Quick, Delicious, and Crunchy Pork Chops

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog. I am sure you can tell my family and I eat a lot of chicken and pork which means we have to get creative with how we prepare these meals so we aren't eating the same thing every week. So last night I decided to get creative and wanted to make some crunchy pork chops for dinner with a little bit of garlic butter pasta on the side. This dish is super flavorful and has a nice bite to it.

Pork Chop Ingredients:

• Pork Chops (I cooked 4 very thin ones)
• 3 cups of Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs
• 1 packet of Italian Dressing Mix
• 1 cup of Cheddar Cheese
• 1 cup of Ranch Dressing 
• 1 tbsp of Garlic Powder
• Salt and Pepper

How to make these Pork Chops:

First we are going to want to make sure all of our pork chops are the same size this way they all cook evenly. We really don’t want some pieces to be over done and some to be under done. Now we are going to set up some stations for the pork. First on a plate we are going to squeeze out 1 cup of ranch dressing. Then in another dish we are going to add our bread crumbs, Italian dressing mix, cheddar cheese, garlic powder, and salt and pepper into our dish and stir it up until everything is mixed. 

Now that we have our stations all set up we are going to begin dredging the pork chops. First we are going dip our pork into the ranch dressing making sure that both sides are coated with ranch, then we are going to place them into our bread crumb mixture. We are going to want to pat down the mixture onto the pork chops to make sure they stick. Repeat this process until all of the pork chops are coated. Then place them on a baking sheet lined with foil so they don’t stick.

Then in a oven preheated to 400 degrees we are going to cook them for 35 minutes. This will all depend on the thickness of your pork chops, mine are very thin so they only took 35 minutes but if they’re on the thicker side I would give them about 45 minutes to cook. These pork chops will come out very crispy but still have lots of flavor on the inside.

If you’re anything like my family who eats a ton of chicken and pork it is always nice to try new recipes to mix it up from the usual dishes you cook. Please try this dish I promise it will not disappoint you.

Give my blog a like, follow, and share if you have tried some of these amazing recipes.

Cranberry Sauce

Hey Guys and welcome back to Ica’s Delights! My family doesn’t just have turkey and other Thanksgiving day foods only on Thanksgiving, we usually eat more meals like this throughout the year. This year we celebrated the holidays at my cabin with my grandparents and my grandma loves cranberry sauce with her meal. This is something new that my family normally doesn’t eat so we decided to give it a try.

Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:

• A Bag of Cranberries 
• 1/2 cup of Orange Juice
• 1/2 tsp of Orange Zest
• 3/4 cup of Sugar
• 1/8 tsp of Nutmeg
• 1/2 cup of Water

How to make Cranberry Sauce:

First we are going to pour our cranberries onto a baking sheet that way we can get a good look at all of them. Next we are going to pick through and pick the ones that are squishy or the ones that have already popped. When doing this I was very surprised with how many I had actually removed because they had already popped. 

Next we are going to pour our cranberries into a medium sized sauce pan. To our cranberries we are going to add our water, orange juice, orange zest, sugar, and nutmeg then we are going to give it all a stir. Now we are going to turn on our heat to medium high and allow it boil, once it starts to boil you will start to hear the cranberries pop which is a cool sound. Once you hear them popping you’re going to put a lid on it and reduce to heat to medium low and let them cook for another 15 minutes. Once the time is up you’re ready to serve your amazing dish that is good year round with turkey.

I hope that you get your family together for amazing meals and have some real conversations without the phones at the table. I hope you enjoy this dish with your dinner.

Taco Pasta

Hello Guys! So today on the blog I am going to share a recipe from a trip I took this summer in Carmel. My best friend Elizabeth and I got to go to Carmel this past summer to nanny for my cousins, who have the most adorable boys on the planet. We got to stay in this amazing house that had breath taking views and an amazing kitchen. Elizabeth and I wanted to make something really yummy for our night in the house. We did lots of research and with a little bit of trial and error over the past couple of times we have made it, we have finally come up with a super yummy recipe. This is a fun twist on your typical Taco Tuesday. Today I will be sharing the recipe for Taco Pasta with you.

Taco Pasta Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of Ground Beef
• 4 oz. of Cream Cheese
• 1 packet of Taco Seasoning
• Spiral Noodles
• 1 1/2 cups of Cheddar Cheese
• Fritos (Optional)

How to make Taco Pasta:

First we are going to begin with boiling a pot of water to cook our noodles. You’re going to want to cook to noodles according to the package on the box. While our noodles are cooking we are going to begin to brown our ground beef. Now that our beef is browning we are going to begin to grate our cheese, unless you bought it already grated then more power to you.

Once our meat is brown you’re going to want to drain the fat then add water to your meat and add the taco seasoning. Allow all of the water to evaporate. Then we are going to add in our cream cheese and melt it into the meat. This mixture will become very creamy. Then we will mix in our cheddar cheese until it is melted in. Finally add your noodles and mix until everything is combined. You can add some Fritos to your dish for a textural element to the dish. We found that it left a nice crunch and complimented the dish very well.

I hope you enjoy this and try this dish, it is truly a fun twist on taco night. Everyone loves pasta and loves tacos so this is the best of both worlds for a lot of people.

If you enjoy trying new foods or are just enjoying reading my blog then give me a like, follow, and share.

Oven Baked Garlic Fries

Happy Tuesday Everyone! The rain and all of this wind sucks but this recipe is fun and yummy and is sure to make your rainy day better. I know it is hard to admit because we all want to think we are perfect and never eat fast food, but who doesn’t love a good McDonald’s french fries? Well this recipe for homemade oven baked garlic fries is just as amazing and healthier than McDonald’s.

Oven Baked Garlic Fries Ingredients:

• Russet Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Garlic Salt or Minced Garlic

How to make Oven Baked Garlic Fries:

First we are going to cut the potatoes into even thin slices. I roughly got about 16 fries out of each potato. Once you have cut all of the potatoes you will place them into a large bowl and fill it with hot water. Let them sit for 10 minutes.

While the potatoes are soaking in the water we are going to line a baking sheet with paper towels. Once the 10 minutes are up we are going to drain the water and then dump the potatoes onto the baking sheet lined with our paper towels and then we are going to pat them dry. 

Next we are going to drizzle three tablespoons of olive oil on our baking sheet and we will also add a little bit of salt, pepper, and garlic salt or minced garlic. Then we are going to place our potatoes onto our baking sheet. Now we are going to drizzle a little bit more olive oil and our spices on top of them. We are going to cover this with foil.

In a oven preheated to 425 degrees we are going to place our potatoes in there for 5 minutes. Once the time is up we are going to remove the foil and let them bake for another 15 minutes. Then we are going to rotate the baking sheet and let them bake for another 15 minutes. If they still aren’t crispy then let them bake for another 5 minutes or until they’re a beautiful golden brown.

These fries were delicious! Now you don’t have to let the house for those amazing fries, you can begin to make them at home. You can even experiment with all kinds of different spices on your fires. 

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Welcome back to my blog everyone and Happy Friday! I love Friday’s because that usually means we are going to have a nice family meal together after a long week of work. This is a dish that me and my best friend came up with and it is a combination of our favorite things which are, parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs. Everything is better with cheese and bread crumbs on it.

Today I will be sharing the recipe for parmesan crusted chicken! This dish is so simple that anyone can do it and you don’t need to be a pro in the kitchen to achieve an amazing dish. 

Parmesan Crusted Chicken Ingredients:

• 1 lb. of Chicken Breast
• Panko Bread Crumbs
• Olive Oil
• Parmesan Cheese 
• Egg
• Salt and Pepper

How to make Parmesan Crusted Chicken:

First we are going to want to cut or chicken breast into half, the thinner the chicken the easier it is to cook. Once you have sliced all f your chicken breast you will want to cover them with a piece of plastic wrap on top of them. Then we are going to pound them to make them even thinner. Now if you want don’t have a meat tenderizer you can use a pan as well. Once you have beat the chicken they are nice and thin we are going to salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.

Now we are going to set up our dredging stations! In our first dish we are going to crack an egg and whisk it until the yoke is completely broken up. Then we are going to add salt and pepper to our egg wash. It is important to season everything as we go to add lots of flavor to each layer of this dish. Our next dish is going to be our panko bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. There are no exact measurements on anything we just eye balled everything. You can add more cheese if you want it to be a little more bold which is what we did. Then you will dip the chicken into the egg wash and make sure you get all of the excess off then into the panko. I made sure to pat down the panko onto the chicken to help it stick better.

Once all of our chicken is done we are going to heat up our olive oil, we did enough to cover the whole bottom of the pan. When our pan was all heated we added our chicken breast and allowed them to cook for 5 minutes then we flipped them for another 5 minutes. Finally we placed them on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil then we served it. 

This dish is one of my favorites! The chicken comes out super moist inside but has lots of flavors on the outside. I recently cooked this dish for my boyfriend Andrew and he instantly fell in love. I made extra for me to take to work and he ate it all that night. If you’re looking for a fun recipe for your family then this is a great one for a Friday night.

If you enjoyed this weeks dishes on my blog then give me a like, share, and a follow! Thanks Guys!

Santa Cruz Food

Hello Everyone! Today I thought I would switch things up and do a little review of all of the food me and my boyfriend ate while in Santa Cruz. We decided to go on a mini vacation to celebrate our one year together. Andrew and I LOVE to eat so you will always find us eating a cool new places. 

During our trip we drove up the coast on Highway 1 and explored many beaches along the way back to our hotel. During our drive we noticed many fruit stands and were very hesitant to get berries and honey from a stranger on the side of the road, but let me tell you that you’re going to want to do it! It was the best decision we have every made! Andrew bought some local honey that was cooked down in blackberries and he says it is some of the best honey he has every had. We also bought a basket of strawberries and these were the juiciest berries we have ever had. They came straight from the farm that was right on the beach. We highly recommend that you try some fruit from random place we promise that you won’t be disappointed. 

We also tried some food at the Board Walk which was just a two minute walk from our hotel. We weren’t all that pleased with some of the concessions. If you know me you know that I have an obsession with gummy candies. Now although we didn’t enjoy some of the food we had here one good thing came out of this trip, Andrew bought me some gummy sharks. 

Lastly we decided to go to a fancy dinner to celebrate our one year together and to celebrate all of the memories to come with our relationship. We did lots of research on where to eat and we came across this place called Crow’s Nest which was right on the harbor. When you pull up to this place it is a old wooden building with a real warm and inviting feeling to it. We were seated outside on the water which made me nervous because it was very cold that night, but luckily that had a big heat lamp at every table basically so it wasn’t bad at all. 

Andrew and I aren’t big drinkers at all but if you love wine then this is a good place for you. Everything on the menu is paired with a glass of wine that compliments the flavors of the dishes. I ordered the Iron Grilled Sirloin which came with a baked potato, fried onions, and fresh steamed veggies. This also came with a dipping sauce that was AMAZING! The steak was very well seasoned and very juicy and the fried onions on top added a very nice texture to the dish. The baked potato was well cooked and it came with bacon on it. Everything is better with bacon right? 

Andrew got the Caribbean Lobster Tail with the Iron Grilled Sirloin and said it was amazing. This came with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh steamed vegetables as well. The lobster tail was cooked perfectly and melted in your mouth. Overall we had an amazing dinner that didn’t break the bank. They also have live music playing which is really nice and the view of the all of the boats lit up for the holidays was really delightful to look at. 

                                     

So if you’re ever in Santa Cruz go out and explore and find some amazing places to eat like we did. Also if you know of some great places please feel free to comment because Andrew and I would LOVE to try them. 

Garlic Parmesan Red Potatoes

Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog! Today on the blog I am going to be sharing one of my favorite side dish recipes. I come from a long history of family dinners that always involved steak and twice baked potatoes but recently I decided to play around with red potatoes. 

These red potatoes are going to be coated in garlic and parmesan cheese which is such an amazing combination of flavors. If you love potatoes as much as me and my family do then this is the right side dish for you and your family.

Garlic Parmesan Red Potatoes Ingredients:

• Bag of Red Potatoes
• 3 Cloves of Garlic
• 3/4 cup of Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup of Parsley 
• 2 1/2 tbsp of Olive Oil

How to make Garlic Parmesan Red Potatoes:

First you’re going to want to wash all of your red potatoes, you never know what kind of dirt, animals, and other things have been on your potatoes. Once you have washed all of them then you’re going to want to cut each potatoes into fourths. Then place the cut red potatoes into a large bowl.

Next you’re going to begin grading your parmesan cheese or you can buy yours already graded and this will save you even more time. Once the cheese is graded pour it over top of the red potatoes. Then we are going to mince 3 cloves of garlic and add it to our potatoes as well. Finally we are going to add our parsley and olive oil to the potatoes and give them a big stir to combine everything and make sure all of the potatoes are evenly coated.

Now we are going to line two baking sheets with aluminum foil then we are going to drizzle a little bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper on the baking sheets. Then we are going to pour our potatoes onto our baking sheets, we want to make sure that no potatoes are sitting on top of each other. We want them all to bake evenly and get nice and crispy on the outside. Next we are going to put them into our oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Once the 20 minutes are up we are going to use a spoon and move the potatoes all around so they don’t stick to the pan. Then we are going to let them cook for another 25 minutes. 

This dish was super simple to make and is super yummy. If you’re looking for a simple side dish for your dinners then this is the one for you. 

My Famous Pumpkin Roll

Welcome back to Ica’s Delights everyone! I know that the holiday season is over which makes me sad, so this is why I have decided to share a recipe that reminds me of the fall. Fall is my favorite season, there is something so special about the leaves changing colors and the amazing fashion that comes with the season. 

Every year for Thanksgiving I am usually in charge of dessert for my family, I have been making the same dessert for a very long time. There have been lots of errors made while I learned how to make this dish perfectly. Today I will be sharing my recipe for my famous pumpkin roll, this recipe is very easy to follow and will come out perfectly every time.

Pumpkin Roll Cake Ingredients:

• 3/4 cups of All Purpose Flour
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp of Baking Soda
• 1 tsp of Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of Ground Cloves
• 1/4 tsp of Salt 
• 3 Eggs
• 1 cup of Sugar
• 2/3 cup of Pumpkin Puree ( I made mine from scratch)
• 1/4 cup of Powdered Sugar

How to make the Pumpkin Roll:

In a small bowl you’re going to combine your flour, baking powder and baking soda, your ground cinnamon and cloves, and finally we are going to add our salt. Give this a good mix and you could even sift it if you felt the need to. 

Next in a bigger bowl we are going to add our eggs and sugar and we are beat these together for about 3 minutes until it turns nice and thick. Next we are going to add in our pumpkin and beat it until everything is all combined.

Now using a wooden spoon ( I found this to be a little bit easier to mix with) we are going to slowly add little bits of our dry mixture. We are going to keep mixing by hand until it is all combined and there is no more of our dry mixture left. 

This next step is very important! Line your baking sheet with WAX PAPER! This is very important for when it is time to roll your pumpkin roll. Once your baking sheet is lined you’re going to evenly pour your mixture into the pan. Give your pan a few good taps on the counter to get all of the air bubbles out of the batter. Then we are going to place it in a 375 degree oven for about 14-16 minutes. The cake will feel like a sponge when it is done.

While the cake is in the oven it is time to prepare our towel for the roll. Make sure to pick a kitchen towel that doesn’t mean the world to you because this part does get messy. Once we have our towel laid out we are going to sprinkle our powered sugar all over the towel. You really want to make sure that everything is covered because you don’t want your pumpkin roll to get stuck when you unroll it.

Once your cake is done you’re going to immediately turn it over onto our towel. Then slowly peel the wax paper from the pumpkin roll. Once you have removed the wax paper you’re going to roll the cake in the towel and place on a cooling wrack. While our pumpkin roll cools it is time to start making our filling.

Cream Cheese Filling Ingredients:

• 1 pkg (8 ounces) of Cream Cheese
• 1 cup of Powered Sugar
• 6 tbsp of Shortening or Margarine Softened 
• 1 1/2 tsp of Vanilla Extract

How to make the Cream Cheese Filling:

First we are going to want to make sure that our cream cheese and butter are both at room temperature. I usually always forget to thaw these out, so I have become pretty good at getting things to room temp in the microwave, just make sure you don’t melt it. 

In a large bowl you’re going to add your cream cheese and butter and mix these for about 4 minutes until they are nice and combine and soft. Once that is done we are going to add our vanilla and powered sugar then mix it for another 5 minutes until everything is combined. Make sure you don’t turn your mixer on high or you will get powered sugar everywhere. 

Once your pumpkin roll is cooled you can unroll it and spread our filling all inside of it. Make sure you use all of the filling even though it is very tempting to eat some of it. You want a nice and full pumpkin roll. After the filling is all spread you’re slowly going to reroll your cake while removing it from the towel, make sure to take your time because it can spilt very easily. Sprinkle it with some powered sugar at the end and then it is ready to serve.

I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as my family does every year. Who knows maybe having a pumpkin roll at your families holiday events will become a new thing. 

Mini Donuts from a Cake Pop Maker

Happy New Year Everyone! Now that we have started a new year this means it is time for me to start a new blog. This year I am making it my new years resolution to post on my blog at least a few times a week but sometimes that can become hard with working and going to school. 

Today on the blog I am going to be sharing with you guys my recipe for mini donuts. Who doesn't love donuts on a Sunday morning with a nice cup of coffee? Everyone loves donuts but these don't require you to leave your house and can be made with common ingredients found in the house. I will also be showing you how to make a super delicious glaze that isn't tooth breaking sweet.

Donut Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups of All-Puropse Flour
• 1/3 cups of Sugar
• 1 tbsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cups of Milk
• 1/4 cups of Vegetable Oil
• 1/4 cup of Sour Cream
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract

How to make the Donuts:

First in your mixer you’re going to want to add your wet ingredients which would be your egg, milk, vegetable oil, sour cream, and your vanilla extract then you’re going to want to give this a mix either using your hand mixer, stand mixer, or you could even do this by hand. Once all of those are combined you’re going to add your sugar and give it another mix until combined. Then you will add all of your dry ingredients which would be the flour, baking powder, and salt. Allow this to mix for about 3 minutes until the batter gets thick, it will kind of resemble a bread dough. 

Now that we have our donut dough we are going to begin baking these delicious mini donuts. First we are going to want to plug our cake pop maker in and allow it to heat up, it will let you know when it is heated up by the green light turning on. Once the cake pop maker is heated up we are going to add about 1/2 tablespoon of our batter to each hole. We are going to close the lid and let it sit for roughly 4-5 minutes they will turn into a beautiful golden brown. Take them out once they’re done and then continue to cook the rest of the batter.

Donut Glaze Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of Melted Butter
• 1 1/3 cups of Powered Sugar
• 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
• 1 tbsp Hot Water

How to make the Donut Glaze:

First you’re going to want to melt your butter then to our butter we are going to mix in by hand our vanilla extract. Once those two are combined we are going to add in all of our powered sugar by hand, this will create a thick and  unsmooth mixture. Then to this we are going to add in a tablespoon of hot water and we are going to continue to mix this together until it becomes very smooth.

Then I took my donuts and placed them all in a gallon sized zip lock baggie and then drizzled all of the glaze over top of them. I then locked the bag and gave them a good shake. This is such a simple way to glaze your donuts without getting the glaze all over your hands. 

Just like that we have a very simple delicious Sunday morning breakfast to share with your family. It was always a big deal when my Dad would go out and buy us donuts for breakfast but now he doesn’t have to leave the house and we can them together. If you love donuts as much as I do then give this blog post a like, share, and follow.