Creamy potato casserole

I'm not even sure about this one.

I started with this as my base:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,178,135181-251195,00.html

I used a diced smoked pork chop instead of ham and halved the meat, adding close to 2 cups broccoli.
I substituted soy milk for milk and made a "brown" gravy with the last batch of chives from last years garden, a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic and about 1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard instead of the leek mixture.
I forgot the paprika.
I didn't notice the butter and layered my gravy into the casserole instead of butter.
My casserole dish was overstuffed.
And my gravy was lumpy.

Time will tell.

It was very very yummy. Phew! I was sweating that one.

Smoked pork pockets

My daughter and I made "pockets" today. Like a cross between a pasty and a hot pocket. I had some pie crust in the freezer and I needed to use up the last of that pork.

So, we cut the pie crusts into four pieces each. Daughter brushed each one with melted butter. Then we stuffed each one with a few chunks of smoked pork, mozzarella, asiago, and cheddar cheese, and several peas.

Then we closed them, pinched them and brushed the top with butter and made nice little indentation with a fork. I cooked them at 350 for 20 minutes. I intend to freeze them for quick meals later.

Pork Soup (part two)

So, my husband was left to tend the soup. I suggested he buy some sort of canned white beans (since I thought of this to make dried beans) and a can of creamed corn. I also suggested he get some heavy cream and some vegetable broth in case I decided to go "cream of" or if the soup went dry.

I went to work and instructed hubby to drain the beans, rinse them and add them to the pot. I told him to add the creamed corn as is, and if the soup got dry to add some water. And not to add anything else until I got home.

He listened well.

The soup tastes fabulous and needed no water, nor did I have to add anything else-- no more vegetable stock, no cream.

Pork soup (part one)

My mother-in-law brought us some smoked pork chops, which my husband cooked and cubed while I was at work last night. Instead of serving them as a heat and eat kind of meal, I opted to make a crock pot soup. 

I started with some jarred minced garlic (which I normally avoid because it just tastes funky to me). It came out too fast and I ended up with too much. Then I added a swirl of extra virgin olive oil and maybe 2 cups of diced smoked pork chops. 

While they simmered, I added some sliced potatoes from a can of whole potatoes that I took the time to cut myself. Then I added "fresh dill" from my freezer-- about 2 teaspoons. Next came some organic vegetable broth (which by the end of my base will be 32 ounces worth). I put about a half teaspoon cumin and a half teaspoon fresh ground four color pepper.

To empty the fridge, I dumped about 2 cups leftover cooked vegetables into the pot with the rest of the broth. This was primary some sort of soybean (mukiname?) and green beans with a few slivered carrots.

So, the ingredients in the pot now: 
- diced smoked pork chops
- extra virgin olive oil
- minced garlic
- cumin
- dill
- four color pepper
- potatoes
- green beans
- mukiname? (not endamame, other soybeans)

Hoping to get some white beans and creamed corn and maybe other broth... We'll see...

Provolone and pork mac and cheese

Tonight I made a quick mac and cheese with some smoked pork chops my mother-in-law brought over from the butcher.

The mac and cheese sauce:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1.5 tablespoons flour
• about three tablespoons heavy cream (all I had left)
• about 1/2 teaspoon mustard
• about 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• about 5-6 ounces extra sharp provolone
• 2 cups two percent milk

I heated one fairly large smoked pork chop and cut the meat into chunks and added that and about 1.5 cups frozen peas into the cheese sauce. I also included about three tablespoons pork drippings from the skillet in the sauce.

I used a regular box of rotini, mixed it up in a pyrex casserole dish and baked it for 30 minutes at 375. Because I wasn't home to watch it, it got a tad crispy on top but the bottom was juicy so mixing it all up before serving solved that problem.