Chica Cherry Cookies

Damn Savage Garden. Now I have that song stuck in my head. Yuck.

Well, the baking season didn't go as planned. Life happened, my belt testing got moved up a couple weeks and things just kept coming up. However, I did manage to make two kinds of cookies. One of which seems to be a big hit. Vegan friendly (minus the white chocolate, but that is optional). Chica check it out.

What you need:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup margarine or Earth Balance butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 Tbsp maraschino cherry liquid
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 cup drained maraschino cherries, chopped well
1/2 cup white chocolate baking chips (optional)

What you do:

With an electric mixer beat together the sugar, "butter", salt, maraschino cherry liquid, and almond extract. Once combined, add the flour and mix until just incorporated. Add the chopped maraschino cherries and mix together.

Preheat oven to 350.

Scoop the dough (approx a tablespoon) and roll into balls. Place 1 inch apart on cookie sheets and bake one sheet at a time for 8-10 minutes (depending on how your oven cooks) or until very lightly brown on the bottom. Remove from the cookie sheet and let cool.

Heat up the white baking chips in the microwave for 1 minute and drizzle over cookies. These are very cute, girly cookies and they taste amazing!

You can also try variations with raspberries, pumpkin or blueberries! Just swap out the 1/2 cup of chopped cherries for your new substitute!

If you looking for a tea cookie with spice, try swapping the cherries for cinnamon and nutmeg! Try using 1 tsp. of cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.

Tis the season for baking!

My amazing mother is my biggest baking inspiration. My friends used to call her Betty Crocker. Some still do to this day. She is a machine. Especially around the holidays. I distinctly remember holiday tins filled with cookies, lemon bars and homemade fudge covering the dining room table as far as the eye could see. Adorably decorated snowman and santa shaped sugar cookies we always a favorite (I still have some of the old copper cookie cutters). From the end of November until the first week of January, the entire house would smell like a bakery. The sugary-sweet aroma would even make it's way into my book bag and follow me to school and to dance class. Pure bliss!

Alas, these days are long gone. I have left the nest and my parents have followed the other retirees to Florida. However, this year, I will do my best to re-create the cookie madness that my mother inflicted on our old kitchen. I will bake to my hearts content and try to fill some cookie tins. I will make the essentials, like my grandmothers snickerdoodles and peanut butter kisses. I will also add some new surprises like a cranberry fruit bar (take that lemon!). Bear with me as I stumble through the next couple weeks of baking.



Yeah. That's the stuff.

What are some of your favorite holiday cookies and treats?

Stuff Your Shell (v)

If you know me, you know that I love cheese. Well, that's kind of an understatement. I adore it. I think about it all the time. However, since I have discovered that my tummy doesn't like cheese as much as my taste buds do, I've been learning to make some slight adjustments. One huge dilemma was: how do I make stuffed shells with ricotta cheese? Duh, tofu.

What you need:
1/2 block of extra firm tofu
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 bag of spinach
1 1/2 C. of mushrooms, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
dash of red pepper flake, unless you like it spicy, then go crazy! (of course this is totally optional)
dash of oregano
1 box of jumbo shells

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350.

Toss the cubed tofu into a blender with the olive oil and some salt and pepper. Blend until it looks like ricotta cheese. Set aside in a medium sized bowl.

Cook the jumbo shells according to the directions on the box.

Saute the minced garlic in some olive oil and toss in the mushrooms. Then throw in the spinach and let it cook down. If your using frozen spinach, let it thaw and then toss in with the garlic and mushrooms. Once cooked, mix into the bowl with the "ricotta cheese". ;)

Remove the shells from the water (careful not to break them!) and let cool. Once the shells have cooled down, stuff the shells with the spinach, mushroom and "cheese" mixture. Place stuffed shells into a baking dish. After the dish has been filled, cover with your favorite tomato sauce. Cover with tin foil. Pop the shells into a the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. Turn off oven, remove tin foil and bake for another 5 minutes.

Enjoy with a yummy salad and a nice glass of wine.

Vegan Pumpkin Oatmeal Cookies

Just because it's December, doesn't mean you can't make some tasty pumpkin goodies. Here's a quick, easy cookie recipe that even includes a maple syrup glaze to drizzle on top!

What you need:
2 cups flour
1 1/3 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons honey (I know that honey isn't vegan, but I don't care. You can use molasses if it really is an issue for you. No judgment.)
1 cup canned pumpkin, or cooked pureed pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon ground flax seeds (optional)
1 cup walnuts or pecans, finely chopped (optional)


What you do:
Preheat oven to 300. Have ready 2 greased baking sheets.

Mix together flour, oats, baking soda, salt and spices.

In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, oil, honey, pumpkin and vanilla and flax seeds until very well combined. Add dry ingredients to wet in small batches, folding together. Fold in walnuts or pecans.

Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. They don’t spread very much so they can be placed only an inch apart. Flatten the tops of the cookies with your fingers, to press into cookie shape. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 325.

For the maple glaze:
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 1/2 Tbs maple syrup

Stir together and drizzle over the warm cookies.

Obviously they are really good...

My broccoli can do tricks!

I was trying to think of an alternative to jarred pasta sauce. Something that incorporated some vegetables and that could be pretty versatile. I pondered on broccoli for a bit and thought to myself, why not teach an old veg new tricks? I threw the cooked trees into the blender with some other goodies and made a tasty sauce that can be eaten over pasta, or over baked chicken.

What you need:

2 bunches of fresh broccoli
1-2 garlic cloves depending on size (you can add more depending on how much you like garlic)
1/4 C. olive oil
salt or to taste
dash of pepper
juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/2 C. water

What you do:

Cut broccoli and cook in a saucepan until tender. Throw the broccoli into blender with other ingredients and puree until desired consistency. Serve over pasta, or on baked chicken.

I threw some sauteed mushroom and tomatoes in the mix for some extra flavor.

I love pumpkin.

I really, really do. Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin soup, pumpkin muffins. Yeah. I want it all. Especially the muffins. Apparently my boyfriend and his friend did too, because they only lasted 24 hours.

What you need:
1 C. Pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 egg, or Ener-G equivalent to 1 egg
1/4 C. vegetable oil
1/4 C. whole milk or soy milk
1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 C. flour
1 C. organic quick cook oats
3 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 C. pecans
1/2 C. cranberry sauce (the awesome homemade stuff)

What you do:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a muffin tin with muffin cups.

Beat together pumpkin, milk, oil, syrup, sugar and egg in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined well. Add in chopped pecans.

Spoon evenly into muffin tin and top each muffin with a dab of cranberry sauce and a whole pecan. Bake for 15-20 min.

These are great for a quick breakfast when your running out the door, or for a quick snack.

The Cranberries

I'm on a roll this week. Must be all the oatmeal that I've been eating for breakfast. Oatmeal is a great way to start your day. Not only are you getting a considerable amount of fiber first thing in the morning, but it can help cut cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. But I digress. This is not a post about the awesome benefits of oatmeal. I'm going to tell you how to jazz it up.

What you need:
1 12oz bag of cranberries
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Rinse the cranberries and pick out any that look smooshed or gross. Place the cranberries in a 1 quart glass baking dish. Add the sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover with tin foil and stick in the oven for 55 minutes. Stir the cranberry mixture to make sure all the sugar is dissolved. Let cool and serve in your favorite oatmeal. I prefer the old fashioned oats.

This is also a perfect pairing for a certain turkey dinner. Or you can use these cooked cranberries in muffins. It's quick, easy and super versatile.

Beets. It's What's For Dinner.

Did you know that you can eat the greens from beets? Neither did I. Apparently you can, and not only are they tasty, they are FULL of vitamins A, C, iron and calcium. Not to mention they have lots of fiber too. So why wouldn't you want to eat them? Check out how good they look...



But what do you do with them? You could try to eat them like a salad, but uncooked, beet leaves have a bitter nasty flavor. So, I decided to cook them as I would spinach.

Here's what you need:
1 pound beet greens
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
lazy 3/4 C. of water (by lazy, I mean fill up the 3/4 cup, just not all the way)
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
Boiled and chopped beets

Here's what you do:
Cut the greens off the beets and wash them very well to make sure all the dirt has been removed. Soak the beet greens for about 20 minutes. Cut the ends off the beats, wash them well and boil for about 20 minutes. When the beats are soft, peel and chop, then set them aside. Be careful, they will be hot.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Add onions and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water to the pan, stirring and loose particles from the bottom. Stir in the brown sugar and red pepper. Bring to a boil.

Add the beet greens and gently toss in the onion mixture so that the greens are well coated. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Uncover, stir and continue to cook, uncovered for an additional 5 minutes. The greens should be tender and smell great. Add the chopped beets and cook for about 2-3 minutes, giving the beets a chance to warm up. Serve with rice, or serve as a side dish. I paired it up with some leftover tempeh.

Non-vegetarians/vegans can add some cooked bacon for some extra meaty flavor. Mmmmm.....bacon *drool*

Note: I've now made this twice and I found that it works better with yellow beets.

Tempeh Stuffed Mushrooms

So your probably wondering what in the hell tempeh is and what the hell do you do with it. Tempeh is fermented soy beans. All hail the wonder that is tempeh!

I have recently embarked on a new vegetarian, slightly vegan adventure. I say slightly vegan because I'm having trouble giving up cheese. Oh and I'm not giving up honey either. I need that for my sinuses. So, I decided to experiment with this tempeh stuff that actually is pretty tasty.



What you need:
2 tbsp. of Earth Balance butter
1/2 onion minced
1 garlic clove minced
1 block of tempeh
1/4 C. of water
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 tsp. of ground thyme
1/8 tsp. of ground rosemary
4 portobello mushroom caps
Veggie Shreds - Mozzarella flavor

What you do:
Saute garlic and onion in 1 tablespoon of the earth balance butter. Once onions become soft, add the tempeh. Add the remainder of the butter and the water. Stir in the spices and cover. Simmer for about 10-12 minutes. Spoon into portobello caps and cover in cheese. Bake for 7 minutes at 350 degrees. Serve over rice and enjoy!

It's Monday...

You just got home from work or the gym. It's been a long day and all you want to do is eat a nice dinner and relax. Too bad you don't have any energy to cook...

Good thing you don't need it. I made a quick chicken dinner tonight that almost made itself.

Here's what you need:
2 chicken breasts
2 tbsp. mayo
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. panko flakes
1/2 c. flour
vegetable oil
cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and brush with vegetable oil. Put the panko flakes and flour in a large ziplock bag. Take the chicken breasts and rub with mayo, salt and pepper. Place chicken in ziplock bag. Close the bag and give it a good couple of shakes. Place chicken on baking sheet and spray with cooking spray. Pop it in the oven for 25 minutes and enjoy. Serve with a salad or other leafy green and you have a quick, healthy dinner that tastes great.

As always, I ate the subject without taking pictures of it. Hopefully I will remember next time. Now if you excuse me, i have to get ready for work tomorrow. :(

Nothing says fall like a sweet potato casserole.

Well, this has been a very busy weekend and it's not even over yet. Saturday started out with the usual trip to the farmer's market in downtown Rockville. I managed to score some kale, broccoli, cauliflower and a $10 bushel of apples that has completely taken over my small beer fridge. Eventually those are going to be turned into apple butter, but for now they make a nice snack.

Saturday night was the infamous Lester's birthday. In case you don't know who Lester is, he is Tim's father. :) Like all Johnson family events, everyone makes a dish or two and we eat eat eat until we can't eat any more. I decided to bring my butternut squash soup , and also a sweet potato casserole, minus the icky marshmallows that you usually find on top. I know some people enjoy them, I personally don't. I think that pecans compliment the sweet potato much better, so that's what I did.

Sweet Potato Casserole
* 4 cups sweet potato, cubed
* 1/2 cup white sugar
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 4 tablespoons butter, softened
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping
* 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoons butter, softened
* 1/2 cup chopped pecans

(Little tip: you can double this recipe to add some extra topping if your using a larger casserole dish)

Preheat oven to 300-325 degrees. Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan with water to cover. Cook over medium high heat until tender; drain and mash. In a large bowl, mix together the sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, salt, butter, milk and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Transfer to a baking dish.

In medium bowl, mix the sugar and flour. Cut in the butter until the mixture is coarse. Stir in the pecans. Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potato mixture. Bake in the preheated oven 20-30 minutes, or until the topping turns a light brown.

This was super easy and turned out great! This will be made again and again. I can promise you that.

Everyone Loves Chicken Pot Pie

How can you not like chicken pot pie? Warm, gooey, crispy and just plain good. As far as comfort food goes, this is a staple. And it's really easy to make. My apologies for the lack of images. It didn't make it that far in the blog process. Maybe next time, but no promises.

You'll need:
2 tbsp. buter
1 onion
2 carrots, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 c. steamed and quartered mushrooms (I used portabella)
2 c. chopped cooked chicken (I used the leftover meat from a rotisserie that we picked up at Giant)
1/4 c. flour
2 c. low sodium chicken broth, warmed
1 c. milk
1/2 c. half-and-half (or you can use another 1/2 c. of milk)
1 1/2 c. frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste
1 sheet of puff pastry
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

Here we go!!

Roll out the thawed pastry puff onto a floured surface.

Heat butter in a large pot. When melted, add onion, carrots and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir occasionally for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken and the flour. Stir to coat the chicken and veggies with the flour.

Slowly pour in the chicken broth, and use a whisk to beat it in to help avoid clumping of the flour. Next add the milk and half-and-half. Simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has thickened substantially and it clings to the veggies. Stir in the peas and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the oven to 375.

Now it's time to assemble the pies! I like to use 2 flat corning-wear dishes. Divide the chicken mixture among the dishes. Place the pastry to over the dishes. Cut off the excess and pinch the dough to to secure it. Brush the tops with the egg whites. Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes.

For my vegetarian friends, swap out the chicken for extra veggies like broccoli, zucchini and asparagus. Enjoy this on a chilly evening. It will definitely warm you up after raking leaves, or going for a run.

Did someone say squash?

I'm not sure, but let's just pretend they did. Nothing says fall like butternut squash. In case your not sure what that is, please take a gander at exhibit A:

This interesting vegetable has kind of sweet, nutty taste, kind of like a pumpkin. The fleshy inside is covered by a super hard rind that is kind of difficult to remove, but rest assured, it can be done. And once you get past the hard part, you have a beautiful ingredient that can be used to make sauces, soups and other dishes.

I decided to make a Tofu and Butternut Squash Soup that I found on http://www.sparkrecipes.com/. But as always, I changed things up and added some extra stuff because lets face it, rules are boring. Here it is with my small adjustments:

1 T Oil
1/2 medium onion, chopped
3 chopped carrots
1 small/medium butternut squash, peeled and diced (about 3-4 C) (Good luck!)
1/2 C honey
1 12oz pkg Firm Tofu
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground allspice

Heat oil in large pot over med. heat. Add onion and carrot. Cook until tender (4 to 6 mins.)

Add the squash and enough water to cover the squash. Simmer, uncovered, until squash and carrot are fork tender, about 30 mins.

Stir in honey, tofu, cinnamon, allspice blend with stick blender or let cool slightly and puree in standing blender.

Thin with water if necessary, season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a tiny garnish of cinnamon before serving.

Enjoy!

It's almost.......FALL!

That's right! Only 2 more days until the most glorious season of the year. The weather is getting cooler, the leaves are changing and the gourds are starting to show themselves at the farmers markets. This is such an inspiring time of year. Keep checking back for some fun fall-inspired recipes. Squash casserole, baked apple surprises and LOTS of soup.

Screw you humidity! Bring on the chilly air and changing leaves!

OMG Cupcakes Galore!

Cupcakes. I obsess over them. I adore them. It's a perfect little piece of heaven that is super versatile. I received a book of cupcake recipes for my birthday this year from Rotem. All I can say is BEST GIFT EVER. This book is amazing!



So, my plan is to work my way through the book and test my baking abilities. The first cupcake in the book is VeryBerry Cakes. I made a couple adjustments to the recipe because I was having trouble finding the fresh berries and I do not use frozen fruit. Just a personal preference, but I think it takes away from the flavor. If that's all you have, that's cool, but if you can, go out of your way and get the fresh stuff.

Here you go!

Berry Buttercake
1 stick butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract (I highly recommend Penzeys for this ingredient)
2/3 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. dried mixed berries or 1 c. fresh berries (I used diced strawberries)
1/2 c. slivered almonds
2/3 c. all purpose flour
1/2 c. self rising flour
1/4 c. milk

Sugared Fruit
5 oz. fresh blueberries
4 oz. fresh raspberries
1 egg white
3 tbsp. vanilla sugar

Cream Cheese Frosting
4 oz. cream cheese
2 tbsp. butter
3/4 c. - 1 c. confectioners sugar

Prepare the sugared fruit by lightly brushing the berries with the egg white and rolling them in the sugar. Place on a parchment lined tray and leave out for about an hour.

Preheat the oven between 315-325 degrees. Line a standard muffin pan with paper baking cups. Beat butter, vanilla, sugar and eggs in a small bowl until light and fluffy. stir in fruit and nuts, then sifted flour and milk. Divide mixture amoung baking cups and smooth the surface.

Now the tricky part. Depending on your oven, the baking times will vary. The recipe says to bake for 35 minutes. If you like burnt cupcakes, you do that. But I baked them for about 15-17 minutes. Maybe my oven is just boiling lava hot, but this baking time worked for me. When cakes are done baking, turn on a wire rack to cool.

Make cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter and cream cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sifted powdered sugar.

Once cakes have cooled, decorate with frosting and sugared fruit. Eat. Enjoy. Share with friends because lets face it, it's not a good idea to eat all 12 by yourself.

Fennel Success!

My taste buds are now on the fennel bandwagon. A quick simple recipe with fennel, tomatoes and chicken have turned me into a believer. Check it out:

3 fennel stalks
1/2 medium onion
2 medium tomatoes
1 leek
1 garlic clove
4 thinly sliced chicken breasts (2 average breasts sliced in half)
2 tbsp. tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. tarragon
Olive Oil
1 C. panko flakes
1 egg

Coat skillet with olive oil. Place on medium-low heat. Wisk egg in a small dish. Place panko flakes on a plate. Dredge chicken breasts through the egg and the panko to coat. Place chicken in heated pan. Cook chicken for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from pan and put aside.



Chop onion, leeks, fennel, tomatoes and garlic. Add to warmed skillet. Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper, tarragon, and cook for approximately 10 minutes or until veggies become tender.



Return chicken to pan, cover and cook for approximately 12-15 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.



Let cool and enjoy!

Funky Fennel

There are very few things in the culinary world that I don't like. Among those few are grape leaves, capers, and more recently discovered, fennel. I stumbled upon a salad that had fennel in it and thought, "Why not!". Big mistake. I took one bite of my fennel, heirloom tomatoes and arugula and spit it out. Oh fennel, why do you even exist? But after almost adding Mr. F to my shit list, I reconsidered my decision. Why be so harsh? Why not try to go with the grain instead of against it? I might really like it if it were to be hidden in a glorious soup or au gratin concoction. So I started to do a little research and this is what I discovered:

Fennel, or Foeniculum vulgare, is used as a bulb vegetable and an aromatic herb that has a taste similar to anise. It also has many medicinal uses. It can be used to quiet the hiccups, break up kidney stones, help with nausea and aid digestion.

Interesting...maybe fennel isn't so bad after all.

Time to put down the shit list and get in the kitchen. I have some fennel to cook. While I work on that, why not tell me what foods/seasonings you hate so that maybe I can persuade you change your mind. I'm always up for a culinary challenge!

Perfectly Peacan-y Poultry

I like to think of poultry as a plain piece of paper that eagerly awaits a poignant chef to propose a perfectly palatable portion. Not really, but my shopping list this weekend is littered with the letter "P". Poultry, pecans, prosciutto, pickling cucumbers, peppers, etc. I just though I would keep with the theme.

First on the menu: Perfectly Pecan-y Poultry

You will need:
1/3 C. of honey
2 tbsp. of soy sauce
salt
pepper
3 chicken breast (skinless and boneless) about 1/2 in in thickness
1 1/2 C. of crushed pecans

What you do:
Heat the broiler. Whisk honey and soy sauce in a bowl. Lay the crushed pecans on a plate. Take the chicken breast and dip them in the honey-soy sauce mixture. Coat the chicken breast in pecans on both sides and lay on a lightly greased baking pan. Repeat with remainder of chicken breasts.

Place the chicken in the broiler for 2 minutes on each side. In the meantime, take the remainder of the honey-soy mixture and boil it in a small saucepan. Next, lower the temperature on the oven to 500 degrees. Take the chicken out of the broiler, sprinkle with salt and pepper on both sides and drizzle remaining sauce on the chicken. Place the chicken in the oven for about 6-7 minutes or until done.

Quick and yummy.

Will post more "P" inspired recipes later. :)

Daily Bread

I have a new found respect for bakers and bakeries. If I had to bake bread on a daily basis, I would jump off a bridge. It's hard work, I'm not going to sugar coat it. My Challah bread turned out horribly. I think it had something to do with the yeast not activating properly. I *will* try again. I will not let some flour and yeast get the best of me.

Please note the horrific finished product:


On a side note...I've been craving pecans. Must incorporate into dinner one night soon.

Easy Peasy BBQ Chicken

I use my crock pot a lot. Probably more than I should, but I love it. The 6+ hour cooking times brings out the most amazing flavors. Not to mention it's super easy. Anyone can use a crock pot. Even all those people that claim that they can't cook.

The easiest recipe that I make in the crock pot is my BBQ chicken. It's warm, spicy and just plain yummy. I use Trader Joe's All Natural BBQ Sauce, a little Sriracha, and some fresh ground pepper. Throw in some chicken (or pork) and your BBQ sauce, chili sauce and pepper to taste (there is no correct amount). Cook on low for about 4 hours. When the chicken is cooked through, take each piece out and shred it up. Place shredded chicken back into the crock pot. Add some extra BBQ sauce if needed and cook for another 2 hours.

No seriously, that's it. Serve on a toasted roll and there you go!

Holy Shitake, Pork Chop!

Not everyone likes pork chops. They can be chewy, overcooked, and just downright nasty. My boyfriend is one of those people. Having been raised on the chops, I enjoy them. It's a quick and easy dinner idea that can be extremely versatile. So, I decided to challenge myself and make my unsuspecting boyfriend enjoy them as much as I do. Here the breakdown:

1 package of shitake mushrooms
6 thin cut pork chops
1/3 can Cream of Mushroom condensed soup
1 small onion
Garlic salt
Ground sea salt
Fresh ground pepper
Fresh rosemary (dried rosemary is ok too, just grind before using)
Olive Oil

Set stove on medium. Coat skillet with a thin coat of olive oil. Slice the think cut pork chops into 1 inch thick strips. Season with a pinch of garlic salt, and season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Quickly brown both sides of the thinly cut pork chops. Add chopped onion and shitake mushrooms. Sauté for 1 minute. Add the cream of mushroom soup, a little rosemary to taste and reduce to a simmer. Let the chops simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

Mission accomplished. He asked that I make it again, but next time with more shrooms.