Pork Chops in Garlicky Sauce



This recipe came from Cooking from the Heart of Spain, a cookbook I got from the library. I was drawn to the use of fresh herbs. Pork chops aren't usually something I am enthusiastic about, which is partly the reason why I chose this recipe - garlic makes everything tasty!


I did make several adaptation to the recipe, including not peeling the potatoes and skipping the bitter pimenton, which I've never even heard of. All of my adaptations are in italics. In the above picture I had just added the potatoes, and on the back burner is brown Basmati rice, a recent find of mine at Publix. Mike LOVES Basmati rice, so I was happy to find a brown version. It was called "popcorn rice" on the package, and I couldn't figure out why until the fragrance filled the house - it really does smell kind of like popcorn!




Just about ready! At this point Mike and I were both standing over the stove about ready to reach in the skillet and dig in! The combination of garlic and parsley added at the last minute smelled SO good!


I didn't realize until I got to the table that I prepared two starches...whoops! I don't think I've EVER made that mistake! This was the first time that I really, truly enjoyed pork chops - I definitely plan on making these again! TRY THIS RECIPE!

Chicken Tandoori

Good news, everyone, the blog drought has ended! Mike replaced the digital camera he lost, so I've had fun playing with my new toy. Tonight's dinner was chicken tandoori, which has been marinating since yesterday. Tandoori features plain yogurt and curry, along with other spices, usually paprika. I baked the chicken at 350 for an hour, then put it on top of a bed of brown rice. We were send home with a truckload of food from Mike's dad's investiture this weekend, and we've been munching on the veggies all day, so I switched up dinner with some fresh fruit.

The verdict
This is the second time I've made chicken tandoori, but the first time I've served it over rice. I think I'll be doing it this way from now on. In my opinion, brown rice needs something over it to make it interesting, and this definitely qualifies. I should have planned this out better, though, because I had Indian food on campus today, then again tonight. So much curry! My stomach is not used to this! I give this meal 4 out of 10 stars for taste and health.