Broccoli Lo Mein with Chicken or Pork

I love Chinese food, and easy access to it is one thing that I really miss since we moved to our itty-bitty community. Along with pizza delivery, grocery stores that are open past 4 p.m. on Sundays, and my sisters-in-law. Not necessarily in that order.

I've been cooking a lot more Chinese food at home as a result, although much of it still lacks the restaurant-style appeal. (Am I missing the MSG? Should I let it sit under a heat lamp for a few hours?)

I gravitate toward lo meins, especially, because like most toddlers, the little man loves him some noodles. Also, I hate making rice. And macaroni and cheese from a box. And Rice Krispie treats. But we've been through that before.

More so than any lo mein recipe I've tried cooking, this adapted one from America's Test Kitchen tastes more restaurant-style. But fresher and healthier. The sauce is light, yet still flavorful.

I used pork and broccoli in this version, but I can't wait to try this again with chicken, and maybe swap in some other veggies for some of the broccoli.

Broccoli Lo Mein with Chicken or Pork
Serves 4-6

6 ounces dried linguine
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 pound pork loin, cut in 1/4" slices
12 ounces broccoli florets
4 scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
Crushed red pepper flakes, for sprinkling

1. Cook linguine according to package directions in salted water, until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water. Toss with sesame oil.

2. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1/4 cup water. Set aside.

3. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a wok or skillet over medium-high to high heat.

4. Turn on your range hood fan and open a few windows. (This is optional, but still recommended.)

5. Add half the pork to the wok and stir-fry until golden, about 2-4 minutes.

6. Transfer pork to a plate and repeat with remaining vegetable oil and pork. Again, transfer pork to a plate.

7. Add broccoli and remaining 1/4 cup water to wok. Cook, covered, until broccoli is just tender and water has evaporated, about 3 minutes.

8. Add scallions and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

9. Return pork to skillet. Add sauce and noodles and toss until well coated. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired.

Linguine with Shrimp and Scallops

We stayed with my mother-in-law recently, and the hubby likes to make sure that we make plenty of yummy food for her in exchange for taking over her house while we're there.

Also, I usually eat most of the contents of her candy bowl. There, I admitted it.

This is a modified version of a Rachael Ray recipe, which we made because my mother-in-law loves seafood (especially scallops). This dish is sort of like the shrimp scampi that I make for the hubby, but with more lemon and less heat.

Linguine with Shrimp and Scallops
Serves 2-3

8 ounces linguine
1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, and patted dry
1/2 pound sea scallops, muscle removed, and patted dry
1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
1 lemon
1/2 stick butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup white wine

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions, and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.

2. Meanwhile, toss shrimp and scallops with Old Bay seasoning and half a lemon, cut in slices. Set aside.

3. Melt butter over low heat and stir in garlic and crushed red pepper flakes. Let bubble gently for 10 minutes.

4. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, scallops, and sliced lemon.

5. Cook 5-6 minutes, turning once, until seafood is opaque and are cooked through. Add wine and the juice of the remaining half of lemon to deglaze the pan.

6. Transfer mixture to a bowl.

7. Stir parsley into garlic butter. Add to seafood mixture.

8. Stir in pasta and the reserved pasta water and toss gently. Let pasta sit for a few minutes until liquid is absorbed by pasta. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Slow-Simmered Spaghetti Sauce

While I was looking through the cookbook where I discovered the recipe for Michelle's Manicotti, I stumbled upon the basis for this recipe, which is a pretty basic, slow-simmered spaghetti sauce. I did make a few changes, and I absolutely loved the results. This could be the best meat sauce I've ever tried. So thank you, Ms. Marlene Paulsrud ... whomever you are.

This recipe calls for simmering the sauce for at least an hour on the stovetop. However, I let mine cook on low heat all afternoon long, because I love the aroma of a huge pot of sauce cooking all day. You could easily put this in this in the slow cooker, as well, for an even lower-maintenance option.

Slow-Simmered Spaghetti Sauce
Makes 8-10 servings

2 pounds ground beef (85% lean)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 bay leaf
2 1 1/2-ounce packets Italian spaghetti sauce seasoning mix (I used one regular and one zesty)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
3 cups water
2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
2 6-ounce cans tomato paste
1 small can mushrooms, drained
1 small can sliced black olives, drained
Additional salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, to taste

1. Brown ground beef and garlic over medium-high heat in a large pot. Season with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over low heat for at least 1 hour.

3. Serve over hot pasta.

Pork with Pappardelle

The hubby and I were watching Food Network while folding clothes one day, and we saw Aaron McCargo, Jr., making this recipe. It's one that I've always wanted to try, and although we often have different opinions about pasta, the hubby said, "That looks good. We should make that."

So, we did. And it was pretty quick and simple to throw together, after the pork was roasted. We did make some adjustments to the sauce, however, because I wanted mine a bit thicker and more tomato-y than the original.

And feel free to use leftover shredded pork, if you already have some on hand.

Pork with Pappardelle
Makes 6 servings

Pork:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons minced garlic
Salt and pepper
1 4-pound pork shoulder

Pasta:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups shredded pork
1 pound dried pappardelle pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2. For the pork, combine olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. Spread all over pork using a pastry brush.

3. Set meat on rack on roasting pan. Roast for 20 minutes, and then cover with foil and reduce heat to 325 degrees F. Continue to cook about 4 hours.

4. Remove pork from oven and let stand until cool enough to shred, and then shred with your hands. Set aside 2 cups for sauce, and store the rest for use in another recipe.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

6. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook about 5 minutes.

7. Stir in tomato paste and crushed red pepper flakes.

8. After about 1 minute, add broth and pork, and season with salt and pepper, to taste.

9. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook 10 minutes.

10. Meanwhile, add pasta to water and cook 6-8 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Remove pasta and place directly in sauce, adding some pasta cooking water to add moisture, if needed.

11. Cook, tossing pasta with sauce, another 2 minutes. Pour into a large serving bowl and top with freshly grated Parmesan.

Michelle's Manicotti

I have a confession. I don't like ricotta cheese. Which is proof that just anyone can be a food blogger, right? But there's something about the texture that I don't care for, especially when it's intermingled with a red sauce. (This is why I use cottage cheese in my lasagna.)

In fact, I tend to avoid most cheese-filled pasta. Most have ricotta, and even using cottage cheese as a substitute tastes a bit overwhelming to me. The exception is cheese tortellini, which seems to have a higher pasta-to-cheese ratio. Or perhaps I'm just overthinking this whole thing.

Anyway, I've given manicotti a fair shake -- both in restaurants and at home -- and it's just never really been my thing. But the other day, I was flipping through a church cookbook, looking for a specific recipe by a specific person, when I stumbled upon this recipe, by the specific person's daughter -- Michelle. Michelle is the office manager at the hubby's office, and we all adore her. And now we all adore her manicotti.

Michelle had the idea to stuff the manicotti with string cheese instead of a goopy cheese mixture. I think it was in the interests of being faster, but I much prefer the taste of this version, as well. And boy, are those shells a lot easier to stuff.

Depending on how saucy and meaty you want your manicotti, use anywhere between 1-1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, and 1-2 jars of spaghetti sauce. I think I'm .... about 1 1/2 pounds meaty and 1 1/2 jars saucy.

Michelle's Manicotti
Makes 6-8 servings

1 8-ounce package manicotti pasta
1-1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
1-2 26-ounce jars spaghetti sauce
14 pieces string cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9“ by 13” pan, or spray it with cooking spray.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Meanwhile, cook ground beef in a skillet with onion. (Optionally, sprinkle beef with onion salt.) Drain, if necessary, and then add spaghetti sauce.

4. Spread half the sauce in the bottom of the pan.

5. Run manicotti under cold water so you can handle it, and then insert a piece of string cheese in each manicotti tube. Place manicotti in pan (you’ll probably need to squeeze them tight).

If the manicotti tubes split, no biggie. Just put the split side on the bottom.

6. Top with remaining sauce.

7. Cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes, or until heated through.

8. Remove from oven and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, uncovered, 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

And once again, I'm behind in my posts. It's been a busy few weeks with fall yardwork, the wedding of a couple of great friends, my Tigers in the playoffs (hey, watching baseball takes time), and this little goofball turning 2.

Isn't he getting big?

(That's me at the top of the slide. The hubby has been giving me Photography for Dummies lessons lately, including the importance of the bokeh effect in photos. I've discovered that I look my best when I'm bokeh-ed. I plan on taking all my photos that way from now on.)

Anyway, in belated honor of my little man's big birthday, we'll celebrate with meatballs, one of his favorites. These are basic meatballs without any crunchy stuff, no weird chunks of anything in the sauce, etc. Just tender meatballs simmered in a tasty sauce, and sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.

The pickiest of eaters being my father, of course, not my 2-year-old.

Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds ground beef, preferably 85% lean
1/2 cup Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
2 tablespoons olive oil (or more, as needed)
2 24-ounce jars pasta sauce

1. Add the ground beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, and eggs to a bowl. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt.

2. Combine mixture thoroughly. You might have to get your hands dirty.

3. Form mixture into uniformly sized balls.

I use my cookie scoop for this. Even though it weirds me out a little bit, and the cookie scoop is obviously washed in between.

4. Heat oil in a large skillet or pot over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and brown on all sides.

You might have to do this in two batches. You want your meatballs to have elbow room to get nice and caramelized.

5. Reduce heat to medium. Add pasta sauce and cover. Cook about 10 minutes, until sauce is bubbly. Then reduce to a simmer for another 20 minutes or so.

6. Serve over cooked pasta.

Baked Mostaccioli

Now that the hubby and I have sold the house, life has sort of returned to normal. If normal means we can once again mess up the kitchen while we try to sort out the details of this moving debacle.

(And speaking of organizational nightmares, I got a new phone this week. It has a little Post-It notes app that just might keep me sane. Yay Windows Phone 7!)

I threw together this casserole the other night and left it in the fridge before tossing it in the oven after work. I'm a huge fan of pasta bakes, but the hubby typically says, "Meh." This one has a homemade sauce, and not as much sauce or cheese as I typically use. The hubby had two helpings and told me to make it again sometime. So it's healthier AND hubby approved.

Baked Mostaccioli
Serves 6

8 oz. uncooked mostaccioli or other pasta (I used rotini; that's 8 fewer ounces of pasta to pack up for the move!)
3/4-1 lb. lean ground beef
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
1 14 1/2-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 6-oz. can tomato paste
2/3 cup water
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 c. cottage cheese (I used 2%)
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11"x7" baking dish with cooking spray.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions.

3. Add ground beef to a large skillet or saucepan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, and brown over medium to medium-high heat. Stir in the tomatoes, tomato paste, water, oregano, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

4. In a small bowl, combine cottage cheese and marjoram; set aside.

5. Drain pasta. Spread 1/2 c. sauce in bottom of baking dish. Layer with half the pasta, sauce, and mozzarella cheese.

Please pretend there is mozzarella in this photo. Thanks, The Management.

6. Top with cottage cheese mixture.

7. Layer with remaining pasta, sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

8. Bake, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly and heated through. Try to remember to take a picture before four servings have been eaten out of the dish.

Tortellini al Forno

It probably seems as though I'm not cooking as much lately, because I haven't been posting as much. In truth, I've been cooking a lot. But I'm having a recipe drought. I've made a few on-the-fly recipes that have turned out really well, but I wasn't expecting them to, so I didn't take photos. Meanwhile, I've had a slew of recipes with high expectations, lovely photographs, and ... well, meh flavor.

Perhaps I should blog these as what NOT to cook. You know, to save you some time, in case you've got the same cookbooks.

The other night, the hubby and I had an evening out with a few of our siblings, thanks to Jay at Pocket Jacks, his lovely fiancee Donna, and his adorably patient daughter, Macy. They hung out with the little man while we had a quick dinner out, followed by a movie. We ate at an Italian restaurant, and I ordered tortellini al forno, which is one of my favorite dishes. And the little man loved, loved, loved my leftovers the next day, so I decided to whip up a version at home.

Although it looks and tastes impressive, this dish is actually quite easy to make, especially if you use a jarred sauce. And because I broiled it instead of baking it, it just needs a quick zap in the oven.

Tortellini al Forno
Makes 6 servings

1 lb. ground beef
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt, to taste
2 24- to 26-oz. jars cheese-flavored red pasta sauce (such as Ragu six-cheese or Classico four-cheese)
1/3 c. cream
1 22-oz. pkg. of refrigerated cheese tortellini (frozen will also work)
8 oz. shredded mozzarella or thinly sliced fresh mozzarella

1. Preheat broiler on low. Meanwhile, spray a large shallow pan or individual baking dishes with cooking spray.

I used these guys, whom I love.

2. Brown ground beef in a pot over medium-high heat, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt. Drain, if necessary, and then add pasta sauce. Cover and cook until bubbly, then reduce heat to a simmer. Stir in cream, and reheat sauce until bubbly.

3. Cook tortellini in salted water according to package directions.

4. Spread some sauce on the bottom of the baking dishes. This will help prevent the tortellini from sticking to the bottom. Nobody likes a sticky tortellini.

5. Drain tortellini and add to remaining sauce in pot, stirring gently so as not to upset your fragile tortellini. Add tortellini to baking dish.

6. Top with cheese, and a bit of dried herbs, if you like the color. And I do.

7. Broil until cheese is melted and just starting to brown, about 7 or so minutes. (Watch it closely, because it can go from barely melted to brown pretty quickly.)

Korean Chicken Noodle Bowls

I love Korean food. Of course, I've only eaten Korean food either at home or at Japanese restaurants, so I have no idea if I love real Korean food. But I do love my version of Korean food.

So I jumped all over this recipe, which I saw in Rachael Ray's Everyday magazine. What's not to like? Stir-fry? Good. Noodles? Good. Kimchi-like sauce? Good.

And it WAS good. However, I did make modifications that I think made it better. Namely, I added extra veggies and reduced the amount of noodles that were called for. But the recipe still made too much of a good thing (after three meals of this, even the little man grew weary), and was too heavy on the pasta for my tastes. I think the recipe would improve with even less pasta, which I adjusted in this recipe.

Even though it takes away from the kimchi nature of the recipe, I think you can swap in any veggies that you've got on hand. And while I like the texture of whole-wheat pasta here, you could use regular old pasta or Asian noodles in its place.

Korean Chicken Noodle Bowls
Serves 4

Salt and pepper
8-10 oz. whole wheat spaghetti
1" piece of ginger, grated
2 large cloves garlic, grated
1/4 c. tamari
3 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. sesame oil
1 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken, cut in thin strips
1 c. coleslaw mix
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 zucchini, cut in thin strips
1 c. mushrooms, sliced
3 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine a splash of the boiling water with the ginger, garlic, tamari, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, sesame oil, and sriracha. Blend until smooth.

And then taste it, and adjust your seasonings accordingly. Rachael Ray is fond of eyeballing measurements, which I did. Mine was a bit on the salty side, so I decided to add some more honey and sriracha to make it sweeter and spicier.

3. Salt water and add pasta, cooking according to package directions. Drain the pasta well.

4. When pasta is almost finished cooking, heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry, about 3-5 minutes.

5. Add cabbage, pepper, zucchini, and mushrooms, Stir-fry for 2 minutes.

6. Add the ginger sauce and toss for 1 minute.

7. Pour stir-fry over the drained noodles and top with scallions.

Spaghetti and Stuffed Mini Meatballs

When I was growing up, my dad made killer meatballs and gravy. (He still does.) But the first time I made them for the hubby, he said, "Um, these aren't meatballs."

I said, "Of course they are. These are quite obviously balls of meat."

The hubby said, "No, these are hamburger balls. There's a difference. Meatballs have other stuff in them. That's what makes them MEATballs. These are good. But they're hamburger balls."

And thus began my education of all things meatballs. I've discovered that I'm still not a huge fan of fillers in my meat. So I try to keep things basic. (Feel free to substitute your favorite meatball recipe.) And I also don't like huge meatballs, because it's like someone plopped half a meatloaf on my pasta.

But one night I had a dream that I was eating this perfect plate of pasta that had these wonderful, mini meatballs, and the pasta was also tossed with the tinest bocconcini you ever did see. (And yes, I know I'm weird. I dream in food.) I woke up from this dream and thought, "Oh my god, I have to make that." And it seemed like fate when, instead of bocconcini, I found a package of fresh mozzarella pearls.

Of course, the recipe is my dream isn't terribly practical. It's difficult to serve a plate of steaming pasta without melting the cheese into a gooey mess. So I figured I'd stuff the meatballs with the cheese. The hubby and I both really liked this dish. He wanted the leftovers in a meatball sub, instead of with pasta. (I think these would be splendid as an appetizer, and dipped in roasted red pepper sauce.)

Spaghetti and Stuffed Mini Meatballs
Serves 4-6

1 lb. lean ground beef
Salt, pepper, onion salt, and garlic salt
1/3 c. Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg
6 oz. fresh mozzarella
1 tsp. vegetable or canola oil
1 26-oz. jar pasta sauce
8 oz. pasta

1. Cut mozzarella into small pieces. Or save yourself some time and buy some mozzarella pearls, if you can find them.

2. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, seasonings, breadcrumbs, and eggs. Mix with your hands until ingredients are combined.

3. Use a melon-baller to scoop the meat. Flatten and shape around cheese, and then lightly roll to form the meatballs.

I don't have a photo of this. I only have two hands. But I ended up with ... maybe four or five dozen mini meatballs. They were very cute.

4. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the meatballs and brown on all sides. Remove from skillet.

Don't worry if the cheese starts to ooze out of some of the meatballs. Such is the nature of things stuffed with cheese. It adds extra flavor to the sauce.

5. Brown remaining meatballs and remove from pan. Drain fat, and then add both meatballs and sauce to pan. Cover and cook sauce and meatballs over medium heat.

6. Cook pasta according to package directions. This should allow the sauce to simmer for about 15-20 minutes.

7. Drain pasta and serve with sauce and meatballs.

Fettuccine with Spicy Four-Cheese Rosa Sauce

I haven't posted in a shamefully long time. But sometimes life happens, right?

Much has happened in the past few weeks. The little man recovered from his pneumonia, but then his eardrum ruptured. All is well now, and it's hard to believe that he's 6 months old. He's almost sitting on his own, is on the verge of crawling, and grabs at everything in sight. He sleeps about 11 hours a night, loves chocoalte ice cream and graham crackers, and hates mashed potatoes.

He also loves playing, which is why I haven't been doing as much blogging. I have, however, become an expert at the stacking rings, and I sing a mean Itsy Bitsy Spider.

And in other good news, I recently won the giveaway on Moogie & Pap, and I won a Cuisipro Herb Keeper from Foodbuzz. I'm on a roll!

Speaking of Foodbuzz, I also received two jars of Bertolli pasta sauce, as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program. One of them is the new Four Cheese Rosa sauce, which I used with our supper this evening.

The hubby and I aren't huge fans of cream or Alfredo sauces, but we do like them if they're spicy. So I threw in a few teaspoons of Creole seasoning, and served the sauce with grilled andouille sausage and veggies. The sauce tasted very similar to the homemade sauce I use in my Spicy Chicken and Sausage Alfredo, but with the ease of just opening a jar. Which, of course, gave me more time for a few extra rounds of Pat-a-cake after supper.

Fettuccine with Spicy Four-Cheese Rosa Sauce

Serves 4

1 jar Bertolli Four Cheese Rosa sauce

2 tsp. Creole seasoning, to taste (recommend Tony Chachere's)

6 shakes Tabasco sauce, to taste

1 large red bell pepper

1 medium zucchini

1 red onion

Olive oil for drizzling

Salt and pepper

4 andouille sausages

12 oz. cooked fettuccine

1. In a small saucepan, heat pasta sauce over medium heat until it's smooth and heated through, about 4 minutes. Stir in Creole seasoning and Tabasco sauce, to taste. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer.

I added both Creole seasoning and Tabasco because I thought the sauce still needed some kick, but more Creole seasoning might make it too salty. (The sauce obviously has a lot of cheese, which is already salty.)

2. Cut veggies into large pieces and sprinkle with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Grill veggies and andouille over medium heat until cooked to desired doneness.

4. Cut veggies and andouille into bite-sized pieces.

5. Serve hot fettuccine with pasta sauce. Add andouille and veggies.

Serve as is, if you're the hubby.

Mess it all up, if you're me.

Slow Cooker Italian Pork Chops

First off, an award! I received the following from Sophie at Sophies Foodiefiles. Her blog is so fun and interesting, and I learn so much about new ingredients from her.

I'd like to pass this on to three of my favorite blogs:

• Bunny's Warm Oven: Full of fantastic recipes and gorgeous food pics.
• Spryte's Place: Just a beautiful blog; as fun to look at as it is to read.
• Tami's Kitchen Table Talk: I recently discovered this blog, and am loving it. It's full of recipes for food that I would love to eat.

And a big thanks to everyone who sent me recipe suggestions for my exotic Australian ingredients. There are a few that I can't wait to try! I just didn't get a chance to look at the recipes before last week's grocery list deadline. Yes, I had a deadline. "You must submit your online order before blah, blah, blah, or you'll have to go to the store and get your groceries yourself, like a normal person." It's a bit hectic around here these days. We need all the help we can get.

Take today, for instance. The little man didn't go down for his first real nap until 3 p.m., and then he was crabby. I've been drenched in spitup twice. One of the dogs is sick. The cat ripped open a bag of catnip and got it all over the basement, and then slept off her high in the baby's crib. And so on.

Slow cookers were designed for days like these. This is a recipe that I threw together during a lunch break one day. It's simple and tasty, and the pork chops are incredibly tender. I like to serve it over pasta as is, but you can easily thicken up the sauce with a slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken it up.

Slow Cooker Italian Pork Chops
Serves 4

4 boneless pork loin chops
1 tsp. oil
Salt and pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
1/3 c. dry white wine
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
Cooked pasta, for serving

1. Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle pork chops with salt and pepper, and brown in oil, about 3 minutes on each side. Transfer chops to slow cooker.

2. Add garlic, onion, and mushrooms to pan and cook until vegetables are just slightly soft, about 2-3 minutes. Add vegetables to slow cooker.

3. Pour wine in pan and scrape up bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour into slow cooker.

4. In a bowl, combine tomato sauce, lemon juice, and seasonings. Pour over chops and vegetables in slow cooker.

5. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours, or until chops are cooked through. Serve with pasta.