Apple-Bacon Pork Chop Stew

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This recipe was born of St. Patty’s Day excitement.  While we were trying to cook for the weekend, cabbage and pork were some popular recurring themes.  In that spirit, we put together this “stew” of sorts.

This is a tasty, hearty dish that could be stepped up with your favorite tuber (potato, sweet potato), but stands well on its own.  I suggest you give it a try for a change of pace with bone-in pork chops.

Split Barbecue Chicken

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For Mother’s Day, we were lucky to visit my parents and stop by the farm for eggs and a whole chicken.  Moving Meadows Farm is a local hangout at the weekly farmer’s market, and my parents have come to know them fairly well.  They were awesome enough to let us stop by Mother’s Day morning, and it was very much worth the trip.  The fresh eggs and chicken really added to the food enjoyment for the day.

This chicken takes advantage of our barbecue sauce and memphis rub.  Now that we’ve got perfect outdoor grill weather, I can’t think of a better meal with the family.

Thai Basil Sambal Noodles

thai basil sambal

About a week and a half ago, we were challenged to put together a recipe that was inspired by some of the delicious options over at P.F. Chang’s.  This recipe was a result of that experiment, as was the recent ginger chicken.  This is a delicious dish, and I would definitely recommend it.

Our spicy coconut sambal sauce is definitely spicier, but this can be easily circumvented by deseeding the serrano peppers or using a milder pepper in its place.  Either way, this was a dish that had the house smelling amazing for hours, and I think you’ll really enjoy it.

Ginger Chicken with Broccoli

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Believe it or not, Brent and I have never eaten at P.F. Chang’s until Stacy invited us among others to join her in a re-creation party, P.F. Chang style. Of course we wanted to participate, but having no idea what the food was like (other than knowing it was asian-themed casual dining).

A few days after Stacy’s invite, we ordered take-out from P.F. Chang’s. Brent got the gluten-free thai basil sambal noodles with shimp (from the new “Inspired” menu–recreated here) and I got the gluten-free ginger chicken with broccoli. Before diving in, set aside a small container of each of our dinner items for taste-testing during our actual cooking experiment the next day.

Midwestern-Style Beer Bratwurst

bratwurst

As a Wisconsin-born American, I grew up loving three things: the Green Bay Packers, cheese, and bratwurst.  I still avidly participate in two of these three things (cheese, while delicious, usually makes my body sad).  We used to do a brat fry every weekend, even in the winters with average temperatures many degrees below freezing.

We always would grill the brats, and then cook them down in a beer sauce with butter and onion.  This delicious broth added flavor to the bratwurst while cooking them all the way through after browning them on the grill. After a conversation with my dad, he mentioned that at the weekend cook-outs at church functions, they were unable to cook with the beer because there are kids eating.  We all know the alcohol cooks off when boiled, but nevertheless, they would substitute beer with chicken broth.  This was a great find, and surprisingly just as awesome.