Grilled Pork Chops with Apricot Salsa

Another spin off on a Rachel Ray dish.

4 pork chops
olive oil
salt
pepper
4 apricots
2 scallions
1 Tbs Balsamic vinegar
1 Tbs lemon juice.
1 Tbs minced fresh ginger.


Coat the pork chops with olive oil and salt and pepper. Half the apricots. Put apricots and pork chops on the grill. In the meantime chop scallions and combine with ginger, vinegar, and lemon juice in a bowl. Remove the apricots when they are just browned put them in the bowl and tightly cover with aluminum foil for 10 minutes. Cook the pork chops until done (10-12 minutes). Remove pork chops from grill to a plate to sit. uncover apricots and chop them finely and toss chopped apricots with the rest of the ingrediants. Top pork chops with apricot salsa and serve. Total cook time: 20 min

Peach Butter

just like apple butter only so much better! I had a bunch of extra peaches from my food co-op order. (I got some extra ones for helping on distribution day in addition to my order) so I needed some way to use them. Enter Peach butter, tart sweet and delicious on toast or anything.

12ish peaches
1/4 c honey
1/4 c lemon juice
1 tsp ginger

cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Put them in a saucepan with about 1/2 c water (just enough to keep them from burning to the bottom while they juice) and the honey and lemon. Cover and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally until they are a soft sauce-like mush - about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and put them through the Foley food mill to remove skins, etc. Put the sauce in the crokpot and cook UNcovered on high for about 5 hours or until there is no water seeping from around the edge when you put a dab of it on a plate. In the last 30 min add the ginger. Remove the butter from the crockpot and put in a jar and in the fridge or can it in a boiling water bath canner for 5 min (10 min for folks at 3,000-6,000ft elevation)

Note if you don't have a food mill first off I'd go buy one or pick one up at a yard sale like me but if you really don't have one you could blanche the peaches in boiling water for about 1 minute and then remove the skins, half and pit them and then put them in the pot to cook into mush.

Whoopie Pies

The only true way to experience a whoopie-pie is to buy one from someone sitting under a blue tarp by the side of Rt. 1 in Maine. Rob informed me that you don't have 'em in other parts of the country - boy are you missing out. This classic New England treat is part cake part filled cookie and delicious. It seems every country store in northern New England has a pile by the cash register wrapped in plastic thanks to some local women who makes em up fresh daily. Since I'm feeling a bit under the weather I haven't actually made these yet. Note that the recipie calls for vegtable shortning (aka Crisco) NOT butter. Especially in the filling Crisco is what makes it so white and fluffy.

Whoopie Pies

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup milk
Whoopie Pie Filling (see recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening, sugar, and egg. In another bowl, combine cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In a small bowl, stir the vanilla extract into the milk. Add the dry ingredients to the shortening mixture, alternating with the milk mixture; beating until smooth.

Drop batter by the 1/4 cup (to make 18 cakes) onto prepared baking sheets. With the back of a spoon spread batter into 4-inch circles, leaving approximately 2 inches between each cake. Bake 15 minutes or until they are firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Make Whoopie Pie Filling. When the cakes are completely cool, spread the flat side (bottom) of one chocolate cake with a generous amount of filling. Top with another cake, pressing down gently to distribute the filling evenly. Repeat with all cookies to make 9 pies. Wrap whoopie pies individually in plastic wrap, or place them in a single layer on a platter (do not stack them, as they tend to stick).

Whoopie Pie Filling
Whoopie Pie Filling:
1 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 cups Marshmallow Fluff
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a medium bow, beat together shortening, sugar, and Marshmallow fluff; stir in vanilla extract until well blended.

recipie from http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/WhoopiePieHistory.htm