The Cooking Family

You are here: Home / Archives for Main Course

Skillet Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops

Sweet Spicy Skillet Pork Chops
Print
Skillet Sweet and Spicy Pork Chops
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
 

Here's an easy to cook pork chop recipe that's got a sweet flavor with a hint of spiciness.

Author: Tracy
Ingredients
  • 4 – 5 boneless pork chops, thick cut
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne powder
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

  2. In a medium size bowl, combine the brown sugar, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.

  3. Rub the mixture over all sides of each pork chop.

  4. Heat the olive oil in a large, oven­ safe skillet on medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the pork chops. Cook the pork chops for about 5 minutes on each side, until browned.

  5. Check your pork chops with a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature is at least 145 degrees. If they are not 145 degrees, place the oven safe skillet in your preheated oven and cook for another 5­ -10 minutes, until the pork chops reach 145 degrees.

  6. Spoon the sauce in the bottom of the pan over the pork chops and serve.

Skillet Sweet and Spicy Pork ChopsRead More

Spicy Air Fryer Pork Chops

These pork chops have a little bit of a kick to them. Super easy to cook in the air fryer. Recipe calls for 1/2 – 3/4 inch boneless pork chops, but if you have thicker boneless pork chops (1 1/2 – 2 inch) you can cook them for 10-12 minutes on each side at 400 degrees.

Spicy Air Fryer Pork Chops
Print
Spicy Air Fryer Pork Chops
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
12 mins
Resting Time
5 mins
 

These pork chops have a little bit of a kick to them. Super easy to cook in the air fryer. Recipe calls for 1/2 – 3/4 inch boneless pork chops, but if you have thicker boneless pork chops (1 1/2 – 2 inch) you can cook them for 10-12 minutes on each side at 400 degrees.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 people
Author: Tracy
Ingredients
  • 4 boneless pork chops, 1/2 – 3/4 inch thick
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Instructions

  1. Preheat the air fryer to 380 degrees.

  2. Mix all dry ingredients in medium sized bowl.

  3. Coat each pork chop with olive oil and then cover both sides with dry ingredients.

  4. Place 4 pork chops in the air fryer basket and cook for 6 minutes on each side. Do not layer pork chops. If only 2 fit in your basket, cook the first two completely and then repeat for the second two.

  5. Check internal temperature, should be at least 145 degrees. Transfer to cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes.

Spicy Air Fryer Pork ChopsRead More

Easy Christmas Meal

There is enough craziness going on around Christmas, between holiday parties, decorating, buying gifts, and the actual Christmas day events, you don’t need cooking an elaborate meal for a half dozen people, or less, to be one of them.

If you will be having a houseful of guests, we recommend people sharing the cooking load. As host you have enough to do with cleaning and prepping – cooking shouldn’t all on you if you can avoid it. (If you’re guests are from out of town, that’s a slightly different story.)

However, we’ve seen far too many times where there is 1,001 things going on, and someone is trying to cook an elaborate seven plus course meal for their family of four. It’s just tiring, and then you can’t enjoy yourself.

So instead, consider the following meal plan to keep things easy, so you can enjoy the whole of your day.

Main Course

A traditional Christmas dinner includes either Ham or (Smoked) Turkey. Since Thanksgiving was just a few weeks ago (for those in the United States), we opt for a Christmas Ham.

The nice thing is most hams are a set it and forget it for cooking. Very little prep work, and just adding a glaze at the end. We’ll start ours a little after breakfast, and it will be ready for lunch. And to make cutting easier, we using go with a spiral cut ham, which is half or more cut for you, to make it even easier than other types of ham.

Side Dishes

I like to vary the amount of side dishes based upon the number of people I’m having. The more people, the more variety, but hopefully someone can help cook some of them. We usually have 2 to 3 side dishes for six or fewer people.

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese is something that works if you’re oven is big enough. It typically needs to cook at or near the same temperature as the ham. Slide it on a different rack, and you’ve got two things cooking at once, and this is way better than mac out of a box!

Sweet Carrots – will easily serve up to 6 people, and gives you some color. With the added sugar, its more like a candy than a vegetable.

My wife likes her father’s Cornbread for Christmas, and it works well. It’s easy to cook, and serves 8. So it’s just enough if you want a little left over for the next day, or double the ingredients if you have a lot of people coming.

Option 2 for Bread: Now I prefer Apple Muffins. It makes more, and takes longer however. This means I get some the next day or two for breakfast, which I like, but its a lot more prep – so it may not be the best option for a simple Christmas meal.

Dessert

There are two ideas when it comes to desserts for the holidays. First is to have some something like a cake or pie, which you each at one time. Two simple ideas would be an Apple Dump Cake or a Cherry Torte. Both of these are extremely fast to prepare, and taste delicious.

The second idea is to have a snacky type of dessert which can be munched on throughout the day, like a cookie. We recently made Shortbread Cookies which were a hit. They’re small and easy to snack on, regardless of the size that will be at your house.

Easy Christmas MealRead More

Zesty Italian Crescent Roll Casserole

Zesty Italian Crescent Roll Casserole
Print
Zesty Italian Crescent Roll Casserole
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Resting Time
15 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 

This is a flavorful and easy to cook recipe. It comes out tasting like pizza.

Servings: 4 people
Author: Linda
Ingredients
  • 1 lb lean ground beef (I used 90%)
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 cup pasta sauce (I used pizza sauce)
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 can crescent rolls
  • 1 small green pepper diced (optional)
Topping
  • 2 Tbsp melted butter
  • 1/3 cup grated parmesean cheese
  • 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1/8 tsp garlic powder (optional)
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375. You do not need to spray pan. I used a 9 ½ inch glass pie plate.

  2. In a skillet, brown your beef and onion together (and your green pepper if you want to add it). Drain the fat. Put the beef mixture on the bottom of the pie pan.

  3. Pour sauce over meat and follow with spoon fulls of sour cream. (It won’t cover.) Top with shredded cheese.

  4. Cover the top with crescent rolls. Piece them together. Make sure all the perforations are sealed. It should look like a patch work.

  5. Combine the melted butter, parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning (and garlic powder if you want to add it) in a small bowl. It will be very thick. Brush this over the top of the crescent roll top.

  6. Bake 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned and cooked through.

  7. Let sit 10-15 minutes before slicing.

Zesty Italian Crescent Roll CasseroleRead More

Bacon Barbecue Meatloaf

Bacon Barbecue Meatloaf
Print
Bacon Barbecue Meatloaf
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
1 hr 5 mins
Total Time
1 hr 20 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Author: Tracy
Ingredients
  • 2 lbs. ground beef
  • 1/4 cup diced onion
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. Worcester sauce
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. pepper
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1 tsp. liquid smoke
Glaze:
  • 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp. smoked paprika
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Mix ingredients well and put into ungreased loaf pan.

  3. Put half of the glaze over the top of the meat.

  4. Cover the top with bacon.

  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes.

  6. Remove from oven and cover bacon with remaining glaze.

  7. Return to oven and cook for another 15-20 minutes until internal temperature of 165 degrees and the bacon is crispy.

  8. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Bacon Barbecue MeatloafRead More

Garlic Brown Sugar Crock Pot Chicken

 

Print
Garlic Brown Sugar Crock Pot Chicken
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
8 hrs
Total Time
8 hrs 5 mins
 

Quick prep on this easy crock pot recipe. I recommend using the longer cook time on low to allow the flavors to fully season this dish, however the shorter cook time on high still produces a tasty dish.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 3
Author: Tracy
Ingredients
  • 3 chicken breasts
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 4-5 slices bacon
Instructions

  1. Cover the chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder and place into the slow cooker.

  2. Sprinkle on half of the brown sugar on top of the chicken.

  3. Place the bacon on top of the chicken and sprinkle the remaining brown sugar on top of the bacon.

  4. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours. (I recommend the 8 hours on low for better flavor absorption.)

  5. If the bacon is undercooked, you can stick the chicken with the bacon on top in the oven and broil for 1-2 minutes.

Garlic Brown Sugar Crock Pot ChickenRead More

Barbecue Nachos

Barbecue Nachos
Print
Barbecue Nachos
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
8 mins
Total Time
13 mins
 

Tired of beef nachos, try this spin on a traditional plate of nachos. This recipe is versatile. If you want to change things up, you can also use this chicken as a topping over a baked potato.

Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4
Author: Walter
Ingredients
  • 1 bag Tortilla chips
  • 2 boneless chicken breasts, diced
  • 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. pepper
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp. chili powder
  • 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions

  1. Dice your chicken.

  2. Heat the oil in a pan on high heat.

  3. Season your chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder and chili powder and cook in the hot skillet for two to three minutes.

  4. Add the barbecue sauce and cook until the sauce has been reduced by half, about five minutes.

  5. Remove from heat.

  6. Serve over Tortilla chips. Add the shredded cheese to the top and microwave for 30 seconds to melt the cheese.

Barbecue NachosRead More

Bacon Swiss Pork Chops

 

Bacon Swiss Pork Chop
Print
Bacon Swiss Pork Chops
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
35 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Tracy
Ingredients
  • 6-8 pork chops
  • 9-12 bacon strips cut in half
  • 2 Tbsp. olive oil
  • 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (can use slices as well)
Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 425°.

  2. Season the pork chops with salt and pepper and set aside.

  3. In a small mixing bowl, combine the olive oil and garlic powder.

  4. Brush your oil and garlic mixture over the tops and sides of your pork chops with a pastry brush.

  5. Cover the top of each pork chop with 3-4 half strips of bacon.

  6. Bake at 425° for about 30 minutes, or until fully cooked.

  7. Remove the pork chops from the oven and sprinkle cheese (or lay slices on top) on immediately to melt.

  8. If cheese doesn't melt fully, place back in the oven for a minute or two until melted.

Bacon Swiss Pork ChopsRead More

Breaded Barbecue Chicken

 

Print
Breaded Barbecue Chicken
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
Total Time
1 hr
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Author: Tracy
Ingredients
  • 2-3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 cup buttermilk
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (choose your favorite)
  • 2 Tbsp honey
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  2. Pour buttermilk into medium size shallow dish.

  3. In a large plastic food storage bag, mix flour, salt and pepper.

  4. Dip each chicken piece in buttermilk, then place in the bag with flour mixture. Hold the bag closed and shake until the chicken is coated.

  5. Place the chicken in a ungreased large baking dish. Spray the chicken generously with cooking spray. Turn the chicken over and spray other sides as well.

  6. Bake uncovered 45 to 50 minutes or until chicken is crisp and juice is no longer pink when the center of thickest pieces are cut.

  7. About 5 minutes before the chicken will finish cooking, mix the barbecue sauce and honey in a small bowl. Just before serving, brush the chicken with the sauce mixture.

Breaded Barbecue ChickenRead More

Homestyle Barbecue Meatloaf

Barbecue Meatloaf
Print
Homestyle Barbecue Meatloaf
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
55 mins
Total Time
1 hr 5 mins
 
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 people
Author: Tracy
Ingredients
For Meatloaf:
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup barbecue sauce (or ketchup if you prefer)
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 3/4 cup Italian style bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1 lb. ground beef
For Topping:
  • 1/4 cup barbecue sauce (or ketchup if you prefer)
Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. In large bowl combine all the meatloaf ingredients and mix well.

  3. Press the mixture into an ungreased 8×4-inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

  4. Remove meatloaf from the oven. Spread 1/4 cup barbecue sauce (or ketchup) evenly over the top.

  5. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes, or until the meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees and beef is thoroughly cooked.

  6. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Homestyle Barbecue MeatloafRead More