Pork Chops Three Ways

The following recipe was prepared during my Summer Grilling cooking class. You can read about it and check out the other recipes I made for the class HERE.

Pork Chops Three Ways

For my center, thick cut pork chops, I did nothing more than coat them in various rubs, spices and seasonings. In fact, when I buy meats in bulk, I’ll take a few pieces and coat them with rubs/spices, place in a freezer bag and freeze for future meals. For these chops, I coated them with a Bell Pepper & Herb rub, BBQ rub and Greek rub.

Coat your pork chops with your preferred mix of spices and seasonings.
Before grilling, your chops should be at room temperature.
Place chops on a medium high heated grill and grill with closed lid.
No need to turn the chops more than once.
Turn chops when they are grilled, roughly 5-7 minutes, depending on thickness.
Chops will be medium when the center is slightly soft when pushed.
Befor cutting, allow your chops to rest so juices can redistribute.

The Other White Meat…er, Kinda.

After indulging in chicken & ribs, rich key lime pie and other foods we normally try to enjoy sparingly, its time to reset our tastebuds for lighter, healthier fare. So tonight I’m enjoying the other white meat, er protein – eggs!

I’ve been meaning to make egg salad for the past week and today was just the day. The recipe isn’t anything special but I’ve found a new spot to take my pics. (My kitchen is east facing and has horrible lighting in the afternoon but hopefully this new spot will do better justice on the things I do make!)Here’s the recipe for the egg salad, which I enjoyed with baby carrots, a slice of Port Salut and crackers. (My feeble attempt in eating lighter… blah!)

6 hard boiled eggs
1/4 cup mayo
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 tablespoon All Purpose Dill Mix
salt & pepper to taste

In a bowl combine all ingredients.

**I’m also submitting this to the Frugal Fridays blogging event! With the rising cost of groceries these days, a frugal meal is always welcome in our house. Check out the other frugal dishes shared for this event!**

Clean out the fridge… It’s time for Pot Roast!

Last night I defrosted what I thought were beef shanks. While on my way home, I decided to do an asian twist on a beef osso bucco. However when I went to get started, I realized I defrosted some beef chuck instead! It worked out great because it’s been awhile since I had made a pot roast and I had some leftover veggies from my recent fondue party.The pot roast came out wonderful! The use of fresh herbs my friend Dan gave me definitely added some amazing flavor and aromas. I served this savory beef & veggies over some pappardelle pasta.Here’s my recipe for Rosemary & Basil Pot Roast:

2 lb. beef chuck roast
salt & pepper to taste
onion & garlic powder to taste
olive oil for browning
2 cups beef broth
1 onion, quartered
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 handful fresh basil
1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon rosemary herb mix
1-2 cups baby carrots
1-2 cups parboiled red potatoes, quartered

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Season roast with salt, pepper, garlic & onion powder.
Dredge roast in flour.
In a dutch oven, add olive oil to hot pan to coat bottom.
Brown roast in oil on both sides.
When browned, add beef broth to pan to deglaze.
Add remaining ingredients to pot.
Cover and bake in preheated oven for 1.5-2 hours, until beef is tender.

Bell Pepper & Herb Breadsticks

We made the following dish during the Tailgating Cooking Class I hosted. You can view pics of the event HERE.

Bell Pepper & Herb Breadsticks

Prepared pizza dough

Bell Pepper & Herb Seasoning
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pizza dough onto a baking sheet in a rectangular shape.
Brush top of dough with melted butter.

Sprinkle top with seasoning.
Bake in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes or until browned.

BBQ Potato Salad

We made the following dish during the Tailgating Cooking Class I hosted. You can view pics of the event HERE.

BBQ Potato Salad

2 lbs red potatoes

1/3 cup mayonnaise

1/3 cup sour cream

2-3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard
1 tablespoon BBQ rub seasoning
3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

1/2 cup crispy bacon, crumbled

1/4 cup chives or green onion

Boil potatoes in water until tender; drain.

Place potatoes in large bowl and coursely chop in chunks.

Add mustard, mayonnaise, sour cream, BBQ seasoning, salt and black pepper; combine.

Gently fold in eggs, bacon, chives/green onion.

Cover and chill at least 2 hours up to overnight to meld flavors.

Sprinkle additional bacon, chives/green onion and BBQ seasoning to taste and for color.

Peppercorn & Garlic Hot Wings

We made the following dish during the Tailgating Cooking Class I hosted. You can view pics of the event HERE.

Peppercorn & Garlic Hot Wings

2 dozen chicken drummettes
1 stick of butter
oil for frying
peppercorn & garlic seasoning
salt, pepper, onion powder to taste

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large bowl, toss chicken with salt, pepper and onion powder.

Place chicken in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake chicken in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

Heat oil to 375 degrees and fry chicken until golden brown.

In a large bowl, melt butter and add 1 tablespoon of seasoning.

Toss crispy chicken in butter mixture and serve.