Parmesan Mushroom Pork

This recipe which I found on Pinterest was titled “Melt in Your Mouth Chicken Breast” and came from HERE. But the recipe that follows was made with what was in my kitchen this afternoon and was only inspired by the original recipe. See what you think! We loved it.

Ingredients:

- 2 thick pork cutlets

- a large handful of parmesan cheese

- 6 sliced button mushrooms

- 1/4 cup mayo

- 1 minced garlic clove

- salt and pepper

Directions:

- Place pork in a greased baking dish.

- Mix the rest of the ingredients and spread over the top of the pork.

- Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:

- The original recipe called for a cup of mayo and that made me want to gag. I am guessing I used about a 1/4 of a cup, I really just added mayo to stick all the other ingredients together.

- Sorry my cheese amount is just an estimate—I just used enough so the mixture would cover both pieces of pork.

Peppermint Bark

Last year I mastered Mark's FAVORITE Christmas candy, Peanut Brittle! This year I decided to take on his other favorite, Peppermint Bark. This was much easier than the brittle. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 24 ounces white chocolate chips
• 24 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• crushed candy canes or peppermints
  
• Cookie Sheet lined with foil
• Cooking Spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with tin foil and spray.

2. Pour the semisweet chocolate chips onto the pan and spread them around evenly. Bake for a couple of minutes until they look barely melted. Then take the pan out of the oven and spread the chips around with a spatula. Put the pan in the refrigerator to cool and harden for at least 30 minutes.

3. Melt the white chocolate chips in a double boiler, stirring constantly. (You can do this in the microwave but I have the tendency to burn chocolate in the microwave.) Stir in 1 teaspoon of peppermint extract and the candy cane dust. Mix until smooth.

4. Pour over the top of your COOLED semisweet chocolate layer. Do it quickly as the brown chocolate will begin to melt from the heat of the white chocolate and too much spreading around will cause swirls in your bark. (Tastes the same, but not as pretty.)

5. Sprinkle top with candy pieces and press down to ensure they stick.

6. Refrigerate for several hours, then break the bark into chunks.

7. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Remove from fridge about 5 minutes before serving.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality

- Go to ALDI to buy your chocolate!! We don't have one at the beach and I paid an arm and a leg for bags of chips. Might have been cheaper to buy the bark already made... but we won't think about that!!

- I used starlight mints for my peppermints and they were a PAIN to break up. Candy canes would be easier for sure!

- I'm not sure why you have to store this in the fridge, I am not and it isn't sticking together. Can't think of any other reason to do so.

*** Original recipe found HERE ***

Eleanor's Peanut Brittle

This recipe has a long history. If you care to read it off my blog, it is HERE.

Ingredients
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup water
1 1/4 cup light corn syrup
3 cups raw peanuts
2 Tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking soda
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
- Mix sugar, water, and corn syrup in sauce pan.
- Boil until the sugar dissolves.
- Cover with lid and boil 3 minutes.
- Remove lid and continue to boil uncovered until mixture reaches 275 on candy thermometer.
- Add peanuts and butter.
- Cook 8-10 minutes more stirring constantly until caramel in color.
- Remove from heat.
- Combine salt, soda, water, and vanilla-- add to peanut mixture and stir well.
- Pour onto 2 well buttered cookie sheets spreading as thin as possible.
- Let cool and break into pieces.

Tips from a Kitchen of Reality:
- Use a GOOD candy thermometer!!