Pork Chops with Apple Tart Dressing

Confession: I didn't cook this. Buuuutttt my husband did and goodness gracious was it delicious.

I hadn't eaten pork chops in YEARS. Alan's a big fan of chops and he'd been trying to get me to eat them ever since we started dating, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Growing up, my family didn't eat pork chops very often and the recipe my mom made wasn't my favorite (no offense, Mom! Love ya!). When Alan and I made a commitment to try and eat at home more I knew I was going to have to move beyond chicken, beef and salmon so I added pork chops to our grocery list. Tonight, Alan put those chops to good use.

He used a recipe in his Keeping it Simple cookbook by Gary Rhodes. Check out this deliciousness ...

I'm so blessed to have a hubby that enjoys cooking! Love him to bits. But onto the food ... 

He served the pork chops with sauteed mushrooms and asparagus, and fresh red tomatoes sprinkled with pepper. Here's the recipe:

Pork Chops with Apple Tart Dressing

Ingredients
- Apples (the recipe calls for 7 to 8, but he only used 2)
- 1oz of brown sugar
- Lemon juice from half of a lemon
- Pork chops (recipe calls for 4, he used 2)
- 1oz of butter, melted
- Salt and pepper
- Apple sauce (this actually isn't in the recipe, but he added about 2 tablespoons of it)

Directions
- Peel and roughly chop the apples and put them into a saucepan.
- Add half the brown sugar, the lemon juice and 3 tablespoons of water. Cover with a lid and cook over medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes until tender, stirring from time to time.
- Brush the pork chops with a little bit of butter and season with salt and pepper. Put the chops on a grill pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side.
- Spread the apple sauce over the chops and arrange the apple slices on top slightly overlapping as you would for an apple tart. Brush or drizzle the chops with melted butter, sprinkle over the remaining sugar and return to the grill.
- Cook for a few more minutes until the apples are nicely toasted with a slightly burnt tinge around the edges.

Thai Peanut Chicken Satay

Alan and I take turns cooking dinner. Monday dinners are my responsibility, and this week I wanted to cook something Asian-inspired. I was originally planning to try my hand at chicken skewers with a peanut butter dipping sauce, but by the time I got home I was feeling lazy tired so I ended up doing a simpler version.

Instead of grilling the chicken on skewers and making the sauce on the side, I cooked everything together. The result was a yummy, saucy chicken dish that would go perfectly over rice or pasta. (Unfortunately, I hadn't thought to make rice or pasta so we ate the dish alone, with a salad on the side. Still tasty, but I think a rice or pasta base would have really made it complete). 

The recipe I used is loosely based on this one I found on the internet. 

Thai Peanut Chicken Satay

Ingredients

- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (chopped into chunks)

- 3/4 cup of green onions

- 1 red bell pepper (chopped)

- 3 tablespoons of soy sauce

- 2 tablespoons of peanut butter

- 2 teaspoons of white vinegar

- 1 teaspoon of sesame oil

- 1 teaspoon of brown sugar

- A dash of cayenne pepper

- 1/4 cup of water 

Directions

1. I let my chicken chunks marinate in a sesame vinaigrette for about an hour before cooking, but this step is optional. I bought the sesame vinaigrette at No Frills ... you could probably find something similar at your local grocery store.

2. In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, peanut butter, vinegar, sesame oil, brown sugar and cayenne pepper. Mix well. It will be very dark and a little lumpy; this is normal.

3. In a large skillet, stir fry the chicken, onions and red pepper until the chicken is fully cooked. (This takes about 5-7 minutes). 

3. Switch the heat down to "medium" and add the peanut sauce mix to the skillet.

4. Stir constantly. When the sauce begins to bubble, add the 1/4 cup of water to help thin it out. Cook for about 3-5 minutes. 

5. Serve & enjoy !

Alan really enjoyed this dish. His reaction after taking his first bite was "WOW! Yum! This tastes so Asian!" ... huge compliment. :)

This recipe made the perfect serving for the two of us. If you're making this for four people (or more) I'd recommend doubling the recipe ... 4 chicken breasts, 2 peppers, etc.