” The chief cause of problems is solutions.” ~ Eric Sevareid
NOTE: I spend my Wednesdays Unplugged from appointments. It’s my day to stay home, enjoy cooking and welcome our kids and grandkids for dinner in the evening. We end our meal with quotes from the Norwegian ‘Quote Cup’ passed on to me from my grandmother. I share a quote and a recipe here each week, along with an update and photos of what has been going on in our lives. I love trying new recipes…and love getting recipes you would like to share!
Last week was the opening show of the season by the Children’s Theatre Company… world premiere of a hockey musical… it was unlike anything we had every seen! Â I can’t imagine the challenges of staging hockey teams on roller blades! We played an unusually dense game of Qwirkle and had to take a photo of the colorful design. We had partially dismantled it before deciding to take a photo and as I look it now I see we didn’t put it back together correctly, but the colorful pattern is still pleasing!
RECIPE OF THE WEEK
We were invited to dinner at dear friends last weekend and these delicious pork chops from Fine Cooking magazine were on the menu… yum! Thank you, John, for sharing!
PORK CHOPS with cranberry-maple pan sauce
- 4 one-inch thick bone-in porch chops (about 2 1/2 lb)
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
- 1/2 cup lower-salt chicken broth
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Pat the pork dry and season with 1 teaspoon of the thyme, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper.
Heat the oil in a heavy-duty 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering hot. Add the pork chops and cook without moving until the pork is browned around the edges and easily releases when you lift a corner, 3-4 minutes. Flip the pork chops and continue ot cook until firm to the touch and an instant-read thermometer insert horizontally into a chop close to but not touching the bone registers 140 degrees F, about 9 minutes.
Transfer the chops to a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Add the cranberries, chicken broth, maple syrup, cider vinegar, mustard, and the remaining 1 teaspoon thyme to the skillet and raise the heat to medium high. Cook, whisking to incorporate the mustard and any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until the cranberries soften and the liquid has reduced to a saucy consistency, about 7 minutes.
Return the pork chops and any accumulated juice to the skillet, turning to coast both sides. Serve the pork chops.
