Good Friends and Good Food

Who could ask for anything more? This weekend I got to visit with some old friends and their families. Of course food was involved. My friend Angela made some country style ribs and potatoes. Well, I couldn't pass up the chance to cook for friends so I made barbeque baked beans. They got rave reviews so I'll definately make them next time we cook out!
I didn't take a picture but here's the recipe...super simple.


Barbeque Baked Beans
Olive Oil (EVOO)
1/2-1 lb ground beef
1/2 bell pepper
1/4-1/2 vidalia onion (depending on how much onion you like, i tried using a white onion before and it's not the same)
1 clove garlic, minced or grated
1/2 cup plain barbeque sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cans regular pork-n-beans

In a skillet with a little evoo, cook the onion and pepper. When almost done add the garlic. Put in a large bowl and set aside. In the same pan cook the beef. When done drain and add to the veggies. Mix in everything else and put in a 13x9 casserole dish. Cook at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Best when served warm!

"Pork Chops and Applesauce"

That would be what my toddler had. As for me and my husband, we had pork chops and corn salsa. My local grocer had pork chops for sale so I began looking for a new recipe. I found a very promising "Parmesan-crusted Pork Chop" recipe at Delish. She suggested serving them with a lemon wedge so I thought my corn salsa would make a great side. They were a perfect match!

Here is my corn salsa recipe.

Corn Salsa

EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

1 small onion, diced

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced or grated (more if you like)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained partially

1-2 cups frozen corn kernels (add as much or as little as you like)

Salt and Pepper

Parsley

Cilantro, chopped

Lime

(to make it more Italian, omit the cilantro and lime and add oregano and nutmeg...this is equally as good)

Add 1-2 tbsp EVOO to a medium saute pan and heat to medium. Add onion and garlic to the pan and cook until onions are translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and corn. Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Let simmer about 10 minutes until corn and tomatoes are heated through. Mix in the juice of half a lime and cilantro before serving. Serve warm.

(For the Italian version add the oregano and dash of nutmeg when adding the salt, pepper and parsley.)