Apricot Glazed Pork Chops

     I was given this cookbook, The Vineyard Kitchen, as a goodbye gift from my friends in New Mexico and I can honestly say it has become one of my favorites!  I love all the recipes I have made from it.  They are easy to follow with fresh ingredients!  I can't wait to share more!  For now, here's the recipe for the Apricot Glazed Pork Chops...

What you need:

Brine

4 large garlic cloves

2 TBsp peeled, thinly sliced fresh ginger

1/2 cup kosher salt

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup chile flakes

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

8 double-cut pork chops, 1 1/2 inches think

Glaze

2 lbs very ripe apricots

1 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp white wine vinegar

1/4 tsp  chile flakes

2 TBsp mined ginger

2 tsp mined garlic

2 tsp salt

How to make it:

Prepare the brine.

Peel and slice the garlic cloves in half.

Place all ingredients in a medium pot with 5 cups of water.

Bring to a boil, turn the heat down, and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cool completely before using.

Place the pork chops in the cold brine and let them marinate overnight in the refrigerator.

Prepare the Apricot Glaze.

Wash, halve, and pit the apricots.

Chop coarsely.

Combine all the glaze ingredients with 2 cups of water in a pot and bring to boil.

Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes or so until it has thickened.

Cool and puree in a blender or food processor fitted with the steel blade.

(The glaze can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator)

Preheat the grill or the broiler.

Remove the chops from the refrigerator, drain well, and pat dry before grilling.

Discard the brine.

Brush the chops lightly with olive oil.

No additional seasoning is necessary.

Grill or broil for 10 minutes on one side and turn over and brush with the glaze.

Grill or broil the second side for 10 minutes, turn over and brush with the glaze.

Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes on each side to lightly caramelize to glaze.

To test for doneness, let the chop rest for 5 minutes, then cut into the meat at the bone, the meat should be rosy pink and opaque.  

If it looks rare, continue to cook for 4 or 5 minutes more.

Serve them with some pasta salad and broccoli then ENJOY!

Friday Foodie Favorites: Giada De Laurentiis' Pork Chop Milanese & Lemon Thyme Risotto Meal Starter Kit

     So this week, I wanted to cook up some pork chops, but was kinda in a time crunch.  I didn't want to make the same ole pork chops I usually make and I didn't feel like searching for a new recipe just so I could go out and buy all the ingredients I didn't have to make it.  So, while picking out a birthday present at Target I decided to check out Giada De Laurentiis' boxed meal starter kits to see if anything sparked my interest.  Well, I was in luck, I found this one to make Pork Chop Milanese with Lemon Thyme Risotto.  I thought PERFECT! I already had the pork chops defrosted, I just needed to pick up a couple of lemons, the rest of the ingredients were included in the starter kit or I already had at home!

All you need are some pork chops ( I used ones without the bone),

EVOO, Veggie oil, eggs, butter, lemon, and the starter kit.

I started on the Risotto first...

toasted it in some EVOO, then added water and seasoning pack.

Brought to a boil, added the rest of the water, and let simmer

for 20 minutes or so.

Next started on the pork chops.

Heated the veggie oil on medium heat.

Whisked the eggs in a bowl, poured the bread crumbs in another bowl.

Seasoned the pork chops with salt and pepper, 

then dipped (one at a time) into the bread crumbs,

then egg wash (let extra egg drip off), 

then back into the bread crumbs.

Placed them in the pan, let cook 4-6 minutes on each side

(depending on how thick or thin the pork chops are).

I sliced up some lemons to squeeze over the chops.

Served it with a nice green salad and there ya go!

ENJOY!

Monthly Menu: Orange Teriyaki Pork Chops, Steamed Rice, & Sautéed SnowPeas

     So, recently I've taken up on monthly menu planning again.  With Liam going to school pretty soon, I thought having a scheduled menu for the month would definitely answer the question..."what's for dinner?"  I decided to look through Pinterest for some new recipes.  I found some great ones to try out.  I also plan on pre-making some meals to freeze to have on a later day.  

     August 1st: I kicked off our menu with making Orange Teriyaki Pork Chops, Steamed Rice, and Sautéed Snow Peas.  

I found a great recipe for the pork chops from Instructables.

Ingredients: 4 to 6 boneless pork chops (the thin ones work great) 3 green onions (thinly sliced) zest of one orange juice of one orange (about 1/3 cup) 1 TBsp butter 2 to 3 TBsp Teriyaki Sauce 2 to 3 pinches of brown sugar

How to make them: Add the butter to a pan and cook the green onions and zest until they start to get fragrant and soften. Add 1 tsp of teriyaki sauce at this point and stir till combined. Pull them out of the pan and pop them into a small bowl, set aside. Salt and pepper the pork chops. Brown them quickly in the same pan over medium-high heat. Be careful not to over cook. Once the pork chops are brown, turn the heat down to low and pour in the orange juice. Add 1-2 TBsp of teriyaki sauce to your liking. Add the green onions and zest back into the pan. Add 1-3 pinches of brown sugar to the pan. (depends on how sweet you want it) Stir all together and let simmer for 15-20minutes with a lid cracked. Take out pork chops with completely cooked. Continue to reduce the orange juice mixture into a sauce to thicken up to your liking. Serve the Pork Chops over some Steamed Rice along side some sautéed Snow Peas and Enjoy!