Don't bust my chops!

Well I pulled out pork chops for dinner and then had no idea what to do with them as i didn't plan any recipes this week (i know, horrible person.) So i looked through a million recipes and was missing just one thing from a bunch of different recipes, so i decided to take it upon myself to just wing it. And i'm going to name it

Cola Chops

1 cup of Coke
1 cup of ketchup
2 tbsp. of brown sugar.
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. chili sauce
flour
salt
pepper
2-4 boneless pork chops

I created a marinate with the ingredients and let it sit for a couple of hours.
I took a little flour and salt and pepper to taste and coated the chops and fried them on each side for a minute or 2 to seal in the juices.
Then i put everything in a cassarole dish and threw it in the over for an hour at 350 degrees ( i had thick chops)
these were pretty good, and may just become a staple at the Cordeiro House.

Some like it hot!

Tonight's dinner is for those spicy food lovers....

Chipotle Pepper Chicken

1 can of chipotles in adobe sauce
1 lime
2 tbsp. olive oil
Chicken Breasts

Directions:
Put the can of chipotles in the food processor and puree it. Add the juice of the lime and add the olive oil.
Place in a bowl and add the chicken. Let it marinate for at least 3 hours. (best over night if possible)
You may either fry or grill the chicken. both ways taste amazing.

MMMMMMMMM Waffles!

Saturday morning also made the breakfast monster in me come out, so i busted out the waffle iron and got to work. Our trip to NH last month we purchase nice fresh maple syrup, so these were so good on a cold, rainy morning...

Basic Waffles

• 2 cups sifted flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 5 tablespoons melted shortening

Preparation:

Mix and sift dry ingredients. Combine beaten egg yolks, milk and shortening; add to dry ingredients, beating until smooth. Fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Pour batter into each section of a hot waffle iron. Cook waffles until crispy and browned. Waffle recipe serves 6.

Weekend Warmer

It is so cold in New England this weekend, that it was perfect for chili. Made Saturday and heated repeatedly all weekend. So good.
I did mine in the Crockpot, cause really, the longer it cooks the better it tastes. Brown the meat and then throw everything in the crock and let it go!

Buffalo Chicken Chili

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 pounds ground chicken
• 2 large carrots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 4 ribs celery with leafy tops, finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon smoked sweet paprika
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup hot sauce
• 1 can tomato sauce (15 ounces)
• 1 can stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes (15 ounces)
• 1 sack whole grain tortilla chips, lightly crushed
• 3/4 pound Maytag Blue cheese, crumbled
• A handful of flat leaf parsley, chopped

Preparation

Place a large pot over medium-high heat with the EVOO, 2 turns of the pan. Add the ground chicken and break it up, lightly browning it for 5 minutes.

Add the carrots, onion, celery, garlic, paprika and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 7-8 minutes. Add the chicken stock and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the pot.

Add the hot sauce, tomato sauce and the stewed, fire-roasted or crushed tomatoes to the chili and bring up to a bubble. Simmer for 8-10 minutes more to let the flavors come together.

While the chili is simmering, pre-heat the broiler.

Spread the chips out on a cookie sheet. Top with the crumbled blue cheese and transfer to the oven to melt the cheese, 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the chopped parsley.

Top each serving of Buffalo Chicken Chili with a few blue cheese chips.