Balsamic Apple Pork Chops

I'm proud to say that this recipe is all mine. I made it up in my own head. And I'm even more excited to say that it tastes amazing!

We have all heard of the iconic pairing of pork chops and apple sauce but somehow, when you think about that on a plate, it sounds kinda gross. And probably looks even worse. But the flavor pairing of pork and apples go really well together. We tried this pork burger recipe that has sautéed apples and bacon in it which is what led me to the idea (which I'll try to put up soon too!).

I told my mom about the recipe and apparently she liked the idea of it so much, she asked for it (which doesn't happen to terribly often). But she was even nice enough to check here on the blog for the recipe before harassing me via text message for the details. So, Mom, as promised, here is the recipe!

Balsamic Apple Pork Chops

- one small onion, diced

- one granny smith apple, peeled and sliced

- two cloves garlic, minced or through the garlic press

- balsamic vinegar (just have the whole bottle there)

- pork chops

- cooking oil of choice (I used coconut oil)

- salt/pepper

In a large non-stick pan over medium heat, add your cooking oil and bring it to temp. Add the onions and sauté for a few minutes until almost golden then add the garlic and the apples. Sauté it for just a minute or two to get the apples soft and the garlic a chance to heat up then add balsamic vinegar. You want to be very liberal with the vinegar. Add enough to the pan that the apples and onions are able to soak some up but you also want it to reduce down to a bit of a syrup almost before you add the pork chops. 

Meanwhile, season your pork chops. I used bone-in pork chops and just sprinkled some salt and pepper on each side.

Once the majority of the balsamic vinegar has been absorbed or reduced, add your pork chops to the pan. And add more balsamic vinegar. You now what to add enough to help season and give the pork chops some of that amazing flavor.

Cook each chop for just a few minutes on each side until done to your liking. The chops we had were on the thin side so it didn't take too long. Plus, you don't want to overcook pork chops because dry pork chops just suck.

Serve the pork chops with the apple/onion mix on top. I like to think of it almost like a sauce. A really chunky, delicious, sweet and tangy sauce.

As a side to this, I served some roasted sweet potatoes. I took two sweet potatoes, peeled and cut them up into bite size pieces, tossed them in just a smudge of olive oil, salt, garlic powder and onion powder then cooked them in the oven at 350 for about 40 minutes. (I like to make sure they are nice and done and not crunchy in the middle.) But you could really serve this with any side that you'd like. Rice or couscous I think would be pretty tasty. And definitely add something green like a side salad or vegetable because then you have a really pretty plate!

After we had dinner, some friends came over and we had a great night of playing Magic and Catch Phrase. It was a great end to the day.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the new recipe!

Pizza (but without the carbs)

I know its a bit late to jump on the bandwagon...or write about it, but the biggest new years resolution is of course to loose weight. Thats not my goal. Or even a goal in my house. But my husband has gotten really into the pale diet and low carb/no carb diet and since his dietary intake is so important and directly linked to his job, I try my best to accommodate him the best I can.

But I actually have to credit my mom with this recipe. She gave me the skeleton for it and I of course tweaked it to my liking and preference. The recipe is for a "no carb" pizza that actually has a "crust". When I first heard about it, I was seriously skeptical. We tried it once and it was good enough to add into the arsenal so I decided to share since it fits in with the foods we love to hate and hate to love but are hard to give up when changing the way we eat.

Pizza crust:

8oz cream cheese at room temperature

2 eggs

garlic powder

onion powder

fresh cracked pepper

1/2 cup sprinkle cheese (grated parmesan cheese)

Toppings:

whateva you want! 

Preheat your oven to 350. Generously spray down a 9x13 pan with the non-stick spray of your choice. Be sure to get the bottom really well. 

In a bowl combine the ingredients for the crust. I add more garlic powder then I do onion powder, so about 1 tsp and 1/2 tsp, respectively. Spread the interesting looking mix into the bottom of your pan and bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges are brown. 

Once the crust is baked, let it set for about 10-15 minutes before you proceed. But once it has, top the pizza as you would any other pizza. In our case, we used a pre-fab pizza sauce picked up at the local grocery store, some cooked mild italian sausage and the standard mozzarella cheese. (See first photo.) 

Pop that bad boy back into the oven and bake for another 10 minutes at least. I baked mine for another 16 minutes because I wanted to make sure that the cheese was super melty and delicious. That may have been why my crust stuck a bit to the pan when I took it out, but it still was pretty easy to get out. 

This is a pretty easy recipe to make for a weeknight with a sick four month old baby who either wants to eat, sleep or be held. If I can do it, so can you! 

Enjoy this low carb pizza variety. And thanks for checking out the new post! 

Heather

Death...by dessert

First, let me say sorry for the absence. The last post I put up was a few weeks before my son was born. And in those few weeks in between it was a question of trying to figure out if I was in labor or just faking it. But he arrived right on his due date and it's been an adventure ever since!

The past year has been a whirlwind. I thought being a stay at home mom that I would get to try out all these new recipes and update my blog way more often. Boy was I wrong. My crock-pot has become my favorite kitchen appliance along with my rice cooker. But I wouldn't trade any of it. I love being able to stay home with my baby and see him grow and change and learn every day. I feel like this makes my absence over the last year excusable.

That being said, it looks like I've got some new followers on my Facebook page for The Cow Apron and have found a recipe that I've been dying to make so I felt like it would be a match made in heaven to help sway some newcomers to hang around, appease those who have missed my absence and satisfy the sweet tooth in us all.

One of the things that has become part of my daily routine if you will, is watching the TV show The Chew. I've been really inspired by their recipes and the show itself is a lot of fun. I've been able to take some of what I've seen made on there and modify it to fit in here at my house. And that is where I found the recipe that I'm building up to.

But before we get to the actual recipe part, let me forewarn you. This dessert is not for the faint of heart. Or diabetic. Or those on a diet. Or watching what they eat. Or counting calories. In the entire 9x13 pan, there are about 20,000 calories. Yes. You read that correctly. Twenty thousand. So, if you are trying to sabotage someones diet, this is the perfect thing to make and bring to them. In this case, I've made it for a Super Bowl party we are going to this evening (go Broncos!).

So now, I give you the recipe for "Death...by dessert"

- one stick of butter, melted

- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs

- 1 cup peanut butter, melted

- about 2 cups vanilla wafer cookies, crumbled

- about 2 cups chocolate chip cookies, crumbled

- 1 cup chocolate hazelnut spread, melted

- about 2 cups chopped nuts (I used pecans)

- about 2 cups pretzels, crushed

- 1 can sweetened condensed milk

- about 2 cups kettle chips, crushed

- chocolate syrup

This recipe is not hard. Preheat your oven to 350. Combine the melted butter and graham cracker crumbs with a fork and press in the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 10 minutes. 

Now layer your other ingredients in the order listed above. 

Once you've layered everything, pop it in the fridge to set up. Do not cover it. That was the mistake I made and my chips aren't as crisp as I would like. But otherwise, thats it. 

Like I said...this is not for the faint of heart. When you go to serve this, cut it into TINY pieces. Remember the calories in the pan? Yeah, divide those into however many pieces you cut this beast into. But enjoy! 

Thanks again for all the continued support. I hope your Super Bowl/Groundhog Day is a great one!