Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce

Sally said: "This is an easy and delish recipe for the slow cooker from the Not your Mother's Slow Cooker cookbook. I found the recipe but I have to give Tony the credit for cooking it. We used four hours on high rather than eight on low. Turned out fine, very tender and flavorful. You can serve it with jasmine rice or thai noodles. Sliced oranges would be good with it."
Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce
An adaptation of a Cooking Light recipe that was posted on the Internet where it received a five-star rating from home cooks published in Not Your Mother's Slow Cooker.
Ingredients:

One 2-pound boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat and cut into four pieces
1 bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup prepared teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup peanut butter
For serving:

1/2 cup green onions (white and green parts)
1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts
2 limes, cut to make 8-12 wedges

• Coat the slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Put the pork, chopped bell pepper, teriyaki sauce, rice vinegar, red pepper flakes, and garlic into the cooker. Cover and cook on LOW until pork is tender, 7-9 hours. (Sally cooks for 4 hours.)
• Remove the pork from the cooker and coarsely chop. Add the peanut butter to the liquid in cooker; stir will to dissolve the peanut butter and blend with the liquid to make the sauce.  Return the pork to the sauce and toss to coat the meat evenly.
• Serve in shallow bowls over hot jasmine rice, and sprinkle each serving some of the green onions and peanuts. Pass the lime wedges.

Apple Dapple Cake

Last night we played cards and Rosemary made us a lovely fall supper of sloppy joes, cheesy potatoes and Greek salad. But the highlight of the evening was her Apple Dapple Cake, original recipe by Darlene Bourdeau,  gleaned from an old Detroit newspaper clipping and saved for just such an autumn occasion.

Apple Dapple Cake
by Darlene Bourdeau

3 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla
1-1/2 cups nuts, chopped
3 apples, peeled and chopped

• Mix and pour into greased and floured Bundt pan.
• Bake 60 minutes at 350-degrees.
• Frost while hot.

Frosting:
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup milk
Boil over medium heat 2-1/2 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over cake.

Note: Robin said her friend substituted rum for milk in the frosting and called it Apple Dapple Rum Cake.

Ginger Pumpkin Pear Soup

Mary Lee W. says this soup is marvelous -- what could be more perfect on a fall afternoon?

Ginger, Pumpkin, Pear Soup
from Genesys Athletic Club

2 tblsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup fresh ginger, minced (or one whole root)
3 pears, peels, cored and sliced thin
2-16 oz or 1-28 oz. can pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups chicken stock

• Saute ginger, onion, and pears in olive oil.
• Stir in pumpkin, seasoning, and stock; bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.
• Puree in small batches in blender, or use stick blender in pot to blend smooth.

Makes six servings

Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken

Kathy T.’s comments: This is an easy dish to make.  Its taste is much bigger than the effort required to make it. The next time I make this I will add baby Portabella mushrooms. The original recipe called for 2 cups/8 oz of Gorgonzola cheese. I used 6 oz. of blue cheese and thought it was too much, so I’ve suggested using 4 oz.

Penne Gorgonzola with Chicken -- Adapted from Taste of Home Grand Prize Winning “Timesaver Recipe – 2009"

1 pkg. 16 oz. penne pasta

1 lb.+ boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into ½-in. pieces

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

¼ cup white wine – I used pinot grigio

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup chicken broth

1 cup (4 oz.) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese. I used Maytag blue cheese.

6 to 8 fresh sage leaves, thinly sliced

Salt/pepper to taste

Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Minced, fresh parsley

• Cook pasta according to package instructions.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium heat, brown chicken in olive oil on all sides.  Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.  Add wine, stirring to loosen the browned bits from the pan.
• Add cream and chicken broth; cook until sauce is slightly thickened and chicken is no longer pink inside.  Stir in Gorgonzola (blue) cheese, sage, salt and pepper.  Cook just until the cheese is melted.
• Drain pasta.  Toss with the sauce.  Sprinkle with Paraigiano-Reggiano cheese and parsley.