Happy 2013 and Melt in Your Mouth Pork

     Happy New Year!   Can you believe that it's 2013?  I can't!  Last year flew by so quickly I wasn't quite ready for 2013 to be here.   Now that the new year is here I was looking for a pork dish I could make today.  In my family we have a tradition of eating pork on New Year's Day for good luck in the new year.  Generally we have pork and sauerkraut but this year I just wasn't feeling it.

     I wanted something easy to make but delicious.  I saw a recipe for melt in your mouth chicken and decided to turn it into a pork chop recipe.  This recipe is super easy.  Simply mix up the ingredients, spread them on the pork, and bake.  That's it!

      While the pork wasn't quite melt in your mouth it was totally delicious.  The cheese mixture begins to get crispy and forms a nice coating on top of the pork.  We served it with pearl couscous and corn which went nicely with the bold flavor of the pork.

       Happy 2013!

Melt In Your Mouth Pork Chops (recipe adapted from Food. com)

4 boneless pork chops

1/2 c. mayonnaise (I used half mayo and half Miracle Whip Light)

1/2 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. black pepper

1/2 t. salt

1 t. oregano

1 t. paprika

2 garlic cloves, minced

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

2.  In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, cheese, garlic, and seasonings.  Mix well.

3.  Spread the cheese mixture over both sides of the pork chops and place in a baking dish.

4.  Bake for 45 minutes.

What are you serving for New Year's Day?

This post linked to:
Totally tasty Tuesdays, Tempt My Tummy Tuesdays,  

Happy New Year Book Giveaway Hop!

     Happy New Year!  Can you believe it's 2013?  I can't!  To celebrate the New Year I am giving away a few fabulous books!  As part of the Happy New Year 2013 Giveaway Book Hop, hosted by I Am A Reader, Not A Writer and Babs Book Bistro, I am giving away 4 books to help you ring in the New Year.

     What books am I giving away?  I'm glad you asked!  I'm giving away 2 cookbooks, one very funny book, and a book by Tana French.  Have you read Tana French before?  If not you are going to want to win these!  One winner will win:

• Gifts in a Jar (Muffins and Breads)
• 150 Best Donut Recipes by George Geary
• Faithful Place by Tana French
• Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward

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My Top 15 Recipes and Top 4 Books of 2012

    Can you believe it's almost 2013?  I can't!  As I was looking over my posts for the year I wanted to make a list of my top 10 favorite recipes and top 3 books for the year.  However, when I realized I have posted 392 posts this year I knew that only having 10 favorite recipes would be next to impossible!  I can't believe I've posted more then one post a day all year.  Craziness!

     After taking a good look I was able to narrow it down to my top 15 recipes of the year and my top 4 books.  Unfortunately I've only reviewed 2 of my 4 favorite books but I blogged all 15 of my favorite recipes.  I hope you enjoy my recap of 2012 as much as I did!

15.  Ravioli with Apples, Bacon, and Spinach.  This is the perfect fall pasta dish.  The salty bacon combined with the sweet and tart apples made for an amazing combination of fall flavors. 

14.  Mini Fruit Tarts with Nutella Pastry Cream.  This was my first experience with Nutella and it was great!  The chocolate hazelnut pastry cream paired wonderfully with the strawberries and cherries.  The fact that they are pretty didn't hurt either!

13.  Chipotle Beef Chili.   This recipe mixes the perfect amounts of beef, tomatoes, beans, and spice.  I also won the Giant Eagle Market District Chili Cook-off with this recipe!

12.  Caramel Apple Cheesecake.  Fluffy cheesecake filled with spiced apples and topped off with homemade caramel.  What's not to like?

11.  Brined, Basted, and Roasted Turkey Breast.  Until this year I had never made a turkey.  I've now made this recipe three times.  The turkey stays moist from the brine and has a delicious flavor from the butter, wine, and herb baste.

10.  Individual Angel Food Cakes with Lemon Curd and Fresh Fruit.  I made these for my birthday this year.  The cake was light and fluffy paired with fresh lemon curd and then topped with different fresh fruits.  Each cake had it's own flavor.

9.  Award Winning Black Bean Burger.  This black bean burger will make any meat lover change their mind amount veggie burgers.  Topped with avocado cream, roasted red peppers, mozzarella cheese, and arugula these are amazing!  The judges at the Market District thought so as well since they named my burger the winner in their contest!

8.  Cherry Amaretto Jam.  I once again had a fabulous summer filled with canning.  My favorite jam of the summer was this one filled with sweet cherries and Amaretto.

7.  HomemadePierogies.  For years my dad has been making the best pierogies I've ever tasted.  They are filled with cheese and potatoes.  This summer my parents came down to visit and my dad and I spent the day making these delicious pierogies.

6.  Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Fresh Blackberry Frosting.   These cupcakes are rich and flavorful with a gorgeous blackberry frosting that is both sweet and tart.  I made these for the Global Day of Epilepsy Awareness for my cousin who has epilepsy and they quickly became my new favorite cupcake.

5.  Jack Daniel's Glaze.  I had this recipe pinned for months before I finally tried it.  The time I put into it was well worth the time.  The glaze is sweet and tangy and goes perfectly with chicken, beef, or shrimp.

4.  Turtle Cookie Cups.  I'm particularly proud of this recipe because it's one of my only original cookie recipes.  Sugar cookie cups filled with chocolate chips, pecans, and caramel, then topped off with a pecan and chocolate drizzle.

3.  Lamb Pita Sandwiches with Tzatziki Sauce. I love lamb but until this year I had never cooked it.  The lamb patties were moist and flavorful and paired nicely with the feta cheese.  The tzatziki was cool and worked well with the sandwiches.

2.  Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes.  These cupcakes are show stoppers.  Moist chocolate cupcakes filled with fresh strawberry filling then topped with strawberry buttercream.  On top is a single chocolate covered strawberry.

1.  Perfect Party Cake Filled with Lemon Curd, Orange Rhubarb Jam, and topped with Vanilla Bean Frosting.  My favorite recipe of the year was my brother's birthday cake.  This vanilla cake was the perfect blank slate for my homemade lemon curd and orange rhubarb jam fillings and then it was topped off with vanilla swiss meringue buttercream.  Everyone at the party loved this cake and it was deemed an instant favorite.

     My favorite books of the year were easy to choose.  One is the second book of a trilogy, one reminded me of my childhood in the 80's, one placed me in the middle of a magical and beautiful circus, and the other took me back in time.

4.  Ready Player One.  This young adult novel is set in the future but goes back into the 80's and the beginning of video games for a virtual reality spins on some of my favorites.

3.  Insurgent.  The second book in the Divergent series found Tris and Four running for their lives in a world without Factions.

2.  11/22/63.  Never a history buff I wasn't sure how I would feel about Stephen King's book of time traveling back to the Kennedy assassination.  Not only did I learn a lot about that period in history it was an amazing book that left me thinking what if?

1.  The Night Circus.  My favorite book of the year.  The author's words create such a complete picture of this magical circus that I felt as though I were in the world with them.  This is a story of love, loss, and magic that kept me wanting more until the very last page.

This post linked to:
Mealtime Mondays, Melt In Your Mouth Mondays,  Mop It Up Monday, The Bulletin Board, Mangia Monday, Meatless Monday,

Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Crispy Treats

     More and more these days it seems as though people are eating gluten free.  We've recently been trying to cut back on our gluten and one way we've done it is by buying gluten free cereals.  While my husband likes to eat his cereal in a bowl with milk I've been enjoying baking with the cereal.

     For Christmas I wanted to make a treat to go with coffee or hot chocolate after dinner.  I saw the box of Erewhon's Gluten Free Cocoa Crispy Cereal and immediately thought of hot chocolate.  I made a twist on the classic Rice Krispy Treat recipe using gluten free ingredients, hot cocoa mix, and extra marshmallows.

     The crispy treats were awesome!  They tasted like hot cocoa with marshmallows rolled into a hand held treat.  I wouldn't have known they were gluten free if I hadn't been the one to make them.  These are perfect for a winter snack served with hot cocoa or hot coffee.

Gluten Free Hot Cocoa Crispy Treats  (a Hezzi-D original)
2 1/2 c. Kraft mini marshmallows
4 T. butter
2 packets Swiss Miss milk chocolate hot cocoa mix
3 c. Erewhon's Gluten Free Cocoa Crispy Cereal
1/2 c. chocolate chips

1.  Spray an 11 x 7 pan with cooking spray and set aside.

2.  Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Once it is melted add the hot cocoa mix and stir well.

3.  Add in 2 cups of the marshmallows and mix until they have melted.

4.  Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa crispy cereal.  Mix well.  Just before pouring the crispy treats into the pan mix in the remaining marshmallows.

5.  Pour into the prepared pan and use a greased spatula to pat it into the pan.  Allow to cool for at least an hour.

6.  Before serving heat the chocolate chips in the microwave for 60 seconds.  Once melted spoon into a zip top baggie, snip off the end, and drizzle the treats with chocolate.

7.  Cut into 15 pieces and serve.

This post linked to:
Scrumptious Sundays, Think Pink Sundays,Crazy Sweet Tuesdays, Whatcha Whipped Up,

Creamy Coleslaw

     My husband loves coleslaw but I don't eat it so I never end up buying it.  When I buy a big container it often goes to waste since he's the only one who eats it.  Last week at the market coleslaw mix was on sale for $1.00 a bag.  It included shredded cabbage and carrots.  I decided for a dollar I would buy the bag and try to make a dressing for it that my husband would enjoy.

     I saw a recipe on The Way the Cookie Crumbles that was originally from Cook's Illustrated.  In my opinion if I don't really know what I'm doing with a recipe, Cook's Illustrated is the place to go because their recipes always work out for me.

     The dressing was creamy but not too thin.  When mixed with the cabbage it stuck to it nicely and it actually looked like coleslaw.  My husband was excited that I made it for him and ended up enjoying it.  He liked that it wasn't too runny and didn't have way too much dressing on it like the coleslaw at the store sometimes does.  It looks like I'll be keeping this recipe to make for our next BBQ.

Creamy Coleslaw  (adapted from Cook's Illustrated, as seen on The Way the Cookie Crumbles)
1 lb. shredded cabbage and carrots
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 T. mayonnaise
2 T. light sour cream
1 shallot, minced
1 t. vinegar
1 t. parsley
1/2 t. sugar
1/2 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. celery seed
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t. salt

1.  In a medium bowl combine the buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, shallot, vinegar, parsley, sugar, mustard, celery seed, pepper, and salt.  

2.  Put the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.  Pour the dressing over top of the cabbage.  Toss until well combined.

3.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Top 8 Most Popular Recipes of 2012

      When looking at my stats from the year I found that 8 of my recipe posts were by far more popular then any others on my blog.  It's funny to see which ones my readers like the best because out of the 8 most popular recipes, only 1 is on my top recipe posts of the year.

       What didn't surprise me about the list is that there are more sweets on it then savory dishes.  So without further adieu, here they are in order of popularity:

1.  Farm Fresh Vegetable Quiche

2.  Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

3.  Cranberry Wine Jelly

4.  Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Blackberry Frosting

5.  Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Brownies

6.  Buffalo Wing Hummus

7.  S'mores Cookies

8.  Candy Cane Martini

Which of these recipes was your favorite in 2012?


This post linked to:
Shine on Friday, Foodtastic Friday, 

Silver: Inamorato by Keira Michelle Teelford

BOOK SIX in THE SILVER SERIES.
2330 CE
Ella Cross is fifteen years old and irrepressibly free-spirited. As one of the best Cadets in the Hunter Division Academy, her life is simple: fight, kill, sleep, repeat. She has an innate talent for slaughtering Chimera—the grotesque by-product of a war that nearly caused the extinction of the human race over three-hundred years ago—and with each new victory on the battlefield, she becomes ever more cocksure and reckless.
Unfortunately, the Chimera aren’t the only threat to her safety. As the Hunter General’s daughter, she’s a prodigy, a celebrity and a target. Whether it’s jealous Hunter Division Cadets trying to disgrace her during class, or insecure Hunters trying to knock her down a peg or two during fieldwork, people are always trying—and failing—to put Ella Cross in her place.
She’s strong and determined, and she hasn’t lost a fight yet … but all that changes when she falls in love with a Hunter named Alexander King, and inadvertently incurs the wrath of the fiercest rival she will ever face—his former girlfriend.
---------------------------------
SILVER: Inamorato is the sixth book (a 109,000 word novel) in a 10-book series featuring the character of Ella 'Silver' Cross. Set more than 300yrs in the future, the Silver Series takes place in a post-apocalyptic, dystopian world where humans are a species on the brink of extinction. No longer at the top of the food chain, humans are preyed upon by the Chimera--genetic mutants that outnumber humankind 25:1.

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Science Fiction / Adventure

Rating – 18A

Connect with Keira Michelle Telford on Facebook & Twitter

Website http://www.ellacross.com/

Keira Michelle is a British ex-pat, now living in British Columbia, Canada. She is the author of a 10-book series of post-apocalyptic dystopian science fiction books, all centering on the lead character of Ella 'Silver' Cross. The first book (a novella) in this series, Acheron, was released Nov 2011.

Giveaway is $25 Amazon.com gift card

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Open to anyone who can legally enter, receive and use an Amazon.com Gift Code or Paypal Cash. Winning Entry will be verified prior to prize being awarded. No purchase necessary. You must be 18 or older to enter or have your parent’s permission. The winner will be chosen by rafflecopter and emailed after which he / she will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is in no way associated with Facebook, Twitter, Rafflecopter or any other entity unless otherwise specified. The number of eligible entries received determines the odds of winning. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW.

Holidays for Kids by Charles Pascalar

“Be the coolest parent in the neighborhood, maybe in the world. It’s all in this book and so easy. Every child and adult looks forward to enjoying the next big holiday season with their friends and family. What if you could celebrate several of those holidays every month with your kids? Give them some fun days that no other children experience. Give them low or no cost holidays that build a stronger emotional connection with them. Make their friends, and yours, look at you with envy over celebrating things that no one ever thought about. In this book, you will learn the most important birthday for your child and cool new holidays like One Day Fun Day, May Day Play Day, Awesome August Adventure Day, January Journey, September Search, Pie Day, Slurpee Day, and over forty others. Plus, learn how to celebrate the more traditional holidays like Christmas, Easter, Halloween, and President’s Day in fun new ways.
Learn bedtime and good-morning songs, how to educate your kids on things even teachers don’t know, and have your kids begging for more. This book took twelve years to develop all those cool things. It’s now available exclusively for you.”

Buy Now @ Amazon

Genre – Parenting

Rating – G

More details about the author 

Connect with Charles Pascalar on Twitter 1 & Twitter 2

     I found this to be a really fun book to read.  While I don't have any children myself I am an elementary school teacher and I found that many of these ideas can be used in my classroom as easily as in a home.  While there are ideas for things to do with children on traditional holidays, there are also ideas for lesser known holidays such as Popcorn Day, Go Fly a Kite Day, and even Hamburger Day.

     What makes this book different from so many other books out there is that it isn't a book filled with page after page of crafts for each holiday.  It has ideas of things to do with your children, history of the holidays, and traditions that can be started.  

      While I read the book all at once and used book markers to mark all of the ideas I wanted to use I recommend reading the book month by month so you are not overwhelmed.  Many of the ideas take little money or preparation to make the day special for your children.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.  

Spaghetti Carbonara

     Normally when I get my Saveur magazine I flip through it and find a couple of recipes I want to try so I was pleasantly surprised when I received the October issue and found 33 recipes I couldn't wait to make!  This issue had 101 classic recipes and the entire magazine was filled with nothing but recipes.  There were so many different recipes I've been wanting to make, are on my 32 while 32 list, or just looked too good to pass up.

     The first recipe I wanted to try was for spaghetti carbonara because for as many times as I've heard people mention it I've never tried it.  I know, very surprising since I love pasta more then any other type of food.  The ingredients were all very simple and it was a great meal to make on a weeknight.

     My local grocery store doesn't carry pancetta so I had to go with bacon instead but the pasta still tasted incredible.  The sauce is made of cheese, eggs, pasta water, and herbs.  It gets thick and really sticks to the pasta.  I enjoyed the bacon and pecorino Romano with the pasta it made for a nice chilly weather dish.

Spaghetti Carbonara  (adapted from Saveur)
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 strips of bacon
2/3 c. white wine
1 lb. spaghetti
2/3 c. grated Pecorino Romano
1/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. parsley, chopped
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until brown and crisp.  Transfer the bacon to a plate covered with paper towels.

2.  Remove all but one tablespoon of bacon grease for the pan.  Add the garlic to the pan with the bacon grease and cook for 1 minute.  Add in the wine and cook until it has thickened, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the heat.

3.  Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions.  Drain and reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. 

4.  In a medium bowl combine the Parmesan, pecorino, parsley, and eggs.  While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the reserved pasta water.  Whisk until smooth.

5.  Add the pasta and bacon to the skillet with the garlic and wine.  Pour the cheese mixture over top and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

This post linked to:
Wonderful Food Wednesday, Wicked Good Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursday,