Pork Schnitzel

I made this tonight after not having made it for 2 years.  It was "lost" in my food binder!  It goes with another recipe I have blogged:  Mushroom and Mustard Spaetzle.  Both are very good.

I got the recipe from www.foodnetwork.com 

Pork Schnitzel

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

12 min

Cook Time:

6 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 servings

Ingredients

• 4 boneless pork loin chops (about 5 to 6 ounces each)
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 cups plain dried bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 sprig thyme
• Lemon wedges

Directions

Begin by placing each chop between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and gently pounding them out with the flat side of a meat tenderizer until they are an even 1/4-inch thick.

Put the flour in a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Whisk the eggs and milk in another shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. Put the bread crumbs in a third dish and again season with salt and pepper. Lightly dredge each piece of pork in flour, then in the egg and finally into the bread crumbs, pressing the bread crumbs onto the pork gently so they have a nice even coating.

Lay the breaded pork cutlets in a single layer on a plate lined with parchment and refrigerate, uncovered, for 10 to 12 minutes to allow the coating to dry out a little and adhere to the pork.

Heat oil and butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the thyme sprig and let it fry for about 1 minute to infuse the oil. Remove the thyme sprig and reserve. Gently lay the cutlets into the pan and cook until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side. Remove to paper towels to drain. Season with salt and transfer to a serving platter while still hot. Garnish with lemon wedges and the fried thyme sprig before serving.

Mushroom and Mustard Spaetzle

 (pictured with Pork Schnitzel)

I made this recipe about a two years ago and we loved it then, I put it in my recipe binder....and just found it again.  I made it tonight and am so glad I rediscovered it.  Very good.  It does take a little time and preparation but it is worth the effort.

I got this recipe from www.foodnetwork.com 

Mushroom and Mustard Spaetzle

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence

Prep Time:

15 min

Inactive Prep Time:

--

Cook Time:

15 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• Spaetzle, recipe follows
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 1/2 pounds button mushrooms, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard
• 2 tablespoons minced chives

Directions

Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Add the cooked spaetzle and saute until slightly browned, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the pan to a serving platter and set aside while you cook the mushrooms. Set the skillet back over high heat and add a little more olive oil and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the thyme, mushrooms and garlic and saute until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the cream and mustard and stir well. Reduce the mixture until the sauce is nice and thick, about 3 minutes. Fold in the spaetzle. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish withchives and serve alongside the pork schnitzel, if desired.

Spaetzle:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup milk

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and milk together. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the egg-milk mixture. Gradually draw in the flour from the sides and combine well; the dough should be smooth and thick. Let the dough rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

Bring 3 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot, over medium heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer. To form the spaetzle, hold a large holed colander or slotted spoon over the simmering water and push the dough through the holes with a spatula or spoon. Do this in batches so you don't overcrowd the pot. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until the spaetzle floats to the surface, stirring gently to prevent sticking. Drain the spaetzle in a colander and give it a quick rinse with cool water. This can be made up to 1 hour in advance.

Homemade Granola Bars

I got this recipe from www.Foodnetwork.com.  I figured it was time to feed the kids something sort of healthy after all of the holiday sweets!  This recipe looked good.  It is currently in the oven, so when it comes out and cools, I will tell you how we all like it!  I didn't have any wheat germ, so that was omitted from the recipe but added to my grocery list.  I remember as a kid my parents always throwing wheat germ into various recipes and always thought it was a weird name for something edible!

**update, ok, the are out of the oven, have rested the appropriate time, and the "kid" test has been preformed:  They are accepted!  I really like them too.  I found that they are quite filling as well, which makes them a perfect snack while the kids are hungry waiting for dinner!

Homemade Granola Bars

2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:

25 min

Inactive Prep Time:

3 hr 0 min

Cook Time:

40 min

Level:

Easy

Serves:

12 to 16 bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
• 1/2 cup toasted wheat germ
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter an 8 by 12-inch baking dish and line it with parchment paper.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the wheat germ.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Place the butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dates, apricots, and cranberries and stir well.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Cool for at least 2 to 3 hours before cutting into squares. Serve at room temperature
.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Oh, I realize I totally missed the window for fall recipes.  Everyone is probably "pumpkined-out" by this point, but my family loves these muffins any time of year, so I had to share.  They are flavorful and moist and wonderful for an after school treat.  And I love that they are easy to make and freeze wonderfully.  In fact, I had to pull the muffins above out of the freezer for this picture because my kids scarfed down the fresh ones so fast that I didn't have any left for a photo. So, please excuse the squished muffin liners.  Sometimes I don't use liners and they turn out just fine, as long as I don't use my old trusty (rusty?) pan for those.
I have no idea where I got this recipe.  In fact, I adjusted it and modified it so much that it's nothing like the original.  I cut out oil and added wheat flour to try to make them a little more healthy, a fact to which my kids  are totally oblivious.

4 eggs

1 1/2 C. white sugar

1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin

1/2 C. vegetable oil

1 C. applesauce

2 C. all-purpose flour

1 C. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. salt

1-2 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Lightly grease two 12-cup muffin pans, or line with paper baking cups.  Beat the eggs in a large bowl, and mix in the sugar, pumpkin, oil and applesauce.

In a medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.  Blend into the egg and pumpkin mixture.  Fold in the chocolate chips.  Transfer to the muffin pans.

Bake in the preheated oven 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then pop out of muffin tins and cool on a wire rack.  If making mini-muffins (my kids like these best), cook for approximately 10 minutes.

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