each side to reach the correct temperature. So make it 5 minutes per side.

On the Side:
I served this dish with golden Yukon potatoes that I steamed in the bag via microwave. I mashed the potatoes with a little garlic salt. Then I used the "I Can't believe it's not butter" olive oil spray and sprayed each serving with 2 sprays each. I topped off the potatoes with parsley for presentation.
We also had a Cesar salad to accompany this wonderful meal!

Busy night = eating out

Chad and I both had a plethora of things to do last night. It was 7:30 and I was still picking out glasses at LensCrafters and he was finishing up getting his new phone at Verizon. The result ended at Panda Express with Garlic Lovers' Chicken and String Bean Chicken. Yum! But I did experiment for lunch yesterday and took the pulled BBQ chicken from my earlier post and put a little on top of a salad for lunch. Good idea that was somewhat delicious but I needed Tums after. I will be taking a hiatus for a few days since I will be in Washington visiting friends and family before back to school - so no food blogging until Sunday. Enjoy your dinners until then....