Fall Favorites in Pork

It's not quite "Apple-palooza" at our house yet but this is one of my all-time favorite fall suppers.  And the weather at night is getting chilly so it's the right time!

Pork Chops with Cider Pan Sauce!

There is no recipe, Brian makes it up as he goes along.  It's moist, perfect pork with just a little tang from the cider.  I love, love, love it!  Even Will got into it this year and ate a whole serving.  Sean, not so much.  But lately if it's not chicken or peanut butter and jelly, he won't touch it.  Everything else, in his words, is "No, no no.  This is 'au-skuskin."  (disgusting.)  Ah well.  More for us!  Sadly, there were no leftovers.

Paprika Chicken

A Brian original:  Paprika Chicken.

Simply chicken breasts with a variety of spices, including (of course) paprika.  We're enjoying paprika lately....especially smoked paprika.  The chicken was done in the oven using a cast iron skillet, and last minute he decided to put the almost-steamed brussels sprouts in there too.  Delicious.

Sassy/Saucy

Monday Night, 5:40pm.  I'm starving. 

Brian's clearing the driveway a bit more after this past weekend's blizzard, so I decide that I am going to cook a fast, simple dinner.  Defrosted pork chops in the fridge, waiting to be dropped into a hot skillet.  To make it friendly to all household members and FAST, I add a box of Kraft Mac n Cheese and a can of green beans.  I just don't want the complaints tonight and when we all eat the same dinner, everyone wins.

Then my wheels start turning and I decide to improvise a sauce for the pork.  This is what I came up with, and it was delicious!  Note:  this isn't quite a recipe, as I don't have exact measurements of every ingredient, nor how long I cooked this.  It's very much make-it-up-as-you-go-along, or MIUAYGA :)

Honey-Mustard Sauce

1 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup honey 

2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped fine

couple of shakes of dried rosemary and dried sage  (I really have no idea how much, but not a lot.) 

Salt and pepper to taste.

chicken broth, to thin the sauce towards the end


I sauteed the garlic, then added the honey, mustard and spices to the saucepan.  After this got a bit bubbly, I added it to the pan drippings from the pork chops.  It got a bit thick, so I added chicken broth to thin it out a bit.  Two of the three pork chops were added back to the pan (the boys probably wouldn't eat this and barely are the last pork chop split between them) to coat.  Simple, yet divine.  And pretty fast on a Monday night, as dinner was on the table at quarter past six!  You have to love that.

Day Nineteen: Fiesta Bowl!

A fun dinner...cheese quesadillas and sliced fruit for the kids.  Instead of plain old quesadillas, I put together chicken thighs spiced with chili pepper and cumin, added corn, salsa, rice, a touch of lime juice and cheese.  As a garnish, two quesadilla wedges.  Came out great!  And it was a nice change from the usual "quesadilla and rice n beans trap.  Plus the kids ate everything with no trouble, so everyone wins!

Sunday Morning Breakfast

Waffles fresh off the iron, bacon and a warm pineapple compote.  

The pineapple compote was completely improvised...I had bought a can of pineapple chunks yesterday because Sean loves them for a snack.  Brian opened the can this morning and put them in a pan on the stove, adding brown sugar and apple cider vinegar.  The end result was so delicious, there were three pieces of bacon left at the end of the meal.  There's NEVER leftover bacon.  

With breakfasts like these, I never feel like going out to a restaurant for breakfast on the weekend.  No need...it's just as good if not better in our own kitchen!

Summer's Last Hurrah

Labor Day has come and gone, which means summer has unofficially ended.  The temps have even started to drop at night, making for excellent sleeping weather.  :)  I've always said that September and October are the best months of the year.  :)

We spent the first part of the holiday weekend visiting family, and Monday was just the four of us hanging out at home.  We planned on a simple menu for dinner:  barbecued chicken, pasta salad and fresh corn on the cob.

Brian bought a whole chicken and cut it up to individual pieces.  And I have to admit, it really is fresher that way.  And it creates plenty of leftovers.

Now, imagine the chagrin when I realize that (GAH) we're out of barbecue sauce!  You always notice these kinds of things when the cook is elbow-deep in raw chicken and there's no quick options.   So I flew by the seat of my pants.  What sounds good....I know!  Citrus and Basil Marinade.  I threw it together in my blender, all ingredients in the kitchen and on-hand.  The end result was tangy deliciousness....very taste-of-summer.  Crisis averted!



Crafty Mama's Citrus-Basil Marinade

I call this a marinade, but really, the chicken pieces only soaked in it for about fifteen minutes.  Believe me, it was plenty of time. 

In a blender, toss in:

1 cup orange juice
1 tbsp minced garlic
1/3 cup orange marmalade
6 fresh basil leaves
2 tbsp lemon juice
a little ground black pepper

Set blender to "chop" for about 20 seconds, then "mix" for 20 more.  Place chicken pieces in a big plastic bag, then pour in the marinade.  Seal bag, squeezing out excess air.   Refrigerate for desired resting time/optimal flavor. 

Enjoy!