Category: Sauces and Dressings


Feb
2014

Marinated Grilled Pork Chops and Portabella Mushrooms

categories: For The BBQ Grill, Main Dishes, Pork, Sauces and Dressings
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My husband is the “Grill-Master” in our family. He recently grilled these Marinated Grilled Pork Chops and Portabella Mushrooms, and the dish was outstanding! Marinated Grilled Pork Chops and Portabella Mushrooms / The Grateful Girl Cooks!
When the weather is decent (in Oregon that means “not raining heavily”), he loves to grill on our Weber BBQ.  He’ll stand out there (yes, sometimes even in the rain) with the smoke pouring out of that BBQ into his eyes and permeating his clothes…and grill our dinner! While I love to prepare the food, I am so grateful he loves to GRILL the food! Yay!
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

I found this simple marinade recipe for pork chops online; then decided to use half of the marinade for the pork chops, and the other half to make a reduction sauce to saute baby portabella mushrooms in (to top the grilled pork chops with). Yum.  If you don’t eat mushrooms, then use the entire marinade for the chops. Fantastic, either way!

The Grill Master, busy at work (Should I tell him the lighter fluid goes on the briquets?)- ha ha.

The grillmeister at work, before making marinated grilled pork chops.

Hope you give these yummy pork chops a try. They are such a simple and delicious entree! Have a great day.

Looking For More PORK CHOP Recipes?

You can find ALL of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have some really yummy pork chop recipes, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signatureMarinade Recipe adapted from: http://www.cooks.com/recipe/rc9vt5im/marinade-for-grilled-pork-chops.html

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

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Marinated Grilled Pork Chops and Portabella Mushrooms
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
50 mins
Marinating Time
4 hrs
Total Time
5 hrs
 
Marinated grilled pork chops, with portabella mushrooms in a delicious sauce.
Category: Entree
Cuisine: American
Keyword: marinated grilled pork chops
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 544 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For The Marinade:
  • 1 medium onion , finely chopped
  • 1/3 cup oil
  • 1/3 cup pineapple juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 4 large pork chops , bone in
  • 1 package baby portabella mushrooms , sliced
  • 1 Tablespoon butter
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Combine the first 6 ingredients (onion, oil, pineapple juice, garlic powder, soy sauce, and brown sugar) in a bowl. Whisk ingredients until fully blended. Pour HALF of the sauce over the pork chops to marinate. To marinade the chops, I use a gallon sized plastic resealable bag (you can also use a covered pan).
  2. Set aside the remaining 1/2 of the sauce (to cook the mushrooms in later).
  3. Marinate the chops in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours (overnight is even better), turning several times to make sure the chops are fully coated. Once BBQ is ready to go, grill chops until done, basting occasionally with sauce (from the bag or pan).
  4. While pork chops are cooking, add the reserved marinade (that you set aside earlier) to a skillet. Add the sliced mushrooms and saute on medium low for approximately 5-8 minutes. Sauce should reduce a bit as it cooks. Stir to coat the mushrooms. About a minute or so before the mushrooms are done, add the Tablespoon of butter to the sauce. Stir in and keep the sauce warm.
  5. When pork chops are done, place on serving plates and spoon some of the mushrooms and skillet sauce over the top of each chop. ENJOY!
Recipe Notes

PLEASE NOTE: Almost all of the prep time in INACTIVE prep time while the pork is marinating.

Nutrition Facts
Marinated Grilled Pork Chops and Portabella Mushrooms
Amount Per Serving (1 pork chop)
Calories 544 Calories from Fat 324
% Daily Value*
Fat 36g55%
Saturated Fat 21g131%
Cholesterol 124mg41%
Sodium 1188mg52%
Potassium 910mg26%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 38g76%
Vitamin A 90IU2%
Vitamin C 4mg5%
Calcium 51mg5%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Marinated Grilled Pork Chops and Portabella Mushrooms / The Grateful Girl Cooks!

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Feb
2014

Joy’s Spinach Salad

categories: Salads, Sauces and Dressings, Vegetable Dishes
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You’ll love Joy’s Spinach Salad, with bacon, eggs, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and fresh baby spinach drizzled with a delicious, homemade salad dressing!You will love Joy's Spinach Salad, with bacon, eggs, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and fresh baby spinach drizzled with a delicious, homemade salad dressing!

The recipe I want to share today is called “Joy’s Spinach Salad”. The salad and the homemade dressing that tops it all of is outstanding and would be a delicious, welcome addition to any dinner table!

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

How I Got The Recipe For Joy’s Spinach Salad

Years ago (almost 20), we lived in Central California, where my husband was a Music Pastor in a large church. We were privileged to get to know many wonderful and truly kind-hearted people during our five year ministry there, and always enjoyed getting to share a meal with some of these friends.

My husband and I were fortunate to have dinner one evening with a sweet couple from our church…Marv and Joy. We were served a wonderful dinner, which included an absolutely delicious spinach salad.

Well… I * totally * loved that salad, and decided right then and there that I needed the recipe for all time forward! So I asked Joy for her recipe…and she graciously shared it with me.

Simple Ingredients and Homemade Salad Dressing

The ingredients are simple for the salad… and the homemade salad dressing!  Baby spinach leaves, hard boiled egg crumbles, crispy bacon, etc. all pair wonderfully with the delicious homemade salad dressing.

Baby spinach used for Joy's spinach salad.

Hard boiled eggs are cut then crumbled for Joy's spinach salad.

Bacon is cooked until crispy, then crumbled for Joy's spinach salad

The Salad Dressing For The Spinach Salad

Joy’s Spinach Salad is the only traditional spinach salad recipe I have used ever since then.  Joy made her own salad dressing, too (kind of like a French dressing), which is not heated as some spinach salad dressings are. It is delicious!

To this day, I think of them fondly when I prepare this and see her name on that stained 3×5 index card. I accidentally took the picture of the salad before I added the mushrooms and bean sprouts… my bad! (just use your imagination!)

Here’s the homemade Spinach Salad Dressing…ready to go! (I hope you like the bottle label…keepin’ it classy!)

Homemade salad dressing for Joy's spinach salad

This absolutely delicious spinach salad and salad dressing are very easy to prepare (my favorite kind of recipe!). Give my friend Joy’s recipe a try…I think you will love it! If you enjoy a good spinach salad, be sure to also check out my recipes for Bacon Lover’s Spinach Salad or Spinach, Apple and Goat Cheese Salad. YUM!

Looking For More SALAD Recipes?

You can find all my delicious salad recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page.  A few of our family favorites include:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe! 

There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:

Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Source: Joy Scott

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Joy's Spinach Salad
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
You will love Joy's Spinach Salad, with bacon, eggs, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and fresh baby spinach drizzled with a delicious, homemade salad dressing!
Category: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: spinach salad
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 193 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
For salad:
  • 2-3 bunches fresh spinach , leaves torn into small pieces (or use equal amount of baby spinach)
  • 1 can water chestnuts , drained and chopped
  • 3-4 green onions , chopped (both green and white parts)
  • 1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
  • 6-8 slices bacon , cooked crisp, then crumbled
  • 2 hard boiled eggs , chopped
  • 8 white mushrooms , sliced thinly
For the salad dressing:
  • 1 cup oil (I use olive, but vegetable or canola work, as well)
  • 1/4 cup wine vinegar (red or white-both will work)
  • 1/3 cup ketchup
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 medium brown onion , finely chopped
  • salt (to taste)
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk all the salad dressing ingredients together till fully blended. Cover and refrigerate. Remove from refrigerator about 15 minutes before serving, and whisk again.
  2. Mix all the salad ingredients together (reserving some bacon, egg, and mushrooms for garnish on top so it looks nice).
  3. When ready to serve, pour the dressing on top (you will not need it all-just put on as much of the dressing as you prefer), and toss to coat. Serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

The salad dressing is NOT part of the caloric calculation (recipe makes more than you will need for the salad). The calorie count is approximately 43 calories per Tablespoon of salad dressing.

*The leftover dressing is great on any mixed green salad. Store it in a closed bottle or mason jar in the refrigerator. It will keep for quite a while!

Nutrition Facts
Joy's Spinach Salad
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 193 Calories from Fat 135
% Daily Value*
Fat 15g23%
Saturated Fat 5g31%
Cholesterol 115mg38%
Sodium 254mg11%
Potassium 268mg8%
Carbohydrates 3g1%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 9g18%
Vitamin A 265IU5%
Vitamin C 4.2mg5%
Calcium 19mg2%
Iron 0.9mg5%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!You will love Joy's Spinach Salad, with bacon, eggs, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and fresh baby spinach drizzled with a delicious, homemade salad dressing!

 

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Jan
2014

Southern Praline Sauce

categories: Desserts, Ice Cream/Frozen Treats, Sauces and Dressings
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Southern Praline Sauce, with toasted buttered pecans in a thick, decadent sweet syrup, is an easy and delicious dessert topping for ice cream or pound cake!Southern Praline Sauce / The Grateful Girl Cooks! Delicious sauce to use as topping for ice cream or pound cake.

Today I want to share a recipe for a rich, delicious Southern Praline Sauce that is a perfect accompaniment for ice cream. I know this for a fact, based on personal experience with butter pecan, peach, and vanilla ice cream (someone has to do it)..

Each Fall, my Mom orders fresh picked pecans from Green Tree Pecan Co. (in Texas), and sends each of us (her three daughters) several bags of pecans. Talk about a great gift. I use so many pecans in my baking, and especially enjoy using them to make my Christmas goodies each year! I was able to use those pecans for this delicious praline sauce.

Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page

Pecans used to make Southern Praline Sauce (and other desserts!).

Southern Praline Sauce Tastes GREAT Over Ice Cream

My husband and I were invited to a friends home for dinner and dessert, and I brought the dessert. I made some delicious homemade peach ice cream and covered it with Southern praline sauce! Wow, it was delicious!

At this point, I might add that this Southern praline sauce is so good, you will be tempted to eat it right out of the jar with a spoon (again-.personal experience).Give it a try, and see what I mean, because this sauce is so amazingly tasty!

Southern praline sauce is served over homemade peach ice cream.

How To Make The Sauce

Lightly “toast” chopped pecans  in a large skillet, with butter. This ensures a delicious, buttery pecan taste, which in my humble opinion, is ALWAYS a great place to start!

Chopped pecans for sauce lightly toasting in skillet for Southern praline sauce.

Add more butter, evaporated milk, brown sugar, flour and corn syrup to the toasted and buttered pecans. After they have cooked for several minutes, evaporated milk is added to the sauce.

Cook until you are left with a thick, buttery sauce that is so good it will make your eyes roll up in your head! Okay-not really. Your eyes will definitely NOT roll up in your head, but it’s THAT good! Once the sauce has thickened and cooked, remove the VERY HOT sauce from the stove, and let it cool down some before using.

Thick and buttery, this praline sauce is a perfect topping for ice cream!

Time For Southern Praline Sauce!

This decadent sauce is also can be used as a wonderful little gift when packaged in a jar with a gift tag and a cute ribbon. Then you’ll have a homemade gift, made with love, from your kitchen to a friend or colleague. The Southern praline sauce can be served at room temperature or reheated slightly in a microwave.

Southern praline sauce is served over ice cream, with a cookie on the side!

I really hope you will consider making this decadent Southern praline sauce. It is very versatile and can be used on many different desserts such as pound cake, pies, topping for cheesecake, etc. The possibilities are practically endless!  Thanks for visiting, and have a great day!

Looking For More SAUCE Recipes?

You can find ALL my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have several sauce recipes you might enjoy checking out, including:

Interested In More Recipes?

Thank you for visiting this website. I appreciate you using some of your valuable time to do so.  If you’re interested, I publish a newsletter 2 times per month (1st and 15th) with all the latest recipes, and other fun info. I would be honored to have you join our growing list of subscribers, so you never miss a great recipe!
There is a Newsletter subscription box on the top right side (or bottom) of each blog post, depending on the device you use, where you can easily submit your e-mail address (only) to be included in my mailing list.

You Can Also Find Me On Social Media:
Facebook page: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Pinterest: The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Instagram: jbatthegratefulgirlcooks

Author's signature

Recipe Adapted From: http://asouthernfairytale.com/2011/09/24/southern-praline-sauce/   

↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓

0 from 0 votes
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Southern Praline Sauce
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
25 mins
 
Southern Praline Sauce, with toasted buttered pecans in a thick, decadent sweet syrup, is an easy and delicious dessert topping for ice cream or pound cake!
Category: Dessert, Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Southern praline sauce
Servings: 24 servings (2 T. each) Total of 3 cups
Calories Per Serving: 163 kcal
Author: JB @ The Grateful Girl Cooks!
Ingredients
  • 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans
  • 7 Tablespoons butter (divided)
  • 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (I used dark brown sugar)
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 3/4 cup light corn syrup
  • 2/3 cup evaporated milk
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Place chopped pecans and 3 Tablespoons butter in a saucepan or skillet. Cook over medium heat 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, till toasted nicely. Be sure and keep an eye on the pecans so they don't burn.
  2. In another large saucepan or skillet, melt the remaining butter.
  3. Whisk in the brown sugar, flour and corn syrup until they are well blended. Cook on medium-high for 4-5 minutes stirring often, until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  4. Pour in the evaporated milk and add the pecan mixture. Stir till completely blended. Remove from heat.
  5. Let sauce cool slightly, then pour it into clean jars or containers (Mason jars work great!)
  6. This sauce needs to be kept refrigerated. It should last approximately 3 weeks in the refrigerator once you open it and a bit longer unopened. When you are ready to serve it, heat jar on low temperature approximately 15-20 seconds (microwave temps. vary) in microwave, or until pourable.
  7. Be sure if you give this as a gift (the jars would look great with a pretty ribbon and tag), to include instructions as to keeping it refrigerated, and to reheat slightly in microwave when ready to serve. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes

**This sauce needs to be kept refrigerated. It should last approximately 3 weeks in the refrigerator once you open it, and a bit longer unopened. When you are ready to serve it, heat jar on low temperature approximately 15-20 seconds (microwave temps. vary) in microwave, or until pourable.
**Be sure if you give this as a gift (the jars would look great with a pretty ribbon and tag), to include instructions as to keeping it refrigerated, and to reheat slightly in microwave when ready to serve.

Nutrition Facts
Southern Praline Sauce
Amount Per Serving (2 Tablespoons)
Calories 163 Calories from Fat 63
% Daily Value*
Fat 7g11%
Saturated Fat 2g13%
Cholesterol 10mg3%
Sodium 47mg2%
Potassium 63mg2%
Carbohydrates 23g8%
Sugar 22g24%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 120IU2%
Vitamin C 0.2mg0%
Calcium 36mg4%
Iron 0.3mg2%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!Southern Praline Sauce, with toasted buttered pecans in a thick, decadent sweet syrup, is an easy and delicious dessert topping for ice cream or pound cake!

 

 

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