~Simple Skillet Pork w/Green Beans~

Wow!  I can't believe the last time I posted it was Thanksgiving!  Where've I been since then?  Well, just about everywhere.  If you go to our family blog, you can get all caught up if you'd like; but in the last few months, we managed to spend the holidays with both our families (in UT and CO), and moved to and got settled into our new home in Stuttgart, Germany. 

Now that we're pretty much settled in, I'm starting to spend more time in the kitchen again (especially since my work schedule has allowed this to happen as of late--early nights, gotta love 'em!).  However, I just haven't felt like blogging about cooking lately.  I just thought that tonight, I'd give it a try.  Maybe this will inspire me to dust off my other cookbooks...perhaps to bake up something nice and sweet!

So you guys know how I LOVE simple recipes?  Well, this particular recipe is just that..  If you were to make it for your friend's they'd mistake it for something you spent the entire evening slaving away to make.  It makes for a wonderful presentation, yet you use very few ingredients--some of which you probably have just lying around in your kitchen.  Chicken is really played out in our house, so pork was a nice change.  And mushrooms are a favorite.  It's always nice when you get to decide just how many mushrooms to put in the sauce.  The recipe called for 2 cups, but I LOVE mushrooms and loaded them in.  This cream sauce was the bomb too....oh my goodness....just take the recipe and try it!

Simple Skillet Pork with Green Beans

by Kraft Food & Family (Spring 2011)

1 lb. pork tenderloin

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

2 tsp olive oil

1/2 lb. thin fresh green beans

2 cups sliced fresh mushrooms

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup Kraft Light Honey Dijon Dressing

2 oz. Philadelphia Neufchatel Cheese, cubed

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

1.  Cut meat into 3/4 inch thick slices; flatten to 1/2 inch thickness.  Season with garlic powder and black pepper.  Heat oil in large non-stick skillet on medium heat.  Add meat; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done.  Transfer to platter; cover to keep warm.

2.  Add beans to skillet; cook and stir 4 or 5 minutes until crisp-tender.  Transfer to platter with meat.

3.  Cook and stir mushrooms in same skillet 1 minute.  Add next 4 ingredients; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until Neufchatel is completely melted and sauce just comes to a boil.  Serve over meat.

I subscribe to the Food & Family magazine and without fail, they've got several recipes that I'm dying to try.  And ALL of the recipes are as simple as this one, yet utterly delicious.  I'll be making a few more dishes out of this month's issue this week!

White & Gold Pizza

For the last few weeks, I've been on this pizza kick, but wanting to make them at home.  So a few weeks ago, I stocked up on some refrigerated pizza crust just so I can make whatever kind of pizza that tickled my fancy, whenever I felt like it. 

Well, since Malu and I are having another movie night, I thought it was a perfect evening to try this pizza recipe that I found in a Kraft Philadelphia cookbook.  It's called the White & Gold Pizza and instead of using red marinara as a sauce, you use Philadelphia Cream Cheese!  And then, it's topped with cheese and carmelized sweet onions to make a sweet and savory pizza that we both thoroughly enjoyed.  It was delicious!

~White & Gold Pizza~

by Kraft Philadelphia Desserts and More (Vol. 24)

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil (divided)

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

1 lb. frozen pizza dough, thawed (I used the one in the can--Pilsbury brand)

1 large clove garlic, minced

4 oz. (1/2 of 8 oz. pkg). Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)

3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated romano cheese (I used grated parmesan)

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

To Make It:

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

1.  HEAT 1 Tbsp oil in large skillet on medium heat.  Add onions; cook 15 to 20 minutes or until tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally.

2.  MEANWHILE, place pizza dough on lightly floured baking sheet; pat to 16x12 inch rectangle.  Mix garlic and remaining oil; spread onto dough.  Bake 10 minutes.

3.  SPREAD cream cheese onto crust; top with remaining cheeses, onions, and crushed pepper.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

You can make the carmelized onions ahead of time (which I did).  Cool, then refrigerate up to 2 days before using as directed.

Now, how easy was that?  Try it!  You'll be pleased with the results!

TWD Break & Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

Folks, I'm going to have to bow out of TWD for the next two weeks, only because they will be busy and I won't have time to make the recipes. I have a friend visiting from North Carolina this week, not to mention I have two exams, one of which is a midterm! Arghh! Then, this weekend, I'll be out of town to find a place to live in El Paso, Texas-my next duty assignment. I won't be back until Tuesday evening. So please forgive me! Who knows, I might feel guilty and actually make the Rugelach post tomorrow after all...even if I do have to study!

Anyway, on Halloween I made a Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Pie. I found the recipe in this month's issue of Better Homes and Gardens. I took one look at the picture and decided that I had to make it. Halloween was the perfect opportunity since I had company over and it was so simple to make and well worth the effort, as you can see in the pictures. I love cheesecake and the addition of the pumpkin is not only perfect for the fall season, but was a perfect complement to the sweetness of both the chocolate and the cream cheese. It was creamy and delicious and I will definitely make this for Thanksgiving! Oh, and I must admit that I "cheated" by using a refrigerated pie crust. It sure helped to speed the process, since I'd prepared the pie about an hour or so before company arrived.

Pumpkin-Chocolate Cheesecake Pie

(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens, November 2008)

For Deep Dish Pie Crust:

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 tablsepoons shortening

5-6 tablespoons cold water

For Pie Filling:

12 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 egg, slightly beaten

3/4 cup finely chopped semisweet chocolate or mini chocolate pieces

1 15 oz. can pumpkin

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

4 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 cup half and half, or light cream

Chopped Chocolate (optional)

1. In medium bowl, stir together 1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour and 1/4 tsp. salt. Using pastry blender or two forks, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size. Sprinkle 1 tablespoons of cold water over part of flour mixture; gently toss with fork.
2. Push moistened dough to side of bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until all flour is moistened. Form into ball. On lightly floured surface, flatten dough and roll pastry from center to edge into a 13-inch circle.
3. Preheat oven to 450. Transfer pastry to a 9 1/2 to 10 inch deep-dish pie plate. Trim crust edge 1/2 inch beyond pie plate. Flute edge high. Line pastry with double thickness of foil. Bake 8 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 6 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 375.
4. In medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 egg; beat on low speed until smooth. Spread cream cheese mixture into cooled pastry shell. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate.
5. In bowl combine pumpkin, brown sugar and spice. Stir in 4 eggs. Gradually stir in half and half. Slowly pour pumpkin mixture on chocolate layer. To prevent overbrowning, cover pie edge with foil.
6. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove foil. Cool on wire rack. Cover and refrigerate within 2 hours. Top with chopped chocolate. Serves 8.

The pie was a hit. Ask Jacques; he was there. Lucky for me, I didn't have too many visitors, so I had some leftovers. My visiting friend, Heidi, and I had some for a snack yesterday and for breakfast this morning and it is still so delicious! So try it! You'll love it!

Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins

I borrowed this recipe from Susan's blog, She's Becoming DoughMessTic. I've found some of the most creative, delicious recipes on her blog, so you should check it out. If you click on the link I've provided, it'll take you directly to the recipe for these delicious Strawberry Cream Cheese Muffins. I baked these, not only because my family came over for dinner last night and I needed to prepare a dessert, but because I needed something to cheer me up since my husband departed earlier that day (he'll be leaving for his deployment sometime this week)--and it sure did the trick!

What I liked was that they were so simple to put together. I was able to make a dozen and a half of these muffins. The sweet cream cheese in the center was the perfect compliment to the tart fresh strawberries and they were just so moist. All in all....they're to die for!

So if you're big on strawberries like me, or just want something to tickle your sweet tooth--this is it! Scoot on over to Susan's blog and check the recipe out!