Parm-Breaded Pork Chops

 I found this gem in a Taste of Home Magazine!

1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg
2 tbsp 2% milk
1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers (I used Ritz)
3 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/4 cup butter, melted
6 boneless pork loin chops


1. Place flour in a shallow bowl.  In a separate shallow bowl, whisk egg and milk.  In a third shallow bowl, combine the crackers, cheese, salt and pepper.  Dip pork chops in flour, in egg mixture, then in cracker mixture.
2. Place butter in a 13x9 inch baking dish; add pork chops.  Bake uncovered at 350* for 25-30 minutes or until a thermometer reader 145*.  Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

(Sides - steamed yellow corn, and Lipton cheesy rice and broccoli).

This is another one my little guy gobbled up :)

Classic Cashew Beef

Thumbs up from the little guy!

4 tsp corn starch
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp oyster sauce
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Dash cayenne pepper
1/2 cup cold water
1 lb beef top sirloin steak, cut unto 1/2-in. pieces
2 tbsp canola oil, divided
8 green onions, cut into 1-in lengths
2/3 cup lightly salted cashews
2 garlic cloves, minced
Hot cooked rice

1. In a small bowl, combine the first seven ingredients and whisk until smooth; set aside.
2. In a large skillet or wok, stir-fry beef in 1 tbsp oil until no longer pink..  Remove and keep warm.  Stir-fry onions, cashews and garlic in remaining oil for 1 minute.
3. Stir in cornstarch mixture and add to the pan.  Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.  Add beef; heat through.  Serve with rice.

How did I change it up:

I mixed the first 7 ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.  I didn't have sesame oil, so I used veggie oil instead.  I did not remove the beef, but just added the cashews and sauce.  I cooked it all together until thickened. I think I used 2 lbs of beef instead of one, but I thought the sauce was a little too light.  Tim and I both agreed that this would be good with broccoli stir-fried in :)

Enjoy!

Orange Ginger Chicken

This one was yummy! We ate it before I was able to get a picture, and I didn't think a picture of the leftovers would be that yummy :) Haha Give it a shot...even my little guy ate it all!

1/2 cup flour
6 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp honey
1/2 to 1 tsp ground ginger (or more if you want)
Optional garnishes: thinly sliced green onions and sesame seeds

1. Place flour in a large resealable plastic bag. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add to bag, a few pieces at a time, and shake to coat. In a large skillet, cook chicken in oil in batches over medium heat until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove and keep warm.
2. In the same skillet, combine the juice, marmalade, soy sauce, honey and ginger. Bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan; cook and stir until thickened. Return chicken to pan; heat through. Sprinkle with green onion and sesame seeds if desired.  

How did I change it up?
I did not coat the chicken in flour. I cooked it in some oil until it was no longer pink. Because I did not have the flour in the bottom, I added some cornstarch to thicken up the sauce. It worked, but I think it diluted the taste a little. I also added a bag of broccoli. It was very nice with the broccoli and made it even healthier! I am going to add some sliced carrots next time. Enjoy!

How to get a 5 year old to eat scrambled eggs.

Maybe you don't have this problem, but I do. R will not eat scrambled eggs. He eats the bacon or sausage, then he is miraculously full. Well, today is a bacon and eggs kind of day, and I had an idea...MAGIC EGGS!!! Yep, that's right! I made my son magic eggs. I think the magic part was he ate them all and asked for seconds! He also said they were the best eggs he ever had. He posed for this picture, so I had to use it, even though it isn't my favorite!

Recipe: Eggs Food coloring First crack 2 eggs into a small bowl. Add food coloring. This time I chose red, and added too much...it actually looked like blood. Scramble the eggs for a few minutes, then add more, non food colored eggs. Mix it all together, and cook until the scrambled eggs are done to your liking. Ta-dah! Magic eggs! Or flamingo eggs as my hubby called them. Either way, my son at them all and asked for more!