Easy Apricot Glazed Pork Chops & Paying Homage to a Foodie Goddess Next Week

Another week is almost at a close. I actually did some cooking last weekend, this is just the first opportunity I have had to post.
Please forgive me... I recently got back into school at DePaul, and between work and school/school related time (IE studying, reading course material, working on a team project)it's been hard to find the time to do all the cooking and blogging I want to. It's been almost a month since I have created a video recipe, and I'm really hoping to break that habit this weekend.
This weekend, I'm making a very special recipe. I have never made this before because my hand at French cuisine is shaky, and ruining this recipe would be like dishonoring the woman who's recipe and method I will attempt to duplicate. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Not everyone believes that. Julia Child didn't believe that, and when Julie Powell wrote a blog that followed Learning the Art of French Cooking by Julia, she was less than thrilled. Unfortunately Julia is no longer here, so I don't have to worry about the proverbial smack down if this recipe fails.
So next week, I will bring you Julia Child's Boeuf Bourguigon. Keep your fingers crossed for me foodies :)
Now that I'm done talking about whats up next week, lets discuss what went down last weekend...Apricot Glazed Pork Chops. This recipe was so easy, and delicious I know I will keep it on hand to experiment with lots of different flavors. So here are the images and recipe from Easy Apricot Glazed Pork Chops.










Easy Apricot Glazed Pork Chops

• Two 10 oz bone in center-cut pork chops
  
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
  
• 1/3 cup apricot jelly
  
• 1/3 cup white wine
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• Salt & pepper to taste
  

Directions
Sprinkle salt and black pepper evenly over chops. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add pork. Cooks on each side until browned (About 5 minutes per side).
Remove Pork chop from pan, and keep warm. Combine preserves, wine, and ginger in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add preserves mixture to pan; simmer 4 minutes or until mixture thickens. Return pork to pan; cook 1 minute, turning to coat.
Serve immediately with rice.

Images from Roasted Rosemary Shrimp

Images from Saturday night's feast of Roasted Rosemary Shrimp, Greek Potatoes and Fresh Green Beans. Everything was awesome!

Red Beans and Rice with Bison Andouille

Happy Fat Tuesday everyone! It's Mardi Gras, and out office is completely decorated with purple, green and gold streamers, balloons and beads! It's going to be a great day of food and fun here I can tell ya! Last night after dinner, I started working on the feast set for tonight...Classic Red Beans and Rice with Bison Andouille Sausage. It's going to be pretty easy to toss this together so I can focus on the Amish bread. I hope you all have a great Mardi Gras.

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried red beans
  
• 3 1/2 cups water or chicken stock
  
• 4-6 cloves garlic, chopped
  
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
  
• 2 bay leaves
  
• 1 large onion, diced
  
• 1/4 cup oil
  
• 1 pound bison andouille sausage
• 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
  
• salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste
  
• 2 cups steamed rice

Recipe Directions
Wash, sort and soak beans overnight, as per package instructions. Drain beans and place in a Dutch Oven with 3 cups cold water. Add garlic, celery, onion, bay leaves and oil and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, adding water as needed and stirring occasionally. Add sausage and parsley and continue cooking for about an hour. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste during the entire process. Serve over steamed rice.

Pork Chops with Savory Apple Stuffing

Great recipes really don't get any easier than this! If you think this might be a little on the sweet side for you, you can always substitute the ground cinnamon with paprika. I love the other white meat!

Ingredients

• 1 cup applesauce
  
• 1/2 cup water
  
• 2 tbsp. margarine or butter, melted
  
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
  
• 2 tbsp. raisins
  
• 4 cups herb seasoned stuffing
  
• 4 pork chops, 3/4 inch thick
  
• ground ground cinnamon
  
• Apple slices for garnish

Recipe Directions
Mix applesauce, water, margarine, celery and raisins. Add stuffing. Mix lightly. Spoon into 2-quart shallow baking dish. Arrange chops over stuffing. Sprinkle paprika over chops. Bake at 400°F. for 35 min. or until chops are no longer pink. Garnish with apple slices.
Source:Buffalo Salad

Beer Marinated Cheesy Pork Chops

I found this awesome looking pork chop recipe on the Better Homes and Garden's web site last night and it is now the menu tonight. With a title like this, how can you pass it up? I had a good time last night making the roasted peaches. They were absolutely fantastic. That is a recipe I will keep in my favorites section forever. Hopefully this one goes as well!

Ingredients

• 4 bone-in pork chops
• 1 12-ounce bottle honey wheat beer
  
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
  
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
  
• 1/4 tsp. salt
  
• 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
  
• 4 oz. white cheddar cheese, shredded
  
• 2 Tbsp. chopped walnuts, toasted
  
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced
  
• Fresh Herb Sprigs

Recipe Directions
Place pork chops in a 2-gallon heavy, self-sealing plastic bag set in a very large bowl; set aside. In a small bowl combine beer, garlic, olive oil, salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper; pour over pork. Seal bag; marinate in refrigerator for at least 4 hours or up to 24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Drain pork chops, discarding marinade. For a charcoal grill, arrange preheated coals around a drip pan. Check for medium heat above the pan. Place pork on grill rack over drip pan. Cover and grill for 35 to 40 minutes or until done (160 degrees F.) (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Adjust for indirect cooking. Place pork on unheated side of grill rack. Cover and grill as above.) Meanwhile, for topping, in a small bowl stir together cheese, nuts, green onions, and remaining pepper. Spoon mixture over chops. Cover and grill for 2 to 3 minutes more or until cheese melts. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Source:Beer Marinated Cheesy Pork Chops

Garlicy Grilled Shrimp

When it comes to preparing seafood, almost anything can be prepared in this manor. Throw it in a pan with some olive oil, garlic & peppers, cook it up and you are good to go. Gotta love something that is so easy, and sooo tasty.

Ingredients

• 1 9-oz. pkg. refrigerated spinach fettuccine
  
• 4 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  
• 3 small red, green, yellow, or orange sweet peppers, seeded and cut in strips
  
• 2 medium onions, cut in thin wedges
  
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  
• 1 lb. peeled and deveined medium shrimp
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions
Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and return to pan. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Keep warm. Meanwhile, in skillet heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Stir in peppers, onions, and garlic; stir-fry 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add shrimp and cayenne pepper. Cook 2 to 3 minutes more or until shrimp are opaque, stirring occasionally. Serve over pasta.
Source:Garlic Shrimp Recipe

Rosemary Pork Chops

Here we go again with the rosemary! I can't emphasize enought how much I enjoy cooking with it. This pork chop recipe looks and tastes like it took hours to prepare, but if your pork chops are thawed, it can be on the table in less than 20 minutes. Ya can't beat that!

Ingredients

• 3 garlic cloves
  
• 2 teaspoons coarsely chopped rosemary
  
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 4 (1/2-inch-thick) bone-in rib pork chops (1 1/2 pounds)
• lemon wedges

Recipe Directions:
Preheat broiler. Mince and mash garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt, then stir together with rosemary, oil, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Rub mixture all over chops. Broil chops on a broiler pan about 4 inches from heat, turning once, until just cooked through, about 8 minutes total. Let stand 5 minutes.
Source:Rosemary Pork Chop Recipe

Easy Oven Fried Pork Chops

Breaded Pork Chops prepared in the oven were a staple food in my house growing up. My Oma always seemed to make the best Schnitzel, but she preferred to use veal chops, and I am not a huge fan of them . This recipe is very similar to the one Oma has used for all these years, but I'm using pork chops instead. Not only are they more flavorful in my opinion, they are more economical as well. I know Oma would be in favor of that!

Ingredients

• 1 egg
  
• 2 tablespoons fat-free milk
  
• 1 cup packaged corn bread stuffing mix
  
• 4 pork loin chops, cut 1/2 inch thick (1 to 1-1/2 pounds total)
  
• 1 20-ounce package frozen roasted russet potato pieces

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Meanwhile, in a shallow dish, beat egg with a fork; stir in milk. Place dry stuffing mix in another shallow dish. Trim fat from chops. Dip pork chops into egg mixture. Coat both sides with stuffing mix. Arrange pork chops in a single layer in one side of a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Add potato pieces to the other side of the same pan, mounding potatoes as needed to fit. Bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes or until pork is done (160 degrees F) and potatoes are lightly browned and crisp, turning pork and stirring potatoes once. Makes 4 servings.
Source:Easy oven fried pork chops