Total 1 hour and 25 minutes (includes resting and cooling times) Active 40 mins Makes 8 to 10 servings

Every Texan cook I know has his or her own version of this delightfully messy enchilada casserole that includes chicken, beans, chiles, salsa verde, sour cream, corn tortillas, and plenty of melted cheese. The most important part of my own version may actually be what I serve it with: a crunchy jicama salad flavored with lime zest and juice, smoked paprika, cilantro, and diced avocado. The crispness of this salad really complements the cheesy casserole.

TIP: In this episode, Jo used the zest of 1 1/2 limes and 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika. Also, Jo sprinkled the King Ranch Chicken with cilantro and chopped jalapeño.

Ingredients for Jicama Salad

• 2 3/4 pounds jicama, peeled and cut into batons 3-inches long and 1/4-inch wide (about 10 cups)
• Zest of 2 limes
• Juice of 4 limes
• 1 cup cilantro leaves, minced
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 2 Hass avocados, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 teaspoons chives, minced, for garnish

Ingredients for King Ranch Chicken

• Vegetable oil spray
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large white onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 2 cups store-bought chicken broth or homemade chicken broth
• One 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and very well drained
• One 10.5-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
• One 16-ounce jar salsa verde (tomatillo sauce)
• One 15-ounce can mild enchilada sauce
• One 8-ounce container sour cream
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken or poached chicken breasts
• Two 4-ounce cans fire-roasted diced green chiles
• 20 corn tortillas, cut into 3/4-inch-wide strips
• 4 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese (about 1 pound)
• 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese (about 8 ounces)

Directions

1. To make the jicama salad: In a large bowl, combine the jicama, lime zest, lime juice, cilantro, cayenne, paprika, salt, and 1 teaspoon water. Toss to combine. Add the avocado and very gently toss. Cover the bowl and chill for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours before serving.
2. To make the King Ranch Chicken: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 x 13 x 3-inch (deep) baking dish with vegetable oil.
3. In a 7-quart soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until tender, about 6 minutes.
4. Add the broth, beans, chicken soup, salsa verde, enchilada sauce, sour cream, paprika, garlic salt, kosher salt, and pepper. Stir until well incorporated. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Stir in the chicken, chiles, tortilla strips, and Cheddar until well combined.
5. Pour into the prepared baking dish and scatter the Monterey Jack on top.
6. Bake until heated through and the Monterey Jack is melted and lightly browned, about
7. 30 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
8. Just before serving, top the jicama salad with minced chives. Serve the King Ranch Chicken with the jicama salad.
9. Store leftover King Ranch Chicken in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store leftover jicama salad in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.

Direct link to Joanna's Recipe: https://magnolia.com/blog/recipe/378e7d1c-c58e-4e84-b209-bb7e944f82d3/king-ranch-chicken-with-mexican-style-jicama-salad/?utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=social

 “Magnolia Table: A Collection of Recipes for Gathering” by Joanna Gaines © William Morrow 2018. Provided courtesy of Joanna Gaines. All rights reserved. 

Pork Chops with Hard Cider Pan Sauce

Taken from Williams – Sonoma Steak & Chop Cookbook

Recipes & Text – Denis Kelly

Simon & Schuster

Ingredients

For the Spice Rub:

1 Tablespoon Paprika

1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

1 Tablespoon Onion Powder

1 Tablespoon Dry Mustard

11/2 teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon freshly Ground Pepper

¼ teaspoon Cayenne Powder

8 Bone-in Pork loin or Rib Chops, about 1 inch thick, trimmed of excess fat

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Ingredients For the Pan Sauce

1 Cup (8 fl oz/ 250 ml) Hard Cider or Apple Juice

¼ Cup (2oz / 60 g) Dijon or Creole Mustard

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste

1 or 2 Dashes Tabasco Sauce – or other Hot Sauce

½ Cup (2 fl oz / 60 ml) Heavy (Double) Cream

To make the spice rub, in a small bowl, mix together the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dry mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne. Slash the edges of the chops in 2 or 3 places to prevent curling. Sprinkle the rub all over the chops and let stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.

Coat the bottom of a large, heavy frying pan with the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chops, in bunches if necessary to avoid crowding, and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5-7 minutes longer, turning once or twice. Test the meat for doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer away from the bone or by cutting into the meat close to the bone. Remove from the heat just before the meat is done, when the internal temperature is 145o  F (63o C). (Pork loin is done when it reaches 150o  F / 65o C, but it will continue to cook while resting.) Transfer to a platter and let rest, tented loosely with aluminum foil, while you prepare the pan sauce.

To make the sauce, add the cider to the same pan and deglaze by scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring often, until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk in the Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, and Tabasco. Cook for 2-3 minutes longer, whisking often. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning. 

Transfer the chops to individual plates. Spoon some of the sauce over the chops and serve. Pass additional sauce at the table

Makes 4 Servings.

Jules Notes:

· 2 –1 inch chops are really too much for my husband and I to eat – so I just make 1 chop for each for us

· I am big sauce fan – so when I make this for just the two of us – I make the same amount of sauce – so if I was making this for 4 people – I actually double the sauce recipe.

· I have made this recipe with the hard cider and also with the apple juice – both methods are wonderful.

· I am a big carb fan – so I would serve this with mashed potatoes or egg noodles – so that I dont miss any of the sauce.

· The photo on the left below is the photo from the cookbook and the photo on the right is of my dish – not too much difference – I have included both as sometimes I have found that my version never matches the cookbook photo – and I wanted you to know that this is not the case with this recipe. (Cookbook photo by Maren Caruso) 

lemon lavender cookies 

lemon lavender cookies are soft and chewy sugar cookies flavored with lemon juice, lemon zest and dried lavender and drizzled with a lemon glaze. 

Ingredients :

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened 

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs 

2 tsp vanilla extract

Zest of 1 lemon 

1 Tbsp. lemon juice 

2 ¾ C all purpose flour 

½ tsp baking soda 

½ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp salt 

2 tsp dried lavender

Lemon Glaze 

1 Tbsp. lemon juice 

½ C powdered sugar 

Heavy cream as needed 

Instructions:

In a stand mixer beat the softened butter and juice until light and fluffy about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice, beat to combine. 

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and lavender. Whisk to combine, Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined, Chill the dough for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet and set aside. Scoop about 1-1.5 Tablespoons of lemon lavender cookie dough. Place on the prepared baking sheet about 3 min apart. Bake 10-12 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the cookie sheet. 

Lemon Glaze 

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Wish until free of lumps. The glaze should be pretty thin and runny, if it is too thick you can add more milk to think it out. Use a fork or a spoon to drizzle the glaze over each cookie.