Crockpot Pizza

Another nursing student & friend, Miss Anita :), mentioned to me that her family loved Crockpot Pizza.  She couldn't believe I had never heard of this. She briefly told me what went into her recipe & I found this similar recipe online. Toby LOVED this & said it was one of the better "new" recipes I've made in a long, long time. Enjoy! 

Crockpot Pizza

1-1/2 lbs. hamburger
1 med. onion, chopped
2 cans spaghetti sauce
2/3 pkg. rigatoni pasta, uncooked
3 lbs. mozzarella cheese
olives, peppers, mushrooms - optional
pepperoni


Brown hamburger & onion together and drain. Mix in sauce.  Make alternate layers in crock pot, starting with meat sauce, noodles, pepperoni, olives, peppers, & mushrooms (if using) & cheese.  Ending with a cheese layer on top.


Cook on low for 5 hours.


***I would recommend leaving off the top layer of cheese & adding it about 30 min-1 hr before it's done.  Otherwise the top layer of cheese starts to burn around the edges. 

Mom's Ham Glaze

My mom's a good cook.  Her's is the first kitchen I stood in & the first recipes I learned to make.  So saying that I have a great recipe from my mom is kind of no big deal.  However, with this ham glaze recipe she completely outdid herself. It's nothing for mom to make 4 or 5 or more hams during the holiday season because of special requests for her incredible hams. This recipe results in the greatest ham you will ever sink your teeth into.  Not to mention, the phenomenal smell in your house as it bakes.  The smell of this ham has become one of my family's favorite holiday smells.   

Mom's Ham Glaze

Before baking

After baked...

Brown sugar - approx. 1 cup
Pineapple juice (off pineapple slices) - enough to make a sauce with a brown sugar
1 tsp. cherry juice (off maraschino cherries)
1 tsp. spicy brown mustard
1/2 tsp. ground cloves


Combine all the above ingredients. Lay ham in pan with aluminum foil under it (enough to wrap and seal it).  Score ham lightly, lay pineapple
rings & cherries on top of ham (for decoration ... and because, according to Toby, they are super yummy after the ham is baked :)


Pour the above mixture over the ham.  Add 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pan (do not pour it over the ham). Seal aluminum foil over ham. 


Bake at 300 for at least 4 hours (I sometimes bake mine for 5-6 hours depending on the size of the ham).


Note: The above measurements are for enough glaze to glaze a 6-9 pound ham & all the measurements are approx. Use more or less for larger/smaller hams & to taste. 


Also of note:  We always use Kentucky Legend Hams.  These are our families favorite.  I've made other brands with this glaze & it's still good, but it's not the same. 

Cris's Aunt Mary's Pork Mary-nade

One last pork recipe for Cousin Molly...

This one comes from my gal-pal, Cris, but I've made it myself so I can attest to it's greatness. I've made these on the grill & in the oven. Both turned out super yummy!

Click this link to take you to the recipe over at Goodeness Gracious:

Cris's Aunt Mary's Pork Mary-nade

Aloha Pizza

I first had this recipe at a friend's Pampered Chef party.  It is a Pampered Chef recipe, originally, but I'm going to give you the simple cook version ('cause this gal isn't going to stand & hand grate her cheese or mess with chopping up a fresh pineapple :) 

Aloha Chicken


2 green onions with tops (optional - I didn't use these), chopped
2 packages (13.8 oz. ea.) refrigerated pizza crust - I only used 1 package & it fit my large bar pan just fine
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 garlic clove, pressed (we had the pressed garlic at the party, but I just sprinkled garlic powder on my crust & it tasted the same to me)
1/2 cup barbecue sauce, divided
2 cups (8 oz) mozarella cheese, shredded (or grated if you're ambitious)
2 cups diced cooked chicken (I used the frozen, pre-cooked strips, just defrosted them & chopped them up into cubes)
1 medium pineapple (I used 2 cups of canned pineapple tidbits, drained well)
1/2 medium red bell pepper, chopped.


Preheat oven to 400.  
Unroll pizza crust & place in bottom of large bar pan.
Place into oven for approx. 10 min. (This will help the pizza dough finish cooking without over cooking the toppings)


Remove pan from oven & add the following:
Combine the olive oil & garlic (if using fresh) & brush onto pizza crust  OR brush olive oil onto pizza crust & then sprinkle with garlic powder


Spread half of the BBQ sauce over pizza


Sprinkle cheese & chicken onto pizza


Put back into oven for 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden brown


Remove from oven & add chopped red pepper, pineapple


Put the remaining BBQ sauce in a small baggie & cut tip off the end.  Use this to drizzle BBQ sauce across entire pizza.


If using chopped green onions, add them last. 


Enjoy!
I have to say, I HATE pineapple on pizza and yet, I LOVE this pizza.  I think it must have to do with the fact it has BBQ sauce instead of a tomato based sauce. I'm not sure. All I know is it is awesome! 

Pork Chops in Gravy

This is one of my all-time favorite pork recipes.  I'm not a real big fan of pork chops, but these are DELICIOUS. You can cut them with a fork & they melt in your mouth.


Pork Chops in Gravy


1 egg
2 Tbsp water
8 pork loin chops (1/2" thick)
3/4 c. seasoned bread crumbs (I always use flavored croutons crushed up for this)
2 Tbsp. veg. oil
1 can (10-3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10-1/2 oz.) condensed French Onion Soup, undiluted
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese


In a shallow bowl, beat egg & water.  Dip pork chops in egg mixture, then coat with bread crumbs.  In a large skillet, brown chops in oil.  Transfer to a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Combine soups; pour over chops.  Sprinkle with cheese. Cover & bake @ 325 for 1.5 hours or until meat is tender. 


Serve with mashed potatoes.

Chili Chops

Chili Chops


4 pork loin chops, 1/2" thick
4 onion slices
4 green pepper slices, 1/4" thick
1 bottle of chili sauce


Place the pork chops in a greased 9" square baking dish
top with onions, green peppers & chili sauce.
Cover & bake for 20-30 min @ 350 (or until meat juices run clear)

Sweet & Sour Pork

The next 3 recipes are some of our family's favorite pork recipes for Cousin Molly.  As with the other picture-less posts, I'll try & remember to get pics the next time I fix these. 


Sweet & Sour Pork


4-6 thick pork chops
1/4 c. soy sauce
1/4 c. chili sauce
1/4 c. honey


Preheat oven to 350.


Mix honey, soy & chili sauce.


Place pork chops in greased 3 qt. casserole dish.  Pour sauces over chops.  
Bake for 1 hour.