Pan-Grilled Pork Chops

My latest adventure in cooking involved a cooking method that I have never used before, pan-grilling.

First turn the oven on to its maximum temperature, at least 500 degrees F, and set a rack in the lowest possible position. Preheat a heavy ovenproof skillet just large enough to hold the pork chops over medium-high heat for 4 to 5 minutes. The pan should be really hot, just about smoking. I had decided that I wanted to use BBQ sauce instead of the suggested olive oil. So, I brushed the chops with BBQ sauce, put them in the skillet, and immediately put the skillet in the oven. The chops were cooked 5 minutes per side. The result was good, but I was disappointed that the BBQ flavor wasn't as present as I had expected. I plan to try this again in the future. The method was quick and easy. I'm thinking next time I may marinate the chops in BBQ sauce before cooking. I might also try warming up a little sauce in a bowl to be served with the chops.

 This cooking method was discovered in How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. I want to thank my sister in-law for gifting me with this book several year ago. It has encouraged me to branch out and try new ways of cooking.

Loooooong Time No See!

Wow! Did not realize it had been so long since my last post (December 2009). Of course the holiday season was upon us and things get really busy around that time of the year. Then things got really crazy for our family in 2010. The wild ride began when I answered the ringing phone one day in March. Eight months later (November, 2010) my father in-law passed away. Then ten short months later (September, 2011) my mother in-law passed away. The ride hasn't ended just yet. Our daughter was diagnosed with pectus excavatum in November, 2011. Her sternum was dipping in to far and pressing on her heart and lungs. She is now two months post surgery and recovering nicely. Somewhere in all the craziness of life, my husband has started cooking dinner pretty much all the time. Looking back through the posts this evening though has given me the desire to get back in the kitchen again. I think I will talk to him and see if he would like for me to share cooking responsibilities with him. I'd like to get back to experimenting with recipes again.

Actually the two of us were in the kitchen together this afternoon and stirred up some cookies together. They are called "Skinny Chunky Monkey Cookies". The recipe has been going around on Facebook. I suspect you can also find it on Pintrest. This is a healthy version of the "Boiled Chocolate Cookies" that I love so much. We made them with dark chocolate cocoa. My husband commented that they were bitter. Our daughter says they taste weird and that chocolate and bananas don't go together. I seem to be the only one that thinks they aren't half bad. But then again I haven't run into to many things involving chocolate that I don't like.

Pepperoni Calzones

My husband is a HUGE pizza fan. I believe that he would eat pizza for every meal, if he could. So any time that I can make something that is pizza-like it is sure to be a big hit with him. Tonight I made Pepperoni Calzones (BCC - 319). I was a little intimidated with the idea of making my own pizza crust. It has been over 20 years since I have made any type of yeast bread or dough, but I decided it was time to give it a try. The crust turned out a little tough and tasted a little floury to me. I'm not sure if I kneaded it too much, put too much flour in, or if it was due to the fact that I used a naturally white flour instead of all-purpose flour. I will be trying the dough again as there is another recipe for calzones that I will be trying. I think I will try all-purpose flour next time to see if that makes a difference. It's times like these that I really wish I had more knowledge of the chemistry of cooking. It sure would help me to understand how different flours etc. affect a recipe. The sauce (which included mushrooms), pepperoni, green pepper and mozzarella cheese inside the calzones was delicious! If I can get the issues with the crust figured out, I think this could become a Cox family favorite!

Chocolate Drop Cookies

This week's treat for the youth group was Chocolate Drop Cookies (BCC - 99). These cookies were really not difficult to make and my baking assistant, my daughter, was able to join me just in time to make the icing and ice them. I was happy for the help because the icing ingredients include two squares of baking chocolate, two tablespoons of butter, and two cups of powdered sugar. For a chocolate lover like me that spells TROUBLE when your trying to watch the sweets. My daughter has a lot more self control than I do in this area and I'm proud of her for resisting the temptation. I did try just one before they left the house and they were delicious! The feedback was that the youth group enjoyed them. We even have a request for the recipe!

Hearty Tomato Soup

Anyone who knows me well knows that I DON'T LIKE TOMATOES! But in the spirit of this challenge I made Hearty Tomato Soup (BCC - 311) and my daughter assisted with Grilled Cheese Sandwiches for dinner last night. I made a few modifications of my own to the recipe. I felt that 6 oz. of cram cheese would make the soup to rich not to mention all the fat and calories it would add. So, instead at the end of cooking the onion in margarine I added enough all-purpose flour to make a roué. Instead of 1 1/4 cups of milk I used 1 cup and instead of 2 cans (16 oz. each) whole tomatoes I used 1 can
(16 oz.) of diced tomatoes. The result was really quiet delicious! Served with warm grilled cheese sandwiches it was the perfect meal for a cold and rainy evening!

Dinner Casserole

Now we're caught up to last night's dinner. Dinner Casserole (BCC - 254) is easy to prepare. However, I don't think the creators of this recipe were counting on the home cook using Healthy Request soup (which is reduced salt) or Baked Potato Chips. My family found this casserole to be lacking in flavor. However, I think that adding a little salt (if using a soup that is low salt) would help the flavor a bit. This was served with a tossed salad for a quick and easy Monday night meal.

I actually did the family grocery shopping yesterday (a rare occasion) and found a sugar free graham cracker crust. So, I also picked up a box of sugar free pudding and made a pudding pie for dessert. Pudding pie is always good served with Cool Whip, but I chose to serve it without. My family protested that decision. So, next time I'll get to Cool Whip!

Candy (M&M) Cookies

My daughter made the Candy (M&M) Cookies (BCC - 97) for her youth group. There was very little talking and a lot of eating going on. They ate the whole thing! I don't think you can go wrong with a cookie that involves some chocolate when you're dealing with a group of teenagers.