Pecan Crusted Pork Chop

Last week I found some thin sliced pork chops at Whole Foods and was inspired by their pecan crusted fish I had seen in the seafood department. To make the pecan crust I ground up the pecans in the food processor until they were about the size of grits. I then chopped some bigger with a knife and put them both in a bowl to dredge the pork chops in. I salted & peppered the pork chops then dredged them in the pecans and put them on a baking sheet. They were baked at 350 degrees in a convection oven for 20 minutes.

It's hard to tell from this picture (my iPhone can only do so much!) but under the pork chop is a potato pancake. I shredded some Yukon Gold potatoes on a large grater. I also grated some Parano cheese and diced a slice of provolone. While the chops were cooking I heated a skillet sprayed well with olive oil over medium heat and put in a layer of potatoes. I then layered in the cheeses and put another layer of potatoes down. To flip the pancake I slid it out onto a plate that was larger than the skillet, inverted the pan on top of the plate then holding the bottom of the plate flipped the whole thing over. This was a little scary but worked beautifully. I salted and peppered after it was cooked.

The salad had grapefruit & pecans in it. For the dressing I used:

1 part apple cider vinegar
a little finely grated onion
a little sugar
salt & pepper
3 parts canola oil, slowly wisked in

I hope you try some of these. They were yummy and healthy - well maybe not the potato pancake, but the pork and salad were quite healthy!

Jambalaya Kit

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Tonight I went to Kroger in search of inspiration. The produce section did not produce (hee,hee). The fish counter did not do it for me either. I picked up a block of organic ground beef but couldn't think of anything healthy to do with it. I also threw some chicken cutlets in the the cart but wasn't in the mood for Chicken Marinara. So I headed upstairs for a look around the natural food section and found some soup kits that looked interesting. I decided to give the Jambalaya kit a go. I had an uncooked chicken breast in the fridge (extra from soup) that I knew I could throw in there. I had Jack pick up some chicken andouille sausage from Trader Joe's on his way home. I must admit that I was skeptical; really, jambalaya in 40 minutes??? But it was really pretty good - nothing like Anne Schramm's but quite tasty none the less! Next time I think I'll add some shrimp as well as more chicken. Give it a try!

Shivering in the Kitchen

Brrrr... We are snowed in and the heater is broken!!! Thanks to Erin we have 3 space heaters going in the kitchen this morning and the temperature is up to 52 degrees:-) I am so thankful that the electricity has not gone out!

The Farrises visited on Saturday night. What a treat! We also had the pleasure of keeping Virginia Kate for the day. What a cutie she is! Here's the beauty of frozen meatballs - I just defrosted those puppies and cooked up a big ole batch of sauce. We had a wonderful meal at home where Caterina and young Robert were able to run around and act silly. I had enough leftovers for a pasta lunch on Monday, the first snow day, and pizza Monday evening. We like Italian food around here. Recipes for all of this are in earlier posts!

Yesterday afternoon my sweet husband shoveled a wide path to the Big Green Egg (grill). My rosemary was under 4 inches of snow (I hope it survives. I should have covered it - drat!) so I used a Lawry's herb and garlic marinade. It was good but not as yummy as just using rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper. The other thing about store bought marinades is that huge list of ingredients that I don't know what they are! I don't really like them, but hey, it's a snow storm and 'Desperate times call for desperate measures!'. I have to admit that it's nice to have on hand for a quick fix or emergency. I like the flavors of the Lawry's brand best.

Pears are still really good this time of year. Really yummy in a salad with gorgonzola or cheddar and pecans. The citrus fruit is very nice too. We can go thru some clementines and grapefruit around here. I think I'll work on a good dressing for a grapefruit and avocado salad for you! I'm trying to get off the holiday overload and eat healthier - more fruit and vegetables, y'all!