Saturday, January 31, 2009

Salsa


Fresh salsa is best when fresh tomatoes are in season but canned work really well in the winter. I will tell you this, "DON'T BUY OFF BRAND TOMATOES"! They are hard and have no taste, buying name brand here is best. We like cilantro in ours, if you don't have a taste for cilantro, leave it out. Make sure you have plenty of tortilla chips to eat this salsa with!

Needed:
4 cans of diced tomatoes or 8 whole garden ripe tomatoes
2-3 jalapenos-diced(I don't seed ours, we like the heat.)
2 garlic cloves-minced
1 bunch of cilantro leaves-chopped
1 small purple onion-diced
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lime


Mix tomatoes, jalapenos, garlic, cilantro, onion, salt and juice really well. The lime juice keeps the salsa tasting fresh longer, we eat ours so fast it is not needed but I like the taste the lime juice gives. You are ready to serve when finished mixing. This is what I am making today.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

El Chico's White Dip


This is my attempt at being a copy cat. I ate the white dip at El Chico's in Muskogee, OK and loved it! I went to an El Chico's in Tulsa and found out you can only get the white dip in Muskogee, bummer. So I knew I had to come up with a copy cat recipe and here it is! Make this for your Super Bowl Party and you will not be disappointed. This is really good with veggies and tortilla chips.

Needed:
8 ounces blue cheese-crumbled
1 cup sour cream
2 cups Kraft mayo
1 cup buttermilk
1 T garlic powder
1 T kosher salt
Tortilla Chips

Mix blue cheese, sour cream, mayo, and butter milk until smooth, now is the time to add the garlic powder and kosher salt. Mix well and place in the fridge for a couple of hours. This makes quite a bit but it will not last if your family and friends are like mine!

Cocktail Meatballs

I bet you have 10 different recipes for meatballs but I bet none of them call for grape jelly. My mom made these for holidays and they are so good. My kiddos love them too. I use ground turkey but you can use beef if you wish. This would be a great snack for your Super Bowl party.

Needed:
2 pounds ground turkey (or ground beef)
1 T garlic powder
1 cup bread crumbs
salt and pepper taste
1 jar grape jelly
1 jar chili sauce(this located next to cocktail sauce in the grocery)
1 egg

Mix turkey, garlic, bread crumbs, salt and pepper and 1 egg. Mix well with hands and form into 2 inch balls. I place mine on parchment paper and bake at 325' until done, usually about 15 minutes. Now place jelly and chili sauce in a crock pot and let melt, now add your meatballs to crock pot. Heat on high until bubbling. These are really good with cheese and crackers.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Indian Tacos


Okay I will be the first to tell you I hate the name "Indian Taco". First Native Americans are not Indians because they do not come from India and second I really don't think Natives ate "tacos" per se, but I do love them. I am going to call them Native Tacos, so if you do make them, call them Native Tacos and maybe we can start a good thing. Once you master the fry bread you are ready to make Native Tacos. Practice makes perfect fry bread, just as with any good bread. It is very icy on Beaty's Creek today and this just sounds like a good dinner.

Needed:
2 lbs ground beef or turkey-browned with salt and pepper only
2 lbs Colby cheese-shredded
Pinto beans-cooked with salt and pepper only
1 head lettuce-cut finely
1 purple onion-chopped
3 tomatoes-chopped
Salsa- Paul Newman's Meduim Chunky Salsa is so good!
Sour Cream

Fry Bread

6 cups of all purpose flour
3 T baking powder
1 cup powdered milk
2-3 cups water
Oil for frying


Sift flour and baking powder together, make a bowl in the middle of flour, this is where you will add milk and water. I mix with my hands, I think you get a better feel for the dough this way. I mix until the dough feels like loose biscuit dough. Does that make sense? If not use the comment section to ask me questions. Believe you me it took me making fry bread 10 times before I reached my goal. So don't be disappointed, keep trying! Once mixed together form into disks about 1/4 inch thick and 4 inches across. Heat up oil over medium heat. I place my hand over the oil and can tell if it is ready to add the bread but you can always drop a piece of bread in and see if it sizzles, if it does you are ready to cook your bread. When frying your bread you don't want to turn your bread more than once. I check mine to make sure it is brown enough before turning. This usually happens between 5-6 minutes. Dough should be cooked through and not doughy. I place a couple of paper towels in the bottom of a brown paper bag to soak up any excess oil, and that is where I put my hot fry bread. The bag keeps the bread hot while you finish cooking all the bread.

Now is the time to make your taco. I will list in the order we build our tacos. You can make them anyway you want but this is how we do it on Beaty's Creek.

Bread
Beans
Meat
Cheese
Lettuce
Tomatoes
Onions
Salsa-Paul Newman's Medium Chunky Salsa takes like fresh made!
Sour Cream

Monday, January 26, 2009

Apple Turnovers


It is another cold day on Beaty's Creek. My MIL is making dinner tonight but I still want to cook. I am making dessert, Apple Turnovers that is. I love the way the puff pastry flakes as you bite into it and the way the apples and cinnamony syrup runs out. STOP!!! Will not eat them before dinner, will not eat them before dinner. I must keep saying this or they will be gone with a pot of strong coffee. Now let me tell you before I had 3 children I ALWAYS made my puff pastry and loved doing it, maybe loved is a little strong but I did like making it. Now I use the frozen puff pastry and think it tastes really good. So go ahead and give yourself a break and use frozen pastry with this recipe.


Needed:
1 package frozen puff pastry dough-thawed for 20 minutes on the counter
5 yellow delicious apples-peeled and diced
1 stick butter
1 cup white sugar
1 T cinnamon

Melt butter in skillet and add diced apples, sugar and cinnamon. Cook until apples are fork tender, this takes about 20 minutes over medium heat. Cool apples completely. When apples are cool unfold puff pastry and cut into quarters. Fill each quarter with 1/8 cup of apple filling, fold over and seal with water. Water will seal the pastry and keep filling inside. Cook in a 400' oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. I baked mine on parchment paper to be safe. I hate cleaning up pie filling. As long as you seal the turnover they should not leak too bad.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Chicken and Dumplings


What says home cooking any better than a pot of chicken and dumplings?? I love rolled out dumplings for chicken and dumplings. This is one recipe Sean's Grandmother and my Granny West shared, I think it is a good southern recipe. We serve ours with homemade cornbread and coleslaw. Coleslaw you ask??? I know it sounds odd but it is so good once you have it you will never want one without the other. So that is "what's cookin" on this eve of a supposed ice storm, we will see...

Needed:
1 whole chicken(I use our free range)
2 T sage(I use about 5 fresh leaves of sage)
Salt and Pepper to your taste
All Purpose Flour
Baking Soda
Water
2 carrots-peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch slices
1 celery stalk-peeled and sliced into 1/8 inch slices

Boil in a large soup pot, chicken, water to cover chicken, carrots, celery, sage, salt, and pepper. When chicken is done and falling off the bone, remove from pot and let cook completely. Once cool remove all meat, Raven likes the skin in the dumplings so I add it back but you don't have to. Now is the time to make your dumplings. Sift 6 cups of flour with 1 t baking soda, make a bowl in the middle of flour, this is where you will add your water. I start with 3 cups of warm water. You may need more. Mix with your hands until lit resembles a hard biscuit dough. Now roll out dough to 1/4 inch thickness and slice with a pizza cutter 2 inch squares. Bring broth to a boil and add dumplings, be sure to stir once in a while. Boil dumplings for 10-15 minutes, lower heat and add chicken back to pot and boil for 10- 15 minutes longer. I hate it when chicken gets stringy, this is the reason to add the chicken and the end of cooking.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Cinnamon Roll


Okay, I will admit I am going a little bread crazy here. I just want you to know that I really love to make bread and when it is this easy, it just makes it all the better. My favorite kind of cinnamon rolls are ones that I was served when in grade school. They were the best I had ever eaten, until now. This recipe is even better than those I longed for in grade school. This is the challah recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Mintues a Day cookbook, of course. Challah fresh out of the oven is almost perfect but made into cinnamon rolls it is perfect.

Challah
This will make 4-1 pound loaves or 16 cinnamon rolls.

Needed:
1 3/4 cups of lukewarm water
1 1/2 T granulated yeast
1 1/2 T salt
4 large eggs-beaten(I use free range)
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup butter-melted
7 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Filling:
1 cup white sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 stick butter-softened
Icing:
3 cups of powder sugar
3 T vanilla syrup (The kind you use in coffee)
1/4 cup heavy cream

Mix yeast, salt, eggs, honey and melted butter together. Mix in flour all at once. I used my Kitchen Aid and it was so easy. I have not mixed this by hand so I cannot tell you how hard it would be. After all flour is mixed in cover and allow to rest at room temperature for 2 hours. You can now make challah or cinnamon rolls. We are going to make cinnamon rolls. So here goes. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick and in a rectangle. Spread 1 stick of softened butter evenly over dough, now sprinkle 1 cup of white sugar over butter evenly. This is when I take 1 T of cinnamon and sprinkle over the sugar. I don't like to mix the sugar and cinnamon together. That is just me, you can if you want. Roll up very tight and seal the end with a little water. Cut into 2 1/2 inch slices, place in a DEEP cake pan. If you don't have a deep cake pan use a loaf pan. I did not the first time I made these and had to clean up a very messy oven the next morning. Bake at 350' for 40 minutes. When cinnamon rolls are still warm ice.


Icing is made by combining powder sugar, syrup and cream until smooth.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Turkey Burger


I was never a fan of turkey burgers. I always thought they were dry and did not have much flavor. When I heard Oprah Winfrey talk about the turkey burger she had eaten at Donald Trump's Mar-a-lago Resort, I was intrigued by the ingredients. I made my own version of this recipe, hope you like it.

Needed:
3 pounds ground turkey or chicken
2 golden delicious apples-chopped very small
1 yellow onion-chopped into tiny pieces(I do this so Raven does not see the onion.)
2 cloves of garlic-minced
1 pound of sharp cheddar cheese-shredded
1 t cayenne pepper(use less if you don't want too much spice)
salt and pepper to taste
Oil

Heat enough oil to coat your skillet. Once heated add apples, onion and garlic. Saute until very tender, almost mushy in fact and let cool. Now mix all of the ingredients together. Mix ever so gently with your hands. Over mixing will cause tough burgers. Form into patties and cook in a oil covered skillet. I cook the heck out of mine but I want my turkey done. Check with a meat thermometer, temp should be 160'. Make sure you only turn your burgers once, I cook ours about 7-8 minutes per side. I think these are the juiciest turkey burgers I have ever eaten!

Monday, January 19, 2009

Artisan Light Whole Wheat Bread


I tell you I really love my Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day cookbook! Can't tell can you, since I have been posting recipes for different breads from this cookbook. Well here is one more you will love! You can make pita from this one also. I made a loaf of artisan for dinner last night and everyone really liked it. My husband is not a big fan of whole wheat bread and he really liked this one.

Needed:
3 cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 T yeast
1 1/2 T salt(I used kosher)
1 cup whole wheat flour
5 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Whole wheat flour for stone or Silpat

Mix yeast, salt and water in your stand mixer or large bowl. Now you will add all of your flour in at once. Mix until a nice dough forms. Cover and let rise for 2 hours. Now you can either place in a covered bowl for the fridge or break off a grapefruit size piece and roll in your hands until smooth place on stone or Silpat that has been sprinkled with whole wheat flour and let rest for 40 minutes. Slice 2 crosses on top of bread. Preheat your oven to 450' for 20 minutes if using a stone or until your oven reaches 450'. As your oven heats up put a pan on a lower shelf, this where you will add 1 cup of water when you put your bread in the oven. Put bread in and place 1 cup of water in pan and close oven quickly. I leave my ventilation fan on so the steam goes outside. You don't have to but but the steam bugs me. Bake for 35 minutes.

Pita Bread


What is better than fresh baked pita bread? Well until now I would not know unless I was eating out at a wonderful Greek Restaurant. The recipe I posted for the baguette is so versatile you will not believe it! These pitas are made from the exact recipe I used for the baguette, the only difference is a few different techniques. With pita you must roll out the dough very thin. If you don't it will not puff up and puffing is what makes pita, well pita. I hope you give this one a try. It really makes a great lunch.

This comes from the Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day cookbook.

Pita Bread
Needed:
Recipe for Boule(This is the one used for the baguette).

Preheat oven to 500' for twenty minutes if you are using a baking stone preheat until oven reaches 500'.

Just before baking cut off a grapefruit size ball of dough. I am making small pitas so I broke mine into orange size balls.

Using your hands and rolling pin, roll out into flat round uniform discs. They should be 1/8 of inch thick and must be very even, I cannot stress that enough. Do not slash the pita or it will not puff and again that is what you want. Flour your rounds slightly and place on baking stone or in my case I used my Silpat on a cookie sheet. Turn on your ventilation fan, the flour on pita may smoke at this high baking temperature. Better safe than sorry. I hate when my smoke detectors go off when I am baking. Ransome on the other hand finds it quite entertaining. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until lightly brown and puffed. You may have to place pita on a higher shelf without stone to achieve proper browning. Mine did just fine but remember I am not using a stone.

For the most authentic, soft-crusted result, wrap in clean cotton dish towels and set on a cooling rack when baking is done. The pitas will deflate a bit as they cool. The space between the crust will still be there but you may have nudge it open a little with your fingers.

I remember the first time I ever ate Pita Bread. I was visiting some friends in Kansas and their mom set out sandwich makings with pita bread. Well.... I place my mayo and sandwich fixings on one side and place another pita on top. Their mom, a really lovely lady and still is, whispered the way "she liked to eat them, was by opening them up and placing the fillings inside the layers". This was before any of the other teens saw what I was doing. Thank goodness, and yes,I grew up in a small town in Oklahoma and the only thing we ever put between bread was a hot dog or burger.I think of this every time I eat pita. Thanks for the memories Evie.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Baguette


This comes from one of my all time favorite cookbooks. A really good friend told me about this book a year or so ago and I am so glad she did. The book is Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois. I promise when you buy this book you will not be sorry. I have never made a good baguette until I made them from this book's recipe. That is the one I am giving here. So this is just a taste of what you can make from this very simple recipe.

Needed:
3 cups of luke warm water
1 1/2 T granulated yeast (1 1/2 packets)( I use the big bags of yeast you can buy at Sam's and just measure out what I need.)
1 1/2 T kosher salt or other course salt
6 1/2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour, measured with scoop-and-sweep method.

Place warm water into your stand mixer or large bowl add yeast and salt. Now mix in all of the flour. Kneading is not necessary. Yes, I said it is not NECESSARY!! I mixed mine until all the flour is mixed in really well. Now cover and let it rise for 2 hours at room temperature. After this break off two grapefruit size balls. Roll each of these into a 2 inch diameter rope shape and let rest for 20 minutes. Once the bread has rested paint it with water (this keeps the knife from sticking to bread)and slice small slits in bread. They say to bake on a baking stone with cornmeal sprinkled on it in but I don't have one so I used my silpat with cornmeal sprinkled on it placed on a cookie sheet. Worked fine. You do need to place a broiler pan on the bottom shelf in your oven and pour 1 cup of water in it right before you put your bread in. Preheat oven to 450' and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a deep golden brown. You will have dough left, just leave it in a covered bowl in your fridge. It will keep for a while. Around here it does not last but in your home maybe it will.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Tortilla Soup


This is a good soup for a cold day. It is a cold day on Beaty's Creek, so I made this soup. It is not hard at all.

Needed:
2 chicken leg quarters
1 large can Rotel
1 can corn
2 cans black beans-rinsed
salt and pepper to taste
1 T cumin
2 T chili powder
2 garlic cloves-minced
1 carton chicken broth

Boil chicken quarters in 2 quarts of water with garlic, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Once chicken is done remove from broth and add Rotel, corn with liquid, rinsed black beans and additional chicken broth. Bring to a low simmer and add boned chicken back to soup. Simmer for 30 minutes and serve. We like to add cheese, avocado, sour cream, the juice from a line wedge and chips but it is up to you what you add.

Coconut Cake


Coconut cake, what could be any better on a cold winter’s day? Coconut cake makes me think of spring. I had a friend in school whose mother made a coconut cake every spring in the shape of a bunny rabbit. I thought this girl had the best mom in the world just because she made this cake and had fried French fries from a bag. Okay I was easily impressed. My mom did not fry french fries from a bag she made homemade steak fries and she NEVER made a cake in the shape of a bunny rabbit. Although she did buy some fabulous cakes when I was growing up. This recipe is a little complicated but so worth the effort. I hope you will give it a try very soon!

Needed for the cake:
3 cups all purpose flour (I use unbleached)
1 t salt
1 t baking soda
1 T baking powder
1 cup of sweetened shredded coconut
2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature
3 eggs (I use free range)
2 t vanilla
2 cups of sugar
1 can coconut milk-not sweetened coconut milk

Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Mix in a stand up mixer eggs and sugar until creamy at this time add butter, vanilla, and coconut milk. Now is the time to gently mix in the flour mixture a cup at a time. When all is mixed in fold in the coconut. Bake in 2 –8 inch round cake pans. Cook for 20-25 minutes at 350’. Be careful not to over cook cakes. When they turn golden remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. Cook completely. Remove from pans and slice in half so you will have 4 layers of cake. I was going to do this but Raven took the cakes out of the pans a little to early and one cracked. Could not get upset with her she was helping me out. Raven likes to cook and how sad would it be to discourage her by getting upset. So I have a 2-layer cake. Eats the same.

Icing

Needed for icing:

Whipping Cream
2 bricks of cream cheese at room temperature
2 sticks of salted butter at room temperature
4 pounds of powder sugar (You may not need this much but I like to be prepared)
2 t vanilla
2 cups of sweetened shredded coconut

Place cream cheese, butter and vanilla in a stand mixer and mix until completely mixed. Meaning they are smooth. Now is the time to add powder sugar a cup at a time until very thick. Add cream ¼ cup at a time. Mix well. You will most likely need to add more powder sugar at this time. You will have a total of ½ cups of cream in the icing total. I do it ¼ cup intervals because I think it mixes better with the powder sugar. Make sense?? I use almost all of the powder sugar give or take a cup. You know how icing should feel. Thick but not too thick. If it is too thick it will tear your cake and if it is too thin it will run off of your cake. Both not good. When your icing feels like it will spread well fold in the coconut. Ice each layer of your cake whether it is a four or two layer. We like a lot of icing so we go heavier on the top of the cake.

Company Casserole


This is one of our favorite casseroles to eat. The word "casserole" brings to mind different things to different people. Some good and some not so good. Casseroles to me mean comfort and warmness. Company Casserole is so good on its own you don't have to have anything else with it but I either make a really great salad or sour cream and chive mashed potatoes with homemade hot rolls. Yummy! This is "what's cookin" tonight on Beaty's Creek.


Needed:
2 pounds of ground turkey-browned
1-29 ounce can tomato sauce
2 garlic cloves-minced
1 bag egg noodles-boiled and drained
1 bunch green onions-top and bottoms chopped
1 brick of cream cheese-cubed
1 container cottage cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Add tomato sauce, garlic, and salt and pepper to taste to your browned turkey. Stir well. Mix cottage cheese, cream cheese and green onions together. I pepper this pretty good but we like pepper. Cover bottom of casserole pan with this mixture, then layer noodles, cottage cheese mixture and repeat making the meat sauce your last layer. Bake covered in a 350' oven for 30-40 minutes.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Cabbage and Sausage


I know this sounds like a dinner full of gas but it is so good it is well worth it. I use Healthy Choice or Butterball brand turkey polish sausage. We think turkey is better because there is less grease. But if you want the full version use skinless sausage. I love the skinless, who wants that nasty wrap to eat through. This is a really easy dinner. I am making potato cakes to go with.

Needed:
2 pounds of Turkey Polish Sausage-cut into 4 inch pieces
1 large head of green cabbage-cut into bite size pieces
Oil to cover bottom of pan
Salt and Pepper to taste


Pour oil into large pan. I use a dutch oven. Heat oil over medium heat and add sausage. Brown on both sides and add cabbage. Salt and pepper very well. Cook over medium heat until cabbage wilts slightly but is still crisp. Make sense?? We like ours a little brown so we cook ours more. We don't like mushy cabbage. If you like cabbage more tender cook a little longer. This is really good with sweet cornbread and potato cakes.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Potato Cakes


We really like potato cakes around here. Potato cakes are not sweet or even a cake. I sometimes use left over mashed potatoes for mine. I love to add onions in ours also. Raven never knows I add onions because I grate them. It is funny how if kids can't "see" the onions in something they will eat them but if they "see" onions it is a no go. I want kids to eat everything that there is and not "pick out" what they don't like. It bugs me, crazy huh? I know... Well this is "what's cookin" tonight.

Needed:
5 pounds of potatoes-boiled and mashed
1 medium white onion-grated
2 eggs-beaten
1/2 cup all purpose flour
salt and pepper
oil

Take your mashed potatoes and add your onion, eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Mix well. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop potato mixture by heaping tablespoons onto oiled skillet. I usually coat the skillet with about 1/2 inch of oil. I use my Lodge caste iron skillet that was my grandmother's for this. Cook on each side until golden brown. This usually takes about 4 minutes per side. I hope you give these a try. They are really good with beans or polish sausage and cabbage.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Menus

Okay am I the only person not making weekly or monthly meal menus?? Tell me, be honest. Am I missing the boat on this one? How do I make what I make each day to eat?? I ask my husband or son or daughter or myself what we would like for dinner. Does that sound crazy??? I have been working on a printed shopping list. I loved mine on Works but now it will not print for me. Kind of ruins the idea of a "printed shopping list" when one does not print out. I figure having one would help with lists when we go shopping. I could just hang it on the fridge and as we need items it would get marked on the list to buy. We will see how that one works out. Usually I make the list and I buy everything or I send Sean to buy what I need. This works well until I decide to make something that calls for an item I do not have. Make sense or is it as clear as mud for you. See now I go back to thinking I need a weekly menu.

I found this online and am giving it a try. I will let you know if I keep up with it or if is just easier writing everything down. I think this will be a real help for me. We will see. Here is the link to list I am using right now http://www.scottcommonsense.com/Tools/GroceryList/Tool.aspx?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=7667343&iq_id=7667343 Better get mine finished and head to the store, the game of the year is on tonight, Oklahoma vs. Florida, my MIL is coming over to watch the game and I am fixing some great game food. I will post what I come up with later on.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Stacey's Goulash

This is something my mom made quite a bit while growing up. Sean really likes this one. I have another story of how families reference to a name of a recipe are different. See Sean's family calls Chili Mac Goulash and my family calls this recipe goulash. You decide which one of us is correct or neither one of us. Here is my recipe for goulash. We usually eat it with homemade hot rolls and a salad. I will post Sean's recipe later on.

Needed:
2 pounds of ground turkey (We are trying to eat better this year.)
1 large can of tomato sauce
1 can of tomato soup
1 large onion-diced
2 garlic cloves-diced
Salt and pepper to taste
2 pounds of elbow macaroni(boiled and drained)

Cooked ground turkey with diced onion and garlic until browned. Add tomato sauce. Add ground turkey mixture to your boiled and drained elbow macaroni. This is when I add my tomato soup with about 2 cups of water. Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Sweet and Sour Pork


Let me tell you right from the start I am scared of stir frying!!! I want my Chinese food to taste like it does when I eat at my favorite restaurant and does it??? Not usually. This recipe is different. Why you ask?? Well because it is not like your usual sweet and sour. Not battered and not deep fried. This is really rather healthy. This recipe comes from one of my favorite magazines. I have NEVER HAD A RECIPE FAIL from EVERYDAY FOOD!! For real! You must give this one a try! I changed a few things here and there so my children would like it without picking out what they don't like. I do not like it when they pick. I will give the recipe exact and note my changes. This is "what's cookin" tonight on Beaty's Creek.

Needed:
1 can pineapple chunks-drained but save juice
2 T apple cider vinegar(They call for rice vinegar but I don't like rice vinegar.)
2 T soy sauce
1 T cornstarch
1/4 cup brown sugar(They don't call for brown sugar.)
salt and pepper to taste
2 T canola oil(They called for vegetable oil but I don't like the taste of vegetable oil.)
2 1/2 pounds pork loin-sliced in 1/4 inch slices(They called for pork tenderloin but I think pork loin is fine and it is cheaper per pound.)
1 yellow onion-cut into quarters and then sliced 1/2 inch thick(They called for scallions cut into 1 inch pieces.)
2 bell peppers-cut into 2 inch pieces
2 fresh broccoli heads-cut florets into 2 inch long pieces and chunk the some of the stems into 1 inch pieces(They call for frozen broccoli florets, thawed and patted dry.)
Cook rice for serving (We love steamed rice and that is what I made.)

In a bowl combine pineapple juice, vinegar, soy sauce, cornstarch, brown sugar, and 1/4 cup of water. Season with salt and pepper. This will be your sauce. You will add this last.

In a large skillet or wok(I used a wok) coat with oil. Place pork in 2 batches and stir quickly. Brown on all sides and remove. Pork will finish cooking once it is added back to skillet or wok.

To skillet or wok add onions, broccoli, and bell peppers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook stirring until peppers are crisp tender. This should happen in 6- 8 minutes.

Add pork and any juice to veggie mixture. At this time add pineapple and whisked sauce. Simmer until all is warm and sauce is the consistency you want. Serve with rice.