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Recently, I came across an exciting preparation, for Spicy Honey-Glazed Pork Chops with Peach Pico de Gallo on the app, Epicurious. It sounded so delicious, especially since peaches are in season. For the recipe you’ll need 1-1/2” thick bone-in pork chops, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, cumin seeds, honey, peaches or nectarines, red onion, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro and vegetable oil.
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The glaze for the pork chops is made with the red pepper flakes, garlic and onion powders, cumin seeds and salt. I didn’t have cumin seeds, but substituted ground cumin. The peach pico deGallo is made with the peaches, red onion, jalapeño, lime juice and cilantro. My husband and I do not care for cilantro, so I substituted fresh parsley. 
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​Last week at the Asbury Fresh farmers market, I picked up a bunch of golden beets from Rolling Hills Farm. I did a web search and found an interesting recipe, Moroccan Cold Beet Salad with Vinaigrette. The recipe was found on the “The Spruce Eats” website and is by Christine Benlafguih.  For the recipe you’ll need, red beet roots, fresh parsley, fresh lemon juice, vegetable oil, salt, fresh ground pepper, and red onion. Although the recipe calls for red beets, it works perfectly with golden.
 
The vinaigrette was delightful, it was light and refreshing. Using lemon juice in lieu of vinegar was a wonderful change. Also, the substitution of yellow onion, didn’t alter the taste. I also added slivered almonds for a bit of crunch.
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​In the early days of network TV food shows, one of the first on the Food Network was “Cooking Live,” with host Sara Moulton, whom at the time was the executive chef at Gourmet Magazine. The show began on New Year’s Day 1997 and finished five years later on March 31, 2002. The show was actually done live and within a one-hour time frame, Sara prepared a meal and took phone in questions simultaneously.
 
Currently, Sara has a show on public television called “Sara’s Weeknight Meals.” A natural teacher, she explains and demonstrates a recipe giving the viewer confidence to recreate the recipe at home. Recently when watching her show, she prepared a Broccoli and Goat Cheese Souffléed Omelet. The dish looked so inviting. For the recipe you’ll need ½ pound of broccoli (coarsely chopped and precooked), 3 ounces of goat cheese, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, vegetable oil, 5 large eggs (separated) and two tablespoons of all-purpose flour.
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Now through Saturday, my local Shop Rite has flank steak on sale. I wanted to prepare something easy and not from my recipe file. I found a wonderful recipe on the Epicurious app (Gourmet Magazine, July 2007) for Korean-Style Grilled Flank Steak. My husband and I loved the Korean Cheeseburgers last week, and after reading through the recipe, decided this was worth a go. Besides the flank steak you’ll need soy sauce, unseasoned rice vinegar, fresh ginger, garlic, Sriracha, granulated sugar, sesame oil, scallions and sesame seeds. For accompaniments soft leaf lettuce and white rice.  In lieu of Sriracha I used Gochujang
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A few months ago, I was watching the Food Network and Guy Fieri was in Hawaii reporting on the preparation of Huli Huli Chicken.  Huli Huli is barbecue chicken that’s slathered with sauce whose main components are ketchup, soy sauce, brown sugar and an acid (rice vinegar, apple cider vinegar or pineapple juice). It sounded interesting, but it wasn’t until The New York Times featured it in their “Here to Help” column that it grabbed my attention. The original recipe is by Alana Kysar, a food blogger who wrote a book called, “Aloha Kitchen: Recipes from Hawaíí,” and adapted by Margaux Lasky.
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​My husband occasionally likes to have an iced cold glass a milk and dunk several cookies for a snack. There aren’t many varieties that can be dunked in milk besides chocolate chip, oatmeal or sugar cookies. Biscotti are great for dunking in hot beverages, but not necessarily milk. Is there another cookie out there that can be dunked?
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​Pork tenderloin is like chicken, its versatile as it can be roasted, grilled or be part of a casserole dish. However, not wanting to repeat one of my tried-and-true pork recipes, I found a new one on my NYT Cooking app for Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Herbs and Capers. The recipe was from food columnist, Melissa Clark, in her column a “Good Appetite” under the article “Putting the Tender in Pork Tenderloin.”
 
Besides pork tenderloin you’ll need, kosher salt, extra-virgin olive oil, shallots, capers, fresh sage, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh garlic, dry white wine or vermouth (or stock), fresh squeezed orange juice, chicken or meat stock, butter and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional). Lucky for me, I had the necessary herbs in my garden. 
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​Although my go to cookie is a chocolate sugar cookie, my husband prefers something else. I’ve tried numerous versions of chocolate chip, but this time I opted for Brown Butter Brownie Cookies. The recipe is by New York food stylist, Jesse Szewcyk and was found on the website “Vanilla Bean Blog.”
 
For the recipe you’ll need bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips, unsalted butter, eggs, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, all-purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, instant espresso powder (optional), baking powder, kosher salt and flaky sea salt (optional). 
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​One day in the New York Times newspaper, they featured a recipe by Kay Chun for Korean Cheeseburger with Sesame-Cucumber Pickles. This simple, yet delicious recipe was packed with tons of flavor.
 
For the recipe you’ll need distilled white vinegar, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, turbinado sugar, Persian cucumbers, low-sodium soy sauce, scallions, fresh garlic, mayonnaise, roasted sesame seed oil, ground beef (preferably chuck or sirloin), American cheese, hamburger buns, butter lettuce, sliced onions and sliced tomatoes.  


​meet donna

A former teacher, shop-a-holic, empty-nester redefining quick, family approved dinners.

​If you have questions or comments, click on the envelope icon above to contact me directly. 

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