Pork Chops

Sometimes I'm inspired by things found in the garden. Today, I picked up some fresh thyme and oregano to use with pork chops. And the excitement that the first tomato of the season is almost ready to pick inspired a fresh tomato sauce.  

Thinly sliced pork browned in a saucepan with olive oil and butter. Remove and set aside.  Add two large shallots roughly chopped, a tablespoon of minced garlic. Then add 3 cups of chopped tomatoes, 1/2 red bell pepper, a splash or two of red wine vinegar, a dash or three of Portuguese piri piri sauce, thyme, oregano, capers and add the pork chops back to the sauce. Simmer until done.  

Happy Eats!  

Herb Garden

Herbs are planted... just waiting to make the first batch of pesto.

Basil, Greek oregano, and two types of thyme. 

Cilantro

Roasted Mushroom and Brie Soup

This soup is inspired by a recipe that I found online, I just tweaked it to make it a gluten-free version after being tempted by pre-made Mushroom and Brie Soup available at Costco but wasn't gluten free. I typically like cooking with sherry when making a mushroom soup but I didn't have any on hand. The white wine worked quite well.  

Super yummy creamy mushroom soup! Start with about 2 lbs of mushrooms, a tablespoon of olive oil, a cookie sheet and 400˚F oven.  

Roast the mushrooms for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile melt some butter (2 tablespoons) in a soup pot, and cook down onions for about 8 minutes.  

Add garlic and dried thyme.

Cook for about 1 minute more.

Add gluten free all-purpose flour blend. I like Cloud 9 gluten free flour, it is a cup for cup replacement for non-gluten-free recipes. Deglaze the pot with white wine.  

Add stock and roasted mushrooms, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it simmer away for about 20 minutes. Then add 1/2 cup of milk and brie cheese, skinned and cut into cubes. Stir until cheese is melted and milk has been blended.  

Puree the soup and serve.

Happy Eating!

Braised Red Cabbage

Thinly sliced onions

minced garlic

fresh thyme

bacon drippings

chopped granny smith apple

apple sauce

apple juice with equal amounts of water

red wine vinegar

brown sugar

red cabbage

parsley

cooked diced gluten-free bacon

Happy Mother's Day!

Mama R's favourite salad is Salad Nicoise making this an easy decision for Mother's Day eats. And there is Crab Quiche in the oven too.  

Happy Mother's  Day to all!  

    

Boiled diced potatoes

Steamed green beans

Hard boiled eggs

Sliced cherry tomatoes

Canned Tuna

Sundried black olives

Bed of romaine lettuce

1/4 cup diced shallots

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tbsp freshly chopped basil

2 tsp freshly chopped oregano

1 tsp freshly chopped thyme

1 tsp dijon mustard

Nicoise Salad

Tomatoes, leftover roasted potato, hard boiled eggs, sun-dried black olives, fresh-from-the-garden string beans, fresh-from-the-garden lettuce and tuna.

Arrange on plate.  Drizzle with dressing.

Dressing:

1/2 cup of lemon juice
3/4 cup of olive oil
fresh thyme
fresh basil
freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp. gluten free dijon mustard

Share and enjoy the conversation and company.