Cubed Pork in Gravy and Tri-Color Tortellini

 

 

 

So this week, pork sirloin cuts (almost all meat, no bone, very little fat) are on sale at Costas ShurFine in Coudersport for $1.88/lb.  I cooked these before in the oven with butter and seasonings.  Since it's hard to pass up a $1 steak, I stopped after work and picked up a family-sized pack.  We also bought a few other things...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also on sale is ShurFine tortellini, BOGO, regularly priced at $4.29 a 1-pound pack.  I almost bought some, but I remembered I had this at home.  Now, this was a gift, so I have no idea how much it should cost.  I searched Google, found the official website, the facebook page, but no "shopping" results that would give me an idea of price.  Technically, this pasta was free for me, but I'm going to call it $2.15, since I cooked about a pound's worth. 

 

 

 

 

I pan-fried the sirloin chops, but this was a pretty big pack: The two smaller chops in the pan and the two larger chops stayed in the pack.  I'm going to be generous though and say I cooked half the pack, at $2.95.  I fried them with: about 2 cups water, 1/4 cup butter, 2 bullion cubes, a teaspoon of minced garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, and just a dash of dill (I know, unusual choice, but it was sitting on my spice shelf just daring me to use it, and it turned out great) 

 

 

 

 

When the meat was done cooking, I removed it with a fork and cubed it.  I added some milk to the sauce, intending to make another Bechamel sauce like I did last week.  When I made that sauce, though, I said that too much flour would make it a gravy instead of a cream sauce, and, well, I added too much flour....

 

 

Since I didn't know how the kids would like it, I kept everything separate, including the gravy.

 

 

But they liked it!  Really, really.

 

 

 

Now last week, someone left some free squash for the taking.  Yeah, just like I said in my TANSTAAFL post, people around here grow so much squash and zucchini in the fall that they'll just give it away.  I told my brother you can make a pie out of it; I've done it before and it's pretty tasty.  However, last night I made not one, but two desserts out of squash.  One was a standard pie (top and bottom crust, filling consisting of diced squash, cinnamon, and a lot of sugar) but the other one was a pumpkin cheesecake.  Only with squash instead of pumpkin. 

 Yep.  Made it last night and already half gone.

 

So to make this deliciousness, skin and remove the seeds from 1 and a half small squash (maybe 8 inches long each) or one larger one, and dice the "meats".  Pre-heat oven to 350 F.  Cook the "meats" by either microwaving in a glass bowl for 5 minutes, stir, and another 5, or in a pan on the stove, with just 1 or 2 Tbsp water, stirring frequently.  If you want, you can mash them (like mashed potatoes) or leave them cubed.  I left them cubed.  Grease a 9-inch pie plate.  Into the bowl with the squash, mix 1 brick cream cheese, 1/2 cup bisquik powder, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 tsp vanilla, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, and 2 eggs.  Beat well, then pour into your greased pan and bake at 350 for 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool for at least half an hour at room temp before refrigerating.  Serve chilled.

The only thing of any real cost here was the cream cheese, and I got mine on sale.  Right now, Philadelphia brand is on sale for $1.50, but the brick used in this cheesecake was a $1 ShurFine brick.  Even including all of the remaining ingredients, this whole dessert cost no more than $2.  My family ate 4 slices, or half of the pan.  Our total tonight, then, is $2.95 (pork), $2.15 (tortellini), $1(best guess for homemade gravy) and $1 (four slices of cheesecake) = $7.10

I cleaned my plate, Mom!