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Growing up, the only way I ever ate pork chips was breaded with Shake 'n Bake. Now that I cook for a family, I'm happy I've learned three other, better ways to prepare pork chops: breaded with a maple-Dijon mustard sauce and in a Crock-Pot with a ranch-chicken gravy . I found this breaded pork chop recipe more than 10 years ago when I was perfecting my home-cooking. I've said before I've learned a lot from Cook's Country magazine. That's where I got this recipe. And for the past few years, I had misplaced my copy of the magazine with this recipe in it. I found it! And before I lose it again, I'm blogging it. Preserving my favorite recipes somewhere I can easily access them is a main reason why I blog. I couldn't find Melba toast the first time I made this so I substituted just-as-crunchy-but-more-flavorful garlic bagel chips. You can cut back on the garlic powder if you make this substitution. QUICK AND CRUNCHY PORK CHOPS 1 (5-ounce) box ...

Looking for just the right peanut sauce to combine with stir-fry, I tried this recipe. I almost overlooked it because it was in Taste of Home's Simple & Delicious magazine, and sometimes "simple" means high-calorie convenience products. But this recipe is surprisingly light and also satisfying. My 10-year-old requests it. I like it as much for the taste as the nearest Thai restaurant is an hour away and not an expense we can afford all the time. This gives us the flavors we crave at a fraction of the cost and calories of dining out. It's also quick to prepare on a busy night. THAI CHICKEN STIR-FRY 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch strips 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 16-ounce package frozen stir-fry vegetable blend, thawed 1/4 cup unsweetened apple juice 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter  2 tablespoons brown sugar 2 teaspoons garlic powder (sometimes I use a clove or 2 of real garlic added with the vegetables) 1/4 teasp...

This recipe comes together quickly and is hearty and tasty -- three of my favorite things. You could make it meatless or swap out the beef for ground venison or ground turkey. The recipe is from spice company McCormick. I found it in their Recipe Inspirations line -- pre-measured spices in a pack with the recipe on the back. You do not have to have the Recipe Inspirations product to make this recipe. I have included the measurements for you below. From that line, I would like to try their version of the Indian dish, Chicken Tikka Masala. BEEF QUESADILLA CASSEROLE Makes 8 servings. Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 25 minutes 1 pound ground beef 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed 1 can (8 3/4 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained 1 can (4 1/2 ounces) chopped green chiles, undrained 2 teaspoons chili powder 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon oregano leaves 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (op...

I'm trying to encourage the women and men of my church to sign up to bring sweet treats on Sunday morning for the coffee bar instead of the same kind soul (not me) buying doughnuts or whatever every week. It hasn't quite caught on yet. But today was my Sunday to bring the treats and boy was I swamped with work, work-related traveling and helping my mom. Still, feeling like I needed to be a good example, I whipped up something I already had on hand. It is easy -- 20 minutes start to finish. In fact, it baked while I was in the shower. And I thought it was pretty yummy -- a couple of other people said so, too. Here is my fuss-free formula: 1 package of Jiffy corn muffin mix 1 egg 1/3 cup milk red raspberry jam Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a muffin tin that yields 24 mini muffins. Prepare the muffin mix according to package directions but scoop the batter into 24 minimuffin tins, Filling them half full. Drop a scant 1/4 teaspoon raspberry jam into the middle of the batt...

Tuesdays are dance class nights and my 4-year-old isn't the only one who has to shake a leg. We get home about 7:15 p.m. and I have to make dinner fast under the looming deadline of 8 o'clock bathtime. Soupbeans and cornbread have been in my repertoire of quick meals for years. But I've just found a way to make it even faster. Some folks might cook their own beans but I haven't tasted any better than Randall's Great Northern Beans in a jar. I use the cornbread recipe on the back of the Quaker corn meal box, but I bet Jiffy mix would work OK, too. The timesaver is in how you bake it. Use the waffle iron!!! I can't take credit for that tip -- I read it in Cook's Country magazine. But it works great in a couple of ways: it saves time and eliminates wasted leftovers. In the past, we've had lots of leftover cornbread that went to waste when the beans ran out. Baking the batter into waffles lets us easily freeze the extras and because of their shape and unifor...