Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce

There isn’t much to say about this recipe except that it was very tasty.  I think the fact that the pork chops I used were really great helped things. They came from my meat buying club.

Pork Chops with Mustard Sauce (Gourmet, May 2005)

• 4 (3/4-inch-thick) pork chops
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped shallots  *I used red onion*
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup country-style Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream *I used unsweetened evaporated milk*
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Heat a dry 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot. Pat pork dry and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add oil to hot skillet, swirling to coat, then brown chops, turning over once, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a shallow baking pan, reserving skillet, and bake, uncovered, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Let stand, loosely covered with foil, 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour off fat from skillet, then cook shallots in butter over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Add broth and any juices from baking pan and boil, scraping up any brown bits, 2 minutes. Add mustard and cream and return to a boil, then add lemon juice and simmer until sauce is slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.

A Taste of Yellow: The Curtis Special

I promise this drink has a yellow hue to it once you make it.  Good rum is golden yellow, right?

Mount Gay Rum + Sprite + Fresh Mint + Lime +Ice = A celebration.

Take a tall glass and fill with ice.  Add 2-3 oz of Mount Gay Rum (brand not negotiable).  Fill the rest of the glass with sprite.  Squeeze in 1 lime wedge.  Stir.  Take 3-4 fresh mint leaves and rub them with your fingers to release the aroma, and stir into the mix.   Wha-la.

A Taste of Yellow is a food blogger event hosted by winosandfoodies to mark LiveSTRONG day 2008 on May 13th.  Everyone is now or will eventually be touched by cancer.   Cancer came into my life early, when my older brother battled and beat Hodgkin’s disease. Twenty years later it has come to wage war with my Mother-in-law.  One day we will put an end to this horrid disease. The best we can do in the meantime is to support each other through the roller coaster that is cancer and celebrate every day.

For the Curtis family, we try our best to continue with the life we knew before the cancer came.  The best way I can describe that life is that it is filled with smiles and laughter and celebrations of life.   I think it is truly a gift from God that not only did I get to marry my husband, but I got my in-laws in the deal.  So this drink is for them. We have shared many of them over the past few years.

I don’t know if my post necessarily fits the criteria for the Taste of Yellow event.  Either way, make sure to check out all of the great photos and recipes at winosandfoodies on May 13th.  I was going to post a pork chops and mustard sauce recipe. But Friday night rolled around;  Buffett came on the stereo and the Curtis special got rolled out to toast the end of the week.   This post just felt right.

Let’s raise a toast to the memory of those we have lost and those who keep on keepin’ on.  

Stay strong everybody.

Weekend breakfast casserole

   I will never understand why I can’t get myself out of bed on time during the week, but on the weekend I am wide awake at 6:30.  Thank God that doesn’t happen every weekend. 

It wasn’t too terrible to wake up early this morning because I got to enjoy the sunshine before the clouds rolled in.  There was also extra time to put this breakfast casserole together.  I know that this recipe is not original.  I was excited to try it because it let me use the breakfast sausage from Brad Moore’s Farm.  This is my first dish using any of the pork that he brought to our Farm to Fork meat buying club (see more info here).

I don’t normally like sausage all that much, but this stuff was great!  There are about 1 million different variations of this casserole, and you can put it together the night before and just pull it out and bake it in the morning.  I halved the recipe and it turned out fine. You could freeze the leftovers and pull them out during the week for a quick breakfast if you wanted.  The next time I will add some vegetables to the mix; tomatoes and green onions come to mind.

Weekend Breakfast Casserole

4 cups of english muffins, cubed (you can use bread if that is what you have)

1 lb pork sausage;   crumbled, cooked and well drained

1 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

10 large eggs

2 cups milk(I used 2% and it was fine)

1teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9×13 inch glass baking dish. Place bread cubes in prepared dish, top with sausage and cheese. Beat together eggs, milk, mustard and salt.  Season with pepper.  Pour egg mixture over sausage mixture.   Bake casserole until puffed and center is set, about 50 minutes. Cut into squares and serve.