Sherry Rosemary Pork Chops with Herbed Potatoes

Photo by Brent Pennington

If you’ve ever met me, you know that I’m a meat and potatoes kind of gal. Don’t get me wrong, I love food of all kinds, but potatoes are my comfort food. If you’re looking for a pretty easy weekday meal that includes the famous meat and potatoes combination, try out this recipe for Sherry Rosemary Pork Chops with Herbed Potatoes.

Sherry Rosemary Pork Chops

Modified from AllRecipes.com

1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon rosemary

In a small bowl, combine together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley. Dredge each pork chop in the flour mixture, making sure to evenly coat on both sides. In a skillet over medium high heat, add the oil and saute the chops for a few minutes on each side, or until well browned. Then, add the chicken broth, rosemary, and sherry. You can add in salt and pepper to taste or more rosemary if you’d like a bit more of an herby flavor

Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Flip the chops and let simmer for another 5-7 minutes, or until the pork reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Serve and enjoy (I did with a side salad and herbed potatoes!)

Herbed Potatoes

8 red potatoes, halved (Or whatever potatoes you have on hand)
1 tablespoon butter
Herbs (You can use whatever you like. For mine, I chose thyme, but chives and parsley are always great too!)

Boil the potatoes until soft, drain, and put back into the pot. Add in the butter and herbs. Stir and serve. Easy peasy!

Classic Egg Salad Sammy

My Dad’s favorite food is egg salad. For him, the perfect sandwich is just hard-boiled eggs and mayo. No seasonings, no lettuce. Just boiled eggs and mayo on white bread. For me, it’s a little bit different.

Here’s how I make my egg salad:

Classic Egg Salad Sandwich

• hard-boiled eggs
• mayonnaise
• salt and pepper to taste
• fresh chives, chopped
• bread of your choice
• lettuce

Smash it all together with a fork and add the egg salad between two slices of bread with a bit of lettuce. Simple and so very delicious.

Sunday Brunch: Boursin Omelette with Mixed Greens and Raspberry Dressing

If you thought the title sounded rich, creamy, and delicious, just wait until you give it a try. This recipe was modeled after a meal I enjoyed at Patsel’s in Clarks Summit. In the Patsel’s version, I was served up a ham and boursin omelette that was absolutely to die for. I was eating a cheesy, eggy cloud. It was so fluffy and amazingly flavorful. On the side, sliced honeydew and cantaloupe, freshly baked bread, and a mixed greens salad with balsamic vinaigrette. One of the best lunches I’ve ever had.

Anywho, I’ve been dreaming about that creamy, herby omelette for months now and decided to whip one up in honor of Sundays. Sundays are just so relaxing – but this recipe is also perfect for your Mom’s birthday, Mother’s Day, or any other special occasion.

Boursin Omelette

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 2-3 eggs, depending on the size of the omelette you’d like to make
• 3 Tablespoons of Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs Light
• A splash of milk
• Salt and pepper to taste

Over medium high heat, melt the butter in a non-stick pan. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper with a fork until well combined, about a minute or so. Then, slowly pour the egg mixture into the heated pan, swirling the eggs around the pan so they cook evenly in a layer. Gently draw some of the egg away from the sides of the pan so that the egg will flow toward the outer edges and cook until set. Then, turn the egg over onto its other side so that it cooks evenly. Add cheese to half of the omelette and then flip the other half over on top so that it makes a half moon shape. Cook for another minute so that the cheese has enough time to melt.

After you’ve made this tasty omelette, you can serve it up with whatever you like. For a more breakfasty sort of thing, I’d recommend some whole wheat toast and fresh fruit. Or, if you want to model my brunch version, serve it with a mixed greens salad with raspberry vinaigrette.

Mixed Greens Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette

Combine together your salad ingredients and plate. If you’d like you can add additional salad ingredients to your liking. Then, move on to the dressing.

Whisk together all of the ingredients until well combined. Serve over the salad and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Garden Pasta Salad

Ahh, springtime. When the weather starts to warm up and those birdies get back to chirping, I always crave fresh fruits and veggies. Springtime is salad season for me and I think that not a day goes by when I’m not eating raw fruits or veggies. This spring, I’ve been on a kick of eating raw yellow peppers, raspberries, and of course, lots of salad.

So, in celebration of springtime, the company I work for decided to host a softball game/picnic. My contribution? This super easy but totally delicious garden pasta salad. The beauty of this pasta salad is that it can be totally customized based on whatever fresh vegetables and herbs you have on hand. Suit it to your tastes, add your favorites, or get crazy with seasonings. This garden pasta salad is all about you, baby!

Here’s what I put in mine:

• 1 box of penne pasta
• leftover steamed green beans
• chopped tomatoes
• fresh chopped basil leaves
• fresh mozzarella cheese
• chopped yellow and orange peppers
• Italian salad dressing

When my Mom makes it, she usually puts in black olives and substitutes mozzarella with sharp cheddar.

Just boil the pasta, drain, and let it cool. Once that’s done, just add the chopped veggies, cheese, herbs, and salad dressing. Easy peasy.

Pork Chops with Mushrooms and Thyme

So, the other day I was looking for something different to make for dinner. I was getting tired of chicken, pasta, chicken, pasta, or the occasional turkey sandwich. Had to spice things up, so, I went to my regular hangout: Google. Found this delectable pork chop recipe and simply had to share Oh! And my Mister, Brent Pennington, took photos of this culinary endeavor.

Pork Chops with Mushrooms & Thyme

Adapted from EatingWell Magazine

2 boneless pork pork chops, pounded to about 1/4 inch thick
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium shallot, minced
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup dry vermouth
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Once the pork chops are pounded out, season on both sides with salt and pepper. Then, coat a saute pan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 3 minutes on each side. Plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Add oil and shallot to the saute pan and cook, stirring, until soft. Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add vermouth and stir in the mustard, thyme, and any juices from the pork. Cook until sauce thickens or until it becomes slightly reduced, about two minutes.

Spoon the sauce over the pork chops and serve. I served mine over rice, but it could work just as well with a variety of other sides.

Grow a Kitchen Herb Garden this Summer

Image by blackeiffel via Flickr

This is a guest post by Kent of FoodClassics.com

Summertime is the perfect time to garden – and one of the best things any cook can grow are herbs. Herbs add zesty flavor to dishes and fresh herbs truly make a difference. If you’ve never cooked with fresh herbs before, you may be surprised at how rich and intense the flavor can be from these herbs compared to using dried herbs. A great way to grow herbs is to create a kitchen herb garden that you can enjoy all summertime long. The best thing about this herb garden is it can continue way past summer in your climate controlled home. Herbs grown outdoors often are only grown in the spring or summer months. But by growing herbs in your kitchen, you need warmth and light – both things you can easily provide in your home. This is also an ideal option for those living in an apartment or without gardens to grow in.

You’ll need a kitchen or windowsill in another room with good daylight. Simply notice which rooms in your home seem to get the most daylight coming in, and where you could set up a table or already have a table to add some pots of herbs. Some cooks (and gardeners) may get caught up in the decorative aspect of growing herbs indoors, but your top concern should be finding the best location for the herbs to grow – not for where they will look the most attractive to others. Your herbs need warmth and sunlight to grow. Without these key ingredients, you’ll likely be unsuccessful at this project.

Consider which herbs you want to grow. Some of this may be limited by how much room you have and also by how much sunlight and warmth you have. Herbs like lavender require a lot of light. Other herbs like basil need a moderate amount of light – so they’ll grow in most locations. Visit your local gardening store or center and read the directions to see which herbs would work best for you. Then consider which herbs you would cook most with. Sometimes choosing an herb you haven’t used before but could grow is a fun challenge as you can encourage yourself to try new dishes and to cook with it. This can be a great way to push your cooking skills.

The most important thing with growing your herbs is to water them regularly and to give them enough water but not too much water. Some people have the challenge of overwatering, you can tell if the water seeps through the bottom and your herbs become limp. Herbs that become very dry, brittle or break apart easily to your touch are likely those that have been under watered. There are measuring tools you can purchase at your local gardening center that will tell you if you are over or under watering. This can be a good idea if you have never gardened before and are concerned with this.

There are many herbs to grow and enjoy. As your herbs bloom, pick them and use them fresh, freeze them so you can use them later, or share them with friends and family.

Kent has run FoodClassics.com since early 2002. You can find many popular recipes there or deals on kitchen products, including many blender bargains.

Not So Pretty White Chicken Chili

I’ve never been a chili person. I really don’t like it much. I don’t know if it’s the beef or the tomato base, or what, but it just doesn’t do it for me on cold winter days. But then came along the unexpected white chicken chili in all of it’s pale but flavorful glory.

Chili isn’t the prettiest of dishes, so it was a bit of a challenge to get the picture right. In terms of taste, this recipe is really flavorful with just enough heat. Best of all, it’s super simple to make and it only took about a half hour to put together from start to finish. Perfect for a mid-week dinner on a “chili” day

White Chicken Chili

Adapted from Cha Chas White Chicken Chili and Monkey See, Monkey Do’s White Chicken Chili recipe

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 rotisserie chicken, all of the meat taken off the bones and set aside. No skin.
1 large onion, chopped
3 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 cans chopped green chiles
3 cans cannelini beans, rinsed and drained
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried cilantro
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Freshly ground black pepper

Break out your stock pot and heat the oil on medium. Add onion and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes, or until the onions begin to get soft. Add the chiles, beans, and spices and cook for another minute or two. Add the chicken broth until it comes to a simmer and then reduce heat to medium low. Add chicken and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve with a bit of cheddar cheese on top or with some fresh cilantro. Yum.

Something Sweet: Chocolate Raspberry Muffins

I have a confession to make: these chocolate raspberry muffins are NOT from scratch.

You see, just about every Christmas, my mom gives me a few baking mixes from Harry & David, specifically muffins. I love muffins. I love making muffins and I love eating muffins. Muffin is just a fun word too.

So, Brent got a craving for something sweet just the other day and I decided to whip up something sweet…but not from scratch. I chose out of the selection of muffin mixes. Chocolate Raspberry Muffins. They’re pretty darn awesome and make for a decadent brunch treat or a OMG-I-Need-Chocolate-Now snack.

You can get your very own mix (just add water and egg!) at Harry & David.

Kale Chips?

Fair warning, if you make these, they make make your little kitchen smell funny.

Kale chips. Not sure how I feel about them, but they definitely have a nice crunch to them.

I love my veggies, but I’m always looking for ways to eat more of them because frankly, I probably don’t get as much as I should. I nosh on carrots, broccoli, salads, cucumber, green beans, and peas fairly regularly. In the winter, it’s tough to find fresh stuff, so I usually end up eating veggies cooked into other dishes or mixing whatever I can into salads. But the prospect of eating kale sounded pretty interesting, so I decided to make kale chips.

The recipe is super simple: just get some kale leaves and tear them up into pieces. Then, toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake in the oven on a regular baking sheet at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10-15 minutes, or until crispy. Eat and enjoy.

The verdict: I love the crunch factor and this is definitely a savory snack. I think next time, I’ll just toss with some olive oil and salt. Overall, it tasted alright, but it made the apartment smell funky for a bit.

Easy Carrot Ginger Dressing

Have you ever gotten a craving for something unexpected? Sure, we’ve all craved salt or something sweet, but what about something…tangy? Gingery? Well, for me, craving ginger was what made me try out this recipe for easy carrot ginger dressing and let me say, the results are quite yummy

It all started a few weeks ago when I got sushi for lunch, and consequently, some pickled ginger on the side. Yum. From there, I got takeout a few more times, including a side salad with that awesome ginger dressing they include. Needless to say, I got my ginger fix. But then, Real Simple ran a carrot ginger dressing recipe in its most recent issue (I’m a subscriber) and I just had to try it. Now you can too:

Carrot Ginger Dressing
(adapted from Real Simple)

Place the carrots, shallot, ginger, miso, vinegar, and sesame oil in a blender. Blend, scraping down the sides as necessary until very finely chopped, about one minute. Then, add the canola oil and blend until nearly smooth, about thirty sectonds. If necessary, thin the dressing with up to 2 tablespoons of water. The dressing will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

How I Ate It:

Chunks of grapefruit, romaine, spinach, red pepper, yellow pepper, carrot, and of course, that delicious carrot ginger dressing. Yum!