Salsa Pork Chops

6 boneless pork chops
4 T butter (1/2 stick)
salt and pepper
fajita seasoning
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup salsa
Lime wedges

Flatten pork chops between two sheets of plastic wrap; season with salt, pepper and fajita seasoning on both sides. Melt butter in skillet; saute pork chops over medium-high heat a few at a time for 2-3 minutes on each side. Remove chops from skillet and keep warm. Add cream and salsa to skillet, stir well. Return chops to skillet and cover with sauce. Squeeze lime over each chop before serving.

Serves: 4-6

From Suzanne Somers' Fast and Easy cookbook; Level One - Protein/Fats

Dutch Oven Beef Stew

{photo taken before placing in oven to bake}

1 T olive oil
2 lbs. lean stew meat
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz.) diced tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 (14.5 oz.) beef broth
2 tsp. dried thyme
1-2 bay leaves
8 oz. sliced mushrooms
4 stalks celery, chopped
8 oz. pearl onions, peeled*

*Suzanne Somers recommends pouring boiling water over the onions, letting them sit for 60 seconds, and the skins will pop right off.

Preheat oven to 300-325 degrees. Heat olive oil in dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt pepper (remember to dab it dry like Julia Child recommended) and brown beef in small batches. Add remaining ingredients. Cover with dutch oven lid and bake for 3 hours.

This is from Suzanne Somers' Fast and Easy cookbook and is a Level One Protein/Fats meal. This stew does not have traditional stew veggies (since you don't eat protein/fat with carbs on the plan), but I PROMISE you will not miss them!! Scott ate this up and continued to eat leftovers gladly over the next few days. I cooked some petite green peas with this and it was perfect.

Serves 6-8

Cheeseburger Pie/ Breakfast Pie

1 lb. lean ground beef (or 1 lb. HOT breakfast sausage)
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
3 eggs, beaten
green chiles (if desired)
4 cups grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; grease baking dish. Brown beef in large skillet with chopped onion over medium heat. Remove from heat, stir in cream, eggs and 3 cups cheese, season to taste. Pour mixture into baking dish; top with remaining cheese. Bake for 30 minutes (or until set and cheese is lightly browned.

This recipe is from Suzanne Somers' Fast and Easy cookbook as a protein/fat meal suited for Level One. We have also made this dish with HOT breakfast sausage for a yummy casserole type breakfast meal (I also added sliced mushrooms and of course, green chiles).

Serves 6-8

Meatball Minestrone

3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T olive oil
3 (15 oz.) cans cannellini beans, undrained and divided*
1 (32 oz.) box chicken broth
1 (4 oz.) pkg. Knorr vegetable soup mix
30-40 precooked, frozen meatballs**
2 cans diced tomatoes with basil, oregano and garlic
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
8 oz. uncooked rotini pasta
1 (10 oz.) bag spinach, torn

garnish: freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Saute garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat for 1 minute. Stir in two cans of beans and chicken broth; bring to a boil.

Stir in vegetable soup mix until dissolved. Add meatballs, tomatoes and red pepper; return to a boil. Add rotini and cook, stirring often, 15 minutes. (I added sliced zucchini as well.) Stir in remaining can of beans and torn spinach; cook five more minutes.

Serve with bread and green salad. Serves 8+

From Southern Living magazine.

*I substituted a can of kidney beans for one of the cannellini cans just to add more color.

**Home made meatballs would be healthier, but the frozen makes this a quick and simple meal. The recipe called for 60 meatballs--I can't imagine that many! I used a family size package from HEB that had roughly 38-40 meatballs.

Shirred Eggs

One egg per ramekin or person
Havarti cheese, cubed
cubed ham or cooked bacon or cooked breakfast sausage
butter
dash of Tony Chachere cajun seasoning
grated cheddar

Grease individual ramekins. Place meat in bottom of ramekin, add cubes of Havarti cheese. Crack egg into each ramekin. Sprinkle with cajun seasoning. Top with grated cheddar and a dab of butter. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Can also prepare in one casserole dish instead of individual ramekins.

We first discovered shirred eggs at a Bed & Breakfast in Jefferson, TX and they are an almost annual treat for Christmas breakfast.

Cookies & Cream Cake

Cake:
1 white cake mix
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding (or white chocolate)
1 1/4 cup water
1/3 cup oil
3 egg whites
1 1/2 cups crushed Oreos

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first five ingredients in large bowl, stir in crushed Oreos. Pour in two greased and floured round 9" cake pans or one 13"X9" pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until pick comes out clean. Let cool.

Frosting:**
3 cups powdered sugar
1 stick butter, softened (or 3/4 cup shortening)
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine ingredients, adding powdered sugar gradually and beat well, adding more butter or milk if needed for consistency. Frost cake; top with Oreos broken in half.

**Or just use white or vanilla frosting from the store if you are in a pinch for time.

Devil's Toffee Cookies

1 Devil's Food cake mix
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 pkg. toffee brickle bits

Mix cake mix, oil and eggs. Stir in brickle bits. Place small balls of dough (I use a cookie scoop) onto baking stone or sheet, flatten slightly with bottom of glass. Bake for 12-13 minutes @ 350 degrees.

This recipe is from my friend Kim, this might be her Poppa's favorite cookie. Enjoy!