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Sunday: Baked Acorn Squash and Taters

With Broiled Pork chops and Applesauce

I use the same baking dish for both veggies. Prepare potato for baking, rub some oil on them

and season with kosher salt. Prepare Acorn squash with butter around edges and side walls. Sprinkle each with about 1/1/2 TBLS brown sugar, and then a pinch of Cinnamon sprinkled around the edges. Bake on center rack in 400 degree oven for about an hour or until browned and soft. Some people drizzle maple syrup over the squash too.

Did you know...You can cook squash in the microwave? I've done it several times to get the squash cooked for different recipes.

Here's how:

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and stringy center part. Place cut side down in a microwaveable dish. Add a little water for steam to help cook them. Cook on high for about 4 1/2 to 5 minutes. If you don't have a carousel microwave rotate the dish and then cook another 4 1/2 to 5 minutes. Check for doneness. If not done, cook again in 2 minute intervals. Now you can use it as you like.

SATURDAY: Baked Parmesan Chops

with herbed Carrots and Taters

I have some pork to use up in the freezer, so finding ways of using it has been great fun. I'm really into one dish meals, so this meal will be baked and served all in the same baking dish.

Add a simple salad on the side and maybe some dinner rolls if you have them.

I mixed about 3/4 cup bread crumbs with 1/4 C parmesan and added about 1/2 Tbs. of garlic powder in a pan for dredging.

Melt 3 Tbs. butter in a shallow bowl. Dip the pork chops in the butter and cover well, then dredge in the bread crumb mixture and place into a large greased or buttered baking dish. I had 4 chops.

Then I mixed about 1/4 C. Extra virgin olive oil with about 1 Tbs. lemon juice and whisked it up. Add the cut potatoes and carrots and toss till well coated. Then sprinkle herbs of your choice (I used parsley and basil) salt and pepper, and toss again to mix well. Then add the veggies to the baking dish around the chops. I had left over veggies, so I put those in a small baking dish to cook in the oven with the chops. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes.

Carrots and potatoes should be fork test tender.

(The carrots had been blanched, so they didn't take as long as usual to cook, I should have blanched the taters first too. They were a tad underdone)

I really love the taste of the golden breading on these chops, I was hoping my granddaughter, (who can be really persnickety at trying foods not from a box), would love it too. However, as we sat down to the table to eat I failed to remember the container of Ranch dressing that she puts on everything right in front of her. Before I could make it disappear, she had grabbed it and doused those beautiful pork chops with that lovely breading in Ranch dressing.

{{{sigh}}}

I am really looking forward to the day when her taste buds will grow up and she'll appreciate different flavors in foods.

Stir fry is always one of my favorite quick meals. You can put just about anything in it and makes it a good use for left overs which I had in the refrigerator that needed used up.

I have chicken breast (already cooked),

Broccoli, Cauliflower, rice, and some green onions. (the broccoli and cauliflower had been steamed till tender but still crunchy)

I also added some chopped garlic, rice wine vinegar, a couple of eggs and some slivered almonds.

First I scrambled the egg in the stir fry pan, put the egg in a bowl and then put the rice in the pan with some oil. Cook that a little bit, added a tsp of rice wine vinegar and some soy sauce. Put the rice in another bowl, and then put the garlic, and onion in the pan with some oil and let them cook till smelling good. Put the chicken in, let it brown a bit and then toss everything else in the pan to heat through.

I chopped up the almonds and sprinkled on top of the finished dish.

Note: the rice I used was Arborio that had been cooked and frozen. It turned out rather mushy and clumped, there was no texture to it. I won't use that again.

Besides having honey & Garlic chicken and twiced baked pototoes leftover, I had to use up some parsley and diced tomatoes. So I cooked up some pasta while the potato and chicken were warming in the oven. I threw in some butter, garlic powder, parsley and the diced tomotoes...and of course a little Extra virgin olive just because. ;-)

I'm stuffed!