Yet another self-serving thread. I never write down the shit I cook, and so when I want to re-create something, I end up just creating again. (if you can see the difference)
So, I'm going to start jotting down my meals here, and hopefully it will motivate me to rate the meals later in the evening, and that will be a service to me, if to no one else.
In the off chance that anyone has stumbled in here, and doesn't immediately rush off to work on their MySpace page, I welcome all recipe ideas, critiques of what I'm doing, etc... Just because I'm making this thread for myself doesn't mean I don't want the company, I'm just not naive enough to expect it. (if you can see the difference)
Tonight: Breaded and Baked Thick-Chops with Roasted Red Potatoes and Cucumber Salad.
I love when my oven is at 350F. I feel like it should always be here, or set to Broil, and nowhere in-between. They should make an oven that just has those two settings: "Cook" and "Smoke Alarm Test". Most people roast potatoes at higher temps, but I prefer to lengthen the time, so everything can pop in and out of one oven. So, the first thing I did tonight is turn the oven on to 350F.
In a large bowl I mixed some bread crumbs (1/2 cup?), some steak rub (1/2TB?), some black pepper (TSP?), and a little bit of salt. I mixed the spices into the crumbs by pretending I was tossing a sauté. In a small bowl I mixed two eggs with 1TB of milk.
The pork chops I'm using are my favorite. They are bone-in (everything needs to be bone-in, in my opinion) and thick. Over an inch thick. This is great meat because you get a lot of it, and it is cheap. I leave them out ahead of time to make sure they are room-temperature before I bread them.
I dunked them in the eggs, and really sloshed them around for awhile. I want the mixture to penetrate. Then each one went into the bread crumbs, making sure to get the sides and lay it on thick. Then they went into a lightly-greased glass 9x13 dish. One slice of onion went on top of each chop (1/4 inch thick), followed by a nice pat of butter (1/2 inch thick). The dish is covered with foil.
I plan on cooking these guys for 1 hour, and then I will uncover them and cook them for another hour (maybe 45 min).
I like to use the baby reds, and quarter them. I leave the skin on, so I give them a good rinse and light scrub. In a big ziplock, I put 1 TB of olive oil, 2 TSP salt, and 2 TB black pepper, 2 TB Rosemary, and 3 minced garlic cloves. The potatoes go in the bag and get a good shaking. I shave them a few times over a 5-10 minute period, letting them sit between shakings. Otherwise, the mixture just falls off the spuds and sits in the dish.
They are going to go in the oven with 1 hour to go with the chops. For the last 10 minutes, I'm going to move the oven to Broil, to get the potatoes crispy on the outside. They will be on the second-to-top rack, while the chops are in the center of the oven.
Cucumber Salad:
This is one of my favorite things to eat. Great snack, and great side with every meal:
Heat to dissolve:
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 TB salt
1 TSP celery seed
Pour over 7-8 cubs sliced cucumbers (2.5 lbs.)
1 cup thinly sliced vidalia onion (or sweet onion)
1 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced
Refrigerate for 24 hours, and stir several times during this interval (not waking up to do so or anything foolish like that)
Keeps 2-3 weeks.
Results:
Great meal. 7/10. Next time I will cook the chops for 20 min. less, I would like them a little juicier on the inside, and the potatoes were on the wife's limit of spiciness, so I might tone them down. The cucumber salad is a perfect side for a spicy meal. Nice and cold and refreshing.
So, I'm going to start jotting down my meals here, and hopefully it will motivate me to rate the meals later in the evening, and that will be a service to me, if to no one else.
In the off chance that anyone has stumbled in here, and doesn't immediately rush off to work on their MySpace page, I welcome all recipe ideas, critiques of what I'm doing, etc... Just because I'm making this thread for myself doesn't mean I don't want the company, I'm just not naive enough to expect it. (if you can see the difference)
Tonight: Breaded and Baked Thick-Chops with Roasted Red Potatoes and Cucumber Salad.
I love when my oven is at 350F. I feel like it should always be here, or set to Broil, and nowhere in-between. They should make an oven that just has those two settings: "Cook" and "Smoke Alarm Test". Most people roast potatoes at higher temps, but I prefer to lengthen the time, so everything can pop in and out of one oven. So, the first thing I did tonight is turn the oven on to 350F.
In a large bowl I mixed some bread crumbs (1/2 cup?), some steak rub (1/2TB?), some black pepper (TSP?), and a little bit of salt. I mixed the spices into the crumbs by pretending I was tossing a sauté. In a small bowl I mixed two eggs with 1TB of milk.
The pork chops I'm using are my favorite. They are bone-in (everything needs to be bone-in, in my opinion) and thick. Over an inch thick. This is great meat because you get a lot of it, and it is cheap. I leave them out ahead of time to make sure they are room-temperature before I bread them.
I dunked them in the eggs, and really sloshed them around for awhile. I want the mixture to penetrate. Then each one went into the bread crumbs, making sure to get the sides and lay it on thick. Then they went into a lightly-greased glass 9x13 dish. One slice of onion went on top of each chop (1/4 inch thick), followed by a nice pat of butter (1/2 inch thick). The dish is covered with foil.
I plan on cooking these guys for 1 hour, and then I will uncover them and cook them for another hour (maybe 45 min).
Potatoes:
I like to use the baby reds, and quarter them. I leave the skin on, so I give them a good rinse and light scrub. In a big ziplock, I put 1 TB of olive oil, 2 TSP salt, and 2 TB black pepper, 2 TB Rosemary, and 3 minced garlic cloves. The potatoes go in the bag and get a good shaking. I shave them a few times over a 5-10 minute period, letting them sit between shakings. Otherwise, the mixture just falls off the spuds and sits in the dish.
They are going to go in the oven with 1 hour to go with the chops. For the last 10 minutes, I'm going to move the oven to Broil, to get the potatoes crispy on the outside. They will be on the second-to-top rack, while the chops are in the center of the oven.
Cucumber Salad:
This is one of my favorite things to eat. Great snack, and great side with every meal:
Heat to dissolve:
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 TB salt
1 TSP celery seed
Pour over 7-8 cubs sliced cucumbers (2.5 lbs.)
1 cup thinly sliced vidalia onion (or sweet onion)
1 medium bell pepper, thinly sliced
Refrigerate for 24 hours, and stir several times during this interval (not waking up to do so or anything foolish like that)
Keeps 2-3 weeks.
Results:
Great meal. 7/10. Next time I will cook the chops for 20 min. less, I would like them a little juicier on the inside, and the potatoes were on the wife's limit of spiciness, so I might tone them down. The cucumber salad is a perfect side for a spicy meal. Nice and cold and refreshing.
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