Sage-Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw

Sage-Rubbed Pork Chops with Warm Apple Slaw -- a recipe found in Ellie Kreiger's "Food You Crave". (A. Mayberry)

This dish is sounds kind of strange .... but it is seriously delicious. I'll be honest ... my version looked nothing like the picture in Ellie Kreiger's "Food You Crave" cookbook, but it was delightful, nonetheless.

Quick tip: If you have a food processor, this will save you a TON of chopping time! So bust it out, set it up with the shredding blade, and "chop" away!

4- 8oz., 1 1/4in. thick pork chops ... (I'm sure the guys are already drooling). Take 1 lg. clove of garlic, 1T fresh sage, salt, and pepper. Rub on this mix on the pork. Let it stand for about 10 minutes at room temp. In a heated skillet, warm 2t of olive oil and brown the chops. About 2-3 minutes on each side.

While the pork is "standing", take a small head of green cabbage, 3 carrots, 1 granny smith apple, 1t of sage, and 1 large onion. Throw it all in the food processor. (Or, chop finely or shred ...) Once your pork is finished, throw this whole mixture -- plus 3/4 cup of chicken broth and 2T of apple cider vinegar -- into the skillet and heat through. Add the chops back into the pan and reheat slightly if you wish.

Makes 4 (VERY) generous servings. If you wish to cook with a friend or significant other, have them run the food processor while you're cooking the chops. It will be done about the same time, so that the reheating of your pork chops is minimal, if even necessary. (I covered mine with foil to keep them warm). With this method, total prep-cook time would be about 15-20 minutes.

The flavor is like coleslaw, but it wants to be sauerkraut. It's wonderful. The pork is nicely flavored, but not in an overpowering manner -- and their super juicy if cooked just right. This would be a wonderful autumn dish ... served with a crisp Riesling or Chardonnay.

Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Shrimp and Chorizo

Chef FAIL! I must begin this blog with a preamble that I forgot to take a photo of the dish in its proper, plated setting. Rather, this is a picture of the leftovers, on a paper plate. HA! But it's just as delicious!

I've also begun to notice a bit of a trend on my blog subjects ... foods that are spicy, savory and likely containing some sort of seafood. (ha ha ha!) I suppose that means that I enjoy the warmth of the spice, the "comfort food" aspect of the savory and ..... well .... sorry. I can't explain the seafood part. Exotic, maybe? Perhaps an interior desire to go "vegetarian" or drag out "Catholic Fridays" throughout the whole year. (aka ... the abstention from meat on Fridays during the season of Lent).

Nonetheless, this meal, I suppose, is no different. It comes from "Latin Flavors/Sabór Latino", a cookbook I ordered from Pampered Chef. I decided that our first home-cooked meal should be from a new cookbook, and be among my husband's favorite food genre ... Mexican food. This meal (as usual) was easy to make but it is helpful to use a "Sous Chef" or perhaps even a food processor to do some of the chopping for you to save a little time.

I began by washing 6 poblano peppers (the ones they make Chile Rellenos out of in the restaurants) and sliced down the center of one side to split each pepper. I then steamed them in the microwave with a little water for about 8-9 minutes, until they were a crunchy-tender.

Meanwhile, I began to cook 3 oz of Beef Chorizo and about 1 1/2 c of frozen corn. (The recipe calls for the corn to be freshly shucked off of 2 ears of corn .... ha ha ha ... frozen is just fine) over medium high heat. While that was cooking, I started dicing 1 small red onion, 1/2 cup of cilantro and 1 red bell pepper. The recipe also calls for 12oz. of uncooked shrimp. NOTE: I used cooked, tail on shrimp .... BUT to save even more time (and a little $$ too) use 12 oz. of bay shrimp. It will save both the cooking of the shrimp and the chopping of it.

Once the chorizo and corn had been properly cooked and heated through, I added the onion, red pepper, cilantro and shrimp. Heat through. Have 2 cups of cheese ready. The recipe called for "Chihuahua" cheese ... never heard of it, didn't find it. I use Queso Fresco, similar to Feta Cheese in consistency. But even a nice, low-fat Monterey Jack would be great!

Open the peppers and place in the stuffing mixture (corn, chorizo, bell pepper, onion, shrimp and cilantro) and stuff a little of the cheese in each pepper as well. Microwave it for at least one more minute, or until the cheese has completely melted.

These stuffed peppers definitely fit my blogging trend. Spicy (but not too HOT), Savory and Seafood. The flavors are kind of Tex-Mex, but in a good way. You get just enough zing from the chorizo to taste it, but there's not so much that it's greasy. The corn gets slightly toasted when it's cooked and the peppers and onions top it off and compliment the freshness of the cilantro. The cheese speaks for itself ... it hold the whole thing together.

Each pepper is about 320 calories, but they are filling for their size ... that's a good thing. However, if you're so inclined, serve this up with a small side salad, a small helping of black beans or even a little rice to accompany the delicious dish.

A FRESH New Start

Photo of the new kitchen, pre-move-in, taken from the Dining/Living room. (A. Mayberry)

Photo of the new kitchen space (pre-move-in), from the edge of the kitchen, facing our stove, oven and cabinet space. (A. Mayberry)

For those of you who haven't already heard, my husband and I just moved from a one-bedroom apartment into our very first home. Along with all the responsibility of being an adult (in general) we now have taken on the tasks that homeowners have in caring for and maintaining a home that will become not only a sanctuary for us, but also a place that is warm and welcoming to our friends, family and guests.

New House = New Kitchen. All of the pots, pans, plates, glasses and cooking utensils have all been unpacked as have my cookbooks. A little grocery shopping done over the weekend means our refrigerator and our pantry are fully stocked with the necessary ingredients needed to make meals from scratch. (No more Mac N Cheese, Top Ramen or take-out to tide us over!)

What will make this week even more exciting is the menu for this week. After all of the packing, unpacking and the work and family obligations that have crunched the schedule (and my usual daily cooking routine), I am HAPPY to get back in to the kitchen ... and COOKING. I'm pulling out the stops! I'm going gourmet this week to make up for all of the restaurant food and boxed or frozen stuff that we've resorted to in order to accommodate the things that were packed away and the need to focus on our transition to our new home.

I crave chopping onions and garlic ... sauteéing red peppers ... tossing in a dash of the necessary seasonings ... the steaming and grilling ... the aromas ... and that sense of accomplishment I get when my husband and I take our first bites of the culinary creations. I hope to have lots to blog about ... and lots of pictures to post!

So I raise a glass (or, at present, my travel mug of coffee) to a FRESH new start .... to a new home, a new kitchen, new meals .... and to new adventures. Cheers! and Buon Appetito!