Jan 22, 2019
Juicy, tender and flavorful pork chops in a thyme and garlic butter sauce. Quickly pan seared and then finished in the oven, these delicious chops are ready in less than 20 minutes!
Ingredients
- 2 medium pork chops
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic – leave 6 cloves whole and mince 2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Season pork chops with salt and pepper and set aside.
- In a small bowl mix together melted butter, thyme, and minced garlic. Set aside.
- In a cast iron or oven-proof skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. When the skillet is hot add pork chops. Sear until golden; about 4 minutes per side.
- Pour garlic butter mixture over the pork chops. Add the remaining whole garlic cloves to the pan. Place skillet in the oven and cook for about 10-12 minutes or until pork chops reach an internal temperature of 145°F (test with meat thermometer).
- Spoon a little of the butter sauce left in the skillet onto the pork chops before serving.
Jan 3, 2019
Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 25 mins • Makes: 6 servings
Easy to make, Potato & Leek Soup is delicious, creamy and satisfying. Serve with crusty bread, crunchy breadsticks, or Parmesan Crisps.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large leeks, washed, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
Leeks are grown in sandy soil that hides out in their layers so it is important to clean them thoroughly. Start by trimming off root end and dark green tops. Cut the leek into sections, about 4 inches long then cut each section in half lengthwise. Place sections into a baking dish filled with water. Carefully check the layers for any hidden dirt. Remove cleaned leeks; place on paper towel and pat dry. Chop as required in the recipe.
- In a large stock pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes (reduce heat, if necessary, to prevent browning).
- Add the potatoes, stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil. Cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are very soft.
- Using a spoon, remove thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Purée the soup with a hand-held immersion blender until smooth. Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Depending on desired consistency, simmer longer for thicker soup, or add a bit more stock for thinner soup.
- Garnish with fresh herbs or chopped leeks, if desired.
Jan 3, 2019
These cheesy crisps add a bonus kick of flavour when served alongside soup or a salad.
Ingredients
- 2 ounces grated fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Spoon a heaping tablespoonful of cheese 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet. Spread each mound to a 2-inch diameter. Sprinkle mounds with pepper, or other desired herbs and seasonings.
- Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden and crisp. Cool completely then remove from baking sheet using a thin metal spatula.
Dec 24, 2018
Recipe & photos from McCormick
Make a quick and easy glaze for cookies by warming canned white frosting in the microwave. Then paint colorful designs on the cookie shapes using Flavor Paints – a fragrant mix of vanilla or lemon extract and food color.
Prep time: 45 min • Cook time: 10 min • Calories: 313 • Makes: 24 servings
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
- Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in medium bowl. Set aside. Beat sugar and butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually stir in flour mixture on low speed until well mixed. Refrigerate 2 hours or until firm.
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll dough on generously floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with holiday cookie cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on baking sheets 1 minute. Remove to wire racks; cool completely.
- Spoon 1 container of the frosting into medium microwavable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 20 to 30 seconds, stirring every 10 seconds. (Frosting should be a pourable consistency.) Dip tops of cookies into frosting. Microwave remaining container of frosting as needed. Place frosted cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet. (The baking sheet will catch drips.) Let stand 10 minutes or until frosting is dried.
- Prepare desired colors of Holiday Flavor Paints (see below). Using small clean paint brushes, paint designs on cookies.
Holiday Flavor Paints:
Winter Sky: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract and 2 drops McCormick® Blue Food Color
Holly Berry: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Red Food Color
Rosy Cheeks: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 5 drops McCormick® Red Food Color
Coal: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Black Food Color
Evergreen: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Green Food Color
Candle Light Yellow: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Lemon Extract and 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Yellow Food Color
Tinsel: 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Pure Vanilla Extract and 1 drop McCormick® Black Food Color
Instead of Flavor Paints, try decorating with Colorful Cookie Icing. Mix 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, 3 to 4 teaspoons milk and 1/2 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanilla Extract in small bowl. (Stir in additional milk as needed to thin icing or more confectioners’ sugar to thicken, if needed.) Place small amount of icing into small shallow bowls, using one bowl for each color desired. Stir 3 to 4 drops McCormick Assorted Food Colors & Egg Dye into icing until desired shade is reached. To ice cookies, hold cookie by its edge and dip top of cookie into icing. (Or spoon the icing onto cookie using a teaspoon.) Place iced cookies on wire rack set over foil-covered baking sheet to dry. (The foil-covered baking sheet will catch drips.) To add decorative details to cookies, spoon tinted icing into resealable plastic bag. Snip off a tiny piece of the corner. Squeeze icing through hole in plastic bag to decorate cookies. If desired, Colored Sugar may be sprinkled onto freshly iced cookies.
Reproduced with permission. Copyright © 2018 McCormick & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Taste You Trust™
Dec 13, 2018
Potato crisps with avocado filling and fried shrimp flavored with herbs make an elegant and delicious appetizer for a cocktail party.
Makes: 24 appetizers
Ingredients
For the shrimp
- 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3/4 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 24 jumbo shrimp (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and deveined
For the Avocado Salsa
- 2 large avocados
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 green chile pepper, seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh coriander leaves
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
24 Lays Stax Crisps (or you can substitute with tortilla scoops)
Directions
- For the avocado filling, place all the ingredients in a bowl and gently combine. Set aside.
- Combine 2 tablespoons olive oil with parsley, basil, green onions, lemon juice, orange juice, mustard, salt, pepper, and garlic in a food processor. Process until smooth. Place mixture in a bowl; add shrimp and stir to coat. Marinate in refrigerator for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Heat remaining oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove shrimp from marinade and add to skillet; sauté 3 minutes or until shrimp are thoroughly cooked (opaque).
- To assemble: Fill each potato crisp with avocado salsa. Nestle one shrimp into salsa filling. Repeat until all crisps are complete. Arrange on a platter and serve immediately.
Dec 13, 2018
We think these waddle of penguins are just the cutest appetizers for your holiday entertaining.
Makes: 12 penguin appetizers
Ingredients
12 Bite-size Mozzarella balls, patted dry with paper towel
2 Carrots
12 Sweet Red Banana Peppers
24 Pitted Black Olives, drained and dry
8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature
toothpicks
Directions
1. Wash and peel carrots; pat dry with a paper towel. Cut into 1/4-inch round slices. Cut a wedge/triangle out of each carrot slice, and set aside to use for beaks.
2. Cut 12 black olives in half.
3. Cut ends off red banana peppers for hats. Use a small paring knife to hollow out.
4. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese until soft and creamy. Fit a piping bag with a small round tip. Fill bag with cream cheese.
To assemble: Insert a toothpick into carrot slice. Thread on a mozzarella ball to sit on top of carrot slice. Follow with a whole black olive, making sure the hole in olive faces toward front. Next fill red pepper santa hat with cream cheese. Place on top of whole olive. Pipe a small amount of cream cheese into olive hole and then insert carrot beak. For wings, fill each olive half with cream cheese and attach to each side of mozzarella ball. Finish by piping around santa hat and add a pom pom to top of hat.
