Sweet Onion Casserole

This recipe is begging me to take another road trip south through Georgia to pick up some sweet Vidalia onions that fills all those bushel baskets along the roadside stands!

The onions were first grown in Vidalia, Georgia in the early 1930’s.  It’s an unusually sweet onion due to the low amount of sulfur in the land in that area.  Mose Coleman is thought to be the man who discovered Vidalia onions in 1931.

The mild sweet taste of Vidalia onions makes them more versatile than stronger onions so they are perfect for this casserole of rice and Parmesan and Gruyère cheeses.  It’s a great tasting side dish that’s easy to put together for a family dinner, a potluck or for a dinner party.  Walla Walla or the Sweet Imperial can be substituted if Vidalia onions aren’t available.  It pairs perfectly with burgers, ribs, seafood, steak or chicken on the grill for a great July 4^th meal!

Sweet Onion Casserole

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cups Vidalia onions, chopped (about 1¾ pounds)

½ cup uncooked long-grain rice

2/3 cup low-fat milk

½ cup shredded Gruyère cheese (2 ounces)

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or less depending on taste

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

Cooking spray

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese (1-1/3 ounces)

Method:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add oil to skillet.

Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes until tender.

Place onion in a large bowl.

Cook rice in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well.

Stir rice and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) into onions.

Spoon onion mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over all.

Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes.

Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Serves 6

ENJOY!  It’s a unique side dish for the holiday!

Be sure to visit my friend, Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!

Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops and Awards

Fresh pineapple is my favorite sweet, sunny fruit and always reminds me of the pineapple plantations we saw in Hawaii ~ not to mention the Pacific Ocean, beaches, palm trees and Hilo Hattie.

During Colonial days, the striking visual attractiveness, the rarity and the expense of the pineapple made it the ultimate exotic fruit.  It was served only on special occasions and quickly became a symbol of hospitality.  

This recipe is from our local newspaper, The Northwest Herald.  It combines the jerk seasoning with pork chops and pineapple.  In Jamaica, the jerk method of cooking involves seasoning meat with a sweet-hot secret mixture of peppers, spices and herbs, then slowly cooking them.  The blend of allspice and thyme in this recipe captures the taste of the islands perfectly.

Its Jamaican jerk, made with thick, juicy pork and succulent fruit.  Pineapple has a meatier side and if you like flavorful dishes, this sweet and savory dish is for you! 

Jerk Pineapple Pork Chops 

Ingredients: 

1 small pineapple 

1 bunch scallions, sliced cross-wise into 1-inch pieces 

1 jalapeno pepper, stemmed and seeded 

2 teaspoons dried thyme 

4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 

1½ teaspoons ground allspice 

4 bone-in pork chops 

Salt and pepper, to taste 

2 teaspoons olive oil 

Method: 

Cut four ½-inch-thick rounds from pineapple; set aside. 

Cut remaining pineapple into large chunks, discarding core. 

In a food processor, combine pineapple chunks, scallions

chile, thyme, garlic and allspice and pulse until coarsel

chopped. 

Reserve ¾ cup pineapple marinade and refrigerate. 

Season pork with salt and pepper and place in a 9-by-13-inch

glass baking dish along with pineapple rounds. 

Top pork and pineapple with remaining pineapple marinade 

and turn pork and pineapple to coat. 

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 4 hours). 

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over

medium-high. 

Working in two batches, brush pineapple mixture off pork 

and cook chops until browned and cooked through, about 20

minutes per batch, flipping once. 

Add 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. 

Brush pineapple marinade off pineapple and cook rounds

until golden brown in spots, about 5 to 7 minutes, flipping

once. 

Serve with pork and reserved pineapple marinade. 

It’s tropically delicious!!!

Now it’s award time:  Times flies and a while back my Cajun friend, Marguerite at Cajun Delights, presented me with these 8 awards.  I thank Marguerite and am honored that she chose my blog.  Marguerite not only posts great Cajun recipes, she has music and dancing videos also.  If her blog is new to you, you should check it out!  

I am supposed to pass these 8 awards rolled into one off to 15 of my favorite foodie bloggers.  So I am going to pass them on to these great people who inspire me with their winning recipes, and writing, and who are supportive of me with their comments.  Here they are, in no particular order: 

Martha @seasidesimplicity 

Betty @scrambledhenfruit 

Larry @bigdudesramblings 

Kathy @thesugarqueenbakes 

Lynda  @lyndasrecipebox 

Biren @rotinrice 

Rita @sagecuisine 

Judy @atastythought 

Lyndsey @tinyskillet 

Kristy @kristygourmet 

Jeannie @chinadoll-bakingdairy 

Claudia @pegasuslegend-whatscookin 

Carol @theresalwaysthyme 

Linda @mykindofcooking 

Dave @bigdaddydavesbitsandpieces 


Please visit them all and let them know I sent you!  Thanks for stopping here, and have a wonderful day!

Baked Butternut Squash

I’m starting to see fall all around ~ leaves are beginning to change color and drop off the trees, the air is crisp, squirrels are gathering extra food for the winter, pumpkins and mums abound at the food markets and squash is plentiful. 

We love squash and I’m having visions of it on our dinner table quite often in the coming months.  Actually, this reminds me of pumpkin pie which Bill loves.  Years ago, his mom baked a squash pie and tried to deftly pass it off as pumpkin pie.  Bill took a couple of bites of the “pumpkin” pie and thought it tasted a little different and then was really suspicious when Mom asked, “How did you like the pie?”  Bill told her it was OK, “why are you asking?”  Mom said, “Because it’s squash pie; I knew you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between squash and pumpkin!”  Bill insisted, “Yes, I can” and Mom was not a happy mom! 

This is the perfect time of the year to bake squash.  Winter squash is so easy and it really only requires paring and cutting it into cubes or in half, adding a little seasoning and baking.  We love acorn squash and particularly butternut squash this time of year. 

This is a versatile recipe ~ use whichever spice you like; cloves, nutmeg, mustard seeds, coriander or ginger.  I use Splenda for dishes such as this when a recipe calls for sugar.  You can use regular brown sugar and substitute olive oil for the butter.

 

Baked Butternut Squash

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash, pared and cut into 1” cubes

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/3 cup Splenda brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Method:

Place squash in a 2-quart casserole coated with nonstick cooking spray.

Sprinkle with the spices and brown sugar.

Drizzle melted butter and lemon juice over the top.

Bake uncovered in 375 degree oven for 45-60 minutes until fork tender.

It’s delicious!!!

Check out my friend, Linda’s blog, at My Kind of Cooking for her great recipes and the 4 cookbooks she's giving away!

My Homemade Ketchup

I love mustard but, ketchup is an American icon for hamburgers and French fries!

Years ago, Dad not only had the garden at home but after his retirement, he started the first community garden in Louisville and had a garden plot there as well.  The amount of tomatoes he raised was amazing.  

Mom canned a lot of tomatoes, made tomato juice and then she made ketchup.  Bubba reminded me of how much he likes homemade ketchup and that I haven’t made it in a long while.  So, yesterday I made ketchup.  The aroma of it cooking is unbelievable, very spicy and good. 

This is sweet, tangy and spicy and it takes time for it to cook down.  It’s easy but, it’s definitely not for an impatient cook because it takes time!  I ended up with close to 3 pints of ketchup from this recipe.  

I let it cook down until it was very thick, mainly because Bill likes it thick, not “runny” like Mom made it.    If you don’t want it so thick, cook a shorter period of time and you will have a higher yield.  Another good thing is that you know exactly what is in it, no preservatives!

If you like ketchup, you should really try the homemade kind!  Add more sugar if you like it sweeter, more vinegar for a bite and then start in with the spices until it suits your taste.  Add more red pepper flakes if you like some heat with it.  Experiment!

Waiting to be skinned and chopped

Cooking with the spice bundle

Strained and cooking down ~ dark, rich color from the spices

Ummm, mmmm!!!

My Homemade Ketchup

Ingredients:

½ bushel canning tomatoes, about 30 pounds

3 large onions, cut into large chunks

2 cups white vinegar

1 cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar, packed

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon salt

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons allspice

2 tablespoons onion powder

3 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons ground cardamom

2 teaspoons ground coriander

10 garlic cloves

6 cinnamon sticks

5 tablespoons peppercorns

3 tablespoons mustard seeds

2 tablespoons celery seeds

Method:

Wash, peel and chop tomatoes.

Add to a very large heavy pot and bring to a boil.

Add onions, vinegar and sugars.

Lower heat to a simmer.

Stir in next 9 ingredients.  Mix well.

Cut a square of cheesecloth.

Place on the cheesecloth the garlic cloves, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, mustard seeds and celery seeds.

Tie into a bundle, drop into tomato mixture.

Stir it all well.

Cook for about 1-2 hours until it is about half of what you started with, stirring frequently.

Remove cheesecloth bundle, set aside.

Carefully put tomato mixture through a sieve into a large bowl.

Return strained mixture and cheesecloth bundle to pot.

Continue to simmer, stirring very frequently so as not to burn.

This could take another 30 minutes to an hour, depending on heat level and how thick you like it.

Cook until it reaches the desired consistency.

Pour into sterilized jars.

Cool.

Cover with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate.

It’s lick-your-lips delicious!

Visit my friend, Linda’s blog, My Kind of Cooking, for the prize winning recipe at the fair and for a chance to win her great cookbook!

Spicy Pork Tenderloin

We really enjoy roasted pork tenderloin.  It’s versatile, easy and makes a good and easy dinner.

This one is a spicy dish packed with a combination of delicious flavors, thanks to Dijon mustard, orange juice, honey, fennel seeds, mustard seeds and lots of pepper.  It smelled sweet as it was roasting and I was afraid it would taste sweet ~ never fear, it turned out wonderfully with no sweet taste, just spicy goodness!  Love the aroma of the fennel!

Pork tenderloin is always a good choice when trying to come up with a meal that will please most people.  It reminds us of Mom’s great home cooking and the great flavors in this one will bring you a smile from everyone at your dinner table!

SPICY PORK TENDERLOIN

Ingredients:

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons orange juice

2 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash of ground allspice

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 pounds pork tenderloin

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together the first 9 ingredients.

Place the meat on a roasting pan and brush some sauce over it.

Bake until thermometer registers 160 degrees, about 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes.

Slice and serve.

ENJOY!

It’s spicy and delicious!!!

Bubba's Pickled Watermelon Rind

Whatever you do, don’t discard your watermelon rind this summer!

It may sound a little strange to make pickles out of watermelon rind but, it really might surprise you how delicious they are.  

My mother used to make these every summer and recalling them, Bubba gave it a try and is now carrying on the tradition ~ lucky for me!  I love about anything pickled and these watermelon pickles are fantastic!

Here are some fun watermelon facts:

• The largest watermelon on record was raised in 2005 by the Bright family in Hope, Arkansas, weighing in at 268.8 pounds.

• Early explorers used watermelons as canteens.

• In Luling, Texas, 1989, the Guinness World Record for watermelon seed spitting was set at 68 feet, 9 and 1/8 inches by Lee Wheelis.  The record still stands.

• The first cookbook published in 1796 in America contained a recipe for watermelon rind pickles.

• A watermelon was once thrown at Roman Governor Demosthenes during a political debate.  Placing the watermelon on his head, he thanked the thrower for providing him with a helmet to wear as he fought Philip of Macedonia. 

Watermelon pickles are a tangy, sweet complement to grilled burgers, barbecued meat, hot dogs, chicken and seafood.  A 6 pound watermelon yields about two pounds of rind.  The pickles are very sweet and contain a great mix of spices, they even smell divine.  It may seem complicated to make them but, it’s not.  It takes a couple of days to make them and then they’re ready to relish. 

So with summer around the corner, remember not to pitch your watermelon rind.  Now, if I could only convince Bubba to try pickled eggs!

Bubba’s Watermelon Pickles

Ingredients:

1 watermelon
3 quarts water for brine, plus more
3/4 cup salt
5 cups sugar
3 cups white vinegar
1 tablespoon whole cloves
6 cinnamon sticks (break to 1")
1 tablespoon allspice
1 lemon, sliced

Method:

Remove the rind from the watermelon, removing as much of the pink meat as possible and all of the green outer skin.
Cut the rind into small bite-sized pieces.
Make a brine of 3qts water and 3/4 cup salt.
Put the rind in a bowl, cover with the brine, and refrigerate at least 6 hrs

Drain and rinse the rind.  Put the rind in a pot, cover it with water, and boil it about 15 minutes until tender.  Drain and remove the rind.

Mix the rest of the ingredients with 3 cups of water and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.  Pour over the watermelon.  Refrigerate overnight.

Bring the watermelon and syrup to a boil and then turn the heat down to medium-high and cook for 1 hr, stirring periodically.

---

To can them, put them straight from the pot into canning jars, leaving about a half inch open at the top.  Clean the jars off, put the lids on, and put in boiling water for 15 minutes.  Remove from pot.

Let the jars set at room temperature for 24 hours.  They do not need to be refrigerated unless you desire them chilled before serving.

Is it pickles or is it candy?  You’ll have to try it and decide for yourself as I don’t think you’ll find it in the stores.  

Way to go, Bubba!  They’re delicious!