Crispy Homemade Egg Rolls with a Sesame Ginger Dipping Sauce

Why order take-out, when you can make you own fake-out, perfectly crisped egg rolls right at home and serve them with some yummy sesame ginger dipping sauce on the side?

It doesn’t get any easier than with this recipe. And they’re oh-so yummy.

Stuffed with perfectly seasoned, cooked ground pork sausage and a blend of freshly shredded cabbage and carrots these babies are egg roll heaven in a bite. And don’t let the simpleness of the stuffing fool you, each bite is loaded with Asian flavor. You may not want to go back to the take-out version. These pair perfectly with the sesame ginger dipping sauce, but even if you don’t feel like whipping together any special sauce, they’re yummy all on their own. Or pair them with your own favorite Asian dipping sauce(s). We have a whole kitchen drawer full of sauce packets for the hubs and the sons, just for such an occassion 🙂

Crispy Homemade Egg Rolls

1 lb ground pork sausage
1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp soy sauce
2 ½ cups finely shredded cabbage & carrot blend (I just throw a bit of each into my food processor until I’ve met the mark), or prepackaged coleslaw blend
12 (6 inch square) egg roll wrappers
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 tbsp water
1 quart canola oil for frying

Sesame Ginger Dipping Sauce

2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp minced fresh ginger root
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup honey
2 tbsp orange juice
¼ tsp sesame oil
1 tsp fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 tsp sesame oil

Directions

Dipping Sauce

1. In a small pot, lightly saute the minced garlic & the chili flakes over medium heat, just until fragrant. Add in the remaining ingredients and cook an additional 3 minutes, stirring occassionally. Remove the sauce from heat and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Egg Rolls

1. In a medium-large skillet, over medium heat, add the sausage, ginger, garlic, onion powder, stirring to incorporate and breaking it up as you go, until no pink remains. Set aside.
2. Preheat oil to 375 degrees F.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and water until evenly combined.
4. Lay out one egg roll wrapper with a corner pointed toward you. Place 2 tablespoons of the meat mixture and roughly 2 tablespoons of the coleslaw mixture in the center. Use your finger to spread a little bit of the flour mixture along the edges.

5.  Fold two of the corners together to make a triangle, gently press to seal the edges with the flour mixture, and then fold the sides in and roll up tightly.
6. Fry egg rolls until lightly browned and crispy turning occasionally.
7. Serve with sesame ginger dipping sauce.

recipe adapted from Spend With Pennies

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Grilled Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Salsa

Do you love a little something spicy with your meat? Maybe throw in a dash of something sweet to boot? The already flavorful pork tenderloin is marinaded in a (gently) spicy chipotle sauce, grilled until it’s gorgeous, and then topped with a very basic, sweet cherry ‘salsa’. The flavor combination is perfect.

 

They blend seamlessly.

She’s a beaut, ain’t she?

Grilled Chipotle Pork Tenderloin with Cherry Salsa

1-2 lb pork tenderloin

Marinade

juice of one lemon
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4cup honey
2-3 chipotle peppers, coarsely chopped
3 tsp adobo sauce, from the can of chipotle peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt

Fresh Cherry Salsa
1 cup sweet, dark cherries, pitted and sliced into quarters
2 tbsp fresh cilantro leaves
2 tsp lemon juice

Directions

1. Combine marinade ingredients. Pour half of marinade into a resealable bag with pork tenderloin; cover and store the other half of the marinade in the refrigerator until you’re ready to grill the pork. Marinate the pork for at least an hour.
2. Pre-heat your grill to medium-high. Discard the used marinade and cook the pork over indirect heat, towards the edge of the grill, for roughly 15-20 minutes per side, or until cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F.
3. Place cooked pork tenderloin on a sheet of aluminum foil, bringing the edges up around it to form a ‘basket’. Pour the remaining marinade over the pork, and seal the aluminum foil, allowing everything to rest for about 10 minutes.

Fresh Cherry Salsa:
1. Combine all of the ingredients and serve over the pork.

recipe adapted from Sweet Peas & Saffron

Sausage Breakfast Burritos

So if you’ve followed along with us for any amount of time, you know that this mama doesn’t do breakfast. Yes I make sure there are breakfast items available, but All self serve, a la carte style. Hot breakfast? Dad does giant brunches every Saturday and Sunday. Otherwise? It’s pretty much cold cereal ’round these parts.

 

But I do occasionally take pity on my crew who put up with all my whims, and all my willfulness in the kitchen. What can I say? I run a tight ship, usually it goes my way or the highway, but every now and then I hear a request or two, or I just generally try to prevent a mutiny. And that’s where these handy, dandy breakfast burritos come in.

All cooked up and pre-packaged, all ready to heat and eat.

Sausage Breakfast Burritos

1 lb ground pork sausage
1-1/2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
1/4 cup diced white onion
1/4 cup diced green and/or red pepper
4 eggs, lightly beaten
12 flour tortillas (8 inches), warmed
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Picante sauce and sour cream, optional

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook the sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain and set aside. Add the potatoes, onion and pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 6-8 minutes or until tender. Pour the eggs in and stir, cooking until they’re set. Return the sausage to the skillet and stir everything together to evenly incorporate.
2. Spoon the filling off center onto each of the tortillas. Sprinkle cheese evenly out over the filling. Fold sides and ends over filling and roll up. Serve with Picante sauce and/or sour cream, if desired.
3. To freeze and reheat the burritos: Wrap each burrito in waxed paper and then again in foil. Freeze for up to 1 month. To use, remove the foil and the waxed paper. Place one burrito on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high for 2 to 2-1/4 minutes, turning the burrito over once during re-heating. Let stand for 20 seconds before eating. These also re-heat just as well in a toaster oven if a microwave isn’t an option.

Crockpot Smothered Pork Chops

As the household ‘chef’, or primary cooker of main meals, you’d usually think you have a general idea of everyone’s palates and tastes and going on that info alone, you’d think you’d have a pretty good idea of what recipes will be a hit or a miss. But even with all that information handy, most pork chop recipes have always been more of a miss than a hit for me in the dinner dept. There’s never been anything particular to lay the finger in, just more of nothing being a show-stopper. And apparently that’s the bar I’ve set. So far they guys have only gone ga-ga for them a few ways, breaded, fried, and topped with caramelized onions,  herbed and soaking in mushroom gravy, or my crispy, baked Italian ranch chops. But especially with the hubs, I am so glad that I hadn’t given up! After all, the hubs IS my picky eater.

While smothered may not typically be something I’d enjoy hearing, when it comes to these pork chops, it is essential. Slow cooked, all day long, in their rich, onion-based gravy they’re fall-apart tender and every bite is dee-vine. Topped with a generous bit of crisp, crumbled bacon and parsley? Ohhhhh, yes. We serve them over a bed of mashed potatoes so we can truly appreciate every single bite of gravy.

Crockpot Smothered Pork Chops

5 strips of bacon, cut into small pieces
2 onions, thinly sliced
4 tsp brown sugar, divided
4 garlic coves, minced
1 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
2 bay leaves
6 pork chops, quality cuts
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. In a large skillet or sauce pan, over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp.
2. Place the cooked bacon on paper towels to soak up the excess grease, leaving bacon fat in pan.
3. Discard all but about 2 tbsp of the remaining bacon fat and add in the onions, 2 tsp of the brown sugar, garlic, thyme, and salt. Cook, stirring often until the onions have softened and have begun to caramelize, about 15 minutes.
4. Add in 1 cup of the chicken broth, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any stuck on browned bits. You want those!
5. Place the mixture in crock pot and add on the remaining 2 cups of chicken broth.
6. Add in the remaining 2 tsp brown sugar, soy sauce, and bay leaves. Stir to combine
7. Season the pork chops liberally with salt and pepper and add them into the crock pot, pushing them down into the juices.
8. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4-5 hours. When there’s only an hour or so left, stir in the cornstarch and water mixture to the gravy.
9. Place pork chops on a serving plate and cover with foil.
10. Remove the bay leaves from the gravy and transfer the ‘gravy’ to a bowl to ‘rest’ for 5 minutes. Scrape off as much fat from the surface as possible.
11. Stir in the vinegar and add any additional salt and pepper, if needed.
12. Serve the finished pork chops over a bed of mashed potatoes, or even cooked rice. Ladle a generous helping of onion gravy over the top of the pork chops and top with bacon and parsley before serving.

Thai Peanut Pork Tenderloin

Thai food rocks the hubs world. I kid you not, the hubs could eat it every single day, for any meal, and be quite a happy camper. I am not nearly the fan that he is. I remember struggling through menus trying to find something that appealed to my pallet as he took me to various Thai dives when we were dating. Luckily, the company made it all worth it! That and there was always something I could find to enjoy. The real problem for me was the over abundance of peanuts. Peanuts and pork. Two seemingly totally different flavors that blend flawlessly in this recipe, and many another Thai dish. Here the tenderloin is taken to the next scrumptious level with the help of some peanut sauce. Go to your local grocery store right now, and I promise you its ethnic section (even the smallest) has Thai peanut sauce, probably even a Thai AND American made version. The stuff just seems to get more and more popular as time goes by. This key ingredient doesn’t disappoint even in our quick, from scratch batch.

 

Thai. Peanut. Pork. Tenderloin. Let’s let that sink in for a moment. And let’s take another look at these pictures. Not the best staged photos, but still mouth-watering. Drool-worthy really.

(Go ahead, lick the screen. Nobody’s watching)

Thai Peanut Pork Tenderloin

recipe adapted from Let’s Dish

1 (1.5 lb) pork tenderloin
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup orange marmalade
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
3 tbsp creamy peanut butter
1 tbsp lime, or lemon, juice
1/4 cup orange juice
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions

1. In a small bowl combine marmalade, garlic, coriander, cumin, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, peanut butter, lime juice, orange juice, crushed red pepper and black pepper. Whisk the ingredients together until evenly incorporated.
2. Season the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper and place it in gallon sized zip-locking plastic bag. Carefully, add in the marinade, and then gently squeeze the excess air out of the bag before sealing it shut.
3. Refrigerate and let the meat  marinade for at least 30 minutes, or for as long as 8 hours.
4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large oven-proof skillet (like cast iron or even a dutch oven) over medium-high heat, until the oil is shimmering.
5. Add the pork tenderloin, and sear on all sides, until it’s nicely browned, about 8-10 minutes total. Place the entire skillet into the preheated oven, and cook at 425 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until a meat thermometer registers 160 degrees. Remove the meat from the oven and let it rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.
6. While the pork is in the oven cooking, pour the marinade out of the plastic bag and into a small saucepan. Add in 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.
7. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
8. Slice the tenderloin and pour the sauce over top. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro for garnish, if desired.

Balsamic Vinegar & Honey Pulled Pork Sliders

Pork that’s slowly roasted in the crock pot until it’s so tender it falls apart, and is then mixed with a sweet and tangy balsamic vinegar & honey barbecue sauce, makes for a crowd-pleasing platter of pulled pork sliders. Not only are they great party appetizers, but the sons tear them up when we have them for either lunch or dinner, and the left overs are just as yummy. I know, I know, the name makes them sound pretty fancy, but they couldn’t be any easier. Let the pork cook during the day and when it’s done it’s a snap to mix in the homemade sauce, making them a perfect option for any day, including those busy weekday meals. Got leftovers? This freezes beautifully to save for a later meal. Or you could always make up an entire batch and freeze that if you’re looking to have meals stocked on stand-by.

Balsamic Vinegar & Honey Pulled Pork Sliders

recipe adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

2 1/2 pound boneless pork shoulder roast

1 cup chopped onion (1 large)

3/4 cup chopped green sweet pepper (1 medium)

1 tsp crushed dried thyme

1/2 tsp crushed dried rosemary

1/2 cup chicken broth

1 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 tbsp Worcestershire

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp salt

20 slider buns

coleslaw, optional

sliced sweet or dill pickles, optional

Directions

1. First remove any excess fat from the meat. Place the trimmed meat in the crock pot, cutting to fit if necessary. Add in the onion and pepper, and sprinkle the vegetables and meat with the thyme and rosemary. Pour broth over the meat.

2. Cover and cook on low for 9 to 10 hours or on high for 4 1/2 to 5 hours.

3. Meanwhile, we’ll be making the bbq sauce. Combine vinegar, ketchup, brown sugar, honey, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, black pepper, and salt in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Let the sauce simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until slightly thickened, while stirring occasionally.

4. Transfer meat to a cutting board. Use two forks to pull meat apart into shreds, discarding any fat, or use a stand mixer to do the job for you. Strain the peppers and onions and discard the liquid. Return shredded meat and vegetables to the crock pot. Stir in barbecue sauce until fully incorporated. Cover and cook for 1 more hour on low.

5. To serve, spoon the bbq onto the slider bun bottoms. Top with coleslaw and pickles, if desired. Cover with bun tops. Eat & enjoy!

Caprese-Style Italian Sausages

Things have been a little quiet around the dinner table here lately. So when I came across this idea I thought, why don’t you get a little conversation going, you conversation starter, you. They definitely did the trick. Everyone had something to say, and all opinion were unanimous. These were delicious, and a nice change up to our normal way of eating Italian sausages, which was smothered with caramelized onions and peppers.

Caprese salad makes the perfect topping for Italian sausage. The hubs and I prefer a more traditional Caprese salad (‘relish’) with chunks of creamy, melt in your mouth fresh mozzarella, but the sons like their cheese melted on top… so, melted it is! They make a great addition to any cook out or get together, and they’re great for an easy lunch, or even dinner.

Caprese-Style Italian Sausages

 

recipe adapted from Lemons For Lulu

5 Italian sausage links
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1-2 tsp dried basil
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. Let your grill preheat on medium. Before putting the sausages on the grill, use a fork to poke a few holes in each one to allow steam to escape and a quicker cook time. When the grill’s ready, grill the sausages for about 10 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

2. When sausage is done, put them in buns and top with the shredded cheese and basil. Drizzle each sausage with a little oil and a little vinegar.
3. Place the assembled sausages on a baking sheet. Put them in the oven under a broiler until the cheese is nice and melted.
4. Top with tomatoes and serve!

If you’d prefer the more traditional Caprese style, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. We’ve had it both ways, but the sons prefer their cheese melted. To make a Caprese relish, use 1/4 cup diced fresh mozzarella in place of the shredded. And 2 tbsp coarsely chopped fresh basil instead of the dried. When sausages are ready, sprinkle with the cheese, basil and tomatoes.Drizzle with the balsamic and oil and serve.

Herbed Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy

These pork chops will melt in your mouth. They are so good and easy to prepare and assemble. They are first sauteed in butter, then baked, before being served smothered in a creamy mushroom gravy. Doesn’t that sound fantastic? My mouth’s already watering just typing up the recipe. These pan seared chops come out tender and juicy. Mmm, pork chops and gravy… it certainly doesn’t get much more southern than that. Wherever you’re from, this dish is guaranteed to ‘south’ your mouth. Serve them with some creamy mashed potatoes so you can be sure to savor every single drop of gravy, too!

Herbed Pork Chops
in a buttery, garlic, & mushroom gravy

recipe adapted from A Mom’s Take

3-4 thick cut pork chops, or 6-8 thin cut, boneless pork chops
½ stick butter
3 tsp minced garlic
¼ cup all purpose flour, or cornstarch
¼ cup milk
1 cup mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp thyme
salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet over medium high heat combine butter, garlic, mushrooms, salt, pepper, oregano and thyme.
2. Once butter has melted, add your pork chops and seer on each side for 1-2 minutes until golden brown.
3. Once both sides of the pork chops are a golden brown place in oven and bake for 35 minutes or until centers are no longer pink. *Time may need to be adjusted depending on the thickness of your pork chops.
4. Remove skillet from oven and remove your pork chops and sit them aside to rest.
5. Whisk flour and milk into your pan with the remaining liquids after removing the pork chops. Whisk until all lumps are removed. Simmer for 3-4 minutes.
6. Serve over the top of pork chops.