Monday, November 12, 2012

Marinated Pork Chops

And the grand finale of Friday night's supper.  One of my close friends told me about this recipe a few months ago.  We're working on cleaning out our freezer and found several packages of pork chops I got on sale back in the summer.  With the warm weather becoming more scarce, I knew it was the perfect time to grill these out.  

The case:
Marinated Pork Chops (Slightly adapted from All Recipes)
Ingredients:
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/3 cup soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon prepared mustard 
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 6 (1 inch thick) pork chops
Directions:
  1. Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large resealable plastic bag or shallow glass container; add pork and turn to coat. Seal bag or cover container; refrigerate overnight. Drain and discard marinade. Grill, covered, over medium coals, turning occasionally, for 20-25 minutes or until juices run clear.

The ruling:
 Jodi was right! These are delicious!  This is my official new go-to pork chop marinade.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Asparagus Cashew Rice Pilaf

I've been wanting to try this All Recipes dish for awhile.  The ingredients make for a beautiful presentation, but I'm not sure how they're all going to taste together.  It has great reviews so I have to give it a try!

The case:
Asparagus Cashew Rice Pilaf (Adapted from All Recipes)
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter
2 ounces uncooked spaghetti, broken into small pieces
2 Tablespoons minced onion
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/4 cups uncooked jasmine rice
2 1/4 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
1 bunch fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cashew halves

Directions:
1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Increase heat to medium, and stir in spaghetti, cooking until coated with the melted butter and lightly browned.
2. Stir onion and garlic into the saucepan, and cook about 2 minutes, until tender. Stir in jasmine rice, and cook about 5 minutes. Pour in chicken broth. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, set to simmer, and cook 20 minutes, until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.  (I checked mixture half way through and added a little extra water.)
3. Place asparagus on foil lined baking sheet.  Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Broil for 4-5 minutes, until starting to brown.  Broil cashews one minute if desired.
4. Mix asparagus and cashew halves into the rice mixture, and serve warm.

The ruling:
Of our 3 new dishes tonight, Michael said he had trouble picking his favorite.  Not me! This was my favorite, and all 3 were exceptional.  All the favors, especially the cashews, come together perfectly.  Jasmine rice is a little expensive but it's well worth it.  The pieces of spaghetti have an interesting flavor from being browned, and I love the crunch of the cashews.  I don't think the asparagus is completely necessary but it's very good.  This is a perfect company side dish!

Friday, November 9, 2012

Jiffy Corn Pudding

I found this recipe on Pinterest, but unfortunately the link was broken so I don't know who to give credit to.  Luckily, the directions were in the description. 

The case:
Ingredients:
  • 1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix
  • 1 can cream corn
  • 1 can sweet whole kernel corn, drained
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1 stick butter, melted
  • 1 cup sour cream
Directions:
Mix together all ingredients, mixing in sour cream last.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.


The ruling:
No, this isn't very pretty, but it is the best corn dish I've ever had!  The tangyness of the sour cream with the richness of the butter with the sweetness of the corn is out of this world.  It's a very comforting dish, but also light at the same time.  And seriously, could it be easier to throw together?  I made 3 new dishes for dinner tonight and they were all home runs.  I'll post another one tomorrow.