The 2 Spoons

Simply Delicious, Smothered Pork Chops

March 6, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Smothered Pork Chops is a true southern dish that I grew up eating. These pork chops are tender and melt in your mouth. I guess you would call this recipe soul food! Serve them with rice or mashed potatoes and you have the perfect main course.

I like to serve the Smothered Pork Chops with my Roasted Garlic
Cauliflower Mash: https://the2spoons.com/love-this-roasted-garlic-cauliflower-mash/

Simply Delicious Smothered Pork Chops

Smothered Pork Chops

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Prep Time 20

Servings: 2 servings

Course: dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: african american, American, Southern, texas

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

4 center cut pork chops
2 cups all purpose flour, more if needed
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
additional spices you may like are garlic powder, onion powder, cajun seasoning. Add the amount to your liking
3 large eggs
1 tbsp water
oil for frying the pork chops

For the Gravy

2 heaping tablespoons flour
4-6 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp Knorr Beef Bullion or Better than Bullion
water as needed

Method

Whisk the eggs and water together. Add the flour to a dish and the salt and pepper and any additional seasonings you may want.
Place each pork chop in the dry mixture, pressing down to allow the flour to adhere to the pork chop. Dip the chop in the egg mixture, making sure all is covered. Place the pork chop back into the flour mixture, coating on both sides, pressing down to form the crust better. Place the pork chops on a rack or sheet pan.
Heat a pan with enough oil to fry your pork chops, about 1/4 to 1/3 inch, to 350 degrees. Add them to the pan. When they have browned on the first side, flip over and continue to brown the other side. Remove them from the pan and place them on a rack to drain. They may not be done and that's ok because we are going to slow cook them.
After you have removed the pork chops from the pan, drain all the oil from the skillet, leaving about 6 tablespoons. Add the sliced onions and peppers and cook until the onions are translucent. Add the flour to the pan and combine with a spoon or whisk scraping up the bottom of the pan to get all the goodness. Start adding water to the pan, a little at a time until you have a thickened gravy, but still a little loose because it is going to continue to thicken. Add the beef bullion, or broth and combine.
After you have combined the beef bullion or stock and it comes back up to a simmer, place your pork chops back into the pan. Spoon the sauce over the chops. Reduce them to a simmer and place a lid on them, slightly tilted.
Check the pork chops periodically testing for tenderness and scraping the bottom of the pan. Check for salt and pepper.
When you have reached the desired tenderness they are ready to serve. I serve over mashed potatoes or rice. Grits would be great too. Enjoy!

Check this link our for other meats popular for smothering: https://www.soulfoodandsoutherncooking.com/smothered-cooking.html

A Classic – Beautiful Caesar Salad

March 6, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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I love a Caesar Salad. I love the richness of the dressing and the crunchy croutons on top and don’t forget about the Parmigiano Reggiano shavings! Squeamish about raw eggs? No worries in this Caesar dressing, it uses a good prepared mayonnaise.

The garlic croutons that top this classic salad are wonderful (included the recipe within the salad recipe) as is the anchovy-infused, very creamy dressing… A wonderful, rich, anchovy dressing makes this salad a meal. Serve with crusty Italian Bread if you like.

Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons and Dressing

A classic steakhouse salad that is so fun to watch in a tableside preparation. This is the perfect side dish for my cast iron skillet ribeye steak. Here is the link for my ribeye steak: https://the2spoons.com/happy-birthday-cast-iron-skillet-ribeye-steak.

This salad can be served as a side dish or as a main course. I love to add grilled shrimp or grilled chicken when I’m serving as a main course. When I add grilled shrimp I merely coat the shrimp in olive oil and season with a little salt and lemon pepper and grill until pink.

Don’t stop at grilled shrimp or chicken for your salad, Try these toppings for an even more delicious and healthy dish.

Shaved Carrots– take a vegetable peeler to already washed and peeled carrots to add to your caesar salad.

Sunflower Seeds– sunflower seeds give Caesar salads an extra crunch and an extra boost of vitamin E and magnesium.

Sweet Potato Croutons– these are just like the croutons you’re probably used to seeing expect that they’re made from sweet potatoes, which means they’ll give your salad an addition of vitamin A and antioxidants.

Tomatoes– tomatoes are classic additions to salads, but not traditional additions to the Caesar salad; therefore, adding them to your remixed version will give it an extra boost of flavor.

Chopped, Cooked Bacon– the saltiness and natural taste of bacon (pork or turkey) goes perfectly with the other savory flavors of the Caesar salad.

Sprouts– adding in sprouts gives the Caesar salad a different spin in taste and nutrition. Mixing in a handful to your newly revised creation packs a serving size addition of necessary vitamins and minerals.

Sliced Hard Boiled Egg– hard boiled eggs gives these traditional salads extra flavor, and texture.

Chopped Nuts– chopped nuts gives the Caesar salad a crunchy texture, just as with sunflower seeds, as well as being another great source of protein, not to mention the variety to choose from, including cashews, peanuts, almonds, and walnuts.

Here’s a little snippet to give you background story of a caesar salad: http://www.kitchenproject.com www.kitchenproject.com/history/CaesarSalad/

Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons and Dressing

Here’s the recipe! Enjoy!

Caesar Salad

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Prep Time 10

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

Fresh Romaine Hearts
1 Recipe Caesar Salad Dressing (https://the2spoons.com/homemade-caesar-dressing/)
1 Recipe Homemade Croutons (https://the2spoons.com/homemade-croutons/)
1 lemon, halved

Method

Either chop your romaine hearts in large chunks and place in a bowl or line a large platter with romaine lettuce leaves. Squeeze a little lemon juice onto the leaves first and toss them gently. Add your desired amount of homemade Caesar Dressing and top with Homemade Croutons.

Homemade Croutons
Homemade Caesar Dressing
Classic Caesar Salad
Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons and Dressing

So Easy – Crispy Homemade Croutons

March 5, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Stale bread that is buttered, seasoned and baked till crispy makes these inexpensive homemade croutons something everyone will surely enjoy. It is great to make your own croutons for your salads, etc. When you make your own you know the ingredients and you are proud of your accomplishment. You can also add your own flavorings. Not to mention that your home smells amazing while these cook which are loaded with garlic!

Homemade croutons are so easy and make such a difference. These croutons aren’t hard like you sometimes get with a packaged supermarket crouton, but they are soft and crispy at the same time. These are the perfect accompaniment for my Caesar Salad: https://the2spoons.com/a-classic-beautiful-caesar-salad/

So Easy – Crispy Homemade Croutons

Not only are croutons great for your salad, but there are actually other uses for homemade croutons. Here are 5 other uses from the Food and Wine website: https://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/5-ways-use-croutons-other-salads

Here’s my easy receip! I bet you always will make your own after you make these Homemade Croutons once.

Homemade Croutons

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 10

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

6 cups french bread that has been cubed
4 tbsp butter
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp parsley, chopped
2 tbsp parmesan
2-4 garlic cloves 2 of your cloves are large, 4 if small

Method

Preheat the oven to 225 degrees. Melt the butter and combine with all of the ingredients. Place your bread cubes on a sheet pan and pour the mixture over mixing thoroughly.
Place the croutons in the oven and cook for about an hour until they are golden brown, turning them and scraping the bottom of the pan every 15 minutes to ensure they are all coated with the mixture. Serve on your favorite salad.

So Good! Simple Tarter Sauce

March 4, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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I love Tarter Sauce! When you are a Southern gal and love Southern Fried Catfish, you have to have Tarter Sauce. It is essential!

Even though there are some good brands out there, I like to make my own Tarter Sauce because I like to add more ingredients than you may get in the store bought and it is just so much more fresh.

Honestly, Tarter Sauce is so delicious with your Southern Fried Catfish. Here’s the link for the catfish: https://the2spoons.com/the-best-southern-fried-catfish/

So Good! Simple Tarter Sauce

I like my Tarter Sauce spicy, so I use Louisiana Hot Sauce. http://www.louisiana-brand.com. You can use your favorite hot sauce also!

Tarter Sauce

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Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1/3 cup sliced dill pickles
1/3 cup diced onions
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 1/2 cup mayoniaise of our choice
1/2 tbsp pickle juice
splash of worcestershire
splash of Louisiana Hot Sauce or your choice of a hot sauce (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp fresh dill
1/4 tsp parsley
1 tsp capers
1 green onion, tops and the green portion, sliced
pinch of sugar (optional)

Method

Either chop the pickles and onions in your food processor or finely chop them. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine. I like to make this either the day ahead or at least 4 hours before use if possible. The sauce really needs a little time for the ingredients to blend.

Just Right – Easy Hush Puppies Recipe

March 4, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Just Right - Easy Hush Puppies Recipe — Just Right – Easy Hush Puppies Recipe

What is better than a hush puppy out of the fryer dipped in butter? Honestly, not many things!

I love hush puppies and I believe they are a necessary side for a fish fry! My recipe developing of hush puppies is a work and progress and I believe this recipe is the best yet!

When I was growing up my mother made hot water cornbread. Have you had that? So delicious. The corn bread has cornmeal, a little flour if you want, salt, a little bacon drippings and boiling water. I decided I’d try my hush puppy recipe using this hot water cornbread recipe as a base! I think I may need a little more tweaking for my hush puppies recipe , but thus far, they’re my best yet! I used self rising flour instead of all purpose flour, Cajun seasonings and a lot of onion. The Cajun seasoning I used was https://slapyamama.com/

Just Right – Easy Hush Puppies Recipe

These hush puppies are the perfect side for my Southern Catfish!

Just Right – Easy Hush Puppies Recipe

Not only are these hush puppies a must for my Southern Catfish, but they make a great appetizer with a great dipping sauce or just slathered in butter as a snack. You can easily use these in place of cornbread with your meal! Hope you enjoy! Here’s the link for my Southern Fried Catfish: https://the2spoons.com/the-best-southern-fried-catfish/

Just Right – Easy Hush Puppies Recipe

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Prep Time 10

Course: Appetizer, Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp cajun seasoning (I used Slap Yo Mama)
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp grated onion and the juices
1 cup boiling water
1 tbsp butter
oil for frying

Method

Combine all of the ingredients except the boiling water and butter. Bring the water to a boil with the butter and add to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine. The batter will be kind of wet. Heat the oil in a skillet to medium-high and drop the hush puppies by teaspoon or tablespoon into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown on the first side, flip and cook until browned completely. I cook these at medium high instead of high heat because they will be doughy if you brown them to fast. Serve as an appetizer, with fried fish or just a snack. Don’t forget to slather them in butter!

Delicious – Two Squash Casserole

March 2, 2019 by Becky Spoon

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Delicious -Two Squash Casserole — Delicious Two Squash Casserole

I saw this recipe, Two Squash Casserole in the magazine Garden and Gun, which is full of old Southern recipes. It sounded so good that I had to try. I’m sure glad I did, because I really liked it!

This Casserole is Cheesy with a crunchy topping of crushed ritz crackers and crushed onion rings! Yum!

So when you have all the over abundance of squash this summer, try this recipe!

Delicious – Two Squash Casserole

This recipe would be a great side dish for my Meatloaf with a Creole Sauce: Here’s the link: https://the2spoons.com/so-good-easy-meatloaf-with-a-creole-sauce/

Hope you enjoy!

Delicious – Two Squash Casserole with a Buttery Ritz Cracker Topping

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Ingredients Method

Ingredients

2 Lbs Yellow squash
1 Lb Zucchini
6 Tbsp Butter, divided
1 Large onion, diced
1 Bell pepper, diced
1 Cup Sour cream
1 1/2 Cups grated cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp Dora’s Savanna Seasoning
1 Cup Crushed ritz crackers
1/2 Cup Canned dried fried onions, crushed

Dora’s Savanna Seasoning

1/3 Cup Lawry’s seasoning salt
1/4 Cup Salt
2 Tsps Garlic powder
1 Tbsp Black pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the squash and zucchini in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer just a few minutes, until the squash is tender. Drain well and let it cool, then dry the squash between two towels or paper towels. (It’s important to drain and pat the squash dry, so the casserole isn’t too soupy.)
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until soft, 6-7 minutes.
Scrape the onions and peppers into a large mixing bowl. Add the squashes, sour cream, cheese, and seasoning and stir to mix well. Spread in a 9-by-7-inch or 8-inch-square casserole dish.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, fried onions, and butter and mix well. Sprinkle over the casserole and bake until golden brown and bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve hot or warm.

Delicious Two Squash Casserole
Delicious Two Squash Casserole

This Squash Casserole recipe came from the cookbook: A Real Southern Cook in Her Savanna Kitchen by Dora Clark. Here’s a link to her cookbook: https://amzn.to/2udlSxG