Thick Pork Chops with Spiced Apples and Raisins

Pork ChopOver the weekend I went to my former residence, now owned by my brother-in-law, to raid the apple tree. Each year it seems this tree produces more and more apples and it’s basically impossible to do something with all of them. My brother in law will eat what he can but he’s single. He’s not going to be home on the weekends canning. He has other pursuits.

So I arrived armed with three bushel baskets and with the intention of picking the apples and making both applesauce and apple chutney. Applesauce is, frankly, the easiest thing in the world to make and it has so many uses. My kids will eat it right out of the jar with a spoon. (Or, in a lesser moment, their fingers. I’m so proud.) And it’s great with yogurt or mixed into pancake batter. I make the chutney because there is nothing like a grilled panini or open faced sandwich with some arugula, a thick slice of ham, some Irish Dubliner and a dollop of tangy apple chutney on good french bread. Add some butternut squash soup to that and you have yourself one perfect and colorful Fall lunch or dinner.

Needless to say, I now find myself with more apples than I know what to do with so I am trying to use apples as much as I can which means I have been cooking more pork lately. For me there is no better flavor match up than apples and pork. One of my favorite recipes is from Tyler Florence and is listed below. The pork chops are definitely tasty (brining is a must!) and a pork roast will work well too but the main reason I make it is because of the warm compote. The pork is just the vessel for the apples and raisins.

Then again, you could just skip the pork altogether and use a spoon… or your fingers. Read more…

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork & Hot Cheezy Things

Spicy Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork & Hot Cheezy ThingsThe Family That Plays Together…

So, the College Football season has started. For most well-adjusted sane people the first weekend of college football can be a good thing if for no other reason than you can sit on the sofa in your “at home” sweats and do absolutely nothing. In my family, however, it means so much more. It means that on Thursday, August 30, I received no fewer than 19 emails regarding College Football and the favorite teams of those “fortunate enough” to be on the recipient list, all of whom were members of my family. There were no outside players on the list. One of them is also my boss.

If you were thinking that these emails contained innocuous messages like “Go Bears! Beat the Wolfpack!” or “I Love My Ducks!” or even “Gee Dad, I hope your Trojans play well on Saturday” you would, alas, be way off base. No, in my family, it means that the no holds barred mudslinging and linguistic acrobatic smack talk has begun. It can, has and will get quite ugly. No topic is out of bounds. Coaches. Schedules. Bands. Questionable DNA pools (though that gets complicated when you consider we’re related).

To make matters worse, we actually like to get together when our favorite teams play so that we can have said “conversations” face to face. This past Saturday was no different. The entire family gathered at my sister’s for some BBQ and to flip back and forth from one game to the next. We have one Golden Bear, One Trojan and Two Ducks in the family so we have to split the TV time. (There is also one vicarious Buckeye but we don’t talk to him much. He is forced sit quietly in the corner – even though I’m married to him.)

While the channels are flipping we do manage to eat pretty well. The Sancho’s Dip from our cheese department is a must have at every get together or tailgate and there is usually something fabulous on the grill for halftime. Below is a tasty item plus a family favorite Hors D’Oeuvre. Try them at your next viewing party or tailgate and if by some chance you are in the store some time during the season and hear the dulcet tones of a school fight song being blasted over the intercom, you’ll know why…GO DUCKS!!!!  Read more…