Mushroom Pork

I'm typically not a fan of pork. Actually, I tend to avoid buying it altogether unless it's a smoked ham. Something about the thought of it just grosses me out. I've had it prepared fabulously before, and loved it. I've had good recipes for it given to me, and enjoyed them. But in general, at the grocery store I tend to avoid picking any up.

The other day though they were on that same sale I mentioned in my last post. So I bought some. Then I realized that I had nothing that I would normally make with it. Nor did I have the time to spend frying it. So I threw something together, put it in the crockpot, and called it good. The family raved over it. And I even bought a package of pork blade steak this last time I was there to do it again. Here's what I came up with:

1 package of pork chops/loins/blade steaks(I think there were 4 in there)
2 cans of cream of mushroom
a handful of fresh mushrooms (optional of course)
1/4 medium sized onion chopped VERY small
a couple garlic cloves, pressed
salt
pepper

I literally dumped it in the cp. It was done on high in about 3 hours. (Stir it half way through if you want -- just to make sure everything is evenly coated.) I served it w/ mashed potatoes and green beans.


Again, the family adored it. So finally, a plus one for pork. :)

Tilapia with White Wine and Tomatoes

In recent days I have found myself in a constant search for good deals on great food. I desperately want to serve my family amazing meals but with grocery prices rising and my budget not growing, I've found myself having to learn to be creative with not only my grocery list but also when searching for good deals on food.

I typically avoid one of our local grocery store . They overprice their foods and then sell it at regular price a "discounted" price if you have the pleasure of holding one of their cards (which you nearly have to beg the cashiers to offer to you). Their customer service is terrible. And their vegetables are typically no where near being ripe or else are nearly spoiled.

However, in my new search for creative ways to inexpensively feed my family, I started looking at their ads again. They frequently run buy-one-get-ones on their meat. Now, they start out overpriced, so the deal isn't truly as great as it sounds ... but it's still a deal!

My favorite item that runs in this deal is the packages of tilapia. Certainly not as good as fresh, but when I can get 8 filets of tilapia for $7, I'll take it!


The last time I did this I went on a search for a good recipe. I remembered a friend of mine listing a tilapia with a garlic butter sauce on her Monday Menu Plan and she graciously linked me up. However, I was quickly reminded by one of my guests that their children wouldn't eat a food that had a strong garlic flavor. So I flipped gears and went searching. This is what I found:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Tilapia-with-Wine-and-Tomatoes/Detail.aspx

• 4 (4 ounce) fillets tilapia
• salt and pepper to taste
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 4 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 cup white wine

1. Preheat a grill for medium-high heat.
2. Place the tilapia fillets side by side on a large piece of aluminum foil. Season each one with salt and pepper. Place one tablespoon of butter on top of each piece of fish, and sprinkle garlic, basil and tomato. Pour the wine over everything. Fold foil up around fish, and seal into a packet. Place packet on a cookie sheet for ease in transportation to and from the grill.
3. Place foil packet on the preheated grill, and cook for 15 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Open the packet carefully so as not to get burned from the steam, and serve.

I did it slightly differently, though, and would like to share my changes. First, after I had placed the tilapia on the foil and sprinkled it w/ the salt and pepper, I drizzled it with olive oil instead of butter. Then I took dried basil and sprinkled that on top in lieu of the fresh basil (just didn't have it around). Next came the garlic. I also didn't have any fresh tomatoes on hand so I went to grab (and drain) a can of diced tomatoes. However, upon inspecting my cabinets I realized that MY diced tomatoes came in only two different varieties (versus also having regular diced tomatoes): diced tomatoes with green chiles and onions, and diced tomatoes with basil and oregano. Of those two, the obvious choice was the can with basil and oregano. I poured the tomatoes over the fish. Then finally added the cup of wine and sealed the foil packet. Chris grilled it for us.


It was AMAZING. I loved it. The kids loved it. The husband (who is not a fish lover) loved it.