Rachael Ray's New Cookbook, Yum-O - Is It Really?

I have a couple of Rachael Ray's cookbooks and have found a few favorite recipes from each of them. I don't go to them often, but every once in awhile there's something that just sounds like it will hit the spot. When her new cookbook, Yum-o! The Family Cookbook, I decided it was worth checking out from the library. As a side note, I discovered a couple of years back that libaries keep a WHOLE section of cookbooks! This discovery has saved me (read: My Husband) quite a lot of money as I have tried a few recipes from a ton of cookbooks only to find I didn't really NEED to own them. Some I enjoyed so much I went out and purchased them. It's a great way to do a "test run" with a new cookbook.

So, this new cookbook of Rachael's is geared to kid-friendly food and getting them into the kitchen with you. It's also supposed to be somewhat healthy, I say that because there are some recipes that I didn't feel were all that healthy - a bit too much sugar or oil here and there. At any rate, there are some cute lunchbox ideas in it and a few main dish meals that I thought might go over well with my family.

For our first try at this cookbook, I decided to make the Paprika Pork Chops with Swiss Chard Egg Noodles. Swiss Chard is something I've never tasted before, so it was definitely a new one for us. It looks quite a lot like fresh spinach, but it's flavor is SIGNIFICANTLY different. I cooked it according to the instructions, but if it's supposed to taste bitter - let's just say we won't be having that again. We tried it, so at least we can say we gave it a shot before knocking a perfectly good vegetable off of our shopping list.


Since this was a new veggie for us, I am sharing this with Toontz at Okara Mountain who hosts the monthly blogging event Triple Dog Dare. This month the dare is to cook with a vegetable you've never cooked with before... I think this fits since it's a first for cooking with it AND with eating it! Even though we didn't care for it, I imagine others do - just like broccoli rabe... not a big fan of that one either. Guess I'm not a fan of bitter vegetables.

The second part of the recipe was the Paprika Pork Chops. For the paprika, I dug into my stash of Penzey's spices and used the Half Sharp Hungarian Paprika. I love the smokiness of this paprika, so much more interesting and flavorful than the McCormick paprika at the grocery store. This was a quick and easy way to prepare pork chops, just enough oil in this recipe to create a nice crisp crust on them. Everyone enjoyed them, and My Oldest said I should make them alot since he had 3 servings (keep in mind that he's 6 and 3 servings equates to one whole 4 ounce pork chop!).

At this point, I don't think I need to own this particular cookbook as there are maybe 2-3 recipes that sound like something we'd enjoy. So, now I have to go back to the library and see what else I can pick and take for a "test drive"!

Paprika Pork Cutlets with Swiss Chard Egg Noodles
Source: Rachael Ray, Yum-O!

Ingredients
4 (6-ounce) boneless pork loin chops
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1/4 cup canola or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 bunch Swiss chard, deveined and chopped
1/2 pound extra wide egg noodles
freshly grated or ground nutmeg
4 lemon wedges

Directions
Place a large pot of water on to boil the egg noodles.

Place the chops between wax paper or plastic wrap and pound out no more tha 1/4-inch thick. season the pork cutlets with salt and pepper (I forgot to do this!). Combine the flour and paprika on a plate. Beat the eggs in a shallow dish. Place the bread crumbs on a second plate. coat the chops in flour, shake off the excess, then coat them in egg and bread crumbs.

Heat about 3 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the cutlets and cook until golden - about 4 minutes on each side.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. When the butter melts into the oil, add the chard and cook for 6-7 minutes. Drop the egg noodles into the pot of boiling water after a minute or two. When the noodles are al dente, drain and add to the chard, toos and season wit salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste.

If you this recipe sounds like something your family might enjoy, you might want to check these out:
Homemade Crispy Chicken Strips at Sweetnicks
Orecchiette with Broccoli, Bacon & Lemon @ Enlightened CookingChicken and Spinach Quesadillas @ Annie's Eats