In The Kitchen Tonight

In the summer no one wants to stand over a hot stove. Probably no one wants to do that anyway. So here are a couple of quick and easy recipes. Short ingredient list. Short prep time. One recipe is one we've used for years and we are having for tonight's supper. The other is new to us this year and Big Sister made it by herself for their dinner last night. You have to try it. You can't let a 10-year-old outdo you!

Pork Chops & Brown Rice

1/2 cup regular rice
1 can beef consomme
3 or 4 boneless pork chops
slices of onion and green pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put rice in a 1-1/2 quart baking dish. Pour most of the consomme over the rice. Brown the pork chops quickly in a hot skillet. Put the chops on the rice, top each with a slice of onion and a couple of pepper strips. Pour the remaining consomme over the chops. Cover and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

The nice thing about this recipe--other than it is delicious--is that it is well suited to smaller families. And it only takes a few minutes to get it ready for the oven. Then you can go do something else for an hour. If you choose to double it, leftovers freeze well. Because the pork chops bake in liquid, they are always tender. We've been making this for years and years.

And now, here is Big Sister's recipe. She has made this three times since Christmas. Hmmm...... Looks like Big Sister's recipe is more complicated than mine.

White Chicken & Broccoli Pizza

1-1/2 cups fresh broccoli florets, cut into small pieces
2 cups cooked chicken, cut into bite-size pieces
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup Alfredo sauce
1 (12-oz.) baked pizza crust, such as Mama Mary's
2 cups shredded Italian-blend cheese
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Place  pizza crust on a baking pan. Stir mushrooms, chicken and broccoli into Alfredo sauce. Spread over pizza crust. Sprinkle cheeses over the top. Mix basil, oregano and garlic salt and sprinkle over cheese. Bake 15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Slice and serve.

If you buy pre-sliced mushrooms, a bag of broccoli florets and use leftover or rotisserie chicken, this a quick fix, too.


Random Things I Know:



Seeds from a bell pepper can be left to dry and then used as potato chips in a doll house. Very tiny potato chips.