Applesauce

This is the sauce you make if you have gone overboard on picking apples. If you have picked apples, I am sure you purchased some apple cider. When adding liquid to your apples, this is a better choice than just water. Water will work well if you have no apple cider or apple juice.

Peel as many apples as you are able to before your fingers wrinkle. I cut my apples into small chunks. If you prefer to have apple slices in your sauce, go for it.

Peel apples and core. Cut into the type of pieces you want in your sauce. You don’t want to have sauce without a taste of an apple piece. Some people don’t peel their apples, but I find the peels take away from the flavor because of the toughness.

Put the apples into a large pot. Pour in juice, cider or water. Your apples will give off a lot of water, so don’t try to cover the apples. If while cooking your sauce seems too dry, add more liquid. Cook until apples are soft and tender. If there are too many pieces for your liking, use a potato masher or Immersion blender to sauce it up a little. Add sugar to your taste and plenty of cinnamon. It all depends on your taste.

Cool applesauce. You can store it in the fridge for about a week. Or freeze it in plastic sandwich bags or Tupperware to take out as you desire.

It can be used in recipes or just as a snack or fruit with dinner.

Sweet and Sour Pork Chops

I have to confess. I have never tried this recipe. But it is now in my crockpot cooking for my Sunday dinner. I love pork. My husband? Not so much. So, I needed a recipe with a tasty sauce and that would allow the pork cook slowly and be tender. I have another recipe for Sweet and Sour Pork Chops on this site. But that one uses Cream of Mushroom Soup. I think I will prefer this one as the sauce is not a cream base. I can tell you that when I tasted the sauce after 2 hours, it was tasty, and I think it will pass muster. Hopefully by cooking 4 hours the chops will be tender.

The recipe calls for 4 pork chops. We eat less now that we are getting older, so I made the recipe using 2 chops. But I used the sauce recipe as if I was cooking 4. Remember what I said up above? Hubby likes sauces.

4 pork chops

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

1/4 Cup Ketchup

2 Tablespoons Minced Onion

1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice.

i sliced the onion instead of mincing it as they will be easier for someone who doesn’t like onions to pick them out of the sauce. I love onions.

Salt and pepper both sides of chops. Sear the chops in a sauté pan with about 1 tablespoon of Olive oil for about 2 minutes on each side. Place chops in crockpot. I set mine on high. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over chops. Cover and let cook for 2 hours. After 2 hours you can set the heat to low on the crockpot and finish cooking.

If you don’t have a crockpot, or prefer to bake the chops this recipe can also be used by cooking the chops in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes.

Chili

This is a simple recipe, like most of the recipes on this site. I use as many shortcuts as I can as long as it does not hurt the flavor of my meals. This blog is to help you eat healthy with less costs of going out and to have easy recipes to make so you don’t spend forever in the kitchen.

Chili is a favorite of mine because you can use it for so many other dishes. I make chili, but it is not just chili to me. Don’t get me wrong, I love a bowl of chili with some shredded cheese sprinkled on top. But I also love to use the chili for tacos. I find the taco mixes are just so salty. It can also be put on a salad for a taco salad. On hot dogs to make chili dogs. In a hamburger bun for a Sloppy Joe. Your imagination will take you to different dishes where chili is going to be the right thing to use.

You will need 1 package of chili mix. You can use McCormick’s or another brand name, but I find the generic (or store brand) is just as good. As with packages of gravy mix, I always have a couple of these envelope mixes on hand.

1Package of Chili Seasoning Mix (I use the less sodium mix.)

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) of diced tomatoes or 2 – 8 oz. cans of tomato sauce. If using the diced tomatoes, think about blending them into a sauce so there are no lumps.

1 can red kidney beans. I blend half the can and put the juice and remaining beans into the chili whole. This works like a thickener so that the chili is not too loose and runny.

Brown the beef in a medium saucepan (with onions if you like them. It adds a little more flavor).

Stir the seasoning mix in a bowl with the tomatoes or sauce and the blended kidney beans. Mix well to be sure the seasoning mix is well blended in. Add the rest of the kidney beans you left whole.

Put this mixture into the saucepan with the beef (or turkey) when it is browned and mix together. Let it simmer on very low heat for about 10 minutes. If you like a little kick to your chili, I add 5 to 10 drops of Red Hot sauce.

Let this cool a little and store in the refrigerator. I wait over night so that so that the flavors all meld together. If you are hungry now, by all means just dig in.

Turkey Scallopini

This is a similar recipe as Chicken Picatta. Use turkey or chicken cutlets. This is an easy meal that takes just a few minutes to cook and place on the table. It is great for those meals where you have very little time. I add a little chicken stock to the pan drippings to make a pan sauce. Serve it with rice or quinoa and use the pan sauce to bring it all together.

4 Turkey or chicken cutlets.

1/4 cup flour

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp pepper

1 large egg

2 TBS. water

1 cup soft bread crumbs (plain or seasoned)

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 tsp lemon juice

Minced fresh parsley

Make sure your cutlets are thin (about 1/4 inch). In a shallow bowl, add flour, salt, pepper And, a little garlic powder never hurts. In another bowl, beat egg and water. In a third bowl, combine bread crumbs and grated cheese.

Dredge turkey in flour mixture, then dip in egg and coat with crumbs and cheese. Let it sit for the time it will take you to melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. When butter is melted and sizzling, place turkey cutlets in pan and cook on both sides until turkey is no longer pink and coating is golden brown. Be sure to allow turkey to cook long enough to brown crumbs. Turn over and cook second side. About 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and sprinkle with parsley. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock to drippings. Whisk together until it slightly thickens. Add 1 teaspoon lemon juice. Pour the sauce over the chicken and serve.

Chili Grape Meatballs

This is a super easy recipe. It takes minutes to put together and can be partially done the night before. I use a crockpot, but if you don’t have one you can put it on the stove in a heavy duty pot and let it simmer until meatballs are cooked. You can also use frozen meatballs. They are a great time saver and taste great in this sauce. Serve it over rice, quinoa, noodles or mix it up and serve as a meatball sandwich using a crusty sub roll. It makes extra, so plan on using the rest as a leftover meal.

If you want to save time, make the meatballs the night before and place on a platter so they do not stick together.

2 Lbs. hamburger

1 egg, beaten

1 small onion, finely chopped

Salt & pepper to taste (1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper)

1 (14 oz.) jar of grape jelly

1 small jar of chili sauce (You can find this in the grocer in the condiment section)

1 Tablespoon lemon juice.

Mix the hamburger, salt, pepper, onion and beaten egg in a mixing bowl. Shape into meatballs using your hands or a 2″ cookie scoop. Set aside.

When the meatballs are shaped, turn the crockpot down to medium and place meatballs into sauce. They may not be completely covered, but stir them gently to coat. Be careful that you do not make meatballs crumble.

Cook slowly for 3 to 3 1/2 hours until sauce is mixed and meatballs are cooked through. You can stir gently a couple of time during the day, but it is not needed.

Basic White Sauce

This is a basic white sauce that can be utilized in many dishes. We usually make it to go over Salmon Pie. It is a creamy sauce that can stand the addition of hard boiled eggs or peas and/or carrots. This recipe only takes about 10 minutes so do not start it too early.

In a medium saucepan. melt 2 tablespoons of butter. When melted, mix in 2 tablespoons of white flour. Using a rubber spatula, mix well and let cook for a minute or two. It will be very thick, but the flour needs to cook off a little or it will taste like paste. Slowly add 2 cups of milk stirring constantly. This is not a recipe that you can leave alone. It will clump up and stick to the bottom of the pan. The sauce will thicken slowly. Add salt an pepper to flavor. You may add chopped 2 or 3 hard boiled eggs or 1 cup of peas to the sauce. Remove from heat when it reaches the thickness you desire.