I recently had the opportunity to take part in a Kansas blogger project with The Kansas Pork Association (KSPA). A group of us each chose one KSPA partner farmer to profile on our blogs and we each made their favorite recipe. I’d like to give a very special introduction to my farmer partner,  Jerry Morris from the Morris & Bohrn Family Farm.

Jerry has been working as a Kansas Pork Farmer since 1968, and he continues to have a passion for farming. Jerry’s grandson, Josh, recently joined the family farm after completing his tour of duty in Iraq. Jerry is happy to be working alongside his grandson each day and enjoys that his great-grandchildren are a part of his everyday as well. Pork farming on the Morris / Bohrn is a real family affair.

Jerry shared that the most rewarding piece of being a pork producer is that he knows he does it well and when you take pride in what you do, it shows. The size of the operations has changed over the years and there are fewer and fewer family farms left in Kansas, but Jerry continues to take all the necessary measures to make sure that he is always delivering on his promise of quality. Even though the industry has faced challenges of health problems and issues with bio-security, Jerry does what he can to make sure he does his part to sell a healthy pig, each and every time.

To find out more about Jerry, his wife of 53 years Mable, and Josh and his family, visit their profile on the KSPA website.

Also, before I get to Jerry’s favorite pork recipe, make sure to head over to the KSPA Facebook page for a really great tailgating giveaway they have going on right now! And if you aren’t from Kansas or aren’t a KSU / KU fan, please make sure to spread the word to your Kansas friends. This $800 giveaway includes (4) tickets to the KSU vs KU football game, a Weber Q 300 grill, 4 fold-able lawn chairs, a Coleman cooler, grilling utensil set, digital probe thermometer, digital pocket thermometer, marinade injector, rib rack, 6 different types of rub, 2 types of BBQ sauces, a ton of other stuff and $50 worth of pork coupons.This is one game they won’t want to miss!

And finally, please make sure to visit the blogs of my Kansas friends for more great farmer profiles and favorite pork recipes!

• Kelly has a really delicious Low and Slow Pulled Pork Recipe
• My mouth is watering thinking about the Pork and Bacon Sliders Alli is sharing
• I bet Amy’s kitchen smelled amazing when she made these Carolina Country Style Ribs
• This recipe for Sante Fe Cured Pork Roast that Jenn shared is going on my next weeks menu
• These Autumn Glazed Pork Chops Amy shared has me ready for fall
• The Honey Pecan Pork Cutlets over on Beki’s blog sound so good

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Pork Chop and Cajun Sausage Picante

A delicious one pot Pork Chop recipe straight from the Morris & Bohrn Family Farm in Central Kansas. As shared on the KSPA website

Ingredients

• 6 Pork chops-deboned I left mine bone-in
• 1 lb. smoked Cajun sausage links cut in 1 to 2 in. pieces
• 1 medium size chopped onion
• 1 Tbsp of chopped garlic
• ½ chopped green bell pepper
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup
• 1 15 oz. can of tomato sauce
• ¼ cup of vegetable oil
• Parsley
• Green onions tops optional

Instructions

• Start with ¼ c. of vegetable oil in the pot. When hot, add onion, garlic and bell pepper and sauté. Add a little water if necessary so that garlic doesn't burn.
• Then add pork chops, sausage, tomato sauce, mushroom soup and 1 can of water from soup can. Bring to a boil, then lower temperature and let simmer and cook. When the meat is almost cooked, you can add the parsley and green onions tops. Cook a little longer until done. Approximately 1 to 1 ½ hours. Serve on cooked white rice. Sure to be a hit.

This is a sponsored post on behalf of the Kansas Pork Association. I was compensated for my time however all opinions expressed are my own.

The post Profile of a Kansas Pork Farmer {Recipe: Pork Chop and Cajun Sausage Picante} appeared first on Dine and Dish.

One of the difficult things about being a food blogger, and when I say difficult I mean that in the loosest of terms, is remembering that not all things you cook have to be new and exciting. It is okay to revisit some old favorites every now and then.

Don’t you find that to be true as you are planning your menus? You want to have something new to blog about, so you fill up your menu with recipes you haven’t tried before in order for you to have some new content for your blog. Pretty soon, some of the recipes you love that you had blogged about before are buried under the pile of new recipes and you soon forget they even existed.

This weekend, I planned my menu for this week but was stumped as to what to have on Sunday night. I sent a shout out into the wonderful world of Twitter for meal ideas when the lovely Melanie, from Southern Comfort in a Northern Life, said she was making a recipe I had on my blog years ago for Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce. Intrigued, because I honestly forgot about that recipe, I went to check out my very own blog to see what she was referring to. Sure enough. I saw the recipe for Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Sauce and instantly remembered how much we had loved it!

Take this as a gentle reminder that newer isn’t always better. Don’t ignore your archives. Sometimes, a treasure that you may have forgotten about awaits you!

Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce (Originally from Epicurious.com)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
6 (1/2-inch-thick) boneless pork chops

Whisk together lime juice, garlic, red-pepper flakes, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then add oil in a slow stream, whisking well. Whisk in cilantro.

Prepare a gas grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-high heat. Pat pork dry and season with salt and pepper. Oil grill rack, then grill pork chops, covered, turning over once, until just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes total. Serve drizzled with some vinaigrette, and with remainder on the side.

Cooks’ note: If you aren’t able to grill outdoors, chops can be cooked in a hot lightly oiled large (2-burner) ridged grill pan over moderately high heat.

Makes 4 servings.

Gourmet
July 2007

The post An Old Favorite (Recipe: Grilled Pork Chops with Garlic Lime Sauce) appeared first on Dine and Dish.

Now, on to something I have been incredibly delinquent about. A few months ago, right at the start of my pregnancy, I was contacted by the folks at Amazing Taste Seasonings to see if I would be willing to try some of their seasoning packets. At that point in time it was still grilling season and I thought their seasonings would be perfect for my grillin’ lovin’ husband to give a try. Well, the packets arrived right when I was knee deep in feeling sick all the time and I didn’t get around to reviewing them.

Months have passed and we have had the chance to try their Pork seasoning, their Chili seasoning and their Fajita seasoning packet. All of these were given the thumbs up by my whole family. The Pork seasoning packet gave just enough of a smoky, grilled flavor to the pork without overpowering the taste of the meat. The Chili seasoning had just enough of a kick to make the chili interesting, but not so spicy that my kids wouldn’t eat it. My favorite, so far, has been the fajita seasoning packet. I used the seasoning with chicken, peppers and onions and my family RAVED about these fajitas. In fact, I will not be deviating from this type of seasoning any time in the near future… it is that good.

I’ll be trying out the other seasoning packets as soon as the weather gets warm enough to grill again and I’ll report back!

Amazing Taste seasonings have no MSG and are a healthful alternative to regular seasoning packets. Plus at a cost of only 99 cents a package, you can’t beat it!

You can buy Amazing Taste Seasoning packets at major stores across the United States. If you aren’t able to find them in your local store, you can shop online for their products as well.

The post Enichilads and Amazing Taste Seasonings appeared first on Dine and Dish.

I do not deal well with rejection. Honestly, who does? I have yet to meet a person who actually likes rejection. Some sales people feed off of rejection and it pushes them to try harder, but I really doubt that they actually enjoy being rejected.

This week I started sending my resume out for a new job that I can do from home. This is the first time I have had to do the whole resume thing in my entire 12 year career. I created a resume when I graduated from college and landed a nice little job in the Human Resources / Staffing field. From then on out, the jobs I have had have been based on referrals from other people. New opportunities have just landed in my lap and I have been blessed because of them. Even once my first child was born and I decided to become a stay at home mom, opportunities came forth in the recruiting field that enabled me to be a stay at home mom while earning a bit of money on the side. As of this past January, I ended up resigning from my home based recruiting position because being on the phone so much was becoming too difficult with three very loud children in the background. It is hard to remain professional when you have a toddler tugging on your leg to hold her, or a three year old wanting to talk to whomever you are trying to hold a professional conversation with.

The problem is…we are really missing the money I was making. My husband referred to the fund that we put the money into as an “Oh Shit” fund while I referred to it as an “Ocean” fund. The contribution I made helped to pay the bills, but it also allowed us to play more… go on dates, vacations, buy higher quality ingredients for recipes I was trying out, etc.

I know I could return in a heartbeat to my recruiting job working from home again, but I need a change. My life has changed and the dynamics at home have changed. My number one reason for being at home is my children and, wishful thinking, I need a job that will not be a huge interference in my family life (I know…me and every other SAHM in the universe is wishing for just that!). That leads us to me branching out on my own…networking, sending out resumes, and facing the rejection that is sure to come.

One area I rarely get rejected in is with cooking. The kitchen is my domain and no matter what I make I typically have at least one grateful person on the receiving end of my trials. Sometimes, with those kitchen disasters, it has been our dog…but even then he would gobble up whatever I ruined with his tail wagging and a twinkle in his eye. I rarely feel rejected in the kitchen which is why I think I feel so comfortable there. I know that no matter what, the kitchen will always feel like my safe haven away from the world.

For a hit of your own and to feel accepted in the kitchen, give this recipe from the August 2007 issue of Gourmet magazine a try. Not a hint of rejection will be felt after you watch your recipients lick their plates clean.

Gourmet
July 2007

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