Froggy update!

Big Froggy and Little Froggy outgrew their tank so they moved into bigger digs and got a new friend.

Baked Pork Chops with Parmesan-Sage Crust

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups Italian flavored breadcrumbs
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  
• 1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 bone-in center-cut pork loin chops (each about 1 inch thick)
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees F.

Mix breadcrumbs, cheese, sage, cumin, and lemon peel in pie dish.

Whisk eggs in medium bowl to blend. Place flour on plate; season generously with salt and pepper. Coat pork chops on both sides with flour; shake off excess. Dip chops into eggs, then coat on both sides with breadcrumb mixture.

Melt butter with oil in heavy large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork chops to skillet and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer pork to a baking dish and put in oven. Bake until pork chops are crisp on the outside and meat thermometer inserted into pork registers 150 degrees F, about 20 minutes.

Makes 4 servings

Chicken with Herbed Goat Cheese

Ingredients

nocoupons

• 3 whole (6 split) chicken breasts, bone-in, skin-on
• 12 ounces Montrachet goat cheese, with garlic and herbs
• Fresh basil leaves
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place the chicken breasts on a baking sheet. Loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers, leaving one side attached. Cut 12 thick slices of the Montrachet and place 2 slices plus a large basil leaf under the skin of each chicken breast. Rub each piece with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Bake the breasts for 35 to 40 minutes, until just cooked through. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Ho, Ho, Ho

Cassoulet

Joey made this stew and it was delicious. Very meaty. It would be perfect for a cold winter night. And it freezes well too.

Ingredients

6 ounces sliced bacon
8 chicken legs, cut into 8 thighs and 8 drumsticks
2 pounds smoked Italian sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
1 large sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 (15-ounce) cans cannellini beans, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups coarse fresh breadcrumbs

Directions

Cook bacon in a large ovenproof pot over medium-high heat until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a bowl.

Add half of the chicken to the pot, skin-side down, and cook until lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn chicken pieces and brown on the other side, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to a large platter, cook remaining chicken and set aside.

Return the pot to medium-heat. Add sausages and sauté until browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer sausages to bowl with bacon. Pour off all but 1/4 cup drippings from pot.

Add chopped onions and sauté until soft and starting to turn translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf and cloves.
Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add white wine and chicken broth and bring to a simmer, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, 1 to 2 minutes. Add chicken, submerge in liquid, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until chicken is fully tender and cooked through.

Remove the cover from the pot and gently stir in bacon, sausage and drained beans. Remove and discard thyme sprig and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and sauté until lightly golden, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle breadcrumbs evenly over the surface of the stew and bake, uncovered, until crumbs are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Let rest for 10 to 20 minutes before serving.

If freezing stew, do not top with breadcrumbs. Thaw, top with breadcrumbs and bake until crumbs are browned and stew is thoroughly heated.

Serves 10 to 12

First knitting project!

A scarf for Squirrely!

Froggy! Day 19

Froggy's tail is disappearing! And he's starting to look more like a frog than a catfish.

Umbrella chair

I found this old beat-up chair in the laundry room of my building. I stripped it with Citristrip, which worked great, and painted it glossy black. The upholstery is beach umbrella fabric from Fabric Guru.

Before . . .

After . . .

Froggy! Day 15

Happy Halloween!

Monkey Friday