Saturday, December 4, 2010

SNOW, a yummy recipe, and the best mom in law in the world!

It's snowing!!  Is it wierd that I'm really not fond of winter, or cold, but I really love the snow?  There's nothing like snow to put you in the Christmas spirit.  Here are some pics from last year, because I didn't feel like getting outside this morning:

The horses love the snow as long as it's not too wet.  Then it just makes them cold - like me.

Since it's cold out, and snowy, here's a recipe for Tuscan Pork Chops that will warm you up!  It's not soup, but it's so, so yummy.  I foud it on Tasty Kitchen which has really become my go-to recipe site of late.  Excuse my poor photos.  This is weeknight dinner people!
I know this doesn't look like much, but let me tell you - it's really great.
Here's the recipe courtesy of sliceofsouthern on tasty kitchen:
  • 4 whole Boneless Pork Chops - About 1" Thick
  • ⅓ cups Flour
  • ½ teaspoons Salt
  • ¼ teaspoons Coarse Black Pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 3 cloves Garlic, Minced
  • ¼ cups Balsamic Vinegar
  • ⅓ cups Chicken Broth, Low-Sodium
  • 14 ounces, weight Diced Tomatoes (drained)
  • 6 ounces, weight Mushrooms, Sliced
Place flour, salt and pepper in a shallow dish, dredge pork chops in flour mixture.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet . Cook pork chops over medium-high heat 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove chops from skillet to a side dish, you will add these back later.
Add garlic to skillet, and saute 1 minute. Add vinegar and broth, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Add tomatoes and mushrooms. Bring to a boil and cook at a rolling boil for 2-3 minutes.
Return pork chops and any juices to skillet. Turn your heat down to medium. Baste chops with sauce and simmer about 5 minutes until pork is done.
Serve pork chops topped with tomatoes, mushrooms, and sauce.
Note: Would be great with 1 cup chopped zucchini added. Adjust cooking time to accomodate the vegetable.

I served ours with parmesan cheese grits (just make grits according to package directions but mix in a generous handful of parmesan cheese and a dash of garlic powder when they are finished cooking) and some roasted asparagus.  Do ya'll roast asparagus?  Snap the ends off and throw it on a sheet pan and drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake at 425 degrees for 6-10 min or until tender.  You'll never want to eat it any other way!

Speaking of dinner - tonight is date night for me and the hubs.  Josh's parents took the baby bird to Nashville for the weekend!  WHAT?!?!?!  An adults only weekend?  Wow.  I think we're going to do a little dinner and a movie tonight.  Hey, we've got 4 wheel drive.  A little snow won't bother us.
To top it off, do you know what my precious mom in law sent me via Josh?  I'll give you a hint:

Do you know what See's Candy is?  That wonderful chocolaty goodness from California?  Oh my word.

This is the best chocolate you will ever eat.  This is heaven for a pregnant woman.  This takes me back to my childhood when my Uncle Army from CA would send us a 2 LB box of the stuff for Christmas!
Notice there are a few pieces missing.  I tore into the stuff as soon as I saw it, and I also say without shame that I enjoyed a piece 2 pieces with my coffee this morning.
I love you Wanda, and not just for the chocolate!

Happy weekend everyone!

2 comments:

Tiffany Keene said...

I'm with ya on the cold but liking the snow, well unless its the wet kind. Great pics from last year! That recipe sounds YUMMY! Hopefully I can muster up the motivation to cook it lol! I'll let you know! And yes, you have a pretty good m-i-l! I hope you and Josh enjoyed your date night :)

Jeanne said...

DANG! That is super awesome! Chocolate and alone time with the hubby!!! I might have to attempt that recipe--looks delicious! BTW--one of my favorite memories from last winter was being pulled in the snow by your horse. Maybe in Jan or Feb if the snow won't have ice on top of it, we can try that again!!! ps--remember--I was early in my pregnancy then! Here we are role reversal!!!