A Recipe for Me

• 1 1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 carrots, finely chopped
• 2 cups snow peas
• 3 Tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons Asian (dark) sesame oil
• 1 1/4 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 cups hot cooked long-grain rice

1.  In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup of the broth and the cornstarch; stir until the cornstarch dissolves.  Set aside.

2.  In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat the vegetable oil; add the garlic and saute about 1 minute.  Add the carrots and 1/3 cup of the remaining broth; cook 2 minutes, then stir in the snow peas, 1/3 cup of the remaining broth, the soy sauce, and sesame oil.  Reduce heat and simmer, covered until the snow peas are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the shrimp and the rmaining 1/3 cup of broth;  cook, stirring occasionally, just until the shrimp turn pink, 3-4 minutes. Increase the heat and bring to a boil.  Stir in the dissolved cornstarch and add the red pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, about 2 minutes.  Serve over the rice.

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Per Serving (3/4 cup shrimp mix over 1/2 cup rice): 284 Calories, 4 g Fat, 1 g Sat Fat, 0 g Trans Fat, 108 mg Cholesterol, 627 mg Sodium, 40 g carbs, 3 g Fiber, 20 g protein, 82 mg calcium.  POINTS:  5

Crunchy Baked Pork Chops
Adapted from Cook’s Illustrated

Serves 4

CI notes: This recipe was developed using natural pork, but enhanced pork (injected with a salt solution) will work as well. If using enhanced pork, eliminate the brining in step 1. The bread crumb mixture can be prepared through step 2 up to 3 days in advance. The breaded chops can be frozen for up to 1 week. They don’t need to be thawed before baking; simply increase the cooking time in step 5 to 35 to 40 minutes.

Table salt
4 boneless center-cut pork chops, 6 to 8 ounces each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat
4 slices hearty white sandwich bread, torn into 1-inch pieces
1 small shallot, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
3 large egg whites
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Lemon wedges

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Dissolve 1/4 cup salt in 1 quart water in medium container or gallon-sized zipper-lock bag. Submerge chops, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate 30 minutes. Rinse chops under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels.

2. Meanwhile, pulse bread in food processor until coarsely ground, about eight 1-second pulses (you should have about 3 1/2 cups crumbs). Transfer crumbs to rimmed baking sheet and add shallot, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss until crumbs are evenly coated with oil. Bake until deep golden brown and dry, about 15 minutes, stirring twice during baking time. (Do not turn off oven.) Cool to room temperature. Toss crumbs with Parmesan, thyme, and parsley.

3. Place 1/4 cup flour in pie plate. In second pie plate, whisk egg whites and mustard until combined; add remaining 6 tablespoons flour and whisk until almost smooth, with pea-sized lumps remaining.

4. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. Spray wire rack with nonstick cooking spray and place in rimmed baking sheet. Season chops with pepper. Dredge 1 pork chop in flour; shake off excess. Using tongs, coat with egg mixture; let excess drip off. Coat all sides of chop with bread crumb mixture, pressing gently so that thick layer of crumbs adheres to chop. Transfer breaded chop to wire rack. Repeat with remaining 3 chops.

5. Bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of chops registers 150 degrees, 17 to 25 minutes. Let rest on rack 5 minutes before serving with lemon wedges.

• 1 c self-rising flour
• 1 c milk
• 1 egg
• 2 T oil

Beat milk, egg and oil together.  Sift flour; add to liquids.  Mix (don’t overmix).  Cook.

BEST I’ve ever had homemade!

• Sally’s Favorite Pastry for 2-crust pie (double the recipe on this Web site)

• 1 1/2 lbs golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 1/2 lb fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 2/3 c granulated sugar
• 3 T flour
• 2 t ground cinnamon
• dash salt
• 1/2 c butterscotch caramel ice cream topping
• Praline Filling (recipe follows)

Fit one pastry crust into 10-inch deep-dish pie plate; set aside.

In large bowl, combine apples. In small bowl, combine sugar, flour cinnamon, and salt. Sprinkle over apples; toss until well mixed. Place half of the apples into unbaked pie crust. Top with half the butterscotch topping and half the Praline Filling. Repeat layers.

Roll out remaining patry dough; cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Weave strips over filling to make lattice top. Press ends of strips into crust rim; crimp edges. Cover outer edge of pie crust with foil; place on jellyroll pan. Bake in 375 oven for 40 minutes. REmove foil and bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack at least 30 minutes before serving.

Makes 10 servings

* calories 561 * fat 28 g * cholesterol 46 mg * sodium 492 mg * carbohydrate 77 g * fiber 3 g *

Praline Filling:

• 1/2 c firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 c chopped pecans
• 1/3 c flour
• 1/4 c butter, melted

In medium bowl, combine all ingredients; stir until well mixed. Sprinkle over pie as directed. Makes about 1 cup.

• 1 cup flour
• 1 t sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• 5 T butter, chilled and cubed
• 3 T stick margarine, chilled and cubed
• 3 T ice water

In work bowl of food processor fitted with steel knife blade, combine flour, sugar, and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter and margarine; pusle until mixture is evenly combined and resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle water over dough; pulse just until dough begins to cling together. Shape dough into 5-inch disc; wrap in plast wap and chill at least 30 minutes.

On lightly floured surface, roll pastry dough into 12-inch circle; fit into 9- or 10-inch deep-dish pie plate and crimp edges. Fill unbaked pie crust and bake according to recipe directions.

Tip: to freeze, wrap disc of dough in plastic and place in 1-gallon freezer-weight recloable plastic bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.