1/2 teaspoon dried marjaoram

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon pepper

4 butterfly 1/2 inch thick pork loin chops

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 cup Marsala Wine

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 can chicken broth with garlic

 Combine seasonings; sprinkle over pork chops.  In a non stick skillet, brown chops in oil until browned on both sides.  Add Marsala wine and chicken broth.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes or until tender.  Remove meat and keep warm.  Combine cornstarch and with 1/4 cup water until smooth.  Stir into cooking juices in pan.  Bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened.  Serve over pork chops.

Serve your mouth watering pork chops with broccoli.

This meal was completed in 25 minutes.  My husband raved about how good it was.  Give it a try.

 Chicken Scampi

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup butter

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch pieces

6 garlic cloves, chopped

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

In a large skillet, heat the oil and melt butter over medium heat. Add chicken and saute for 3 to 4 minutes, until brown.

Add remaining ingredients and saute 2 to 3 minutes.  Recipe by:  Mr. Food

Cauliflower Potatoes

1 bag of frozen cauliflower in a steaming bag

4 tablespoons of Dixie Carb Counters Instant Mashers (I ordered these from http://www.netrition.com)

2 tablespoons of butter

Heavy cream to taste

Salt and Pepper to taste

Top with Fresh Chives

Steam cauliflower until very tender, set aside. In mixing bowl, add Instant Mashers, butter, and cream. Microwave for 1 minute or until butter is melted. Stir well. Add cauliflower and mash with a potato masher until desired consistency.

Serve Chicken Scampi over Cauliflower Potatoes. Top with fresh chives.

To complete your meal add your favorite toss salad and your dinner is complete.

To be honest, I have heard about doing cauliflower like this for months.  I just couldn’t bring myself to try it, because it really didn’t sound good to me.  January 2, 2008, I started back on my low carb diet.  I needed something to serve my Chicken Scampi with and thought about trying the cauliflower potatoes since pasta and rice are not on the diet plan at this time.  I’m so surprised they tasted really good!  No, they don’t taste like mashed potatoes, however, it will be served again at my table.  I encourage you to try it.

Blessings,

A lady who volunteers at my husband’s office made him a batch of Peanut Clusters.  She told him she made them in the crockpot.  This amazed me that you could make candy in the crock pot.  So I did some research and found several recipes.  I love to experiment so I gave it a try.  Below is what I came up with as the best batch of creamy peanut clusters I think I have ever tasted.

Enjoy!

Crockpot Peanut Clusters

2 pounds white almond bark or white chocolate for dipping
4 ounces German’s sweet chocolate or milk chocolate for dipping
1 package semisweet chocolate chips (12 ounces)
12 ounces dry roasted peanuts and 12 ounces of honey roasted peanuts

Put all ingredients in crockpot; cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Do not stir.

Turn Crock Pot to low and stir every 15 minutes for 1 hour longer. Drop on waxed paper and let cool. Store candy in a tightly covered container.

I would like to wish all of my wonderful readers a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  I hope some of these recipes will help you in preparing for your dinner.

3/4 (12 pound) bone-in ham
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon honey
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon whole cloves (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).Cut 1 inch deep criss-crosses into the flat side of the ham. In a small bowl, mix together the butter and honey. Slather onto the ham, making sure to get in the crevices too. Insert cloves into the ham if desired. Place in a roasting pan.

Bake for 4 hours in the preheated oven, or 20 minutes per pound. The internal temperature should reach 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Baste every 20 minutes with the drippings. Remove, slice, serve, savor.

Cornbread Dressing

6 C. crumbled cornbread

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sage
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. celery salt

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 C. bell pepper

1/2 C. chopped onion

3 hard-cooked eggs, chipped

2 to 2 1/2 C. chicken or turkey broth

Sauté onion, bell pepper, and celery salt in 2 Tbsp. butter while preparing the ingredients. Then mix all ingredients and pour broth and add cooked meat pieces that have been boiled. Place in a 9 x 9 inch baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are parboiled and then baked with a sweet sauce of margarine, brown sugar, marshmallows, cinnamon and nutmeg.

4 pounds sweet potatoes, quartered
1 1/4 cups margarine
1 1/4 cups brown sugar
3 cups miniature marshmallows, divided
ground cinnamon to taste
ground nutmeg to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes and boil until slightly underdone, about 15 minutes. Drain, cool and peel.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine margarine, brown sugar, 2 cups marshmallows, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until marshmallows are melted.

Stir potatoes into marshmallow sauce. While stirring mash about half of the potatoes, and break the others into bite-sized chunks. Transfer to prepared dish.

Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cover top evenly with remaining marshmallows. Return to oven and bake until marshmallows are golden brown.

Nutrition Information

Servings Per Recipe: 12

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 430 cal Total Fat: 18.9 g Cholesterol: 0 mg

Sodium: 255 mg Carbohydrates: 64.1 g Fiber: 4.5 g

Protein: 3.3 g

Traditional Green Bean Casserole

2 (15 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained
3/4 cup milk
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 (2.8 ounce) can French fried onions
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium casserole dish mix together green beans, milk, cream of mushroom soup, and 1/2 of the can of onions. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until heated through and bubbly. Sprinkle remaining onions over the top, and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Nutrition Information

Servings Per Recipe: 6

Amount Per Serving

Calories: 177 cal Total Fat: 11.1 g Cholesterol: 3 mg

Sodium: 943 mg Carbohydrates: 15.6 g Fiber: 2.5 g

Protein: 3 g

Bacon Rosemary Mashed Potatoes

3 potatoes, cubed
1/4 cup butter
4 slices bacon
1 small red onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

Place the cubed potatoes in a pot with enough salted water to cover. Bring to a boil, and cook until tender, about 30 minutes; drain. Add butter to drained potatoes to melt; set aside.

While the potatoes are cooking, place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until very crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove bacon to paper towels to drain; allow to cool and crumble. Leave 2 tablespoons bacon drippings in skillet and return it to the heat.

Cook the onion and garlic in the bacon drippings until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in the rosemary and cook for 1 minute more.

Mash the potatoes with the melted butter. Mix in the crumbled bacon, the onion mixture, and milk; season with salt and pepper.

Corn Salad

1-1/4 (16 ounce) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed
1-1/4 small zucchini, diced
5/8 (2 ounce) jar chopped pimento peppers
1/4 cup and 2 teaspoons chopped red onion
5/8 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers, drained
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons and 1-1/4 teaspoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon and 1/2 teaspoon cider vinegar
1-1/4 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt

In a large bowl, toss together the corn, zucchini, pimentos, red onion, and green chile peppers.

In a jar with a lid, mix the olive oil, lime juice, cider vinegar, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Seal, and shake well.

Pour the oil mixture over the corn mixture, and gently stir to coat all ingredients. Cover, and chill at least 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Cranberry Carrots

2 pounds fresh baby carrots
1/2 cup jellied cranberry sauce
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt

Place 1 in. of water in a large saucepan; add carrots. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside.

In the same pan, combine the cranberry sauce, butter, brown sugar, lemon juice and salt. Cook and stir until cranberry sauce is melted and mixture is smooth. Add carrots; stir to coat. Heat through

Rum Balls

3 (12 ounce) packages vanilla wafers, crushed
4 cups flaked coconut
3 cups finely chopped walnuts
3 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup rum
1/4 cup and 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

In a large bowl, combine crumbs, coconut, & nuts. Add sweetened condensed milk & rum; mix well. Chill 4 hours.

Shape into 1- inch balls. Roll in sugar. Store in covered container in refrigerator 24 hours before serving.

Fudge Pie

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Unfold piecrust; fit into 9 inch pie pan. Prebake crust according to package directions. Remove from oven.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

Beat together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, butter or margarine, eggs and vanilla in a medium-size bowl. Spoon into pie shell.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Allow to cool to room temperature. Serve with whipped topping or a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Every Easter meal features deviled eggs. My husband loves deviled eggs, so it is used a lot around our home. This recipe can be doubled or tripled to meet your needs.

Deviled Eggs

7 large hard boiled eggs
3/4 teaspoon mustard
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
Salt and ground black pepper
Paprika
1 tablespoon dill relish
1 teaspoon sweet relish

Peel eggs and slice each in half lengthwise. Remove yolks to small bowl. Arrange whites on serving platter. Mash yolks with fork until no large lumps remain. Add mustard, mayonnaise, vinegar, relishes, salt and pepper to taste; mix well. Fill egg whites with yolk mixture, using a pastry bag or spoon. Sprinkle with paprika. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Enjoy!

Blessings,

Betty

No matter how we wish for stress-free days, life just happens. After a full day’s work, Mom and Dad come home exhausted, homework needs to be done, kids may need to be off and running to an evening event, the dog needs to be walked, and everyone is hungry! Take out food is so easy and convenient that we often stop on the way home to pick up dinner so we can get home to our second job – our family and home. However, take out food is expensive and may not provide proper nutrition. Nutritionists recommend we prepare our own meals so we can control the ingredients. Financial advisors even recommend that families can help gain financial stability by eating at home more often. Doctors recommend good food choices at home to keep our weight and that of our children in check.

Statistics show that families who eat together at least once a day reap big benefits. They are more likely to have children who have better communication skills, receive better grades in school, teens with fewer eating disorders who are less likely to engage in promiscuity and drug use.

Local entrepreneur and cookbook author, Betty Lynch, strives to bring the family back to the dinner table. Imagine sitting around the table without the TV on, while talking, sharing, learning, and laughing. Create memories that will last a life-time. Back to the Table is dedicated to help you save money, prepare easy meals, help your family slow down, and spend at least thirty quality minutes together every day. The Back to the Table cookbook series will help you re-discover the joy of implementing these traditions.

Eula DeMasi of BringHomeTheSpa.com, states: “Oh Betty, I LOVE IT!!! I’ve never sat down to “read” a cookbook as if it is a best selling novel before! This is wonderful. I’m on page 46 now. I love the inclusion of your conversations with your editor. This is a TRUE cookbook, not just a binder full of recipes and acknowledgements. Actually, I don’t think the word cookbook fits. This is a cooking guide! This is what a cookbook should aspire to be. You did a wonderful job, Congratulations, again. YOU HAVE A HIT ON YOUR HANDS!”

Make the choice to dine in more often with scrumptious meal selections you prepare for your family from the Back to the Table with My Country Kitchen written by Betty Lynch. Visit http://www.mycountrykitchen.com for more information on the cookbook, and register for My Country Kitchen’s newsletter tips and recipe ideas.