I Am the Cooker of Delicious Things.

I think that'll be the new title for when I post recipes.

Last night we had Oven-Fried Pork Chops, which I can't take credit for. The recipe is from Better Homes & Gardens. On the side we had mashed taters with feta and California blend with garlic butter. Mmmmmm.

Ok. So you start with some boneless pork chops that are about 3/4 of an inch thick, and do an egg wash with an egg, a little milk, and some pepper. (Why is pork naturally salty? This is a question that just occurred to me. I think I'll Google it.) Then, you roll the chops in some dry herb stuffing mix that you've crushed down fine. In a 13 x 9 pan with a little puddle of butter on the bottom, you put the chops and cook them on 425* for about ten minutes, turn, and cook for 10-15 more. Internal temp should be 160*.
For the potatoes, I just boiled some red potatoes and mashed with butter and chicken stock, then added about a half a cup of feta. Next time I'll add it sooner so the cheese melts a little better.
California blend = fresh broccoli and cauliflower florets with baby carrots, steamed/boiled in a little bit of chicken stock, then tossed with garlic butter (heat equal parts EVOO and butter on low with some chopped garlic), salt, and pepper. Emily even said the veggies were the best part, and usually she acts like I'm trying to kill her when I tell her to eat her broccoli.

Tonight, we had Pesto Chicken sandwiches on ciabatta bread. Aaron wanted my version of chicken cordon bleu, which entails provolone in place of Swiss and prosciutto in place of ham, but prosciutto costs an arm and a freakin' leg at Wal-mart, so that was a no-go. They did have day-old ciabatta bread on sale, so I bought some of that, fresh spinach, provolone, and jarred pesto. I was thinking of the Barefoot Contessa's pesto bread where she spreads it on ciabatta and then toasts it. So I cut the chicken breasts in half longwise (to make two thin pieces from one breast piece) and salted and peppered them and grilled them. I cut the loaf of ciabatta in half the same way and spread the pesto on it. Next time, I will probably toast the bread a bit before assembling the sandwich, but I didn't this time. I layered spinach on top of provolone on the bottom piece of bread, placed the chicken breasts, and topped them with tomatoes and more provolone. Then, place under the broiler to melt the cheese and put the top piece on and cut the whole thing into servings. They were big Schlotzsky's-style sandwiches. I served them with a side of fries. So good! I also might, next time, use the pesto beaten with an egg to bread some chicken (as in, dip the bread in the pesto/egg and then the breadcrumbs and then fry.) If I do, I'll let you know how it went. If you try it first, let me know!

Thanks for reading, and happy eating! PS, both these meals took about half an hour to make and serve.