Blueberry Jezebel Sauce for Pork

I love that Jezebel Sauce, but it's usually made with apricots. The blueberry crop this year is beautiful that I wanted to take advantage of it, so I tweaked and tweaked the recipe to come up with this Blueberry Jezebel Sauce for Pork. I recommend serving this with grilled pork tenderloin or pork chops. It only takes 10 minutes to simmer the sauce too.

Blueberry Jezebel Sauce for Pork


Ingredients:
1-15 ounce can crushed pineapple in its own juice
1 dry pint container (551 ml) of fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons dry mustard powder
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions:
In a medium sauce pan, pour in  the pineapple and its juices. Add the horseradish, mustard powder and pepper. Stir until well-combined. Simmer over low heat for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the pint of fresh blueberries. Allow the mixture to return to a simmer. Simmer and stir gently for 3 final minutes. Delicious served over grilled pork tenderloin or pork chops.

Serves 8

Fried Rice by Stephen Yan

I posted Yan's Perfect Rice last week. This is step #2. If you want really good fried rice, you must make the rice, then REFRIGERATE it for at least four hours. It's not a difficult recipe, and making it yourself saves some serious $$$.

Fried Rice by Stephen Yan

Ingredients:
6 cups COLD rice
2 large eggs, beaten
3-4 tablespoons soy sauce
3 green onions, diced
2-3 tablespoons Chinese Cooking Rice Wine
1 1/2 cup frozen peas, defrosted
4 tablespoons canola oil
leftover cooked meat, diced (if you have some)

Directions:
In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil. Beat eggs, pour eggs in skillet, and cook a thin egg patty til done. Shred the cooked egg patty and set aside. In a large, deep skillet or wok, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil.  Add the rice, soy sauce, and cooking wine. Stir fry until all the rice is hot, and the ingredients are well-combined. Add the peas, green onion and egg slivers and leftover meat. Stir fry until all the rice is hot, and the ingredients are well-combined.

Serves 4

"Perfect Every Time" Rice by Stephen Yan

My son, Glen, was having trouble making regular rice, so he called me for this recipe. I have made Stephen Yan's recipe forever. It works every time, and it's similar to the rice served at Chinese restaurants. My personal, favorite brand happens to be Mahatma.

"Perfect Every Time" Rice by Stephen Yan

1 cup long grain rice     (keep this 1:1&1/2  ratio if you double the recipe)
1 and 1/2 cups water

Wash the rice. You can use a mesh strainer or colander to help you remove the outer starch. Put the water and rice in a medium pot. Cook over a high heat, UNCOVERED, until craters appear in the rice. Lower the heat and simmer the rice, COVERED, for 15-20 minutes. Do not lift the lid while the rice is cooking, and never stir the rice as it cooks.

Hint: If you're going to make fried rice from this recipe, refrigerate the cooked rice first. It makes a much better fried rice for the home cook.

C-R-A-Z-Y Easy Lo Mein

When my sons were young, they used to beg to go out to eat Lo Mein in a Chinese restaurant. I ran across this simple recipe somewhere (perhaps Quick Cooking magazine?) , and we never ordered Lo Mein in a restaurant again. No joke. You are going to flip out when you see how easy and yummy the Lo Mein is. This is for 6 servings, but the recipe halves easily.

C-R-A-Z-Y Easy Lo Mein

Ingredients:
16 ounce package spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained
2-12 ounce jars home style beef gravy
1-10 ounce package frozen stir fry vegetables, thawed
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Directions:
Combine cooked hamburger, both gravies, soy sauce, thawed Asian veggies and all the spices in a large, deep skillet. Cover and simmer 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cooked/drained noodles. Stir well before serving.

Serves 6

Suddenly Pizza Mac and Cheese

It's 95 degrees in Atlanta, and it's only the first day of June. When I don't want to heat up the kitchen, I make this really, easy recipe. Everyone needs a "shortcut" every now and then. This pizza mac and cheese is especially popular with kids.

Suddenly Pizza Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
1-7& 1/2 ounce package macaroni and cheese
1 pound of ground beef, cooked and drained
1 jar or can pizza sauce (Dei Fratelli at Publix is great & cheap)
1-3 & 1/2 ounce package sliced pepperoni (those mini ones are cute)
1-8 ounce package shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Make the macaroni and cheese according to the package directions. Mix the cooked ground beef with the pizza sauce in a medium bowl. Put the cooked mac and cheese in a microwave safe, round casserole dish. Layer in this order:
1) mac and cheese
2) hamburger with pizza sauce
3) pepperoni slices
4) mozzarella cheese
Cover and cook the casserole for 4:30 minutes in the microwave on high or until hot.

Serves 4

Copycat: Taco Bell Fiesta Bowls

Do you remember Fiesta Bowls from Taco Bell? I always liked those things. Here is a "shortcut" way to make them at home. It's hardly any real cooking at all. It uses the stove top and the microwave-no reason to heat up the kitchen in the Summer. This is an easy, family favorite at my house.

Copycat: Taco Bell Fiesta Bowls


Ingredients:
1-6.8 ounce package Spanish Rice a Roni (made with canned tomatoes)
1-15 ounce can chili with beans
1 jar beef tamales, drained and cut into 1 inch pieces (take off paper first)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
Prepare the Spanish rice according to package directions. Put the chili into an 8 inch square baking dish. Top with the prepared Spanish rice. Layer the tamale pieces and top with the cheese. Heat in the microwave at 80% power for 6-7 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Mexican Microwave Risotto

I just submitted this original recipe to Kraft for their RWoP contest. I've already gotten a great response from their website. It is super-easy! It's not fun to stir "real" risotto constantly for half an hour, so this version eliminates that problem. If you want a complete meal and have some leftover rotisserie chicken, you can stir it in near the end of the cooking process.

Microwave Mexican Risotto

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 37 minutes | Total time: 47 minutes | Servings: 6

• 1- 10 ounce tub Philadelphia Cooking Creme-Santa Fe Blend
• 2 tbsp. of butter
• 2 tbsp. of olive oil
• 1 cup(s) of rice (standard, not arborio)
• 3 1/2 cup(s) of chicken stock
• 1 cup(s) of onion, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, seeded and diced (not a very, spicy pepper)
• 1 cup(s) of frozen corn kernels, defrosted

Steps

1. In a large, microwave-safe, uncovered dish (ie-a 10x10x2 casserole), cook the butter and oil for 2 minutes on high. (This was cooked in a 700 Watt microwave.)
2. Add the onion and stir. Cook for 3 minutes on high.
3. Stir in rice to coat and cook on high for 4 minutes.
4. Add the broth and the diced poblano pepper to the rice and cook on high for 18 minutes.
5. Stir the rice, and add the corn and half (5 ounces) of the Santa Fe Blend Cooking Creme. Combine well and cook for 5 minutes on high. Stir the rice mixture (this is the point where you can stir in cooked, leftover meat) and cook for the final 5 minutes on high.