Cooking up a storm

Thankfully, no thunderstorms have rolled through our neck of the woods today. It has been busy, though, and the tomato plant in the front yard is growing well from all the water that's been coming.

Since this is a free weekend for me, I've been in the kitchen cooking. We had a Sunday dinner on Saturday, because...well, I felt like making it today!

Here's what we had:

Herbed Pork Chops

Dave got this hog from rural Missouri with a guy he worked with this winter. Very, very tender pork.

I dredged four rib pork chops in flour with salt, pepper, and spices (dried marjoram, thyme, and fresh sage and parsley from our patio pot). I seared them in a skillet in two pats of butter and then put them in a casserole (covered) in a 350 degree F oven for a half hour.

Scalloped Potatoes

I used my old standby recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (2000-70th anniversary edition) and as usual, they turned out great. For one little boy, I usually use cheddar cheese, but since we were out, I used the Swiss (Gruyere) the recipe cites.

Here's the recipe below:

1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons margarine or butter (I use butter)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Dash salt
1 1/4 cups milk (I use skim)
3 medium potatoes (1 pound) such as long white, round white, round red or yellow, such as Yukon.
3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese (optional)
NOTE: I used this one, and you can also use cheddar without issue)

Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole and set aside

For sauce, in small saucepan, cook onion and garlic until tender, but not brown. Stir in flour, pepper and salt. Add milk all at once. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese and stir until melted.

Thinly slice potatoes. Place half the sliced potatoes in the prepared casserole. Cover with half sauce. Repeat potato and sauce layers.

Bake covered in a 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake at 350 for about 30 minutes more until potatoes are tender. Makes 4-6 servings.

Raspberry salad

2 cups washed and torn Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup fresh raspberries, washed and divided in two
1/4 cup Maple River Farms raspberry vinagrette
2 tablespoons toasted sunflower kernels, divided in two
crumbled Feta cheese to taste (approximately 2 tablespoons per salad, add as you desire)

Add cleaned Romaine to individual bowls, one cup per bowl. Add raspberries, sunflower kernels, vinagrette and Feta cheese to taste. Vary as you like.

Garlic bread

1 French baguette, split lengthwise
Drizzle with olive oil, add one minced clove of garlic among pieces (I cut mine in thirds for approximately 6 smaller pieces) and dust with parmesan cheese.

Add to broiler and watch for approximately 5 minutes or until brown.
NOTE: Remove before the smoke detector goes off!

Serve with your favorite drinks and desserts. We had ice cream and coffee.

If you prepare this meal, hope you enjoy it as much as we did!