just a little preface...
This blog consist of meals that are practically all purchased with the help of my footstamp budget, I work full time, but as a single mom with two children at home I am classified as "poverty level". I thank God everyday that my children get good homecooked meals, because there are so many kids in the USA that go hungry every day. I just wanted to add this so if you think you cannot purchase good food and create good meals on a tight budget I hope my blog makes you think of food in a different way. noturtypicalgma
the only thing i ask in sharing these recipes with you, is that you must really love the person you serve them to....cooking is how i show my love to the special people in my life.....
My mom used to make the best chili con carne. She used pork steak for this. Chili Con Carne or chili with meat was one of my Dads favorites, we never ate it as a burrito but usually on the plate with beans and rice. I make mine in a burrito just easier and less cleanup! I had made this a while back but never edited it and ran across it tonight. Since I showed you how I grill pork steak here is another option for you so I hope you enjoy it.
Ingredients
Moms Chili Con Carne
2 and 1/4 lbs of porksteak cut into small 1 inch pieces rinsed 1/4 c. flour 1tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1/4 tsp cumin powder
4 roma tomatoes
1-4 jalapenos
1tbsp of garlic minced
1tbsp of red onion Salt to taste
Video Recipe Brown your pork for about 15 minutes and then add the salsa, simmer for another 10 minutes. Enjoy!
Barbecue sauce is soo easy to make! I made mine one day after realizing I did not have any in my pantry. I just experimented with ketchup and brown sugar. Today I do not use ketchup but tomato sauce instead, it tends to not have that ketchuppy (is that a word?) taste. I make a couple of different versions one with honey one without. This is the non honey version.
Its the end the month for us and we were low on meat choices, either fish or porksteak. I took out the pork steak. Pork steak is an inexpensive and versatile cut of pork. I use it to make chile verde or chile con carne, but I just felt like grilling it. I served this with some white rice and a cold spicy blackbean and corn salad .
Ingredients
My Spicy and Sweet Barbecue Sauce
1c. of tomato sauce
1/2 c. of brown sugar
1tbsp molasses
1tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp apple cider vinegar
1tbsp vietnamese garlic chili paste
1tbsp of liquid hickory smoke
1tsp garlic powder
1/8 tsp cumin powder
mix everything in a saucepan and let simmer for about 30 minutes till it thickens
Spicy Blackbean and Corn Salad
1 can of black beans rinsed
1 can of corn rinsed
2 serrano chilis deveined and seeded
1/3 cup of diced red onion
1/2 avacado diced
1 green tomato sliced thick and grilled for 1 min on each side diced
juice of 1 lime
Mix everything together and let chill this is even better the longer it chills.. great the next day!
Today I was craving comfort food (which I do a lot) but in particular I wanted smothered pork chops, I think my loves, Auntie Bonita first introduced me to these. God rest her soul...that's when I learned what Southern soul food was, I love greens too. His family showed me how to cook those also, I think Auntie Pink, either way I love this stuff. So tonight I made some smothered chops and mashed potatoes no greens though, next time. I worked late and I technically would consider this a Sunday dinner meal, but in actuality it took me 15 mins of prep time and 30 minutes to cook. So be adventurous make em on a weeknight!
Ingredients
My Smothered Pork chops
9 thin sliced pork chops center cut
1 cup sliced onion white or yellow
1&1/2 cups of flour
1tsp paprika
1 &1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1tsp garlic powder
oil (canola) for browning
2tsp butter/or margarine
2&1/3 cups of water
Mashed Potatoes
3 russet potatoes cut into cubes
3 white potatoes cut into cubes
3 large cloves of garlic peeled
1tsp salt plus salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup of Philadelphia cooking creme plain
2tbsp butter/ or margarine
I did not even use the milk after all!
Once potatoes were in the pot I started my chops.
Peel and rinse potatoes, add to 3 qt pot add cold water, add in garlic cloves and 1 tsp salt and boil over med heat till cooked through...I left some skin on just to give it that home cooked appeal. Once potatoes have cooked and been drained do not remove garlic, add 1/3 c of Philadelphia cooking creme, and 2tsp of butter or margarine, mash, and add salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile rinse chops in cold water do not shake off excess dip immediately into flour mixture. Dredge chops in flour that has been mixed with paprika, salt, garlic powder, and pepper.
Reserve 1/2 cup of the flour for smothering onions when I add onions right before the addition of the flour I add 1 tsp of butter or margarine just to introduce some fat for the flour to create the gravy! I brown the chops about 6 minutes each batch (I did 3) because they are thin, you may need to alter that cooking time if you are cooking thicker chops. Cooking time after being added to gravy is about 14 minutes. So a total of 20 minutes to cook these chops.
Watch as I cook this meal. Watching a video is always easier than looking at photos.
I had to video myself so sorry for the shakiness....but you will get the idea and you will love this recipe....by the way when I am making the gravy I say its ok if its thick I meant to say thin after adding 2 cups of water...Hope you try it!
